RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

The AAA Saloon Cup heads to Castle Combe on Monday August 30th for the final 2 rounds of the series as AAA Saloons reaches the climax to its debut season.

Fresh from back-to-back victories last month in the AAA Saloon races at Oulton Park, the man most likely to be drinking more champagne at Castle Combe – his local circuit – is Simon Norris, driving his awesome 800 bhp Bogey Evo, rumoured to have cost in excess of £200,000.

Attempting to make him at least share some of the spoils of victory will be Malcolm Wise in his Escort Cosworth, a race winner from Silverstone, and Gary Prebble, behind the wheel of his 700 bhp Sparshatts Evo VII RS, who won the second round of the AAAS season at Combe – from the back row of the grid ! Gary knows Combe like the back of his hand and set the fastest lap of the race, to follow on from his pole position.

But making his debut in AAA Saloons from the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloons will be Mark Biggers in his impressive Skyline, and judging by his season’s form he could well be up challenging the front runners.

Ajec Racing’s Laurie Kilby (Evo IX) will be hoping that his fast but unlucky season finally generates the results he’s been searching for all year. He led the opening race of the year at Combe to within sight of the chequered flag before dropping to second.

Meanwhile Richard Jones, in his debut race season, is gaining more and more confidence in his 2.2L Launch Motorsport Evo VIII, and will be delighted to make another appearance on the rostrum should any of the expected front runners get a wheel out of line.

In GpB, for cars limited to 400 bhp, Steve Liquorish in the Ergo/JRM Evo X is likely to be the front runner, although it must be said that Combe is not his favourite circuit; he’s already had 2 expensive accidents there this season, one in his Evo (making its race debut) and the other in the Mini Challenge.

With three GpB wins under his belt from the earlier rounds Martin Thomas (in his first season of racing) driving the Somerset Storage Evo VIII has his fingers crossed that he’ll once again be taking some champagne home with him.

The man to beat in this year’s Nippon Challenge – taking the majority of race wins – is Vaughan Fletcher and this weekend he’s returning to AAA Saloons to see how his race-winning Subaru Impreza RA matches up with the GpB Evos. He’ll once again be joined by Ian Froggatt, in another Subaru, both cars built by the Scooby Clinic. Both drivers made impressive AAA debuts at Oulton last month, and enjoyed the series so much they are back for more.

Making his AAA Saloons debut will be the very experienced Malcolm Stevens who will be driving his twin-turbo Mitsubishi GTO and hoping his decades of race experience will counteract his power disadvantage when he competes at his local circuit.

Completing the mixture of Group B cars are Angus Gorringe – he made his race debut at Combe at the end of last year – who will be racing his Tangerine Audi S2, while David Harries is hoping that his Subaru will be a lot more reliable than his last outing at Oulton Park where he failed to even finish qualifying.

These final 2 races of the season also include a special invitation 2WD class.

Motors TV are broadcasting a 25 minute programme from each race at Castle Combe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Race 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MID-SEASON BATTLE AT BRANDS HATCH

The AAA (Ajec AWD Academy) Saloon Cup, featuring some of the Uk’s fastest saloon cars, heads to Brands Hatch on Sunday June 6th for the mid-season double-header.

With two race victories to his credit so far this season (amazingly both of them from the back row of the grid!) Gary Prebble, behind the wheel of his 700 bhp Sparshatts Evo VII RS, looks likely to be the man to catch. On current form the man most likely to catch him will be Nick Williamson driving his race-proven Escort Cosworth, the winner from the opening round at Castle Combe.

A trio of Evos will be hoping to grab the third spot – or better – on the rostrum, lead by Ajec Racing’s Laurie Kilby – he’s already had a second overall and set a fastest lap this year, while Simon Norris in the infamous 900 bhp Bogey Evo could well be a contender if he can cure some of his teething problems. Richard Jones is gaining more and more confidence in his new 2.2L Launch Motorsport Evo and with recent Time Attack experience under his belt he’s hoping to be up with the front runners. Completing the GpA runners is Jonathan Faull, aiming to put his mechanical problems behind him and secure a decent result on his home track.

In Gp B, for cars limited to 400 bhp, Steve Liquorish in the Ergo/JRM Evo X is likely to be the front runner, his main competition coming from the Ajec Racing guest Evo VIII which so far this season has raced to victory in three out of four rounds – with Steve taking the latest win. At Brands the guest driver is Alex Harston, experienced behind the wheel of a Mini on the race track, but making his debut in an Evo. Should he fail to keep up the high success rate of the guest driver then the rapidly improving Martin Thomas (he set the fastest laps of both races at Silverstone, and picked up two thirds in class) or Freddie Leatham in his Evo VIII, will be eager to race him to the champagne.

Making his AAA debut at just 21 years old, Dan Thackeray is easily the youngest driver in the series, (albeit driving the oldest Evo) but don’t feel sorry for him because he’s held a racing licence since he was just 15 and has already clocked up pole positions, race wins and fastest laps in several events over the years, most recently in the VW Cup. Completing the mixture of Group B cars are Angus Gorringe – he made his race debut at Combe last year in a BMW M3 – who will be racing his Tangerine Audi S2, while David Harries will once again be the sole Subaru entry in the series.

Motors TV are broadcasting a 25 minute programme from each race at Brands Hatch, the first on June 18th and the second on June 25th.

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

AAA Saloons splash and dash at Silverstone

The AAA (Ajec AWD Academy) Saloon Cup, featuring the UK’s fastest saloons, headed to a wet and windy Silverstone on May 8th for a double header with overall victory shared between an Escort Cosworth and a Mitsubishi Evo.

Once again it was Gary Prebble’s Sparshatts Evo VII RS which claimed pole position but on lap three a 20p split pin on his gear selector dropped out leaving him with no gears and forcing him to retire. His big rival Nick Williamson (Escort Cosworth) then inherited the lead until on lap seven he broke a ball joint and ended up stranded on the track. Another Escort Cosworth, driven by Malcolm Wise, then lead the field to the chequered flag. Richard Jones was delighted to take his Launch Motorsport Evo to the runner-up slot in GpA, despite his windows misting up, while Simon Norris survived some spins and a trip through the gravel trap to bring his Bogey Evo home third in class.

Laurie Kilby’s Ajec Racing Evo IX set the fastest lap of the race before he retired with a puncture on lap four, and Jonathan Faull’s Evo lost all power when a boost pipe sprung a leak.

In Gp B, for cars limited to 400 bhp, it was Steve Liquorish in the Ergo/JRM Evo X who led the GpB runners from his pole position, despite his windscreen steaming up and his gamble on running dry R888 tyres. It was a big gamble – the track was very wet and slippery that even the Pace Car – the unique X1 Evo Concept Coupe – struggled to stay on the tarmac, and unluckily for Steve, the track never dried out. Appearing through the spray, almost within touching distance of the chequered flag on the final lap, to snatch victory from under Steve’s bonnet, was Ben Anderson – Autosport magazine’s staff racing driver – who was making his saloon car debut in the Ajec Racing ‘guest’ Evo VIII. A delighted Ben, running the Toyo R1R wet option tyre, had been stalking Steve for most of the race, getting quicker and quicker, and took the opportunity to pounce and grab the AAA winners cup and champagne. Ben was second overall in the race. He also picked up the Launch Motorsport ‘Drive of the Race’ award. However it was Martin Thomas’ Evo (3rd in GpB) which set the fastest lap of the race for the GpB cars and he was on the Toyo dry tyres.

Freddie Leatham’s Evo VIII ended his race by diving across a gravel trap straight into a concrete wall. He didn’t return for Race 2. Angus Gorringe brought his Tangerine Audi S2 home in 4th place – another who suffered from steamed up windows.

Prebble started Race 2 from the back of the grid, due to his DNF in Race 1. Could he do the same as he did at Combe earlier in

the season and win the race? Yes he could, with his wipers working overtime – he was leading the pack before most of his rivals had even finished their opening laps. But his main rival Nick Williamson started the race from the pit lane – having worked flat out to repair his car from Race 1 – and managed to work his way through the field – avoiding all the spinning cars (and there were quite a lot to avoid) to claim the runner-up slot and Launch Motorsport Drive of the Race award, ahead of Simon Norris who set the fastest lap. Malcolm Wise was never a serious threat for the podium as his Escort was suffering from a sticking throttle; it was either 6000 rpm or nothing!

Ben Anderson briefly led the GpB runners from the front row, but spun and spent the rest of the race trying to make up for lost ground – he eventually finished third in class behind Martin Thomas – who set another fastest lap – with Steve Liquorish claiming the champagne and a well deserved GpB victory.

The first race from Silverstone will be broadcast on Motors TV on Friday May 21st at 7.35 pm, with the second race shown at the same time the following Friday (28th).

The AAA Saloon action moves to Brands Hatch for the next two races on Sunday June 6th.

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

The AAA (Ajec AWD Academy) Saloon Cup continues its debut 10-race season with a double-header at Silverstone on Saturday May 8th.

With a win and a runner-up spot in the opening two races of the season at Castle Combe, Nick Williamson and his race-proven Escort Cosworth look likely to start as favourites. Gary Prebble in his 700 bhp Evo VIII might well be a fly in the ointment. Prebble won the second race at Combe, having started at the back of the grid, but reveals that he last raced at Silverstone over 10 years ago, so will certainly be rather rusty.

Other contenders for overall victory include Laurie Kilby in the Ajec Racing Evo (2nd in the opening race of the series) – he won and set a new lap record at Silverstone last year in the LMA Saloons, and Simon Norris in the Bogey Evo – with a potential 900 bhp he can never be discounted. Paul Doyle will be making his race debut behind the wheel of a 700 bhp Subaru; and while he lacks race experience he was running second fastest in the opening round of Time Attack a few weeks ago – so the car and driver are certainly a fast combination.

A pair of GpA drivers made their race debut in the opening round of the series, Richard Jones who retired his Launch Motorsport Evo with engine gremlins and a delighted Jonathan Faull – who picked up a 3rd place in Race 2. They are hoping their limited experience can be put to good use.

In GpB, for cars restricted to 400 bhp, Steve Liquorish will once again be strapped into the Ergo/JRM Evo X and hoping to add to his cup collection – he picked up a runner-up cup at Combe. His Evo received extensive front-end damage in the last outing and Steve is hoping that this time he’ll be the GpB leader in both races, without the unwanted repair bills. His closest rival is again likely to be the Ajec Racing ‘guest’ Evo VIII which took class victory in both of the opening races, but this time driven by Ben Anderson, Autosport magazine’s staff racing driver. This will be Ben’s race debut in a saloon car although he has tasted success in single seaters. He tested the Evo earlier in the year at Silverstone, and despite ripping off some bodywork, is looking forward to the challenge of racing on his favourite circuit.

Having secured two third places in his first two races Freddie Leatham will be hoping his beginner’s luck streak continues when he reaches Silverstone behind the wheel of his Evo VIII.

At just 21 years old Dan Thackeray is easily the youngest driver in the series, but don’t feel sorry for him because he’s held a racing licence since he was just 15 and has already clocked up pole positions, race wins and fastest laps in several events over the years, most recently in the VW Cup. Completing the mixture of Group B cars are Angus Gorringe – he made his race debut at Combe last year in a BMW M3 – who will be racing his Tangerine Audi S2 while Martin Thomas will be hoping his Evo, which took him to second place in the second round at Combe, will once more be at the front end of the GpB pack.

This new series has attracted significant media interest with Motors TV confirming that they will be broadcasting a 25 minute programme from each of the 10 races.

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

The AAA (Ajec AWD Academy) Saloon Cup kicked off its debut 10-race season with a double-header at Castle Combe on Easter Monday with victory going to Nick Williamson in an Escort Cosworth and Gary Prebble behind the wheel of a 2.2L Mitsubishi Evo VII.

Although Prebble had claimed pole position a fuel rail pipe worked loose on the opening lap and he was unable to continue leaving Simon Norris in his unique Evo IX to briefly take the lead for half a lap before being taken by Laurie Kilby in the Ajec Racing Evo.

Meanwhile Williamson in his 580 bhp Escort was working his way through the pack from a poor grid position, picking off Simon Deaton in his pink Evo who suffered from a broken gearbox, then Norris, before sizing up Kilby for the lead.

Kilby himself was also suffering from a gearbox problem and on lap 12 the Escort nipped past him into Quarry and beat Kilby to the chequered flag a few laps later with the ‘stealth’ Ajec Evo never giving up the chase.

Richard Jones was making his race debut in the freshly-built Launch Motorsport Evo and was having the time of his life until lap 8 when an engine problem ended his race.

Group B – for cars limited to 400 bhp – was dominated by Guy Higgs, who planted the Ajec Racing Evo on pole (despite never having raced the car before) and then led to the chequered flag, setting the fastest lap time with neither the race experienced Steven Liquorish in his new Evo X or Freddie Leatham, another making his race debut, able to match the hard charging driver, who also built the car he raced to victory.

With the grid for the second race taken from the first set of results it meant Prebble started on the back row of the grid. He had a point to prove after the first race and was never going to be at the back for long and had worked his way through the pack into fourth by the end of the opening lap thanks to the 700 bhp he had under the control of his right foot. The Group B back-markers were no problem for the experienced driver.

At the front it was Williamson, Kilby, Norris, each waiting for the other to make a mistake. Then Norris retired when a water pipe feed to the turbo melted, leaving Prebble in third. He picked of Kilby, who retired with a broken gearbox a few laps later, and took the lead from Williamson at Tower on lap 10 leading him to the chequered flag, recording the fastest lap in the process. A delighted Jonathan Faull claimed the third cup in Group A – in only his second ever race.

Higgs led again when the race started in Group B, but Liquorish, now with a bit more race experience with his new Evo X, was right on his tail this time and however hard he tried Higgs just couldn’t shake him off. Contact between the cars was made on lap 15 and Liquorish squeezed past Higgs when he got out of line, but in the process he damaged a wheel which departed the car a few corners later at Camp – sending the Evo X slamming into the tyre barrier in spectacular style. Luckily the driver was unhurt although his wallet took a very severe beating.

Higgs went on to claim his second Group B victory of the day followed by Martin Thomas, Leatham (who accidently knocked his engine kill switch on at one point during the race!) Angus Gorringe behind the wheel of his Audi S2, which he hadn’t even sat in until earlier that morning, and David Harries in his Subaru, delighted to have reached the end of two races on his first day of racing

The first Combe race, filmed by Shift Rally Media and sponsored by Launch Motorsport, will be broadcast on Motors TV on Friday April 16th at 7.35 pm, with the second race shown at the same time the following Friday (23rd).

The action moves to Silverstone for the next two races on May 8th, with at least half a dozen new cars expected to line up on the grid, including a 700 bhp Subaru and a race-winning Escort Cosworth.

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

AAA Saloon Cup

Castle Combe Race 1

1 A Nick Williamson Ford Escort Cosworth 20.37.011

2 A Laurie Kilby Mitsubishi Evo VIIII 20:38.940

3 A Simon Norris Mitsubishi Evo IX 20:39.558

4 B Guy Higgs Mitsubishi Evo VIII 21:35.192

5 B Steve Liquorich Mitsubishi Evo X 21:39.282 1 lap behind

6 B Freddie Leatham Mitsubishi Evo VIII 20:58.896 1 lap behind

Race 2

1 A Gary Prebble Mitsubishi Evo VII 20:30.269

2 A Nick Williamson Ford Escort Cosworth 20:36.183

3 A Jonathan Faull Mitsubishi Evo VIII 21:23.581

4 B Guy Higgs Mitsubishi Evo VIII 21:45.484

5 B Martin Thomas Mitsubishi Evo VIII 21:17.248 1 lap behind

6 B Freddie Leatham Mitsubishi Evo VIII 21:23.189 1 lap behind

The AAA (Ajec AWD Academy) Saloon Cup kicks off its debut 10-race season with a double-header at Castle Combe on Easter Monday as almost 7000 bhp races into Quarry from a rolling start.

The series will feature the most famous Mitsubishi Evo in the world – Simon Norris’ 900 bhp 2-door Evo IX SWB Bogie. Regular Combe spectators will be familiar with his outings in the 2009 Castle Combe Saloons in his ultra-fast Evo III. However his bright green Monster Evo – rumoured to have cost over £100,000 to develop, has never actually raced before and Simon says he’s looking forward to some door-to-door action.

And several Evos will be fighting to rub door handles, led by Ajec Racing’s Laurie Kilby, a regular front runner in last years Combe Saloons and the current lap record holder for the series, who will start the season in his race winning 600 bhp Evo IX, before switching to his Evo X when it’s been fully developed.

Other rivals for the front row include Gary Prebble – another Ex-Combe Saloons regular – keen to show the potential of his new 2.2L Evo engine, Simon Deaton in his shocking pink 550 bhp Evo VIII and Richard Jones, whose Launch Motorsport Evo, which he used in Time Attack last year, has been treated to a full winter rebuild at Ajec Racing, and is now fitted with a 650 bhp 2.2L engine.

However the Mitsubishi front runners will face some stiff non-Mitsubishi competition in the shape of a powerful and race-proven Escort Cosworth with Nick Williamson behind the wheel.

Group B is limited to 400 bhp and includes three drivers making their race debut; Freddie Leatham and Martin Thomas in Evo VIIIs, and Richard Nicholls, the Editor of Japanese Performance magazine who will be strapped into the Ajec Racing ‘guest’ Evo for the day. Richard only passed his race driving test last week!

At the other end of the race experience scale is Malcolm Stevens driving his Mitsubishi GTO who will be hoping his decades of race experience will counteract his power disadvantage while Steven Liquorish is hoping that his two years racing a Cooper S in the Mini Challenge will have been good training for getting behind the wheel of his brand new Mitsubishi Evo X.

At just 21 years old Dan Thackeray is easily the youngest driver in the series, but don’t feel sorry for him because he’s held a racing licence since he was just 15 and has already clocked up pole positions, race wins and fastest laps in several events over the years, most recently in the VW Cup. Completing the mixture of Group B cars are Angus Gorringe – he made his race debut at Combe last year in his bright orange BMW M3 – who will be racing an Audi S2 and Dave Harries behind the wheel of his Subaru.

This new series has already attracted huge media interest with Motors TV confirming that they will be broadcasting a 25 minute programme from each of the 10 races. Full details about the series can be found at www.aaasaloons.com and on Facebook.

Drivers including double BTCC Champion Matt Neal,  the new editor of Japanese Performance magazine, and Autosport’s test driver were at Silverstone yesterday testing the Ajec Racing Evo in eager anticipation of being picked to race it at a round of the AAA Saloon Cup later in the year.

Ajec’s  Laurie Kilby got his first taste of the Toyo R1R wet race tyre which will be used in AAAs this year and was very impressed with the grip they provided on a wet track.

More photos from the session can be seen @ www.aaasaloons.com and in-car video on our AAAsaloons page on Youtube.

The AAA (Ajec AWD Academy) Saloon Cup kicks off its debut 10-race season with double-headers at Castle Combe and Silverstone. This new series has already attracted huge media interest with Motors TV recently confirming that they will be broadcasting a 25 minute programme, scheduled for prime time viewing, from each of the 10 races.

The series will be featuring the most famous Mitsubishi Evo in the world – Simon Norris’ 900 bhp 2-door Evo IX SWB Bogie – and although he has his sights firmly set on the chequered flag he won’t have an easy run. Several other Evos will be giving him

a run for the money led by Ajec Racing’s Laurie Kilby who will start the season in his Evo IX before switching to his X when it’s been fully developed; he currently rates his new car as the best he’s ever driven. Other challenges for the front row include Gary Prebble, keen to show the potential of his new 2.2L Evo engine, Simon Deaton in his shocking pink Evo VIII and Richard Jones, whose Launch Motorsport Evo, which he used in Time Attack last year, is currently being rebuilt at Ajec Racing. Despite his extensive track day experience Rich has never actually raced and he can’t wait for the lights to turn green.

However the MLR front runners will face some stiff non-Mitsubishi competition in the shape of a pair of powerful and race-experienced Escort Cosworths and an ex-Time Attack winning Subaru. May the best man win.

Simon Cooke

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

Motors TV have confirmed they will be covering all 10 races from the 2010 AAA (Ajec AWD Academy) Saloon Cup. It’s a new race series open to all AWD cars and consists of 5 double-header events at Castle Combe (2), Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Oulton Park with the grid divided into two classes – one for unrestricted cars and the other for cars limited to 400 bhp.

Coverage will consist of a 25 minute programme per race to be shown at peak times on the satellite channel and will include in-car footage, driver interviews and all the action that these exciting cars will provide.

The extensive coverage is being sponsored by Launch Motorsport, owned by Bristol businessman Richard Jones, who is himself racing in the series behind the wheel of his 600 bhp Mitsubishi Evo. The series will be filmed by motorsport specialist Shift Rally Media.

Motors TV will also be adding a special AAA Saloon Cup page on their website with news, driver info and programme times.

Anticipating the TV coverage, Simon Norris, owner of the world’s most famous Evo – the 900 bhp 2-door Evo IX SWB Bogie – has already confirmed his intention to contest all the races in the series and that combination will be a hard act to beat to the chequered flags.

The Norris Designs Evo will line up on the grid alongside a swarm of other Evos, several Subarus, a pair of hi-powered Escort Cosworths, two Audis, and a lone Mitsubishi GT3000. There is a limited number of spaces still available on the grid for those who would like to join the action.

The countdown to the first race on April 5th at Castle Combe begins now….

Further information, including the full race calendar and regulations can be seen at:

www.AAAsaloons.com
www.launchmotorsport.com
www.motorstv.com