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750mc Locost Championship Rounds 3 & 4 Brands Hatch 24&25/04/10

The 2010 Locost Championship is shaping up to be the most open for many years.  There have been four different winners in the first four rounds and several other drivers are showing competitive pace. The title may ultimately go to the driver who makes fewest mistakes rather than the one who has a few hundredths of ultimate speed.

Thirty six cars (including four reserves) took to the track for qualifying on a warm Saturday morning.  There is not a great view of the track from the pit wall at Brands but listening for the point at which the driver grabs fourth gear is usually a pretty good guide to how well he or she has exited clearways. The usual front-runners were all shifting at similar revs and within a few feet of one another. The planned fifteen minute session was cut short by a red flag after only 9 minutes and the cars were sent back to the paddock. Tom Coller had repaired the accident damage from Castle Combe and, after spending the Friday test working on set-up, was rewarded with pole position for race one. Tom set five sub one minute laps which was more than any other driver managed. Martin Gambling, Scott Mittel and Dave Black made up the rest of the front two rows for the first race. There were nine drivers under one minute and all covered by less than one second.

Tom Coller led race one from start to finish as the fight for second place among Martin, Scott, Dave and John Lanceley gave him just enough room to drive his own lines and pull out a comfortable lead. By lap eight John had managed to break away in second place after Martin had run into the back of Dave’s car at Clearways.  Martin began to drop off the pace as his engine temperature climbed. Lee Bankhurst ran off the road at Clearways, narrowly avoiding a couple of cars which had been parked in the gravel. The leaders began to lap the back-markers from lap ten but seemed to clear them without incident. Tom took the chequered  flag by nearly three seconds from John with Scott and Dave a further three seconds behind.  Martin limped home in fifth in front of Stephen Ross, the first of the Team Challenge cars. The long list of drivers with sick and broken cars had 23 hours to be ready for race two on Sunday.

Tom Coller was on pole position, again, for race two. Behind him were the TMC-run cars of Gambling, Lanceley and Ross. Tom made a good start but this time the following cars concentrated a little more on chasing the lead than blocking one another. John Lanceley took the lead on lap two and then retired with what appeared to be a very sick engine. Dave Black progressed steadily from grid eight and was in second place by lap three. For the next twelve laps the leading four cars of Mittel, Black, Coller and Gambling continued to swop places until they finished in that order. Nicholas Morley took fifth place as well as being the highest Team Challenge finisher.

The first five cars had their cylinder heads removed for post-race scrutineering.  All were legal.

Rounds 5 & 6 will be at Anglesey on the 29^th & 30^th of May.

Full results, championship positions and information on Locost racing at 750mc.co.uk

Report by Maurice Dudley
Photography: Az Edwards, AE Photography

Racing Exposure’s regular Silverstone photographer, Scott Mitchell, attended the VSCC ‘Spring Start’ meeting held last weekend.   Below are a selection of his photographs.   His full gallery can be seen here.

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

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

Gareth Lloyd - Time Attack Pro winner

Steve Guglielmi lifts front wheel accelerating onto main straight

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

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

Scott Robson winning Time Attack Club class

Fee Kindness in her R32 Skyline

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

Whifbitz Supra during Oulton park Time Attack

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

Full Results

Class Standings after round1:

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

Words: John Stewart
Images: Flat Out Photography

BritCar GT Rd 2. Snetterton, 17^th April 2010.

The production race gave us 3 attempts at the start, accidents and the red flag. Surely the GT race couldn’t match that for incidents?

Well, actually it did with the fun and games beginning in qualifying. Going into this event Keith Robinson in the No 1 MJC Ferrari F430 was concerned about the McInerney’s Mosler, explaining, “We think they will have an advantage here due to the long straights. It’s a completely different sort of track to Brands” where the MJC team had won last time out.

The Ginetta G50 of In 2 Racing, to be driven by Alistair Mackinnon, of meeting sponsor Mackinnon construction, and Fiona James unfortunately didn’t make the start of qualifying due to a blown engine.

The number 26 Marcos Mantis of Topcats Racing most certainly made qualifying though, and held provisional pole 15 minutes into the session with a time of 1:08.473 which they had for 5 minutes before being relegated down a place by the Ferrari 430 of Aaron Scott, who was to share racing duties with Arwyn Williams.

The other Mantis wasn’t fairing so well though; the number 36 stopping out on track and bringing out the safety car. By this time the McInerney’s held the provisional pole and the MJC Ferrari had beaten Aaron Scott’s time also.

The safety car came in with three minutes left on the clock. Robinson went out to try and snatch pole, but Sean McInerney followed him out and launched an overtaking move at Sear corner, preventing Robinson from setting a quicker time. While this was happening, the Mantis snatched 3^rd from the Ferrari 430.

So the grid was set. The two class one rivals locking out the front row, with the class 2 Huggins/Fiorentino Mantis heading up the Ferrari 430 of fellow class 2 entry Aaron Scott & Arwyn Williams and the JMH team.

5^th spot was taken by Stephen Brady, who was going to be in for a long hot afternoon as the only driver of the Master Motorsport Ultima. Alongside him were the class 3 leaders, Chris Headlam & Jamie Stanley in the Orbital Sound Lotus Elise.

Row 4 was the TVR of Glynnsport next to the Porsche 997 from Eurotech racing. The remaining cars were all class 3, with the other Topcats Racing Mantis to be driven in the race first by Henry Fletcher, with Owen O’Neill taking the second stint. Another Porsche was in 10^th, this time in a 996 shape from the Neil Garner / Azteca Motorsport stable.

Matt Bell and Richard Dean were in another Ginetta G50, and would be starting from 11^th with runners up in the Production race Keith Gent & Steve Clark in a BMW M3 E46. Rounding off the grid were Jordan & Harrison in the Eurotech Racing Ginetta G50, Clarke / Gibson in Intersport Racing BMW M3 E92 and in 15^th was the Aston Martin N24 from Nicholas Mee Racing, which was to be piloted by Karsten Le Blanc & Christaen Van Lanschot.

Perhaps due to the mishaps at the start of the Production race, Robinson was a bit wary at the off, and this caution dropped him to 6^th by the end of the first lap. Moving in the other direction was Stephan Brady in the Ultima, with a corking first lap taking him up to second place, albeit 2 seconds behind the Mosler already.

The no 36 Mantis driven by Henry Fletcher in the first stint was having some kind of trouble – 30 seconds down on the leader by the end of lap 1, and then into the pits. Fletcher did rejoin, although he was already 3 laps down on the leader. Between himself and Owen O’Neill they managed to bring the car home, a feat many others failed to do, and finished in 6^th position.

Neil Huggins, who was doing the first stint in the other Topcats Racing Mantis was hounding Brady in the Ultima for second place, and managed to get past on lap 21 – the Ultima running wide due to reduced grip – the same complaint Huggins himself had “We went with the soft tyre as we thought the weather would be cooler. My rears were shot when I came in. I could see the Ultima had the same problem, so wasn’t surprised when he dropped it.”

Half an hour in and the Mosler had lapped…. Absolutely everyone. Fuel economy was going to be in issue though – surely the 7 litre engine was going to be more thirsty than everyone else – would an extra stop be needed? At this point the Mantis of Huggins, Brady in the Ultima and Gamski in the recovering MJC Ferrari were separated by only 6 seconds in 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th respectively.

Much to the surprise of everyone, Gamski came in to pit first of the leading group, handing over to Keith Robinson on lap 42. With Sean McInerney coming in on lap 50 to hand over to Michael, this left Neil Huggins leading in the Topcats Racing Mantis.

It was looking as though an excellent result was on the cards for the Huggins / Raphael Fiorentino pairing with team boss Warren Gilbert convinced that both the Ferrari and Mosler would have to stop twice more. However, attrition was again going to come into play. Oil drops were spotted after the pitstop when Huggins came in to vacate the seat for Fiorentino on lap 72. Whatever the problem was, it got worse. With smoke coming from the back of the car, it was called into the pits to retire.

Issues were also plaguing the Mosler – the air jacks not working on the stop, so being sent back out with old rubber. A puncutre – the fist in 5 years for the team – forced Michael to re-pit on lap 64. Unfortunately the flapping rubber from the puncture caused other damage – enough to spin the Mosler out while entering the Esses, and ending their race.

Pitstop issues for Brady as well, with the team taking tape off from the radiator. The hot weather causing issues with the air box, and forcing a retirement for him also.

Reliability problems for the Orbital Sound / Chris Headlam Lotus Elise forcing them to retire on lap 67 with a faulty wheel bearing while running in 8^th place – “we just need a stronger car” rued Jamie.

The number 87 Jones family entered Porsche fell foul of the track, having a puncture also, forcing them to pit on lap 105. While all this was going on, the MJC Ferrari had things pretty easy, leading by three 3 laps, and pitting for Witt Gamski to take the wheel again for the final half an hour run to the chequered flag. Which he duly took after 121 laps.

Following him across, albeit 2 laps down, were Matt Bell and Richard Dean in the United Autosports Ginetta G50, who had driven an excellent race and managed to avoid the issues going on around them to take the runner up spot.

However, that wasn’t quite the end of the story as with only 10 minutes left, the number 33 Intersport Racing BMW, running third developed a fuel pressure problem. Unable to hold off the Neil Garner / Azteca Motorsport Porsche, who stole the spot with only 3 laps to go. Kevin Clarke was losing ground rapidly, and the recovering Jones Porsche had a lunge down into Russells on the last lap, but couldn’t make it stick.

What had looked a very promising day for the Topcats team ended with a single 6^th place finish for O’Neill & Fletcher, just 4 seconds ahead of Aaron Scott & Arwyn Williams in the JMH Ferrari. Mike Jordan and Gerry Harrison finished only a further 14 seconds back in their Ginetta G50, with the Aston Martin of Nicholas Mee Racing the last of the still-runners.

Not classified was the Glynnsport TVR Sagaris, which retired on lap 37 with gearbox problems, and the other TVR of Tim Hood and Fred Tonge, who only lasted 11 laps before retiring with suspected differential problems.

The MJC team won a race that perhaps they didn’t expect to win, by being one of the few cars to stay out of trouble, and avoid the reliability woes that affected others. Once again in Britcar GT there was some great racing throughout the field, and action all through the 2 ½ hour race.

Roll on Croft in three weeks time.

With thanks to Steve Wood at Britcar for the help in compiling this report.

Words: Alex Ings / Images: Alex Ings.

750mc Locost Championship rounds 1&2 Castle Combe April 5^th 2010

There are few less inspiring sights in motorsport  than a Locost  running alone on the track – but there are few more exciting ones than watching a full grid of them attacking Quarry corner on their first racing lap of the season.  Thankfully they all made it through in one piece and the 12^th year of Locost racing was under way.

Qualifying produced variety of approaches and racing lines as some drivers made their racing debuts and others such as Ian Mittel and Trevor Faunch returned to the track after long absences. Many of those who had driven at Combe before were noticeably tidier  through Quarry. The  number of possible lines caused many to scramble around some distance from the long apex.  It was a similar story at the first chicane – while many were screeching tyres and banging  kerbs, those who ended up near the front of the grid were avoiding heroics on the entry and making a better exit. Pole position was claimed by Locost debutant Lee Bankhurst  driving Dave Black’s old car. Dave  himself was second fastest in his newer car. Ernie Gushlow and  Simon Ironside were already finished for the day with, respectively, chassis and engine damage.

Race one was the usual mix of frantic overtaking and near misses .  After sticking close to Dave Black for most of the race Lee Bankhurst   re-took the lead to  take a very impressive win  in his first locost event. Alex von Erheim took fastest lap on the way to third place, closely followed by Scott Mittel. The first four were covered by 1 second at the finish. TMC drivers Matt Cherrington, Martin Gambling and Tom Coller took the next three places. The large Bank Holiday crowd seemed suitably impressed.

Race two was shaping up to be a similar spectacle when Lee Bankhurst  ran into the back of Martin Gambling  who was still hard on the throttle on the approach to Tower corner. The impact threw Lee’s car into the barrier. Lee was unhurt but the safety car was brought while the marshals dealt with the incident.  Some drivers took advantage of the chance to make up places while others, perhaps less familiar with the procedure, left a huge gap to the car in front as the race restarted.  Leader Martin Gambling  opened out a gap at the restart but the following pack of Mittel, Black, Coller, von Erheim, Morley and Cherrington soon slipstreamed back into contention.   Matt Cherrington lost his chance with a spin.  Scott Mittel took the lead with a decisive move at Tower on the last lap to win fom Dave Black and Martin Gambling .

Dave Black’s two second places give him the championship lead from Scott Mittel.

The initial lead in the Team Challenge was taken by Doulas Hannah who will be partnered by Patrick Dudley for the season.

Rounds 3&4 will be at Brands Hatch on April 24^th & 25^th.

Results: Here
More Info on Locost Racing: Here

Text: Maurice Dudley
Photo: Glenn Summerbell – click link for a full gallery.

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

A bumper field of nearly 120 cars enjoyed perfect weather conditions for the 2010 ADMC Granite City Rally held in Aberdeenshire on Saturday 17th April.

John MacCrone crashing out of the Granite City Rally

Special Stage 1 (Pitfichie) was billed as a short sprint stage to open the event. Running first on the road, 2009 Scottish Junior Rally Champion  John MacCrone pushed too hard over a crest and ran wide into a deep ditch. Fortunately hundreds of spectators were on hand to quickly pull him back up onto the gravel stage. Read the rest of this entry »

A slightly chilly spring morning turned into a very warm summers day at Snetterton on Saturday for round 2 of the BritCar production championship. A far cry from the arctic-like conditions at Brands Hatch for round 1 last month.

“The track owed us this one” – so said Peter Moulsdale, and who can blame him – after leading the race last year until two minutes from the end when the engine blew. No such dramas for him and Steve Kent in the BMW E46 M3 this year, although there were certainly dramas elsewhere on the grid during the 90 minute race.

There were two casualties before qualifying even bagan, with the Eurotech Racing Mustang (who was runner up last time out at Brands) not taking part in the meeting due to blowing a piston during testing on the Friday. The Kalmar-Union Volvo S60 withdrew before qualifying, to take no further part in the meeting.

The front five places on the grid were all filled with BMWs, and all within a second of each other. The K G Motorsport / Torquespeed E46 M3 of Gent & Clark took the honours with a time of 1:11.962, set on lap 7. Last years champions Kevin Clarke & Wayne Gibson were alongside for Intersport racing. The first Geoff Steel Racing entry was in third, and that was the E46 M3 of Moulsdale & Kent. Mark Smith and David Cuff were in fourth for JC Racing. Gino Ussi was the last of the set of BMWs in the other Geoff Steel entry.

The Cunninghams were in 6^th with son Mark saying they had issues with stability through the quicker corners, causing them to set a time of 1:13.957 a second behind Ussi. A futher tenth back was the Ginetta GT4 of Mick Mercer & Gary Smith for In2 Racing. Lining up in 8^th was Gary Furst in his Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Row 5 consisted of Angus Dawe & Philip Bennett in the other Intersport / Torquespeed run BMW, with David Green and Richard Adams in the Bullrun Seat Cupra who took the class 2 pole. Row 6 was looked our by pairs, with the Smith / Smith Ginetta ahead of the Cox / Cox Ford Escort Turbo by 2.2 seconds.

Ian Lawson and Anthony Wilds were another 3 tenths back in the ING Sport BMW 320i, ahead of Paul Phipps & Rob Day in their BMW entry. 15^th on the grid was the Nissan 370Z driven by Lorenzini and Tresson, who won a competition set up by Sony Playstation. 16^th on the grid were Owen Thomas and Ashely Woodman in the BPM Racing Renault Clio “We’ve lost out due to the change in classes” said Owen, as they were previously in class 3, which no longer exists. The final place was taken by the Brunswick Automotive BMW 130i of Martin Parsons and James Trett. Martin didn’t even know who his co driver was going to be – a last minute change as the original occupant, Nick Gooch, became a father on Friday evening.

The race actually took three attempts to get going. The first rolling start was deemed unacceptable by the starting official, as the cars were out of position by the time they went across the line. The pace car went back out to pick up the leader for another formation lap.

At the second attempt, all was in order until the number 75 Ginetta GT4 with Mick Mercer at the wheel, and the number 64 Seat Leon of Mark Cunningham tried to occupy the same piece of track. The resulting collision lifted the Ginetta “as high as the Armco barrier” as trackside commentator Brian Jones described it.

The race was red flagged as the mess was cleared away. The Seat Leon looked to be in a mess when seen back in the pits but apparently the Ginetta came off worse. Hopefully the damage for both isn’t bad enough to stop their attendance at Croft in three weeks time.

The race length was reduced by the red flag time, leaving 76 minutes. Peter Moulsdale, who was the starting driver in the Geoff Steel racing BMW, overtook Wayne Gibson on lap 1. He stayed in third place though after losing out to a fast starting David Cuff who made an excellent start to jump from 4^th to 2^nd by the end of the first lap in the JC Racing BMW. Wayne Gibson stayed in 4^th until lap 7, when he was forced to retire.

Moulsdale managed to get past Cuff on lap 6, having been scrapping for a couple of laps beforehand. By lap 20 the leading KG Motorsport / Torquespeed BMW driven by Clark was 6.2 seconds ahead of Moulsdale, but the two of them were now 28 seconds ahead of David Cuff. Moulsdale stopped on lap 31 to hand over to Steve Kent and the number 42 car came in on the following lap, with Gent taking over the hotseat. Their stop wasn’t quick enough however, and Steve Kent had a 29 second lead to try and hold until the end of the race.

Steve Kent put some quick laps in early on to extend his lead to nearly 34 seconds. Gent managed to stabilise the gap, and then reduce it down. The damage was done in the pitstop however, and Steve Kent took the chequered flag by 25 seconds. “The track owed us this one, after last year.” Said a very happy Peter Moulsdale.

Gino Ussi finished off a good day for Geoff Steel racing, taking the final spot on the podium just 4 seconds ahead of David Cuff and Mark Smith, in the other BMW E46 M3. Gary Furst, another driver doing the whole race himself, finished in 5^th spot ahead of class 2 winners Ian Lawson and Anthony Wilds. Dave & Michael Cox made moves from their starting position of 12^th, to finish 7^th, runners up in class 2 and ahead of the class 1 invitation entrees of Peter & Matt Smith in their Ginetta, and the Angus Dawe/Philip Bennett combo. Angus actually coming in to the pits on lap 20, 2 minutes before the lane officially opened. Philip put in some quick laps but then picked up a puncture on lap 47 and had to re-pit while running in 7^th.

Luca Lorenzini, one of the Playstation competition winners and starting driver in the Nissan 370Z, had a good few opening laps, overtaking Peter Smith in the sole remaining Ginetta, on lap 6, having hounded him for the previous 3 laps. Jordan Tresson, who took over as the other Playstation winner, set the faster lap out of the two, on lap 42, and they came in a respectable 10^th, and took third in class.

Owen Thomas and Ashley Woodman had their fears confirmed about not being able to hang on to the other class 2 runners in their Renault Clio, but had a close race with Martin Parsons and James Trett, to finish just 5 seconds ahead of the Brunswick BMW.

The last two classified runners, 37 laps down on the leader, were David Green & Richard Adams in the Bullrun Seat Cupra and the Rob Day/Paul Phipps in the Simmons Printers BMW.

It was good to see that there were 6 more cars on the starting grid than at Brands, and that is without the Mustang from Eurotech Racing, or the Kalmar Union Volvo who were unable to compete this weekend. Hopefully there will be a grid approaching 20 cars for the next round at Croft in 3 weeks time.

GT report to follow.

Words: Alex Ings / Images: Alex Ings.

Race Report – Silverstone

Just one week after the opening R300 rounds, the weather at Silverstone couldn’t have been more different for the family of Caterham Roadsport championships.  Blue skies and not a hint of rain gave everyone something to smile about, as did the sometimes wincingly-close racing that the National circuit always provides.

Supersports

James MacLachlan produced a peerless display in his immaculate blue car to take an early lead in Caterham’s newest championship.

In Saturday’s race, the DPR Motorsport driver briefly lost the lead in the opening laps after a mistake at Brooklands dropped him to fourth, but was quickly back at the front whilst the drivers behind jostled for the remaining podium places.  Paul Begley, Iain Forsythe and new-to-Caterhams Nick Fronzoni all took turns at harrying MacLachlan for the lead, with Begley and Fronzoni both very briefly getting a nose in front.  But MacLachlan held his nerve and crossed the line just one tenth of a second ahead of Begley.  The one-tenth separation would become a feature of all the Caterham racing over the weekend.  Forsythe took the remaining trophy whilst an impressive drive from an uncharacteristic thirteenth on the grid gave Rod Arnold valuable points in fourth, after displacing Fronzoni on the final lap.

There was no such trouble from the also-rans on Sunday for MacLachlan.  A superb first lap gave him a one-and-a-half second lead over the Begley/Forsythe/Arnold battle that started on lap one and didn’t finish until they’d crossed the line thirty minutes later, helping MacLachlan disappear eleven seconds up the road.  MacLachlan’s fellow Academy 09 graduate Forsythe went one better than Saturday to take second, after trading places all through the race with the Trackcars supported car of Begley, who spent much of it sporting one of Arnold’s wings around his nose cone.  Begley took third and Arnold another fourth, but the drive of the race belonged to Robert Smith, who finished sixth having started last, after retiring from the lead group of the first race with fuel problems.

Roadsport-A

JJ O’Malley leads the championship after Silverstone, thanks to a pair of wins that couldn’t have been more closely fought.

Occasional Roadsport-A racer Ian Payne, now aiming for a full season, put his orange car on pole, but veteran O’Malley made the better start.  Payne held firm in the first few corners, but by lap two, Trackcars driver O’Malley was ahead – just.  The pair would be separated by just 0.01s on more than one occasion, but O’Malley retained the advantage.  Behind them, Magd Mohaffel, Antony Sidney-Wollett and Jamie Orton pushed themselves into the lead pair’s battle.  Sidney-Woollett was first to take advantage and would often grab the second-place spot, before a single mid-race lap in first for the PIM driver.  Meanwhile, Mohaffel’s DPR Motorsport car, confusingly nearly identical to Payne’s, made a measured attack on the podium, rising to second at just the right time, but it wasn’t to be.  O’Malley held onto first and Payne overcame Mohaffel for third with Sidney-Woolett fourth and Jamie Orton, who’d kept a watching brief on the lead four for the entire race, finishing fifth.

It was thought that the only way Payne could be closer to O’Malley was if he sat in the passenger seat for a race, but the pair did manage to reduce the gap even further on Sunday, with the same leading group joined by pre-race favourite Graham Johnson, who had been hampered by car trouble prior to race one, and ex-Caterham Grads racer Darrell Wilson.  Behind O’Malley, positions were changing lap after lap until the mid-way point when contact between Mohaffel and Payne pulled out a valve on Mohaffel’s front left tyre, sending him to the pits for a new wheel and putting him out of contention.  O’Malley and Payne now stretched their legs on the third place battle being fought between Orton and Sidney-Woollett.  Things became a little too close between the pair and Sidney-Woollett came off worst, dropping down to eighth, whilst Johnson was in a similar position with Mark Figes, Figes being spun even further down the field.  O’Malley took the chequered flag 1/20^th of a second ahead of Payne.  Orton maintained his third place to the end, whilst Wilson avoided trouble to finish fourth in a good debut weekend.

Roadsport-B

Roadsport-B provided the closest series in 2009 and following the opening rounds, 2010 looks sets for another to-the-wire year, but this time with even more drivers.

No fewer than eight cars squabbled over the lead in Saturday’s race, with Lee Wiggins, pole man Steve Day and Academy 09 Gp2 champion Ben Whibley, all taking their turns to lead the pack.  Behind them, but only just, Martin Addison and Jeremy Webb were enjoying banging wheels, whilst Richard Dolby, Chris Lay and the other 09 Academy champion Jay Gardner couldn’t find a way past.  Wiggins passed Whibley for the lead with three laps to go and made it stick to the line; Whibley less than the customary tenth behind.  Day picked up the third place trophy, with Webb in fourth and Addison fifth.

Whibley made the early running on Sunday and for a moment, looked liked he’d broken the tow, surging a massive three-quarters of a second ahead…  But Webb had other ideas and reeled him in before passing for the lead.  Wiggins came back from being shunted down the order in the first few laps to snatch the lead from Webb at the halfway point.  Webb would have it back within a couple of laps and in the confusion of just who should be leading the race, Wiggins span (or was spun) well down the order, leaving Day to pick up the battle with Webb.  Day and Webb set about exchanging the lead, just 0.001s separating them at one point.  Meanwhile, the two Academy champions were now together, Gardner working his way up the order and Whibley his way down.  Gardner put a strong move on Whibley to take third, punting him down to eighth.  It was Webb who would lead at the crucial time to take the win from Day, with Gardner in third and Addison just behind.  Wiggins, showing an amazing display of speed and determination, recovered to finish fifth.  However, the stewards were already looking at the Gardner/Whibley clash and penalised Gardner, who acknowledged and accepted his part in the incident, with 10 seconds, dropping him to ninth.

Wiggins leads the table, with Webb and Day just behind, reminiscent of the Fowell/Sawyer/Brannan scrap last year.  This time, however, Addison, Dolby and Lay clearly have the pace to stay with them and Gardner has been artificially pushed down the table.  The race, literally, is on.

Next Rounds: Castle Combe, 3^rd May.

DOUBLE WIN GIVES FABRIZIO GIOVANARDI SERIES LEAD AFTER OPENING RACES AT THRUXTON

The UK’s premier motor racing series, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, burst back into life at a sunny Thruxton circuit with two wins for 2007 and 2008 champion Fabrizio Giovanardi plus a debut victory for Steven Kane. The Italian maestro’s double takes him to the top of the championship standings after the first of ten rounds and came in extraordinary circumstances.

The touring car legend feared he would be forced to miss this BTCC season following Vauxhall’s decision not to field a factory team in 2010. However a last minute one-off deal for Thruxton – only announced on the eve of the event – saw Giovanardi back behind the wheel of his familiar Vauxhall Vectra, this time as an independent entry under the Uniq Racing with Triple Eight banner.

“I was retired, now I’m leading the championship and, perhaps, I’m retired again!” shrugged Giovanardi. “The team has worked very hard to put this together so late and it’s great that I’ve been able to repay them with these results… but the future is still unclear.”

A large holiday crowd gathered in the Easter Day sunshine at the superfast Hampshire circuit and they were rewarded with three action-packed showdowns screened live on ITV4.

The opening race of the eagerly anticipated season was predictably drama-packed with the two Honda Civics of pole-sitter Gordon Shedden and Matthew Neal challenging hard during the early laps. The two Honda Racing Team cars, though, both suffered tyre deflations before mid-distance. Neal managed to limp back to the pits and eventually finished 12th; Shedden’s exit was even more dramatic – the Scot’s ailing Civic leaving the circuit at more than 125mph and hitting the trackside barriers.

Honda’s troubles handed second place to Jason Plato in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze – last year’s runner-up admitting that he’d opted for a conservative chassis set-up to preserve Dunlop rubber on a circuit that’s renowned for excessive tyre wear.

Mat Jackson completed the podium places. The Airwaves BMW driver spent the opening laps battling behind the two Team Aon Ford Focuses of Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom Chilton. The BMW driver finally managed to pass both LPG-powered Fords, which also then succumbed to tyre deflations.

Giovanardi then made it two wins out of two with a dominant victory from pole position in the second race. While the Italian made his escape, his pursuers were involved in several tight tussles. Plato made the most of his front row starting position to hold second place for most of the 16-lap encounter but he was under pressure throughout.

Paul O’Neill (Sunshine.co.uk) led the chase in the early laps but he was caught and passed by Neal’s hard-charging Honda Civic in the closing stages. Neal then mounted an escalating challenge on Plato. On the penultimate lap the dueling duo clashed on the approach to the Club Chicane. Plato spun back to fourth position behind a delighted O’Neill, while Neal grabbed second spot – a great fight back from 12th place on the grid following his issues in the opening race.

Race three saw the top nine finishers from race two starting in reverse order. Rob Collard (WSR BMW) led away from pole position chased by the two Airwaves BMWs of Steven Kane and Jackson with Neal hot on their heels. The Honda racer was quickly by Jackson and, at the end of lap six, tried an even more audacious move around the outside of both Kane and Collard at the Club Chicane. Contact seemed inevitable – the Civic struck the leading BMW, destroying the hopes of both drivers.

The controversial incident left Kane and Jackson clear to score an emotional one-two victory for Airwaves BMW with Plato fending off late challenges from first Giovanardi and then Shedden to complete the podium.

Plato was happy with his two podiums that give him second place in the standings as the teams head to Rockingham for round two in three weeks time. “We targeted 30 points here and our game plan was to adopt a very conservative approach with the car. It’s very easy to be over-aggressive with the chassis set-up and suffer punctures. It’s not worth taking any risks at this stage – come Rockingham we’ll be on maximum attack!”

For full race reports, results and images of the day’s action visit the BTCC’s official website www.btcc.net

Photographs kindly provided by Marc Waller of MW Motorsport Media.

BTCC Drivers Points after Round 1, Thruxton (provisional):
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi, 38
2. Jason Plato, 31
3. Mat Jackson, 28
4. Paul O’Neill, 23
5 Steven Kane, 19
6. Matt Neal, 12
7. Alex MacDowall, 11
8. Gordon Shedden, 11
9. Phil Glew, 9
10. Tom Boardman, 6

Manufacturer/Constructor Points (provisional):
1. Chevrolet/RML, 74 points
2. Honda/Dynamics, 45
3. Arena/Ford, 32

Teams’ Points (provisional):
1. Airwaves BMW, 46
2. Uniq Racing with Triple Eight, 45
3. Silverline Chevrolet, 41
4. Sunshine.co.uk, 25
5. Honda Racing Team, 20
6. Team Aon, 7

Independent Drivers’ Points (provisional):
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi, 40
2. Mat Jackson, 34
3. Paul O’Neill, 30
4. Steven Kane, 21
5. Phil Glew, 14
6. David Pinkney, 13

Independent Teams’ Points (provisional):
1. Uniq Racing with Triple Eight, 42
2. Airwaves BMW, 37
3. Sunshine.co.uk, 32
4. WSR, 18
5. Pinkney Motorsport, 18
6. Team Aon, 16

Click photos for larger versions:

Photographs kindly provided by Marc Waller of MW Motorsport Media.

Race 1: Harvey takes Carrera Cup GB round one at Thruxton

Tim Harvey got the Porsche Carrera Cup GB season off in perfect style at Thruxton today (Sunday 4 April) as he fended off Michael Caine to take the first victory of the season. In a race that delivered great battles all the way down the 25-car field, Tony Gilham stormed through to pro-am1 victory while Mark Hazell drove a fine race to win pro-am2.

With the cars running on a dry track for the first time all weekend, the opening race was all about tyre management over 21 laps of the notoriously abrasive Thruxton circuit. Harvey (Red Line Racing) got the jump over Tom Bradshaw (JHR) off the line and was able to move clear over the first three laps as Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing) and then Caine (Motorbase Performance) edged Bradshaw back to fourth. “I pushed early then eased back to conserve the tyres,” said Harvey.

Caine had to battle ahead of Hankey to get into second and did it with a bold around the outside into the chicane on lap five. Caine then set off in pursuit of Harvey and closed the gap to less than a second. That was how it ran for many laps as the two most experienced drivers in the championship matched each other’s pace. “I knew Michael would have to push his tyres to catch me,” said Harvey, who crossed the line with eight-tenths of a second in hand. Caine had been close enough to try a move into the chicane, but Harvey was not about to let his lead slip. “It was important to finish that one,” said Harvey of the first of the year’s 20 races.

Hankey ran a safe third and was elated to score the first overall podium finish for a Carrera Cup GB Scholarship racer. “I’m absolutely ecstatic,” said Hankey. “I didn’t know what to expect and it was so challenging. I didn’t fight Michael Caine as I knew he was faster than me.”

Behind Hankey, a mighty battle raged for fourth as Bradshaw fended off Charles Bateman (Motorbase Performance), Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing) and Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing). As Jelley mounted constant attacks on Bateman, Bradshaw had some respite, but it was very close all the way to the flag. “After three laps I had the front splitter stuck under the car so it was a tough race, but good fun,” said Bateman.

The contest for pro-am1 produced a great spectacle as Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) made the early running with Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) and Tony Gilham (ReDesign PHB Racing) right on his tail. Meanwhile, making up ground fast was Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) after a first corner knock left him with an ill-handling car. This made a tremendous battle until Gelzinis spun and that allowed Gilham to start attacking Al Harthy, just as Jackson lost his front splitter and dropped back. Gilham made his move with three laps to run and dived ahead under braking for the chicane. “I loved it,” said Gilham after taking pro-am1 victory from fifth on the grid. “We’d not done any dry laps here and the car faded towards the end,” added Gilham. Al Harthy was rightly pleased with his first Carrera Cup race. “I’m very proud to be on the podium in my first Porsche race. It was a tough challenge,” said the Oman racer.

In pro-am2, the lead battle was just as entertaining as Hazell (JHR) and Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase) ran wheel to wheel for many laps. Eventually, Hazell’s experience told, and he edged away for a deserved win. “It’s hard work when you’re 50,” joked Hazell. “I was just waiting for the chequered flag.” Parish was never far adrift in second. “That was really hard, but it was brilliant. The best fun I’ve had in a racing car,” he said as George Brewster (Celtic Speed) worked through to third.

Race 2: Harvey completes Carrera Cup double at Thruxton

Tim Harvey completed a superb double in round two of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Thruxton today (Sunday 4 April), but the victory came under constant pressure from championship newcomer Euan Hankey. Ollie Jackson claimed pro-am1 spoils, while Mark Hazell wrapped up a great weekend by winning pro-am2 for the second time.

After 21 laps of the high-speed Hampshire track, at an average speed of almost 110mph, each of the three categories was decided by less than three-quarters of a second.

“If that’s the pace that Euan has at this stage of the season, it’s going to be hard work,” said Harvey (Red Line Racing) after a fiercely competitive race. With Hankey (Team Parker Racing) as a constant shadow and Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) going with them, the lead was always in doubt even though Harvey led from lights to flag. “Euan was all over me and kept me honest,” said Harvey.

For his part, Hankey was elated to run so strongly on his debut weekend in the Carrera Cup. “I was pushing my hardest and I’m still learning,” said the Carrera Cup Scholarship driver. He also had to contend with muscle pump-up in his right arm over the closing laps and concentrated on keeping ahead of Caine. Having watched Hankey’s race from close quarters, Caine joined Harvey in congratulating the championship newcomer. Hankey was declared ‘driver of the weekend’ for his performances.

Tom Bradshaw (JHR) completed a strong weekend with fourth place, despite early pressure from Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) and Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing). “Our pace was not spot on in the dry, but that’s two solid results at my least favourite circuit,” said Bradshaw. Geddie claimed fifth, but Meadows dropped to seventh behind Charles Bateman (Motorbase Performance) after losing his front splitter later in the race.

The pro-am1 category once again delivered a great contest as Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) led from the start and battled with Bateman for overall position. However, in the closing stages Jackson was nearly caught by Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) and Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing), who had been battling race-long. At the flag, less than a second covered the three cars. “That was really tough,” said Jackson. Gelzinis’ team of Juta Racing won the ‘team of the weekend’ award for it’s first weekend in the Carrera Cup GB.

The battle in pro-am2 was another highlight of the race as Hazell (JHR) worked clear of Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase). However, in the closing laps, Parish closed the gap once more as George Brewster (Celtic Speed) and Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) made it a four-car train for the lead. At the flag, just 1.7s covered the quartet. “It’s been good fun but very hard work,” said Hazell after one of his best weekends of racing for several seasons.

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

Now in its third year, the Toyota Sprint Series contenders returned to Rockingham for round one of the 2010 championship. Rockingham provides a perfect season opener, with a smooth and open track layout, it was sure to re-ignite last years close battles, as well as welcoming the new competitors with a challenging layout.

The event was expertly run by track day specialists Javelin with support from Blitz-UK, Millers Oils, Fensport, SuperPro, Merlin International, AEW Graphics, and the GT4 OC.

The weather was smiling on the area, providing a good dry track from the off. The sighting runs gave drivers their first view of the track, which appeared to suit all types of cars – long straights and wide corners made use of the famous banked oval and would challenge the powerful cars, whilst tricky tight chicanes rewarded the nimble.

By lunchtime, many of the driver’s cards were on the table, some great runs had been laid down by new and established drivers, although there had been a fair share of mishaps too. Former British Rally Champion, and last years season winner, Jonny Milner was setting the pace in his brand new Celica GT4, with a time of 81.21. Adrian Smith had replied with an 81.30 despite some gearbox problems with his Corolla GT4-X. Duncan McMath, who had assisted Milner last year on the technical side, had decided to get behind the steering wheel this year, and produced a good time of 88.16 in run 3.

Further down the classes, Darren Burwash, newcomer to class B this season was proving a force to be reckoned with in his Starlet Turbo, producing a time of 92.72 on his first ever run.

With lunchtime over and the sun still shining, the competitors had swapped hints and tips and were ready to attack their times once more. As they got more competitive and braver, the cones on the circuit were suffering, and a few runs were ‘voided’ due to drivers playing skittles as they explored their vehicle’s limits.

Results in class order:

Class F – Up to 1.0l
Class F had doubled in size this year, with a record 4 competitors. Winner was Paul Thomas (above left), 2 times overall class winner, in his Aygo, with a time of 104.29 gained in the last run. Chasing hard all day and sometimes leading by a few tenths was Dann Quinn (above right) in his Yaris, Dan’s best time of 105.97 earned him 2nd in class.

Class D – Up to 1.6l Normally Asiprated
Unbeatable once more in his Starlet was Dave Brooks (above left), producing a great time of 89.95 on his last run, to tke 1st in class and 6th overall. Runner up was Neil Latham (above right), competing with his MR2 Mk1, Neil gained a time of 93.13 also on his last run.

Class C – Over 1.6l Normally Aspirated
Alex Meade in his Supra won the class with a very good time of 92.79 and could not be caught by Jeff Lotts, whose time of 96.39 set in his Celica gained him runner up in class.

Class B – Up to 1.6l Forced Induction
Newcomer to the series this year, Darren Burwash (above left) in his Starlet Turbo, could not be caught in class B with his time of 89.26 which was good enough to earn him 4th overall. This time also gained Darren the Hard Charger award, given to drivers who stand out and punch above their weight. Barrie Newsome (above right), last year class winner was runner up in his Starlet Turbo with a time of 92.03.

Class A3 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction
Another new driver this year, Duncan McMath (above left) is looking like a good championship contender in his Celica GT4, Duncan was soon on the pace setting an unbeatable time of 88.08. Chris Cooke (above right), last year’s class winner, was chasing hard in his MR2 Turbo and was runner up with a time of 89.65.

Class A2 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Modified
Steve Timms (above left) returned to the series this year and produced a time of 94.28 to win this class in his Celica GT4. Runner up was Nigel Levinson (above right), who put a time of 112.40 on the board despite his Celica having engine problems.

Class A1 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Highly Modified.
Two competitors were back with a vengeance this year in class A1. Jonny Milner (above left), 2009 champion was out to defend his title in a brand new car, Jonny had not even driven the car before Rockingham but despite a steep learning curve he was soon on top, leading by 0.09 seconds at lunchtime from Adrian Smith (above right) who is now driving his Celica GT4X, both cars were problematic on the day but the pace was still amazing. Jonny went on to set a time of 79.63 to Adrian’s best of 80.51. With both drivers in new cars and still separated by only 0.88s the championship battle is definitely on.

The competitors were all very happy with the day, and are looking forward to the next round at Barkston Heath, Lincolnshire on the 4th April. Barkston is a super smooth and twisty track, can the nimble beat the giants, it will be close!!

We would like to thank Javelin Trackdays for their professionalism and smooth operation of the day. Also thank you to all our sponsors for making the championship a reality.

MR2’s, Celica’s, Supra’s, Lexus, Corolla’s, Auris, Starlets, Sera…….If you like Motorsport and Toyota’s then the Toyota Sprint Series is the place to be.

For General information on the sprint series please visit www.toyotasprint.com

Photography: Norwich Photo

The 2010 British Touring Car Championship held its annual media day, returning to Brands Hatch following a couple of years at Rockingham.

In some ways, the BTCC itself is probably too high profile for this site, in terms of costs and professionalism, but there are steps to reduce costs with the introduction of the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) which will allow a car to be built at a much lower cost than before, so maybe there is more opportunity for BTCC coverage in future.  Currently there are two cars using the new NGTC specification engine, both Vauxhall Vectras – the orange and blue Pirtek car of Andrew Jordan, and the black and pink car of David Pinkney, these two cars finishing the test session in 10th (Jordan) and 12th (Pinkney).

The main absence of the 2010 series is the absence of a works Vauxhall presence, VXR racing pulling out during last season. Chevrolet, who had a presence last year with the Lacettis of Plato, Nash, Jackson and Vaulkhard, have increased their support to a works outfit and the introduction of the new Cruze, although there will be only two cars, one driven by Jason Plato, the other by BTCC debutant Alex MacDowall. Vaulkhard left the BTCC at the end of 2009 for the challenge of the World Touring Car Championship.

Honda have stepped up their involvement as well, with the two Team Dynamics cars being given factory backing. Former champion Matt Neal returns to the family team, and is partnered by Gordon Sheddon.

The Team AON Ford Focus cars ended 2009 on a high, with some fine results towards the end of the season, and retain the driving pairing of Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole (heard referred to as TomTom Go), but their major change has been the change of fuelling, changing from petrol to a Calor Gas developed LPG system, boost by turbocharging. The car has been quick in testing.

Volkswagen return to the BTCC with an AMD Milltek prepared VW Golf GTi, driven by Shaun Hollamby.     Other new or returning drivers include the two BMWs of Forster Motorsport, driven by Arthur Forster, and Martin Depper.

Fans favourite Paul O’Neill remains with the Team Sunshine / Tech-Speed outfit and is partnered by John George.

Finally, it is nice to see Andy Neate returning to racing following his awful and life threatening crash at the 2008 Britcar 24hr race at Silverstone.

Tom Chilton

Entry List:

2 Jason Plato Silverline Chevrolet – Chevrolet Cruze (M)
20 Alex MacDowall Silverline Chevrolet – Chevrolet Cruze (M)

4 Matt Neal Team Honda Honda Civic (M)

52 Gordon Shedden Team Honda Honda Civic (M)

5 Mat Jackson Airwaves BMW BMW 320si E90 (I)
11 Steven Kane Airwaves BMW BMW 320si E90 (I)

6 Robert Collard WSR BMW 320si E90 (I)
44 Andy Neate WSR BMW 320si E90 (I)

21 Tom Onslow-Cole Team Aon Ford Focus ST (I)
23 Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus ST (I)

2 Tom Boardman Special Tuning UK SEAT Leon (I)

27 Martin Johnson Boulevard Team Racing Vauxhall Astra Coupe (I)

28 John George Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport Honda Integra (I)

Paul O'Neill

29 Paul O’Neill Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport Honda Integra (I)

30 Martin Depper Forster Motorsport BMW 320si E90 (I)
37 Arthur Forster Forster Motorsport BMW 320si E90 (I)

43 Lea Wood Central Group Racing Honda Integra (I)

55 David Pinkney Pinkney Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra NGTC (I)

77 Andrew Jordan Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra NGTC (I)

98 Matt Hamilton TH Motorsport Honda Civic Type R (I)

99 Shaun Hollamby AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf MK5 (I)

88 TBA Triple Eight Race Engineering Vauxhall Vectra (I)
888 Phil Glew Triple Eight Race Engineering Vauxhall Vectra (I)

Text: Andrew Cliffe
Photography: Norwich Photo