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F1 hero propels Hornby success
Evening Standard 6 Jun 2008English Formula 1 hero Lewis Hamilton today drove Scalextric owner Hornby to pole position after fans snapped up racing sets featuring the superstar.
Sales of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes sets, which cost £150, have rocketed thanks to the 23-year-old's success on the track. He became the youngest ever driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix just two weeks ago - and the first Brit to do so since 1969.
The victory propelled him to the top of the World Championship leaderboard and it is working wonders for Scalextric, where sales jumped 23% last year.
Hornby chief executive Frank Martin said: "We had an absolutely cracking year. A major part of that was the Lewis Hamilton effect."
It helped Hornby, which also owns Airfix, Humbrol and model car maker Corgi, deliver a 17% rise in profits to £9 million for the year to 31 March. Sales were up 19% to £55.7 million. The profits were at the top end of City forecasts.
