Eddie Guest's 1982 Lola T640 Formula Ford which is raced in Monoposto's 1600 category

It was announced this week that Lola Cars had taken the decision to go into administration.      The Huntingdon based company, has a broad spectrum of work, consisting of competing in various levels of motorsport, but also has interests in aerospace, military, communications and energy, thanks to its expertise in composite construction.

Lola was started by Eric Broadley in 1958, concentrating initially on Formula Junior, Formula Three and Formula Two, but attracted the interest of the Ford Motor Company after Broadley fitted a Ford V8 to one of its chassis.    Thus Lola became involved in the Ford GT40 , and after the Ford liason finished, the Lola T70 and later derivatives became a potent force in sports car racing.

Lola designed sports cars raced successfully in Group 5 and 6, later Group C and also the American IMSA categories and have continued in recent years with various Le Mans prototypes including MG and Aston Martin.

Robbie Watts' 2003 Lola-Dome F106/03 F3 car is raced in Monoposto 2000 currently.

Lola cars have been involved in Formula 1, although mainly for financial reasons continued successs eluded them, although Lola’s sole F1 victory was achieved in 1967 with the ‘Hondola’   In 2010, Lola made a bid to become one of the new F1 entrants, but their bid was rejected.   Lotus Racing, now Caterham F1, Virgin-Manor, now Marussia and HRT were the three successful bidders.

Lola also tried to break back into the Dallara dominated F3 scene, but did not have the financial muscle to convince teams that they were a creditable threat to Dallara who since the early 1990′s have been the dominant chassis supplier in this series.

Ireland entrepreneur Martin Birranne (owner of Mondello Park Circuit) rescued the Lola Group in 1997/8 following the failure of the MasterCard Lola F1 project.    The current financial situation is being blamed upon the current global financial crisis causing a massive cash-flow problem, and HMRC not paying ongoing R&D Tax Credits.

Mike Roberts' fabulous MG Lola EX257 which is raced in the OSS series.

Lola recently collaborated with Caterham Cars on the SP/300.R track day car prior to the Tony Fernandes take-over.   It was hoped that Caterham would be in a position to save Lola, but Caterham now has its own composites concern in Hingham, and was planning to move its F1 operation to the former Arrow’s base at Leafield and whilst Huntingdon is close to the glut of talent that surrounds Silverstone.  Nothing has been confirmed either way.

Photos: Norwich Photo

A renowned young British ace is ready to join the SUPERSTARS INTERNATIONAL SERIES at Donington Park this Sunday. 25-year-old BTCC racer Tom Onslow-Cole, who has scored 7 wins in 141 British Touring Car Races, will be making his debut appearance in the series reserved for top class touring cars with 500 hp.

The young Brit, has already earned a great reputation in touring car racing, will line up on-aboard one of the two Ferlito-prepared Jaguar XFR racecars . A British driver in a British car will give local fans two reasons to cheer on this wild card entry.

“It’s going to be really exciting to drive these cars with so much power. I have watched some of the races and they are spectacular. The cars make the right noises and they move at the right speeds,” said Onslow-Cole on Thursday.

Onslow-Cole has enjoyed a successful career so far in racing: driver in the British Touring Car Championship where he finished on the top podium spot 7 times and closed out the 2010 season in 4th place. He made his BTCC debut in 2007 with West Surrey Racing when he was only 19. Among his rivals was Fabrizio Giovanardi (who lined-up in SUPERSTARS two years ago) whom he joined as a team-mate in 2008.

In this debut SUPERSTARS race Onslow-Cole will run with a new Italian team mate, Como based Max Pigoli, in their Ferlito Motors Jaguar that took a race win at Monza.

WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts was very happy to call Tom about the opportunity on the young driver’s birthday, “Tom is over the moon to get this chance to drive a 500hp touring car. He is a great young lad and I can’t think of a better present for his 25th birthday. We have been watching SUPERSTARS for some time now; it’s an interesting series so I am very happy that Tom has been given this opportunity. He is a very sensible driver so I am confident he will take to the big car well.”

Ex-formula one drivers line up for Superstars race at Donington Park

Former Formula One drivers Johnny Herbert, Christian Fittipaldi, Tonio Liuzzi and Mika Salo are taking to the Donington Park track later this month for the Superstars International series.

The Superstars International series, the fast-growing European super-modified touring cars, will be racing at Donington Park on May 19th and 20th. This round of the Superstars championship will see former British Grand Prix winner Herbert aiming to return to the Donington podium after his second place position in last year’s race at the world class circuit.

Christopher Tate, Donington Park managing director, comments: “We are delighted the series is returning to Donington Park again this year to top the bill at a festival of sports and touring car racing, with close battles expected in every race over the two day weekend.

“Johnny Herbert will be competing in just three rounds of the Superstars series this season, so we’re thrilled he’s selected Donington for one of those races. Johnny’s a real favourite with the East Midlands fans and we’re anticipating a big turn out for what promises to be a real highlight in Donington’s busiest ever year.”

Martin Short, the man and car to beat around Silverstone. Taking all 3 poles and all 3 race victories.

Martin Short continued his great form from Donington taking all 3 pole positions and all 3 race wins at a clear and sunny Silverstone (a much welcome change from Donington’s wet and windy races), to extend his championsip lead. Derek Johnston taking 3 podiums in another strong showing in the Ferrari 458, pushing Short along the way in race 2.

Notable abscencees from this round were the race 1 winner from Donington, the Aquila of Nigel Mustil, (along with the yellow TVR of experienced GT Cup driver Michael Saunders) withdrew suffering from mechanical gremlins. And race 2 winner from Donington, The Nissan GT3 car of Ben Hetherington, only doing selected rounds of the 2012 GT Cup, wasn’t present at Silverstone.

Martin Short was the man to beat, as he took the 2nd race of the weekend, to backup his win from race 1, in a race which had alot happening in the early stages. Lee Mowle from the back of the grid was on the move straight away, unfortunatley making the wrong moves, taking himself and Chris Bentley in the Porsche out. Sliding into the side of the Porsche going into turn 2 on the opening lap after locking up and ending up on the grass. Mowle retired despite trying to continue with Bentley pitting, and returning to the track late on in the race to give the car a quick run down after repairs. This handed the Group 3 win to Peter Rowbottom in the Ferrari 430 Spyder who continued round on his own, 3 laps down on the Group 1 cars by the end, to secure the Group 3 win.

Richard Chamberlain seemed to be the one to give Short a run for his money again in race 3, but after only a few laps in both races, he once again pulled slowly into the pits to retirement. A very dissapointing weekend with 3 DNF's from a potential 2 victories.

Jordan Witt gave Short a close race on the Saturday, taking 2nd place in the first race, however, mechanical problems for Witt gave Short an easy run at the start of race 2 when the Chevron pitted after the citing lap coming round to form the grid before the green flag lap. Witt was unable to join the grid leaving Short on his own on the front row and to lead easily into turn 1 at the start. Both Chevrons eventually getting disqualified from the weekends results and not taking to the grid in race 3, and leaving Silverstone early.

Johnston gave Short something to think about in race 2 after Richard Chamberlain’s quick, but ultimatly fragile, Porsche 935 slowed going onto the Wellington straight and pulled into pits at the end of the lap to retirement. The gap between the Mosler and Ferrari going both up and down as the pair made their way through traffic, but Short held the gap fairly steadily towards the end despite Johnston bringing the gap down, to take the overall and Group 1 win.

Kevin Riley in the 2nd Mosler was initially upto 3rd at the start but another one to suffer mechanical problems in race 2, and retired back to the pits. However, a podium finish beckoned after a scrap with Johnston in race 3. The 2 exchanging positions throughout the race, with Johnston eventually taking the 2nd place with Riley taking the final place on the podium, backing up a 4th place finish the previous day, promoted to 3rd after the Chevrons getting thrown out of the results.

Group 2 was hotly contested, with all 3 competitors taking a win apiece.

In Group 2, it was a similar story for all 3 races in terms of race battles. In race 2 Grice led in the BMW ahead of the 2 Porsche’s of Whale and Smallwood, with Grice building up a healthly lead. Whale getting past race 1 winner Smallwood after a few laps and pulled away from the Porsche. Grice though, backed off, seemingly with mechanical problems, in the last half of the race, resulting in Whale closing in on the BMW at a fairly substantial rate. However, Whale was either unable or unwilling to keep up the pace to overtake the BMW. Possibly burning up his tyres too quickly. A final push by Whale in the closing laps closed the gap to below a second, but Grice held on to take the Group 2 win.

Race 3 was dominated by Harry Whale after leading away ahead of race 2 winner Grice. Smallwood were seperated by no more than a few tenths throughout the race untill mechanical problems hit Grice with only a few minutes ago forcing a pitstop. The BMW rejoining, eventually finishing 3rd in class, but 2 laps down on the Porsche’s.

Group 3 was a more lively afair, with both Mowles and Bentley making it through lap 1 this time. Bentley initially leading ahead of Rowbottom, while Mowles started at the back, where he stayed for a few laps, perhaps checking if the car was ok after the earlier damage, before working his way past Rowbottom and challenging and then passing the leading group 3 Porsche relatively easily, winning the race by 1.5s. The Ferrari ending up a lap down on the Porsche and Ginetta.

Weekend Results
(position – name – car – number of laps/gap to group winner)

Race 1
Group 1
1. Martin Short – Mosler Super GT – 27 laps
2. Derek Johnston – Ferrari 458 +30.880
3. Kevin Riley – Mosler MT900GT +1lap

Group 2
1. Peter Smallwood – Porsche 997 GT3 26 laps
2. Harry Whale – Porsche 997 GT3 +0.160
3. Don Grice – BMW M3 + 0.915

Group 3
1. Chris Bentley Porsche 996 25 laps

Race 2
Group 1.
1. Martin Short – Mosler Super GT – 27 laps
2. Derek Johnston – Ferrari 458 +2.942

Group 2
1. Don Grice – BMW M3 26 laps
2. Nick Whale – Porsche 997 GT3 + 0.235
3. Peter Smallwood – Porsche 997 GT3 +10.700

Group 3
1. Peter Rowbottom – Ferrari 430 Spyder 24 laps

Race 3
Group 1
1. Martin Short – Mosler Super GT – 27 laps
2. Derek Johnston – Ferrari 458 +46.432
3. Kevin Riley – Moslter MT900GT +_46.815

Group 2
1. Harry Whale – Porsche 997 GT3 26 laps
2. Peter Smallwood – Porsche 997 GT3 + 13.908
3. Don Grice – BMW M3 +2 laps

Group 3
1. Lee Mowle – Ginetta G50 25 laps
2. Chris Bentley – Porsche 996 +1.553
3. Peter Rowbottom – Ferrari 430 Spyder + 1 lap

At 11.10am on Sunday (20 May), Jenson will briefly sign autographs for fans before taking part in a live question and answer session with ex-F1 star and current Mercedes DTM racer David Coulthard. This will take place in front of the Mercedes-Benz hospitality suite located in the public areas behind the Pit Straight grandstand.

Shortly afterwards, Button will take the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz DTM ‘race taxi’ with current DTM championship leader Gary Paffett alongside; the first time Button will have driven the circuit since his British F3 days in 1999.

“Brands Hatch is one of the circuits where I cut my teeth in junior single seaters and I have many fond memories of the place” said Button. “It’s one of the greatest tracks in the world and a place with an awful lot of motorsport history.

“It’s going to be a fantastic experience to head back to Brands Hatch to watch the DTM race on Sunday. I think the DTM weekend will be a great event – it’s a fantastic series with some excellent, close racing and some of the best drivers in the world. It’s going to be a great personal experience and a fantastic opportunity to get up-close and personal with all the British fans who have been supporting me over the years.”

Neither Richard nor Jethro have driven the SR3 SL before, but its race and track-proven pedigree – including scooping EVO’s Trackday Car of the Year – should make it ideal for the task. Both drivers have experience in a wide range of disciplines, both contesting the Nurburgring 24-hours amongst other events, and will be aiming for lap and stage records at every venue.

Targa Britannia is open to any post ’75 road legal car, including sports, GT and saloon cars capable of carrying a crew of two, and complying with MSA race regulations. The competitors will tackle 20 asphalt special stages as well as races at Croft and Cadwell Park, with the car being driven on the public road between the venues. It will be a real test of a car’s ability to perform in competition and be used on the road, all within the same event.

The Radical SR3 SL is a fully road-legal track car without compromise. The SR3 SL scores on all levels: performance, handling, styling and specification. It is powered by the advanced turbocharged Ford EcoBoost engine, delivering 240bhp, with direct fuel injection and a fly-by-wire throttle, coupled to a six-speed paddle-shift gear change. Confidence-inspiring handling comes from bespoke adjustable dampers, developed specifically for the car’s unique race-proven suspension arrangement.

It features a lightweight spaceframe chassis that’s been tested and approved to sportscar racing standards. Fully-floating 280mm disc brakes front and rear provide stopping power beyond the abilities of any other supercar. Despite a dry weight of only 725kg, the SL comes with trimmed bucket seats, a wraparound LCD dash, electrically-adjustable wing mirrors, cockpit heating and courtesy lighting.

More details about Tour Britannia and Targa Britannia can be found at the event website: www.tourbritannia.com and entry forms can be downloaded from the site.

Nürburgring, Germany, 17 May 2012 – 2011 GT Academy winner, Jann Mardenborough and reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Champion, Nick Tandy, stormed to respective poles in this afternoon’s qualifying sessions at the Nürburgring. In GT4, Team WFR did the double; Jody Fannin and Warren Hughes still managing to beat the ever-increasing GT4 field.

Qualifying One

Mardenborough recorded his pole time of 1:43.793 early into what would be a frantic session, with no less than five manufacturers qualifying in the top five places.

By the midpoint, Switzerland’s Danielle Perfetti (Motorbase Porsche) was close behind Mardenborough, and Andrew Howard in the Beechdean Aston Martin V12 Vantage was third. Winner last time out, Alasdair McCaig, looked set for a quick time and duly delivered with a 1:45.122, further proving the prowess of his Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4.

Ginetta came to the Nürburgring with a number of changes for its two GT3 teams, Optimum Motorsport and Team WFR; making the most of these were talented Brits, LukeHines and Jody Firth. Hines suffered a broken gearstick during the first part of his fifteen minute session, but his team managed to fix it and send him out to post two quick laps that saw him finish sixth overall with a 1:45.293. Firth was rarely out of the top three and duly finished third, splitting Howard’s Aston Martin and Perfetti’s Porsche.

Quietly getting on with proceedings were David Jones (Preci-Spark Mercedes AMG SLS), Charles Bateman (United Autosports Audi R8 LMS), and Duncan Cameron, who finished as the top Ferrari in ninth. Jones and his twin brother, David pushed hard in their SLS, and Bateman struggled to break the top six, despite giving his all on the 4.6km GP circuit.

Rounding out the top ten was Freddie Hetherington in the JMH prepared Nissan GT-R, who struggled to get heat into his front tyres throughout the session.

After a difficult free practice session where his Ginetta G50 suffered technical difficulties and a puncture, Jody Fannin (Team WFR) was hoping for some good luck in qualifying. Luckily for the teenager, his opportunity for pole was not subjected to anymore issues, but it certainly wasn’t straightforward.

Italian team, Nova Race led the field initially through Marco Cassera, with Jota Sport’s Mark Ticehurst a tenth behind. Elsewhere, Zoe Wenham (CenturyMotorsport Ginetta G50) and APO Sport’s James May were exchanging times with sole Lotus Sport UK runner, Sailesh Bolisetti.

Welsh teenager, Jake Rattenbury qualified 22nd overall after switching to race with CWS 4×4 for the weekend in the GTC class. Rattenbury’s regular team, Stark Racing pulled out earlier in the week citing technical problems with its G55. Having got some clear track, Fannin returned with a sensational lap of 1:51.912, positioning directly him on the tail of the GT3 runners.

With minutes counting down on the clock it looked like Cassera and Ticehurst would join Fannin at the top of the GT4 class, however Wenham improved her time by almost three seconds to displace Cassera from second, a sensational achievement in her third GT race; this left Mowle in the Optimum prepared Ginetta third, Ticehurst fourth, and May fifth.

Rounding out the class was Bolisetti’s Lotus which was sporting a JPS style black and gold livery this weekend; L’Espace Bienvenu’s BMW suffered technical difficulties and it didn’t take part in either qualifying session.

Qualifying Two

With thebest of the day’s heat now beginning to disappear, drivers flooded the track as they sought a fast lap. Laying down the marker from the get-go was Jonny Adam in the Beechdean Aston Martin. Denmark’s fastest export, Allan Simonsen was hot on his heels, proving the Ferrari could provide a challenge this weekend. Motorbase’s Michael Caine and Team WFR’s Riki Christodoulou were behind Simonsen, and within 1.5 seconds of Adam’s time.

Trackspeed, noticeable by their absence from the top ten in the day’s first qualifying session were back with a vengeance; Richard Westbrook struck first blood, putting the Porsche second, before Caine struck back.

MTECH’s Matt Griffin had now had an opportunity to get a clear track and posted a time good enough for fifth. However, Griffin’s joy was to be short-lived as Joe Osborne (Trackspeed) jumped the MTECH car and the Ferrari of Simonsen too with a lap of 1:43.047.

Elsewhere George Murrells pushed his Optimum Ginetta G55 to 14^th, before being relegated to sixteenth by Marcel Leipert in the Rhino’s Leipert Lamborghini LP600+ and Godfrey Jones’ SLS.

On the up was Alex Buncombe, Mardenborough’s RJN team-mate was having little joy, but his fortunes would change with precious little time to spare. As the clock counted down, Buncombe rolled out two laps, both improvements on his previous best,moving his GT-R to tenth overall, where he would remain until the flag.

By this point, Tandy, in familiar surroundings, took pole with a lap of 1:41.691, making the most of his track time. Adam, Westbrook and Caine had nothing left to give and will start tomorrow’s race from second, third and fourth respectively.

Griffin narrowly kept ahead of the pacey Osborne, and Simonsen held onto seventh by six hundredths from the third Trackspeed car of Harvey. Early frontrunner Christodoulou was happy with ninth, in a much-improved Ginetta G55.

There was little drama in GT4 in the second qualifying session. With the temperature now significantly lower than twenty minutes prior, drivers were taking two laps to produce a hot lap. Making light work of this challenge was the experienced sports car hand, Warren Hughes (Team WFR).  Hughes chose his moment and made it count, having watched Alex Osborne in the APO Sport car top the times initially.

With theLotus now in the hands of Phil Glew, times tumbled, despite the former BTCCdriver having never driven the circuit before. However, Glew’s best wasn’t good enough this time around and he settled for second in class.

Osborne will line-up third, some 1.7 seconds ahead of Optimum’s Welsh youngster, Ryan Rafcliffe and fellow Welshman, Dominic Evans (Century Motorsport).

Foglio in the Nova Race Ginetta and Mildenhall’s Mazda were separated by over a second, and will line up sixth and seventh in class respectively. Colin White, in his CWS 4X4 GTC Ginetta was an impressive twentieth overall.

Tomorrow’s race is the first of two 60-minute sprint races this weekend, and it begins at 16:30 CET. Live text commentary is available on Twitter, and both races this weekend will feature on Radio Le Mans.

Quotes:

Jann Mardenborough, Pole Position, GT3 – Race Three:

“It was a difficult lap to do, but I dragged it out of the car. We made a lot of changes over practice, trying new stuff and gradually got quicker and quicker. Going into qualifying we felt the car was better than at Monza and Oulton, the RJN guys worked really hard and we’re thrilled to have our first ‘proper’ pole position. I won’t lie I definitely raced on GT5 before coming here in the wet, and the dry in a GT-R to get my eye in. It definitely helps.”

Jody Fannin, Pole Position, GT4 – Race Three:

“We’re seriously happy considering the diff went and we had a puncture, but we’re really looking forward to the races. Its an amazing atmosphere this weekend, its unreal. I can’t believe how many people are here for a Thursday! It’ll be great to race here on Saturday.”

Warren Hughes, Pole Position, GT4 – Race Four:

“That was great! It was a bit of a tricky session because of a problem earlier in the day meant I didn’t get any running in free practice. I’ve also never raced on this configuration, so it was very scrappy trying to figure that out with the pressure of qualifying and the traffic. I feel there’s another half a second to be had there, and we’re in good shape for the race. We’re happy with whatever the weather provides, we were competitive in Oulton in the wet, and despite the good pace the Lotus has in the wet, Jody and I are a good pairing.”

Race Three Top Ten Provisional QualifyingTimes:

GT3

1. Jann Mardenborough/Alex Buncombe RJN Motorsports Nissan GT-R 1:43.793

2. Andrew Howard/Jonny Adam Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin V12 Vantage 1:44.340

3. Jody Firth/Riki Christodoulou Team WFR Ginetta G55 1:44.554

4. Danielle Perfetti/Michael Caine Motorbase Porsche 997 GT3 R 1:44.556

5. Alasdair McCaig/Oliver Bryant Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 1:45.122

6. Luke Hines/George Murrells Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G55 1:45.293

7. David Jones/Godfrey Jones Preci-Speak Mercedes AMG SLS 1:45.370

8. Charles Bateman/Matt Bell United Autosports Audi R8 LMS 1:45.487

9. Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin MTECH Ferrari 458 1:45.513

10. Freddie Hetherington/Benji Hetherington JMH Automotive Nissan GT-R GT3 1:46.438

GT4

1. Jody Fannin/Warren Hughes Team WFR Ginetta G50 1:51.868

2. Zoe Wenham/Dom Evans Century Motorsport 1:53.807

3. Marco Cassera/Piero Foglio Nova Race Ginetta G50 1:54.306

4. Lee Mowle/Ryan Ratcliffe Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G50 1:54.521

5. Mark Ticehurst/Owen Mildenhall Jota Sport Mazda MX-5 GT4 1:54.637

GTC

1. Jake Rattenbury/Colin White CWS 4X4 Ginetta G55 1:52.578

Race Four Top Ten Provisional Qualifying Times:

GT3

1. Steve Parish/Nick Tandy Motorbase Porsche 997 GT3 R 1:41.691

2. Andrew Howard/Jonny Adam Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin V12 Vantage 1:41.839

3. David Ashburn/Richard Westbrook Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R 1:42.809

4. Danielle Perfetti/Michael Caine Motorbase Porsche 997 GT3 R 1:42.889

5. Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin MTECH Ferrari 458 1:43.011

6. Steve Tandy/Joe Osborne Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R 1:43.047

7. Hector Lester/Allan Simonsen Rosso Verde Ferrari 458 1:43.278

8. Jon Minshaw/Tim Harvey Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R 1:43.347

9. Jody Firth/Riki Christodoulou Team WFR Ginetta G55 1:43.618

10. Jann Mardenborough/Alex Buncombe RJN Motorsports Nissan GT-R 1:44.053

GT4

1. Jody Fannin/Warren Hughes Team WFR Ginetta G50 1:51.913

2. Sailesh Bolisetti/Phil Glew Lotus Sport UK Lotus Evora GT4 1:51.985

3. James May/Alex Osborne APOSport  Ginetta G50 1:52.657

4. Lee Mowle/Ryan Ratcliffe Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G50 1:54.412

5. Zoe Wenham/Dom Evans Century Motorsport 1:54.714

GTC

1. Jake Rattenbury/Colin White CWS 4X4 Ginetta G55 1:51.663

After an hour of acclimatising themselves to the LPG-powered cars, the four, who apart from Donnelly have all since retired from racing, got together to discuss their return in aid of 1996 World Champion Damon’s HALOW charity.

We spoke to them all about the weekend ahead:

Damon: It’s wonderful to make my racing comeback here. I love Brands Hatch, I was Champion of Brands in 1983 on bikes, which is one of my proudest achievements! I’ve won here on bikes and in cars and had some great times at Brands Hatch, it’s had a fantastic history and Jonathan Palmer’s done an excellent job of keeping Brands Hatch up there as a premier venue for motorsport in this country.

Julian: The circuit hasn’t changed very much but it is a lot tidier. It hasn’t really changed from a driver’s point of view.

Martin: Obviously the exit at Graham Hill bend has changed and Paddock Hill bend is a terror as you cannot run four wheels off anymore. Brands Hatch is great for spectators with a natural amphitheatre. For the drivers it’s really busy there is no chance to have a rest.

Perry: I don’t think you should modify the circuit, what I think they should do is give me a faster car so I can overtake!

Martin: I’ve asked for a heavy front bumper so I can push Perry out the way just like old times!

What does it feel like being back on track together?

Damon: It’s fun, it’s good fun. Everyone said they weren’t going to try hard and drive fast but they’re all doing that, so they’re up to their old tricks again!

Perry: I’ve just come back from a three week intensive training session in Tenerife before that I was skiing in Norway with the Commando unit.

Julian: I have been spending a lot less time in my pub.

Martin: Damon’s attitude was to just drive the car round but when you put the helmet on you get competitive.

Perry: We are talking about the 1996 F1 world champion here – a 22 Grand Prix winner and he has come back after a 12 year lay off really with minimal testing and hasn’t driven front wheel drive. For Damon he is setting himself up for a fall against these young lads and he is doing it to be with us the rat pack and to raise the profile for the charity and I think that is incredibly commendable. There will be a bit of ribbing between us but we can’t really say much to Damon as he did the job and made it to F1.

Who would they be putting their money on for the race?

Perry: My money would go on either Martin (Donnelly) or David (Brabham) from our pack.

Martin: Mark Blundell should be the best draw as he did it last year and knows what to expect. He has a bit of confidence in the car and the upper hand.

Julian: I would say Mark too as he has the most experience. The cars are not difficult to drive but they are quirky with paddle shifts and the boost button.

Damon: I think Perry seems to be very motivated, strangely, I don’t know why!

Finally, would this be their last outing together?

Martin: I sincerely hope not this is not the final outing for the rat pack. It depends how much entertainment we put on.

Julian: It depends how many cars Volkswagen will have left.

Perry: Everything has kicked off just as we thought and the banter is flowing. It is down to the joy that Volkswagen have in motorsport to provide a platform for us to be us again, so we need to thank them for that.

Damon: Yes, I’m going to do this weekend and move on!

Tickets for the DTM-supporting VW Scirocco R-Cup are available on the gate for £10 on Friday and £15 on Saturday, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk

The Maidstone Sports Cars race team have unveiled a special livery for their Lotus Exige race car, which is competing in this year’s Lotus Cup UK Championship. The livery is a design from acclaimed artist Damien Hirst.

The Maidstone Sports Cars Exige has already raced in the opening round of the MSVR-organised Lotus Cup UK Championship at Silverstone. Driven by Adrian Hall, the team qualified on pole position, before leading the early stages of the race.

The unveiling coincides with a Damien Hirst exhibition which has just opened at the Tate Modern, and will see the first major survey of Damien Hirst’s work to be held in the UK, presenting seminal works spanning 25 years of the artist’s career.

Andrew Marsh, Team Principal of Headcorn-based Maidstone Sports Cars explains ”The whole team feels privileged and honoured to be allowed to have a design from this world renowned artist displayed on our car.”

The Maidstone Sports Cars Exige liveried with the Damien Hirst design can be seen at all rounds of the Lotus UK Cup in 2012 and at various motorsport events throughout the year, starting with the DTM-supporting round on May 18-20 at Brands Hatch.

With the exception of Brabham – who has been given honorary ‘Rat Pack’ status for this race – the other five drivers are all members of the 80s racing gang who rose through the ranks of Formula Ford, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and into Formula One giving themselves the name ‘Rat Pack’. Through all the years of competition and ever since the drivers have remained close friends, with the period covered in McCarthy’s bestselling book ‘Flat Out, Flat Broke’.

Blundell raced for McLaren before tasting success in the US Champ Car Series and still races GT sportscars, whilst Bailey enjoyed good fortunes in the British Touring Car Championship and in sportscars before concentrating on stepson Jack Clarke’s racing career. Donnelly’s tenure in F1 was cut short by a huge accident at Jerez, famously documented in the recent Senna motion picture, leading him into team management and development work for Lotus. Still competing regularly in club racing, he is also entered for the Lotus Cup UK Championship race at the same meeting.

All are gathering together to enjoy some healthy competition while raising money for Damon Hill’s charity – HALOW. The project is dedicated to creating opportunities and supporting young people with a learning disability so that they are able to live independently. The charity is named after five young people, one of them being Oliver Hill, Damon’s eldest son.

“Perry, Julian and I are coming out of retirement for this race”, said Damon, “so we are sure to be pretty rusty. But it promises to be a great weekend for all friends and family to get together and a great way to draw attention to the aims and objectives of the charity. I am looking forward to it.”

McCarthy, who instigated the reunion, is convinced that they will all enjoy the experience even if some of the old rivalries return. “We are all really good friends,” said Perry, “and we have regular reunions. This one will be a bit more serious but we are all looking forward to it. I haven’t actually sat in a racing car for eight years so I don’t expect great things but it will be a lot of fun and we will be ready for a party when the chequered flag is waved.”

“When they asked me to race with all the Rat Pack I couldn’t say no,” said Blundell, who topped the Legends race in 2010 and finished third overall. “We are all such good mates there will be a lot of banter but don’t let that fool anyone, we are all going to be really racing out there.”

Tickets for the DTM at Brands Hatch featuring the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, are available in advance from £29 with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk

Saturday started off chilly and that was looked to be the setting for the rest of the day. 9am came and engines started up with the first qualifying session being the Pre War cars. Crowds started to build as they headed onto track, a session split between two drivers ahead of the 45 minute race. The session finished with a pole position for Wakeman/Blakeney-Edwards with a time of 1.33.407. The race seemed to shape up the same way with the duo storming to victory as well as setting the fastest lap.

Next up was Formula 2, the qualifying pace was set my Martin Stretton by 6 tenths of a second as he threw his March 742 into the final chicane to the delight of the crowd.

The race seemed to be set the same way but it didn’t go all Martin Strettons way. From the off leaving the assembly area, Martin’s car seemed to snap and headed towards the wall damaging the front wing, this meant a delayed start and Martin not starting the race, he reported  a tyre issue was the problem. After another warm up lap the race was started, the Formula 2 cars screamed around the 1.9 Mile track. The cars reached the chicane where there was contact between Peter Meyrick and Jamie Brashaw causing cars to scatter through the gravel. Out in front was Matthew Watts who drove away to the win in Race 1.

Race 2 came on a slightly warmer day at Donington, everyone was hoping for Martin Stretton to start the race; he would have been starting from the back which would be exciting to watch as he makes his way through the pack. But that wasn’t the case; there was no sign of him which tells us it was possibly more than a tyre issue. The race was far more spread out than the Saturdays race 1 and was won by Philip Gladman who had retired in the previous race, he stuck with the front runners for most of the race but problems with others including previous winner Matthew Watts who had an Injection pipe split gave him the lead. He then drove a great race to the finish.

Then came the Woodcote Trophy, a fine selection of cars from Jaguar D-types to Maserati’s. The top of the field in qualifying was dominated by the Pearson’s, one whom was driving with Monteverde , both pairs in Jaguar D-types. The Pearson’s duo qualifying  time was 1.2 seconds faster than the Pearson/Monteverde time.
The Race saw a brief shower but it didn’t really slow these drivers down, drifting through every corner. The race saw the two paired drivers battling against each other at the top of the field, although the Pearson pair had been fastest in qualifying they were being caught every lap by the Pearson/Monteverde pairing to conclude a great race and win.

After the recent success of the E-type Challenge it was added for the first time this year at Donington Historic. Qualifying saw a short rain shower that caught a few drivers out, especially under braking to the old hairpin, after drivers sorted themselves out and got a lap in it ended up with Melling/Minshaw pairing heading the pack with a lap time of 1:20.259.

The first race of the weekend was a highlight of the weekend, a very close battle between Buncombe and O’Connell was the race the lead. Swapping positions through the race the drivers were racing very clean. On the last lap both made contact with O’Connell coming of worst and ending up the in the gravel trap and damage to both cars. Buncombe took the flag to win the first race of the weekend.

Race 2 on the warmer Sunday started like the second Formula 2 race, the cars were spread out and unfortunately didn’t finish the full race time. A car further down the field had a massive blow up, most of the pack saw the oil and flags but a couple of other cars didn’t causing a large amount of damage to a number of cars and a 30 minute delay.

The JD classic field is the smallest grid at the Donington Historic with only 12 cars, but has some of the nicest machinery. The TWR Jaguar XJS was fastest in qualifying but it didn’t go that way in the race, with Mark Wright leading the way in his beautifully prepared Zakspeed Escort. The Zakspeed Escort won the race by 8 seconds from the XJS. A moment from the BMW CSL 3.0 at the chicane causing it to lose control and bounce over the red kerbs into the gravel, putting it out of the race.

The big and final race of the Saturday was the 1000k, as the darkness ascended and the temperatures dropped the thundering Lolas, Fords, Ferrari, Chervrons and a Matra went storming round the Donington Circuit lights ablaze. The race was led by Simon Hadfield in his Lola T70 who will be later shared with the returning Frank Sytner, followed by Paul Knapfield in his very fast Ferrari 512M and then Coplowe in the bright blue and yellow Lola T70. After a few safety car periods and driver changes Martin Stretton was in charge in the Lola T70, followed by Rob Hall in the Matra. A retirement for the Ferrari 512M moved the Hadfield/Voyazides Lola into third place. Simon Hadfield was massively catching Leo Voyazides with still 20 minutes to go. After catching Leo up Simon let himself known with the flash of lights, the following lap at the chicane, Leo seemed to leave Simon some room but a misunderstanding caused light contact between the two cars leaving Leo in the gravel with a damaged tyre being forced to retire. Martin Stretton brought the Lola home to win the 1000k!

The first session on a nice Sunday Morning was the Stirling Moss Trophy, a nice collection of cars such an Aston Martin DBR1, Maserati Birdcage and Lotus Knobbly. Qualifying was dominated by the Minshaw pair but it was Verdon-Roe who powerslided his Aston Martin DBR1 to victory in a thrilling race, followed closely by Stretton/Minshaw.

Then came the Pre 63 GT race with an electric mix of cars including Ferraris, Jaguars and Aston Martins. Qualifying was topped by the Oliver/Pearson pair with a time of 1:23.344 which is a whole 1.4 seconds faster than Wood/McCabe in the Jaguar E-type. The race was just as good as qualifying but no one could touch Oliver and Pearson who won the race by a comfortable minute, perfect driver changes and faultless driving.

Another highlight from this event  was the Under two Litre Touring Cars, these range from BMW’s, the popular Cortina and the fantastic Mini aswell a Alfa Romeos. The Furiani /Stippler Alfa Romeo took control of a close qualifying as cars were being slung into corners to the crowd’s joy.
The hour race wasn’t one to miss, Simon Hadfield made up for his mistake to Leo by bringing the Cortina to the finish first with a fantastic drive from both of them. Second place was Furiani and Stippler who lead the race for a while in their Alfa. A minute down the road was the BMW driven by Oliver/Shaw.

Now the one everyone wanted to see, the highlight of the Donington Festival and the most impressive. The Group C cars are not to be missed. Qualifying was a bit of a wash out and turned into more of a test session to begin with as the rain fell. With 10 minutes to go the rain had stopped and cars started to set times on a drying track. At the end of the session everyone’s favourite Mercedes C9 driven this year by Gareth Evans topped the times closely followed by the Aston Martin of Andy Meyrick.
The race started with Drama, the Tandy Nissan on the start line lost control and hit the inside wall putting it out of the race. The Race continued with Andy Meyrick diving up the inside of the Evans Mercedes.  The Mercedes then had issues and spent most of the race in and out of the pitlane. Pitstops done and the final stretch of the race left and the Donavon SPICE was catching the Meyrick Aston. The laps were running out and the two were having a great race but Donavon couldn’t do anything about the super fast Meyrick who won the race!

That concluded a fantastic weekend at Donington Park, big crowds and fantastic racing, although the weather started out cold on the Saturday the decent weather on Sunday was welcomed. Lets hope 2013 will be even better!

Report & Photos: Matthew Barrington

As always the stages are interesting and novel, with four of the venues completely new to motorsport. There are unique variations at some venue, including the Harewood Hillclimb course being tackled in the opposite direction to normal. Meanwhile, the team at the event HQ hotel of Rudding Park in Harrogate is surfacing a new road in the grounds to be used on the first stage of the event.

Tour Britannia will visit 10 venues, with another new to Tour Britannia special stage venue confirmed as Blyton Park Driving Centre near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. “The stages for 2012 are new and interesting and should provide a great challenge and a lot of fun for our competitors,” said event director Alec Poole.

Full-on asphalt stages like Blyton Park, and another recent addition at Tockwith, contrast nicely with the beautiful parkland roads at Raby Castle and Aske Hall and the iconic stages at Harrogate and Newark Showgrounds. There really is something for everyone in the 2012 route.

Meanwhile, the organisers are dealing with a flurry of entries as the closing date approaches, including 2011 winner John Clark and rallying crew Tony Robinson and Jon Cropper in one of nine Porsches already on the entry list for the competition event.

In the concurrent regularity rally, a fabulous array of classic cars will compete, ranging from a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud to a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and, marking the 50th anniversary of the model, an MGB. Also represented in the regularity entry are classic marques liker Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Austin Healey, Lancia and Bentley.

More details about Tour Britannia and Targa Britannia can be found at the event website: www.tourbritannia.com and entry forms can be downloaded from the site.

A host of celebrities were on hand at Silverstone race track yesterday (Wednesday 9 May) to launch the 2012 Silverstone Classic ‘Celebrity Challenge’. The race, which will take place on Saturday 21 July at the world’s biggest classic car racing festival, will see an all-star line-up competing in 130mph Morgan lightweight race cars around the famous Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.

Celebrity drivers including Hollywood star Sir Patrick Stewart, Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott and Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole joined fellow racers Kelvin Fletcher (Emmerdale), Coronation Street’s Tony Hirst and ex-England footballer Steve Bull at yesterday’s launch. Other famous faces set to line up on the grid for the event, which is raising funds for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK and the RPJ Crohn’s Foundation, include Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury, award-winning chef Heston Blumenthal, lifestyle guru Jo Wood, ‘Comedy Dave’ Vitty from Radio 1, Sky Sports presenter Vicky Gomersall and legendary rocker Brian Johnson from AC/DC.

Speaking at the launch Sir Patrick Stewart commented: “I’ve raced once before, in a pro-celebrity event on the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit in California – but that was ten years ago. I’ve been in retirement since then! When the chance to drive a great British sportscar here at Silverstone came up… well, what could be better? It was just irresistible. I’m looking forward to it immensely.”

Sir Patrick faces tough opposition from the likes of Brendan Cole who’s hoping to improve on last year’s third place finish. “Yeah, I had a little podium finish last time round… which was very nice,” said Cole, “but let’s just say second place is not an option this year! It’s going to be a big weekend – the Silverstone Classic is a massive event – and I’m really excited about it.”

The boys will have a race on their hands, though, because Chemmy Alcott is determined to give it her all. “When I took on the boys on the ski slopes they didn’t really like it so I want to see if the same applies on the race track,” she added. “I’ve been clocked at 92mph on a downhill run, but I’m planning to go a lot quicker in the car. It’s a fabulous opportunity to have some fun and raise money for charity at the same time. I’m so excited about being a racing driver for the day – it’s just going to be an amazing experience.”

SPECIAL RACES TO HONOUR TWO MOTOR SPORT GREATS AT JULY’S SILVERSTONE CLASSIC

Special races dedicated to the memory of two of motor sport’s most respected figures, Peter Gethin and Alan Mann, will be among the highlights of the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival, this summer’s Silverstone Classic powered by the AA (20-22 July).

The Peter Gethin Memorial Trophy for howling, growling Formula 2 and Formula 5000 single-seater machinery (1960s-70s) plus the Alan Mann Trophy for evocative Under 2 Litre Touring Cars (1960s-70s) are sure to provoke plenty of emotion among public – already pre-sales are 31 per cent up on 2011’s event which attracted some 80,000 visitors, itself a record.

Gethin was renowned for his exploits in Formula 5000, winning back-to-back British titles in 1969 and 1970 plus the Tasman Series in 1974. He even used an F5000 car to upstage the Formula 1 teams in the then-annual Race of Champions event at Brands Hatch in 1973. Gethin is also famous for winning what remains the closest race in Formula 1 history – the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1971. Meanwhile Mann set new standards in race car preparation that earned his Alan Mann Racing team official backing from automotive giant Ford and made it the outfit to beat in European and British saloon car racing in the mid-late Sixties. In addition, Mann’s squad was responsible for one of sportscar racing’s most stunning creations later that same decade, the Ford F3L.

Present at yesterday’s (Weds 9 May) Silverstone Classic media preview event were both men’s sons, Nick Gethin and Henry Mann – the latter will contest the U2TC race at the wheel of a Ford Lotus Cortina in the iconic red and gold colours made so famous by his father’s team.

Nick Gethin said his father, who passed away in December 2011, would have been moved by the tribute. He commented: “It’s just a lovely occasion and actually an absolute privilege to see and meet other drivers racing cars from that era and who want to carry on that spirit. The race will be a very emotional occasion for many people. My father would have been proud as punch and touched greatly that so many of his contemporaries thought so highly of him.”

Having lost his father in March, Henry Mann added: “Dad would have been chuffed. In the last ten years of his life it was always a great pleasure for him to meet up with old friends and see the old cars go round. He’d been out of racing for about 30 years but then, to suddenly find this revival in classic and historic cars and bump into some old friends and faces around the paddock – particularly at the Classic – was a big thing for him.

“The race for me will be quite a big deal. Normally I’d have called my father and asked for his advice on a few things but not having that now is a bit difficult. It will be emotional but hopefully he will be looking down approvingly. I’m not expecting any gentlemanly behaviour from my rivals and neither my father nor I would expect that. We’re racers at the end of the day.”

Against the odds Jason Plato leads the standings in the brand new MG6 GT, but despite a disastrous start to the season, Gordon Shedden has closed the gap to just four points, with team-mate and reigning champion Matt Neal a further ten in arrears. Last year the Honda drivers clashed at Oulton Park, in one of the season’s standout moments!

Redstone Racing’s Mat Jackson and eBay Motors’ Rob Collard have also won races so far in 2012 and both are within 30 points of the championship leader, with 20 on offer for a win in each of the three races.

Meanwhile Andrew Jordan and Dave Newsham have claimed pole positions and challenged for victories but whilst both lay a few points further back, are aware that Oulton Park is a crucial round for their championship ambitions.

Also in the hunt for wins is Preston’s Frank Wrathall. The Toyota driver took a third place last time out at Thruxton, delivering on his promising form from last year and he can’t wait to get going at his home circuit. “I’m really looking forward to racing at Oulton Park on the back of Thruxton, which kick-started the season for us,” he said. “We’ll be aiming to build on the podium and get decent results, which is important at our local round. There is extra pressure on me as I’ll have so many supporters and friends making the effort to come along, but this makes me more determined to do well.”

Oulton Park is one of the BTCC’s best-attended rounds, with the challenging Cheshire circuit a favourite among drivers as it’s daunting bends and wild undulations make it notoriously difficult to post a fast lap time, favouring the best drivers. Just ten miles from the M6, spectators will be able to take advantage of big television screens at Cascades and Deer Leap, plus grandstand seating and attractions for all the family.

In addition to three intense BTCC races, there will be support action from the Ginetta GT Supercup and Ginetta Junior championships, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and the Renault Clio Cup, which features F1 champion Lewis Hamilton’s brother Nic, star of a recent BBC documentary programme.

Tickets for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park on 9-10 June are available in advance from £13, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.oultonpark.co.uk

Gilham qualified in 12^th place, it could have been much better had he not run out of fuel on his last flying lap when setting a best 1^st sector.

After starting in 12^th position, Gilham was looking fast in the 2^nd half of the race and expecting to move up the field, however following a crash the safety car was deployed.     With Tony in 11^th place the race was then red flagged due to the adverse weather conditions and the vast amount of standing water on the track.  Gilham was quite happy with this as he later confirmed that “I lost power to my wipers during the race”.

Starting race two in 11^th Tony had a great battle with the Pirtek Honda of Andrew Jordan, a battle which Gilham won, earning him a valuable 9^th place finish, putting him in the reverse grid draw. To the joy of the Gilham camp, Murray Walker pulled out the all-important number nine ball, meaning that Gilham would start race 3 in a first ever pole position.

The 31 year old ex-cage fighter stood in elated disbelief, when he was given pole  “ No! …Its wicked and I`m hoping for a podium ”.  As the news sunk in he celebrated with the team, as seen below in exclusive footage inside his pit lane garage with family and friends.

With changeable weather conditions, the team sent Gilham out to lead the grid with Slicks at the front and wets on the rear, however a last minute look at the clouds made the team opt for full wets.  Tony made an excellent start and soon pulled out a good lead as the drivers behind jostled for position and slowed each other down.

Pressure soon mounted on him as the Hondas of Neal and Shedden sucked him back into the battle and despite a brave attempt to stay in front an error at Campbell  allowed both Hondas to pass him.

Unperturbed by this Gilham continued to drive hard and was soon put under pressure from Frank Wrathall, however the complex was once again to be his nemesis.  He braked slightly late into the bend, causing him to lock up and nose dive into the tyre wall.

The car was badly damaged but Tony was determined to at least limp the car home to the pits, with the radiator having been punctured his race was over.

Gilham said “I could have nursed the tyres and gone for a top 6 finish but I am competitive and wanted to seize my chance from pole and try to win the race”.

Sadly the smaller tyres on his S2000 Honda were no match for the 18” tyres on the NGTC cars.

Gilham had pushed hard to stay in front, however with the abrasive surface at Thruxton and soft compound of the wets, his tyres were soon shot.

The ever popular Gilham continues to make progress and is closely followed by the ITV cameras, it is only a matter of time before he records his first win.

With a six week gap before Oulton Park, Tony is focussed on getting that elusive win “too right I am hungry to win, I know I can do it” he said from his garage where the team have already started preparations for the next rounds. “Just need to get things altogether and finalised now so we can keep building and moving forward” Gilham enthused.

Report: Rachel Evans
Photography: Tim Surman

RCM Gobstopper at Cadwell Park

The iconic Subaru Impreza built by Roger Clark Motorsport is fondly referred to as “The Gobstopper”, and it has excelled in all competitions it has entered. It has been sadly missed by fans for the past two years, as Matt and Olly Clark have been concentrating on building up their highly respected tuning business.

Whilst it may not be the the absolute fastest Subaru in a straight line or even around a circuit, as an overall package it has been hard to surpass, even without the plethora of aero modifications seen on many of it’s rivals. With over 800bhp on tap from it’s 2 litre flat four engine, incredible engineering, quality of finish and impeccible attention to detail it is no surprise that the car has carved out a near cult status amongst motoring enthusiasts around the world.

With it’s highly anticipated replacement Gobstopper II nearing completion, this could well be the last chance for fans to see the original in competitive action.

A youtube video of the car in action has attracted over 250,000 viewers over the past few years:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiQ6FcyiPag

The action at Cadwell Park starts at 9am on Saturday 5th May.

Words & Photos: John Stewart

Truck racing is one of the most spectacular forms of motorsport, featuring 1,000bhp machines that can out-drag a Porsche 911. The action is as fierce as anything seen in touring car racing, and the sight of the field heading along the Senna and Bentley straights will be something to behold!

The new Snetterton 300 circuit has been designed to promote exciting racing and with its panoramic spectator banks, fans will be able to watch almost all of the action, with the arena-like infield sure to be a popular viewing point. A practice and qualifying session on the Sunday, after the conclusion of the Citroen 2CV 24 Hour race, is followed by three races on the Monday

The championship is run to two divisions, with the top class dominated by rivals David Jenkins and Matt Summerfield. Jenkins is the reigning champion and has become a firm favourite with fans for his sideways driving style, whilst Summerfield is the early championship leader after a successful weekend in round two at Brands Hatch. Meanwhile the lower powered Division 2 trucks provide a closely fought contest with one point between leader Oly Janes and David Smith. Both championships are likely to remain tight by the time the series heads to Norfolk later in the summer.

MotorSport Vision Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer said: “I’m delighted to welcome the Delphi British Truck Racing Championship to Snetterton. The series has proven to be hugely popular at Brands Hatch thanks to the close and competitive nature of the racing and, of course, the spectacular machinery in action! The championship joins the British Superkart Grand Prix as another major new event to race at Snetterton since its transformation last year.”

Tickets for the Delphi British Truck Racing Championship at Snetterton on 26 and 27 August are available from £10 with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.snetterton.co.uk