| Publicity. |
| If you have any publicity ideas, please email Nigel |
| Taken from the Coventry International Motor Speedway programme, Saturday April 5th 2003. Team Talk, by Nina Elmer. |
| Gary who lives in Wolston and is Coventrys most local driver embarked on his stock car racing career, not, as you would expect, on the Brandon oval, but at Bradford towards the end of the 1989 season. It was the first time he had sat in a stock car, an ex Rob Harrard built, which James Potter (10) used to race. Gary recalls "it was a big meeting at Bradford, there were seven or eight novices racing, I can`t remember being out on track, watching flames coming out of the bonnet from the exhaust, my overalls were billowing with the wind speed!" I came off the track after my first race and my mother asked me how I`d got on, I said "I think I have wet my self!" Gary has come on in leaps and bounds since those early days and is no doubt an undiscovered talent, as his title win in Australia proves. The Australian Open is run at Archer Fields International Raceway, Brisbane over three qualifying heats where drivers line up, once at the front, then again at the back, and the last time in the middle. It was Gary`s overall performance that secured him his third row outside grid position for the championship race, which he won in fine style. "It was a good race" Gary said, adding "I asked Dean Hawkins who was over here for the World Final if there was a chance of a race when I went to Oz on holiday. He arranged everything, including a good loan car. I can`t thank them enough for their hospitality, they treated me like one of the family." Remarkably this championship win does not rate as Gary`s best moment in stock car racing. "3rd Juny 1999, is my happiest memory so far, winning the final here and the Johnny Goodall Memorial Trophy." Conversely his worst nightmares, apart from being involved in a shunt at Northampton in the 2000 Semi Final race, are caused by engine blow-ups! Last season he bought the ex Andy Turner (488) car, and blew the engine in his first meeting and was scuppered for the rest of the season due to lack of funds. Gary is ambitious but realistic. When I asked him about the National Series he responded, "what`s the National Series when your on a budget? I know I have a good car and my ambition is always to be right on the night, and I would like to qualify for the World Final, of course." For his day job (and occasional nights), Gary is a heavy goods commercial driver for Coventry City Council... His nights involve keeping Coventrys roads gritted in the bad weather. A keen golfer, Gary plays off an 18 handicap, although he has not played for a while. He goes to a local sports centre, where he keeps fit, swims "I do a quick mile". Enjoys a sauna and generally "finds it useful going over to wash the shale off!" Gary is young, free and single, but always on the lookout for a girlfriend, who likes stock car racing, golf and swiming, in that order. One of Gary`s funniest stories involves his mechanic Rob, who was left with the car after Gary rolled it on a night racing at Coventry. "I left my helmet on the car, and went back to the pits letting Rob get on with sorting it out. He put my helmet on to drive the car off and was enthusiastically pounced on by the St. Johns people. No no I am alright really, Rob protested, but ignoring his protests and insistance that he was not the driver, the keen first-aiders bundled him into a ambulance for a quick checkup!" Team 264 will race mainly on shale this season with the odd run out at Northampton. Gary may not be able to attend the tarmac clinic`s, but was keen to point out that if he races tarmac and needs any help or advice he will get it from Junior Wainman (515) and Andy Smith (391). He respects all drivers, likes no-one inparticular and shouts for who ever is having a good race... Including, "give him a pink rinse, Phyllis" to Rob Cowley (73)... why? You`ll have to ask Gary. Definitely good fun and much more talented than he gives himself credit for, Gary will be going back to Brisbane to defend his title, "I`ve got their trophy, got to take it back, haven`t I?" |
| Taken from Stoxworld, April 2003, Issue number 220. |
| F.1 Driver Gary Lenton (264) takes a racing holiday in Australia and comes back to England as the Australian Open Champion after taking the title in Brisbane. Gary used a car loaned by Dean Hawkins, the Aussie competitor in last year`s World Final. |