Today’s the day for finalists
Young Driver of the Year finalists will today be pushed to the limit behind the wheel as the battle for a new Seat Ibiza reaches its climax, writes Caroline Brodie
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IT WILL be the ultimate test of their driving, and the stakes are high because every single contestant wants to drive away in the top prize.
Knockhill Racing Circuit, in Fife, will today host the final of the Press and Journal’s Young Driver of the Year competition.
Contestants will be put to the test on the skid pan, track, road and on a course designed to test their manoeuvrability skills.
Instructors from both Knockhill and Grampian Police – who have worked in partnership with the Press and Journal in its campaign, as have the Institute of Advanced Motorists and Specialist Cars Seat – will put the young drivers through their paces.
Knockhill’s fleet of Seat Leons will be used for most of the driving.
Alastair Fraser, driver training manager at Knockhill’s Centre for Driver Excellence, said they would be looking for a “high consistent standard”.
He added: “We will be looking for overall sympathetic car control and good progress when it is safe to do so.”
Constable Raymond Neil, from the driver training unit at Grampian Police, said instructors would be looking for “safe, steady, unobtrusive and competent” driving in built-up-areas and on country roads and motorway.
He added: “Among other things, we will be marking the contestants on their general handling of the car, their smoothness in the use of gears and steering, and their observational skills.
“I am sure it will prove to be an enjoyable and worthwhile day and I wish each of them every success.”
Chief Inspector Tom Forrester, head of roads policing at Grampian Police, said the 12 young drivers who had reached the final could be “rightly proud of their achievement”.
He said: “On the day, they will face difficult competition from their peers, and their skills as drivers will be rigorously tested.”
Speaking about the campaign, which was launched to address the high numbers of young drivers being killed and injured on our roads, he said: “I am delighted to have supported this campaign as it is so important for new drivers to realise that passing their test is not the end of the learning process – it’s only the start.
“Driving is not something we should do lightly. It is a skill that we all need to develop, and the better the skills you have as a driver the less chance there is of you making a mistake.
“Making a mistake behind the wheel of a car can be deadly and I would encourage all drivers across the north-east of Scotland to learn from these young people and take responsibility for their driving skills. Remember, you are never too old to learn.”
