RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

TRS (ESSEX) LTD BRANDS HATCH STAGE RALLY

Stage Rallying returned to Brands Hatch on Sunday 22nd January 2012 with the successful second running of the TRS (Essex) Ltd Brands Hatch Stage Rally.

Chelmsford Motor Club, the JLT Sport / MSA Club of the Year 2009, secured a full entry within only two days of entries opening. The capacity field enjoyed the variation of stages on offer, which utilised the full venue including the Indy circuit, paddock, pitlane and rally course.

Over 1500 spectators attended the event and with such strong support the rally has established itself as the annual opening fixture of the Brands Hatch calendar. Clerk of the Course Tony Clements commented, “We are pleased with how everything went and thanks must go to MSV and Jonathan Palmer for their co-operation in bringing stage rallying back to Brands Hatch.”

With drama striking the early leading crew of Nigel Mummery / Fiona Scarrett in their Ford Focus WRC and subsequent leaders John Indri / Keith Hounslow in their Darrian T90, it was the Darrian T9 of Jeremy Straker / Mark Straker who came through to win the event. Jeremy said

“With the high quality entry I wasn’t expecting to be standing here making the winner’s speech today, fortunately things went my way and I have achieved my first outright win in 14 years of rallying.”

Chelmsford MC organise many events throughout the year and have around 400 members, the majority of whom are active competitors, marshals and organisers.

Award Winners

1st Overall Jeremy Straker / Mark Straker (Class C ) Darrian T9 45:05

2nd Overall Paul King / Alicia Miles (Class C ) Ford Escort RS 46:06

3rd Overall Tom Roberts / Nicky Marriott (Class E ) Mitsubushi Lancer Evo 6 46:12

1st Class A Ian Barnard / Will Barnard Vauxhall Nova 48:35

1st Class B Richard Davies / Gareth Wilcox Ford Escort MK II 47:25

1st Class C Alan Thompson / Helen Straker Ford Fiesta 46:16

1st Class D Ian Hucklebridge / Gary Johnson Ford Escort 46:50

1st Class E Gareth Hurford-Jones / Emlyn Hurford-Jones Ford Escort Cosworth Grp A 49:26

Full results available at http://www.mcsrallyresults.co.uk/2012TRSBHS.html

Jack Frost Rally (DDMC) – Sunday 22 January

Darlington & District Motor Club’s annual event for rally cars run on stages all within the confines of the Croft Circuit.

________________________________________

Motorcycle races (NEMCRC) – Saturday 31 March – 1st April

________________________________________

Car Races (BARC) – Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 April

The first of three top-class club level events being run at Croft in 2012 by the famed British Automobile Racing Club. A packed two-day programme includes qualifying and races for hotly contested categories such as N.W. Sports and Saloons, Clubmans Cup, Classic Clubmans, Kumho BMW, Max 5, Crossle sportscars, 125cc gearbox Karts

________________________________________

Car Races (DDMC) – Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 May

The first of four appearances by the Darlington & District Motor Club’s Northern Saloon and Sportscars Championship at its spiritual home of Croft in 2012 (rounds 3 & 4 of 14). The championship was one of UK motor sport’s best supported club-level series in 2011 with oversubscribed entries forcing the DDMC to run extra races for its near-capacity grids. With more than 20 different makes and models of car on the grid it’s a golden opportunity to see the best drivers from the region in action over the two days. Other categories include Saker sportscars plus 1 TBA & VW Fun Cup Endurance Race (Sat evening only)

________________________________________

British Touring Car Championship – Saturday 23 – Sunday 24 June

The stars of Britain’s premier motor racing championship are back at Croft! Honda ace Matt Neal won two of the three races at Croft in 2011 on his way to the crown – can he do the same again in 2012 as he seeks to equal Andy Rouse’s record of four titles? Two days of non-stop bumper-to-bumper, fender-bending action featuring BTCC practice, qualifying and (Sunday) three races plus plenty more thrills and spills from the supporting categories such as Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Ginetta GT Supercup, Ginetta Juniors etc. Public access includes paddock and BTCC driver autograph session.

________________________________________

Car Races (BARC) – Saturday 21 – Sunday 22 July

Another weekend full of superb club action from the BARC with categories including Porsche Club GB, 2CV, Max 5, Honda VTEC, Darlington & District Motor Club Saloon & Sportscars. Headlining are the Formula Renault (BARC) single-seater and Porsche GT3 Cup sportscar championships, each using cars previously used in their more senior BTCC-supporting series

________________________________________

Nostalgia Weekend (HSCC) – Saturday 4 – Sunday 5 August

A magical trip down memory lane! On-track single-seater, saloon, GT and sportscar motor races for cars from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s & 1970s. Off-track hundreds of classic cars and motorcycle displays plus a fascinating and unmissable WWII presence including tanks, jeeps, buses, cars, music, fashion, catering and, in the sky, air displays courtesy of Croft Military. Dressing in period style is a must (but not compulsory!) for all public visitors for what is truly one of the big highlights of the year at Croft

________________________________________

Motorcycle Races (Derby Phoenix) – Saturday 18 – Sunday 19 August

________________________________________

Car Races (DDMC) – Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 September

The title race in the Northern Saloon & Sportscars Championship will be hotting up as it enters its penultimate two races of 2012. Also on the race card are Porsches, Scottish Mini Coopers, Mazda MX5s, MGCC Cockshoot Cup

________________________________________

Car Races (BARC) – Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 September

The BARC’s final appearance at Croft in 2012 with the thrilling final title-deciding rounds for its raved-about InterSteps single-seater category, Production Touring Car Trophy and Mini Se7en/Mini Miglia series. Further action is provided by Legends and 250cc gearbox Karts while it’s also the final two races of 2012 for the DDMC’s Northern Sports & Saloon Car Championship as it crowns its new Champion

________________________________________

British Rallycross – Sunday 28 October

After a successful return to Croft in 2011, more robust rallycross action is on the cards in 2012. Categories expected include Swifts, Hot Hatches and Supernationals right up to the flame-belching 450bhp Supercars expected. Watch this space for more info!

________________________________________

Roger Albert Clark Rally – Saturday 24 November

Recreating the Lombard RAC Rallies during a time many believe was rallying’s golden era, Britain’s (and one of the world’s) favourite events for historic cars stops off for two stages at Croft as part of its gruelling four-day route that runs from North Yorks and across into the forests of Kielder, Cumbria and Dumfries etc. It’s rear-wheel-drive only with Ford Escort Mk1s & Mk2s, Vauxhall Chevettes, Lancia Stratos and Fulvia, Opel Asconas, Saab 96s, Porsche 911s and many more among the entries. A real gem in the crown for Croft and motor sport in the North East!

________________________________________

Christmas Rally – TBA

Expect up to 90 cars to take to the start line for Northallerton Auto Club’s annual and highly popular end-of-year, single-venue event held within the confines of the Croft Circuit. Kevin Procter made it three wins out of four recently – can he add another win this time around?

The legendary Brands Hatch circuit will celebrate all things ‘Mini’ when it hosts a major new event in the form of the Brands Hatch Mini Festival on 16-17 June.

With a history spanning more than 50 years, the Mini in its former and current guise is one of the most iconic cars of a generation and the famous Kent circuit plans to commemorate the marque with a unique event in the summer. A superb line up of Mini-based motorsport is set to entertain spectators while Mini owners from across the country will be invited to showcase their cars around the 1.2 mile Indy circuit. There will be various off track activities with a display of special motorsport Minis old and new, a Mini stunt show, trade village, parades, live music and festival fun for motor racing fans throughout the weekend.

For fans of the new MINI, the MINI Challenge will head the on track entertainment with a round of their fiercely competitive championship, which provides plenty of thrills and spills. The championship, run under the banner of MSVR, went down to the wire last season with Chris Knox overcoming Lee Allen and Luke Caudle to lift the title.

MINI Challenge manager Paul Harvey said: “I’m really looking forward to the event. It will be great to get all the Mini clubs involved and hopefully if enough people get behind the event it will become a regular feature. I think all the MINI Challenge drivers will be looking forward to taking part in this meeting.”

Enthusiasts of the original Mini, which has an illustrious motorsport heritage, will be catered for with frantic action from the Mini Se7en and Mini Miglia Championships. The Mini Se7en Championship is almost as old as the classic car, now entering its 45th year of competition. The popular series will see versions of the 998cc Mini compete against each other for valuable championship points, while the Mini Miglia championship will see highly tuned variants tackle the challenging Kent circuit.

Mini Se7en and Mini Miglia championship commercial manager Colin Peacock, said: “The Brands Hatch Mini Festival will be one of the highlights of the year without doubt. It could turn into a mega event as we progress towards Mini’s 60th birthday. The racing is always close at Brands Hatch and all the drivers will be looking forward to it.”

There will also be action from historic Minis with a Pre-66 Mini race and a handicap race for both the new and old variants of the car. A bumper grid of pre-66 Minis is expected which will include several competitors travelling from Europe to take on the Brits at Brands Hatch.

Race organiser Nick Swift said: “The Brands Hatch Mini Festival should be a great event and we are pleased to be a part of it. There are still so many historic Minis out there racing and plenty of drivers who want to race them because they are one of the most enjoyable cars to drive. We should be welcoming drivers from Europe to race in an Anglo French battle which should be entertaining.”

Further details regarding the off track entertainment will be announced in due course.

Tickets for the Brands Hatch Mini Festival on 16-17 June are available from £17 in advance with free admission for children aged 12 and under. To book tickets visit www.motorsportvision.co.uk or call 0843 453 9000. More information on the festival can be found at www.mini-festival.co.uk.

The BTCC has announced the date and venue for the 2012 media day and test day.    This is where the 2012 cars, drivers and teams assemble to be photographed, filmed and interviewed by the media.

There is also a timed testing session where the cars can be demonstrated and an early idea of who the in-form drivers and teams are likely to be.

The public can generally attend for free to watch the afternoons testing.

Date : 19th March 2012

Venue: Silverstone.

Spectacular sideways action to warm the winter crowd

The all-season sport of rallying makes a return to Brands Hatch later this month (Sunday 22 January) as the Kent circuit hosts the TRS (Essex) Ltd Brands Hatch Stage Rally. The event follows a successful running in 2011, after a 20 year hiatus, and utilises special gravel stages and sections of the circuit’s paddock as well as parts of the Indy layout.

Over 90 entries have been recorded so far and many more are expected in the coming days as drivers finalise their plans after the Christmas break. Plenty of rally classics can be found amongst the list, including Escorts spanning the years, Mini Coopers and GTs, small hatches from Lotus Sunbeams to Focuses and Peugeots, and 4WD world-beaters from Subaru and Mitsubishi.

There are also examples of exotica on the list. The names Aston Martin and Ferrari may not be synonymous with gravel, pace notes and flying finishes but a four-litre AM GT and 308 GTB Michelotto will be competing. They’ll be lining up to beat last year’s winning Darrian piloted by John Indri and Dave Engwell.

Several thousand spectators witnessed the unusual car win after a strong challenge from Nigel Mummery and Fiona Scarrett ended up with their Ford Focus beached at Paddock Hill. However the gravel is a lot shallower elsewhere on the course, and the sideways spectacle of a thrilling sport rarely seen in the south east will be something to behold.

Another feature familiar to rally drivers is running in the dark and the event will finish after dusk, leaving a spectacular sight as the cars are distinguished by bright headlights, exhaust flames and glowing brake discs.

With the eight stages extended from last year and a bigger entry list, a strong crowd is expected for the opening event of a spectacular 2012 season.

Tickets for the TRS (Essex) Ltd Brands Hatch Stage Rally on 22 January are available in advance from £10 until Tuesday 17 January at midday, with free entry for children 12 and under. For more information, call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk

Nigel Greensall has provided this in-car footage of the CTR Lotus Elise he shared with Richard Chamberlain.

Thanks Nigel!

TRS (ESSEX) LTD BRANDS HATCH STAGE RALLY

Stage Rallying will return to Brands Hatch on Sunday 22nd January 2012 after the successful return of a stage rally at the venue in 2011, which was the first time a stage rally had been held at the venue in twenty years.

Chelmsford Motor Club, the JLT Sport / MSA Club of the Year 2009, are pleased with the continued support of MSV and the event sponsors, TRS (Essex) Ltd, and look forward to running another successful event in 2012.

The 2012 event will run a similar format to 2011, however the stage mileage has been extended by approximately 1 mile per stage by maximising the use of all the roads available to bring the total stage mileage to approximately 40 stage miles over 8 stages. The event will start at 10am and finish at 5.30pm, allowing stages to be run into the darkness. Regulations will be available on http://brandshatchstages.co.uk on 1st December 2011 with entries opening on 12th December 2011.

The event was hugely popular this year with competitors, marshals and spectators and Chelmsford Motor Club look forward to welcoming many people back to this historic and popular venue in 2012. Spectator charges are £10 per person in advance or £13 on the day, with six passes available per competing crew and discounted spectator tickets available at a “competitor ticket” rate of £8 per person all through MSV directly. Hospitality suites are available from £250 + VAT by contacting MSV directly on 01474 854900.

Chelmsford MC organise many events throughout the year and have over 300 members, the majority of whom are active competitors, marshals and organisers. With a longstanding community partnership with Thames Gateway College and the club annually raising over £2500 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Chelmsford MC are extremely active in both motorsport and the local community.

For futher information visit http://brandshatchstages.co.uk

Autosport reported in early December that MSV Brands Hatch were considering reprofiling Graham Hill Bend in order to promote overtaking.    A planning application has been made although MSV’s Jonathan Palmer admitted that the plans submitted were unlikely to be the definitive version.   Work was likely to be done over the 2012/13 closed season.

These plans have been listed on Sevenoaks Council’s website HERE.   It has to be said that initial reactions from enthusiasts and racers have not been that favourable.

The plans show that the track changes will start on the exit of Druids Hairpin with the new section of track keeping right.   Assuming no major landscaping works, the circuit will continue downhill before climbing to where a constant radius left hand hairpin, dropping back downhill slightly to a right hand corner before rejoining the existing circuit.

This corner has been subject to several alterations over the years, and was originally known as Bottom Bend.   What do you think of the proposals?

Click the picture for a larger version.

Donington Park’s date on the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar has now been confirmed – meaning all ten BTCC fixtures for next year are now in place.

The historic Leicestershire venue will host the second event of the season when the BTCC, the UK’s premier motor racing championship, tours the country – in total it will visit nine top-class race circuits in eight different counties.

The BTCC’s 2012 race dates are:

Date Circuit, Location

31 March-1 April Brands Hatch, Kent

14-15 April Donington Park, Leicestershire

28-29 April Thruxton, Hampshire

9-10 June Oulton Park, Cheshire

23-24 June Croft, North Yorkshire

11-12 August Snetterton (300), Norfolk

25-26 August Knockhill, Fife

22-23 September Rockingham, Northamptonshire

6-7 October Silverstone, Northamptonshire

20-21 October Brands Hatch, Kent

Kevin Clarke and Wayne Gibson won the final round of the Britcar Dunlop GTN Championship in the combined Into the Night race with the Britcar Endurance Championship at Brands Hatch on Saturday. APO Sport’s Seat Leon, driven by Alex Osbourne and James May took the overall, and class two titles after their main challenger, Tim Saunders failed to finish.

The production race may have been an hour shorter than the BEC race, with competitors leaving the track under full waved yellow flags at the two hour mark, but it was equally important as the longer race, given the that overall championship was still up for grabs, as well as both class titles. It was all to play for.

Class 1 invitation entry JDR and their Honda NSX didn’t make the start of the race, after taking the production pole position – the engine seizing up after qualifying. Hopefully we will see the team back next year as they obviously have the pace to be contenders in the new for 2012 standalone production cup series – more on that over the off season.

The withdrawal of the Honda, along with the BEC pole Barwell Ginetta pulling into the pits on the formation laps meant that Wayne Gibson, taking his customary first stint in the Intersport BMW, gained two places on the first lap and crossed the line in an overall 10^th place.

In second place in Production, but four cars further back on the track was the #52 Motionsport Lotus Elise, with Ben Gower at the wheel taking the first stint. By lap 13, Gower had caught up with Gibson and was just 4 seconds behind. This gab hovered impressively around the three second mark, even through traffic as Gibson tried to pull away, and Gower did everything he could to hang on. Although not wheel to wheel action, it was fascinating to watch as the laps ticked by and the apparent advantage ebbed and flowed between the two drivers, through safety car periods – Tim Saunders Honda Civic being recovered around the 40 lap mark brought the gap right down – and through traffic as slower cars were to be lapped.

The two leaders came in to pit on the same lap (80 of 131). While they had been having their great-to-watch scrap at the front the #45 Mazda MX5 GT driven by Owen Mildenhall in the first stint, had kept on the same lap as the leaders and pitted before them, on lap 70, for Mark Ticehurst to take over. By the time the pitstops had shaken out Kevin Clarke had taken over in the Intersport BMW and was leading Production, Simon Phillips was in the hot seat in Motionsports Elise, and Ticehurst was running third in the Mazda.

On lap 85 Philips made a move on Clarke, and took the production lead, which he was to hold for 2 laps, before Clarke wrestled the lead back again, which he would hold unto the chequered flag. Barely half a lap behind was Ticehurst, keeping a watching brief, and ready to make a move should anything happen to the leaders.

Unfortunately for Motionsport – something did happen – that set the scene for the last 30 or so laps of the race, Philips slipping back into the clutches of Ticehurst who took second place on the very last lap!

Simon Philips explaining later: “A couple of problems on the second stint! A dodgy contact lens (folded in right eye, literally as I left the pit lane!) followed by a lack of clutch (with 10 mins or so to go) meant that a fair bit was done in one gear. A real shame as we defo had the legs on the Mazda and should really have had a pop at Intersport!”

It wasn’t a completely bad day for the Motionsport squad, the third place in the race was enough to secure the Production class one title – a great result for the team in their debut Britcar season, and one they will no doubt want to improve upon next year.

Tichurst was also unsurprisingly pleased at the end of the race – “We’ve had a cracking race. We’ve come on leaps and bounds this season, and are looking forward to next year!”

Wayne Gibson, was also happy, albeit brief, after the race “It was brilliant, great to be back!” the Intersport duo having not won a race since Donnington back in May. A long time for the 2009 champions to be winless.

As mentioned at the top of this report, APO won the overall and class two titles. They lead class two for the first hour but ended up retiring 20 minutes before the end of the race. They had done enough to be classified in 8^th and the corresponding points were enough to give them the titles from fellow class two competitor Tim Saunders and his Honda Civic.

Production class two race victory was taken by the Synchro Motorsport Honda Civic, with Dave Allen and Alyn James at the wheel. A fine result to finish a season in which they have had their share of incidents – the huge shunt at Castle Combe springs instantly to mind.

This production race was closely fought and shows great potential for next year’s standalone production cup races, the first round of which is provisionally pencilled in for 24^th March at Silverstone.

Final top ten positions:

Pos	Class	Num	Driver/s	Sponsor/Entrant	Vehicle	Total
1	2	65	Alex Osbourne / James May	APO Sport	Seat Leon	150
2	2	61	Tim Saunders (GB)	T H Motorsport	Honda Civic Type R	145
3	1	52	Simon Phillips / Pete Storey / Chris Randall	Motionsport	Lotus Elise S2	143
4	1	45	Mark Ticehurst (GB) / Owen Mildenhall (GB)	Team Jota/Mazda Motors	Mazda MX5 GT	127
5	2	69	Dave Allan (GB)	Synchro Motorsport	Honda Jazz	124
6	1	57	Jenson Lunn / Sarah Bennett-Baggs	Strata 21	BMW M3 E45	114
7	2	75	Mike Wilds (GB) / Hales (GB) / Crosse	Team Jota/Mazda Motors	Mazda MX5	108
8	1	64	Mark Cunningham (GB) / Peter Cunningham (GB)	SG Racing	Seat Leon Supercopa	103
9	1	88	Kevin Clarke (GB) / Wayne Gibson (GB)	Intersport Racing	BMW E46 M3	95
10	2	86	Paul Mitson / Mike Pascall / Paul Kite	JTECH	Seat Leon Cupra	87

Words: Alex Ings / Images: Alex Ings

The final round of the Britcar MSA Endurance Championship and Dunlop GTN Championship took place in a combined race at Brands on Saturday and was the best race of this season.

The class three Topcats Marcos, piloted by Owen O’Neil and Henry Fletcher, took the first overall Marcos win for Topcats in a number of seasons, after an excellent race which kept spectators on the edge of their seats right until the end. Finishing less than fifteen seconds behind was the Hawthorns motorsport Porsche 997 in a race in which action, safety cars and strategy all played a part.

Although the BEC title was still technically up for grabs, all the GT3 Racing team had to do was make the grid with their Dodge Viper, which is a bit of luck, as that’s about all they managed – completing just 30 laps after having serious problems with fuel pressure. It was enough, however, to take the very first Britcar MSA Endurance Championship.

Pulling into the pits on the formation lap was the pole sitter class two invitation entry Ginetta G55 of Barwell motorsport with a broken driveshaft. Managing to change the item in a little over 20 minutes was very impressive, and the team was back out. Despite Mark Lemmer, Tom Kimber-Smith and Ben de Zille Butler setting some very competitive lap times during their stints, the damage had been done and they ultimately finished 31 laps down on the leader.

After two pace car laps, the field was off, and Jay Shepherd in the Hawthorns Motorsport Porsche 997 had an excellent first lap, and after starting in fifth place crossed the line after the first circuit in second place behind the GT3 Viper, and had dragged the sixth (#48 Lee Mowle Ginetta G50) and seventh (#26 Topcats Marcos) place starters with him. Crossing the line fifth at the end of lap one was the other Topcats Marcos, Henry Fletcher having an excellent first lap to climb from 10^th place.

On lap four the safety car was out for a single lap, while the #19 Oliver Bryant Marcos, who had started in 3^rd place and had an off, was recovered by the marshals. By lap ten the Viper was into the pits for the first time, and would play no further part in the battle.

This left the Hawthorns Porsche, Optimum’s Ginetta and the two Topcats Marcoses (Marcosi?) to pull away from field. Another Porsche 997, this one from the Jones family, were hanging on to the leading quartet impressively.

When Neil Huggins in the #26 Marcos took the lead from Jay Shephard in the Porsche, the question was – can the thirsty Topcats car pull enough of a lead to enable it to stop twice, over the efficient Porsches one stop?

Joe Osbourne in the Ginetta was really going for it in the first stint, and took second place from Shephard, and ultimately the lead for half a lap, from Neil Huggins. However they were always destined to fade away due to having to stop twice, so all three drivers could do a stint. Their first stop was on lap 69, to hand second place back to Shepherd. The team would go on to finish fourth overall, 2 laps down on the leader but showed great pace while on track.

On lap 39 the safety car came out again, this time to recover Production runner Tim Saunders and his stranded Honda Civic, to bunch the field up again and, crucially, allow some fuel saving for the thirstier cars.

At the end of lap 74 Neil Huggins ran wide at Graham Hill bend, and lost the lead to Jay Shepherd and then second place to stablemate Henry Fletcher in the other Marcos. Huggins then pitted to hand over to John Harrison. Unfortunately their issues didn’t end with the pitstop. It turns out the power steering had leaked fluid onto the tyres causing Huggins initial off, and then also gave Harrison some grief. The car would then have a problem with the ignition switch, and the car would eventually come home in 8^th place, 20 laps down.

By the time half distance came, Fletcher had taken the lead from Shepherd, and the realisation was starting to dawn at Hawthorns that the Marcos may be one stopping. Rod Barrett explains: “I was convinced that you guys [#36 Marcos] would have to re-fuel and two stop so we thought we had it made, but when your car went passed the 90 mins without re-fuelling, I began to think, that’s weird, it’s never gone longer then that before, they must have really turned the wick down.”

As it was, Rod Barrett took over at the wheel of the Porsche on lap 132 and such had been Shepherd’s pace, that the team were still in second place, albeit two laps down at this point.

Ten laps later and the leader pitted, retaining the lead as they came out from their single stop, Owen O’Neill now at the wheel and with a lap lead over Barrett.

Fast forward another 10 laps, and Barrett has reduced the lead down to 30 seconds, with about 40 minutes to go at this point and lapping quicker than the Marcos, we were all set for a grandstand finish. By lap 179 Barrett was barely thirteen seconds behind the leader, and we had about 25 minutes left on the clock.

On lap 180, luck was to come the way of Hawthorns – the safety car was sent out for the Priocept Lotus Elise which had stopped out on track. When it came in, the clock said the gap was barely 3.5 seconds. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story, as Barrett had a number of back markers between him and the race leader – one of which was the Topcats other Marcos.

With less than fifteen minutes on the clock, Barrett had some more traffic to lap, the Jones’ family Porsche who were running an impressive third at that point, went for a gap up the inside, which was still damp. The end result was a Hawthorns Porsche pointing in the wrong direction, and a loss of time of over 20 seconds on the leader. A great shame for Rod Barrett, and the team, as he had been putting some serious lap times in to close up on O’Neill before that. Indeed after that spin, during the last fifteen laps of the race, Barrett managed to claw back more time to finish just thirteen seconds behind.

It turns out that Topcars needed fifteen minutes of safety car time to be able to one stop. Owen O’Neill – “We thought we would be 5-10 mins short at the end and were pleased to get to beyond two hours on the first stint due to the safety cars. I think we had 2 litres left in the tank!”

Congratulations to the Topcats on their race victory, and class three title. Congratulations also to the GT3 team for taking the overall GT and class two titles and Azteca Motorsport for the class one title in their Mosler.

Final top 10 positions:

1	2	21	Craig Wilkins (GB) / Aaron Scott (GB)	GT3 Racing / GT3 Racing	Dodge Viper GT3	166
2	3	36	Owen O Neill (IR) / Henry Fletcher / Jon Harrison (GB) / Raphael Fiorentino	Topcats Racing / Topcats Racing	Marcos Mantis GT3	151
3	2	26	Sam Head (GB) / Kyle Tiley / Henry Fletcher (GB) / Raphael Fiorentino (Fr) / Jef	Topcats Racing / Topcats Racing	Marcos Mantis GT3	147
4	3	37	Paul Bailey (GB) / Andy Schulz (GB/FIN)	Horsepower Racing / Paul Bailey	Ferrari F430 Challenge	143
5	1	3	Javier Morcillo (ESP) / Manuel Cintrano (ESP)	Azteca Motorsport / Javier Morcillo	Mosler MT900R	124
6	3	23	Dan Norris-Jones (GB) / Fulvio Mussi	Dan Norris Jones	Lotus Exige	119
7	3	38	Rod Barrett (GB) / Jan Persson (S) / Jay Shepherd (GB)	Hawthorns Motorsport / Rod Barrett	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	116
8	1	6	Paul White (GB) / Calum Lockie (GB)	Strata 21 / Paul White	Mosler MT900 GT3	115
9	3	39	Morgan Jones (GB) / Philip Jones (GB) / Gareth Jones (GB)	Eurotech Racing / Eurotech Racing	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	113
10	1	7	Ian Heward (GB / Michael Millard (GB)	Flat Six Motorsport / Ian Heward	Rapier SR2	92

Team names in bold denote class champions.

Production race report to follow.

Words: Alex Ings / Images: Alex Ings

Rallying returned to Snetterton for the first time since 2003 this weekend with the Tamdown Stage Rally.     Eight stages would be run, using variants of the Snetterton 300 circuit. After a two hour delay due to fog, rallying got underway at 11:15am.

Stages 1 and 2 were 2 laps of the Snetterton 300 circuit, run in reverse to how it is normally run, with some additional chicanes added.    Rather than the using the normal Esses (Nelson and Brundle), the escape roads were used, with coned chicanes halfway down the Bentley Straight, the Senna Straight and one between Palmer and Agostini corners.

The Escort Mk 2 of Peter Rayner and Richard Bonner took stage 1 with a time of 5m 44, but stage 2 would go to Ray Brammer and Mark Loomes in their Subaru Impreza WRC.    An early casualty would be the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Rally of Alan Thistlewaite and Mick Klien who misjudged braking at Murrays and slid into the Armco – there isn’t much run off when running the circuit the wrong way to usual.

Stages 3 and 4 were similar, although there was an extra loop of the 100 circuit run each lap.

Brammer and Loomes would take stage three and Nigel Mummery and Fiona Scarrett would take stage 4 in their Ford Focus WRC.

Stages 5 and 6 were as stages 3 and 4 but run in the traditional direction. Mummery and Scarrett would take both stages to cement their lead

Stages 7 and 8 were as stages 1 and 2 but run in the traditional direction. Rayner and Bonner would win both stages, but Mummery/Scarrett had done enough and would win the first running of the Tamdown Snetterton Stages by 1 second.

Class Winners:

Class 5: Nigel Mummery / Fiona Scarrett,
Ford Focus WRC – 49m 47 – 1st overall

Class 4: Pete Rayner / Richard Bonner,
Ford Escort Mk 2 – 49m 48 – 2nd overall

Class 3: Martin Hodgson / Andrea Hodgson
Ford Escort Mk 2 – 51m 02 – 3rd overall

Class 2: Johnnie Ellis / Dave Green
Ford Fiesta – 52m 57 – 4th overall

Class 1: Aron Rayner / Stanley Graham
Citroen AX – 54m 25  - 7th overall

Pics: Norwich Photo

MSA Britcar BEC & Dunlop GTN Production qualifying

Pole position has been taken at Brands Hatch by the class 2 invitation entry Barwell Motorsport Ginetta G55, driven by Lemmer, Butler and Kimber-Smith by only half a second from the BEC Championship leader, GT3 Racing’s Dodge Viper, in a session interrupted with two safety car appearances.

A wet track from overnight rain met competitors at Brands Hatch this morning, but three other sessions ran before the BEC and GTN  drivers took to the track for qualifying, leaving a dry racing line, but damp patches offline were still present.

The first interruption to the session happened fairly early on, and was due to the James May Seat Leon, who had an off at Druids hairpin.

The safety car was sent out for a second time as the Honda Integra of Harding and Axisa went off towards the end of the lap. At the same time the #19 class two invitation entry Oliver Bryant’s Marcos Mantis entry had an off track excursion on the way up to the hairpin. Clearly only cosmetic damage occurred, as they went on to qualify third overall.

With the only other challenger to the overall BEC Championship (Topcats Racing Marcos Mantis) back in 7^th overall, it would seem as though Wilkins and Scott only need to complete 40% race distance to be classified as finishers, which would then give them the championship.

Horsepower racing have taken a good first step in trying to overhaul the Topcats other Mantis for the class 3 title, by out qualifying them. An outside shot for class three is Rob Barrett and Jay Shepherd in their Porsche 997, who qualified just three tenths, and one place behind the Horsepower Ferrari.

In the GTN Production Championship, pole was also taken by an invitation entry – JDR’s Honda NSX, barely a tenth ahead of Britcar regulars Kevin Clarke and Wayne Gibson in their BMW who are racing for pride this weekend, as it is not possible for them to finish in the top three in class.

Simon Phillips Lotus Elise is currently leading the class one championship, and looks will have an easier time to try and sew that up today, as challengers Jenson Lunn and Sarah Bennett-Baggs in their Strata 21 BMW are not competing today. Currently third in class are Team Jota in their Mazda, and they have a bit of an uphill battle to take the class title from Phillips, being 16 points behind. Also not competing the father and son team of Peter and Mark Cunningham in their Seat Leon – currently fourth in class.

Class two is closely fought with two entries leading the overall GTN Championship. APO’s Seat Leon and TH Motorport’s Honda Civic are separated by only three points at the top of the table. They will be lining up next to each other on the grid, in 19^th and 20^th places overall, respectively.

The final round of this years MSA Britcar Endurance Championship and the Dunlop GTN Production Championship will take place at the Brands Hatch “Into the night” race this weekend. Although all titles in the BEC are theoretically up for grabs, the current overall (and class 2) leaders Craig Wilkins and Aaron Scott in the GT3 Racing Dodge Viper need only 2 two points to claim both titles, leaving the Topcats Racing team (currently second in class and third overall) needing a race win, fastest lap and some serious doses of luck to overhaul the leader.

Class 1 is closer, with the Azteca Motorsport Mosler on 124 points, and fifth overall, and the Strata 21 Mosler nine points, and one place adrift. Class three is closer still, with the second Topcats Mantis leading class three (and in second place overall) just five points ahead of Horsepower Racing’s Ferrari F430.

Top 6 BEC positions going into the final round at Brands Hatch:

Pos	Class	Num	Driver/s	Sponsor/Entrant	Vehicle	Total
1	2	21	Craig Wilkins (GB) / Aaron Scott (GB)	GT3 Racing / GT3 Racing	Dodge Viper GT3	146
2	3	36	Owen O Neill (IR) / Henry Fletcher / Jon Harrison (GB) / Rap	Topcats Racing / Topcats Racing	Marcos Mantis GT3	131
3	2	26	Sam Head (GB) / Kyle Tiley / Henry Fletcher (GB) / Raphael F / Jeff Wyatt	Topcats Racing / Topcats Racing	Marcos Mantis GT3	127
4	3	37	Paul Bailey (GB) / Andy Schulz (GB/FIN)	Horsepower Racing / Paul Bailey	Ferrari F430 Challenge	126
5	1	3	Javier Morcillo (ESP) / Manuel Cintrano (ESP)	Azteca Motorsport / Javier Morcillo	Mosler MT900R	124
6	1	6	Paul White (GB) / Calum Lockie (GB)	Strata 21 / Paul White	Mosler MT900 GT3	115
7	3	23	Dan Norris-Jones (GB) / Fulvio Mussi	Dan Norris Jones	Lotus Exige	103
8	3	38	Rod Barrett (GB) / Jan Persson (S) / Jay Shepherd (GB)	Hawthorns Motorsport / Rod Barrett	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	96
9	1	5	Jonathan MacGregor (GB) / Adam Wilcox (GB)	Just Doors Ltd. / MacG Racing	Ultima	83
9	3	39	Morgan Jones (GB) / Philip Jones (GB) / Gareth Jones (GB)	Eurotech Racing / Eurotech Racing	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	95
9	1	7	Ian Heward (GB / Michael Millard (GB)	Flat Six Motorsport / Ian Heward	Rapier SR2	92
12	2	28	Simon Atkinson / Glenn McMeniman / Alistair Mackinnon	Backdraft Motorsport / Simon Atkinson	Lamborghini Gallardo GT3	75
13	1	9	Nigel Mustill (GB) / Bob Berridge (GB)	Wessex Vehicles / Nigel Mustil	Aquila CR1	75
14	2	31	David Green (GB) / Richard Adams (GB) / Martin Byford (GB)	Bullrun / Martin Byford	Ferrari 360 Challenge	71
15	3	46	Chris Headlam (GB) / Jamie Stanley (GB)	Orbital Sound / Chris Headlam	Lotus Elise	63
15	1	1	Witt Gamski (GB) / Keith Robinson (GB)	MJC Ltd / Witt Gamski	Ferrari F430 GTC	57
17	1	2	Sean McInerney (GB) / Michael McInerney (GB)	Eclipse Motorsport / Sean McInerney	Ferrari F430 GTC	57
18	3	47	Steve Glynn (GB) / Danny Winstanley (GB) / Tim Hood (GB)	Glynnsport / Steve Glynn	TVR Sagaris	50
19	2	27	Fiona James (GB) / Mike Wilds (GB) / Neil Huggins (GB)	Backdraft Motorsport / Fiona James	Lamborghini Gallardo GT3	34
20	1	7	Ian Heward (GB / Michael Millard (GB)	Flat Six Motorsport / Ian Heward	Prosport LM	14
21	3	42	Mick Mercer (GB) / Gary Smith (GB)	Topcats Racing / Topcats Racing	Ginetta G50	0

 

In the Dunlop GTN Championship, everything is to play for.

APO Sport’s Class 2 Seat Leon, driven by Alex Osbourne and James May lead overall with 131 points, 3 ahead of T H Motorsport and their Honda Civic Type R. In third overall, and leading class 1 is the Motionsport Lotus Elise with Strata 21 and their BMW M3 just 10 points further back.

Top 6 Dunlop GTN Production positions going into the final round at Brands Hatch:

Pos	Class	Num	Driver/s	Sponsor/Entrant	Vehicle	Total
1	2	65	Alex Osbourne / James May	APO Sport	Seat Leon	131
2	2	61	Tim Saunders (GB)	T H Motorsport	Honda Civic Type R	128
3	1	52	Simon Phillips / Pete Storey / Chris Randall	Motionsport	Lotus Elise S2	124
4	1	57	Jenson Lunn / Sarah Bennett-Baggs	Strata 21	BMW M3 E45	114
5	1	45	Mark Ticehurst (GB) / Owen Mildenhall (GB)	Team Jota/Mazda Motors	Mazda MX5 GT	108
6	2	69	Dave Allan (GB)	Synchro Motorsport	Honda Jazz	104
7	1	64	Mark Cunningham (GB) / Peter Cunningham (GB)	SG Racing	Seat Leon Supercopa	103
8	2	75	Mike Wilds (GB) / Hales (GB) / Crosse	Team Jota/Mazda Motors	Mazda MX5	89
9	2	86	Paul Mitson / Mike Pascall / Paul Kite	JTECH	Seat Leon Cupra	87
10	1	44	Mick Mercer (GB) / Gary Smith (GB)	Topcats Racing	Ginetta G50	86
11	1	56	Robert Day (GB) / Paul Phipps (GB)	Simmons Printers	BMW M3 E46	78
12	1	88	Kevin Clarke (GB) / Wayne Gibson (GB)	Intersport Racing	BMW E46 M3	75
13	1	60	Owen Thomas (GB) / Ashley Woodman (GB)	BPM Racing Limited	Ginetta G50	74
14	1	62	Bernard Hogarth (GB) / Marcus Hoggarth (GB)	T F Motorsport	Seat Leon SuperCopa	70
15	1	58	Jeff Mileham / Stephen Guglielmi	Guglielmi Motorsport Ltd	Lotus Elise S2	68
16	2	70	Alyn James / David Vincec / Mark Ludlow	Synchro Motorsport	Honda Civic Type R	51
17	1	53	Peter Smith (GB) / Matt Smith (GB)	Reflex Racing GB	Ginetta G50	44
18	2	55	Ian Lawson (GB) / Anthony Wilds (GB)	ING Sport	BMW E36	41
19	2	68	Andre Severs (GB)	Sams Boyz Motorsport	Seat Toledo	18
20	1	63	Nick Barrow (GB) / Richard Corbett (GB)	Saxon Motorsport	BMW 135 Turbo	12

Toyota Sprint Series 2011 event report – round 5 Croft 4th September 2011

For the first time in the Toyota Sprint Series history, Croft played host to round five of the championship. A former wartime airbase located in North Yorkshire, records of racing there go back to the 1920’s, although the current layout was not designed and put into use until 1997, and has since received yearly visits by the British Touring Car and British Superbike championships.

Only the organisational skills of Javelin Trackdays Colin Jebson and the compliance of the Toyota Sprint Series competitors to adhere to noise limits throughout the year made this event possible, as due to a court judgement in 2009 regarding noise, only forty “noisy” days a year can be run at the circuit.

Thirty one drivers in twenty six cars took part, and those who hadn’t seen the circuit before were surprised at how fast and flowing it was, the only exception being tight hairpin at the end of the lap.

With the end of the season drawing closer, overall and class positions were being fought out and looked at closer than ever before, and Croft would be a turning point for many in their quest to come out on top.

Results in class order:

Class F Street – Up to 1.0

Dan Quinn returned in his little 1.0 litre Yaris, and thoroughly enjoyed his day, proclaiming it to be his greatest days sprinting ever. Praise indeed from someone who has taken part in every event bar one in the history of the series.

Dan managed to shave over a second off of his previous best on his last lap to win the class with a 96.25 lap.

Class F Pro – Up to 1.0

Class F Pro is the home for the TRD built 1.0 Vitz shared by Jane Newsome and Tim Cogman. A rejuvenated Jane drove with more confidence and verve than she has all season, an ever larger smile accompanying her return from each run.

A 97.49 lap was her reward, but Tim once again took the class spoils with a 93.87 obtained on his last lap.

Class D Street – Up to 1.6 Normally Aspirated

Local man Matthew Tyson made his series debut driving his pretty Corolla AE111 at Croft, and thoroughly enjoyed his day. Matthew was consistent throughout, and like so many others, set his best time of 89.07 on his final lap to take the class win.

Class C Street – Over 1.6 Normally Aspirated

Scott Briance unusually had his car all to himself for Croft, his father and brother being unable to take part.

Scott drove with his normal speed and consistency, six of his eight runs being in the 89 second bracket, his sixth run of 89.19 being the quickest to clinch the class win.

Class C Pro- Over 1.6 Normally Aspirated

Stephen Ellis put up a brave fight in his automatic ST182 Celica, finishing with a 91.09, but it was once again Paul Thomas’s Supra that took Class C Pro honours with a 86.42 attained on his final run.

Class B Street – Up To 1.6 Forced Induction

After a short absence Gavin Mycock entered his second event in a row in his Sera and found himself all alone in Class B Street. Despite some unorthadox mechanical assistance by certain “friends” (!), Gavin chipped away at his times throughout the day to finish on a 89.06.

Class B Pro – Up To 1.6 Forced Induction

The fierce season long battle between Barrie Newsome and Phil Cutler was expected to continue at Croft, but sadly a supercharger problem for Phil’s MR2 left him helpless. Barrie cruised to an untroubled victory with an 80.71, Phil’s best time being an unrepresentative 89.32.

Class A3 Street – Over 1.6l Forced Induction

Seven drivers contested Class A3 Street, Ash Simpson’s ST205 Celica again proving dominant with a superb 80.69.

In her last sprint of the season, Di Turner’s relaxed attitude reflected in her times.  An 82.6 in her ST205 Celica putting her an excellent second in class, 10th overall, and a deserving recipient of the Hard Charger trophy.

Class A3 Pro – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Modified

A healthy seven cars also did battle in Class A3 Pro.

Andrew Falkingham once again proved untouchable in his ST205 Celica, and recorded an extremely fast 77.41 on his fifth run.

Chris Cooke again encountered overheating issues with his MR2, but assistance from Arran Gabell allowed Chris out for the final three runs to record an 80.45 on his final run, enough to finish a commendable second in class and fifth overall.

Class A2 Street – Over 1.6 Forced Induction

Dave Ellen missed the last round at Cottesmore due to tyre issues, but bounced back in his Lexus IS350 at Croft to cruise to a to an 89.33 class win.

Class A2 Pro – Over 1.6 Forced Induction

The Servicetune duo of Andy Bunney and Nigel Levinson enjoyed one of the closest tussles of the day, consistently trading fastest laps with each other in their ST185 Celica.

A huge spin for Nigel ensured that Andy eventually came out on top, but only by a mere .41 of a second. Andy’s best of 80.24 coming on lap six, Nigel’s 80.65 on lap five.

Class A1 Pro Over 1.6 Forced Induction

With only two rounds left in the championship, pressure on both Jonny Milner  and Adrian Smith was really building.

At times Jonny did not look particularly fast, looking over the limit due to the amount of sideways action, but the eyes can deceive and Jonny was on top form, setting a stunning 67.82 on his third run.

Adrian was left to play catch up for the rest of the day, and despite giving his absolute all during his final run, had to settle for second on the day with a 69.92.

Results – Simplified:

1st Overall: Jonny Milner – Celica GT4-TC

2nd Overall: Adrian Smith – Celica GT4-X

3rd Overall: Andrew Falkingham – Celica GT4

Class A2 Pro Winner: Andy Bunney – Celica GT4

Class A2 Pro Runner up: Nigel Levinson – Celica GT4

Class A2 Street Winner: Dave Ellen – Lexus IS350

Class A3 Pro Winner: Andrew Falkingham – Celica GT4

Class A3 Pro Runner up: Chris Cooke – MR2 Turbo

Class A3 Street Winner: Ash Simpson – Celica GT4

Class A3 Street Runner up: Diane Turner – Celica GT4

Class B Pro Winner: Barrie Newsome – Starlet Turbo

Class B Pro Runner up: Phil Cutler – MR2 SC

Class B Street Winner: Gavin Mycock – Sera

Class C Pro Winner: Paul Thomas – Supra

Class C Pro Runner up: Stephen Ellis – Celica ST182

Class D Street Winner: Matthew Tyson – Corolla AE111

Class F Pro Winner: Tim Cogman – Vitz

Class F Pro Runner up: Jane Newsome – Vitz

Class F Street Winner: Dan Quinn – Yaris

Hard Charger: Diane Turner – Celica GT4

Summary:

The smooth, faster than anticipated nature of Croft made it hugely popular with every competitor. Excellent facilities along with the friendly nature of the series led first time entrants to comment they would definitely be back for more, and those who had travelled the furthest distances to attend stated they would have no hesitation in returning should the series use the same venue again.

It is interesting to note that fourteen of the 31 competitors posted their fastest laps on the eighth and final lap of the day. Learning the track? Feeling more confident in their own or cars abilities? Pure desperation? A combination of all of these? I leave it for you to decide, but driving standards and car preparation certainly take a leap forward with each passing round.

One of the many indications of how friendly and easy the series is to access is reflected by the fact that five ladies were once again entered at Croft, enjoying it every bit as much as the men, and often putting them to shame in the process!

Congratulations to all who took part, every one of you making it a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day for everyone involved.

And so on to the last round of the series at Blyton.

With so many classes yet to be decided, the action is sure to be even more tense and closely fought than ever before.

Bring yourselves, bring your family, bring your friends, and witness the final round of the 2011 Toyota Sprint Series for yourselves.

Some more photo’s from the day:

Photo’s courtesy of Andrew Cliffe at www.norwichphoto.co.uk

Event report by TSS Tim

Gavan Kershaw and Stuart Hall have won the second Lotus 1000km, driving a Strattons-run Evora. Whilst the team were favourites for victory, they were pushed all the way by last year’s pacesetters GWS. The thirstier V6 was barely three minutes ahead of the challenging Exige and potentially required an extra stop before the 515-lap distance was completed. However when Jamie Stanley brought the GWS car in for an unscheduled stop in the final hour and was unable to resume battle, the matter was settled.

This left Doug and Chris Setters, plus Chris Headlam in the Combat Laser Games Exige to take second, whilst the leading Elise Trophy class car took the final podium position. Witham Cars Japan’s line-up of Adam Bewsey, Dan Plant and Yuji Shinohara defeated LaHay racing’s John LaMaster, David Hay and Steve Williams by just seven seconds after more than eight hours of racing and they shared several battles out on track. The moment was particularly sweet for Shinohara, who had flown from Japan to compete.

Last year’s winning entry, which included Paul O’Neill on the driving strength, failed to make the start following gearbox failure, whilst a storming series of laps from Nick Tandy in the pole-sitting Europa came to nought after gear linkage troubles left them in the garage for many laps. His team’s race was more successful than fellow front-row starters Hofmann’s Motorsport, their Europa retiring early after refuelling flash fires indicated an incurable problem. However, 16 of the 24 starters were classified at the finish, with many more running at the end of the race.

(images courtesy of Jon Bryant at Snappyracers.com)