Swinton to sponsor exciting young motorsport talent

Leading performance car insurance broker Swinton Specialist is announcing a sponsorship deal with one of the UK’s hottest new motorsport talents.

Pete Barber is just 22 years old but is already creating a buzz – and a lot of tyre smoke – in the prestigious European Drift Championship where he’s the youngest competitor.

“I’m enormously grateful to Swinton Specialist for the sponsorship it has provided for this season,” said the young racer.

“For starters it’s meant I can compete on new tyres rather than old ones. It might sound daft given how much rubber we lay down, but it’s important to start on new ones so you can predict what’s going to happen. It means I can give a consistent performance throughout an event.”

Pete is currently competing in a 1994 Mazda RX-7 which has been modified to improve its sideways performance. The biggest upgrade is a new engine; the regular rotary unit has been ripped out and replaced by one from a much newer RX-8. Even then it’s not in standard form; it’s got three rotors rather than two, boosting power from 255bhp to around 300bhp.

The youngster, who hails from Kiveton Park, South Yorks, got into drifting by accident in 2005 when he bought his first rear-wheel drive car. Pete explained: “It was a 1984 Toyota Corolla and I was only about 300 yards away from where I’d picked it up. I accelerated through a roundabout and the back end stepped out. I was bitten by the bug and was quickly searching for track days to attend and places to practice.”

Pete’s natural talent is undoubted, but he’s still got his feet firmly on the ground. That includes having two jobs to make ends meet – including being a pizza delivery driver! “I would love to leave that behind but motorsport of any sort isn’t cheap,” he laughed.

With the European Drift Championship running until the end of September – with the finale in Poznan, Poland – there’s plenty of time for Pete to achieve his goal of a top three season finish. But with up to 28 competitors all battling for the same goal, he knows the road ahead will be tough.

“My results are getting better as we’re going on, and I got the best finish yet – eighth – at a recent Silverstone event,” said Pete.

Swinton Specialist’s online marketing manager, Simon Hoe, explained why the company had got involved with Pete. “We instantly liked his attitude, especially as many of his rivals have a huge advantage because of their financial backing. We thought it was a great opportunity for Swinton Specialist to try to make a difference.”