A MOTORIST who visited a promotion laid on by a car company couldn't believe her luck when she received a letter saying she had won a trip of a lifetime.

Joanne Mitchell, 33, of Frederick Street Street, Oswaldtwistle visited C D Bramall's showroom at Whitebirk, Blackburn to hear all about the Ford Focus.

While she was there, the drugs support worker filled in competition for a passenger ride in a Ford Focus World Rally Car. And this week, she found herself sitting beside Finnish rally star Tapio Laukannen who took her for a breathtaking four minute ride on a forest stage in the Lake District.

She said: "It was four minutes but it felt like four hours because it was so unbelievably scary, especially when we went up into the mountains.

"They told me it costs £1,000 a minute to drive the car, I'm not sure if I would have the nerve to do it again. She added: "But the day was absolutely fantastic and the chance of a lifetime. They put us up at the Hilton Ladore in Keswick which was very posh and we also went to see Ford's motorsport headquarters in Cockermouth, where the cars are prepared for the World Rally Championship.

"It was fantastic and I would like to thank Ford for giving me the thrill of a lifetime."