RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Grantham-based race team Richardson Racing will look to repeat the front-running form it displayed at Brands Hatch when the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup heads to Donington Park this weekend for the second round of the season.

The team secured podium finishes in both the G55 and G50 classes in the season opener and will now hope for more silverware in what will be something of a home event for the team, which is at full-strength for the weekend with all three cars in action.

In the G55 class, Andrew Richardson will hope to challenge for his first victory of the season having shown front-running pace throughout the weekend at Brands Hatch, where he broke the lap record in race one and then came from the back of the field in the final race to secure third place.

Unfortunately, a dragging clutch at the start of the opening race and resultant drive-through for jumping the start, and a retirement in race two after he was collected by a spinning rival, mean he arrives at Donington in an unrepresentative sixth place in the championship standings but with confidence high about challenging for victory.

“Although Brands Hatch was a weekend of mixed emotions, I came away from the track having gained a lot of respect for the speed I showed which is a big confidence boost heading to Donington for myself and the team,” he said. “It’s a circuit I like and the racing can be very close so we need to see how things go when we get out on track. However, I’m confident that we can build on the pace we displayed at Brands Hatch and I see no reason why we can’t challenge for our first victory.”

In the G50 class, Huddersfield-racer Mark Davies heads to Donington Park as the man to beat in the championship standings with a win and second in class at Brands Hatch giving him the early lead in the title race.

Mark won at Donington Park last year en-route to the Ginetta Challenge title and tested his G50 at the East Midlands circuit over the off-season, leaving him in confident mood about the weekend ahead.

“The testing we did at Donington before the season started could be really important as we don’t have much running on track before qualifying,” he said. “Confidence is high after the results at Brands Hatch and the fact we are leading the championship, and I’m hoping I can add some more victories to my tally this weekend.

“Donington is almost my local circuit and it looks like we could be in for some mixed weather conditions, which is something that I feel would be good for me as they are conditions I enjoy racing in.”

Louise Richardson will also be in action again at Donington Park in the second G50 after a deal was struck to continue her championship challenge, which is currently going ahead on a race-by-race basis as she seeks additional backing for the remainder of the campaign.

Louise heads to Donington Park – where she took two podium finishes last season – sitting fourth in the G50 standings after three top-five finishes at Brands Hatch, which included a second place in the opening race of the year.

Like Mark, Louise goes into the weekend confident of challenging for what would be her maiden victory in the series.

“We’ve managed to put the money together for this weekend and I’m really pleased that I’ll be racing again,” she said. “I really want to try and get some strong results to help find the sponsors I need to keep my season going, but I went well at Donington last year and am confident I can be at the front again.

“My aim for the weekend is to try and get a win. I’ve been on the podium a few times but it would mean so much to get that first victory; for me, the team and for my parents for the support they have shown. Hopefully I can do it this weekend.”

Pic: Norwich Photo

BTCC Support races practise day, Thruxton.

Before the British Touring Car Championship returns to Thruxton on April 28-29th, the support races were out on track for a practise day and this year there is a big change at Club. The first thing you notice is the new asphalt with the large Motorola sponsorship painted on the inside of the corner, but look a little closer and you can see more fresh asphalt. The corner looks a little tighter `S` shape, add to that the new curbs to catch any driver that decides to make their own line through the corner. Its going to be interesting to find out what happens when the BTCC go through Club, expect punchers and more!

The BTCC support races consist of: Renault UK Clio Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Ginetta Supercup Championship and the Ginetta Junior Championship.

All (including the BTCC) will be on track for an action packed day on April 28^th for qualifying and the 29^th for race day.

Tim Surman

Ingram revved up to take on the big boys with JHR as he targets car racing title number three

Tom Ingram has a third consecutive car racing title in his sights in 2012, after inking a deal to campaign a Ginetta G55 for front-running outfit JHR Developments in the fiercely-contested Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup, due to rev into life at Brands Hatch this coming weekend as the leading support series to the hugely popular and ITV4-televised Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

Tom is already something of a Ginetta celebrity, after clinching the Ginetta Junior Championship crown in 2010 – only his second season out of karts – and the Ginetta G50 Cup laurels last year, but now, he is well aware, he is facing his sternest test yet. Having been deluged by a plethora of offers following his 2011 success – and having engaged in serious discussions with three different teams – the talented young High Wycombe speed demon reflects that signing with JHR was the ‘perfect’ outcome.

“First and foremost, we wanted to go with a team that had a professional outlook, looked the part and did everything right – and for us, JHR ticked all the boxes,” he explains. “Their success speaks for itself, and if you look at all the championships they have raced in, there’s clearly a huge amount of experience inside the team, which is very encouraging. The guys all seem extremely passionate and knowledgeable about what they do, and I just feel it’s a very positive career step for me.”

The only running Tom has been able to do in a G55 to-date has been a handful of passenger laps on the Ginetta pre-season media day at Silverstone and during a ‘Help for Heroes’ track day, meaning the first time he will have the opportunity to really drive the car in anger or try anything out on it will be on practice day at Brands Hatch on Friday. If that is a considerable disadvantage, then the 18-year-old British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star and MSA Academy member is adamant that it is not one that will hamper him in the slightest.

“We are on the back foot a little in that respect,” he muses, “given that a lot of the other drivers have been out testing since December, but by the same token, that’s no different to how it’s been over the last two years, and it’s never held us back before so there’s no reason why it should this year, either.

“I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve experienced of the G55 so far; the aerodynamics create a lot more downforce than on the G50, which means that through the high-speed stuff, it has so much more mid-corner grip. It’s obviously a little bit more powerful, too, and overall, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to drive. I’m really excited to be stepping into a new car and taking on a new challenge.

“There’s only one goal, and that’s to make it a hat-trick by winning the championship. The competition is going to be as tough as ever, so we’ve got to hit the ground running straightaway and really grab the bull by the horns. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out – until we get to the first round, I don’t think anybody really has any idea, but I’d say there are at least four other guys who will be serious title contenders.

“I’m just approaching it as I do every single year, though. It will be a long championship, and it won’t be won in the first round or even the second round. It will be won over the balance of all 28 races, so we will need to be consistently up at the front and finishing strongly the whole way through. If there are occasions when we need to settle for second or third, then we will settle for second or third. By all means I will be racing hard and pushing for wins, but ultimately, the championship will always be uppermost in my mind.”

Those sentiments are echoed by JHR founder Steve Hunter, whose Derbyshire-based outfit has competed in no fewer than 13 different series since its launch back in 1995 – and triumphed in seven of them. Hunter is convinced that Tom is just the driver his team needs to replicate that glory in the Ginetta GT Supercup.

“With any championship we enter, we never take it lightly, and having already won in every other support series on the BTCC package, our intention clearly is to emulate that success in the Ginetta GT Supercup,” he affirms. “Tom has won back-to-back titles in the past two years, and we want to be the team that takes him to a third.

“He has settled in superbly and is working well with all the boys, and he has proved over the last couple of years that he has the driving ability, technical feedback and mental strength you need to be a winner. There are some very good drivers out there in G55s this year, and our aim is to compete against them and beat them. There is so much more to winning a championship than simply being a quick driver, and we are confident that in Tom, we’ve got the complete package.”

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Liverpool-based teenager Declan Jones is to move up and compete in the Ginetta GT Supercup this year.

Declan, who made his debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2011, after several successful years in the Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone Formula One Management-backed Formula Kart Stars Series and in the Super One Rotax Series, will begin running in the G50 Cup from Oulton Park onwards. Currently the 16-year-old is looking to take in around half of the events, with the car possibly being run by Nathan Freke’s Century Motorsport.

Declan, who will again be backed by Chicago Soft and who will also now be backed by The London Perfume Company Limited as well, will combine his outings in the United Kingdom in the G50 Cup, by running in the French V de V Championship.

Declan will drive a Courage-run Chevron B54 in that series, sharing the car with Alain Schlesinger and taking in all six Historic races, starting with the 2 hours du Mans on April 27-29.

“I’m really glad we are able to announce what I am going to do this year,” Declan said. “I have had a little drive of a G50 Cup car already and it just feels right – it feels like a ‘real’ race car. I am looking forward to stepping up.

“It will also help massively this year that I will have experience of all the tracks we will compete on in the Ginetta GT Supercup.

“In 2011 I was going into some of the race weekend’s having never seen the track or been around it before in my life. We had to learn the layout, but now I can just focus on getting the car set up as good as possible.

“Hopefully I can get on the pace quicker and it would be great if I could get a top-three finish in the class.

“I haven’t driven my V de V car yet, but will test the Chevron B54 next Friday, so that will be great. Those races will be a different challenge and as they are two hours long, it is more of an endurance test. I am looking forward to racing out in France.

“I’d also like to thank my sponsors for making this possible. I am glad Peter McLaughlin has come back on with Chicago Soft for the fourth year in succession. It is also great to team up with The London Perfume Company Ltd. I hope to do them all proud this year and get some good results.”

Declan’s dad and manager, Kelvin Jones meanwhile is also looking forward to 2012: “It was a big year for Dec last season stepping up from karts to cars and I think by the end of it he had really started to find his feet,” Kelvin added.

“We wanted to step things up again this season and the Ginetta Junior Championship has enabled him to get the experience so that we can move to the Ginetta GT Supercup and do the V de V in France.

“The Ginetta Junior Championship has definitely proved its worth with Dec and we’d recommend it to any young drivers.

“I am looking forward now to seeing Dec compete in the Ginetta GT Supercup and V de V. I feel that combination will work well and going out to France will give him some experience of a new set of tracks and also, crucially, two hour races. It is the next rung on the ladder for Dec towards his ultimate goal of racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours.”

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Grantham-based Richardson Racing can today confirm that it will expand its involvement in the Ginetta GT Supercup for the 2012 season, with an entry into both classes of the British Touring Car Championship support series.

Having impressed in his maiden season in the series last year, taking four victories in a highly-competitive G50 class, Andrew Richardson will step up into the premier G55 class in the series for the year ahead.

Andrew’s switch into the G55 class comes in only his fourth season of car racing, with his G50 campaign last year coming after two strong seasons in the Ginetta Challenge.

Having firmly established himself as a driver to watch during the last three years, Andrew goes into the 2012 season aiming to challenge for the Supercup title in a highly competitive field, despite running on a much smaller budget than most of his rivals.

“Moving up to the G55 class is a great opportunity for me and also for the team,” Andrew, who will be backed by directcctv.co.uk for the season ahead, said. “The competition is going to be strong and there are some really good drivers on the grid, but my aim is to fight for the championship title. Last season in the G50 class, I would have been in contention for the title if I hadn’t had to miss some races, and I want to carry the form I showed into 2012.

“The deal has been agreed earlier than last season which is good as I’ll be able to carry out some testing before the first race at Brands Hatch and I can’t wait to get started. It’s a step up for me as a driver and will also help us to grow as a team.”

In the G50 class, the team has secured the services of Huddersfield-racer Mark Davies to form part of its driver line-up, with Davies graduating into the Supercup as the reigning Ginetta Challenge champion.

Mark, who also won the Ginetta G20 title back in 2009, secured the Challenge title after a hard-fought season that saw him win on six occasions, eventually beating rival Sean Huyton to the crown after a dramatic finale at Silverstone.

After an impressive test in the Richardson Racing G50 during the recent Ginetta media day at Silverstone, where he lapped under the lap record, Mark now goes into the 2012 season aiming to try and secure championship honours for a second successive season.

“Having won the lease of a G50 as my prize for taking the Ginetta Challenge last year, it’s great to have been able to do a deal with Richardson Racing for the season ahead,” Mark, who will be backed by Fastsigns for his move into the Supercup, said. “The team has experience of running the G50 from last season and when I tested the car on the media day, we were quick from the outset. It was a promising start to the year and I settled in really quickly.

“My aim for the season ahead is simple and that is to win the G50 title. I’m not there just to make up the numbers and I’m going into 2012 looking to challenge at the front.”

Richardson Racing has a second car for the G50 class of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup still available for a suitably funded driver, with the team able to offer highly-competitive rates to interested parties.

Additionally, the team continues to seek backers for the season ahead with a range of packages available for potential sponsors who are interesting in becoming involved with the programme.

Further information on the team can be found at the new-look Richardson Racing website, www.richardsonracing.co.uk, while anyone interested in sponsorship or the vacant G50 drive can contact the team on info@richardsonracing.co.uk.

The Silverstone paddock was awash with Ginetta’s yesterday as the Yorkshire-based manufacturer invited their championship competitors to join them to celebrate the official start to the 2012 season.

 Drivers from the newly rebranded Total Quartz Ginetta GT5 Challenge lined the pit lane alongside competitors from the Ginetta GT Supercup and Ginetta Junior Championship, whilst 2011 Ginetta Junior Champion Seb Morris unveiled the Ginetta-inspired livery for his Formula BARC Renault, as brand ambassador for Ginetta.

The involvement with Seb reinforces the Ginetta tradition of supporting outstanding talent such as Ginetta GT Supercup winners Frank Wrathall and Adam Morgan who have both made the next step up on the ‘racing ladder’ to compete in the BTCC.

Speedworks Motorsport team principal Christian Dick joined Adam Morgan at Silverstone to test his Toyota Avensis, he said; “It was fantastic to be involved in the Ginetta Media day this year.  Having always had a close working relationship with Ginetta, running Adam in his first BTCC season is great for us to be able to continue that relationship.  It was a great day and enabled Adam to gain more track time ahead of his season opener at Brands Hatch.”

Silverstone Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner Oliver Basey-Fisher had his first outing in his junior car since he was awarded a fully-funded season worth over £40,000 in the Ginetta Junior Championship 2012 after winning the Ginetta Junior Scholarship at Silverstone last weekend.

Oliver Basey Fisher said; “My feet haven’t touched the ground since I won the Silverstone Ginetta Junior Scholarship. It was fantastic to finally test the car on slicks and I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I am really looking forward to the season ahead, it’s set to be an exciting one.”

Running the new for 2012 slicks in a Ginetta Junior car was championship returnee Niall Murray, who made an appearance with his newly announced team Douglas Motorsport. Speaking at the end of the day, Murray outlined his delight at being right on the pace from the off; “Today has been a great chance for us to test with some of our main rivals for 2012. It’s my first time on slicks and they’re fantastic. They totally change how you drive the car, but from the lap times we’ve seen today we appear to be right on the pace towards the front of the field. Looking at the season ahead, I’m really encouraged about our plans for 2012.”

Beacon Racing’s bet in the Ginetta Juniors, rookie drivers Harry Woodhead and Keith Donegan also stepped out at the Northamptonshire Circuit, with both showing impressive pace throughout the day. Whilst the youngest driver in the series, Elliot Patterson, unveiled his orange tartan livery during his first run at Silverstone.

The Ginetta GT Supercup sessions were equally packed full of drivers enjoying their first test of the 2012 Ginetta G55 specification engines, with rising star Josh Wakefield looking forward to making his debut with Century Motorsport under the watchful eye of Nathan Freke.

 Josh said; “This was my first time out in the G55 and I was very impressed. The car has great pace and the substantial down force gives it equally good footing in the corners. I’m also very pleased to be running with Century this year – the combination of great team and Ginetta’s great car in an exciting championship is a real boost to my career and I’m confident that we’ll do well with the G55 in the championship.”

 Third placed finisher in the 2011 Ginetta GT Supercup, Tom Sharp enjoyed a positive shakedown with IDL Racing, adding; “The media day gave us a good opportunity to shake down the new car and get a few miles under our belt before the season kicks off at the end of the month. I had enough time to get a feel for the car and to see how the latest upgrades have affected things, so on the whole, I’m pleased with how things are shaping up.”

 Fergus Walkinshaw also delivered a solid first Ginetta GT Supercup outing of the year, proving he’s already on the pace by posting his best Ginetta G55 lap time yet around the National circuit. He said; “It’s great to be back in the car after a long winter break, our main focus was on shaking down the car and running-in the engine, which feels a lot more responsive than last year, with quite a bit more torque. The biggest change will come when we get the new differential installed, which will be before the first Brands Hatch round.”

 Drivers from the newly rebranded Total Quartz Ginetta GT5 Challenge which runs as a support race to the British GT, included reigning champion Stuart Pearson who unveiled his livery for the 2012 season, the design of which was chosen by Ginetta fans.

 Stuart said; “The Ginetta media day was a great chance to unveil the new-for-2012 Stuart Pearson Racing livery and whilst we are confident we have the best looking car on the grid – we need to make sure it’s the fastest too! We were thrilled at how well the car performed yesterday, and the lap times tumbled as confidence grew on a damp but drying track”.

 Nestled amongst the Challenge cars was the G20 of 60 year old Tudor Alexander which has just been fitted with a new gearbox. Preparing for his ninth season with the G20, Tudor’s son is also looking to get out for a few races throughout the 2012 season.

Current Ginetta Challenge Champion Stuart Pearson is offering motorsport fans the chance to have their say on the livery and name of his brand new G40 race car.

The G40, which was Stuart’s prize for laying claim to the G20 championship win last season after a four year slog for the title, is currently waiting for it’s final design to be chosen ahead of the track debut at Oulton Park on 7^th and 8^th April.

Stuart Pearson of SPR said; “ We are thrilled that the public will be choosing the design for the SPR racing car this year. I’m sure they will come up trumps and it will look great!

Speaking on this exciting opportunity for Ginetta fans, Championship Co-ordinator Max Gregory added; “It’s great that Stuart Pearson Racing are already engaging with motorsport fans by offering them the chance to design and name a 2012 racing car. It’s a great way to bring our sport closer to the people who enjoy it most.”

Fans can vote for their favourite design on the Ginetta Facebook Page, with the winning design being determined on the number of ‘likes’ for each picture. We will select the winning design on Monday 27^th March, before opening it up to the public to name the car.

The person who submits the successful namesake will be invited to join Stuart Pearson Racing as their official guest at a race weekend of their choosing.

Ginetta have today announced a £100,000 prize fund in an exciting ‘pounds for points’ scheme for the top 10 G55 finishers in each championship race.

 Drivers will be rewarded with £10 per point, which will be paid out at the end of the season, with double prize money up for grabs during the Knockhill and Croft rounds.

 Ginetta GT Supercup Championship Coordinator, Max Gregory said of this innovative prize; “This year’s prize fund will offer each competitor the chance to win something whilst still providing a substantial overall amount for the overall championship winner. The £100,000 prize pot is sure to give many teams the chance to recoup some of their costs during what is undoubtedly a difficult financial time for many involved in the sport.”

 The overall G55 championship winner will also receive an additional £5,000 on top of his existing prize fund whilst the G50 champion can look forward to the use of a Ginetta G55 for the 2013 season.

Last year’s inaugural Ginetta GT Supercup saw eventual title winner Adam Morgan secured a funded prize drive in the BTCC for 2012 following a fierce final round battle, and this year’s intake will undoubtedly be just as competitive.

Louise

Grantham-based Richardson Racing saw the highs and lows of motorsport during the final two rounds of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup at Silverstone.

Brother and sister pair Andrew and Louise Richardson went into the season finale on the short National circuit aiming for the top step of the podium, with Andrew eager to add to his win tally and Louise hoping to taste victory champagne for the first time this year.

Chasing her first victory of the season, Louise’s weekend started well when she posted the third quickest time amongst the G50 drivers during the two free practice sessions on Friday. Repeating that feat in qualifying, Louise then secured third in class and twelfth overall on the grid for the opening race after a closely-fought session that saw her miss class pole by just 0.073secs.

Andy

However, Louise’s hopes of ending the season with a trip to the top of the podium ended in dramatic fashion on the opening lap, when she was forced onto the grass by the G55 of Jamie Orton as the field headed into the left-hand kink prior to Becketts. Once on the grass, Louise was powerless to stop her car from getting sideways and having come back onto the circuit in the middle of the pack, she was then collected by the car of fellow G50 runner Aaron Williamson.

Heavy contact with the driver’s door caused extensive damage to Louise’s car and left her trapped in her seat, with rescue crews attending the incident to help her from the wreckage. After a visit to the circuit medical centre, Louise was transferred to hospital for checks, but luckily escaped with nothing more than a bruised leg.

“I got alongside the G55 on the run to Becketts but just as we came up the little left-hand kink before the corner and entered the braking zone, he squeezed me onto the grass,” she said. “I’m not sure he realised I was there. When I braked, the car got sideways and when I came back onto the circuit, I hit Jake Rattenbury and that turned my car round right in front of Aaron; he just had nowhere to go.

“Unfortunately he hit my car in just the wrong place and I ended up being trapped in my seat. I’ve got to thank the people that got me out for doing a fantastic job as they helped to keep me calm and made sure I was in as little pain as possible – I’m really grateful for their help.

“I’ve had a lot of bad luck this season and got caught up in incidents that weren’t my fault, but I’ve also shown I have the pace to run at the front and have finished on the podium. I have to thank the boys in the team for the work they’ve done on the car over the season as it improved a lot over the course of the year.”

Louise’s accident meant Andrew was left to fly the flag for the team, although his hopes of victory in race one were also ended by an incident early on. Prior to the red flag being shown for Louise’s accident, Andrew – who had qualified fifth amongst the G50 drivers despite being just 0.131secs from pole – was tipped into a spin by Mark Davies going into Brooklands, which dropped him to the rear of the field.

Andy

That meant Andrew started from the very back of the pack when the race was restarted but he made up five places on the opening lap alone to lie 15th overall. Continuing his forward progress, Andrew worked his way up to eleventh overall and third in class by lap nine and then put Mark Johnston under pressure before clinching second amongst the G50s and tenth overall with a move up the inside into the final corner.

Starting from tenth for the final race of the season, Andrew held his place through the opening lap and fought for the G50 class victory throughout with rival Jake Hill. Despite a G55 driver getting involved in the battle between the pair mid-way through the race, Andrew stayed within a second of Hill throughout the race but had to settle for a repeat of his race one result as he took second in class in the season finale.

“Two podium finishes is a good way to end the season, although it could have been better,” he said. “If I’d not been punted off in race one and had to take the restart from the back, I think I could have battled for victory and in race two, I could possibly have made a move on Jake if the G55 hadn’t got in the mix.

“However, looking at the season as a whole, I think we’ve had a very good year when you consider the amount of track time we’ve had and the fact we have run on a small budget. Personally, I think I have proved myself on track and shown what I can do and there are a lot of positives that I can take away from this season as I start working towards 2012.”

Following the final race, Andrew then headed over to the South circuit at Silverstone for an event with the charity Afghan Heroes, where he gave passenger rides to a number of British servicemen injured in conflict who have since been helped by the charity.

“The event was really good,” he said. “Everyone who came in the car with me was smiling afterwards and seemed to enjoy themselves; which was the main aim of the day. These are people who have been injured fighting for their country and it was great that we could do something for them.”

A family affair as Tom Ingram toasts ‘phenomenal’ second consecutive Ginetta title triumph

It was an emotional moment, he confessed, as he climbed from his Plans Motorsport car at the end of race three at Brands Hatch and ascended the podium to collect his trophy – and as Tom Ingram reflects upon his superb title glory in the 2011 Ginetta G50 Cup, he admits that it has always been very much a family effort.

Arriving at Brands Hatch’s celebrated GP Circuit – home to the British Grand Prix on no fewer than 12 occasions between 1964 and 1986 – Tom knew that at 42 points ahead of any of his rivals on full scores and 78 in the more representative dropped totals table, he had a decent chance of clinching the crown without even needing to compete in the Silverstone finale later this month, but equally, he still had to produce the goods.

“I just tried to approach it as I would any normal race weekend,” underlined the talented young High Wycombe star. “I treated it exactly the same as all the others, targeting some solid points and then seeing where that left us. It was going to be about consistency – not necessarily winning races – and we’ve always been consistent in terms of wins and podium finishes. That’s the way to win championships, at the end of the day.”

It is a tactic that has worked well for him in seasons past – yielding title success in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2010 and the BRDC Stars of Tomorrow British Karting Championship four years earlier – but that should not disguise the fact that Tom has also been comfortably the out-and-out quickest G50 competitor in 2011.

Unfortunately, an anti-roll bar snapping in half and lodging itself in a wheel did not get proceedings off to the best of starts in qualifying at Brands, restricting the 18-year-old BRDC Rising Star to just two timed laps and an uncharacteristic sixth on the grid for race one – distinctly unaccustomed territory for a driver who prior to that had set seven pole positions out of a possible eight. He maturely refused to let the misfortune throw him off his stride.

“I knew that as long as I didn’t allow it to faze me too much, used my head and kept everything nice and smooth and consistent, it would be ok,” he explained. “I was aiming to just make my way through the pack and regain as much ground as I could in race one – and third place given where we had started was more useful points towards the championship. Although you’d always rather be up on the top step of the podium, in the circumstances, third was just fine.”

Indeed, with his principal adversary finishing further down the order, the result enabled Tom to eke out his advantage once more and take another step closer to the laurels. In race two, despite palpably possessing the pace to triumph and making a bid for the lead, minor contact as he found his attempt brusquely rebuffed prompted the highly-rated Bucks speed demon to wisely think better of it.

“That focussed my attention,” he conceded, “and caused me to stop and think, ‘look, use your head here, Tom – you’ve near-enough got the championship in the bag, so just stay where you are and it will be fine, don’t blow it now!’ I knew there was no point in taking an unnecessary risk to go for the race win when second position was more than enough in terms of the championship, so I just settled for that. My main rival was some way behind again, so the pressure was off a bit and it was all about remaining consistent and not making any mistakes.”

As usual, he made none, and following his supremely intelligent performance, Tom and his Plans Motorsport team immersed themselves in feverish calculations ahead of race three to work out just what he needed to do to put the title definitively beyond the reach of his pursuers. Realising that third position would be sufficient irrespective of what else happened, he sat dutifully in second place throughout, right in the leader’s wheeltracks. As in race two, he had the pace to challenge – but also as in race two, he didn’t need to.

Completing the job to perfection, the former Wycombe and Marlow Sports Personality of the Year was left afterwards to look back upon a campaign in which he has been indisputably the class of the field from lights-out to chequered flag – and having begun his bid for glory at Brands Hatch all the way back in March, it was somewhat appropriate that he should be crowned there, too, at the end of a season that has yielded no fewer than ten victories, 18 podiums and 13 fastest laps from 25 starts. Simply staggering.

“When I crossed the finish line in race three, it was just complete joy,” Tom enthused, after leaping over the parc fermé fence to celebrate with his family and team and kissing the ITV4 camera following his live interview. “I struggled to put into words how it felt to be champion – it’s just crazy! From the start of the year, when we didn’t even think we were going to be racing, to now be the 2011 Ginetta G50 Champion is insane! I was speechless.

“To come away with our second championship in as many years is absolutely phenomenal! It’s been my first year in a senior championship, and as last year’s Ginetta Junior Champion, there was a lot of pressure on me to do well – everybody’s expectations were high.

“I felt totally overwhelmed. I spent a lot of time doing interviews afterwards, and then I was able to have a moment to myself in a corner of the truck on my own – and I just burst into tears. I sat there balling my eyes out! It really brought it all home to me.

“It’s always been such a family affair, and I need to thank my mum and my dad and my grandparents so much. I’ve had incredible support throughout the year from so many people, and in particular I need to say a massive ‘thank you’ to Matthew and Leigh-Anne Kirby, Walker Logistics, Cannon Moorcroft – and of course, Plans Motorsport for a tremendous team effort. I want to thank everybody! This completely makes all the sacrifices and ‘Asda Price’ meal deals worthwhile! It’s just amazing!”

Tom is seeking sponsorship to enable him to continue progressing his burgeoning career in 2012; if you are interested in supporting him, please e-mail: tom@ingram26.fsnet.co.uk

You can follow Tom on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomingram80, and to keep up-to-date with his latest career news and results, please visit: www.tom-ingram.com

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

Louise

Grantham-based Richardson Racing secured another trip to the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup championship podium during the penultimate race weekend of the season on the Brands Hatch GP circuit.

Brother and sister pair Andrew and Louise Richardson went into the weekend targeting top three finishes in the competitive G50 class, and both impressed in sweltering weather conditions at the Kent circuit.

Andrew qualified second in class and tenth overall for the opening race of the weekend but moved into the G50 lead on the first lap when Jake Hill went off the road at Stirlings. After a brief Safety Car period, Andrew held the lead until lap five when Aaron Williamson found a way through at Sheene, with Andrew then chasing him to the flag to finish second in class and ninth overall.

Andr

The second race didn’t start well for Andrew when he stalled on the line and dropped to the rear of the field. From that point onwards, he was forced into a recovery drive through the pack and drove well to climb to fifth in class and 13th overall when the chequered flag dropped.

A better start in race three saw Andrew settle into third place and, after an early Safety Car period, he set about challenging Williamson and Tom Ingram for victory. However, on the final lap of the race, a small mistake at Druids allowed Jake Hill to close onto the rear of Andrew’s car and he was able to make a forceful move for position through Dingle Dell to demote Andrew back to fourth in class and ninth overall.

“It’s been a bit of a mixed bag really,” he said. “Finishing second in the first race was a good result but then I stalled at the start of race two and that ended my chances of another podium finish there. I think I fought back well but couldn’t get ahead of Louise into fourth.

“We had really good pace in the final race and there was nothing between the top four of us on the times so I’m kicking myself a bit as I really wanted second and just went into Druids a bit too hot. That gave Jake the chance to close up and it was a bit cheeky that he put two wheels on the grass when he made his move but I’m more frustrated with myself for making the error and giving him the chance.”

Louise qualified fourth in class and twelfth overall but made up places to briefly sit second before settling into third through the first half of the opening race. However, as she started to suffer from tyre wear as the race wore on, Louise lost a place to Ingram and settled for fourth at the finish.

A solid start to race two saw Louise climb up to second place behind Williamson before Ingram managed to find a way through into Surtees on the second lap. Louise continued to run in a solid third before Hill fought his way through, with Louise taking the chequered flag in fourth place, just ahead of Andrew on track.

Louise again ran inside the top four in the opening laps of the final race before losing a place to Hill on the seventh lap. Despite starting to feel the effects of the sore shoulder she sustained in her accident at Rockingham a fortnight ago, Louise brought her car to the finish fifth in class and tenth overall.

“It all started well for me although we struggled a little bit with the set-up in the first two races,” she said. “Despite that, I managed to get two fourth place finishes but it was a little bit disappointing as I was in third and second at points and could have been on the podium. The car felt better in the final race but I made a few mistakes and my shoulder started to ache a bit more towards the end, but I got another finish and can now look forward to Silverstone.”

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

A win, fastest lap and 6 laps in the overall lead of the GT Supercup field, until a safety car intervention, summed up a positive weekend for Jody Fannin at Knockhill in Scotland.

Qualifying was held in extremely wet conditions and, in a shortened session punctuated by a red flag, a change to the car near the end produced a big improvement, but fourth in a tight quartet of cars would make things hard around the tight circuit.

Race one was a largely uneventful affair, finishing fourth at the end of a train of cars with a fastest lap less than a tenth off the quickest.

Race two produced a storming drive from the birthday boy on his eighteenth birthday. Starting fourth at the Knockhill circuit with few overtaking opportunities, he picked off championship leader Tom Ingram with a finely judged move into the hairpin on lap 5. On the next lap he passed Jake Hill after getting a run on him out of Clark Curve. The icing on the cake was a very late braking move on Aaron Williamson for the lead of the G50 class on lap 13. Fannin then got his head down and eaked out a gap at first which had stretched to nearly 5 seconds by the end of the 24 laps and a win which put him in the lead of the G50 class championship. Fifth overall in the race meant that on the reverse grid Fannin would be on overall pole in front of the more powerful Ginettas G55′s – a first in the Ginetta GT Supercup.

As the red lights went out for the start of race 3, the MSA Academy Student made a perfect getaway and led at the end of lap 1 with a healthy lead. This came down slowly and towards the end of lap 4 Tom Sharp in the first of the G55′s was not far behind. The gap stabilised and Fannin looked comfortable and in control until the intervention of the safety car on lap 6. Carl Breeze was in the gravel trap at the hairpin after an off track excursion and time was needed to retrieve the stranded car. The safety car came in and as the eighteen year old went deep into the hairpin to get a run up the straight at the restart, he ran wide on the gravel dragged onto the track by the retrieval of the G55 and was passed by the first four G55′s and the first of the G50′s before the start finish line. The youngster from South Godstone found that his car suddenly had massive oversteer, didn’t feel stable at the left rear, and he dropped back through the field ending up a disappointed 5th in class. This was later changed to fourth after the Clerk’s intervention and fastest lap was scant reward for an excellent drive at the front under pressure from the faster G55′s.

After the race the Team Pyro mechanics found that the left rear tyre had lost pressure as a result of a slow puncture caused by the gravel on the track which made sense of the strange handling. Still second in the G50 championship by only 9 points a frustrated Fannin said “I had really good pace this weekend and enjoy the Knockhill circuit – I felt I had things under control in the last race and unfortunately the safety car and gravel on the track spoilt what could have been a great result.”

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

The Ginetta GT Winter Cup will take place on the new Snetterton 300 circuit in November (5th -6^th) and will feature two 2hr endurance races, plus a 30 minute qualifying session open to all current Ginetta models.

The 4 tier class system will be made up of G40s, G50s, G55s and an ‘all-comers’ open class from Ginettas competing in GT racing across the globe.

Combining the Ginetta GT Supercup and Challenge grids for the first time, alongside other Ginetta GT racers from international championships and endurance series racing, the 2011 Ginetta GT Winter Cup – Ginetta’s first one-make endurance race – will be open to either 1 or 2 driver teams and feature two mandatory timed pit stops. GT Winter Cup prizes are still to be announced.

Ginetta Chairmen – Lawrence Tomlinson said: “This will be Ginetta’s first one-make endurance race and a great opportunity to amalgamate the Supercup and Challenge grids creating the first Ginetta GT Endurance Championship. Ginetta Teams and drivers who have never done endurance racing will experience the mandatory pit stop, refuelling and driver changes common in GT endurance racing at all levels.” “It will be fantastic to see all of our championships and GT drivers/teams from GT4/GT3, and international series’, together in the same paddock for the first time. We want to push the Ginetta GT career ladder further so endurance racing is an important step and something we may look to do more of in the future.”

Also announced is a separate ‘Junior Winter Series’ which will consist of four 20 min races plus a 15 minute qualifying session and will run alongside the GT Winter Cup on the same weekend. Previous winners include Josh Hill 2008, Aaron Williamson 2009 and Current Ginetta Juniors Championship point’s leader Seb Morris in 2010.

Tomlinson went on to say: “The Junior Winter Series is an excellent prospect for 14 – 17yr old drivers looking to get into motorsport for the first time, or step up from karting, to drive a race car at one of the UK’s most prestigious circuits.”

“For older Juniors exiting the Ginetta Junior Championship this year, the senior GT Winter Series will be a great opportunity for anyone looking to progress their careers to try a bigger car alongside existing Supercup drivers, it will also offer a great entry point for licence holders looking to enter the GT Supercup Championship in 2012.”

As a precursor to the GT Winter Cup endurance event the next GT Supercup outing at Rockingham (Sept 17 – 18) will see a slight change in format. In place of the usual three 20min races, Rockingham will see two extended races of 30 minutes, a sprint race on Saturday and a 1 x pit stop race on Sunday, which will include a mandatory 2 x wheel change. The championship season closer at Silverstone International (Oct 15-16) will also run a similar extended-race pit stop format to Rockingham, details to be confirmed at a later date.

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

‘Normal service is resumed’ as Ingram regains winning form north of the border

It has been a torrid last couple of months for Tom Ingram, of that there can be no doubt, but as the 2011 Ginetta GT Supercup headed north of the border to Knockhill, he brilliantly banished the bad luck that has been hounding him of late to regain the top step of the podium – and rediscover his early-season momentum.

Having held a commanding 96-point advantage in the title standings following race one at Croft in mid-June, Tom arrived in Scotland sitting just a single marker ahead of his nearest pursuer and well aware that he needed to bounce back and re-establish both his authority and consistency following five nightmare outings, characterised by a succession of mechanical failures and incidents not of his own making – with the previous meeting at Snetterton arguably the worst of his career. He knew he had to re-assert himself as the one to beat.

Happily, for a driver whose efforts have been persistently stymied by a funding shortfall, local man Matthew Kirby generously stepped in to sponsor the talented young High Wycombe star for the weekend – but still, the pressure to perform was indubitably on with a vengeance.

“Last year, we were ultra-consistent and finished every race,” Tom mused. “This year, we’ve had so many failures to finish and other problems already. Snetterton had just been a complete disaster, and I could sense the championship was beginning to slip away unless we turned things around pretty quickly.

“Matthew and I had been in contact with each other for a few months via Facebook, and I know he has been following my career over the last few years – but I never anticipated that it would lead to this! To have that kind of support was absolutely fantastic; for him to say out-of-the-blue that he would fund us to race at Knockhill left me flabbergasted, to be honest – it was just so completely unexpected.

“It was a bit of a novelty and actually quite surreal knowing we would be racing so soon before the meeting – it’s usually such a last-minute panic due to finances – and given how we had done at Knockhill last year with a clean sweep of wins, pole positions and fastest laps, I couldn’t wait to go back!

“It’s a phenomenal circuit – so undulating and flowing – and driving it in a Ginetta G50 was absolutely unreal! I just love it and I know I’m quick round Knockhill, but there were some new kerbs this year, it was my first time around the circuit in a G50 and a lot of the others had been testing there in the build-up, so I was a little bit on the back foot going into the weekend from that perspective.”

Be that as it may, in a wet opening practice session – the kind of treacherous conditions in which he invariably excels – the 18-year-old BRDC Rising Star was quickest straight out-of-the-blocks, and on a similarly sodden track surface in qualifying, he went on to secure his sixth pole position out of seven this year to-date.

“I retained the lead at the start of race one,” he recounted, “but immediately, I found myself struggling to get the car to release from the corners, and Aaron Williamson was able to just drive straight past me as we came out of the first corner on one lap. I felt there was no point in fighting him too hard and risking an accident, because Jody Fannin – who is the closest to me in the championship – was behind, so as long as I stayed ahead of him and didn’t do anything stupid, I knew I would extend my lead.

“I was also experiencing some trouble with the brakes, which meant I couldn’t get the car slowed down as well as it should. Round Knockhill, you really need your brakes, and the problem left me particularly vulnerable into the two heavy-braking zones around the lap – the first corner and last hairpin – and on the last lap, Jake Hill slotted down the inside of me with a good opportunistic move to take second. I didn’t realise it was the last lap at the time, which was my fault for not paying attention to my pit board properly.

“That was a bit disappointing, but you live and learn at the end of the day, and with Jody finishing fourth, I still increased my championship lead, which was the main thing. We really needed that kind of result after all the disasters recently – and I knew that once we solved the issues we had, we could find a lot more speed.”

The bottom step of the podium it might have been, but it was a welcome and popular rostrum return nonetheless for the reigning Ginetta Junior Champion following so long away – and race two would yield an identical result, as Tom found his challenge frustrated by an extremely defensive Williamson and more niggling braking issues, with victory for Fannin meaning he lost the championship lead into the bargain.

He entered race three knowing he needed to battle back straightaway – and confident he had the pace to do just that – but with his title rival unexpectedly being gifted outright pole position on the reversed grid, the Plans Motorsport ace and all of the other G50 competitors found themselves at an immediate disadvantage, with four of the faster G55 machines in-between them and Fannin.

“Jody got the jump at the start and managed to keep the lead for the first couple of laps, but then the safety car came out, which bunched the field right up again,” Tom recalled. “There was gravel across the circuit at the top hairpin from a car that had gone off, and Jody bolted surprisingly early at the re-start, which meant that by the time we reached that part of the track, we were already in fourth gear and he hit the gravel and slid sideways.

“That allowed three G55s as well as Aaron to out-drag him down the straight, and left me right on the back of him. Seeing Jody drop so many places in just 100 yards really motivated me, and I immediately tried to put him under pressure and got past into the final hairpin. I then got my head down and focussed on chasing Aaron, who was about a second further in front.

“It didn’t take me long to catch him, and I tried to force him into a mistake, too. He began missing some apexes, at which point I knew I had the upper hand and I managed to get him up the inside into one of the hairpins. From then on, I pulled away pretty easily and it was plain sailing, really; I was even able to back off towards the end, and I had a bit of fun racing against some recovering G55s who were fighting their way through the pack.

“It was probably one of the best wins I’ve had, on reflection. With Jody starting that much higher up the grid than I was, the pressure had really been on as I knew I had to beat him to reclaim the championship lead. It was just a cracking race and – with him finishing further down – the perfect outcome. I was absolutely ecstatic, and I need to say a big ‘thank you’ to Plans Motorsport and Matthew Kirby for the weekend.”

Indeed, with Fannin dropping away to fifth at the chequered flag – almost ten seconds adrift of Tom – the result has re-instated the former British Karting Champion and Wycombe and Marlow Sports Personality of the Year atop the points table, 11 markers clear and 29 on dropped scores. Having lapped a lot quicker than the other G50 drivers for the majority of the race en route to what was a comfortable triumph in the end, he is now ready to rock on in the next round at Rockingham and really drive that superiority home.

“Everything finally came together and we managed to convert it into a win again,” the highly-rated Bucks speed demon concluded. “I think we proved to everybody that we haven’t dropped off the pace – we’ve still got it and we’re still right in there fighting. We’re back on-track and back to where we were earlier in the season. Normal service is resumed!”

If you are interested in supporting Tom, please e-mail tom@ingram26.fsnet.co.uk, whilst you can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomingram80 and keep up-to-date with his latest career news and results at www.tom-ingram.com

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

Louise

Grantham-based Richardson Racing enjoyed its best weekend of the 2011 season to date at Snetterton, with two wins amongst a total of three podium finishes in the latest rounds of the Michelin Ginetta GT Superup.

Brother and sister pair Andrew and Louise Richardson were on the pace throughout the weekend, with Andrew securing a brace of race victories and Louise taking her third podium finish of the season.

Andrew secured place third in class and twelfth overall on the grid for the opening race following a tightly-fought qualifying session and his usual strong start saw him climb into second in class through the opening corners.

Andy

However, on the run towards Brundle, the G55 of Colin White suddenly dropped oil all over the circuit, causing Andrew to slide off track and drop to the rear of the field. With the opening race running over just seven laps, Andrew faced a challenge to try and make up the time lost but battled his way through to fourth in class and eleventh overall at the chequered flag.

From the same position on the grid for race two, Andrew jumped up to second in class behind Jake Hill on the opening lap and then took the lead on lap two when Hill, under pressure from Andrew, was forced to pit with damage to his car after making a mistake and clipping a tyre stack. A dominant performance for the remainder of the race saw Andrew take the G50 class win by nearly 19 seconds and a fine seventh overall – ahead of a number of the quicker G55 cars.

Both on the podium

After a lightning start to the final race, Andrew was delayed at turn one by two spinning cars ahead and dropped to second in class behind Jody Fannin. A further clash between G55s ahead allowed Andrew to move up to seventh overall and he kept the pressure on Fannin before a fine move at Riches on lap seven allowed him through into the class lead and sixth overall.

Although he dropped behind two of the G55s before the finish, Andrew took the chequered flag in eighth place overall for his second G50 class victory of the weekend and fourth of the 2011 season.

“I really didn’t expect to come away from the weekend with two wins, and if it hadn’t been for the incident on the first lap of race one, I might even have had a hat-trick,” he said. “However, a double win is fantastic and rewards the team as they did a great job.

“In the second race I kept pushing despite the fact I had such a big lead and when I got away from the line well in race three, I thought I could do the same. When the cars clashed in front I had to jump on the brakes and it allowed Jody to get past and then I was all over him as I was much quicker than him on the fast parts of the circuit. When I was half a car length behind him into Riches, I thought ‘I’m going for it’ and went up the inside and managed to make the move stick.

“Our problems earlier in the season mean that its now all about going for podiums and race wins, so this weekend it’s mission accomplished.”

Younger sister Louise was returning to action after missing two rounds as a result of damage sustained in a start-line accident at Thruxton back in May. Having qualified seventh in class and 16th overall, Louise ran as high as twelfth in the opening race as she eased herself back into racing action before taking the flag sixth in class and 14th overall.

A fine start to race two saw Louise climb up to tenth overall and third in class on the opening lap before Hill’s retirement saw her slot into second behind Andrew to put the Richardson Racing team on course for a 1-2 finish. Although a number of G55s knocked her back down the order, Louise ran second in class for much of the race despite the close attentions of Jody Fannin. A forceful move from Fannin at Hamilton on lap eight saw Louise pushed off the circuit, dropping her back to third place where she remained until the finish despite late pressure from Connaire Finn – giving the team a double podium.

Louise’s hopes of matching that result were hit on the opening lap of race three when she was forced wide twice on the opening lap and then had to back off when other drivers clashed in front of her on track. Having worked her way back up to fifth in class, Louise lost position to former touring car racer Michael Doyle in the closing laps as a problem on her car started to affect the handling and she took the chequered flag sixth in class and 14th overall.

“It’s been a bit of a mixed weekend really,” she said. “Getting a podium in the race two was a good result although it should have been second place as I was keeping Jody behind until he pushed me off.

“For the final race we changed a few things on the set-up and the car wasn’t quite right. I’d already lost time at the start as I was forced onto the grass a few times and then had to back off to avoid people spinning in front of me, and then I was getting understeer and had to wait to get the power down out of the corners.

“Overall though, I came to Snetterton knowing I had a good car and its good to have come away from the weekend with another podium after so long on the sidelines.”

Photos: Jakob Ebrey