FORMULA One fan Kay Wakely took the fast track to celebrate her 90th birthday – at 142 miles an hour.

The West Dorset pensioner took a spin round the Thruxton circuit at the side of racing driver and TV presenter Tiff Needell – and told him to put his foot down.

On one lap the BMW M3 achieved a speed of 142 mph, almost twice as fast as she had ever travelled in a car before.

Kay had asked her family to make a donation to charity instead of buying presents.

A £500 cheque was sent to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance – but her children also gave her the surprise present of a session around the Thruxton track.

“I was so surprised. I didn’t know what to do with myself,” said Kay, from Beaminster, who has held a licence since 1945 and is still driving.

She added: “I loved it. I laughed all the way round, going round corners on two wheels.

“I told Tiff to put his foot down.”

A party was also held at the Beaminster Manor Lodge where some 80 guests, including her three children, six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren and relations, friends and neighbours joined in the celebration.

In the evening a limousine took her to another celebration in Toller.

Kay was born in Corscombe and lived at New House Farm until she was 18 when she went to Dorchester to work.

At the onset of war she soon volunteered as a Land Army girl and was stationed at her uncle’s Chantry Farm in Beaminster.

It was here she courted her future husband, John. They married in 1944 and later ran the Wakely family farm at Cherry Tree.

Soon afterwards they moved to take over and run Cherry Cottage farm and had the Beaminster milk round for many years. They retired in 1976, living at the farm until 1994 when John died.

Kay has lived for the last 18 years in Monmouth Gardens.