A YORK trailer-building firm has clinched a multi-million pound deal with Formula One racing giants McLaren, it was disclosed today.

Pocklington Coachworks, based at Outgang Lane, Osbaldwick, has left all opposition at the starting grid by winning the project to provide McLaren with a fleet of engineering support trailers - in time to go into action at the world's racing circuits next year.

The deal, and the prospect of physically expanding next year into the premises next door, has sparked a serious recruitment campaign by Pocklington Coachworks, which foresees its staff numbers rising from 68 to 108 within the next five years.

For the time being, the firm is advertising for eight vacancies - and already it has interviewed five former employees of Plaxtons Coachbuilders, Scarborough, who have been made redundant.

McLaren initially wants five trailers from the York factory, four of them in readiness for the British Grand Prix next July and the fifth on a day yet to be confirmed. And it wants their design to be so different from opponent F1 team trailers, that it wants onlookers to gasp.

Fran Johnson, managing director of Pocklington Coachworks, said: "I was personally asked by Ron Dennis, the McLaren team owner and chief executive, to come up with a radical new design - different from anything anyone else on any circuits in the world have to offer."

He said that his firm, which was in the process of building trailers for Toyota for its entry into Formula One in 2002, had already completed piecemeal contracts with McLaren.

"Clearly Ron Dennis was impressed beyond all others with our innovation," said Mr Johnson, who also revealed that he had this week also obtained a verbal agreement to provide two race support trailers for another front-running Formula One team.

Updated: 10:52 Friday, August 31, 2001