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News Archive  November 2011

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09/12/2011

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30-11-11

Formula Nippon: Gary Thompson capped his 2011 season perfectly this week with a successful maiden test in premier Asian single-seater series Formula Nippon. The 19-year-old has spent this year competing in Japanese F3 for the SGC by KCMG team, recording a breakthrough win and an additional five podium finishes. He remained with the squad for his first taste of Formula Nippon, enjoying two days of running at the Fuji International Speedway on Monday and Tuesday (November 28/29).  Although at the controls of a significantly faster machine than he is used to, Thompson quickly settled down to business in the 3.4-litre Toyota V8-powered car, delivering competitive times within a few laps of hitting the circuit. Growing in confidence throughout, he was able to outpace his experienced team-mate by a considerable margin whilst also putting a clutch of series regulars and a former DTM and GP2 campaigner in the shade. Formula Nippon is notoriously tough for rookies to get to grips with thanks to the technical nature of its Swift FN09 chassis. Despite this Thompson made a strong impression on his team, who handed him extra time behind the wheel after his impressive performance on Monday. This level of trust bodes well for the Irishman as he seeks to take the next step up the motor racing ladder.Gary Thompson: "Firstly, I'd like to thank Toyota, KCMG and SG Changi for giving me the chance to take part in this test. Their support has been invaluable and I'm truly grateful for it. "The car is really fun to drive: it's seriously quick, but at the same time you can grab it by the scruff of the neck and really attack it. I was able to settle in to a rhythm quickly, which was great. Initially the high-speed corners were a challenge but by the end I feel I was very strong in them. I think I stood up to the increased physical demands of the car too, so that's very positive. Though the test went well we still aren't making Nippon our priority for 2012 as this was more of a learning experience. That said, if the right offer of a seat came along I certainly wouldn't rule it out as I'm very keen to get the opportunity to go racing in one of these cars. Formula Nippon remains one of my long-term goals and I’m thrilled to have made a positive first impression." Thompson's focus will now switch to firming up his plans for next season as he bids to build on the momentum his career has gained during the past 12 months. With a maiden Japanese F3 win to his name and now a successful Formula Nippon test under his belt the Dubliner will be looking to go from strength to strength in 2012.

GP3: Atech CRS GP continued its strong form in post-season GP3 testing with the third fastest time in the final session in Valenica last week. Hungarian Tamas Pal Kiss, who returned to the team in Barcelona in October, followed up his impressive performance there with a confident pace in the two-day test at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo on Wednesday and Thursday. Joining the 2011 race winner in the team’s line-up was new signing Ethan Ringel, from Florida. The 17 year-old rookie who had his first taste of GP3 power last month, has just one season of circuit racing under his belt but has halved the deficit between himself and the front running drivers as he continues to learn the tracks and the car. Cementing the work they did last time out, Atech continues to work through its programme of development work and continued along the same path with Chief Engineer James Carter happy with the results of the penultimate test before the winter break. James Carter: “After the very positive text we had in Barcelona last time out, we came to Valencia with the aim to continue along the same path, while trying a few different concepts. Everything went to plan, Tamas once again offered superb feedback which allowed us to push forward and continue a good pace although we didn’t necessarily always get the best out of the tyres due to several on-track incidents for other drivers. Despite that, we’re very happy with the outcome and hope to continue to be on the pace with him in Jerez.  “Ethan continues to improve, there has been a marked improvement in his driving technique which allowed him to reduce the gap to the leaders from the last test to this one by half, which if he continues at the same pace, will see him considerably further up the grid by the next session.” Tamas Pal Kiss: “It proved a very successful test in Valencia and we basically carried over the programme from Barcelona. On the first day I was eighth or ninth on one set of tyres as we chose to save them for day two. I wasn’t entirely happy with the set-up and made a few significant changes to the suspension, which lost me a little track time, but put me fourth fastest. On new tyres I was fastest, but only for a lap when the others also changed to new tyres, but overall I’m very happy as I know we haven’t reached our full potential yet and I know exactly where we can make that time up. It’s very close up at the front and I estimate we’re only at around 90% of our true pace and I’m confident of moving forwards from this into the final test where I hope we can finish the season in a strong position.” Ethan Ringel: “It proved a successful test for me as we’ve reduced the gap considerably so we’re definitely moving in the right direction. I feel we need to find just a couple of tenths on each corner, which hopefully we can continue to work towards this week. I think the biggest factor is finding the confidence in the car, it’s finding the balance to know how hard to push and that will come with more track time and experience. After we finish GP3 testing, I will continue to drive the Formula Renault to get as much track time as possible. If I can close the gap down to just over a second in Jerez I’ll be happy.” The final two-day post season test will take place at Jerez, Spain this Thursday and Friday 1st/2nd December.

Tour Britannia:  Competitors entering the 2012 edition of Tour Britannia before 19 December 2011 will qualify for a £400 discount on the normal entry fee for Britain’s only classic race and rally tour. The eighth running of this unique event will be based in Yorkshire and will run from 7-9 June, offering crews in both the competition and regularity events three full days of action taking in some old favourite locations as well as several new venues. Tour Britannia will be based at the Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate, which will host documentation and scrutineering during Wednesday 6 June before another first for the event, a special prologue stage in the grounds of the hotel on Wednesday evening. The Tour Britannia ‘early bird’ entry fees are valid until 19 December 2011, with the regularity event at £2,350 and the competition event at £3,400.  After 19 December, the normal entry fees apply of £2,750 and £3,800 respectively. This amount is taken as a £995 deposit with the balance due before entries close in May 2012. Outline route details for the event have been unveiled and Thursday 7 June will feature a clockwise loop through Yorkshire starting with an early stage in the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate.  After that the route heads north to Croft for the first race and Tour Britannia’s first visit to this superb and challenging circuit. After a glorious road section across the North Yorkshire Moors, crews tackle the amazing Oliver’s Mount circuit on the outskirts of Scarborough, before returning to Harrogate to do the two-mile Great Yorkshire Showground stage in the reverse direction. Another full day on Friday 8 June starts at the Harewood Hillclimb, with the special stage going down rather than up. Then the route moves into Lincolnshire for a race at the wonderful Cadwell Park circuit before a visit to the new track at Blyton Park. The afternoon run back to Harrogate includes another visit to Harewood. On Saturday 9 June, the tour heads into the Midlands, taking in at least four stages on the way to the final race circuit before the event wraps up with an evening prize-giving. The organisers are planning to add more venues to ensure a race and at least four special stages each day.  More details about Tour Britannia can be found at the event website: www.tourbritannia.com and entry forms can be downloaded from the site.

29-11-11

BTCC: The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has revealed its extended points scoring system for 2012.From next season, the top 15 finishers in each race will score outright championship points. The 15 highest-placed independent runners will also score in the Independents Trophy. Previously, only the top ten in both championships were awarded points. The outright HIQ Teams Championship and Independent Teams Trophy will also be similarly altered. BTCC Series Director Alan Gow commented: “Fundamentally, the new system doesn’t really change that much as we’ve maintained the same spread of points between the top-ten placings as before. However, what this does is to give drivers outside of the top ten something extra to go for and is thus an extra reward for their efforts.”
The 2012 BTCC season will commence on the weekend of 31 March-1 April at Brands Hatch
BTCC Points-scoring System 2012

1st: 20 points, 2nd: 17 points, 3rd: 15 points, 4th: 13 points, 5th: 11 points, and 6^th getting 10 points  reducing by 1 down to 15^th. There will be an additional point for the driver who starts on Pole for the first race of each meeting. Another for  Fastest Lap in each race (If two or more drivers achieve the same fastest lap time each will be awarded a point). Finally 1 additional point will be awarded to each driver who is classified as the race leader (on crossing the start-finish line) during each race. Only one point is awarded to each driver who has led each race, irrespective of how many times that driver has led that race.

Independent Drivers & Teams Trophies - Points for drivers are awarded as per the outright Drivers Championship (bonus points are not scored). Points for teams are awarded to each team’s highest-placed finisher only as per the outright Drivers Championship points system (bonus points are not scored).

HiQ BTCC Teams Championship - Points are awarded to each team’s two highest-finishing cars in each race (provided each car is classified as a finisher in the official results). Points are awarded as per the outright Drivers Championship (bonus points are not scored).
BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship - Points are awarded to a maximum of two cars per registered manufacturer/constructor in each race (provided each car is classified as a finisher in the official results). Each manufacturer/constructor must nominate their two cars prior to 5pm on qualifying day. Points are awarded as per the outright Drivers Championship (bonus points are not scored).

Formula Renault: Callum Bowyer has confirmed his status as one of the UK’s very brightest young prospects by being included in the MSA Academy’s Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE). The government-funded AASE is a human performance-enhancing and educational initiative aimed at developing 16-18 year old participants into elite athletes capable of competing at the very highest level. AASE athletes partake in various workshops and training courses delivered by specialists. Students receive three separate qualifications within the AASE framework – a Level 3 NVQ in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance, a Level 3 BTEC National Certificate in Sport (Performance and Excellence) and an MSA Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Motorsport.  “I’m really privileged that they’ve accepted me to be part of the MSA Academy,” enthused Callum, who finished tenth in this year’s Formula Renault BARC Championship. “It’s a huge honour that they’ve shown such faith in me, and I will benefit from the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence in every area of my driving. It’s a really good opportunity, and I’m so grateful to have been given it.” MSA Academy co-ordinator Greg Symes added, “Callum is somebody who we have been keeping an eye on through karting and into the early stages of his car racing career,” he affirmed. “His record so far speaks for itself, making him a welcome new recruit to the AASE and the MSA Academy talent development pathway.”

Porsche Club Championship: The draft regulations now available for the 2012 Porsche Club Championship see the 996 Carrera 2 model permitted in Class One for the first time – and already several of the regular preparers are building up 996s for use next season. With around 300bhp the 996 C2 will be the most powerful car in the field, but also will be the heaviest with a minimum weight set to give an even power to weight ratio across the class and continue the close racing he series has become renowned for in recent seasons. “We have had a lot on interest from competitors and preparers about bringing in the 996 C2, and the time was right to do it,” says series coordinator Steve Kevlin. “It will be part of a reappraisal of car weights and classes over the next two seasons as we want to ensure that whatever model a driver chooses to race they can be competitive within their class and enjoy their racing”  The 996 version of Porsche’s classic 911 series of cars was in production from 1998 to 2005, and was the first of the rear-engined dynasty to have a water-cooled engine. The race-bred GT3 versions are eligible for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, which runs alongside the Porsche Club Championship at selected meetings.

Formula Ford: Prospective competitors for the 2012 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain will gather at Silverstone on Friday (2 December) for the chance to sample the new EcoBoost Formula Ford chassis, as well as the Duratec-powered cars which will jointly contest the series. There are still a few slots available with teams taking part. Track sessions will start at 9am and continue to 3.30pm, with novices and experienced drivers segregated. In addition to track experience, competitors will be able to gain a valuable insight into the exciting plans for the championship in 2012, as well as have the chance to meet the teams and find out more about what Formula Ford can offer them in their racing careers. Representatives from the Porsche Performance Centre will be present also with a body composition analyser, to talk to drivers concerning fitness and training. Drivers - who must be at least 16 and hold a kart or ARDS licence - and team personnel wishing to take part are invited to contact championship co-ordinator Penny Mattocks: p.mattocks@racingline.com

The Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship has unveiled a seven-round 2012 schedule. Along with the Clipsal 500 Adelaide that will begin the season on March 1-4, Formula 3 will race with the V8 Supercar Championship on three further occasions, including a return to Tasmania and an ongoing commitment to the Skycity Triple Crown and the F3 Darwin SuperPrix that was inaugurated this year. The championship will also return to the resurfaced Queensland Raceway in August, having last raced at the Ipswich circuit with the V8 Supercars in 2009. After producing thrilling racing at both Hidden Valley and Symmons Plains this year, Formula 3 Management acknowledges the commitment from V8 Supercars in placing the category at further V8 Events as it rebuilds its numbers for 2012. The three other rounds will include the historic debut at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, as part of the 2012 Bathurst Motor Festival in Easter, and two rounds with the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships.Formula 3 was a foundation category of the Shannons Nationals and looks forward to continuing to support the rapidly expanding program at least two rounds, likely to be Eastern Creek and Phillip Island. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK photos   read more

Karts: “What a year for RL!” says the delighted Team Principal and owner, Steve Armstrong. “Once again we’ve taken a large haul of silverware over the past 12 months, we can proudly call ourselves Formula Kart Stars, Gold Cup and British Open Champions”.The team’s 2011 FKS campaign has been marked by a succession of podiums in eleven of the twelve rounds. In Mini Max Josh White claimed the overall title by showing excellent consistency.  Not only that, he dominated the 3rd and 4th rounds at Three Sisters, with back-to-back victories. His team-mate, Samuel Oram-Jones also enjoyed an excellent campaign, taking a victory in the class on the way to 5th overall. In Junior Max, Sam Marsh underlined his potential by ending his debut year in the class as Vice-Champion and with an unbeatable display at Ellough Park.  In the UK’s other premier national championship - the Ginetta Super One Series - the RL Racing Department was again a front-running team in the Mini and Junior Rotax classes. Josh eventually claimed a fine 5th overall, with two victories and three 3rd-place finishes. Sam’s late season run of form maintained itself at the Super One finale, with a win and runner-up spot, giving him a creditable 7th in the points table.“Josh and Samuel claimed highly-prized seeded numbers and should be well-pleased with their efforts. Sam too. Junior Max is an incredibly tough class but he demonstrated his pace and signed-off 2011 with a clear signal of his intentions for next year’s championship.”   Harry Campey also claimed a seeded number in FKS, with 9th overall, but the highlight of his year will almost certainly be his triumph in the Mini Max ‘O Plate’, or British Open Championship.  Prior to the closing S1 round at Three Sisters, Josh won the annual Gold Cup. With a fresh line-up being prepared for the forthcoming 2012 title bids, Steve says: “I would like to congratulate all of the RL drivers for their efforts over the past year and am looking forward to working with our existing drivers, Sam Marsh and Josh White.” He added: “I’d also like to extend a very warm welcome to Lando and Oli Norris. Lando is graduating from the cadet ranks after marking himself as a genuine star and proven race-winner in Comer. Oliver is making the unusual step of entering the Junior Max fray after competing in KF3. He’s an exciting driver and definitely one to watch. They’ll be joined by two new drivers, who’ll be officially announced soon. That’s all I’m saying for now...”  With the domestic season almost over, RL Racing Department will contest the Winter Series before travelling to Lanzarote for an intensive winter testing schedule.

Luke Whitworth made his maiden car racing test around the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit recently. He was invited to attend a test for the Formula BMW Talent Cup at Brands Hatch, alongside nine other drivers from eight different countries. “It felt amazing to be asked to the test – a complete bolt-from-the-blue!” confessed Whitworth. “To drive a racing car was something I had wanted to do for quite some time, but I never expected to get the chance so soon and I was really excited about it. I was over-the-moon and totally blown away by the invitation, and it just topped off an already brilliant weekend!”  In preparation for the test, Luke headed to iZone Driver Performance at Silverstone, to begin to get to grips with both the track layout as well as gear-shifting on the driver development centre’s state-of-the-art simulator. Whilst there, the 16-year-old was also able to benefit from expert tutelage from a multiple world champion in the shape of three-time World Touring Car king Andy Priaulx. “Going into the test, I was still excited, but also a bit nervous,” he recalled. “I’d had no preparation in wet conditions, so it was almost a case of having to learn Brands Hatch all over again because the lines are so different in the wet – but I just had to get on with it.The track was extremely slippery and I did have a few ‘moments’, but I really enjoyed driving the car. The extra weight and aerodynamic downforce took some time to get my head around, as did the fact that the faster you go into a corner, the more grip you have – it just seems against all your natural instincts initially. It’s a strange feeling, speeding up when your brain is telling you that you should be slowing down! Ultimately, it’s a question of being brave enough and having the confidence in the car to keep your foot planted. “  Indeed, despite the steep learning curve, Luke coped. “The whole day was really about gaining a good understanding of the car,” the recently-appointed MSA Academy member mused in conclusion. “I had to steel myself not to be scared of making mistakes, and just to try to be more consistent each time I took to the track. “I definitely got better as the day progressed, and as my confidence increased, I was able to push harder and go faster and I made fewer errors. I just loved the entire experience, and I feel it helped to improve me as a driver and has certainly motivated me to keep on working as hard as I can to attain my goals.”

Porsche Carrera Cup GB: Daniel Lloyd has had his sporting achievements recognised by the tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire after being invited to become a ‘Patron of Yorkshire’ – an group of high achievers and famous faces from the worlds of business, entertainment and sport. Just a few weeks since being named Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholar 2012, a prize guaranteeing his graduation to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship next year, the Huddersfield racer has received the great honour of being asked to ‘fly the flag’ for Yorkshire as one of the county’s top young sportsmen. As part of his day-to-day activities, Daniel will help promote Yorkshire as a key destination for business and recreation. In doing so he will join a list of celebrity patrons including thespian Sir Patrick Stewart OBE, broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson CBE and ex-England cricket captain Michael Vaughan OBE.  Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We are delighted to have Daniel as a Yorkshire Patron. He is a great ambassador for the county both on and off the track and we wish him every success for the coming year.”

Rallying: Entered for the Fiesta Var Challenge organised by Alain Mahé  in the Rallye du Var, Nelson Panciatici,  with co-driver René Padovani, was victorious in his first rally. A success he built up in the first stage raced at night, where he was neck and neck with more powerful cars than his Ford Fiesta R2, prepped to precision by the Group Maurin,  the chassis balance of which held up perfectly to the treacherous roads of the Var backcountry.  Read report

28-11-11

The Volkswagen Racing Cup is set to gain another father and son team in 2012 with the news that Jonathan Wilson is to follow in the wheeltracks of his 19-year-old son, Thomas, and take to the tracks. Wilson senior has bought the Volkswagen Scirocco campaigned in recent seasons by Mike Kurton and will make his circuit racing debut in the championship next season alongside his Golf GTI-driving offspring. “I have always been a petrolhead but have never had the chance to race before,” said 45-year-old Jonathan. “I have so enjoyed helping Thomas with his first season in the Volkswagen Racing Cup that when the opportunity arose to join him on the grid, it was one I could not pass up. I think it could get a bit competitive between us.” Thomas enjoyed an impressive first season of motorsport in 2010 in his Powerstation-prepared Volkswagen, taking fifth position in the championship jointly with veteran Steve Wood; his best finish came in the final round at Silverstone, where he missed the podium by only 1.5s. The Wiltshire-based duo has backing from construction businesses JRL Group and Molson. “The Volkswagen Racing Cup has attracted fathers and their sons ever since its early years,” said Sam Roach, of championship promoter RacingLine. “Martyn and Barrie Culley entertained us for many seasons, Peter and Paul Wyhinny, Paul and Tony Taylor - they have all enjoyed the paddock camaraderie and family feel for which the series is justly famous. I am sure Jonathan and Thomas will have a great time also.”pic Jakob Ebrey Photography

The Race of Champions sets up its unique parallel circuit inside Düsseldorf’s Esprit Arena on December 3/4 and, as in 2010, you can catch all the action LIVE on the High Speed Television Channel. Some of the world’s best drivers have gathered at the end-of-season event since its launch in 1988 bidding to be crowned "Champion of Champions", while national pride is also at stake in the two-driver-per-team "Nations Cup". This year’s line-up is as impressive as ever with Sebastian Vettel (double F1 World Champion), Michael Schumacher (7-time F1 World Champion) Jenson Button (F1 World Champion), Tom Kristensen (8-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner), David Coulthard (13 F1 victories) and Sebastien Ogier (7 WRC victories) joined by, among others, Travis Pastrana, a 10-times X-Games gold medallist on two wheels and four.

ROC Nations Cup: Saturday, December 3 - live from 6pm.

Race of Champions: Sunday, December 4 - live from 1pm.

Ginetta Jnrs: Charlie Robertson made a huge impact during his first season of car racing in the high-profile Ginetta Junior Championship this year – a history-making debut, in fact, in which the 14-year-old became the youngest ever pole position qualifier and winner of an MSA-sanctioned car race in the UK.     read more

Karts: Prior to travelling out to the United Arab Emirates to do battle in the Rotax World Finals at Al Ain Raceway, James Singleton had acknowledged that the pressure was on to do justice to his selection as one of only three British drivers to compete in the event. The highly-rated young North Wales kart racer would do just that.   Pic: Chris Walker / www.kartpix.net      Read report

The British Historic Kart Club, one of the fastest growing kart clubs in the UK, is throwing its doors open to the rest of historic karting world next May at Donington Park. On the back of the most successful RetroRacer Championship to date in 2011, the BHKC and the Donington Historic Motorsport Festival will join forces to host a single round Historic Karting Championship open to drivers from all over the world on May 5th and 6th next year with upwards of 200 entries expected to attend. Using the famous Melbourne Loop part of the newly renovated Donington Park circuit, which hosted the legendary British Grand Prix events in the 1930’s, drivers and their karts will take their own place in the history books on the same stretch of tarmac that saw the might of Mercedes Benz and Auto Union thrill the world more than 70 years ago. pic Nick Purdie   Read more

Formula Ford: With the final Victorian race meeting for 2011 concluded at Phillip Island last weekend, the Spectrum Formula Ford and Sabre Formula Vee chassis have again proved to be the benchmark in their respective competitions. The meeting was the setting for the final rounds of the CAMS Victorian Formula Ford series, the Formula Vee Association of Victoria club championship, as well as the traditional Island Magic trophies for Formula Ford, Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Vee. In the Formula Ford category, it was Adelaide’s own Sam Power who took the title as the 2011 CAMS Victorian Formula Ford series winner. Driving a Spectrum 011c for Synergy  Motorsport, Sam has driven superbly in his debut Formula Ford season. Sam was also the highest points scorer across the six rounds of competition that comprised the FFA club series, but was not eligible for that award, as he is not a club member. For the Formula Ford 1600 category, this event was all about the Island Magic, with the CAMS and Club Championships having been decided in October. Spectrum 010b chassis simply dominated these Championships; and that tone continued at Island Magic, with the Spectrum chassis untouchable. Driving for Project Motorsport, Scott Andrews showed the FF1600 field (and many of the Formula Fords!) a clean pair of heels in the ELF/Race Fuels Spectrum 010b. He set pole position and drove to a clean sweep of race wins, leading home Lachlan Marshall and Brendan Jones for a Spectrum 1-2-3. Mitch Martin had already secured the CAMS Victorian Formula Vee Championship, but was gunning for the FVAV club championship as well. With Australian and NSW Formula Vee Champion Daniel Reynolds making an appearance at the meeting, the racing was going to be as strong as ever. From the outset, it was apparent that the dominance of the Sabre 02 chassis was not about to be challenged. Daniel, Mitch and JRD’s Ash Quiddington raced wheel to wheel, with Reynolds emerging the victor in all three races by the narrowest of margins. This let Daniel add the Speco/VHT Mauri Fordham Formula Vee trophy to his impressive list of achievements for 2011. Meanwhile, a pair of 2nd places and a 3rd secured the FVAV title for Martin. After finishing 8th in the opening race, Ash recovered with a 3rd and a 2nd, elevating him to 2nd in the FVAV Championship. A superb drive in the final race saw Heath Collinson come from the back of the field to finish 4th; a 1-2-3-4 result for the Sabre 02 chassis and a fantastic way to end the season!

GT: Just as the international motorsport scene is going into its traditional winter hibernation mode, the time has come for reviews and end of season conclusions. The least one can say is that Maxime Martin can be truly satisfied with his 2011 campaign, which was as rich as it was intense. “When I look back on my various participations this year, I can only be but really happy, the Brussels based driver commented. “There were lots of positive things, lots of victories, and more especially some great races, often highly prestigious. In fact my only regret is not to have had everything in hand to perform well during the final rounds of the European FIA GT3 Championship as also the FIA GT1 world competition. But that’s how it is. As for the rest, the objectives set at the beginning of the season were achieved … “  read more

Formula 3: The race schedule for the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series season has been determined. Next year  the world’s toughest junior racing category will have all nine events on the support package of the DTM. The race meetings shared with the most popular international touring car series are not only a guarantee for huge crowds at the track and considerable interest from the media, but also underline the international aspiration of the Formula 3 Euro Series. The ambitious junior drivers will be battling for the title in four European countries.   A total amount of track time of over four hours per racing weekend enable drivers to gain valuable experience in the race cars, which, in turn, guarantees plenty of motor racing action for the fans.

Formula Kart Stars and Ellough Park Raceway joined forces to remember the late Dannie Pennell earlier this year, dedicating the final two rounds of the Formula One Management backed championships’ 2011 season to the late founder of Team Dadson. Pennell, who succumbed to cancer in July, was one of the most popular and well respected members of the karting fraternity with friends throughout the sport thanks to Team Dadson, which ran drivers in Formula Kart Stars and the Rotax Euro Challenge and the Dadson Challenge, a nationwide series dedicated to senior drivers. Throughout the Ellough Park weekend circuit owner Richard Lock, a good friend of Dannie’s, and Formula Kart Stars went to great lengths to honour Pennell and raised more than £500 to the hospice that cared for Dannie during his final days. “Dannie was instrumental in helping me buy Ellough Park and it is fitting that the main straight should be named after him,” says Lock, who helped unveil the new ‘Pennell Straight’ during an emotional driver’s parade during the weekend. “I couldn’t name a corner after him because he was a very straight person.” Lock also founded the Dannie Pennell Trophy, an award that celebrates any driver who epitomised the spirit, graft and ‘never say die’ attitude that Pennell was known for. Following a joint deliberation by Lock and Formula Kart Stars officials, Junior Rotax driver Macaulay Austin(pictured) was named as the inaugural recipient of the extremely impressive trophy. "It is such an honour to be chosen for this award,” said the Bryn Mawr based driver, who finished fourth in the 2008 MSA British Cadet Championship and has won over 100 races despite almost always running as an independent driver with his dad Neil. “I am very pleased that my hard work has been recognised.”  The main fundraising element of the weekend fell, quite literally, to FKS circuit commentator Henry Beaudette, who took part in a 12,000ft skydive complete with radio mic to try and raise money for the Hospice that cared for Dannie. Despite having less than 24 hours notice, the FKS paddock was able to raise more than £500. “To say I was a reluctant volunteer would be an understatement,” says Beaudette. “But Dannie was a good friend and was very generous with his support and time when my team were racing at Le Mans. When I was asked I couldn’t say no and it was a pleasure to help raise some money for a very worthy cause and an all round great bloke.”  Pic: Chris Walker / www.kartpix.net

Formula Kart Stars drivers will once again travel the length and breadth of Britain and possibly beyond in their quest to land one of the 2012 championship titles as the Formula One Management backed Championship unveiled their twelve round calendar for the upcoming season.The championship will also retain its popular doubleheader format of timed qualifying, two heats and a final on each day that has proved extremely popular with competitors since its introduction in 2010. Read more

26-11-11

Formula Gulf 1000: Zaamin Jaffer continued his superb run of success in the United Arab Emirates-based Formula Gulf 1000 Championship in Dubai on Friday, 25th November – the Indian ace taking his second victory in as many race meetings in round five before sealing his fourth podium on the trot in round six. Having made a big impression on his debut in the category three weeks ago by winning his first FG1000 race from pole position, the 21-year-old once again underlined his true pace and ability on his second weekend in the championship with a series of fantastic performances. From four races, his results tally now reads two wins, two second places, three pole positions and three fastest laps.pic anysportphotos.com   Read report

Karts: Formula Kart Stars’ mantra is ‘The Road to Formula One through Racing and Education’ and in 2011 the Formula One Management backed championship introduced the first on-site teaching facility to its race meetings, allowing its young drivers to continue their studies at the race track. Equipped with audio and visual learning aids, an outdoor presentation area, a bank of PC’s and an interactive white board that enables drivers to download and electronically annotate coursework, the unique Boston College Learning Bus has been a fixture at FKS events throughout 2011 and will be again in 2012. Boston College staff member Mark Marsh is present in the bus throughout the race weekends from Friday morning until Sunday evening to assist drivers and their siblings with their homework and sees the benefits for the drivers first hand. “At first a lot of people were unsure about using the bus as the drivers are not used to thinking about school on a race weekend,” says Marsh. “But as the year progressed, especially during May and June when a lot of the Junior drivers are in the middle of their GCSE’s they began to realise that an hour of quiet study after a days racing can be extremely useful. The bus is a fantastic tool for all Formula Kart Stars drivers and their brothers and sisters, who often travel with them to race meetings,” says Series Director Carolynn Hoy. “In our first year with the learning bus I was surprised at how many drivers took advantage of its facilities and we soon developed quite a few regular attendees at each round.” Connor Mills, who finished third in the 2011 Formula Kart Stars Mini Max class, was one of the many drivers who spent time in the Learning Bus during 2011. “The education bus was very good,” says Mills. “It gives kids a good opportunity to get some peace and quiet and gives you a chance to get your homework done.” To learn more about Formula Kart Stars please visit www.formulakartstars.com

25-11-11

F1600: Following a successful inaugural 10-race run in 2011, the F1600 Formula F Championship Series will keep the momentum, expanding to 14 races in 2012, over seven double-race weekends. The Formula F cars will start the year in April at VIRginia International Raceway, then it’s Road  tlanta, followed by Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock Park, supporting ARCA at New Jersey Motorsports Park in late June, and then onto Mid-Ohio in late July, followed by Summit Point in August and the season finale at Watkins Glen International in October. “With an expanded schedule for 2012 we have responded to our competitors requests with more choicse, more tracks, more racing and better spacing of events. In 2011 we originally scheduled four, increased that to five, and the feeling was more is better,” said Michael Rand, Series managing director. The Series will keep its points rules, dropping the lowest two scores for each driver before compiling the final standings.The expanded schedule is a response from a season-ending survey sent out by Series officials, along with the incredibly strong support the first year Championship received from leading teams, Formula F competitors and manufacturers over the course of 2011. For the F1600 contingent, Road Atlanta, New Jersey and Summit Point will mark new race tracks, with VIR, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen all being visited in 2011.A large established grid of Formula F cars sharing both Honda and Ford engines is expected to take to the track at every event. Chassis manufacturers Mygale and Spectrum are expected to expand their Formula F support in 2012.   calendar

The F2000 Championship Series 2012 schedule will visit seven different tracks in North America, with double race weekends at each. For the seventh straight year, the Championship will open at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) in April, followed by a May trip to Road Atlanta with Formula Drift, Lime Rock Park on a spectator-heavy Memorial Day weekend, New Jersey Motorsports Park at the end of June with ARCA, and then onto Mid-Ohio in late July, before Summit Point at the end of August. The season finale will take place at Watkins Glen International in October. The schedule is in response to data collected over six successful seasons, and an end-of-the-year 2011 survey, completed by Series participants. “For our seventh season, we have a few, now, traditional dates as well as revisiting a few tracks in conjunction with great spectator weekends. The spacing of the events allows breathing room between race weekends and from spring to fall almost every month has something going on,” added Michael Rand, Series managing director. The Series last visited New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2008 for a season finale, and last ran at Summit Point in the summer of 2009. An opening weekend at VIR will be accompanied by a traditional Thursday test day. Road Atlanta and New Jersey will also feature Thursday testing, with Mid-Ohio seeing a more traditional twilight testing window on Thursday evening.The Series will keep its points rules, dropping the lowest two scores for each driver before compiling the final standings.Meanwhile, the road to F2000, the F1600 Formula F Championship Series, will expand its 2012 program after a successful inaugural season in 2011. F1600 will join F2000 at all events in 2012. F2000 officials expect strong car counts in 2012, with the 2011 season closing on a strong note, with 36 entries at Watkins Glen. New chassis manufacturers Radon, RFR, and Spectrum are expected to increase their numbers in a paddock dominated by Van Diemens. Pic Valet  calendar

V de V: Nick Padmore and co-driver Jean-Lou Rihon secured 3rd place in the French V de V Championship at Estoril last weekend, and further more they brought home 2nd position in the 'Carbon Chassis Class' of the series. Having qualified 5th for Saturday's 6-hour endurance, Padmore was hit by another car and sent wide at Turn 1 at the start of the race, knocking the Reigate resident down to P7. However, he fought back to P3 within the opening laps and, on slicks, dealt with changing weather conditions at different sectors of the track during his stint to lead the race by the time he handed over to Rihon after two hours. The team were delayed in the driver change when the crash box on their Norma M20 FC came loose, costing them four minutes in the pitlane, and took a stategical gamble to send Rihon out on wet tyres. As the Belgian settled into the rhythm of his stint though, the track started to dry rapidly and he was forced to pit to change back to slicks during a safety car period.As the safety car pulled off the circuit, Rihon immediately set about making up for lost time and was constantly overtaking other cars before handing back over to Padmore in 5th position at the end of his two-hour stint.Padmore continued their pace for the final two hours but was struck with a throttle jam through the Parabolica, forcing him to come back in as soon as he exited the corner, using the ignition to control his speed down the pitlane.He rejoined the race and, despite constantly changing weather conditions, battled his way to finish in 7th position. Nick Padmore: "We've really raised our game this season and we've proved that Jean-Lou (Rihon) and I have a very strong package capable of challenging for the championship. It didn't happen this year unfortunately, as we were in with a shot coming to Estoril, but it only makes us more determined for next season. Jean-Lou has made a massive leap forward with his driving since last year, which has been reflected in our results, and Team TFT have provided us with great support and equipment which has definitely given us the opportunity to run at the sharp end of the field. Even though we were still competitive and lead the first part of the race, Estoril was probably one of our weaker circuits, but I think we can be very satisfied with our performance and how well we handled the issues and conditions that we were dealt.I would like to say a massive thank you to Jean-Lou and everyone at Team TFT for what has been a fantastic year and I'm very much looking forward to continuing what we have proved to be a winning team into next season."

GT: Archie Hamilton today(Friday)celebrated a podium finish in the latest race of the NKG UAE GT Championship at the Dubai Autodrome. The 20-year-old from Basingstoke was sharing the Gulf Racing Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 with Stuart Hall in the one hour race. The pairing were quick in testing on Thursday, but then overnight changes to their car for this morning’s qualifying saw them going slower. They eventually qualified third. Hall was the starting driver and managed to moved up to second, 55 seconds ahead of the third placed car. After half an hour he handed the car over to Hamilton during a Safety Car period. Unfortunately during this period, when passing is usually not permitted, another car overtook Hamilton and so he had to settle for third. “I am happy with how things went, although morally I think we deserved second. However, I am more than happy with how I adapted to the car after a season of single-seater racing. I was able to put in competitive lap times compared to my team mate, who has a lot more experience. All in all I have had a very productive week,” said Hamilton. Next on Hamilton’s agenda is a test in a Lotus GT4 at the manufacturer’s test track in Norfolk on the 1st December. “This will be another good experience for me as I plan for my 2012 season. I am also looking forward to returning to Dubai in January for the 24 hour race here,” he added. This was the third round of the eight round championship and was held on the  3.56 kilometre National Circuit. The Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai, will be on the 12th/13th/14th January, 2012.

Historic Rally: There is now little more than a week to go before Croft Circuit hosts one of the world’s premier events for historic rally cars – the Roger Albert Clark Rally – on Saturday 3 December. The R.A.C, named after Seventies British rallying great Roger Clark, recreates the Lombard RAC Rallies of old and a time which many believe were motor rallying’s glory years. For enthusiasts the charismatic event has become an annual road trip as they follow its route – this year from Friday 2 to Monday 5 December – and timed stages in North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Dumfries & Galloway and Cumbria. Two of those stages – along with a major service area that will enable the fans to get a close-up look at the cars as they are worked on – will be held at Croft Circuit, just outside Darlington on the Saturday (3 Dec).The competing cars will start to arrive at Croft as drivers and their navigators ‘clock in’ to the service area from 3.32pm. The two stages – each a ‘double run’ of the full Croft race track – will commence at 4.10pm and then 4.24pm. It means spectators will see the cars pass four times with the enticing prospect of two or three ‘live on stage’ at the same time.The 70-strong entry is full of iconic Sixties, Seventies and Eighties models of car with Lancia Stratos, Lancia Fulvia, Saab 96, Talbot Sunbeam, Hillman Avenger, Porsche 911s, plus Ford Escort MKIs and MKIIs all listed.Among the top names are 2010’s and 2009’s respective winners, Belgium’s Stefan Stouf and Gwyndaf Evans (also a former British Rally Champion), plus newly-crowned back-to-back British Historic Rally Champion David Stokes. Also watch for Phil Collins – himself another top ex-name from the British Rally Championship and co-driven, notably, by Nicky Grist who navigated Finland’s Juha Kankkunen to the 1993 World Rally Championship title and who then went on to form a six-year partnership with the legendary Colin McRae in the WRC.More locally, Beverley’s Guy Smith – the winner of the world-famous Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race in 2003 – is also entered as are Tim Pearcey (Harrogate), Tim Mason (Bradford), Steve Perez (Chesterfield), Charlie Taylor (Northallerton) and Dave Hemingway (South Elmsall). All are among the UK’s top historic rally drivers, while numerous others from the North East region are also on the entry list.  Tickets will cost just £10 (payable on the gate) with FREE admission for children aged 15 and under. For more information visit the new-look Croft Circuit website www.croftcircuit.co.uk or call the Circuit Office on 01325 721815

WTCC: UK based team Special Tuning Racing have announced that they are working towards competing in the 2012 FIA WTCC with SEAT Sport works customer support. Team principal John Boardman and Technical Director Gary Robertshaw, visited the WTCC finale at Macau, where they met with SEAT Sport Director Jaime Puig and agreed the deal in principle for 2012. STR will use a new SEAT Sport developed 1.6 T engine and gearbox package in their two WTCC latest specification León cars, receiving technical backup and engineering support from the Spanish manufacturer. John Boardman commented: "We are very excited by the prospect of working closely with SEAT Sport as a customer 'works' team. This will take our involvement with running SEAT touring cars to the next level. We have over eight years experience racing the León in the WTCC, BTCC and SEAT single make series. This support from SEAT will make us even more competitive in next season. We look forward to making our experience produce front running pace in the WTCC." Special Tuning Racing will now be focusing on finalising the driver line up for 2012. The plan is to run two cars in the WTCC where they last raced in 2009, and two in the British Touring Car Championship.

The fight for the Yokohama Drivers' Trophy culminated in a duel between two Danish drivers on the streets of Macau. Although Michel Nykjær took his SUNRED León to two great victories, it was his fellow countryman Kristian Poulsen who won the title by two points. "I won four out of the last six races and looking back at whole season, I can only be satisfied. We had some problems at the start of the year, which meant that we had to catch up. We managed to close the gap, but even though we lacked a few points at the end. Congratulations to Kristian for the title," Nykjær said. Poulsen who had finished runner up to Sergio Hernández in 2010, won six races at the wheel of his BMW 320 TC and emerged as the best of the Yokohama Trophy competitors in the Drivers' Championship ranking seventh.  "The team did a great job for the whole season. I never had technical problems in the twenty-four races. I had to fight with some very good drivers and it was funny that in the end it was a Danish affair, between me and Michel. My last race was also the slowest of my career. The guys on the radio were telling me that I just needed to finish to become champion. I had to fight against my own instinct, but all I wanted was the title!" Poulsen commented. With Poulsen's team-mate Franz Engstler finishing in third position, Liqui Moly Team Engstler won the Yokohama Team's Trophy. "We are very proud. It's a great honour for us! Since we joined the championship we tried to improve and this title is the result of the hard work we have done! We need to thank Liqui Moly as they made all this possible," team manager Kurt Treml commented.The Jay-Ten Trophy, reserved for driver at the wheel of 2010 cars was won by Fabio Fabiani in BMW 320si cars run by Proteam Racing and Liqui Moly Team Engstler.

Rob Huff finished runner up in the WTCC Drivers' Championship behind Yvan Muller. However, the young Briton did have the satisfaction of beating his Chevrolet team-mate in setting the most fastest laps during the season, being crowned as the 2012 Monroe Performer.With nine fastest laps - against Muller's eight - Huff not only erased the previous record of six, set by Jörg Müller in 2005 and matched by Gabriele Tarquini in 2010, but also won the Ducati motorcycle offered by Monroe.Muller was awarded with a Elmoto electric bicycle and Alain Menu (two fastest laps) with a Marzocchi bicycle.With eight fastest laps, Norbert Michelisz emerged as the Monroe Performer among the competitors of the Yokohama Trophy; the Hungarian races pocketed prize money for a total of 24,500 euros.

Karts: After an engine failure left him right down at the bottom of the timesheets in qualifying, George Russell knew he would have to roll the dice in the SuperNationals in Las Vegas – and never-say-die effort saw him hit sweep to victory that he ranks amongst his best achievements in his karting career to-date.   Pics:  Gregory Lussier / www.babelphotos.ca      Read report

Porsche Carrera Cup GB: The next programme in the dedicated television coverage of the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be broadcast in the Motorsport UK programme during the afternoon of Tuesday 29 November on ITV4, on ITV1 on the night of Sunday 4 December and will also be shown on ITV4 on Saturday 3 December. Round 18, the penultimate race of the season at Silverstone, will feature in this programme.

Motorsport UK will be broadcast as follows:

Tuesday 29 November at 3.20pm on ITV4

Saturday 3 December at 9.15am on ITV4

Monday 5 December at 2am on ITV1

Formula Renault: David Pittard has rounded of his 2011 season by impressing Manor Competition team boss Tony Shaw whilst testing the team’s Formula Renault at Silverstone, as his prize for finishing on the podium in the Henry Surtees Foundation Kart Event. Arriving at a cold but bright Silverstone Circuit David was focused and ready to take advantage of the opportunity that awaited him, and the chance to walk in Lewis Hamilton’s footsteps by testing with the 2008 Formula One World Champion’s old team. With the track still damp, the team opted for wet tyres for the first session and following a quick seat fit and briefing the race ace from Letchworth set out for his first few sighting laps of the new Silverstone Stowe complex. Getting out in the car for the first time was a brilliant experience. I expected it to be something special but the pure grip levels were something else!” said the Hertfordshire youngster. “As the track dried and my confidence built up I started to push harder and harder into the corners and it was clear that it wouldn’t be long before we needed to switch to slicks.” With the track drying ever faster it wasn’t long before the team called the Letchworth youngster into the pits and David got the chance he had been waiting for - to test the Formula Renault on slick tyres. After a sighting lap , David set about bringing his tyres up to temperature before setting some creditable lap times. “The car was awesome in the first few sessions on wets, but it was something else on slicks! It was crazy how little time you spent in the corners. You break so late and slow the car down so fast, turn it in and before you know it your back on the power and accelerating to the next corner, the car was an absolute pleasure to drive!" With detailed debriefing in the pits between sessions, and armed with pointers from Manor Competition team principle Tony Shaw, David soon improved his pace, finishing up with a lap time that would have done credit to a seasoned Formula Renault competitor. "By the end of the day I felt most comfortable with the car and felt I put in some really positive runs and tried to implement all of Tony's advise to go as fast as I could.” he said . “I learned so much from Tony about the specific driving techniques for the Formula Renault. He was absolutely brilliant at looking through the data and telling me how to improve, so easy to talk to and knew exactly where I was going wrong, and how I could improve." Commenting on David’s performance , Manor Competition's Tony Shaw said: “I have to say that we have been really rather astounded by David's performance today both on track and whilst going through and discussing data.His ability to apply changes to his style to adapt to the extra grip and down force of the Renault was plain to see and not something that is very often seen these days Although it is difficult to know exactly what the pace is round there (Stowe Circuit) I think we all agree that he would be somewhere near the pace of a seasoned runner in this car.” Reflecting on what had been a successful day David added: “I can't thank everyone enough for making all of this happen. It has literally been a dream come true. Huge thanks to Tony and his team at Manor Competition for all their help and time, John Surtees for arranging this test and the Henry Surtees Trophy event for giving young drivers like myself a chance to impress, Bill Williams for coming to support me during the day, Roy Powell for all his photography and finally my Mum and Dad for supporting me throughout the season as well as at Silverstone. It has been the perfect end to the racing year and I can't wait for 2012 already!"

24-11-11

Karts: Beitske Visser's long and rewarding karting season ended in Las Vegas with another first-rate performance by the 16-year old in KZ2 at the Supernationals. Struck by bad luck in 2010, this time she got herself noticed in the final by staging a remarkable recovery drive up to 6th. But her US sojourn started badly because part of her equipment was blocked at Customs, delaying her free practice sessions.  Read report

FIA GT: McLaren GT will build and supply Hexis with two examples of the new MP4-12C GT3 to race in next year’s FIA World Championship. This relationship brings together one of the greatest names in motor sport; McLaren Racing - winner of 20 Formula 1 World titles (drivers and teams combined) - and the young French Hexis team; winners of the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship. The arrival of the extraordinary new British supercar at the summit of GT racing promises to be one of next season’s highlights. The Hexis team has just celebrated its first ten years in motor sport. Its first international title came in 2009 when it won the FIA GT3 European Championship. The following year it made its debut in the top category in grand touring racing, filling the runner-up spot in the FIA GT1 World Championship. Inspired by team manager, Philippe Dumas, it has developed an uncommon degree of team spirit, which made a big contribution to winning this year’s world title. Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren Group CEO said: “I am delighted that Hexis will be running the 12C GT3 in 2012. McLaren GT has undertaken a challenging development programme in 2011 and we are confident the 12C GT3 will be the most reliable, efficient and rewarding to drive GT car on the grid next year.With the 2012 FIA GT World Championship adopting GT3 regulations, the opportunity presented itself to launch into this category with current World Champions Hexis. With the engineering support of McLaren GT and a car bristling with Formula 1 technology in the 12C GT3, I am sure this partnership will be successful.”  McLaren has significant experience in GT racing: in 1995 the McLaren F1 GTR won the Le Mans 24 Hours on its first outing in the Sarthe! The new MP4-12C GT3 represents a significant step forward from a technological point of view. Philippe Dumas(pictured): “We started thinking about this project in the spring when the GT3 version of the MP4-12C was unveiled. We had a meeting in Woking, but it was obvious that the development of a GT1 for the world championship wasn’t part of McLaren GT’s plans. Even so I never lost hope. We stayed in contact on a regular basis and we met up again on several occasions. The MP4-12C GT3’s debut at Spa only helped reinforce my convictions.” Hexis has great hopes for the future of the FIA GT World Championship. “We already have a set of regulations, which promises a really exciting championship,” says Dumas. “Numerous manufacturers, tuners and teams are fine-tuning their joint projects, and other major announcements are expected in the weeks to come. We’re very proud to be one of the first to race a car from McLaren GT and we look forward to this new challenge.”

Formula Ford: The final round of the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship was recently held in Tasmania during the Falken Tasmania Challenge at Symmons Plains. Catch all the action as Australia's future stars take to the track over three races in the final round of the season on 7mate. It's the last chance for the drivers to prove themselves and they will be pushing hard to end the year on a high. Saturday 26 Nov at 1:30 AEDT (check your local guides) on 7mate.The Australian Formula Ford Championship hits the track again next year, stay tuned for a full calendar announcement.

Drifting: Motors TV is pleased to announce Japan’s D1 Drifting Championship as the latest addition to its eclectic roster of international motorsport.The hugely popular D1 Grand Prix has long been established as the world’s premier drift series, with rounds held at Suzuka and Fuji as well as the streets of capital city Tokyo. D1 will air alongside US series Formula Drift, which returns to Motors TV’s winter line-up this year. Inspired by its Japanese equivalent, the series has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2004. Today it stages seven events nationally, including a season-opening trip to the fabled Long Beach street circuit. Now drift fans can also look forward to the world's premier competitions with Motors TV's coverage getting underway on Monday December 19th. D1 kicks off the drift double bill at 6.55pm followed by the American series at 8.00pm.

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V de V: Starting from pole position in n°19, Lionel Robert, Jean-Claude Poirier and Fabien “la balle” Rosier were first past the chequered flag in the V de V Proto Challenge race at Estoril last weekend. However they couldn’t dampen the celebrationsof the  Palmyr team who claimed their third title on the trot with their Norma n°1 and the Mondolot-Zollinger driver pairing. In the GT/Tourisme Challnge Endurance race it was the car of Gibon, Bourret and Belloc that won the final race of the year, a race that also saw the end of their partnership with the  Imsa team. The result did however give the  team its second successive title through the good work of Anthony Pons, who never let the n°2 Ferrari past in the final hour to give the Imsa team a magnificent one-two to cap the season.  Read report

GT: Two third placings in the last round of the 2011 Australian GT Championship at Sandown last weekend cemented second place for Klark Quinn – his best ever result in the series. Klark was the only other driver with a mathematical chance of beating championship leader Mark Eddy going into the finale at Melbourne. But despite finishing well ahead of his rival in both races, he fell 36 points short. In the final analysis, failing to finish one race cost the V.I.P. Petfoods Mosler MT900S driver the 2011 title. Having built a 22-point lead over Eddy and his Audi R8 LMS in the first 4 rounds, it all came unstuck at Phillip Island in September. A problem with the Klark’s Mosler’s engine during practice forced him to share Tony Quinn’s V.I.P. Petfoods Aston Martin DBRS9 for the weekend. The pair came second in first race but retired from the second race, leaving Eddy 47 points ahead. Although the gap came down to 40 points in the penultimate round at Mt Panorama it was too little too late and Eddy’s eighth and sixth place finishes in the finale were enough to give him the championship. Read report

Le Mans: Ex-Formula One driver, Martin Brundle, will join his son Alex at the wheel of the Nissan-powered Greaves Motorsport LMP2 prototype at next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 16-17). The deal sees Brundle senior reunited with Nissan, after the Englishman spearheaded its official works effort at the world's oldest and most celebrated endurance race in 1997 with the R390 GT1. For 2012, the father and son combination will pilot the race-winning Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN-Nissan sports prototype. Not only did the car take the LMP2 class win at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans with Karim Ojjeh, Olivier Lombard and Tom Kimber-Smith, finishing eighth overall, but victories at Le Castellet, Imola and Silverstone also saw the Nissan-engined LMP2 car capture both the 2011 Le Mans Series drivers' and team titles. The Brundles will follow in the footsteps of a small number of father-son combinations to have competed at the illustrious race together, including Mario Andretti, with son Michael, and Nigel Mansell with sons Leo and Greg.  Martin Brundle, 52, said: "I'm very much looking forward to returning to the Le Mans 24 Hour race with Nissan and the Greaves Motorsport LMP2 team. This is an unexpected pleasure, heightened by the fact I will be team-mates with my son.  I'm eagerly anticipating a very special feeling when handing the car over to Alex during one of the world's greatest motor races. Class victory in front of the fanatical Le Mans spectators is the goal." Alex Brundle, 21, added: "I loved driving the Le Mans circuit at this year's official test day and a chance to compete in the full Le Mans Series, as well as the Le Mans 24 Hours, along with my single-seater activities in 2012 is brilliant for my career. At Le Mans, my father has been on pole position, led many times and been part of the winning team; this can fast-track my learning process. My thanks go to Nissan and Greaves Motorsport for creating this important opportunity, which I will seize and maximise."

Formula BMW Talent Cup 2012.

22-11-11

Motor Sport magazine proudly announces the publication’s Hall of Fame event for 2012 as taking place on Thursday 16 February at the iconic Roundhouse in Camden. As a prestigious awards evening, honouring the greatest names in motor racing and their contributions to the sport, the event brings together a host of well known personalities. This exclusive awards ceremony is due to be hosted by television presenter Jake Humphrey, who will be officially inducting four more luminaries on the night. Held in association with TAG Heuer, the third annual Hall of Fame takes place exactly a month ahead of the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship, starting in mid-March. Motor Sport magazine’s Editor, Damien Smith, looks forward to celebrating the successes of yet more inspirational figures in the sport; “It is with a huge amount of honour that we pay tribute to the ‘great and the good’ of motor racing at our annual awards, giving recognition to their outstanding achievements.Every month we write about the individuals from both the past and present that make motor racing the phenomenal sport that it is. Through this event we try to give something back to them. Last year we welcomed the legendary Sir Jack Brabham OBE, Sir Frank Williams CBE, Jody Scheckter and Dario Franchitti into the Hall of Fame and this year we will be adding another four worthy names to our exclusive line-up.”   Find out more about the illustrious names and faces that are already part of the Hall of Fame by visiting the all NEW Motor Sport magazine website, launched last week: http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/hall-of-fame-introduction/.   Despite traditionally being an invitation only awards evening for the motor sport fraternity, there are entry tickets available for five lucky winners via Motor Sport online. For further details, or to enter, go to: http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/2012-hall-of-fame/.

Formula Nippon: Gary Thompson will continue his rise through the motor racing ranks next week when he tests a Formula Nippon car for the first time at Fuji International Speedway. The 19-year-old Dubliner, who has spent the past two seasons contesting the competitive Japanese Formula 3 Championship, will sample his first taste of the powerful single-seater next Monday and Tuesday (November 28/29) at the series' end of season group test. Gary will again drive for the SGC by KCMG team, for whom he took his maiden F3 victory this season.  Gary Thompson: “I'm delighted to be getting my first run in a Formula Nippon car. It's the pinnacle of Japanese motorsport and certainly where I see myself racing in the next few years. I'd particularly like to thank Toyota, KCMG and SG Changi for giving me the opportunity to test at Fuji. Their continuing support has been invaluable and I hope to repay them by doing a solid, professional job. Whilst we're not looking to move up to Nippon as early as next year this will nevertheless be a fantastic learning experience and an important step in my development. The aim is to race in the series in 2013 and to make that transition as seamless as possible we’ll need to get the maximum mileage in the car that we can. I’m sure beginning that preparation now will pay dividends in the long run." Testing the top-end Nippon car will represent another significant progression in Thompson’s climb towards motorsport’s higher echelons. Having taken his breakthrough Japanese F3 win in 2011 the test reaffirms his status as Ireland’s most promising international racing talent.

GP3: Facu Regalia will drive for Status Grand Prix during GP3 testing this week in Valencia. This Irish team led by Teddy Yip will be a new experience for Regalia who will be on track tomorrow (Wednesday). Regalia,wo recently visited the headquarters of Status Grand Prix to prepare for the test, explains , “I am really motivated. Last year I had a chance of driving this car built by Dallara and almost 300bhp during collective testing at Jerez. On the other hand, I know how Status Grand Prix works because they and I were together last year in Andalusia”. This will be Regalia’s first visit to the Ricardo Tormo circuit, although he has been able have a virtual test courtesy of Status Grand Prix´s simulator. “ I will need first practice session to learn it well, but I hope my adaptation will be fast enough”, he said, adding, “my work is to keep learning. Obviously I will try my best, and if I can set a good time it will be fantastic. I hope everything goes OK and to complete a good work at the wheel of GP3 car”.

21-11-11

Star Mazda:  After setting the fastest times during Star Mazda Championship testing debut around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jack Hawksworth will race in the series for Team Pelfrey in 2012. After finishing fourth in his rookie car racing campaign in Formula Renault UK, Jack was offered a test with Florida-based Team Pelfrey. He might have had only four hours out on-track over the course of two days stateside – but the 20-year-old made sure he took full advantage. “I began thinking casually about going to America back during my karting days,” he explained, “and we started considering it more seriously midway through this year. A fresh start is what I’ve been needing, and it’s possible to forge a real career path over there, which is a major attraction. I went there with an open mind and no real expectations – and both the track and the car were totally different to anything I’d been used to before. Indianapolis is one of the most iconic circuits in the world. It’s mind-blowing to drive; you’ve really got to respect the track and the drivers around you, because the speeds are just crazy! The Star Mazda is amazing, really, really enjoyable. Under braking, it barely moves at all – it’s so stable. You have a bit more to think about than in the Formula Renault, and it’s consequently not quite as easy to drive – you have to hustle it a little bit – but I clicked with it really quickly. Once I had adapted to the style of driving required, I worked with the team and we made some improvements and everything just came together. I knew I had to impress to secure a drive in Star Mazda next year, and I set a really good lap time by the end, without even being fully up-to-speed. There’s still more to come.” Jack was the fastest driver in attendance, by 0.4secs, barely a week later, the deal was done.  “We are delighted to welcome Jack to Team Pelfrey,” added team manager Geoff Fickling. “He is exactly the type of driver our team looks for – quick, intelligent, dedicated and easy to work with. It’s great that he’s made the decision to pursue a career of it in the States, and we look forward to great things this coming year and feel that Jack has an extremely bright future within the Mazda Road to Indy.”

Le Mans: Greaves Motorsport have confirmed  they will run two 2012-spec Zytek chassis in next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. In addition to the French Classic, the team will enter one of the chassis in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the other in the Le Mans Series. After an exhaustive analysis of the chassis options available, Greaves Motorsport came to the conclusion that the optimum solution for the team’s objectives was to continue their partnership with Zytek. In the current year that has yielded a win in the LM P2 class at the Le Mans 24 Hours plus LM P2 Team and Drivers titles in the Le Mans Series. The two new chassis will be powered by Nissan engines and will run on Dunlop tyres. The driver line up for each race programme will be revealed in the near future. Team Manager, Jacob Greaves commented, “We spent a lot of time and effort in examining all the potential candidates but it soon became clear that continuing the partnership with Zytek was the best course of action, particularly in view of our programme for 2012. We have a lot of experience with the basic package and feel that Zytek will be best placed to optimise the effects of the proposed chassis and aerodynamic rule changes that have been mandated by the ACO. We are looking forward to going racing once again with Zytek in 2012.”

Britcar: European winner of the 2011 Nissan PlayStation® GT Academy, Jann Mardenborough, and his American counterpart Bryan Heitkotter, completed the final race of their five-month ‘Driver Development Programme’ on Saturday 19 November. Competing in the Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship race at Brands Hatch, the pair recorded a notable first-in-class finish (fifth place overall) in their RJN Motorsport run Nissan 370Z GT4 race car. The result moves them ever closer to achieving their main goal of competing in the Dubai International 24 Hour race in January, 2012. The GT Academy alliance between Nissan and PlayStation has already unearthed championship winning drivers Lucas Ordoñez (ES) and Jordan Tresson (FR). Jann and Bryan are now set to follow in their footsteps and their Brands Hatch performance acted as a rehearsal ahead of the duo’s Middle East adventure. The Britcar ‘Into The Night’ three-hour endurance contest started in the light of day, ran through dusk and finished in total darkness.Driving against a strong field, the Gran Turismo®5-gamers-turned-Nissan-racing-drivers qualified second-in-class, i14th overall. The team got off to a great start with Bryan fighting his way through the field, climbing eight places in the first hour. Jann responded by putting in fast, consistent lap times in his session. Before the driver changeover, Jann had climbed three places to take the Nissan 370Z to third place overall. Bryan took the wheel again and settled back into a good rhythm to record a first-in-class, fifth place overall finish for the team.  Jann has now completed his transition from virtual champion to real racing driver. The Cardiff driver said: “It was a useful opportunity to develop my technique of using visual reference points in the dark to navigate around the circuit. It’s proved a valuable lesson, which I can now take to Dubai. I can’t believe how quickly the last five months have gone during my driver development programme. I loved every minute of it. I can take a lot of confidence from today’s result and I’m massively looking forward to Dubai.”

Mazda’s MX-5 GT car finished the Britcar Production GTN Championship season on a high this weekend at Brands Hatch with a race pace that placed it ahead of rivals Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus, Ginetta and Marcos. Finishing fifth overall and second in class from 21 competitors, the MX-5 GT car was only beaten in its class by a 400bhp BMW M3 and ran at a competitive GT4 pace around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Regular drivers Mark Ticehurst and Owen Mildenhall qualified in damp conditions with a mid 50 second lap which put them second in class on the grid, during the two hour race they completed 129 laps, averaging 77.82mph. The MX-5 GT car at Brands Hatch was the new 2012 development version, complete with a new lightweight chassis and gearbox, lower roll cage, new front splitter and rear diffuser for improved aerodynamics. The weight has been reduced by 50kg over the previous car and lowered by 20mm to give it better aerodynamic performance, better grip and more stability through the corners, which combined with the car’s legendary handling, fuel economy and light tyre usage, makes this an ideal endurance car.Mazda finishes the race season with the lightweight Mazda MX-5 GT car ranking fourth overall in the championship and second in class, while the Mazda MX-5 production race car is fourth in class and seventh overall.  The Mazda MX-5 production race car - driven by Mike Wilds and Major James Cameron of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment finished second in class at Brands Hatch this weekend.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB: Jonas Gelzinis, the 2011 Pro-Am1 champion in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, has been chosen as one of 18 young drivers for the 2012 FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy. Gelzinis is one of the 18 race and rally driver selected from all over the world to join this prestigious programme. The final 18 were chosen after an extensive week-long evaluation programme in Austria. “We think that his two seasons in the Carrera Cup GB helped Jonas to achieve this,” said his father and team boss Audrius. Jonas and the Juta Racing team have already confirmed plans to return to the Carrera Cup GB in 2012 and challenge for the overall title. The primary goals of the Academy are to prepare young drivers to compete at the pinnacle of the sport, to increase skills in the area of driver and road safety and to actively promote the principles of safety, fairness and responsibility both on and off the track. Over the next year, the 18 drivers will attend a series of workshops covering all aspects of driver performance and safety. The driving elements of the course include the development of technical skills, safety training, attitudes and awareness. The human performance aspect will feature physiology, psychology, nutrition, media skills and career management.

DTM Champion Martin Tomczyk seeks a new challenge, the 29-year-old man from Rosenheim will no longer compete for Audi in the 2012 season. "I won the Championship for Audi after eleven years together. The entire Audi Sport team and in particular Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich have always been behind me throughout the many years we spent together," explains Martin Tomczyk. "I’m delighted that I could repay the trust by winning the 2011 championship title together with team Phoenix. Despite this joint success, and after careful consideration, I have now decided to accept a new challenge. To conclude, I would once again like to thank everybody with whom I have worked together during my eleven years at Audi Sport and assure every single individual that these years were, in hindsight, something very special."  Tomczyk started his DTM career in the 2001 season as 19-year-old in Team ABT Sportsline with the Abt-Audi TT-R and was, at that time, the youngest DTM driver in history. In 2003 he became Audi factory driver in the ‘S line Audi Junior Team.’ Since 2004 he has competed with the Audi A4 in the DTM, initially for Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline and for the first time in 2011 for Audi Sport Team Phoenix. In his sixth DTM season in 2006 he finally recorded the first of his seven DTM race wins to date. By winning the championship title in 2011 at the wheel of a year-old car he achieved the greatest victory of his career up to now.  "It goes without saying that we deeply regret that he decided, at this moment in time, to seek a new challenge after his most successful DTM season with Audi," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "I can, however, completely understand that after eleven special years of highs and lows with Audi he would like to try something new - after all by winning the DTM title at the wheel of an Audi A4 DTM he has achieved exactly the goal for which he was worked so hard for many years. I’m personally delighted that Martin showed his many critics this year because I always believed in him. I can understand that to start he viewed the transfer to team Phoenix and a year-old car as demotion. But it gave, as I hoped, his career new impulses. I always enjoyed working together with Martin. He is a complete professional who I personally hold in high regard. I wish him all the best for the future."  How Audi will line up in the DTM next year will be decided over the forthcoming weeks. In Mattias Ekström (Sweden) and Timo Scheider (Germany) the brand has two DTM Champions under contract who have both won the championship twice for Audi.

Ginetta Jnrs: Seb Morris is celebrating another accolade after being named the 2011 WRDA Welsh Young Driver of the Year during a special ceremony on Saturday, 19th November. Following a dominant title-winning season in the Ginetta Junior Championship, where he won 11 times in 20 races, his season  has been capped-off perfectly with the WRDA award. Morris is now preparing to make the move into single-seater racing where he aims to graduate into either Formula Renault BARC or Formula Renault UK. “It’s a real honour to be named the Welsh Young Driver of the Year and I’d like to say a big thank you to the Welsh Racing Drivers Association for their support”, said Seb, “We had a fantastic season in Ginetta this year, it couldn’t have gone any better, and to now be awarded this accolade really is the icing on the cake.” Reflecting on the WRDA’s decision to name Seb the Welsh Young Driver of the Year, club secretary Robert Allender commented: “We are pleased to honour Seb in this way. He clearly is a driver with a lot of potential and we hope he will continue to be successful.”

Formula 3 - Macau Grand Prix: Volkswagen Motorsport finished the 58th Macau Grand Prix with two podium positions with Brazilian Felipe Nasr and German Marco Wittmann finishing second and third respectively in a race dominated by safety car periods. The Macau Grand Prix once again lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s toughest motorsport events with only 13 of the 29 starters completing the 15-lap main race and reaching the chequered flag. The safety car was deployed three times after accidents on the narrow street circuit. A victim of these incidents was Marco Wittmann who, as winner of Saturday’s qualification race, representing the Volkswagen customer team Signature, started from pole position and effortlessly defended his lead. After the first of three safety car periods the young German, who was second overall in the Formula 3 Euro Series 2011, opened up a margin of three seconds and was on course for victory. However, the safety car was deployed again to neutralize the race after two thirds distance and on the restart four of his closest rivals, including fellow Volkswagen team mate and Carlin driver Felipe Nasr, used the slipstream to overtake. Over the course of the following laps Nasr moved up to second place from where he originally started the race. Wittmann’s fight back saw him move up from fifth to third place. The safety car joined the track a third time two laps before the finish. As a result it was clear the positions were fixed and the race finished behind the safety car. Joining winner Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes-Benz) on the podium of the renowned invitation race were Felipe Nasr and Marco Wittmann who set the fastest lap. Hannes van Asseldonk from Volkswagen partner team Hitech Racing celebrated a fantastic Macau debut. The Dutchman from the British Formula 3 Championship, powered like all brand team mates in Macau by a near 210 hp four-cylinder engine from Wolfsburg, improved from tenth on the grid to fifth at the flag. In contrast, Signature driver Daniel Abt was plagued by bad luck. The second German in the field had eyed a good result following a fight back in the qualification race from 16th to eighth. The 18-year old Kempten-based driver was an innocent victim in the start line accident and was forced to retire on the first lap. Danish driver Kevin Magnussen returned to the pits uninjured after suffering a heavy accident on lap 13.

Results, Macau Grand Prix

20-11-11

Formula 3 – Macau Grand Prix: Today, Daniel Juncadella (Prema Powerteam) celebrated the biggest victory of his motorsport career to date. At the 6.12 kilometres long Guia Circuit, the Spaniard won the 58th Macau Grand Prix, one of the world’s most prestigious Formula 3 races. After an action-packed race, Carlin’a Felipe Nasr finished second ahead of Signature driver Marco Wittmann.  In the opening stages, Wittmann looked all-set for success,starting from pole he took the lead and was able to hold on to this position after the first safety car period brought about by the inevitable (at Macau) startline collision. Euro Series’ champion Roberto Merhi (Prema Powerteam) had stalled at the start and Laurens Vanthoor (Signature) wasn’t able to avoid the Spaniard’s car and collided with Daniel Abt (Signature). At the second re-start following an accident by Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport), Wittmann had to let four drivers past on the run up to the Lisboa corner, including Daniel Juncadella, who moved up into the lead. In the following laps, Wittmann made it back into the top 3, but a final safety car phase with two laps remaining halted his progress. Daniel Juncadella : “Winning the Macau Grand Prix is an incredible feeling, I didn’t expect this. I have never cried as much as when this win was safe. The second safety car phase was my luck. Another important thing was to stay out of trouble in the first few laps and not to take too many risks.” Marco Wittmann: “I am very disappointed, because I could have done better. My start was good and I was still in front after the first safety car phase. At the second restart, I didn’t have a chance to keep my position. After that, I pushed to close up again, but unfortunately, then a third safety car phase followed that blew my chances of victory.”

Galaxy Double R Racing’s hopes of victory in the 58th Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix ended after just a handful of laps today, Sunday, 20th November, when unfortunate contact with the Circuito da Guia barriers ruled Valtteri Bottas out on the spot while running in a highly competitive second position.Beginning the world’s most prestigious F3 race fourth on the grid, the Finnish star made a superb getaway to challenge pole position starter Marco Wittmann and following an early Safety Car period Bottas held second place well. Soaking up immense pressure when racing resumed, the Galaxy Double R driver pressed on but contact with the unforgiving barriers at Lisboa on lap five led to an instant retirement for the 2011 GP3 Series Champion – robbing him and the team of a potential win and almost certainly a podium. There wasn’t much better fortune for team-mates Marko Asmer and Mitch Evans with both unable to take the chequered flag, although they did produce superb performances like Bottas during the early stages.  Pic Jakob Ebrey photography  read report

British Formula 3 International Series Champion Felipe Nasr produced an ultra-committed drive during the 58th Macau F3 Grand Prix today, Sunday, 20th November, to round-off his career in the formula with the runner-up position in the world’s most prestigious and historic F3 race.After taking second place in Saturday’s Qualification Race to secure a spot on the front row of the grid for the GP proper, the 19-year-old Brazilian was involved in a series of action-packed battles at the front in an event where the Safety Car was deployed on three separate occasions. Pic Jakob Ebrey photography  read report

WTCC: Yvan Muller grabbed his third World Touring Car Championship title, beating his Chevrolet team-mate Rob Huff by only three points after 24 rounds. Until the last race Huff left no stone unturned in the attempt to revert a situation that saw him twenty points behind before the season finale at Macau. However, not even the two victories he took in Macau – his fourth and  fifth victories at the track making him the most successful WTCC driver on the Guia circuit - were enough.After putting a lot of pressure on Huff during the first race, when he was lying second, Muller was able to maintain concentration, avoiding risks and pocketing two podium results that gave him the title.   This was the icing on the Chevrolet's cake at the end of a season that was largely dominated by the brand of the GM Group and the Cruze cars admirably prepared and run by RML. Figures say it all: 21 victories out of 24 races, 12 pole positions out of 12, 19 fastest laps out of 24, 256 laps led out of 347. No wonder then that Muller, Huff and Alain Menu (who had no luck today, being involved in a first race accident that sidelined him for good) filled the championship podium.  A few other drivers showed off today. Gabriele Tarquini and Tom Coronel were able to escort Huff and Muller on the podiums, confirming that they were the best of the rest. Coronel ranked fourth in the final standings and Tarquini fifth. Like Huff, Michel Nikyær had the difficult task to recover a lot of points in the Yokohama Trophy. Like Huff he won both races. And like Huff he lost the title by a few points (only two) to Kristian Poulsen.  read more

19-11-11

Rallying: Nelson Panciatici,  who raced in the 2011 World Series by Renault, will compete in the Rallye du Var for the “Fiesta Var Challenge” organised by Alain Mahe. Nelson will drive in a Groupe Maurin Ford Fiesta R2 in the _1 Advanced Racewear, Ralf Tech watch and Euroformula colours. This final round  in the French Rally Championship brings drivers from all horizons together and Nelson Panciatici will be discovering it all, from taking notes to the peculiarity of the Var roads and not least the presence of a co-driver. Nelson said: “I’ve wanted to do a rally for a long time, the opportunity came up and I didn’t hesitate for one second! I know it’s not going to be easy and I’m expecting to run into difficulties especially listening to the notes. I’m relying a lot on René PadovaniI, my co-driver, to help me improve quickly. I’m doing It  above all for my own pleasure but that doesn’t mean I’m not preparing it seriously. I’m watching lots of videos and practising taking notes so that the odds are on our site. The videos are a bit like a simulator on the track! I will first get into the Fiesta R2 at  the “shakedown”, which will give me a chance to compare  my reconnaissance notes taken the day before. We will try to improve throughout the rally to really let loose on the throttle at the end of the race. We wouldn’t mind some good weather to make it easier for us. In any case, I want to thank Alain Mahé and my partners who have given me this opportunity, I will do the best I can to give them an excellent race!”

Formula 3 – Brazil’s Felipe Nasr raced to a fantastic second place finish today, Saturday, 19th November, during the all-important Qualification Race for the 58th Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix – the most prestigious F3 event on the globe. Fresh from taking the title in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series last month, the 19-year-old underlined his potential to fight for overall honours during the GP itself tomorrow, Sunday,  with a sensational drive from fifth on the grid to second place.Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   Read report

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas finished just shy of the podium for Galaxy Double R Racing at the Circuito da Guia today, Saturday, 19th November, by taking fourth position during the all-important Qualification Race for tomorrow’s hugely prestigious 58th Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix. The reigning GP3 Series Champion, also a race winner with Woking-based Double R in the British Formula 3 International Series this year, held third on the opening lap and ran three-wide with pole position starter Marco Wittmann and 2011 British F3 Champion Felipe Nasr through the first turn. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   Read report

Macau Grand Pix: Marco Wittmann driving for Signature was the winner in the qualification race for the 58th Macau Grand Prix. At the 6.12 kilometres long Guia circuit, the German Euro Series’ driver finished ahead of Felipe Nasr (Carlin) in second and Formula 3 Euro Series’ Champion Roberto Merhi (Prema Powerteam)in third.  Starting from pole, Marco Wittmann only had to battle for his position in the run up to the Lisboa corner on the opening lap. After that he held on to his first place throughout the ten laps, the race finishing under safety car conditions following an accident by Jimmy Eriksson (Motopark). Marco Wittmann: “My start was really good, but I was also lucky that António Félix da Costa stalled next to me. On the opening lap, Felipe Nasr had almost overtaken me before the Lisboa corner, but I had the better line. After that, I only tried to pull a gap on Felipe. Having won the qualification race is good, but the important race only follows tomorrow.”  Roberto Merhi: “I had a good start and I was able to make up positions on the first few laps. After two laps, I had also overtaken Valtteri Bottas after he had a slight mistake. The remaining races were trouble-free and third place on the grid for the Grand Prix is a really good place to start from.”  The Macau Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on Sunday at 15.30 h local time (8.30 h CET)

QUALIFICATION RACE - PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION - Top 10

1 IT Marco WITTMANN GER Signature 25:03.719 2:13.855

2 Felipe NASR BRA Carlin +0867

3 IT Roberto MERHI ESP Prema Powerteam +3.483

4 Valtteri BOTTAS FIN Galaxy Double R Racing +4.270

5  IT Carlos HUERTAS COL Carlin +4.850

6 IT Daniel JUNCADELLA ESP Prema Powerteam +5.381

7 IT Laurens VANTHOOR BEL Signature +6.512

8 IT Daniel ABT GER Signature +7.228

9 IT Kimiya SATO JPN Motopark +8.154

10 Hannes VAN ASSELDONK NED Hitech Racing 9.337

IT = International Class

ILMC: Having already wrapped up the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup title with a race to spare, Larbre Competition capped their ultra-successful year with a fine second place finish at the season-closing 6 Hours of Zhuhai in China last weekend.The French squad were keen to demonstrate the strengths of its GTE Am class winning #50 Corvette C6.R in a country that has become an increasingly important global market for car manufacturers by maintaining the momentum built up throughout 2011. Despite the car having never raced at Zhuhai before, Larbre Competition’s seven previous appearances ensured its experience would prove vital when it came to car set-up. Such was the importance of this race that Corvette Racing had sent factory driver Olivier Beretta to compete alongside team regulars Julien Canal and Patrick Bornhauser. While the Monegasque’s expertise and recommendations will prove vital heading into 2012, his impact was felt by Canal in particular whose qualifying lap was just 0.4 seconds shy of class pole position and faster than both ex-F1 drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Ralph Firman! At the start, Beretta used all of his experience racing Corvettes to move to the head of the field before handing over to Bornhauser. The Frenchman won at Zhuhai last season so it was no surprise to see him increase the team’s advantage over the second place Porsche to more than 20 seconds at the start of his second stint. Unfortunately an issue with the electronic gear selector ultimately cost the team significant time as Patrick struggled back to the pits stuck in first gear.With a full repair likely to cost too much time, the decision was taken to re-join in manual mode. Under specific instructions from the Corvette USA engineer, Beretta began the team’s fight back through the order, placing the Corvette in podium contention. Canal then continued the good work, pumping in fast and consistent lap times so that by the finish, and after an all-round fantastic performance, just 43 seconds separated the top two. Pic: VSC Pictures   Read more

F1 test: American, Alexander Rossi was pleased with his first full day with Team Lotus

in the T128-04 at ‘Yas Marina Circuit. The American driver supported by AirAsia and Team Lotus drove last weekend at ‘Yas’ for Caterham AirAsia in the GP2 finale where he is finished 13th and 7th. Rossi is a graduate from World Series by Renault in 2011, finishing 3rd overall in championship with 2 wins and 7 podiums. This was Rossi’s second opportunity behind the wheel for Team Lotus F1 squad, after driving in demonstration event on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia earlier this year. Rossi up to speed in the morning session set a top five pace before the mid-day break. He completed 74 laps for the team with a combination of development and performance runs and finishing the day with a best time of 1:44.283, placing him Rossi 9th overall on the day.read more

18-11-11

Formula Gulf 1000 rookie Zaamin Jaffer, who took race victory on his debut in the United Arab Emirates-based championship during his category debut earlier this month, is aiming for continued success when rounds five and six take place at Dubai Autodrome next Friday, 25th November. Starring on his first appearance in the UAE-based single-seater championship two weeks ago, the Mumbai-born racer set the standard immediately by qualifying on pole position 0.3 seconds clear before going on to take a memorable win.  Read report

Karts: Step-brothers James Singleton and Andy King are ready to whip up a desert storm in the United Arab Emirates next weekend, as the duo prepare to take on the very best in international karting at the Rotax World Finals at Al Ain Raceway. James secured his place in the end-of-season showcase outing through his runaway charge to the title in the Formula Kart Stars Championship with Coles Racing – ascending the top step of the podium an incredible seven times during the opening ten rounds to clinch the crown. The 15-year-old Conwy-based racer acknowledges that with only three British drivers from the Junior Rotax class having been selected to represent their country in the Middle East, it is a tremendous privilege to be one of them.  James has already got off to an encouraging start by winning his very first race on an ‘RK’ chassis – almost identical to the Birel mount he will campaign at Al Ain. “We were ecstatic when we found out we were going to the World Finals,” he enthused.” To get through to the World Finals was one of the main goals we’d had all year, and it means so much to us to be a part of it. The competition will certainly be tough, though, and physically it will be tough, too, because of the weather, the temperature and the level of grip.All-in-all, I’m fully expecting it to be the hardest weekend we’ve ever had. It will be a really good experience either way. I can’t wait to get out there!” Those sentiments are echoed by step-brother Andy, who earned his own World Finals ticket through finishing a strong third in the Senior Rotax class of Super 1 this year, triumphing twice along the way and tallying six further rostrum finishes. “I was absolutely over-the-moon when I was told the good news,” he confessed. “It’s a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go and race somewhere like that and against the crème de la crème of Rotax drivers from all around the world. I can’t wait! “The racing will clearly be hard and it will be important to remain focussed, but my goal has to be to win.I won’t be putting any pressure on myself, but I’ll be aiming for the top because my ambition is always to be number one – and to win the World Finals would undoubtedly be the highlight of my career so far, an awesome addition to any driver’s CV!”

GT: Archie Hamilton is ready for the next challenge in his motor racing career when he heads to Dubai next week to compete in the NGK UAE GT Championship race on the 25th November. This will be his first visit to the Dubai Autodrome where he will be driving a Gulf Racing entered Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 alongside Stuart Hall. This is the third round of the eight round championship and Hamilton explained how he came to be competing in it: “I received this last minute call up thanks to my sponsors, Delaney. Although I have not raced the car before, I did test it a couple of months ago in Magny Cours and put in some quick lap times. I am looking forward to the race which will be a good preparation for me as I shall be racing in the 24 hour race there in January.”  This event is very much part of the next phase in Hamilton’s motor racing career. “I have achieved all I can in single-seaters and am now ready for the next step on my career ladder. I shall be moving to sports cars full time for the 2012 season, and this is something I am very excited about,” he said. Hamilton will experience the track for the first time in testing on Thursday. On Friday qualifying for the race will be from 10.15 to 10.45 and then the hour long race, which has a mandatory pit stop allowing for a driver change if there are two in the car, will start at 14.10. All these times are local which is four hours ahead of GMT. The next race for Hamilton at the Dubai Autodrome, the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai, will be held there on the 12th/13th/14th January, 2012.

Bathurst 12 Hours : The Audi R8 LMS will return to the Bathurst 12 Hours in 2012, the 2011 winners will again compete at the endurance classic from February 24-26. The Audi R8 LMS delivered an impeccable showing on its debut at Mount Panorama nine months ago, both cars on the front row, a one-two result with a one-lap lead and a new lap record. At Bathurst, Team Phoenix Racing will be fielding the two Audi R8 LMS vehicles, as an Audi factory team, Ernst Moser’s squad won the DTM title this year with Martin Tomczyk. A top-calibre driver line-up has already been confirmed for the 12-hour race, German Christopher Mies and Darryl O’Young from Hong Kong, who won the endurance race in February, will again share a cockpit. They will be reinforced by Christer Jöns. The German driver clinched four podium results this year in the ADAC GT Masters and, like Christopher Mies, was part of the Audi factory team at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Of special interest to the Australian audience will be the driver squad for the second R8 LMS. Mark Eddy/Craig Lowndes/Warren Luff will be competing together for Audi for the second consecutive time.The trio finished the Bathurst 12 Hours as the runners-up in February. CRS GP hopes to announce it’s full line-up before Christmas.

Formula 3 – Macau Grand Prix: In qualifying for the 58th Macau Grand Prix, in dry conditions, Marco Wittmann (Signature) put in a lap of , 2:12.790 minutes to come out on top. This year’s runner-up in the Formula 3 Euro Series only came to the fore in the final seconds of the qualifying session, toppling Euro Series’ champion Roberto Merhi (Prema Powerteam) who did a  2:12.854mins, leaving him second. Due to a collision with Mücke Motorsport’s Felix Rosenqvist, who did a 2:13.528mins in yesterday’s first qualifying, Merhi will be dropped seven places on the grid putting him 7^th on the grid for  tomorrow’s qualification race. Wittmann and Merhi were followed by António Félix da Costa (Hitech Racing) who stopped the clock at  2:13.115, Valtteri Bottas (Galaxy Double R Racing), 2:13.192 and Alexander Sims (Tom’s), 2:13.407 minutes. Wittmann: “Today, things went really well for me. First place in qualifying at Macau is a great feeling. After Roberto had taken first place from me, I had to give everything on the final lap once more. Although I didn’t have a slipstream, the lap was great. For the race, I am very confident: we were quick here both in the rain and on a wet track.” Merhi: “First of all, I have to say that Marco has done a good job. For me, the weekend hasn’t been easy so far. In yesterday’s qualifying, I collided with Felix Rosenqvist and now, I will be dropped seven places on the grid as a penalty. In this morning’s free practice, I had an accident. However, I still believe that we have the potential to win at Macau, because I was on the pace in every session.”

COMBINED QUALIFYING - PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

 IT Marco WITTMANN GER Signature 2:12.790

2  IT Roberto MERHI ESP Prema Powerteam 2:12.854

3  Antonio DA COSTA POR Hitech Racing 2:13.115

4  Valtteri BOTTAS FIN Galaxy Double R Racing 2:13.192

5 Alexander SIMS GBR Tom’s 2:13.407

6 Felipe NASR BRA Carlin 2:13.429

7  Kevin MAGNUSSEN DEN Carlin 2:13.518

8 Felix ROSENQVIST SWE Mucke Motorsport 2:13.528

9  IT Carlos HUERTAS COL Carlin 2:13.704

10 Yuhi SEKIGUCHI JPN Mucke Motorsport 2:13.850

WTCC: The fight for the Drivers' world championship will have an exciting showdown on Sunday at Macau after Chevrolet team-mates and title contenders Rob Huff and Yvan Muller managed to qualify on the front row for Race 1. Huff, who is 20 points behind Muller, claimed his fourth pole position of the season. His first since the three opening events at Curitiba, Zolder and Monza. This means that Chevrolet have completed a clean sweep in qualifying, winning twelve pole positions out of twelve events, equally shared between their three drivers. Thanks to his advantage, Muller was not obliged to take too many risks and his second position will give him the opportunity to control his younger team-mate. For the third Chevrolet man, Alain Menu, qualifying turned to black as he failed to make it to Q2 because of an accident. This enabled Gabriele Tarquini to qualify third and local hero Darryl O'Young to achieve his best qualifying result ever.The session had a curious end, as Huff stopped along the track after posting the fastest lap. It was not because of a mechanical failure, but cramps to his left calf! Read qualifying report

Fredy Barth and Robert Dahlgren escaped heavy crashes at the fast Paiol bend.The Swiss driver hit the concrete wall during the second practice and after the impact remained unconscious inside his car on fire. Marshals and firemen managed to extricate him and extinguish the flames. Barth was conscious and unscathed, although intoxicated for breathing the fire's smoke. He was taken to the hospital, where medical checks excluded brain and cervical damage. Dahlgren crashed during qualifying; he managed to get out by himself of the wrecked car but suffered from a fracture to the third phalanx of his right thumb. The doctors declared both drivers not fit for racing on Sunday. 

GP3: Atech CRS Grand Prix have announced that American racer Ethan Ringel will contest the 2012 GP3 Series. The 17 year-old from Florida, successfully completed two days at the Circuit de Catalunya recently, his first time ever in GP3 following a maiden season in car racing. The former kart racer, originally from New York, started his career in 2009 in the Rotax Grand Nationals gaining second place and in 2010 took part in the Rotax Pan-Am Championship. Ringel only moved into car racing this year, contesting the Formula 2000 and Formula Enterprise 4 series, collecting four wins and establishing a track record at Miller Motorsports Park. Coached by British IZOD Indycar racer Jay Howard, Ringel has nevertheless turned away from the American scene to focus on a motor racing career in Europe. At the signing, Ringel said: “Unike most American drivers, It was never my dream to do Indycar, I’ve always wanted to do Formula One and competing in GP3 is the most logical step to start that climb. Jay (Howard) was actually the one who pushed for me to come over to the UK and start in GP3 and Atech CRS GP was without doubt the best choice. They have a great car, the team is very professional and all the engineers and mechanics are really good to work with. However, I have no expectations going into the first rounds, as I know I will be very inexperienced compared to the others. My main priority for now is to learn the car, learn the tracks and learn the best way to work with the team, so we can start the season in the best possible shape.” Atech CRS Team Principal David Hayle was also delighted to announce his first signing for 2012: “It is good to have signed our first GP3 driver so early on. We understand it will be a tough learning year for Ethan, he has limited experience in racing cars but he has been putting in lots of work back home with some great results. However at just 17 he has plenty of time to get to grips with this car, we’ve got an extensive testing programme for him and he’s really keen to learn. Our primary concern will be getting him as much track time as possible, he’s going to be driving the Formula Renault as often as he can, learning as many tracks as he can. He is very determined, he had a good start to his racing career in karts, and is keen and committed to doing a good job.” Atech

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs successfully completed the Young Driver Test at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday at the wheel of Marussia Virgin Racing’s MVR-02 F1 car. The Tonbridge racer was rewarded for his performance this season in the sister Marussia Manor Racing GP3 team with the opportunity for a third test in the F1 car, completing 30 laps in the morning session, in temperatures of 25˚C. “I would like to say a very big thank you to Marussia Virgin Racing for this fantastic opportunity today,” said Adrian. “It’s been a great experience and I’ve learned a lot. This morning I began with some CSL (constant speed limiter) runs on the straights so the team could conduct some aero measurement work and then I got into the programme properly. I ran two sets of new tyres and just began chipping away at the lap times as I learned more about the car and how it reacts. Overall I’m pleased with the day and it’s been a huge experience for me.”  The 20 year-old has already successfully tested twice for the John Booth-led F1 team, clocking up around 350km. However Tuesday’s test was more than just an appraisal of outright pace. The team had prepared a detailed evaluation programme designed to examine every aspect of a driver’s all-round potential, including decision-making, quality of feedback and an appreciation of engineering procedure. The programme also facilitated the testing of 2012 developments, including gearbox and engine installation parts. John Booth, Team Principal of Marussia Virgin Racing was pleased with the performance of his GP3 racer Adrian, and fellow racer Charles Pic. “Both Adrian and Charles followed a very similar programme, which was designed to ease them into circuit running in an F1 car,” said John. “We’re very happy with how both of them have performed today. Both used the Soft Pirelli tyre, with Adrian perhaps slightly disadvantaged by the track temperature and Charles by only using one new set. We specifically chose to use the same tyre compounds as used by the race drivers last weekend to give the drivers a better reference, rather than using the Supersoft compound which has clearly been shown to be the quicker tyre over one lap today. All in all, a good job from both drivers.” Adrian will now conduct a testing programme over the coming weeks, including two days at Motorland, Aragon in a Formula Renault 3.5 car on 29/30 November, as the BRDC Rising Star continues to evaluate his options for 2012. To watch the video from Yas Marina, please visit the Marussia Virgin Racing website at the following link:http://www.marussiavirginracing.com/news/503/

Other News: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was presented with the FIA World Prize for Road Safety, the Environment and Mobility by FIA Academy President Rosario Alessi in Cape Town earlier this week.  Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the retired Archbishop took time out from receiving the prestigious FIA accolade to accept an FIA Action for Road Safety T-Shirt and to express his support for the campaign. After voicing mock concern about being given an XL size, Archbishop Tutu rather more seriously spoke on the theme of road safety, a subject which he previously has described as “A new health emergency for Africa.” Aside from the appalling loss of life Archbishop Tutu has outlined the huge burden placed upon healthcare infrastructures by serious injuries on the roads, and has raised awareness that frequently it is the poorest in society who are most badly affected, either through the loss of a wage or the costs associated with the full time care of a family member. While Archbishop Tutu is formally retired, his work continues, if anything at a greater pace. As chairman of The Elders, the group of a dozen hugely influential senior statesman and women that includes a former President of the United States and a Secretary General of the United Nations, his commitment to humanitarian causes is unflagging. His support of the FIA Action for Road Safety will be of invaluable benefit in promoting the programme. The FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign was launched in May this year in response to the challenges raised by the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety, the aim of which is to prevent five million road deaths and countless serious injuries over the next ten years. The FIA's campaign will target motorists, motorsport enthusiasts, young people and governments and encourage member clubs and federations to make a commitment to address a critical road safety problem in their country.    

The FIA Action for Road Safety campaign received a substantial boost this week as the drivers and manufacturers of the World Touring Car Championship voiced their support. Assembled in Macao for the final rounds of the 2011 Championship, they posed for a group picture with the Action for Road Safety banner.  “Road cars have made huge steps forward in terms of safety equipment but both human driving behaviour and the road themselves need to be improved,” said Championship promoter Marcello Lotti. “The FIA provides powerful motivation to improve safety standards in motor sport so it’s a logical extension to take that further and contribute to awakening public opinion and making roads safer worldwide.”Reigning WTCC Champion Yvan Muller commented: “Nobody is in a better position than racing drivers to know the risks and dangers of the road. Our experience can be very useful to reduce the number of deadly accidents, but this is often not exploited. When road users think of racing drivers they always think of speed and madness but that’s completely wrong. On the contrary, our experience may be used to pass on very important messages about the necessity of evaluating potentially dangerous situations; road safety, braking distances, sobriety at the wheel and so on.” Former Formula One racer Tiago Monteiro added: “Professional drivers in top level motorsport must provide an example. It is important to make road users aware that road safety is important and driving becomes very dangerous if you don’t take sufficient care. There are many simple ways to make the roads safer, and I think the FIA is correct to use us as a vehicle for this message, because, via motorsport, it will reach a lot of people.” Volvo driver Robert Dahlgren added: “Every campaign like this one deserves to receive a strong support. As a Volvo driver for the past eight years I am well aware of how important it is to emphasise safety on the roads. I think is a very good idea that our World Championship and its drivers support this campaign. If we can make a difference, that will be fantastic.” WTCC will demonstrate its support for the campaign with various activities during the 2012 season.

17-11-11

Formula 3 – Macau: Roberto Merhi (Prema Powerteam), the reigning Formula 3 Euro Series champion, showed off his skills in first qualifying for the 58th Macau Grand Prix. At the rain-soaked 6.12 kilometres long Guia circuit, the Spaniard set the fastest time with a, 2:28.860mins from Marco Wittmann (Signature) on  2:30.535mins and Felipe Nasr (Carlin) who did a 2:30.639mins. Fourth was Daniel Juncadella (Prema Powerteam, 2:30.867). Second qualifying takes place on tomorrow, Friday. Merhi moved up to the top of the time sheets at the start of the first qualifying session, with a margin of 1.675 seconds from Wittmann. However, not everything went well for the Spaniard, who is already beyond reach in the overall standings of the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy. With a little less than seven minutes remaining, he ran into the back of Felix Rosenqvist’s car under braking for the Lisboa corner. The session was briefly interrupted before a second accident that saw Wittmann slide into the barriers.  Alexander Sims (Tom’s) did a 2:31.306 in fifth followed by Japanese driver Yuhi Sekiguchi (Mücke Motorsport) on 2:31.634. Sekiguchi’s team-mate Felix Rosenqvist ended up tenth. Merhi: “Conditions were somewhat easier on the first two laps, because the track still wasn’t that wet, but I didn’t always get the right line in the upper part of the track. On my fastest lap, there was more water on the track, but I got a better line. In the collision with Felix, I couldn’t see a thing due to the spray. I am sorry, I completely missed my braking point.”  Wittmann: “Macau in the rain is probably the biggest challenge in motorsport. At the start of qualifying, I lost a lot of time in traffic and after that, conditions became considerably worse. However, I am quite satisfied with second place. We still have to work on the set-up of the car.”

Rallycross: Tony Lynch successfully wrapped up second place in the Suzuki Swift Sport Championship standings following the conclusion of the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship season at Croft earlier this month. Going into the final weekend Tony was looking to secure the runner-up slot behind Dave Bellerby for the second successive season. At the same time the Lucas Oils Team Geriatric driver entered the non-championship Grand Prix event which followed the finale.Challenging conditions in the heats for that finale meant Tony failed to qualify for the ‘A’ final and instead was forced to contest the ‘B’ final to secure his place in the race. After a strong start, Tony battled with Johnny Bean to take victory and a place in the ‘A’ final. Taking the start secure in the knowledge that he was guaranteed at least third in the championship, Tony also knew that he would take second if he could finish ahead of rival Adam Clark. Tony’s hopes of achieving that goal looked remote after contact on the second lap saw him spin and get hit  by a car behind that bent a rear beam and buckled a wheel, Tony however nursed the car to the finish in fifth place, ahead of Clark, thereby second in the championship.  Read full report

GT Asia Series : An epic finale awaits this weekend where three supercars - the Ferrari F458, Lamborghini LP560 and Porsche 997 GT3 R - will fight for the 2011 GT Asia Series Championship title at the unforgiving Guia Circuit in Macau. Mok Weng Sun, Dilantha Malagamuwa and Eddie Yau are all within sight of the Championship win and will go all out to claim the coveted title of Asia ’s best Supercar driver. The current Championship leader has a 13 point lead and with a total of 19 points, including 1 point for pole position, on offer, the fight is still wide open between the trio. Mok has piloted Team Clearwater Racing’s Ferrari F458 beautifully this season. Although it was not a perfect season for him and his team, their slightly shaky start progressed to garner two pole positions, three wins and a total of eight podium finishes from the ten races so far.  To date, the Malaysian/Singaporean driver has collected a total of 141 points and is in Mac au on a positive note after two podium finishes at the last rounds in Autopolis. His 13 point lead means that he can take it a little easier over the weekend and as long as he finishes in the top seven in the GT Asia drivers, he will be crowned Champion.But it won’t be easy with the 2010 GT3 Asia Champion right on his heels. Malagamuwa has experience of the circuit and is looking to retain the #1 on his car next year. The Sri Lankan did not have a good middle stint to his season with engine problems plaguing him throughout the three race weekends in Japan. Even with the problems, Malagamuwa managed to nurse his LP560 to claim three podiums in the six Japanese rounds. So after a short break and a car that should perform well in Macau , Malagamuwa will be bringing the fight to Mok. He will not be the only one! Eddie Yau Jr, a dark horse this year has shone in his Porsche 997 GT3 R. Yau switched to the Asia Racing Team outfit this year and the team has helped hone his driving ability to clinch his first win in Fuji. From the start of the year, Yau has been in the top five of the points table collecting seven podium finishes and is currently only 2 points shy of Malagamuwa. It seems that the Porsche suits the Hong Kong driver’s style. Already Yau has beat out two other race winners this year, including 2009 GT3 Asia Champion, Tunku Hammam Sulong. Despite his great performances in the LP560, Hammam’s absence from Rounds 7 & 8 in Suzuka cost him dearly and any chance at the Championship. The Malaysian dropped down the ranks to fourth with the Ford GT GT3 driver, Frank Yu in fifth.  

It will be a much anticipated race all around including the battle for the GT4 Asia Cup 2011 Championship, where the teacher will be going head to head against his own student. Mark Williamson and Simon Waters of Concord Absolute Racing are only separated by four points and will be in identical Aston Martin N24 4.7’s, making it harder to pick a favourite. The Circuito da Guia, as it is known in Mac au , is 6.2km of narrow and bumpy track infamously known as one of the toughest circuits in the world. Drivers will not only have to contend with the tricky 19 turns, including the very sharp Melco Hairpin, they will also have to tune their cars to suit the high and low elevations of the circuit. The GT Asia Series’ 2011 Season Finale is held as part of the 58th Mac au Grand Prix with the Star River Windsor Arch Mac au GT Cup. There will be two Qualifying sessions held, one on Friday, 18th November 2011 at 1.55pm local time with the best ten drivers heading for a second Qualifying session on Saturday, 19th November at 12.50pm. The Star River Windsor Arch Mac au GT Cup race will be held on Sunday, 20th November at 9am.

GT: In 2012, the Audi R8 LMS ultra will succeed the successful R8 LMS GT3 sports car with which R8 LMS customers have won 115 races and 12 national and international titles in the space of just three years.  Read more

Volkswagen Racing Cup:  A steady-handed approach to regulation making is being adopted by the Volkswagen Racing Cup for 2012 following the most successful season in the championship’s 12-year history. An average grid size of 22 cars underlined the status of the Volkswagen Racing Cup as the best-supported junior saloon car series on a promoted package, and championship manager Sam Roach promises that regulations stability is a priority. “We are deliberately trying to keep stability in the regulations,” says Roach, “because the championship formula is proven and successful. We will be looking to tighten them up in a few areas to ensure that our policing of the rules continues to be effective.” The major planned changes are a relaxation of who is eligible to build new cars, like the Mk VI Golf GTI and Scirocco; previously only Volkswagen Racing UK was permitted to introduce new machinery. “For the good of the championship we want to see as many new-shape cars as possible joining the established machinery on the grid,” added Roach. “With the lifting of this rule, competitors may choose any new-model Volkswagen that they want. “Hopefully this will continue to feed the diversity we have seen on the Volkswagen Racing Cup grid, on which this season we have seen Golfs from Mk II to Mk VI, as well as Jetta, Bora, Beetle, Scirocco, Corrado and even Caddy.” The championship has confirmed that Hankook will continue its successful relationship as the supplier of control tyres, that the Volkswagen Racing Cup will again be the sole saloon car support race on the promoted British F3/British GT tour package, and that Motors TV coverage of every round will be a feature.

WTCC: Rob Huff and Yvan Muller have begun their world title showdown in Macau by setting the two fastest laps in today's test session. The track was slippery after a morning shower. The session kicked off thirty minutes in late because the marshals had to fix the barriers at the "R" bend, following a crash during some support race practice.  Gary Kwok was the first to make a mistake, spinning at Moorish Hill. He rejoined, but soon afterwards Charles Ng hit the barriers at the Melco Hairpin. The front left wheel loose, his BMW limped to a stop a few hundredths metres further, which forced the session to be red-flagged with twenty minutes to go. Shortly before the disruption, Kristian Poulsen had set the fastest lap of 2:52.813, but by the time the session resumed the track had dried up and the duo Alain Menu-Yvan Muller significantly moved the mark forward. This progression saw Muller being clocked at 2:43.791, then Menu improving to 2:42.575. On the following lap Muller set another provisional fastest time of 2:38.931 and Menu responded with 2:38.830. With three minutes left Tiago Monteiro jumped on top with a lap of 2:37.491 that was soon outpaced by Muller's 2:36.025. Just before the chequered flag dropped, the Frenchman improved again to 2:35.549, but Rob Huff settled the matter for good stopping the watches at 2:34.681. "It was a very difficult session. Some of the corners were pretty wet, some others completely dry. You could not say what was behind the next corner and you must pay attention to the different colours of the tarmac to guess where it was better to place your tyres," Rob Huff said. Behind the two title contenders Darryl O'Young set an impressive third fastest lap - and best of the Yokohama Trophy - of 2:36.466. A couple of other drivers had moments. Philip Ma spun at Moorish Hill and rejoined, while Michel Nykjær dived the nose of his car into the wall on top of the Faraway straight. Drivers will hit the track again tomorrow for two 30-minute practice sessions and the afternoon's qualifying session that will be run in the extended format provided for street circuits: 30 minutes for Q1 and 15 for Q2 (instead of 20 and 10).

The FIA issued an amended weight list for the championship's final at Macau, including the Chevrolet Lacetti and Peugeot 308 cars that make their first appearance this season. As FIA homologated cars on their second participation in the season, the two Chevrolet Lacetti cars entered by Corsa Motorsport for Filipe de Souza and Kuok Io Keong will be imposed the maximum compensation weight of 40 kg in addition to their minimum weight of 1140 kg.Lo Ka Chun's Peugeot 308, entered by the 778 Auto Sport team, will receive 20 kilos of ballast. Its participation remains subject to the approval of the Touring Car Commission and it will not be eligible to score championship points.

Many of the drivers who will take part in this weekend's main races at Macau - WTCC Guia Race, Formula 3 GP and Motorcycling GP - attended a promotional event yesterday afternoon.First they posed for group photos on the steps that lead to the ruins of St. Paul's, Macau's worldwide known landmark, where they mingled with a huge crowd of fans and tourists.Later they visited the Macau Grand Prix Museum, posing for other pictures, making themselves available for interviews and finally signing autographs for groups of children of the local schools.

Bamboo-engineering announced today that Yukinori Taniguchi will not be racing in the WTCC final event at Macau this weekend. The extent of the damage sustained in the crash the Japanese driver had two weeks ago during the first race at Shanghai has meant that the team have been unable to repair the car in time for this weekend's event. Team Principal Richard Coleman said: "It's obviously very disappointing for Yuke and the team, but unfortunately we just haven't had enough time to repair the car. Being on the other side of the world has made it logistically more difficult with a demanding freight schedule. If this had occurred at one of the European events, then we would have had the car repaired, no problem. It's just unfortunate that this amount of damage has occurred between these two events."

Karts: The fourth round of the 2011 RetroRacer Series took place at Whilton Mill with the addition of the European Championships boosting the entry to a season high 120 karts as the British Historic Kart Club continued to expand its horizons with entries from Germany, The Netherlands and New Zealand joining the regular contingent from Britain and the Channel Islands. With big fields of karts in all the Class I Direct Drive and Class IV Gearbox sub divisions there was plenty to see on and off the track. Of the particularly rare karts in the paddock Ian Pittaway had brought an early Shrike chassis from 1960 or 1961, this specific example the one that replaced the MB Wasp chassis. Another interesting kart was Adrian Watkins’, recently acquired Motus chassis from the mid 1970’s. Now a rare sight despite being highly competitive in their heyday, there isn’t an example currently in working order.  Read full report

The British Historic Kart Club’s 2011 RetroRacer Championship came to a thrilling conclusion at the suitably classic Clay Pigeon circuit near Yeovil where the club underlined its status as the fastest growing Kart Club in the UK with an entry that exceeded 60 karts despite the absence of one or two familiar faces. The fast, flowing 815-metre Clay Pigeon track seemed to suit the Class I and Class IV machinery equally well with many of the karts in attendance having raced competitively at Clay during their formative years.  Read report

Formula Renault: David Pittard may have finished his 2011 season last month, but it’s been nothing but work for the youngster since his last outing a Brands Hatch. After impressing while testing a Porsche Carrera Cup Car for Team Parker only a couple of weeks ago David now turns his attention back to Single-sSeaters, with a Formula Renault test  as his prize for finishing on the podium at the Henry Surtees Foundation Kart event.The test, which will be run with Championship winning squad Manor Competition, is to be held at Silverstone later this month. "I am really looking forward to testing with the most successful Formula Renault UK team, and to working with the likes of Tony Shaw.” commented David. “ To be able to follow in Lewis Hamiltons footsteps and drive for the same team in the same Formula is a serious honour."David’s step up to the 210bhp, 7 speed paddle shift single seater will be his first real experience of a car carrying such a high level of downforce and Formula One inspired technology, something which David will no doubt take in his stride. "I think the added down force will be the biggest challenge, but I am going to Manor's workshop on Monday to fit the seat and look through the data,  so I am fully prepared with what I have to do and to ensure I gain maximum benefit from the test." Not only will David have to impress Manor Competition team principle Tony Shaw, but the young Brunel University student will be under the watchful eye of F1 World Champion John Surtees, who is renowned for his support and guidance of up and coming racing stars."I will have the added pressure of having the 1964 Formula 1 world champion John Surtees watching me during my test! It is an honour to have met him at the Henry Surtees trophy and I can't thank him enough for this opportunity. I will be out to impress him and the team right from the word go.”

Formula BMW Talent Cup:In September, BMW concluded the debut year of its new education concept for talented young racing drivers – the Formula BMW Talent Cup. Now it is heading towards the 2012 season with test drives in Spain, Germany and Britain already ticked off, he first lined up for 21 - 22 November in Valencia , Spain where one driver will qualify for a full season in the Formula BMW Talent Cup 2012 financed by BMW to the tune of 100,000 euros. For two whole days the participants, none of whom have had any previous formula driving experience, must prove on and off the track that they have what it takes to become a racing driver. The large number of applications reflects the popularity of the concept as a springboard into formula racing. A total of 28 drivers will be vying for victory in Spain in the hope of earning the “free ride” offered by BMW. “Interest is huge and we could not have accommodated any more drivers. I can’t wait to see how these young talents acquit themselves and look forward to an international field,” says BMW works driver and Formula BMW Talent Cup chief instructor Dirk Adorf. Drivers from 13 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Austria, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey) have signed up with 16-year-old Isabella Lauer l from Bad Füssing the only girl. Those who fail to hit the jackpot in the shootout still have the option of signing up for the Formula BMW Talent Cup in the usual way.  In the Formula BMW Talent Cup a total of 15 drivers are systematically introduced to the requirements and challenges of professional motor racing. Driver coaches and race engineers take charge of small groups of drivers and take them through everything from individual driving style to complete vehicle set-up. The training concept underpinning the Formula BMW Talent Cup relies on the competence of recognised experts. Specialist coaches instruct the drivers about fitness and nutrition and the mental aspect of motor sport with coaching in handling stressful situations on and off the race track. Dealing with the media is likewise growing in importance, which means the drivers have to learn how to behave in front of a radio mike or a TV camera. All communications are based on English, the international lingua franca of motor sport.

15-11-11

V de V: Following two years of dominance for the Zollinger-Mondolot pairing, the Proto Endurance Challenge has never been so open. The two-time - and reigning - Champions may be leading, but they are neck and neck with the Rihon-Padmore duo driving car n°34, which, unlike the n°1 crew, has grown progressively in strength as the season has unfolded. In the final race of the Endurance GT season there are three crews in with a chance of taking the spoils, that an a field of 38 cars it should be a great race. If Anthony Pons in Porsche n°76 wins the Challenge – as he ought to, it will be all by himself, as Raymond Narac has not been able to be by his side at every event this season. Nonetheless, Raymond has richly deserved the title over the last two years for the huge support he’s given within the IMSA Performance Matmut team. Read preview

Formula Pilota China : Jenzer Welch Asia Racing is celebrating its title success with Matteo Tuscher in the inaugural Formula Pilota China series. In the World Touring Car Championship support round at Shanghai’s Tianma circuit, Swiss racer Tuscher, just 15 years of age, made it seven wins from 10 races. He has therefore wrapped up the title with a round to spare, with the finale to come on the Malaysian Grand Prix circuit at Sepang on November 25-27.Jenzer Welch Asia Racing is a collaboration between Switzerland’s Jenzer Motorsport, which carried Patric Niederhauser to this year’s Italian Formula Abarth title (using the same Tatuus/Abarth chassis/engine combination as Formula Pilota China), and British engineer Andy Welch, a long-time associate of the Jenzer team.  Welch is highly impressed with Tuscher, who is now setting his sights on racing in Europe after taking advantage of Formula Pilota China’s lower minimum-age limit to cut his teeth in car racing. “He was 14 at the beginning of the season, and the whole reason he was out there was to prepare himself for a season in Europe next year,” said Welch. “The whole series has been a great experience and a great success for the organisers. To have 17 cars out towards the end of the first season is very good going.” All the Formula Pilota China cars will now remain at the Sepang circuit until next February, first for the final championship round, then for a non-championship race weekend on December 2-4, and finally for an intensive pre-season testing schedule. The series, which is supported by the Ferrari Driver Academy, looks set to include two race weekends on the Chinese GP circuit at Shanghai in 2012, as well as Sepang and a potential round on the Korean GP Yeongam track. Welch, who has also run Romanian Robert Visoiu and Venezuelan girl Samin Gomez in selected rounds this year, is delighted with the 2011 season and looking ahead to 2012. “It’s been a dream season,” he said. “Matheo won both races at the first round so we always knew he had a chance of the title, but then just as impressively he’s had front-runners from European Formula Abarth coming over to challenge him during the season and he’s beaten them all. We’re now really looking forward to trying to repeat the success of 2011 next season.”

Formula Ford: Last Friday(11/11/11) the BRSCC announced it will be running a Club Formula Ford Duratec Series for the 2012 season. With the 2012 MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain changing to the new Ford EcoBoost engine in an FIA approved chassis, BRSCC is looking to extend the life of the many Duratec chassis cars by running a series aimed specifically at the club motorsport budget. The series will run to Formula Ford Duratec technical regulations as issued by Ford Motor Company and will use the same spec engine as permitted under those regulations. However, BRSCC will be looking at options such as tyre restrictions to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum. The calendar is currently being formulated and will feature a practice session, qualifying and two races at most events. The calendar will also see stand-alone BRSCC races along with guest slots with the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain.BRSCC Competitions Director Drew Furlong said, “BRSCC has traditionally been involved in bringing all of the Formula Ford marques to club motorsport and we look forward to building a thriving Club Formula Ford Duratec series. We do not see this in anyway replacing the very strong FF1600 Kent championships, but it will enable many club motorsport competitors the chance to sample the Duratec cars, which up until now were out of their price range. Much has been discussed on possible engine modifications but we have listened to interested parties and we feel that allowing a restricted engine would not only add an additional cost but would also restrict the market for teams to use their current Duratec cars.”

Club Racing: The inaugural Ma5da 12-hours race took place on the Snetterton 300 circuit last Saturday and experienced campaigner Paul Sheard carried the day ably assisted by teammates Joachim Ritter, Clint Bardwell & Chrissy Palmer. The team had a seven-lap advantage over the five strong Mazda Motors UK team who took second. BS Motorsport completed the podium in third. The race concluded a very busy season for Ma5da Racing. Full results can be found at http://www.tsl-timing.com/brscc/2011/114532.pdf

Entries are still being taken for the BRSCC North Western Centre Winter Raceday at Anglesey on Sunday 27th November. To give as many people as possible an opportunity to race before the end of the season there will be four wide-ranging categories: Formula Ford 1600, Sports/Saloon cars, Caterham Type Sports Cars & Two Driver Enduro. The race entry fee for each category is £175 with the exception of the Two Driver Enduro, which is £195. These fees include a qualifying session and double-header for each category. Entry forms and Supplementary Regulations can be downloaded at ANGLESEY WINTER RACEDAY. Information and a booking form about testing, which will be available on Saturday 26th November can also be found there.

Following a very successful first year, the Production GTI Series for the iconic Mk2 Golf GTi, has been granted outline approval by the MSA for full Championship status in 2012. The championship will consist of six double-header events at some of the UK’s leading circuits and will be organised by the BRSCC. 2011 saw Production GTi grids grow throughout the season; the series ethos of close, safe and affordable racing has attracted both novice and highly experienced drivers and has resulted in competitive racing right through the grid with five different race winners during the year. Co-ordinator Rob Sadler comments: ‘Being awarded Championship status after our first year is a testament to the impeccable race craft of our competitors during 2011, despite incredibly close, entertaining racing there was not a single report from the driving standards observers at our season finale at Rockingham. We are very confident that championship status, allied to the existing friendly club level atmosphere, will continue to attract new drivers for the 2012 season.” BRSCC Competitions Director Drew Furlong added, “The BRSCC is delighted to add the Production GTI Championship to our portfolio. 2011 was a very promising season and the portents are good for further growth next year.” For more information contact Rob Sadler on 07872 045061 or email info@productiongti.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Alternatively, visit their website www.productiongti.com

BRSCC staff member Carole Jackson sadly passed away on Sunday 22nd October at Kings College Hospital, London. Carole was unexpectedly taken ill on the Friday of the Formula Ford Festival having suffered a brain haemorrhage. BRSCC Chairman Bernard Cottrell said, "This is truly dreadful news and a great shock to everyone who knew Carole. She had been a much valued member of the HQ staff for several years now and will be sorely missed. Everyone at the BRSCC would like to extend their deepest sympathies to Carole's family." Carole was laid to rest at her local church in Wateringbury, Kent, last Tuesday and the funeral was very well attended by many of her friends and colleagues from the world of motorsport.

October was certainly a very sad month for the BRSCC as news also reached us on the weekend of the Festival that Paul Harmer had passed away after a long illness. Paul was the editor of the BRSCC’s magazine, British Racing News, for the majority of the 80s & 90s. As well as being a journalist, including a spell as a correspondent for Autosport, Paul was an accomplished saloon racer in a career that spanned three decades, the highlight of which was a couple of BTCC outings in 1987. The BRSCC and ‘theGrid’ would like to pass on its condolences to Paul’s family.

GT Asia Series: Three outstanding Japanese drivers have confirmed their participation in the GT Asia Series finale held as part of the Star River Windsor Arch Macau GT Cup at the 58th Macau Grand Prix.  SPS Motorsport’s driver coach and past winner at the Macau Grand Prix, Keita Sawa will be in one of the team’s five Lamborghinis. Fresh from claiming the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship in Shanghai last month, Sawa will be looking to continue his winning form.  Already a double Macau GT Cup winner, the 35-year-old will be heading there as a favourite in the hope of winning for a third year in a row at the unforgiving Guia Circuit. Having been in the Series since the start of the Japanese rounds in July, Hitotsuyama Racing will be sending another top competitor to represent the team in the Series. Akihiro Tsuzuki will be driving the team’s Audi R8 LMS GT3, a car that has proven to be quick around the Guia Circuit, after Marchy Lee and Danny Watts wowed the crowd last year finishing second and third.  The 34-year-old is familiar with the Audi R8 LMS, having had two wins in the car in this year’s Super Taikyu Series. Tsuzuki started racing just eleven years ago and has progressed to GT cars quite quickly, competing in two Series this year including driving for Team Samurai in the Super GT GT300. Joining the Japanese lineup is Craft Eurasia Racing’s Tomonobu Fujii. Also a Super GT driver, he will take the wheel of the team’s Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3. This was the same car that teammate, Frank Yu, tested at the start of the year at Sepang International Circuit. Fujii is a NISMO driver and a regular fixture in Super GT GT300 and Super Taikyu events, participating since 2005. After a start in karting, Fujii moved on to Formula racing, including a stint in the All Japan Formula before moving on to GT racing. He has also taken part in the Japanese and Asian Le Mans Challenge as well as the Tokachi 24 hour race with Endless Sports. The Circuito da Guia, as it is known in Macau, is 6.2km of narrow and bumpy track known as one of the toughest in the world. Drivers will not only have to contend with the tricky 19 turns, including the very sharp Melco Hairpin, they will also have to tune their cars to suit the high and low elevations of the circuit.  The GT Asia Series’ 2011 Season Finale is held as part of the Macau Grand Prix with the Star River Windsor Arch Macau GT Cup race on Sunday, 20th November at 9am. 

Formula 3: Steel Guiliana is the inaugural recipient of the Forpark Australia Formula 3 Scholarship. The 20-year-old Electrician from Terrigal, on the New South Wales Central Coast, was on Sunday night awarded a $50,000 scholarship fund towards an outright drive in the 2012 F3 Australian Drivers Championship. The former Karting champion and Formula BMW Asia racer was awarded the inaugural scholarship at the Australian Formula 3 awards night in Launceston, Tasmania, following the final round of the 2011 championship at Symmons Plains. Guiliana also won the 2011 F3 National Class title (for older-model cars) as well as the Scholarship prize, that was judged by a diverse panel not just on race and season results, but on an overall basis including general skills, attitude, physical preparation, media skills, technical feedback and more. “It is an incredible honour to win the Forpark Australia Scholarship,” Guiliana said. “Having a company like Forpark Australia support young drivers like this is an incredible part of this championship and the reason we raced this season. I am proud to have been selected to receive the award and I can’t wait to challenge for a Gold Star next season to follow up my National Class title this year. $50,000 will go a long way to funding our season next year and make things a lot easier as we step up. “Ben (Gersekowski) and Josh (Burdon) have been fantastic competitors and we have pushed each other hard all season. Before the award was presented I was sure that all three of us had an equal chance to win – so it was a great feeling when my name was read out and I have to congratulate those guys for their season. I have to thank the R-Tek team for all their efforts throughout the season and for working with me this season. I have learned so much and progressed as a driver and as a person and I am really looking forward to pursuing my goal of Formula 1 by racing for the Gold Star in Formula 3 next year.” Driving an R-Tek Motorsport Dallara F304 – Spiess Opel, Guiliana was judged to best exemplify the criteria as a driver with significant potential to progress forward to a professional career in motorsport. All judges, however, were quick to acknowledge the efforts and seasons by fellow competitors Ben Gersekowski and Josh Burdon to the point where all three drivers filled a majority of the criteria and show excellent future potential. The award was initiated this year by Forpark Australia, one of the largest manufacturers of commercial and school playground equipment in the country. Forpark Australia and has offices in every state, as well as a growing export market and the catchphrase ‘Helping young Australians grow’. Guiliana’s season included nine class race victories and two outright third-place finishes, He also finished fourth outright in the F3 Australian Drivers championship. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK photos

Formula Renault: Another first-class performance this weekend from Dan de Zille, qualifying 9th overall for both this weekends’ final two rounds of the Formula Renault Finals Series at Rockingham showing huge improvement since Snetterton ‘ last weekend.  Read report

Karts: For the second year in a row, French company Sodikart will provide its chassis for the 12th edition of the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Over 70 chassis have been dispatched to the circuit Al Ain, between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. After delighting Junior drivers in 2010, this time SODI will supply the Senior Rotax Max, with its SODI ST32 chassis - which has already won  numerous of races in almost three years thanks to its TTT technology.  Rotax and Sodikart have shared their common passion for over 20 years. “Rotax has a philosophy that closely resembles Sodi’s”, said Gildas Mérian, Sodi­kart CEO. “Professionalism is the defining element, from manufacturing to organisation, not to mention marketing, communication and service. Having Rotax as a privileged partner is a reason of great pride for our company. How many events in the world can gather a group of participants composed of drivers of over 60 different nationalities? Absolutely none!”  In mid September, 75 Sodi ST32 chassis and over a ton of spare parts were placed in three containers loaded on a ship to Dubai. For this finals, a particular logistical approach was adopted. The Sodi staff present at the circuit of Al Ain will count 10 people, who will stay on the spot for 13 days! As last year, we will ensure assistance to drivers by providing advice throughout the event. We will give each team a ‘Sodibook’, which contains a lot of information about kart assembly, set up options and the effects of each adjustment. There will an answer for each possible question!

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Clio Cup Winter Series: It’s been a busy November for teenager Jake Giddings competing in two different championships' First at the Snetterton 300 circuit where Jake competed in the Ginetta junior winter series taking pole position by 0.3secs before scoring two podium finishes from four races. An oil leak on the formation lap for race three effectively robbing him of the championship after his car was pushed off the grid. Jake rounded off his brief Ginetta Junior career with a credible fifth place in the winter series standings. Then it was onto Oulton Park for a first test session with a new Renault Clio cup car. This was a move from rear wheel drive to 205 horsepower, front wheel drive and slick tyres. The next venue three days later was Rockingham for the Renault Clio UK winter cup, Jake qualified 3rd for the two races finishing third in race two, after his first race ended when a move to take the lead from experienced racer Aaron Williamson ended in contact and a broken suspension for Giddings. Jake said it had been the best weekend ever and that he had been waiting for the chance to race the Clio. Jake, who attends the College of West Anglia at Wisbech on Engineering in Motorsport,  is now looking towards next year’s Renault Clio UK Championship where he will race with Finesse Motorsport Ltd. Roll on next season!

Saloons: Daniel Wainwright secured his maiden victory in the end of season Sports & Saloon Challenge at Rockingham at the weekend, after Danny Keenan pulled out with engine problems. But Rob Spencer proved unbeatable in the second race, and took the overall Trophy too.  Read report

Super GT: After displaying race-winning pace in his Motul-Autech Nissan GT-R Benoît Tréluyer saw any hope of victory in Saturday’s Super GT Fuji Sprint Cup disappear with a puncture. It was a major disappointment for the Frenchman, who had desperately wanted to cap his season with a strong result. Tréluyer was in an uncertain situation following Japanese motorsport’s annual end-of-season party, knowing he may have just given his final performance for the fans he holds so close to his heart.  “The World Endurance Championship calendar has just been released and the Spa-Francorchamps event coincides with a round of the 2012 Super GT series,” explained the reigning Le Mans 24 Hours champion. “I don’t have any formal offers to race in the WEC yet, but if I receive one it would undoubtedly be the best direction for my career.” During the Fuji weekend Benoît tried to put this conflict to one side to focus all his energy on driving a strong race for Nissan and his beloved Japanese fans. Read report

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East : Omani Ahmad Al Harthy took the best win of his motor racing career at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, with a lights-to-flag performance during the fourth round of the 2011/2012 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. Forming part of the support bill to the FIA Formula One World Championship’s annual visit to Yas Marina, the Oman Air Racing Team driver’s maiden victory in Porsche ME has hoisted him to within juts six points of the series lead. More importantly than that though, the raising of the Omani flag on the podium at an F1 event marked the proudest moment of the patriotic 30-year-old’s career.  Read report

Porsche Supercup : Isaac Tutumlu finished his 2011 Porsche Supercup season in good shape at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi over the weekend. Driving an Attempto Racing run Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Barzani Racing Team colours he finished his final race of the year in 15^th place . In free practice Tutumlu was 12th fastest despite suffering from brake problems which continued to plague him throughout the weekend. This affected him in qualifying leaving him in 18th and 19th on the grid for race one and two respectively. “We changed my car´s brake pads a few times but my feeling with them didn´t improve. They worked at the beginning but after three or four laps they got worse”, he explained. In race one on Saturday, Tutumlu made a good start but before he even reached the first corner a  rival had him up against the wall. Tutumlu was forced to brake hard, losing control mementatrily and hitting another car. “I feel quite confident before the start and I made a good start. However Sebastian Bleekemolen got me up against the wall and I couldn´t control my car, hitting Alessandro Zampedri”, Tutumlu explained afterwards. In spite of this Tutumlu finished the race, he was excluded later due to his first lap collision, despite the fact  it was Bleekemolen´s maneuver that forced the incident. On Sunday almost everything improved and, starting 19th, he gained at three or four places at the start. “This time I have approached first bend on the outside to avoid any kind of problems. Anyway my brake problems appeared when I was fighting for 13th place. With two laps to go, two rivals managed to overtake me, but the balance is quite positive because I faced a strong and experienced opposition and my lap times were very similar”, he told at the end.  Barzani Racing Team´s driver is now working towards 2012 and hopefully another season in the Porsche Supercup.

Charity: Formula Kart Stars Junior Rotax frontrunner Bobby Thompson will be looking to pass on plenty of his race winning experience to several lucky members of the public when he captains one of the teams in the upcoming Caudwell Children Karting Cup Charity event. Thompson, a podium finisher on multiple occasions in the FKS championship over the past three years, will join current Renault World Series driver Oli Webb as one of the team captains in the inaugural charity race, which takes place at The Raceway in Birmingham on November 20th. The 15 year-old, one of Bernie Ecclestone’s 2010 Driver of the Day award winners, hopes to pass on his seven years of karting experience to his rookie teammates as they bid to raise money for Caudwell Children and become the first names inscribed on the Caudwell trophy. “I’m looking to put the fun back into Karting,” said Thompson, who finished third in the 2010 Formula Kart Stars Mini Max standings and claimed several podium finishes in his first season in the 75mph Junior Rotax class this year. “This is a great way for the general public to learn more about karting and raise money for a good cause. It was an honour to be selected and hopefully I can pass on some tips to my teammates and help them progress during the day,” added the Emerson Park School student. “Karting is such an adrenalin rush and it’ll be nice to be able to show people what I do every weekend.” Trudi Beswick, Chief Executive of Caudwell Children was equally excited about Bobby’s appearance in the two and a half hour endurance event, in which teams of up to five drivers will attempt to complete as many laps as possible around The Raceway’s two-tier circuit, regarded as one of the longest and fastest indoor circuits in the country. “This is the first time we’ve had a kart racing event and, thanks to Bobby and Oliver’s involvement, the reaction from the public has been fantastic,” said Beswick. “The event is an opportunity for friends or colleagues to experience the excitement and adrenaline of karting while supporting a worthy cause. We can’t thank Bobby enough for his help and can’t wait to see who will take the chequered flag in the Caudwell Children Cup.” To learn more about the Caudwell Children Karting Cup please visit www.caudwellchildren.com or visit The Raceway Birmingham on Sunday November 20th when the event begins at midday.

Karts: His opponents put pressure on him until the end, but Nyck De Vries (Zanardi-Parilla) stayed focused to win his second successive World Championship title. On the fast track of Suzuka in Japan, the Dutchman from the Chiesa Corse Team ended his KF1 season in style taking the top step of the podium for the 9th time in 2011. Supported by the "McLaren F1 Driver Development Programme", Nyck De Vries is more than ready to face any new challenges in 2012 when he makes his single-seat debut.  read report

ILMC: Peugeot finished 2011 in style with a sixth race win from seven races and a fourth one-two. Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Bourdais claimed victory at Zhuhai ahead of Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin, after a close race in which the Peugeot 908s once again combined performance, reliability and endurance. This one-two finish in China rounds off a successful year for Peugeot, which has seen them secure a second ILMC title.The  race was decided by strategy. “Given the heat and the track conditions, we chose to alter our strategy during the race”, explained Sébastien Bourdais. “So, I did a triple stint, two of which were on the same tyres. This enabled us to pull away from the Audis, who were very quick.” This bold choice paid dividends, as Sébastien Bourdais and Anthony Davidson secured their second win of the season together by adopting a good pace from start to finish. The number 7 car drivers held a narrow lead over Stéphane Sarrazin and Franck Montagny right to the very end of the race. Lapping at the same pace, the two Peugeots controlled proceedings to gradually extending their lead over their rivals.  Read report

Allan McNish failed to banish his miserable Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season when the Scotsman suffered further disappointment in the seventh and final round at Zhuhai in China today (SUN). Dumfries-born McNish and co-driver Tom Kristensen (Denmark) retired their turbo diesel-engined Audi R18 TDI with over two hours still to run after a collision caused an electrical problem. The six-hour race around the 2.7-mile, 14-corner Zhuhai International Circuit located at Jin Ding town concluded what has been a torrid season for McNish at the wheel of Audi’s 2011 Le Mans 24 Hour race winning sleek, lightweight Coupe.  “I’m very sad with the race outcome,” confirmed McNish. “Tom, myself, and of course the team, are bitterly disappointed as we had a very good car with great speed today – a real contender for a race win.I led early on before getting tapped on the left rear corner by a Ferrari which forced us to change the tail section of the car only to get hit by the Rebellion LM P1 car under braking going into Turn One which not only damaged the bodywork again but also the wiring loom causing it to ‘short’ out.”  McNish had moved into second place on the opening lap and led after 33mins but contact with a backmarker necessitated a two minute pit-stop to change the rear bodywork and dropped the  McNish/Kristensen Audi to seventh.  Britain’s former double Le Mans winner handed over to co-driver Kristensen after 90mins and was back at the wheel of his fourth-placed turbo diesel Audi with three hours remaining following a seven minute pit-stop to replace the rear bodywork for a second time – the consequence of another hit up the rear. Two further pit-stops in quick succession in an attempt to cure an electrical gremlin – the direct result of the second collision – cost 16mins dropping the Scotsman to 10th place before the luckless McNish retired his Audi with a little over two hours remaining due to the electrical problem. A series of blameless collisions, most while lapping slower GT traffic, have cost McNish the chance of victory in five of the seven races this year. A third, two fourths and a sixth is all the former double Le Mans 24 Hour race winner has to show for his efforts this season in Audi’s sleek new V6 TDI powered Coupe. Allan added: “I was confident of being in contention for a win today But rest assured I’ll bounce back from this disappointing season and come back bigger and stronger.”

The sister R18 TDI of Marcel Fässler (Switzerland) and Timo Bernhard (Germany) started the six-hour race alongside the McNish/Kristensen Audi on row two of the 29-car grid and finished third – one lap behind the winning Peugeot of Anthony Davidson/Sébastien Bourdais after a late race, high-speed spin exiting the last corner. The ILMC series will be renamed the FIA World Endurance Championship next year and begins with the traditional Sebring 12 Hours on 17 March.  Read report

The Signatech Nissan team stormed to LMP2 victory, and eighth place overall, in Sunday’s season-closing ‘6 Hours of Zhuhai’.   The team took the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LMP2 title last time out at Petit Le Mans but went to China with a clear goal: to win!  The weekend got off to a flying start when Franck Mailleux took pole position, giving the team the top spot on the LMP2 grid for the start of the race.  The early stages of the race ran smoothly, aside from a slightly longer than usual pit stop in the middle of Mailleux’s double stint. A plastic bag had been sucked into the sidepod and this was causing water temperatures to rise.  With the bag removed Franck continued on his way, still in the lead.GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez was up next and he continued the work of Mailleux and Vernay, putting in fast, consistent lap times throughout his double stint.  Vernay took the wheel again to bring the car to the chequered flag and take the race victory. “This is a fantastic result for us,” commented Lucas. “Even though we had already won the championship it was important for us to come here and go for the win.  We have had our share of problems during the season but we have never lost our focus and never stopped pushing.  Five podiums, a victory and a championship are a great reward for our efforts. From a personal point of view I want to say thank you to Nissan for coming up with GT Academy and having faith in me and to Signatech Nissan for continuing my education as a racing driver.” A word from the team boss. “I am very happy for my team,” said Signatech Nissan boss, Philippe Sinault. “We were fast all weekend and the drivers all did a great job.  Lucas did an excellent double stint and again showed he can be consistently fast.  It is good to finish the season like this. It has been an amazing year so to finish it by leading the race from start to finish is great.  It’s good for Nissan and it is also good for GT Academy as it shows it works!”

Formula Renault: Another strong outing in the Protyre Formula Renault UK ‘Finals Series’ at Rockingham in Northamptonshire on Saturday, 12th November, secured talented rookie Josh Webster third place in the championship standings – a brilliant way to cap off 2011 for the Suffolk teenager. Off the back of a maiden Formula Renault UK podium finish a week earlier at Snetterton, the 17-year-old Mark Burdett Motorsport racer produced two more strong drives to see off Red Bull-backed competitor Daniil Kvyat by seven points, ending the series as the best placed newcomer. Pic Jakob Ebtry Photography   read report

Hector Hurst enjoyed a competitive debut in Formula Renault ‘Finals Series’ which took place over the last two weekends, the Lymington-based racer getting in the thick of the action with front-running team Manor Competition. pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Australia’s Nick McBride starred during round six of the Protyre Formula Renault UK ‘Finals Series’ at Rockingham in Northamptonshire on Saturday, 12th November, with a fantastic drive to fourth place for Manor Competition – tantalisingly just 0.7 seconds shy of a maiden category podium. The 20-year-old from Melbourne, in only his second weekend of Formula Renault UK action since stepping-up from the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, took a best finish of ninth at Snetterton a week earlier but eclipsed that with a marked improvement at Rockingham.  Read report

Brands Hatch: 11-17 year olds can now enjoy a MINI driving adventure with MSV’s YoungDrive experience! - Major motorsport circuit operator MotorSport Vision (MSV) is pleased to announce a new partnership with MINI UK to supply a fleet of cars for its highly-regarded YoungDrive programme. The Oxford built cars are available for 11-17 year olds to gain their first driving experience in a safe, traffic-free environment at the Bedford Autodrome, Oulton Park and Brands Hatch circuits. MSV’s YoungDrive experience provides the ideal opportunity for children and teenagers to gain experience behind the wheel of a MINI One vehicle away from busy roads. Giving them the time to learn the controls and basic skills without the pressure of everyday traffic, YoungDrive also gives them a head start over the rest when the time comes to taking regular driving lessons. And of course, nothing beats making your driving debut at a world-famous racing circuit! Jochen Goller, Director of MINI UK said: “MINI is a hugely popular first choice car for young drivers so this is a very natural partnership for MINI UK. We are delighted to give young people the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a MINI and build their road confidence while gaining valuable driving skills in a safe and controlled environment.” At just £79, YoungDrive makes the perfect Christmas present, with 12 month vouchers available now. MSV’s YoungDrive experience, featuring the MINI, can be booked for just £79 by calling 0843 453 9000 or visiting www.motorsportvision.co.uk.

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ILMC: The Rebellion Racing’s #12 Lola-Toyota, driven by Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost, took the chequered flag at the 6 Hours of Zhuhai in fourth position overall, first of the petrol powered cars over the line. The result means the team have points to secure third place in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LMP1 Teams Championship, behind the Peugeot and Audi factory teams.  In car #12, Neel Jani took the start, Neel, leading the petrol LMP field in 5th position overall. Lap by lap he was able to extend his lead over the Aston Martin Racing and Oak Racing cars.After one hour and seven minutes of racing, Jani and the #2 Audi driven by Allan McNish made contact while battling for fourth place. Neel coming into the pits to change both the front nose and the rear end bodywork of the car. Jani rejoined the race in tenth position, with more than two laps lost to his main opponents. An hour later Neel had recovered up to seventh place before haning over to Nico Prost. After four and a half hours of racing, the #12 Lola-Toyota was back in the top five, and quickly reduced the gap to the #24 Oak racing car in fourth. When Nico handed the car back to Jani they were only 18 seconds behind the #24 Oak Racing car. A few laps later, he was able to pass it with just fifty minutes remaining. He then reeled off the last few laps and with all the Rebellion Racing team members were on the pit wall he crossed the finish line.  Read report

Aston Martin Racing rounded off the 2011 season with third position in the unofficial petrol category at the Six Hours of Zhuhai, having finished sixth overall in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup finale. The Gulf-liveried DBR1-2 improved on its grid position at Zhuhai after qualifying seventh yesterday. Despite dropping a position in the early phase of the race, the V12-powered LMP1 racer performed reliably and consistently to score sixth overall after 239 laps of the 2.68-mile circuit. The result follows a run of success for the 007 DBR1-2, which won the American Le Mans Series qualifier at Laguna Seca in September and finished third overall at Petit Le Mans, the penultimate Intercontinental Le Mans Cup round, in October. Stefan Mücke (D), Harold Primat (CH) and Andy Meyrick (GBR) piloted the DBR1-2, which shares its base 6.0-litre engine, including the cylinder block and heads, with Aston Martin's V12-powered road cars. Mücke, who set the qualifying time yesterday, said: "After the success we had at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans, it's a shame to have not been the fastest petrol car this weekend. The DBR1-2 has been brilliant to drive again, even though it wasn't suited to this track. It's been a pleasure to drive the V12 car in the second half of the season. I'm proud that we've been able to give all the Aston Martin Racing fans plenty to cheer about."  Aston Martin Racing Team Principal Howard-Chappell added: "We had hopes of winning the petrol category this weekend, but ultimately our car wasn't suited to the nature of the Zhuhai circuit. We know that the DBR1-2 and our drivers are capable of winning elsewhere, though. Stefan, Harold and Andy have been strong all weekend, and the car and team performed well to top off a successful latter part of the 2011 season." Gulf AMR Middle East flew the flag for Aston Martin Racing in the LM GTE AM category, finishing fifth in class with its V8-powered Vantage GT2. With the 2011 season having drawn to a close, Aston Martin Racing will switch its attention to next year’s campaign. The team will confirm its programme for the 2012 season in due course.

OAK Racing brought the curtain down on their successful 2011 campaign with all three of the team’s OAK-Pescarolo prototypes seeing the chequered flag at the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season finale, the 6 Hours of Zhuhai. Building on the recent progress seen at Silverstone and Petit Le Mans, the #24 LMP1 crew of Jacques Nicolet, Olivier Pla and Alexandre Premat came home a solid fifth overall and second of the petrol-powered runners. In a triumph of efficiency, the car also scooped the coveted Michelin Green X Challenge for covering the greatest distance on the least amount of fuel.pic Clément Marin  Read report

Formula 3: Chris Gilmour took eight years and more starts than any other driver, but today he is a champion after winning the Formula 3 Australian Drivers’ Championship for the CAMS Gold Star award. For years the Queenslander had dreamed of winning a national title and after falling short in 2004 – when he lost to Karl Reindler by 3 points – he today fulfilled that ambition by taking yet another dramatic Gold Star title race. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Gosford driver Steel Guiliana won the Forpark Australia F3 National Class after a season long battle with Queenslander Ben Gersekowski and Tassie hopeful Josh Burdon. Gilmour’s road to the title this weekend was a bumpy one, as season-long rival James Winslow threw every ounce of his considerable skill and experience at him, winning today’s second race and blitzing the field in the third to take the flag first – but that wasn’t the end of the story. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK photos read report

Formula Ford: Sonic Motor Racing Services driver Nick Foster controlled the final round of the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship at Symmons Plains, taking two wins from three races to secure the round win. The Steeline Mygale driver had been locked in a weekend long fight with CAMS Rising Star Jack Le Brocq for second in the championship and fell just six points short after a dominant performance. Borland Racing Developments pilot Daniel Erickson scored his best result of the season, taking second for the round ahead of newly crowned champion Cameron Waters, but no-one could match Foster across the weekend.  read report

Formula Renault: Hathersage-based Hillspeed is celebrating yet another championship success after winning the BARC class of the Protyre Formula Renault UK ‘Finals Series’ during a dramatic last round at Rockingham Motor Speedway on Saturday, 12th November. oing into the last two races of the six-round series second in the driver standings, Spain’s Victor Jimenez overturned the 22 point lead held by experienced category runner Archie Hamilton after finishing runner-up in the opening encounter and fourth in race two. By finishing ahead of Hamilton in the first of the day’s races, 27-year-old Jimenez kept his title hopes alive but with 19 points his rival’s advantage there needed to be a big change around. On lap five of race two, the BARC class battle was duly turned on its head when Hamilton spun off into retirement at Pif Paf. Providing Jimenez with just the opportunity he needed, the championship looked secure with third position but contact with Steven Durrant on the penultimate lap threatened to derail the Hillspeed driver’s bid. Thankfully, he managed to continue in fourth – behind team-mate Sean Walkinshaw who secured his maiden podium – to claim the title by just three points.pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  read report

Archie Hamilton was denied the BARC title in the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault Finals when he was forced out of the final race today by a racer crashing into him. Earlier in the day Archie took a third place, making his tally three wins and two additional podium appearances from the five races. Failing to finish the final race allowed rival Victor Jiminez to claim the title. The two races today were all about finishing to win the series, and after struggling in qualifying with the wrong set-up for the drying track, Archie took the wise approach of a steady pace and keeping away from trouble to take third - his fifth podium out of five starts. With a 19 point lead, Archie only needed to finish the final race to claim the title. In the fateful race, Archie was sticking to his strategy, but a safety car period bunched the drivers following an incident involving several of the faster ‘TOCA’ Formula Renault cars, some of whom rejoined the track at the back of the pack behind the BARC cars. After the restart, Archie was suddenly hit from behind with such force that his car was catapulted into a gravel trap from which he couldn’t escape, ending his race and his title campaign. His points from the five races were sufficient for him to take the runner-up position.Archie Hamilton: “I’m devastated. In a way it would have been easier if I had made a mistake, but to lose a title, when I had been so close to taking it, by needless poor driving is hard to take. I had thought about starting from the pit lane and following everyone from the back but that didn’t seem very sporting – now I just wish I had. I have to take away the three wins and five podiums from six races. I have made a lot of progress this season and I intend to make even more in 2012.”

Grand-Am: Just days after the recent announcement of AIM Autosport Team FXDD’s full-season entry in the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Series in an all-new Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand-Am, team drivers Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal took their first laps in the team’s new car recently at Pista di Fiorano, Ferrari’s Official Test Track in Maranello, Italy. The new AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia was put through a trouble-free 50-lap run on Tuesday, November 1, on the eight-turn, 2.9-kilometer Fiorano test track that is located on the same property that houses the Ferrari factory and the legendary Formula One team workshop.  Read more

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East : Oman Air Racing Team driver Ahmad Al Harthy enjoyed his most successful outing yet in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi today, Saturday, 12th November, by securing a double pole position in qualifying and his second podium finish in as many weekends.Running on the prestigious support bill to the FIA Formula One World Championship, the second event of the 2011/2012 season is undoubtedly the most high profile for the burgeoning series – and Ahmad shone with an outstanding performance.  Read report

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Formula Renault : Dan Wells has secured second position in the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Finals Series after the conclusion of Saturday’s action packed racing at Rockingham Motor Speedway. Wells finished on the podium three times over the two-part series at Snetterton and Rockingham, to cement his podium finish in the 2011 series. After qualifying in 5th position for the final races of the series, Dan fought his way back onto the podium to secure third place in the first race of the day. Crossing the line in 6th position in race two, Dan crossed the finish line, pumping the air, celebrating his second place finish in the championship. Read report

Sir Stirling Moss celebrates 60 Years of Singer owners club. Pic Dennis Goodwin

ILMC: Aston Martin Racing’s V12-powered DBR1-2 will start from seventh on the grid for Sunday’s Six Hours of Zhuhai – the final round of the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup – having set the third fastest qualifying time in the unofficial petrol category. In dry conditions, Stefan Mücke (D) lapped the 2.68-mile Zhuhai International Circuit in one minute 25.119 seconds to enhance the team’s hopes of extending its recent run of success. Having been victorious at the American Le Mans Series qualifier at Laguna Seca in September, Aston Martin Racing went on to beat its petrol-powered rivals at the penultimate Intercontinental Le Mans Cup round at Petit Le Mans in October, achieving a fine podium result in the process. The team now aims to finish at the head of the unofficial petrol category in Sunday’s race to conclude a successful latter part of the 2011 season. Following a test session on Wednesday that allowed the team to assess the DBR1-2’s behaviour in wet weather, drivers Mücke, Andy Meyrick (GBR) and Harold Primat (CH) completed 69 laps between them during Friday’s two Free Practice periods. A final Free Practice session on Saturday enabled the team to refine the LMP1 racer’s set-up ahead of qualifying, despite a loss of track time caused by a leaking gearbox oil pipe. Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, George Howard-Chappell, said: “That is the best we could achieve today and I hope that we can be slightly more competitive in the race than we were in qualifying. "We are confident of our performance and expect a tight race at the front amongst the diesels. Any fall-out from that is sure to benefit us if we can have a clean, fast race.” Following his encouraging qualifying performance, Mücke added: “The car felt very good as usual, and I got two clear laps in during qualifying. I am optimistic for tomorrow as we have made good progress on the set-up through the practice sessions, so I'm hopeful that we can be competitive in the petrol class.” The 007 DBR1-2, fitted with a version of the 6.0-litre V12 engine that powers Aston Martin's road cars, will line up on the grid on Sunday morning in preparation for an 11.00 (CST) start. The race will run for six hours in forecast sunny conditions to conclude the 2011 season. Aston Martin Racing is further represented by Gulf AMR Middle East’s Vantage GT2, competing in the LM GTE AM category. The official partner team qualified fifth in class.

GP2: Jolyon Palmer produced an outstanding drive during today's (Saturday 12 November) GP2 Finals Feature Race at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi to secure his maiden podium on his debut drive for team Addax.  The 20-year-old son of former F1 racer Jonathan, who has enjoyed a string of top 10 finishes this year, got away well off the line from his best ever starting position of P5 and made up two places early on to bring his car home in an impressive third place. As the lights went out, Palmer showed good pace during the early stages, easily matching the leader's times and briefly leading before pitting mid-way through the 31-lap race. With fresh Pirelli tyres on he returned to the 5.554km track in P4 but after the pit stop shuffle the Brit was once again in third. Palmer continued to put in quick and consistent lap times around the Abu Dhabi circuit, venue for this weekend’s Formula One Grand Prix, as he chased down second place man Luiz Razia in the AirAsia car. In the closing stages, iSport's Marcus Ericsson was beginning to catch but the Addax driver never really looked fazed as he crossed the line as the leading Brit and his best finish to date in the F1 feeder-series. His team-mate Jake Rosenzweig, meanwhile, failed to finish. Speaking after the race Palmer said: "I had a good start and took advantage of a collision at the first corner to run P3 for the first stint. I was starting to catch Razia for second when he pitted. I pitted two laps later and lost time whilst he was on newer rubber. After the stop I had big problems with front flat spots and degradation as we only changed rears in the stop so I didn't have the pace to challenge the top two anymore, but I was able to do enough to hold off Ericsson and take my first podium. I am extremely happy and want to say thanks to Addax for giving me a great opportunity here." Racing Engineering's Fabio Leimer claimed the race victory just ahead of Razia with Palmer third meaning he'll start from the third row (P6) for tomorrow’s race after applying the series’ reverse grid rule.  Tomorrow’s final GP2 race of the year begins at 13:30 local time (09:30 GMT).

Abu Dhabi, GP2 Finals race one results:

1. F Leimer, Racing, 31 laps
2. L Razia, AirAsia, +6.911s
3. J Palmer, Addax, +28.708s
4. M Ericsson, iSport, +29.812s
5. K Ceccon, Scuderia, +36.619s
6. T Dillmann, iSport, +41.518s
7. A Felix da Costa, Ocean, +42.496s
8. J Calado, ART, +45.669s
9. N Berthon, Racing, +51.345s
10. S Coletti, Scuderia, +62.481s

Formula 3: Championship leader Chris Gilmour has lived up to his promise of not just cruising around collecting points to seal his career first F3 Australian Drivers Championship, by winning a thriller at Symmons Plains Raceway today. After a brilliant start, Gilmour rocketed into an early lead before having to defend serious advances throughout the 15 lap duration from first James Winslow, then Tim Macrow and finally John Magro(pictured left) on the final lap. Gilmour lead all the way but three different drivers held second throughout the race in a now-traditional display of slipstreaming and wheel-to-wheel battling that is customary for F3 racing at Symmons Plains. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK photos    read report

Formula Ford: Nick Foster continued his domination of the final round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship at Symmons Plains today, taking pole position and victory in race one.The Steeline Mygale driver was unstoppable in the first of three races for the weekend, controlling the 15 lap event from the start to lead home teammate Cameron Waters and CAMS Rising Star Jack Le Brocq.He held on by two-tenths to take his 11th career victory and jump to a 23 point lead in the championship with two races remaining tomorrow.  read report

ILMC: Neel Jani secured the 1st place of the non diesel LMP cars on the grid for tomorrow's 6 hours of Zhuhai, placing the #12 Lola-Toyota in 5th place overall. This is the fitfh LMP1 petrol pole position of the season for Nicolas Prost and Neel Jani in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the third in a row after Silverstone, Road Atlanta and here at Zhuhai. For Rebellion Racing’s Lola-Toyota cars, it is the 10th pole position of the season in 12 races in both the Le Mans Series and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. The team’s strategy helped Neel Jani to avoid traffic during his flying laps, the team released him from the pits during the second half of the qualifying session.Neel Jani, driver of Lola-Toyota #12: “After yesterday's test sessions, we have improved the car a lot, even if our pace was already good. I'm really happy to get another « pole position » of petrol LMPs in front of the Oak Racing cars and Factory Aston Martin one. I'm pleased for all the Rebellion Racing team who worked very hard for that. Once again, Michelin have provided us first class service with quick tyres. With Nico (Prost) we will do our best to get a strong result tomorrow at the end of the race and hopefully secure third place in the ILMC LMP1 Teams’ championship for Rebellion Racing.” The start of the race will be at 11h00 tomorrow, Sunday.

Euroformula Volant: Drivers selected for this year’s final of the Euroformula Volant were Boris Bouvier, Andréa Pizzitola, Jordan Perroy, Victor Sendin, Pierre Sancenina, Jonas Rodrigues, Anthony Micoud, Simon Gachet, Alexandre Cougnaud, Thomas Verheyde and Amaury Rossero eere up against each other in the semi-final. This took place on the La Chatre circuit in a Formula Renault 2.0. The President of the Jury, Jean Pierre Jaussaud  drew lots to decide which cars the contestants would take before they were off on an 18 lap practice session followed by two qualifiers of 8 laps each with a change of car in between. Christian Ratron, the official FFSA licence “A” timekeeper, then calculated the best average for each contestant over five laps to determine the rankings.The five best students were then selected to fight it out in a final the following day.

 COUGNAUD : 36"499 (4th in the semi-final)
SENDIN : 36"354 (2nd)
GACHET : 36"252 (1st)
PIZZITOLA : 36"452 (3rd)
ROSSERO : 36"609 (5th )

Perroy lost out by just 13/ 1,000th of a second, which shows how close they all were!  

For the final, all the drivers used the same single seater equipped with new tyres, with the best average time over five laps used again. At the end of the five drivers’ turns, Simon Gachet and Victor Sendin were separated by 0.055s which prompted Jassaud and the members of his Jury, Yvon Leon, Jean Luc Taillade, Gilles Gaignault and Joël De Miguel to watch them again for 3 laps. Gachet did a time of 1’49”299. While Sendin came second in 1’49”955 making Gachet the winner of the 2-11 Euroformula Volant and with it a bursary of € 60,000 along with a Ralf Tech watch and the driver branded equipment from  P1 Advanced Racewear. Gachet was visibly moved: “I haven’t quite realised yet that I’ve won because the pressure was intense, but I’m happy and delighted to win the Euroformula Volant. It will give me the opportunity to continue to progress in the  motorsport hierarchy. I was looking at taking part in the F4 2012 French Championship but maybe this will allow me to skip a level, we’ll see.”

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DTM: Brands Hatch has confirmed it has signed a new three-year contract to stage the only UK round of the DTM championship until at least 2014. The German touring car series has been a fixture at the circuit’s 1.2-mile Indy circuit since 2006, with major manufacturer participation from Audi and Mercedes. The cars are phenomenally fast with sophisticated aerodynamics and a 4.0 litre V8 engine producing 470bhp. They lap around 7 seconds faster than a British touring car at Brands Hatch, averaging 104mph, and race on the shorter Indy circuit enabling fans to see all the action from virtually the whole lap. DTM is set to enter a new era in 2012 with a new package of technical regulations and the addition of a third manufacturer, BMW. Triple FIA World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx has already been announced as part of BMW’s line-up, and McLaren F1 test driver Gary Paffett has signed a long-term deal with Mercedes. Former F1 winner Ralf Schumacher will also compete with Mercedes, and BBC F1’s David Coulthard is expected to return to DTM for a third year after making steady progress during his first two seasons. Brands Hatch circuit owner Jonathan Palmer said: “We’re delighted DTM will continue to stage its only UK round at Brands Hatch for the foreseeable future. The professionalism of the championship is outstanding, the cars spectacular to watch and the calibre of the drivers second to only F1. With the addition of BMW and new technical regulations designed to make the racing even better, it’s a very exciting time to partner DTM and we look forward to Brands Hatch’s DTM event being one of the highlights of our calendar for many years to come.” Tickets for DTM at Brands Hatch will be on sale shortly. For more information on Brands Hatch visit www.brandshatch.co.uk or for further details on DTM go to www.dtm.com.   Calendar

Formula Ford: Steeline Mygale driver Nick Foster set the pace during practice for the final round of the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship and Symmons Plains today, igniting the fight for second in the series.The Queenslander is one of three drivers hoping to finish second in the championship at the end of the weekend and struck the first blow by setting the fastest time of the day late in the second 20-minute session. Foster worked closely with teammate Cameron Waters, who was second fastest, to gain an advantage down both of Symmons Plains' long straights, while Spectrum factory driver Daniel Erickson was third quickest. Despite sitting third in the championship, Foster is yet to win a round so for this season and will be pushing hard to finish the year on a high.  Read more

Formula 3: Title rivals James Winslow and Chris Gilmour have begun their battle for the 2011 Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship crown by topping practice at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania today(Friday). Picking up where they left off five days ago at Phillip Island – where the pair diced all weekend for the victory – Winslow was quickest in both sessions today with his best of 51.3087 seconds coming late in the second of two, 20-minute, practice sessions. Sunny skies and relatively warm conditions greeted competitors at the 2.4km circuit this morning with Winslow instantly jumping to the top of the charts at the circuit where he won his 2008 Aussie F3 title. His quick time in the second session showed that the British racer – some 19 points behind Gilmour in the championship battle – was going to go all-out to win this weekend and take a second championship, a feat only one person has achieved before in Australian F3 history. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK Photos   read more

Just under a week remains until the start of the 58th Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix, at the famous Guia street circuit in the former Portuguese enclave, where top British team Galaxy Double R Racing will be aiming to repeat its 2006 success at the world-renowned F3 spectacular. Taking place from Thursday, 17th November, to Sunday, 20th November, the annual blue-riband F3 event is the one all aspiring FIA Formula One World Championship drivers want to win and as the last UK squad to taste victory in Macau, Woking-based Double R is determined to lead the way. Valtteri Bottas(pictured - pic Jakob Ebrey Photography), 2011 GP3 Series Champion and test driver for the AT&T Williams F1 Team, heads the squad’s three car line-up and will be joined by 2007 British F3 Champion Marko Asmer and young rising star Mitch Evans. Bottas and Asmer will run with ‘Galaxy Macau’ branding on their cars while Evans will be entered under the team’s regular Double R Racing moniker. “We’re really looking forward to everything getting underway on track, we’ve got a fantastically talented line-up for Macau this year and a really great chance of success”, said team principal Anthony ‘Boyo’ Hieatt, “It’s such an important event on the F3 calendar and the whole team is massively determined to do well. The 2006 win was a while ago, now we want another!” The on-track action in Macau for the F3 is scheduled to begin at 10.55 (local time) on Thursday, 17th November, ahead of the first qualifying session at 14.40. Further practice and qualifying will then follow on Friday. On Saturday, 19th November, the 10 lap qualification race will get underway with the Grand Prix on Sunday, 20th November.

The JK Racing Asia Series Season Finale will now be held at Sepang International Circuit as part of the annual Sepang 100KM (S1K) endurance race series from 1-3 December 2011. It had originally been scheduled for 25th-27th November at Buddh International Circuit (BIC) where it had run last month as part of the inaugural 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India. The drivers, teams and all those involved were looking forward to returning to the fantastic circuit, but the decision to move venues was made after the Jaypee Sports International, owner of the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, earlier this week expressed their inability to stage the event owing to unexpected maintenance work. “We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold the final event of the JK Racing Asia Series at the Buddh International Circuit. Following the success of the recent Formula 1 event, the drivers and teams were definitely looking forward to returning to this new and exciting circuit. We will now have to wait for next season” said David Sonenscher, CEO of Motorsport Asia Ltd. The Finale was scheduled to run together with the last round of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. It would have been the first time that the two Series were staged together and would have been an outstanding end to the serason for both. “The joint staging of the JK Racing Asia Series and JK Tyre National Racing Championship at the Buddh International Circuit would have provided an opportunity for domestic drivers to catch the eye of talent scouts of the international series. It is a bit disappointing, but then the show must go on and we have started work on the alternate arrangements” said Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Head, Corporate Communications & Motorsports, JK Tyre & Industries Limited. The JK Tyre National Racing Championship will now be moved to Chennai and held at the Madras Motor Race Track on 26th and 27th November. The FIA–sanctioned JK Racing Asia Series cannot be held in Chennai as the MMST track is not homologated.

WTCC: A delegation from Team Aon visited the WTCC event at Shanghai Tianma last weekend. Arena Motorsport principal Mike Earle, his commercial partner Grahame Chilton and BTCC race winner Tom Chilton had meetings with WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti and Jost Capito, director of Ford Global Motorsport Business Development. "We are going ahead with our WTCC preparations," commented Earle. "We have built a Ford Focus to S2000 specifications and we will start testing with Tom Chilton before the end of this month. As an Independent Constructor, our team preparation for the 2012 WTCC season is enabled through the S2000 development support from Ford."  Grahame Chilton added: "Our aim is to build a three-car team and besides Tom we are in touch with a number of prospective leading touring car drivers with international experience, with the aim being to launch a team that is competitive from the outset."  Lotti commented: "I am obviously excited by the fact that a new and glamorous brand with worldwide commercial interests may become involved in the championship. I'm also pleased that the programme will be run by such a professional team and will involve a young and promising driver like Tom who emerged from a competitive national championship like the BTCC. This addition will provide WTCC with further competition and appeal."

The clock is ticking for the 2011 FIA World Touring Car Championship as next week the strong field of 27 competitors will hit the track for the last two races of the season. For the seventh consecutive year the final and deciding act will be staged on Macau's infamous 6.1-km Guia street circuit. On Sunday 20th November two nine-lap races will consecrate the 2011 World Champion. In the previous six appearances of the World Touring cars at Macau, BMW and Chevrolet have won five races apiece out of twelve, against one each for Alfa Romeo and SEAT.
In last year's event Rob Huff won Race 1, claiming his third victories on the Guia track, while in the second race Norbert Michelisz scored his first ever (and only so far) WTCC win. Local hero André Couto, in a SUNRED León 1.6T, will try once again to match Jörg Müller's record of being the only driver to have won both the Macau F3 GP and Guia Race.

It is a tradition, WTCC title fight always goes to the wire for Macau's grand finale. This year it's up to Chevrolet team-mates Yvan Muller and Rob Huff to clash in the deciding shootout oh the streets of the Chinese city.They both face the final battle with reasons of being optimistic. Muller has built a 20-point lead with 50 still to be awarded, but Huff has claimed three race victories on the Guia circuit, while his archrival still has to break his duck here. "The title fight will be settled in Macau and it doesn't matter by how many points I am currently leading." said Muller who might be crowned WTCC champion for the third time, matching Andy Priaulx's record. Huff, who is aiming for his first WTCC title, echoed: "Obviously I'm not very happy for how things went in Shanghai, but let's see what happens in Macau."

Colin Turkington dominated the Yokohama Trophy at Shanghai, but Kristian Poulsen stretched his lead in the standings. Turkington set pole position, won both races, posted the fastest lap twice and gave to the Wiechers-Sport team their best WTCC result ever with a second place overall in Race 1. "It was a fantastic weekend for me. Wiechers-Sport and WSR have done a great job working together, which not an easy thing to do when you have only two racing events for learning to get along," said the Irishman who pocketed the maximum of 23 points against Poulsen's 16. The Dane collected two second places that enabled him to stretch his lead to 23 points ahead of Norbert Michelisz. Double points will be awarded in the season's finale at Macau and with 43 still at stake, three other drivers still have theoretical chances of clinching the title: Michel Nykjær, Franz Engstler and Javier Villa who lie 29, 30 and 35 points behind respectively.

The BMW 320 TC cars will be as heavy as the Chevrolet Cruze for the championship's final at Macau.  According to the calculation of the compensation weight based on the lap times set in the three previous events (Valencia, Suzuka Shanghai) the 0.3-second gap between the Chevrolet and the BMW means that they both will be carrying 40 kilos in addition to the minimum weight of 1150 and 1170 kg respectively. At Shanghai the BMW ran with 20 kilos less.
The SUNRED León will be laden again with a 10-kg compensation weight, while the Volvo C30 will lose 20 kilos compared to the Chinese event and will run on the minimum weight of 1150 kg. The only model allowed to a weight reduction will be again the BMW 320si (-20kg).

The 778 Auto Sport team entered a Peugeot 308 car in the WTCC Guia Race of Macau. The French car, that was previously raced by Johan Stureson in the 2008 and 2009 Swedish Touring Car Championship, will be driven at Macau by Lo Ka Chun. The 34-year-old from Hong Kong is one of the most successful saloon car drivers in the Asia Pacific region, having claimed four titles in the Asia Touring Car Series (1999, 2000, 2002 and 2004), one in the China and Hong Kong Touring Car championships (2006 and 2009 respectively) and three consecutive victories in the Macau Cup Race (2002/2004). In the latest seasons Lo Ka Chun has driven KIA cars in the CTCC, winning a number of races - including last weekend's in the WTCC event at Shanghai Tianma - and always finishing on the championship podium (third in 2009 and 2010, second this year). "I'm very excited to make my first appearance in WTCC at Macau. The original plan was to race at Shanghai too, but we had to give up because of logistics issues," he said.

Nine out of the 27 WTCC drivers entered in the WTCC finale are locals, either from Macau, Hong Kong or Mainland China: Darryl O'Young, Charles Ng, Philip Ma, André Couto, Filipe de Souza, Mak Ka Lok, Jo Rosa-Merszei, Kuok Io Keong and Lo Ka Chun. Bamboo-engineering's O'Young, the only one who competed in the whole season, said: "Macau is my favourite race and I'm really looking forward to it. It's a shame I'm out contention for the Yokohama Trophy title, but I will do everything I can to win in front of my home crowd. Chevrolet has a history of WTCC success at the Macau and I hope to use all the experience I have gained from this season to be successful at home." Charles Ng has only joined at Suzuka with DeTeam Engstler Motorsport. However, on his second appearance he was able to score his first point last week at Shanghai. "I did not expect this on my first outing in the BMW 320 TC that I had never tested. Especially after I went off in qualifying and had to start from the back of the grid. Carrying forward the momentum, the team and I have come up with a plan for Macau and we expect to finish in the top ten again. I grew up watching racing in Macau and it has been my dream to be able to race against the world's best drivers. Now the dream of my life comes true!"

Canadian racer Gary Kwok was the last addition to the WTCC entry list for the Macau event. Kwok, 45-years old, started racing in 1987 in Hong Kong and since then raced in Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Canada and the USA. In the three latest years he competed in the Canadian Touring Car Championship at the wheel of Honda Cars. During the current season he won three races to be classified fifth in the standing with a Civic Si. "I'm absolutely delighted to join the WTCC in Macau. This is a prestigious, world class motorsports event and Wiechers-Sport are a very capable team. Macau is my favourite circuit and my first appearance in the world championship with a new car makes everything more challenging. But I love challenges!" Kwok said

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Britcar: Next Saturday (19 November) Brands Hatch completes a busy 2011 season with a raceday that provides something for everyone. From Smart cars to Ferraris, the racing runs from dawn till dusk! This is the final chance for spectators to get their racing fix until next year and to extend the entertainment, the racing will finish at 18:30. This gives fans the race chance to see night racing at Brands Hatch, a spectacle in itself. Whilst the pitlane will be floodlit, much of the track will be shrouded in darkness, bringing the flavour of Le Mans to Kent. The traditional Britcar ‘Into the night’ race will provide the action as daylight fades, and has been extended to three hours as the 2011 British Endurance Championship title is decided. There is sure to be plenty of drama as Craig Wilkins and Aaron Scott bid for overall honours in their Dodge Viper. However the Top Cats Racing Marcos Mantis is ready to challenge in the three hour race where anything can happen. Porsches, Moslers, Chevrons and Ferraris also feature on the entry list. There’s also a race within a race as the Production GTN Championship will also be decided in a two-hour encounter that starts at the same time as the main event. The title for this is even closer as SEAT drivers Alex Osbourn and James May hold a slender lead of three points over Tim Saunders, who competes in a Honda Civic Type-R, whilst Lotus Elise competitors Simon Phillips and Pete Storey are also in contention. Before the main event, the support bill includes the Smart 4two Cup, a series for the diminutive city cars that provides close, competitive racing. With further entertainment provided by two sprint races for Saloon cars and the Britcar Production Cup, this is a meeting that will provide plenty to remember throughout the winter months! Tickets for the Britcar into the night race at Brands Hatch on Saturday 19 November are available in advance for £10 online, with free entry for children aged under 13. For more information, call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk.

Porsche Supercup : Isaac Tutumlu  will be in Abu Dhabi this weekend for the final race of the 2011 Porsche Supercup at the Yas Marina Circuit with Formula 1 Grand Prix. Tutumlu, Spanish but with strong ties to Kurdistan, explained, “I have to say many thanks to Barzani family and Kurdistan too. Without their support there wouldn´t have been possible to race in Abu Dhabi, a meeting which is going to be really special for sure. Abu Dhabi is Tutumlu’s fourth outing in the Supercup this seaosn, after Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps and Hungaroring. Driving the Barzani Racing Team´s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup lined up by Attempto Racing, the 26 year old plans to approach this race “as a kind of pre-season for 2012!  Next year it will be really important because I want to combine the Porsche Supercup with another project in endurance, which would also mean to race at Le Mans, as others do. Anyway I´ll try my best, to achieve as good results as possible for me, but my target it to help to Attempto Racing too” said Issac. He added, “Abu Dhabi is a challenge because I don´t know this circuit. Anyhow I´ve studied this track in on-board videos and it looks amazing, and I think it´s a fantastic track for every driver. I think it will be suitable for my driving-style. He will also drive the Guess Racing Europe’s Lola-Judd, a car which he previously tested at Magny-Cours. 

Formula Renault BARC: Organisers of the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship have revealed an expanded 14 round calendar for the 2012 season which will feature, for the first time, a pair of triple-header events designed to give drivers maximum track time and value for money. Off the back of its most successful and high-profile campaign yet, a point underpinned by 2011 champion Dino Zamparelli earning a spot in the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, the increasingly prominent junior single-seater category is striving to continue its terrific momentum. Each race meeting will be a two-day affair with the provisional 2012 schedule starting at Snetterton 200 Circuit on the weekend 7th/8th April, with the first of the triple-header events. The second of those will take place five weeks later at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on 12th/13th May. After a seven week sojourn, the action will resume at the FIA British Truck Grand Prix event at Donington Park on 30th June/1st July for rounds seven and eight.  Next stop will be Croft on 21st/22nd July for rounds nine and 10 before a six-week break prior to the penultimate event of the season at Rockingham on 1st/2nd September. The venue for the final two rounds of the campaign, and the date of the event, remains unconfirmed at this stage.   pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read more

MRF Series: Jordan King, 17, from Great Britain, drove a spectacular race to emerge the victor in the second and final race of The Delhi Championship with MRF. Starting the race from second on the grid, Jordan took the lead on the first lap, before losing it to Iranian Kourosh Khani, albeit briefly, to run out the  winner. It was a gripping race with plenty of action on the track. Nick Percat, winner of the first leg of the championship, spun out on lap one while Khani drove brilliantly to finish third after being passed by King and then Alice Powell who claimed second.  Powell, who  drove a composed race, was running third bhind King and Khani  before she grabbed the first opportunity that came her way to squeeze past the latter named for second. Jordan King:, “Yesterday I had mentioned that given a free track, I will dominate the race since I knew I had plenty of speed. Yesterday too, I was faster than Nick. Today starting on grid I was sure of doing well. I lost the lead due to a slight error on my part, but I knew I could make it up and immediately took over the lead once again. Once in the lead, my aim was to create a good gap behind me and once I achieved that I knew victory was mine.” Alice Powell: “I feel really good. An intense level of competition was seen over the last two days and for me to do well consistently, gives me great confidence. The car was good and responded beautifully. I knew that if I didn’t commit any mistakes, I would hold on to my position and that’s what I did. Its been a great weekend.”  Kourosh Khani : “Feels great to come in third and to have briefly led the field. I am driving this car for the first time and as such it was more demanding. An error on my part saw me lose the lead, but I was aggressive enough to hold on and put great laps. Feels very good.”

Results:Race 2 - Buddh International Circuit

1. Jordan King Team SIDVIN :21:13.448

2. Alice Powell Team SIDVIN :21:15.372

3. Kourosh Khani James Crofts Racing :21:21:518

4. M Makela Mtec Finland :21:33.011

5. Z Jaffer Active PR :21:33.282

6. G Gill M&N Racing :21:33.356

7. A Sundar Team Gulf Oil :21:40.455

8. J Honkavuori Team Gulf Oil :21:41.045

9. H Fuller HKF Racing :21:41.440

Formula 3: Bart Hylkema enjoyed a memorable debut year in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series in 2011, a season in which he dominated the Rookie Class for the first half of the campaign before making the decision to move to the category’s top tier in pursuit of greater competition. At the start of the year, having set his sights on the Rookie Class title, he led the way from the opening round and over the course of the first 15 races he surged into an uncontested lead in the Rookie title standings with 12 victories. Wanting to challenge himself much more though, the T-Sport driver opted to make the move into a current specification Dallara-Volkswagen for the balance of the 30 race championship in order to prepare for a full International Class campaign in 2012. Read season review

Other News: Yokohama’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) driver Toshi Arai secured the 2011 IRC Production Cup at the season finale in Cyprus on 5 November 2011. Arai and co-driver Dale Moscatt finished seventh overall in the 40-kilometre event to take the title in their Subaru Impreza R4 STI, equipped with Yokohama tyres.2011 marks the first year of the R4 category and Arai was thrilled with the season’s results: “I’m very pleased to be the champion because we have a new category car and also a new tyre. In the first season the Yokohama tyre has been getting better and better and I am very pleased. There is still more development to come and quite a big gap compared to the S2000 car but we will find a good solution.” The Cyprus Rally featured mixed-surface stages, allowing Yokohama to demonstrate the performance range of the products with the Yokohama Advan A053 used for loose surfaces and the Advan A006T for more solid stages.

Yokohama’s success in the IRC follows its fourth consecutive VLN Endurance Racing Championship Nürburgring title, which concluded at the legendary Germany circuit on 29 October 2011. Team Black Falcon secured the Japanese tyre manufacturer’s fourth title with drivers Carsten Knechtges, Manuel Metzger and Tim Scheerbarth at the wheel of their BMW Z4 GT3. The VLN is a major part of Yokohama’s racing involvement and this fourth title illustrates its pedigree in the endurance discipline. Yokohama’s Motorsport Manager Manfred Theisen said: “Long distance championships, especially if they are on the toughest circuit in the world, are the ultimate endurance test for each tyre. Here, every error and every weakness is mercilessly exposed. The series is very important for us.”

As the 2011 motorsport season draws to an end Yokohama also celebrated the conclusion of its eighth year as the official tyre supplier for the German SEAT León Supercopa. During its eight seasons supporting the series’ drivers Yokohama tyres have contested 130 races, helping 100 different drivers from 25 countries guide their SEAT León race cars around some of Germany’s most exciting race circuits. Bavarian Elia Erhart claimed this season’s title at the finale in Hockenheim on 23 October 2011. He charged to victory equipped with Yokohama’s Advan 210/650 R18 for wet conditions and the slick 230/650 R18 for dry weather.“It has been yet another brilliant season in motorsport for Yokohama,” said Farid

09-11-11

ILMC: Rebellion Racing have high expectations for the first outing of the  #12 Toyota powered Lola in China this coming weekend at Zhuhai. After a positive season in the Le Mans Series, where the Swiss team won both the LMP1 Team and Manufacturers Championships, the final round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the 6 Hours of Zhuhai, provides them an opportunity to finish the season with another positive result. Since the opening race of the ILMC at Sebring, Rebellion Racing has been strongly placed as the best petrol team in the field. A strong result in China ours would help Rebellion reach third in the Teams championship behind the Peugeot and Audi factory teams and would place the Swiss team as the best LMP1 private team of the 2011 “World Endurance Championship”. Nico Prost and Neel Jani will be the drivers for the race, the French-Swiss pair both looking to end the season with a podium.Neel Jani :”I have good memories from Zhuhai as I have raced there in A1GP. I made a pole position and finished the race on the podium. I don’t think we could get the pole this time… but reaching the podium could be possible. It will be good to race with only 29 cars on the track in comparison to more than 50 that we had in Atlanta !” Nicolas Prost :” Zhuhai is the last race of the season and last round of the ILMC. Our main target will be once again to qualify and finish the race as the best petrol LMP1. I am expecting a strong fight with the Oak Racing cars. This track with a lot of slow corners may help us to be closer to the diesel cars, but I don’t think that we could race with them. The team has worked very hard all season, running cars in both the Le Mans Series and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup was a immense effort for a private team. To be able to finish on the race podium and third in the Teams classification would be the best way to reward all the team for their effort this year.” Bart Hayden, Rebellion Racing Team Manager : “The 6 Hours of Zhuhai will be the last race of the season and the last of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup story. Third place in the Teams classification is still achievable and we would like to leave our team name in the record books, like we have in the Le Mans Series by winning the last championship with the LMP1 cars. The team have shown this year their professionalism, skill, ability and dedication. They deserve that kind of honour, the cars have had good reliability and real pace all season long.”

V de V: Hosting the last instalment of the 2011 V de V series, the Circuito do Estoril, is the scene of Ayrton Senna’s first win in Formula 1 in 1985. This weekend it will hold the final rounds of two major V de V Endurance Challenges, GT/Touring and Proto.  In Proto there is currently a dead heat for the Championship lead between Jean-Lou Rihon and Nick Padmore in the number 34 machine and Philippe Mondolot and David Zollinger - twice Champions - in n°1. Others, such as Bruno Bazaud in n°69 and Grégory Fargier in n°2 could still have a say in the title chase however.  In GT, it’s another tie between the two IMSA Performance Matmut Porsches; n°1 - belonging to reigning champions Gibon and Bourret who, assisted by Belloc, recently won the Magny-Cours 6 Hours - and the n°76 driven by Anthony Pons and Raymond Narac, championship leaders since the start of the season and favourites to take the title. The 2009 Champions, Eric Mouez and David Loger could also get involved in their Porsche 997 Cup S n°3, they are currently lying second 17 points behind.

08-11-11

ILMC: Aston Martin Racing’s 2011 season will draw to a close at the Six Hours of Zhuhai on Sunday 13 November. Having achieved two consecutive podium finishes in the run-up to China’s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup qualifier, the team has high hopes of rounding off a successful second half of the season. Carrying the iconic Gulf livery, Aston Martin Racing’s V12-powered DBR1-2 scored a popular overall victory at Laguna Seca in September. The LMP1 machine then secured third position at Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta, last month amidst a highly competitive grid that included a full complement of diesel-powered racers.At the final round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, drivers Andy Meyrick (GBR), Stefan Mücke (D) and Harold Primat (CH) will guide the DBR1-2 around the 2.68-mile Zhuhai International Circuit with ambitions of competing at the very front of the unofficial petrol category and challenging the diesel cars once again. Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, George Howard-Chappell, said: “Firstly, I’d like to welcome Andy Meyrick back to the LMP1 team this year. Let’s hope we can continue our run of good results.We have not run an LMP1 car at Zhuhai before but with the test day on Wednesday, we have a chance to catch up on our competitors who raced here last year and find a good set up for the circuit.”Andy Meyrick, stepping back into the LMP1 racer after a stint in an Aston Martin GT4 car, said: “I’m really looking forward to being back in the prototype and driving with Stefan and Harold. It will be my first time in China and, from what I’ve seen and heard, the circuit looks like it will encourage good racing.Hopefully we’ll be able to give Aston Martin a strong result at the end of the season to build on what was achieved at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans.” The marque will also be represented in the LM GTE AM category by Gulf AMR Middle East’s Vantage GT2, with the team hoping to build on its fourth-placed class finish at Road Atlanta. Qualifying for the race is on Sayutday with the race itself starts at 11.00 on Sunday 13 November for six hours.

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East:  Oman’s Ahmad Al Harthy enjoyed a highly successful outing at Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, 4th November, and Saturday, 5th November, with a strong start to his maiden Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East campaign and a winning debut in the UAE GT Championship. Securing a podium finish in the second of the two Porsche GT3 races, to move into equal third place in the driver standings after the opening weekend of the 12-race season, the Oman Air Racing Team star also teamed-up with double Porsche Carrera Cup GB Champion James Sutton to claim victory in the ‘Endurance Challenge’ which ran as a class in the NGK UAE GT Championship. Pic Porsche Middle East & Africa    Read report

Formula Renault: Jersey based Dan de Zille raced to a top 10 finish in the Final race of the weekend in the Protyre Formula Renault Finals Series.Snetterton saw the Formula Renault Finals Series kick-off this weekend with a strong grid of 29 runners from all over Europe. Dan, running with Fortec Motorsport qualified 16th and 13th for the first two races of the weekend. Dan commented "Getting used to the new tyres and understanding how to look after them is one of the hardest transitions from Formula Ford. If you work them too hard they go off very quickly, unfortunately it wasn't until after qualifying when I got the hang of getting the most out of them in these colder winter conditions!" read report

Karts: Matty Graham overcame the odds to claim what he justifiably described as the greatest achievement of his karting career at Sarno, as he defied his ‘underdog’ status to storm through the spray to clinch the CIK-FIA Under-18 World Championship crown. Pic: Chris Walker / www.kartpix.net  read report

Other News: British racing driver and Jaguar Academy of Sport Ambassador, Martin Brundle tested the Jaguar XKR-S recently at Silverstone race circuit in between his busy Formula One schedule. Martin Brundle was a British racing driver and competed within many motorsport disciplines including, Formula One and the Le Mans 24 hour race. Martin has a long-standing relationship with Jaguar, which he is able to continue through the Academy. The highlight of his racing career with Jaguar was winning the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race in 1990 in the XJR-12. Martin is still a key figure within the world of motorsport and is now part of the Formula One commentary team. His dedication to motorsport is a real inspiration for the Jaguar Academy of Sport Rising Stars and something they can take on board within their respective sports. Martin Brundle, Jaguar Academy of Sport Ambassador, commented: “I am delighted to be a part of the Jaguar Academy of Sport and help Britain’s sports stars of tomorrow. It’s great to take the XKR-S around Silverstone, it’s the most powerful production sports car Jaguar has ever built.  It takes me back to my Le Mans days.” Jeremy Hicks, Managing Director, Jaguar UK commented: “Martin Brundle is a fantastic Ambassador for the Jaguar Academy of Sport. He has dedicated his life to his sport and this kind of determination is something we try and encourage our Rising Stars to take on board. We are delighted to be providing him with the XKR-S and hope he enjoys driving it.”

On Sunday all four Nissan PlayStation® GT Academy winners raced together for the first time. However, this gathering of motor sport drivers was not on the race track, but rather the streets of Manhattan for the New York Marathon. Lucas Ordoñez, Jordan Tresson, Jann Mardenborough and Bryan Heitkotter were four of the 47,438 runners competing in the world-famous Big Apple race. The drivers’ entry into the New York Marathon combined driver physical training with a GT Academy bonding exercise. As part of the intensive five month driver development programme for this year’s graduates, Jann Mardenborough and Bryan Heitkotter have recently been running an average 16 miles a week. Ultimately, the pair’s marathon accomplishment will help prepare them for the physical demands of taking part in their ultimate prize – driving the 420bhp Nissan 370Z GT4 race car in the Dubai 24 Hours in January, 2012. Over two million spectators turned out to cheer on runners from around the world, as they completed the 26.2 mile route that started in Staten Island and made its way through each of New York’s famous five boroughs, before finishing in Central Park. Jordan recorded the best time out of the GT Academy quartet, posting a 3:54.01. Jann was next with a 4:47.59, while Bryan crossed the line at 6:27.52. Meanwhile, Lucas Ordoñez was running a similar pace to Jann, but he agreed not to partake in the full marathon in order to save enough energy for the final round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, which concludes at the Zhuhai Circuit, China, this weekend (11-13 November). Having completed 16 miles of the New York Marathon, Lucas now returns to the race track, having already helped the Signatech Nissan team clinch the LMP2 championship title at Petit Le Mans last month. Mardenborough and Heitkotter will soon be returning to more familiar surroundings when they compete in the Brands Hatch round of the Britcar Championship, on 18/19 November.

Ginetta Winter Series:  HHC Motorsport narrowly missed out on the Ginetta Winter Series after clutch failure struck Charlie Robertson at Snetterton at the weekend.Having finished second in the Ginetta Junior Championship, school pupil Robertson was expected to be the pace-setter for the four-race mini series and so it proved as he took pole position for both races on Saturday. Charlie won race one easily and was leading race two before a clutch problem intervened. As the pace of the Ginetta G40 ebbed away, Charlie lost the lead and had no option to park the car. That cost him a good points haul in the championship where all points counted and it meant that Charlie went into day two needing to win both races. Despite the speed of the HHC Motorsport-run car, Charlie struggled to find a clear lap in qualifying but took third on the grid for both races. A blistering start in the opening race allowed Charlie to take a second win of the weekend along with a new lap record, while he was in similarly feisty form in race two by pulling a great move at the Esses and nipped into the lead. However, rival Max Coates fought back and retook the advantage and George Gamble became involved in the mix as well. Charlie tried to keep ahead of Gamble but ran off the road at Hamilton and fell to fourth place. A typically gutsy recovery meant that Charlie narrowly missed out on a podium finish, and he finished the weekend third in the championship. HHC Motorsport’s Charlie Kemp said: “It was disappointing that we couldn’t translate our speed from the weekend into a championship win. With the need to score points in every race, that retirement in race two was costly but Charlie again proved his ability and reflected the pace of the HHC Motorsport car by taking two wins and a new lap record in a season that has been exceptional for a rookie and we look forward to more success together in 2012.” Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography 

07-11-11

Dan Wheldon will be honoured in a special memorial kart endurance event on Monday, December 5, at Daytona Milton Keynes (UK). Appropriately staged just 10 miles away from Dan’s hometown of Emberton, Buckinghamshire, the event will see drivers from across the realms of worldwide motorsport join together to remember their close friend and colleague. Members of the public will also be able to honour Dan, who lost his life in the final round of the IZOD IndyCar series at Las Vegas last month, in the hope of raising funds for the Wheldon family’s nominated charity, the Alzheimer’s Society. Race organiser Johnny Mowlem, a long-time personal friend and successful sportscar racer, commented: “I just wanted to put together an event to honour Dan. Aside from raising funds for one of the family’s chosen charities, I wanted to bring together people who knew and raced with Dan, to have some fun in his honour and give him a send off he would have been proud of.  “The event has the full support of Dan’s family and his dad and brothers will be taking part and share in the evening. I hope members of the public will also appreciate the opportunity to take part and remember one of Britain’s most successful and charismatic champions.”  Mowlem has already enlisted the support of 2009 FIA Formula One World Champion Jenson Button, reigning IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti, F1 and sportscar star Anthony Davidson, Le Mans winner Guy Smith and World Touring Car Championship title contender Rob Huff, while he hopes to attract a full grid of drivers who knew or raced alongside the double Indy 500 winner and IndyCar champion. Between 25 and 30 teams of four people, each including a professional driver and three members of the public, will take part in the two hour endurance race aboard DMAX 125cc two-stroke water-cooled karts. Public places, available at just £175 (inclusive of VAT), can be booked by calling 0845 644 5503 or email  dwmkr@daytona.co.uk while professional drivers will also make a charity donation. Starting at 6pm, drivers’ briefing will take place at 6.30pm with practice at 7pm preceding the race start at 7.40pm. The evening will conclude with an awards presentation at 9.50pm.

GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East : James Sutton and Ahmad Al Harthy were victorious in Dubai on Saturday (5 November) when they won the Endurance Challenge race for competitors in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. Later, Al Harthy finished third overall in the second round of the championship. With a winning margin of 17 seconds over rivals including German racer Christian Menzel and former Carrera Cup GB champion Damien Faulkner, Sutton and Al Harthy dominated the hour-long race at the Dubai Autodrome. Sutton and Al Harthy were racing for the Oman Air Racing squad, operated by Redline Racing, and the team will now head for Abu Dhabi this weekend (12/13 November) where Al Harthy will race in the GT3 Cup Challenge double-header on the Grand Prix support programme, Al Harthy will head Redline’s three-car team for the Abu Dhabi races. With two sprint races on the Yas Marina Circuit, 2011 Carrera Cup GB champion Sutton will stay on in the Middle East as a driver coach for the team. “I’m delighted with James and Ahmad for winning the endurance race,” said Redline team boss Simon Leonard. “Now, we will focus on getting Ahmad back on the podium in the Grand Prix support races at Abu Dhabi.”

Formula Ford: Adrian Campfield reunited with his 2008 UK Formula Ford Championship team, Kevin Mills Racing and the Australian Spectrum chassis, to take out the Walter Hayes Trophy for FF1600 cars at Silverstone on Sunday. ‘That is mega!’ beamed an obviously elated Kevin Mills. ‘With almost 100 entries, the Walter Hayes has become the most important event on the FF1600 calendar; more than double the cars they get at the Festival. Congratulations to Adrian on a job well done. I’ve already spoken to Mike Borland (Spectrum designer and constructor), who called me from Australia not long after the results were published to say well done. It’s tremendous that the factory pays attention to what we are doing,’ he said. ‘A fantastic result for Adrian, Kevin and our Spectrum chassis,’ is how Borland described the win. ‘You would struggle to find anyone that works harder than Kev and this is a thoroughly well deserved result for his team. I hope he gets the recognition he deserves and that 2012 will be even bigger and better for Kevin Mills Racing,’ Mike added. Equally fast, but not so fortunate was the Wiltshire College Motorsport Spectrum entry of Ben Norton. The Spectrum with Norton at the wheel was quick all weekend, but a DNF in an early heat race had him on the back foot. Ben worked his way back to 8th in the final, including a race win and fastest lap in a heat. The Spectrums were the cars to beat at Silverstone and Norton showed that he could have had a real battle with Adrian in the final.   pic Dennis Goodwin

Ginetta Junior Winter Series : George Gamble is the 2011 Ginetta Junior Winter Series Champion after a consistently strong weekend at Snetterton 300 Circuit – second place in the final round on Sunday, 6th November, enough to seal the TJ Motorsport driver the title by just five points. Following a runner-up placing and victory on Saturday, coupled with fastest lap in the opening two races, Gamble held a 21 point advantage over Jake Giddings and Max Coates. For Giddings, an oil leak prior to the beginning of round three wrecked his hopes of glory but Coates’ challenge gathered momentum over the two days and a last round win got him within touching distance of the title. Gamble played things safe though and, without taking any risks, he was able to finish on the podium as he needed to in the last race to make sure of the title. The action was quite frenetic at points with Giddings, Charlie Robertson and Niall Murray dicing hard but Gamble came through unscathed. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   Read report

Ginetta Junior front-runner Charlie Robertson did all he could to clinch the 2011 Winter Series title at Snetterton over the weekend, 5th/6th November, by winning two of the championship’s four races – but clutch failure in round two ultimately robbed the 14-year-old of his first car racing crown. Getting the four-race series off to a perfect start by dominating the wet qualifying session on Saturday with pole position for the opening two rounds, the Whyteleafe youngster won the first encounter brilliantly to take the initiative in the championship chase. Going on to dominate the first half of round two, Charlie pulled out a healthy advantage but his hard work was undone when the clutch started to disintegrate. With the pace of the car notably slowing, Charlie was passed for the lead and then had no option but to retire. Bouncing back with an outstanding victory in round three, he then just missed out on another podium in round four.In the end, the 30 points lost through the mechanical issue in race two made all the difference as the HHC Motorsport driver missed out on the title by 22 points. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read report

William Palmer delivered a series of strong performances for Hillspeed in the four-round Ginetta Junior Winter Series which ran alongside the Formula Renault ‘Finals Series’ at Snetterton over the weekend, ending the mini-championship with a best finish of seventh position.Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    read report

FIA GT: A second place from the no.23 JRM Racing Nissan GT-R in the San Luis FIA GT1 World Championship Qualifying Race saw Michael Krumm and Lucas Luhr being crowned as the GT1 World Drivers' Champions for 2011.  The German pairing went into the race knowing that any finish of fourth or above would secure them the title after their nearest and only realistic competitor, the no.8 Young Driver Aston Martin, was ruled out of all the weekend's races after a heavy crash in Friday's Pre-Qualifying. Meanwhile, the six points gained by the no.23 JRM on Saturday also helped to close the gap between JRM and Young Driver in the Teams' Championship standings to just three points, with a maximum of 43 available in tomorrow's Championship Race.  Read report 

Since yesterday evening a French team, Hexis AMR, have been FIA GT1 World Champions! A young squad, full of talent and enthusiasm, has given its all right till the very end. In 2009, it was the European GT3 Champion. Last year it was runner-up in the FIA GT1 World Championship and this season HEXIS AMR has won a world title for which four teams were still in the running before the final 60-minutes’ racing got under way.  read report

Formula Renault UK: Archie Hamilton added to his points tally on Sunday with a win and a second place. The two races were the second of three two-race legs held at Snetterton as part of the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault UK Finals Series in which Archie, 20 from Basingstoke, is competing in the BARC class. The remaining two races take place at Rockingham on Saturday   .read report

Josh Webster delivered a star performance on his Formula Renault UK debut at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend, 5th/6th November – the 17-year-old series rookie surprising the established order by claiming his maiden category podium during the opening event of the 2011 ‘Finals Series’.Scoring consistently well during Saturday’s opening two rounds with seventh and fifth place finishes, the Stowmarket driver improved yet further on Sunday to claim fourth position in round three before a sensational second place finish in round four delivered a richly deserved rostrum and third overall in the championship standings. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography       Read report

Victor Jimenez secured his first ever Formula Renault BARC podium finishes on his debut outing as a Hillspeed driver at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend, 5th/6th November – the Spaniard making a terrific start to the six-round ‘Finals Series’ by finishing on the class rostrum in all four races. Switching to the Hathersage based team to join Hillspeed regular Sean Walkinshaw and racing rookie Joe Kibbler, 27-year-old Jimenez did a terrific job in the wet first race to take second position – just a second behind experienced category race winner Archie Hamilton – and repeated the result in race two by finishing a mere 0.9 seconds adrift of the win.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   Read report

India’s Shahaan Engineer enjoyed a fantastically competitive debut in Formula Renault UK during the first event of the six-race ‘Finals Series’ at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend, 5th/6th November – the highlight performance coming on day two where he secured a pair of terrific top 12 finishes.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Dan Wells has secured his second podium finish in as many race days at the first round of the two part Formula Renault Protyre Finals Series at Snetterton circuit. After qualifying on grid 3 for the final race of the day, the Salisbury lad slipped to sixth at the start before fighting his way back up into third on the very last lap in the action packed race.  Read report

Jack Hawksworth has confessed that it is ‘a huge honour’ to have been awarded a coveted Rising Star accolade by the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC).  Off the back of a national and international karting career, Jack graduated into single-seaters in 2011 in the Formula Renault UK Championship. There he impressed by storming to his breakthrough victory at Croft and taking three further podiums along the way, in addition to a pole position and trio of fastest laps that saw him take fourth spot in the Championhsip.  “To be selected by the most prestigious motor racing club in the UK with so many great drivers as members is a huge honour,” enthused the TORGOEN Swiss brand ambassador. “I’m so happy to be one of the lucky few chosen to be a BRDC Rising Star. Only a certain number of drivers are appointed each year, so it’s a real recognition to be one of those that the BRDC deems the most promising. To be noticed by them is brilliant.”  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography 

Rallying: Tony Quinn and Naomi Tillett have made a promising start in the 2011-12 Australian Targa Championship with second place in Targa High Country, which finished on Sunday. Driving a brand new Nissan GT-R, Quinn and Tillett finished 10 seconds behind Jason and John White in their Lamborghini Gallardo Super Tropheo Stadale after two days and 188km of tarmac rallying in Victoria’s Mansfield-Mt Buller region.It wasn’t a trouble-free debut for V.I.P. Petfoods’ 2011-spec GT-R, which replaced the dual Targa Tasmania-winning 2009 model. The updated 390kW all-wheel-drive Japanese supercar’s engine overheated several times during the event, forcing Quinn to slow until the temperature returned to normal. Despite the handicap, the Scottish-born Queenslander and his South Australian navigator led several times during both days and they set the fastest or equal-fastest time on six of the 16 competitive stages. read report

Karts: Luke Whitworth concluded his 2011 karting campaign with two major achievements – a lights-to-flag victory to round off the season, and selection for inclusion on the MSA Academy’s Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE).  Read report

06-11-11

Formula 3: Chris Gilmour used his customary good start to perfect effect at Phillip Island today, powering from third off the line to win the sixth round of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship and solidify his championship lead with one round to go. After being beaten by both James Winslow and John Magro in the two sprint races held as a precursor to the double-points trophy race, Gilmour had watched his 20-point championship lead be halved as the weekend progressed. But with one perfect launch and a controlled 10-lap drive at the front he turned the margin back around with what he described as his ‘best ever drive’ in his 116-race F3 career. Pic: Nathan Wong / Speedshots.com.au  read report

Formula Renault : 20 year old Archie Hamilton from Basingstoke had his best day of his career to date with two wins and two fastest laps in the BARC Class of the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault UK Finals Series. The three leg series started on Saturday at Snetterton on the ‘300’ circuit. Sunday is a repeat of the first day’s two races at with the final two races being held next Saturday at Rockingham(12-13 Nov).   read report

WTCC: By winning the second race in China today, Yvan Muller made a significant step closer to his third World Touring Car Championship title. After finishing the first race in fourth, the Chevrolet driver took advantage from the situation and showcased the real killing instinct that marks out all the greatest motor sport aces.Now the gap between Muller and Rob Huff has been stretched to twenty points, which makes things difficult for the young Briton. However, with 50 points still at stake in Macau, where anything can happen, Huff's hopes are still well and alive. If Muller made the most out of the weekend in terms of championship fight, three other drivers excited the crowd: Alain Menu, Gabriele Tarquini and Colin Turkington. Menu and Tarquini offered another proof of their immense talent and experience, clinching victory in Race 1 and second place in Race 2 respectively as they managed to resist the huge pressure from their chasers. As for Turkington, he got used to make random visits to WTCC that often result in brilliant performances. Once again the Irishman was able to deliver two fantastic races with an independent BMW run by the joint efforts of the Wiechers-Sport and WSR teams. He claimed one second and one fourth, but he deserved more. Although Turkington won both races in the Yokohama Trophy, Kristian Poulsen collected two second places that might prove crucial for the title fight, as the Dane is now leading Norbert Michelisz by 23 points. Fabio Fabiani beat Philip Ma twice in the Jay-Ten Trophy and took the lead in the points. The championship will resume in Macau, on November 20th for the final rounds 23 and 24.

Ginetta Junior Winter Series : George Gamble holds a healthy 21 point lead in the 2011 Ginetta Junior Winter Series standings after the opening day of action at Snetterton in Norfolk, the TJ Motorsport driver winning round two this afternoon, Saturday, 5th November, having finished runner-up to Charlie Robertson in race one.HHC Motorsport’s Robertson, runner-up of the main series this year, utterly dominated the wet qualifying session by taking pole position for both encounters well over a second clear. He got his campaign off to the perfect start in race one with a deserved victory but a non-finish in the second outing – believed to be the result of a gearbox failure – could have already ruined his title hopes. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

BTCC: Luton-based Team ES Racing have announced their 2012 plans with intention to run a 2 car NGTC-spec team in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Talking at the Motorsport UK show in Coventry Team Principal Chris James said: "We are delighted to be able to prove our long term commitment to the BTCC and to have not been a flash in the pan or a one season wonder." Following their debut year in the BTCC with the Chevrolet Lacetti the team will be looking to build on the knowledge and experience gained. "Moving forward the team is able to grow on solid foundations built in the first season, this will allow us to finish regularly in the top 10 and we will be looking to continue to better this." The team also unveiled they are in talks with various drivers with the plan of adding a second car to the team. "Adding a second NGTC-spec car was always our intention and now this is almost in place it confirms our standing as one of the top flight teams in the BTCC"

05-11-11

Formula Renault UK Finals:  20-year-old Salisbury driver Dan Wells has finished second in race two at the first round of the two part 2011 Protyre Formula Renault UK Finals Series on a wet Snetterton circuit, claiming his maiden podium finish of the season.  After qualifying on grid three for the race this morning in similar conditions, Dan made a move on Fortec Competitions driver Felix Serralles to move up into second place. Calm under pressure, Dan pulled a comfortable gap of one second from the chasing group, finishing only 3 tenths behind the race winner.  Read report

AutoGP: Facu Regalia has finished his maiden test in AutoGP at Magione on Friday driving for Campos Racing. At Magione, 19 years old put in some good laps with the team founded and led by former Formula 1 driver Adrián Campos. Earlier on Thursday, Regalia had spent the day adapting to the car and the track,“It was a very good first day for us, in spite of this car is very different from Formula 3 cars which I have driven this year. I had to change my driving style, because this singleseater is really amazing under braking and acceleration conditions”. A minor throttle problem on Thursday prevented him “improving my lap times on fresh tyres, because this problem meant a few tenths lap by lap”, Friday’s session saw Facu take a step forward. the Argentinean driver improved his performance again ending up just two tenths slower than Luca Filippi. “My day was almost perfect, and all of us were really impressed because my lap times were rather good. I have finished very close to Filippi, and it is fair to say another driver blocked me and maybe I could have improve a couple of tenths. I understood how this kind of tyres worked, and it was one of my targets today”, said Regalia, adding his thanks,“this fantastic chance to my father, but also to Adrián Campos. It was an amazing experience to work with an engineer coming from GP2 and a team like Campos Racing. Now I need to work towards my next target, GP3 test!”

Formula 3: James Winslow has closed the margin to F3 Australian Drivers Championship leader Chris Gilmour after taking pole position and a tense race one victory at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit today. Winslow dominated qualifying in his R-Tek Motorsport Dallara and took pole position by nearly six-tenths of a second – however this afternoons’ first 10-lap sprint race was a completely different affair. The British driver jumped to an early lead and sprinted away to an early lead before Magro – who made his best start of the season to jump to second – began closing the leader down, all the while bringing third-placed Gilmour along with him. On the eighth lap Winslow lost time entering the long Gardner straight, allowing Magro to get in his slipstream and began a proper battle for the race lead that culminated in a wheel-to-wheel dice at turn one the following lap. Winslow was able to defend his lead and hold on to win the race with Magro setting the fastest lap en route to second. Gilmour was in contention and third, whilst Mat Sofi struggled to maintain the leading pace and finished a quiet fourth, eight seconds down the road in the Yellow Tail Dallara. Pic: Nathan Wong / Speedshots.com.au   Read full report

WTCC: Alain Menu put his Chevrolet Cruze car on pole position for the first WTCC race in China. On the Shanghai Tianma Circuit the Swiss survived a tricky Q1 and advanced to claim his fourth pole of the season - the second in a row - and the eleventh for Chevrolet out of eleven meetings. Rob Huff had also reasons to rejoice having qualified second in today's Q2 but also winning pole position for Race 2 on the top-ten reverse grid. This placed him in both races ahead of Yvan Muller, his rival in the title fight. Colin Turkington achieved a brilliant result for Wiechers-Sport, ranking third overall and first of the Yokohama Trophy drivers. An outstanding performance considering that the drying tarmac in Q1 made life difficult for the rear-wheel driven cars. Once again Robert Dahlgren and the Polestar Volvo team did not collect what they could, missing the right moment to go for a final attempt in Q1.

Q1 - The track was damp after a light rain when the session kicked off. In less than five minutes the red flag was waved after Charles Ng stranded his car in the gravel bed of Turn 1; the Hong Kong man was not allowed to rejoin having been towed off the gravel.
Lap times improved at a frantic pace when the session resumed, as the racing lines were quickly drying up. Tom Coronel marked the beginning and the end of the shootout to make the top-ten. The ROAL Motorsport driver set a provisional fastest lap of 1:11.913 immediately after the red flag and improved by six seconds, posting the session's best time of 1:06.690 when the chequered flag dropped.Seven different drivers took turns in the lead between Coronel's exploits: Poulsen, Michelisz, Dudukalo, Tarquini, Villa, Engstler and Nykjær.Place-swapping dominated the final seconds, with drivers being kicked off and bouncing back. The latest victims were Kristian Poulsen, Javier Villa and Robert Dahlgren, while the three Chevrolet men Alain Menu, Yvan Muller and Rob Huff managed to make the cut in third, seventh and tenth positions respectively.The following drivers advanced to Q2: Coronel, Michelisz, Menu, Turkington, Oriola, Monteiro, Muller, Barth, Tarquini and Huff who will start on pole for tomorrow's second race.

Q2 - The track was nearly dry and Menu was the first one to post a quick lap of 1:05.766, while Huff aborted his first attempt and went back to the pits.Turkington claimed a provisional pole position with the time of 1:05.712, but he was soon ousted by Huff's 1:05.700.However Menu's final attempt was worth a 1:05.555 that gave him another pole. At the same time Muller spoiled his last chance when he lost the back of his car and nearly spun at Turn 5, which left him in seventh position behind Michelisz, Tarquini and Coronel.

GP2: Alexander Rossi will have a busy end to the 2011 season, competing for Caterham Team AirAsia in the forthcoming GP2 Finale in Abu Dhabi and then taking part in the F1 young driver test for the GP2 team’s senior counterparts Team Lotus. The GP2 Series newcomer showed great pace in both recent GP2 tests at Barcelona and Jerez and finished the final test session P2 after just three days in the new car. The team have high hopes for the young American who adapted very quickly, proving he will be a strong contender in the GP2 2011 finale race Abu Dhabi, from 11th – 13th November. He will also be given the chance to take the next step up to F1 with one full day in the post-F1 race at the Yas Marina Circuit, taking place from 15th – 17th November. Team Principal Riad Asmat: “We are very excited to have Alexander Rossi back onboard for the Abu Dhabi GP2 race and the subsequent F1 test. He worked very well with the GP2 team during the tests in Spain and it will be great to continue that working relationship in addition to giving him more exposure to the F1 environment with Team Lotus. He has shown maturity and confidence on track so the decision to put him in the car for the GP2 finale was a simple one to make and we want to give him the chance to experience the pressure of an F1 environment so the young driver test is the natural place to give him that chance. We are all looking forward to both events and I am sure he will perform to the best of his ability whenever he is on track.”  Caterham Team AirAsia Team Manager Phill Spencer: “I am very happy Alexander will be joining our GP2 team again in Abu Dhabi. He has shown great potential in the car and built up a good rapport with the team and especially his engineer during the post season tests. We have come a long way since the beginning of this year, it has been a roller coaster season with some highs and lows but I feel confident that with Alexander we can finish 2011 on a positive note.” 
Alexander Rossi “I am very excited to finally announce I will be competing in Abu Dhabi with Caterham Team AirAsia and will have the chance to put more F1 miles on my CV with Team Lotus. After the positive GP2 tests in Jerez and Barcelona I feel we have a good chance of a strong result in the GP2 races and I will definitely be going into the weekend fully focused and motivated for a race win - looking at the team’s past results I see no reason why we can’t achieve that. For the F1 test I will be looking to learn as much as possible, do the best job I can and soak up every minute, in and out of the car.The Yas Marina track itself has some quite slow corners and not a great deal of overtaking opportunities, but it seems to combine a road course with a circuit course. In the first two sectors you can be quite brave with what you’re doing but in the marina section there’s very little run-off area as the walls are really close, so you have to restrain yourself somewhat. Every lap requires two different driving styles and that in itself makes it fun and very interesting to race for both the drivers and the engineers.”

04-11-11

Donington Park have announced former  Masters racing Club supremo and Rockingham co-founder Christopher Tate as the new managing director. “There’s a great deal to do here, and we are looking towards a partnership between us, the local authority and the public., “ he said.“We now have a noise management agreement with North West Leicestershire Council, with 55 days of racing, to be split between cars and bikes. We need to be realistic over noise and I expect positive community interaction, as motor racing has mainly been for the participants. “It’s a period of cautionary  expansion, with a slow but steady impact on the local economy. So we need to busy here every day and look at what MSVR have done as our benchmark. “Donington is the best loved British circuit by drivers and riders. We want more Touring Cars, GT’s, bikes and a big emphasis on Historic and nostalgia. We are not really going to pitch our single seater targets any higher than British F3, but look forward in welcoming them back, “ he concluded.

Formula Renault: Atech Reid GP have announced the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault finals series driver line up ahead of round one of the two-part series at Snetterton and Rockingham circuit. Dan Wells will continue his season with the team, who finished 3rd on their debut in the 2011 CERTINA Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship. Lining up next to him will be Australian driver Geoff Uhrhane, who was scouted by the team from the Formula Ford category early this year. As a late entrant to the series, Ethan Ringel will complete the 3 car entry but will only partake in the practice sessions for the first round at Snetterton. He will be hoping to complete in the full second round of the series at Rockingham next week. “I have been testing the GP3 car recently with David Hayle and Atech CRS and it was suggested to me that the Formula Renault 2.0 Finals series would be a good opportunity for me to get some car racing experience. Unfortunately it was a last-minute decision and I am only allowed to partake in the practice sessions this week but, I am hoping to get a full entry for the next round in Rockingham. “ Ringel stated.After finishing inside the top 10 in the 2011 CERTINA Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship, Dan Wells commented “It is a great way to end the year and also to prepare for next season because of the amount of track time we will receive.” Dan stated, “ I really enjoyed my time racing with Atech Reid GP this year and plan to continue with the team in 2012. I will be pushing at the 2 rounds to secure my maiden podium finish in the category before returning to the full series next year “Geoff Uhrhane added “This will be a real test this weekend after racing the Formula Ford all year. It’s great to get so much track time before qualifying and I will be looking to improve every session.” Geoff stated. “It was a huge learning curve stepping into the Formula Renault 2.0 at the end of the season at Brands Hatch this year but, I am confident that the Protyre Finals series will be a brilliant opportunity for me to get used to the car in time for the 2012 championship.”The packed schedule will give all of the drivers plenty of time on the circuit and, with seven practice sessions scheduled ahead of the first round this weekend at Snetterton there is a chance for drivers to qualify for their National A license ahead of the 2012 championship year.Team Principal Anthony Reid commented on the series “There will be four, 45 minute races, two on each day after qualifying which will give our drivers plenty of racing experience heading into the 2012 season. It’s a great opportunity to get the feel of the car, its going to be very busy for the drivers but a great experience none the less”

Porsche Carrera Cup GB: Nineteen year-old Daniel Lloyd has won the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship.Lloyd was chosen from four Scholarship finalists for the prize, which is topped by a massive £80,000 contribution to his Carrera Cup GB budget for 2012. After a day of demanding evaluation at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone on Monday (31 October), the judging panel selected Lloyd as the 2012 Scholar. The identity of the winner was unveiled on-line at 10am this morning (Friday 4 November 2011) at http://origin.porsche.com/uk  Lloyd was overjoyed when he watched the video clip and discovered that he had been selected. “It really does mean everything to me to win the Scholarship,” said Lloyd. “I’ve never been so happy in my life. It is a huge deal; I’ve put so much effort into this and I’m so happy it has paid off. It has been a horrible week waiting for the result, and I was very emotional when they announced my name. I really can’t stress how much this will change my life and career. Ever since I started racing on the BTCC package when I was 15, I always looked up to the Carrera Cup and thought it was what I wanted to do. Without the Scholarship we wouldn’t be able to do the Carrera Cup next season, so it really does mean the world to me. To get to where I am today has been a real team effort and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my parents,” he continued. “It will mean everything to them as well; they are very supportive and they’d love to see me succeed in the Carrera Cup.” “The four finalists were all excellent candidates,” said Carrera Cup manager Marion Barnaby. “It was a very tough decision for the judging panel but Daniel impressed in all areas and I believe he will be a very worthy 2012 Scholar.” The four finalists completed a rigorous evaluation process, including driving the latest 450bhp 911 GT3 Cup car on the Silverstone National circuit. They also were put through panel interviews, media assessment and a daunting programme of fitness testing. Read Daniels story

ILMC/LMS: OAK Racing will conclude their 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season at the Zhuhai International Circuit on November 13 with three of their OAK-Pescarolo prototypes set to compete at the Chinese venue. As China’s first permanent race track Zhuhai occupies a place in motorsport history, but it also holds special memories for OAK Racing, who enjoyed considerable success during last season’s trip to the circuit. Pics: Clément Marin    Read more

Allan McNish hopes to serve up a winning Chinese recipe of his own on Sunday with the Scotsman aiming to lay to rest a miserable ILMC season at Zhuhai. McNish partners Tom Kristensen in a turbo diesel-engined Audi R18 TDI in the seventh and final round of the ILMC which has been particularly cruel to the Dumfries-born ace. A third, two fourths and a sixth is all the luckless former double Le Mans 24 Hour race winner has to show for his efforts this season in Audi’s sleek new V6 TDI powered Coupe. A series of blameless collisions, all but one while lapping slower GT traffic, have cost McNish the chance of victory in four of the six races this year.McNish & Kristensen finished second in last year’s corresponding inaugural Chinese race, less than five seconds behind the winning Peugeot, after a Safety Car period eroded a 32secs lead McNish had amassed. “Audi goes to Zhuhai with the ILMC title already decided in favour of our rivals so I have one goal in mind, which is to win the final race of the year,” confirmed McNish.“We [Audi] won the big one, the Le Mans 24 Hours, but for me personally I’m eager to finish what has been a largely frustrating season on a high note. Since our Le Mans victory in June, the R18 TDI has been developed further and I think our performances at Silverstone and in Atlanta, have shown us to be right on the pace and in contention for race wins if it had not been for silly little incidents.The Zhuhai race is going to be a close fight between us and Peugeot again – just like last year. A Safety Car cost us a lot of time then there were some dubious tactics employed by the opposition in the closing stages which delayed our progress.” The McNish/Kristensen Audi is joined by a “sister” R18 TDI of Marcel Fässler (Switzerland) and Timo Bernhard (Germany) in the six-hour race around the 2.7-mile, 14-corner Zhuhai International Circuit located at Jin Ding town in Zhuhai.Allan continued: “Zhuhai features a couple of slow, ‘hairpin’ corners which are not necessarily ideal for the R18 TDI which is designed for the fast, sweeping corners of Le Mans, while another big question mark for me hangs over the weather and if we get rain showers like we did through the course of the week last year. When it rains there, it rains – I guess a bit like Scotland!  My first ever journey outside of Europe as a racing driver was to Macau in 1989 and it was like a massive adventure. Going to Zhuhai last year, which is only an hour or so from Macau, brought back a lot of memories.”

Interview with Alexandre PESCI, Rebellion Racing Team Principal - Rebellion Racing will remain the exclusive partner of Toyota Motorsport GmbH for the petrol engine programme.  Read Q & A

On November 13, at the close of a successful motorsport season, highlighted by the tenth triumph at the Le Mans 24 Hours and the title win in the DTM, Audi is contesting the 6-hour race at Zhuhai, China, the country that has meanwhile evolved into AUDI AG’s largest sales market.  As early as in the first week of October the brand with the four rings equalled the Chinese sales record from the entire year of 2010. In 2011, Audi expects sales to reach the level of more than 300,000 vehicles there for the first time. For Audi, the finale of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) at Zhuhai is thus a fitting occasion to celebrate the Chinese record. The brand’s success in China is also rooted in motorsport. In 1985 and 1986, the legendary Audi quattro won the Hong Kong-Beijing Rally two consecutive times. Audi competed with the A4 DTM at Shanghai twice. And on the debut of the sports prototypes at Zhuhai last year the spectators were thrilled by the Audi R15 TDI. Now the Chinese fans can look forward to the Audi R18 TDI, the vehicle that is arguably the world’s most fascinating race car in terms of technology. It embodies the company’s ultra-lightweight design technology and demonstrates downsizing at the highest level. Although the engine’s cubic capacity was reduced from last year’s 5.5 to 3.7 litres the R18 TDI is hardly slower than its predecessor. And it impressively proved that it is possible to win the Le Mans 24 Hours even with an ultra-compact diesel engine.  The Audi R8 LMS, which has meanwhile become one of the world’s most successful GT3 sports cars with a track record of over 100 victories, will make a grand appearance at the ILMC finale as well. A total of three R8 LMS, fielded by Asian Audi customer teams, will be on the grid. Audi Sport customer racing China is relying on Edoardo Mortara (I)/Darryl O’Young (HK)/Alexandre Imperatori (CH). Audi race experience China is competing with Jeffrey Lee (CN)/Florian Gruber (D). Driving duties of the R8 LMS from Hitotsuyama Racing are shared by Akihiro Tsuzuki (J)/Michael Kim (USA)/Carlo van Dam (NL). Their rival in the GTC class is the former Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen, among others.

Formula 3: Wings and Slicks will return to their spiritual South Australian home in 2012 following confirmation that the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship will open their season at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide. The March 1-4 event will mark the Gold Star’s return to the Adelaide parklands circuit for the first time since 2009, a circuit that is a key figure in Australian open wheel history. Whilst reflecting on the history of the circuit, the round will also look forward to a bright future for Formula 3 in Australia. As the opening round of the 2012 championship, the Clipsal 500 will help usher in a new era for the championship with new vehicles becoming eligible for the championship next year - and new stars from Australia and the world set to tackle the series once again. Adelaide is the home to two professional Formula 3 teams – six-time champions Team BRM and R-Tek Motorsport – whilst a new two-car team from Asia has indicated their intent to compete at the event next season, amongst other national and international interest already being received. “The Clipsal 500 circuit is one of the best tracks, anywhere,” said Formula 3 stalwart and current (2011) championship leader, Chris Gilmour. “To be able to race on a circuit that has so much history is amazing - and that’s before you find out that it’s also a hugely challenging, especially when you’re sitting six inches from the ground in a concrete canyon and approaching turn eight at 245km/hr. We take that corner absolutely flat out without lifting off the throttle – and it’s a pretty eye opening experience. It’s awesome Formula 3 is heading back to the Clipsal 500 Adelaide and we’ll make sure we put on a great show.” Formula 3 cars are made by constructors including Dallara and Mygale, and are powered by two-litre, Production based engines producing approximately 240HP. Weighing just 540kg with drivers on board, the cars accelerate from zero to 100km/hr in under 3 seconds. A Formula 3 car holds the current Adelaide Parklands circuit outright lap record, New Zealand driver Earl Bamber setting the benchmark at 1:18.6011, in 2008. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK photos

Rallycross: Tony Lynch will hope to wrap up second place in the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship standings this weekend when the curtain comes down on the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship season at Croft. Tony goes into the season finale with a five point lead over Adam Clark in the fight to take second in the standings, with rival Dave Bellerby having already secured the championship crown for the second straight year. With a raft of bad luck over the course of the year having ended Tony’s hopes of taking the title himself, the Lucas Oils Team Geriatric driver now heads to the North East eager to end the year on a high with a second win of the year. “We won the first round of the season at Lydden Hill so it would be good if we could end the year with another win,” he said. “Over the course of the season, I’ve matched Dave for pace but through a combination of bad luck and incidents that weren’t my fault, I’ve not been able to beat him to the title. However, victory this weekend would secure second in the championship and match our result from last year, so that is the aim as we head to Croft. The boys have worked hard on the car to make sure it’s in perfect shape for the weekend and it’s now down to me to make sure we go into the off-season celebrating a strong finish.”  As well as hosting the final round of the British Rallycross Championship season on Saturday, Croft will also host the British Rallycross Grand Prix the following day, with Tony amongst the Suzuki drivers to have confirmed they will take part. “The chance to take part in the Grand Prix was something we couldn’t turn down as it will give us extra chance to promote the sponsors who have supported us all year,” Tony added. “The fact it doesn’t count for the championship also means we can go out and race without having to worry about points and championship positions, and I think that myself, Dave and the rest of the Suzuki drivers will put on a great show for the fans.”

GP2: Jolyon Palmer will drive for current GP2 Team Champions Barwa Addax at the forthcoming GP2 Finals event in Abu Dhabi on 12/13 November. The 20-year-old, one of the leading rookies in the main 2011 season, drove for Addax at the recent Jerez and Barcelona tests and was in the top ten on both days. Jolyon will make his race debut with the team at next weekend’s non-championship event at Yas Marina, supporting Formula One. Palmer competed at the circuit in February this year during the GP2 Asia Series, and secured an impressive 10th place finish in race two. Jolyon, who finished as runner-up in the FIA Formula Two Championship in 2010, said: “I am very happy to be driving for Addax in Abu Dhabi. I feel comfortable with the team, having recently completed two days of testing for them. With a year of GP2 experience now and having raced at Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, I am confident I will be able to run towards the front.”  Chris Murphy, Addax Technical Director, added: “Jolyon has made good progress with us during his two days of testing at Jerez and Barcelona, and following recent preparation on the Addax driving simulator he is ready to impress at a GP2 track at which he already has experience in his first GP2 season.”  The season-ending 2011 GP2 Final gets underway on 11 November with the opening practice session.

Karts: Even now that the end of the season is approaching, Sodi is definitely not resting on its laurels. On the contrary, there is some intense work going on at the Nantes factory, which is preparing a whole series of racing novelties for 2012. But even so races have not been left aside... Sodi continues to collect trophies., both in France and abroad. Anthoine Hubert won the Essay round of the U18 World Championship, before Sodi conquered the Japanese Championship in Super KF with Yuuya Suzuki, the Belgian KF3 Championship with Florian Latorre, and Anthoine Lepesqueux took victory in DD2 at the Zuera Open Rotax, while the French chassis has monopolised the top of the classification at the Essay GPO.  read more

A classic year-end race like the WSK Final Cup often provides some good indications of what could happen the following season. For CRG, things look favourable for 2012 given that Mirko Torsellini was capable of winning the KZ2 final despite starting from last place after qualifying. The two new recruits in KZ1, Felice Tiene and Jordon Lennox-Lamb, made successful debuts just behind a Davide Forè, who was on form in sixth place, while Arnaud Kozlinski claimed fourth place before retiring. read report

WTCC: Just like at Suzuka two weeks ago, Chevrolet driver Alain Menu set the fastest lap in today's test at the Shanghai Tianma Circuit. The Swiss racer posted a fastest lap of 1:05.978 in the dying seconds of the 30-minute session, climbing ahead of Robert Dahlgren and Colin Turkington. Under an overcast sky, WTCC competitors had their first taste of the Chinese racetrack using the first part of the test session for getting to know the twisty circuit. Despite their cautious approach some drivers had moments, especially at Turn 12, where Franz Engstler, Kristian Poulsen, Michelisz, and Mehdi Bennani all spun and rejoined. Lap times improved consistently with Tom Coronel, Norbert Michelisz and Rob Huff setting the early pace.Dahlgren and Menu signed the first significant improvements; the Swede completed a 1:06.912 that was immediately beaten by Menu's 1:06.890. However Dahlgren responded with a 1:06.815 with ten minutes left.Moments after, Javier Villa spun off at Turn 4 beaching his BMW onto the gravel trap, which forced the race director to wave the red flag.When the session resumed, Turkington posted a new provisional fastest lap of 1:06.317 and then improved further to 1:06.103. But Dahlgren reclaimed the first position once again clocking a 1:06.017 with only five minutes to go. A time that was eventually beaten by Menu's last spell of 1:05.978.  Huff (1:06.11), Yvan Muller (1:06.131) and Coronel (1:06.757) rounded up the top six.

Hong Kong-based team Corsa Motorsport have entered a second Chevrolet Lacetti in the WTCC Macau Guia Race. Kuok Io Keong will join his fellow Macau countryman Filipe Clemente de Souza who had been entered earlier. The 35-year old Kuok Io Keong has built his racing experience in the Asian and Macau touring car series, claiming class victories in the 2010 Macau AAMC Challenge and the 2011 Macau Road Sport Series. Last year he tried to qualify in the WTCC event at Macau at the wheel of a Honda Accord car, to no avail.

Macau-based team RPM Motorsport have entered a BMW 320si rin their home WTCC event. Mak Ka Lok will be at the wheel of the 2.0-litre normally aspirated German car.The 46-year old Mak Ka Lok has mostly raced in the Far East region, taking part in the Asia, China, Hong Kong and Macau touring car series. His best results were victory in the 1999 Macau Cup Race and third place in the 2010 Asian Touring Car Series.

Once again the Engstler Motorsport will run four cars in Macau. Jo Rosa Merszei will take the wheel of the team's 2.0-litre normally aspirated BMW 320si car that was raced by Charles Ng in Suzuka and is driven by Fabio Fabiani this weekend in Shanghai. Rosa Merszei - 37 years old - was born in Hong Kong, but is a Macau citizen and is obviously a familiar face for the Guia circuit, as he took part in many races there, from the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix to the WTCC events in 2009 and 2010.

03-11-11

ALMS: Tyre manufacturer Falken has announced it will return to the ALMS (American Le Mans Series) next year with a 2012 specification Porsche GT3 RSR run by Derrick Walker.  2011 drivers Wolf Henzler and Brian Sellers also expected to return to the squad. “The new chassis makes us one of the first teams in the world to have one of these incredibly sophisticated race cars,” explains Andrew Hoit, Falken’s vice president of marketing. The ALMS Falken team secured two class victories in the 2011 series, winning at Baltimore and the very wet Mid-Ohio round. The ALMS confirmation follows Falken Europe’s recent announcement to return to the Nürburgring 24 Hours and selected with VLN races with a Sven Schnabl-run Porsche 997 GT3 R in 2012. "Motorsports takes on multiple meanings for Falken," added Nick Fousekis, Falken’s director of motorsports. "We use all forms of racing to help test, develop and market our products. Obviously, winning is the ultimate goal, but it isn't the only one. What we learn at the track helps make Falken products that much better at the consumer level. For this reason alone, Falken will remain deeply involved in motorsports and performance."

LMS: Greaves Motorsport has enjoyed phenomenal success in the 2011 season, a class win in the Le Mans 24 Hours was followed by victory in the Le Mans Series. However when the Champagne stops flowing and the applause dies away, planning the next season has to be the priority for the team. Tim Greaves, Team Principal of Greaves Motorsport, discussed the prospects for 2012. Read Q & A

Auto GP: Facu Regalia makes his debut in Auto GP today, testing for Campos Racing. Campos Racing, a well experienced team led by former Formula 1 driver Adrián Campos, will have Regalia in one of its cars today(Thursday) and Friday at the Magione circuit,  Autodromo dell´Umbria in Perugia. “Adrián called me, and I was told he was looking at my career in motorsport and it could be interesting for both them and me, to drive one of its Auto GP cars at Magione, during this week´s collective testing. All Auto GP teams will be there, and I´ve to recognize this test is a great chance for me. This car is almost a GP2 singleseater, and it means to make progress as a driver”, Regalia explained before his trip to Italy. “I want to know how this car is, and I will try my adaptation being as fast as possible. I worked hard in gym, because this car is physically demanding. I will try my best and to be happy with my result at the end”, Regalia added.  

The Australian Formula Ford Championship heads to Symmons Plains in Tasmania for the final round of the 2011 season next weekend, and while the championship has already been wrapped up, there is still plenty to fight for. Sonic Motor Racing Services driver Cameron Waters became the youngest ever Australian Formula Ford champion when he secured the title in the final race on the Gold Coast last time out. But even with the title safely in the bag, Waters is adamant he will be pushing hard next weekend to finish his Formula Ford career on a high. "It was an unbelievable weekend on the Gold Coast, I knew I didn't need to do too much to wrap up the title and I actually made it more difficult that it should have been. When I finally got the points I needed in the final race it was a massive relief after a tough season," Waters said. "It's really starting to sink in now and I'm starting to realise the significance of being an Australian Formula Ford champion. So many great drivers have won it in the past and gone on to great things and I obviously want to try and do the same.In Tasmania I'm just focused on winning races and the round to try and end the year on another positive, I enjoy the circuit and I was fast there last year, so I'm confident I can get a good result in my last Formula Ford round."  Behind Waters the battle for second and third in the championship has hotted up in recent rounds, with three drivers now vying for the remaining podium spots. CAMS Rising Star Jack Le Brocq currently leads the charge in second thanks to victory on the streets of Surfers Paradise, but both Nick Foster and Tom Williamson are still in the mix. "Winning on the Gold Coast was really a boost in the championship for me, we went into the weekend hoping to grab the second spot, but I certainly didn't expect to have such a gap heading into the final round," Le Brocq said. "I feel like I can have another good round in Tasmania and finish second in the championship now, Cam has had an amazing year so congratulations to him on winning the championship, but it will still mean a lot if I can finish second. I think Symmons Plains should suit me so I'm looking forward to trying to get my third round win of the year." Only one local driver will compete in the round, with State CAMS Rising Star Callum Mitchell back for another run in the national series. The Tasmanian has been competing in the Victorian state series this year, but will line up for his home round. In total 14 cars will make the trip across Bass Straight for the final round of the championship with the drivers taking to the track for the first time on Friday morning ahead of races on Saturday and Sunday.

The seventh round of the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship was held recently on the streets of Surfers Paradise during the Armor All Gold Coast 600.Catch all the action as Australia’s future stars take to the track over three races as Cameron Waters attempts to secure the championship with one round still remaining on 7mate. The concrete walls and tight circuit meant plenty of works for the teams across the whole weekend. Watch it on Saturday 5 November at 3:00pm AEDT (check your local guides) on 7mate. 

F3: Roberto Merhi (Prema Powerteam) did not only win the 2011 Formula 3 Euro Series title but also secured the top position in nearly every other statistic oiver the season. He won more races than anybody else, secured more podiums, clinched the highest number of poles for the first and the third races - and the highest number of fastest race laps by the Prema driver. In the end, there was just one statistic where he didn’t prevail: when it comes to first places in the practice sessions and pre-event tests, he was defeated by Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport). Altogether, the Spaniard was involved in 20 podium ceremonies while he didn’t make it to the top three in just seven races.  Second position in podium-finises was Daniel Juncadella with 14, thus underlining the dominance of Prema Powerteam in 2011. In addition to the drivers’ championship courtesy of Merhi, the Italian team also secured the title for the best team in the 2011 season. Runner-upMarco Wittman had one podium less than Juncadella and was second behind Merh  in wins with five under his belt. Juncadella had to share third position with the best rookie of the season, Nigel Melker, with 3 wins a-piece.

Karts: While preparing for his forthcoming car racing debut after some promising preliminary tests in Formula Renault 2.0, Esteban Ocon wanted to leave karting, which gave him so much satisfaction, with an important title in his pocket. And that is exactly what he did, since the driver from Equipe de France became French KF3 Champion with panache and determination. For Esteban Ocon, who has been supported for two years by Gravity Sport Management, this new achievement will certainly stimulate him to aim even higher…read report

The last major international meeting of the European season for the elite of karting, the WSK Final Cup, was a not-to-miss event for KZ1 specialists, with most of the best drivers present at Ortona, on the Adriatic cost of Italy. Beitske Visser, who again displayed the orange colours of an Intrepid chassis, had quite a hard time at the start and during qualifying. But that did not dampen her determination to do well and her competitiveness saw her cross the finish line of the final in 5th place!  Read report

02-11-11

Formula Ford: Expertise from the worldwide Formula Ford community helped to stage a successful support race programme at last weekend’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix. Several Formula Ford drivers took part in the two MRF Delhi Championship races and a party of British Formula Ford race engineers and mechanics travelled to the sub-continent to work behind the scenes. One of the races was won by 2009 Australian Formula Ford Champion Nick Percat; he led home a field of 20 MRF Formula 1600 cars which included Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain drivers past and present Chrissy Palmer, Zaamin Jaffer, Alex Waters, Kourosh Khani and Philippe Layac. The Indian single-seaters are based on a Van Diemen chassis and are powered by Ford’s 1.6-litre Duratec engine; bodywork aside, they are not far removed from the cars seen in action in Britain up to this season. One of the travelling mechanics was ex-Formula Ford racer Linton Stuteley who, with his Enigma Motorsport colleague Tom Farquhar, put in many hours of work under the awning in the Buddh International Circuit paddock. “It was a fascinating experience,” said Linton, “and great fun, although it may be many years before I tackle another curry. There were around 10 of us from Britain who made the trip to help them look after the cars, and we all had a brilliant time and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a superb post-event paddock party as well. The cars were quite familiar to work on, though some of the local preparation concepts were a bit unusual.” Sam Roach, Championship Manager of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain said. “This is a great reminder that Formula Ford is just as important to the development of the careers of engineers and technicians as it is to those of drivers.  For both technicians and drivers from the Formula Ford community to be invited to participate in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix meeting is a testament to the regard in which those associated with our formula are held around the world, as well as a great opportunity for the individuals concerned.”

Karts: The 2012 Donington Historic Festival has been chosen as the venue for the first-ever Historic Kart World Championships, giving classic motorsport fans even more to enjoy on May 5th and 6th as some 150 historic karts, including machines originally campaigned by Graham Hill and Ayrton Senna, join the action on a specially laid-out circuit using the Donington GP Loop. The inaugural Donington Historic Festival, in 2011 was characterised by spectacular racing featuring over 300 historic race cars from around the world. The addition of the karts, and drivers from the USA, Australia, New Zealand and all over Europe, to the Festival’s thrilling mix of sportscars, single-seaters, classic saloons and mighty Group C cars should ensure that the 2012 event raises the bar even higher.Festival organiser, Duncan Wiltshire, said, “We are delighted that the British Historic Kart Club has selected the Donington Historic Festival as the stage for the inaugural Historic Kart World Championships. One of our key aims has always been that the Festival offers a wealth of racing excitement and entertainment for spectators, and the karts will really add to that, bringing former World and British Champions, and some very special machines.”  Among the stars already entered for this world-first is British Historic Kart Club Patron, the veteran racing driver Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams, who will race one of his father’s creations, a 1959 Fastakart/Villiers. Karting legends scheduled to appear include the 1967 World Karting Champion Edgardo Rossi (Switzerland) and 1978 World Champion Lake Speed (USA), plus former British champions Reg Gange Jnr, Bill Longden and Bob Phair. There will also be a strong contingent of lady competitors, including the current European Champion, 100cc vintage, Tania le Couilliard, British Champion 250cc classic, Claire Atkinson and the Dutch racer Miranda van Middendorp.  Significant karts taking part include the 1959 Progress in which Graham Hill won the first-ever kart race held in the UK.  This will compete alongside the famous front-engined Del-kart/Suzuki that was part of the Donington Collection for thirty years; both karts racing for the first time in several decades. Ayrton Senna’s World Championship DAP kart – last raced in 1979 by the great man himself – will compete for Classic Class 1 honours, while former champion Peter Burgess will pilot the Martin Hines-built Burgess Special Zip/ Bultaco. There will also be demonstration laps by some rare machines, including the very first kart ever made by Art Ingels and the Biagi 701/Bultaco, the creation of 1961 Scottish champion Paul Biagi.For further information and Festival tickets please visit www.doningtonhistoric.com. 

01-11-11

Lotus 1000km: The second running of the Lotus 1000km takes place this Saturday (5 November) at Brands Hatch and the event is sure to provide plenty of fireworks on Guy Fawkes' night! The race recalls the great sportscar encounters of the past, when the BOAC 500 6-hour classic was renamed to reflect the faster speeds of the late 1960s. From Pedro Rodriguez's legendary win in the rain at the first 1000km to victory for Andy Wallace, Martin Brundle and John Nielsen that set up Jaguar's World Sportscar Championship in 1988, the race was a highlight of the sporting calendar along with the British Grand Prix. The reborn event is run to the rules of MSVR's Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup series, which saw BBC Formula 1 anchorman Jake Humphrey make his racing debut in 2009. Other famous names that have raced in the Elise Trophy include Andy Green, the World Land Speed Record holder and former Lotus F1 driver Martin Donnell. BTCC  race winner Paul O'Neill will be defending his win from 2010 in the car he shares with regulars BJ Chong and Paul McNeily. A highlight of his drive was an intense 90-minute duel with the GWS Motorsport Exige. "It was a spectacular event that I had to leave early for the Touring Car awards", explained Paul. "So it's nice to be back at the track and to do it again this year. At last year’s race I had the opportunity to do as well as I could, but at the same time it was good to give the other guys a chance to drive in their own car. It ended up really well for us and was a good battle in tricky conditions - I enjoyed it." It will be a tall order for O'Neill, however, as he faces stiff competition from the Lotus Motorsport-entered Evora GT, which will be piloted by Lotus' Gavan Kershaw and GT racer Stuart Hall. Meanwhile former European GT Champion Sean Edwards will be piloting a Europa in the top class. Other entries include Ramon Pineiro, who arrives fresh from claiming third place in the FIA Formula Two Championship, plus former BTCC drivers Phill Bennett and Eugene O'Brien, both aiming to win the Production class.With qualifying taking place on Friday 4 November in the dark, the race starts at 9:05 the following day and will be completed at dusk.

GT: David Pittard has been testing a Porsche Carrera Cup GT car at Silverstone, something he has been looking forward to all year.  "I had been buzzing for this day for weeks and weeks” revealed Pittard. “A chance to drive something with more than double the horse power I have ever driven, and with such a prestigious name as Porsche was a dream come true." read more

BTCC: A comprehensive British Touring Car Championship engine ‘flow-test programme’, that will result in establishing each turbo engine’s baseline boost pressure for next season, is currently being conducted independently by Lotus Engineering utilising its extensive resources and expertise.The work is being processed through the championship’s Engine Technical Review Panel – every engine builder involved in the Dunlop-backed BTCC is an active member of the ETRP. The panel is headed by independent Chairman, Clive Dopson, an internationally renowned automotive engine/powertrain consultant. BTCC Series Director Alan Gow commented: “The purpose of this programme is not to make every race engine perform in exactly the same way – it’s only right that the best engineering, the best design, the best teams and, of course, the best drivers still see their efforts related to their on-track performances. “No, the test programme is simply to reduce any wide performance variances resulting from significant differences in the fundamental port/valve designs of the original production engines. It will identify and quantify those that produce superior airflow through the cylinder head and those that don’t, in order that their baseline turbo boost pressure is set accordingly. “Thereafter, during the course of the season, a strict mathematic calculation – based on a rolling average of each model’s qualifying and lap times over a set number of events – will determine if any further changes should be made to their respective boost levels. “This will have the virtue of being an entirely clear, definitive procedure which utilises a set calculation and methodology to adjust any significant performance imbalances, based on the qualifying/race lap times achieved by each model. Over the next few weeks we will, of course, be defining the parameters more precisely, once we have validated all the data. “The important thing is that our teams have unanimously agreed to both the process of the flow-testing and to the introduction of the boost-adjustment calculation method during the season, as they all very much recognise the huge positive benefits it will have for everyone.” The BTCC’s championship and race success ballast system remains in place and unaltered for next season. However, from 2012 the top 15 finishers in each BTCC race will score points (previously only the top ten scored). This will apply to all of the BTCC Drivers, Independent Drivers, HiQ Teams and Independent Teams championships. This revised points system will be announced at a later date.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB : The identity of the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship winner will be unveiled on-line at 10am on Friday 4 November 2011. The winner will be announced on the Porsche Origin website, which already carries extensive coverage of the Carrera Cup GB. It will be the first time that such an announcement has been made via the internet and the Origin site can be found at: http://origin.porsche.com/uk

Created and run by Porsche Cars GB, the 'Carrera Cup GB Scholarship Programme' will provide £80,000 to the selected driver to use as a significant element of their budget for the 2012 Carrera Cup GB season. The four finalists completed a rigorous evaluation process at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone on Monday (31 October), including driving the latest 450bhp 911GT3 Cup car on the Silverstone National circuit. They also were put through panel interviews, media assessment and a daunting programme of fitness testing and all gave an excellent account of themselves. They will now wait to hear the result of this career-changing initiative on Friday (4 November). The four finalists are:

Jody Fannin; aged 18 from South Godstone, Surrey

2011 season: Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup

Tom Ingram; aged 18 from High Wycombe, Bucks

2011 season: Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup

Daniel Lloyd; aged 19 from Huddersfield, West Yorks

2011 season: VW Scirocco R-Cup 

Ollie Millroy; aged 21 from Esher, Surrey

2011 season: Formula Renault UK Championship

MRF Series: Car racing rookie Jordan King has crowned his maiden single-seater campaign with what he described as his finest achievement to-date – by clinching the MRF Formula Championship laurels in front of  the F1 movers-and-shakers at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.Having competed in the Formula Renault UK Championship, Formula Renault Northern European Cup and FIA Formula Two Championship in 2011, Jordan headed to the Buddh International Circuit lose to Delhi in yet another different series. read report

Pickup Truck Racing 'Taster Day' at Rockingham - Sunday 20th November 2011 Rockingham International Long Circuit. ROGERS RACING (Lee Rogers -pickup truck #69) and JFF Motorsport (Stuart Annibal) have teamed up to organise another 'taster day' following the success and enjoyment of last years’ event. The event at Rockingham is on Sunday 20th November and any  potential new drivers and teams can come along to talk to the existing drivers and also have some 'seat' time driving one of the trucks (without the pressures of a race day timetable!) The event last year can be credited to adding a further 3 drivers onto the grid during the 2011 season. In order to keep costs to a minimum, we will be joining up with Book-A-Track at their track day.

The outline of the event will be as follows; Runs on Sunday 20th November starting at 8am (please arrive by 7:30am) and finishing at 5pm. Each driver will get a minimum of two 15 minute sessions driving a truck. Each driver must bring along their normal driving license but do not need a MSA racing license. In between their sessions, it is hoped that the new drivers will then be able to talk to the existing teams and management to ask any questions they may have. Information packs will be available on the day. The track day will take part on the International Circuit which will allow the new driver to sample both the circuit and a 'section' of the oval. The trucks will be fitted with a passenger seat so that for the first session an existing pickup truck driver can go out for guidance and instruction purposes. It is hoped that for the second session the new driver could go out with a member of their team in the passenger seat (passengers must be over 16). Disclaimers must be signed. This event is not a speed event. It is to be used as a opportunity to sample driving these trucks and to obtain further information.

We have worked out costs for the event to include the track hire and fuel costs to break even and it is £150 per driver. This does not include personal injury insurance and the drivers will be asked to sign an agreement to confirm that any damage to the trucks will have to be paid for. Complimentary tea and coffee refreshments will be available.As well as trucks on track, we will also have additional 'static' trucks within the paddock for discussion purposes.Championship director Sonny Howard and his wife Barbara have agreed to attend to answer questions and support this event.

Please only those genuinely in d in racing a pickup truck for next year or beyond should contact us as places are very limited.

Further details regarding the championship can be found at www.pickuptruckracing.com or through our own team website at www.teamrogersracing.co.uk.

For further information regarding the 'taster day', please contact Dean Rogers on 07970 387 765 or via email dean@vinnarry.co.uk

The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily shared by 11/56 MotorSport or any of theGrid team