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News
Archive August 2010
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06/09/2010
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31-08-10
  Renault Sport:
Dave Newsham(left) and Lewis Williamson are hoping to shine in
front of their home crowd this weekend as Renault Sport’s
two BTCC support race championships return to Knockhill after a
four year absence. Dave from Inverness and Golspie racer Lewis
will lead the home grown talent at the 1.3-mile Dunfermline
track on 4th/5th September when the ELF Renault Clio Cup with
Michelin series and the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship
join the BTCC. Clio Cup racer Dave, 43, has dominated the
one-make series with 12 poles and 10 wins to his name and could
secure the 2010 title on home soil. Meanwhile 20-year-old
Formula Renault UK driver Lewis is just 11-points behind the
championship leader with three race wins to his name together
with a string of podiums. To date, the two front-runners have
had to travel thousands of miles from their homes to compete at
tracks such as Thruxton in Hampshire and Kent’s Brands Hatch and
for once both are looking forward to having the rest of the
Renault Sport field come to them. Indeed, it’s been four years
since the two championships last raced at Knockhill due to
calendar clashes with World Series by Renault. Back then
Sebastian Hohenthal and Sam Bird secured the Formula Renault UK
honours while Paul Rivett and Tom Onslow-Cole shared the spoils
in the Clio Cup. Dave, who races for leading Clio Cup team Pyro,
said: “I can’t wait to be racing in front of my home crowd and
to have so many friends, family members and sponsors cheering me
on. This weekend I can secure the title which would be amazing
so I’m going all out for the wins. In fact I would be absolutely
gutted if I didn’t take at least one victory this weekend so
expect some very close racing and for me to be on two wheels a
lot!” Lewis, run by Tony Shaw’s Manor Competition team, added:
“Having spent so much of the season travelling to circuits in
the south it’s great that we’re going to be on my turf this
weekend and I can’t wait to get back in the car and hopefully on
to the podium.”
Ginetta Challenge:
George Murrells and Dominic Pettit took the victories
at Snetterton in three dramatic races in the Ginetta Challenge.
Pettit won a re-started opener before Murrells triumphed in race
two but on-the-road winner Pettit was excluded from the third
race giving victory to Murrells.
Read report
The 2010 Porsche Club Championship
made its annual visit to Castle Combe’s Bank Holiday Monday
raceday
for the penultimate meeting of the season, and in-form man
Marcus Carniel kept up his winning ways with another two
victories. The Cheshire racer has now won six of the previous
seven rounds, and was also voted ‘Driver of the Day’ for the
whole Castle Combe race meeting.In two exciting 20-minute races
Carniel came home clear of Scott Kavanagh and Mark McAleer early
in the afternoon, before heading a train of cars race long in
race two to win from Richard Lambert and Mark Sumpter. Chris
Dyer took Class Two in race one, Richard Bennett winning later
in the day after Dyer retired.
Read report
 Formula Ford:
Australian Scott Pye took a pair of fantastic Dunlop MSA Formula
Ford Championship of Great Britain race victories
at Snetterton on Monday to narrow the points gap between himself
and series leader Scott Malvern to just 25 points. In reality
they are even closer on points when ‘drop scores’ are taken into
account: Pye then has an advantage of three points with eight
rounds remaining. Pye produced an excellent wet-weather drive
during the day’s opener, round 16, to see off a determined
challenge from Daniel Cammish. Round 17 was the highlight of the
Bank Holiday weekend though; vintage Formula Ford at its very
best with Pye and Finnish star Antti Buri duelling
wheel-to-wheel, lap after lap. Pic:
Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read report
 VW Cup: Paul Taylor came away from
the Snetterton Bank Holiday weekend with his first win of
the season in the Volkswagen Racing Cup with Fuchs Lubricants
but it could easily have been two. Taylor was leading the wet
opening race comfortably when he was given a drive-through
penalty for not observing the track limits at Sear corner. This
handed the lead to Dziurzynski who despite being on slicks on a
wet track, was driving superbly. However the Golf GTI of Peter
Felix on wet tyres was soon haulng him in. “There was no way I
could live with Peter’s pace,” he said. “But it was an awesome
race for me, even though I was on the wrong tyres.” Felix had
seen the penalty flags waving at Taylor: “I saw the penalty
being issued so I knew that if I could get past Didge it would
be for the lead.” So it proved and Felix went on to take his
third win of the year by a 1.6s from Dziurzynski. Pic:
Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read report
 Karts: Jack Hawksworth concluded his 2010
German DKM Championship campaign
with a brilliant podium finish at Hahn near Frankfurt – to set
himself up for what he refers to as ‘the big one’, the CIK-FIA
World Cup at Braga in Portugal in the middle of September.pics Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net
Read
report
Young Guns:
Russ Danzey, having been accepted onto the prestigious,
MSA-supported Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE),
finished on the podium in third place in the Autosport Young
Guns series at Thruxton on Sunday, in what was only his third
car race meeting since stepping up from karts!
Read report
 ALMS:
Round eight of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila
Patron – the Grand Prix of Mosport – came to a premature end for
Robertson Racing on Sunday after a GT class rival caused
substantial damage to the team’s Ford GT. The penultimate race
of the season also witnessed the Atlanta-based outfit’s first
retirement in 19 starts, an incredible statistic that had looked
set to continue before the accident involving Dirk Müller’s
Rahal Letterman Racing BMW M3 48 laps in. read report
Indycar: Dario Franchitti used a clever
bit of strategy to win the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300
at Chicagoland Speedway and close the gap on IZOD IndyCar
Series championship points leader Will Power. Franchitti picked
up the lead out of the final pit stop on Lap 173 -- relying on a
double stint of the Firestone Firehawks (62 laps) - and held off
Dan Wheldon by 0.0423 of a second for his third win of the
season. Power's No. 12 Verizon Team Penske crew had a fueling
equipment issue on the same pit stop and he had to duck onto pit
lane with five laps left for a splash. He was running fourth at
the time but finished a season-low 16th. Franchitti closed to 23
points of Power with three oval races left. Marco Andretti led
an Andretti Autosport trio in the top five with a
season-best-tying third place. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Tony Kanaan
followed. Helio Castroneves finished sixth and Justin Wilson
advanced 16 positions to finish seventh.
 Grand-Am: Memo Gidley returns to Team Sahlen for the final round of the
2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown
Royal Cask No. 16 season to be held at Miller Motorsports Park.
Previously, Memo had joined Team Sahlen at the Crown Royal 200
at the Glen. At this event, Memo placed the #43 Team Sahlen
Mazda in 4th place with only 15 minutes to go in the
event when a loose wheel forced him to the pits for repair. At
Miller Motorsports Park, Memo will be teamed with team regular
Wayne Nonnamaker in the #43 Mazda RX-8. “Memo did a fantastic
job at Watkins Glen. It’s great to have him back behind the
wheel, teamed with Wayne in the #43. He was a great fit with the
team at the Glen, both on the track and in the paddock. He
drove a superb race up to the point of the loose wheel.
Hopefully everything can be in our favor this time, and Memo can
have a clear run to the finish. The GT class is extremely
competitive, and hopefully Team Sahlen will be mixing it right
up at the front. No matter what, it should be an exciting event
for the fans to watch.” – states Joe Sahlen. “I was impressed
with the winning effort that the entire Sahlen Team put in to
the race at Watkins and I am very exited to be back with them at
Utah. The Sahlens #43 Mazda RX8 was such a neat car to drive at
Watkins, I had a grin the whole time. Also, driving with Wayne
was awesome. He was very fast and we really worked together
well. We had such a nice run going at Watkins until the wheel
problem at the end of the race. I think we will be very strong
at Miller and I'm really looking forward to having another shot
to go for a win with the Sahlen Team" said Gidley. Team Sahlen
will also be entering the #42 Mazda RX-8 with a 3 driver
line-up. Joe Sahlen will be accompanied by the father and son
duo of Joe & Will Nonnamaker.
 F2000:
Daniel Erickson is aiming for his best ever international
championship result
as the F2000 Championship Series draws to a close at Mid Ohio
Sports Car Course this weekend. The young Sydney driver has two
goals going into Rounds 13 and 14: Rookie of the Year; and third
place – or higher – in the Championship. The first goal is
virtually assured, as he holds a substantial points advantage
over the next rookie, Chris Livengood. The second goal is less
certain, because although Erickson is currently third in the
‘corrected’ pointscore (with each driver’s two lowest-scoring
rounds deducted, according to the championship rules) no fewer
than five drivers are within striking range. He has a
mathematical chance of grabbing second overall from 2007
champion Cole Morgan, but with a 60-point deficit to make up it
would take results at opposite extremes for the drivers to swap
places.He wasn’t feeling under any pressure with the finale less
than a week away. “I’m quite relaxed – more than I was before
the final rounds of the British Formula Ford Championship last
year” he said.“Back then I had to beat my team-mate to finish
fifth in the pointscore after an up-and-down season; this time I
just have to maintain the consistency I’ve achieved in the past
three races. Maybe it’s also because I’m not in contention for
the championship win after missing four rounds.” His main tasks
at Mid Ohio will be learning the circuit and fine-tuning his
Primus Racing Van Diemen. “There are only two practice sessions
on Friday before qualifying and a race each on Saturday and
Sunday,” he said.“That means I need to have my car sorted, with
no driving errors or mechanical problems, by Friday night.
There’s very little margin for error in this championship with
around 30 drivers, including some fast and experienced F2000
veterans as well as younger drivers, at most rounds. But I’ve
struck a good rapport with my race engineer, Jon Baytos, so I’m
confident that we can finish the championship with two good
results.” Recently he was declared Hard Charger of the Month
for August by prominent USA ‘development’ openwheel racing
website eFormulaCarNews.com.
Radical UK Cup:
Terrence Woodward and Ross Kaiser returned to their
winning
ways at Thruxton, taking their 360 Racing SR8 to a dominant
double victory. If the first race had been dominant for Kaiser
and Woodward, in the second it was even more so as apart from
the lap they pitted, they led every one of the 33.
read report
Formula3:
The boys from Brazil, Gabriel Dias and Adriano Buzaid, showed their European
rivals the way to win Cooper Tires British F3 races on Monday at
Snetterton, Dias securing victory for Hitech in the 20-minute
sprint race and his countryman Buzaid winning the double-length
feature race for Carlin, ahead of his team-mate and the newly
crowned champion, Jean-Eric Vergne.
The latter had earlier turned in a champion's performance on
Sunday afternoon to claim his 13th race win of the season for
the Carlin team, depriving his team-mate Buzaid in tricky
drying conditions. Pole man Buzaid led all but the last four
laps of the race, making the better getaway from the line and
making the best of the streaming wet track conditions in the
early part of the race to build a lead of nearly five seconds by
the 10th lap. However Vergne recovered from a poor start to
pass team-mate on lap 23 and win by 3.6 secs.
Read report
 Menasheh Idafar increased his 2010 tally of race wins to 15 at Snetterton in
Norfolk today, Monday, 30th August, to not only completely
dominate the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series
National Class but also move into the points lead ahead of next
month’s all-important season finale. In supreme form throughout
the Bank Holiday weekend in East Anglia, the rookie F3
competitor was in a league of his own in terms of his National
Class rivals. Added to his comfortable win during round 25 on
Sunday, today’s pair of victories mean the 19-year-old has
sealed a weekend hat-trick for the first time at an F3 event.
Pic: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read report
30-08-10
 Sportscars:
The Itchyfeet
Open Sportscar Championship was in action at Rockingham over
the weekend and Mike Jenvey won the opening race in his Gunn
Ts6. Second was Tony Sinclair in a Jade 3, over 20seconds
behind, while Patrick Sherrington was third in his MCR
Sportscar. Sinclair would go one better in race 2 winning
from Ginger Marshall and John Gray. pic Dennis Goodwin
 In
the SRCC Sports 2000 Duratec race at Rockingham on Sunday, Neil
Burroughs took the honours with his Gunn TS11 from Mike
Jenvey who was 8 seconds adrift of the winner at the flag.
Robert Oldershaw was third in his March 09R, just over 2 seconds
further up the road. pic Dennis Goodwin
ALMS: David Brabham
scored his eighth consecutive American Le Mans Series podium
to cap the celebrations surrounding his 100th ALMS race start at
Mosport International Raceway. The fourth second place finish of
the season sees Brabham and teammate Simon Pagenaud head into
the final Series round with a 16 point lead over CytoSport’s
Klaus Graf. Consistent form has delivered a faultless run of
podium finishes so far. Sunday’s result at the only Canadian
round on the ALMS calendar took Brabham’s impressive race tally
to 97 top 10 finishes and 59 podiums in 100 races. read
report
Radical Club Cup:
Colin Millar continues to inch towards a second successive title
in the Quaife Radical Club Cup at Thiruxton with
another double victory in his SR3 win at Thruxton In the
opening race Millar cruised to victory ahead of Darren Luke who
had looked like winning the second race until Millar nipped past
4 laps from home.
Read report
Autosport Young Guns:
It was all to play for between Patryk Szczerbinski and Max
Cornelius, as both arrived at Thruxton for the Autosport Young
Guns finale, with one hand on the title. Having won the first
race of the weekend Cornelius needed to head his rival in the
second too, but a desperate lunge at the chicane on the last lap
was one move too far. The pair collided and Cornelius was
excluded, handing Szczerbinski the inaugural title.
Read report
 Burgeoning
talent Max Cornelius just missed out on winning the Autosport
Young Guns
at Thruxton yesterday,29th August. In a dramatic final corner
tangle in the last race of the season the 16 year old lost out
by just 4 points. Driving to the seventh victory during the
opening race the 16-year-old had kept the title battle going
into the final encounter until an incident with arch rival
Patryk Szczerbinski at Club Chicane ended his chances of
becoming champion. Read
report
GP3: Adrian Tambay put in
one of the drives of the season to take victory
in the second GP3 race at Spa yesterday. On a track with both
wet and dry sections, the Manor Racing driver on slicks held off
a charging Alexander Rossi, who was on wet tyres, to take his
maiden win in the Series. The American's second place finish
helped seal the Teams' title for ART Grand Prix with one round
remaining. Canadian Robert Wickens won Race 1 in a very wet
conditions the day before in a damaged car. Starting from pole
he held onto the lead in spite of a damaged nose cone and a
torrential downpour. Series leader Esteban Gutierez finished
fifth. read report
 Adrian
Quaife-Hobbs finished third in the opening race of the GP3
Series in Spa on Saturday afternoon and followed that up
with fifth in race two on Sunday morning. The 19 year-old
started race one from the front row and made a good start to
hold a comfortable second place for the opening three laps.
read
report
 Karts:
James Singleton proved to be one of the leading contenders when
the British Super 1 Series visited Shenington at the weekend,
before a spark plug failure on the rolling-up lap for the first
final set the scene for a superb charge through the field in the
second final from 30th place to eighth, with fastest lap going
to show what might have been had he only been able to start
where he should have been up at the front. pic: Les McLuckie
Read report
 Jay
Goodwin might be more used to tearing up the track
in the two British karting championships, but the young
Sale-based racer recently got a taste of a different sport
altogether as he hung out with the Australian national cricket
team. A keen cricketer himself, Jay was introduced to the likes
of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke by his father Geoff, whose
Go Goodwins coach company transports the team around when they
come over for The Ashes – and when the boys returned to pay a
surprise visit this summer, it marked another opportunity for
the Ashton-upon-Mersey speed demon to rub shoulders with some
true sporting legends. “It was a pretty big deal at first but
it’s something I’m used to now, because my dad goes to the
cricket a lot,” the 13-year-old mused. “I know all the
Australian players, and obviously I’m really grateful for being
able to spend time with them. They’re a great bunch of guys, and
I really like hanging out with them all. They’ve always been
interested in my racing too, and they keep asking me all about
it and how it’s going.”
29-08-10
 GP3:
Dean Smith produced two very well judged drives
at Spa-Francorchamps over the weekend, to climb into the GP3
Series championship top five and just miss out on taking his
second podium finish of the 2010 campaign. Rounds 13 and 14 of
the season, running in support of the FIA Formula One World
Championship’s Belgian Grand Prix, were both affected by
atrocious weather – Saturday’s opening race, in particular,
badly hit by a torrential deluge which caused absolute
chaos.Threading his way through the order well from the back of
the grid, after an unfortunate accident in qualifying meant he
wasn’t able to post a representative time, the Racing Steps
Foundation backed driver also benefited from a good tyre-change
pit-stop to finish the outing inside the top 10. In Sunday
morning’s race, starting from third on the grid, the
22-year-old moved into an early lead but he had to settle for
fourth in the end when the wet-weather tyres he changed to
mid-race lacked the grip they should have provided. Pics:
GP3 Media Service/LAT
Read report
Formula 3:
Round 25 of the Cooper Tires British Formula 3
International
 Series
went completely to plan for Menasheh Idafar at Snetterton
Circuit in Norfolk this afternoon, Sunday, 29th August, as he
eased to a comfortable National Class victory – the 13th win of
his rookie F3 campaign. pic Jakob
Ebrey Photography
Read report
 GP2:
Alvaro Parente put in another good performance
with a second podium finish in GP2 of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps
on Sunday morning. Starting from seventh on the grid the
Portuguese climbed four places to take third at the flag. The
Coloni driver felt he could have fought for the win but with
several cars going off resulting in three Safety-Cars periods,
he preferred to play safe and settled for another podium result.
“The car was again very good and I could climb up in the order.
At a time I was side by side with van der Garde and Gonzalez and
I could feel that the track was still damp, so I decided not to
take risks, because it was very important another podium and end
the Spa-Francorchamps round as the driver who conquered more
points during the weekend. I think that, if I took some risks, I
could have fought for the win, but I would have to take many
risks”, underlined Parente. With today’s third place, the driver
from Oporto completed an amazing return to GP2 taking two
podiums from two starts. “It was fantastic! Being back to GP2,
fighting for the win at the first race achieving a second and a
third places and, above all, being the driver who scored more
points. I would like to thank to Coloni, to my sponsors and, of
course, to my fans who supported me during my entire career”, he
concluded. Pedro Moreira do Santos, the Portuguese driver
manager, was, understandably, pleased with his drivers
performance. “We believe that he will complete the GP2 season,
above all because he showed again that he can fight for wins in
any car, because it’s important to underline that Coloni, before
this weekend, was in the last position of the Teams Championship
standings, something that was changed by Alvaro’s results”.
FBMW:
Just as on Saturday, Facu Regalia saw his race ruined
by an accident with another driver, this time Petri Suvanto,
who hit him from behind on the fourth lap, which left him down
in twelfth position in the second Formula BMW Europe race at
Spa-Francorchamps.The Argentinean-Spanish driver ‘s luckj seems
t have deserted him and today the problem came from behind,
damaging the rear of his car and as a result a twelfth place
finish. He started well on a dry track from the sixth row of the
grid, but within four laps his luck ran out. “I reacted very
well to the lights. I decided to go on the outside of the first
corner so I could make up some positions, but I was blocked and
I had to brake a little earlier than I expected”, explain the
Eifelland Racing driver. Petri Suvanto, who was behind Regalia,
appeared to forget to brake and hit Regalia , who spun. Besides
loosing time, the damage slowed him down . “When I looked in
the mirrors I saw Suvanto very far away. But he must have
forgotten to brake, because he hit me hard on the back. I spun
and lost lot of time and the rear wing was damage, so I couldn’t
do anything in the five remaining laps”, said a very
disappointed Regalia. After today’s disillusionment, Facu
Regalia is already looking forward to Monza, where he expects
“to be luckier than in the last few races”
Clio Cup:
Sam Tordoff Joins The Tim Sugden Motorsport Stable.
Tim Sugden Management (TSM), specialists in motor racing driver
management, are pleased to announce a new addition to their
‘stable’ of up and coming motorsports stars with Leeds racing
driver Sam Tordoff joining their ranks. 21 year old Tordoff is
currently racing in the Renault Clio Cup and is lying third in
the Championship. The season so far has already seen him take
victory in round 12 at Snetterton and a further eight podium
finishes. Sugden, who continues to race professionally himself
alongside his management duties, has been quick to praise the
talents of his fellow Yorkshire driver. “Sam has a lot of
natural aptitude” says Tim, “which measured with determination
and a desire to learn, stands him in excellent stead. With hard
work and guidance I can see a strong future for Sam in
motorsport”. Sam’s next races are at Knockhill, Scotland, on 4-5
September. His season can be followed on his website at
www.samtordoffracing.co.uk.
 Star
Mazda:
Conor Daly has won the 2010 Star Mazda Championship presented by
Goodyear
with a win from the pole on Saturday afternoon's Round 12 at the
Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. Driving the #22
Juncos Racing / INDECK / The College Network / Merchant Services
Ltd. Mazda, Daly with seven wins to his credit now has an
unassailable points advantage and in fact technically became the
champion the moment the race started. However rather than take
the safe option Daly took the title in style by leading from
the off to finish 0.764 seconds ahead of the 2nd-placed
Venezuelan Jorge Goncalvez. read
report
Grand-Am:
AIM Autosport’s Pacific Mobile/Biosign Daytona Proto. Read
reporttype
retired from the Montreal 200 after just one and a half laps on
Saturday when the car, damaged while going over a curb, spun and
hit the wall as it approached the hairpin turn at Circuit Gilles
Villeneuve. Ultimately classified 12th in class, the result
drops drivers, Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins to fifth equal
in the Championship. Read
report
 GP2:
Alvaro Parente showed on Saturday why he is well regarded
in world motorsport with a fantastic race at Spa-Francorchamps
by taking a superb second place. It was hard for the Portuguese
r to do better than he did as he fought head to head with Pastor
Maldonado, the championship leader and six times winner. After a
difficult qualifying session which included numerous red flags,
Parente started from sixteenth and after an excellent first lap
he was up to eleventh before, overtaking two more drivers in the
following laps. With a strategy based on a late stop Parente
soon found himself in first place and and he opened a good gap
to the following drivers. He then pitted just three laps from
the end,rejoining in second. However, he wasn’t about to settle
for second and in the remaining laps he closed down a 5 second
gap to the leader Maldonado who assumed a defensive position to
t hold on for the win. After an amazing drive from 16th
to 2nd the driver from Oporto was very happy with the
second place on his GP2 return. “It was an amazing race, it went
very well! I didn’t know the car in the dry, but it was very
balanced and, with a good strategy, we were in the fresh air,
something that allowed me to be very fast and open a gap to my
followers. When I left the pits I felt that I could try to win
and I gave my best – I ended on Maldonado’s back, but this
second place is fantastic! I want to thank to the team for this
opportunity and for a very balanced single-seater that put on my
hands. Today, Sunday, Parente will have another race starting
from the seventh on the grid. “As usual, I’ll give my best. I
think that we can have another good performance, the car is
good, but it’s possible to rain tomorrow and he have to be
careful so he can end in a good result”..
 Formula
3:
T-Sport’s Menasheh Idafar made a great start to the penultimate
race meeting of the 2010 Cooper Tires British Formula 3
International Series
during official testing at Snetterton on Saturday, 28th August,
by setting the National Class pace and lapping within the
overall top 10. With just nine points separating the 19-year-old
and National Class leader James Cole heading into the 25th, 26th
and 27th rounds of the championship, the Bank Holiday weekend
action could be crucial and Menasheh has started off on the
right footing by out-performing his chief rival.During the
opening 55-minute session this morning, the British-born
Bahraini lapped with a best time of 1m01.639 seconds (114.00mph)
which placed him six 10ths of a second ahead of Cole and within
an impressive half a second of James Calado’s outright
International Class pace.Rain interfered with proceedings in the
afternoon and so the vast majority of drivers were unable to
improve their times. Menasheh posted a best of 1m02.242 seconds
(112.89mph) to end the run 14th overall, still within a second
of the International Class pace and 0.5 seconds ahead of
Cole.“This weekend’s races are going to be really important so
it’s good we had a strong test today”, said Menasheh, “Our pace
was good and everything went well. Snetterton is one of my
favourite tracks so I’m hoping we can have a really strong
weekend and take away plenty of points.” pic Jakob
Ebrey Photography
 FBMW:
Facu Regalia, driving in Formula BMW Europe at Spa
yesterday(Saturday), put in an amazing first lap to move up
to fifth from eleventh before a clash with Jack Harvey ended his
race. After suffering a myriad of problems in qualifying that
left him eleventh on the grid, he made an almost perfect start.
“It was my best start ever. I was seventh at the end of the long
straight and I overtook Robin Frinjs and Marc Coleselli before
the Safety-Car came in”. Coming up on Jack Harvey , the current
championship leader, defended his position and Regalia ended in
the wall. “I came out of the first corner very well and I was on
his tail at Eau Rouge, but when I was trying to overtake him on
his right he closed me and when I tried to overtake him on the
left he did the same, after I tried my chance on his right again
we touched and went off track and on the wet grass it was
impossible to avoid the wall”, said Facu. For Regalia it was an
unhappy ending to what could have been a really good result. “I
knew at the beginning that this race could be good for me. I
feel more comfortable in this kind of track – damped – than when
the track is completely wet. With the laps still to complete, I
think that I could end in the podium or even maybe win the race.
Frinjs, who I had just overtaken, finished second, that’s why
I’m so disappointed”, concluded Regalia.
28-08-10
 Star
Mazda:
Continuing his record-breaking pole position streak,
championship points leader Conor Daly scored his ninth pole
of the season for this afternoon's Round 12 of the 2010 Star
Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Mobil 1 Presents
the Grand Prix of Mosport. The young American turned a lap of
1:15.342 (117.496 mph). Starting alongside Daly, in his
first-ever appearance on the front row of the Star Mazda
starting grid, is Venezuelan racer Jorge Goncalvez with a lap of
1:15.481 (117.280 mph). Both drivers turned their quick time on
Lap 3 of the session, as did 3rd-place qualifier French racer
Tristan Vautier with a lap of 1:15.504 (117.244) in the #38
Andersen Racing Mazda. Vautier has scored two wins this season,
but several finishes outside the top-10 have dropped him to 6th
in the championship. Starting on the outside of the second row
will be young Quebec racer Mikael Grenier with a lap of 1:15.768
(116.836 mph). Grenier is 4th in the championship and won from
the pole in Round 8 at Autobahn.
Read report
Porsche Carrera Cup GB
: The tenth programme in the dedicated television
coverage of the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be broadcast in
the Motorsport UK programme on ITV4 at 5pm on Tuesday 31 August,
on ITV1 on the night of Sunday 5 September and will also be
repeated on ITV4 on Sunday 5 September. The Motorsport UK
series, which features hour-long programmes, is covering all of
the Carrera Cup GB action again this season. Round twelve of the
season at Snetterton will feature in this programme.
Motorsport UK will be broadcast as follows:
Tuesday 31 August at 5pm on ITV4
Sunday 5 September at 10.25am on ITV4
Monday 6 September at 3.25am on ITV1
Grand-Am:
Burt Frisselle has secured a fourth-place start for the Pacific
Mobile/Biosign car
in today’s Montreal 200, the eleventh round of the Grand-Am
Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.
With a time of 1m 32.224s, averaging 170.182 km/h (105.746 mph),
around the 4.36km (2.709 mile)-long Circuit Gilles Villeneuve,
the team is optimistic the car is poised for a good result in
today’s race. Working on keeping the car settled on the
temporary street circuit which is notoriously hard on brakes,
AIM Autosport managed to improve the pace of it’s car through
the day, peaking with their best time during the 15-minute
qualifying session at 5pm. Looking happy and relaxed after
qualifying, Chief Engineer, Ian Willis, explained that the team
had spent the day focused on race set up and said that he was
happy with the car. “We always want to go faster, but I’m happy
with qualifying on the second row,” he said, wearing a confident
smile. “I’d be happier on the front row, but we’re in good shape
for the race.” Burt said “The car feels good.“We’re a tenth of
a second off third place, but the 99 car, on pole, is the class
of the field this week. We’re going to use the final practice to
make some small changes so that Mark and I can be more confident
with the car, but the crew has done great work and the Ford
power is excellent.” Co=Driver Mark Wilkins added, “We’ve been
going in the right direction all day, getting faster in every
session, Burt did a great job to qualify on the second row and
I’m hoping we can finish on the podium. The last few races
haven’t been good in terms of finishing, but it would be nice to
get a top-three here in Montreal.” The two-hour-long Montreal
200 is scheduled to begin at 2:15pm, Saturday. Live coverage
will be provided by SPEED TV and MRN radio.
 FBMW:
Torrential rain at Spa-Francorchamps prevented Facu Regalia
from showing his true potential, however he intends to
overcome his poor qualifying positions with some good results
in the weekend’s races. Sadly he only managed eleventh and the
twelfth for the two races. It all started to go wrong in the
practice for the Spanish–Argentinean driver. “We were with new
brake pads and the others were already in used ones. The track
was very wet and kept raining. All drivers made their lap times
in the beginning of the session when I couldn’t push. However,
the feeling is good”, However, the optimism would be transformed
in pessimism, with the rain, affectied qualifying. “It’s hard
to understand. The track looked like a swimming pool, with lot
of standing water, but I can’t understand the qualifying
results. I was fourth at the beginning, but the others improved
their times, something that I wasn’t able to do” he said. “We
have to improve a lot, the team and myself, if we want to
achieve any result this weekend. We have to study the telemetry
so we can see where are the problems that I felt, because I
thought that I was being fast but, as we can clearly see, I
wasn’t. We are missing performance to achieve a good result”.
 GP2:
After showing an impressive pace in the morning practice on
his return to the GP2 Series, Alvaro Parente saw his
performance in the qualifying for the Spa-Francorchamps’ race
spoiled by mechanicals gremlins and by the large number of red
flags. The Portuguese began on high in practice, held in a wet
track, where he was the third fastest, being beaten just by
Pastor Maldonado and Dani Clos, first and third, respectively,
in the drivers’ standings. After this Parente tackled
qualifying, also on a wet track. However, four red flags during
a thirty minute session prevented him from doing more than one
real flying lap, that and a mechanical problem, put him in the
sixteenth place of the grid. “It was a very strange qualifying
and very frustrating. Every time I was on a flying lap someone
would go off track and I had to abort my lap – it was
frustrating! To make everything even harder, my car engine was
working in just seven cylinders. With these circumstances it was
hard to do better, but we had the potential to do much more, as
we showed in the morning practice”, he underlined . “It will be
a hard race, because we will start from the middle of the pack
and it’s easy to have a small contact. We showed that we can be
competitive in the wet, but it’s very difficult to race in the
spray, mainly in this kind of circuit, as the water lift by the
cars remains in the air for many time. The only thing that I can
say is that I’ll give my best and I’ll try to grab any
opportunity that may arise”.
 Star
Mazda: Continuing
a high-speed duel that began last weekend
when they qualified side-by-side on the front row for Round 11
at Road America, Star Mazda Championship leader Conor Daly did a
last-lap flier in the final practice session for Round 12 at
Mosport to top the time sheets and bump Connor De Phillippi down
to second… but it was a close thing; Daly's lap of 1:15.413
(117.386 mph) was the fastest lap of the weekend so far, but
only 0.2secs quicker than De Phillippi's 1:15.567 (117.007
mph). read more
 Formula
3:
Irish racing driver Gary Thompson is hoping to make a ‘big step
forward’
when the Japanese F3 Championship resumes at Okayama next
weekend (4-5 September) following a four-week break. The
18-year-old scored the best result of his rookie season so far
prior to the series’ summer hiatus with a fine second place
National Class finish in race 2 at Motegi, but he and his
Achievement by KCMG Racing team have refused to rest on their
laurels. During the month of inactivity on-track, the Hong
Kong-based squad has worked extensively on Thompson’s Cebu
Pacific Air-backed Dallara chassis in an attempt to find more
speed and the Dubliner is hoping that the hard work pays off
with a strong run in the final three race meetings of 2010.“It’s
hard to make predictions because it’s difficult to know exactly
where we’ll be in Okayama compared with everybody else, but
certainly we’re looking for a big step forward in terms of our
overall pace,” said Thompson.“We’ve been a bit frustrated with
our ultimate speed so far this season, even though our results
have been quite good, but the team has worked really hard over
the past few weeks and I’m aiming to reward them with a strong
performance at the weekend.”Thompson, who is also supported by
Aviation Display, heads to Okayama with the advantage of knowing
the track having raced there in Formula BMW Pacific last season,
something which hasn’t been the case in the previous rounds this
year.“So far in 2010 I’ve had to learn each circuit in practice
while a lot of the other drivers on the grid have had prior
circuit knowledge,” he explained. “However, I’ve been to Okayama
before in Formula BMW, in fact I had a pretty strong weekend
there last year which saw me finish on the podium. That
definitely helps but we’ll still have to work hard in the
practice sessions on Friday to make sure we have the optimum
set-up bearing in mind all the changes we’ve made.”The
mountainous Okayama International Circuit, which twice held the
Pacific Grand Prix - won on both occasions by Michael
Schumacher, has a reputation as a tight and twisty track,
particularly on its infield section, but Thompson is confident
that its layout will still be conducive to exciting racing.“I
quite like it and the layout is good,” he said. “There are
places where you can overtake which should make it good for
racing. The key thing for us is the weather. It hasn’t been
great for the last few days and I’m hoping it’s dry in practice
so we can get through our workload without any delays.”
26-08-10
 DTM:
A quartet of legendary F1 alumni will compete at Brands
Hatch next weekend
(Saturday 4 September), when the new VW Scirocco Cup supports
the DTM German Touring Car Championship. Martin Brundle, Johnny
Herbert, Derek Bell and Mark Blundell will make a one-off
appearance during the series' UK debut, which features identical
specification bio natural gas powered Scirocco R-Cup machinery.
Between them, the quartet have a wealth of motorsport
experience, including 389 Grand Prix starts and an impressive
seven victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar endurance
race. Brands Hatch marks Brundle's second appearance in the
Scirocco Cup this season, as he scored a podium finish at
Hockenheim earlier this year. Brundle said: "I was really
surprised to find myself standing on the podium next to two very
young racers at Hockenheim. The permanent entrants have gathered
additional experience with the car in the meantime - this will
make it more difficult for me at Brands Hatch." Derek Bell is
also looking forward to hitting the tarmac next weekend: "I feel
deeply honoured about the opportunity of contesting this
forward-thinking one-make cup and competing with young
top-calibre drivers.” Herbert joins the Scirocco Cup grid at
Brands Hatch after competing this year in the Italian Superstars
Series, whilst Blundell arrives in Kent fresh from a GT3 podium
finish in this year's Spa 24 Hours event, driving a United
Autosports Audi R8.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB:
The unique challenge of the Knockhill is next on the schedule
with rounds 15 and 16 at the Scottish circuit (4/5
September). Tim Harvey, Ollie Jackson and Glenn McMenamin are
the three drivers at the head of their respective categories as
teams prepare to head north, but there is still everything to
play for as the season heads into the final three race
weekends.With ten wins from 14 races to date and a 34-point
championship lead, Harvey (Red Line Racing) is looking strong in
his bid to win a second Carrera Cup GB title. However, these are
anxious times for Harvey as Michael Caine (Motorbase
Performance) took a resounding double at Silverstone to close
the points' gap and this is far from a done deal for Harvey. As
well as the resurgent Caine, who has won three of the last four
races, Harvey faces a gaggle of challengers as well as the
notoriously unpredictable Knockhill weather as he bids to
maintain his championship margin. Knockhill has a habit of
turning title races around and Harvey knows well enough that
Caine is only one of the threats he faces at the Dunfermline
track."It is still hard to close the gap on Tim, said Caine.
"We'll go to Knockhill knowing that we can win and if the boys
at Motorbase give me the car as good as at Silverstone, I'll
certainly have a go. Maybe the luck is turning a little bit. I
love going to Knockhill!" Striving to stop Harvey and Caine
having it all their own way are Team Parker Racing trio Stephen
Jelley, Euan Hankey and local ace Glynn Geddie, all potential
race winners at the three-dimensional Scottish track. Geddie in
particular, will be chasing a podium and his first Carrera Cup
win at his home track. "Knockhill is where I started racing and
last year I got a good result in the Carrera Cup. When the home
crowd is there it’s always good to put a show on," said
Aberdeen-based Geddie. In pro-am1, Jackson (Addison Lee
Motorbase) continues to extend his lead over Jonas Gelzinis (Juta
Racing), but drivers like Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing)
and Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) are still very much in
contention. For Gelzinis, a couple of incidents at Snetterton
and Silverstone have blunted his challenge, but he will come
back strong to try and erode Jackson's 32-point lead.In the
battle for pro-am2 McMenamin (Red Line Racing) is starting to
build a lead, but Scot George Brewster (Celtic Speed), Mark
Hazell (JHR) and youngster George Richardson (Motorbase
Performance) are chasing hard. With drivers counting their best
seven weekend scores in the pro-am2 title race, McMenamin still
has work to do, but heads to Scotland with an 18-point lead over
Brewster. For the Knockhill race weekend, the local Celtic Speed
team will grow to four cars as young Rory Butcher joins
Brewster, Bob Lyons and Tommy Dreelan in the squad.
Karl Leonard will rejoin the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for rounds
15 and 16 at Knockhill
next weekend (4/5 September). The rapid Irish racer will take
over the pro-am1 car normally raced by his elder brother Michael
for Team Parker Racing and will be competing for the first time
since the end of the 2009 season."I haven't raced for 10 months,
so it will be interesting," said the 33-year old hotelier from
Naas, Co Kildare. "Michael can't do Knockhill due to work
commitments, but he'll be back in the car for Donington. "It
will be the first time I've been in a pro-am1 car that is
capable of running at the front. I'm looking forward to being in
the pro-am 1 car with the extra power against the pro-am2 car I
raced last year." Karl has only taken part in a few track days
so far this year and is keen to get back to racing. "I raced at
Knockhill three years ago in Irish Supercars and had a win and a
second place, so I have some experience of the track. "I'm not
sure what I would like to achieve but I do know the times will
be close. So if I can hook up qualifying, then a good result is
possible. It's all about qualifying around Knockhill," said
Karl, who is keen to race more regularly in the Carrera Cup GB
is 2011.
 BTCC:
Having been forced to sit out the last two Dunlop MSA BTCC
events
due to budget restrictions, Daniel Lloyd has confirmed he is
still targeting the penultimate race meeting of the season at
Donington Park for his return with the Triple Eight Race
Engineering team. As the championship travels to Knockhill next
weekend, 4th/5th September, 18-year-old Daniel will once again
have to watch the action from his armchair with attempts to
secure a race budget still ongoing. It’s been a frustrating
couple of months for Daniel since his maiden run in the BTCC but
he hasn’t wasted a single minute in working hard to secure the
required backing. “It’s so frustrating to have been on the
sidelines since Croft”, said the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Winter
Cup Champion, “We’re working harder than ever to try and put
together a package which will enable me to be back with Triple
Eight and we’re targeting Donington next month for our return.
Missing Snetterton and Silverstone was disappointing as we
couldn’t build on the Croft weekend. I’d have loved to be out at
Knockhill next weekend but I’ll just have to watch it all on TV
instead! We’re fully committed to being back before the end of
the season though and we’ve got a few things being worked on at
the moment so hopefully it’ll all work out well for Donington.”
Charity fitness challenge gathers momentum.
While Daniel continues to work on securing a budget he is also
undertaking a gruelling physical fitness regime to prepare for
the Men’s Health ‘Survival of the Fittest’ which takes place in
Nottingham on Saturday, 9th October. Competing in the extreme
10-kilometre challenge in aid of his nominated charity, the
Kirklees-based Kirkwood Hospice, Daniel’s appeal for donations
is now in full swing with a special webpage having been set-up
where people can support his bid to raise as much as possible.
“Kirkwood Hospice does an unbelievable job in the local
community, it’s an incredible charity and I’m determined to
raise as much as possible for them”, he said, “It costs almost
£11,000 a day for the hospice to provide the vital care its
patients need so if I can go some way to helping that through
the Survival of the Fittest challenge I’ll be really pleased.”
To do your bit for Kirkwood Hospice and help support Daniel’s
bid at the same time, please visit
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/danielloydracing for
details of how to make a secure online donation for such a
worthwhile cause.More details regarding the ‘Survival of the
Fittest’, meanwhile, can be found at
www.mhsurvival.co.uk
Knockhill will mark Alex MacDowall’s first experience of the
challenging Scottish track
at the wheel of a touring car when the BTCC visits the track
next weekend. As the surname suggests, Alex’s family originates
from Scotland – his late grandfather was born and bred in
Ayrshire and members of the MacDowall family still reside there
– so the upcoming event is very much a ‘home’ affair for the
Carlisle-based teenager.So far in his maiden season of BTCC
action, Alex has been a revelation with outstanding pace matched
by determined race performances. Fully recovered from the hefty
start-line impact during round 21, which occurred when his RML
run Cruze struggled to get off the line due to an engine
malfunction, Alex is relishing the prospect of taking on
Knockhill’s 1.27-mile layout for only the second time in his
motorsport career – the first coming back in 2007 when he had a
one-off drive in the SEAT Cupra Championship. “We’re looking
forward to a good weekend at Knockhill, I think the Cruze will
be strong as the car has a good balance over the kerbs and a
strong front-end and that’s exactly what you need there”, he
said, “ Thankfully the whiplash is fine now, I didn’t suffer
from it too much, and the car will be ok for Knockhill. It took
a pretty heavy hit but the team is fitting a new rear-end and
boot floor. I haven’t been up to Knockhill for some time – the
last time I was there was a one-off drive in the SEATs back in
2007. I did do a track day in my road car earlier in the week
just to get back up to speed with the racing line and it all
went well. If we can qualify on the front two rows we have a
strong chance of a podium, at Silverstone we were close to it so
I aim to be again at Knockhill.” Continuing the strong link to
Scottish motorsport is Alex’s father Ray won two Scottish Saloon
Car Championship titles in the 80s and also held the lap record
for 1600cc cars for more than 10 years!
 Formula
2:
Five weeks since the previous two rounds of FIA Formula 2
Championship,
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in Germany provides the venue for
the penultimate event of the year next weekend, a track posing
a brand new challenge for Will Bratt. Having never previously
visited the 2.3-mile circuit, the 22-year-old knows two
trouble-free practice sessions and a clear run in qualifying
will be crucial to get the weekend off on the right footing.
Currently lying in fourth in the driver standings, Will is
locked in a tight battle for third in the championship with
experienced Austrian racer Philipp Eng. Heading into the 15th
and 16th rounds, just 10 points separate both drivers and they
also have Russian driver Sergei Afanasiev and Belgian Benjamin
Bailly within striking distance. “I'm looking forward to getting
to grips with the Oscherleben track as it's a new circuit for me
and will be quite a challenge”, said Will, “We've also had some
time during the break from the last race to re-look at the brake
pedal position in the car which has been a problem for me
because of my height. This has been changed now though so should
be better for the last two events of the year.” With three
podiums to his credit, half a dozen top six finishes and two
other top 10 results, Will has consistently been at the sharp
end throughout his maiden season of F2 racing but he’s still
striving for that elusive first victory in the FIA-sanctioned
championship.He added: “The goal is the same as always, to win
races. I therefore want to go into the weekend aiming to perfect
my own performance and the results should follow. We've been
denied a few wins this season so it would be great to set the
record straight and walk away from the year as the strongest
driver over the last few races on the calendar.”
 Formula
BMW: Facu Regalia wants to get back to the top at Spa-Francorchamps
this weekend with further good results following on as the
Formula BMW Europe season draws to it’s conclusion. The Belgian
weekend is the penultimate event on the calendar and will be
held at one of the most exciting circuits in the world.
Regalia’’s goal is to return to the level that he showed in the
first races of the season. ‘At Hockenheim and the Hungaroring
races didn’t end as I expected. At Spa-Francorchamps I want to
achieve good results, but we have to be careful because there
weren’t any official test in the winter and we couldn’t test as
we liked” he said. Last season Regalia ended both Spa-Francorchamps
races in seventh, but this year. “Without any chance of winning
the championship, I’ll race without any pressure. I don’t have a
particular and simple goal I just want to give my best, but to
be in a good level we have to have a good car”. He is currently
fifth in the championship.
WTCC:
Chevrolet WTCC drivers Alain Menu and Yvan Muller
will take part in the most prestigious round of the Argentinean
Touring car Championship, the 200 Kilometros de Buenos Aires on
5-7 November . The two team-mates will drive the Chevrolet
Vectras of the Chevrolet Elaion team, paired with their regular
drivers, Guillermo Ortelli and Christian Ledesma, who gave the
Vectra it’s first (and double) win of the year last week-end in
La Rioja. The 200 km of Buenos Aires takes place on the `Autodromo
Óscar y Juan Galvez' of the Argentinean capital and runs for
twice the distance of the usual TC2000 races. Alain Menu has
already participated four times in the event, always finishing
on the podium and winning in 2006. For Muller this will be his
first in the South-American touring car race. Alain Menu: "It is
always a pleasure to be invited to this great event, which I
love. The atmosphere there is terrific, Argentines are true
motorsports lovers, and the TC2000 is an extremely competitive
and closely-fought competition. I really look forward to be
there once again and try to contribute to Chevrolet's success".
Yvan Muller: "In my career, I had the opportunity to race in
many different disciplines and at the wheel of many different
cars, but this will be something new and I am very happy to have
the chance to discover a new circuit and a new championship, of
which I have heard a lot of good things".
 Rounds
15th and 16th of the FIA WTCC will take place next week in
Germany,
at Oschersleben's Motorsport Arena on September 5th. The German
track, located in the Bode region some 30 km from the city of
Magdeburg, is a traditional venue for the FIA Touring Cars
having hosted the European Touring Car Championship from 2001 to
2004 and the World Touring Car Championship from 2005. The WTCC
meeting is also one of the fans' favourites as it usually
attracts large crowds. Oschersleben is regarded as BMW's home
circuit. Not only because it is in Germany, but also because the
BMW drivers have managed to win nine out of the twelve WTCC
races held there so far, with Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus
claiming three victories apiece. The Bavarian cars were only
defeated at Oschersleben once by SEAT in 2007's Race 1, when
Yvan Muller scored the first win of the León TDI car.Priaulx and
Farfus shared last year's glory, with the Briton coming first in
Race 1 and the Brazilian winning Race 2.
WTCC competitors Andrei Romanov and Norbert Michelisz
did not stop their racing during the summer break.The Russian
driver dominated the event of the German ADAC Procar series at
Lausitz's Eurospeedway. At the wheel of a Liqui Moly Team
Engstler BMW 320si, Romanov won both races under pouring rain. Michelisz
was invited to take part in the Lamborghini Trophy round on his
home racetrack, Budapest's Hungaroring; in the first race he
completed a brilliant recovery from eighth to fourth, but then
retired in the second race.
 Taiwan's
Kevin Chen completed his first laps in a WTCC car
last Tuesday at Mugello, driving a Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si.
Chen - 31 years old from Taipei - will join the Italian team for
the two final race meetings of the season at Okayama and Macau.
This will mark Chen's return to his racing roots, as he began
his motorsport career claiming two US titles in the SCCA
Regional Touring Championship, back in 2003 and 2004. After
finishing runner up in the 2005 Show Room Stock Car Series he
moved to single seaters, competing in the Formula V6 Asia
(2007/08), GP Asia (2008/09) and British Formula 3 (2009)."Kevin
has a lot of potential, but he needs to test to get used to
touring cars again. Our aim is to give him the chances to become
competitive in view of his WTCC debut. Together we look forward
at Okayama and Macau as the first step in view of a possible
full time involvement in the 2011 WTCC," team principal Valmiro
Presenzini explained.Chen will test again this weekend at
Magione, together with Fabio Fabiani who will make his third
WTCC appearance of the year next week at Oschersleben.
25-08-10
 Young
Guns:
Russ Danzey might have competed in only two car race meetings
to-date, but so rapid has been his progress that the
highly-rated young Sheffield racer has quipped that his five
years of karting already seem like ‘a distant memory’ as he
eagerly anticipates his third outing around Thruxton. Having
made his debut in the Autosport Young Guns at Castle Combe,
Russ headed to Brands Hatch next to continue his
apprenticeship, and after testing there beforehand to get an
initial feel for the layout, the 16-year-old soon developed an
appreciation for the place. “I got accustomed to the circuit
quite quickly and found it very enjoyable,” he acknowledged.
“It’s a very technical track and a hard one to drive, but
fantastic fun at the same time. It’s very easy to go wrong, and
if you do it can bite you quite severely, but that’s part of
what makes it such a great circuit – you have to drive so close
to the edge and go right to the limit to keep up with the field,
but if you stray just one per cent over your limit you’ll be
off.” Swift during practice in a car that run by Falcon
Motorsport, Russ was just getting into qualifying when the
heavens opened, leaving him fifth on the grid for both races. In
the first of them, he found himself leapfrogged at the lights,
but thereafter proceeded to match the two rivals ahead of him
for lap time, which did his confidence a world of good.
Subsequently buoyed up for race two, Russ made a better getaway
and – in front of new sponsors Steve Jacques and Hazel Starmer
of Integrity HR – went on to take the chequered flag a
competitive fifth. Next stop is Thruxton. “There are some very
good drivers in the field and it’s nice to be pitching myself
against people like that, and I just can’t wait for Thruxton
now! That will be another new challenge, and one I’m really
looking forward to. I’ve never been there before, but I’ve heard
it has only one big braking zone and a lot of fast, flowing
corners – and as far as I’m concerned, the faster the better!”
Formula BMW Pacific:
Following the announcement, during the British Grand Prix at
Silverstone on 9th July, that the Formula BMW Pacific (formerly
Asia ) Series
will be continuing in an independent form in 2011. Motorsport
Asia, the Organiser and promoter of the Series since its
inception in 2003, has been hard at work putting plans in place
for the next season. Motorsport Asia, the Teams, the suppliers
and those involved in the Series are all in agreement that it is
vital to the motorsport scene in the region, as it supports and
provides a unique platform for young aspiring drivers. “We have
been hard at work putting together everything necessary to
continue with the Championship. The calendar is beginning to
take shape with a total of six race weekends planned” said David
Sonenscher, CEO of Motorsport Asia.The Calendar will consist of
three or four Asian Festival Of Speed Events, with four races to
be held at each AFOS event. Discussions are currently taking
place concerning two other high profile International events and
Motorsport Asia is also holding an option to continue the
Championship’s involvement in the Macau Grand Prix. Meaning that
the Calendar will be made up of between 17 and 20 races. The
expansion of Official testing, to provide up to 4 days prior to
each AFOS event, is also being considered. This would be in
addition to independent tests held by the Teams.“Our aim is to
continue to provide a cost effective platform for the
development of young drivers, whilst maximising the time that
they have in the car. “We have meetings scheduled with the Teams
during next week’s event in Guangdong as well as a further
meeting, scheduled during the Singapore Grand Prix, to iron out
any remaining small details. We will release the calendar for
the upcoming year at the end of September” he concluded. With
2010 being the strongest ever year since the Formula BMW Pacific
Series started, it will be more a question of fine tuning,
rather than radical reorganisation.
 Karts:
Harry Crawley, who following a prolonged lay-off from
competition with rib injuries,
returned to the track with a bang at Three Sisters near Wigan
last weekend, taking a brilliant victory as he prepares for the
upcoming resumption of Super 1 racing at Shenington. pics
Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net read
report
Formula Ford:
Whilst most racing teams around the country are enjoying an
extended mid season break,
the crew at the Borland Racing Developments factory has been
burning the midnight oil. In the four weeks following the most
recent Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship
round in Townsville, BRD produced another Spectrum 012 Formula
Ford and Sabre 02 Formula Vee 1600. Both cars were handed over
to their respective owners at Winton Motor Raceway on Friday 6
August. Jim Reardon of RMS Performance Engineering travelled
from his Brisbane base to oversee his driver Robert Hackwood
putting the new Hackwood Motorsport Technology Spectrum through
its paces. Whilst Robert had never seen the Benalla circuit
before and the day was primarily about running in the Hewland
LD200 gearbox and bedding in brakes and other components, he
turned in very respectable times. “The new car felt fantastic
today,” Robert commented. “It is a real credit to the BRD team
that we can bring a car to the track straight ‘out of the box’
and have it run faultlessly all day. I’m delighted with the
decision to partner with Spectrum as the chassis supplier for
our new team,” added Jim.A pair of Daniels (Reinhardt and
Reynolds) shared the driving duties in the latest Sabre 02 to be
built and delivered to Junior Racing Development. It was at
Winton during 2009 that the promise of the new Sabre had been
revealed, when the prototype recorded times very close to the
lap record. Proving that it was no fluke, the production model
scorched around the track on the delivery day, with both drivers
running almost a full second underneath the record! The Sabre 02
is unbeaten in competition since its debut and, based on the
times at Winton, it appears the only thing that will challenge
it will be another Sabre 02!
Porsche Carrera Cup GB:
Rory Butcher will join the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for rounds 15
and 16
at his home track of Knockhill next weekend (4/5 September).The
Young Scot will join the Celtic Speed team for the weekend and
will make it a four-car entry from the Montrose team. Butcher
(23) will join Tommy Dreelan, George Brewster and Bob Lyons in
the squad and will race the older pro-am2 car of Dreelan in the
pair of Knockhill races.Butcher raced in the Carrera Cup at
Knockhill in 2008 when he starred in the VIP car, twice
finishing fifth overall and winning the pro-am2 category. Since
then, he has enjoyed considerable success in Formula Ford,
winning both the 2009 Scottish title and the Formula Ford Kent
Festival at Brands Hatch. In 2010, Butcher has made the switch
to GT racing. "I got a call from Tommy a couple of weeks ago and
I jumped at the chance," said Butcher. "I'm just so delighted.
Knockhill is probably one of the circuits where the pro-am2 car
is at its most competitive." Butcher has worked with the Celtic
crew for several years and has coached Dreelan's daughter Gemma
at Knockhill for her Mini Cooper racing programme. It's that
time of the year when people remember the results and it's a
chance to remind people of what I can do," he said. "I want to
build for 2011 and I'd love the chance to race in the Carrera
Cup. I owe a very big thanks to Tommy and the crew at Celtic
Speed; they run a good car and I hope I can get a good result
for them."
USF2000: Sage Karam did the
double in the latest rounds of the Cooper Tires Presents the
USF2000
National Championship Powered by Mazda last weekend at Road
America. Andretti Autosport's Sage Karam led all 11 laps in
Sunday's non-stop race just as he did on Saturday to post his
sixth and seventh victories of the year in the series. Both
races saw JDC MotorSports' Mikhail Goikhberg from St. Petersburg
in Russia take second while Andretti Autosports' Zach Veach
finished third. Martin Sala was treated and released from
Aurora Health Center in Plymouth, Wisconsin on Friday after he
suffered a fracture to his right foot in a single-car crash
during the morning practice session. He got out of his JDC
MotorSports/Aero Gal/Lubricantes Gulf No. 19 under his own power
and also walked into the immediate care facility himself, but
X-rays showed a fracture and he was fitted with a removable boot
for protection. He will follow up with his own doctor in Bogota,
Columbia next week. Read
report
25-08-10
 DTM:
Former F1 driver David Coulthard faces a trio of
challenges when the DTM visits Brands Hatch
on 3/4/5 September, as the Scotsman's appearance marks his first
UK race since the end of his Grand Prix career, his first DTM
event on home soil and his first competitive outing at the Kent
circuit in almost twenty years.
Read Q and A
Grand-Am:
AIM Autosport’s Daytona Prototype team is off to Montreal
this weekend to race their Pacific Mobile/Biosign Ford Riley at
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the site of their maiden Grand-Am
win. Saturday’s Montreal 200 is the penultimate round of the
12-race Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown
Royal Cask No. 16. This event will prove busier than usual for
both drivers and crew as AIM Autosport is the only Canadian team
in the series and the Montreal 200 is the only race on Canadian
soil. For driver, Mark Wilkins, Thursday begins with a Grand-Am
media conference at 11:15am. The first task for AIM Autosport is
to load the race car onto a truck for transport to the Ford
Racing Festival which takes place on Crescent street from 1 to
5pm. Following the media conference, Mark will head to Crescent
Street where he will be joined by co-driver, Burt Frisselle so
that they can meet race fans, show off their Pacific Mobile/Biosign
Ford Riley and then they will attend a reception hosted by Ford
Racing. Next up is an autograph session from 7 to 8pm at OPUS
Hotel, 10 Sherbrooke Ouest, where they will stay during their
Montreal excursion. Friday will include nearly 4 hours of
practice time and the qualifying session. Saturday is relatively
free and will allow the team to soak up and enjoy the attention
before heading into the two-hour-long race starting at 2:15pm.
"It's great to be racing at Montreal, the site of our first
win." said AIM Autosport principal, Ian Willis. "The fans in
Montreal are knowledgeable and passionate, and we have the added
excitement of having sponsors, family and friends with us. It's
hectic, but we always love racing in Montreal."
 GP3:
Double GP3 winner, Alexander Rossi, headed home to California
for the August break in th e GP2 season. The 18 year old paid
honour to an American motorsport legend, Dan Gurney, during the
2010 Rolex Motorsports Reunion, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in
Monterey. The reunion included a car collection that his
company, All American Racing built. Twenty Four (24) cars stole
the show, including the Ford MK IV that Gurney and A.J. Foyt
drove to victory in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours. Other notables
included the Eagle Gurney- Weslake V12, number 36 and the 1981
Eagle with a Chevrolet stock block engine. Rossi, who is no
stranger to the 11 turn and the 2.24 mile road course in
Monterey, as a nine time winner at Laguna, would consider this
his home circuit. The weekend however held a greater purpose for
him; one of learning about the history of American presence in
Formula One. "Dan is an American racing legend," Rossi said. "To
finally meet Dan was an honour and inspiration as I pursue
Formula 1. I will be racing at Spa later this month and Dan not
only won the 1967 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, but many
forget that he did this in a car that he designed and built.
Today drivers, including myself, take for granted just how much
is already prepared for us. For me, Dan's legacy is humbling and
I have some pretty big shoes to fill." Rossi continued. "Both
Dan's sons, Alex and Justin were great to share racing stories
with and I look forward to staying in touch with them and
catching up again soon." Next up for Alexander are rounds 13 and
14 in Spa as he returns to his GP3 season with ART Grand Prix.
"For me, Spa is one of my favourite circuits and a special place
for me," says Rossi. "I won there last year for ISR in Formula
Master while supporting the F1 Belgium Grand Prix. Coming off a
win in Hungary, I will be looking to repeat my efforts again for
myself and the team."
 Heritage GTs: Despite enduring a 30
second success penalty and the late appearance of the safety
car, John Wilson in his MG BGTV8 took the honours in the
Heritage GT Challenge enduro race at Oulton Park on Saturday.
Read report
The Ginetta Challenge
title which heads to Snetterton this weekend. With three races to be
run this weekend, it’s a crucial couple of days in the
championship. Andy Richardson heads the table after securing
three wins at Pembrey in May but last time out at Silverstone,
George Murrells dragged himself into contention with the perfect
weekend. Murrells bagged two race wins, to add to his Oulton
Park victory at Easter, and is now just eight points behind
Richardson. This
weekend boasts a third race, run to replace the second Oulton
Park round that had to be red-flagged. The re-run race will be
on Sunday afternoon and on a slipstream-inducing circuit like
Snetterton will be a close run thing. Murrells gets a second
chance in some respects with the race being rescheduled: he was
the first driver to catch oil on the track and crash, which
promoted the stoppage. Murrells maybe a real threat to
championship leader Richardson, but a further 13 points back is
Sean Huyton who won at Rockingham and has been a regular on the
podium all season. Add in Dominic Pettit and the prospects are
good for a trio of close races. Others in the mix are Stuart
Pearson who has two podium finishes this season and Matt Harris
who gets faster with every round. Matt Flowers has raced well
and should be near the front, as will jeweller Mark Wania and
Tom Mallett. New for this year is the inclusion of the G40
alongside the existing G20 model. The G40, a closed car, is
heavier than the G20 but is now capable of taking wins as Pettit
proved at Rockingham, while Mark Davies finished in the top six
in the Optimum Motorsport-run car at Silverstone. Pettit was
forced to switch to the old Junior model for the Silverstone
races but should be G40-mounted this weekend.
 GP2:
Alvaro’s Parente will be driving in the next Round of the GP2
Championship
at Spa for Coloni. The Portuguese is no stranger to the team
having raced in the Italian squad in GP2 Asia earlier this year,
taking a podium at Bahrain. Parente said, “I know the team and
I think that I’ll have the conditions to try to get some good
results. I’m looking forward to return to Spa-Francorchamps and
to being able to give some good results to Coloni so I can thank
them the trust that the team and the Sponsors have in me.I’ll
race in Spa-Francorchamps, after that we will see what happens.
I would like to complete the season, but that isn’t on my
hands”, pointed out the youngster. Parente will replace Alberto
Valerio at the Belgium track.
Formula Vee:
Factory Confirms Sabre FV1600 Reward Program -
Highlighting its belief in
Formula Vee 1600 as a cost effective pathway category, Borland
Racing Developments has confirmed it will continue to offer
factory tests in its Spectrum Formula Fords to drivers who
achieve success in Formula Vee 1600, driving a Sabre chassis. In
making the announcement, BRD’s Paul Zsidy said “Formula Vee 1600
is going from strength to strength. The new cars look great and
their bang for your buck performance is outstanding. They are
real racing cars with some of the closest competition you will
see anywhere, so the category presents as a genuine and
worthwhile development class for drivers moving up from karting
without the budget to go directly to Formula Ford. We would like
to support and encourage those drivers in their careers and feel
that offering an opportunity to test a Spectrum Formula Ford
with the factory racing team is appropriate recognition of their
achievements.” The intent of the reward is to assist drivers in
transitioning from FV1600 to Formula Ford and as such, the
criteria for selection will be as much about where a driver is
at in their development as it will be about their results.
Junior Racing Developments’ Daniel Reinhardt summed it up, “The
idea isn’t for someone like me to win a championship and get a
Formula Ford test. What we’re going to do is look at the young
drivers in Sabre FV1600 cars and see who is ready to step up and
can benefit from a chance to do a day in a Spectrum with the
factory team.” Michael Borland, designer of the Spectrum and
Sabre racing cars, says that FV1600 is an important category in
the Australian motor racing scene, particularly in the current
economic climate. “Not everyone has the budget to race Formula
Ford or sports cars,” said Borland. “FV1600 provides a very
affordable way for people to go racing; and not just the young
guys who are intent on a career in motorsport. It allows
enthusiasts to enjoy a proper racing car with quite impressive
performance at a realistic price. The category in one form or
another has been around for many decades. We can support it
through rewards such as the one we are offering and the sport’s
administrators can support it by remembering they have a cost
effective, junior single seat racing car category already firmly
established,” he added.
 LMS:
OAK Racing is developing into a manufacturer
by putting in place the necessary infrastructure, including the
installation of a new base in Le Mans and the creation of a
design office. Although OAK Racing will retain its factory in
Magny-Cours, the team has opted to have a presence at the Le
Mans Technoparc because, according to team President Jacques
Nicolet, “to be as close as possible to the main event of our
sporting programme, the Le Mans 24 Hours, is a good strategy for
the team.” A design office was put together at the beginning of
August and four engineers, all of whom have huge experience in
the design of prototype cars, some from time spent at Pescarolo
Sport, have been hired. “My initial aim was always to become a
manufacturer,” explained Jacques Nicolet. “The implementation of
the new 2011 ACO rules offers an interesting opportunity which
must not be missed. This is a turning point which meant it was
necessary to move up a step. The next generation LMP1s will be
very close to the current LMP2s and the new generation of LMP2
car is heading in the direction of cost reduction. We strongly
believe in this ‘low cost’ concept for the class and we are
developing a customer strategy in order to offer the new
generation LMP2s to the market. Our 2010 Pescarolo chassis has
demonstrated its reliability and performance on a regular basis
and is the ideal base for the new LMP2 and LMP1 cars. In fact
work has already begun! For the LMP2, the design office has
started to adapt parts with our suppliers in order to reach the
cost reductions expected. The 2011 LMP2 will not be dedicated to
one specific engine supplier but will be able to run on any type
of powerplant. For the LMP1 car, we have started to adapt the
current LMP2 chassis. Specific work has been done on the drive
trains and the aerodynamic works has also started.” OAK Racing
will also continue its racing activities and will enter at least
one LMP1 car for the seven round of the 2011 Intercontinental Le
Mans Cup. “The 2010 season is far from over,” said General
Manager François Sicard. “OAK Racing will compete in the three
rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup this year at
Silverstone, Petit Le Mans and Zhuhai with two LMP2s in the USA
and probably one in China due to the heavy logistics involved
and the development tests we already have planned. We are also
looking to conclude the Le Mans Series season on a high at the
Silverstone 1000kms.”
Pic:
OLIVIER BERTINETTI - ROD AGENCY®
 The RML AD Lola HPD Coupe took fourth
place in Round 4 of the 2010 Le Mans Series
at the Hungaroring on Sunday, a race dominated by the LMP2
class, with the top six positions all occupied by the second
prototype class. RML’s drivers, Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos
and Ben Collins drove a remarkable race and it
could have been even better for the team if a gear actuator
issue had not cost the #25 Lola an extra six minutes in the
garage , the difference between fourth and second.pic:
Peter May, Dailysportscar
Read report
Both of Rebellion Racing’s Lola-Rebellions set the pace for the LMP1 category
during Round 4 of the Le Mans Series at the weekend in
Hungary. But in a race that saw an unusually high rate of
attrition in the top prototype category the podium for the
overall race winners was filled by cars from the LMP2 class.
Second in the LMP1 class for the #12 REBELLION Racing Lola was a
small reward for the team, but the #13 car had to retire with a
transmission breakage. Read report
.jpg) Karts:
Jay Goodwin travelled to Genk for rounds seven and eight of the
Formula Kart Stars
(FKS) Championship with no prior experience of the Belgian
circuit. He left it having been one of the quickest drivers in
the field and with a top five finish under his belt.pic:
Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net, Read
report
 Ash Hand has been signed up as an ambassador by fashion brand
Voi Jeans.
“I’m really happy about it,” he enthused. “I already bought
Voi’s clothes beforehand, but now I’ll get some new ones every
quarter. It’s a fairly new brand that’s aimed at teenagers, and
it’s nice that they believe in me enough to sponsor me like
this. It shows that people recognise my performances, and it’s a
big thing for me to be chosen to represent them.” Having been
founded back in 1988 as a family-run denim specialist, Voi has
grown over the interceding two decades to firmly establish
itself as one of Britain’s most recognisable labels amongst
teenagers in particular. “Ash is obviously up-and-coming, and
his name is still growing within that industry,” she explained.
“Voi likes to endorse young people, and we thought this was a
great opportunity to support someone like him. Voi is quite a
sporty brand, so Ash’s racing makes him a perfect fit for us. A
lot of people are into motorsport, and karting certainly seems
to pull in the crowds – and with the success of Lewis and
Jenson, it’s without doubt a great time to be getting involved!
We hope Ash will be able to go on to follow in their footsteps.
He certainly looks to have a bright future ahead of him, and we
really think he can go all the way.”
 Indy Lights:
Jean-Karl Vernay had a dream weekend in California on the
Infineon Raceway
road circuit in Sonoma. He started from pole and dominated the
race from start to finish to bag the maximum score of 53 points.
Thanks to his fifth victory, which helped him to increase his
lead over his immediate pursuer in the Firestone Lights
Championship chase, he can tackle the remaining races on the
speedways in a relaxed frame of mind. pic
Clément Marin Read report
24-08-10
Porsche Club:
Caste Combe in Wiltshire hosts round 11 and 12 of the 2010
Porsche Club Championship
on August Bank Holiday Monday (August 30th), with Class B’s
Chris Dyer heading the overall points table in his 944 S2. The
racing has been close and exciting in both classes, with Marcus
Carniel now the man on form in Class One, having won four of the
last five races, after Mark McAleer was dominant at the start of
the season. McAleer won the first five races in his 969 CS, but
Carniel took the first victory for a rear-engined Porsche at
Silverstone in June and since then has been using the ability of
his 964 C2 to be quick off the line to good effect. On his home
circuit of Oulton Park earlier this month, Carniel took pole
position and both race victories, to pull clear at the top of
the Class One points. McAleer damaged his car at Snetterton in
July, but roared back after just getting if finished for Oulton
Park earlier this month to get on the podium in the re-fettled
Porsche. Other Class One racers to watch for include the always
fast-starting Kevin Harrison, and Pete Morris, the only racer to
break the Carniel – McAleer stranglehold on wins this season.
Mark Sumpter returned to Porsche racing this season in his
venerable 911 SC, and took a fine second place at Oulton Park ,
only to be eliminated in race two with a driveshaft failure when
battling for his second podium of the day. Miles Maserati has
been on the pace in his first season of Porsche Club racing,
with Richard Ellis the best of the 993 runners. Dyer has
dominated Class two, but has been pressured in the races by
Cieran Brewer, the ever improving Richard Bennett – and at
Oulton Park by Tim Bates. With two 25-minute races and a
qualifying session on the Bank Holiday Monday, it will be a
hectic day of exciting racing on the challenging Castle Combe
circuit.
 LMS: Strakka Racing's remarkable season
continued at the weekend
when they took the first ever outright win for an LMP2 car in
Europe at the Hungaroring. Following on from the squad's class
win at Le Mans in June the Strakka HPD rewrote the history books
again in Round 4 of the 2010 Le Mans Series. Strakka's driver
line-up of Danny Watts, Nick Leventis and Jonny Kane drove to an
unprecedented top-six sweep by the LMP2 front-runners as the
LMP1 prototypes hit widespread reliability issues. Read
report
The #24 OAK Racing Pescarolo-Judd of Matthieu Lahaye and Jacques
Nicolet
finished in a superb third place in Sunday’s Hungaroring
1000kms, round 4 of the 2010 Le Mans Series. For the team’s
second car driven by Guillaume Moreau and Richard Hein, the race
was marred by an extended pit stop after only 30 minutes of
racing to replace the electronic box which controls the power
steering. The #35 car rejoined the track 25 minutes later and
produced a fine comeback to finish seventh in class. Read
report
 Phil
Quaife was pleased with his pace in the Hungaroring 1000kms
at the weekend even though he and CRS Racing co-driver Pierre
Ehret didn’t get the result they deserved in their GT2 class
Ferrari F430. Quaife, Ehret and the team performed well
throughout the race and seemed destined for a good finish in the
six-hour Le Mans Series event until Ehret suffered contact with
an LMP2 prototype and was forced to pit with a holed radiator.
Although the team did a sterling job in making repairs, 40
minutes was lost and they had to settle for 12th place at the
chequered flag. Read report
 ALMS:
David Brabham is poised to celebrate his 100th American Le Mans
Series race
by aiming for victory in the Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport as
the 2010 title fight heads to Canada and the penultimate round
of the season. Mosport holds happy memories for the Brabham
family. Not only has David celebrated back-to-back class wins at
the track in the previous two years, with LMP2 victory in 2008
and the outright LMP1 win last year, it’s also where his triple
Formula One World Champion father, Sir Jack, won the first
Canadian Grand Prix in 1967. “It’s pretty cool to get to 100
races,” said Brabham. “I’ve been a part of the Series since the
beginning and I’ve done the majority of races in its history.
I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of great teams and
a lot of great teammates across the years.I’ve enjoyed some
fantastic on-track battles and off-track companionships. That’s
what makes this Series unique. Racing my 100th event with Patrón
Highcroft Racing, with who I took my first title last year,
makes this occasion even more significant. It’s a special time
in my career.Celebrating this milestone at Mosport, where Dad
took the first Canadian GP victory over 40 years ago, means a
lot as well. There’s definitely a family connection with this
circuit and the Canadians are always a wonderful crowd.” Heading
into the Series’ only Canadian round, Brabham and teammate Simon
Pagenaud hold a 20-point advantage in the LMP title fight after
the Patrón Highcroft duo scored their seventh podium finish in
as many rounds with third overall last weekend at Road America.
Brabham will be hoping to celebrate his centenary in style with
a return to the top of the podium in Canada.“Like at the
previous round at Elkhart Lake, we have an impressive record at
Mosport International Raceway,” continued Brabham. “Obviously,
it being my 100th American Le Mans Series race, it would be nice
to mark the occasion with another win and a hat-trick of
victories for that circuit.Mosport is the fastest track in terms
of average speed, so once again developing a race setup with our
new aero package will be key. We have the important chance to
test on Wednesday, which is something we haven’t been able to do
all season. We’ll be using that valuable track time to help us
understand and make the most of our package.”
 Robertson
Racing’s Ford GT once again showed its potential
at the weekend in the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at
Road America, round 7 of the American Le Mans Series presented
by Tequila Patron. The Georgia-based team’s car ran as high as
second in the hands of David Murry in the early stages of the
race and for long periods showed the pace to match the likes of
the works Corvettes and BMWs and factory-assisted Porsches and
Ferraris in the highly-competitive GT category.
Read report
DTM:
Gary Paffett driving the Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class, won
the 2010 DTM's sixth round at Zandvoort. After 42 laps he
came home 0.396sec ahead of Paul Di Resta. Overall leader Bruno
Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) finished seventh. It
was Mercedes-Benz fifth victory from six races this season.
Read report
 David
Coulthard gave his fellow BBC presenter Jake Humphrey
an introduction to Brands Hatch on Monday when he treated the TV
anchorman to a flying lap of the Indy circuit in his DTM car.
After hanging up his helmet at the end of his F1 career in 2008,
Coulthard decided to return to racing this season with Mercedes
in the DTM, and the Scotsman will be competing on home soil for
the first time in two years at Brands Hatch on 3-5 September.
However, 'DC' paid an early visit to Kent to introduce Humphrey
to the delights of the undulating Indy circuit in a special two
seater Mercedes, which the BBC F1 crew filmed for a feature that
will be aired over the weekend as part of their Belgian Grand
Prix coverage. David Coulthard said: "I haven't been to Brands
Hatch since 1991, when I won two races in Formula 3. It's
strange coming back here, especially in a DTM car. I never
imagined at that stage in my career all those years ago that I'd
be racing at Brands Hatch in a touring car! Some circuits you
have to drive with your fingertips and be super smooth, but with
Brands Hatch you can really attack the corners. It's a short lap
and at Paddock Hill Bend you can't quite see the apex. It’s a
natural amphitheatre and there's a lot of history in the racing;
being here takes you back to the days of Jim Clark and Jackie
Stewart." The flying lap certainly left a lasting impression on
Coulthard's willing passenger Jake Humphrey: "David was
brilliant, it's always a pleasure to be driven round by him and
it gives you a newfound respect for what he does. If you've got
a spare weekend on 5 September, come down to Brands Hatch and
watch the DTM boys racing. The circuit is tight and I think
there will be good bumper-to-bumper racing!" Tickets for the
DTM German Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on 3/4/5
September are now on sale from £25 for adults, with free entry
for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0870
950 9000 or visit
www.brandshatch.co.uk.
 Ginetta
Jnrs: Tom Ingram celebrated
his 17th birthday in style at Silverstone in the
latest rounds of the Ginetta Junior Championship. He not only
claimed 2 wins, 2 poles and 2 tastest laps but came away with a
17 point lead in the championship as well.
Read report
Hathersage-based Ginetta Junior Championship team Hillspeed celebrated its
second and third race wins of the 2010 season at Silverstone
over the weekend thanks to Tom Ingram. For his rookie team-mate
Seb Morris, the weekend’s racing provided an opportunity to
again confirm his burgeoning pace, although unfortunate
incidents in each race prevented him from securing two strong
top 10 finishes, the Marford 14-year-old nonetheless impressed
his peers yet again. Read report
 BTCC:
Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole won all three of Sunday’s
Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at
Silverstone to make it a clean sweep for their Team Aon squad.
Chilton won the first two races before Onslow-Cole took victory
in the third - a result that has enabled him to slash the gap to
championship leader Jason Plato to just 14 points as the BTCC
title race moves to Knockhill in Fife for its next round on
Sunday 5 September. Onslow-Cole led races one and two but in
each was overtaken by Chilton before the chequered flag. In race
one their Ford Focuses, powered by LPG turbo engines, crossed
the line first and second ahead of Plato's Silverline Chevrolet
Cruze. But in race two WSR BMW driver Robert Collard was able to
split them as he muscled past Onslow-Cole on the final lap to
take second place. Plato finished this race in fourth. In race
three, Paul O'Neill led away from the reversed grid's pole but
was eventually overhauled by Onslow-Cole who drew clear for a
comfortable win. O'Neill was second in his Honda Integra, run by
the small Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport team.
Airwaves BMW driver Mat Jackson crossed the line in third.
Behind Plato could only manage ninth after a tangle with old
rival, the Honda Racing Team's Matt Neal,which sent him into a
spin at the first corner. Having gone into the day 20 points
clear of Neal, Plato leaves Silverstone still on top of the
table but by a much reduced margin over new nearest challenger
Onslow-Cole. Neal, who took eighth, fifth and fourth places in
his Honda Civic, is third in the standings, a further nine
points adrift. Onslow-Cole, who also set the fastest lap in all
three races - one of them a new lap record - said: "To make so
much ground in one day on Jason and Matt is amazing and to be up
to second and to be not so far off the lead in second feels
fantastic. Snetterton two weeks ago seemed to suit the
Chevrolet, here it was the turn of our car so it could be Matt's
turn at Knockhill where everybody expects the Civic to be
strong. With just three rounds to go things are bound to start
getting tense so it will be really important to take as many
points as possible and keep up the pressure." Meanwhile,
Arena/Ford has moved past Honda/Dynamics into the lead of the
Manufacturers/Constructors Championship. It has closed in on the
Honda Racing Team at the top of the HiQ Teams' standings as
well, the gap between them now down to just five points. Onslow-Cole's
Silverstone results have hoisted him back into the lead of the
Independent Drivers' title race. Team Aon has also taken over
the lead of the Independent Teams' table from Airwaves BMW.
pic Dennis Goodwin
 Silverline
Chevrolet’s Alex MacDowall produced three excellent race drives
during the latest outing for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car
Championship over the weekend, 21st/22nd August – the Carlisle
teenager coming within just 0.1 seconds of his second podium of
the year in round 19. read
report
 Formula
Renault: Tom Blomqvist added
his name to the 2010 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship
title contenders this weekend after two superb wins during
rounds 13 and 14 at Silverstone National circuit on 21st/22nd
August. The 16-year-old Fortec Motorsport driver soaked up
immense pressure in Sunday’s round 13, easily the best race of
the season to date, to secure his first victory since becoming
the youngest winner of a Formula Renault UK race at the age of
15 during last year’s Winter Cup. A few hours later he did it
again with a lights-to-flag victory in round 14. Atech GP
drivers Nick Yelloly, racing on his home circuit, and Hungarian
Tama’s Pa’l Kiss finished second and third respectively in round
13 while Manor Competition front-runners Lewis Williamson and
Ollie Millroy joined Blomqvist on the podium in round 14. The
weekend, which marked only the series’ second triple-header,
ended with just 20-points separating the top four drivers as the
championship heads to Knockhill in a fortnight for the first
time in four years. Read
report
Lewis Williamson produced a tremendous performance at Silverstone
National Circuit over the weekend, 21st/22nd August, to claim
his third win of the year – Manor Competition’s sixth – with an
impeccable drive during the rescheduled fifth round of the
season.With three races packed into the weekend at the 1.64-mile
Northamptonshire track due to the abandonment of round five
earlier in the season because of atrocious weather, the
Silverstone event was certainly busy but the New Ollerton team
made the most of it with additional podium finishes for Ollie
Millroy, Will Stevens and Williamson again.
Read report
 Atech
Grand Prix clinched second and third places in round 13 of the 2010
Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship at Silverstone on
Sunday and maintains its lead in the series. Briton Nick Yelloly
took a second podium of the year with the runner-up spot just
ahead of series leader Tamas Kiss while Marlon Stockinger
underlined his improving pace with a superb pole position, which
was later converted to fifth. Read
report
Team Firstair returned to the front of the Formula Renault UK
pack at Silverstone this weekend when Luciano Bacheta
qualified on the front row. The British racer, who is a
contender for the Formula Renault Eurocup title this year,
joined Firstair for a one-off outing in the UK series with the
team at Silverstone. Race-winning Team Firstair returned to
Formula Renault this year after a four-year absence, and this
was the team’s best showing yet of its comeback. read
report
Thomas Hylkema has climbed to within just five points of the
top 10 in the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship after
an impressively strong series of race drives during the
triple-header event at Silverstone National Circuit over the
weekend, 21st/22nd August.
read report
 Clio
Cup: Double Clio Cup champion Paul
Rivett returned to his winning ways during rounds 13 and 14
of the ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin series at Silverstone
National circuit on 21st/22nd August to give BlueSquare Data/Stancombe
Vehicle Engineering their first victory of the season. The
31-year-old 2002 and 2004 champion secured the honours in
Saturday’s round 13 followed by an equally impressive
performance during Sunday’s round 14 with second place. The ever
dominate Dave Newsham, driving for Team Pyro, once again was
impeccable with a second place together with a lights-to-flag
win and becoming the first pole-sitter at the 1.64-mile circuit
to win a race since 2006. A 62-point haul for Newsham now means
the 43-year-old could theoretically secure the championship
title at his home circuit of Knockhill in two weeks time. The
remainder of the podium spots were picked up by Total Control
Racing’s Mike Robinson with third in the weekend’s first race
while Westbourne Motorsport’s James Colburn took the final
podium spot in round 14. Newsham and Colburn took the NGK
Masters Cup and Graduate Cup class wins respectively. Despite a
frustrating weekend for Total Control Racing’s Sam Tordoff the
21-year took much delight in being named as a BRDC Rising Star.
pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read report
 Total
Control Racing’s
three-car attack in the ELF Renault Clio Cup was led by
round 13 podium finisher Mike Robinson. Starting the race on the
front row alongside championship leader Dave Newsham, Robinson
wasn’t able to get away from the line cleanly and slipped to
fifth. Battling back to fourth, he pressured third placed James
Colburn for the majority of the race before slipping back to
fifth at the flag. The team’s Ginetta G50 Cup contender Carl
Breeze, increased his lead in the 2010 Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup
after fighting his way back through the order brilliantly
following an early race incident involving chief rival Frank
Wrathall.pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read report
 Super
GT: Following the major disappointment
in Sugo last month when the Motul-Autech team lost a
guaranteed victory due to some debris flicking on the kill
switch on the outside of the car, Benoît Tréluyer took his
revenge on lady luck in Suzuka by coming home in second. And he
did it with no regrets! Qualifying went quite well for the #23
Nissan GT-R, even though it just missed out on pole position.
Read report
IndyCar:
Will Power felt like Infineon Raceway owed him one after he suffered
season-ending injuries in an accident at the track last year.
He capped a picture perfect return to the track by becoming the
sixth different winner at Infineon Raceway in as many IZOD
IndyCar Series races on the 2.303-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain
course. Power held Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing by
0.7432 of a second in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Power, the
pole sitter in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, increased his
series championship points lead over third-place finisher Dario
Franchitti to 59 with four oval races remaining in the season.
Power was also officially crowned the first Mario Andretti Road
Champion by the award's namesake, racing legend Mario Andretti,
in Victory Lane after the event. Franchitti finished third, with
Team Penske teammates Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves next
across the line. Justin Wilson was sixth and Tony Kanaan
finished seventh. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal and Alex Lloyd
(season-best road/street finish) completed the top 10.
Indy Lights:
J.K. Vernay recorded his fifth victory of the season (all on road/street
courses) to increase his Firestone Indy Lights Championship
points lead to 71. Vernay, the pole sitter in the No. 7 Lucas
Oil/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, held off Charlie Kimball in
the No. 26 Levemir FlexPen car for AFS Racing Andretti Autosport
over the final 10 laps to win the Carneros 100 by 3.4245
seconds. James Hinchcliffe finished third in the No. 2
TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car. The final three races of the
season are on 1.5-mile ovals.
23-08-10
ALMS: David Brabham’s
efforts
at Road America delivered yet another podium finish for
Patrón Highcroft Racing, cementing his 20-point American Le Mans
Series lead with just two rounds of the 2010 season remaining.
Brabham, teamed with Simon Pagenaud used good driving combined
with clever team strategy to turn fifth on the grid to third
overall. Read
report
 Ginetta
G50 Cup:
Round 19 of the 2010 Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup at Silverstone
yesterday provided another twist in the battle for the title
betwen Carl Breeze and Frank Wrathall when they made contact
with one another on lap two, which resulted in Wrathall’s
retirement. The incident also led to a spin for Breeze although
he did recover into the top six. This left Century Motorsport’s
Benji Hetherington with a golden opportunity to challenge for
his maiden Ginetta G50 Cup victory which he wrapped up almost
two seconds ahead of Phil Broad. pic Dennis Goodwin
Read report
 Ginetta
Jnrs:
Silverstone was a very happy hunting ground for Tom Ingram
on Sunday, 22nd August, as the 17-year-old Hillspeed driver
eased to his third win of 2010 – a dominant victory in an
otherwise action-packed, incident filled encounter. While Ingram
was able to drive his own race, untroubled at the front, the
remainder of the action was fraught with a lot of robust contact
and several drivers coming to grief – most notably former
championship leader Jake Hill who was forced to retire on lap
four with a damaged G40. Fellow title challenger Louise
Richardson also had her own problems to contend with, two
separate incidents requiring her to stage a recovery twice in
order to retrieve perhaps her hardest fought podium of the
season.pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read report
Team Parker Racing’s Adam Bonham
upheld the squad’s fortunes in fine style with a superb second
place – his best result yet – in the latest Ginetta Junior
Championship round at Silverstone. The Leicestershire racer kept
calm as incidents all around him delayed his opposition, and he
methodically picked his way through from ninth on the grid with
a fine display of racecraft.
Read report
 Porsche
Carrera Cup GB
Championship competitor Ahmad Al Harthy made a welcome
return tothe podium at Silverstone National Circuit on Sunday,
22nd August, thanks to an outstanding drive through to third in
the Pro-Am 1 Class during the 14th round of the season.Jakob Ebrey photography.
Read report
Team Parker Racing’s Stephen Jelley continued his strong
progress
in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB with a pair of third positions in
the latest round at Silverstone, and the results have helped the
Leicester man gain a narrow advantage over team-mates Euan
Hankey and Glynn Geddie in their battle for third in the
championship. Aberdeen racer Geddie also put in strong battling
performances, with a fifth and a sixth place, while Team Parker
Racing’s leading contender in the pro-am1 class, Irishman
Michael Leonard, secured his first pro-am1 podium finish of the
2010 season in only his fifth race of the yearpic
pic:
Read
report
 Archie
Hamilton made great progress over a difficult weekend,
ending up in the top six in class. Practice and qualifying
didn’t see the results that Archie is capable of and after
extensive investigations on Saturday evening a split was found
in the car’s floor which had been affecting the handling and
set-up. After repairs were made the car was back on the pace and
Archie did his best to recover.Race one gave Archie the
confidence back that he’d lost in his car’s ability and in a
race with plenty of spins and contact Archie emerged a class
position higher than he started. In the second race Archie had a
great opening lap, passing four cars with his determination to
show that he was back on track. With hot ProAm1 competition
there were plenty of rivals that weren’t going to hand over
valuable points and Archie pushed to no avail to make further
progress through the pack of six ProAm1 runners.Archie
Hamilton:“I can’t say I’m pleased with the weekend but at least
I showed again that I have the pace. Finding the problem with
the car was a relief but frustrating because by then I was
facing an uphill struggle. It’s hard not being on the podium
because that’s where I feel I belong.”
 Formula
3:
Alexander Sims fought hard to retain his top three placing in
the Formula 3 Euroseries
standings at Zandvoort over the weekend, 21st/22nd August – an
event which left the British racer and his ART Grand Prix team
mystified by an unexpected lack of front-running pace. Having
finished runner-up in the RTL GP Masters of F3 at the
4.3-kilometre Dutch track in early June, the 22-year-old held
high hopes of a podium push during the 11th and 12th rounds of
the season but in the end he had to be satisfied with fourth and
fifth place finishes.pic:
Jeroen Vermeeren/Insight F1 Motorsport Report
Read
report
22-08-10
 Porsche
Carrera Cup GB: Michael Caine made it a
perfect weekend by winning round 14 of the Porsche Carrera Cup
GB at Silverstone today. Caine had to fight ahead of Tim
Harvey to make sure of victory, but a hard-earned second place
keeps Harvey at the head of the title race with six races to
run. Jonas Gelzinis won pro-am1 despite big pressure from Ollie
Jackson, while Glenn McMenamin completed a tremendous day by
winning pro-am2 for the second time. Harvey made a great start
from pole and went clear on the opening lap as Caine
fended off Stephen Jelley to take second. But it was soon clear
that Caine had exceptional pace as he closed in on Harvey and
they ran nose-to-tail until lap nine when Caine saw his chance
at Luffield and squeezed through into the lead. Earlier
in the day Caine scored an emphatic victory in round 13 after
dominating the race while Tim Harvey's second place was his
100th Carrera Cup GB podium.Ollie Jackson claimed the pro-am1
class victory and Glenn McMenamin pro-am2.
read report
Star Mazda:
David Ostella drove his Global Precast car to seventh
place yesterday at Road America in round 11 of the Star
Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. The seventh-place
finish brought important points as David clings to tenth in the
Drivers Standings and AIM hangs on the fifth in the Team
Standings. read report
F2000:
Daniel Erickson’s double victory in the American F2000
Championship
Series rounds at Watkins Glen earlier this month propelled him
from 174th to 141st in eFormulaCarNews.com's July rankings. Four
more excellent performances catapulted the young Sydney driver
to 60th in the 'development' openwheel website's latest
estimation, released in mid-August. That performance was good
enough for eFormulaCarNews.com to name him the ‘Hard Charger’ of
the month. Announcing Erickson’s award, the website's Allan
Craighead commented, “The F2000 Championship Series rookie is
now ranked 60th with 7896 points, despite only having eight
races to draw from. “Driving for Primus Racing/Quantum
Mechanics, Erickson continued his strong rookie campaign
recently with a runner-up in race two of the Lime Rock Park
doubleheader (1008 pts) and second place runs in both races at
Road America (1001 pts each).”
 LIMPS:
Frenchman Jean-Christophe Boullion in the Lola-Rebellion #13
just missed pole position by 0.4secs but will still start from
the first row of the grid with a time of 1'32''888, the quickest
LMP1 car in the field. Neel Jani with the Lola-Rebellion #12
set the third fastest time of the qualifying session of the 1000
km of Hungaroring with a time of 1'32''924 only 0.36 tenth
behind the Lola-Rebellion #13. The two Rebellion racing cars are
the fastest LMP1 cars on the grid with the Peugeot HDI Oreca
starting from fourth. The overall pole sitter is Danny Watts in
the Honda-HPD LMP2. Bart Hayden REBELLION Racing team manager :
“We have both cars in front of the Peugeot HDI on the grid, that
rewards the team and the drivers for their hard work since the
beginning of the season. We are learning and making progress at
each outing with the Lola-Rebellion. This qualifying performance
is also a great boost for our partners and our fans. We are now
looking forward to the race with high expectations.”
ALMS:
David Brabham secured a third-row starting position
for round seven at Road America, highlighting the straight-line
speed disadvantage challenging the Patrón Highcroft crew in the
newly combined LMP class battle. Tackling the longest track on
the American Le Mans Series calendar, where 75% of the
4.048-mile lap is spent on full throttle, Brabham and teammate
Simon Pagenaud once again face an upward struggle against the
more powerful LMP1 prototypes. It was evident from the opening
sessions on Friday that the Highcroft LMP2 HPD machine could not
challenge the straight line prowess of Mid-Ohio victors Dyson
Racing, the Drayson Racing Lola-Judd or Johnny Mowlem in the
Autocon Lola. Closest championship rival Klaus Graf also returns
to action at Road America in the Porsche Spyder, which is still
armed with a 25kg weight reduction. Moving to the low downforce
Le Mans bodywork in a bid to improve its straight-line speed at
Elkhart Lake, the Highcroft crew’s development bore dividend in
each on-track session. Brabham’s all-out efforts during the
20-minute qualifying session saw a successive stream of
improved lap times. However, his eventual fastest time of
1:52.148 fell 2.5 seconds short of the Drayson Racing pole time,
securing fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race. Heading into the
crucial back-to-back rounds of Road America, followed by Mosport
next weekend, Brabham leads the LMP title fight by 23 points.
Brabham commented: “The car wasn’t very strong yesterday and we
had some concerns, but the team gave me a fantastic car today.
We got some great pointers from the first session and with the
changes we made leading up to qualifying we have made some
improvements. From a race setup perspective I am a lot
happier.This track really highlights the issues we’ve been
suffering all season. We feel that we aren’t getting the rule
breaks at the moment and it’s a little bit frustrating.But we
will put that behind us and focus on collecting as many points
as possible in tomorrow’s race where we need to execute the
perfect strategy to even have a chance of getting on the
podium.”
 Formula
Renault:
Lewis Williamson from Golspie in the Scottish Highlands took the
honours in the re-run round five of the 2010 Michelin Formula
Renault UK Championship at Silverstone National circuit on
Saturday. The race, originally due to be run at Brands Hatch GP
circuit before severe rain forced it’s postponement,saw the
Manor Competition title challenger win from pole position.
Team-mate Will Stevens secured second place with CRS Racing’s
Harry Tincknell rounding off the podium. A career best sixth
place for Fortec Motorsport’s Alex Lynn was enough for him to
take the Graduate Cup class win in the re-run round five which
marked the beginning of only the series’ second triple-header in
its 21-year history. pic
Jakob Ebrey Phototaphy
Read
report
 Michelin
Ginetta G50 Cup:
Frank
Wrathall produced a great drive in Round 18 of the Michelin
Ginetta G50 Cup at Silverstone National Circuit on Saturday to
take an important victory ahead of title rival Carl Breeze. The
win closes the gap on Carl Breeze’s championship lead to just 10
points,pic
Jakob Ebrey Phototaphy
Read
report
Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup title contender Carl Breeze
held on to his championship lead at Silverstone on Saturday,
21st August, with a fine second place finish during the 18th
round of the 2010 season. Meanwhile his TCR. Following on from
an ELF Renault Clio Cup victory for Sam Tordoff at Snetterton a
fortnight ago, the team’s first of the season, and a double
podium for category rookie James Dixon in East Anglia too,
Silverstone saw a welcome return to the podium for Mike
Robinson – his third of 2010. Read
report
 Ginetta
Jnr:
Hillspeed’s Tom Ingram made a timely return to the top step of
the Ginetta Junior Championship podium
at Silverstone this afternoon, Saturday, 21st August, with a
superb victory during the 13th round of the season – the result
also giving him a six point lead in the driver standings.Having
celebrated his 17th birthday during Friday’s official test day,
Ingram continued the party feeling in the Hillspeed camp with a
dominant performance in qualifying as he took pole position for
both of the weekend’s races by three quarters of a second.
pic Jakob Ebrey Phototaphy
Read report
 Star
Mazda:
Conor Daly, adding another victory making it six so far this
season in Round 11 of the 2010 Star Mazda Championship
presented by Goodyear at the Time Warner Cable Road Race
Showcase at Road America. Daly had dropped back to 3rd on the
opening laps after starting from pole before fighting his way
back into the lead by lap 5. He then survived a full-course
yellow in the closing laps that led to a one-lap shootout and
brought his #22 Juncos Racing / INDECK / The College Network /
Merchant Services Ltd. Mazda across the finish line 1.5 seconds
ahead of the Venezuelan Jorge Goncalvez who started 3rd on the
grid in the #9 Team Apex / Wabash Capital Investments Mazda.
Rounding out the top-3 with his first-ever Star Mazda
Championship podium finish was Californian Connor De Phillippi,
who qualified his #11 JDC Motorsports / MAZDASPEED Motorsports /
Skip Barber Mazda on the outside of the front row, also his
best-ever qualifying effort.
Read report
21-08-10
 Porsche
Carrera Cup GB:
For the second race weekend in a row, Michael Caine and Tim
Harvey
shared the pole positions for rounds 13 and 14 of the Porsche
Carrera Cup GB during qualifying at Silverstone today (Saturday
21 August).While Harvey (Red Line Racing) and Caine (Motorbase
Performance) each took an overall pole at the head of a superb
27-car field, Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) twice posted
a top five overall time to head pro-am1 for both races. In
pro-am2, Paul Mace (GT Marques) bagged an impressive double
pole. Although there was the threat of rain in the air as
qualifying started, the session remained dry. Most of the best
laps came early in the half-hour session, as the track seemed to
loose pace as the session went out. In a fabulously close field,
less than a second covered the first 14 cars on the grid for
round 13 with Caine clinching pole by 86-hundredthds of a second
from Harvey, with Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) an excellent
third fastest. In the line-up for round 14, based on second best
lap times, Harvey headed Caine by less than a tenth of a second
as Meadows again posted third fastest time. "It's a stalemate,"
said Caine of his on-going battle with Harvey. "The track lost
its edge through the session," he added after failing to match
his early pace when he went out later in the session on his
second set of tyres. "As soon as I went out on the second set of
tyres I knew the track was slower," confirmed Harvey. "It's the
same qualifying result as at Snetterton and if we get the same
race result I'll be happy," he added, after each driver took a
win and a second at the Norfolk track. "This weekend is a bit of
a worry for me as we're all on the same pace," said title leader
Harvey. Meadows continued his strong recent form with two third
places. "We were quick straightaway this weekend and it's great
to be mixing it with Tim and Michael," said the Carrera Cup
Scholarship driver. Fourth and fifth fastest for each race were
Jackson and Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing), with the
positions reversed for round 14. "That was pretty spectacular,"
said Jackson after a hugely impressive session. "It's always
good to be in the top five overall." Second in pro-am1 was Jonas
Gelzinis (Juta Racing), although a gaggle of pro category racers
separated the pro-am1 leaders. "I think I'll catch him in the
races," said Gelzinis. Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing) and
Michael Leonard (Team Parker Racing) each took a third place on
the pro-am1 grids. Mace clinched pro-am2 pole for both races by
a very small margin from Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing).
"That's very good; being fastest in pro-am2 is all I can do,"
said Mace of his poles after limited running in testing on
Friday. McMenamin was frustrated by traffic as he chased Mace's
time and was relieved to be second in pro-am2. Meanwhile, George
Richardson (Motorbase Performance) and George Brewster (Celtic
Speed) each took a third slot in the category.
 Star
Mazda:
Conor Daly, currently leading the Star Mazda Championship
presented by Goodyear points battle with five wins, captured his
8th pole of the season to start on the inside of the
front row for this afternoon's
Round 11 of the 2010 Star Mazda Championship presented by
Goodyear at the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at Road
America. On the 5th lap of the morning qualifying session, Daly
turned a lap of 2:05.615 (116.012 mph) in the #22 Juncos Racing
/ INDECK / The College Network / Merchant Services Ltd. Mazda.
Read more
As it was on Thursday during a pair of 'promoter test sessions,'
so it was on Friday… with a few differences. Anders 'The
Viking' Krohn, currently second in the championship battle, was
quick in a morning session with a 2:07.597 (114.210 mph) in the
#47 Andersen Racing / Norse Cutting & Abandonment / Trallfa /
Colosseum Mazda, but in the afternoon he slid down the order to
5th with a time of 2:07.326. The morning session was curtailed
by a damp fog that caused the field to be red-flagged after a
few laps and sit in the pits for 10 minutes before being allowed
back on track for a final 5-minute run. Conor Daly, currently
leading the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear was
just 0.249 sec. behind Krohn in the morning with a lap of
2:07.846 before he turned up the wick on his #22 Juncos Racing /
INDECK / The College Network / Merchant Services Ltd. Mazda in
the afternoon session and put in a flier – 2:05.767, more than
8/10ths of a second clear of the main surprise of the day. read
more
20-08-10
Star Mazda:
Conor Daly, currently leading the Star Mazda Championship
presented by Goodyear points battle with five wins and seven
poles, set the quickest time in Thursday's two practice
sessions leading up to this weekend's Round 11 of the Time
Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at Road America. Driving the
#22 Juncos Racing / INDECK / The College Network / Merchant
Services Ltd. Mazda, Daly improved his time by more than half a
second – from 2:06.612 (115.098 mph) to 2:06.101 (115.565 mph)
during the afternoon to top the timesheets. Anders Krohn set the
fastest timein the morning before slipping down ton ninth in
then afternoon. read
more
Karts:
The Formula Kart Stars championship moved into its second half
with a double-header round held at the spectacular Genk circuit
in Belgium last weekend (14/15 August). After reducing his
deficit to just three points in the title race, Jack Barlow was
eager to maintain the pressure on his fellow title-protagonists.In
Saturday’s qualifying session Jack recorded the fourth-fastest
time to secure second row starting positions for the two heats.
In the first race he initially dropped to 8th in a scrappy
start, but came back to finish 2nd at the chequered flag. After
being hit from behind he dropped to the back of the field but
staged a gritty fightback to cross the line in 10th position. “I
started the main final from 5th place and had to scrap my way up
the order. It was an enjoyable race, although I made a couple of
mistakes, which possibly cost me a crack at going for the win.
Still, 2nd place gave me more vital championship points and
keeps me very much in the overall hunt,” he said afterwards.
Sunday proved to be a tougher experience, with the Benelux
weather creating challenging conditions for the competitors. In
timed qualifying, Jack recorded the second-quickest lap and went
on to score a brace of 2nd-place finishes in the heats to
guarantee his third front row start of the weekend. “I went off
p2 and there was a lot of argy-bargy at the start,” he
explained. “I managed to hold my starting position and to take
the lead at one point. I was in a four kart battle for the front
and dropped to 4th. I pushed and pushed as hard as I could and
managed to get into 3rd but pushed a little too hard in the
later stages and ran wide in one corner. This allowed the driver
behind me through and I settled for 4th rather than risk any
more dramas.” He added, “Overall I’m pleased, because I’m a
rookie in the class and at this crucial stage of the season I’m
consistently running at, or near the front. All is still to play
for and I won’t give up.”
 This
weekend karting fans will be able to have their fill of some
excellent racing.
The annual Easykart double-header at Rowrah in Cumbria promises
a feast of excitement and could see titles won and lost.pic
Alex Roache
Read preview
George Russell retook the initiative in the Formula Kart Stars
championship by stamping his authority on the series’ annual
visit to the superb Genk circuit. The 12-year old Strawberry
Racing driver won all six of the races, covering rounds seven
and eight, to re-establish him as one of the title favourites
with just two events to go.
Read report
VW Racing Cup:
Championship leader Steve Chaplin heads the entry for Bank
Holiday Monday’s
(30 Aug) twin rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup with Fuchs
Lubricants at Snetterton. Chaplin, whose ‘Herbie’ Beetle is out
in front by a 60-point margin with six races remaining, has won
only once this season but has made five further podium visits in
addition. He may struggle at Snetterton to add to his victory
tally as the Norfolk track has not traditionally been a Beetle
circuit - Golfs, a Vento and a Bora have won every race there
since 2005. Didge Dziurzynski was one of the winners there last
year, and his Silverstone outings last weekend marked something
of a return to form after several off-the-pace races. Didge’s
West End Precision Golf was the round one victor at Oulton Park
in April. Golf GTI pilot Peter Felix has the momentum currently,
having added a Silverstone win to his second-round victory.
Aaron Mason is the other 2010 race winner in action next
weekend. One of Chaplin’s closest points challengers, Paul
Taylor, has both yet to win a race this season and Snetterton
might prove his best chance. Taylor and his four-wheel-drive
Golf R32 have won four times here over the last five seasons and
recent revisions to the car’s suspension have given the weighty
machine better late-race pace to match its outstanding prowess
off the startline. James Walker is another overdue a race win,
and his Golf and that of his brother, Daniel, will be in action,
fielded by KPM Racing alongside the championship’s youngest
competitor, 16-year-old Zoe Wenham, in her Polo. The diversity
of the Volkswagen Racing Cup field is the key to its popularity,
and there are Snetterton entries also for the redoubtable RAC-liveried
Caddy van racer of Simon Elliott, the SEAT Leon of SEAT UK boss
Peter Wyhinny, Michael McInerney’s Jetta, the Sciroccos of Mike
Kurton and Kieran Griffin, and the Beetle of Tony Harberman.
Both Griffin and Harberman are hoping to return to the
championship next weekend after breaking bones while taking part
in other sports. Golf GTIs are well represented, of course,
with Phil Morris, Simon Andrews, Tim Snaylam and Martyn Walsh
all bidding for success. After the success of achieving a 28-car
field at Silverstone, grid numbers have taken a knock due to the
Bank Holiday clash; championship promoter RacingLine expects 19
cars to take part.
 James
‘The Machine’ Wade, the world number three darts player,
swapped his flights for spanners last weekend to be a guest
mechanic working on the RAC Caddy Racer at Silverstone.As an
ex-mechanic, James still loves getting his head under the bonnet
and rebuilding engines, so he was delighted to be given the
opportunity to work on the high performance Caddy van in the
exciting atmosphere of a race day. The Caddy van, with a bright
orange livery from its sponsor, the RAC, has a 2.0-litre TDI
engine which has been upgraded to deliver over 270 PS, and
equipped to full racing specification with roll-cage and
stripped interior. Its driver, Simon Elliott, who is also
Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: “It was great
to have James as part of the team. The mechanics are all so
passionate about keeping the Caddy running at its best; James
fitted in perfectly as he’s used to working under pressure and
delivering a great result.” Commenting on his time in the pits,
James Wade said: “I’m very grateful to Volkswagen Commercial
Vehicles for giving me this opportunity. I couldn’t resist the
chance to work on the Caddy, and really enjoyed the experience.”
Fund-raising by Silverstone instructor and Polo GTI racer Doug
Ross
last weekend brought in £800 to help towards treatment for
six-year-old cancer sufferer Adam Bird through his
www.adamsappeal.org campaign. “That was just from tin-shaking,”
said Doug, “and I would like to say most of that came from the
VW paddock. We are sure the figure will go up a bit more as
there are quite a few people who have said they will be doing
something of their own to help raise money.”
 Formula
Ford:
Norfolk team Fluid Motorsport, the works Van Diemen squad,
is hoping to serve up a triple-strength attack at its home
circuit of Snetterton on Bank Holiday Monday (30 Aug) in the
latest rounds of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of
Great Britain. For not only should the team have its Flying Finn
Jesse Anttila on board for the Snetterton rounds but it also
hopes to field cars for promising South African 16-year-old
Ernie van der Walt, as well as another for a race-winning
driver. pic
Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read
more
 Renault
Sport is to increase its 2010 Michelin Formula
Renault UK Winter Series
from four to six rounds to aid prospective drivers in securing
the necessary licence to step-up to its National UK
championship.Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit will provide the venue
for the opening two rounds of the one-make series on Saturday,
6th November. This will then be followed by two double-headers
at Pembrey circuit on Saturday, 13th and Sunday, 14th November
to complete the remaining rounds. The race format will see one
combined qualifying session followed by two races on each day.
Two semi exclusive test days, together with general testing in 4
x 40 minute sessions on the Friday beforehand, will also be
provided by the two circuits to help teams and drivers in
preparation for the single-seater series.Commenting on the
announcement, Championship Promoter Simon North said: “We’re
very excited about our plans for this year’s Winter Series and
to be able to announce the dates to teams and drivers. It’s
hoped that by increasing the number of rounds it will help new
drivers to collect the six signatures they need in order to
upgrade their licence from a National B to National A as
required to make the step-up into the UK series and on to the
TOCA package.” He added: “Whilst Renault Sport UK is not holding
a Winter Cup for Clio competitors, there will be open saloon-car
challenge races at Pembrey circuit on the 13th and 14th November
which prospective 2011 Clio Cup drivers can take part in to try
the one-make car in preparation for next season.” The news comes
following Renault’s announcement to renew its three-year rolling
agreement to remain on the British Touring Car Championship
support race package until at least 2013. Last year’s Formula
Renault Winter Series saw CRS Racing’s Harry Tincknell (Exeter)
lift the title as well as Fortec Motorsport’s Tom Blomqvist
(Saffron Walden), son of rally legend Stig, become the youngest
ever Formula Renault UK race winner at the age of just 15.
19-08-10
 Karts:
The 2010 Formula Kart Stars were in action at the weekend on the at 1350-metre Genk
circuit in Belgium for rounds seven and eight. Saturday’s round
seven witnessed the best race of the year in the MSA British
Cadet final as Tom Harvey regained the championship lead with a
last lap pass on Max Vaughan. Read
report
 Milton
Keynes-based Samuel Oram-Jones
made most of new kart in the MiniMax Class to get back on track
in rounds seven and eight of the Lewis Hamilton and Bernie
Ecclestone Formula One Management-backed Formula Kart Stars (FKS)
series at Genk.
read report
18-08-10
Star Mazda:
After negotiating the confines of the Trois-Rivières circuit
last weekend, the teams and drivers of the 20th anniversary
Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear head for the
wide-open spaces of the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at
one of North America's premier natural-terrain road-racing
facilities, Road America. Trois-Rivières produced a surprise
result, with Alex Ardoin from Loisiana winning just as he did
in 2009. Ardoin was back for a one-off driver in the #51 Team
GDT / General Data Tech / Oral and Facial Surgery Center Mazda.
As a guest driver he wasn’t eligible forChampionship points so
the 1st-place points went to the 2nd-place finisher, Venezuelan
Jorge Goncalvez in the #9 Team Apex / Wabash Capital Investments
Mazda. Conor Daly, who started from the pole in the #22 Juncos
Racing / INDECK / The College Network / Merchant Services Ltd.
Mazda and finished 3rd on the road, picked up the points for
second and so increased his lead in the title race.
Read preview.
 LMS:
For the first time in Le Mans Series history Hungary will host a
round of the endurance championship on Sunday 22nd August.
The 1000 km of Budapest. After a second podium in the LMS at the
1000 km of Algarve last month, Rebellion Racing now heads to
Hungary with high expectations. Currently second in the teams
classification, battling for the title with the leading Audi-Joest
#7 and third placed Peugeot-Oreca #4, just five points cover
the three teams. With only two races remaining in the 2010 LMS,
Rebellion Racing is aiming to score the maximum points possible.
The Swiss team’s main goal is to win the Championship and
winning races, but the opposition of factory diesel cars are not
making the task easy, so in Hungary, Rebellion will try to get
both cars onto the podium. The team was close to doing that in
the Algarve, Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost finished second with
the #12 car, but contact in traffic for the #13 Lola whilst in
third position spoilt Andrea Belicchi’s and Jean-Christophe
Boullion’s efforts, they finished fourth in LMP1. The
Hungaroring is a challenging circuit, very demanding on set-up.
The low speed, tight and twisty nature of the track stresses the
suspension and engine in a similar way to the Algarve circuit.
It is also quite bumpy and is comprised of 14 mainly low to
medium speed corners with the start-finish straight just 700m
long. The drivers will need good traction and good torque from
their engines to secure a competitive lap time. Rebellion Racing
Team Manager Bart Hayden: "The Hungaroring is a track where we
expect to continue our strong recent progress. Following our
second podium of the season in the Algarve we are very much
looking forward to seeing how our cars will perform on a new
track for the Le Mans Series.Since last month's race in
Portugal, the team has been very focused on further improving
the cars. I know that both driver pairings and their crews are
very motivated right now, so we look forward to another weekend
of solid results."
 Porsche
Carrera Cup GB:
The hugely successful Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship
Programme
will be run for the third time in 2011, giving two ambitious
young drivers a £50,000 cash injection into their racing budget
for the Carrera Cup GB. The stunning new 911GT3 Cup car will be
introduced for 2011 and interest in the championship is already
running at record levels.
Read more
Tim Bridgman says that going to Spa and Monza for the final
two Porsche Mobil1 Supercup races of the season will allow
him to finish the season with some strong results on circuits
that he already knows. Bridgman and Team Parker Racing have
worked wonders this season on a very tight budget to compete in
the Supercup, but a complete lack of testing has given them a
mountain to climb at each race weekend. Their only test day of
the season was when they shook the car down at Hockenheim ahead
of the opening races in Bahrain in March.
Now, the season wraps up at two tracks that Tim knows from his
single-seater career and the reigning Porsche Carrera Cup GB
champion is aiming to put that prior knowledge to good effect.
The season concludes with races at Spa (29 August) and Monza (12
September). "I know both tracks from Formula 3," said Bridgman.
"We've done a good job with the budget we’ve got," said Bridgman
of his season to date, when he has consistently run at top 10
pace. "But it is very difficult to learn the track in 40 minutes
of free practice. You really only get about 10 laps to learn the
track and set the car up." With no testing budget, Bridgman has
been competing with drivers who are testing regularly, but he
says he is pleased with what they have achieved. "We’ve done a
good job through the race weekends and I'm happy with the
progress we’re making. I just want it to come faster."Already,
both Bridgman and team boss Stuart Parker are planning towards
2011. "We're working hard to get everything in place for next
season. We want to capitalise on what we’ve learnt this season,"
said Bridgman. "To get onto the podium and win races we need
that testing and we're looking for a title sponsor to help make
that happen."
 BTCC:
Milton Keynes based, fan-funded race team YourRacingCar.com will contest the latest
rounds of the Dunlop MSA BTCC at Silverstone this weekend (21/22
August). YourRacingCar was initially conceived on the back of a
beer mat,the main idea being to allow fans to have a greater
involvement in motorsport, with those who sign up as YRC members
benefitting from a raft of offers while also getting their
picture on the team’s race car. The team has spent the last
couple of years in the Ginetta G50 Championship and Renault Clio
Cup. In order to give those fans greater exposure - and as part
of long-term plans to move into the BTCC in 2011 - YourRacingCar
has enlisted the support of Northampton based company Talent
Works International. Speaking about the move Hannah James, YRC
Team Principal said “We’re a tiny little outfit and moving to
the BTCC is a huge deal of everyone involved. We needed help to
make it happen and Neil Purcell, Talent Works International MD]
has been incredibly supportive. For Talent Works International
to put such faith in us has been amazing really and we’re a
really good fit “, said Hannah. Speaking of their involvement
Neil Purcell said “It's a big commitment to invest in
sponsorship of any kind and we're thrilled to be making our own
debut in motor racing at Silverstone with YourRacingCar.com.
They've shown a staggering amount of determination to get here
and we're really pleased to be able to help make their dream a
reality. We're really looking forward to the weekend, no doubt
meeting some of the YRC fans and hopefully celebrating a podium
finish with them!” The team’s BTCC driver Phil Glew is the
reigning Renault Clio Cup Champion and even with touring car
experience under his belt, he’s managing his own expectations
about the weekend “As a racing driver, I always go out on track
to win, but it’s important for us not to be unrealistic in our
aims with what is an unproven package. Our main aim for the
weekend is obviously to get the highest placed finish we can but
also to get good publicity for everyone – fans and sponsors
alike – who are involved in the programme.” Fans who wish
to sign up to support YourRacingCar can do so by visiting
www.yourracingcar.com
 FIA
GT1:
The HEXIS AMR team is using the summer break to review it’s
first half season at the top level and to prepare for the
second part. It has beefed up its driver line-up for the last
five events in the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship by recruiting
Yann Clairay, who will share the wheel of the no. 9 Aston Martin
DBR9 with Frédéric Makowiecki. 26-year-old Clairay raced in
single-seaters before swapping to endurance and GT with some
success. In 2004, he was runner-up in the French Formula Renault
Championship and the following year he came third in the Eurocup.
Yann’s first taste of Endurance racing goes back to 2003 when at
the wheel of a Chrysler Viper he was on the GT podium and 6th
overall in his maiden Spa 24-Hours race. Last year, he won the
Le Mans Series crown just as HEXIS was celebrating their FIA
European GT3 title. Yann is currently competing in the French
Clio R3 Trophy, and will be at the start of the French round of
the World Rally Championship in October. “When I raced in
single-seaters, I had a single dream – to do the Le Mans 24
Hours in an Aston Martin. I love its sound, its lines, its
cabin. Where the HEXIS AMR team is concerned, all I can say is
thank you. We talked last winter and we stayed in contact. As
soon as an opportunity arose, they thought of me. I’ll do
everything I can to pay them back for their confidence!” Read
Q and A with Team manager, Philippe Dumas
Dunlop Sports Maxx: He may have been a
late stand in but Chris Ward soon made his presence felt
with the RJN Nissan 370Z and came away as a triple winner. His
win in Race one was by default however after the first man
across the line Adrian Churchill, was penalised for an incident
with Ryan Bensley and second placed Gary Duckman picked up a
penalty for overtaking before the green flag This handed the win
to Ward who had been quietly minding his own business in third.
Read report
A.jpg) Karts:
Tom Harvey had vowed to bring home the winner’s trophy prior to heading
cross-Channel to Genk in Belgium for the latest meeting in the
Formula Kart Stars (FKS).
Tom set off on his European adventure – only the second time he
had ever competed at Genk – with his tail up off the back of
having extended his lead in the title standings in fellow
national series Super 1, and bidding to similarly reclaim the
advantage in FKS.
Pic: Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net
.read report
Ash Hand also travelled to Genk for the seventh and eighth
rounds of the 2010 Formula Kart Stars (FKS)
Championship bidding to re-assert his authority in the chase for
the crown – and despite the unpredictable weather doing its best
to make life difficult for competitors, he fulfilled that brief
and then some. Read report
.jpg) As
he increasingly establishes himself on the British karting scene
in only his first season of competition, Luke Whitworth has claimed his maiden top ten finish
in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship with a superb
eighth place in torrential conditions on the series’ annual
overseas trip to Genk in Belgium Pic: Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net
read report
DTCC:
Last weekend James Thompson returned to the Danish Touringcar
Championship,
where the former BTCC star made his first visit to the Ring
Djursland track. And it was a visit that ended with mixed
emotions for the Brit. He claimed a win in race one but endured
a heavy crash in race two, when his Honda Accord Euro-R hit two
services vehicles. Thompson started from pole for race one and
he took a rather easy win from Casper Elgaard, and Robert
Schlunssen, while the two Seat Leon drivers Jason Watt, and Jens
Møller, did not figure in the top battle. Jens Møller retired
with a broken drive shaft. As the field exited the first corner
in the reverse grid second race, Jens Møller and Jason Watt were
side by side battling for the lead. Unfortunately they touched
and Møller's car was sent sideways. While Møller battled to
regain control of his Seat, James Thompson tried to pass on the
outside, but he was hit by the former Lister driver's car. The
Honda was sent off the tarmac, across the infield and after
having been airborne for a split second, it collided with two
stationary services vehicles. Thompson was able to get out of
the car himself but his Honda had considerable damage, although
the safety cell had prevented the accident from having worse
consequences. After this episode Jason Watt was leading from
Casper Elgaard and Jens Møller, but midway through the race Watt
had to pit which let the two drivers by. Casper Elgaard got the
first win of the season and with it he extended his lead in the
championship.
 British
Superbikes: The MCE Insurance
British Superbike Championship reaches a critical stage at
Cadwell Park on Bank Holiday weekend (28/29/30 August) as
the leading protagonists look to strengthen their 2010 title
challenges and Louth-based Ryuichi Kiyonari is setting his
sights on nothing less than a double victory. Former two-time
BSB champion Kiyonari is seeking a repeat performance at his
home circuit, having scored his first victory at the
Lincolnshire circuit back in May. He leads the overall standings
by seven points from Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill, whilst
his HM Plant Honda team-mate Josh Brookes is third at a time
when podium finishes are vital ahead of the title Showdown over
the final three rounds. Kiyonari said: “I am happy to return to
Cadwell Park as it is my home track as I only live a few miles
away, so I am motivated to have good results there for myself
and the HM Plant Honda team. The championship points are so
close, so I know I need to have two good races to get the podium
credits, because they are important for the standings after the
weekend. I think as a team we are stronger now than we were when
we won at Cadwell Park earlier in the year, so I am feeling
confident that the improvements we have made mean we can do it
again. I think for me, the main problem will be my team-mate
Josh as he doesn’t give up and he was fast there before, but I
will enjoy another battle with him and we want to put on a good
show for the fans.” Advance tickets are now on sale for the
Cadwell Park August Bank Holiday round of the MCE Insurance
British Superbike Championship on 28-30. Adult raceday tickets
cost £24 online with children 12 and under free. For more
information and to book visit
www.cadwellpark.co.uk or call 0870 950 9000.
17-08-10
 Ginetta
Jnrs:
Just two points stand between Louise Richardson
(right) and the Ginetta Junior Championship leader Jake
Hill with eight races still to run, two of which are at
Silverstone this weekend. To say that this has been another
competitive season is an under-statement. Now, with eight
rounds to go, we have the real possibility of a second
consecutive female-won crown as Louise Richardson homes in on
Jake Hill’s championship lead. Hill is the man who has done the
bulk of the winning in his Tollbar Racing with WIRED-backed car,
seven victories having gone the Goudhurst youngster’s way. He
has won every weekend in the championship and has a 100 per cent
record in the second race, plus he did the double at Croft,
taking the flag in both races. Up against him is Louise
Richardson (TJ Motorsport) who bagged a maiden win at Snetterton
and has been a consistent points scorer as well. Not only does
Ginetta’s pocket rocket always deliver close racing, but, at the
wide Silverstone circuit, coupled with a couple of excellent
overtaking opportunities, you can guarantee action. That means
that Thruxton winner Tom Ingram (Hillspeed) should be in the
mix, while double winner Jody Fannin (TJ Motorsport) will be
eager to add to his tally of victories from Brands Hatch and
Oulton Park.The other winner this season is Tom Howard who
guided his Tollbar Racing with WIRED car to a win at Rockingham
in April and should be a front-runner here, while spare a
thought for Chris Swanwick who remains without a win: his best
shot came last time out at Snetterton where he battled with Hill
for honours, but locked up and skipped the Russell chicane on
the last lap. He took the chequered flag first but subsequently
copped a three-second time penalty for gaining an unfair
advantage. If anyone deserves a win this weekend, it is the
Nottingham driver.
Ginetta G50 Cup:
Carl Breeze is using his many years of experience to good use
in the Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup, as the championship heads to
Silverstone this weekend. Breeze) is beginning to assert himself
in the G50 Cup, with seven wins in 17 races and an advantage of
18 points over his nearest rival. Breeze didn’t score his first
win until round five at Rockingham (the first three races all
falling to guest driver Rob Huff) but since then he has rarely
been off the podium. Any ghosts from last year (like his
accident at Oulton Park and duff tyre choice here) look to be
well and truly laid to rest. While Breeze (TCR) wins and racks
up points, the pressure is on the Dynojet-run Wrathall. Young
Frank won the third race at Snetterton to bring himself a little
closer to Breeze but he needs to win a few more races to narrow
the gap. Easier said than done when you add in his team-mate
Adam Morgan who won at Croft and Tom Sharp (IDL) who scored two
wins in North Yorkshire. The championship battle is very much
between Breeze and Wrathall but behind them come individual
battles, both for points and race places. Sharp and Morgan
should be in the mix this weekend, as should the Hetherington
brothers, Ben and Freddie, in their Century Motorsport cars.
Aaron Williamson (Peterborough Waste Management/FML) has
recovered well from a pre-race crash at Oulton Park and took a
fourth at Snetterton which gave his confidence a boost, while
Mark Davies (the reigning Ginetta G20 champion) has been closer
to the pace of late as well. Add in the Chairman’s Cup for the
over 40s, where multiple Hot Rod champion Colin White takes on
Tony Hughes, and there is no shortage of great racing. The
question is: can Wrathall close the gap to the championship
leader or has Breeze got his second wind?
Star Mazda: David Ostella driving for
AIM Autosport’s Formula Mazda team took fifth-place in
Sunday’s Star Mazda round at Trois Riviers in Canada. Walt
Bowlin driving a second entry in the Star Mazda Masters Class,
on managed to complete just six laps before he hit the the
concrete barriers at the street circuit thereby ending his
race. Read report
 BTCC: Silverstone is gearing up for
not one, but two spectacular events this weekend (21-22 August). In
addition to hosting round seven of the Dunlop MSA British
Touring Car Championship, featuring qualifying on Saturday and
three races on Sunday, a host of aerobatic stunt teams and
iconic aircraft will take to the skies as part of the
‘Silverstone Air’ weekend. As a fitting preview to Silverstone’s
action packed double-header, current BTCC Championship
contenders Jason Plato and Matt Neal joined the Breitling
Wingwalking team at Turweston Aerodrome, near Brackley, for a
‘wingwalking’ lesson.Championship leader Jason Plato and a
nervous looking Matt Neal were taken out of the comfort zone of
their race seats, and safely strapped to the wing of a 1940
Boeing Stearman – used originally as a WWII ‘trainer’.
Instructed by Breitling Wingwalker Danielle Hughes, who will be
performing at Silverstone this Saturday, both drivers were
exposed to the elements as they reached speeds of 130 mph at
heights of up to 500 feet. Speaking after the experience, Plato
said, “I wasn't aware they were going to pull some of those
manoeuvres but it was mega! I wouldn't want to do it as a day
job though! It will look great over Silverstone during the
weekend, and with us on the National Circuit there will be lots
for spectators to enjoy." Matt Neal said, “I desperately thought
I can't be a wuss and hold on all the time. What an unbelievable
experience! It was pretty terrifying but it was amazing. I just
can't believe they do it for a living. My legs are still shaky,
and there is a lot of leg to shake! What we have been doing must
be basics in comparison to Danielle’s wingwalking skills.
 Karts:
After switching to CRG chassis, Tim Parrott Motorsport
has begun to emerge as one of the strongest teams in the Rotax
classes. Matt Mason dominated the previous Super 1 round at
Larkhall and after his victory at Shenington on Sunday will
definitely be fired-up for a repeat performance at the
Oxfordshire track in two weeks time.
Pic: redit Les McLuckie/Les Photo
read report
DTM: Mattias Ekstrom completed another
NASCAR test
at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia immediately after the DTM
race at the Nurburgring. The Audi factory driver drove for the
first time on an oval in the process. A possible race on an oval
has not yet been decided.
Gold Coast 600:
Helio Castroneves, is the latest driver to sign up for this
year's Armor All Gold Coast 600
on the streets of Surfers Paradise from October 22-24. The
three-time Indy 500 winner will co-drive with Tim Slade in the
Wilson Security entry, prepared by Stone Brothers Racing.
Castroneves was originally unavailable when invitations were
first issued to what is shaping as the world's greatest touring
car event, but when asked if he could be a replacement for
former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who retired from active
competition this week, he agreed to take part. The inclusion of
Castroneves means that the field will now include the last four
Indy 500 winners and five of the top six drivers on the current
IndyCar Series points table including his teammates at Penske
Will Power and Ryan Briscoe. The entry is a who's who of world
motorsport including former Formula 1, CART and Indy 500
champion, Jacques Villeneuve. Australian’s David Brabham, Ryan
Briscoe and Will Power, Kiwi Scott Dixon, Scottish ace and
former Gold Coast Champ Car race winner Dario Franchitti, North
America's most successful road course racer and 1997 Gold Coast
winner, Scott Pruett, four-time Champ Car and two-time Gold
Coast winner Sebastien Bourdais from France, former European F1
drivers and current touring car and sportscar guns Tiago
Monteiro (Portugal), Mika Salo (Finland), Andy Priaulx (UK),
Gianni Morbidelli (Italy), Fabrizio Giovanardi (Italy), Alain
Menu (Switzerland) and Yvan Muller (France). Ironically, the top
six in last weekend's IRL race at Mid-Ohio -- Franchitti, Power,
Castroneves, Tagliani, Dixon and Briscoe -- are in the Gold
Coast field. Five of those drivers -- Power, Franchitti, Dixon,
Briscoe and Castroneves currently sit in positions one through
five in the title chase.
Mini Challenge:
It was two wins out three again for Luke Caudle at Brands
Hatch, but his title aspirations took a boost as rivals Lee
Allen and David Ogden both hit trouble.
Read report
BRSCC Club Racing
The BRSCC has agreed a promotional tie-up with Shell
Racing Solutions’
exclusive UK distributor, One Fuel Ltd. The deal sees One-Fuel
become a recommended supplier to the BRSCC and the Shell Racing
Solutions range of fuels and lubricants will be made available
to BRSCC Racing Members, including Shell Racing Solutions’
100-octane petrol, called Shell Racing Fuel CSC, which is
designed and engineered to meet the exacting standards of the
MSA’s specification for pump fuel. BRSCC Racing Members will
receive a discount on fuel ordered via the website,
www.shellracingsolutions.co.uk
and will also benefit from preferential access to offers and new
products. One-Fuel will also offer educational advice to
competitors on the storage and use of fuels and lubricants.
Commenting on the link-up on behalf of Shell Racing Solutions,
One-Fuels Director of Operations Dean Richards said “The BRSCC
have a long history in British grass roots motorsport, from
entry level, accessible racing right through to its own Formula
3 series. Shell Racing Solutions is pleased to become a
recommended supplier to its members.” The BRSCC’s Dominic
Ostrowski added “The Club is delighted to be associated with
such a prestigious brand as Shell. We believe our racing members
will benefit not only from the added performance Shell Racing
Solutions products offer but also from the technical support
provided by One-Fuel.” One-Fuel will also be an associate
sponsor of the BRSCC’s Formula Ford Festival which takes place
at Brands Hatch on 16th – 17th October.
As of the 2011 season the incredibly successful Caterham Academy
will be registered with the BRSCC, adding to the Club’s existing
strong portfolio of championships showcasing the marque.
Announcing the tie-up, Club Chairman Bernard Cottrell said ‘We
are delighted that Caterham Motorsport has chosen the BRSCC to
run the Academy Championship. With the Roadsports, the
Supersports and the R300 already housed with the Club we have
built a close working relationship with Simon Lambert and his
team”. Caterham’s Motorsport Manager Simon Lambert is equally
enthusiastic “The switch to the BRSCC makes sense on so many
levels; it brings all our racing activity under one club which
will help us logistically and it will give continuity to drivers
moving up the Caterham ladder. The BRSCC also places a greater
emphasis on attracting new people into motorsport which fits
perfectly with the Academy ethos. We have an excellent
relationship with the BRSCC and I’m convinced this move will
further strengthen Caterham’s motorsport programme”.
The BRSCC South Eastern Centre returns to Brands Hatch this
coming weekend
(21-22nd August) for only the second time this season. The ‘
Saab City ’ sponsored race meeting features a total of 19 races
over the two days including six different Caterham
championships, the Competition Car Insurance/Dunlop Ford Fiesta
Championship, the Alfashop Alfa Romeo Championship and Formula
Ford 1600’s. The full meeting details can be found at
BRANDS HATCH 21-22 AUGUST
Judith Hibbins has taken over from Carole Glenn as the Race
Secretary for the BRSCC’s South Eastern Centre. Judith
already has a great deal of experience of working with the
Centre, her husband Mike is the Chief Scrutineer and daughter
Fran is a regular Brands Hatch marshal. Judith’s first meeting
is this coming weekend’s two day event at Brands Hatch.
Chris Chisnall, a regular in Class A of the Avon Tyres Northern
Formula Ford Championship
had to miss the Anglesey double header at the end of June,
although he had a perfect reason! He and two friends were busy
cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End to raise money for the
Motor Neurones Disease Association (MNDA). His adventure was
featured in the Latest News section of the BRSCC website and you
can read all about it here;
John O'Groats to Lands End
Plymouth based Mighty Mini racer Louise Inch
was the subject of a special report on BBC Spotlight late last
month, focusing on her strong title bid. The early evening show
reports daily on the latest news, sport, weather and features
from the South West of England. BBC South West sports reporter
Dave Gibbins interviewed Louise at a recent Castle Combe test
session, which was the scene of her first victory in the Mighty
Minis Championship back in May. To view the BBC Spotlight
feature on Louise click the link
LOUISE INCH
Porsche Carrera Cup GB:
Robbie Kerr will join the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for rounds
13 and 14 at Silverstone this weekend (21/22 August). The
former single-seater ace is keen to get back into a current
Carrera Cup car after making an impressive debut in 2002 in the
Porsche VIP car. Robbie will race in the GT Marques 2008 car
alongside team boss Paul Mace. Kerr (30) was British Formula 3
champion in 2002 and went on to be a race winner in A1 Grand
Prix for Team GB as he finished third in the championship for
three years running. "It's going to be great being out in a
Porsche again," said Kerr, who has also shown impressive pace in
an LMP1 prototype. He has yet to drive the latest generation of
911 GT3 Cup car and will go straight into testing on Friday to
learn the car. Kerr is not under-estimating the challenge he
faces. "It's not going to be easy; I'll be up against some tough
opposition," said Kerr. "But it's good to be going racing with
GT Marques and funding from Airflow.com. We've got a lot of work
to do, starting in testing on Friday, and we're under no
illusions."
 Michelin
Formula Renault UK
front-runners will be vying for a massive 102 points this
weekend as the drivers compete in only the second
triple-header in the series’ history. Following the postponement
of round five at Brands Hatch GP circuit back in May due to
adverse weather conditions, the drivers will have three rounds
to contest at Silverstone National circuit on 21st/22nd August.
The 22-lap re-run round five will take place on Saturday at
5.25pm while rounds 13 and 14 of the single-seater series will
run as scheduled on Sunday. With just 27 points separating the
top five places, the meeting could prove decisive for any one of
the main title protagonists.Hungarian racer Tama’s Pa’l Kiss,
driving for Atech GP, currently leads the drivers’ standings but
only by a margin of seven points and will start Saturday’s round
five in P3. In an unchanged grid from the original qualifying
session, Manor Competition lock out the front row with Lewis
Williamson (Golspie) on pole and Will Stevens (Oxshott)
alongside him. CRS Racing’s Harry Tincknell (Exeter), who picked
up his second win of the season last time out at Snetterton,
slots into fourth place. The first time drivers faced a
triple-header was at Snetterton in 2008 when heavy rain
prevented round 10 being run at North Yorkshire’s Croft circuit.
Alexander Sims took the honours then ending the season as Vice
Champion to winner Adam Christodoulou. Pole-sitter for round
five Lewis Williamson commented: “I’m really looking forward to
the weekend and it’s going to be great for spectators too with
plenty of racing. It’s so close at the top and with so many
points to play for there’s a lot of pressure to perform. I’m
just going to try and keep a cool head and hopefully come away
in a strong position going into my home track at Knockhill.”
 The
Silverstone triple-header Formula Renault UK races this coming
weekend,
21st/22nd August, is where Dutch racer Thomas Hylkema plans to
enjoy his first truly problem-free outing of the season. With
three races at Silverstone – the previously cancelled fifth
round of the year having been rescheduled to take place at the
track – the weekend provides an ideal opportunity for Thomas to
secure a substantial points haul as he strives to make a return
into the championship top 10. “Snetterton was a hard weekend, we
had quite a bit of bad luck again unfortunately but we
definitely have a good base to start from at Silverstone”, he
said, “We were strong there during the pre-season test and
especially on old tyres where we were in the top three. I know
we have more time to find on new tyres but hopefully we can work
on that during the Friday practice sessions.We’ve been strong
all year really, I’ve definitely improved as a driver and the
team does a fantastic job each weekend. There’s no doubt we’ve
had more than our fair share of bad luck and incidents but you
have to stay positive and focus, we showed at Croft what we are
capable of with the pole position and that’s the level of
performance I’m aiming to repeat. We definitely have the
potential.” Now into the second half of his third season in the
UK, the Club Car and TORO-backed driver from Delft is hungry to
enjoy some deserved success in a championship he views as the
strongest and most competitive of its kind.Thomas added: “I
always say Formula Renault UK is the toughest championship in
single-seater racing. You have 12 or 13 guys who all have the
potential to do really well and racing against such a high level
of competition can only serve you well for later years. I have
learnt so much by racing in England, we all want more success
but the work we’re doing now is an investment for the future.”
 ALMS:
Robertson Racing’s packed summer American Le Mans Series
presented by Tequila Patron schedule continues with two rounds
in as many weekends, beginning this Sunday at Road America.
Rounds seven and eight – the Time Warner Cable Road Race
Showcase at Road America and Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport –
couldn’t be any different either, with the Elkhart Lake venue a
wide, fast and flowing affair compared to the winding, tricky
nature which characterises the ALMS’ only Canadian race.Road
America’s 4.08-mile, 14-turn circuit should also favour the
team’s Ford GT which finished seventh there last season in the
hands of David Robertson, David Murry and Andrea Robertson.
read more
 David
Brabham is fully focussed on maintaining his run of Road America
class wins
as the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón heads
for round seven at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin next weekend. Brabham
boasts a flawless record at the 4.048-mile circuit billed as
‘the Spa of North America’, fending off the Penske Porsche to
take the LMP2 spoils in 2008 and taking outright LMP1 victory
last year ahead of the de Ferran car. Perhaps that’s because
Brabham bills it as one of his favourites. He said; “I love this
track. It is the best track in America for me by far. I love the
carousel — it’s such a wonderful challenge. My favourite Road
America memory is probably when we won the class after a great
battle at the front in 2008. The AGR car got ahead with a couple
laps to go and then hit a back marker, so we came through to win
the race. It was a really important time in the championship to
win and I’m sure this year’s race will be as equally important
for the title fight.” The reigning LMP1 champion heads to round
seven with yet another podium and hefty points haul under his
belt, following a nail-biting finish at Mid-Ohio — Patrón
Highcroft teammate Simon Pagenaud bringing the HPD ARX-01c home
just 0.506 seconds behind the race winning Dyson Racing
Lola-Mazda. With just three rounds remaining, Brabham and
Pagenaud lead the LMP title fight by 23 points from Porsche
CytoSport’s Klaus Graf, who missed out on the round six battle
following a heavy accident in testing.Back-to-back races for
round seven at Road America, followed the next weekend by the
Series’ only Canadian round at Mosport before the championship
finale — the 13th annual Petit Le Mans — in October. Brabham
once again predicts that downforce with play a key part in the
race result.: “The most challenging aspect of Road America for
us will be getting the downforce levels right. We have been
developing and learning more about the new aero kit every race
and we are hopeful that we’ll be able to maximise its potential
throughout the next three rounds. You’ve got to be really quick
on the straights at Elkhart Lake. Obviously we can’t compete
with the straight-line speed of the more powerful LMP1 machines
in the newly combined LMP class, but we are hoping that our
package will start to come into its own. You’ve still got to be
able to get around the corners, so we’ll be looking to find a
finely tuned balance.”
Close finishes the norm at
Road America:
Seven finishes of less than one second since 2005 . Despite
being the longest circuit on the American Le Mans Series
presented by Tequila Patrón calendar, Road America has had a
knack of producing close finishes in the last five years. The
4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit has played host to the Series each
year since 2002 and has produced five of its 30 tightest
endings. As an example, start with last year's finish that saw
Patrón Highcroft Racing beat de Ferran Motorsports by just 0.461
seconds. What's more, six cars finished on the lead lap. In
2005, the finishes in the two GT classes were each nail-biters.
Olivier Beretta held off Johnny O'Connell by just 0.142 seconds
in a battle of Corvettes. The GT2 race was just as thrilling as
Patrick Long beat Romain Dumas up the hill to the checkered flag
for Petersen/White Lightning. Round 7 of the 2010 championship
is the American Le Mans Series powered by eStar at 2:05 p.m. CT
on Sunday, August 22, SPEED will air the race live at 3 p.m. ET.
Americanlemans.com will stream Friday's qualifying session
starting at 3:10 p.m. CT.
16-08-10
 Formula
3:
Jean-Eric Vergne is the 2010 Cooper Tires British F3
International Series Champion
after he claimed his 12th victory of the year
yesterday at Silvertstone.
He is also the first Frenchman to win the title and the third in
successive Champion for the Carlin team. Vergne led the third
race at the Home of Briitish Motorsport from pole with a
lights-to-flag victory, even though a minor technical glitch
prevented him from pulling clear of his rivals. "I had a small
problem," he said. "The engine cover came open and I lost a
little time on the straight, but it didn't matter much." Vergne
crossed the line 1.2s ahead of his team-mate Adriano Buzaid
(right) who had taken the honours in the morning’s race to
become the ninth different race winner this season. The Carlin
driver grabbing a superb win in the pit-stop sprint race on the
Grand Prix circuit. Buzaid's storming pre-stop lap was the key
to his victory ahead of early leader and pole position man
Carlos Huertas. James Cole timed his pit stop to perfection to
claim the National class win. Pics Dennis Goodwin
Read report
 Menasheh
Idafar concluded the eighth race meeting of the 2010 Cooper
Tires British Formula 3 International Series
with a dominant performance at Silverstone on Sunday afternoon
to win the National Class battle by over half a minute.
Disappointed to miss out on class victory during the round 23
‘pit-stop’ race in the morning, the British-born Bahraini
focused on delivering nothing other than the win in round 24 and
he duly returned to the top step of the podium. Pic Jakob
Ebrey Photography Read
report
 Star
Mazda:
Louisiana racer Alex Ardoin repeated his 2009 Trois-Rivieres
victory driving a one-off race for Team GDT
in Sunday’s Round of the Star Mazda Championship at the 41st
annual GP3R at Trois Rivieres in Canada. Following him across
the finish line for his third podium of the season was
Venezuelan racer Jorge Goncalvez in the #9 Team Apex / Wabash
Capital Investments Mazda, followed by pole-sitter and
championship leader Conor Daly in the #22 Juncos Racing / INDECK
/ The College Network / Merchant Services Ltd. Mazda. First in
the Expert Series (drivers 30-44) was Texan J.W. Roberts in the
#65 Team GDT / General Data Tech Mazda. The leading Master
Series driver (45 and older) was Puerto Rican racer Carlos Conde
in the #31 Team GDT / Pronto-GMT / Olympus Securities Mazda.
Read report
Porsche Club:
Local racer Marcus Carniel dominated at Oulton Park
, only headed through the very first corner of the first race on
his way to two wins at his home circuit. Mark Sumpter and Pete
Morris rounded out the podium on race one, with Mark McAleer and
Morris once more chasing home Carniel in the second of Saturday
afternoon’s two 25-minute races. The Class Two runners once more
had their own race in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge event,
Richard Bennett taking his first class win in race one after an
incident saw neither Tim Bates nor Chris Dyer in the final
result sheets. In race two, Dyer returned to winning form to
take the victory, clear of the chasing Bates.
Read report
Porsche GT3 Cup:
Jim Geddie returned to his winning ways as the Porsche GT3
Cup Challenge visited Oulton Park , but this time the flying
Scot was pushed hard by Stephen Ritchie who led the first half
of race one and pushed Jim hard in race two. Ritchie was
rewarded with a pair of second place finishes, with Bertie
Carruthers taking the final podium slot in each race, The
consistent Peter Smallwood took both Class Two wins, with Mike
Johnson the man to beat in Class Three.
Read report
 Young
Guns:
Max Cornelius took the
sixth race victory
of his debut car racing season at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in
Kent on Sunday, 15th August, to move within touching distance of
the Autosport Young Guns championship title. Race report
 It
was honours even at Brands Hatch, with Autosport Young Guns
title contenders Patryk Szczerbinski and Max Cornelius sharing
the victory spoils.
But for a while in the second race, there was glimpse of the
possibilities for this fledgling championship, as the hopeful
titleists fought inches apart.
read report
Ginetta:
George Murrells took two wins in the Ginetta Challenge
at Silverstone yesterday to draw himself back into contention
for the championship. He is now within eight points of
championship leader Richardson heading to Snetterton on August
29/30. Read report
Radical UK Cup:
The conditions were changeable but the result was the same, as
Roger Bromiley and Shaun Balfe came away from Brands Hatch
double victors in their works SR8.
Read report
Radical Club Cup:
Darren Luke celebrated another double victory
in the Quaife Radical Club Cup, but it nearly didn’t happen when
he was caught napping in the first race and was almost caught by
Steve Burgess. Read
report
 Formula Ford:
At Silvberstone this weekend in
the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain it
was the turn of Scott Malvern and Josh Hill to share the victory
spoils on Sunday. Malvern’s win in the first of the day’s races
was his first since Oulton Park in April, while Hill’s victory
in the finale was his second of the season as well. Hill also
picked up a second place finish behind Malvern in the earlier
race while Scott Pye was second behind Hill to end the day 38
points behind Championship leader Malvern. Pic Jakob Ebrey
Photography Read report
 VW
Cup:
Peter Felix and Richard Walker shared the victories in rounds seven and eight
of the Volkswagen Racing Cup with Fuchs Lubricants at
Silverstone on Sunday - the Golf GTI duo becoming the first
drivers this season to take more than one race win. Paul Taylor
returned to the podium with a pair of good second place finishes
at the wheel of his R32 Golf, while Didge Dziurzynski also made
it back onto the rostrum with third place in round seven.
Championship leader Steve Chaplin was the remaining podium
finisher, taking third in round eight after coming home fourth
earlier in the day to extend his lead in the Championship to 60
points. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography Read
report
F2000: A Lucky Daniel Erickson supporter
could win an Arrow go-kart chassis for $10!.
Go-karting has always been known as
low-budget motorsport, but one lucky Daniel Erickson supporter
will be able to get rolling for pocket money – just $10! That’s
the cost of a ticket in the young Sydney driver’s latest
fundraiser, which has a new Arrow Racing Karts rolling chassis
valued at up to $4200 as the prize. Arrow Racing Karts will
configure the chassis according to the winner’s preference for
Midget, Rookie, Junior or Senior class competition. Entry is
open to all Team Erickson members, but anyone who isn’t a member
needn’t worry because every prize draw ticket sold includes a
free 12-month basic membership! ‘Gold’ membership’, which
includes a quality Team Erickson polo shirt embroidered with the
member’s name, is $150 for the first year and $100 for
subsequent years. A donation from the proceeds of the Team
Erickson members’ Arrow Kart prize draw will go to Father Chris
Riley’s Youth Off The Streets Foundation. Tickets for the Team
Erickson members’ Arrow Kart prize draw, and for other Team
Erickson members’ fundraisers, are available from DE Motorsport,
535 Silverdale Road, Orangeville, NSW 2570, or via Daniel
Erickson’s website
www.danielerickson.com.au.
 Kart:
Junior Team Lotus Formula
Renault 3.5 driver Nelson Panciatici will return to his first
love, karting at the end of the month for the 25th
edition of the 24h du Mans Karting on the circuit Alain Prost
from the 25-29 August. As a former Kart driver with CRG in the
European championship and World champion team driverin 2004 with
SODI, it didn’t take long for Nelson to accept the invitation
from his friend Nils Bernardet to share the wheel of a KF2 Kart
in the Euro-Endurance Championshiop for team DRK Motorsport, run
by Laurent Daumard and sponsored by the ASK ROSNY 93. Nils
Nelson will share their kart with the Junior Team Lotus Formula
Renault 3.5 second driver, Russian Danii Move and Pierre Combot,
France Elite Runner-up in 2003.
British GT: Championship
leader David Ashburn and his co-driver Glynn Geddie took an
exciting late victory in a sensational two-hour Avon Tyres
British GT Championship enduro at Silverstone today. The
Trackspeed Porsche duo came out on top in a crowd-pleasing race
which attracted a field of 25 cars, and Ashburn extended his
points lead in the process. The G4 Class was competitive also,
thanks to a boost in entries, and was won by International GT
ace Rob Bell and his younger brother Matt in the United
Autosports Ginetta. Read
report
15-08-10
 Formula Ford:
Australian Scott Pye took closed the gap on Dunlop MSA Formula
Ford Championship
leader Scott Malvern at Silverstone on Saturday after the Jamun
Racing Mygale driver took his seventh race victory of the
season. Pye led the race from halfway around the opening lap,
holding of his rival Malvern to win by 2.5 secs With the
championship now past the halfway mark Cliff Dempsey Racing’s
Malvern leasd by 34 points Read report
 Scott
Malvern(right) and Scott Pye, respectively first
and second overall in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship
of Great Britain, have been awarded ‘Rising Star’ status by
the British Racing Drivers Club.The honours were confirmed today
at the BRDC’s home circuit of Silverstone, venue for round 13 of
the championship. ‘Scouted’ from trackside, the BRDC Rising
Stars are the club’s junior members and represent it in national
championships. Lewis Hamilton is one of the scheme’s success
stories. Scott Malvern is delighted to have been recognised:
“I’m over the moon. It’s something I’ve always thought would be
a great boost to my career and I feel honoured to have been
selected.” Added Scott Pye: “It’s a fantastic honour and
I’m going to do my best to live up to the accolade.”
 Formula 3:
Team BRM driver Ben Barfer has moved to the top of the
Formula 3 Australian Drivers’ Championship
standings after winning an the feature race and the first heat
at Morgan Park Raceway this weekend. In a season that seems to
get more and more competitive as it progresses, Barker became
the third different feature race winner from the last five
rounds this year . The result means Barker now leads the
Championship by just 2 points from Tom Tweedie, who won heat 2,
and 4 points ahead of third placed Mitch Evans. with two rounds
to go.pics:
F3 Media Image / Craill
Read report
 Star Mazda:
Continuing his string of pole position qualifying efforts,
Indianapolis native Conor Daly, the current series points
leader with five wins and seven poles, will start on the inside
of the front row for today’s Round 10 of the 20th anniversary
2010 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the 41st
annual GP3R at Trois-Rivières. Daly earned his position with a
lap of 1:01.617 in his #22 Juncos Racing / INDECK / The College
Network / Merchant Services Ltd. Mazda. Starting alongside Daly
will be the Norwegian Anders 'The Viking' Krohn, who is
currently second in the title chase. He did a lap just 0.08
seconds slower, 1:01.698, in his #47 Andersen Racing / Norse
Cutting & Abandonment / Trallfa / Colosseum Mazda. Read more
 Cooper
Tires British Formula 3
International Series racer Menasheh Idafar
had a frustrating start to his weekend’s racing at Silverstone’s
‘Bridge’ Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday, 14th August, when a
late-race tangle cost him the chance of a potential National
Class victory. Speaking after the race, Menasheh said: “I’m
really disappointed, I was catching (Juan Carlos) Sistos really
quickly and we had a good chance to try and win the class today.
Qualifying went well for us, it was important to take the two
poles, and in the race the car felt really good. It’s a real
shame there was the contact with (Carlos) Munoz but I need to
put that behind me and focus on tomorrow.” pics Jakob
Ebrey Photography
Read report
James Calado made the best of the wet conditions in a
shower-hit 22nd round of the Cooper Tires British F3
International Series at Silverstone on Saturday afternoon to
grab another win from, championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne.
Their Carlin team-mate Lucas Foresti was third to claim his
maiden British F3 podium, and Mexican newcomer Juan Carlos
Sistos triumphed in the National class for Motul Team West-Tec.
Vergne had hoped to clinch the title this weekend but it all
started to unravel at the start when the Frenchman, sitting on
pole, was beaten away Foresti. He did recover to take the lead
from his team-mate on the first lap but then a heavy shower on
lap three and the presence of Calado on his gearbox began to
pile on the pressure. A slip from Vergne at Brooklands on the
eighth lap ended his hopes of victory as Calado nipped past to
take the lead and with it the win.
Read report
13-08-10
 LMS:
The fourth round of the Le Mans Series takes place in Hungary
on August 22 where OAK Racing will hope to erase the
disappointment of Portugal by returning to the podium. In spite
of the impressive HPD engine fitted to OAK’s two championship
rivals, the twisty Hungaroring layout should suit the pair of
Pescarolo-Judds, with the team determined to again prove the
package’s strong reliability after the similar problems in
Portugal were blamed on a bumpy and uneven track surface.
Read more
 BTCC:
History making Dunlop MSA BTCC racer Alex MacDowall is
relishing the next three rounds of the season, which take place
at Silverstone on 21st/22nd August, as he bids to convert his
qualifying pace into a maiden touring car podium.Entering
the BTCC record books at Snetterton last Saturday as the
youngest driver in the championship’s history to qualify on pole
position, the 19-year-old had dire misfortune in all three races
but aims to hit back strongly at Silverstone. Alex has certainly
raised more than a few eyebrows in his first six events as a
BTCC driver as team-mate to Jason Plato in the Silverline
Chevrolet squad, delivering consistently strong pace and only
missing out on a string of top results due to bad luck. He knows
a debut podium finish is only a matter of time though and such
is his confidence heading into Silverstone just over a week from
now. “I’m really confident ahead of Silverstone National”, said
Alex, “It’s a short track which mainly consists of long
straights and the high speed right-hander at Copse which should
suit the Chevrolet Cruze. I went well there in the Renault Clio
Cup last year, taking a podium, so I’m looking to emulate my
qualifying performance from Snetterton and come away with 15 to
20 points at least.”. All three races will be staged on Sunday,
22nd August, at 11.45, 14.35 and 17.20 with each to be contested
over 22 laps. Live television coverage on raceday will be
screened, as ever, on Freeview, digital satellite and cable
channel ITV4.
 Formula
3:
National Class challenger Menasheh Idafar
led the way during Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Series testing
at Silverstone this morning, Friday, 13th August, ahead of the
weekend’s 22nd, 23rd and 24th rounds of the 30-race season.
Running on the venue’s original 3.2-mile ‘Bridge’ Grand Prix
Circuit configuration, the 19-year-old ended the two practice
outings with the 13th fastest time overall. He headed National
Class championship rival James Cole by four 10ths of a second.
During the dry opening hour of testing, Menasheh steered his
Dallara Mugen-Honda to a best lap of 1m42.313 seconds
(112.40mph) but was then one of just five drivers to improve his
pace in session two – lapping with a quickest time of 1m41.865
seconds (112.89mph).The second period was interrupted by
rainfall and red flags but Menasheh got his best time of the day
in before the conditions worsened to go an impressive 10th
quickest in session, significantly faster than Cole and
new-coming National Class runner Juan Carlos Sistos. Menasheh
commented: “Overall we’ve had a good day, the first session was
dry throughout but then the rain came part way through session
two. We were able to go quicker before the track got wet so I’m
happy with that. We ran on wet-weather tyres near the end but it
was a really old set so we didn’t really push for any times.”
Porsche Carrera Cup GB :
Silverstone National circuit is next on the schedule for the
Porsche Carrera Cup GB with rounds 13 and 14 next weekend(21/22
August). With ten wins from 12 races so far plus a 40-point
championship lead, it's going to take a disastrous weekend to
derail Tim Harvey in his bid to win a second Porsche Carrera Cup
GB title.Last time out at Snetterton, Harvey (Red Line Racing)
shared the wins with Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) and
it is Caine who continues to be the big threat to Harvey. With
44 points available each weekend, this title race is certainly
not over yet. As well as Caine, Harvey faces plenty of
opposition. Stephen Jelley, Euan Hankey and Glynn Geddie – all
from Team Parker Racing – are chasing hard. Meanwhile,
Banbury-based Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) is joining
fellow Carrera Cup Scholarship winner Hankey as a strong podium
contender, having qualified and finished fourth at Snetterton.
Jelley was the closest rival to Harvey and Caine at Snetterton
and will surely be a race winner before the season is over. In
the pro-am1 category, Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase)
extended his lead over Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) from
Lithuania to 19 points with a double victory at Snetterton.
Other leading pro-am1 contenders include Tony Gilham (Collins
ReDesign Racing) and Ahmad Al Harthy and Archie Hamilton from
Red Line Racing. Swedish racer Martin Ohlin (JHR) adds to the
pro-am1 mix for Silverstone. In the battle for pro-am2, for the
older cars, Milton Keynes-based Glenn McMenamin (Red Line
Racing) overtook Mark Hazell (JHR) at the head of the points
with a fine weekend at Snetterton, taking a win and a second
place. Meanwhile, George Brewster (Celtic Speed), George
Richardson (Motorbase Performance) and Snetterton race two
winner Paul Mace (GT Marques) are all leading contenders and it
is teenager Richardson who is gaining pace with every race
weekend in his debut season at this level.With a 26-car field
and the prospects of three battles within each race, it is going
to be another great weekend for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
Grand-Am: The trend of being a
strong Top 5 contender
continued for the 4th straight race at the Watkins Glen event.
This time, Team Sahlen found themselves in 4th place with only
15 minutes to go in the event. Only an unfortunate and
mysterious loose wheel prevented the team from claiming a spot
in the final top 5 in the GT results sheet.
Read report
 WTCC:
The list of the heaviest cars for Oschersleben
remains the same as the two previous events at Brands Hatch and
Brno. For the WTCC Race of Germany, the BMW 320si, SEAT León TDI
and Chevrolet Cruze cars will carry the maximum 40kg handicap
weight once again.
The compensation weight was determined by the lap times set in
Portugal, UK and Czech Republic. According to this calculation,
the Chevrolet Cruze is now the reference car, one and two tenths
of a second faster than the SEAT and BMW respectively.The
Chevrolet Lacetti cars will again have 20kg deducted from their
minimum weight as well as the BMW 320si equipped with the
6-speed sequential gearbox.Because of Colin Turkington's strong
performance at Brands Hatch and Brno, the old BMW cars will
carry 10kg of compensation weight in Oschersleben, meaning that
they will be 20 kilos heavier than they were in Czech
Republic.Compensation weight Oschersleben
+ 40 kg BMW 320si, SEAT León TDI, Chevrolet Cruze LT
+ 10 kg BMW 320si (old model)
- 20 kg BMW 320si (with sequential gearbox),
Chevrolet Lacetti
WTCC regular Darryl O'Young has made full use of the season's
summer break
to achieve a brilliant result in the Merdeka Millennium
Endurance Race which was held last Sunday at Sepang
International Circuit in Malaysia.Sharing an Audi R8 LMS car
with former Le Mans winners Frank Biela and Marco Werner,
O'Young impressed, first by clocking the team's fastest
qualifying time and then helping the Audi Racing Experience Team
Joest clinching second place on their Asian debut from fourth on
the grid.
12-08-10
Porsche Club
: Oulton Park hosts rounds nine and ten of the 2010
Porsche Club Championship,
which has seen some exiting race action so far this season and
this weekend’s, Saturday August 14th raceday, should be no
exception. In Class One Mark McAleer did the early winning,
before Marcus Carniel finally ended his run of victories at
Silverstone in June, and Carniel and Pete Morris shared the wins
at Snetterton in July – at a meeting which saw McAleer out with
a damaged car. McAleer will be keen to be back out and chasing
championship points, he still heads the Class One table but
Carniel, Morris and Miles Maserati are closing in. Carniel is at
his local track at Oulton and the only driver to win in a rear-engined
car so far this season, his 964 C2 quick off the line and strong
early in the race, while the front-engined 968 CS cars of his
closest rivals can be easier on their tyres over the full
race.Leading the championship overall is Chris Dyer, who has
done the majority of the wining in Class Two. The Yorkshireman
hasn’t has it all his own way, coming under pressure from Cieran
Brewer at every circuit, with Richard Bennett right amongst them
in the last four races. At Oulton Park the Class two runners
will have their own race, qualifying and then racing alongside
the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge runners.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
visits Oulton Park for the first time this weekend,
Saturday August 14th, the new for 2010 series providing home for
any racing Porsche GT3 – with grids comprise the exciting 400bp
plus GT3 models that have contested the Porsche Carrera Cup. The
series is designed to complement that championship – drivers and
teams able to sample circuits in the GT3 Cup before their own
championship races there. The two opening rounds saw Jim Geddie
take all four wins, the experienced Porsche racer straight on
the pace in his 997. Geddie missed the previous two rounds at
Snetterton, which were won by Mark Hazell and George Richardson,
the Porsche Carrera Cup BG runners using the series to get track
time at Snetterton prior to their series visiting the Norfolk
circuit – one of the key aspects of the series when it was
launched was the ease teams and drivers could move between the
two. Highlighting the driveability of these potent cars was the
performance of Stephen Ritchie, who claimed second in both races
at Brands Hatch on his first ever race outing. Similarly, race
newcomer Peter Smallwood has set the Class Two pace in his 996.
Class One caters for the latest 997 GT3 models, with the older
996 GT3s in Class Two. Class Three allows any car eligible for
the Porsche Club Championship to compete.
 Clio
Cup: Double
ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin champion Paul Rivett
is to contest the remainder of the 2010 season with BlueSquare
Data/Stancombe Vehicle Engineering. Paul returned to the
series at Croft in June this year where he picked up an
impressive second place on his first outing. Now the 31-year-old
is to run the remainder of the season alongside team-mate and
series regular Matthew Munson. The 2002 and 2004 champion will
next race on 21st/22nd August at Silverstone National circuit
followed by the World Series by Renault event at the new
Silverstone Grand Prix circuit and the final rounds of the year
at Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Due to other commitments he won’t
be able to contest rounds 15 and 16 of the series at Knockhill.
Commenting on his return Paul said: “I’ve been working as
Matthew’s driver coach all season and although I was planning on
racing at World Series by Renault and Brands Hatch, to be out at
Silverstone later this month as well is just fantastic. It’s all
thanks to Matthew and BlueSquare Data for making this possible.
In fact, I didn’t even know a deal had been struck until last
weekend at Snetterton when Matthew explained that I wouldn’t be
watching him from the pit wall anymore - I’d be on the grid
alongside him! I’m hoping to better my performance at Croft and
secure some wins for the team and I can’t wait to be back in the
car again.”
 GT:
There is just one more month to go before the two GT
Championships held under the Asian Festival Of Speed
banner get underway again after their summer break. Both Series
will now head to Fuji International Speedway to get their
seasons underway again. The 4.563km circuit in Japan has one of
the most spectacular vistas surrounding the circuit and is built
on the foothills of Mount Fuji . One of the attractions of the
circuit is its long straight, the 1.5km sprint heading to turn
one is one of the longest in motorsport. This will be the
first time the GT3 Asia and the GT4 Asia Cup have raced at the
track. Leading the fight will be current Championship leaders,
Tunku Hammam Sulong (GT3) and Daniel Bilski (GT4), both ten
points clear of their nearest competitors in their respective
Series’. After the meet in mid-September, teams and drivers will
head to the brand new Korean International Circuit. The GT3 Asia
and the GT4 Asia Cup will be making history as they join the
Asian Festival Of Speed Event to be the first race event ever to
be held at the new circuit, which has been built to host the
Formula 1 Korean Grand prix later the same month. The event, was
originally scheduled for the end of August, but was moved due to
a slight delay in the construction of the circuit caused by bad
weather. From there, the two series head to Japan again to the
final venue of the season in October at Autopolis. It will be
the second time that the GT3 Asia Series will visit the 4.673km
circuit and this year, the two Series will be held in
conjunction with Formula Nippon and Japanese F3. It will be in
Autopolis, where the 2010 Champions of the GT3 Asia and the GT4
Asia Cup will be crowned, before they head to Macau in November
to Asia ’s most famous street circuit, the Guia Circuit, where
invited drivers will have a chance to participate in the
prestigious Macau Grand Prix.
Formula Ford:
Leeds racing driver, Chris Holmes returns to the track
this weekend
to contest the next Formula Ford round as a factory driver. The
23 year old driver has secured a factory drive with Lancashire
based Juno UK. The Formula Ford double header event is being
held at Silverstone on the Grand Prix track, and features on
a packed racecard that boasts the Formula 3 and the British GT
Championships amongst others. This will be Chris's first race in
Formula Ford this year, a championship that has already seen
seven different winners from the twelve rounds to date. "I am
aiming for a top five finish and it will be very challenging
coming into the field at this point in a car that is new to me,
but I like challenges!" says Chris. "Silverstone is always a
great circuit to race on, especially when we are given free
reign on the Grand Prix track, so I am very excited about this
weekend's race".
Porsche Carrera Cup GB :
Swedish racer Martin Ohlin will join the 2010 Porsche Carrera
Cup GB at Silverstone (21/22 August) as part of a planned
three-event programme with the JHR team.The 28-year old Swede is
currently challenging for the Carrera Cup Scandinavia title, but
will now dovetail the race weekends at Silverstone, Knockhill
and Brands Hatch with his domestic commitments.Ohlin will race
alongside Mark Hazell in the JHR squad, which could grow to
three cars if further backing can be secured to get Tom Bradshaw
back onto the grid over the closing weekends of the season. Team
manager Paul Leach says that they hope to grow the JHR Carrera
Cup team to four cars for 2011.Ohlin, from Sollentuna in Sweden,
is currently in his third season in Carrera Cup Scandinavia and
is third in the points heading into this weekend's races at
Karlskoga. He finished eighth and then sixth in the championship
in 2008 and 2009. "There are a number of Swedish drivers looking
very strongly at doing Carrera Cup GB next season," said Leach.
"We hope that this connection with Martin will lead to more
Swedish drivers joining us. It is certainly our intention to run
four cars next year."
Next TV dates for Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
The ninth programme in the dedicated television coverage of the
2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be broadcast in the Motorsport
UK programme on ITV4 at 5pm on Tuesday 17 August, on ITV1 on the
night of Sunday 22 August and will also be repeated on ITV4 on
Saturday 21 August.
The Motorsport UK series, which features hour-long programmes,
is covering all of the Carrera Cup GB action again this season.
Round eleven of the season at Snetterton will feature in this
programme.
Motorsport UK will be broadcast as follows:
Tuesday 17 August at 5pm on ITV4
Saturday 21 August at 12.40pm on ITV4
Monday 23 August at 3am approx on ITV1
 Formula
Renault:
Asia Racing Team is targeting a strong weekend at the Shanghai
International
Circuit this weekend as the AFR Championship season reaches the
halfway point. While the team hopes to carry the good momentum
into this weekend's third season round, before heading back to
home soil at Zhuhai, 16th-18th September, it will do so with the
services of Sandy Stuvik, Tin Sritrai, Naomi Zhang Ran and the
recently signed Chi Cong Li. The Macau’s Zhuhai based team
objective for the weekend is to come home with as many points as
possible to keep the advantage in both Drivers' and Teams'
standings. Stuvik has built a leading margin of 32 points ahead
of the second best, while teammate Sritrai lies fourth, a
further 40 points behind. The Hermann Tilke-designed track, home
of the Chinese Grand Prix, is a new challenge for the 15 years
old Thai driver who is looking to score heavy points to
consolidate his leadership in the AFR Championship. Reigning
Asian Karting Champion Sritrai has been having an up and down
season - his first in single seaters. The talented Thai driver
still has plenty to fight for as the season's midpoint
approaches, and he will look to step onto the top of the AFR
Championship podium in the "Super Challenge Show of Shanghai".
Following her single seater debut in Chengdu, Naomi Zhang Ran
has been working hard to improve her performance, having tested
in Zhuhai and Shanghai in this past two weeks. The Beijing-born
Ran hopes to get a solid finish in both races and some good
points on the board this weekend. 17 year-old Chi Cong Li proved
himself one to watch in 2010 in only his second year of formula
racing. The Chinese youngster won the second race of the 2010
season, and will join Asia Racing Team for the very first time
at Shanghai.
The F2000 Championship Series podium is
becoming familiar territory to Daniel Erickson – his second
place in Round 12 at Road America today was his third in as many
rounds! But while the young Sydney driver’s previous two races
(Round 11 on Saturday at Road America, and Round 10 at Lime Rock
Park) were tough, this one was by far the toughest.
Read report
.jpg) Karts:
Having proven that he was back on the pace in the recent
Kartmasters
meeting, Tom Harvey drove the point home in the fifth round of
the Super 1 Series at Glan Y Gors, as he closed in on the
British Championship crown. pic:
Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net
Read
report
 Jordan
King kept himself in the reckoning for the runner-up laurels in
the KF2 class
of the national Super 1 Series at Glan Y Gors in North Wales
with a brilliant charge from the back of the grid following
engine troubles to finish up on the podium. pic: Graham
Smith/TSR Productions Read
report
Callum Bowyer successfully kept his bid for the runner-up
laurels
in the KF2 class of the national Super 1 Series on-track with an
inspired charge from the back of the grid to the podium at Glan
Y Gors in North Wales, read
report
Formula Vee:
The sixth round of the 2010 Execuline South African National
Formula Vee
Championship, produced more than it's fair share of drama, at
the Phakisa Circuit near Welkom. In the end, it was however
Peter Hills (Renexcon Rhema 2) who came away with his
Championship lead intact, despite his closest rival, development
driver Zaahir Essa (Reflex Solutions NLDTF Rhema 2) being first
across the line, at the end of both heats. Essa was then
penalized thirty seconds, for passing under a yellow flag in the
second race, which could hardly be considered a race at all,
with the field spending close to seventy five percent of the
race, behind the Safety Car.
Read report
 Other
News:
MotorSport Vision has completed a major project to resurface the
entire Brands Hatch Indy circuit this week,
by stripping and replacing the track from halfway down the
Brabham Straight through to Cooper Straight. The resurfacing
investment had originally been scheduled for completion at the
start of the season, however extreme weather conditions meant
that just over half the Indy circuit was resurfaced and an
alternative opportunity had to be found in order to finish the
project. A team of 40 staff from Buckingham Group Contracting
worked throughout the night to resurface the remaining areas of
the Indy configuration - completing the improvements in less
than 48 hours. The smoother, high quality surface has been laid
using 1,300 tonnes of the same Prixmat material used on the
areas of the circuit that have already been replaced this year,
from mid-way down Cooper Straight to the centre of the pit
straight.Mike Groves , Brands Hatch circuit manage, said:
"Unfortunately, a snowy spell earlier this year meant we were
unable to complete resurfacing work on the Indy circuit before
the season started, but we have worked hard to find a window of
opportunity to finish the project. Now that the entire Indy
circuit has been resurfaced, our competitors, trackday
participants and driving experience guests will be able to enjoy
an improved quality of track surface during their racing and
driving activities." The first major series to benefit from the
new Indy circuit surface will be the DTM German Touring Car
Championship, which makes its only UK visit to Brands Hatch on
3/4/5 September.
 The
Honda Ron Haslam Race School, based at Silverstone,
provides guests with an introduction to high performance bikes,
along with expert tuition from race experienced instructors.
Taking to the International Circuit, at the track, former
Formula One drivers Martin Brundle and Derek Warwick accepted an
invitation to train on the new Honda CBR600RR ABS with ‘Rocket’
Ron Haslam. With Brundle and Warwick already bike licence
holders, they signed-up for one of the Ron Haslam Race School’s
Premier training courses. Learning how to improve their skills
on a bike and understand the finer points of riding, the F1
pairing came away with not just an education on how to be better
and safer riders, but also a greater admiration for bike
racers. Martin Brundle commented, “It was a tremendous day. I
expected to leave Silverstone with ten times more confidence and
riding twice as fast. I actually left as a better and safer
rider and with a lot more respect for how bikes can bite you if
you don’t respect them. Talking to Ron, I learned how much you
have to use your body to control the bike. I learned how to sit
properly and move on a motorbike and the dynamics of bike
riding. I like riding a bike because it makes me feel more like
when I was racing. Ron was brilliant and I kept thinking ‘This
is Ron Haslam – I’m right behind Ron Haslam!” When asked for his
thoughts on the Ron Haslam course, Derek Warwick said, “It was
the most fantastic day of my life! My admiration for bike racers
has always been high but this experience has taken me to another
level. Anybody who rides a bike on the road should do a course
like this. Today has taught me how to be a better rider. Without
Ron in front we’d definitely have crashed. I always wanted to
feel the back hopping under hard braking – wait until I tell my
mates!” . The School has six more dates available this year and
to book your place at the Honda Ron Haslam Race School, visit
www.haslamraceschool.com,
or call 01332 883 323.
10-08-10
 Fiesta
Championship:
Fiesta driver and team NSR founder Nick Sanderson
was at the Turkey Mill in Maidstone recently(31st
July) to get married .The sun shone, the bride was beautiful,
Nick was sober and very, very nervous! Neverthe less it all went
off without a hitch and the happy couple jetted off to honeymoon
Hong Kong. Meanwhile his team were busy at Castle Combe in the
Ford Fiesta Championship with Driver John Findlay. After
qualifying 09th her went on to finish the two races
in sixth and fifth respectively.
Read report
The Star Mazda Championship
presented by Goodyear will descend on Trois-Rivières this
weekend for the 41st annual GP3R at the historic street circuit
for Round 10 of the series' 20th anniversary season. Leading
the Canadian charge is Quebec racer Mikael Grenier, winner -
from the pole - of Round 8 two weeks ago. The other Canadain is
David Ostella, from Maple, Ontario in his second season of Star
Mazda driving for the only Canadian team, Aim Autosport. He
finished 7th in this race in 2009 and scored a 4th-place finish
two weeks ago in Round 8. read
more
 LMS:
Alvaro's Parente will be at Hungaroring Le
Mans Series' event, after being invited by AF Corse to be at
the wheel of one of its Ferrari F430 GT. The Portuguese
youngster's 2010 season has been very busy, with Superleague
Formula by Sonangol, where he has already been in the top step
of the podium, and the Spanish GT Championship, where he leads
the drivers' standings. His results in the Spanish competition
impressed Amato Ferrari, AF Corse team boss, who invited him
to take the wheel of one of his Ferrari for the Hungarian
event. Parente will race in GT2 alongside team-mates
Giancarlo Fisichella and Jean Alesi and the GT driver Toni
Vilander. He will share the #96 Ferrari with Alvaro Barba.
"It's a great honour for me to be chosen by the official
Ferrari team to take part in the Hungarian Le Mans Series
event. This championship is very competitive, where it is
possible to watch intense fights between the Maranello's
official drivers and Porsche's, a fight that capture the fans
imagination, and makes me very excited to be part of it. As
always, I'll give my best so I can justify the confidence that
the team put in me", he said.
Clio Cup: Sam Tordoff (21)
took a storming victory in the 12th round of the 2010 ELF
Renault Clio Cup
held at Snetterton, to see him move into second place in the
overall Championship standings. The Clio Cup, which runs as a
support to the prestigious British Touring Car Championship,
runs as a double header event, and Sam finished the first race
of the weekend in 3rd place in a rain-affected race, which saw a
battle royale at the head of the field. This marked Sam’s ninth
podium finish of the eleven rounds so far, but it was to be on
Sunday that the elusive win would be at last taken. Sunday saw
the rain clouds disappear, and Sam took full advantage of his
pole position to take a lights to flag victory in a dominant
display which was broadcast on ITV4. Sam also secured the
fastest lap honours in both races. The win sees Sam move into
second place in the overall Championship with eight rounds left
to contend. Afterwards Sam said “I’m delighted to finally get
that win under my belt after so many podiums! I’ve been quick
all season but Dave Newsham [Championship leader] has always
been quicker so it’s a massive confidence boost, and great to
get my championships bid back on track”.
 Ginetta
Juniors:
Tom Ingram has closed to within just four points of the Ginetta
Junior Championship lead
following a successful, if hard-fought, outing at Snetterton in
Norfolk over the weekend, 7th/8th August. Battling back from the
tail of the field in round 11 on Sunday morning, having had a
problem with gear selection on the first lap, the Hillspeed
racer scythed his way through the field superbly and managed to
take third place on the final tour – his sixth podium of the
year. Read report
While Ingram didn’t win any races he still closed the gap
in the title standings. Having been consistent during the
opening half of the campaign in the Ginetta Jnrs, Tom had a new
approach going into season’s second half, go all-out for wins.
read further report
 The
Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship
will take to the track at Silverstone
for the seventh round of the series, on 21-22 August. While fans
look forward to watching three closely-fought and eagerly
awaited BTCC races on the Sunday, ‘Silverstone Air’ – taking
place throughout the BTCC weekend - is also guaranteed to
deliver a host of sensational displays from iconic aircraft and
aerobatic stunt teams. Fans’ favourites Matt Neal and Jason
Plato, the current championship leaders, will be battling for
valuable championship points as the BTCC reaches a crucial stage
in the season, with just three rounds to go following
Silverstone. On the Saturday, prior to the BTCC qualifying,
Silverstone’s crowd will be treated to Spitfire and P51 Mustang
air displays, along with stunts from the Aerostars and Breitling
Wingwalkers. Directly after the qualifying session, there will
be a breathtaking flypast from XH558 – the only airworthy Vulcan
Bomber still in existence. The skies above Silverstone on Sunday
(22 August) will then be filled with aerobatics from The
Parachute Regiment Freefall Team ‘The Red Devils’, and The Royal
Airforce Aerobatic Team’s ‘Red Arrows’. Silverstone’s line-up of
spectacular aircraft displays will be brought to a close by the
Avro Lancaster, the legendary WWII bomber.
The Ginetta Challenge
is building up nicely with eight races yet to run
and the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit the venue for the next
two races. With four different winners so far, and with three
different shapes on the grid, this year’s Ginetta Challenge is
proving to be one of the most competitive for years. Alongside
the faithful G20 model is the new G40, which took its first win
at Rockingham, and the original Junior shape G20 with its closed
top. Between them the three Ginetta models have provided great
racing this season. Andy Richardson (G20) heads the championship
after a superb weekend at Pembrey in May launched him into the
championship lead. He took three wins in South Wales and has
been a consistent points scorer meaning that he arrives at
Silverstone with 32 points in hand. The opposition, though, is
tough: George Murrells won the season-opener at Oulton Park but
then suffered a damaging accident in race two when he was the
first driver to hit a fresh oil slick. With cars in the tyre
wall, the race was stopped and declared null and void as barley
three laps had been completed. Murrells raced well at Pembrey
but had the odd incident that delayed him, while he was on the
pace at Rockingham until he tangled with Dominic Pettit in race
two and was speared off the road. Pettit won the opening race
at Rockingham and gave the first win for the G40. The new car is
a sleeker shape but bigger and heavier and it has taken the
teams a while to work around this to be on the pace of the G20s.
The most recent winner is Sean Huyton who claimed honours at
Rockingham. Huyton had tangled in the first race with Richardson
but bounced back in style to win and is only 3 points off
Murrells for second place in the title race. Expect him to be
pushing for points this weekend, too. Add in Stuart Pearson and
David Jackson, both of whom have been front-runners this season,
plus the ever-quickening Matts Harris and Flowers and there
should be some great racing at the front. Elsewhere, keep an
eye on Harry Whale, Parisian Frederick Greiling in the closed
G20 and Tom Mallett, all of whom will be battling hard around
the Grand Prix circuit.
 Formula
Renault:
After a lengthy seven-week break in the calendar,
Silverstone-based Atech Grand Prix
made a successful return to UK racing action at Snetterton this
weekend with Briton Nick Yelloly taking a podium finish in the
opening race and sixth in race two. Michelin Formula Renault UK
Championship leader Tamás Pál Kiss maintains his series lead
after finishing fourth and seventh while Marlon Stockinger,
winner last time out, took a top ten finish to add to his points
tally. Read team report
 New
Ollerton-based Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship team
Manor Competition
enjoyed a thoroughly successful visit to Snetterton in Norfolk
over the weekend, 7th/8th August, after taking a total of three
podium finishes and victory in round 11 with category rookie
Ollie Millroy. Extending the team’s lead in the entrant’s
championship and also closing in on the top of the driver
standings with podium finisher Will Stevens, the annual trip to
East Anglia proved to be a glittering one and the squad now
heads to Silverstone in two weeks, 21st/22nd August, in high
spirits. Read team
report
Dutch single-seater racer Thomas Hylkema
endured a difficult start to the second half of the 2010
Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship at Snetterton over the
weekend, 7th/8th August, but he bounced back well from an
enforced race one retirement to finish inside the top eight in
round 12. Displaying great tenacity and racecraft, the
21-year-old from Delft in The Netherlands managed to keep former
category race winner Riki Christodoulou at bay throughout the
second encounter to secure his second best result of the
campaign. Read report
 Other
news: The
Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance
made a celebratory landing at Cadwell Park last Thursday (5
August), to receive a donation of almost two thousand pounds
from the Louth circuit towards their life-saving medical
service. Over the past few months, Cadwell Park has been
collecting donations for the Air Ambulance within the Clubhouse
restaurant during event weekends, as well as contributing money
from £5 driving licence checks on its Club MSV trackdays. The
charity fundraising collected £1,961 in total and a team of
three Air Ambulance crew members - George Phillips, Alan Payne
and Ted Good - flew into the circuit this week to accept the
donation from assistant circuit manager Mick Brown.However, the
handover process proved speedier than anticipated, for the crew
were called away to an emergency within minutes of landing at
Cadwell Park !
09-08-10
 Heritage
GT:
A large crowd who enjoyed two days of Touring Car
action at Snetterton were treated to the sights and sounds
of the past as the Heritage Cars ended both days with a two
driver enduro race. John Wilson(right) in his MG BGTV8
took the Saturday race with Phil Hollins and Peter Horsman
winning on Sunday in their Morgan Plus 8.
Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read
report
 Clio
Cup:
Total Control Racing’s Sam Tordoff finally secured that elusive
first win
of the 2010 ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin season during
rounds 11 and 12 at Snetterton on 7th/8th August – almost a year
to the day since his last victory.The 21-year-old, who hadn’t
won a race since picking up his maiden and only win of 2009 at
the Norfolk track, secured a lights-to-flag win during Sunday’s
round 12. Together with his third place in Saturday’s
rain-affected round 11, the second-year driver now moves into
second place in the drivers’ standings albeit 91-points behind
Team Pyro’s Dave Newsham.TCR team-mate James Dixon, 20, was also
on fine form with two well deserved second places as well as his
maiden Michelin pole position to end Newsham’s unbeaten pole
record in the process. Newsham still showed why he’s been the
championship’s runaway leader though with a commanding win in
round 11 followed by a third-place in round 12.Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
read reports
Renowned ELF Renault Clio Cup team Total Control Racing
secured its long-awaited first race win of the 2010 season at
Snetterton in Norfolk on Sunday, 8th August, with Sam Tordoff
heading home team-mate James Dixon for a memorable one-two
finish during the 12th round of the campaign.
Read team report
Total Control Racing’s James Dixon delivered a tremendous
career-best performance
at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend, 7th/8th August, to
not only secure his first ELF Renault Clio Cup pole position but
also race to a pair of superb runner-up spots in rounds 11 and
12 of the year. Such was the 20-year-old saloon car rookie’s
level of performance his results have lifted him into the
coveted top 10 in the driver standings – an excellent effort
considering he has only contested eight of the 12 races so far.
Read report
 Formula
Renault:
Manor Competition’s Ollie Millroy
and CRS Racing’s Harry Tincknell shared the honours during
rounds 11 and 12 of the 2010 Michelin Formula Renault UK
Championship at Snetterton circuit on 7th/8th August. Millroy,
20, secured his maiden victory in fine style with a
lights-to-flag win in round 11 with 18-year-old Tincknell
mirroring Ollie’s achievements in round 12.Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
read
report
 Chinese
racer Chi Cong Li will race in Asia Racing Team
in this weekend AFR Championship at the Shanghai International
Circuit, lining up alongside ART's regulars Sandy Stuvik, Tin
Sritrai and Naomi Zhang Ran. 17 year-old Chi Cong Li was 6th in
2009 AFR Championship and the Chinese youngster is becoming a
driver to watch for the future, having won the second race of
this season’s series in Zhuhai,. Asia Racing Team’s Team
Manager, Philippe Descombes commented: "We watched Chi Cong Li
progress last year and he's already attracted a lot of interest
in the industry. He was one of our strongest opponents. I'm
delighted that he's chosen ART as the team with which to further
his career. I'm confident he will be challenging for podiums and
victories this season." Asia Racing Team is currently leading
both the drivers’ and teams’ championships and has four podiums.
The next race of AFR Championship, previously known as Asian
Formula Renault Challenge, will take place on the Shanghai
circuit in China from 13 to 15 of August.
 MP
Motorsport made a welcome return to the Formula Renault 2.0
Northern European Cup
at Assen in The Netherlands over the weekend, 7th/8th August,
and enjoyed its most successful event of the year with two
superb race victories for Karl Oscar-Liiv. The Dutch team, a
front-running regular in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, produced a
sensational performance throughout the weekend and in front of
60,000 spectators at the TT track Liiv and team-mate Daniël De
Jong(pictured right) celebrated some fantastic results.
Read report
Formula 3:
Jean-Eric Vergne continued his relentless march towards the
Cooper Tires British F3
title on Sunday at Thruxton, collecting twin wins at the wheel
of his Carlin-prepared Dallara-Volkswagen to extend his
championship advantage to 104 points. Vergne has the
opportunity next weekend (14/15 Aug) to crown himself as the
first French champion of British Formula 3: if he can during the
course of the three Silverstone races increase his points
advantage to the 108 mark, the title will be his with two race
meetings in hand. Jean-Eric's sprint race win this morning was a
vintage display on what is the fastest track on the British F3
calendar, and he followed that up in the 40-minute feature race
with an impressive 7.8-second victory. In the National class,
the championship title is still a very long way from being
decided. James Cole leads by 10 points despite two class wins
today for Menasheh Idafar. ON Saturday James Calado led home a
Carlin/Volkswagen 1-2-3-4 denying Vergne his 10th win of the
season. Calado recovered from a "disastrous" start to battle
back up on to Vergne's tail, the pole-sitter having enjoyed an
easy run to lead the early stages, before James passed Jean-Eric
for the lead on the 15th of the 27 laps.
Read reports
 Formula 3
racer Menasheh Idafar returned to winning ways at Thruxton
in Hampshire on Sunday, 8th August, with a superb National Class
double in rounds 20 and 21 of the 2010 Cooper Tires British F3
International Series.
Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read
report
 Recurring
brake problems blighted Alexandre Imperatori’s Japanese F3
performance at Motegi last weekend where a difficult qualifying
session all-but ended his hopes of challenging for the podium.
read report
DTM:
Bruno Spengler won the 2010 DTM's fifth round at the Nurburgring. After 49 laps
(177.821 kms), he came home 2.843sec ahead of Paul Di Resta (AMG
Mercedes C-Class) whilst Gary Paffett ended up third completing
the third Mercedes-Benz 1-2-3 of the season. Jamie Green (Junge
Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home fifth ahead of Ralf
Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class), who achieved his
first DTM points of the year. Achieving his second win of the
year and his fifth consecutive podium finish, Spengler extended
the overall lead to now 42 points. Green is second overall with
26 points ahead of Parfett and Paul Di Resta each on 25 points.
Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG with Spengler/Paffett leads
the team’s championship with 67 points.
Read report
BTCC:
Jason Plato and Gordon Shedden were the winners of Sunday's three Dunlop
MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Snetterton. Plato
won both races one and two and with chief rival Matt Neal
experiencing mixed fortunes it means the Chevrolet driver has
turned an eight-point deficit into a 20-point lead over his
Honda rival as the BTCC heads for its next round at the
world-famous Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire in a
fortnight's time (Sunday 22 August). Plato led both the day's
first two races from start to finish - despite his Silverline
Chevrolet Cruze being laden with 36kgs of success ballast in
race one and then the maximum 45kgs in race two. He also set the
fastest lap in both to ensure he took a pair of maximum scores.
Neal, meanwhile, retired from race one with a puncture and could
only manage ninth in race two. In race three, Neal's team-mate
Shedden was gifted a clear run to victory when early leader
James Nash's Triple Eight Vauxhall Vectra span off the track.
Neal took third to give the Honda Racing Team a 1-3 result with
Plato backing up his two earlier wins with fifth. Shedden's
result, following fourth and eighth places in races one and two,
keep him third in the overall standings and he has in fact
closed to within just four points of Neal. In the HiQ Teams
Championship the Honda Racing Team leaves Snetterton still ahead
of Airwaves BMW at the top. Honda/Dynamics also continues to
lead the Manufacturers/Constructors standings. It is also
tremendously tight in the fight for Independent Team honours,
with Airwaves BMW just five points clear of Team Aon.
Alex
MacDowall etched his name into the Dunlop MSA British Touring
Car Championship record books at Snetterton over the
weekend, 7th/8th August, by becoming the youngest driver in the
long and storied history of the BTCC to qualify on pole
position.Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
read report
Porsche Carrera Cup GB:
Team Parker Racing earned two more podium positions in the latest round of
the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Snetterton in Norfolk, thanks to
third place in each of the two races for Stephen Jelley. The
former British Touring Car Championship star proved the
competitiveness of his machine by taking fastest lap in the
second of the races, and has now moved level for third place in
the championship table with team-mate Euan Hankey.
Read report
 Snetterton
Circuit in Norfolk provided the toughest races so far of Ahmad
Al Harthy’s
debut year in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship but the
Omani racer still managed to hold on to a top five placing in
the Pro-Am 1 Class standings on Sunday, 8th August. Read
report
 Archie Hamilton made another trip
onto the Porsche Carrera Cup podium on Sunday, this time for
a third place in ProAm1 in the first race of the day. He has
moved up to fourth in the ProAm1 class standings. Saturday’s
qualifying was more than close with Archie’s time of 1:09.881
identical to his teammate Ahmed Al Harty, putting them side by
side on the grid. Archie had one of his best starts of the
season, gaining three places and third in class. Archie then was
pushed wide and dropped back to fifth. After Gelzinis and
Meadows tangled ahead Archie moved back to fourth and regained
third by passing classmate Leonard with an inside corner
manoeuvre. The second race was a tougher battle with Archie
dropping to sixth in class at the start but swiftly making back
the lost position but passing Al Harty on the inside of turn
two. Progress was made on the following lap by passing Michael
Leonard but after flat spotting the tyres on lap five of the 24
lap race the car became difficult to handle and Archie had no
choice but to maintain the best pace possible with the
limitations and take the points for fourth. Archie Hamilton:
“It’s been a very close weekend and I’m really pleased to have
moved up in the championship. It’s really important to
consistently score points and it’s been a good weekend for that.
Our aim is to keep getting consistent podiums and that all
important ProAm1 win. The next round’s at Silverstone which I
love so I’ll carry on learning and hopefully scoring the points.
Podiums and the elusive win would be a big bonus if they
happen.”
 Michelin
Ginetta G50 Cup
title contender Frank Wrathall returned to the top step of the
podium
at Snetterton on Sunday, 8th August, during an action-packed
17th round of the season to close to within 17 points of
championship leader Carl Breeze. Although Breeze had opened up a
34 point cushion on Saturday with a brace of victories, a
post-race penalty led to his advantage being cut by 10 points.
As the race built towards a grandstand finish with Wrathall
leading going into the 11th lap out of 18 laps, Breeze was
closing in second place. However, an accident at Sear involving
guest car driver Adrian Newey, Julien Draper and Tony Hughes
resulted in red flags and the race result declared after 11
racing lapsPic Jakob Ebrey Photography
. Read report
Ginetta Junior Championship:
Following an investigation by race officials at Snetterton
yesterday evening, Jake Hill has been declared the winner of
round 12
of the Ginetta Junior Championship.Hill, who now has won seven
times this season, was fighting with Chris Swanwick for the lead
of the race when the cars dived into Russell on the ninth and
final lap. Swanwick overshot the chicane and missed out the
corner for which the Clerk of the Course decided gave him an
unfair advantage (under MSA General Regulation C.2.3). As a
result, a penalty of three seconds was added to Swanwick’s race
time, which was enough to hand the race win to Jake Hill.
Swanwick appealed the decision but the stewards upheld the Clerk
of the Course’s decision and the result therefore stands. This
means that Hill now has a two-point advantage over Louise
Richardson in the championship heading to Silverstone on August
21/22.
 The
Ginetta Junior Championship
delivered two brand new winners at Snetterton on
Sunday, 8th August, with Louise Richardson and Chris Swanwick
each taking their maiden victories. Richardson’s win in the
first race of the day was followed by a second place in race 2
which leaves her leading the title chase by two points from
Tom Ingram with Jake Hill just a point further adrift in third.
Swanwick’s victory, meanwhile has been taken away as a result of
a 3 second penalty..see above.Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read
report
Team Parker Racing was cruelly denied a maiden win in the
Ginetta Junior Championship
by officials after Chris Swanwick had crossed the line first at
Snetterton in Norfolk. After celebrating his victory on the
podium, Swanwick was penalised down to second place for gaining
what was deemed to be an unfair advantage at the final corner on
the last lap.
Read report
Formula Vee:
Since it burst onto the motor racing scene at Sandown in May,
the Sabre 02
has been the focus of much attention and comment throughout the
Formula Vee racing fraternity. With its stunning looks, derived
from its big brother the Spectrum 012 Formula Ford, the Sabre 02
has delivered a crushing eight wins from eight starts,
establishing it as the chassis you need to have in the uber-competitive
Formula Vee category. The car’s good looks are matched by the
quality of components and workmanship throughout. The Sabre
features Australian VW Performance components, Penske adjustable
dampers (again derived from the Spectrum Formula Ford), aircraft
quality fasteners and NMB rod ends, Motorsport Electrics wiring
loom and connectors, bespoke BRD steering rack and pinion and
MoTeC data logging system. Because of the sensational looks,
high quality finish and astounding performance, much of the
gossip has focussed on the alleged high price tag. “We’ve heard
some truly fantastic versions of what the cars are selling for!”
said BRD’s sales manager, Paul Zsidy. “Apparently they’re
anywhere up to 80 grand for a rolling chassis, according to some
reports. The reality is that they are not the cheapest Formula
Vee on the market, but with all of the ‘bells and whistles’ you
will still get change out of $40k for a roller,” he added. With
the lap times now being achieved by Formula Vee 1600 cars, the
category presents itself as an appropriate pathway between karts
and Formula Ford, particularly for budget conscious drivers.
Sabre designer Mike Borland commented “We delivered a new Sabre
02 to the Junior Racing Development team at Winton today (Friday
6 August) and both Daniel Reynolds and Daniel Reinhardt ran
1.34.50, which is almost a second under the lap record. That’s a
great time for a car you can run for under 10 grand a year!”
 F2000:
Jonathan Scarallo survived an epic drafting battle between four
cars
and then took the lead with two laps to go and gapped Daniel
Erickson to take his first career F2000 victory in style for
R-Sport at Road America. Erickson came home second for Primus
Racing/Quantum Mechanics with Keith McCrone, Scarallo’s R-Sport
teammate, finishing third and taking the Masters Class win.pic
Janice Eakin Read report
A hard-earned second place in Round 11 of the F2000 Championship
Series
has effectively jumped Daniel Erickson two steps up the points
ladder. The young Australian’s 45-point haul, including three
bonus points for pole, elevated him from sixth to fifth in the
American ‘championship. That becomes fourth after each driver’s
two lowest-scoring rounds have been dropped leaving Erickson on
280 points.He also leads the Rookie of the Year standings by 79
points from American Chris Livengood. Saturday started on a
high for Erickson, who claimed his fourth pole position and
second qualifying lap record. “To get pole anywhere is great,
but to do it at Road America first time out is really special,”
Erickson said. “Everyone told me it’s an awesome track, and they
were right! It took me a little while to come to grips with it
in practice yesterday, but today everything fell into place. All
credit to Jon Baytos of Primus Racing for his invaluable
guidance, Wendell and Slade Miller of Quantum Racing for
preparing the car to the job, and the Australian Motor sport
Foundation, without whose assistance I probably wouldn’t have
been able to
 continue
in the series.” The race was a different affair, though.
Erickson retained the front position from the rolling start, but
it wasn’t long before he realised that his car had lost some of
its perfect balance. For the first two laps he staved off
Carbone, who had overtaken second-fastest qualifier Jonathon
Scarallo at the start, but on lap three Carbone swept into the
lead, bringing Scarallo with him. After a brief battle, Erickson
repassed Scarallo and consolidated in second place, but unlike
his tremendous 14th-to-second charge in the previous round at
Lime Rock Park, this time he couldn’t catch Carbone. After 12
laps Erickson crossed the finish line 3.7 seconds behind the
winner. “I had a good start, and managed to get a small gap on
Victor, but for some reason my car’s balance was less than ideal
for the entire race. After Victor went by I knew that couldn’t
catch him on pace, so I drove as hard as I could to hold onto
second until the end of the race. I’ve no idea what caused the
handling to go off, but the crew is checking everything – I’m
sure they’ll get to the bottom of it. It’s disappointing not to
win after starting from pole, but sometimes these things happen.
You just have to focus on doing as well as possible in the next
race.”
Indycars:
Dario Franchitti is beginning to chip away at Will Power's IZOD
IndyCar Series points lead.
The Scotsman held off Power to score his second win of the
season at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield
Insurance at Mid-Ohio. It was the first victory for the Target
Chip Ganassi Racing driver at the 2.258-mile circuit, where he
holds the track record and won his first pole 12 years ago. By
holding off Power over the final 15 laps after a Lap 70 restart
to win by 0.5234 (the third-closest road/street course finish in
series history), Franchitti closed to 41 points of the overall
championship leader. Next up, after the Indy Grand Prix of
Sonoma, are four oval races to close the season. Though it was
too little, too late to take the Mario Andretti Road
Championship Trophy from Power, the Target Chip Ganassi Racing
driver was satisfied with the outing on the physically demanding
course. "I think the key to the race, obviously, was the Target
car was very fast," said Franchitti. "I drove every lap like it
was a qualifying lap today, whether I was behind Will or ahead
of Will. But the key was that first pit stop by the Target boys
to get me out ahead, especially a 35-foot pit box. It's the
tightest we run. In practice, we couldn't get the thing out of
the box with Will parked in his or get it in properly. But when
the race win was on the line, it didn't seem quite as difficult
and managed to pass him. I think that was the key today, because
we were incredibly evenly matched on the track." That brief stop
for tires and a 22-gallon load of ethanol - during the first
full-course caution period of the race - came on Lap 25. Alex
Tagliani, who pitted three laps earlier, assumed the point and
led the next 30 laps. Franchitti and Power, running 1-2, both
pitted on Lap 60 under green - with Franchitti again slipping
out a tick of a second quicker. Power remained on Franchitti's
rear wing for the closing laps, never more than 0.6157 of a
second back. Power's Team Penske teammate, Helio Castroneves,
finished third and Tagliani finished a season-high fourth in the
No. 77 FAZZT Race Team car. Scott Dixon was fifth in the No. 9
Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry.
Indylights: Martin Plowman scored his first
career Firestone Indy Lights victory, leading the Mid-Ohio
100 flag-to-flag. Plowman is the fifth different race winner in
Firestone Indy Lights this season.
08-08-10
 Porsche
Carrera Cup GB
: Tim Harvey made it 10 wins from 12 races in the Porsche
Carrera Cup GB at Snetterton
today (Sunday 8 August). However, a last lap moment left his
margin of victory over Michael Caine at just five-hundredths of
a second. Ollie Jackson (right) completed a fine weekend
with a second pro-am1 victory, while Paul Mace clinched the
pro-am2 win. Michael Caine has earlier won a commanding victory
in round eleven from pole position. , Caine went ahead at the
start out-running championship leader Tim Harvey to score his
second win of the season. Ollie Jackson led pro-am1 until the
final corner when an attack by Tony Gilham sent Jackson
spinning. However, after the race a time penalty was applied to
Gilham to reverse the finishing order and put Jackson back to
the top of pro-am1. In some great battling down the field, Glenn
McMenamin emerged to win pro-am2 from Paul Mace and George
Richardson.
read reports
 ALMS:
David Brabham scored another sensational second place
American Le Mans Series finish in the Mid-Ohio Sports Car
Challenge to extend his LMP championship lead to 23 points with
three rounds remaining.Just 0.506 seconds separated Brabham’s
Patrón Highcroft teammate Simon Pagenaud from the winning Dyson
Racing Lola-Mazda in a thrilling round six finish.
Read report
Robertson Racing again demonstrated their fighting spirit at
round six of this season’s American Le Mans Series
presented by Tequila Patron – the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Challenge –
with another gutsy team performance.While 12th position in the
fiercely competitive GT category might have been disappointing
under normal circumstances, that the #40 Ford GT finished at all
was again testament to the team’s pit crew who for the second
race running were forced to carry out vital mid-race repairs.
Read report
Grand-Am:
AIM Autosport’s Pacific Mobile/Biosign car was classified
eleventh in the Daytona Prototype class (23rd overall)
yesterday at Watkins Glen International after being knocked out
of third place with 25 minutes remaining in the Crown Royal 200.
After showing excellent speed in Friday’s practice and
qualifying sessions, the car ran in third place through much of
the race until contact resulted in terminal damage.
Read report
 F2000:
Jonathan Scarallo laid down a lap more than four-tenths clear of
anyone else
to take pole for the second F2000 race of the weekend at Road
America, round 12 of the 2010 season. Scarallo appeared to be
sending a message to the rest of the paddock in the #22 Van
Diemen. After starting on the outside of the front row
yesterday, the R-Sport driver had his sights set on taking the
lead away from championship leader Victor Carbone before a
broken fourth gear ended his day. A reverse front row from
yesterday will see Daniel Erickson line up alongside Scarallo.
“We are just going to keep attacking and pushing until our luck
turns around,” stated Scarallo. “It was a great rebound for the
R-Sport guys, who were up all night putting the gearbox
together. It’s nice to be able to repay them with the pole.”
Erickson will line up second after resetting the track record in
qualifying yesterday. The Australian’s session was cut short by
problems with the steering rack on the #2 Primus Racing/Quantum
Mechanics Van Diemen.Cole Morgan bounced back to qualify third
in the K-Hill Motorsports #1 after a so-far rough weekend that
saw him lose major championship ground to Carbone, who won
yesterday.“The car was good but I never really got into a
rhythm,” said Morgan. “I was sort of rediscovering my braking
points with a chassis that was handling well. It’s hard to plan
for the race because anything can happen here unless you can
check out like Victor did yesterday.”However, Carbone will have
to come from sixth so Morgan may survive long enough to take the
championship fight to the final doubleheader weekend at Mid-Ohio.Rounding
out the top five were Fabio Orsolon and Scarallo’s R-Sport
teammate and fastest Masters Class driver, Keith McCrone.Carbone,
as mentioned, will start sixth ahead of Mikhail Goikherg, Chris
Livengood, Stevan McAleer and Phil Lombardi. pic
Janice Eakin
 Ginetta
G50 Cup:
Carl Breeze increased his lead in the Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup
to 34 points at Snetterton on Saturday, 7th August, thanks to a
brace of contrasting race victories – his sixth and seventh
successes of the season. Qualifying on pole position for the
first event of the weekend, round 15, at his home track, the
Kings Lynn racer held off a determined challenge from title
rival Frank Wrathall by just 0.4 seconds – the race punctuated
by a Safety Car period on lap four which wiped out Breeze’s two
second lead.all
Snetterton pics Jakob Ebrey
Photography
Read race report
Total Control Racing’s
Carl Breeze has extended his lead in the Michelin
Ginetta G50 Cup championship wo wins at Snetterton yesterday,
Saturday, 7th August. The Kings Lynn driver, who starting off by
securing pole position during qualifying now leads the
Championship by 34 points. The team’sELF Renault Clio Cup racer
James Dixon meanwhile qualified on pole and took an excellent
second place as he enjoyed by far his best weekend as a TCR
driver since moving into the category earlier in the season.
Read report
 F2000:
Championship points leader Victor Carbone snuck around
Jonathan Scarallo on the start and then passed Daniel Erickson
for the lead
to go onto victory in the first F2000 race of the weekend at
Road America. The Brazilian wasted no time in taking the top
spot early in the race and then breaking the draft to take his
sixth win of the season in round 11 at Road America over Daniel
Erickson and Stevan McAleer. Read
report
Daniel Erickson met up with fellow Australian David Brabham
at Lime Rock Raceway recently. Brabham, who is competing in the
American Le Mans Series with the Patron Highcroft team, took
time out to show Daniel around the team's paddock enclosure.
Ginetta
Jnrs:
Louise Richardson confirmed her status as a genuine Ginetta
Junior Championship title threat
at Snetterton0n Saturday, 7th August, by securing her second
pole position start of the 2010 season. Kicking-off the second
half of the season superbly, the TJ Motorsport driver – who is
currently third in the standings, just 20 points shy of series
leader Jake Hill – scorched to the round 11 pole position with a
time of 1m25.395 seconds (82.28mph). Lapping 0.325 seconds
quicker than closest challenger Adam Bonham, who produced a
career best effort to grab a place on the front row of the grid
for the first time, Richardson’s second-fastest lap of 1m25.954
seconds wasn’t enough to give her pole position for round 12 but
the podium will undoubtedly be in her sights again from the
second row of the grid.Bonham edged out fellow Team Parker
Racing driver Chris Swanwick by a mere 0.004 seconds to grab
second on the grid for the first of Sunday’s nine-lap races
while Tollbar’s Hill will line-up in fourth position, one spot
ahead of chief rival Tom Ingram in his Hillspeed-run car.Less
than half a second covered the top four qualifiers for round 11
with Jody Fannin rounding out the top six for TJ, 0.290 seconds
ahead of reigning champion Sarah Moore. The category’s youngest
competitor meanwhile, Seb Morris, produced his best run since
graduating to cars at the beginning of the season with the 10th
fastest time.
 Formula
3:
Menasheh
Idafar frustratingly missed out on his 10th National Class
victory of the
2010 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series at
Thruxton in Hampshire on Saturday, 7th August, when a
penultimate lap tangle at Club Chicane forced him into
retirement. Having done all of the hard work by securing the National Class pole
position in this morning’s half hour qualifying session and
scorching into a clear five second lead in today’s 19th round,
the T-Sport racer came to grief just over a lap from the
chequered flag after contact with Alex Brundle. read
report
07-08-10
 Porsche
Carrera Cup GB: Michael Caine and Tim Harvey shared
the pole positions for rounds eleven and twelve of the Porsche
Carrera Cup GB during qualifying at Snetterton today
(Saturday 7 August).In a session run with rain threatening and
interrupted by two red flags, six drivers claimed pole positions
as Jonas Gelzinis and Ollie Jackson shared top spot in pro-am1
and Glenn McMenamin and Paul Mace each took a pro-am2 pole.
Despite taking pole for round 11, Caine (Motorbase Performance)
was frustrated not to add pole for round 12 when an on-track
misunderstanding with Glynn Geddie and then a red flag cost him
two laps that looked set to be good enough for the second pole.
"I felt that we'd got the pace for two poles and that would have
proved a point," said a disappointed Caine. "We've done
everything right so far this weekend." Harvey (Red Line Racing)
acknowledged his rival's speed. "Michael had the pace on me
today. The time he set is very, very quick," said Harvey, who
ended the session second for round 11 and first for round 12.
Harvey also praised a new assembly system, which sent the cars
out in the order of times set during testing on Friday. "It
worked very well. We all got a good series of clean laps at the
start of qualifying," said the championship leader. Third on
both grids was Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing). "I'm a bit
frustrated," admitted Jelley. "P3 is okay, but not to be half a
second off Michael's best time." An excellent fourth for both
races was Carrera Cup Scholarship racer Michael Meadows (Red
Line Racing) with his best qualifying performance of the season
to date. Geddie (Team Parker Racing) was fifth of the pro
drivers on both grids, but was headed for round 11 by Gelzinis (Juta
Racing), the leading pro-am1 racer. "I didn't make a good lap
on my first set of tyres," said Gelzinis, who thought his second
best lap would be some way from the pro-am1 pace. However, the
final time sheets showed that he had traded places with Jackson
(Addison Lee Motorbase), leaving each driver with a first and
second place as they continue their battle for the pro-am1
title. Jackson was simply relieved to have finished the session
unscathed after a high-speed spin at Riches on coolant dropped
by Andrew Shelley (Red Line Racing). "That was a huge scare,"
said Jackson after missing the barriers by a few feet. With
McMenamin (Red Line Racing) and George Brewster (Celtic Speed)
spinning into the gravel at the same time, the session was red
flagged. Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing) and Ahmad Al
Harthy (Red Line Racing) took third and fourth places in
pro-am1. McMenamin found one clear lap to jump ahead of Mace (GT
Marques) for pro-am2 pole in round 11, but Mace took pole for
round 12 as George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) edged
McMenamin back to third for round 12. "I got one golden lap in
and then before I knew it I was off the track," said McMenamin
of his high-speed spin at Riches. "I expected to go quicker on
the second run, but red flags and the slippery track ruined
that," said Mace.
.jpg) Karts:
Sale-based kart pilot Jay Goodwin overcame an accident
that left him black-and-blue to gain an 20 places from his
starting position in the grand final at Kartmasters to
very, nearly break into the top ten. Pic:
Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net,
Read
report
 F2000:
Friday saw a busy day of practice for the F2000 Championship
Series teams
as three separate practice sessions and an abundance of track
time at Road America saw Keith McCrone, Daniel Erickson and then
McCrone’s R-Sport teammate, Jonathan Scarallo post fast times on
a beautiful day in Wisconsin. Long straights and high-speed,
high-downforce corners left teams searching for the perfect aero
balance with Scarallo taking fast time of the day at 2:15.455,
under the existing track record for the F2000 series by just
about a tenth. R-Sport put both their entries in the top three
in the morning session, with Keith McCrone going fastest and
then capitalized in the closing minutes of the day to have
Jonathan Scarallo a full tenth up on the track record.
Read more
Grand-Am:
AIM Autosport’s Pacific Mobile/Biosign car will start second
in tomorrow’s Crown Royal 200 at Watkins Glen International.
Driver, Mark Wilkins, posted a time of 1m 5.642s at 134.365 mph
early in a late-afternoon qualifying session before it was black
flagged and subsequently ended owing to a collision that had
left debris scattered across the track. When the qualifying
session was cut short, running just six of its allotted 15
minutes, Mark reported that the car was just coming into its
qualifying sweet spot. Pole position was ultimately taken by
Memo Rojas with whom Mark had been trading fast laps since the
session began, but Mark liked his odds of being able to take
pole position had the session resumed and was thrilled with the
car’s performance.“The car was fast,” he said. “It’s been fast
all day and it’s going to be fast tomorrow.” Having taken pole
and won here in 2008, AIM Autosport clearly understands how to
make a car go fast on this track. Mark and co-driver, Burt
Frisselle, both set quick practice times using the car as it was
set-up back at the team’s shop just four hours down the road in
Woodbridge, Ontario. “We unloaded a very quick car,” said Burt.
“We made some changes during practice this morning and found a
little more speed, and we think we can make the car even faster
so we’re making some more changes before the race. Mark did
really well to qualify on the front row,” Burt continued, “And I
think we have a great shot at winning tomorrow.”The Crown Royal
200 is the tenth of twelve rounds in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports
Car Series The two-hour race is scheduled to begin at 6:00pm.
Live coverage will be provided by SPEED TV and MRN Radio.
Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International
Series
racer Menasheh Idafar
set the National Class pace during pre-event testing at Thruxton
on, Friday, 6th August, ahead of this weekend’s latest rounds of
championship.
The British-born Bahraini, who drives for Brackley-based
T-Sport, led the way in a dry first session with a best time of
1m08.195 secs (124.37mph) to head team-mate and National Class
title rival James Cole by half a second in 16th place overall.
In session two, which was affected by rainfall, Menasheh
posted a fastest lap of 1m09.178 seconds (122.60mph) to again
emerge on top.He commented: “We had a good day today, we were
really quick in the wet which was great and even though we had a
bit of a brake problem in the first session we were still pretty
fast. We got some good experience of the track in dry and wet
conditions so that could be very important for the weekend as
the forecast is that the weather will be mixed again
tomorrow.”Heading into this weekend’s action at the 2.35-mile
Hampshire track, the fastest circuit in the UK, tied on points
with Cole, Menasheh is fully aware of the importance three
consistently strong results will bring as the season enters its
most crucial stage.
 Porsche
Carrera Cup GB
racer Tony Gilham is celebrating new support
from Morgan Forbes at Snetterton this weekend (7/8 August),
which should allow the hard-working pro-am1 title contender to
complete the season.Morgan Forbes, the investment company,
stepped in to back the Collins ReDesign team when it seemed as
though lack of budget was going to curtail his season. "Without
their support our season was over," said Gilham. "We'd not be
here without them. We've all been working on sponsorship for the
seven weeks since Croft." he small Collins ReDesign Racing team
has been working flat out through the mid-season break and has
been able to move to a newer truck, complete with team livery.
New trade support has come from Lista Cabinets and at Snetterton
the team is running alongside the GT Marques team in a technical
partnership, with Paul Mace and his crew helping with set-up on
the Gilham car. At the forthcoming Silverstone weekend (21/22
August), Gilham and his team will be racing in support of Breast
Cancer Awareness, with the pink livery of the charity prominent
on the car.
06-08-10
Carrera Cup GB:
Michael Caine stormed to the top of the time sheets
in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB during testing at Snetterton today
(Friday 6 August) ahead of rounds eleven and twelve of the
championship.With just 1.4s covering the top 14 cars by the end
of the day, Caine (Motorbase Performance) headed championship
leader Tim Harvey (Red Line Racing) by 14-hundredths of a
second. In pro-am1 Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) set the pace in
a strong sixth overall while Paul Mace (GT Marques) headed the
pro-am2 category. As ever, the testing times were all about who
ran new tyres and Caine was elated to set his best time on tyres
that were not new at the start of the day. "They'd done 10 laps
before and then we later changed them side to side before I did
my best time," said Caine. "It's the right start for the
weekend," he said of his home races. Harvey was a little
disappointed to finish the day second, having run new tyres in
both sessions. "We tried two different set-ups on the car and I
think we went the wrong way in the afternoon," said Harvey.
Firmly in contention in third slot was Stephen Jelley (Team
Parker Racing), who was closely followed by his team mates Euan
Hankey and Glynn Geddie. "That's the first time I've tried new
tyres here and I was well surprised by the level of grip they
gave," said Jelley. "We're definitely looking positive for
tomorrow." Sixth overall and fastest in pro-am1 was Gelzinis,
who spent the morning session running in new drive shafts and
learning the track. In the later session he slashed his best
time to jump to the top of pro-am1, just half a second away from
Caine's best time. "That was more or less okay," said the
Lithuanian with some understatement. "I expect to be at least
four-tenths faster with new tyres," he added.Michael Meadows
(Red Line Racing) and Charles Bateman (Motorbase Performance)
were strongly in contention in seventh and eighth places as
Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) and Tony Gilham (Collins
ReDesign) took top 10 places overall as well as second and third
in pro-am1. "We made a tweak and it was much better," said
Jackson. "The time is there."In pro-am2, Paul Mace (GT Marques)
headed the times with an impressive run on tyres that had been
used in one of the races at Croft. "I'm really pleased with
that; they were consistently quick laps," said Mace, who topped
pro-am2 from Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) and George
Richardson (Motorbase Performance).
 The
Volkswagen Racing Cup with Fuchs
Lubricants will chalk up another first next Sunday (15 Aug)
when the field descends on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit
for the first time in the championship’s 10-year history. Around
30 cars are expected at the home of British motorsport for the
Volkswagen double-header, which marks the start of the second
half of the championship season..pic
Jakob
Ebrey Photography
Read
more
Formula Ford: Seven winners from 12
rounds, that’s the bare facts surrounding the Dunlop MSA Formula
Ford Championship of Great Britain as it heads to the
Silverstone Grand Prix circuit next weekend(14-15 August) for
the next 3 races in the series. Scott Malvern leads the title
chase in his Dempsey Racing Ray by 37 points from Australian
Scott Pye, who has already won 6 races so far and has plans to
win more. Read more
 The
Australian Formula 3
Championship will make it’s debut at Warwick’s Morgan Park
Raceway
next weekend for the fifth round of the 2010 Formula 3
Australian Drivers Championship. Three drivers from three
different countries are in with a chance of taking the 2010
Australian Drivers Championship starting next weekend. Leading
the charge is 21-year-old Sydney driver Tom Tweedie, followed by
16-year-old New Zealander Mitch Evans with 19-year-old Briton
Ben Barker following in third just nine points behind Tweedie.
read more
.jpg) Karts:
Ash Hand did not give up his Kartmasters ‘GP’ crown without a
fight
in the 2010 edition at PF International last weekend. Despite
problems with his tyres he won the pre-final before finishing as
runner-up in the grand final. Pic: Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net,
Read report
 Andrick
Zeen did not go on holiday in July, but he has been busy
this summer from a sporting point of view. It must be said that
the American driver from the Sodi Team does not hesitate to
engage on several categories, at the same time. A regular in
KF2, he also won one heat in the Euro Endurance Series in
Normandy and put in some brilliant performances at the first
round of the U18 World Championship in Wackersdorf, Germany.
read report
Renault Sport:
Teams competing in the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship
and the ELF Renault Clio Cup
with Michelin series have welcomed Renault’s announcement to
renew its three-year rolling agreement to remain on the TOCA/British
Touring Car Championship support race package. Renault’s motor
sport championships have proudly been a part of the BTCC package
since 1993 with the announcement ensuring this continues to at
least the end of 2013, which will also mark Renault’s 20th year
running alongside the popular touring car series. Mark Hunt,
Team Manager of Clio Cup team Pyro, who runs championship leader
Dave Newsham, says the move is very positive for the future of
the series commenting: “The announcement demonstrates Renault’s
commitment to the Clio Cup and gives all the teams competing
stability and security.” Mark, who’s Team Pyro outfit joined the
series in 2005, added: “It should also encourage more drivers to
compete in the championship – which still remains the best BTCC
feeder series – and we’ve already had a lot of interest
concerning the 2011 season.” Sentiments echoed by Manor
Competition Team Manager Tony Shaw who runs two of the top three
drivers in the Formula Renault UK current standings. “It’s
brilliant news for the championship and will undoubtedly help
develop interest from those looking to race in the series next
season and beyond. The BTCC is the premier motorsport package in
the country with excellent television coverage and it’s great
that Formula Renault UK is to remain a key part of this.”
DTM:
Jamie Green, currently the best placed of the Mercedes drivers
in a year-old car after four races of the 2010 DTM season and
winner of the previous DTM weekend at the Norisring heads tto
the Nurburgring this weekend. "We've used the summer break to
make thorough preparations for the Nurburgring. The fact that
I've had three podium finishes out of four this season while
driving last year's model show's the potential of our C-Class,
but it also shows how good the Junge Sterne team is -- we're not
called the 'Young Stars' for nothing! I want the fans who always
turn out at the Nurburgring in such fantastic numbers to enjoy a
really exciting race, and I'm hoping to narrow the gap to the
leaders." Team mate Bruno Spengler, DTM runner-up in the 2006
and 2007 seasons, currently leading the title chase: "The
Nurburgring has some fast corners as well as some really tight
ones, and it distinguishes itself from the other circuits on the
DTM calendar by its uphill and downhill sections. This demands a
compromise in the set-up between top speed and downforce, though
the bias has to be towards the downforce. In 2006, I was also on
32 points after four races and won here in the Eifel forest.
Last year, I came sixth. It would be fabulous if I could extend
my championship lead even further here." Merc’s 2 Grand Prix
drivers wilalso be in action this weekend. Ralf Schumacher
claims the Nurburgring as his favourite track and who grabbed
his first ever DTM pole position at the Norisring: "I come from
the town of Kerpen which is only about 60 kilometres from the
Nurburgring, so you could say it's my 'home track'. I know the
circuit well and I'm familiar with the changeable weather here
in the Eifel -- the way the rain can suddenly set in. In the
2008 race here, I scored my first point in the DTM series in
extremely wet conditions. I already have one race victory here
-- that was in 2003 when I was still a Formula One driver. I
always enjoy the wonderful atmosphere at the Nurburgring and I'm
determined to build on my solid qualifying performance at the
Norisring to finally get in amongst the front-runners." David
Coulthard, for whom the Nurburgring will be his fifth DTM race
venue so far: "Any race at the Nurburgring is destined to be a
classic -- whether it's Formula One or the German Touring
Masters. The DTM spectators always get a sporting feast,
especially as we drive on the shorter configuration than the one
used in F1. I'm intending to play my part in making this a great
race. Even though I know the track well, there are few parallels
between the Grand Prix car I drove in Formula One and the DTM
vehicle I'm competing in now. As a rookie in this series, I'm
learning something new in every race."
 Grand-Am:
AIM Autosport believes its recently-sealed partnership with
Biosign (CNSX: BIO) will help improve
performance, by maximizing the performance of its Pacific
Mobile/Biosign Ford Riley #61 Daytona Prototype drivers, Mark
Wilkins and Burt Frisselle. A developer of biomedical systems,
including the UFIT® which facilitates data collection and
analytics, Biosign will teach Mark and Burt how and when to
hydrate, eat and workout in a way that maximizes performance and
yields peak potential at race time. As the level of competition
increases in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by
Crown Royal Cask No. 16 , teams are always looking for new ways
to improve, so much so that even a few tenths a second over a
75-second lap can make a difference, two tenths can for example
result in the loss of several positions in qualifying and as
much as 14 seconds over a 70-lap race. Read
more
 Memo
Gidley
never seems to stop. It seems Gidley has just enough
time to switch from one type of helmet to another and this past
week was no different. Gidley, who was sitting second in the
DJSA Outlaw 850cc Expert standup points, just came off a solid
ride in this past weekend’s Round #7 also known as the “Widow
Maker”. “There is no question that the Widow Maker is my
nemesis when it comes to the DJSA series, “said Gidley. “Those
concrete walls surrounding the track produce waves that are very
large and unpredictable…kind of like racing in a four sided wave
pool!” After solid rides in all three heats, Gidley wound up
walking away with a fifth overall for the day. And now this
weekend, Gidley is off to Watkins Glen for the Crown Royal 200
and Round # 10 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race
presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. “I got a call from Will
Nonnamaker a couple of days after my jet ski race to see if I
would be interested in driving for the Sahlen Team at the Glen”,
said Gidley. “Asking me if I want to race something is like
asking a baby if they want a cookie…of course yes! And even
though I have never driven a GT car, the racing is fantastic,
and I have always heard good things about the Sahleen Team so I
jumped at the opportunity.”
 WTCC:
A set of four stamps featuring WTCC cars have been produced by
the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
to promote the next championship event that will take place at
the German track on September 5th.80,000 copies of these stamps
have been printed for use - during the months of July and August
- by Biber Post, a private mail agency that covers about 70% of
the whole German territory.The four stamps picture a group of
WTCC cars from the 2009 WTCC race (0.45 ?), Alessandro Zanardi's
BMW (0.85 ?), Alain Menu's Chevrolet (1.20 ?) and Gabriele
Tarquini's SEAT (1.80 ?).These stamps that will definitely
become rare collectable items for motorsport fans, may be
purchased online at
www.biberpost.de.
 Aly
Horma and Abderrahim Zahid, president and general manager
respectively of Marrakech Grand Prix,
promoter of the WTCC Race of Morocco were bestowed the "ouissam
du mérite national de catégorie exceptionnelle" by His Majesty
the King Mohammed VI.
The ceremony took place at Tanger's Palais Marchane during the
celebration of the 11th anniversary of the King's accession to
the throne. The King was accompanied by His Royal Highness the
Prince Moulay Rachid and His Highness the Prince Moulay Ismail.
This honour was following the organisation of the WTCC event at
Marrakech in 2009 and 2010. "We have been deeply moved by His
Majesty's thoughtfulness and words. This decoration is a royal
gesture that moves the whole of our team and all our partners,"
said Aly Horma.
British Superbikes: The MCE Insurance
British Superbike Championship returns to Brands Hatch for the
much-anticipated eighth round on the Grand Prix circuit, and the
main title contenders admitted they will be taking no prisoners
on track this weekend when they visited the world-famous London
Dungeons this afternoon. Championship leader Tommy Hill holds a
two point advantage ahead of the three races this weekend, but
knows that podium finishes are vital ahead of the Showdown, when
the Main Championship season performances are judged and the top
six go on to fight for the 2010 BSB crown. Australian Josh
Brookes is going to be one of his biggest threats at Brands
Hatch; he has finished on the podium seven times from the last
eight races which includes three victories, and he is now ready
to rip up the track as he bids for a hat-trick of wins. Ryuichi
Kiyonari could prove to be the silent attacker at the track
where he has previously celebrated success; he has more race
wins in BSB than any other rider after his 38th win at
Snetterton and will be ruthless in his bid to execute three
victories. Michael Laverty, currently fourth in the standings,
is sure to be a plague on his title rivals and is determined to
rob them of the victories at Brands Hatch, following his podium
finish last time out. He knows how much is at stake as he aims
to cut the deficit in the standings and increase his haul of
podium credits ahead of the Showdown.
05-08-10
 Renault
UK have confirmed the renewal of its three-year
rolling agreement
to remain on the TOCA/BTCC support race package, ensuring the
successful future of two of the most renowned national motor
sport championships. The Michelin Formula Renault UK
Championship and the ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin series
will continue to remain as prominent support races to the BTCC
until at least the end of 2013. The announcement comes as both
series resume racing after the summer interval with the next two
rounds (11 and 12) taking place at Snetterton on 7th/8th August.
The remainder of the season sees the championships compete at a
further three BTCC race meetings and one as part of World Series
by Renault on September 18th/19th at the new Silverstone Grand
Prix circuit. Commenting on the announcement, Tim Jackson
Director of Press and PR at Renault UK, said: “Renault has a
long and very successful motorsport heritage and our
announcement today will make certain this continues to be the
case in the years to come. To have been part of the BTCC support
race package for so long demonstrates not only Renault’s
commitment to its national motor sport championships but also
its ability to ensure these series remain attractive to teams
and drivers after almost two decades. We’re very proud to
safeguard this relationship and to continue producing great
single-seater and touring car drivers.”BTCC Series Director Alan
Gow added: “Our manufacturer-supported championships, together
with the BTCC, help provide motorsport fans with a top-class
entertainment package which is unrivalled by any other motor
sport experience in the country and which enjoys comprehensive
television coverage on the ITV Network.Renault’s support and
commitment in being an intrinsic part of the BTCC support
package has been exemplary, so I’m genuinely delighted to have
Renault continue our partnership and look forward to many more
years of thrilling racing.”
Mazdaspeed:
With thousands of active club racers across North America,
Mazda has developed a grassroots racing program and career
advancement system like no other. Mazda is the only carmaker
who promotes drivers from a variety of feeder series to reach
the next level in their career. This is known as the Mazdaspeed
Motorsports Development Ladder, and no other automaker in the
world offers anything like it. Read
more
 Karts:
British kart driver Jordan King
kept himself in contention for the inaugural WSK World Series
crown with a determined performance on a trying weekend at
Millville in New Jersey, USA.
Read report pic Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net.
Masters Series:
Race meetings for the Masters Series for the remainder of 2010
– There are some
fantastic late summer/early autumn tracks and locations for the
Master Series coming up in September and October. For more
detail on the racing plans for the remainder of the Masters
season. Read on
N W Sports and Saloons: Danny Keenan was able
to celebrate his maiden victory in the CNC Heads NW Sports
and Saloons Championship at Anglesey last weeekend .
Driving MK Indy Busa to a dominant lights to flag victory a race
one he encountered an engine problem that put him out of race
two. This, and the fact that Ric Wood’s Audi was caught out by a
slower car which put himout of the race, left Robert Spencer’s
Locosaki in to take the second win of the weekend.
Read report
SEAT Leon Eurocup:
Michaël Rossi arrived in the Czech Republic leading the Seat
Leon Eurocup.
But the only Frenchman racing in the championship on a regular
basis, lost his lead on Saturday when a collision forced him
into retirement on lap 1 of the first heat. On Sunday, he left
Brno back in the lead thanks to a storming drive up through the
field to fourth place in race 2.
Read report
 F2000:
Ten races are down and four remain in the chase for the 2010
F2000 Series
title as the series heads to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for races
11 and 12 at Road America. Victor Carbone, with five wins so
far, has been in control of the points chase in his Alegra
Motorsports Van Diemen since his opening weekend win at VIR, but
2007 champion Cole Morgan is just 61 points back as both drivers
are coming off victories at Lime Rock Park.
Read more
 Daniel
Erickson’s American F2000 Championship Series campaign
has received a late-season boost from the Australian Motor Sport
Foundation. With insufficient funds to commit to the full
14-round series, Erickson has been contesting the series on a
round-by-round basis with leading USA team Primus Racing. The
young Australian driver skipped four rounds during May and June
to conserve his resources, but now the AMSF has stepped in to
assure his participation at the final two race meetings. The
first meeting is this weekend at Road America in Wisconsin, with
the finale scheduled for September 4-5 at Mid Ohio
Formula Ford:
The fifth round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula
Ford Championship
was recently held at the Townsville Street Circuit in North
Queensland. Catch all the action as Australia’s future stars
take to the track over three races in the Sunshine State this
Saturday on 7TWO. Plenty of thrills and spills resulted in some
of the best racing all season as one driver put his stamp on the
championship. DATE: 7 August, 2010 - 2:15pm EST (check your
local guides), Channel 7TWO. The Genuine Ford Parts Australian
Formula Ford Championship hits the track again on October 22-24,
for Round 6 of the series on the Gold Coast.
 GP3.
After a difficult start to the weekend, ART Grand Prix
driver, Alexander Rossi won his second GP3 Series race on
Sunday. The American led the race event capitalizing on pole
position for round 12 after finishing 8th in round 11 at the
Formula 1 support event at the Hungaroring in Hungary.
Read report
BTCC:
Daniel Lloyd is to undertake a gruelling 10-kilometre fitness
challenge later in the year in aid of Kirkwood Hospice – and
he’s seeking as much support as possible to raise funds and
awareness for his nominated charity. The Men’s Health ‘Survival
of the Fittest’ is a high-profile event which will be staged at
three venues across the UK – one in England, one in Wales and
another in Scotland. Daniel will participate in the Nottingham
race on Saturday, 9th October, so over the course of the next
two months he’s going to be spending every spare moment training
for the extreme endurance test. Inaugurated in 2008, the event
has grown massively and for this year’s staging some 5,000
entrants are expected to try and conquer the Nottingham assault
course alone. It truly is an incredible test of stamina,
determination and focus – all attributes which served Daniel so
well on his successful Dunlop MSA British Touring Car
Championship debut at Croft in North Yorkshire back in June. The
10-kilometre running course, which winds through urban and rural
areas, has a major obstacle positioned at each kilometre marker
to provide the toughest possible test. There’s no doubt it will
be one of the most demanding physical challenges Daniel has ever
tackled but he’s intent on doing as well as possible for
Kirklees-based Kirkwood Hospice.“Part of me thinks I must be
completely mad to do this!”, said the 18-year-old, “But in all
seriousness, it’s a phenomenal challenge for me to get my teeth
into and the most important thing is to try and raise as much as
possible for Kirkwood Hospice. They do unbelievable work there
and it’s an honour and a privilege to race on their behalf.”
04-08-10
ALMS:
This weekend’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge (August 6-7) marks the start of
a busy month for Robertson Racing, who will take in three
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron rounds in
just four weeks. From Lexington, the Atlanta-based squad will
steadily zig-zag north, first to Road America in Wisconsin on
August 20-22, and then on into Canada for the Grand Prix of
Mosport a week later.
Read more
Star Mazda: AIM Autosport’s
Formula Mazda drivers, Walt Bowlin and David Ostella
showed continued improvement in their racing skills last weekend
at Autobahn Country Club in rounds eight and nine of the Star
Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. In both races, Walt
finished third in the Masters Class while, in the overall
championship, David finished fourth on Saturday, then retired
from Sunday’s race with a gear selection issue. AIM is working
with these very different individuals to help them achieve the
same thing, become faster race drivers. Keith Willis, AIM
Autosport principal and Formula Mazda Chief Engineer, has been
closely involved in the process and sees the progress created
by his efforts. In only his second year of racing, Walt lacks
experience—particularly as he missed most of this season with an
injury. In his first races this year, AIM was helping him with
the basics like braking and cornering. Last weekend in Illinois,
Keith introduced some techniques and strategy, information that
helped Walt become faster are gave him the confidence to make
passes. Walt is now able to match the pace of his Masters Class
competitors and, on Sunday, even executed some nice passing
manoeuvres. David has plenty of racing experience, but needs to
adapt his driving style to suit his current Star Mazda racing
machinery. While this refinement takes place, AIM is trading off
optimum set up in order to provide a car that suits David’s
evolving style. Ultimately, driving style and set up should mesh
to yield top results. AIM Autosport’s Formula Mazda team scored
its best result of the year last weekend, and given continued
progress of its drivers, hopes to achieve even better results in
the final four races of the 2010 season. Next on the Star Mazda
schedule is Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres in Quebec, Canada, on
August 15.
.jpg) Karts: James Walkington of Dan
Holland Racing recorded his best result to date at national
level by coming 8th in both Mini-Max finals of last weekend's
Kartmasters MSA GP at PF International. According to DHR Team
owner Dan Holland "James had by far the drive of his life and
hopefully this is the start of good things to come!"
Walkington's achievements were all the more impressive because
he had to use his second choice engine for the second half of
the meeting. "The kart felt strong during practice" said
Walkington "but I was disappointed to achieve only a mid-field
finish in qualifying. I could feel the engine going off towards
the end of the session". After another mid-field finish in his
first heat it was clear that his engine was not performing as it
had been so the with a new engine for the next heat Walkington
drove an excellent race to finish sixth.
His combined heat results placed Walkington 14th on the grid of 34
for the 1st final. A solid start promoted Walkington to 11th
place at the end of the first lap and some intelligent driving
thereafter saw him move up to 8th at the flag.
Starting from 8th in the second final, Walkington appeared to make
another good start but then had to take to the grass to avoid a
spinning Lemuel Pay. As the race settled down, the lead karts
fragmented in to a group of 4 and a group of 7 with Walkington
and Luke Hughes 2 seconds adrift of the latter.
After passing Hughes on lap 5 Walkington set about narrowing the
gap ahead but found he was unable to do so without a friendly
"tow" to help him down the straights. Only as the front group
slowed whilst jockeying for position over the final 2 laps was
Walkington able to get close to the action, snatching 8th place
in the last dash to the line
With six podiums, including four victories by four different
drivers, Sodi
was the highest profile brand seen in Lyon, at the third GPO
meeting. In blazing hot temperatures, the French chassis reached
a very high level of effectiveness, both in KF and in KZ. Now
that the season has passed the halfway mark, Anthony Abbasse
(KZ2) and Pierre Gasly (KF3) are riding high at the top of their
respective French Championships, with Pierre Ragues and Charles
Leclerc (also on Sodi), chasing after them. The same holds true
for the Constructors' Championship, dominated by Sodi in these
two categories. read report
 After
Portugal, the WSK World Series moved to the United States of
America,
on the international karting circuit of Millville (New Jersey).
Once more, Beitske Visser proved to be just as good as the best
drivers in KZ2. At the wheel of her Intrepid, equipped with TMs
provided by the Tec-Sav team, the young Dutch girl concluded
with a flattering 5th place despite a few problems during the
race. Read report
James Singleton on his first appearance in the annual
Kartmasters
event produced an aggressive and impressive performance to
finish fifth amongst the very best drivers in the country,
barely a second adrift of the runner-up spoils. pics
Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net
read
report
 On
the American continent, where karting has an important role, CRG
and Maxter
were determined to achieve some excellent results at the second
round of the WSK World Series, held in Millville, New Jersey.
Thanks to their equipment, readily adaptable to this new
environment, and to some very careful preparation work, the
Italian team celebrated the victories by Jonathan Thonon in KZ2,
with Gary Carlton in second place, and Max Verstappen in KF3.
Read report
.jpg) Tom
Harvey put a difficult last few weeks behind him by returning to form
with An excellent performance at PF International to come within
just 0.07 seconds of victory at Kartmasters last weekend.
Pic: Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net
Read report
The circuit of Saint Laurent de Mûre, near Lyon,
which hosted the final round of the GPO Series 2009, probably
marked a decisive turning point in the race to the French
Champion titles for KZ2 and KF3. Both members of the Sodi Team,
Anthony Abbasse and Pierre Gasly, widened the gap between them
and their t opponents. The situation remains much more uncertain
in KF2, where the current leader is the double winner of the
day, Enzo Guibbert.
Read report
03-08-10
 GT
Cup:
Sarah Bennett-Baggs was back out in the Adrian Flux sponsored
BMW in the GT Cup at Brands Hatch GP circuit last weekend.
Once again she found herself forced to run in Class 2 amongst
the Ferrari 360s, etc so a decent result was never on the
cards.. Never-the-less she plugged away and came away with
two finishes despite some problems in the races. Read
report
 Ginetta
Juniors:
Jake Hill is proving to be top dog in the Ginetta Junior
Championship this year,
with six race wins to his name as the championship heads to
Snetterton this weekend.In his second season of Ginetta Junior
racing, Jake Hill is firmly established as the driver to beat.
Jake, who had to skip a large chunk of the 2009 season due to a
lack of funding, has bounced back more determined than ever. In
the early events, he took a run of four Sunday race wins, all
the Saturday ones escaping his grasp for myriad reasons, but at
Croft he did the long-awaited double and clinched both race
victories. Jake has carried the tag of being fast but
occasionally erratic since he began in Ginetta Juniors but at
Croft he certainly shook off that reputation. He didn’t put a
wheel wrong and his two race wins were classy. He comes to
Snetterton with an 11-point cushion over Tom Ingram and will be
eager to build on it. ut those 11 points could easily be made up
if Hill slips up. Tom Ingram, the winner of the opening race at
Thruxton, is the man closest to Jake and has had a consistent
season, scoring points in every race to date. He may not have
taken as many wins as Hill, but he sure knows how to finish and
that is key to success in the closest racing on the TOCA
package. Third in the championship comes the best-placed female
racer, Louise Richardson, who, at Oulton Park, proved she can
race with, and defend against, anyone. Her pace there was good
and her never-give-up attitude marked her out as a formidable
opponent. Tom Howard is currently sixth in the championship and
the High Wycombe driver regards Snetterton as his home circuit.
WIth 40 guests on hand to cheer him on, Tom will be looking to
draw himself back into contention for the title. Another driver
keen to do well on home ground is Jake Giddings who has enjoyed
a solid season to date. With reigning champion Sarah Moore
struggling to mirror last year’s form, she will be eager to turn
around her season here, while brother David is another showing
improved pace of late.pic
Jakob
Ebrey Photography
 Clio
Cup:
Kane Astin is to step up to the ELF Renault Clio Cup with
Michelin series this weekend at Snetterton competing with
JHR Developments. The 36-year-old Company Director of Saint
Andrews Bureau, who until now has only competed in the Mini
Se7en Championship, will race in place of series regular Fulvio
Mussi for rounds 11 and 12 of the series.Kane is the second new
driver to join the Clio Cup paddock for the second-half of the
season along with 19-year-old Josh Cook who joins Richard
Colburn’s Westbourne Motorsport outfit. Despite limited mileage
in the Clio Cup race car, which is based on the road-going Clio
Renaultsport 200, Kane is looking forward to the weekend: “I’ve
already set myself a goal of finishing in the top 10 and I can’t
wait to start racing, especially on my home track which I know
so well. I hadn’t intended to race in the Clios this year but
through a connection with JHR I heard about this opportunity and
I just couldn’t turn it down.” He added: “At the moment
I’m just competing at Snetterton but if things go well I’m
certainly considering racing in the World Series by Renault
event at Silverstone later this year.”
pic
Jakob
Ebrey Photography
Indy Lights:
British racer Pippa Mann will not be taking part in the upcoming
Firestone Indy Lights event
at Mid- Ohio this weekend, while she recovers from surgery on
her broken hand. The 26 year-old broke the third metacarpal bone
in her left hand when she hit the barriers in practice for the
Toronto 100 last month. Mann remarkably made it through
qualifying and the race to bring the car home in eighth
position, but x-rays later confirmed a break that extended down
to the joint. Undeterred by the news, Mann raced at Edmonton the
following weekend - completing the two back- to-back Canadian
rounds of the championship. Returning to Indianapolis, Mann
underwent surgery on the injury, where a small plate was
inserted into her hand and secured with screws. Although the
procedure went well, Mann will miss the Mid-Ohio road course
race to ensure a complete recovery. She hopes to be back driving
the #11 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car at Infineon Raceway in
Sonoma on 22 August.
 Ginetta
G50 Cup:
Local drivers Carl Breeze and Matt Allison come to Snetterton
this weekend aiming for honours, albeit with differing levels of
Ginetta G50 experience.King’s Lynn’s Carl Breeze heads the
Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup as the teams head to Snetterton, the
local keen to secure the crown having been a prodigious race
winner in 2009. In contrast Matt Allison (Norwich) is tackling
his first races since 2008 when he raced in the Clio Cup. For
Breeze, with five wins under his belt already, this is a weekend
where he needs to extend his advantage over title rival Frank
Wrathall. Breeze’s TCR-run car heads the Dynojet entry of
Wrathall by just 14 points and Wrathall is driving better than
ever this season, three wins having been scooped by the
youngster.These two have positioned themselves as the drivers to
beat within the championship but the emerging threat is Tom
Sharp (IDL). Tom, a former Ginetta Junior front-runner, has been
on the G50 grid since the series began at Oulton Park in 2008
and has shown flashes of pace. Everything started to come good
at Croft where he bagged two wins and if he can maintain that
form for the remainder of the year he should become a greater
factor. He will need to be mindful of rapid newcomer Adam Morgan
who also took a win in North Yorkshire and has proved he can run
at the front.Ben Hetherington lies third and is a consistent
points scorer, while Stephen Tyldsley showed much better form at
Oulton Park when he switched to Charlie Kemp’s HHC Motorsport
squad and the former Renault Clio racer should go well here. Add
in Joachim Ritter’s TCR entry, the quick if under-funded Chris
Dittman and reigning Ginetta G20 champion Mark Davies and there
should be battles all the way through the field.Colin White
remains the man to beat in the Chairman’s Cup with Tony Hughes
as his main opposition, although White is a major thorn in the
side of many of the younger drivers as he battles his way
towards the front of the field. Hughes meanwhile, in the
Speedworks-run car, is getting faster with each outing and could
spring a surprise this weekend.pic
Jakob
Ebrey Photography
 Karts:
After Portugal, Nyck De Vries (Zanardi/Parilla) went to conquer America, with
theintention to repeat his success in Super KF from the first
round of the WSK World Series. On his first visit to the
Millville circuit the young Dutch racer from Chiesa Corse came
throught to win from fourth on the grid.
Read report
 Jack
Hawksworth, proved himself last weekend by winning the annual
Kartmasters
outing at PF International and earning himself the coveted
‘Driver of the Day’ accolade for good measure . This was
achieved against a seven-time champion in a kart he had only
driven for the first time a week beforehand
read report
Callum Bowyer punched well above his weight in the annual
Kartmasters
outing at PF International at the weekend, by taking the fight
to drivers as much as twice his age and level of experience and
coming away again with a trophy for his efforts. Pic : Chris
Walker/www.kartpix.net
Read report
 Classics:
Liz Halliday enjoyed her first ever outing at the Silverstone
Classic last weekend,
where she competed with two historic Alfa Romeos to celebrate
the Italian manufacturer’s 100th anniversary. The
California-born sportswoman raced a rare Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ
Coda Tronca in the prestigious RAC Tourist Trophy and Italian
Historic Car Cup and an Alfa Romeo GTA in the Under-2 Litre
Touring Car (U2TC) event.The cars, both run by John Danby
Racing, ran without problems in all three races and Halliday,
who last raced an historic car more than ten years ago,
thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “It was a fantastic
experience and completely different from the modern sportscar
racing I’m used to,” Liz said. “The Silverstone Classic was
brilliantly organised and there was a fantastic atmosphere in
the paddock among all the drivers and the fans. There tends to
be a big difference between the cars on the grid, so we weren’t
that competitive in terms of overall results, but it was great
fun racing the two Alfas.” Halliday got the chance to
bring home a trophy by virtue of the SZ winning the GT1 class of
the Italian Historic Car Cup and admitted that the experience
has left her wanting more classic racing. “I’d love to come back
to the Silverstone Classic and the weekend has got me looking
forward to the Goodwood Revival later in the year. I’m also
going to race the GTA at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park and
I’d like to do more events in the future too.I’d like to say a
big thank you to all the guys at John Danby Racing. Until
practice on Friday, the GTA hadn’t turned a wheel on road or
track for about ten years, but it ran faultlessly on Saturday
which shows what a great job they did preparing it for the race.
“
ALMS:
David Brabham will be looking to restore his American Le Mans
Series race winning momentum
in round six, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge at Lexington,
Ohio, August 5-7, as the 2010 championship battle enters a
pivotal point in the season. With three races scheduled in the
next four weeks, putting points on the board has never been more
important for Brabham and the Patrón Highcroft Racing crew.
Together with teammate Simon Pagenaud, Brabham took a solid
second place finish at Highcroft’s home circuit of Lime Rock
Park last time out despite the HPD ARX-01c still suffering a
straight line speed disadvantage to its LMP rivals. Brabham put
Highcroft’s HPD prototype on pole, his first of the season,for
round five in wet conditions. But a puncture developed in the
closing stages of the race while Brabham was chasing down
championship rival Klaus Graf in the Porsche Spyder ruined his
race winning chances and any hopes of four consecutive
victories. “To win these races you have to do everything
correctly, as CytoSport did at Lime Rock,” said Brabham. “We had
a run of three races where we executed everything perfectly and
won each race, but not by huge margins. We were about to pounce
at Lime Rock when we got the puncture, so we’re doing our job
well. We’ve got a lot of racing left and points up for grabs, so
the focus is now firmly on Mid-Ohio.” Despite the puncture at
Lime Rock Brabham and Pagenaud still lead Graf by seven points
in the LMP title fight. Mid-Ohio official practice will
take place at 12.45pm (local time) on Friday followed by
prototype qualifying at 2.25pm. The green flag will fall for 2
hours 45-minutes of racing for round six at 3pm (local time) on
Saturday, August 7.
 Spa
24 Hours:
AMR Jota Sport secured GT4 class honours in the Spa 24 Hours
this weekend,
as the British squad made its debut appearance as an Official
Partner Team to Aston Martin Racing. The driving team of Sam
Hancock, Simon Dolan, Joe Twyman and Roger Wills led the
class for much of the race and finished 38 laps clear of the
next-best GT4 car at 4pm local time on Sunday afternoon.
Read report
BTCC:
The test and development car for the Next Generation Touring Car
(NGTC)
regulations that will shape the future of the BTCC will be a
Toyota Avensis, series organiser TOCA has confirmed. Design and
construction of this first prototype is well underway at
specialist motor sport engineering company GPR Motorsport's
workshops in Buckingham. Once completed a test programme will
follow ahead of the car’s public debut at the Dunlop-backed
BTCC's final round of 2010 at Brands Hatch (9-10 October). As
previously announced, former double BTCC Champion James Thompson
has been appointed as official test and development driver of
the 'NGTC' machine that will become eligible for competition in
the championship in 2011. Although the Avensis prototype is
effectively a demonstration model, BTCC teams will be free to
choose their own model of car and engine to build up to NGTC
regulations. It is expected that teams running an NGTC machine
will save some 50 per cent compared to the cost of competing
with a current FIA Super 2000-spec car. However, both types of
car will be eligible to fight equally for outright championship
honours through to 2013 at least. Much of that cost-saving is
down to a greater use of common components and GPR is currently
working with Toyota - which has generously supplied both a
complete donor car and a new bodyshell to the programme - and
other BTCC technical partners such as AP Racing, Cosworth
Electronics, Swindon Engines and Xtrac to prepare the first NGTC
car ahead of its initial trial run.
 British
Superbikes:
Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill
is ready to defend his points lead on home territory at Brands
Hatch this weekend (6/7/8 August) at the triple-header round of
the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, as the title
leader aims to increase his two point advantage at the Kent
circuit. There are now just five races until the top six riders
in the overall standings become the Title Fighters in the
Showdown over the final three rounds of the Championship and
with so much at stake, the tension between the main contenders
is set to be immense at Brands Hatch. Hill currently leads
closest rival Josh Brookes on the HM Plant Honda, but the
Australian won two of the three races at the previous round so
is sure to be a threat on the Grand Prix circuit, likewise his
double championship-winning team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari lies
third and is hoping to repeat his recent run of podium finishes.
The regular BSB contenders will also have to fight off the
challenges from the Kawasaki World Superbike team as Tom Sykes
makes his return to Brands Hatch. Advance adult weekend
admission tickets cost just £30 online with children aged 12 and
under admitted free. Limited grandstand and camping tickets are
also on sale now. For more information and to book visit
www.brandshatch.co.uk or call 0870 950 9000.
02-08-10
Formula Ford:
Young racing hopefuls looking to follow in the
wheeltracks of World Champion Jenson Button
were in action yesterday (Sunday), bidding to win their first
Formula Ford drives.They were taking part in the Kartmasters
tournament at the PF International kart circuit in Lincolnshire,
where the top three in the KF2 division would each be rewarded
with the promise of a test drive in a top chassis from the
Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain.Jordan
Chamberlain, Mark Litchfield and Tom Grice were the Kartmasters
1-2-3 and will take their prize drives at the end-of-season
Formula Ford 'sampler day'. "I am sure that Jordan, Mark and Tom
will have a fantastic time when they get to sample a Formula
Ford for the first time," said championship manager Penny
Mattocks. "All three drove brilliantly in the competition and I
am sure have long and successful motorsport careers ahead of
them." Kartmasters, which is organised by the Trent Valley Kart
Club, celebrated its 15th anniversary this year.
As
part of National Motorsports Week competitors from the Dunlop
MSA Formula Ford Championship will be showcasing their
talents at Silverstone on Sunday (8 Aug) at Ford Fair, billed as
Europe's biggest and best Ford festival. More than 3500 Ford
road cars will be on display, and the Formula Ford teams will be
demonstrating their prowess with track runs as well as meeting
event visitors and offering them the chance to win tickets for
the next championship rounds, at Silverstone over the weekend of
14/15 August. "Ford Fair is a brilliant way to meet enthusiasts
for the marque who might not otherwise get the opportunity to
see a Formula Ford in action," said championship manager Penny
Mattocks. Tickets for Ford Fair can be bought online via the
event website at
www.fordfair.co.uk
 F2000:
Two promising but ultimately disappointing performances in the
latest F2000
Championship Series rounds have made Daniel Erickson
determined to make amends at Road America next weekend (August
7-8). After winning Rounds 7 and 8 at Watkins Glen on July 3-4,
Erickson placed 12th and second in Rounds 9 and 10 at Lime Rock
Park on July 23-24. Now Erickson heads to the 6.5km Road America
arguably America’s finest road racing circuit. “First of all
it’s a long lap – around 2 minutes 15 seconds in an F2000 car –
and very fast,” he said. “Looking at the circuit map the
throttle is wide open a lot of the time, and although there are
some right-angle corners there are some pretty fast ones too.I
really love high-speed circuits – they’re great fun!” Erickson
cautioned that Road America could produce some surprises, as not
many of this year’s F2000 Championship Series drivers have prior
experience at the venue.“Only a few frontrunners have driven at
Road America before, because it wasn’t on the schedule last
year,” he said. “Those who were there the last time, back in
2008, will have an advantage.” Erickson concluded by saying that
he was looking for an improved all-round performance at Road
America.“It was a mistake going for glory in the first race at
Lime Rock Park, because I didn’t know the circuit well enough to
know if the move would stick. “I learned from that mistake in
the next race – 42 points for second is a lot better than 17
points for 12th! – but throwing away those 25 points really
hurt. The competition will be tough at Road America, so I need
an error-free weekend to have a chance of finishing on the
podium in both races.” pic Kniffin Photography
 Star
Mazda: Conor Daly extended his lead in
the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear with his
fifth victory of the season ion Sunday. Daly took the win in
Round 9, the HARRAH'S Autobahn Grand Prix Presented by Mazda,
was a with a lights to flag drive in his #22 Juncos
Racing / INDECK / The College Network / Merchant Services Ltd.
Mazda, setting fastest lap in the process.
Read report
Formula 2:
Jolyon Palmer reclaimed the overall lead in the 2010 FIA Formula
Two Championship courtesy of an assured victory in Sunday's
second race at Brno. Nicola De Marco claimed his first F2
victory in Saturday’s race the Italian beating Dean
Stoneman away at the start. Stone finished second to take the
lead in the Championship , albeit briefly. Read
report
 Round
14 of the 2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship
provided a stern test for Will Bratt at Brno in the Czech
Republic on Sunday, 1st August, but the category front-runner
did well to overturn a difficult opening lap to claim the final
points position with a determined 10th place finish.pic
Jakob
Ebrey Photography
Read report
Superleague Formula : John Martin driving
the Beijing Guoan car netted 100,000 by winning the five-lap
dash-for-the-cash Super Final in round 7 of Superleague Formula
by Sonangol at Brands Hatch. The Aussie had earlier won the
opening race while Narain Karthikeyan had taken the second
aqfter it was red-flagged for an accident involving Chris van
der Drift (Olympiacos). The New Zealander was taken to hospital
with a suspected broken ankle.
Read report
Atech Reid continued its winning ways in Superleague Formula
by Sonangol with a convincing lights to flag victory for PSV
Eindhoven’s Narain Karthikeyan in race two at Brands Hatch
on Sunday. The team continues to lead the championship with
Yelmer Buurman in the AC Milan car after he finished fourth,
while Andy Soucek (Sporting Lisbon) drove a superb opening race
to take his first podium finish of the year
read report
 GP3:
Adrian Quaife-Hobbs took seventh place in the second of two
races at the Hungarian Grand Prix
round of GP3 at the weekend, underlining his continuing pace in
the series. Testing for the event once again took place on
Friday and despite a few balance problems Adrian wound up
seventh fastest of the 30 runners.
Read report
Silverstone-based Atech CRS Grand Prix secured a top ten finish
with Oli Oakes
in race two of the GP3 series at Hungaroring this weekend, while
16 year-old Vittorio Ghirelli took his best finish of the year
with 15th.pic
GP3 Media Service/LAT
Read
report
 Racing
Steps Foundation backed GP3 Series racer Dean Smith
took his first podium finish in the FIA Formula One World
Championship-supporting category in Budapest, Hungary, on
Sunday, 1st August, to brilliantly cap off his strongest weekend
of the season.Easily his most trouble-free and successful event
since the championship curtain-raiser at Barcelona in early May,
the 22-year-old McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner qualified
very competitively in fifth place for round 11 on Saturday
before securing a comfortable top five finish in the race.
Read report
 Formula
Renault BARC : Fortec Motorsport’s Mitchell
Hale continued to impress in the 2010 Protyre Formula
Renault BARC Championship by securing his third win along with a
further podium during rounds seven and eight of the series at
Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit on 31st July/1st August. The
16-year-old made a welcome return to the podium after failing to
finish in the top three during the previous two rounds at Croft
with a lights-to-flag victory in round eight to add to his third
place from Sunday’s earlier round seven. The teenager, who also
secured both fastest laps to earn an additional four points,
continues his reign at the top of the drivers’ standings but
only by a margin of 16 points as the title race remains wide
open with four rounds left and dropped scores still to come into
play. Hale’s team-mate Joseph Reilly also collected his
share of the silverware during the action-packed weekend by
mirroring Hale’s achievements beginning with his maiden win in
round seven followed by a third place in round eight.
Hillspeed’s Alice Powell once again had another impressive
showing with the 17-year-old enjoying a second and fourth place
in rounds seven and eight respectively while it was the ever
improving Luke Wright who picked up the remaining podium spot
in his SWB Motorsport run car.pics
Jakob
Ebrey Photography
Read
report
 Alice
Powell consolidated second place in the 2010 Protyre Formula
BARC Championship
standings at Snetterton in Norfolk on Sunday, 1st August, with a
pair of excellent race drives for the Hillspeed team to finish
runner-up in round seven and a highly competitive fourth in
round eight.
Read report
01-08-10
F
Renault BARC:
Mitchell Hale has stretched his advantage at the top of Formula
Renault BARC Championship with a dominant victory
and a podium finish in the fourth meeting of the season.
The Fortec Motorsport driver won the second race of the day at
Snetterton from pole position and had earlier scored a third
place following a dramatic drive. A wet qualifying session for
the opening race of the weekend meant conditions were tricky but
the Bristol driver had posted the fastest lap time before
running was interrupted with a red flag. When the cars resumed
qualifying, the circuit had dried and Hale found the set-up on
his car meant he couldn’t challenge for top slot and slipped to
fourth. In the similar second session, the Ginetta Junior
graduate made the call to switch to dry weather tyres at the
right moment and was able to secure pole position.Despite being
boxed in at the start of the opening race and slipping to sixth
position by the second corner, Hale set about regaining ground
in what was the fastest car in the field. “I was disappointed to
lose out at the start but I got my head down and managed to
regain a position quickly,” explained Hale. “I was catching
those ahead easily but had to back off when two people in front
tangled. Although that put me up to third, it meant I lost some
ground.” Hale avoided the collision and zeroed in on
the leaders, finishing less than a second behind the winner. He
had the consolation of recording the fastest lap of the race to
give him bonus championship points. Race two was much less
dramatic for Hale. He blasted away from pole position and into a
lead he was never to lose, despite mid-race pressure from rival
Luke Wright. “It was a fantastic race for me,” explained Hale.
“I concentrated on getting the start right and, after a brief
bit of pressure, was pulling away. Then I made a small slip-up
half way though at the Esses and Wright was back with me and I
had to build my lead again, which I managed to do. It was a
great feeling because the car was superb today – we were the
fastest thing out there, and it has helped me push ahead in the
points. This is just the weekend we needed.” Hale eventually
managed to put almost two seconds between himself and his rivals
to take his fourth victory of the season and he again grabbed
the two extra points for the fastest lap.
His cushion at the head of the points standings has been
extended to 17 with four rounds of the series remaining. Hale’s
next races in the Formula Renault BARC series take place at
Rockingham in Northamptonshire on September 12.
GP3:
ART Grand Prix’s Alexander Rossi took a lights
to flag victory at the Hungaroring in the second GP3 race
today ensuring the GP3 Series championship battle will continue
to Spa. Yesterday Nico Muller scored his second win of the
season 1.450s ahead of Series leader Estaban Guttierez and
Stefano Coletti. Read reports
Star Mazda: AIM Autosport’s
Formula Mazda team celebrated its best result of the season
yesterday(Saturday) as driver David Ostella, in the Global
Precast car, claimed fourth place in round eight of the Star
Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Walt Bowlin, driving a
second AIM entry, sponsored by Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery, finished
third in the Masters Class. The result serves as a welcome boost
for AIM’s Formula Mazda squad which has not had much to shout
about this season
read report
 WTCC:
British drivers won everything in Brno
as Rob Huff took his first victory of the season for Chevrolet
in Race 1 and Andy Priaulx scored BMW's 50th WTCC win in Race 2.
These results, alongsith bad luck for Yvan Muller and Gabriele
Tarquini, meant a big leap forward in the championship
classification for both, Priaulx and Huff.
In Race 1, Huff claimed a lights-to-flag victory despite a short
safety car period interrupting proceedings. He crossed the line
ahead of reigning world champion Gabriele Tarquini and his
teammate Alain Menu.
In Race 2, BMW Team RBM's Priaulx came from fourth on the grid
to take an extra special victory at the place where he scored
his first win for BMW back in 2003. Colin Turkington finished
second after holding off the charge from Menu, who obtained his
second podium finish of the day.
Yvan Muller did not score this weekend and remained on 199
points with Tarquini (who retired in the second race) now just 5
points adrift on 194. Priaulx lies third, only 16 points behind
the leader, whil Huff is fourth and reduced his gap to 32.
Darryl O'Young, the young rookie from Hong Kong, dominated the
Independents' category taking two wins. He has now closed the
gap in the standings to Sergio Hernández who still leads.
O'Young and Michel Nykjær shared victories in the Rookie
Challenge that is now led by Fredy Barth.
The championship will resume after the summer break for
rounds 15 and 16 at Oschersleben, Germany on September 5.
pics FIA WTCC
The Stewards investigated three different incidents:
two in Race 1 and one in Race 2.
Darryl O'Young was judged guilty of pushing Tiago Monteiro into
a spin during the first race. He received a 30-second time
penalty that dropped him from 8th to 17th and handed the
Independents' victory to Kristian Poulsen. The same penalty was
imposed to Mehdi Bennani for a collision with Poulsen in Race 2.
The Moroccan racer was therefore demoted from 15th to 16th.
Both O'Young and Bennani were also given a drop of 10-grid
positions that will remain suspended for two and one events
(respectively). A drop of grid position was also awarded to
Norbert Michelisz for the collision with Colin Turkington after
the restart of the first race. In this case the penalty will be
applied at the next race
Formula 3:
Championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne capped a remarkable weekend
for himself and the Carlin team at Spa-Francorchamps yesterday
afternoon (Saturday) with a another fine victory in the Cooper
Tires British F3 International Series. The Frenchman seized
control of round 18 from his title rival Oli Webb on the third
lap and enjoyed an untroubled run to his third win of the Spa
weekend. He is the first driver to win all three British F3
races in a weekend, has now taken nine wins for himself and,
thanks to Webb crashing out of the race, has extended his
championshiplead to 87 points with 12 races remaining. Carlin,
who enjoyed a 1-2 thanks to James Calado's spirited second
place, have now won 12 rounds. Vergne's hat-trick has meanwhile
taken engine supplier Volkswagen's tally of British F3 victories
past the 100 mark. Read report
FIA GT: The Reiter
Lamborghini No.25 of Ricardo Zonta and Frank Kechele won
a thrilling Championship Race at Spa. Starting from second on
the grid, the Brazilian/German pair ran at the front throughout
the hour-long main event to claim Lamborghini’s first
Championship Race win of the season. Altfrid Heger and Alex
Muller produced a stunning drive from 12th place in the Triple H
Maserati No.33 to finish second. It was a major turnaround for
the pair after starting last in the Qualifying Race the previous
day. FIA GT1 newcomer Richard Westbrook made an instant impact
by claiming third with partner Thomas Mutsch in the Matech Ford
GT No.5. The Qualifying Race-winning Mad Croc-Corvette No.11 of
Xavier Maassen and Jos Menten, which had led the main event from
pole, retired after 20 minutes with a right rear puncture. The
Reiter Lamborghin No.24 of Peter Kox and Christopher Haase,
which was also running strongly in the lead pack after the pit
stops, retired with 18 minutes left.
 Unlike
its rivals, the HEXIS AMR team had never tackled
Spa-Francorchamps before. Nonetheless, one of its Aston
Martins came seventh in qualifying, and the other DB9 finished
in the Top 5 in the main race! Both cars scored points in
Belgium, so the French team was able to keep its place in the
top half of the FIA GT1 World Championship ratings.
read report
World Superbike
: A crowd of 65,000 was at Silverstone this weekend
(30 July - 01 August) to celebrate two all-British podiums at
Britain’s round of the 2010 FIM Superbike World Championship.
Cal Crutchlow powered to victory in both of Sunday’s two World
Superbike races, and was joined on the podium by fellow-Brits
Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam in the first race and Jonathan Rea
and Leon Camier in the second race of the day. It was the first
time the riders had raced on Silverstone’s new 3.666 mile Grand
Prix circuit and the Brit-pack put on a fantastic show in front
of their home crowd. The revised layout was a resounding
success, providing plenty of overtaking and receiving a big
thumbs-up from the riders. “What a weekend for the Brits”,
exclaimed Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone
Circuits Limited. “I am delighted with the way that today has
gone. We have had a great crowd here and they have been treated
to some fantastic racing topped off by two all British podiums.
The World Superbike riders have raved about the new track,
echoing the sentiments of the MotoGP riders and Formula 1
drivers who have raced here in recent weeks. Both the old and
new sections of track are providing plenty of overtaking
opportunities. Speaking on the return to Silverstone Paolo
Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, said: "It is great to be
back at Silverstone, racing at the Home of British Motor Sport.
The circuit looks fantastic, they are continuing to invest in
further developments around the venue and the riders love the
new layout. We hope this is just the start of a long term
relationship with Silverstone."
 Asian
Touring Car:
Leong Ian Veng took his first win in the Asian Touring
Car Series at Sepang
International Circuit today, when he crossed the line completing
ten laps in a total time of 25:07.940. The Macau driver, from
SON Veng Racing Team, was battling for first with Henry Ho when
the latter’s car suffered mechanical problems and had to retire
one lap from the end. Macau golden boy, Ho claimed a win in the
drama filled Round 7 earlier in the day ahead of Eurico De Jesus
of Five Auto Racing in second and Leong Ian Veng of SON Veng
Racing Team in third. Read
reports
 Spa
24 hours:
Race ends early for PlayStation® Nissan at the Spa 24 Hours.
An unlucky mechanical failure put paid to the hopes of the
PlayStation® Nissan team’s chances for a class win at the Spa 24
Hours. The Polyphony Digital- and PlayStation-backed Nissan 370Z
GT4 car, run by RJN Motorsport, suffered a transmission failure
just over an hour into the race. The race was a disappointment
after a good qualifying performance by the team’s370Z in it’s
first visit to the Belgian venue, where they were first in
class. However, one hour and 15 minutes into the race while
running 30th, the car lost all power and coasted to a
halt a frustrating 300m from the pit entrance. Bob Neville,
Team Manager, said: “Stopping on a track is the worst
result for a race like this – there are only two circuits on the
calendar where, if you break down, they don’t tow you back to
the pits: Spa and Magny Cours.We still don’t know what caused
the failure – the car is still out on the trackside and will be
until the 24 hours is up. We had terrible luck – a few more
yards and it would have coasted to the pits and we could have
got it fixed up and back out into the fight. As long as you get
back to the pits under your own steam, even if you’re missing a
wheel, you can fix it and re-join the race!” The team’s drivers
were British trio Rob Barff and brothers Chris and Alex Buncombe
and Spanish racing star Lucas Ordoñez – winner of the inaugural
GT Academy in 2008. Team Manager Bob Neville said: “We’ll be
back on the track at the Nurburgring on the 28-29 August. The
short circuit is a fantastic racing venue, the drivers and team
have experience there and we’ve got a brilliant set-up for the
car. Once we get to Germany we can show everyone just how fast
the 370Z is!”
Star Mazda:
Starting from his second pole of the season, Quebec racer Mikael
Grenier drove a flawless race
to his first victory in this afternoon's Race 1 / Round 8 of the
HARRAH'S Autobahn Grand Prix Presented by MAZDA. Rounding
out the top-3 were Brazilian Caio Lara and American Conor Daly.
The top-finishing Expert Series driver (ages 30-44) was Texan
J.W. Roberts and the first Master Series racer across the finish
line was Puerto Rican racer Carlos Conde.
Read report
 Formula
3:
ART Grand Prix’s Alexander Sims
once again made his presence felt in the Cooper Tires British
Formula 3 International Series at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium
today, Saturday, 31st July, by racing to a richly deserved
podium finish during the third of the weekend’s encounters.pic
Jakob Ebrey Photography
Read report
Formula 2:
Will Bratt consolidated his top four placing
in the FIA Formula 2 Championship standings at Brno in the Czech
Republic on Saturday, 31st July, after racing to a competitive
eighth place finish on his circuit debut.
Read report
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