Philip Airey, 50, and John Landale, 48, had been racing side by side at 80mph on the 30mph Pool Road in Otley, at10.30pm on February 1 2008. They were attempting to reach a near by pub when Mr Landale lost control of his vehicle after Airey refused to let him past.

Mr Landale's VW van crashed head-on into a bus, Leeds Crown Court heard. The van split in two killing the father-of-three and causing serious injury to bus driver Christopher Thomas who suffered broken bones and was hospitalised for two weeks.

A Leeds Crown Court jury convicted Airey of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of perverting justice, after a trial. He was jailed for 5 years.The jury also found Airey's wife, Catherine, guilty of perverting justice after she tried to cover up his involvement in the crash. She was handed a nine month jail sentance suspended for one year, with 150 hours of unpaid work.

The two men had been drinking in the Cross Pipes pub in Otley before the crash.