RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

British GT and British F3 have both announced their provisional 2012 race calendar.

21 Mar – Silverstone GP – Championship launch & media day

06/07 Apr Oulton Park  British F3 & GT

tba Nurburgring GP British GT only

14/15 Apr Monza, Italy Blancpain Endurance Series – F3 only

11-13 May Pau, France  Grand Prix de Pau – F3 only

26/27 May Rockingham  British F3 & GT

23/24 Jun Brands Hatch GP  British F3 & GT

29 Jun-01 Jul Paul Ricard, France  Blancpain Endurance Series – F3 only

26-28 Jul Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium  Blancpain Endurance Series – F3 only

04/05 Aug Snetterton 300  British F3 & GT

08/09 Sep Silverstone GP  British F3 & GT

29/30 Sep Donington Park GP  British F3 & GT

At the moment this is a provisional calendar and all dates and circuits are subject to change

A seven-meeting calendar featuring the UK’s best circuits and a repeat of the successful mix of one, two and three-hour races are planned by the SRO Motorsports Group for next season’s Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

British GT will once again visit Oulton Park, Rockingham, Snetterton and the Grand Prix circuits of Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington Park. Next year’s overseas round will take place on the German Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring.

“The mix of circuits and race formats which were introduced in 2011 proved very popular,” said championship manager Benjamin Franassovici, “and we were keen to retain this element for the coming season. The one calendar change of any note is that we will be visiting the superb Nürburgring.

“2011 has been a huge success for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, not only with the numbers of cars entered but more importantly the quality of the machinery mixed with some great racing, which led to great unpredictability. We feel at this time that stability is key to building the championship: we need evolution, not revolution, and we are confident of providing teams, drivers and partners with another great package next year. There is more to come in the next few weeks. I cannot wait for round 1 at Oulton Park!”

The exact race format for each meeting has yet to be cast in stone, but it is likely that there will be 120-minute races at three of the meetings, one three-hour event, probably at Silverstone, with double-header 60-minute races at the other meetings.

“Interest for next year is already very encouraging,” adds Franassovici, “both in GT4 and in GT3, and new teams and drivers are enquiring in addition to established championship runners. In terms of rules and regulations, 2012 will be very similar to this season, and it is this stability which makes the championship as attractive as it is.

“The ‘pro-am’ driver pairings will continue to be an essential part of the British GT platform, and two-car teams will be encouraged and will be rewarded by a revised points system for the team championship.”

The calendar and plans have been welcomed by Keith Cheetham of Trackspeed, the champion team of 2010 and ’11: “We are planning to return to British GT in 2012 with two cars, and look forward to claiming our third consecutive championship title. It’s a series which rewards consistency, and we will be aiming for that next year. The calendar looks good, with a good range of circuits which should suit different chassis.”

Andrew Tate, who with driving partner Alex Mortimer won one race in 2011, says he will definitely return next season in a two-car team alongside champion Jim Geddie. “One win was not enough, I want multiple wins next year and to snatch the title off my team mates,” he added. “Both Jim and myself will be driving for our own team, Apex Cin Energy Motorsport.”

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company.

Last weekend the Avon Tyres British GT Championship took to the track to compete in a 3 hour endurance race at Donington Park. Partnering the GTs – as per usual, was the Cooper Tyres F3 International Series. This series ran 3 races across the weekend: 30 minutes on Saturday, 20 minutes Sunday morning and finally to round up the weekend, a 40 minute race in the afternoon.

The weekend kicked off to a great start for the 2011 Cooper Tyres British F3 Champion Felipe Nasr, after setting a storming lap in the Qualifying session on the Saturday morning, he secured the final points needed to claim the Sunoco Daytona Challenge. Winning the Sunoco Challenge has secured Felipe’s drive in the 50th running of the Rolex 24.

The first race of the weekend (30 minutes/21 laps) was won by Rupert Svendsen-Cook after a flawless drive – leading the race from start to finish. 2nd place was taken by Carlos Huertas followed by Jack Harvey.

Top 3 of Race 1

1st – Rupert Svendsen-Cook – Carlin
2nd – Carlos Huertas – Carlin
3rd – Jack Harvey – Carlin

Jack Harvey managed to achieve a podium finish in the first race of the weekend

Sunday’s first race was set to be a 20 minute dash for the finish across a somewhat damp Donington circuit after rain had fallen in the early morning. Although the track was drying out drivers still couldn’t decide which tyres to go out on – many drivers including Felipe Nasr and Kevin Magnussen decided to start the race on slicks – although Magnussen very quickly made the choice to change to wets.

After a relatively clean start, Valtteri Bottas (2011 GP3 Champion) had managed to catapult himself from 3rd on the grid to first position and within 5 laps he had stretched his lead to 5 seconds. Whilst Bottas was dominating the race, the battle for 2nd place was hotting up. Harry Tinckell, Scott Pye and William Buller all were in contention for potential podium positions. Unfortunately Scott Pye put an end to his participation in the battle, when he made an ambitious dive into the Melbourne Hairpin which ultimately resulted in his return to the pits with a punctured left front tyre, and a drop to 18th position.

With Pye now out, Menasheh Idafar had joined the battle for 2nd place after an incredible drive from 11th on the grid. The fight remained incredibly close right to the very end, where Buller crossed the line in 2nd literally wheel to wheel with Idafar who finished an incredible 0.182 seconds behind. An elated Valterri Bottas took pole position beating the rest of the field by 14 seconds.

Top 3 of Race 2

1st – Valterri Bottas – Double R Racing
2nd – William Buller – Fortec Motorsport
3rd – Mensheh Idafar – T-Sport Powered by Volkswagen

Race 2 saw a great start from 2011 GP3 Champion Valterri Bottas

Race 3 lined up on a damp grid, but the weather rapidly deteriorated. The majority of the grid appeared to be running slicks but after a quick warm-up lap discovered there was very little traction so they darted into the pits to change to wets.

Valterri Bottas had a very slow start and would have been in last position if it hadn’t been for the numerous cars that had pitted. Felipe Nasr led the race for the first lap until Kevin Magnussen hit into Nasr as they entered the Esses, causing Nasr to lose several places. At the end of the first lap the British driver Jack Harvey was leading the race followed by Rupert Svendsen-Cook. Kevin Magnussen was clearly under pressure from the Brazilian driver, Pipo Derani as Magnussen ran off the track at Melbourne Hairpin, but managed to retain 3rd place. Svendson-Cook also appeared to be struggling with the conditions after running wide at Goddards and dropping to fourth position.

The wet conditions certainly made the racing interesting

Soon came the pit stops, Bottas was one of the early pitters along with Buller who had also pitted at the very start of the race to change from slicks. After most the field had completed their pit stops, Derani was found to be rapidly catching the two front runners. Magnussen and Harvey were still battling for the lead with Magnussen eventually overtaking Harvey going into the Esses with 23 minutes to go.

Magnussen continued to take control of the race gaining a 4.8 second lead over Harvey who was attempting to hold off Derani in 3rd position. Harvey was unsuccessful in holding Derani from 2nd as Harvey unfortunately had mechanical trouble which led to a late retirement with only 5 minutes left on the clock.

Kevin Magnussen took the checkered flag in 1st position with a 4.8 second lead over Pipo Derani who finished in 2nd position. It was Magnussen’s 6th win of the season and 24 laps were completed, Derani also achieved his best ever result in British F3.

Despite the weather, a superb race to end what was a great weekend for the Cooper Tyres British F3 International Series; they really had a bit of everything!

Top 3 of Race 3 –

1 – Kevin Magnussen – Carlin
2 – Pipo Derani – Double R Racing
3 – Rupert Sevendsen-Cook – Carlin

Magnussen took the wet race win

Report: Adam Pigott
Photography: Adam Pigott Photography

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Carlin driver Felipe Nasr has secured the title of Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series Champion after racing at Rockingham this weekend. However in the Sunoco Rolex 24 At Daytona Challenge it’s still very much all to play for.

The first race of the weekend was for the Cooper Tires Formula 3 where Brazil’s Pietro Fantin claimed his maiden pole positions as well as his first race victory. This also made Pietro the highest point scorer of the weekend in the Sunoco Daytona Challenge – taking 20 points for each pole position and a fastest lap plus 100 for the race win and 75 points for a second place.

Fantin assumed control of the race when Felipe Nasr, who had led from the start, was penalised by race officials for not observing the track limits and received a drive-through penalty, dropping him way down the field.

“I had a good start from pole but the clutch slipped and I dropped back. I knew it would be hard to get the lead but luck was on my side and I’m really happy to win,” said an ecstatic Fantin. “We had a really good practice session and a good set-up which I want to thank my team for.”

Second place and 75 points towards the challenge went to Rupert Svendsen-Cook who had slotted into third ahead of his team mate Kevin Magsussen on the third opening lap; third became second when Nasr was penalised. Magnussen then spun on the third lap promoting Jack Harvey into fourth which then became third and 75 points towards the challenge.

Jazeman Jaafar placed fourth for Carlin, ahead of Carlos Huertas and Nasr. Magnussen recovered and crossed the finishing line in seventh ahead of Double R’s Scott Pye, T-Sports’s Menasheh Idafar and Sino Vision Racing’s driver Hywel Lloyd.

The third race for the Formula 3 registered races to earn points towards the Sunoco Daytona Challenge was race 3 and despite finishing third it saw Felipe Nasr crowned British Formula 3 Champion.

Nasr is the fourth consecutive British Formula 3 Champion for the Carlin team, following in the tracks of Jamie Alguersuari and Daniel Ricciardo – both of whom now race in Formula 1, and Jean-Eric Vergne (last year’s runner up in the challenge) who is on the brink of a Grand Prix career.

Kevin Magnussen overhauled pole man Pietro Fantin and took the race victory, however Fantin finished just 0.7 seconds behind and took the 75 points on offer towards the Sunoco Daytona Challenge – he also was awarded Sunoco Driver of the Weekend.

Felipe finished the race in third taking 55 points but still maintains his lead in the overall standings; depending on the performance of his closet challengers and a strong performance from the man himself Nasr may take the challenge win at Donington.

The Avon Tyres British GT Championship also raced at Rockingham this weekend in the form of two 1 hour races.

It was a weekend for maiden wins after Andrew Howard and Jonny Adam scored their first victory when they drove their Beechdean Motorsports Aston Martin DBRS9 to the chequered flag, with an advantage of 41 seconds over the Preci-Spark Mercedes AMG SLS. Phil Keen and David Ashburn completed the podium by crossing the line in third with their Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R.

Matt Griffin who was second in the Challenge standings finished 11^th with team mate Duncan Cameron. The race took place in wet conditions which many people struggled with due to making wrong tyre choices. Once championship leaders, United Autosports due Mike Guasch and Matthew Bell, also struggled as track conditions started to change. The pair finished in tenth place taking 5 points each towards the challenge.

The second British GT race also saw a new winner to the top of the podium, with Andrew Tate celebrating his first win alongside team mate and 2007 Champion Alex Mortimer. The pair shared the CRS Racing Ferrari 458 and crossed the line in first taking 100 points towards the challenge ahead of Jim and Glynn Geddie who finished second taking 75 points each. Matt Griffin gained some vital points back after taking the last spot on the podium with Duncan Cameron and 55 points towards the challenge.

Scuderia Vittoria drivers Charles Bateman and Michael Lyons, had a great race and bought their Ferrari 458 home in fourth place taking 40 points each towards the challenge. Next to cross the line was Bell and Guash ahead of David Ashburn and Phil Keen in their Trackspeed Porsche. Brothers David and Godfrey Jones finished seventh, followed by Allan SImonsen and Hector Lester in their Ferrari 430. The second United Autosports Audi R8 of John Bintcliffe and Jay Palmer rounded off the top 10.

In GT4 Dan Dennis and David Mcdonald had a great weekend with their Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta G50 and took 2 wins. Due to their being five cars on the grid GT4 drivers were awarded 50% of points.

Marcus Clutton lowered his point score after a fifth in class but has stayed in the top 10 after gaining extra points for a fastest lap and a second in class.

The next point scoring weekend towards the Sunoco Daytona Challenge is again for the British Formula 3 and British GT drivers and takes place at Donington on the 24^thand 25^th of September. Depending on the performance of his closest rivals Felipe Nasr could be on his way to Daytona – but he needs to maintain his strong performance and consistency. What will Donington bring? Keep up with the latest at www.sunocodaytonachallenge.com

Current Top 10 Standings:

British F3/GT racers to battle on Grand Prix circuit this weekend

The British F3 and GT championships head to Brands Hatch this Saturday and Sunday (18/19 June), for a weekend of thrilling racing on the famous 2.3 mile Grand Prix circuit.

A trio of South Americans currently lead the way in the Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, with Brazilian Felipe Nasr leading the championship from Colombian Carlos Huertas. Nasr’s countryman Lucas Foresti is equal on points with Huertas, and all three drivers will be looking to emulate their fellow South Americans Ayrton Senna and Emerson Fittipaldi in graduating from F3 to F1. There’s plenty of home-grown interest though, and front-running Brits Rupert Svendsen-Cook and Riki Christodoulou will also be targeting wins. Both have already claimed victories this season.

The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is in rude health in 2011, with a multi-million pound entry of 30 cars expected at Brands Hatch. Standout cars include the United Motorsports Audi R8, which took a brilliant debut win on the new Snetterton 300 circuit last time out, and the stunning ‘gullwing’ Mercedes AMG SLS GT3. There’s also a number of Porsche 997s, Ferrari 430s and Ferrari 458s, plus entries from Lotus, Aston Martin, Chevron, Corvette, Ginetta and Ford.

Sunday raceday will feature a two hour endurance race for British GT, plus two British F3 races. The first British F3 race of the weekend takes place on Saturday, and there’s a further 9 support races over the two days including Caterhams, VWs, Ginettas and Formula Fords.

Adult tickets will also be available on the gate for £12 on Saturday and £21 on Sunday

Glynn Geddie took pole position for the British GT championship race on the new Snetterton 300 configuration in the Ferrari 458 Italia during a day of mixed conditions. Geddie, sharing the car with his father Jim, staked his claim for pole position early on in the session, and it was good enough as none of his rivals could come close.

Joining Geddie on the front row is the United Autosport Audi R8 of Michael Guasch and Matt Bell with the Lester and Simonsen Ferrari 430 Scuderia and the Black and Hall Aston Martin DBRS 9.

Heading GT4 class was the KTM X-Bow of Athanasios Ladas and Michael Mallock, beating the two Lotus Evoras entered by Lotus Sport.

Cars to watch will be the Predator CCTV Ferrari 430 of Adam Wilcox and Phil Burton, which sat out much of the practise sessions with a misfire, and also the Mercedes SLS of the Jones Brothers who only managed to qualify in 14th position.

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Felipe Nasr took pole position for both F3 races, but it was Kevin Magnussen, son of the 1984 F3 Champion and later F1 driver Jan, who stole the win of the first race with a slipstreaming move against Nasr up the Senna Straight and taking the lead into Riches Corner.

Nasr established a new outright lap record with a best time of 1m 40.103s to take away Aaron Steele’s MSV F3 Cup record established in March.

All cars were varieties of Dallara chassis, with Volkswagen and Mercedes engines powering them.   Volkswagen engines took the first 6 positions, and the Carlin Racing team took a 1-2-3-4.

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Jamie Orton took pole position for the Caterham R300 Championship, Ben Anderson and Stuart Pearson share poles for the Ginetta Challenge and Steve Chaplin converted 2nd on the grid for the Volkwagen Racing Cup to a race win in his No. 53 (naturally) VW Beetle, and Scott Malvern triumphed in the first Formula Ford race.

Sunday sees a full day of racing, with the 2hr British GT race taking place after lunch.  Two more rounds of the F3 championship, two more Formula Fords races, plus more racing from the VW Cup, the Ginetta Challenge and the Caterham Championship as well.

Photos: Norwich Photo

Snetterton is preparing to host its first major race meeting since undergoing a multi-million pound circuit redevelopment, when the new 300 track configuration hosts the upcoming round of the British F3 & GT Championships on 14/15 May.

Several club level motorsport events have taken place on the new 2.99-mile 300 circuit since it opened in mid-February, and the transformed layout has met with widespread praise throughout the motorsport community. However, the British F3 & GT Championships’ double headline meeting will mark the first time a national series has raced on the new circuit.

Lining up on the 2011 Avon Tyres British GT Championship grid will be a mouth-watering array of cars, including the Mercedes SLS ‘gullwing’, Ferrari 458, Audi R8, Porsche 911 and Aston Martin DBRS9. Norfolk based manufacturer Lotus will also be entering their Evora GT4 car into the championship’s two-hour endurance race at Snetterton, which will feature mandatory pit stops and driver swaps.

In addition, Snetterton will host three races from the Cooper Tires British F3 Championship – the series that launched the careers of F1 stars such as Jenson Button and Ayrton Senna. 2011 is the diamond anniversary of both Snetterton circuit and British F3, and among the young talents hoping to sparkle in Norfolk will Carlin’s Rupert Svendsen-Cook from Ipswich. Svendsen-Cook is currently the leading British driver in the F3 standings, lying fifth after taking victory at the season opener in Monza, Italy and a further five top ten finishes this season to date.

Spectators will be able to enjoy superb viewing opportunities of the 300 circuit’s first major meeting, as a number of elevated viewing areas have been constructed at key vantage points overlooking the new layout.

As well as five headline races from the British F3 and GT Championships, the weekend will feature racing from Caterhams, the Volkswagen Racing Cup and British Formula Ford.

Discounted tickets for the British F3 & GT Championships at Snetterton on 14/15 May are now on sale from £17 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.snetterton.co.uk.

Oulton Park is gearing up to host its first major event of the 2011 season over Easter weekend (23/25 April), when it welcomes a double headline meeting from the British F3 and GT Championships.

British F3 and GT brings an exciting mix of multi-million pound sportscars and future Grand Prix stars to Cheshire for practice and qualifying on Easter Saturday, followed by more than seven hours of racing on Easter Monday.

The 2011 Avon Tyres British GT Championship grid features a mouth-watering array of cars, including the championship debut of the Mercedes SLS ‘gullwing’, Ferrari 458 and Lotus Evora, going up against iconic sportscars such as Audi R8s, Porsche 911s and Aston Martin DBR9s.

Oulton Park will host two hour-long British GT endurance races, both of which will feature added drama in the pit lane courtesy of compulsory pit stops and driver swaps.

There will also be three races from the Cooper Tires British F3 Championship – the series that launched the careers of F1 stars such as Jenson Button and Ayrton Senna.

2011 is British F3’s diamond anniversary, and seven British drivers will be lining up within the strong international field aiming to clinch the championship’s sixtieth drivers’ title: Northern Ireland’s Will Buller and Exeter’s Harry Tincknell (Fortec Motorsport), Riki Christodoulou from Sutton Coldfield (Hitech Racing), Welshman Hywel Lloyd (Sino Vision Racing), London’s Menasheh Idafar (T-Sport), Ipswich’s Rupert Svendsen-Cook and Lincoln’s Jack Harvey (Carlin).

As well as five headline races, Oulton Park will host support action from the Volkswagen Racing Cup, Ginetta Challenge and British Formula Ford Championship. There will also be a full programme of Easter entertainment away from the track, including a fun fair, free children’s face painting and an Easter egg hunt.

Spectators will be able to meet the F3 and GT drivers in a free of charge autograph session and pit walk on Easter Monday.

Tickets for the British F3 and GT Championships at Oulton Park on 23/25 April are available in advance from £17 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.oultonpark.co.uk.

Cooper Tire will continue as the official control tyre supplier and title sponsor of the prestigious British F3 International Series until at least the end of the 2014 season.

The Cooper Tire British F3 International Series is widely acknowledged as one of the toughest domestic single-seater championships in the world and is a recognised route to the pinnacle of the sport for aspiring Formula 1 drivers.

Cooper took over the supply and sponsorship of British F3 in 2009 from its Avon Tyres brand, which had previously been sole supplier to the series for 27 years.

British F3 has long been seen as a ‘stepping stone’ to F1 and has, over the years, produced countless Grand Prix racers, including 2009 FIA F1 World Champion Jenson Button, and current F1 drivers Mark Webber, Rubens Barrichello, 2008 British F3 champion Jaime Algersuari, and newly signed Sauber driver and 2007 National Class champion Sergio Perez.

Since Cooper took its lead role in the series, 2009 champion Daniel Ricciardo has gone on to become a Red Bull Racing test driver, while 2010 champion Jean-Eric Vergne has already completed his first F1 test, alongside fellow British F3 luminaries, Sam Bird and Oliver Turvey.

Julian Baldwin, managing director of Cooper Tire Europe, said, “Cooper’s role in British F3 is something that everyone who works at our Melksham base is very proud of, and rightly so. F3 is often referred to as the ‘university of motorsport’ for both drivers and engineers and that requires a top quality tyre that can be relied on. Over the years, our engineers have worked tirelessly to ensure that our tyres satisfy all the needs of a series that has become the world’s best.”

Lisa Crampton, General Manager, SRO (promoter of the Cooper Tire British F3 International Series), commented, “Cooper Tire has put a huge amount into a powerful marketing and promotional programme, which has led to the success of British F3 today. Cooper has offered teams and drivers a high level of service and support for the past two years and we look forward to seeing that dedication continue in the years to come.”

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Northern Irish racer Will Buller endured a baptism of fire on his first Formula 3 outing with Fortec Motorsport after finishing 15th in the end of season Macau Grand Prix.

Having signed up with Fortec for his second season of British F3 next year, Macau gave Will the opportunity to make an early debut for his new team at the scene of stunning Formula BMW victory twelve months ago.

The 18-year-old from Scarva was hopeful that the experience gained in 2009 would put him in a good shape for his first F3 race at the challenging street circuit, and his weekend started well when he was 15th quickest of the 30 drivers in the first free practice session.

Will then improved on that position during the first qualifying session as he posted the 13th fastest lap; just behind British F3 title winner Jean-Eric Vergne. However, following the session it was revealed that Will was one of seven drivers who would be forced to take a five place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement.

After finishing 18th in the second practice session, Will went into second qualifying keen to try and maximise his grid position for the first race of the weekend; which would be used to decide the grid for the main event.

However, Will was caught out by the tricky circuit and went into the barriers before he had set a quick lap, which meant he was left with the 24th quickest lap on the combined times. With his penalty applied, Will was left with two challenging races ahead from the final row of the grid.

Avoiding an accident ahead at the high-speed Mandarin Bend on the first lap of the qualifying race, Will made up places to run inside the top 20 and took the chequered flag in 19th place – putting him in the same position for the Grand Prix itself.

Again avoiding an incident at the start of the main race, Will’s forward progress continued in what would ultimately be a 15 lap encounter and he finished the race in 15th place.

“We lacked some pace during the weekend, and while the end result is ultimately disappointing, there are also things we can take away from Macau,” he said. “I had a throttle issue during practice which put me under pressure a touch and the penalty in qualifying was a bit of a shock that meant the races were always going to be tough.

“Apart from the long straights, you can’t overtake around the majority of the lap in Macau, and the set-up we had for the two races wasn’t quite right. With that in mind, to come from the back of the grid to finish the final in 15th isn’t a bad result.

“We can see where we need to improve and F3 was always a two-year programme for me. My first year is now at an end and my focus is on fighting for the British F3 in 2011 and then coming back to Macau to challenge for victory.”

Although he had gone into the weekend hoping to fight higher up the order, Will’s first F3 outing in Macau saw him secure top honours amongst the British drivers taking part in the race, while he was also highest placed of the three Fortec drivers.

Report: Matt Salisbury