Law's Gary Nicholls makes stock car debut

Gary (16), of Ashfield Road, raced his 1.6 Mark 3 Astra in an exciting 16-lap heat, just 21 days after having his first drive in his gran Rita's Ford Fiesta!

"I had never driven a car in my life before that," said Gary, a fifth year Carluke High School pupil.

"My only experience had been driving go-karts, which is completely different with no gears.

"Although I found driving the Fiesta quite tricky to start with, I got the hang of it quite quickly.

"I drove it for three weekends in a row, for one hour at a time.

"My only other driving experience before Saturday's race came when I did two practice sessions prior to the start.

"Everybody was asking me before the race if I was scared, and I said I wasn't because this was something I'd wanted to do for several years."

For more information on this article, see this week's Carluke and Lanark Gazette, which is in the shops now.