Jay Kay comes out to play in Bahrain

Jamiroquai front man Jay Kay will be joining the all-star grid line up for the Pro Celebrity race at the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. His entry into the race comes as no surprise as the 35 year old British Funk icon is equally famous for his love of fast cars as he is for his unique style of music, best described as funk.

With over 20 million albums sold, four world tours and 141 weeks on the UK singles chart to his name Jay Kay will be competing against a whole host of stars from the worlds of sport, entertainment and media with the likes of Michael Johnson, Sir Steve Redgrave and fellow musician John Legend all out to prove their mettle at the Bahrain International Circuit on 11th-12th March.

A regular in the Formula One paddock and a massive Ferrari fan, Jay Kay was one of the first people to own the stunningly designed Enzo. Over the years he has also owned both the F40 and F50 – effectively racing cars masquerading as road-going motors. Jay Kay’s success as a musician has enabled him to indulge his passion for fast cars having previously owned a string of classics including a Ferrari Mondial, a Lamborghini Diablo, an Aston Martin DB5, a Ferrari F355, and a Mercedes G-Wagen 4-wheel drive.

Given the fact that he claims the Enzo is the best car he has ever driven it’s going to be interesting to see what the he makes of the 380 bhp Chevrolet V8 SS Lumina, the car of choice for the Pro Celebrity race.

Jay Kay and the rest of the celebrity crew will take part in two races: one on the Saturday and one on Sunday before the start of the opening round of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship. Each ten-lap race will consist of 16 cars with the professional drivers starting and completing the first five laps of the track before a pit stop swap with their celebrity partners for the remainder of the race.

His main competition from the field of celebrities may come in the form of fellow music icon and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Mason, a regular at Grands Prix around the world also shares Jay Kay’s passion for speed and track action having been another one of the privileged few invited to buy the Enzo from Ferrari.

Commenting on the race Nick Mason said: “I could hardly believe the invitation when it arrived…see what promises to be one of the best GPs for some time, drive a seriously exciting race car in the shape of the 5 litre V8 Lumina, and escape the British winter! Not only that, but compete against one of my heroes in the shape of Sir Steve Redgrave.

“I may have some motor racing experience, but I suspect anyone who has quite so many gold medals is unlikely to head out onto one of the most sophisticated of all Grand Prix circuits for a gentle meander around!” Mason is a man of hidden talents as he also holds his pilots license.

Commenting on the announcement Martin Whitaker, General Manager of the BIC said: “I’m so thrilled that Jay Kay is taking part. I’m really looking forward to showing him what we have to offer here in Bahrain for motorsport fans. I think that having him in the race this weekend is really going to stir things up and make the on track action even more exciting and entertaining for the fans at the circuit and views at home.”

An anticipated 400 million global TV views will tune in to watch the third Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship season opener.

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