Co Tyrone driving ace Mark King set to represent Team UK at the FIA Motorsport Games for the second time in the Auto Slalom category.
2024 sees the return of the multidisciplinary event, with drivers competing across 27 disciplines. The third edition of the Games takes place in Valencia, Spain from 23-27 October, with competitors from across the world set to flex their skills.
Newmill’s Mark King, will compete in the FIA Motorsport Games for a second time, finishing in 7th place in the Auto Slalom at the 2022 edition in Marseille, France, despite it being his first time competing in a left-hand drive vehicle. King emerged as the fastest driver in three out of the four sessions in which Team UK participated.
“As a returning athlete, I cannot wait to be part of the Motorsport Games and represent Team UK again,” commented King.
“I am looking forward to the team atmosphere, including meeting my new teammates and reconnecting with some of the other returning members. It really is the experience of a lifetime.”
King has competed in motorsport since he was 16 years old, with career accolades including being crowned nine-time winner of the Ken Wharton Autotest.
He will join forces with Tessa Whittock, a renowned drifter who is making the transition to the Auto Slalom to fly the British flag. Both King and Whittock headed to Taipei in April of this year to compete in the Taipei International Gymkhana Prize (TIGP).
As a champion autotest driver, Mark’s transition to Auto Slalom is incredibly easy as the discipline is almost identical. If anything, the world games course and events should be a much simplified version of what the NI Autotest Championship events look like, given that they are all forwards driving but with very tight gates to navigate.
Driving a modern front-wheel-drive vehicle, the make and model of which is yet to be known, Mark will race the agility tests that demand precision driving like that seen on a Hollywood blockbuster, whilst against the clock.
Aiming to repeat many of his fastest times as per the last Games, Mark will be cheering on teammate, Whittock in order to bring home a better result than before.
I think it’s safe to say that the province will be behind Mark and we wish him the best of luck.
