RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Racing Exposure contributor, Scott Mitchell, sent in these photos from the first round of Historic Sports Car Club action from Silverstone.    Can anyone provide some words?

A new season for the three Avon Tyres Roadsport championships gets underway in slipstream-tastic style at Silverstone on the weekend of the 10/11^th April and like the R300’s, there’s no clear cut pecking order.

Roadsport-B sees most of the drivers progressing from the 2009 season Academy with the same cars now equipped with sticky tyres and a small suspension modification.  As Academy produces two champions from its twin grids, at least one will be disappointed later in the year.  Jay Gardner won his title convincingly, whilst in the second (equal) group, Ben Whibley won through consistency having never actually won a race!

It’s Whibley’s rivals from 2009 that will provide the biggest challenge for the two champions.  The Geezers from Essex, Lee Wiggins and Steve Day lead the charge.  Wiggins all but had the championship sown up last year, but snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with a spin at Mallory trying to fend off Day, who himself had to make way for Jeremy Webb.  Webb finished runner-up to Whibley, his neighbour from Tonbridge in Kent.  Can Webb, Wiggins and Day overcome the champions?  You wouldn’t bet against it.

Graham Johnson Leads the pack

In Roadsport A, all eyes should be on ’09 runner-up Mike Steadman who could so easily have taken last year’s title, but he’s sitting out the start of the season recovering from a wrist injury.  This will open the door to a host of front runners, keen to make hay whilst Mike is sidelined.  Chief amongst them is Steadman’s teammate Graham Johnson.  Johnson knows how to win and has a consistency that alludes the pursing pack, such as JJ O’Malley and Jamie Orton.  Both are often untouchably quick, but also have a tendency to push the boundaries of physics a little too far.  Meanwhile, improving performances from third-place specialist Jonathan Ramsey and occasional front-runner Anthony Sidney-Woollett could push them to the top of the table.  But once Steadman is back behind the wheel, all will have to raise their game…

The newest member of the Roadsport family is Supersports.  This Ford powered series is taking over from Rover powered Roadsport-A as the progression from Roadsport-B.  A tremendous debut year is guaranteed as the top four drivers from last year’s Roadsport-B series have all progressed into R300, blowing the formbook wide open.

Paul Begley and Robert Smith were the only other drivers to pick up trophies in Roadsport-B last year, though Begley had the edge on regular results by some margin.  Just one point ahead of him at the end of the season was Rod Arnold.  Arnold went home empty handed at every round, despite strong performances, but this this dearth of silverware is likely to be replaced with the exact opposite in 2010.  Meanwhile, James MacLachlan and Iain Forsythe jump straight from Academy to take on the more experienced racers.  Although MacLachlan never quite made it to the podium in his first year, he has a string of fourths and Forsythe was just behind.  It might come as a surprise to their competitors to see them on the podium, but not to those in the know…

“It’s going to be a very exciting year for Roadsports”, explains Caterham Motorsport Manager Simon Lambert, “They provide some of our closest racing, so to add a third grid in the form of the new Supersport will make for action packed weekends.  Best of all, there isn’t a sure-fire winner in any of the series, so who knows what might happen!”

Background

The Roadsport championships form the bulk of the Caterham Motorsport ladder, with the progression from Academy into Roadsport-B, then on to Supersport.  Roadsport-A remains part of the mix to cater for pre-2007 Academy based cars in this ever popular series.  As with all Caterham racing, close control of the regulations ensures a level playing field of machinery and in Roadsport-B team support is prohibited to keep costs in check.

Specification

All Roadsport cars are based on an upgrade Academy car.  Roadsport B and Supersport share the same 125bhp Sigma engine and 5 speed gearbox, driving an non-LSD differential and Avon CR500 tyres.  The Supersport is stripped of its light and screen to give it a race car fell, race springs and dampers replace the original road spec items.  Roadsport-A provided the template for Supersport, so is a similar specification, except powered by a 120bhp Rover k-series engine.

Points & Awards

20 points are awarded for a win, then 18-17-16-15 and so on, with 1 point for every classified finisher.  An additional point is awarded for the fastest lap.  Drivers count their best twelve of fourteen scores for the championship.  Trophies are awarded to 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd.

Championship Rounds

10/11 April – Silverstone
3 May – Castle Combe
5/6 June – Zolder, Belgium
3/4 July – Rockingham
21/22 August – Brands Hatch Indy
4 September– Oulton Park International
23/24 October – Snetterton.

A 27-car field, at least eight potential race winners and great battles for the pro-am1 and pro-am2 categories are the key prospects for the opening two races of the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, which bursts into life at Thruxton (3/4 April).

There is much that is new about the Porsche Carrera Cup GB this season, but as the racing kicks off at the high-speed Hampshire track the old guard of Tim Harvey and Michael Caine should be at the forefront of the action.

Eight drivers will make their Carrera Cup debut at Thruxton, as the championship heads into 2010 with a capacity list of 28 registered contenders. That’s a fantastic response to the fastest one-make racing category in Britain and there will be fine competition across all three categories.

In the pro category there is an intriguing mix of established Carrera Cup pacesetters and rapid newcomers. Harvey (Red Line Racing) and Caine (Motorbase Performance) need little introduction, but they face a raft of challengers including 2010 Carrera Cup GB Scholarship winners Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) and Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing). Both Scholars have impressive pedigrees, but neither has raced a Porsche at Thruxton before and will only have had limited running in testing ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.

Then there is Stephen Jelley, also at Team Parker Racing, who has switched from the BTCC to the Carrera Cup for 2010. He’s clearly a very accomplished racer with Thruxton experience from touring cars and British F3, while young Tom Bradshaw (JHR) is back for a second season after winning a 2009 Carrera Cup Scholarship. Lining up with Caine at Motorbase is Charles Bateman, back for a full season after only a couple of outings in 2009, but the biggest threat to Harvey and Caine may well come from Aberdeen teenager Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing). Geddie has won pro-am2 and pro-am1 titles over the last two seasons and is now more than ready to step up into the big time and challenge for race wins.

That’s eight contenders for the overall podium, but starting the season at Thruxton should favour the experience of Harvey and Caine. They know all about the unique challenge of Thruxton, where tyre management across a race distance can impact massively on the final result. Caine and Harvey were also first and second fastest in the pre-season test and media day at Silverstone last month.

The pro-am1 category has a great line-up and two drivers stood clear of the pack at the close of the Silverstone test day. Ollie Jackson (Motorbase Performance) put down his marker for the pro-am1 season at Silverstone by setting fourth fastest time overall behind Caine, Harvey and Geddie. Jackson is leaner and fitter for the 2010 season and will surely be a major contender for the title. Meanwhile, Tony Gilham (ReDesign Racing) ran very strongly at Silverstone despite a distinct lack of other testing and should be the big rival to Jackson at this stage of the season.

But there are plenty of other pro-am1 contenders, including single-seater converts Archie Hamilton and Oman-based Ahmad Al Harthy and racing returnee Andrew Shelley, who are all part of the six-car squad from Red Line Racing. Also in pro-am1 are the two Lithuanian drivers Jonas Gelzinis and Tautvydas Barstys from Juta Racing.

In pro-am2, defending champion Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) was top dog at Silverstone, but has never raced at Thruxton before. He has a gaggle of rivals including Mark Hazell (JHR), Paul Hogarth (IN2 Racing), George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) and George Brewster from Celtic Speed.

Carrera Cup qualifying is on Saturday at 14.20, with the first race at 12.10 on Sunday and the second race at 16.25. The afternoon’s racing will be shown live on ITV4 in the extensive BTCC race day programme.

Porsche Cars GB has announced further support for the new Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, which starts at Brands Hatch on 10 April. The 2010 driver of the year will win the use of a Porsche Cayman S road car for a year, while the regulations have been opened up to include 2009 model 911GT3 Cup cars.

The new series is open to any 911GT3 Cup car from 2009 and earlier and will be administered by the Porsche Club GB with official backing from Porsche Cars GB. The new series replaces the previous Porsche Open and sits comfortably beneath the Carrera Cup GB.

With the Carrera Cup GB entry now capped at a capacity entry of 28 cars, it has been decided to open up the GT3 Cup Challenge to 2009 model cars as well as earlier cars. “There are close links between the Carrera Cup and the GT3 Cup Challenge and with the Carrera Cup having such a strong entry, it was logical to allow the 2009 cars into the GT3 Cup Challenge,” said Marion Barnaby, motorsport manager for Porsche Cars GB.

In addition to the award of a Cayman S for a year for the overall GT3 Cup Challenge driver of the year, Porsche is continuing its support for the Porsche Club Championship. The 2010 Club champion will win a fully supported race weekend in the GT3 Cup Challenge in 2011.

The GT3 Cup Challenge is an established concept across the world, with race series in Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and the USA. The British series will be the seventh GT3 Cup Challenge to be established.

All cars in the GT3 Cup Challenge will run on the same Michelin slick tyres as the Carrera Cup GB and the series will enjoy competitor hospitality, tyre support and parts support.

Just as they had done a year earlier, Nick Elliott and Dave Price stamped their authority on the opening round of the 2010 Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Bulldog Historic Rally (Saturday 27 March).
While Elliott/Price (Ford Escort Mk2) dominated an incredibly strong category three, other key winners were Jonathan Gale/James Whitaker (Sunbeam Tiger) and Jeremy Easson/Alun Cook (Ford Escort Mk1). For the 80-car field, which was packed with quality, the Bulldog delivered a fabulous rally over some of the finest gravel stages in Britain.

Category 1
Gale and the Tiger started favourites to repeat their 2009 Bulldog win in category one, but it was still a challenge as a late change of co-driver left Gale and Whitaker to get used to each other over the opening stages. Meanwhile, Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride set off at a cracking pace in their Porsche 911 and edged ahead before the Mimecast-backed Tiger got into its stride.
“We put softer tyres on for the second loop and it was much better,” said Gale of the big push through the long Gartheiniog stage that took the Tiger into the lead. Even a spin on the final stage failed to hinder the Tiger’s progress as it finished 37s up on Nutt’s Porsche. “The stages were very, very good,” said Nutt of a trouble free rally.
A strong class B4 was won by the flying Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite/Gill Cotton after another spectacular performance. “We were matching times with Dessie later,” said Waite of his day’s work. Leading the chase of the Volvo was the Lotus Cortina of Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell, with a gap of just over half a minute at the finish. The sportsmanship of Mankin and Bell allowed a timing query over the class result to be quickly resolved.
In class B1, Geoff Taylor and Steve Greenhill stormed through in their Sunbeam Imp Sport despite a misfire and a puncture late in the last stage. Some way back, but happy to finish his debut BHRC event, was Simon Whitehead, teamed with Gary Wood in his Hillman Imp.

Category 2
Everyone was hoping for a fine battle in category two between old rivals Jeremy Easson and David Stokes in their Escort Mk1s. Unfortunately Stokes and Guy Weaver were out very early with a blown core plug and so Easson and Alun Cook swept to victory, 36s up on the non-BHRC registered Andrew Haddon/Mark Crisp.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic,” said Easson of a great day on some epic stages. It was his third category win in three events in his latest car. Chasing the Mk1 Escorts and bagging class C4 was the Porsche 911 of Tim Mason and Graham Wild after a problem free day. “The main target was a finish and that’s probably the steadiest rally I’ve ever driven,” said Mason.
Tim Jones and Don James were the top of class C3 with a great run over their local stages in their Escort Mk1, finishing the rally a minute up on the similar car of Andrew Siddall/Captain Thompson. Out very early with an engine fire went Drew Wylie/Howard Pridmore.
Class C2 delivered an interesting day, with victory finally going to the non-registered but spectacular Hillman Avenger of Stephen Whitford/Simon Morrow. However, until the final stage, the class lead was with Vince Bristow/Tim Sayer after a mighty run in their Escort. Unfortunately, an off in Dyfnant cost them a couple of minutes and dropped them to second, albeit still with maximum class championship points.
Third in C2 went to the Hillman Avenger of Gary and Jane Edgington, as the driver celebrated his 48th birthday. “I paid the entry fee; he’s not getting anything else,” said Jane of her husband’s birthday.

Category 3
Probably the best ever entry for category three promised a great day for the fans in the forests and they were not disappointed. But from the off, no-one could match the pace of Elliott/Price who swept ahead on the opening Big Ray stage and led all the way back to Welshpool with a stunning display of pace and commitment. “I didn’t think we were going that quickly,” said Elliott after a masterful performance.
Leading the chase was the similar Escort Mk2 of Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey, but Reynolds accepted that the day belonged to Elliott. “We went too slow this morning and Nick gave us a good hiding,” he admitted, although the gap at the finish was just 25s.
Third in category three was a fine result for the non-registered Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan, while Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper took fourth in their Escort Mk2. “Cracking stages,” said Hill of their rally. “The car was spot on, but the driver was just steady,” he added.
Packing out the leading places in Escorts came great performances from Will Onions/Dave Williams and Conor Corkill/Rob Fagg, while Seamus O’Connell/Nigel Gardner deserved better than seventh. However, losing second and third gear through the final two stages cost them a lot of time.
In D4, Rob Smith/Shaun O’Gorman took top slot in their Vauxhall Chevette, with a result that put them among the top 10 Escorts.
There was a great battle among a strong D3 entry, as Richard Lane/Frank Richer took the class by just seven seconds from Stuart Clarke/Andy Ballantine in the contest of the Mk2 Escort-Pintos. Into the final Dyfnant stage, Clark was ahead by a second but Lane mounted a big attack and emerged eight seconds faster to grab the class. “It all came together well,” said Lane. “Brilliant stages,” he added, summing up the feelings of just about every crew on the rally.

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) has issued regulation clarifications regarding two current crash helmet standards.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has announced that it will cease to recognise the BS 6658-85 Type A/FR helmet standard after December 31, 2013.

However, at its most recent meeting earlier this month, the Motor Sports Council agreed to extend the life of this standard until at least December 31, 2015. This is to offer an additional two years of use for those buying the current version.

The MSA would also like to draw attention to the Snell SA2000 helmet standard. Regulation K 10.3.1 of the 2010 Competitors’ and Officials’ Yearbook states that this standard ‘May be withdrawn with effect from 01/01/11’. However, the MSA is pleased to confirm that this standard will now be valid until December 31, 2014

The majority of the Monoposto grid arrived at Brands Hatch on Saturday afternoon, knowing that the Brands Hatch paddock is small, and bagging your pitch is advisable.    They were welcomed by a heavy shower and hail, but thankfully the weather improved for the Sunday.    The track was damp in places, and a bit ‘green’ following its recent resurfacing in places, but improved throughout the day.   The sun was shining to start with, before clouding over, and the afternoon was overcast with dark skies threatening showers that thankfully never came.

The two litre cars went out first, with a number of new or returning members, some with new cars, some using older cars as their new ones were not finished in time.  A professional Formula Renault team also attending using the Monoposto race as a race simulation for their BARC event in a couple of weeks time, giving their hotshot young drivers some experience of actual racing rather than testing and the circuit as well.

Cliffe took pole position in his Dallara F398 – Toyota  with a 47.535 with Jeremy Timms in a Vauxhall engined Dallara F397 just 0.311s behind.   Cliffe thought that most time could be made on the exit of Clearways where it was damp and it was those that could get the power down cleanly were rewarded with a fast time.       Many drivers complained about traffic, but with a high entry list and a short circuit, this is a problem for all as they pass or get passed.    The session was disrupted after a number of people fell by the wayside, including Lou Watts (Vauxhall Lotus) who span off the circuit damaging a front wishbone, and Russ Giles (Reynard 923) with a broken gearbox.   Classic class pole was taken by Geoff Fern, who dragged his Van Diemen out of storage as his 1400 class JKS wasn’t ready to race.

The other session contained the two bike engined classes and the 1800 and 1600 classes as well.   In the 1000cc class, Darren Freeman had been testing on the Friday and had crashed his Jedi quite heavily, meaning he was absent, with pole going to Dax Ward, with Arty Cameron lining up beside him, both in Jedis.  Marc Fortune was third, although only completing a handful of laps.   With Darren Freemen absent, Adrian Wright who was 1st reserve was permitted to race.

The 1400cc class was depleted from the outset as Geoff Fern’s JKS wasn’t ready so he raced a different car in Classic, and Peter Whitmore didn’t complete any practise laps, leaving Gary Hill as sole 1400 representative in 5th overall, but he did not make the start either.

1800′s were headed by Julian Hoskins in his Vector TF93, with Pete Bragg in 2nd.  Phil Nicholson had an eventful session, with a number of spins and getting himself beached on a kerb.

1600 pole was taken by Nigel Smith (who wasn’t on my entry list), with 2009 1600 Champ David Parkinson a few cars behind in 2nd.    Henry Fryer went off at Paddock Hill Bend, hitting the barriers and despite attempted repairs would not make the start, and Eddie Guest ended up in the gravel at Druids.

————-
2000/Classic race

2000 pole man Tristan Cliffe was a notable absentee from the grid following mysterious electrical problems with his Dallara F398, leaving a comparatively easy charge from the front of the grid to the chequered flag for Jeremy Timms.    Neil Harrison was content in 2nd, not being able to live with Timm’s pace and watching his mirrors for Robbie Watts F4 specification Van Diemen and the Formula Renault of Matthew Draper.   Harrison said he was grateful for the red flag which ended the race saying his engine wasn’t in the best of health and he wasn’t confident of keeping 2nd place if the race went to its full 15 minutes.

Geoff Fern took Classic honours ahead of Francis Phillips and Ian Hughes.     The race was red flagged after Lenny Coleman went off at Paddock Hill Bend and a separate incident lead to Robbie Watts retirement on the same lap.

1000-1800 Race

Dax Ward led off the line, but a brave and committed maneouver around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend saw Arty Cameron lead the first lap, with Marc Fortune close behind in third, although Ward had re-taken the lead on the 2nd lap as was never to relinquish it.    Fortune took second before retiring on the third lap.     Incidents further down the field saw the safety car deployed, after 4 cars ending up in the gravel trap at the bottom of Paddock Hill Bend.

Dax Ward took 1000 honours, Julian Hoskins 1800, Nigel Smith 1600s and there were no starters in the 1400 class.

Photos: Norwich Photo

Now in its third year, the Toyota Sprint Series contenders returned to Rockingham for round one of the 2010 championship. Rockingham provides a perfect season opener, with a smooth and open track layout, it was sure to re-ignite last years close battles, as well as welcoming the new competitors with a challenging layout.

The event was expertly run by track day specialists Javelin with support from Blitz-UK, Millers Oils, Fensport, SuperPro, Merlin International, AEW Graphics, and the GT4 OC.

The weather was smiling on the area, providing a good dry track from the off. The sighting runs gave drivers their first view of the track, which appeared to suit all types of cars – long straights and wide corners made use of the famous banked oval and would challenge the powerful cars, whilst tricky tight chicanes rewarded the nimble.

By lunchtime, many of the driver’s cards were on the table, some great runs had been laid down by new and established drivers, although there had been a fair share of mishaps too. Former British Rally Champion, and last years season winner, Jonny Milner was setting the pace in his brand new Celica GT4, with a time of 81.21. Adrian Smith had replied with an 81.30 despite some gearbox problems with his Corolla GT4-X. Duncan McMath, who had assisted Milner last year on the technical side, had decided to get behind the steering wheel this year, and produced a good time of 88.16 in run 3.

Further down the classes, Darren Burwash, newcomer to class B this season was proving a force to be reckoned with in his Starlet Turbo, producing a time of 92.72 on his first ever run.

With lunchtime over and the sun still shining, the competitors had swapped hints and tips and were ready to attack their times once more. As they got more competitive and braver, the cones on the circuit were suffering, and a few runs were ‘voided’ due to drivers playing skittles as they explored their vehicle’s limits.

Results in class order:

Class F – Up to 1.0l
Class F had doubled in size this year, with a record 4 competitors. Winner was Paul Thomas (above left), 2 times overall class winner, in his Aygo, with a time of 104.29 gained in the last run. Chasing hard all day and sometimes leading by a few tenths was Dann Quinn (above right) in his Yaris, Dan’s best time of 105.97 earned him 2nd in class.

Class D – Up to 1.6l Normally Asiprated
Unbeatable once more in his Starlet was Dave Brooks (above left), producing a great time of 89.95 on his last run, to tke 1st in class and 6th overall. Runner up was Neil Latham (above right), competing with his MR2 Mk1, Neil gained a time of 93.13 also on his last run.

Class C – Over 1.6l Normally Aspirated
Alex Meade in his Supra won the class with a very good time of 92.79 and could not be caught by Jeff Lotts, whose time of 96.39 set in his Celica gained him runner up in class.

Class B – Up to 1.6l Forced Induction
Newcomer to the series this year, Darren Burwash (above left) in his Starlet Turbo, could not be caught in class B with his time of 89.26 which was good enough to earn him 4th overall. This time also gained Darren the Hard Charger award, given to drivers who stand out and punch above their weight. Barrie Newsome (above right), last year class winner was runner up in his Starlet Turbo with a time of 92.03.

Class A3 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction
Another new driver this year, Duncan McMath (above left) is looking like a good championship contender in his Celica GT4, Duncan was soon on the pace setting an unbeatable time of 88.08. Chris Cooke (above right), last year’s class winner, was chasing hard in his MR2 Turbo and was runner up with a time of 89.65.

Class A2 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Modified
Steve Timms (above left) returned to the series this year and produced a time of 94.28 to win this class in his Celica GT4. Runner up was Nigel Levinson (above right), who put a time of 112.40 on the board despite his Celica having engine problems.

Class A1 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Highly Modified.
Two competitors were back with a vengeance this year in class A1. Jonny Milner (above left), 2009 champion was out to defend his title in a brand new car, Jonny had not even driven the car before Rockingham but despite a steep learning curve he was soon on top, leading by 0.09 seconds at lunchtime from Adrian Smith (above right) who is now driving his Celica GT4X, both cars were problematic on the day but the pace was still amazing. Jonny went on to set a time of 79.63 to Adrian’s best of 80.51. With both drivers in new cars and still separated by only 0.88s the championship battle is definitely on.

The competitors were all very happy with the day, and are looking forward to the next round at Barkston Heath, Lincolnshire on the 4th April. Barkston is a super smooth and twisty track, can the nimble beat the giants, it will be close!!

We would like to thank Javelin Trackdays for their professionalism and smooth operation of the day. Also thank you to all our sponsors for making the championship a reality.

MR2’s, Celica’s, Supra’s, Lexus, Corolla’s, Auris, Starlets, Sera…….If you like Motorsport and Toyota’s then the Toyota Sprint Series is the place to be.

For General information on the sprint series please visit www.toyotasprint.com

Photography: Norwich Photo

2009 was regarded as a classic year of Monoposto racing, especially when the global economic situation meant that many other race series experienced poor grids, yet Monoposto managed to field two full grids at the majority of its events, and their first race meeting of 2010 is no different, with 2 grids at or near capacity.  Monoposto can now proudly claim to be the largest single seater race series in the UK.

2010 sees 6 classes competing over two grids. Mono2000 & Classic, and Mono 1000, 1400, 1600 & 1800.

2000 & 2000 Classic: these being mostly ‘slicks and wings’ single seaters with restricted F3 spec engines or engines derived from road spec engines with concessions to mounting in a single seater.   The race will probably be won by a Dallara, but whose is a harder one to call – Jeremy Timm’s 397 (Champion 2008), Neil Harrison’s 398 (Champion 2009), Tristan Cliffe’s 398 or one of the others joining the ‘Dallarocracy’.  Richard Purcell has retired his special ground effect tunnelled, low drag Vauxhall Lotus in favour of a Dallara F300, Graham Read has a new engine for his F300 and Amnon Needham (F393) has been testing extensively at the Kent circuit recently.   Kevin Mason (F300) is always rapid too.

Technical changes have permitted fuel injection to be used as an alternative to carburettors.    Cliffe, Read and Purcell will all be using injection engines, and it is understood that Harrison, Timms are staying on carburettors.

On past form, the Classic Class will probably be headed by Russ Giles’ Reynard 913, or Jeremy Goodman’s Ralt RT3, although the entry list has a number of new names in this category who may well spring a surprise.   Lenny Coleman is using his trusty Vauxhall Lotus for the Brands Hatch round, although is expected to test his Reynard 883 shortly afterwards with a view of debuting this at Thruxton next time out.   Last years pace man, Nick Anstruther has overseas work commitments, so is unlikely to feature heavily in this seasons championship, but if he does make an appearance at any point, he will be fast.

Mono 1000  & 1400: These are the bike engined screamers using lightweight tubular frames.  Two engine capacities and two weight limits differentiate the classes.   Looking through the entry list I will hazard a guess at Geoff Fern for the 1400 class win, and either Arty Cameron, Dax Ward or Darren Freeman taking the 1000 class win, although which will be the ultimate race winner is too hard to say.   Fern raced his JKS in the 1000cc class last year, but has switched engines over winter and moved class.

Mono 1600: Last years title winner David Parkinson stands a good chance of retaining his title, especially if he can get some points on the board early on, as the very rapid Nigel Smith isn’t shown on my copy of the Brands entry list.  There are new names in this class as well, whose form is unknown.

Mono 1800: Peter Bragg is probably favourite to retain the title he won in 2009 and 2008 (and Mono1600 title in 2007 and 2006), although Rupert Reader and Phil Nicholson are possibly the drivers who will push him the hardest.  Again there are names new to me on the entry list.

These will all be racing on Sunday 28th.   First practice session is 10:25 for the 2 litre cars, with the smaller capacity classes at 11:40. First race is actually 4th on the timetable, but 3rd after lunch, estimated start at 14:55 with the second grid racing at 17:00 – although as always, schedules can slip due to accidents, and whilst some time can be clawed back with a shorter lunch, it is subject to delays.

Other races will be provided by the Dunlop Motorsport News Series, The Golf GTi championship, the SEMSEC Sports & Classics series, the Lotus On Track series and the Production BMW Championship.       On the preceding day, the Quaife Intermarque league, Champions of Brands, Club MSV Trackday Trophy, Cannons Motorspares Tintop Trophy and Toyo Tires Racing Saloons.

A report will follow after the event, with photos provided by Norwich Photo.

The 2010 British Touring Car Championship held its annual media day, returning to Brands Hatch following a couple of years at Rockingham.

In some ways, the BTCC itself is probably too high profile for this site, in terms of costs and professionalism, but there are steps to reduce costs with the introduction of the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) which will allow a car to be built at a much lower cost than before, so maybe there is more opportunity for BTCC coverage in future.  Currently there are two cars using the new NGTC specification engine, both Vauxhall Vectras – the orange and blue Pirtek car of Andrew Jordan, and the black and pink car of David Pinkney, these two cars finishing the test session in 10th (Jordan) and 12th (Pinkney).

The main absence of the 2010 series is the absence of a works Vauxhall presence, VXR racing pulling out during last season. Chevrolet, who had a presence last year with the Lacettis of Plato, Nash, Jackson and Vaulkhard, have increased their support to a works outfit and the introduction of the new Cruze, although there will be only two cars, one driven by Jason Plato, the other by BTCC debutant Alex MacDowall. Vaulkhard left the BTCC at the end of 2009 for the challenge of the World Touring Car Championship.

Honda have stepped up their involvement as well, with the two Team Dynamics cars being given factory backing. Former champion Matt Neal returns to the family team, and is partnered by Gordon Sheddon.

The Team AON Ford Focus cars ended 2009 on a high, with some fine results towards the end of the season, and retain the driving pairing of Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole (heard referred to as TomTom Go), but their major change has been the change of fuelling, changing from petrol to a Calor Gas developed LPG system, boost by turbocharging. The car has been quick in testing.

Volkswagen return to the BTCC with an AMD Milltek prepared VW Golf GTi, driven by Shaun Hollamby.     Other new or returning drivers include the two BMWs of Forster Motorsport, driven by Arthur Forster, and Martin Depper.

Fans favourite Paul O’Neill remains with the Team Sunshine / Tech-Speed outfit and is partnered by John George.

Finally, it is nice to see Andy Neate returning to racing following his awful and life threatening crash at the 2008 Britcar 24hr race at Silverstone.

Tom Chilton

Entry List:

2 Jason Plato Silverline Chevrolet – Chevrolet Cruze (M)
20 Alex MacDowall Silverline Chevrolet – Chevrolet Cruze (M)

4 Matt Neal Team Honda Honda Civic (M)

52 Gordon Shedden Team Honda Honda Civic (M)

5 Mat Jackson Airwaves BMW BMW 320si E90 (I)
11 Steven Kane Airwaves BMW BMW 320si E90 (I)

6 Robert Collard WSR BMW 320si E90 (I)
44 Andy Neate WSR BMW 320si E90 (I)

21 Tom Onslow-Cole Team Aon Ford Focus ST (I)
23 Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus ST (I)

2 Tom Boardman Special Tuning UK SEAT Leon (I)

27 Martin Johnson Boulevard Team Racing Vauxhall Astra Coupe (I)

28 John George Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport Honda Integra (I)

Paul O'Neill

29 Paul O’Neill Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport Honda Integra (I)

30 Martin Depper Forster Motorsport BMW 320si E90 (I)
37 Arthur Forster Forster Motorsport BMW 320si E90 (I)

43 Lea Wood Central Group Racing Honda Integra (I)

55 David Pinkney Pinkney Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra NGTC (I)

77 Andrew Jordan Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra NGTC (I)

98 Matt Hamilton TH Motorsport Honda Civic Type R (I)

99 Shaun Hollamby AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf MK5 (I)

88 TBA Triple Eight Race Engineering Vauxhall Vectra (I)
888 Phil Glew Triple Eight Race Engineering Vauxhall Vectra (I)

Text: Andrew Cliffe
Photography: Norwich Photo