Celebrity darts player stars as Caddy Racer mechanic

James ‘The Machine’ Wade, the world number three darts player, swapped his flights for spanners last weekend to be a guest mechanic working on the RAC Caddy Racer at Silverstone in the latest round of the Volkswagen Racing Cup.

As an ex-mechanic, James still loves getting his head under the bonnet and rebuilding engines, so he was delighted to be given the opportunity to work on the high performance Caddy van in the exciting atmosphere of a race day.

The Caddy van, with a bright orange livery from its sponsor, the RAC, has a 2.0-litre TDI engine which has been upgraded to deliver over 270 PS, and equipped to full racing specification with roll-cage and stripped interior.

Its driver, Simon Elliott, who is also Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: ‘It was great to have James as part of the team.  The mechanics are all so passionate about keeping the Caddy running at its best; James fitted in perfectly as he’s used to working under pressure and delivering a great result.’

Commenting on his time in the pits, James Wade said: ‘I’m very grateful to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles for giving me this opportunity.  I couldn’t resist the chance to work on the Caddy, and really enjoyed the experience.’

The RAC Caddy van will be in action again at the next round of the Volkswagen Racing Cup at Snetterton on 29 and 30 August, then 25 and 26 September at Brands Hatch and the last round of the season at Donington Park on 16 and 17 October.  Full details are available at vw-cup.co.uk.

Further information on the Caddy and the rest of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles van range is available from volkswagen-vans.co.uk.