RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

CTR Alfatune AROC Sprint Cup Barkston Heath 24 July 2011-07-25

A total of six competitors turned out for round 3 of the CTR Alfatune AROC Sprint Cup, five regulars and one new face Vaughan Smith with a 3 litre GTV.

No Clare and Adrian this time so we were left to fend for ourselves.

The weather on arrival was cloudy with a cool breeze blowing.

The course was a short circuit of very smooth tarmac with a couple of chicanes to slow you down on the two straights.

The format for this round was slightly different. The morning session was to be run in an anticlockwise direction and the afternoon session in a clockwise direction. The final result would be an aggregate of the best runs in both directions.

No dramas in the scrutineering and signing on so we soon off to do our two sighting laps and one practice lap.

After the first runs were completed the two 3.0l GTVs of Simon Foote and Vaughan Smith were setting the pace with a 63.34 and 63.27 respectively. Mike Stark in his Ducati Corse 147 was next fastest in 64.19 and Patrick Stephenson in his 156 2.2 JTS close behind in 64.39. Bring up the rear were Adam Stephenson in his 147 2.0 Twinspark in 67.00 and Paul Jaggard in his Giulia 1300Ti in 67.37.

As the runs progressed Simon Foote continued to lead getting steadily quicker despite trying to burn all the rubber off his tyre off the startline. Vaughan Smith had developed a problem with his GTV which only gave him any power above 4000 rpm. Despite various attempts to fix it his times started to suffer.

By run three Simon was down to 61.23 but Vaughan, plagued by the lack of power, was down to 69.06.

Meanwhile Patrick Stephenson, Mike Stark and Paul Jaggard were all trading times, Patrick with a 63.52, Mike with a 63.46 and Paul with a 63.76. Adam Stephenson was finding it hard to drag any more speed out of his 147 and produced a time of 66.97.

Evidence of how hard people were trying was shown by several cars sporting white paint marks from getting a bit too close the marker poles at the chicanes and the tighter corners.

The fourth and final run of the morning brought mixed results, Simon Foote doing a slightly slower 61.60 and Vaughan Smith, getting to grips with a new driving style of always keeping the engine above 4000 rpm, a 65.48.

Patrick Stephenson had his best run of the morning with a 63.02 closely followed by Paul Jaggard with his best run of 63.19. Adam Stephenson had his best run 65.59 but Mike Stark had a slightly slower run of 63.52.

The order at the end of the anti clockwise session was:

Simon Foote 61.23

Patrick Stephenson 63.02

Paul Jaggard 63.19

Vaughan Smith 63.27

Mike Stark 63.46

Adam Stephenson 65.59

During the leisurely lunch break, whilst the organisers reversed the track, we were entertained by some very aerobatic model aircraft. By now the sun was out and it was starting to get very warm.

After lunch we had two more sighting laps and a further practice lap to learn the circuit in reverse. What had seemed to be a single long left bend when going anticlockwise turned into two straights connected by a right hand bend going clockwise.

The first competitive run after lunch (Run 5) had Simon Foote once again out front with a 62.37 followed by Paul Jaggard with  63.85. Then came Patrick Stephenson with a 64.38, Mike Stark 64.44 and Adam Stephenson 66.81. Vaughan Smith, having had most of the engine electrics of his car apart during the lunch break could only manage a 70.74.

In Run 6 most people improved their times except for Paul Jaggard who dropped a second. Vaughan Smith, however had a great run pulling out a 60.81, the best time of the day so far.

Run 7 produced the only void run of the day when Vaughan Smith had a grassy moment and took out a cone. He was not the only one on the grass throughout the day but the only one unlucky enough to hit a cone.

In the final run of the day Simon Foote could not improve on his best with a time of 61.80. Patrick Stephenson had his best run of the afternoon with a 64.01.  Paul Jaggard also had his best run of the afternoon with 63.38. Vaughan Smith produced a 62.37 and Mike Stark got everything right to produce his best time of the day a 62.83. Adam Stephenson after a slightly up and down afternoon did a 65.86.

With all the runs completed it was up to the time keepers to work out the aggregate scores.

The times for the clockwise session were:

Vaughan Smith 60.81

Simon Foote 61.68

Mike Stark 62.83

Paul Jaggard 63.38

Patrick Stephenson 64.01

Adam Stephenson 65.86

Aggregate times were:

Simon Foote 122.91

Vaughan Smith 124.08

Mike Stark 126.29

Paul Jaggard 126.57

Patrick Stephenson 127.03

Adam Stephenson 131.45

Pics: Norwich Photo

The AROC Sprint Series round at Woodbridge on Sunday the 22nd May saw CTR Alfatune as the new sponsors for the rest of the 2011 season and the newly named CTR Alfatune AROC Sprint Cup began with an extremely unpleasant wet and windy start to the day which masked what would turn out to be another exciting round of the series.

The circuit at Woodbridge had been deliberately set out to reward precise driving with many of the corners having different entry, apex and exit lines depending on how they were approached, so it was going to be a good challenge for the competitors to find the ideal line though the course to set the fastest time. Colin Jebson from Javelin had also opened out the course to use more of the area at Woodbridge so there were longer straights and an expected 2 ½ + minute lap time.

The number of drivers for the 2nd round had increased again and it was great to welcome Matt Cooper, Darren Turner, Jerry Hodgson and Mick Porto to the series. Mick and Lewis Porto were now sharing a 156 V6 specifically bought for the series after the Rockingham round as Mick having watched Lewis have so much fun was itching to have a go.

Both Clare and I were on hand to help with any questions or queries the drivers had and to help familiarise the new competitors with how the day is run and to ensure that everyone was in the right place at the right time and that all checks and briefings were completed.

The grey skies and heavy rain began to clear, leaving only a strong and blustery wind to contend with as the competitors competed the usual preparation, scrutineering and driver sign and lined up for the sighting runs and practice laps. With the wind increasing it became apparent that the organisers were going to have some difficulty as the gusts were moving the cones and timing equipment about, so there was a bit of a delay before the timed runs could begin while things were weighted down.

With the equipment sorted out and the run order established the timed laps could begin in earnest. The Alfa drivers set out in turn to get their first feel for the track and their cars and begin to learn the circuit, some taking the all out attack the circuit straight away approach while others took the start steady and build speed attitude. The variable conditions on the day also played their part as there was always the constant threat of a heavy rain shower so the competitors always had the added pressure of trying to get a fast lap in just in case it rained later on.

With the first laps completed the drivers began to compare notes as to who was fast, where they had struggled and where they thought time could be made up. As the first times came in it was clear once again that Mike Stark in his Ducati Corse 147 was going to be the man to beat with a 2.33.53 lap, showing his skill as a driver and ability to learn a new track was still as sharp as ever. Next closest was Matt Cooper in his 916 3.0l GTV with a 2.36.71, closely followed by Simon Foote with a 2.37.19. Class A’s single entry of Paul Jaggard put in a 2.40.98 in his constantly evolving Guilia Super while the rest were doing 2.42’s to 2.56’s.

As the laps continued to cycle through the times began to fall, especially for Jerry Hodgson whose experience and speed began to become apparent as he got to grips with the event and the track. By run three, Class A entrant Paul Jaggard was now running at 2.38.52, class B was being led by Simon Foote with a 2.33.15, followed by Jerry Hodgson’s 2.38.91, and Darren Turners stripped out 155 TS was in 3rd place with a 2.40.85. Class C saw Mike Stark leading with a 2.31.19, Matt Cooper was on a 2.33.96 and Adam Stephenson was in 3rd place with a 2.41.58. Kirsty Hodson and Kym Leatt were beginning to knock time off and Mick and Lewis Porto had begun to improve also. Mick’s experience as a “white van man” clearly helping as he chucked the 156 into the corners.

The threat of rain held off and despite further problems with the high winds affecting the timing equipment after lunch, the event was able to continue and the competitors were able to fit in seven runs overall. The final times were checked and the presentation was held in the Javelin Office to give the competitors a welcome break from the wind. All eyes were on the Clare as she gave out the final times for the day (On the last run the timing screen is kept blank so that no one knows who has the fastest time).

After analysis and checking of the times Paul Jaggard was Class A leader with a 2.38.00, Simon Foote was 1st in class B with his 2.30.17, followed by Jerry Hodgson with a 2.36.43 and Darren Turner in 3rd with a 2.40.85. Class C saw Mike Stark as the winner with the 2.30.79, followed by Matt Cooper with a 2.33.64, 3rd place was taken by Kirsty Hodson with her start steady and build speed approach working well to give her a 2.36.13.

Interestingly not all of the fastest times were set on the final laps with the earliest fastest lap being set by Darren Turner in his stripped out 155 on run three. Overall honours for fastest time went to Simon Foote in Class B with a 2.30.17 set on run four, closely followed by Mike Stark with a 2.30.79 set on run seven, showing how close the final times had actually been.

Huge thanks to our series sponsor CTR Alfatune, Javelin Trackdays and the TSS team and finally thanks to the competitors for another good days sprinting. If you would like to know more about the series or take part please visit http://www.aroc-uk.com/motorsport/sprint-cup.aspx

Results:

Class A

Paul Jaggard Guilia Super

Class B

Simon Foote 916 GTV 3.0

Jerry Hodgson 916 GTV 3.0

Darren Turner 155 2.0 TS

Class C

Mike Stark 147 Ducati Corse

Matt Cooper 916 GTV 3.0

Kirsty Hodson GT 3.2

Mick Porto 156 2.5

Adam Stephenson 147 2.0 TS

Kym Leatt 155 2.0 TS

Lewis Porto 156 2.5

Championship Results

Class A

Keith Waite 15

Paul Jaggard 15

Class B

Simon Foote 30

Paul Milbank 12

Jerry Hodgson 12

Darren Turner 10

Class C

Mike Stark 30

Kirsty Hodson 20

Adam Stephenson 14

Patrick Stephenson 12

Matt Cooper 12

Kym Leatt 10

Mick Porto 8

Lewis Porto 7

Paul Jaggard 6

Sam Leatt 4

Photography: Brian Pitblado

Sunday the 27^th March brought an overcast and cool start to what was going to be another exciting instalment of the AROC Sprint Series.

The first round of the 2011 season returned to Rockingham Motor Speedway the scene of the very first AROC sprint round in 2010, but this time numbers were up from our intrepid four to a good 11 competitors with a good prospect for increasing numbers as the season progresses.

No one was caught out by the loss of an hours sleep due to the clocks moving forward but some were a bit bleary eyed as they rolled up for signing on and scrutineering. Those who were new to the series were given support and any questions were answered and after the usual pre-event checks the competitors got ready for their sighting laps.

Support for the competitors was very much in evidence with Lewis Porto’s parents there to cheer him on in his first competitive motorsport event (A fantastic Birthday Present for the young Alfa Pilot). As well as the Clubs new manager Nick Wright and club secretary and deputy chairman John Norrington, club favourite Ed McDonough came along to see how the series runs with an eye on competing at later events, and there was also support from partners and local, and not so local club members.

It was great to see how enthusiastic everyone was about the event and the series and everyone was looking forward to getting things moving.

After the sighting laps it was clear that although similar to last year, the course set out on the oval was a bit more open but would still prove to be extremely tricky due to the cone chicanes put in place to make things more interesting. The course was set out to use as much as the oval as possible and give a good feeling of speed as well as prove to be very challenging to all of the drivers. The use of cones rewards accurate driving as a clipped cone equals a void run, therefore eliminating what could be a decisive time.

Things started well after the drivers had had a chance to begin to learn the circuit during the practice session and it was with great expectation that they took to the track for their first lap. The run order was set up in rough class order with the Leatt’s 155 Twinspark out of sequence to allow time for their driver changeover. 

After the first run Keith Waite’s very modified 75, sporting a rather fetching new rear wing came in with fastest overall time, closely followed by Mike Starks completely standard 147 Ducati Corse Diesel. Lewis Porto’s 156 had set a steady but sure 117.26, while Sam and Kym Leatt were split by Kirsty Hodson’s 3.2 V6 GT, next fastest was Paul Jaggard’s 2.0 GTV, then Adam Stephenson’s 2.0 TS 147. Paul Milbank and Adam Stephenson somehow managed to set an identical time in completely different cars (145 QV vs 156 JTS) and Simon Foot had set a respectable 96.68.

As the next couple of runs took place the times started to fall for the drivers, apart from Mike Stark getting a void run for hitting a cone and Simon Foote overcooking things a bit on run three. (You have to find the limits somehow)

After the slightly shortened lunch break, the proceedings resumed again, and things began to hot up. Everyone was now focused on getting that perfect lap in, either to try and beat their nearest rivals or set their own personal fastest laps. By run seven Class A leader Keith Waite was out front overall with a 91.14 that he had set on run 6. Mike Stark had just piped Keith’s run seven time by .06 of a second which saw him 2^nd overall and leading class C. Simon Foote was leading class B but Patrick Stephenson in class C was only .06 behind him. Paul Milbank in class B had been running consistently, but couldn’t seem to find any extra time over the lap to catch Simons 3.0 GTV. Adam Stephenson was being chased by Kirsty Hodson, and the gap was narrowing, while Paul Jaggard and Kym Leatt’s time’s also edged closer together, Sam Leatt had had a slower lap while Lewis Porto was consistently improving.

By the end of the final run, all drivers were desperate to know how they had done and where they had finished in the final standings. Amazingly Mike Stark had clearly been in the zone on the final lap and had managed to set the overall fastest time, taking class C honours in the process. Keith Waite was an extremely close second overall with his class A win, and last years champion Simon Foote set third fastest overall to take the class B win.

Patrick Stephenson came next with a 2^nd place in class C and 4^th overall, just beating Class B 2^nd place driver Paul Milbank. On the final run Kirsty Hodson managed to overhaul Adam Stephenson to take 3^rd place honours in class C. Adam’s 4^th place was followed by Paul Jaggard and Kym Leatt managed to stay ahead of his son Sam, even though Sam had knocked just under 5 seconds off his previously fastest time.

Someone always has to be the last to be mentioned on the timing sheet but Lewis Porto had driven a great set of laps in his 156 1.6 TS, and had proven to be consistent as well as being able to improve his time over the day. The 1.6 litre engine was disadvantaged by the long straights which as Mike Stark had proved needed pure grunt to be fast.

As the day came to a close it was clear that everyone had had a fantastic day and a thoroughly good time; the element of competition bringing an air of excitement with everyone having an experience, tips or stories to share with their fellow competitors about the event.

It just remains for me to thank Clare Horne for her help on the day, the competitors for making the event and the supporters for coming along and cheering the Alfa’s on.

Remember this could be you!

Visit: www.aroc-uk.com/motorsport/sprint-cup.aspx for more details.

Report: Adrian Horne
Photos: Norwich Photo

The Alfa Romeo Owners Club has announced the provisional dates for its 2011 Sprint Cup which is also open to people who are not members of AROC.

The series offers a cost effective and easy way to bring your Alfa Romeo to the track and compete against other drivers in an informal, friendly and competitive series. The championship will be run as a series of events focusing on grass roots competition on a variety of circuits around the country.

The format comprises of drivers running a set number of timed laps, similar to the way in which a super pole session is run. The classes and regulations are structured to encourage completly standard road cars into the event as there is no roll cage, race seat or fixed fire extinguisher requirement for the standard/classic classes.

You really can enter your daily driver into the events in the same way that you can take part in a regular trackday, however the class structure allows competitors to modify thier vehicles or enter heavily modified or race prepared cars if they wish.

Support and advice will be given to all competitors in order to ensure that the whole experience is enjoyable as possible as well as helping those new to competition/sprinting to get the most from the series.

“We had an excellent fun filled day of motor sport with friendly fellow car nuts and officials who for once seemed to understand what motorsport is about”.

“For a fun day out grab a helmet and bring yourself a friend and your car and help bring motor sport back to the masses at a grass root level for affordable costs”.

“This is so much more than a trackday, before I just drove round and round, now I’ve got something to aim for!”

Classes

There are four distinct classes and prizes will be awarded to the top three drivers in each class:

Class A: Modified/Race 4 cylinder / Modified/Race 6, 6+ cylinder & Forced Induction
Class B: Modified/Road 4 cylinder / Modified/Road 6 cylinder & Forced Induction
Class C: Standard/Road 4 cylinder / Standard/Road 6 cylinder & Forced Induction
Class D: Classic 4 cylinder / Classic 6, 6+ cylinder & Forced Induction

The laps will be timed and compared to everyone else’s in your class and prizes and championship points will be awarded. Licensing for drivers is provided by the IOPD so a full “traditional race licence” is not required. Drivers will have to meet the minimum entry standards but usually anyone with a full UK or equivalent driving licence held for more than 3 years will be entitled to enter.

Event Dates

Provisional Dates (May be subject to change):

Rockingham March 27th
Woodbridge May 22nd
Barkston Heath July 23rd or 24th
Llandow August 13th
Blyton Park October 15th

Costs

Registration Fee (per competitor per season): £5
Race Licence: £15 (per season)
Event entry fee for each round: £100 (+Vat)

All competitors must register before taking part.

2010 Championship Results

Series Champion:  Simon Foote
Class B winner:  Simon Foote
Class C Winner:  Mike Stark
Class D Winner:  Paul Jaggard

Further Information

Visit the AROC Sprint Cup page HERE