22/1/2003

John Batchelor has laughed off rumours that ex-Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell will make a racing return with his British touring car team.

In recent days there has been wild speculation that 1992 F1 champion Mansell had been approached by York City FC chairman Batchelor.

Batchelor, though, burst into a fit of laughter when asked about the gossip.

"Just excuse me a moment while I get up off the floor from laughing so much," he said.

"I briefly looked at the Mansell thing ages ago but very quickly learnt that Nigel won't even get out of bed for about £2 million! We are definitely not courting him for our team."

Mansell quit F1 in 1995 but had already flirted with touring cars in 1993 - where he infamously crashed a Ford Mondeo in Donington Park's end-of-season TOCA Shoot-out meeting - and briefly rejoined the manufacturer in 1998 for several high-proile BTCC outings.

Batchelor's team will contest the BTCC's Production class in 2003 with two Peugeot 307s, with Lancashire teenager Tom Boardman signed up to drive one of them.