John is the engineering and quality manager at Hixon (Staffordshire) based Allett Mowers and he won his race day prize on the Briggs & Stratton stand at the recent SALTEX exhibition in Windsor. Although an enthusiastic F1 fan, John admitted to being a “little nervous” about getting behind the wheel of the Ferrari which boasts a top speed of 196mph and 0 – 60mph in 3.9 seconds. And that is before being prepared for racing.

“It will be amazingly exciting. I’m going with my girlfriend Vicky Bankes-Price and one of the thrills will be getting on the winner’s podium where Lewis Hamilton stood after winning this year’s British Grand Prix. I won’t, however, be soaking Vicky with champagne,” laughs John.

Engineering is very much in his blood. One of his hobbies, apart from creating stripes on his garden lawn at his Stone home with an Allett cylinder lawnmower, is building scale models of steam powered engines.

“The ones I make are not railway trains but the beam engines that powered the industrial revolution. Many of them would have been working close to Hixon powering the early mines, factories and potteries,” says John.

As well as driving a Ferrari around the track, John’s Silverstone race day package will also include a night’s accommodation as well as a tour of Silverstone and a helicopter ride over the venue.