Shane starts his Y2K Racing Season This weekend - April 8th - sees Shanno competing in the first round of the Pentel Ginetta Race Championship. He will be driving the same car that he drove twice last year as a Celebrity Guest, but this year he is competing for championship honours.

The Ginetta is a 2-seater sports car built in Sheffield, using a race engineered 2 litre Ford Zetec engine, and super wide and sticky Dunlop racing tyres. The Championship consists of about 24 identical Ginetta's - so it really is the best driver who will get the results, and Shane has so impressed many experienced motor racing pundits that he is very much being considered as a potential champion.

Shane is really excited about this first race of the season, he told Recorded Devilery earlier ... "I tested the car recently at Silverstone and Pembrey in Wales, and it is a super car to drive, and the new Dunlop tyres are making a real difference. Everyone is saying that I can get in the top three, but I'm just going to get used to the car again, and see what happens. I'm a new boy to all this - there are guys out there with stacks of experience and they ain't going to move over just 'cos it's me"

The first race is at the Oulton Park Circuit near Northwich in Cheshire. As part of the celebrity team last year, Shane raced with Vicki Butler-Henderson of BBC's Top Gear programme, and Vicki is also joining the race series for the year. The BBC will be filming at Oulton Park - so look out for Shanno on Top Gear before too long.

Shane will be out again on the following weekend in South Wales at the Pembrey Circuit on Saturday (15th) and Sunday (16th) where his presence will be raising money for the "Phoenix Trust" Charity of which Shane is the Patron. Phoenix Trust provides help and advice for young people who have become paralysed as a result of accident. Lucky Boyzone fans in the Swansea area should tune into "The Wave" breakfast show with "Badger" who is auctioning the chance to be driven around the circuit by Shane.

Shane's Ginetta also gets a new look for this year with new sponsors on board being "Lee Cooper" - the British owned Jeans and sports wear company, "Mission" who manufacture high quality Hi-Fi and Speaker systems and Dunlop Tyres.

Find out how Shane gets on, by logging in on the Monday following each race.

Future dates are:- 7th May at Mallory Park near Leicester, 10th/11th June on Anglesey, 8th July at Silverstone near Northampton, and 13th August at Thruxton near Andover. More dates to follow.

Shane recently recorded an edition of "Star for a Night" as a celebrity judge, and once the transmission date is confirmed - the BZ web site will be the first to know.