Well known for their support of talented young sports people, John Turkington Forestry has allowed young New Zealand motor racing sensation Liam Lawson to head for Europe in what could be a life-changing test.
Lawson, who recently turned 16-years-old, will test a Formula 4 car with the Dutch-based team Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) at Zandvoort in Holland.
If the test is successful Lawson is likely to compete in this year’s German championship, arguably the world’s toughest F4 competition. That will be the next step towards his Formula One dream.
John and Angela Turkington have helped youngsters in a variety of sport over the years and were aware of Liam’s rising success story and were happy to cover his travel expenses to attend the European test.
“It gives John and I a lot of pleasure in supporting kids to give them an opportunity to achieve their dreams,” said Angela.
Lawson won the New Zealand Formula Ford championship last summer with 14 wins from 15 races and then finished a remarkable second in the Australian Formula 4 championship with 12 podiums from 21 races including five wins.
Now it’s time for Lawson to head to Europe and he’s under no illusion how tough this next challenge will be.
“This is a big step-up for me and to work with a team like VAR is going to be a whole new experience. They’re a very professional operation and they’ve been involved with some very successful drivers at the early stages of their careers. I’m very lucky to get the chance to test with them,” said Lawson.
Although there’s no deal yet to compete in the German series, Lawson’s backers are busy trying to secure the support to make it happen.
“Without John and Angela helping with the travel costs I’m not sure we would have made it. I can’t wait to get their and give this my very best shot,” he added.
The two-day test at the Zandvoort circuit will follow two days of simulator work and a fitness assessment.
The German Formula 4 championship then starts early April and finishes in September.