'It feels strange to have actually won' Race ace targets Le Mans after achieving GTC glory FRIDAY FEATURE North Wales' motorsport champion Jamie Smyth talks to Roland Hughes about his dreams for the future after driving his Porsche to a British title.

Byline: Roland Hughes

ALL eyes, understandably, will be on one rising British motorsport hero this weekend. Lewis Hamilton is one race away from becoming the first Formula One champion from Britain since 1996, and a win in China this weekend would give the rookie the title.

A little closer to home, however, another young driver is earning plaudits for his displays a few rungs down the ladder.

Last Sunday, Jamie Smyth, of Prestatyn, won the British GTC championship after driving his Porsche car to success.

The 31-year-old is now hoping to use the success as a springboard to bigger and better things - with one ambitious target firmly in his sights.

Smyth and team-mate Graeme Mundy, who drive for the RSS Performance team, needed only a point to win the championship ahead of last weekend's races.

Going into the final weekend of the season at Rockingham race track in Northamptonshire, the team were confident of success.

While things did not go exactly to plan, with the pair not even racing on the second day of the two-day event, their performance was enough to bring home the glory.

Smyth said: "We both knew we had quite a comfortable lead going into the weekend, so we were fairly confident.

"All we needed to do was finish on the first day's racing on Saturday and get a point, and we did.

"But on the Sunday, we couldn't even get the car started. We tried everything, but we knew it had already been won.

"I am absolutely over the moon - it has been brilliant. I know it will be a real boost to my career.

"But wanting something is the best part - it feels strange to have actually got it."

Smyth, a former pupil at Ysgol y Llys in Prestatyn and Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph, started racing in 2000.

The thirst for speed is obviously in his blood, as his grandfather took part in the first-ever TT races on the Isle of Man in 1907.

His late father Charles also competed in the TT races, and often took Jamie to watch Formula One races.

While always being interested in racing, his passion took off when he tried his luck at karting with a friend in Sandycroft.

After that, he took a course at the Aintree Racing Drivers' School near Wigan, and went on to drive at the Anglesey school run by former driver Richard Peacock, of Caerwys.

Following that, he drove in the Avon Junior Zetec series for l8oocc cars, run in conjunction with Formula 3 and Grand Touring races.

His next step saw him drive for the Continental team in the Slick 50 series at Oulton Park, before moving up to the highly competitive GTC class racing.

Even like some Formula One drivers - including Michael Schumacher in his early days - Smyth has had to pay considerable money for his seat in GTC.

GTC competitions are run alongside the better-known GT3 championships, and involve drivers swapping during the race, between the 23rd and 37th minute.

Six of the eight rounds involve double-header races, with two events held over two days, adding up to 16 races.

But a problem almost scuppered Smyth's chances in the final weekend.

He said: "We had a gearbox problem so we took it apart and there were loads of parts missing.

"There was another team there that had a spare car, but they wanted the price of a car for the gearbox. My friend told me 'You have got to take it, now' and we did.

"If we had used ours, we wouldn't have finished. It was good advice. But I felt bad for the mechanics as much as anything, because it made them look like they had failed."

Jamie now hopes to be able to test his talents on a larger platform in coming years, and hopes his recent success can stand him in good stead.

He said: "Ideally, I would like to go and race on a European stage, maybe into the GT3 European championships.

"That would be an ideal step for me, if I can get the right sponsorship, which is what it comes down to. It will help that I am that little bit more successful. But what I really want to do is race in Le Mans - that's what I am really aiming for."

Any companies wishing to take part in corporate events on a race track - and have ago a triding Jamie's winning Porsche - can visit www.jamiesmyth.co.uk for more details

CAPTION(S):

Prestatyn's British GTC motor racing champion Jamie Smyth, who is targeting the Le Mans race