THE daughter of former Kent rallycross ace Pat Doran has helped save motor racing at Lydden Hill.

Amy Doran, 23, is the director of Lydden Hill Race Circuit Ltd, who have signed a five-year lease from track owners McLaren International.

The deal is good news for followers of motorsport at the tight, twisting track which nestles in the hills between Canterbury and Dover.

In recent years, former Sittingbourne-based British champion Pat Doran has worked hard to promote rallycross events at the circuit and his efforts have been rewarded with an unprecedented surge in attendance figures.

Now his daughter plans to make several major improvements to the circuit, including a complete re-surface of the paddock, replacement of the existing toilet block and the provision of a brand new access road from the traffic lights on the A2 to the south of the circuit.

She said: “These are exciting times. The main priority was to save the British Rallycross Championship events at Lydden, because its an event close to my father’s heart.

“The place has a lot of potential and it’s very exciting for me to be able to run a race track at such a young age.”

A full programme of fixtures and track days has already been planned. Headline events include two Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship rounds.

There will be a Drifting Day spectacular for the first time at Lydden on September 20 and the exciting sport of Supermoto (rallycross on two wheels) makes a welcome return on May 9 and June 7.

And club motor racing continues to thrive at Lydden with eleven meetings already planned for the next twelve months, starting with a SEMSEC event on March 29.

Some of the above dates are still provisional. There may be a few minor amendments.

The news of Doran’s takeover brings considerable relief to those who believed that motorsport might have to end at Lydden.

The previous lease expired on November 23 and for four fretful weeks there was no official indication that racing might be allowed to resume.