CJ Drivers Sam Bird, Borja Garcia, Bruce Jouanny and Bruno Besson staged a remarkable comeback to finish third in the annual Johnny Herbert Karting Challenge at the Raceway Circuit in London.

Having started seventh on the grid, Team CJ Motorsport had hauled themselves up to second place and were hot on the heels of the leaders when a mechanical failure to the go-kart led to a two lap penalty.

However, after some faultless driving and some stunning lap times from all four drivers, the team managed to climb back up the order to finish only a lap behind winners Permagard.

CJ Motorsport director (and race strategist for the day) Serge Celebidachi said after the race: “I’m very proud of the lads for fighting so hard to secure a podium. Whether they’re racing in a championship decider or in a charity race, they always give it one hundred percent! Had we not had a mechanical failure which cost us two laps, we would have won the race by a clear lap. Johnny’s event is for a worthy cause and a great opportunity for our drivers to meet up at the end of a very busy season racing in their respective championships. We will definitely be back next year and will aim to be standing slightly higher on the podium!”

Sam’s excellent rookie year in Formula Renault UK has been rewarded with a place, for the second year running, as a finalist in the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

The winner of this prestigious Award will not only win £50,000 towards his 2007 racing budget, but will receive a GP2 test and a McLaren F1 test, as well as lifetime membership of the BRDC.

“I’m delighted to be selected again” said Sam on hearing the news.  “Last year, I made some mistakes during the evaluation and I’m looking to put that right this year.”

The six finalists will need to impress a panel of motor racing experts via a series of tests in three thrilling racing cars all demanding different skills and disciplines – the main evaluation is in the V6, 450bhp World Series by Renault, the 450bhp rear wheel drive Mercedes Benz DTM and the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. Further evaluation will take place during a series of interviews at McLaren’s superb Technology Centre.

The eventual winner will be presented with the coveted prize at the Autosport Awards Dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on December 3.

Following the last Formula Renault UK race of the season at Silverstone, Sam didn’t have time to catch breath before heading north to Croft, where he participated in a two day test with Carlin Motorsport, one of the UK’s top F3 teams. “I thought I would be tired after Silverstone” said Sam “but the adrenalin just kept me going. I loved every minute of it and was on the pace quite quickly. I had one F3 test last year, but after driving Formula Renault all this year, I was very aware of the differences between the two cars. For one thing, there is more downforce, which helps you to carry more speed into the corners”.

Sam ended the first day of testing second of the day’s runners, just 2/10sec. shy of the time set by Maro Engel, one of the front runners this year.

After Croft, Sam headed for the airport to fly to Tours in France for his onward journey to Circuit Val de Vienne, where he would test another F3 car for crack Euroseries team ASM. "Despite the weather – it rained all morning – the team and I soon established a good working relationship which enabled me to consistently improve my lap times throughout the session."