RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

Charlie Robertson has a double reason to be pleased today – 1 February – as he has confirmed his plans to return to the Ginetta Junior Championship with HHC Motorsport alongside a top three ranking in respected industry publication Motorsport News.

The weekly Motorsport newspaper has ranked the fifteen year old racer as the third British driver to watch out for in the forthcoming 2012 season – the ‘Fast 50 – Drivers to Watch 2012’ covers young drivers from all forms of Motorsport, including saloon cars, rallying, karting and single seater racers.

This is the second accolade which has fallen the way of the 2011 Ginetta Junior vice Champion; last month saw the Whyteleafe-based youngster included in the prestigious MSA Academy.

“It was a fantastic feeling opening Motorsport News today and seeing my name in the top three of this year’s Fast 50”, said Charlie, “It’s great to come out so high up the list compared to so many top young drivers. This year I’m aiming for nothing less than the championship title in Ginetta Junior, I’ve got a great relationship with the guys at HHC and we know we’ve got what it takes to win.”

Robertson proved himself as one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the Championship with the Harrogate based HHC Motorsport team, and he set the record for the youngest ever winner of a MSA regulated race when he took the chequered flag first at Croft, and he secured a total of nine podiums during the season.

His pace was also evident as he set lap records at four out of the ten circuits the Ginetta Junior Championship visited in 2011.

Robertson was on for Championship glory in the season ending Winter Series – having won two out of the four races, but he lost out on the trophy after clutch failure in the second round. Despite the clutch failure, Robertson once again proved his clear pace and front running potential after a single year in the Ginetta Junior Championship.

“I’m really looking forward to testing getting underway and being back in the car, it feels like ages since the winter championship last November”, added the Surrey racer, “We know Ginetta Junior will be as tough as ever this year but, with a year’s experience under my belt, I’m well prepared and I’m confident we can fight for the title.”

The 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship will get underway at Brands Hatch in Kent over the 31 March/1 April, before visiting Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park, Croft, Snetterton, Knockhill, Rockingham, Silverstone and the season finale over the 20/21 October at Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. Each race weekend features two Ginetta Junior races, meaning a twenty race calendar.

Racing newcomer Guy Riall is among the growing number of drivers aiming to race in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge this season, having acquired a 2007 model 911GT3 Cup from Team Parker Racing.

The Yorkshire-based property developer has never raced before and has linked up with experienced GT racer Tim Sugden for support and tutoring. “I just want to go racing,” said Riall. “The car is immaculate and I want to do some races in 2012 before a full programme in 2013.”

“Guy is just the type of driver we are keen to see in the GT3 Cup Challenge,” said Marion Barnaby, motorsport manager, Porsche Cars GB. “Getting started in racing can be daunting, even for drivers with track day experience, but the GT3 Cup Challenge is the ideal environment for newcomers.”

In total, up to 2000 911 GT3 Cup race cars have been built by Porsche since the introduction of the 996-model car over a decade ago and the GT3 Cup Challenge will have classes to cater for both the 996-model cars and the later 997-model cars.

The GT3 Cup Challenge is now an established concept across the world, with successful race series in ten countries.

Team ES Racing has revealed they will be running NGTC powered Vauxhall Vectra’s in the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The Luton-based squad who recently revealed Dave Newsham would be driving for the team in 2012 alongside team principal Chris James have managed to keep the deal under wraps until now.

James Nash took the Independent championship title in the Vectra for Triple Eight racing in 2011 and Team ES will be looking to emulate this success in 2012.

Talking of the announcement Chris James said: “They’re race winning cars and they will continue to be highly competitive in 2012. We’re delighted to get the deal concluded to run the Vectra’s and look forward to pushing hard at the start of the season. They come with a great spares package and a massive amount of data so we should be able to hit the ground running.”

“We will get podiums and maybe even sneak more than that, certainly in the first half of the season. NGTC will get stronger but I truly believe that like football it will be a game of two halves – the first half will be S2000 and the second NGTC.” added James.

While James and Newsham have been announced for the team there is still a seat available for the season.

“There is still the option for us to run a third car so if the right driver with the right budget comes along then it will happen.” said James.

Fans will be able to get their first taste of the Team ES Racing Vectra’s at the BTCC Media day on Monday 19 March at Silverstone when the circuit will be open to the public for the afternoon test session.

You can follow the team on twitter at @teamESracing, Chris James directly at @ChrisJamesBTCC and Dave Newsham at @newshamracing. The team are also on facebook at www.facebook.com/teamESracing.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

Laura Tillett has turned her attentions towards securing a drive in the 2012 AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK after her maiden test at a wet Brands Hatch in Kent on Tuesday, 24 January – the rising star made an encouraging and impressive debut at the wheel of the Total Control Racing car.

The multiple title winners ran Nicolas Hamilton – younger brother of 2008 FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis – in 2011 and former Karter Tillett adapted herself well to the 2.0-litre race car.

Tillett was faced with less than ideal track conditions for her debut in the Clio – a very slippery track surface and persistent rain meant that the West Malling youngster was faced with a trickier debut than she had hoped, but she made strong progress as the day progressed and her nine years in Karting helped her to adapt to the different demands of the Clio Cup race car – she was soon proving why she is one of the most highly rated female racers in the UK.

“I really, really enjoyed the test and I felt very confident by the end of the day, even with the weather against me, so it couldn’t have been much better”, said the Kent racer, “Having never been in a saloon car before, I didn’t know what to expect but it was fantastic. The team is really lovely; they gave me a lot of help during the day and gave me some great advice.

“The test has definitely swayed me into looking at a future in saloons; I know I’d be comfortable racing in something like Clios. I always thought single-seaters would be the way to go after karting but the Clio is so much fun to drive. Hopefully we’ll be able to arrange another test soon with TCR.”

Total Control Racing team Principal Lee Brookes – a former Clio Cup Champion from the mid nineties as well as a Privateer Cup winner from the British Touring Car Championship – was impressed with Tilletts maiden test, considering the poor weather at the Kent circuit.

“Laura adapted to the Clio really well and for her first ever time in one of these cars, we were very encouraged”, Brookes commented, “It’s difficult to come in from karts, put aside some of the things that come naturally there and learn the different things you need to try and get the most from a car like a Clio. The conditions were terrible but she did a great job, we’d love to run Laura this year.”

For Tillett to make the move into the BTCC Supporting Clio Cup, she needs to attract sufficient sponsorship and commercial backing – as a record breaker by being the first British female Karter to compete in the top class of the CIK-FIA World Karting Championship, her ability and potential is unquestionable, as is her marketability.

There are now just over two months to the start of the 2012 AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK, with rounds one and two of the sixteen round campaign taking place at Brands Hatch, Kent over the 31 March/1 April.

The 2012 AirAsia Renault Clio Cup will once again enjoy prime live television coverage as part of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship package, as well as excellent track side attendances.

Photo by Britishgt.com/Jakob Ebrey Motorsport Photography

The finalised calendar for the 2012 British GT Championship has been announced, with the mixture of double head one hour races, two hour races and a single three hour race completing the calendar.

Following the announcement from October of the provisional calendar, the 2012 calendar follows on from the successful 2011 season, and the stability which has been created over the last two seasons.

For 2012, the series heads to the Nurburgring as support to the 24 Hour race on the Nordschleife, as well as visiting some of the best circuits in the United Kingdom.

Oulton Park in Cheshire will host the opening two rounds of the season over the Easter Weekend, 7/9 April before heading to Germany for the following two one hour races over the 17/18/19 May – the Nurburgring rounds will be played out in front of 150,000 spectators.

Arriving back from Germany, the series then gets ready for the first of the two hour races, to be held on the Rockingham ISS Long Circuit for the first time, Two weeks later, from the concrete lined walls of Rockingham, the series heads to the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit for the second two hour race of the season.

Snetterton 300 plays host to the final double header of the season at the beginning of August, a weekend which the Trackspeed outfit will want to forget after last year.

The midlands plays host to the final two races – with Silverstone playing host to the three hour endurance race before Donington Park Grand Prix circuit closes out the season over the 29/30 September.

“We’re confident that the 2012 championship will be the best yet,” said a positive Benjamin Franassovici, SRO’s championship manager.

“2011 was a great year for us and we built a solid foundation for this season. We’ve decided not to meddle with a formula that is proven to work, instead we’re adding to the series on and off track and adding clarity to the regulations to improve understanding.”

2012 is shaping up to be an extremely competitive season with a number of significant entries having been announced already and there will be more to follow ahead of the first entry deadline – Tuesday, 31 January.

The final entry deadline is Tuesday 29 February and for Franassovici, he is looking forward to the season ahead: “Judging by the unprecedented levels of interest we have already had for January we are on track for another exciting British GT season. We are working on adding some new cars to join us this season and I can’t wait for race one at Oulton Park.”

Official 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship Calendar:

Daniel Lloyd, the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship winner for 2012 benefitted from a unique day’s preparation at the Porsche Experience Centre – the fourth event featured multiple Formula One race winner Mark Webber.

The Silverstone based centre organised the one day event last Saturday, 21 January and it gave the Huddersfield based driver a chance to test his race fitness as well as challenging himself at the wheel of the i-Zone Performance race simulator, and he gained essential advice on sports nutrition.

“The day was absolutely mega”, said the West Yorkshireman, “We started off with a nutrional talk and a chance to talk with Mark and ask him about how he prepared for an F1 weekend. After that we had a Yoga session, which was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but I learned some really useful things that’ll definitely help my training.”

The highlight of the event was the question and answer session with Red Bull Racing’s Webber – the longest serving member in the team’s history; he was able to offer Lloyd plenty of food for thought in his preparations for the forthcoming season.

Lloyd capped his day off – quite literally – by winning a cap signed by the man himself having finished victorious in the competitive ‘shoot-out’ on the i-Zone simulator.

“After lunch, there was a Q&A session with Mark – it felt weird talking to such a superstar of F1, he’s a really down to earth guy though. To get that high in motorsport, to achieve so much and yet still be a ‘normal’ guy was fantastic to see. Winning the shoot-out at i-Zone was a great way to top off the day and meeting Mark really gives you the inspiration to work harder than ever to try and reach the top.”

The Porsche Carrera Cup GB gets underway at Brands Hatch over the 31 March/1 April, and Lloyd will start his pre-season testing next month in the Team Parker Racing car.

Photo by Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net

Total Control Racing will begin their 2012 testing campaign at Brands Hatch in Kent tomorrow, with one of the team’s cars being tested by twenty year old karter Laura Tillett, who will be making her saloon car track debut.

Tillett, who is from West Malling, ten miles from the circuit, has spent the last nine years competing in karting and she entered the record books in 2009 as she became the first female karter in the CIK-FIA World Karting Championship.

She started her Karting career in 2005, firstly racing in the Super 1 British Formula JICA category (known as KF3 now) before moving into Formula ICA, where she remained until 2008, when the KF2 class was introduced.

Having taken fifth in the MSA Kartmasters Grand Prix, she moved into the European and World kart scene – this is where she made history by becoming the first British female to compete at the top level of Karting – in the World Championship.

She then had a successful run in the Super KF class of the European and World Series in 2010, and she finished eleventh overall in the WSK European Championships.

Her final season in Karting saw her compete against the best in the business in the CIK – FIA World Championship, as well as competing in the KF1 class of the WSK Euro Series.

All of her Karting experience has been coupled with experience of testing single seat race cars – having tested Formula Ford and Formula BMW, and she was lucky enough to enjoy a day at the Williams F1 Team in November, using their race simulator.

No decisions have been made about her plans for 2012, as he turns her attentions to car racing – he has previously tested Formula Ford and Formula BMW cars – and her test tomorrow could open the door to a saloon car racing future.

“This will be my first ever go in a Clio, so I’m really looking forward to it”, said Laura, “I’ve still got a desire to race single-seaters but we need to look at all of the options as it’s all down to sponsors. I’ve been karting for nine years so I can tell you everything about that. Being 20, I’m slightly behind some of the others who have moved up to cars already so this is something I definitely need to do now.”

Tillett could become the first female entrant in the AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UIK since 2007, when Mel Healey competed in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship support series.

Looking ahead to the test at Brands Hatch, Lee Brookes, Team Principal of Wednesbury based TCR said:  “We’re delighted to be able to give Laura her first test in a Clio, she’s proven her talent in karts for a number of years now at the top level so we’ve got no doubts she’ll be able to adapt quickly. We’re really looking forward to working with her.”

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

Hillspeed have today announced that they have secured fifteen year old George Gamble to lead their title challenge in the 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship, having announced Nathan Harrison last week at the Autosport International Show.

Nottingham based Gamble will head into the 2012 campaign as one of the Championship contenders – having finished third in the main series in what was his first season of racing, he went on and secured the end of season Winter Series crown, his first car racing title.

In his maiden season, he secured three victories and multiple podium finishes and he joins the Hillspeed outfit who are looking for their third Ginetta Junior Championship drivers’ title on the bounce, having run Tom Ingram and Seb Morris to the title in 2010 and 2011.

Speaking about the signing of Gamble to the team, Hillspeed Team Principal Richard Ollerenshaw said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have George onboard for the coming season; he’s someone we kept an eye on from the outset of the 2011 season and the only driver that truly challenged Seb (Morris) throughout the year.

“George had an excellent result in claiming the Winter Series title with TJ, he performed very well indeed, so we’re pleased to have confirmed a deal with him this early as we make every effort to secure a third straight title.”

Throughout the 2011 campaign, Gamble proved himself to be one of very few drivers who could take the fight to second year driver Morris – he secured his maiden victory in the series at Thruxton, beating Morris by 0.036s in one of the closest finishes in the Championship’s history.

He backed up his Thruxton victory with victories at Croft and Knockhill and took eight podiums in total throughout the main series.

Speaking about his decision to join Hillspeed for the 2012 campaign, Gamble said: “I’m over the moon to be back in Ginetta Junior for a second season, especially off the back of winning the Winter Series. It’s great to be joining Hillspeed; the team’s record speaks for itself and we stand a really good chance of fighting for the championship.

“We didn’t decide to do Ginetta Junior last year until a couple of weeks before the championship started, so we didn’t have any real testing pre-season unlike the others. This year, we’ve got a deal done early so we’ll be able to have much better preparation.”

The 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship gets underway over the 31 March/ 1 April at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

Josh Webster has expressed his delight at being named as one of the Motor Sport Association’s Team UK drivers for the 2012 season – he is part of an elite group of seven drivers who will be mentored by former Formula One driver and Le Mans 24 Hour winner David Brabham.

Webster, along with the other talented circuit and rally drivers were revealed on Friday 13 January at the NEC in Birmingham, during the annual Autosport International Show.

Stowmarket based Webster is the youngest of the group at seventeen years of age – this being recognition of the progress he has made in his two years of competing in the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship, having graduated from karting at the beginning of the 2010 campaign, and he went on to be named the Racing Steps Foundation MSA Young Driver of the Year at the end of 2011.

In the six round ‘Finals Series’ for the Protyre Formula Renault 2.0 UK category, he finished third overall out of thirty drivers, including a number of experienced European entrants.

“I am honoured to be included in the 2012 Team UK squad and I look forward to the first training workshops,” said Webster on his inclusion to the MSA Team UK programme.

“I’ll make the most of this fantastic opportunity to learn under the expert guidance of National Race Coach David Brabham and Performance Director Robert Reid. I know it will be hard work, but I’m grateful for my place in the team and will work hard to justify my selection.”

Away from the track, Webster is currently studying for his A-Levels – he recently graduated from the MSA Academy’s Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence and with his place in the MSA Team UK, Webster has become the first AASE to be invited into the national MSA squad.

The Team UK programme is run by the Brabham Performance Clinic on behalf of the MSA and the programme is designed to give those drivers placed on the scheme the very best in terms of driver coaching and fitness as well nutritional guidance – the selected drivers also get advanced psychology techniques to ensure that they have the best possible approach to their racing programme.

Webster will benefit from exclusive visits to Formula One teams’ headquarters while his current training regime will be supplemented with access to some of the most sophisticated simulator equipment available.

His plans for 2012 hang in the balance – he hopes to graduate into the CERTINA Formula Renault UK Championship but needs additional sponsors to join the grid. His current sponsors, Nine Telecom Group and Admiral Managed Networks are remaining on board and he hopes that his invitation into the Team UK programme will enable him to secure the full budget for the CERTINA Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

2011 Ginetta Junior Championship Champion and highly rated youngster Seb Morris is continuing to enjoy the fruits of his success as he became one of ten drivers to be selected for the 2012 MSA (Motor Sport Association) Academy.

The MSA Academy is one of the British Motorsport Governing body’s flagship schemes and sixteen year old Morris was one of ten circuit racers invited to join the scheme, which was announced on the second day of the annual Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

The Academy is intended to give aspiring professional racers access to top line coaching from MSA experts and sixteen year old Morris is looking to make the switch from the sportscar world of Ginetta and into the open wheel racing scene.

Morris, who is based in Marford, is delighted to have secured the MSA Academy position and intents to make full use of it as he looks to the next stage of his young career.

“Being selected by the MSA is a great way to begin 2012, it’s a fantastic opportunity and can only be good for my career as we move up the ladder”, said the Welshman, “I know the advice the coaches offer is invaluable and it really is a huge honour and a privilege to have been invited to be part of the MSA Academy. This only gives me even more confidence ahead of my move into single-seaters.”

As well as being invited into the MSA Academy for 2012, Morris also collected his Ginetta Junior Championship trophy in the annual Ginetta Awards ceremony, which took place in Birmingham Friday night.

Having secured the honours in the 2010 Ginetta Winter Series, Morris used his experience during the opening rounds to open up a sizeable Championship advantage and was never caught throughout the season.

At the end of the campaign, The King’s School, Chester GCSE student had secured eleven victories and sixteen podiums in total from twenty races – an impressive effort for his second season in car racing. His Championship efforts were rewarded when he secured the Welsh Racing Drivers Association Welsh Young Driver of the Year award.

His plans for 2012 are yet to be finalised but his intention is to compete in Formula Renault.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

Charlie Robertson has been selected to join the MSA (Motor Sport Association) Academy programme, after the MSA made their announcement at the Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

Whyteleafe-based Robertson has yet to announce his plans for the 2012 season but his preparations have been boosted with the news that he has been selected as one of ten drivers to join the MSA Academy.

At fifteen years of age, the Surrey teenager is the youngest driver to be selected for the programme and this is proof of how highly he is rated after a single, successful campaign in the Ginetta Junior Championship.

Being a part of the MSA Academy, this will enable Robertson to benefit from first class coaching throughout the season. This coaching will come from a variety of industry experts, who will be working alongside the sport’s governing body, with sessions aimed to look at off track career progress and on track performance.

“I’m delighted to have been invited into the MSA Academy, it’s a huge honour and means a great deal to me – it’s the perfect start to 2012”, said Charlie, “Being able to benefit from guidance and coaching from the MSA is a real boost ahead of the new season and can only help me progress my career. I’m very proud to be representing the MSA Academy this year.”

Despite not having announced his 2012 intentions, Robertson is expected to once again race in the Ginetta Junior Championship and go for the outright title, after his maiden season of car racing saw him securing multiple podiums and race wins as he finished the season as Vice Champion. He also secured the honour of becoming the youngest ever winner of a MSA regulated car race.

Robertson received his Vice Champions’ trophy during the annual Ginetta Awards evening which was held in Birmingham last night. He was joined by the 2011 champion Seb Morris, George Gamble who finished third overall, Ginetta Cars Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson and Ginetta Junior Championship co-ordinator Max Gregory.

Photo by Malcolm Griffiths

Team Parker Racing have confirmed that the 2012 Porsche scholarship winner, Daniel Lloyd, will drive for them in the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, having agreed a deal with the team at the Autosport International Show yesterday, 13 January.

For Lloyd, the decision to join the Leicestershire based outfit was an easy one for him to make: “The team has a great reputation”, said the 19-year-old, who secured one of the biggest prizes in UK Motorsport as the Scholarship offers an £80,000 bursary towards the campaign.

“Everyone always says Team Parker is one of the very best out there so it’s an amazing opportunity for me to race with them for my first year in Porsche GB. This is such a massive opportunity, to be able to benefit from the huge experience and knowledge Stuart (Parker) and the team has is going to be so important.

“My goal is to try and get a podium finish as soon as possible, I really want to make a big impression on this first year. The way I look at it, winning the scholarship has given me one big shot at making that kind of impression so I’m going to work harder than ever and try and shock a few of the experienced guys along the way!”

Team Parker Racing have been at the forefront of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB ever since its inception back in 2003, and the team are one of the most successful teams’ in the series, having secured multiple drivers’ and teams’ titles – this means that they are one of the most successful teams’ on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Support package.

Team Principal Stuart Parker said about the deal to sign Lloyd: “Daniel is an exciting prospect, he has shown well in testing with us and we’re looking forward to working with him. I think he’ll be competitive straight out of the box.”

For Lloyd, the Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham marks his first appearance as the 2012 Porsche Scholarship winner and he has been busy with various duties, meeting motorsport fans as well as promoting the companies road car range and racing programme.

Away from the Porsche duties, Lloyd also took park in the annual Celebrity Kart Challenge, where he and his Sky’s the Limit team-mates Felipe Nasr (British Formula 3 Champion), Dean Smith (GP3 Podium finisher, 2009 Formula Renault UK Champion), Alice Powell (2010 Formula Renault BARC Champion) and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (GP3 Series race winner).

In the ninety minute endurance race for Race2Recovery, a Charity aiming to help rehabilitate injured servicemen and women, the newly named ‘Patron of Yorkshire’ by the Welcome to Yorkshire tourism agency – Lloyd and the rest of the Sky’s the Limit team secured a podium finish with third overall.

Lloyd is now waiting to start his pre-season testing programme ahead of his series debut at Brands Hatch over the 31 March/1 April, the opening two races of a twenty race campaign.

Photo by Chris Walker/Kartpix.net

Double Ginetta Junior Champions Hillspeed has today confirmed that fifteen year old Oxford-based karter Nathan Harrison will join the team for the 2012 campaign.

Harrison, who is a karting sensation in both Britain and Europe, will be making his car racing debut with the team, who took Tom Ingram and Seb Morris to Championship glory in 2010 and 2011 respectively. They head into 2012 looking for a hat trick of drivers’ titles.

Throughout his eight year karting career, Harrison has enjoyed tremendous success – 2009 saw him become the Super 1 ABkC Mini Max Karting Champion, Southern Karting Champion as well as West Midlands Karting Champion. In the MSA Kartmasters Grand Prix, he finished fourth in the Mini Max Class.

The last two seasons has seen Harrison competing in the Rotax Max Junior and he signed off his karting career by securing the Vice-Champion position in the Super 1 National Rotax Junior Championship, and he secured the same result in the Rotax Max Euro Challenge. In the world of Rotax Max karting, he finished sixth overall.

Speaking ahead of his debut season in the series, Harrison said: “I’m really looking forward to making my debut in Ginetta Junior – I really can’t wait. We always knew we’d come into cars when I was old enough, karting is the foundation and there wasn’t much else we could do there really. This is most definitely the right time to make the step-up and take on a new challenge.

“We’re confident it’s going to be a great year driving with Hillspeed. We know it’ll be tough, there are going to be some very experienced second and third year drivers in the championship, but we’re aiming for a strong debut and focused on fighting at the front.”

With Harrison being the first confirmed driver for Hillspeed, team principal Richard Ollerenshaw is pleased to have secured his first driver signing ahead of the 2012 campaign.

“We’re incredibly pleased to have signed a deal with Nathan for his first season in cars and we’re confident he’ll make strong progress and become a real force in Ginetta Junior”, said the Hillspeed boss, “We can’t wait to begin our pre-season testing programme with him, it’s fantastic to have the chance to work with a driver boasting such a superb karting pedigree.

“This deal with Nathan only came about because, thanks to Ginetta, he’d had the chance to test a G40 at Bedford Autodrome just before Christmas. It’s that level of support and commitment from such a proactive manufacturer which helps the championship thrive and stand-out from the competition, Lawrence Tomlinson (Ginetta Cars Chairman) and his team deserve a lot of credit.”

Lawrence Tomlinson from Ginetta welcomed the former Mini Max Champion into the series: “It’s great to see Nathan taking his first step into sportscars. The Ginetta Juniors provide a great platform for young racing drivers at the early stages of their career, the benefits and experience they gain prepares them for any series. I wish Nathan all the best for his first season as a Ginetta Junior driver and I look forward to watching him progress.”

The 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship gets underway at Brands Hatch over the 31 March/1 April, with the opening two rounds taking place on the Indy circuit.

Josh Hill will be racing in the TRS Series

Covering races on the opposite side of the world is not usually in Racing Exposure’s scope, but there isn’t much real motor racing going on at the moment.   There is the Dubai 24 hour race this weekend, the Dakar Rally is almost over, and there is the TRS NZ series which is worth mentioning further.

The Car

New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series could easily be described as “Formula Renault Down Under”.     Like Formula Renault BARC, the cars are designed and constructed by Tatuus in Italy, but instead of a RenaultSport Clio engine behind the driver, there is a Toyota 1.8 litre engine fitted.  This engine is the 2ZZ-GE engine which in road form is the 190hp engine found in the Celica 190 T-Sport amongst other models, and some versions of the Lotus Elise.    In race spec it develops 215hp.    They run on a 85% ethanol biofuel.

Its no wonder that many established and up and coming Formula Renault drivers from the UK and Europe take the trip to New Zealand to prepare for their own championship season.

The first test session and races will be held at Teretonga Park circuit, which is the world’s most southerly FIA recognised race track.

Challenge laid down for leading local drivers as international drivers quickly on the pace

Pic: Teretonga Park Race Circuit

Testing and track familiarisation sessions at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park race circuit have yielded some promising lap times for the international and local drivers in this year’s Toyota Racing Series.

In three one-hour familiarisation test sessions at Teretonga on Wednesday the international drivers were quickly on the pace, throwing down a strong challenge to the New Zealand contingent.

Drivers were quickly on the pace during their first session on the fast and demanding 2.67 km track near Invercargill, despite the session being one intended to give new drivers a chance to learn both their cars and the circuit.  In the second and third sessions later that day the top drivers were consistently posting lap times under the existing 2008 race lap record of 54.611.

With a record number of overseas racing drivers competing this year, the series has a 20-strong entry that includes no less than 15 internationals.  Most of the drivers in this year’s series are new to both TRS and to the five New Zealand tracks they will race on in the next five weeks.  All but one of the international drivers are new to the series, while among the New Zealand drivers at Teretonga only Southland racer Damon Leitch, Nick Cassidy and Jono Lester have prior experience of the agile wings and slicks single-seater Toyota Tatuus race cars used for the series.

It was the overseas drivers – in the process of learning both an unfamiliar track and a new car – who set the hottest pace in the first sessions.

Each of the three test sessions were topped by a different overseas driver, with Austrian Lucas Auer going fastest in the first session; British driver Josh Hill (son of 1996 Formula One World Champion Damon Hill) fastest in the second session and Dutch racer Hannes van Asseldonk comfortably fastest in the third.  The time set by van Asseldonk was more than a second faster than the current race lap record for the track.

Lucas Auer’s fastest time in the first session was followed by an off early in the second session at the fast turn two, his car going off the outside of the corner and running through the gravel trap to nudge the nose of his car into the safety tyre barrier.  Auer said he braked a little late for the corner and then was unable to hold the car on the track.

With only minimal damage to the car, he was back on track in the third session to be third fastest overall.

Hill’s fastest time in session 2 came late in the 30 minute track outing.  He posted a 54.445 ahead of Puerto Rico’s Félix Serrallés on 54.847.

In the third session, Hannes van Asseldonk also put in his fastest lap of 53.983 late in the piece, the time set on his 34^th lap.  Serrallés was once more second fastest, improving to a 54.419.

Invercargill’s Damon Leitch was fifth fastest and quickest of the New Zealanders with a 54.568.

On Thursday, van Asseldonk continued his strong form, posting fastest times in the first and second sessions and once more breaking into the high 54-second bracket.  Rain affects lap times for the first session, but as the sun emerged and the track dried times once more fell to mid-low 55 seconds.

Also quick were Josh Hill, Serrallés, young Austrian Lucas Auer and Jordan King as the field

Nick Cassidy was quickest of the Kiwis on 55.614 ahead of Damon Leitch 55.640 and Jono Lester 55.759.

A spin for van Asseldonk set back his charge to the top of the timesheets after he had traded top times with Auer, then Auer closed the third and final 30 minute session with fastest lap, but then went off at the fast left hand turn at the end of the start-finish straight, lightly damaging his car’s nose cone and bending his front suspension.

New Zealand’s International Toyota Racing Series starts at Invercargill this weekend, with qualifying and one race on Saturday and the headline race, the Spirit of a Nation cup, held over 20 laps on Sunday along with a further 16-lap race.  The series runs over five consecutive weekends, ending at the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild in mid-February 2012.

2012 International Toyota Racing Series

Round 1: 12-15 January              Teretonga Park, Invercargill Spirit of a Nation Cup

Round 2: 19-22 January              Timaru Raceway, Timaru Timaru Herald Trophy

Round 3: 26-29 January              Taupo Motorsport Park Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy

Round 4: 2-5 February                 Hampton Downs, Auckland New Zealand Motor Cup

Round 5: 9-12 February               Manfeild, Feilding New Zealand Grand Prix (Dan Higgins Trophy and Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup)

Toyota Racing Series “better than ever before” says Amon

Kiwi Formula 1 legend Chris Amon believes New Zealand is set for a “brilliant” summer season of International single seater motor racing with the largest, and youngest field of drivers ever.

“The 2012 Toyota Racing Series has attracted a record field which is great news for New Zealand motorsport. This rivals the very best years of the old Tasman series,” enthused Amon.

Racing in New Zealand’s annual single seater championship, the Toyota Racing Series, the first FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) 2012 International Calendar event of the New Year starts at Teretonga in Invercargill on January 14-15 and continues through to the New Zealand Grand Prix finale at Manfeild on February 11-12. Teretonga is the southernmost race track in the world.

In five consecutive event weekends the drivers will cover in excess of 2,500 kms of testing and racing on tracks from the deep South to the North of New Zealand.

Drivers are competing to win the coveted Chris Amon Trophy, awarded to the overall winner of the 15-race season. The Amon Trophy has only ever been won by a Kiwi driver since the series inception in 2005 but the new more compact format opens up the likelihood of an International name being added to the list of champions.

The latest addition,16-year-old Russian driver Dmitry Suranovich brings the total number of overseas drivers entered to 15 which is a record number for the TRS.  It may also be the highest number of international race drivers ever to contest the New Zealand summer series, eclipsing even the grids at the high profile Tasman Cup races of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

As with several of the other young drivers who are entered, Minsk-based teenager Suranovich is coming down under to gain valuable experience; racing against an intriguing mix of emerging talent from a wide range of series throughout the world. Suranovich is a karting graduate who has competed in the Italian Formula Abarth series in 2011.

“Some of these youngsters may not be well known now, but I think we have some very promising up and coming young drivers who we will undoubtedly feature in higher level categories of the sport in the years ahead,” said Amon.

He recalled previous overseas drivers that have progressed to international fame after competing in New Zealand – notably Keke Rosberg who went on to win a Formula One World Championship and Indycar Champions Danny Sullivan and Bobby Rahal.

Amon raced for Ferrari in Formula 1 between 1967 and 1969, and says he is feeling both nostalgic and delighted that Raffaele Marciello is coming to New Zealand to race in TRS. The 16-year-old Italian’s career is currently being managed by the Ferrari Driver Academy.

“For the Toyota Racing management team to get the Ferrari lad down here is brilliant. Imagine what this might lead to in the future…” said Amon.

“All these overseas drivers coming here provides a good incentive for few more Kiwis to become involved in TRS. We need to be looking right now for the next generation of drivers coming through from New Zealand karting.”

Chris Amon has been mentoring Auckland-based Jono Lester during his build up to his first full season in TRS, and thinks the 22 year old could be a strong contender, particularly in the early rounds.

“At 22 Jono will be almost the old man of the 2012 series but he has a good head on his shoulders and may benefit from being more consistent than some of the teenagers.”

The average age of the 2012 TRS grid is 19, the oldest competitor being 24 year old Italian woman driver Michela Cerruti.

The Teams Trophy also looks like providing intense competition with all of the teams running a combination of New Zealand and international drivers.

Giles Motorsport is back to defend the trophy it has held for the past three seasons but will face stiff competition from all of the other teams; ETEC Motorsport, M2 Competition and Victory Motor Racing teams all have drivers who are expected to challenge for front running positions throughout the series.

Twelve different countries will be represented on the grid in 2012

AmD's VW Golf in 2011

AmD Tuning.com will return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship for the 2012 season after confirming its plans for the year ahead on the opening day of the annual Autosport International show in Birmingham.

The West Thurrock-based team has agreed a deal with Ollie Jackson which will see him embark on a first full season of BTCC competition at the wheel of the team’s turbo-powered Volkswagen Golf, which proved to be one of the most improved cars on the grid last year.

Jackson – originally from Reigate, Surrey but now based in Attleborough, Norfolk – joins AmD Tuning.com having made his BTCC debut in the final two rounds of the 2011 season, taking a best finish of eleventh for the Triple Eight team.

Prior to that, the 27-year-old enjoyed success in Caterham racing before lifting the Pro-Am1 title in the Porsche Carrera Cup in 2010. A switch to the British GT Championship followed last season, the highlight coming at Spa with victory in the GT4 class, before the move into touring cars for the rounds at Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

Having put pen to paper on his deal with AmD Tuning.com, Jackson will now embark on a full pre-season testing programme at the wheel of the VW Golf before the opening rounds of the 2012 campaign take place at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 31 March-1 April.

“After the two rounds last season in the Vectra, I knew the BTCC was where I wanted to be full-time in 2012 and I’m delighted that I’ve been able to agree a deal with AmD Tuning.com,” Jackson said. “I’m really pleased to have a deal confirmed nice and early, which will give me time to carry out some decent testing before the opening rounds.

“Since I moved into car racing, I’ve never had a full testing programme before the season started, so its good that I’ll be able to spend some meaningful time behind the wheel of the Golf, especially as I don’t have much experience of front-wheel drive.

“My initial aim is to see where I stand when we get to Brands Hatch and then make improvements and move forwards. However, the Golf is a proven car that showed good pace in 2011 and my target is to bring home top ten finishes as the year goes on. The team has welcomed me onboard and I can’t wait to get started.”

The decision to sign Jackson comes on the back of a strong 2011 season for the AmD Tuning.com team, which was highlighted by breakthrough points finishes at both Donington Park and Thruxton.

While the basic package remains the same for 2012, with the Golf powered by the same Lehmann-developed engine designed to the BTCC’s Next Generation Touring Car regulations, a series of tweaks have been carried out over the winter as the team looks to build on the promise shown last year to become regular top ten finishers.

“We spoke to a number of drivers about 2012 and are delighted we have been able to agree a deal with Ollie, and agree a deal this early in the year,” AmD Tuning.com team principal Shaun Hollamby said. “He will get the chance to test the Volkswagen for the first time in mid-February and that will be the first part of a full test programme ahead of the new season. That is an important part of our plans for 2012 as it will be the first time we have been able to carry out a full testing programme before the season starts.

“Ollie impressed me last year with his performances in the Triple Eight car when you consider that he hadn’t raced a front-wheel drive machine before, and I’m confident that he can help us take further steps forward and help us fight inside the top ten on a regular basis.

“We have made some tweaks to the Golf over the winter and are confident that the regulations in place for the new season will work in our favour as it should be easier for the series to equalise performance between the different turbo engines on the grid. We know we were down on power a little last year but I’m confident that the regulations will help with that this season, and with Ollie onboard, I’m looking forward to a successful 2012.”

Pic: Steve & Bob Knightley