Leading British independent oil blender and marketer, Morris Lubricants, has agreed a sponsorship deal with one of the hottest talents in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The Shrewsbury-based company has agreed to supply all the lubricants needed by Hereford racer Lea Wood, 28, who is leading the battle for the Jack Sears Trophy, a competition designed for the older-style S-2000 cars in each race.

He leads nearest rival, Liam Griffin, by four wins with three rounds of the championship remaining, picking up a win and two second places in the three races at the most recent meeting at Knockhill, Fife on August 24-25.

In the previous round, he won all three of the Jack Sears Trophy races at the televised Snetterton meeting. Demonstrating silky driving skills in his S2000 NGTC Vauxhall Vectra with a two litre turbocharged Swindon Race Engine, he beat several more powerful NGTC production based race cars, including one driven by Rob Holland, to finish overall 13th in one of the races at Snetterton.

Following in his father’s footsteps, he began his motorsport career in karting at the age of seven before progressing to cars and wining the BRSCC Super Silhouette title in 2007.

He now hopes to maintain his lead to become the first winner of the Jack Sears Trophy before, possibly, securing a drive in an NGTC car next year. The remaining rounds of the championship are at Rockingham on September 14-15, Silverstone on September 28-29 and Brands Hatch on October 12-13.

Under the new sponsorship deal, Morris Lubricants will supply its portfolio of high quality autosport products to keep Wood’s car running smoothly and on track for victory. These products include X-RPM Competition 10W-50 fully synthetic multigrade motor oil and Lodexol XFS 80W-140 fully synthetic transmission fluid.

“I am delighted to have secured this new partnership with Morris Lubricants who are one of the most respected names in UK motorsport,” said Wood. “My target is to become the first winner of the new Jack Sears Trophy and hopefully the company will benefit from being associated with this success.”

Steve Dawe, Morris Lubricants’ international business director, said the company had no hesitation in agreeing to support Wood, whom he described as “one of the most exciting drivers in the British Touring Car Championship”.

“Morris Lubricants has a long record of supporting championship winning motorsport competitors not only in the UK but also around the globe,” he added.

“Motorsport pushes engine, gearbox and differential hardware to the limit of their design tolerances and they rely heavily upon lubricants to provide reliable protection under the harshest of conditions.

“Morris Lubricants’ portfolio of fully synthetic lubricants produce an extremely strong protective film that can withstand severe shock loading, protect component integrity and ensure effective cooling even when high peak temperatures are reached. These specialised products have been developed for extreme motorsport conditions.”

(August 30, 2013)