John George (racing driver)

BTCC driver
Name = John George
Nationality = flagicon|ENG


Nickname =
Car number = 55
Team = TH Motorsport
Car = Honda Integra
Championships = 0
Wins = 0 | Podiums = 0
Poles = 0
Fastest laps = 0
First year = 2004
First win =
Best position = 19th in 2007
Last season = 2008
Last position = 21st (1 point)

John George (born March 22 1961) is a Cornish mobile phone entrepreneur and race car driver.

Personal

George is head of JAG Communications, an independent mobile phone retailer. He has been active in the UK mobile phone industry since its early days. [http://www.mbmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1767&Itemid=46] . He also competed successfully in pistol shooting before it was banned in the UK. He is married to Sue, and has a daughter Kailey and son Kevin, plus grand daughter Katelyn. He is teetotal. He lives in Guernsey.

John is also a keen aviator and currently owns Perranporth airfield in Cornwall as well as flying most days in his 350mph Turbo prop aircraft based in Guernsey.

Early racing

He raced in the Elf Clio Renaultsport UK Cup for Mardi Gras in 2002 [http://www.mardigras.co.uk/htm_files/last_season_2002.html] and 2003 [http://www.mardigras.co.uk/htm_files/last_season_2003.html] , without much success. He also did some EERC Endurance races for them in 2003/2004 winning the saloon car class . He also did Britcar in 2005 [http://www.serverware-racing.co.uk/pages/gallery/britcar0606.asp] winning his class in the Britcar/Silverstone 24hr and coming 2nd in 2006.

BTCC

2008 is his third season in the British Touring Car Championship, and his second driving an ex-Matt Neal Honda Integra for the TH Motorsport team. In 2007 he claimed the teams first ever BTCC points, with a top finish of 8th, and two pole starts in the reverse grid format. In race 3 at Croft he crashed heavily, within a minute of ITV4 commentator Ben Edwards noting how clean and neat his car looked.

The Integra was becoming outdated by 2008, and with only one point, George finished 21st in the 2008 championship, His season ended with a spectacular crash during the final round at Brands Hatch. George was battling with Darren Turner as they approached Surtees for the first time. Turner made contact with the rear of George's Integra and it cannoned off into the barriers which launched the car into a series of rolls, before landing on its side. He suffered bruising but no broken bones, but spent 2 nights in hospital as a precaution [http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70791]

His previous entry in 2004 for Mardi Gras was notable as the first car to use LPG low-petroleum fuel [http://www.btccpages.co.uk/news/040322jg.php] . A 2005 ride for Vic Lee Racing fell through when Lee was jailed for drug-dealing.

He is coached by John Pratt, who has previously worked with Andy Priaulx [http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=181429&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231065&contentPK=20480926&folderPk=108034&pNodeId=231071]

External links

* [http://www.crash.net/feature_view~cid~10~id~10953.htm Interview before 2007, mentioning past seasons]
* [http://www.driverdb.com/racingdriver2082.html Career statistics]