LEWIS HAMILTON - WORLD CHAMPION 2008

In November 2008, Lewis Hamilton became Formula One's youngest ever World Champion after a thrilling finale at the Brazilian Grand Prix.  Lewis Hamilton is the first British World Champion since Damon Hill in 1996, having secured the Championship in dramatic style in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes by a single point.

HISTORY

Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was founded in 1963 and competed in its first Grand Prix at Monaco in 1966. The team's first Formula One victory was in the non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch with Bruce McLaren at the wheel. He won again that year in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa giving the team their first championship win.

In 1974, the team won its first Constructors Championship and their driver Emerson Fittipaldi secured the Drivers Championship in the McLaren M23. The team has won a total of 8 Constructors Championships and 11 Drivers Championships with such legends as James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Mika Häkkinen.

McLaren cars have been represented in the Scalextric range for nearly 40 years beginning with the M4A in 1969. This was followed by the M9A, the M23 of James Hunt and then through the highly successful MP4 line from the 1990s.

In a remarkable rookie Formula One season in 2007, Hamilton secured podium finishes in his first nine races. Hamilton led Drivers Championship into the season finale in Brazil where he finished seventh after gearbox problems had dropped him to eighteenth. Hamilton's second place behind Kimi Räikkönen in the Drivers Championship and his four race wins made him the most successful rookie in Formula One history.

In 2008 Lewis became Formula One's youngest ever World Champion.

THE SCALEXTRIC MODEL

This is a detailed model of the 2008 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes as driven by Lewis Hamilton to the World Championship title. Fitted with the super-fast, slim-line FF motor this car is very quick. Build quality and attention to detail is to the normal high standard. The quality of the printed decoration is excellent. The front nose and wing assembly is designed to detach in the event of an accident for refitting without affecting other components.

This Digital Plug Ready (DPR) car can be converted for use with the Scalextric Digital range in under sixty seconds using the C8516 F1 EasyFit Digital Plug. The car features adjustable Magnatraction™ positions and easy change pick-ups.