RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Declan Jones took a confidence lifting first-ever top-ten Ginetta Junior Championship finish at Donington Park last weekend, in rounds three and four of the series.

Declan, who has graduated to the Ginetta Junior Championship for 14-17 year-olds this season, following several successful seasons competing in the Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone Formula One Management-backed Formula Kart Stars Series and in the British Super One Rotax Series, began the weekend solidly and he was 13^th in qualifying in his Kevlin Jones Motorsport family-run car.

“I thought that was a pretty good effort,” said Declan, who had a hard debut weekend at Brands Hatch earlier this month. “13^th wasn’t too bad – especially considering it was only my second qualifying session and I am obviously still getting use to the Ginetta G40J.”

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

The Chicago Soft-backed youngster then maintained that momentum in the two races, finishing 14^th in the first race and scoring seven precious championship points, despite losing a lap early on when he had to pit when his front nose got damaged.

“I had a coming together on the second lap and that popped my bonnet,” explained the 15-year-old. “We had to come in and get that fixed.

“Then I went back out and my aim was just to finish and I did, even though I had another coming together with another kid, who just came across my nose and just cut me up.”

The highlight of the weekend though came in the second race and he put in a good run. Indeed he gained a number of places at the start and was running sixth, until a mistake dropped him back.

Despite that however, he still managed to bring his car home in eleventh, gaining a further position post-race when one of his rivals was disqualified for what officials described as overly ‘robust’ racing.

“The second race was a lot better,” Declan continued. “I was actually lying sixth at one point and just made a mistake and spun. That was a bit annoying. But other than that I thought it was a really great race.”

Declan thus finished the weekend with 18 points on the board and he was pleased to have opened his account and he is now looking forward to the next event in two weeks time when the MSA British Touring Car Championship-support series heads to Thruxton (April 29-May 1).

“It was a massive learning weekend,” added the Liverpool-based teenager. “But we still came out of it with a lot of points. I now feel a lot more comfortable – really comfortable with the car. I felt it was a really, really good weekend and the second race obviously pleased me most. I will be out to finish again at Thruxton and get some more points. That is what I need to do.”

Declan’s father and boss of Kelvin Jones Motorsport, Kelvin Jones meanwhile was delighted to see his son bounce back after a rather tough baptism at Brands Hatch.

“I think Dec drove really well. After what happened at Brands, with two DNFs, his confidence had taken a bit of a knock. So what we really wanted this weekend was two finishes and that is exactly what we got,” Kelvin continued.

“In the first race his nose came off after a coming together and it was rubbing on the wheel. He had to come in. But we got him out and at least he got to the end and got lots of precious miles under his belt.

“Then in the second race he had a good start and was up to sixth or seventh, before he made a mistake and fell back to twelfth. But then he made his way back up to tenth.

“Overall two finishes was good and I was really pleased with him. His confidence is back up. He just needs more time, more time in the car, and we will just keep working away now and working our way up the grid.

“For him to finish in his second-ever weekend and to finish in the top-ten was a very good result.

“We are now looking forward to Thruxton. Dec has never been to that track before. He will have to arrive and learn it. There is no pre-testing there. It is a very fast circuit. But I want him to show the same sort of form.

“I want him to use the Friday to learn the track, then qualify as best as he can and then try and collect some points until we go to our home race at Oulton Park on June 4-5.”

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Patrick McClughan put in a determined performance and notched up more points at Donington Park last weekend, in rounds three and four of the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship.

Paddy, who is taking in his second season in the Ginetta Junior Championship for 14-17 year-olds this year and who equalled his best result of 2010 at the season opener at Brands Hatch two weeks ago, was eleventh in practice in his Kelvin Jones Motorsport-run car.

He then proceeded to take an encouraging eighth place in qualifying, his best Q performance to date: “We didn’t get the maximum out of the car but we still qualified eighth,” said Paddy, who attends Campbell College in Belfast. “We know there is so much more to come.

“But it was still extremely positive to see that we have definitely made improvements and I have made improvements in terms of my driving. It was very good and we were very happy.”

The 15-year-old then came through to take ninth in the opening race at the Leicestershire-based venue, persevering despite a number of skirmishes that left his Ginetta G40J in less than pristine condition.

“It was another very action packed race. There was lots of carnage and battles going on. But unfortunately I got taken out quite a lot by a lot of different cars,” Paddy recalled. “The car was in a very bad state by the end. It was damage limitation basically. But we still finished in P9 and got some points and I was happy to be able to bring the car home.”

The second race was a similar tale, but once again another resolute performance netted the Cimpina Ltd-backed youngster a top-ten and his second ninth place of the weekend.

“We got a really good start, but then at the end of the first lap there was an accident and the safety car came out. At this point I was running seventh or eighth,” he continued.

“Then the safety car went in and at the chicane, at the end of lap 5, someone spun and to avoid it I had to go over a massive kerb. I think I actually bent the steering arm on the car [as a result]. The car was undriveable after that. It was unfortunate as I was right in the thick of the action and could have ended up with another good result. But again, like the first race, it was a case of damage limitation and I just wanted to get the car home.”

Despite all that though, Paddy was still happy with his weekend and was particularly encouraged by his form in qualifying: “Overall it was very good. We made even more steps than we did at Brands and did well in qualifying. That we were able to get so easily into the top ten and we knew we could have got more from the car was very positive,” he added.

“But it was just unfortunate about the races because we did have some good pace to show. However unfortunately we couldn’t maximise on that because of the damage. That is racing though. We will just have to go to the next round and hopefully have more luck.”

Paddy will head to Thruxton in two weeks time now with 38 points on the board and he is keen to try and get a top-five finish there, when once again the Ginetta Juniors will take their place on the support bill for the MSA British Touring Car Championship.

“I had my first race weekend at Thruxton last year,” Paddy recalled. “We started off quite well in both test sessions on the Friday. It was very positive considering I had so little experience. But unfortunately in free practice I made a tiny error. It was wet and I touched the kerb and the car speared off. Things like that happen though and I have no fears about going back – not at all in fact.

“I will go hard at it. A top-five finish would be nice, or possibly a podium. You never know we could go for a win too. But I have to be realistic. I think we can easily get a top-five, without a doubt.”

Team owner Kelvin Jones meanwhile believes Paddy has made definite progress in the two Ginetta Junior events so far this year.

“Paddy qualified well at Donington and but for a mistake, which I think cost him around four or five tenths, he probably could have been fifth or sixth on the grid,” Kelvin stated. “I comfortably feel that is where he is now. He has just got to start stringing laps and results together because, as I have said before, the speed is there.

“Looking to Thruxton, Paddy knows the track and while he had a big accident last year, I am still expecting him to qualify comfortably in the top ten and to be at least sixth or seventh on the grid.

“I think the more time I work with him, the better he seems to be getting. He is getting some very good results now compared to what he had last year and is moving up the grid.”

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Patrick McClughan maintained the momentum from the end of last season to make a strong start to the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship last weekend at Brands Hatch, running as high as fifth in the second race.

Paddy, who made his debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship for 14-17 years old twelve months ago and who is racing as part of a two-car Kelvin Jones Motorsport line-up this year, made a solid start to the weekend and was ninth in free practice and 13th in qualifying, only four tenths of a second off a place in the top ten.

The 15-year-old, who was the youngest runner in the Ginetta Juniors last year, then made good progress and hauled himself up to eighth in the first race, successfully avoiding the first lap carnage that left three of his rivals on the sidelines and brought out the red flags.

“Race 1 was very dramatic,” recalled Paddy, who attends Campbell College in Belfast. “I got a very good start, even though I got boxed in a little bit. There was a massive incident at the first corner, which I was really close to getting tangled up in. But fortunately I managed to miss it and then the safety car came out. I think we were running around 13th at that stage.

“Once the race re-started we just basically took one position at a time and I carved my way through the field and got up to eighth place. I just drove as quickly and hard as I could.”

Paddy then went even better in the second race, moving up to tenth on lap 2, ninth on lap 5 and eighth on lap 6, before then catching the leaders on lap 14 and running as high as fifth. Sadly though a mechanical failure put him out on the final lap, and while the Cimpina Ltd-backed youngster was disappointed, he still had plenty to be positive about. Indeed not only did he equal his best result from 2010 having finished eighth in race 1, but he also got under last year’s lap record, his quickest lap a 56.773 seconds.

“I was driving the car as fast as I could in race two and I eventually got up to fifth,” he continued. “There was a four-way battle for the lead and I caught up to be right on the back of it. However on the last lap with one corner to go we suffered a mechanical failure, which put me out of the race. I was gutted not to finish and very gutted for the team because I wanted to repay them with a really good result. But next time we will do that.

“Overall I think the weekend was very positive despite some of the hiccups we might have had.

“This year I feel a lot more comfortable and a lot more relaxed. We did a lot of pre-season testing with the team and we learned more about the car, the new gearbox and the new tyres – and we were very confident we could be amongst the top guys come the end of the weekend, and so we were.

“We made a lot of steps and during the course of the weekend we got quicker and quicker. Everyone at Kelvin Jones Motorsport were absolutely brilliant – they never stopped from the word go and were always making sure the car was perfect. The mechanics were just awesome.

“For me though, I think what pleased me most was that over the last race I was able to keep up with the leaders and not let them get away and at the end I wasn’t far off getting the fastest lap either. That was very pleasing.”

Paddy will now be back in action in two weeks time when the MSA British Touring Car Championship-support series reconvenes at Donington Park on April 16-17. Paddy scored his first-ever Ginetta Junior points there at the end of 2010 and is looking forward to returning to the Leicestershire-based track.

“Last year in the practice sessions we were sixth quickest. I learned the track very quickly and we had a good race there too. I was able to come pretty much from the back up to ninth place,” he stated.

“It is a circuit I enjoy very much. It is a drivers’ circuit and is very fast and quick. You have to be very committed. That is what I love about it. Hopefully we can aim for a podium there and possibly even a win.”

Team owner Kelvin Jones meanwhile was really encouraged by Paddy’s speed at Brands Hatch and he also has high hopes for rounds three and four at Donington Park.

“I think Paddy did well last weekend. His times were consistent and in the second race he was brilliant and caught up with the leaders,” Kelvin stated. “When we looked at the times the leaders were actually slower at that point. I thought maybe it was because they were battling and slowing each other down. But it wasn’t. Paddy was just very quick.

“Then when he caught up to them he eventually made his way up to fifth. However on the last lap the car cut out. That was really disappointing for him. But on the plus side he still went very well. I have always thought the speed was there. He just needs more time in the seat and with that – and the experience that will give him – he will move him up the grid.

“I am expecting more of the same at Donington now. It is one of his favourite tracks. We are not far off either what I think the set-up should be to suit him. Hopefully we can carry on from where we left off in that second race. I am really looking forward to it.”

This time of season, the calender is packed full of Media Days.     What is a Media Day is a question often asked, and they are a time for motorsport journalists and photographers to get up close and personal with the series, in a more laid back atmosphere that you would find at a race weekend.      Cars and Drivers get an opportunity for some all-important pre-season track time as well.

Occasionally there are opportunities for passenger rides where you get the be’jesus scared out of you, the opportunity for photographers to get tracking shots – usually three photographers wedged into the back an MPV which is driven round the circuit and race cars buzz around.      There are presentations and the opportunity to interview and ask questions, sometimes in an open forum, sometimes on a one-to-one basis.

Today was the turn of Ginetta.   Ginetta is a company of long standing, founded in 1958 by the four Walklett brothers, set up only a couple of years after Colin Chapman founded Lotus.     Since 2005 it has been owned by Laurence Tomlinson’s LNT Group and has expanded considerably.    Two race series are support races to the BTCC – the Ginetta G50 series which is now the Ginetta Supercup following the launch of the new G55, and the Ginetta Juniors which use a version of the G40.     There are other one make Ginetta series, and the G50 and G55 are sold in various GT forms for entry into British GT, Britcar, GT Cup and GT Trophy where they have been very successful.    In fact, for the Britcar 24 hours of 2010, a predominately road spec G40 drove from the Leeds factory, raced hard for the full 24 hours and then drove back to the factory, with only minor adjustments between road and race made at the circuit.

Ginetta doesn’t just produce racing cars: recently Ginetta aquired the Farbio GTS as well as its carbon-fibre technology, renaming it the Ginetta F400, the first Ginetta to be given a designation other than a G-number.    This Supercar is sold as a road car, list price £ 95,000.   A road version of the G40 is currently under development.

All photographs kindly provided by Gary Parravani of Xynamic Motorsport Photography

Patrick McClughan will continue in the Ginetta Junior Championship this year after it was announced he has secured a seat with newcomers Kelvin Jones Motorsport.

Paddy, who made his debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship for 14-17 years old in 2010, made good progress and he finished the season on a high with a ninth place finish at Donington Park and an eighth place at Brands Hatch.

The 14-year-old, who was the youngest runner in the Ginetta Juniors last season and who up until last year had no racing experience in any shape or form, is now keen to put all that he learned to good use and try and establish himself as a front runner in 2011.

He will compete as part of a two-car Kelvin Jones Motorsport team line-up, with Kelvin Jones’ son, Declan, in the sister G40.

“I feel very confident joining Kelvin Jones Motorsport for the new season,” said Paddy, who attends Campbell College, Belfast and who is backed by Cimpina Ltd. “I know Kelvin has a lot of experience with cars and is very professional. It will be good teaming up with his son, Declan too.

“Declan is a very experienced kart racer. Hopefully I can learn some tricks from him and maybe I can help him a little bit too from what I have experienced in 2010 in the Ginetta Junior Championship.

“It wasn’t an easy year for me, but step-by-step, with the help of Bradley [Ellis] – who has coached me – I improved. The times kept coming down and I started to get some top-ten finishes and was more and more consistent.

“The last two events of 2010 were especially encouraging. We did a test day at Donington before what was the penultimate meeting of the year there. That gave me a lot of confidence going into the race weekend. I was able to really push and go a little bit harder. I found my feet a little bit. We had very good pace all weekend and then Brands Hatch, which was the next race, we got an eighth place finish. I just carried my confidence on.

“I now feel good about the coming season. There is going to be quite a few new drivers because a lot of those that were in it in 2010 are too old now and have moved on. I will be a step ahead of those new people coming in. It should be positive.

“The first race we go to next season I want to straight away be in the top-ten. Then as the year gradually goes on, maybe we can get a couple of podiums and possibly even challenge for a victory.”

Team owner Kelvin Jones believes that Paddy will make a good addition to the KJM-Ginetta Junior team and he also thinks rostrum results are a realistic goal for the Belfast teenager.

“Paddy has an initial year in the Ginettas behind him now,” Kelvin added. “He had never raced before, so was really thrown right in at the deep end in 2010. He had a good year though and in the last round had a very encouraging result.

“He has been to most of the tracks already now – and if he hasn’t raced at them, he has at least done a track day. I think he has got to be looking for podiums from mid-season onwards.”

Paddy’s father and manager, Paul, meanwhile, is pleased to have reached an agreement which will see his son switch from Tranzpower to Kelvin Jones Motorsport.

“We have enjoyed working with Tranzpower and are very thankful for everything they have done, but when the chance came up with Kelvin Jones Motorsport it was too good to refuse,” Paul continued.

“Paddy was, as Kelvin said, quite literally dropped in at the deep end last year. He had no racing experience at all, nothing. It was his first year in any form of racing.

“Prior to the season he had done about 1000 kilometres of testing with the old Ginetta Junior model, the G20. Wayne [Douglas] – a former McLaren Autosport BRDC award finalist – gave him a bit of coaching. Then it was basically into the G40 and onto the race track. That was it.

“He hadn’t been to any of the tracks before and it was a steep learning curve. He learned a lot throughout the season though. We got him further coaching from Bradley [Ellis], who is also working with Declan.

“Then Paddy got a ninth place at Donington and an eighth place at Brands Hatch at the end of the year. He wasn’t gifted those places. He actually physically overtook a lot of people, which was very pleasing. So it ended on a bit of high.

“Next year, seven of the older guys have gone out because of the age barrier. I am now expecting Paddy to be at least six places further up the grid. That’s going from being eighth to fourteenth to being second to eighth.

“We are really quite upbeat and we are excited about working with Kelvin, Declan and all at Kelvin Jones Motorsport.”

Photos: Jakob Ebrey

Brands Hatch revs up for momentous BTCC season finale

Bumper entertainment programme added to biggest ever title showdown

Brands Hatch is revving up for the season finale of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship next weekend (9/10 October), featuring a packed programme of close racing and off-track entertainment – including the BTCC’s biggest ever title showdown.

For the first time in the BTCC’s 50 year history, four drivers arrive at the season finale capable of snatching this year’s title honours. Leading the charge to Brands Hatch is Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato, who has a 17 point advantage in his quest to secure the overall trophy for the first time in nearly ten years.

However, British Touring Cars is notorious for its close and unpredictable racing, and just seven points separate the three other protagonists – Team Aon Ford’s Tom Onslow-Cole and the Honda Racing Civics of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden.

The Stig breaks cover

The BTCC will welcome special guest driver Ben Collins at Brands Hatch, better known as the true identity behind Top Gear’s ‘The Stig’. Collins will make his tin top debut with local team Airwaves BMW from Wrotham, who are running a third car for the stuntman alongside regular drivers Mat Jackson and Steven Kane.

Collins’ support could also give Airwaves BMW the boost they need to overturn their 25 point deficit to Team Aon in order to clinch the 2010 Independent Teams’ title.

Championship deciding support races

As well as a four way scrap for the British Touring Car title, there are championship honours to be decided in three support races: the Ginetta Junior Championship – where 16 year old Jake Hill from Goudhurst will be gunning for overall glory – Formula Renault UK and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.

Past, present and future machinery

Brands Hatch will be celebrating a huge spectrum of Touring Car heritage during the season finale for, as well as racing from contemporary machinery, there will be a major display and parade of Classic Touring Cars on Sunday. In addition, tin top star James Thompson will be debuting the BTCC’s new NGTC prototype car during the weekend, which will be eligible to run in the series from 2011.

Daredevil off-track entertainment

As well as more than 16 hours of racing action, the BTCC season finale will feature entertainment away from the track including a performance from the Red Devils Parachute Display Team. A fun fair and free face painting for children will also be available at the Brands Hatch FunZone.

Tickets for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on 9/10 October are now on sale from £24 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0870 950 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk.

Porsche Carrera Cup.

Tim Harvey has won every round of the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup so far.   A pair of wins at Thruxton, followed by two more at Rockingham means that he leads the championship with a healthy points margin – although that could easily be wiped out by an accident.     Michael Caine has broken Harvey’s grip on the pole position slot, and will be aiming to convert that into a race win.   Harvey lines up second on the grid for race one.       The positions are reversed for the 2nd race, the times of which are from the drivers second fastest lap during qualifying.     Ex-BTCC driver Stephen Jelley starts from 5th and 4th.

Ginetta G50 series

Carl Breeze is showing signs of form that propelled him to the head of the championship points board during the early part of last season, before his massive crash at Oulton which hospitalised him and another driver.    The 2nd half of last season, apart from wins at Snetterton, went mostly Nathan Freke’s way who ended up winning the championship, with Breeze in 3rd.

Some solid performances at Thruxton, was followed by podiums and a win at Rockingham and the driver from King’s Lynn in Norfolk will be hoping for a big points haul.  His main rival, Frank Wrathall Jnr will be aiming to do the same.

Another driver hoping for some points will be Chris Dittman, who left Thruxton 2nd in the series, behind Frank Wrathall, but was nerfed off the Rockingham circuit into retirement after qualifiying well.   A similar thing happened in race 2 and race three saw him pick up a drive through penalty, although recovered to finish in the middle of the pack.

Ginetta Juniors

The Ginetta Juniors are a popular addition to the BTCC support package, this year they are using the new G40 model.   All these drivers are between 14 and 17 years old, and what they lack in experience they make up for with bravery!

Last years champion, Sarah Moore aims to retain her crown, although the very fast Jake Hill hopes to do well.  Money issues meant that Hill couldn’t contest a full season, but when he was able to race, he was at or near the front.

A driver who has improved greatly during 2009 and into 2010 has been Norfolk’s Tom Howard.   Last season he scored a couple of podium places, got his first race win in the Ginetta Winter Series, and took his first Ginetta Junior championship win at Rockingham last weekend.