MG 3 - Two International Footballers name the MG3 as a match winner.

International soccer stars at Premier League side Burnley FC have voted the MG3 a real match winner. Two of the fast-selling super-minis caught the eye of Welsh International striker Sam Vokes and England Under-23 full-back Kieran Trippier who play for the Clarets.

The international duo were on hand to receive the cars, presented by one of MG’s newest dealers Steve Durkin MG, to Burnley FC’s recently launched Burnley FC in the Community project.

Vokes and Trippier were joined by Burnley goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, and dynamic attacker Ashley Barnes at the handover. One of the MG3s is in Cherry Bomb, almost the same colour as Burnley’s home kit, while the second is in Hello Yellow, which may become the club’s new away shirt colour next season.

The Burnley FC in the Community project will see the MG3s being used across Lancashire in support of sports, education, health, social inclusion and community projects.   

Steve Durkin, Managing Director, of the dealership on Turner Road, Nelson, said: “The lads really liked the MG3s and it’s great that we can be involved to support the club in their programme to reach out to the community.

“When you think that Premier League players are often linked to some pretty exotic cars, they took a surprisingly strong interest in the new MGs. But then that’s also the reaction we're getting when customers come to the showroom and especially after they've had a test drive."

Neil Hart, Burnley FC’s Head of Community, said: “We're really pleased that Steve Durkin MG are a local business and are supporting us in our community programme. The MG3s have been very well received and we will be using them to go to the hundreds of events that we are planning to be involved in this year.”

On home match days the MG3s can be seen on display at the entrance to the main Burnley FC car park.

Matthew Cheyne, MG’s Head of Marketing, said: “Steve Durkin has shown real initiative with this and has helped get the MG3 into the heart of his local community. The Burnley club’s scheme will help lots of local people and it’s great that we can be involved too.”   

Sports car legend Brian Redman to drive Porsche 917 at GFoS

Two of sportscar racing’s most legendary names, the Porsche 917 and Brian Redman, will be reunited at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 26-29.

British ace Redman, 77, is world-renowned as the king of Formula 5000, the Burnley-born racer having taken a record 16 wins in the North American series and three straight titles from 1974-76 - fitting in perfectly with the Festival of Speed theme: ‘Addicted to Winning’.

He is also one of the most successful drivers in sportscar history, having won the Spa 1000km four times, the Daytona 24 Hours on three occasions, and the Sebring 12 Hours, Nurburgring, Monza and Osterreichring 1000km races twice each.  

The ex-works 917 PA that Redman will drive at Goodwood has had a colourful history. Grand Prix winner Jo Siffert raced it as a works car in the 1969 Can-Am season, taking a best finish of third at Bridgehampton and finishing fourth in the championship. Milt Minter and Sam Posey also raced the car in factory colours.

Redman’s first acquaintance with the car came in 1973 after privateer entrant Vasek Polak recruited him to race it alongside the sister car of Jody Scheckter. By that point, however, the car had undergone a complete refit with a turbocharged engine, producing 1100bhp, now fitted to the lightweight body and rendering it as a 917/10.

The 917 PA is now in its original configuration and part of the Collier collection in Florida. Redman drove the car at the Festival of Speed in 2009 and will get behind the wheel of it again to give visitors more thrills.

Brian Redman, said: “I’ve been a regular visitor to the Festival of Speed for many years and I keep coming back because I just love it, and I’m delighted to be getting back behind the wheel of a car I’ve not driven for five years. I raced this particular chassis as a 917/10 for Vasek Polak in 1973 and only realised it was a converted 917 PA when I nearly had a massive crash at Riverside that year and spotted some unexpected technical details.”