Beds man qualifies for <I>Sky</I> final.

A local lover of fast cars is within touching distance of winning the ultimate speed machine - Eddie Irvine's current Jaguar F1 motor racing car!

Mark Mulvaney, a former British Powerboat champion from Maulden, Bedford, could soon have his hands on the 230mph Jaguar R3, after qualifying for the Grand Final of an on-air competition being run this season by F1 Digital +, the interactive motor racing channel on Sky digital, and Jaguar Racing.

It is the first time that a current genuine F1 car has been given away in such a competition. Mark has won a spot in the final 16, a signed pair of Eddie's racing gloves, plus his name etched on to Irvine's Jaguar R3 car for the remainder of the season.

Mark, 42, said: "I'm a speed fanatic, so to get the chance to win Eddie's car is marvellous. I'm not quite sure what I'd do if I won it, perhaps give it to one of the local museums so that others have the opportunity to see it."

"It was my son Daniel, who suggested that we entered," added Mark, who works for a local firm of financial consultants. "He's a motor racing nut and has been glued to the Sky interactive coverage ever since it started this season. He knew the answer so we entered, and I couldn't believe that we had won."

Each weekend of the 2002 Grand Prix season, one person takes a step closer to the competition's Grand Final, a conclusive test of skill and judgement which will take place the week before the final Grand Prix of the season (Japan 13th October). A different question is set for each Grand Prix weekend and viewers can enter by telephoning the prize hot-line on 09002 434 434 then using their F1 knowledge to answer a question.

Mark won the fifth round of the competition, which was staged over the weekend of the Spanish Grand Prix, by correctly answering that the race is staged in Barcelona.

Mark's 14-year old son Daniel is also an F1 fan, and plans to turn his hobby into his profession by attending a three-year post-graduate course in motor sport in the future.

Speed is certainly a common interest in the Mulvaney household considering Mark's powerboat racing career. He won the 1996 British 4-litre Powerboat Championship, finishedsecond in the World Championship two years on the trot, and has been followed F1 races since the 1970s.

F1 Digital + broadcasts live interactive F1 on Sky digital channel 434. Live practice, qualifying and uninterrupted race coverage from each Grand Prix weekend is shown with a range of interactive options. Viewers enjoy greater access to the world of F1 than ever before with eight different views of the race, plus a comprehensive statistics database, launched by pushing the red button on the Sky Digital remote handset.