As Managing Director of NAPA Auto Parts UK & Ireland, Lewis Selby is also living out a childhood ambition as a BTCC driver for NAPA Racing UK. We caught up with Lewis to discuss the step up from the Mini Challenge, balancing the business with racing, and what it means to finally fulfil that dream.
What’s been the biggest adjustment to life as a touring car driver?
The car, definitely, but the weekend in general as well. In the Minis you have quite a lot of downtime between sessions to process and prepare. In the touring cars, everything is compressed into a very small window – one practice session, then media duties, meeting people, driver signings, all very quickly. I often find that when I leave on a Sunday, I feel like I’m ready to start the weekend again because I’ve finally worked out where I am with the circuit.
How do you actually prepare for a race weekend, given your job?
I struggle to prepare as much as I’d like. I’m pretty much flat-out from Monday to Friday, so it’s difficult to dedicate the time to racing I’d ideally like. I’ve got a simulator at home and, for some events, I’ve managed half an hour here and there with my engineer. But there have been other circuits where I’ve done nothing at all – I’m still working on the Friday, then I sit down with the engineer and get cracking.
How does the touring car compare to the Mini?
The Mini had almost one real way to drive it. With the touring car, there are many different ways to set it up – even my three teammates run their cars quite differently. We’ve made some big mistakes this year, both my engineer and me, but that’s part of the learning process. We’re getting there race by race.
How important is the link between the products you sell and the car you race yourself?
It’s great for the customers and great for the staff selling the products. They know that if a product can go onto a touring car designed to be pushed to its absolute limit, then it can go onto any road car. It gives the staff confidence, and it gives customers confidence, because they can see that association.
What does competing in the BTCC mean to you personally?
Touring cars was my dream as a child. I gave up on it around 2005, then got back into racing later because I missed it – and because it let me spend time with my father before he passed, enjoying our hobby together. Jamie Osborne was meant to race this car, but he fell ill, so I was given the opportunity. I don’t have aspirations to win – it’s simply about doing the best I can with the chance I’ve been given.
Does finally fulfilling that dream make it more special?
Absolutely. I didn’t come from a wealthy family – we did everything ourselves, scratching around to find every penny, which is ultimately why I called it a day originally. I’ve just come about it a different way, through hard work in the automotive industry. I can’t spend as much time on it as I’d like, though – NAPA Auto Parts is always my priority. If anything has to give, the racing gives.
