RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

After a single season Abarth has pulled the plug on the Fiat Abarth 500 GB championship.   The 2010 season was run over 7 rounds, including an overseas round at the famous Monza circuit, supporting some fairly top-end series such as F2,  GT and DTM.

Abarth did well to get a number of Fiat dealerships involved in running their own car, but the target driver market was always going to be shared with the Renualt Clio Cup racing on the BTCC package.   Both grids suffered during 2010.

Ben Winrow won the 2010 Championship with Charlie Butler-Henderson 2nd, and Stefan Hodgetts 3rd.    Winrow consistent scoring gave him the title, although Hodgetts was probably the fastest man, often taking pole and fastest laps, but a no score in the opening weekends races, and a mid season blip at Snetterton, probably cost him the title.

MSVR has issued a statement regarding the Trofeo Abarth 500 GB Championship

MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR) has been informed by Abarth that, following an internal review, it has decided not to run the Trofeo Abarth 500 GB Championship in 2011.

MSVR had scheduled a 2011 calendar for the championship consisting of five UK rounds.

David Scott, Race Operations Manager of MSVR, said: “After being advised by Abarth of the decision, we are extremely disappointed that the championship will not take place in 2011. After all of our efforts it is a great shame that Abarth could not make this work at this time, as it has great potential to be a very successful championship in the UK.”

Racing Exposure contributor Steve Shurey was at Silverstone for the recent Formula 2 event.    F2 is above the scope of this site, but one of the support races was the newly formed Fiat 500 Abarth series.

Former Renault Clio Cup champion Ben Winrow took pole in the first race, but it was series debutant, Stefan Hodgetts who took the win and also fastest lap after leap-frogging Winrow at the start.     The race was eventually red flagged following two overturned cars, one at Stowe, the other at Becketts.   Gareth Howell took the last podium position.

Winrow took the win in race two, with Hodgetts retiring after running a strong second.   Howell and Charlie Butler-Henderson completed the top three although were almost 30 seconds adrift.

After 4 races, it is Gareth Howell leading the championship with 76 points.  Butler-Henderson is 2nd with 60, Winrow 3rd with 56.   Howell and Butler-Henderson are two of a four car Advent Motorsport team, Winrow is the sole Pyro Motorsport entry.

Next Race is at Cadwell Park on the 22nd and 23rd of May, where they are a support race to the British Superbikes.

Photographs: Steve Shurey