RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Declan Jones concluded his maiden season in the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship at Silverstone last weekend in fine form, with a strong showing in rounds nineteen and twenty.

Declan, who made the step up to the Ginetta Junior Championship for 14-17 year-olds this season, after several successful years in the Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone Formula One Management-backed Formula Kart Stars Series and in the Super One Rotax Series, was slowed by severe engine problems last time out at Brands Hatch. However with no such issues this time he was able to show great pace around Silverstone’s 1.639-mile National Circuit.

Indeed the Chicago Soft-backed youngster was right at the front in practice on Friday, a switch to TJ Motorsport paying early dividends. He then maintained that momentum on Saturday morning, finishing third overall in the official free practice session – his best lap a 1 minute 10.533 seconds, which left him just 0.087 seconds off P2.

Qualifying was just as positive and while he slipped to ninth, he was just three tenths off third and a place on the second row.

The first race saw the Liverpudlian storm up to sixth at the start in his Ginetta G40J. Unfortunately though, going into Becketts, he got taken out by one of his rivals and while he could continue, with the steering damaged, he did well to make it to the chequered flag, eventually classified in 14^th.

“It has been great with TJ Motorsport from the word go,” Declan said. “It is a nice team and everyone is really welcoming.

“We were good in practice and the car felt strong on Saturday and we had really high hopes. I felt I should have been a bit higher in qualifying but I just couldn’t quite hook up a lap with a really good tow.

“Then in the first race we went from ninth to sixth at the start. It was going well. But after the contact the steering was destroyed – you have holding points for the steering wheel and they were literally bent the opposite way they should have been – and all I could do was bring it home.”

The next day in the second race, which was screened live on UK television on ITV4, Declan made another great start and was up to fifth at the end of the first tour. Although he slipped back to sixth on lap two, he re-gained P5 on lap six, all the time running right up with a gaggle of cars that trailed eventual race winner, Niall Murray and 2011 Ginetta Junior Champion, Seb Morris.

With one lap to the ‘flag, he looked set to at least equal his best result of the year. However, it wasn’t to be and when two of his rivals made contact in front, the 16-year-old was left with nowhere to go. He finished 13^th.

“I had a fantastic start again, probably one of my best of the year,” Declan continued. “I was able to do the same lap times as everyone in front of me and I was running right up with them.

“But then it all kicked off directly ahead of me on the very final lap with three corners to go – and I was taken out, again. I guess it was a racing incident. It is racing at the end of the day and you have got to get on with it, although it is obviously disappointing.

“It has been an eventful weekend and while the results might not show it, it was very positive.

“With a bit of better luck we could definitely have got a podium, but still the pace was there. I have learnt loads this year. The set-up is now very good and with fine tweaking I think it could easily be a winning car.”

Declan ends his rookie campaign 13^th in the standings – having notched up 172 points and having scored in 17 of the 20 races.

It is not quite over however, as he will take in the stand-alone Ginetta GT Winter Cup event at Snetterton next month (November 5-6) and with four separate Ginetta Junior races on the bill, he could yet end 2011 with a rostrum.

“I am really looking forward to the Winter Cup,” Declan added. “This weekend has been another massive confidence booster.

“It will be good to go back to Snetterton having raced there in August too. It is a nice track. I will be going into it hoping to come away with some trophies. I’m determined to try and get a podium there.”

Declan’s dad, manager and chief mechanic, Kelvin Jones meanwhile felt there were many positives to take from the Silverstone finale.

“The race today was probably Declan’s best of the year,” Kelvin stated. “Knockhill may be his best results wise, as he was fifth, but today he was extremely fast. He has been very quick throughout the weekend and I think we could have had near-on-a-podium in both races. Dec was just unlucky to be twice taken out. The positive though is the speed. We knew we were going to get there and we most definitely have.

“We have the Winter Cup to focus on now and we will again run with TJ Motorsport. I wanted to get a feel for them this weekend and we will do the same at Snetterton. We will then look to finalise our plans for 2012.

“I am convinced with the right package Declan can be a championship contender next year.”

Anybody that would like to get involved and support Declan should contact Kelvin on +44 (0)7989 585186.

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

A full throttle season in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain has now come to an end for Finnish racer Antti Buri, after an eventful weekend at Silverstone.

After 24 races spread across 8 weekends and 6 different circuits in the UK and Europe, Antti narrowly missed out on a top three championship position to finish in a strong fourth place.

The season finale at Silverstone last weekend (8^th-9^th October) was a challenging affair for the youngster, however it was far from short of action. Drama made an appearance from the very start of the weekend, when whilst waiting to hit the track for testing a burnt wiring loom forced Antti to miss the first session.

With one more session before qualifying and the three races, Antti took to the track for the second test. New to the Arena circuit layout Antti was unsure of what to expect on his first lap, and with the added excitement of damp conditions it was an experimental experience.

A lack of knowledge around the 3.66 mile circuit left Antti with guess work on setting up his Mygale SJ11 single-seater. Despite this, Antti launched into qualifying to secure a fourth place start for race one.

Described by Antti as “one of the best races this season”, race one was loaded with electrifying battles up and down the field. A fiercely close performance saw Antti reach second place, until a wide line into Luffield allowed two of his rivals to muscle their way through.

An original fourth place was later changed to third for the Geva-LMS Racing expert, when third placed Dan De Zille was deemed to have passed under yellow flags.

A damp track played host to the second race on Sunday (9^th October), and as ever a ferocious fight awaited Antti. Despite the excitement, Antti found himself tormented by a lack of testing, as he faced a battle with his tyres as well as his rivals.

A double fifth place finish awaited Antti at the chequered flag of both race two and three, as another season came to a close. A vivacious performance from the Finnish racer this year has seen him edge closer to that illusive first win in the British championship.

Looking back Antti said: “It has been an interesting year. We’ve had some good results and some great races, but it was a shame Silverstone was so frustrating.”

Now Antti looks ahead to the extremely prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch this coming weekend (15^th-16^th October). With testing for the Festival available throughout this week, Antti is eager to get back behind the wheel on a familiar circuit, as he strives for Festival honours

Photos: Parravani / JDH Motorsport Photography

Father/Son duo of Glynn and Jim Geddie have won the 2011 British GT Championship, thanks to a great drive (and perhaps a bit of luck) from both drivers in the final race on the Silverstone GP circuit. Despite qualifying only 9th and a few tenths away from the top 3, Glynn believed the car could be better for the race. However, with some of their title rivals fading by the way side thanks to penalties and/or retirements, the Championship leaders going into the final race pulled off a great recovery to get the points needed for the title.

Majority of the teams ran their 2nd driver first, doing a shorter first stint, allowing their 1st and faster driver to complete the race with the longest stint. The only requirement that each driver does at least 45 minutes, resulting in a one stop strategy for everyone.

At the start, it was initially the 3rd Audi of Joe Osborne and Zak Brown and the #5 Ferrari of Charles Bateman and Michael Lyons that led away after battling their way past the outgoing champion of David Ashburn, who struggled in the opening stages, and the pole position car of the Aston Martin, driven in the opening stint by Andrew Howard, again, also struggling in the opening laps, but eventually regaining pace and 3rd place by the first 30 minute mark.

The leading pair pulled away from the battling pack, pegging each other till traffic and a damaged rear spoiler on the Bateman/Lyons car meant they lost over a second a lap some laps, and dropped back from the Audi after what looked like a promising fight and a chance for the title for the Ferrari pair.

The battling pack behind the top 2 provided much of the entertainment in the early stages, with Ashburn holding on gallantly from the chasing Ferrari’s, Mercedes and Audi’s.

After half an hour, the top 10 was: 29 (Osborne), 5 (Bateman), 7 (Howard), 22 (Jones), 2 (Fisken), 1 (Ashburn), 21 (Cameron), 20 (Draper), 23 (Guasch), 10 (Geddie).

Andrew Jordan was enjoying his 2nd outing in a GT race this year, in the bright orange Ginetta G55 partnering Tom Sharp, battling with the CRS Ferrari of Andrew Tate. Numerous times going side by side before eventually getting past a few laps before their pit stop.

Another Touring Car driver going well for the 2nd time in 2 weeks was Gorden Shedden, once again partnering Hector Lester and out pacing his more experienced team mate. Shedden even trying to get past Tim Bridgman late on in the race despite being a lap down on the Porsche.

A lengthy safety car period intervened at the 57th minute and caused havoc with the leading cars. Although most cars had done their one and only pit stop before the safety car starting at the 51st minute, a few pitted under the safety car, caused by the GT3 Aston Martin of Paul White hitting the barriers over the far side of the circuit at Club corner.

After a bit of reshuffling, with a few winners and losers as Race Control tried to sort out the order, with Westbrook almost losing out in the safety car period, getting increasingly frustrated with the Chevron of David Witt (father of Jordan Witt in the sister Chevron) as they lapped slowly trying to catch up with the safety car train. Eventually, after about 20 minutes, the safety car pulled off after all the cars were behind it and with the race leader the leading car.

Safety car restart Order: 29 (Brown), 5 (Lyons), 22 (Jones), 7 (Adam), 1 (Westbrook), 10 (Geddie), 21 (Griffin), 2 (Bridgman), 20 (Draper), 23 (Bell).

The safety car restart was bad news for Tom Sharp, retiring after contact near the Wing, and pulling off outside the new pit complex, thankfully though in a safe place leaving the race as a race and not bringing out another Safety Car.

However, up front, a fantastic part of the race was unfolding, where Glynn Geddie now at the hands of the #10 Ferrari, showed why he was never going to give up on the title.

Adam, Jones, Westbrook and Geddie were in a nose to tail in fight for 3rd, with the Jones Mercedes starting to drop down the order.

Adam in the Beechdean Aston Martin gets into second with a pass on the Lyons Ferrari, with Griffin and Bridgman side by side through Luffield, Griffin just holding on to the spot. The Aston was on the move again as Brown in the leading Audi with a 1.5 second lead was being caught at a rate of 3 seconds per lap. No surprise then when Adam in the Aston Martin snatches the lead from Brown.

Numerous penalties and retirements affected the championship contenders. Matt Griffin took a 12s stop/go penalty for a pitlane infringement, Mike Gausch/Matt Bell in the #24 Audi pulled into the garage following contact and Michael Lyons served a drive through penalty for not respecting the track limits.

That left David Ashburn within the chance of retaining his title despite being an outsider coming into the final round, with his hopes in the hands of Westbrook, holding onto 2nd place behind the leading Aston, provided Glynn Geddie could do no better than 4th.

Holding that 3rd place that would gift them the championship was Brown in the Audi, but Geddie fought his way through, and began to close on Westbook in the final stages of the race.

The Audi dropping back, losing 5th place to the Mercedes before the end of the race.

Westbrook was slowing and Geddie was hassling the Porsche for the 2nd, even though that 3rd place would net them the title. Jim Geddie in the pitlane was apprehensive, its not over till that chequered flag falls – the race was not yet over and the championship was not yet won. They needn’t of worried though, despite the Ferrari drivers best efforts, he had to settle for 3rd, but it was enough for the title.

“Qualifying wasn‚’t great but come the race Jim did a great job” Glynn said. “He had a close call with a couple of cars and then when the safety car came out on the lap that we pitted, it looked like a disaster for us. But everything worked out okay in the end.”

“The last couple of laps were a bit intense as I tried to get a step up the podium; in the end I backed out of it because we had won the championship”

Father Glynn was equally delighted with the championship title: “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet” he said. “I was so nervous I was sick before the race, and I was sick again after I got out of the car. I would definitely like to come back to defend the title next year. We didn’t have the best of starts to our season but I’m delighted to have won it. I’d like to come back next year after some proper winter testing and be on the ball from the first race.”

In the GT4 class, the KTM of Peter Belshaw/Marcus Clutton had all but the Championship wrapped up, with the Lotus of Freddy Nordstrom/Leyton Clarke battling with the 2 Ginetta’s of Dan Denis and Jake Rattenbury/Josh Wakefield, all still within a shot of the GT4 title, however a steady drive to 2nd in class by the KTM secured them the title. The Lotus of Chris Holmes and Phil Glew took a comfortable victory in the GT4 class from pole position.

Provisional results GT3 & overall

GT3

1 Beechdean Aston Martin Andrew Howard/Jonny Adam 2h 01m 26.220s / 97.68mph

2 Trackspeed Porsche David Ashburn/Richard Westbrook +22.738s

3 CRS Racing Ferrari Jim Geddie/Glynn Geddie +22.939s

4 Trackspeed Porsche Gregor Fisken/Tim Bridgman +37.231s

5 Preci-Spark Mercedes David Jones/Godfrey Jones +43.170s

6 United Autosports Audi Joe Osborne/Zak Brown (USA) +56.941s

7 Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari Michael Lyons/Charles Bateman +1m 14.286s

8 MTECH Ferrari Julien Draper/Matthew Draper +1m 20.669s

9 MTECH Ferrari Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin (IRL) +1m 23.848s

10 CRS Racing Ferrari Andrew Tate/Alex Mortimer 53 laps

GT3B

1 Backdraft Lamborghini Simon Atkinson/James Pickford 45 laps

GT4

1 Lotus Sport UK Lotus Chris Holmes/Phil Glew 52 laps

2 ABG Motorsport KTM Peter Belshaw/Marcus Clutton 51 laps

3 Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta Dan Denis/David McDonald 51 laps

4 Century Motorsport Ginetta Josh Wakefield/Jake Rattenbury 50 laps

5 Magic Ginetta Stewart Linn/Chris Midmark (SWE) 50 laps

6 Lotus Sport UK Lotus Leyton Clarke/Freddy Nordstrom 49 laps

7 Secure/Barwell Aston Martin Peter Erceg/Tiff Needell 49 laps

GT Cup

1 Chevron Racing Chevron Jordan Witt/Anthony Reid 52 laps

2 Chevron Racing Chevron David Witt/Ray Grimes 50 laps

Final Championship Positions (Top 10):

British GT3 Drivers Championship

1 GT3 Glynn Geddie 144

1 GT3 Jim Geddie 144

2 GT3 David Ashburn 130

3 GT3 Matt Griffin 116.5

3 GT3 Duncan Cameron 116.5

4 GT3 Michael Lyons 116.5

4 GT3 Charles Bateman 116.5

5 GT3 Andrew Howard 113.5

5 GT3 Jonathan Adam 113.5

6 GT3 Matt Bell 110.5

6 GT3 Michael Guasch 110.5

7 GT3 Gregor Fisken 107.5

7 GT3 Tim Bridgman 107.5

8 GT3 David Jones 98

8 GT3 Godfrey Jones 98

9 GT3 Richard Westbrook 89

10 GT3 Hector Lester 88.5

British GT4 Drivers Championship

1 GT4 Marcus Clutton 205.5

1 GT4 Peter Belshaw 205.5

2 GT4 Dan Denis 164

2 GT4 David McDonald 164

3 GT4 Freddy Nordstrom 164

3 GT4 Leyton Clarke 164

4 GT4 Jake Rattenbury 157

4 GT4 Josh Wakefield 157

5 GT4 Phil Glew 139

6 GT4 Ollie Jackson 101.5

7 GT4 Chris Holmes 75.5

8 GT4 Peter Erceg 59

9 GT4 Michael Mallock 51

9 GT4 Athanasios Ladas 51

10 GT4 James Nash 37.5

Report: Nick Deeley
Photography: Surreal Illusions

Race Report – Silverstone- Academy – 30^th September  2011

A special treat for the final round for the Academy, they raced at Silverstone on the new GP circuit, supporting the prestigious Britcar 24hr race and were also bathed in unprecedented heat and sunshine for the time of year.

Group 2

Pole position was awarded to Brad Smith, while David Robinson, despite his best efforts would have to start from second ahead of local man Alex Macindoe, who made the most of home circuit knowledge to line up third. As the lights extinguished it was Paul Thacker from seventh place that made the best start, catapulting his way up to the leaders. Thacker approached Maggotts side by side with Rob Smith, who also had made a great getaway, and the pair swept into the second part of the corner (Becketts) still inches apart which meant one of them was offline.  Thacker backed out, lifting off the power momentarily which unfortunately caused him to spin.  In the melee of mass avoidance Macindoe chose the marbled side of the circuit and also spun, re-joining last.  Amazingly, with two separate spins at the head of the field there was no contact, just a few people out of position after dodging the dancers.  The biggest winner out of this situation had to be Jake Bradshaw who firstly made an epic start but also manage to tip-toe around the action making up several places.  With the first lap still not complete Kevin Robson, who was dicing at the front end, turned in late at Abbey and disappeared in a spectacular cloud of dust deep into the gravel, ending his race.  Our usual four were back fighting for the lead, although in an atypical order, Rob Smith, Brad Smith, Robinson and Champion elect Andy Welch down in fourth.

Welch and Smith (Rob) were fighting amongst themselves allowing Smith (Brad) and Robinson to make a bit of a break. Two separate duels emerged each as heated and fiercely contended as each other. Robinson was determined not to let Smith (Brad) escape, wanting to take home his first winner’s trophy.  Smith had other ideas, consistently setting quick lap times and always managing to regain the lead after Robinson slipped through, usually at the Loop.  As the leading pair crossed the line it was Smith (Brad) who took the flag, 0.096 ahead of Robinson, demonstrating how close their entire race had been. Smith (Rob) beat the newly crowned Champion Welch to third, the first time all season Welch had not ended on the podium. Fastest Lap and the new lap Record went to the victorious Brad Smith 2:38.129

Group 1

Writing about motorsport and watching it for a living must have helped Autosport journalist, Glenn Freeman snatch his first pole.  Elliott Norris lined up alongside him in second, closely followed by Matthew Lowe in third. Norris got the better start, jumping into the lead, while everyone made it through the first corner; perhaps a little sideways but well held by all. The group split up slightly but big packs emerged rather than lots of little ones, nine cars making up the leading group. They were so close that it appeared a new leader emerged after each corner, Freeman nicked the lead from Norris after he overshot at Vale, Achille Corbellati poked his nose ahead occasionally, trying to take the lead, Charlie King, the start-line rocket flew from tenth into fourth, to dice with Norris. Rob Chappell, who qualified in 11^th, had also joined in the battle after an ambitious, possibly overzealous start which almost ended in disaster as he drove into the back of Adrian Fleming.  Luckily only a wing was lost and both were able to continue racing.

The close proximity of the leaders looked certain to end in tears if any of them made an error and so it was on lap two when Corbellati’s car drifted sideways mid-apex at Luffield forcing those following to brake unexpectedly in avoidance. Norris slowed into the path of Freeman who was left with nowhere to go. Freeman tapped the rear of Norris, spinning him round and once again making contact as both cars locked together. Once they re-started and re-joined they were both well down the order. Corbellati took the lead, followed by King and Chappell, but Chappell perfectly executed an overtake at Vale to take command. Over the next few laps Chappell pulled away drawing the attention to the pursuit for second place. Corbellati fronted the contenders as King disappeared after spinning out at Vale, moving Paul Hawthorne up to third, with Paul Lewis hot on his heels and Simon Johnson keeping a watchful eye. All the time Norris was clambering his way back up, sweeping past those who least expected it by continually setting fastest lap times. In a last lap, last corner moment of glory/bravery Norris passed Corbellati round the outside of Luffield and taking the correct line for the race to the finish leaving Corbellati to defend from Lewis who chased him to the flag. Chappell finally shook off his reputation of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride by proving he was a worthy winner with a five second advantage over Norris. Norris sealed the fastest lap of the race and the Championship to boot.

Final Championship Order:

Group 1 Group 2

1^st Elliott Norris 1^st Andy Welch

2^nd Rob Chappell 2^nd Brad Smith

3^rd Achille Corbellati 3^rd David Robinson

A 29-car field is expected at Silverstone on Saturday (8 October) for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship showdown, with several new entrants expected on the grid for the two-hour refuelling race which will close the 2011 season.

Among the fresh names joining the championship regulars are Simon Atkinson and James Pickford, who will return the Lamborghini name to British GT with their Backdraft Motorsport-prepared Gallardo GT3 ‘B’ entry. Barwell Motorsport will meanwhile field a double-strength Aston Martin squad, with a GT3 ‘B’ DBRS9 for Paul White and Andy Ruhan alongside the Beechdean Motorsport entry of Rockingham race winners Andrew Howard and Jonathan Adam.

The “Secure Racing with Barwell Motorsport” Aston GT4 car will be raced again by Peter Erceg, joined for the weekend by TV motoring pundit and ex-Ensign F1 racer Tiff Needell.

Silverstone will also mark the return of Ford to British GT, with Peter Bamford and 2007 Champion Bradley Ellis sharing RPM’s GT.

BTCC frontrunner Gordon Shedden is to return after his successful Donington Avon Tyres British GT debut to partner Hector Lester in the Rosso Verde Ferrari 458 Italia, while in GT4 there will be an additional Ginetta G50, former class championStewart Linn returning to drive it with Chris Midmark. Former Aston driver Chris Holmes swaps to the Lotus Sport UK team for Silverstone, joining Phil Glew in the Evora GT4.

Reigning champion David Ashburn, who is one of 12 drivers gunning for the title at Silverstone, will have as his co-driverRichard Westbrook, with whom he shared his Trackspeed Porsche for his wins at Oulton Park and Spa.

In the GT Cup category, Jordan Witt and his co-driver Anthony Reid will face some opposition. For Silverstone there will be two Chevron GR8s in action, the second piloted by Jordan’s dad, David Witt, and Ray Grimes.

“In addition to it being the deciding round of the championship, the Silverstone race has attracted one of the biggest grids of the season,” says championship manager Benjamin Franassovicci. “We welcome the new teams and the returning old faces and look forward to a great battle on the track. British GT is now attracting the best GT cars in the world, with such prestigious brands as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Audi, Porsche and Lotus having enjoyed race or class victories this year. Interest for next year is already running high and with a very similar platform of seven GT meetings, and stable rules, 2012 is going to be as good, if not better.”

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.

Revised Silverstone timetable
Friday 7 October: 0900-0950 & 1120-1210 testing
Saturday 8 October: 1040 qualifying; 1555 Round 10 (120 mins)

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

United Autosports Bidding For British GT Championship Glory At First Attempt

• Bell & Guasch in “maximum attack” mode as they face uphill battle for BGT honors at Silverstone
• Anglo-American team wins race against time to prepare R8 LMS for Bintcliffe & Palmer

Maximum attack is the only course of action left for Matt Bell (GB) and Mike Guasch (USA) when they line-up for the 10^th and final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Silverstone (GB) on Saturday (October 8).

The Anglo-American “combo” will start the two-hour finale only third in the championship standings despite eight top-10 results and just one retirement, 11-points off the championship lead.

But with 37.5pts up for grabs for the race winners, the championship “crown” is still on offer to 12 drivers in the title race.

The Leeds-based team has been in a race against time to re-build the John Bintcliffe (GB)/Jay Palmer (GB) R8 LMS. Bintcliffe suffered a high-speed accident in qualifying for the previous round at Donington Park (GB) last month.

The heavy impact with a concrete retaining wall destroyed the #24 Teknavo Audi necessitating a multitude of new parts from quattro GmbH in Germany and subsequently a complete rebuild in readiness for Silverstone’s two-hour race around the 3.66-mile “Grand Prix” track.

Richard Dean and Bell were present for United Autosports’ stunning American Le Mans Series début in which Dean’s fellow team co-owner Zak Brown (USA), United Autosports’ FIA GT3 driver Mark Patterson (USA) and Stefan Johansson (SE) finished second in the LM P2 category in the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans race last Saturday (October 1).

Avon Tyres British GT Championship (after nine rounds):

1 Geddie/Geddie, 121.5-points

2 Griffin/Cameron, 113.5pts

3 Matt Bell & Mike Guasch, 110.5pts

23 John Bintcliffe & Jay Palmer, 23pts

Championship permutations:

A race win for Bell/Guasch nets them the championship but only if the Geddies are third or lower. Second place would also be good enough so long as Geddies are fifth or lower and the race is not won by Cameron/Griffin, Lyons/Bateman or Ashburn. Third also wins them the title if Geddies are seventh or lower, Ashburn doesn’t win, and Cameron/Griffin and/or Lyons/Bateman are behind.

Provisional Timetable:

Friday October 7 – 0900-0950 BGT Practice 1; 1420-1510 BGT Practice 2

Saturday October 8 – 0935-1010 BGT Qualifying; 1600-1800 BGT Race

* All times are UK “local”

#23 Molecule – Audi R8 LMS

Matt Bell (GB). Age: 21. Born: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, T&W. Lives: Barningham, N. Yorks, England:

“We have certainly a mountain to climb at Silverstone. Even if we win the race, it’s down to where other people finish in terms of the championship. So we just need to make sure we do a good job and win the race and then see if luck has been with us. The FIA GT3 races at Silverstone in June didn’t go particularly well for us but the Audi is better now. I do believe we are down in terms of the ‘Balance of Performance’ compared to the Ferraris and Porsches. They have more aero parts which gives them more grip and that’s where we struggle in comparison.”

Michael Guasch (USA). Age: 53. Born: Palo Alto, California. Lives: Walnut Creek, California, USA:

“I have raced at Silverstone previously and while it’s not one of my favorite tracks it could be depending on the result! We will be competitive but cannot afford to make any mistakes. The mistakes in the previous race at Donington were all down to me – the team was flawless. I will be looking to make amends, rest assured of that.”

Richard Dean (GB), Managing Director & Co-Owner of United Autosports:

“Our goal is simple. We concentrate solely on winning the race and not thinking about the championship. We need to be decisive and aggressive.”

The Porsche Carrera Cup GB heads to Silverstone (15/16 October) for the closest finish in the history of the championship. Just three points split Michael Meadows, Stephen Jelley and James Sutton going into the final two races of the 19-round season and with a fabulous 27-car grid it promises to be a sensational conclusion to a fabulous season.

It is not only the overall title that is to be resolved among the stunning field of 450bhp 911 GT3 Cup cars. Although Jonas Gelzinis is now secure as Pro-Am1 champion, George Brewster and Keith Webster are battling for the Pro-Am2 title and the prestigious teams’ championship will also be decided at Silverstone. SAS/Redline has a useful advantage and strong finishes for Meadows and Sutton in the opening race will seal the title for the Cleveland-based squad.

With the kudos of a Carrera Cup title and over £60,000 in end of season prize money awaiting the top drivers and teams, there is going to some dramatic action. In addition, the overall champion, Pro-Am1 champion and winning team manager will all collect the keys to a road-going Porsche 911 to use for a year. There really is a great deal at stake as the final two rounds run in quick succession on Sunday, with barely two hours for teams to re-prepare cars for the second race.

The big story for Silverstone is the overall title race as Meadows and Sutton from the SAS/Redline team go head-to-head with Jelley (Parker with Juta). With one score to drop, it leaves Meadows and Jelley level on points with Sutton just three behind. It really is that close and if either of them finishes ahead in both races, that should be enough to settle the title.

“It’s going to be very tough,” said former Carrera Cup Scholar Meadows, who has enjoyed a superb season. “We’re all going to be giving it everything,” added Meadows. Jelley, meanwhile, is revved up to take the fight to the SAS twins. “It’s really winner takes all, which is fantastic,” he said. “It’s going to be a hell of a weekend.” Sutton reckons that the weekend will throw up a surprise or two. “It never runs smoothly and there is always one final twist,” said the 2007 champion. “I can’t imagine that this one will be any different.”

Of course, there are plenty of other drivers who simply want to win races this weekend, none more so than Bedford’s Nick Tandy who arrived in the championship in style at Brands Hatch in the Nationwide/Motorbase entry. The Porsche Supercup racer will be very hard to beat. Add in young chargers Euan Hankey (Parker with Juta), Richard Plant and Sam Tordoff from Team Parker Racing, Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline) and Kieran Vernon (Nationwide/Motorbase) and the stage is set for two epic races on Sunday.

But this is not only about the overall contest. In Pro-Am1, Gelzinis (Juta Racing) is confirmed as champion but Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) and Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) are battling hard for second. However, it is still very close in Pro-Am2 where Brewster (Celtic Speed) has a slender advantage over Webster (Redline Racing). “Nothing is won, but we’re in good shape and it is for us to lose,” said Brewster. “It’s all on Silverstone and I think we’ll have a good clean fight there,” countered Webster. Other leading runners in Pro-Am2 include Steve Parish (Motorbase Performance), Yucel Ozbek (Redline Racing) and Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport).

After qualifying at 12.05 on Saturday, round 18 will start at 12.25 on Sunday followed by round 19 at 15.45. Both races will be broadcast live on ITV4 during the extensive BTCC programme, which starts at 11.00 on Sunday.

The overall points’ situation is:
Michael Meadows; currently on 282 but has to drop a score of 10 points
Stephen Jelley; currently on 272 with zero to drop
James Sutton; currently on 270 but has to drop a score of 1 point
Overall scoring system: 20-18-16-14-12-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 to the first 15 finishers plus 1 point for pole position for each race a 1 point for fastest lap in each race.

The Pro-Am2 points’ situation is:
George Brewster; currently on 121 but has to drop 11 points at Silverstone
Keith Webster; currently on 118 but has to drop 13 points at Silverstone
Pro-Am2 scoring system: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 to the first 10 Pro-Am2 finishers plus 1 point for Pro-Am2 pole position for each race and 1 point for Pro-Am2 fastest lap in each race.

Nicholas Mee Racing rounded off its victorious 2011 Aston Martin GT4 Challenge winning season with a Class 3 victory and second overall in last weekend’s gruelling Britcar 24hr race at Silverstone. Dan de Zille was joined by drivers Karsten Le Blanc, Christiaen van Lanschot, and Robert Nimkoff who together completed 560 laps of the 3.6604-mile GP circuit in the NMR Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 to finish behind the winning McInerney team’s Class 1 GT2 Ferrari 430 and just one lap ahead of the 3^rd-place-finishing Class 3 Lotus Evora of Marcos Racing International.

Jersey based Dan headed to Silverstone for this year’s 24hr race with high hopes of completing unfinished business after the team’s disappointment in 2010 when blighted by a crash late in the race while lying in 9^th overall.

In qualifying de Zille posted a time good enough for 16^th on the grid, but rather than gamble on gaining a few positions the team parked the car up and prepared for the race. With the qualifying session completed, NMR was placed 20^th on the grid.

The race got underway at 16.29 on the Saturday with Le Blanc piloting NMR’s Aston. Each driver then rotated through the early hours of the race and into the night with 2-hour ‘double’ stints. The car would pit roughly every hour to refuel, with fresh tyres fitted every two hours or so.

Keeping out of trouble and with an excellent strategy, NMR climbed swiftly up the field and into the lead of Class 3 – a position it would maintain for the most of the next 22 hours. De Zille was the last driver to take his turn and at midnight started a heroic 2hr 53min stint, just 7 minutes shorter than the maximum allowed. During this session he posted some stunning lap times that moved NMR up into the top five overall.

NMR’s race continued unbelievably smoothly with zero car issues, a faultless performance by all four drivers and rapid and efficient pit-work by the NMR crew, ably headed by Giles Dawson. One of themost exciting features of the entire race was NMR’s epic duel with the Lotus Evora GT4 driven by a team of experienced professional and semi-professional drivers including sportscar veteran Cor Euser. The two teams battled it out for the lead of Class 3 and overall podium honours for over half of the race.

With all of NMR’s drivers having completed roughly the same distance, it was down to Le Blanc to drive the final stint to the flag. With the Lotus charging hard from behind it was an extremely tense period with just one lap, and sometimes, just seconds separating the two. Finally, at 16.32 on the Sunday, NMR’s V8 Vantage crossed the line in second position overall and first in the ultra-competitive Class 3.

After the race NMR’s jubilant Team Principal Nicholas Mee said, “Heroes all! In 24 hours of racing we had no driver errors, no car failings, no time penalties, no damage and a dream result, all of which comes on top of five race wins and victory in this year’s Aston Martin Challenge series! I’m immensely proud and appreciative of the whole team’s achievements. Big thanks to our drivers, sponsors, pit-crew and supporters who have all helped make a great racing season even greater.

Dan is back out in his Mygale Formula Ford this weekend for the final round of the British Formula Ford Championship at Silverstone where Dan is currently lying in fifth place overall for the title.

Lotus Sport UK head to Silverstone with a clear goal in mind – get both cars on the podium and take the GT4 championship.

It has been a fantastic first season for the Lotus Sport UK team which has seen regular drivers Leyton Clarke and Freddy Nordstrom put in consistent performances over the course of the year to head in to the last race weekend with a chance to take the GT4 title.

The last round at Donington Park saw Phil Glew and British Touring Car Championship star James Nash lead home the #48 Lotus Evora in first place. Glew will be looking for a repeat performance this weekend as he is joined by former Aston Martin GT4 driver Chris Holmes.

With the heat wave of the previous weekend gone and the typical October weather closing in the team are hoping for rain as the Evora is very strong on a wet track.

Team Manager Gary Ayles said: “Were delighted to welcome Chris into the team, he’s a quick peddler and should work well with Phil. Obviously we can still clinch the GT4 title so let’s hope Freddy and Leyton can do the business on Saturday, and bring home the GT4 championship to Lotus Sport UK.”

The team got finished todays testing at the top of the GT4 class with Glew and Holmes leading the way. Glew said, “The car was mega, we had a few teething issues with the gearbox early on, but then it was really hooked up! Looking forward to qualifying now”

Holmes made his return to the cockpit today and was happy with the results”It’s great to get back in a car for the first time since Spa. I was a bit rusty but that soon wore off, and now it’s just a case of learning the car.”

Ayles added, “Both cars ran well today and Chris was bang on the pace straight away, looking forward to two podiums tomorrow!”

This entry will be updated during the race, with updates added at the top. Scroll down to see earlier entries. Keep checking back for news! Fee free to leave comments as well!

Hour 24. 3.30 -> 4.30

Going into this final hour, the gaps between cars, measure in laps rather than seconds between all contenders, was be too big to overcome under normal racing conditions.

This years race may well have had better weather, and a bigger crowd, but it couldn’t deliver a race as exciting as last years. Which is hardly surprising, given the fantastic competition of 2010.

All competitors who take part in a 24hour race should be applauded, and those that finish doubly so. It is a unique test of man and machine, speed and endurance and so all congratulations should go to the Eclipse team for winning the 2011 MSA Britcar 24hr Race.

Hours 22 & 23. 1.30 -> 3.30

Going into the final hour, we find the Eclipse Ferrari, with a lead of 16 laps but has to stop again. The second and third placed cars, Nicholas Mee Aston Martin and Marcos Racing Evora respectively, have both made their last stops.

Running in fourth overall is the Topcats Racing class three Mantis, which is two laps ahead of the Intersport BMW, running fourth in class and fifth overall. Intersport are confident of taking the final step on the class three podium, however, as they can run to the end whereas it is expected the Mantis will stop again.

The Brunswick / Mark Griffiths BMW M3 is still leading class four, as it has for several hours now, and is currently running in seventh place overall., just ahead of the Topcats class two Mantis, which although stopped out on track an hour or so back, has clearly been made race fit again and has been sent back out.

Second in class four and running in tenth place overall is the Red Camel Racing Seat Leon. The Cox family are currently claiming third spot on the class four podium, and twelfth overall, albeit 11 laps behind class three Holden Astra of McLeod Racing.

Hour 21. 12.30 -> 1.30

The Topcats Racing Mosler has gone off at Brooklands and buried it’s nose straight under the tyre barrier and is, rather unsurprisingly, out of the race. The news that filtered through is that the throttle stuck open. The safety car was deployed for around fifteen minutes to recover the car, and to allow the marshalls to safely repair the tyre wall.

The team manager of Eclipse, who are now leading by xx laps, has been called to race control. In other penalty news, the #57 Marcos Racing Lotus has been given a stop and go penalty for speeding in the pitlane. They have thirteen laps in hand over the next car, Intersport’s BMW, and so it hasn’t caused them a problem.

Most of the gaps between cars are greater than 2 or 3 laps, and so it feels as though this race is just winding down to the end. Having said that, I thought that about an hour ago, and then the leader got thrown off the track, so what do I know?

Hours 19 & 20 – 10.30am -> 12.30pm

During the last two hours not a huge amount has changed. The Eclipse Ferrari has gained two laps on the leading Mosler, to now be 4 laps behind. This gap has, however, been pegged now that both cars are lapping in the 2:15/2:16s. Apart from the Nicholas Mee Racing and Aston Martin and the Marcos Racing Evora swapping places due to scheduled pitstops, and the same happening between the Intersport BMW and Topcats second Mantis, driven by the Japanese squad, the leaderboard looks remarkably similar to that of two hours ago.

Typical, just as I have typed that the only remaining class 2 car – Topcats Racing Mantis, has pulled over on the Abbey Straight. A safety car is deployed for a few laps to aid recovery. It did look as the Topcats were going to get all three cars home inside the top ten.

The Nigel Mustill Aquila has definitely retired now, after having issues throughout the race, but it seems that they have finally run out of luck, or spares.

So, with 4 hours to go, the run down is as follows:

Class 1.
1. Topcats Mosler
2. Eclipse Ferrari
3. Nigel Mustill Aquila (retired, but at the moment classified as 15th overall)

Class 2.
No cars still running that will meet the requirements for classification.

Class 3.
1. Nicholas Mee Aston Martin (3rd overall)
2. Marcos Racing Evora (4th overall)
3. Intersport / Kevin Clarke BMW (5th overall)

Class 4.
1. Brunswick / Mark Griffiths BMW M3 (8h overall)
2. Mardi Gras Honda Integra (12th overall)
3. Red Camel Racing Seat Leon (13th overall)

Hour 18 – 9.30->10.30

Kevin Clarke BMW had a trip to the pits due to an electrical issue which turned out to be a lose wire on the alternator, but rejoined, losing a single place to the to class two Topcats Mantis.

I was about type that not much else was happening, until the Eclipse Ferrari went off from the lead, due to a broken roll bar causing a left rear puncture while Phil Keen was doing a stint. The safety car was then dispatched while the Ferrari recovered back to the pits very slowly. The Aquila takes this opportunity to pit from 13th place, and the Topcats Mosler inherits the lead accordingly. After a few minutes to check the flailing tyre hadn’t caused any further damage, the Ferrari is sent back out, to be 6 laps behind the leader.

With six hours left, my sleep deprived mind reckons that the Ferrari needs be consistently 8-10 seconds a lap quicker than the Mosler, to catch have a chance of catching the leader. Unless, of course, the Mosler has any kind of issue.

Towards the end of this hour, th eMosler pitted for a scheduled stop, and the Aquila stopped out on the new arena loop. Also out on the loop, the #47 Jemco Ginetta had their bonnet fly off, which hopefully hasn’t landed on the racing line.

Hour 17 – 8.30 -> 9.30

The Topcats class two Mantis retakes the track after a faulty ignition switch, it had a seven lap lead over the Aquila, so no dramas there. Although, if the Mantis doesn’t make the end then there will be no class two finishers.

The Eclipse Ferrari has just under a three lap lead at the moment, and has just slowed its pace slightly, to that of the second place Topcats Mosler which is circulating in the 2:!5 region. It doesn’t appear that this is due to a problem, probably more the fact that Eclipse have no need to risk reliability woes by pushing too fast. If they lap the same speed as the Mosler, then they will stay 3 laps ahead.

Promoted to third overall, due to the Topcats Mantis issues, is the class three Nichoas Mee Aston Martin, who are 16 laps further back. As last year, it looks as though this is going to be a two horse race for the remaining 7 hours.

The only other battle on track at the moment is between the class three Topcats Mantis (driven by the Japanese squad) in 8th place overall, and the class four leader Brunswick/Mark Griffiths BMW M3, just 20 seconds down the road. All other gaps at the moment are measured in minutes, laps or even 10’s of laps.

Car #86, a Mazda MX5 being driven by three ex army offices on behalf of a number of charities – The Not Forgotten Assoc, Help for Heroes, Army Benevolent Fund, Forces Childrens Trust and Scottys Little Soldiers, has been given a penalty for speeding in the pitlane. Ironically the driver who committed the offense was non other than former rally driver and F1 pundit Tony Jardine!

My bleary eyes have been having problems this morning. The Nigel Mustill Aquila has only just rejoined the track. It’s still third in class, but down in 14th place overall. It still seems capable of setting fast times, doing 2 laps in the 2:12 region straight away, which is as much as 20 seconds a lap quicker than the cars ahead of it.

Towards the end of this hour, the Rogue Motorsport / Forza 4 Toyota has pitted for its fifth driveshaft!

Hour 16 – 7.30am -> 8.30am

Two thirds of the way through, at the end of this hour. Things have quietend down slightly now. The Aquila pitted with a problem – a burst water pipe caused a little overheating, they got the problem fixed and the car was back out in 5th place. BPM Racing have retired from the race. Having repaired the car after a big smash last night the team were back up and running. However, after having lost fifth gear the team took the difficult decision to pull out.

Right at the end of the hour, the #27 class two Topcats has been pushed into the pit garage and work commences on the as yet unknown (to me) problem.

Not done a class rundown for a while, so here goes:

Class 1.

1. Eclipse Ferrari
2. Topcats Mosler
3. Nigel Mustill Aquila

Class 2.
1. Topcats Mantis – the only runner left in this class!

Class 3.
1. Nicholas Mee Racing Aston Martin
2. Marcos Racing Evora
3. Kevin Clarke / Intersport BMW

Class 4.
1. Mark Griffiths / Brunswick BMW
2. Red Camel Racing Seat Leon
3. Mardi Grass Motorsport Honda Integra

Hours 14 & 15 (5.30am -> 7.30am)

During this two hours Silverstone has gone from pitch black, to full daylight. The feeling is that the race is almost over, however there is still another 9 hours to go!

The length of this race is starting to take its toll on the entry list. The MJC Ferrari has retired with a cracked exhaust manifold – so Witt Gamski et al won’t be repeating their victory from last year.

The Strata 21 Mosler has also retired, due to overheating problems. The Rogue Motosport / Forza 4 Toyota MR2 is in the pits for its fourth driveshaft of the event!

Returning to the field, however, has been the Thorney Motorsport BMW M3, who are 320-odd laps down, having had to get a part made back at base, shipped up to the track, and then fitted. They will have to complete 50% of the winners total race distance to be classified.

The Topcats Mantis has a lengthy pitstop, to include a brake change, and although there is no danger of losing the class two lead (having 51 laps on the ARC Brtislava entry – which has subsequently retired).

The Eclipse Ferrari is still in the over the Topcats Marcos, with the Aquila recovering to third place, although nearly 20 laps down.

Nicholas Mee racing is in fiurth overall, and leading class 3, with Kevin Clarke second in class, ahead of the Marcos Racing Evora.

The Brunswick BMW is currently leading class four, and is 9th overall.

Hours 9-13 (12.30am -> 5.30am)

The racing continues through the night here at Silverstone, with the Eclipse Mosler still leading, having completed 312 laps at the end of hour 13. Lying in second place is the Topcats Mosler, 6 laps adrift, which is very impressive considering they are suffering from some sort of vibration problem, which is causing them to have to short shift, and is reducing their ultimate pace.

Two laps further back is the MJC Ferrari, which has made excellent progress through the field in the last few hours. All three are lapping fairly evenly at around the 2:15 mark.

Also making great progress is the yellow Aquila of Nigel Mustill, now up to seventh place, 20 laps adrift. However, John Martin is lapping some 10 seconds quicker than the leaders, and has plenty of time to make up a few places.

Leading class two and running fourth overall is still the Topcats Mantis, which has a lap in head over class three leading Nicholas Mee racing. Second spot in class three is still occupied by the Marcos Racing Lotus Evora. Third place in class has changed hands however, with the Kevin Clarke BMW occupying that position.

Class four is being led by Mark Griffiths, the CTR Developments Lotus, which was leading, has stopped out on track with a wheel bearing problem. Looking by the timing screens, it’s a terminal failure.

Mardi Gras Motorsport has also dropped behind Mark Griffiths, and is now second in class. Red Camel Racing round out the class four top three.

Another recovery drive, this time from the Cox family is taking place. From leading class four at the start of the race, they dropped significantly, but are now slowly improving and are up to 19th overall.

The BPM Ginetta that went off a few hours ago was repaired, a faulty fuel pump which had caused a drop in power was indentified while the work was being carried out, and they have been back on track for three hours or so.

The Synchro motorsport Honda Jazz has been pitted four a broken driveshaft. The damaged unit was completely bespoke, and to swap for a standard unit, the team have also had to tinker around with the gear box.

Hour 8

It turns out the Aquila went off with a driveshaft failure. This has been fixed during the last hour and the car is now back out on track, in 16th position and lapping just off the ace of the leader, which is still the Eclipse Ferrari, with the Topcats Mosler 3 laps down in second place.

In the last hour, Britcar have released a statement regarding the incident which caused the 51 minute safety car earlier:

“At approximately 9:45pm there was an incident during the Britcar 24hr race at Silverstone where a competing vehicle left the road and collided with another vehicle. A trackside marshal was struck during the incident.

The marshal in question has been transferred to Northampton Hospital with a suspected broken leg. They also have cuts and bruises but no life threatening injuries.

This statement was received by Britcar 24hr Ltd. via the BRSCC from Silverstone circuit Chief Medical Officer.” So it’s good to hear that there are no major injuries from this incident.

Working their way up the field is the MJC Ferrari, now up to 7th place, approximately 90 seconds behind the BMW of Kevin Clarke, who is running third in class three, behind the Marcos Racing Evora, who has dropped to second in class behind Nichols Mee.

There have been no changes to the top three, in class four.

Hour 7

The safety car comes in after 51 minutes, 10 minutes into this hour. MJC pits again, and Phil Dryburgh takes over. Sean McInerney is battling with the class 2 Topcats Mantis for second place, crossing the line just 0.3 seconds behind, and takes the place the following lap. Another 13 seconds back is the Topcats Mosler, running third in class 1.

Class two has been decimated slightly. After the Topcats Mantis, the next runner is the ARC Brtislava, running down in 28th place.

In fifth place overall is Nicholas Mee Racing, leading class three by a minute and a half from Marcos Racing Lotus Evora. Third in Class three is the Kevin Clarke entered BMW.

Still leading class 4 is the CTR entry, running in a very impressive 9th overall, 3 laps behind is the Mark Griffiths BMW M3 which is, in turn, 1 minute ahead of #88 Mardi Gras Motorsport Honda Integra.

Gareth Evans has taken over in the Aquila, but his first lap is 10 seconds slower than the Eclipse Ferrari. He does improve laptime, but is still circulating anything between 1 and 3 seconds slower than the second place car.

The difference in laptime becomes immaterial, as the Aquila slows to a stop out at Vale. By the end of the hour it has been recovered to the pits dropped to 11th place, promoting everyone repectively.

In class four news, the Jet Black Racing has had to have its engine replaced.

There’s not been a position list for a couple of hours, so no would seem to be an opportune time:

Class 1.
1. Eclipse Ferrari
2. Topcats Racing Mosler
3. MJC Ferrari

Class 2.
1. Topcats Racing Mantis
2. ARC Brtislava Porsche
3. Rollcentre Racing Ginetta

Class 3.
1. Marocs Racing Lotus Evora
2. Nicholas Mee Aston Martin
3. Pete Storey / Motionsport Lotus

Class 4.
1. CTR Development Lotus Elise
2. Mardi Gras Honda Integra
3. Mark Griffiths / Brunswick BMW M3.

Hour 6

Aquila pits from 3 lap lead. He may have gone over the maximum allowed 3hour stint limit, Bob Berridge has gone back in for another stint. Could this be referred to the stewards for consideration?

Red Camel has a 20 minute pitstop, for some reason, and then comes back in again to serve their stop go penalty.

The Eclipse Ferrari is starting to close the gap on the leaders, they dropped back due to being hit from behind an hour or so ago, and spent about 20 minutes in the pitlane to fix the problems.

Fifteen minutes into this hour, and the safety car has come out, due to a car pulling over on the hanger straight. Due to the marshalls working in the darkness, the safety seems a sensible precaution while this vehicle is recovered.

While the safety car is out, John Gaw pits the MJC Ferrari, after having done just 9 laps, this could be to refuel again under the safety car, or it could be to remedy some seat problems the team appear to be having.

An oversight on my part, the Japanes Topcats Mantis must have been repaired and sent back out, as they are currently running in 20th place.

News is filtering through from the cause of the safety car. A few cars went off at Maggotts – Craig Wilkins Ginetta, the Swiss Racing BMW and the Jemco Honda Civic. While a marshal was connecting up a car to the tractor to tow them away, another car then went into the car. This safety car period could last some time.

The BPM Racing Ginetta has had an off into the new pitwall, and is currently in the pits. If they have all the parts for repairs, it could be two hours work for the mechanics.

The Topcarts Mosler is having fuel pickup problems and is having to short stint, but are hanging on to fourth place. The Strata 21 Mosler is also having fule problems – pressure regulator problems on this one, causing them to be down in 38th place currently.

Towards the end of this hour, Bob Berridge pits from the lead, to presumably have a top up while the safety car is still out. Gareth Evans takes over.



The Aquila leads from the start

Hours 1-5

Night time has arrived at Silverstone, the sun may have gone down but the temperatures have not. An exceedingly warm day is leaving us with a very mild evening.

The race began at 4.30pm, with the pole sitting Aquila leading away at the rolling start, and having a lead of nearly the whole pit straight within a few laps. This could have been taken away by the appearance of the safety car, due to Optimum Ginetta which stopped out on track.

The safety car picked the pack up ahead of the fourth placed RJN Motorsport Nissan, allowing the tope three – Aquila CR1 (Bob Berridge at the wheel), Strata 21s Mosler (Calum Lockie) and the class two leading ARC Brtislava – to join the back of the train, and give themselves almost a lap on everybody.

Leading class three at this point was the Japanese crewed Topcats Mantis, who had taken the spot away from Optimum Racing before their problem Class four was being led by the Cox family BMW at this stage.

By the end of the first hour, Witt Gamski pitted the MJC Ferrari from outside the top ten, having started in second but dropped down to 9th at the end of lap one. The Japanese Marcos retired with a driveshaft failure, and Bob Berridge was given a 30 second stop go penalty for overtaking before the start finish line, after the safety car restart.

During hour 2, the Strata 21 Mosler took the lead, courtesy of the Aquila penalty, which caused the yellow car to drop to third place, but still on the leading lap. Hour two did, however, claim it’s victims. First up was the ARC Brtislava team, which was too nosiy and above the reduced for this year noise limit. Work was done on the car, and they have taken back to the track. Finish hour four in 33rd place.

MJC had a double whammy of penalties, being given a drive through for overtaking under yellow flags, but then sped in the pitlane and received a subsequent 16 second penalty. Two cars retired in the second hour, the #50 Optimum racing Ginetta, having recurring problems which couldn’t be resolved, and the #58 GT Classics Porsche.

The RJN Nissan, which been running strongly and looked on for a class podium, became the third retirement of the race early in the third hour – stopping on the inside of Copse. This brought out the safety car. The Strata 21 Mosler, leading, and the second place Eclipse Ferrari took this opportunity to pit.

MJC woes hadn’t ended either, Keith Robison pitting after about 20 minutes of his stint, with a loose seat. They finished the third our outside of the top 20.

Class two was being led by the orange Rollcentre racing Ginetta, with the Topcats racing Marcos second in class.

Class three was being led by the Nicholas Mee Racing Ason Martin, up in 7th place overall, a lap ahead of the Paul Winter entered Porsche 996 GT3 Cup.

Ignition problems for the Cox family BMW had dropped them down the field to 46th overall, and leading class 4 was the CTR developments Lotus Elise GT4, with a Honda Integra from Mardi Gras Motorsport second in class.

With another round of scheduled stops during hour 4, there were a few changes to the order. The Eclipse Ferrari was still leading at the end of the hour, 2 laps ahead of the yellow Aquila, which had shown impressive race pace setting 2:05’s, several seconds that the entire field. Third place overall and leading class 2 was the Topcats Marcos Mantis, who were a lap ahead of the Topcats Mosler.

Nichols Mee Racing were still leading class three, and running an impressive 5th overall with a lap in hand over fello class three runner Paul Winter Racing. There was a change at the top of class 4, Red Camel Racing in their Seat Leon taking the lead of class, and running in 10th overall.

Last years winners, and assumed contenders MJC had recovered back to 13th overall, but are 11 laps down on the leader. Obviously reliability is key and speed isn’t the be all and end all at this stage of proceedings, but 11 laps down is quite a mounted to climb if they which to repeat their victory.

As if to prove this point, early on in hour five the Eclipse team, having just completed a scheduled pitstop, were hit from behind, causing damage that would take around 20 minutes to complete. They would end the hour in fourth place, but five laps down on the leader, which is now the yellow Aquila. Three laps down is the Topcats Mosler, just ahead of the class two leader, fellow Topcats entry, this time in a Mantis shape.

The Strata 21 Mosler is suffering fuel pickup problems, which is causing them to pit more often than usual, an is subsequently dropping them down the field.

Two cars have been given penalties. Car 92, the Smarts4You entry was given a stop and go, plus thirty second penalty. They got off lightly for whatever indiscretion they committed, compared to the #84 car, class 4 leading Red Camel racing, who have been given a stop and go, plus 2 mintues! Again, for an unknown crime.

At the end of hour five, the top three in each class are as follows:

Class 1:
1, Nigel Mustill Aquila CR1
2. Topcats Racing Mosler
3. Eclipse Ferrari

Class 2:
1. Topcats Racing Mantis
2. ARC Bratislava
3. Rollcentre Racing Ginetta G55.

Class 3:
1. Nicholas Mee Racing Aston Martin
2. Pete Storey Lotus Elise GT 4
3. Marcos Racing Lotus Evora

Class 4:
1. CTR Development Lotus Elise
2. Mardi Gras Motorsport Honda Integra
3. Mark Griffiths BMW M3

Britcar News from Emma Cliffe, Pit Lane Observer

The 2011 running of the Britcar 24 was the fastest on record, with the total distance covered being 2097 racing miles completed in the 24 hours.  Just one more lap would have broken the 2100 mile barrier!

Information on the demise of the Top Cats Mosler

Record distance in prospect?

The fine weather means that the 2011 running of the Britcar 24 may cover a record distance.    At the current average speed of 88mph, 24 hours may see the 2100 mile barrier broken which will smash previous runnings.

2000 miles will pass on lap 546.   The Arena circuit is 3.6604 miles long.

Previous running on the Bridge layout ( 3.19 miles ) have not been so fast.

2006 – 595 laps – 1900 miles
2007 – 596 laps – 1903 miles
2008 – 603 laps – 1925 miles
2009 – A 500 mile race was run instead
2010 – 565 laps – 1799 miles

2010 was held in wet conditions for much of the race.    Previous years had suffered from early morning fog which stopped racing until it cleared.

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Britcar issued the following statement last night about the condition of the marshal injured last night.

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Okay, so I gave up at about 11.45 p.m. I needed some sleep. And I think I got some because I’ve woken this morning feeling refreshed.

And feeling a sense of shock. Checking the live timing the Aquila is still running! Last year, it fell to bits for the last time at about midnight, so I really wasn’t expecting it to make it to daylight hours. But it has. And it is currently running eighth.

Other shocks? The safety car has managed to do 27 laps – I can’t remember if that’s more or less than at this time last year but O think its a lot less than last year. Car number 92 is currently 30^th – why am I interested in that? Well, it’s a Smart.

I’m hoping to hear good news on a Marshal that was injured last night too. He went out to help recover a car when another car arrived on the scene. Being a Marshal is dangerous and this sport couldn’t happen without these brave volunteers who give up hours of their life and their hard earned money to support this sport.

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So, the race gets under way and there’s a full 24 hours to go. And, within 15 minutes, the first safety car is out. I head down to the pit lane to find out what is returning on the back of a low loader.

It turns out to be car number 51, a Ginetta G50 being run by Optimum Motorsport. When the car arrived, it was apparent that some sort of collision had occurred. I’ll admit I wasn’t brave enough to approach the driver to find out what happened. Some drivers will talk, some won’t, and I have difficulty gauging the ones that will.

What I then had the opportunity to observe was a brilliant piece of the poetry in motion they call “teamwork”. The crew had arrived in the Scrutineering area with various spare parts they thought may be needed (including a spare bonnet – well, it is a Ginetta and they are pretty fragile in the bodywork area). They proceeded to undertake a nearside rear wishbone change and the various safety checks on things like the wheels. From arriving on the low loader to being pushed out of the Scrutineering area to be sent back on to the track took exactly 30 minutes. Now, these guys may have radios to communicate with each other and so forgotten parts and tools can be called for easily – but – everyone knew what was expected of them, got on with it and put the car back on the circuit.

The problem (or, the thing I love) about 24 hour races is you never know what will happen next. As I sit here in the media centre, it has just flashed on the screen that car 51 has retired. Although there are actually 2 cars showing as number 51 on the timing screen. And the other car number 51 has just broken the timing beacon and apparently did a lap time of 2 minutes 24 seconds. I’m confused already and they’ve only been racing for about 2 hours…there’s another 22 for me to keep up with yet!

The weather maybe completely different to last year – a sunshine and warm temperatures greeting everyone at Silverstone this weekend for the MSA Britcar 24hr race, but one thing is the same as 2010 – the Aqulia CR1 is on pole by 5 seconds (John Martin setting a time of 2:03.560), but has already had issues. Going off with a stuck throttle, and then having to rebuild the exhaust due to excessive noise. As ever in endurance racing, speed is one thing, and lasting the distance is another entirely.

Second on the grid are last year’s winners, the MJC team in their Ferrari 430GT2, with a time of 2:08.495. Interestingly, that’s around the times set by the Aquila’s other drivers, and so even without the reliability questions marks over the yellow car, it’s dominance over the competition may not be as much as it first appears.

Just half a second behind the MJC team is the Paul White Mosler, with fellow drivers Calum Lockie, Manual Cintrano and Javier Morcillo.

Class two pole, and fifth position overall, is the Porsche 997 of the ARC Bratislava team, with a time of 2:10.372. Second in class two is a Nissan 370z, entered by RJN Motorsport, who are seventh overall.

Pole position in a packed class three, was taken by one of the many Ginettas here this weekend. Optimum Racing getting their G50 into eleventh place on the grid, setting a time of 2:14.664. Just under a second behind are the all Japanese driver line up in Topcats Racing Marcos Mantis GT3.

Topping class four, and starting an impressive 29th overall is the Cox family entered BMW M3 CSL, with a time of 2:22.717. Second in class four, and starting down in 36th is the Lotus Elise GT4 from CTR developments.

Words: Alex Ings, Images: Alex Ings

Ginetta boasts one of the largest numbers of same-marque entries, ahead of Porsche and second only to BMW, as the Brits prepare to take on the Germans at Silverstone – the home of British motor sport. The small volume manufacturer -famed for building successful endurance racers- will be out in force offering factory support for teams taking part in the Silverstone Britcar 24hr -Oct 1st-2nd as they combine to take on the formidable moneymen of BMW and Porsche with 2 x G40 – class 4, 5 x G50/GT4- class 3 and 1 x G55 – Class 2.

Ginetta Boss Lawrence Tomlinson will also be making a return to 24hr racing in a prototype laden G55 with Rollcentre Racing, alongside drivers Martin Short – famed LMP1 driver and Rollcentre Racing Team Principal, BTCC ace Colin Turkington, 2008 British GT4 champion Matt Nicoll-Jones and former British Karting Champion/Ginetta factory driver Mike Simpson. The Britcar 24hrs G55 mule is part of a continual testing programme for Ginetta’s newest machine, the G55 GT3, which will be released later this year.

The new G55 GT3 £147,000, 3.7lt machine – which will be on display in the Britcar 24hrs Silverstone paddock for the first time – boasts 58 carbon fibre panels, a wider track making maximum use of the GT3 permitted dimensions, a new aero pack creating impressive down force (designed with the aid of an F1 design team) and 10”/12” rims for increased traction and handling, along with a striking 1.8m curved swan neck rear wing assembly.

Tomlinson said: “I’m excited to be back at Britcar this year following the amazing success of our G40 last year. We listen to what our customers want and Ginetta is all about producing competitive, cost effective machines. The G55 GT3 is no exception. Our G55 Britcar 24hr entry features elements of the GT3 machine as part of factory testing ahead of its release later in the year. I am yet to drive this car but having seen the work that’s gone into the development and the standard of engineering it excites me. With the new design and continued engine development programme we expect the G55 GT3 car to be every bit as competitive as the GT3 Ferrari’s, Audi’s and Porsche’s. Our G50 GT4 model has become a proven race winner beating the competition at every stage since its launch back on 2008; we hope our G55 GT3 car will mirror that success in GT3”

Rollcentre Racing have 2 Ginettas entered for the Britcar 24hr at Silverstone, the G55 #30 and ‘2010 Britcar hero’ the G40 #94. Tomlinson went on the say: “There is no bigger test for a race car than a 24hr endurance race, Martin Short and the Rollcentre Racing team are experienced endurance racers and I’m confident both cars will perform well. We have an excellent team of drivers and in between my own driving stints I will obviously be keeping a close eye on the other teams running Ginettas and wish them all the very best of luck.”

The Britcar 24hr race is to be held this weekend, and Silverstone.

www.ginetta.com
www.britcar24hr.co.uk

Britcar have published a provisional entry list. This is an early list and could change prior to the event at the end of this month.

Class 1 (Red) 1 – 24

Last years fastest car is back, the Aquilla CR1.   The car was clearly faster than everything else, but fragile.   It led into the night, but then was retired.    If they have strengthened the cars weak areas this will be a threat for outright victory.     Last years winners, the MJC Ferrari are also on the list, although rumours to the contrary have also been heard.   The Moslers are always a force to be reckoned with as well.     The Mac G Ultima is fast and has shown promising results in its first season of racing, but a 24 hour race is another thing altogether.

MJC Ltd – Ferrari 430 GT2 – ?
Eclipse Motorsport – Ferrari 430 GT2
Topcats Racing / Runnymede Homes Ltd – Mosler MT900R GT3
Strata 21 – Mosler MT900R GT3
Beechdean – TBA – ?
ARC Bratislava – Porsche / Saleem
Chamberlain Synergy Aquilla CR1
Rowe Motorposrt / TOP Autoparts – BMW Z4 V8
Team Slovakia – Praga
Mac G Racing / Just Doors Ltd – Ultima GTR
Trident Iceni – Trident Iceni
MTECH Motorsport & Engineering – Ferrari F430 GT2
Frank Conrad – Porsche GT2

Class Two (Blue) – 25 – 50

JetAlliance Racing – TBA – ?
Track Torque Racing – Chevron GT TR8
GT Classics Team – Porsche 993 RSR
Topcats Racing – Marcos Mantis GT3
Chesterton Commercial Holdings – Marcos Mantis GT3
Vista Labels – TBA
Ian Donaldson – Porsche 997
Cor Euser – BMW 3 Series or Lotus Evora
Gareth Howell – BMW M3 V8

Class Three (Yellow) – 51 – 75

Team Caramba – BMW M3 E46
Jemco Racing / GT3 Racing - Ginetta G50 GT4
Motionsports Ltd - Lotus Elise GT4
RJN Motorsport - Nissan 370z
Nicholas Mee Racing - Aston Martin N24 GT4
Vantage Racing - Aston Martin N24 GT4
Optimum Motorsport - Ginetta G50
Team Rogue Racing - Toyota MR2 Roadster
Topcats Racing - Marcos Mantis GT3
MP Motorsport / Generation Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4
Strategic Transport Racing / John Welch Motorsport - Seat Leon Supercopa
Mazda Motors UK Ltd - Mazda MX5
Tesco Momentum 99 Racing / Thorney Motorsport - BMW E92 M3 GT3
BPM Racing Limited - Ginetta G50 GT4
Mark Donalsdon - Ginetta G50 GT4
Intersport Racing - BMW M3 E46
Dave Bennett - Porsche GT3
Piers Masarati – Team Ginetta G50 GT4
Strata 21 - BMW M3 E36
Dorset Sports Cars - Porsche 996 GT3 Cup

Class Four – Orange – 76 – 99

There are some interesting and unusual entries in this class.   A Smart car for one, an Audi A8 is another.

Sub-Zero Wolf – Seat Supercopa
Race Car Spares / MMC Motor Sport – BMW M3 CSL
Sam Boyz Motorsport – Seat Toledo
Synchro Motorsport – Honda Jazz Type R
Synchro Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R FN2
APO Motorsport – Seat Leon
Carvell Motorsport / Retro GTI – VW Golf MKIII
CTR Developments – Lotus Elise GT4
Red Camel – Jordans.nl – Seat Leon FR 2.0 TDI
Mazda Motors UK Ltd – Mazda MX5
Mazda Motors UK Ltd – Mazda MX5
Saxon Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R
Mardi Gras Motorsport – Honda Integra
Brunswick Automotive – BMW M3 E46
Dave Hughes – Porsche Boxster
Piranha Motorsport – Ginetta G40
Smarts – Smart 4
Nigel Rata – BMW M3 E46
CTR – Alfatune – BMW 330 Diesel
Audi A8 – Audi A8
Malcom Leggate – Honda Integra
Jet Black – Renault Clio
Jet Black – Renault Clio
Pete Daniels – Honda Civic
Pete Daniels – Honda Civic
DC Motorsport – MG ZR 190