A BUDDING racing driver’s career has ground to a halt after he failed his driving test. Chris Law, 17, normally reaches speeds of 135mph as Guernsey’s brightest motorsport rookie. But the former karting champion fell foul behind the wheel yesterday when he failed to properly reverse round a corner.
It was his only mistake in an otherwise perfect test.
‘I’m really disappointed. I knew as soon as it happened and my heart just sank,’ said Chris.
‘Everything else was perfect. I guess it was just nerves. I was supposed to be going to England for a track day, but now that’s been cancelled.
‘My next test is on 5 December but if anyone else has booked one sooner, I would like to hear from them because perhaps we could swap.
‘That way I could get going with my racing sooner.’
Chris has proved himself as an exciting talent in his debut season of the Renault Clio Championship this year.
He has a Motor Sport Association international licence that allows him drive performance vehicles on tracks, but he cannot yet race road cars.
He failed his test at a corner in Rue du Chateau, Vale, when his tyre struck a protruding piece of granite.
His driving career has been delayed slightly because he needed to pass his test in order to race road cars on track days in England.
Chris’s father, Will, said his son had prepared well and put in a lot of effort.
‘Chris knows how important it is to get his licence. We were getting him ready for a programme of track days for next season to progress his racing career,’ he said.
‘He’s done exactly the same corner with me before, so it’s just one of those things. It has delayed things by a few weeks, but it’s not the end of the world.
‘It’s ironic that the one thing he doesn’t do when racing is what caught him out yesterday. He’s used to driving extremely fast forwards, but not reversing.’
The news following recent complaints about Guernsey’s stringent driving tests.
Islanders worried about the effect on their health have voiced concerns about a perceived lack of compassion from examiners.
They have also called for an increase in the number of examiners. Currently there is only one employed full-time in Guernsey due to a drop in demand for tests.
Environment minister David De Lisle said the situation was under review and added that driving tests in Guernsey were identical in standard to those in the UK.
Article posted on 24th October, 2007 - 12.00am
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