RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

With much of the Toyo Tires Racing Saloons series now done and dusted, the stage was set for two of the greatest tracks on the motor racing calendar – Cadwell Park and Oulton Park.

With Cadwell resembling the infamous Nurburgring circuit in Germany, racing drivers are always eager to grace this UK-based ‘Nordschleife’, and this year was no exception.

Colin Tester was a force to be reckoned with, after stealing pole position and a double victory, to enhance his championship charge in fine style. As Tester crossed the line for honours in the opening adventure, it was Leigh Franklin and Stephen Primett who followed him onto the podium. Meanwhile, Lawrie Dunster continued his strong showing, backing the top three up in fourth.

The second race was a similar story, as Tester again proved he was the man to fear. Edging out a slight advantage, Franklin, Primett and Dunster again rounded out the top four, narrowly ahead of Mark Smith and Mike Collins.

After a strong showing at Cadwell, Colin Tester retained his crown when the series made its way to Cheshire for their 2010 Oulton Park excursion. With qualifying setting the early pace of the weekend, Tester was well on his way to proving his dominance yet again, with pole position for the first of two races. Ken Savage lined his Lotus Elise S1 machine up alongside Tester on the front row, with Tim Sweet and reigning champion Tony Ellis completing the second row of the grid.

As the first race got underway, it was Ellis who controlled the pace, with his fourth place start transferring into an immediate lead, as the field roared away from the grid. As 27 cars thundered around Old Hall (turn one) and made their way down the Avenue towards the renowned Cascades bend, chaos struck as Darren Stamp and Joseph Adam found themselves immediately running out of track.

The incident caused the instant release of the safety car, whilst their stricken vehicles were recovered safely. As the race restarted shortly afterwards, Tester, in second place, was hot on the heels of leader Ellis, as the field bunched up behind.

Before too long the view at the head of the field changed, when a determined Tester found his way passed an unsuspecting Ellis. From here the Ford Sierra Cosworth pilot never looked back, as he edged away into the distance.

As the seventh and final lap came to an end, Tester swept passed the chequered flag, as Ellis narrowed the margin between them on the final tour in second. Simon Phillips changed his fifth place start into a third place finish, while Tim Sweet, Lawrie Dunster and Roger Kneebone completed the top six.

The second outing was a different story at the front, with Kneebone taking advantage of a failing Tester to score honours.

A race one victory handed Tester a pole position start for race two, however as the race unfolded he soon returned to the pits with a problem that ended his race.

As the lights went out it was excitement up at the front, as Sweet, Kneebone and Dunster sandwiched one another into Old Hall Corner, whilst Tester expanded his initial advantage out in front. Once the Sierra peddler was forced into retirement it was Kneebone who took control of the outing, fending off a forceful charge from Sweet for the duration.

Behind the leading duo, Dunster soon met his match in the form of Leigh Franklin, as the latter latched onto the back of Dunster’s BMW M3 E36, before sneaking passed for third.

As the final lap arrived the chequered flag awaited a three-way fight for honours, with Kneebone grasping it millimetres ahead of Sweet and Franklin. Dunster crossed the line a somewhat distant fourth, whilst Stephen Primett and Mark Capewell completed the top six.

There are now just two rounds remaining, with Silverstone and the additional Meldrew Trophy date left awaiting the TTRS fraternity, and what a showdown it’s set to be.

After doubling his on track efforts this season with the Production BMW Championship and Trofeo Abarth GB series, Ben Winrow racked up a double victory at Oulton Park (11^th September).

The opening race of the day was very much controlled by the weather, when a down pour on the first lap slowed the pace dramatically. As everyone tried their best to manoeuvre the wet track a number of drivers succumbed to the circumstances, as they pirouetted around Old Hall corner.

Winrow managed to negotiate his way around, heading the field from a pole position start, whilst his nearest rivals splashed their way to success behind. Despite keeping a close eye on the leader, second and third placed Rob Smith and Tim Wilson were unable to make too much of an impression, as they followed Winrow onto the podium.

Further adrift, Stuart Waite made up ground from his starting position to cross the line fourth, whilst Robin Welsh translated a 23^rd place grid slot into fifth place at the flag.

As the lights diminished for the second time, Winrow and Smith launched towards turn one side by side, with the former getting the advantage once again. With the weather in their favour this time around a dry track presented a great deal of excitement, with Smith harassing Winrow for the duration.

Chaos struck when the safety car made an appearance with just seven minutes remaining, to recover a number of stricken vehicles. As the time ticked downwards, the race was restarted with a one lap dash to the flag, which saw Smith lock onto the rear of Winrow’s similar machine for honours.

Unable to distract the youngster, Smith and Wilson followed Winrow home once again. Welsh progressed on his opening race performance to finish fourth, with Jack Gabriel fifth.

Report: Leanne Fahy

Round Five Oulton Park Circuit Sept 11th

RACE ONE

Qualifying was challenging! First of all the track was moist and drying so tyre choice was crucial. Add to that Andy Ruhan’s big off after one lap which brought out the safety car and you are left with a very short session in heavy traffic to set a decent time. Not everybody got it right, as a result the grid looked a bit unusual. Toby Tarrant-Willis was on pole with Alex Martin and Danny Winstanley right behind. But at the rolling start Alex Martin and Danny Winstanley got the jump on Tarrant-Willis and these two carried on where they left off in previous rounds.

Until disaster struck when Craig Wilkins spun in traffic and clouted his gear box spraying oil all over the track. The ‘slippery surface’ flags went out, but even so the pack arrived at the spot and suddenly there were cars everywhere and out came the safety car again. The unlucky Andy Ruhan was left with nowhere to go and arrived in the gravel damaging the rear quarter of his Porsche. He wasn’t alone.. Sarah Bennett-Baggs also exited into the gravel along with Chris Bentley and David Fenn.

When the safety car came in and racing resumed the battle for the lead raged on until the final lap when Danny Winstanley was forced to pit with a damaged gearbox, leaving Alex Martin with what turned out to be a comfortable win . Toby Tarrant Willis had a ‘moment’ during which everybody missed him and he rejoined way down the field. But during the incident Marco Pullen squeezed through a tiny gap and emerged intact running third and leading Group Two ahead of Nick Foster! Don Grice was next to arrive in the gravel traps narrowly missing the parked Ruhan car! Just behind him Leon Price was having a great drive back from a low grid position. It had been a very hectic race with all sorts of drama but it was Alex Martin who took the chequered flag in Group One, Marco Pullen in Group Two and Tom Andrew in Group Three.

Group One

1st Alex Martin #87 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

2nd Leon Price #88 Ferrari 430 GTC

3rd Gary Eastwood #6 Ferrari 430 GTC

Group Two

1st Marco Pullen #13 Ferrari 360 GTC

2nd Nick Foster #52 BMW CSL Coupe

3rd Colin Broster # Porsche 996 GT3 Cup

Group Three

1st Tom Andrew #7 KTM XBow

2nd David Botterill #8 Porsche 944 Turbo

3rd Dan Norris-Jones #73 Lotus Exige

RACE TWO

Once again Toby Tarrant-Willis was back on pole and determined not to let Alex Martin get ahead at the start. Unfortunately Tarrant-Willis was rather too enthusiastic at the start and was penalised 10 seconds. Despite this he put up a great fight fending off the charging Alex Martin but that all ended when Martin just touched the Tarrant-Willis Porsche and spun him off. The resulting damage to Tarrant-Willis’ Porsche put him ouit of race. This later earned Alex Martin a 20 second penalty which dropped him down to 6th in the results. Danny Winstanley in his TVR had replaced the gearbox but all was not well and eventually he fell into the clutches of the ever improving Gary Eastwood in his Ferrari 430 GTC. Eastwood’s team-mate Leon Price was sidelined after just five laps when an engine oil seal failed and he was left with no clutch.

In Group Two Marco Pullen in his Ferrari 360 GTC was having a great race and keeping up with the faster Group One cars and eventually coming 3rd overall and winning his class ahead of Nick Foster in his BMW CSL Coupe. The drive of the day came from Andy Ruhan who, after his off in qualifying, had started right at the back of the grid and he when Alex Martin was dropped down the results Ruhan was rewarded with a 3rd in Class and 5th overall! Colin Broster put in another excellent performance in his Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car and came home 3rd in Group Two.

In Group Three Tom Andrew had a relatively straight forward race to win the class ahead of Sarah Bennett-Baggs in her BMW E46. Once again Dave Botterill bought his amazing Porsche 944 Turbo home 3rd in class.

Group One

1st Gary Eastwood #18 Ferrari 430 GT

2nd Danny Winstanley #78 TVR Tuscan

3rd Andy Ruhan #6 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

Group Two

1st Marco Pullen #13 Ferrari 360 GTC

2nd Nick Foster #52 BMW CSL Coupe

3rd Colin Broster #15Porsche 996 GT3 Cup

Group Three

1st Tom Andrew #7 KTM XBow

2nd Sarah Bennett-Baggs #72 BMW E46

3rd David Botterill #8 Porsche 944 Turbo

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS OVERALL

1ST Keith Webster #10 BMW M3 E46 261 points

2nd Marco Pullen #13 Ferrari 360 GTC 253 points

3rd Alex Martin #87 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 252 points

GROUP POINTS

GROUP ONE

1st Alex Martin #87 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 252 points

2nd Gary Eastwood #18 Ferrari 430 GTC 225 points

3rd Leon Price #88 Ferrari 430 GTC 195 points

GROUP TWO

1st Keith Webster #10 BMW M3 E46 261points

2nd Marco Pullen #13 Ferrari 360 GTC 253 points

3rd Michael Symons #31 BMW M3 E46 228 points

GROUP THREE

1st Tom Andrew #7 KTM XBow 217 points

2nd Dan Norris-Jones #73 Lotus Exige 195 points

3rd David Botterill #8 Porsche 944 Turbo 175 points

The next round is Brands Hatch on September 18th/19th

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.”

With the summer break now over and four rounds and eight races to go the GT Cup Championship is looking highly competitive and very finely poised.  This is ‘multi-marque’ GT racing at its best.. fabulous cars, big grids and close racing. This will be a multi million pound car grid jammed packed with over 30 eye wateringly stunning cars from Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, BMW, Marcos, TVR, Ginetta and KTM.

The cars run in three Groups with the quicker cars in Group One and the ‘less quick’ (there are no slow cars in GT Cup!) running in Group Three. The Groups are determined  by a combination of a power to weight formula and the overall specifications of the cars. ‘Professional’ drivers are not allowed into the Championship and all the cars run on Pirelli Tyres, Pirelli being the sole tyre supplier to the Championship.

The overall title is beginning to look like a straight fight between Keith Webster and his BMW M3 on 204 points and Alex Martin and his Porsche 997 GT3 with 202 points. But Marco Pullen in his Group Two Ferrari 360 GTC is not far off with 175 points and a ‘charge’ over the next few rounds will put him right in the frame to win the Championship. So there is everything to play for at Oulton Park and with three rounds to go after this round none of the front runners can afford to make even the smallest mistake and drop any vital points.

In Group One Alex Martin in his Porsche GT3 Cup car has, what should be, a reasonable margin ahead of the two Ferraris of Gary Eastwood and Leon Price. Martin goes into this round with a 27 point advantage over the ever improving Gary Eastwood in his Ferrari 430 GTC.  The pressure is on Alex Martin since the highly spectacular and mighty rapid Danny Winstanley in his TVR Tuscan will be back in action with a revitalised engine and the equally rapid Chris Randall in his Lotus Europa will be out to carry on where he left off at Brands Hatch.

In Group Two Keith Webster in his BMW M3 has 19 point lead over Marco Pullen and his Ferrari 360 GTC. Marco has proved his is a race winner in the past and there are still several rounds to go.  The leading bunch in Group Two have given us some spectacular and very tight racing and while David Back in his Ferrari 360 GTC may not be in the overall points battle he will no doubt be mixing it with the front runners. But we can’t overlook Michael Symons who is lying 3rd in Group T just 7 points behind Pullen.

Group Three things are beginning to heat up between Tom Andrew in his KTM XBow and Dan Norris-Jones in his Lotus Exige. In the early part of the season things went Tom Andrew’s way but Norris-Jones has found some more pace and is now confident he can take on the KTM XBow and win the Group.  He is now only 11 points behind and could grab the lead if Tom Andrew makes the smallest mistake! They crossed the line at Brands a few feet apart !

Both races have a ‘rolling start’ so a good place to watch could be where the cars stream around Old Hall and head off down The Avenue towards Cascades..

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

Over 500 drivers set to compete at historic racing event

The Oulton Park Gold Cup is celebrating the biggest line-up in its fifty year history, with 480 vehicles and more than 500 drivers confirmed for the historic racing festival this Bank Holiday weekend (29/30 August).

Among the headline features of this year’s Gold Cup is the Sir Stirling Moss Trophy, a new event for pre-1961 sportscars and sports-racers. After recovering from terrible injuries suffered in a lift accident at his home five months ago, Sir Stirling himself is set to compete in the event – exactly 50 years after winning the 1960 Gold Cup in a Lotus 18 – and the 80-year-old will be piloting an Osca FS372 alongside Ian Nuthall.

Moss has won the Oulton Park Gold Cup a magnificent five times, and he will also be demonstrating the unique Ferguson P99 that he steered to victory at the event in 1961, when he became the only driver to win a Formula One race in a four wheel drive car.

Another notable entrant in the Sir Stirling Moss Trophy is Richard Attwood, who steered Porsche to its first ever Le Mans 24 Hour race victory in 1970 alongside team-mate Hans Herrman. Attwood will be racing an Aston Martin DBR1 with British GT and Le Mans Series racer Gregor Fisken.

The Gold Cup will also feature historic Formula Two and Formula 5000 single seaters in the Derek Bell Trophy, along with a bumper grid of 35 classic Formula Fords, including both Frank Sytner and double Gold Cup winner Ian Ashley. Other racing highlights include the Guards Trophy for pre-1966 GT and Sports Racing Cars, Historic Formula Junior and Classic Touring Cars.

Grahame White, executive director of Gold Cup organiser the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC), said: “The Oulton Park Gold Cup is now truly established as one of the most popular historic motor race meetings anywhere and this year has attracted an all-time record entry, including many competitors from overseas. It is a ‘must-do’ event for racers with so many top drivers confirmed and as race organisers we are looking forward to a fantastic weekend.”

In addition to a two-day programme of circuit racing, the Oulton Park Gold Cup will feature a number of unique demonstrations including a Silk Cut Group C Jaguar Le Mans car and a 3.5 litre R90 Nissan, steered to pole position by Mark Blundell at the 1990 Le Mans 24 Hour race.

There will also be a special parade to celebrate 30 years of the Audi Quattro, plus several displays from a collection of Group B rally cars.

Tickets for the Oulton Park Gold Cup on 29/30 August are now on sale from £17 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0870 950 9000 or visit www.oultonpark.co.uk.

Racing Legend Sir Stirling Moss will be joining classic racers to compete for a trophy in his honour at the Oulton Park Gold Cup this Bank Holiday weekend (29/30 August).

The Oulton Park Gold Cup is Cheshire’s biggest historic racing event, celebrating single seaters, sports cars and saloons from the past six decades, and this year’s festivities will feature a special Sir Stirling Moss Trophy for pre-1961 sports cars.

Among the competitors in this trophy race will be Sir Stirling Moss himself, who has made a remarkable return to racing after suffering terrible injuries in a lift shaft accident at his home just five months ago.

Often referred to as ‘the greatest driver never to win a World Championship’, 80-year-old Moss clinched 16 Grands Prix during his career, including five Gold Cup victories in the 1950s when the event was run as a non-championship Formula One race – before its modern reincarnation as a historic racing festival.

In fact, Moss triumphed at Oulton Park exactly 50 years ago, when he fended off strong competition from Jack Brabham and Graham Hill to win the 1960 Gold Cup, and he will return to the tarmac a half-century later this Bank Holiday weekend to pilot an Osca sports car.

HSCC Executive Director Graham White said: “We’re very much looking forward to being at Oulton Park for what now has become the most important historic motor racing event in the north of England. We’re also thrilled that Sir Stirling Moss will be joining us to race at this year’s Gold Cup meeting.”

More than 400 classic vehicles are expected to be on show at this year’s event, and racing highlights include the Derek Bell Trophy for historic Formula Two and Formula 5000 machinery, the Guards Trophy for 1960s GT and Sports Racing cars and a 40 minute Historic Touring Car outing.

The Gold Cup will also be celebrating 30 years of the iconic Audi Quattro – most recently made famous by its appearance in the BBC drama ‘Ashes to Ashes’ – with a special parade. There will also be display laps from a Silk Cut Group C Jaguar and Bentley Speed 8 Le Mans car, along with demonstrations from a collection of Group B historic rally cars.

Paddock access is free throughout the weekend, so spectators can take a close look at the magnificent machinery from the golden age of motorsport.

Tickets for the Oulton Park Gold Cup on 29/30 August are now on sale from £17 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0870 950 9000 or visit www.oultonpark.co.uk.

The Toyo Tires Racing Saloons enjoyed an extra outing at Oulton Park last Saturday (24th July), with a one-off event added to the calendar.

With a grid of 18 cars filling the tarmac in qualifying, it was Colin Tester who stole pole position. Being the only Class A car in appearance Tester had a somewhat substantial advantage, with the nearest car 3.5 seconds adrift.

Photo: Nic Simons – Project Photography

Stephen Primett in his Class D Ford Escort secured the second fastest time to line up alongside Tester, with James Colbourne third. A number of VW cars made their mark on the series, doubling up on their on track exploits after also contesting the Golf GTi Championship. Another newcomer, in the form of Performance BMW editor Louise Woodhams, made her TTRS debut in a BMW 318 Coupe.

As the sole TTRS race began, Tester shot off into the distance, whilst the action piled up behind him. A noticeable progression through the field came from Charles Godfrey in his VW Golf GTi, as the opening tour saw him move up from tenth to fourth place. Determined to place himself in the thick of the action, Godfrey hung onto those around him as he strived to make up more ground.

The second lap saw an intense scrap develop between Godfrey, fellow Golf pilot Guy Stevens and Production BMW regular Tim Wilson, as the trio fought over fourth, fifth and sixth places. After eight laps Wilson got the better of his VW rivals, edging them out for a fourth place finish.

Nigel Dixon was a man on the move, when having started second to last on the grid and sixth in Class F, a charge through the field moved him up the order. Lap by lap the PBMW contestant pedalled his BMW 320i around the 2.6 mile circuit quicker than the last. As the chequered flag fell he swept through in an impressive 12th overall and third in class.

In terms of incidents during the race, as ever Cascades was a hive of activity, with a number of drivers getting caught out at the infamous left-hander. Stephen Murphy set the ball rolling when he ran wide on the exit of Cascades, while Ian Shepherd dropped back from seventh place to 11th after experiencing problems at the same corner. Prior to his minor off, Shepherd had lapped within a second of the newly set Class F TTRS lap record.

With a 19 second lead by the time he reached the chequered flag, Tester not only took another victory but also set a new Class A lap record. Meanwhile, in keeping with the theme of lap records, Primett demolished the previous Class D record, while Wilson secured a new Class F lap record.

Behind Tester, Primett took a solitary second with Colbourne third. With Wilson fourth, Godfrey won the battle for fifth, leaving Stevens to pick up sixth. The run of Golf’s was completed with Andy Holley crossing the line seventh, Dawn Boyd eighth and Marcus McKenzie ninth, while the BMW 318i of Shepherd rounded out the top ten.

Woodhams fought to a sixteenth place finish on behalf of the Performance BMW magazine on her inaugural performance, “I was in contention for third/fourth in my class then had a massive spin, and the car didn’t start for about 10 seconds,” she said. “Annoyingly by the last lap I was a corner away from my original position and recorded my best lap with a flat rear left tyre,” added Woodhams.

The TTRS regulars will be out in force again this coming weekend (31st July/1st August), as the usual MSVR series’ reunite at Castle Combe.

Race Report by Leanne Fahy (leannefahy@hotmail.com)

The AAA Saloon Cup, featuring the UK’s fastest saloons, headed to Oulton Park on July 24th for a double header and was dominated by Simon Norris – his unique 2-door (900 bhp) Mitsubishi Evo IX taking two race wins, pole position and one fastest lap. Mitsubishi Evos also dominated GpB.

His time from qualifying was enough to secure pole position for Race 1 by a clear 4 seconds; he was going to be a tough act to follow. And he confirmed that speed advantage by leading the race for the entire 20 minutes, ending the race a full 30 seconds clear of the runner-up.

Laurie Kilby driving the Ajec Racing Evo IX kept Norris on his toes for the first couple of laps – setting the fastest lap in the process, despite his usual gearbox problems and a smashed windscreen – before Norris pulled clear, leaving Kilby with an occasional view of his huge rear spoiler way ahead in the distance.

Meanwhile Richard Jones (Launch Motorsport Evo VIII) got off to a flying start for his debut race at Oulton Park and despite a ‘moment’ or two was delighted to secure the 3rd place on the rostrum.

Gary Prebble, behind the wheel of his 700 bhp Sparshatts Evo VII RS was having a very frustrating race, a mysterious engine/electrical gremlin reducing his power to nothing on a regular basis, before picking up again allowing Prebble to put his foot down again. He eventually finished 7th overall (4th in GpA).

In GpB (cars limited to 400 bhp) it was AAA Saloons newcomer Vaughan Fletcher (ScoobyClinic Subaru) only running around 300 bhp, who claimed pole position and initially led the GpB runners before Martin Thomas’ Evo blasted through from the back of the grid to lead the GpB charge – that charge won him the Launch Motorsport champagne for Driver of the Day.

But then Thomas retired on lap 6 when a boost hose blew off (as it had done in qualifying – hence starting at the back of the grid). That was the signal for other GpB runner to head for the pits; Fletcher with fuel pump failure, and Evo magazine’s feature writer Roger Green – guest driver in the Ajec Racing Evo VIII – cutting short his race with brake problems.

Local boy Dominic Barnes took his Ajec Racing Evo VIII to a surprise GpB victory and set the fastest GpB time ahead of Ian Froggatt (ScoobyClinic Subaru) another making his AAAS debut, and Angus Gorringe’s Audi S2.

Race 2

In Race 2 Norris once again led from the green lights to the chequered flag – this time setting the fastest lap – despite some rather worrying propshaft noise and vibration from half distance.

With the problems encountered in Race 1 now cured Prebble was hoping to make up for lost time and shot from the 4th row of the grid and tucked in behind Norris by the time the pack had reached the first corner! His luck didn’t hold for long and he retired just two laps into the race when the bracket for the throttle cable snapped, leaving him with no way to control his engine.

Jones, the only other GpA runner in Race 2, was going well until his broken/dragging splitter forced him to pull off the track on lap 7.

The winner of GpB, Martin Thomas, started his race from the back of the grid due to his DNF in Race 1, but fought his way up to take a class win and secure an impressive 2nd overall, despite a few off-track moments.

He was followed by Froggatt, setting fastest GpB time, who at one time fancied his chances of overall race victory once he sniffed Norris was having problems, but it was not to be.

Barnes again made the rostrum, this time in 3rd while Fletcher never really had a chance to be up the front at the end of the race; having started on the back row of the grid, he hammered his tyres down to the canvas and wore out his rear brakes in an effort to make up lost ground, but just couldn’t make it, ending 4th in class and 5th overall. Green made another all-too-brief appearance, still hampered by brakes which were either all or nothing.

Motors TV are broadcasting a 25 minute programme from each Oulton Park race, the first on Friday August 6th at 7.40 pm with the second race shown on August 13th.

Full details about the series can be found at www.aaasaloons.com and on Facebook.

The final rounds of the 2010 AAA Saloon Cup are at Castle Combe on August 30th and with the introduction of a 2WD class it’s certainly going to entertaining.

The AAA Saloon Cup, featuring some of the Uk’s fastest saloon cars, heads to Oulton Park on Saturday July 24th for the penultimate double header of the season.

With double Brands Hatch winner Nick Williamson having to miss this round the action at the front end of the pack is likely to centre on Malcolm Wise (Escort Cosworth) who won a race at Silverstone and will be going head-to-head with the infamous 900 bhp Bogey Evo driven by Simon Norris. Norris is currently the driver on form, having recently won a round of the MLR Sprint Series and been fighting with the front runners in the latest round of Time Attack.

After a poor performance at Brands Hatch, compared to his usual winning ways, Gary Prebble, behind the wheel of his 700 bhp Sparshatts Evo VII RS, will be hoping for a return to the top step on the rostrum to add to his 2 victories from earlier in the season.

Making his better-late-than-never debut in AAA Saloons will hopefully be Paul Doyle in his 700 bhp Subaru – assuming his last minute track session goes according to plan. Although the car has proved to be fast in Time Attack, Paul has yet to put his skills and car to the test under full race conditions.

Meanwhile Ajec Racing’s Laurie Kilby (Evo IX) will be hoping that his fast but unlucky season finally generates the results he’s been looking for all year. With recent Time Attack success and a track session at Oulton Park earlier this month Richard Jones is gaining more and more confidence in his 2.2L Launch Motorsport Evo VIII – will we see him returning to the rostrum as he did at Silverstone ?

Completing the GpA runners is Jonathan Faull hoping to finally put his Evo’s mechanical problems behind him and secure a decent result.

In GpB, for cars limited to 400 bhp – and getting their first taste of slick tyres, Steve Liquorish in the Ergo/JRM Evo X is likely to be the front runner, his main competition coming from the Ajec Racing guest Evo VIII which so far this season has raced to victory in three races; twice at Castle Combe and once at Silverstone.

At Oulton Park the Ajec guest driver is Roger Green from Evo magazine – a very experienced racer in numerous different cars and events – let’s hope it goes better than his latest race; that was at the Nurburgring and ended with him jumping out of his Lotus Exige which was on fire!

With two GpB wins under his belt from the last round at Brands Hatch Martin Thomas (in his first season of racing) driving the Somerset Storage Evo VIII has his fingers crossed that he’ll once again be taking some champagne home with him, although this event marks his Oulton Park race debut.

The man to beat in this year’s Nippon Challenge – 5 wins out of 6 – is Vaughan Fletcher and this weekend he’s switching to AAA Saloons to see how his race-winning Subaru Impreza RA matches up with the GpB Evos. He’ll be joined by another new Subaru driver in the shape of Ian Froggatt, both cars built by the well-respected Scooby Clinic.

Completing the mixture of Group B cars are Angus Gorringe – he made his race debut at Combe last year in a BMW M3 – who will be racing his Tangerine Audi S2, while David Harries is hoping that his Subaru will now be more competitive due to some weight saving and a switch to wider tyres.

Motors TV are broadcasting a 25 minute programme from each race at Oulton Park, the first on August 6th and the second on August 13th.

Full details about the series can be found at www.aaasaloons.com

Tim Harvey completed a double Porsche Carrera Cup GB victory at Oulton Park today (Sunday 6 June) when he won a shortened round eight of the championship. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) completed a superb pro-am1 double, while Paul Mace (GT Marques) took the pro-am2 victory.

Harvey (Red Line Racing) was ahead, but under constant pressure from Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance), when the race was halted at 12 laps following an accident involving Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase) and Alex Martin (GT Marques). With the circuit curfew time fast approaching, there was no time to restart the race.

Harvey got the jump off the line, but there was drama as the 27-car field headed for the first corner. Contact between the Team Parker Racing cars of Euan Hankey and Glynn Geddie sent Hankey’s car spinning across the track and into the barriers on the left of the circuit. The other Team Parker Racing driver of Stephen Jelley had a miraculous escape as Hankey spun across in front of him. “I was just hard on the brakes; he came right across my nose,” said Jelley.

That incident allowed Harvey and Caine to establish a small but important margin over the chasing pack. As ever, their cars were supremely evenly matched and they ran nose-to-tail for lap after lap as Caine looked for a way to dislodge his title rival. But any plans that Caine had for a late race bid were thwarted by the red flag with six laps to run. Harvey duly claimed his seventh win from eight races. “I can’t afford to be complacent, but I’m very, very pleased to come away with two wins,” said Harvey. “I did think I could have a go at Tim and I’d sized up a couple of places,” said Caine. “The early finish is not what we wanted.”

Jelley recovered from his first corner scare to run a strong third, while Gelzinis was a mighty fourth overall to complete a double victory in pro-am1 after a superb debut weekend at Oulton Park. “I changed my driving style in some of the corners and it helped a lot,” said Gelzinis. “It’s been a very good weekend for us.”

Joining Gelzinis on the pro-am1 podium were Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) and Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase). “It was a very tough race,” said Al Harthy, who had Jackson as a constant challenge. “It’s very good to be back on the podium and we gave it all we had,” said Al Harthy after another very encouraging race. Into fourth, to back up his earlier podium, went Archie Hamilton (Red Line Racing) who was declared ‘driver of the weekend’. Meanwhile, Red Line Racing earned the ‘team of the weekend’ award.

Initially, John Gaw (Kinfaun Racing) made the pro-am2 running as he battled for tenth overall with Tom Bradshaw (JHR). But into Lodge on lap eight Gaw attacked on the inside and slid into Bradshaw as he locked up. Both cars spun and Gaw dropped down the pro-am2 order. Into the pro-am2 lead contest then went Paul Mace (GT Marques) and Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase) and they battled hard until Parish had a moment and dropped back before spinning at Cascades. The unsighted Martin had nowhere to go, and with two damaged cars on the track the race was halted.

That confirmed Mace as pro-am2 winner as he bounced back from major brake problems in the first race. “I was struggling for grip,” said Mace as he raced on tyres that had already done a race at Brands Hatch. “It was very tough, but we sorted the brake problem from the first race.” Close behind Mace at the finish was Mark Hazell (JHR) after a very good race. “We altered the car for the second race and made it better,” he said as Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) recovered from a poor start to complete the pro-am2 podium ahead of George Brewster (Celtic Speed).

Harvey wins Carrera Cup round seven at Oulton Park

Tim Harvey was the big winner in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Oulton Park today (Sunday 6 June) in round seven of the championship. With title rival Michael Caine off at the first corner, Harvey’s victory became even more significant. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) drove a gritty race to win pro-am1, while Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) won pro-am2.

The major drama came as the 27-car field stormed into the first corner. Both Caine (Motorbase Performance) and Harvey (Red Line Racing) made relatively slow starts and contact with Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) pitched Caine’s car into a spin and it then went backwards into the tyre wall. “I got a big hit from behind,” said Caine as his Oulton Park gremlins struck again. “The car just wouldn’t restart, otherwise I’d have carried on.”

Harvey survived contact with Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing) at the first corner, and emerged from Old Hall in the lead. “I got my head down for the first four laps to take advantage of the new tyres and to try and get fastest lap,” said Harvey. “I didn’t realise until about lap five that it was Michael off at Old Hall.” Later, Harvey was penalised three championship points and Geddie was penalised six championship points over the contact incidents.

With Harvey pulling clear, Hankey slotted into second from Geddie and Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing). While Hankey could never relax in second, Jelley mounted a lengthy challenge on Geddie and finally dived ahead when Geddie ran wide at Old Hall. “I got a run on him and got up the inside at Cascades, but it was very tight,” said Jelley. A mistake by Hankey later in the race allowed Jelley to close to within half a second of his team mate as Geddie took fourth. Through to fifth with a fighting drive came Charles Bateman (Motorbase Performance), who was chased home by Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing).

The contest for pro-am1 ran all the way to the flag, even though Gelzinis led throughout. However, his car’s handling deteriorated over the closing stages thanks to a damaged front splitter. Leading the chase of Gelzinis was Archie Hamilton (Red Line Racing) and the winning margin was little more than a second after 25 minutes of racing. “The handling was a problem and I was losing time towards the end of the race,” said Gelzinis. “I was catching him and I had Ollie Jackson closing in on me as well,” said Hamilton. “I just didn’t have quite enough at the end,” he added. Jackson took the final podium position in pro-am1 from Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing), who wrapped up the overall top 10 places.

In pro-am2, McMenamin leapt into the lead at the start with a very rapid getaway. “I made a demon start,” he said. But he soon had pro-am2 polesitter John Gaw (Kinfaun Racing) on his tail and knowing that Gaw was not going to score championship points McMenamin did not defend too much when Gaw attacked. They then ran in close formation for many laps before Gaw slid off the road at Cascades. “I don’t know what happened,” he said. “The steering had been out of true from the start and it felt like something broke.”

That left McMenamin with a strong lead, which he calmly converted into a clear category victory. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” he said after finishing seven seconds clear of George Brewster (Celtic Speed) as Mark Hazell (JHR) completed the pro-am2 podium. “That’s about as good as we could have expected,” said Brewster after a strong race.

Comma’s ‘art attack’ to launch £2 million motorsport giveaway

Using a 6-tonne racing truck, single-seater, bike and sportscar as his paintbrushes, artist, Ian Cook, has created a unique 50 square metre work of art.

The painting was commissioned by oil and car care company, Comma, to launch a £2 million motorsport giveaway at www.commaoil.com/tickets.

Cook swapped his signature paint-covered radio-control cars for real vehicles for the first time in his career to generate the giant image which celebrates British motorsport.

After more than 40 hours painting with radio controlled cars in his studio, Cook spent a further eight hours at Brands Hatch circuit, in Kent, using a go kart, a Caterham R300 sportscar, a Formula Two single-seater, a racing bike and a 6-tonne truck to create the 10m x 5m canvas.

Comma’s £2 million motorsport promotion has been launched to celebrate the Company’s continuing technical partnership to the FIA Formula Two Championship.

Tickets for more than 100 different race events between June and November are included in the offer at MotorSport Vision circuits – Brands Hatch in Kent, Oulton Park in Cheshire, Snetterton in Norfolk and Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire – when customers buy selected packs of Comma’s Performance Motor Oil range.

“Motorsport has been in Comma’s DNA since the Company was founded over 40 years ago,” said Comma’s Mike Bewsey. “It also gives us the chance to showcase the technical excellence of our products in the harshest of engine environments.

The variety of vehicles used to paint the artwork is a perfect illustration of the vast array of racing we’re offering fans as part of our promotion.”

For details of how to claim free tickets, visit www.commaoil.com/tickets.

After a brief break in the schedule, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB resumes next weekend (5/6 June) for rounds seven and eight at the glorious parkland circuit of Oulton Park in Cheshire. A capacity field of 28 cars is due to contest the weekend.

Tim Harvey (Red Line Racing) has taken an early grip on the title race with five wins from six races, but Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) is chasing hard and victory in round five at Brands has set Caine up for a major challenge on Harvey at Oulton Park. Both drivers know the Cheshire track well and both know that it has been a pivotal venue in title contests of recent seasons.

Just 12 points currently split Harvey from Caine and one non-finish for either driver will make a massive difference to the contest. Caine will need no reminding that a tangle with a backmarker at Oulton Park a year ago took a major toll on his title bid.

However, this is by no means a two-horse race and a gaggle of rapid young drivers are chasing the two most experienced drivers in the championship. Teenager Glynn Geddie and Carrera Cup Scholarship racer Euan Hankey – both from Team Parker Racing – are currently battling for third, and need to start pegging back the 40-point gap to Harvey if they are to get into the title race over the middle part of the 20-race season. After modest weekends at Thruxton and Rockingham, Geddie showed much improved pace at Brands and should be very strong at Oulton Park.

Meanwhile, Tom Bradshaw (JHR) starred at Brands with an overall podium and will fly at his home track of Oulton Park. Tom matched the pace of Harvey and Caine at Brands Hatch and will want to bring that form to the track where he cut his racing teeth in single-seaters.

Other strong contenders in the pro category include Charles Bateman (Motorbase Performance), Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing) and Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) and all three are podium contenders. Jelley has shown strong pace in his first taste of the Carrera Cup and is due some better fortune after several non-finishes over the early races.

In the pro-am1 category, Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) has taken the early advantage but faces tough opposition from Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing) and the increasingly impressive Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing), who faces another tough learning challenge on his first sight of Oulton Park. Jackson will arrive at Oulton Park with a 12-point lead, but Gilham and Gelzinis both have the pace to close that margin, while Ahmad Al Harthy and Archie Hamilton – both from Red Line Racing – are getting quicker and quicker as they build experience at this level.

In pro-am2 the top four drivers are very close on points as Mark Hazell (JHR) heads Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase), Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) and George Brewster (Celtic Speed) while Cheshire teenager George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) is chasing hard after a fine second place finish at Brands. However, the arrival of John Gaw (Kinfaun Racing) for the first time this season could really upset the formbook in pro-am2. Over the first six races of the season, the battle for pro-am2 spoils has been a highlight of several rounds and that great competition should continue at Oulton Park.

Carrera Cup qualifying is on Saturday at 12.00, with the first race at 12.55 on Sunday and the second race at 17.45. The first race is due to be shown live on ITV4 in the extensive BTCC race day programme, which starts at 11.30am.

Out of the chaos, Roadsport-B champion Trevor Fowell emerges as championship leader at Oulton Park.

A single blistering lap by current title holder Jon Walker put him on pole half a second ahead of his rivals early on Saturday morning, but he was just one of eighteen drivers that qualified under the old lap record, suggesting the pace was going to be frantic.

Alongside Walker was DPR Motorsport team-mate Mark Shaw.  The newcomer had impressed with his speed at Silverstone and was now living up to that promise.  The 2009 Roadsport-B championship’s three amigos, Gordon Sawyer, Trevor Fowell and Paul Brannan rounded out the top spots, while McMillan Motorsport head-honcho Andy McMillan, who had been so quick at Silverstone, languished in thirteenth after a minor problem with the rear suspension upset his handling, and him.

The green light was the signal for bedlum, which duly followed in the first run to Cascades.  Fowell had jumped Walker for the lead, whilst a poor start from Shaw saw him hustled back to eighth.  Jamie Ellwood had lost out to both James Sharrock and a lightening start from McMillan, and attempted to make up for it on the entry to Cascades by using a gap that wasn’t there.  In the process, he triggered a chain reaction of events as he nudged Shaw into a spin, who then collected Dave Pearce.  Ollie Taylor was too close to be able to take avoiding action, though several drivers successfully took to the grass, including Pete Young whose remarkable head-height jump only knocked off a sensor on landing, sidelining him.  McMillan was sent scrabbling for the pits with a mangled front tyre whilst Paul Turley was shunted well down the order; a poor reward for skilfully avoiding everyone.  After a brief safety car period Turley set about putting things right with a series of stunning laps, but on the entry to Knickerbrook, tripped over a slower car and after a brief visit to the tyre wall, finished up back on the track minus a couple of corners, bringing the race to a halt.

Fowell and Walker now headed the front row for the ten minute sprint to the finish, but it was Brannan and Ellwood from third and fifth that made the best of the restart to take the lead places.  Meanwhile, McMillan, given another chance, launched himself from twentieth to sixth on the first lap with unrivalled pace, though once with the lead group he was unable to make much progress as the four leaders tussled for position allowing Brannan to make a small gap.  After a poor opening lap SPY Motorsport’s Paul Fleury had clawed his way back to third, passing Walker who had worked his way backwards, meaning it would be Brannan from Ellwood, followed by Fleury at the end of the six lap sprint, with Fowell just outside the trophy positions.

If the on track action had been frenetic, it was nothing compared to the work going on in the pit garages over lunchtime as teams and drivers battled to meet the deadline for the afternoon’s race, but a notable absence from race two would be Walker who couldn’t take part due to another engagement.

Race two was an altogether more sensible affair although the safety car would still see some action.  A poor first lap for Brannan pushed him down the order, whilst McMillan’s charging resumed once again and he was leading by the end of lap one.  As Brannan recovered to third place, he made a small but punishing mistake.  Running wide onto the grass he was fired back onto the track and into an unfortunate Sharrock, running a strong fourth position.  After a short safety car period, McMillan continued on his way, putting a gap between himself and Fowell, now up to second after Fleury and Ellwood’s battle for second was slowed at Druids with Fleury forced to take a trip through the gravel.  Ellwood was left fighting for third with Sawyer and novice Jon Packer, who was putting in a brilliant performance, albeit short-lived as he drove himself into the gravel at Shell Oils and out of contention.  Ahead of them, Fowell had started to reel in McMillan until he was alongside with just a lap to go.  An epic final lap between the pair went the way of Fowell, giving his Fauldsport team a second win for the day.  He had nosed past McMillan at the line four-hundredths ahead.  Ellwood would come home third, just ahead of Sawyer.

Three races, three different winners.  Indeed, three different pole men, none of whom have led to the flag!  Fowell now has a three point lead over McMillan in the championship, helped by the two lap records he has already set this year, bringing his tally to five current Caterham lap records – more than any other driver.  Ellwood is just behind the pair, with Walker and Brannan equal in the fourth spot.  Shaw, Sawyer, Sharrock, Taylor and Turley have all shown they’ve got what it takes – will one of them be the next winner as the championship heads for Belgium?

Next Rounds: Zolder, 5/6^th June.

Oulton Park was the venue for the first round of the MSA Time Attack series, which has grown massively in popularity since it was introduced to the UK 4 years ago.

Pro Class was won by Gareth Lloyd in his CPR prepared Mitsubishi EVO, lapping the Island circuit in 1:25.493 seconds, outgunning Steve Gugliemi in his Audi powered Exige who ran a best lap of 1:26.141.

Club Pro class was won by Marcus Webster in his R32 Skyline, with a best time of 1:29.917, narrowly pipping former Time Attack  champion Kev Horsley in his Scoobyclinic backed Impreza (1:30.378)

In Club class, the 4WD category saw two newcomers to the podium, both from Scotland. Swapping best times throughout the day during the practice and qualifying sessions, Scott Robson in his GC8 Impreza (1:35.188) that was purchased a few years ago from a breakers yard, got the upper hand in the final beating Fee Kindness in her TrackScotland R32 Skyline (1:35.733). Both will be hoping to repeat their success at their home track at Knockhill for round 2 on the 16th May.

The rear wheel drive categoy was headed by the Lotus Exige of Jamie Wilson, closely followed by the Whifbitz Toyota Supras of Steve Linton and Paul Whiffin.

The front wheel drive category was dominated by Bo Nielsen in his Vauxhall Astra VXR. Bo set fastest times throughout the morning practice and qualification sessions, upstaging many of the more powerful 4WD cars, and followed through with a 1:37.437 in the final. Second in the FWD category was Dave Thorpe in his Honda Civic EP3, almost 3 seconds behind the pace of class leader Neilsen.

Full Results

Class Standings after round1:

The Time Attack series moves north to Knockhill in Scotland for round 2 on the 16th May.

Words: John Stewart
Images: Flat Out Photography