RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

The 2010 GT Cup Championship got off to a massive start  in brilliant sunshine on the Silverstone GP Circuit this weekend. There were 42 cars on the grid making The GT Cup Championship the best supported GT Championships in the UK.

RACE ONE.

On pole for race one was the #79 Group One Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car of Phil Dryburgh just 1.46 secs ahead of Jim Geddie in his #79 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car and 1.48 secs  behind them was Jeff Leadley in his #34 Ferrari 430 GTC.

In Group Two Marco Pullen in his #13 Ferrari 360 GTC was comfortably clear of Keith Webster in his #10 BMW E36.

In Group Three David Hathaway led the Group in is #19 Ferrari 360 Challenge car with David Botterill and his #8 Porsche 944 Turbo just 1.0 secs behind him with Sarah Bennett- Baggs 0.36 secs behind him in her #72 BMW Z4 Coupe.

All this proved that the equalisation was working well in this ‘multi-marque’ championship.

After a very hectic action packed race the safety car came out because Rupert Martin had gone backwards into the new GP pit wall and it was impossible to move the car. Not helping matters was John Taylor’s Porsche that was stuck in the gravel at Copse after getting ‘tagged’ by the #40 Marcos Mantis.

After several laps behind the safety car the race was ‘Red Flagged’ after 8 laps leaving Jim Geddie with a comfortable overall race win in his #79 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup followed by Jeff Leadley in the #34 Ferrari 430 GTC and the #81 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car of Phil Dryburgh.

In Group Two Marco Pullen in the #13 Ferrari 360 GTC held off Keith Webster in his #10 BMW M3 E36. Chris Bentley was a distant third in his #35 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car.

Group Three saw a highly popular win for David Hathaway in his #19 Ferrari 360 GTC. He had ‘seen off’ David Botterill in his #8 Porsche 944 Turbo and Adrian Watt in the #32 BMW M3 E36.

It had been a very hectic race all the way through the field and it was a pity that it ended early with a few battles unresolved.

RACE TWO

This time it was the #81 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car of John Gaw that was on pole and looking good for a race win with no success ballast on board, unlike Jim Geddie #79 who was beside him on the grid in his Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car with 60 kgs of ballast. Jeff Leadley #34 Ferrari also had 40kgs of success ballast on board. Just behind them was the remarkable 17 year old Danny Winstanley in the wild green TVR Tuscan.

Once again there were some very hectic opening laps with inter-class battles going on all the way through the field. But up front John Gaw #81 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup was reveling in his lack of ballast and was opening up a big lead over the rest of Group One. However as the race progressed he had a challenging journey making his way through the Group Two and Three cars! At one point he lost around five seconds while making his way cautiously through the traffic!  Jim Geddie #79 Porsche GT3 Cup and Danny Winstanley #78 TVR Tuscan had a great scrap until Danny spun under the pressure. Next to have to fend off the charging green TVR was Jeff Leadley in the #34 Ferrari 430 GTC . These two spent several laps nose to tail with Winstanley giving Leadley a lot to think about! Eventually it all resolved itself and Leadley eased away and went on to get past Geddie and take 2^nd in Group One with Geddie 3^rd and ‘young’ Danny a brilliant 4^th.

Alex Martin #87 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car was happy to come home 5^th bearing in mind this was the first outing in this newly rebuilt car.

Marco Pullen #13 Ferrari 360 GTC had another good race keeping out of trouble and taking his 2^nd win of the weekend.

In Group Three it was ‘all change’ with Adrian Watt bringing his #32 BMW M3 E36 home first followed Tom Andrew giving the KTM XBow  a podium finish on it debut out in GT Cup. David Hathaway couldn’t match his Race One pace but still came home a creditable 3^rd.

It had been an astounding start for the new GT Cup Championship..

Full results can be found here.

The next Round of The GT Cup Championship is on May 8^th at Thruxton.

If you need more information contact:- Jock Simpson

Photography: Tim Piper, Juice Photography

GAZ Shocks Production BMW Non Championship Races, Brands Hatch 27-28/03/10

The two non Championship Production BMW Championship races saw a capacity grid of thirty-two cars take the start, with a mixture of series newcomers and existing PBMWC regulars.

Race 1
Pole position went to the rapid debutant Matthew Swaffer, with series regular Alan Wileman starting alongside Swaffer on the front row. After qualifying problems, five cars started at the back with ten second penalties.

Qualifying was held on a dry track; however the first race saw rain and a wet track which was drying. This meant that the field had a green flag lap to adjust to the different track conditions.

When the lights went out to signal the start of the race, pole man Swaffer failed to take advantage of his grid slot and dropped back several positions, but crossed the line in seventh, having recovered a couple of positions during the lap.

Up front, Wileman was pulling away at the front leaving the chasing pack to swap their positions lap by lap, with Nigel Olive-Jones taking second on lap two before having an off track moment at Clearways on lap four which drops him back behind Clint Bardwell and Stuart Waite.

Behind the battle for the podium positions, Swaffer had recovered to fifth by the end of lap five, and over the next few laps slowly caught up with Olive-Jones; Swaffer couldn’t find a way to take fourth away from Olive-Jones.

Up at the front, Wileman was setting fastest lap after fastest lap on his relentless charge towards the race win, and even slight contact when lapping a back marker couldn’t hamper his charge.

The main excitement in the final laps of the race was between Bardwell and Waite – Waite was applying constant pressure to Bardwell as he looked to pass for second with extremely late braking moves at Paddock Hill bend.

At the end of race one, Wileman took a dominant victory by 2.293 seconds with Bardwell second and Waite third. After his race one mistake, Swaffer finished fifth, three seconds behind Olive-Jones.

Steve Gilbert finished eighth and took pole position for the weekend’s second race.

Race Results:
1. Alan Wileman: 15 laps in 16:00.170s
2. Clint Bardwell @ 2.293s
3. Stuart Waite @ 4.052s
Fastest Lap went the way of second placed Bardwell on lap 13, with a time of 1:02.369s.

Race 2
The second race of the weekend saw Steve Gilbert start on pole position after the top eight drivers were reversed for race two, meaning that race winner Bardwell started back on the outside of the fourth row.

As in the opening race, the weekend’s second race was also held on a wet track, without any rain though.

Within two laps of the race start, Stuart Waite and made his way to the head of the field – having started fifth, Waite completed lap one in second, right on the tail of Ian Berry, who had started third and took the lead on lap two, and crossed the line a full second ahead.

Pole sitter Gilbert dropped down to seventh on the opening lap, and spent the rest of the race trying to recover from his bad start.

Behind the flying Waite, Berry was involved in a three way tussle for the podium with race one winner Bardwell and Ian Shepherd, this battle gave an opportunity to Waite to stretch his legs and build a comfortable gap.

Back in the pack, Tony Smith was climbing his way up the field having started the race down in fourteenth position, and took the flag at the end of the race in fourth, a great recovery drive.

Up at the front, Olive-Jones took the podium position away from Berry on lap twelve, having crossed the line at the end of lap eleven right on the rear bumper of Berry. The clean but fiercely fought fight for third meant that Olive-Jones finished some eleven seconds off Bardwell, with Smith less than a second behind Olive-Jones.

After a strong early showing, Ian Shepherd saw all of his hard work undone as he ended up not finishing the race, having been knocked out of fifth place on lap twelve.

At the end of the second wet race of the weekend, Waite took a clear victory ahead of Bardwell and Olive-Jones, with a stunning performance resulting in fourth place for Smith.

Results of race two:
1. Stuart Waite: 15 laps in 15:04.414s
2. Clint Bardwell @ 2.108s
3. Nigel Olive-Jones @ 13.213s
Fastest lap of the race went to Bardwell in a time of 59.008s.

Race Report by Matt Auger

GAZ Shocks Production BMW Championship - Rounds 1&2 Brands Hatch 27-28/03/10

The opening rounds of the 2010 Production BMW Championship kicked off at Brands Hatch, with a bumper grid producing some, clean, hard but fair racing and a great spectacle for the fans.

A grid of 52 cars meant that qualifying was split into two sessions, Ben Winrow was fastest overall with a best lap of 58.362s, to beat Robin Welsh into second, while series debutant Matthew Swaffer finished third.

Swaffer won the driver of the day award for this impressive performance.

With so many cars entered for the opening rounds of the season, each driver was placed in to a group based on the combined qualifying result, pole in group A, 2nd in Group B, 3rd in group C, then repeated 4th in Group A, 5th in Group B etc – with all groups racing twice.

Race 1: Groups A & B.

For the opening race of the season, the drivers in groups A and B took to the track, with Winrow on pole alongside Welsh, and for the opening few laps Welsh stayed behind Winrow, until the two of them met some back markers and Welsh saw his chance to take the lead.

The whole race between the two of them never saw the gap get much above 4 tenths of a second, until lap 12 where the gap was over a second, as Welsh took advantage of Stephen Murphy to pass Winrow and lap Murphy: “I started 2nd in my first race, Put Winrow under as much pressure as possible, He didn’t see the green flag going in to Druids so I took him and a back marker.”

Welsh almost lost the win on the final corner, as Winrow was past at Surtees and briefly took the lead before losing the rear, handing the lead back to Welsh.

Behind the squabbling front two, Nick Barke was holding his own in third, even with the rapid car of Liam Crilly chasing him down, and in the last few laps started to apply the pressure to Barke, who resisted and claimed his first podium finish of the season.

Further back, there was an incident between Stephen Murphy and Stuart Waite, as Murphy was lapped by Waite. Murphy was able to continue after being pushed out the gravel trap by the marshals.

Towards the end of the race, Kevin Welsh had developed a train of cars behind him, and fell back from the lead pack – and behind, a number of cars were stuck behind and unable to pass Welsh, who finished the race in 9th overall.

Race Results:

1. Robin Welsh – 16 laps in 15:54.721s
2. Ben Winrow @ 0.594s
3. Nick Barke @ 6.444s

The fastest lap of the race (and a new pbmwc lap record) went to Ben Winrow on lap 15, with a time of 58.269s.

Race 2: Groups B & C

The second race of the season saw the group B cars complete their Championship rounds for the weekend and Group C have their first race of the weekend.

Robin Welsh, who won the opening race of the Championship started from pole position with flying debutant Matthew Swaffer alongside him on the front row of the grid.

Off the line at the start, Swaffer made a bad start and dropped back down the field, and after a number of incidents around the track during the opening laps saw the Safety Car deployed to clear up all of the machinery which was stuck around the track.

The safety car came back in at the end of the 7th lap, which caught out a number of drivers, including Neil Adams, who was passed by Ian Berry at Druids. Adams retook the spot a lap later at Clearways.

Up front, race 1 winner Welsh got his head down and pulled away from the chasing pack, having seen Rob Smith in his mirrors – before the safety car, and Welsh fooled Smith by braking at Clearways to slow the field up before going flat out to take another win and the races fastest lap. Smith had charged up from sixth to second during the opening laps.

Behind the front two, Liam Crilly secured his first podium finish of the season with a third place finish, while debutant Swaffer secured seventh place.

Race results:

1. Robin Welsh – 14 laps in 15:27.699s
2. Rob Smith @ 4.866s
3. Liam Crilly @ 6.272s

The fastest lap of the race went to Robin Welsh on lap 8, with a time of 58.662s.

Race 3: Groups A & C

The final Championship race of the weekend saw Ben Winrow start on pole with Matthew Swaffer alongside him on the front row, and the first corner of the race, Paddock Hill bend, soon became a gravel trap full of BMW’s. A chain reaction began when contact between Alan Wileman and Matt Swaffer let to Swaffer sliding sideways down the Hill.

Alan Stuart was on the outside of Paddock when he was faced by the sideways car of Swaffer, and couldn’t avoid contact and then Stuart was collected by Ravi Ramyead as he also had nowhere to go.

This was the end of the race for the impressive Swaffer, Ravi Ramyead and Alan Stuart, while Neil Adams rejoined the race 4 laps down.

The safety car was out for three laps while the cars were recovered from the gravel trap, Nigel Olive-Jones and Alan Wileman are able to continue, a lap down on the rest of the field.

Up front, Winrow set about building a gap to secure his first win of the season, and took the races fastest lap in the process.

Following Winrow was Rob Smith, who backed up his Race 2 second place with another second place finish, taking advantage of the first corner melee to climb from 6th to second by the end of the race while third place finisher Nick Barke survived the first corner to back up his first race podium with another podium finish.

Smith admitted that his second place finishes weren’t easy as he was under pressure from Liam Crilly in race 2 and Nick Barke in race 3.

Race results:

1. Ben Winrow – 11 laps in 15:17.935s
2. Rob Smith @ 1.754s

3. Nick Barke @ 3.069s

Ben Winrow took the fastest lap of the race on lap 10, in a time of 58.939s.

Report: Matt Auger
Photo: Jon Bryant / snappyracers.com

GT Cup Championship curtain raiser at Silverstone:-

This is round one of The 2010 GT Cup Championship season and it is looking mighty impressive and Bute Motorsport ,the organisers, are expecting a full 48 car grid. The quality of the machinery and the level of preparation are superb. This is ‘multi-marque’ GT racing at its best. The cars are split into three ‘Groups’ based mainly on their lap time performance.  The faster more powerful cars are in Group One and the less powerful in Group Three. Pre-season testing has shown that the cars within each Group are very evenly matched so we will, as usual, see close racing all the way through the field.

One of the major attractions for competitors in the GT Cup Championship is that there is always somebody to race with. You will see from the progamme that this really is a ‘multi-marque’ Championship.. Ferrari,  Porsche, Lotus, TVR, BMW, Honda, Venturi, Ginetta, KTM, and Marcos.

This is the opening round of the Championship so picking any winners is going to be tricky, particularly in Group One where the front running Porsche 997 GT3 Cup cars of Andy Ruhan, Alex Martin and Jim Geddie will be up against the Ferrari 430 Challenge GTs of Leon Price, Jeff Leadley , Ian Hartley and new to Ferrari this season Gary Eastwood. You also need to watch out for Chris Randall’s nimble Lotus Europa and the big TVRs of  Michael Saunders, John Wilson and Danny Winstanley. Finally don’t overlook Don Grice’s very rapid BMW..

In Group Two it is again very hard to choose between the Porsche 996 GT3 cars and the Ferrari 360GT’s. The quickest of these Ferraris should be Marco Pullen in the OMG car. But once again don’t ignore the BMWs and those modified Lotus Elise and Exige. New to GT Cup this year is the Colin and Sam Mowle KTM XBow. This may not be ideally suited for the long straights of the Silverstone GP circuit but it is very quick through the corners.

In Group Three we have yet another eye watering mixture of cars, any of which could win the Group. It would take a brave man to pick between the Ferrari 360 Challenge, the BMW Z4 Coupe and the other less powerful KTM XBow… equally don’t forget the long term GT Cup supporter Dave Botterill in his Porsche 944 Turbo. Will Goff moving into Group One this year might clear the way for Sarah Bennett-Baggs to become a regular podium visitor in her BMW Z4 Coupe. A newcomer to GT Cup will be the unusual Honda NSX driven by David and Rob Fern.

So get ready and maybe move towards Copse Corner and then stand back a bit  to watch and even  feel one million pounds worth of cars and around fifteen thousand bhp all arriving with you after the rolling start!

SEASON PREVIEW

The decision by Bute Motorsport to make The GT Cup a ‘Championship’ in 2010 has really paid off. With around forty teams now signed up for the full season and even more drivers wanting to do the occasional rounds the pressure on grid numbers is building up. The opening round at Silverstone on the ‘Bridge’ Grand Prix Circuit is looking to be the beginning of a very successful season.

The format remains much the same with two races per round, qualification and plenty of free practice, plus no ‘professional’ drivers all topped off with the superb hospitality!

Group One becomes the home of the Porsche 997 GT3 Cup cars and the Ferrari 430 Challenge GTs. This is going to be an interesting season with Ferrari drivers Leon Price, Jeff Leadley, Ian Hartley and Gary Eastwood up against the Porsches of Andy Ruhan, Alex Martin and Jim Geddie.

Whilst the Porsches and Ferraris make up a large part of the Group they are certainly going to be challenged with a variety of interesting cars coming through the pack.  Chris Randall in his rapid and rather nimble Lotus Europa, is sure to compete having been tuned to suit the class.  Michael Saunders in his wild yellow Cerbera is back with a de-tuned engine and should be right on the pace. A new comer to watch could be Danny Winstanley in his green ‘hard top’ TVR Tuscan. There is also Don Grice in his BMW E46 M3 which is yet another possible race winner.  Another front runner looking at joining Group One this year is Will Goff in his Porsche 997 GT3, quite a change from last year’s Aston Martin GT4!  Also in Group One is Paul Cope and his remarkable Venturi 400 GTR. The Venturi was a front running car Le Mans car in the nineties.

In Group Two there are any number of cars that could win the Championship. The front runners here will be Marco Pullen in his Ferrari 360 and the Porsches of Robert Koenig and Chris Bentley. The BMWs of Barclay Dougal and Keith Webster will be right on the pace judging from their testing times, as is the  KTM XBow of Colin Mowle, being run by Peter Hignett and ABG Motorsport.

Group Three demonstrates the variety that the GT Cup has become synonymous with and picking a winner is practically impossible at this stage. Dave Botterill will be back with rapid but near ‘historic’ Porsche 944 Turbo, David Hathaway is back with his Ferrari 360, there are the usual flurry of Lotus Elise and Exige, plus Sarah Bennet-Baggs in her BMW Z4 M Coupe. She saw the podium several times last year. Just as in Group Two there is the ‘unknown quantity’ of the Clubman’s Spec KTM XBow of Tom Edwards.

There are several newcomers in Group Three who have the potential to be highly competitive, however much of the attention could be grabbed by the John Danby Racing Honda NSX driven by David and Rob Fenn. This is a bit of an unknown quantity in GT Cup,

The GT Cup is probably the best supported GT Championship in the UK at the moment and it seems that Bute Motorsport with the assistance of MSVR have once again got the formula just about right

The GT Cup Championship is going from strength to strength, providing the drivers and their teams a race calendar on iconic circuits against a variety of race cars that all will differ from round to round and therefore continue to produce exciting racing.  This is backed up with Bute Motorsports gaining reputation for their high level of organisation and excellent paddock hospitality providing the drivers, their friends, family and sponsors a convivial environment to enjoy the weekend between the races!

GT CUP 2010 NEWS

Groups re-organised:- Last year’s Group One has been shelved so the rapid Viper and Corvette will not be seen in GT Cup 2010. All the other Groups move ‘up one’ .. so this year’s Group One is broadly speaking last year’s Group Two and so on. Groups are decided basically by a power to weight formula and then the organisers will decide which Group a car will race in.

All cars will have to present rolling road/dyno figures this year and the Organisers reserve the right to send a car away to be rechecked during the season.

Pirelli remain the sole tyre suppliers to the Championship and will be offering nitrogen as an alternative to air for all teams.

Snetterton Testing:-  The current Group One Porsches have proved to be bang on the pace of last year’s Group two cars. This will set up a great battle between the Porsche GT3 Cup cars and the Ferrari 430 GT.

Chris Randall and his Hoffmans Lotus Europa was a competitive 2009 Group One car. The team have agreed to reduce the turbo boost to put the car on the same pace as the Porsches and Ferraris. This has had the added bonus of allowing the car to run far cooler and gain reliability.

Gary Eastwood has moved over to a Ferrari 430 GT Challenge car and was delighted with it after testing at Snetterton. The car will be run by FF Corse and Anthony Cheshire said he was amazed how quickly Gary got settled into the Ferrari.

Snetterton testing saw Andy Ruhan and Jim Geddie right on the pace in their Porsche 997 GT3 Cup cars.

Father and son team of Rupert  and Alex Martin will be taking part in this year’s GT Cup Championship. Rupert ( the Dad) will be in his Dextra sponsored Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car and Alex in his Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car.

Another  father and son team are David and Rob Fenn, they are new to GT Cup this season and they will be sharing the Honda NSX . This is a rare beast and new to GT Cup and will be running in Group Three.

Marco Pullen will be back with his faithful Ferrari 360.

The KTM XBows are coming! This year will see two XBows in the GT Cup. The specifications are different; the Tom Andrew car runs with a less powerful 240 bhp engine and is nearer ‘road going’ specification so it will run in Group Three. Peter Hignett is looking after the rapid Group Two car for Colin and Sam Mowle. This is has around 300 bhp and various upgrades to its suspension and aero pack.

Colin and Sam Mowle will be the third father son combination in GT Cup.

Long term GT Cup supporter Colin Broster will be back racing in 2010 and is awaiting delivery of one of the new Chevron GR8s. Colin may be out in something else until the Chevron is ready.

Don Grice and his superb BMW E46 M3 which ran in Group One in 2009 has reached an agreement with the organisers to back off the power and add some weight and run it this season at current Group One pace.

Will Goff had a spectacularly successful year in Group Four last year winning almost every race in his immaculate Aston Martin GT4. This year Will is in the process of acquiring a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup.

Sarah Bennett-Baggs will be back with her BMW Z4 M Coupe. The team were gradually getting to grips with the car towards the end of last season so Sarah should be a regular podium visitor again.

Bute Motorsport, organisers of the GT Cup Championship are delighted to announce the launch of a brand new race series for 2010 the “GT Trophy Endurance Series”.

Regulations are now available from Championship Co-ordinator Belinda Edwards who commented; “We are looking forward to expanding the principals of our highly popular GT Cup to the endurance GT enthusiast with this new exciting series.  The response has been wonderful with over half the grid already signed up for the two race series and with many more expressing interest, it is getting very exciting.”

It is Bute Motorsports belief that this is a natural development of its existing GT Cup Championship, which has 46 registered entrants to date and with more drivers expressing interest every day.  Bute Motorsport hope that the GT Trophy will develop over the next two seasons and become a fully fledged Championship in 2012, as occurred with the GT Cup which is in its inaugural year as a Championship since its inception in 2008.

Following restructuring of classes over the winter some competitors from last year are no longer eligible for the GT Cup Championship.  The introduction of the GT Trophy will provide the perfect environment for these and our existing groups to run longer distances in the hospitable paddock surroundings of Bute Motorsport.  Whilst in the paddock the camaraderie is paramount and the action on the circuit is fast and exciting, especially with such large grids and wide variety of race cars all competing for marque and driver honours.

May 22^nd - Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit / 2 Hour Race

Oct 30/31^st - Snetterton / 1 x One Hr Day Race & 1 x One Hr Night Race

• Open to GT Cars
• Two driver races, allowing ‘professional’ driver to race with amateur drivers
• Solo drivers will be permitted at the organisers’ discretion
• Handicap system to ensure close racing in each of the 4 Groups
• Trophies for 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd in each Group / No overall
• Pit stops are mandatory
• Pit lane refuelling is allowed during the Two Hour race at Brands Hatch
• Licence National B

Regulations, entry forms and technical declaration forms are now available from Bute Motorsport, contact Belinda@butemotorsport.com.  The usual Bute Motorsport hospitality unit will be available for drivers and guests throughout the weekends.  For hospitality requirements contactHannah@butemotorsport.com.

The majority of the Monoposto grid arrived at Brands Hatch on Saturday afternoon, knowing that the Brands Hatch paddock is small, and bagging your pitch is advisable.    They were welcomed by a heavy shower and hail, but thankfully the weather improved for the Sunday.    The track was damp in places, and a bit ‘green’ following its recent resurfacing in places, but improved throughout the day.   The sun was shining to start with, before clouding over, and the afternoon was overcast with dark skies threatening showers that thankfully never came.

The two litre cars went out first, with a number of new or returning members, some with new cars, some using older cars as their new ones were not finished in time.  A professional Formula Renault team also attending using the Monoposto race as a race simulation for their BARC event in a couple of weeks time, giving their hotshot young drivers some experience of actual racing rather than testing and the circuit as well.

Cliffe took pole position in his Dallara F398 – Toyota  with a 47.535 with Jeremy Timms in a Vauxhall engined Dallara F397 just 0.311s behind.   Cliffe thought that most time could be made on the exit of Clearways where it was damp and it was those that could get the power down cleanly were rewarded with a fast time.       Many drivers complained about traffic, but with a high entry list and a short circuit, this is a problem for all as they pass or get passed.    The session was disrupted after a number of people fell by the wayside, including Lou Watts (Vauxhall Lotus) who span off the circuit damaging a front wishbone, and Russ Giles (Reynard 923) with a broken gearbox.   Classic class pole was taken by Geoff Fern, who dragged his Van Diemen out of storage as his 1400 class JKS wasn’t ready to race.

The other session contained the two bike engined classes and the 1800 and 1600 classes as well.   In the 1000cc class, Darren Freeman had been testing on the Friday and had crashed his Jedi quite heavily, meaning he was absent, with pole going to Dax Ward, with Arty Cameron lining up beside him, both in Jedis.  Marc Fortune was third, although only completing a handful of laps.   With Darren Freemen absent, Adrian Wright who was 1st reserve was permitted to race.

The 1400cc class was depleted from the outset as Geoff Fern’s JKS wasn’t ready so he raced a different car in Classic, and Peter Whitmore didn’t complete any practise laps, leaving Gary Hill as sole 1400 representative in 5th overall, but he did not make the start either.

1800′s were headed by Julian Hoskins in his Vector TF93, with Pete Bragg in 2nd.  Phil Nicholson had an eventful session, with a number of spins and getting himself beached on a kerb.

1600 pole was taken by Nigel Smith (who wasn’t on my entry list), with 2009 1600 Champ David Parkinson a few cars behind in 2nd.    Henry Fryer went off at Paddock Hill Bend, hitting the barriers and despite attempted repairs would not make the start, and Eddie Guest ended up in the gravel at Druids.

————-
2000/Classic race

2000 pole man Tristan Cliffe was a notable absentee from the grid following mysterious electrical problems with his Dallara F398, leaving a comparatively easy charge from the front of the grid to the chequered flag for Jeremy Timms.    Neil Harrison was content in 2nd, not being able to live with Timm’s pace and watching his mirrors for Robbie Watts F4 specification Van Diemen and the Formula Renault of Matthew Draper.   Harrison said he was grateful for the red flag which ended the race saying his engine wasn’t in the best of health and he wasn’t confident of keeping 2nd place if the race went to its full 15 minutes.

Geoff Fern took Classic honours ahead of Francis Phillips and Ian Hughes.     The race was red flagged after Lenny Coleman went off at Paddock Hill Bend and a separate incident lead to Robbie Watts retirement on the same lap.

1000-1800 Race

Dax Ward led off the line, but a brave and committed maneouver around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend saw Arty Cameron lead the first lap, with Marc Fortune close behind in third, although Ward had re-taken the lead on the 2nd lap as was never to relinquish it.    Fortune took second before retiring on the third lap.     Incidents further down the field saw the safety car deployed, after 4 cars ending up in the gravel trap at the bottom of Paddock Hill Bend.

Dax Ward took 1000 honours, Julian Hoskins 1800, Nigel Smith 1600s and there were no starters in the 1400 class.

Photos: Norwich Photo

2009 was regarded as a classic year of Monoposto racing, especially when the global economic situation meant that many other race series experienced poor grids, yet Monoposto managed to field two full grids at the majority of its events, and their first race meeting of 2010 is no different, with 2 grids at or near capacity.  Monoposto can now proudly claim to be the largest single seater race series in the UK.

2010 sees 6 classes competing over two grids. Mono2000 & Classic, and Mono 1000, 1400, 1600 & 1800.

2000 & 2000 Classic: these being mostly ‘slicks and wings’ single seaters with restricted F3 spec engines or engines derived from road spec engines with concessions to mounting in a single seater.   The race will probably be won by a Dallara, but whose is a harder one to call – Jeremy Timm’s 397 (Champion 2008), Neil Harrison’s 398 (Champion 2009), Tristan Cliffe’s 398 or one of the others joining the ‘Dallarocracy’.  Richard Purcell has retired his special ground effect tunnelled, low drag Vauxhall Lotus in favour of a Dallara F300, Graham Read has a new engine for his F300 and Amnon Needham (F393) has been testing extensively at the Kent circuit recently.   Kevin Mason (F300) is always rapid too.

Technical changes have permitted fuel injection to be used as an alternative to carburettors.    Cliffe, Read and Purcell will all be using injection engines, and it is understood that Harrison, Timms are staying on carburettors.

On past form, the Classic Class will probably be headed by Russ Giles’ Reynard 913, or Jeremy Goodman’s Ralt RT3, although the entry list has a number of new names in this category who may well spring a surprise.   Lenny Coleman is using his trusty Vauxhall Lotus for the Brands Hatch round, although is expected to test his Reynard 883 shortly afterwards with a view of debuting this at Thruxton next time out.   Last years pace man, Nick Anstruther has overseas work commitments, so is unlikely to feature heavily in this seasons championship, but if he does make an appearance at any point, he will be fast.

Mono 1000  & 1400: These are the bike engined screamers using lightweight tubular frames.  Two engine capacities and two weight limits differentiate the classes.   Looking through the entry list I will hazard a guess at Geoff Fern for the 1400 class win, and either Arty Cameron, Dax Ward or Darren Freeman taking the 1000 class win, although which will be the ultimate race winner is too hard to say.   Fern raced his JKS in the 1000cc class last year, but has switched engines over winter and moved class.

Mono 1600: Last years title winner David Parkinson stands a good chance of retaining his title, especially if he can get some points on the board early on, as the very rapid Nigel Smith isn’t shown on my copy of the Brands entry list.  There are new names in this class as well, whose form is unknown.

Mono 1800: Peter Bragg is probably favourite to retain the title he won in 2009 and 2008 (and Mono1600 title in 2007 and 2006), although Rupert Reader and Phil Nicholson are possibly the drivers who will push him the hardest.  Again there are names new to me on the entry list.

These will all be racing on Sunday 28th.   First practice session is 10:25 for the 2 litre cars, with the smaller capacity classes at 11:40. First race is actually 4th on the timetable, but 3rd after lunch, estimated start at 14:55 with the second grid racing at 17:00 – although as always, schedules can slip due to accidents, and whilst some time can be clawed back with a shorter lunch, it is subject to delays.

Other races will be provided by the Dunlop Motorsport News Series, The Golf GTi championship, the SEMSEC Sports & Classics series, the Lotus On Track series and the Production BMW Championship.       On the preceding day, the Quaife Intermarque league, Champions of Brands, Club MSV Trackday Trophy, Cannons Motorspares Tintop Trophy and Toyo Tires Racing Saloons.

A report will follow after the event, with photos provided by Norwich Photo.

With an ever growing number of Formula Ford Zetec cars being run in various UK club racing championships, we’re delighted to announce a central ‘just for fun’ challenge cup for FFZetec cars – the West Kingsdown Cup.

As a result of driver feedback to Formula Ford Zetec racers Mark Edwards and John Whitbourn, the West Kingsdown Cup will be presented at the 2010 Formula Ford Festival to the Zetec driver scoring the most points across six nominated races at Brands Hatch circuit.

Any Formula Ford Zetec driver competing in Formula 4, Monoposto 1800, and SEMSEC championship races held at Brands Hatch will score points towards the West Kingsdown Cup.

Eligible Classes

Formula 4 – Class C
SEMSEC – Class C
Monoposto – Mono 1800

Eligible races are:

Monoposto Club Mono 1800 – 28th March 2010 (Single Header)
750MC F4 – 24th April 2010 (Double Header)
750MC F4 – 19th June 2010 (Single Header)
SEMSEC OSS – 12th September 2010 (Double Header)

Note: F4 races will be regularly televised in 2010

Points

Points will be awarded for final race placing, pole position and fastest lap.

Position Points

1st – 18
2nd – 16
3rd – 14
4th – 12
5th – 11
6th – 10
7th – 9
8th – 8
9th – 7
10 – 6
11 – 5
12 – 4
13 – 3
14 – 2
15 – 1
16+ 1

Fastest Laps – 2
Pole – 2

If you’re racing a Formula Ford Zetec in 2010 registration is automatic and free for all FFZetec drivers entering and racing at Brands Hatch in the races above.

Good luck to you all

Norwich based Tristan Cliffe, Monoposto 2000 front runner, declared himself satisfied following his pre-season shake-down test at Norfolk’s Snetterton Circuit. The winter months have seen Cliffe’s Omicron team take advantage of new regulations for 2010 and have converted the red Dallara F398-Toyota from carburettors to fuel injection.

“Todays tasks was to make sure the fuel injection system was working properly, so this was tested under a number of different conditions. The weather was wet for the first session which was useful in being able to judge how the system coped with wheelspin. There are a few things to tweak and adjust but I am happy with the car. It’s been good to get out of the workshop and back on the circuit!”

Sadly Cliffe’s first session ended early following a broken throttle cable, and the second session was missed whilst repairs were made. However, he was back on track for the two afternoon sessions and completed a number of longer runs which gave useful data regarding fuel consumption as well as engine temperatures and pressures following fitting of an enhanced oil cooler system and changes to the dry sump scavenging system.

Cliffe won the Monoposto Classic Championship in 2008 with a Reynard 883 in only his second season of racing, before changing car for 2009 to contest the 2000 Championship, which he always regarded as a learning year. Despite this, and missing three races, he finished third in the championship with two wins and a number of fastest laps to his name.

His first race of the season is at the Brands Hatch MSVR meeting on the 28th March.

Photography: Norwich Photo

Richard Swaffield has provided some photographs from the first Britcar race of the season.

Race report to follow, meanwhile official results, lap charts & timing can be found at TSL

Photography: Richard Swaffield

The Club MSV Trackday Trophy series is a new initiative for 2010, aimed primarily at trackday drivers who would like to start racing.

As the in-house trackday division for MotorSport Vision, we are regularly asked by our trackday drivers how to get into racing. Conventionally there have been several hurdles, so we decided to start a series that makes it as easy as possible to go racing.

The races are designed for teams of two drivers, so that the costs of running the car can be shared - together with the excitement! The regulations for the cars are reasonably relaxed, with three power to weight classes, so that drivers who have already developed cars for trackdays without having to follow any rules will be eligible. The emphasis will be on having fun in a safe and controlled environment with like minded novice racers.

Each race will consist of a 30 minute practice/qualifying session, followed by a 45 minute race. Driver changes are regulated with a minimum time and refuelling during the race is prohibited.

Initially, four rounds are planned for 2010, although we may add more events if there is enough demand. Practice/qualifying and the race will all take place on one day to reduce overnight costs.

We look forward to seeing you on the grid!

Website

The Monoposto Racing Club’s 2010 non-championship Spa meeting is now taking reserve entries.

Forty members of the MRC have paid their deposits, and the reserve list has at least three more entrants.   Anyone who think they may have missed the boat, should put their name down quickly as there is a possiblility people may drop out for various reasons between now and July, and the French Formula Ford Zetec club that they are sharing track time with do not take up their full allocation of spaces.

Whilst it is a non-championship race, the lure of driving the famous Grand Prix circuit, and corners such as Eau Rouge was irresistible.  For those who missed out, the Monoposto Club is also having a non-championship race on the new Silverstone Arena GP circuit as a support race for the Britcar 24hr race later in the year, although I understand that priority for this event will be given to those who are regular entrants.

A new single make series is being run run by MSVR this year. The events will feature a grid of identical Fiat 500 Abarths and will race at 6 venues across the UK, with a final round to be held at Monza.

In June the series will race at Snetterton for round 4, and will be on the calendar alongside the GT Cup and Formula Palmer Audi Championship.

“This is a great calendar for our first season,” said Championship Organiser Paolo Caellea. “We are running alongside some of the most recognisable racing series in the world and at the same time we are trying some new things. We are really excited that we can offer our teams and drivers the opportunity to drive on six fantastic, different race tracks and be part of some of the UK’s biggest racing weekends.”

3/5 April Oulton Park
17/18 April Silverstone GP
22/23 May Cadwell Park
26/27 June Snetterton
24/25 July Silverstone GP
4/5 September Brands Hatch Indy
23/24 October Monza

Former 3-Times Monoposto 2000 champion Mark Harrison is set to make is championship return in a one off entry at Brands Hatch on March 28th.

Mark Harrison in BRSCC F3, 2009

Harrison, currently a strong competitor in the BRSCC F3 championship with a Dallara F301 Toyota, spent many years in Monoposto, clinching a hat-trick of titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007 at the wheel of a Dallara F398 Vauxhall.  His brother, Neil, kept up the family name by winning the same championship in 2009 also in a Vauxhall powered F398.

Mark is going to be driving the same F398 that took Neil to the title in 2009, which is also the car that took the title in 2005.

2010 Will see the return of Worcester based former Monoposto champion Arty Cameron, 23.   The National Monoposto Championship is the largest of its kind  for single seat racing cars in the UK.  It is held over 13 rounds at the UK’s greatest circuits such as Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, Brands Hatch and Thruxton to name a few!

It has been four years out of the seat for Arty due to lack of a racing budget and a a lot of time spent making his car more competitive by fitting a more powerful engine – The Yamaha R1 which produces 185bhp.  The car itself is manufactured by Jedi Racing Cars Ltd and only weighs 320kg giving a power to weight ratio of 580bhp per ton.  This equates to 0-60mph in 3 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.

The season kicks off on March the 28^th at Brands Hatch where Arty aims to start the season how he means to continue- at the front.  “Being a privateer race driver is really difficult financially at my age, but I really hope to have a partner join me this season to ensure I can win the championship and grow their business through advertising in the local and national press.”

Any companies of any size, or interested individuals can contact Arty Cameron direct on 07877 827109.  Sponsorship packages are very attractive and start from only £1000 depending on the level of  involvement and advertising you need.

Monoposto regular Lenny Coleman is putting the finishing touches to his recently acquired Reynard 883.  Coleman, who has contested Mono2000 Classic championship with his Formula Vauxhall Lotus now has the Reynard 883 that propelled Tristan Cliffe to the 2008 Classic Championship.

Coleman’s car was originally raced in Swedish F3 by current WTCC star Rickard Rydell, with guest appearances in British F3.

Lenny Coleman testing the Reynard 883