RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

‘OUTSIDER’ CHILTON GRABS DONINGTON POLE AS TITLE PROTAGONISTS FILL TOP FIVE POSITIONS

Title outsider Tom Chilton has taken pole position in Donington Park’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session as the five main title protagonists filled the top spots.

Chilton (pictured) achieved his fourth pole of the season in a time of 1m11.328s in his Team Aon Ford Focus – just ahead of his team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole. Honda Racing Team’s Gordon Shedden, Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato and Shedden’s team-mate Matt Neal completed the top five.

The championship order presently is Plato, Neal, Onslow-Cole, Shedden and Chilton with 58 points separating them and a possible 52 available from tomorrow’s three races.

Surrey racer Chilton said: “I’ve got a lot of ground to make up tomorrow if I’m to stay in the hunt going to the final round at Brands Hatch next month but this is a great start. Ideally, I need to come out of the first corner tomorrow in the lead, look in my mirror and see the other four taking each other off into the gravel…”

Onslow-Cole, from New Malden, added: “I didn’t think we’d have the pace to qualify on the front row so it’s a nice bonus. The main aim tomorrow has to be to finish in front of both Jason and Matt so it edges me just that bit closer but obviously I could with them getting stuck behind a few other cars.”

Scottish ace Shedden remained upbeat – “we could be in for a mixed bag of weather tomorrow but I’m confident our car will be good in all conditions” – while Worcestershire team-mate Neal admitted: “I hope it rains. I want some curveballs coming in because I need them.”

Oxford-based Plato, who holds a 20-point lead over nearest challenger and fellow former champion Neal going into tomorrow, commented: “Again we’re near the sharp end of the grid with maximum success ballast (45kgs) in the Chevrolet which we calculate is costing us half a second a lap. So I’m pretty pleased with that and I really think in race trim our car can come back at the others.”

Tomorrow’s three races will be shown live during a six and a half hour TV broadcast on the ITV4 channel from 11.30am-6.00pm.

Leading positions, BTCC Qualifying, Donington Park (provisional):

1. Tom Chilton (GBR), Team Aon/Ford Focus, 1m11.328s (99.88mph)

2. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), Team Aon/Ford Focus, +0.081s

3. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.121s

4. Jason Plato (GBR), Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.249s

5. Matt Neal (GBR), Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.276s

6. Andrew Jordan (GBR), Pirtek Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.389s

7. Paul O’Neill (GBR), Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed/Honda Integra, +0.494s

8. Robert Collard (GBR), WSR/BMW 320si, +0.506s

9. Tom Boardman (GBR), Special Tuning UK/SEAT Leon, +0.588s

10. Alex MacDowall (GBR), Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.591s

Michael Caine kept the pressure on title rival Tim Harvey by taking a double pole position for rounds 17 and 18 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Donington Park today (Saturday 18 September).

Caine (Motorbase Performance) took pole for both races as Harvey (Red Line Racing) qualified second for round 17 but only fourth for round 18. It was a tremendous session for the Motorbase Performance team as it claimed five out of six pole positions with Ollie Jackson (pro-am1 pole for round 17) and George Richardson (pro-am2 pole for both races) heading their respective classes. Pro-am1 pole for round 17 went to Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing).

With rain threatening, Caine set the pace with a storming 1m08.168s lap. He then posted a second-best time of 1m08.341s to secure pole for round 18 and earn two extra championship points. “All credit to everyone who works on the car,” said Caine. “The rain could be coming tomorrow and we need it to be changeable; I’ve got to take the risks,” he added. Harvey was second for round 17, but slipped to fourth on the grid for round 18 behind Euan Hankey and Stephen Jelley from Team Parker Racing. So close is the Carrera Cup field that less than half a second covered the top 10 cars for round 17.

“This weekend it is very important to get two good finishes,” said Harvey, who goes into the opening race with his championship lead trimmed to 25 points. Hankey was third fastest for round 17 and then second for round 18 after a strong qualifying performance. “That’s a lot better than in testing,” said Hankey. “I’m happy to have good consistent pace.” Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) was fourth and then seventh, while team mate Jelley fifth and third in the tightly packed bunch.

Pro-am1 poles were shared between Gelzinis and Jackson, with the positions reversed for the second race. “It’s very close,” said Gelzinis. “Tomorrow it might rain and I don’t like rain,” said the Lithuanian. Jackson, meanwhile, felt that he had more time to come. “I think I could have found another couple of tenths on the second set of tyres,” he said. Right in contention in pro-am1 were Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing) and Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) with third and fourth fastest in each race.

Richardson was in fine form in pro-am2 to take both category poles, attributing his strong pace to input from team mate Caine and the Motorbase engineers on his data. “It’s a good step forward,” said the teenager. “Mr. Caine takes a lot of the credit for that; I worked with the team on the data and it paid off.” Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) was second fastest in pro-am2 for both races. “I thought I’d done okay, but George has found a big chunk of time,” said McMenamin. George Brewster (Celtic Speed) and Mark Hazell (JHR) were right in contention in third and fourth places.

The Pinkney Motorsport team will hope to bounce back from a difficult qualifying session at Donington Park in the penultimate rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

Harpenden-racer David Pinkney had to settle for 18th on the grid after an off in qualifying damaged his Vauxhall Vectra, with the team now looking to bounce back on race day as it seeks to break into the top ten and add more points to its championship tally.

David made solid progress through the two free practice sessions at the East Midlands circuit and headed into the all-important qualifying session hoping to match the encouraging performance shown last time out at Knockhill.

However, on a damp circuit after light rain started to fall when the session got underway, David suffered a spin exiting Redgate and then hit a bump on the grass which damaged the front splitter and radiator on the car.

Forced to park his car on the side of the circuit as a result, David had to settle for 18th on the grid having been unable to set a representative lap-time before the incident.

“Going into Redgate, the back end of the car came round and I went across onto the grass,” David said. “I was simply making my way back to the circuit at low speed and there was a bump on the grass which I hit and that was it; damaged splitter and radiator and game over. We just had a lot more grip at the front end of the car than we did at the rear, and that’s the first time I’ve had the back end of the car come round on me like that.

“If the session had been dry, then I think things would have gone a lot better, so we need to see what tomorrow brings. With a mixed weather forecast, it’s a tough one to call.”

Team manager Andrew Dean was disappointed that the team had been unable to match it’s expectations during the session.

“We expected a good qualifying session after the progress we made in second practice and thought the top twelve was possible,” he said. “The spin at Redgate damaged the front end of the car and it stopped us realising the potential that there was in the car. We’re going into race day without the data we would have collected from qualifying but we have to look forwards and aim to progress up the field.”

Report: Matt Salisbury
Photos: PSP Images

After a mixed weekend at Snetterton, Norfolk, in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain just one week ago (28th-30th August), Rickmansworth-based racing driver Philippe Layac bounced back at Brands Hatch last weekend (3rd-5th September).

As he arrived at the Kent circuit, Philippe was instantly ready to show what he could do around the infamous Indy circuit layout, as he and his Antel Motorsport team readied themselves for three days of track action.

With the qualifying taking place on Friday, Philippe was able to get some time out on track, as he strived to record a strong weekend. Lining up 14th on the grid for the first race gave the Frenchman a positive starting off point, as the opening race got into gear.

Before the first race had barely begun the safety car was released to rescue a car stuck in a dangerous position, which bunched the pack up for a number of laps. Before too long the race was restarted, as the field thundered into the intensely steep Paddock Hill Bend (turn one).

A few laps down the road and the safety car reared its head once more, when two cars collided in fierce style on the pit straight. As time ran out the race was forced to finish under safety car conditions, meaning Philippe was extremely limited on the number of racing laps available. Despite this he still finished 11th at the flag.

Race two saw Philippe enjoy a tense battle with a number of his rivals, as they toured the circuit nose to tail lap after lap. Unfortunately, his pace was short lived when an issue with the fuel pump on his car forced him to return to the pits.

The final race of the weekend was another difficult outing for the Antel Motorsport pilot, when the wrong gear ratio meant he struggled for the 18 minute duration. Despite this Philippe battled through the field to another strong 11th place finish as the chequered flag signalled the end of the race.

Commenting on his weekend, Philippe said: “We were short of time this weekend, with no testing beforehand, but it’s not been too bad.

“It was frustrating to not finish the second race, as we were doing so well up until that point. Despite that it was a fairly good weekend in terms of what we have learnt about the car. We’re learning something new about it all the time,” he added.

Philippe’s next round of the Formula Ford Championship is at Donington Park, Leicestershire, over the weekend of the 18th-19th September. The Formula Ford series have secured an imperative spot supporting the British Touring Car Championship, which is a position rivalled by many series.

Thirsk-based racing driver, Luke Williams is back in control of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain Scholarship Class, after triple success at Brands Hatch, Kent, last weekend (3-5th September).

Just one week after a difficult outing a Snetterton, Norfolk, Luke was back on form to ensure he leapt back into the lead of the Scholarship championship.

As the weekend at Brands Hatch got underway a lack of practice on the circuit before qualifying meant Luke was forced to head into the qualifying session blind. Having not driven around the infamous Indy circuit layout for six months, coupled together with the newly laid track surface, Luke faced a steep hill to climb, however he was up for the challenge.

Being satisfied with his qualifying session, the 18-year old headed into the first race of the weekend happy, and eager to get underway. Race one was a tough outing for Luke, when he struggled with the car for much of the duration.

In the early stages of the outing, the safety car was deployed after a rival speared off into the gravel trap. Shortly after the restart, a fierce incident on the pit straight involving Luke’s chief rival, Tristan Mingay, unleashed the safety car whilst his stricken car was recovered. With time swiftly counting downwards the race was soon brought to an end, finishing under the safety car.

Despite the lack of racing laps Luke took a class win, enhancing his title campaign. “I was pleased to get another Scholarship Class victory, but it wasn’t the best way to achieve it. I was sorry to see Tristan out of the race with his accident, it wasn’t nice to see, but I was pleased to get the win. It was a bit mixed up really,” said Luke.

By the time race two arrived, Luke’s chances for success were looking strong once again. Regardless of only needing to finish in order to secure another victory, the youngster pushed to get the best finishing position possible.

This time around Luke found his single-seater much better, despite struggling with his tyres in the early stages. After the sixth lap Luke was six seconds adrift, due to a lack of grip with his tyres on the changeable track surface. Determined not to be beat it wasn’t long before Luke fought through his struggles to work his way through the field. As the chequered flag fell he swept passed to take another class victory.

The final race of the weekend brought more success for the Yorkshireman, when he overcame more brake and tyre issues to lock in a triple win performance. Another safety car appearance failed to hamper his progress as he stormed to yet another class triumph.

Looking back over his successful weekend, Luke said: “Overall I’m very happy with the weekend. I’ve struggled over the weekend, with my lack of track time beforehand, and with the tyres for instance, but we were able to fight through to take another three wins.”

Luke now leads the Scholarship Championship with just two rounds and five races remaining. Luke’s next round of the championship is at Donington Park, Leicestershire, over the weekend of 18-19th September. The series have secured a prestigious spot providing supporting action to the British Touring Car Championship.

Report: Leanne Fahy
Photography: Jonathan Hatfield

via The Racewire

Team sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport will make a welcome return to Donington Park this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

The future of the East Midlands circuit was thrown into doubt by the aborted plans to secure the British Grand Prix, with lengthy repair work having been required to get the venue into a position where racing could resume.

With that work having been completed, Widnes-racer Paul O’Neill and Guernsey-based team-mate John George will be amongst the first drivers to race on a revised Donington Park layout after changes were made to the final chicane at Goddards – which has been moved back along Starkey’s Straight for safety reasons.

Paul heads to Donington on the back of another impressive weekend at Knockhill last time out, where he took his older BTC-spec Honda Integra to a fine fourth place finish in the final race on Scottish soil – just weeks after taking his third podium finish of the season at Silverstone.

In what is likely to be the penultimate BTCC event for the Honda before the car is phased out at the end of the year, Paul makes the trip to Donington looking to maintain his championship position and also fight for what would be a hugely popular victory for one of the smaller teams on the grid.

“After the way we performed at Silverstone and Knockhill, I really want to continue our strong form when we get to Donington,” he said. “I’m going to drive every lap as if it is my last and we know that the car is quick, so it will be interesting to see how we perform. Donington wasn’t our best weekend last year, but it seems that circuits where things didn’t go to plan last season have been the ones where we have gone well this year.

“I’m not going to be holding back at all and, as always, I will be racing to win. Tech-Speed has given me a phenomenal car all year and it will be a travesty if it doesn’t get a win before the end of the year. The Integra has arguably been the best car of its era and I’d love to give it one last victory in the final rounds and reward a team that deserves it more than most.”

Team-mate John was in impressive form once again at Knockhill after he bounced back well from a retirement in race one to fight with the likes of Alex MacDowall and Gordon Shedden for a points finish in the final race of the weekend.

Although he ultimately missed out on a deserved top ten finish, John heads to Donington Park in confident mood as he looks to convert his recent strong pace into more championship points.

“I went to Donington last week to have a look at the revised layout and I think the circuit is going to really suit the Honda,” he said. “My confidence is on a high after the last two rounds, and this weekend I want to try and convert the pace I’ve shown into some points.

“The Integra has been a great car all season and we have shown that it can still be competitive against newer machinery. I’m keen to show there is life in the old dog yet this weekend!”

The team has spent the past two weeks getting the two Hondas ready for the Donington event after a bruising outing in Scotland, with Tech-Speed chief Marvin Humphries stating he was optimistic of a strong showing from both drivers again this weekend.

“It’s great to be going back to Donington after all their troubles, because it is a venue that no-one would want to lose,” he said. “Donington was a mixed bag last year but the car should be strong and we’re quietly optimistic of a good weekend. We’ve done a lot of work on the cars since Knockhill to repair the damage we picked up there and now we hope to carry on the progress we’ve seen with both drivers.

“Paul has shown again and again that he can fight with the best and John just needs a little bit of luck to secure the points finish his recent performances have deserved.”

Sunshine.co.uk MD Chris Brown is also hopeful that the team will continue its recent strong form at Donington Park as it looks to strengthen its grip on third place in the Independents’ team standings.

“We’ve had some really good results in the last two meetings and Paul and John have been doing a fantastic job to keep us right in the mix for a top three championship finish,” he said. “Considering the fact that the Hondas are amongst the oldest cars on the grid, that is a brilliant achievement and there is no reason why we can’t continue to punch above our weight at Donington.

“Paul just keeps producing the goods on track and John has to be one of the most improved drivers on the grid this season. We’re looking forwards to seeing both fight inside the top ten this weekend.”

Report: Matt Salisbury
Photography: www.speedsnaps.co.uk

Caine tops Carrera Cup testing at Donington Park

Michael Caine was the pacesetter ahead of rounds 17 and 18 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB during testing at Donington Park today (Friday 17 September) as eight-tenths of a second covered the top eleven cars in the fiercely competitive field.

While Caine (Motorbase Performance) and his title rival Tim Harvey (Red Line Racing) topped the times, the chasing pack was firmly in contention as Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing), Charlie Bateman (Motorbase Performance), Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing) and Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) all lapped within half a second of Caine’s best time.

In pro-am1, Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing), Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) and Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) were covered by less than a fifth of a second, while in pro-am2 Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) led the times over title rival George Brewster (Celtic Speed).

“The car feels that there is a bit more time to come,” reckoned Caine after dipping to a 1m08.408s best in the closing moments of the afternoon test session. “We went out on new rubber at the end of the session.” Having completed a race run on old rubber earlier in the afternoon session, Harvey also made the switch to new tyres for the last 10 minutes and chased Caine around to go second fastest just as the chequered flag came out. At the start of the day, Harvey had won a free set of tyres in the Michelin tyre draw and he used them at the end of the session. “The free set of tyres was most useful,” said Harvey. “We changed the car before the second test and the race run was absolutely fantastic,” he added.

Geddie was a very strong third and was on a better lap still when the red flag came out after Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing) spun into the gravel. Meanwhile, Bateman also showed excellent pace without using new tyres. “We sorted out a brake problem this morning and the car felt brilliant,” said Bateman.

Packing out the top eight were Jelley, Meadows, Tom Bradshaw (JHR) and Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing), with Bradshaw running well on his return to the championship after missing the previous two race weekends.

In pro-am1, the stage is set for some tremendous race action with Gelzinis, on his debut at Donington, just ahead of the flying Al Harthy and championship leader Jackson, while Gilham was fourth fastest despite his trip into the gravel.

Topping pro-am2 was McMenamin after a good performance. “I put in a couple of really good laps and I’ve been on old tyres all day, so I’m pleased with the pace,” said McMenamin. Brewster and George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) were second and third in pro-am2, which currently features the closest title contest in the championship.

Triple Eight Race Engineering is finalising plans to enter the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2011.

The team, which has won 20 British Touring Car Championship titles over the last decade, has been keeping an eye on the Carrera Cup GB for some time. Following discussions with Porsche Cars GB and various drivers, the team has decided to enter the Carrera Cup GB in 2011, subject to the allocation of cars.

Ian Harrison, Chairman of Triple Eight Race Engineering said: “Our vast experience in British Touring Cars means that we have the technical expertise as well as the knowledge of all the tracks where the Porsche Carrera Cup GB races. We have been looking at entering this series for a while now and with the introduction of the new model 911GT3 Cup car for 2011, we feel that the time is right for us to take part in what is a very competitive championship.”

Further discussions are currently on-going with several potential drivers to front this assault on the championship and the team hopes to be able to announce more about this exiting new venture before the end of the 2010 season.

The eleventh programme in the dedicated television coverage of the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be broadcast in the Motorsport UK programme on ITV4 at 5pm on Tuesday 14 September, on ITV1 on the night of Sunday 19 September and will also be repeated on ITV4 on Saturday 18 September.

The Motorsport UK series, which features hour-long programmes, is covering all of the Carrera Cup GB action again this season. Round 13 of the season at Silverstone will feature in this programme.

Motorsport UK will be broadcast as follows:
Tuesday 14 September at 5pm on ITV4
Saturday 18 September at 1pm on ITV4
Monday 20 September at 3.25am on ITV1

Viewing figures from Motorsport UK in 2009 showed a typical total programme audience of between 300,000 and 500.000 viewers. Motorsport UK can also be watched at itv.com and is available for viewing for 28 days after the initial broadcast date.

The penultimate race weekend of the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season at Donington Park (18/19 September) takes teams and drivers back to one of the most popular venues on the schedule as the title contests head into the closing stages.

With all four titles still to be decided, there will be great action throughout the grid as drivers and teams battle for vital points and every driver on the grid relishes the prospect of a return to racing at Donington Park.

In what is proving to be the best season yet for the Carrera Cup GB, Harvey stormed the first half of the season to win nine out of 10 races and take a 40-point championship lead. But the balance of power has changed since the mid-season break and Caine has now won four of the last six races to trim the margin back to 27 points.

For a driver of Harvey’s class, that is still a pretty comfortable situation and he showed in the opening race at Knockhill that’s he not prepared to sit back and cruise to the title. He battled ahead of Caine in that race but then had the escape of the season in the second Knockhill race. Coolant on the track at the start of the second lap sent Harvey slithering off the road. “It’s not often you go through the gravel, hit the wall, loose the splitter and flat spot the tyres and still finish fourth,” he said later.

Caine’s team boss at Motorbase Performance, David Bartrum, could scarcely believe it. “Even when he has a bad day, Tim still gets good points,” said an incredulous Bartrum. In reality, it will now need a non-finish for Harvey if Caine is to get close enough to really fight for the title.

But this is not just a two-way contest. Adding to the mix in the pro category will be Stephen Jelley, Euan Hankey, Glynn Geddie, Michael Meadows and Charlie Bateman and all of them are chasing a first Carrera Cup win. Jelley is on home ground this weekend and has shown fine pace, while Hankey was right back on the pace at Knockhill.

Beyond the overall title race, three more titles are still to be decided. In pro-am1, Ollie Jackson has a firm grip on the title, but cannot relax just yet as Jonas Gelzinis and Tony Gilham are still challenging. Jackson is both quick and consistent and stretched his remarkable Carrera Cup point-scoring sequence to 36 races in Scotland last time out. But a great double win north of the border went to Tony Gilham, one of the hardest working drivers on the grid. Gilham battles to raise the money to keep racing and was rewarded with a double at Knockhill, which has taken him closer to Lithuanian racer Gelzinis in the points. As usual, Jonas and his team mate Tautvydas Barstys will have to learn the Donington track during Friday’s test sessions.

In pro-am2, it is getting very close as dropped scores come into play and Glenn McMenamin now heads George Brewster by only two points. Drivers in pro-am2 count only their best seven weekend scores, so the permutations are many and varied, as George Richardson and Mark Hazell lead the chase.

Finally, in the battle for the coveted team title, Red Line Racing leads Motorbase Performance by only eight points as Harvey and Meadows score points for Red Line and Caine and Bateman fly the Motorbase flag.

After qualifying at 14.40 on Saturday, round 17 will start at 10.45am on Sunday, while round 18 will be at 3.45pm and will be broadcast live on ITV4 during the extensive BTCC programme.

Red Line Racing will be back to a six-car team in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Donington Park next weekend (18/19 September) with Turkish racer Yucel Ozbek joining the squad to race the car driven by Archie Hamilton earlier in the season.

Ozbek, from Istanbul, is a front runner in the GT3 Cup Challenge Eastern Europe but will now make a big step forward to the Carrera Cup GB and also plans to take in the two final races at Brands Hatch.

Team boss Simon Leonard is delighted to be able to run the Turkish racer over the final four rounds of the championship. “Yucel wanted to race in Britain this season and we are very pleased to bring him into the team,” said Leonard. “He’s done well in the GT3 Cup Challenge in Eastern Europe, and this is now a fresh challenge. We’re running him in a test next week and I hope he’ll settle in very well in the pro-am1 category.”

Ozbek (45) currently lies third in the points’ standings for the GT3 Cup Challenge Eastern Europe and was runner-up in the 2009 Porsche Cup Turkey. He has also raced Porsches in international GT races.

LATEST ARTIST’S IMPRESSIONS OF NEW NGTC PROTOTYPE RELEASED BY BTCC

Advanced artist’s impressions of the British Touring Car Championship’s new ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ prototype have been released.

The development car, being built by GPR Motorsport in Buckingham and based on the Toyota Avensis, will soon be testing ahead of its public track debut at the Dunlop-backed series’ Finals Day fixture at Brands Hatch (9-10 October). Former double BTCC Champion James Thompson has been designated as championship organiser TOCA’s official test and development driver.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow commented: “These artist’s impressions, rendered from the actual vehicle currently being built, show what a great looking car the new regulations will produce. I’ve no doubt that a lot of people will be very impressed when they see the actual car at Brands Hatch.”

‘NGTC’ is the BTCC’s new formula of touring car that will be eligible to run in the series from next year. Although the Avensis – for which the base vehicle (pictured) was generously donated by Toyota UK – is TOCA’s own NGTC demonstration model, teams of course are free to choose the car/engine they wish to build and develop to the new regulations from 2011.

Calendar: 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (provisional)

1) – 2-3 April – Brands Hatch, Kent

2) – 16-17 April – Donington Park, Leicestershire

3) – 30 April-1 May – Thruxton, Hampshire

4) - 4-5 June – Oulton Park, Cheshire

5) – 18-19 June – Croft, North Yorkshire

6) – 6-7 August – Snetterton, Norfolk

7) – 3-4 September – Knockhill, Fife

– 17-18 September – Rockingham, Northamptonshire

9) – 1-2 October – Brands Hatch, Kent

10) – 15-16 October -Silverstone, Northamptonshire

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow commented: “Thanks to all our circuits and the British Automobile Racing Club for enabling us to be so ahead of the game in informing our competitors, partners, the media and public of next year’s BTCC calendar. By doing so, we also hope other high-profile motor sporting events can plan around these dates and hopefully avoid some of the ridiculous clashes that in recent years have proven to be highly frustrating for both fans and organising clubs, whose resources have been stretched to breaking point.”

He added: “Above all, the BTCC in 2011 will continue to race at the premier motor sporting venues around the country – a geographical spread that is of huge importance to sponsors and which also enables hundreds of thousands of fans from almost every corner of the UK to see the BTCC in action in their own back yard. We very much look forward to seeing them again in 2011.”

Caine wins Carrera Cup round 16 at Knockhill

George Brewster, pro-am2

Michael Caine won a dramatic round 16 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill today (Sunday 5 September) to narrow the gap to championship leader Tim Harvey to 27 points with four races to run.

Harvey rescued a potentially disastrous non-finish to claim fourth place after a trip through the gravel and into the tyre wall. In pro-am1, Tony Gilham completed a tremendous weekend double and guest racer Rory Butcher also wrapped up a second win in pro-am2 as George Brewster took maximum points.

There was action from the start when a multi-car tangle at Duffus Dip on the first lap delayed Stephen Jelley and sent Karl Leonard, Liam Griffin, Jonas Gelzinis and Tautvydas Barstys to the pits. Although none of the cars were left at Duffus, there was coolant dropped on the track and that was to provide more drama when the leading pack arrived on lap two. Caine (Motorbase Performance) scrambled through but Harvey slid wide at the following Scotsman Corner and ran across the gravel and nudged the tyre wall. He then scrabbled out of the gravel trap and bounced over the grass before rejoining, but lost his front splitter in the process. Meanwhile, Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) followed Harvey through the gravel and the safety car was sent out to allow the marshals to treat the slippery track.

From the restart, Caine swept ahead as Charlie Bateman (Motorbase Performance) ran second from Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing). While Caine pulled away to score a resounding win, Bateman and Hankey battled all the way to flag and Hankey took second after making the decisive move into Clark on the 13th lap. “I just got my head down after the safety car and looked after the car,” said Caine. “That was one for the team and a good birthday present for my mum,” he said.

Hankey was delighted to be back on the overall podium after a strong race, while Bateman earned the ‘driver of the weekend’ award for his fighting third place. “It was a great result and I think I had the pace to beat him. But I made a small mistake and he got through,” said Bateman. Remarkably, Harvey claimed fourth after running with team mate Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) on his tail. “It’s not often you go through the gravel, hit the wall, loose the splitter and flat spot the tyres and still finish fourth,” said Harvey after a vital recovery drive in title terms.

Into a great sixth overall and first in pro-am2 went Butcher (Celtic Speed), who had Geddie in pursuit over the closing laps. “It shows that Celtic run a great car,” said Butcher after a superb weekend, which earned Celtic Speed the ‘team of the weekend’ award. Into eighth, after a tough race with Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) went Gilham to win pro-am1 for the second time in the day. “I struggled after the re-start to get the tyres working, but it’s been a great weekend,” said Gilham.

Top scorer in pro-am2 was Brewster (Celtic Speed) after a fine race, having had George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) as a constant shadow over the first half of the race. “That might be a defining moment in the championship,” said Brewster after points’ leader Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) retired with a water leak after an early knock.

Michael Caine and Tim Harvey battle it out for race 1 honours

Harvey wins Carrera Cup round 15 at Knockhill

Tim Harvey scored one of the most important wins of his 2010 title campaign when he clinched round 15 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill today (Sunday 5 September).

While Harvey battled ahead of early leader and title rival Michael Caine, some tremendous battling all the way down the field led to victories for Tony Gilham in pro-am1 and guest racer Rory Bucher in pro-am2. But the biggest winner was Harvey, who maintained his title lead with five races left to run.

Off the line, Caine (Motorbase Performance) got the lead as Harvey (Red Line Racing) settled into second place. Behind them, Glynn Geddie and his Team Parker Racing team mates Euan Hankey and Stephen Jelley battled for third and initially Geddie went after the two leaders.

On lap four, the fierce battle between Hankey and Jelley came to a head as they dived into Duffus Dip and contact pitched Jelley onto the grass. “It was a wild ride trying to get it stopped on the grass,” said Jelley. While Hankey retired with a damaged radiator, Jelley rejoined well down the order and faced a tough race now that the car was missing its front splitter.

Up front, Harvey shadowed Caine for 15 laps and could easily have settled for a safe second place and important championship points. But Harvey had other ideas and saw where Caine was struggling before attacking on the run out of the Hairpin to take the lead as they sprinted past the pits. Once ahead, Harvey steadily eased away for a very significant win. “That was about pride,” said Harvey. “It would have been easy to follow Michael but I wanted to win for the team. It was a special win.”

Caine accepted that he did not have the pace to re-challenge Harvey. “Out of the hairpin was a real struggle; the engine was flat and Tim just drove past me,” said Caine who took a secure second place while Geddie bagged third after a strong drive on his home track. “After a few laps I was struggling for traction,” said Geddie, as Charlie Bateman (Motorbase Performance) battled into fourth. “Hankey and Jelley made it easier for me, but I struggled in the last part of the race,” said Bateman.

A tremendous fifth overall went to Butcher (Celtic Speed), who was the leading pro-am2 racer although not eligible for points. “I’m just delighted,” said the local ace. “The car was working so well.” Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) and the recovering Jelley were next up before pro-am1 winner Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing), who dived ahead of Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) in the final two laps. “I had the pace all race and it was a now or never move into the Hairpin,” said Gilham. Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) completed the pro-am1 podium, with Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) right on his tail at the finish.

While Butcher dominated pro-am2, maximum points went to George Brewster (Celtic Speed) after he fought ahead of George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) as Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) chased throughout. “Excellent,” said Brewster. “It worked out perfectly and George kept it absolutely clean.”

Caine tops Carrera Cup qualifying at Knockhill

Michael Caine, Qualifying

Michael Caine claimed a double pole position ahead of rounds 15 and 16 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill today (Saturday 4 September).

Caine topped an incredibly close qualifying session at the Scottish track to head the grid for both races, while Jonas Gelzinis set the pro-am1 pace and Rory Butcher led the pro-am2 times for each race. However, with guest racer Butcher not scoring points this weekend, George Richardson and George Brewster shared the points for pro-am2 poles.

After a troubled day in testing, Caine (Motorbase Performance) jumped to the head of the time sheets as less than a second covered the fastest 13 cars around the challenging Fife circuit. The qualifying results also allowed Caine to trim two points from Tim Harvey’s championship lead. “After the first run I thought pole would be in the 50s bracket,” said Caine. But his best lap of 51.041s was the fastest of the session. Importantly for Caine, title leader Harvey (Red Line Racing), who qualified third and then second fastest, has a gaggle of quick drivers around him.

“I need the other boys up there,” said Caine, knowing that he needs other drivers taking points from Harvey if the championship gap is to come down sufficiently for Caine to challenge over the final six races of the season. “It’s safer at the front,” added Caine. Second for race one was a good result for Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing). “That’s so much better; we’re back to the car feeling good and I hooked up all my sectors,” said the Carrera Cup Scholarship driver. Hankey was third fastest for race two, while Harvey will start from third and second places. “I think the car was capable of being on the front,” said Harvey. “I’ve just got to keep my nose clean in the first race,” he added.

Fourth on the grid for both races will be Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) after a strong session, while Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing) and Charlie Bateman (Motorbase Performance) each posted a fifth best time.

In pro-am1, Gelzinis (Juta Racing) clinched both pole positions, despite being further down the overall times than he had been in testing on Friday. “I had a spin on my first set of tyres, which was not so good,” said Gelzinis, who had category rivals Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing), Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) and Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) very close behind for what promises to be a pair of great races in pro-am1. “Today was my first run on new tyres and there’s more time to come,” said Gilham.

In pro-am2, Butcher (Celtic Speed) set a fierce pace, ending the session with eighth and tenth places overall. “We’ve made up a lot of time since testing and I’m now up where I’d hoped to be,” said the young Scot. The points for pro-am2 poles, however, went to George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) and George Brewster (Celtic Speed), with category leader Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) also well in contention as a tenth of a second covered the three title contenders on the grid for round 15. “Our engineer Patrick said to park it; we weren’t going any quicker,” said Richardson of the later stages of qualifying.

Jelley tops Carrera Cup testing at Knockhill

Stephen Jelley was the pacesetter ahead of rounds 15 and 16 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB during testing at Knockhill today (Friday 3 September). In an incredibly close set of times, the top four cars were covered by seven-hundredths of a second, while the fastest 12 cars were all within one second.

As Jelley (Team Parker Racing) topped the times, Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) was a superb third fastest overall to head the pro-am1 category and Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) set the pro-am2 pace in a fine 12th place overall. The Knockhill weather, which can so often be troublesome, was perfect with zero wind and an ambient temperature of 20 degrees, while the track temperature was up at 35 degrees when the afternoon test session started.

Though he narrowly topped the times, Jelley felt he could have gone a little faster on his new tyres. “I out-braked myself on my best lap and so I think I’ve got a couple of tenths in my pocket. We’ll see,” he said. Tim Harvey (Red Line Racing) was fastest in the morning session and ended the day second, despite not using new tyres. “I’m very happy with that,” said the championship leader. “We did a bit of a race run this afternoon and we’re looking very good,” said a confident Harvey.

Sharing the same time to be third and fourth were Gelzinis and Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing). Gelzinis was even higher up the order than usual, having for once not had to learn the track during Friday’s testing. “I had one more day to learn the circuit,” he said, after running at Knockhill on Wednesday along with most of the leading drivers. “It’s quite a tricky circuit and you have to be brave in some corners,” said the Lithuanian racer.

Meadows continued his strong form of the second half of the season to match the time of Gelzinis, with Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) fifth fastest before the second of the pro-am1 drivers. Sixth overall, on his first experience of Knockhill, was Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) with an excellent day’s work. “I’m really delighted with that,” said the Oman racer. “We know we have the pace to do it and we can build on that for tomorrow,” he said after making it three Red Line Racing cars in the top six overall.

Euan Hankey and Glynn Geddie were next up for Team Parker Racing, before Charlie Bateman (Motorbase Performance), while third and fourth in pro-am1 were Addison Lee Motorbase duo Ollie Jackson and Liam Griffin.

McMenamin just edged locals George Brewster and Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) to top the pro-am2 times. “It eventually came,” said McMenamin of his best time. “It’s all about commitment here and I was just pushing and pushing,” said McMenamin.

Double Carrera Cup action in Britain

A little piece of Porsche racing history was made over the weekend (4/5 September) when two different Carrera Cup competitions ran in the same country. While the Porsche Carrera Cup GB had a pair of races at Knockhill, the Carrera Cup Germany was in action at Brands Hatch as a support race to the DTM.

The global Carrera Cup concept runs in seven countries or regions, with championships in Asia, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Scandinavia. The Carrera Cup GB was established in 2003 and is a leading support race to the MSA British Touring Car Championship.

With 23 cars at Knockhill and 17 racing at Brands Hatch, a total of 40 911 GT3 Cup cars raced in Britain on Sunday.

At Brands Hatch, British racer Nick Tandy used his local knowledge to win and close the gap to championship leader Nicolas Armindo to just seven points with two races to run.

Meanwhile, at Knockhill there was a win apiece for Tim Harvey and Michael Caine as the points’ gap between these two long-established rivals reduced to 27 points with four races left to run.

The Carrera Cup GB continues at Donington Park on 18/19 September for rounds 17 and 18 of the 20-race season.

Team sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport secured another three top ten finishes in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship during the annual trip to Scotland for the eighth round of the year at Knockhill.

Widnes-racer Paul O’Neill battled back from on-track incidents in the opening two races of the day, which ultimately left him lower down the results than his performances had deserved, to storm through the grid from tenth to fourth in the final race of the weekend.

Paul started the opening race from sixth on the grid although he lost two places to the LPG-powered Fords off the line. However, he soon got ahead of Tom Onslow-Cole and remained seventh through to the deployment of the Safety Car on lap 14. On the restart, Paul was one of a number of drivers to be blocked by debutant Jeff Smith, despite the Triple Eight driver being a lap down after an earlier pit-stop. Contact between Paul and the Vauxhall at Scotsman saw his Honda Integra go off across the gravel and led to damage to the steering, which meant he had to settle for eighth place.

Paul retained eighth place following the opening lap of race two and after an early safety car period, he moved up to seventh with a forceful move on the Chevrolet of Alex MacDowall at the hairpin. Paul then closed on the Ford of Onslow-Cole to move into sixth and set about chasing down the five cars ahead – consistently lapping as the quickest driver on track as the race wore on. However, having caught up with Tom Chilton and Steven Kane, Paul was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the pair collided, with Kane’s out of control BMW tipping Paul into a spin. Although he resumed, the time lost saw him drop down to tenth place at the finish.

Starting from the same position for the final race of the weekend, Paul was in fine form when the lights went out and quickly fought his way through to sixth place, where he was running when the Safety Car was deployed after Dave Pinkney went off track. When the race resumed, Paul soon got ahead of James Nash into fifth place before taking advantage of an error from Andy Jordan to go inside the Pirtek Racing man into Clark’s to move up to fourth.

Although he briefly dropped behind Mat Jackson, Paul soon found a way back ahead of the Airwaves BMW driver to finish just outside the podium positions in fourth place.

“Today is what racing is all about,” he said. “It’s been a real rollercoaster ride where we were up one moment and down the next, but the guys kept working hard and gave me the quickest car on track for race three. That was a fantastic result for us from tenth on the grid and is almost as good as the second place at Silverstone because it is so tight round here and difficult to pass.

“It might have been different if we’d not had the incidents earlier in the day but I don’t look at what might have been – I just go out there and do the best with what has been thrown at us. John was quick again in the final race of the weekend as well and it shows the good work the team continues to do with the car and the pace that the Honda Integra has.”

Guernsey-based team-mate John George qualified 14th on the grid at the wheel of the sister car, but his hopes of building on the impressive speed he showed last time out at Silverstone took a blow when he was forced to retire from the opening race early on.

Contact from the SEAT of Tom Boardman heading into turn one saw John go off across the gravel, which damaged the front of his car and forced him back to the pits. Lining up from the back of the grid for race two as a result, John battled his way through to 13th at the chequered flag, having spent much of the race stuck behind Boardman’s SEAT despite having a quicker car.

The final race of the weekend saw John once again show the way in which he has improved this season as he battled his way forwards into the points scoring positions; climbing as high as ninth when he got ahead of the works Chevrolet of Alex MacDowall on lap 17. A mistake at Clark’s saw John run wide and drop back to twelfth before a late race fight with home hero Gordon Shedden saw John briefly get ahead of the Honda driver.

Although he finished the race outside the points in twelfth, his performance was a further indication of the progress made over the course of the year.

“That last race was great!” he said. “To get ahead of Gordon Shedden like that ticks a box for me and I’d had a good race before that with the likes of Andy Neate and Alex. The car was really sorted and the team did a great job to repair it after the damage earlier in the day.

“It’s fantastic to be out there racing these guys and showing that my recent pace hasn’t been a one off. But more than anything, it is great to put in a good performance for the team as they continue to give me a fantastic car. I just want to repay them.”

Tech-Speed chief Marvin Humphries was quick to praise both drivers for their performance on race day, with the older BTC-spec Hondas again taking the fight to more modern machinery on track.

“It was a good effort in the final race and Paul and John both drove well,” he said. “John might have missed out on the points but he has a smile on his face and put in a really good performance that we’re pleased with. He had a tough start to the day but the result in race three shows how he has improved. Paul’s drive through from tenth to fourth was also a great way for him to end the day and he was right on the pace.

“Things definitely haven’t rolled out way today but Paul showed in that last race that he has the pace to run at the front. The boys have done a great job again with the cars to get them out on track for all three races and we’ll head to Donington keen to keep fighting.”

Sunshine.co.uk MD Chris Brown was also delighted with the way the weekend came to an end after difficult times earlier on race day.

“Race one and two were a bit frustrating, but the final race was great,” he said. “It’s bit like Snetterton and Silverstone, where we ended things on a high.

“Paul was fantastic again and even though his fourth place in race three was a brilliant result for him and the team, he deserved more from the day. After retiring at the start of race one, John fought back really well and he showed again that he is quick enough to fight for a points-scoring finish. We can be confident for the rest of the season.”

Report: Matt Salisbury
Photography: www.speedsnaps.co.uk

David Pinkney and his Pinkney Motorsport team enjoyed success and frustration at Knockhill for the latest round of the British Touring Car Championship.

PINKNEY ENJOYS ‘BEST QUALIFYING’ AT KNOCKHILL

The Pinkney Motorsport team enjoyed a strong qualifying session at Knockhill ahead of the eighth round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

Harpenden-racer David Pinkney secured 13th on the grid during the Scottish qualifying session after the team made drastic changes to its Vauxhall Vectra over the course of the day in an effort to find more speed in the car.

The weekend started with David setting the 13th quickest time in the opening 40 minute practice session before the NGTC-powered Vectra ended FP2 two places back in 15th, despite an improvement in lap times.

In a closely fought qualifying session, David again improved his times to post a best lap of 53.920secs and earn a place on the seventh row of the grid – just nine-tenths of a second away from pole.

“When you look at some of the cars on the grid, like the Chevrolet and the Ford, you know it will be difficult to get into the top ten,” he said. “But we’ve done a good job today and have made good progress. We made massive changes to the car during the day and have gone quicker in each session, but we just need to find that last little bit as the car still isn’t quite to my liking; it’s a bit too loose.

“I think we have good race pace as we have been consistent in our times today, so we’ll see how race day goes.”

Team manager Andrew Dean said he felt the Scottish session marked the team’s best qualifying of the season after it made large strides over the course of the day.

“In terms of progress, that is our best qualifying of the year,” he said. “After practice, we looked at the data to see where we needed to find the time and if you then overlay the information from second practice and qualifying, you can see that we found it. There was maybe another tenth of a second that we could have had as David didn’t manage to string his best lap together, but it’s been a solid performance from us.

“We have genuine pace to run with the midfield pack tomorrow and the likes of Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson are just ahead of us, so it’s all good.”

SCOTTISH FRUSTRATION FOR PINKNEY ON KNOCKHILL RACE DAY

Harpenden racer David Pinkney suffered a frustrating end to the weekend at Knockhill after being forced to retire from two of the three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races on Scottish soil.

The Pinkney Motorsport driver started the first race of the weekend from 13th on the grid after a solid performance in qualifying and held his place through the opening laps of the race, setting a series of quick and consistent laps to keep in touch with the cars ahead. When James Nash and Rob Collard then went off the road in separate incidents, David moved up to eleventh and was well placed to battle his way into the points.

With a huge battle for position ahead, David took advantage of a clash between Mat Jackson and Andrew Jordan to climb as high as ninth, but on the penultimate lap of the race, he ran slightly wide through the John R Weir Chicane and put a wheel in the gravel; with the subsequent delay dropping him back to eleventh at the chequered flag.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a points-scoring finish, David headed into race two in a strong position on the grid, but his race came to an early end when his Vauxhall got out of shape through the SEAT Curves on lap one. David went into a spin across the grass before collecting the BMW of Rob Collard as his car came back across the circuit at Scotsman and the damage sustained was more than enough to put him out on the spot.

With the car suffering heavy damage to the front end, the team faced a race against time to try and get David out onto the grid for the final race, but the battle-scarred Vectra took its place at the back of the field for race three. Making up places on the opening laps, David found himself running in 13th place behind the SEAT of Tom Boardman but his hopes of climbing further up the field were ended on lap nine when he was fired into the gravel at Scotsman by debutant Jeff Smith and forced to retire for the second successive race.

“That’s the second time in the BTCC that I have been knocked off at that corner by a driver named Smith,” David said afterwards. “It’s an annoying way to finish the day after the way the guys worked to get the car out for the final race and even more annoying that Boardman retired just after me as my car was quick; he’d just been holding me up.

“The car was good in the first race but in the second, I just got onto the marbles and there is no margin for error here. I didn’t think we’d be back out for the final race and it’s poor reward for the guys that that was the way it ended.”

Team manager Andrew Dean shared in David’s disappointing that a race day that started well had ended without the team securing any points to add to its championship tally.

“It’s a very frustrating way to finish the weekend,” he said. “We made a good start to race day with eleventh and we looked like we were set up for some good results. However, the incident in race two put us to the back of the grid, although the guys did a fantastic job in the time available to make sure we were even able to take the start for race three.

“The car was probably handling better than it had done all day but David was just unable to find a way past Tom Boardman as it isn’t easy to overtake round here – unless of course you can drive straight past on the straight as Tom Chilton did to both us and Boardman in the final race! Then, a manoeuvre by an obvious BTCC rookie, who attempted to go for a gap that wasn’t there, took us out of the race. It’s a shame as I think we could have come from the back to finish inside the top ten.”

Reports: Matt Salisbury
Photography: PSP Images

James Tucker raced at the super fast Norfolk circuit, Snetterton, this windy August Bank Holiday weekend.

The young Burntwood racing driver gained 7th place in Qualifying, making him the fastest rookie driver on the track.

The first race came, as did the rain, after a dry qualifying session, this made the first few laps a leap into the unknown with no previous practice in full wet conditions around the track. Despite this James managed to hold onto his position over the first few laps, over the more experienced drivers, getting faster every lap. Half way through the race, the gap to the lead group started to close enabling James to dive around the outside, of the pole sitter, into the Esses chicane, the fastest part of the circuit, on the brakes to take 6th place. However the move halted his progress as it caused a gap to the next car.

Race 2 and straight from the off James was stuck in a 10 way battle for the lead but as the race got further in frustrations grew, coming to a climax on lap 3 where, Josh Hill, son of 1996 Formula 1 World Champion, went for a desperate move into the second part of the Esses chicane, hitting James’ wheel. This threw Hill up into the air, breaking his suspension and putting him out of the race, the impact also bent James’ rear suspension, leaving him to struggle with a badly handling car. James struggled round for the next 4 laps only dropping one place until he was hit by another bit of bad luck, he picked up a puncture from the debris left from the incident. This forced a pit stop, something that does not normally happen in Formula Ford, this being the first one of the year, for a tyre change. James finished the race in last position due to the puncture, put managed to set 5th fastest lap on his spare tyre and bent suspension.

James said, “The weekend was looking so good from qualifying and practice, even in race 1 it was still going well. Unfortunately bad luck hit in race 2, but that’s racings ‘ups and downs’. I am still very happy with my pace in race 2 despite everything being against me and I am now looking forward to the race next weekend at Brands Hatch.”

There is plenty of racing around the country this bank holiday weekend.

Snetterton – British F3, British GT, Formula Ford, VW support races

Oulton Park – HSCC Gold Cup

Mallory Park – CSCC and Monoposto

Thruxton – Great and British

Silverstone – 750MC

Rockingham – Britcar & BRSCC

Castle Combe – A Plant LUX Sportscar Raceday

Lydden Hill – Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship

And on two wheels…

Anglesey – Hottrax bike racing

Brands Hatch – Thundersport GP Bike Races

Cadwell Park – British Superbikes

Caine completes Carrera Cup double at Silverstone

Michael Caine made it a perfect weekend by winning round 14 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Silverstone today (Sunday 22 August). Caine had to fight ahead of Tim Harvey to make sure of victory, but a hard-earned second place keeps Harvey at the head of the title race with six races to run.

Jonas Gelzinis won pro-am1 despite big pressure from Ollie Jackson, while Glenn McMenamin completed a tremendous day by winning pro-am2 for the second time.

Harvey (Red Line Racing) made a great start from pole and went clear on the opening lap as Caine (Motorbase Performance) fended off Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing) to take second. But it was soon clear that Caine had exceptional pace as he closed in on Harvey and they ran nose-to-tail until lap nine when Caine saw his chance at Luffield and squeezed through into the lead.

Once ahead, Caine quickly built his lead while Jelley reeled Harvey in, as Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) and Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) ran in Jelley’s wheel tracks. Rather than try and go after Caine, Harvey had to concentrate on the growing challenge. Then, on lap 15 the safety car was deployed while Paul Mace’s car was moved clear.

Caine shot clear again at the re-start, but Harvey now had a queue of cars behind him and spent the rest of the race under intense pressure. Jelley even dived ahead as they braked for Brooklands, but with the medical car on course after Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) went off at Luffield, Jelley dropped back in behind Harvey until they cleared the incident. That was how they finished, with Jelley, Meadows and Geddie crossing the line in close formation behind Harvey.

However, Caine had been the dominant force of the weekend. “We just had the best car out there,” said Caine. “It’s a bit easier when your car is so good.” Caine earned the ‘driver of the weekend’ award for his performance. Harvey had to fight to the line for second and the championship lead, while Jelley claimed another podium finish. “Our car was really good and we had the pace for second,” said Jelley.

Gelzinis (Juta Racing) had to work hard to get ahead of Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing) and then ran a fine sixth overall chasing Geddie while defending his place from pro-am1 rival Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase). “It’s been a difficult day and I tried a few times to overtake Euan Hankey,” said Gelzinis. Jackson was close behind at the flag to maintain his pro-am1 title lead. “I lost two places with a terrible start,” said Jackson. “I tried to get past Gelzinis when he was behind Hankey,” said Jackson as Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) completed the pro-am1 podium.

McMenamin (Red Line Racing) completed a great day by leading pro-am1 throughout, keeping George Brewster (Celtic Speed) and George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) at bay. “I can’t ask for more than that; it’s been a big day for the championship,” said McMenamin. “Luckily I got away cleanly at the re-start,” added McMenamin as Brewster held off Richardson for second. Celtic Speed took the ‘team of the weekend’ award.

Caine takes Carrera Cup round 13 at Silverstone

Michael Caine scored an emphatic victory in round 13 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Silverstone today (Sunday 22 August). While Caine dominated the race, Tim Harvey maintained his championship lead with second place as he scored his 100th Carrera Cup GB podium.

With fierce battling all the way down the superb 27-car field, Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) claimed another pro-am1 victory and Glenn McMenamin withstood race-long pressure to win pro-am2.

The biggest challenge to Caine (Motorbase Performance) came on the opening lap when he had a poor start and had to fight with Harvey (Red Line Racing) over the first two corners. Slight contact between the two cars left Harvey contending with tracking that was out of line and he struggled for pace. However, Caine was in stunning form and pulled clear at the head of the field to score a resounding win, his third of the season.

“I didn’t get a very good start and had to brace it out on the first lap,” said Caine. “But when I got my head down the pace was good,” he said after stretching his lead to nearly seven seconds at the flag. Second place for Harvey was good for his championship bid, but over the final lap he had to fend off Stephen Jelley (Red Line Racing). “I’m pleased with the result but not with the pace,” said Harvey. “When you can’t take the win, you take the best you can.”

Jelley drove a fine race to battle ahead of Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) after a long contest. Once into third, Jelley set off after Harvey and was right on the championship leader’s tail at the finish. “The car was mega; even when the tyres were old,” said Jelley.

Meadows ran home fourth to repeat his strong qualifying form, but had pro-am1 leader Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) as a constant shadow. “I probably had the pace to have a go at Michael, but pro-am1 points were more important,” said Jackson. “The car was absolutely spot on all the way through the race,” he added. Behind Jackson, Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) turned in a superb recovery drive having twice had to take to the grass on the opening laps to avoid other cars. From 14th place, he fought back to sixth at the flag.

Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) ran second in pro-am1 for much of the race, but then spun at Luffield and hit the car of Bob Lyons (Celtic Speed), who was trying to stay out of the way. With a damaged wheel, Gelzinis was forced out and that promoted Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing) and Michael Leonard (Team Parker Racing) to the pro-am1 podium.

Pro-am2 was the focus of a race-long battle as McMenamin (Red Line Racing) had to withstand constant pressure from George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) and George Brewster (Celtic Speed). “That was absolute pressure from the outset,” said McMenamin. “The two Georges were at me all the time,” he added. But with a faultless drive, McMenamin held off his challengers for a fine win. Richardson ran second initially, but an error at Luffield allowed Brewster the opportunity he needed to grab the place.

Photo: www.speedsnaps.co.uk

Team sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport enjoyed a stunning weekend at Silverstone to secure a third podium finish of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

Widnes-racer Paul O’Neill secured a fine second place in the final race of the weekend to add to podium finishes at Thruxton and Rockingham, while Guernsey-based team-mate John George enjoyed his best weekend of racing in the BTCC even though he was unable to add to his points tally.

Paul qualified seventh at the wheel of his Honda Integra and finished in the same position in race one having spent the entire 22 laps fixed onto the rear of Rob Collard’s BMW.

Having held position at the start of race two, Paul was then embroiled in a heated battle for position with Matt Neal that saw the pair swap places through the final laps as they duelled for fifth place. Matt eventually won the battle after pushing Paul wide exiting the final corner of the race to take fifth, although sixth gave Paul pole position for the final race of the day.

Photo: www.speedsnaps.co.uk

A good start allowed Paul to hold the lead into Copse, with contact between Neal and Jason Plato allowing him to break away from the chasing pack, only to lose his advantage when the Safety Car was deployed following an accident further down the order.

With the two LPG-powered Fords behind, Paul faced a battle to retain the lead but successfully kept Tom Onslow-Cole behind for two laps after the restart before the Ford blasted past. However, Paul was able to keep Tom Chilton at bay in the sister car and broke away from the chasing pack as he followed Onslow-Cole home for a hard-earned second place finish.

“Without the Safety Car, we had a chance to win that race but we lost the best of the tyres when it was deployed,” he said. “We knew the Fords were going to be quick but I just went out there and raced my own race. I got my best start of the year and was able to defend well and second place is almost as good as a win. The fact I was able to pull away from Chilton is testament to the Tech-Speed for the job they have done in giving me a great car.

Photo: www.speedsnaps.co.uk

“We don’t have a big budget like some of the other teams, but every time I go out on track, the team tells me to do my best. That’s exactly what I did and a podium is a great result.”

Team-mate John enjoyed a fine day in the second car even though a mechanical issue robbed him of a points finish in the final race of the weekend.

Having qualified 15th, John finished the first race in 17th place having been delayed on the opening lap but he then enjoyed two of the best races of his BTCC career – although he wasn’t rewarded with the points he deserved.

From 17th on the grid, John made up four places on the opening lap and then moved into twelfth before closing onto the rear of James Nash’s Vauxhall. However, contact from the following BMW of Mat Jackson turning into Brooklands on lap eleven saw John suffer a spin that dropped him to the rear of the field.

Refusing to let his head drop, John battled back up to 14th place at the finish and took the start of race three looking to break into the points.

A solid first lap saw him make up two places off the line and the forward progress continued as John climbed into the top ten. Having battled for ninth with Phil Glew, John was overhauled by the Chevrolet of Jason Plato but was unable to try and battle back into the points when a mechanical issue forced him out.

“I knew all weekend that we had the pace in the car and it was great to be on it,” he said, “even if it’s disappointing not to be able to score a point. This has been my best weekend ever when it comes to my own performance at the wheel of the car as I was able to dice with the likes of Jackson and Plato on track.

“The incident with Jackson in race two soured it a little bit as he touched me a few times and didn’t need to do that, but overall I can go away from the weekend happy with how I’ve performed.”

Tech-Speed chief Marvin Humphries said he was pleased with the return to form after a difficult time at Snetterton two weeks earlier.

“That makes up for Snetterton a bit,” he said. “We’ve done a good job here and it went well, aside from the issue for John at the end. Paul was probably the only person who really gave the gas cars a race today and that was a great result to end the weekend with. Three top tens and a podium isn’t bad in this company.

“John did really well this weekend and you can see he is getting more confident in the car as he is out there racing with some good drivers. It was disappointing that he got put into a spin in race two and then had the problem in race three as two drivers in the top ten would have been a fantastic result for the team.”

Sunshine.co.uk MD Chris Brown was also delighted with a return to the podium even though he admitted to mixed emotions at John’s performance going unrewarded.

“I didn’t think Paul would be able to fight the Fords but he did brilliantly,” he said. “I kept expecting Chilton to find a way through, but Paul was able to drive away from him as he chased Onslow-Cole and second is a fantastic result. The second place at Rockingham was good, but here you could see he was hanging on for dear life and getting everything from the car; it was brilliant.

“I’m gutted for John as he was driving like a demon today. I honestly believe he is one of the most under-rated drivers out there. He really applied himself well on track and it is only through bad luck that his performance hasn’t been rewarded with some points. Tech-Speed have once again done a brilliant job with the cars and the drivers have done us proud.”