Andy Neate
Encyclopedia
Andrew Neate is a British racing driver, who has driven in several different series throughout his career.

Racing career

After first racing in karting, he drove in Formula First in 1997. In 1999 he went onto the Formula Opel Europa Cup and a year later he drove in the Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...

 Championship. He drove in some rounds of the Production class for the BTCC
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...

 in a Team CAM Mitsubishi Carisma. For 2002 he moved up to the British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the...

, driving a Marcos
Marcos (automobile)
Marcos was a British sports car manufacturer. The name was a combination of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.-History:Marcos was founded in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and...

 Mantis. In 2004 he joined the TOCA
TOCA
ToCA are the organisers and administrators of the BTCC and the supporting series of the BTCC. The BTCC is the UK's biggest motor racing championship and one of the world's most highly respected motor racing series ....

 tour with both the Renault Clio
Renault Clio
The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...

 Cup and the SEAT Cupra Championship
SEAT Cupra Championship
The SEAT Cupra Championship was a one make series that ran for six years between 2003 and 2008, the last five of which ran as a support package to the British Touring Car Championship. The series will not continue for 2009, due to SEAT UK ending its racing activities...

. He got a drive in 2005, in the British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...

 for Team Nuts with Daniels Motorsport in a former works Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Astra
Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...

 Coupe. He only drove in three rounds, finishing eighteenth in the championship with one point. In 2006 he won the Ford Fiesta Championship title, and finished first in class at the Britcar 24 Hours in a Honda Civic Type R
Honda Civic Type R
The first Civic to receive the 'Type R' name was based on the 6th generation 'EK' Civic. The contributing base model was the JDM Civic 3 door hatchback called SiR, code named EK4...

, as well as driving at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...

 in the SEAT Cupra Championship. A year later he raced again in the SEATs, Fiestas and the Britcar 24 in a Mosler GT3 RS where he finished second. He drove in two rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain for Red Line Racing.

2008 accident

At the start of the 2008 Britcar 24 Hours at Silverstone, he was involved in a serious accident at the start of the race. He suffered terrible injuries including a broken neck from which he spent the next eighteen months recovering. He was in talks with West Surrey Racing
West Surrey Racing
Founded in 1981, West Surrey Racing is a UK-based motorsport team run by New Zealander Dick Bennetts. He is responsible for masterminding the careers of such names as Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Jonathan Palmer, Rubens Barrichello, Maurício Gugelmin and Eddie Irvine with his involvement in F3 and...

 to drive a BMW 320si in the BTCC in 2009 prior to the Britcar event, but the deal could not be completed due to his injury.

BTCC return

After recovering from his injury, Neate completed a deal to drive for WSR in the 2010 British Touring Car Championship season
2010 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 53rd British Touring Car Championship season. It began at Thruxton Circuit on April 4 and finished after 30 races over ten events at Brands Hatch on October 10....

. Neate is the Chief Technology Officer for WSR team sponsors Ceravision
Ceravision
Ceravision is a privately owned lighting company based in Bletchley Park, UK. Ceravision is the inventor of a range of electrodeless lamps and integrated luminaires under the trade name Alvara, the world's first High Efficiency Plasma lamp...

. At Oulton Park he finished 9th, but was disqualified for causing an avoidable accident with Andrew Jordan
Andrew Jordan (racing driver)
Andrew Jordan is an English auto racing driver, who drives in the British Touring Car Championship.-Rallycross:...

. For the 2011 season Neate will drive the new 'Global' Ford Focus for Team Aon
Arena Motorsport
Arena International Motorsport is a British motor racing team founded by Mike Earle. Earle originally ran the Onyx Formula One team from the same base in Littlehampton, before selling the team....

, partnering Tom Chilton
Tom Chilton
Thomas James Chilton is a British auto racing driver. He has spent most of his career competing in the BTCC; he is a former factory Vauxhall and Honda driver. For 2011 he is driving an NGTC-spec Ford Focus for Team Aon...

.

External links

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