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News Archive  December 2011

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12/01/2012

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31-12-12

WTCC: Russian car manufacturer AVTOVAZ confirmed their plans to return to the FIA World Touring Car Championship with the LADA Sport Team and the LADA Granta Sport car. The programme is due to kick off with two events in 2012, Budapest's Hungaroring on May 6th and Estoril on June 3rd. The aim is to test the Granta racing car in view of a probable involvement in the world championship from 2013. The LADA Granta Sport has been built and developed by the LADA Sport Team for the LADA Granta Cup, using the experience gained during their previous participation in the WTCC. The Russian squad is currently working to build a Super 2000 version of the car.The LADA Sport Team took part in WTCC in 2008 and 2009 running three LADA 110 cars and then switching to the LADA Priora. Their best results were a couple of sixth places at Imola with James Thompson.

Toyota Racing Series:  Shahaan Engineer will continue his single-seater education just two weeks from now after confirming his participation in the 2012 Toyota Racing Series – the final round of which will be the 57th running of the New Zealand Grand Prix. Dubai-based Shahaan, 16, will be the youngest and least experienced driver in the Kiwi championship when it commences in mid-January. Notably, he will also be the youngest competitor in the New Zealand GP on 11th/12th February which, back in the 1960s, was won by such as Sir Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and Jackie Stewart.After enjoying an impressive car racing debut during the Protyre Formula Renault UK Winter Series, where he qualified eighth fastest out of 29 drivers on his first weekend, Shahaan is now looking to benefit from vital track time in New Zealand as he seeks to hone his skills ahead of the 2012 Formula Renault UK Championship. The Toyota Racing Series will field the largest overseas entry in the category’s history with drivers from GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 taking part.  “I am really excited to race in the Toyota Racing Series, mainly because of the high level of drivers I will have the opportunity to compete against and learn from”, said Shahaan, “There is no other series in the world where a rookie can race against drivers with experience of GP2, Formula Renault 3.5 and other senior championships.” The Toyota Racing Series will take place over five back-to-back weekends between mid-January and mid-February with the opening three races on 14th/15th January at Teretonga Park, Invercargill. From there, the championship will travel to Timaru International Raceway, Taupo Motorsport Park and then Hampton Downs in Auckland. The grand finale of the season, the 57th New Zealand Grand Prix, will be held on 11th/12th February at Manfeild in Feilding. “With our first race starting at Teretonga on January 14th and the series finishing just four weeks later at the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild on February 12th, the Toyota Racing Series now offers the most concentrated and intense international series in the world”, added TRS category manager Barrie Thomlinson.

29-12-11

Formula 2: Hector Hurst put in a strong showing during his first ever Formula Two test recently, the young British racer heading to Spain for the series winter test at Barcelona just a month after he made his debut in the Protyre Formula Renault UK Finals Series with Manor Competition.  Joined by his driver coach, 2009 Formula Renault BARC Champion Kieren Clark, Hector headed to Catalunya, in a confident mood. The opening morning saw Hurst quickly adapt to the car and track, however his progress was hampered by an engine fire, putting him on the sidelines until the afternoon. In the last session of the day, Hurst defied his inexperience to better the pole time set by 2011 F2 Champion Mirko Bortolotti in qualifying six weeks previously, Hurst ending the afternoon eighth and the day eleventh.  Hurst said: “In F2 there are no teams, everyone runs under one roof. I was unsure of this at first, but as soon as we got testing I really liked it. It meant me and Kieren could work together the whole time and meant I only needed to do little work with my engineer as the base set up was not too far away from where I wanted the car to be. The first session on day one went as I wanted, I was able to relax, learn the track, get used to the car and most of all enjoy it. The car and the track were surprisingly easy to get used to and I felt like I had been driving both for ages. Then the engine set itself on fire and I had to sit out the next two sessions, though I got out for the final one. We decided that even though we had only done sixteen laps in total, we would go straight for a new tyre run. The final session of each day is run like a qualifying session, so you are allowed to use your eight boosts in it. On lap three I got under the pole time from the race meeting previously, which was a nice end to the day considering out limited mileage.”

Hector headed into day two hoping to improve and after experimenting with set ups in the morning, he got  his head down and showed his pace, going third fastest overall in the third session, just 0.2 seconds behind 2011 F2 race winner Christopher Zanella. Hurst hoped to go faster in the final session, however a slip up on his new tyre run meant he ended the day thirteenth overall, a second off the pace. Despite this, Hurst left Spain happy with his progress, “The next day we spent the morning playing a little with the set up and saving tyres, before we went for a time in both afternoon sessions. In the first session in the afternoon, I ended up third, 0.2 seconds off first, which was okay as I knew immediately where the time was. in the final session I did a few laps on old tyres then came in for our final set of new rubber. Your key lap was vital for two reasons, you used five of your eight boosts on it and because tyres went off extremely fast, so you only had one go at getting P1. I set up the lap well and it was going nicely until the last corner, where I met a slow car. I knew I would not have another chance at P1, so I kept it flat around the outside, where I was greeted by all the marbles in the world and eventually the gravel trap. Although frustrating not to have the time, it was okay because we still had the data for almost a full lap and due to the unique way F2 is run, I could compare it to the eventual P1 lap and find that mine was quite favourable which was promising.  Hurst has recently signed with 2MB Sports Management, is now considering all his options ahead of 2012. “The way our off season has panned out meant that we didn’t have the time to fit in enough testing to make winning the Eurocup the likely outcome of a campaign. Therefore my management wanted to see what would happen if they threw me in at the deep end with this test and the result was good. I now need to sit down with my manager to discuss our plans for 2012 and after the tests; F2 will be on our discussion list.” pic James Bearne

Auto GP/F3: After signing with Adrian Campos recently, Facu Regalia now knows his schedule for 2012. He will race in Auto GP and the European F3 Open with Campos Racing, driving a Lola B05/52 and a Dallara F312 respectively in each championship. A happy Regaliaexplained, “It´s a new really incredible, and mainly because it has been confirmed just before end of the year. It´s a double program which will be very useful to continue my learning and I have to mention that they are two top-championships, really important worldwide. 2012 will be my second year in Formula 3 racing and, at the same time, it will be my debut racing in Auto GP, a really fast and powerful car. After my tests at the end of season with Auto GP car, I think I can be competitive”. He added, “I want to say thanks to everyone who made this possible. To be racing for Campos Racing and to learn from Adrián´s experience is an incredible chance. I have no words. I´m going to take part in both championships, which was my dream, and I have to say thanks to my family and everyone supporting me. It will be a difficult year for sure, but I will work hard to achieve my best”. Campos said of his young Argentinean racer  “I´m delighted because Facu is joining our team for 2012, and of course it´s amazing that we can make compatible both Auto GP and European F3 Open. Just one meeting from Auto GP clashes with another from European F3 Open”. TheEuropean F3 Open will go to Algarve, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Brands Hatch, Paul Ricard, Hungaroring, Monza and Montmeló while Auto GP will have meetings in Italy (Monza), Spain (Valencia), Morocco (Marrakech), Hungary (Hungaroring), Portugal (Estoril), Brazil (Curitiba) and United States (Sonoma).

28-12-11

VW Racing Cup: Twin races at the exciting Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa-Francorchamps have been added to the Volkswagen Racing Cup calendar for the forthcoming season, it is confirmed today. The championship has been invited to make its first visit to Spa by Volkswagen Belgium, sponsor of the annual 25-hour Fun Cup race which will headline the 6/7 July event. The addition of the two Belgian races completes the provisional calendar for the 2012 Volkswagen Racing Cup, which will comprise 14 races spread over seven meetings. Championship manager Sam Roach of Volkswagen Racing UK says the Spa races will be popular: “The Volkswagen Racing Cup competitors thoroughly enjoyed their first overseas visits in 2010 and ’11, to Zandvoort, and I know that they will be blown away by the opportunity to compete at the best circuit in the world at what will be a large and popular event. It’s great news and a real honour for the championship to have been invited.” The championship’s six other meetings offer the cream of UK race dates - a supporting slot alongside the German touring cars at Brands Hatch in May as well as British F3 and GT dates at Oulton Park, Rockingham, Snetterton, Donington and on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.   Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    calendar

Formula 3: 2011 saw Facu Regalia  take his first podium finishes in Italian Formula 3, results that didn’t go  unnoticed as Adrian Campos has decided to support for the young Argentinian . Facu explained  “I´m happy about working with Adrián. He has a huge experience in motorsport racing, more than 30 years, and for sure he is a person who can help me a lot. 2012 is a decisive moment in my career and I´ve to take the right steps, and I´m sure working with Adrián we can get it. I´m really motivated because of this chance and our arrangement. It will be a pleasure to work with him, and learning from him. No doubts this is exactly which I was needing for my motorsport career. Adrián is an important name in motorsport and it´s a pleasure to have his help. I´ll try my best in 2012”. Campos added  Facu is a kind of driver who generates expectations. In my opinion is worth working with him and I think he can provide us a lot of joy. Our main target is to take the correct steps to put Facu at the wheel of Formula 1 car as soon as possible”.

24-12-11

WTCC: Concorde Management, that in 2010 announced their plans to organise in 2012 the Japanese Touring Car Championship in compliance with the FIA Super 2000 technical regulations, announced their decision to postpone the new series to 2013. The company's manager, Masao Mizuno explained: "We have been forced to take this decision because of the large-scale damage caused by the devastating earthquake in North-East Japan earlier this year. However, we will try to have some exhibition races 2012." WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti commented: "We fully understand the reasons why Concorde Management decided to postpone the championship. From our side we will keep on supporting their plans and other similar initiatives aiming to spread Super 2000 rules."

Proteam Racing confirmed they will keep on participating in the World Touring Car Championship in the 2012 season, with two BMW 320 TC cars. The Italian-based outfit revealed they are currently in negotiations to renew the agreements with drivers Medhi Bennanni and Javier Villa who produced excellent performance at the wheel of Proteam's cars in the 2011 WTCC. Team Principal Marco Guiducci commented: "We are facing a new, exciting challenge in 2012, especially because the championship is going back to Marrakech, which is Mehdi's home racetrack." Proteam Racing are also considering a possible participation to the European Touring Car Cup with one BMW 320si car, as three out of the series' four events will be held at WTCC race meetings.

F1600/F2000/Atlantic: The long time voice of Lime Rock Park, Greg Rickes, has joined the 2012 Formula Race Promotions-operated Atlantic Championship Series, F2000 Championship Series and F1600 Formula F Championship Series as the official traveling play-by-play public address announcer and victory podium MC.  With a planned live internet audio stream of all races in 2012 Championship, the continuity and knowledge Rickes brings will be a welcome addition to all three series. Interest in the Championships is at an all-time high, with the F1600 Series expanding from 10 to 12 races in its sophomore season; F2000 returning for a seventh year with 14 races and a field that is more competitive than ever; and the Atlantic Championship Series, debuting for 2012 with a three-weekend, six-race schedule. Rickes’ voice won’t just be restricted to track PA systems, however, as the Series has committed to offering live internet audio of all races in 2012, available via a link on each Series’ website.  “I'm looking forward to bringing the excitement and the behind-the-scenes stories of F2000, F1600 and the Atlantic Championship Series to the fans in 2012,” said Rickes, veteran of countless holiday gatherings at Lime Rock Park, which F2000 and F1600 will visit on Memorial Day weekend for a two-day event. Formula Race Promotions Managing Director Michael Rand added, “Having Greg’s well known voice, enthusiasm and understanding will be a real boost for the teams, drivers and fans. He is a most welcome addition to our traveling racing community and to the staff.” Rickes’ career got started when he had a motorsports article published in his high-school newspaper in 1967.
“I did my first article in Lime Rock's magazine shortly thereafter,” he continued. “In a circuitous route my involvement with the local chapter of the SCCA led to an on-air radio opportunity on an auto racing talk show. Through that I met Lime Rock's promoter Jim Haynes, who invited me to do some announcing at SCCA club races at Lime Rock, and eventually the role of track announcer for all of Lime Rock's racing events. That's now going on 40 years! I've always been a big open-wheel fan,” Rickes noted, pointing out “such as long cherished memories like the illustrious Formula Atlantic Class of 1978 that visited Lime Rock, with a field that included a future Formula One World Champion, two Indy 500 winners, and an Indy Rookie-of-the-Year.”

Silverstone: As the chequered flag comes down on an action packed season of motor sport, Silverstone has announced the winners of the first ever Silverstone Media Awards. More than 5,000 fans voted for their favourite media coverage from the 2011 F1™ and MotoGP seasons, recognising the newspapers, magazines, websites, bloggers and tweeters that have kept fans up-to-date with all the latest news and gossip from their respective paddocks.

The winners of the inaugural Silverstone Media Awards, as voted by the fans, are:

Formula 1:

Best national newspaper for F1™ coverage:

Winner: The Times / Sunday Times

Best motor sport publication for F1™ coverage:

Winner: Autosport Magazine

Best website for F1™ coverage:

Winner: BBC Sport - F1 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm)

Best F1™ Blogger:

Winner: F1 Talks (http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=http://www.f1talks.pl/&ei=pUj0TqToOYap8QPZrbWxAQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Df1%2Btalks%26hl%3Den%26prmd%3Dimvnsfd)

Best F1™ Tweeter:

Winner: Jake Humphrey (@jakehumphreyF1)

Best BBC F1™ feature during the 2011 season:

Winner: British Grand Prix - BBC trio take a tandem ride to Silverstone: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/14098883.stm

MotoGP:

Best national newspaper for MotoGP coverage:

Winner: The Times / Sunday Times

Best bike publication for MotoGP coverage:

Winner: MCN

Best website for MotoGP coverage:

Winner: MotoGP official website (www.motogp.com)

Best MotoGP Blogger:

Winner: Moto Matters (http://motomatters.com)

Best MotoGP Tweeter:

Winner: Toby Moody (@TobyMoody)

All fans voting in the Silverstone Media Awards were entered into a prize draw to win two hospitality places at either the FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (06 – 08 July), or the MotoGP British Grand Prix (15 – 17 June) at Silverstone in 2012. Ten runners-up will each receive a Silverstone Goody Bag. Katie Tyler, Head of Communications for Silverstone Circuits Limited, commented, “Formula 1 and MotoGP fans are passionate about the sports they follow. The Silverstone Media Awards have provided those fans with a platform to acknowledge and show their appreciation for the media who keep them up-to-date with everything that’s going on, throughout the year. “We have had a fantastic response to the first Silverstone Media Awards. An incredible 5,129 fans have cast their votes, so it has been a huge success. We hope it means just as much to the winners of each category, as they have been voted for and recognised by the fans. We look forward to presenting each winner with a trophy to acknowledge their contribution.”

23-12-11

GP2: Jolyon Palmer will race for the iSport International team in the 2012 GP2 championship. The 20-year-old Briton will partner Marcus Ericsson at the Norfolk-based outfit, which has amassed a total of 17 wins in the main GP2 series since its formation in 2005. This will be Jolyon’s second season in GP2 after a promising rookie campaign in 2011 with the Arden team. Palmer, runner-up in the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship, ended the year with an impressive performance at the Abu Dhabi Finals in a one-off appearance with Addax, claiming a maiden GP2 podium with third in the Feature race followed by a fourth-place finish in the shorter Sprint contest. Jolyon has tested for iSport on two previous occasions, most recently at Jerez in September when he ended the day seventh fastest overall. 'I'm delighted to be joining iSport for my second GP2 season,” said Jolyon. “I learnt a lot with Arden last year and now I’m aiming for the top three in the  championship. iSport are a proven front-running team in GP2 and I have experience running with them in winter testing, so I am sure we will work well together to achieve this goal.  The calendar this year is great and the prospect of racing in Malaysia and Singapore is extremely exciting. I must say thanks to my sponsors and also to iSport for showing faith in me. I know that I need to repay them with results this year if I am going to continue my progress towards my F1 goal. I can't wait to get started!”  Paul Jackson, Team Principal of iSport, said: "Having tested with Jolyon twice now and watched his progress during 2011 up to his impressive podium in Abu Dhabi, we are delighted that he will be joining iSport for the coming season. With his rookie season under his belt, it is the right time for him to be looking for consistent podiums and regular points hauls that will put him in contention for the championship.Jolyon has shown a good work ethic and an ability to learn and apply the results of testing, so we expect to see the results of that bear fruit early on." The GP2 season is set to commence at Sepang, Malaysia, on 23-25 March and eleven of its twelve rounds in 2012 will run alongside Formula 1. Official testing takes place in Jerez from 28 February to 1 March and Barcelona from 6 to 8 March. Live race timing, results and news will be available via Jolyon’s official website at www.jolyonpalmer.com

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has just issued its final newsletter of 2011 – perfect reading over a mince pie or glass of sherry.  The newsletter is a round-by-round review of the 2011 BTCC season that, yet again, was packed full of thrills, spills, drama, intrigue and unpredictability.   Read on

Karts: Felix Nilsson finished his first international season in karting with some excellent results. The Junior driver racing in the KF3 class won with the Ayrton Senna Trophy at Sarnoin Italy and finished second in the Champions Cup in Spain. This season has been simply incredible for Felix! In just twelve months, the Swede completed his transition from a driver discovering international karting for the first time to fully-fledged race winner. His participation at the European Championship, the World Cup and the WSK rounds have all added to his experience, allowing him to move up a level late in the season. First of all at the Ayrton Senna Trophy held in Sarno, on circuit near Naples. This Trophy, which includes three finals held on 13, 19 and 20 November, saw Felix take two victories and a fourth place giving him the overall victory. "Each race was hard fought and the results I achieved came after intense fight in the leading pack. The first victory - after starting from pole - made me feel confident and I went on with a second success in the following race despite a 7th place at the start. During the last final, I lost a few places due to some pushing at the start of the race but I managed to move up from 10th to 4th, enough to comfortably win the Ayrton Senna Trophy, which I was very keen on", Felix said. Three weeks later, the Swedish driver confirmed his status by leading again at the Champions Cup in Vendrell (Spain). "It was great! A year ago I was fighting to finish 15th in this same race and this time I claimed the second step of the podium. Though I was just 25th before the final phases, I was very competitive, I made some good starts, I passed several opponents and I did not make any mistakes". At 14, Felix Nilsson can look forward to 2012 with optimism. Pic KSP

21-12-11

Charity: Seb Morris, 2011 Ginetta Junior Champion and WRDA Welsh Young Driver of the Year, has spoken of the “great privilege” of taking part in the recent Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race – an event set-up in remembrance of the former IndyCar Series Champion and double Indianapolis 500 winner. Wheldon, who tragically lost his life in a racing accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October, was undoubtedly one of Britain’s most successful and talented drivers and the fund-raising kart race at Daytona in Milton Keynes earlier this month proved the perfect way for the motorsport world to pay tribute. Seb joined some of the globe’s top racing stars, including Jenson Button, Dario Franchitti and former Grand Prix stars David Coulthard, Johnny Herbert and Anthony Davidson. Coupled with the honour of taking part in the memorial event, 16-year-old Seb also enjoyed the racing wheel-to-wheel with Button…before going on to overtake his Grand Prix hero during his stint on the track in the team event. Clearly, the move will remain one of his sporting highlights for a long time to come! “First and foremost, it was a real honour and a great privilege to be part of the Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race – he was one of the best drivers on the planet, a real gentleman and a true inspiration to young racers like me”, said Seb, “It was fantastic so many huge names from the top of the sport took part in the race, it was an amazing event and the perfect way to celebrate his life.Racing on track with Jenson (Button) was something I never thought I’d do, to overtake him was incredible – my mum has it on video so I’ll be remembering that for a long time! I was ahead of him at the start but he got by, although I managed to get back past before I had to hand the kart over at the end of my stint. It was a really enjoyable race for a truly fantastic cause.” Organised by international racing star Johnny Mowlem, a close personal friend of Wheldon, the kart spectacular raised an outstanding £17,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society – the Wheldon family’s charity of choice. After a successful 2011, Seb is looking ahead to making his competitive single-seater debut in 2012 as he eyes graduation into the ranks of Formula Renault. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography

i1 Super Series: Mumbai racing driver Zaamin Jaffer has been confirmed as one of India’s leading competitors for the brand new i1 Super Series which will blast into action early in the New Year with a star-studded entry list – headed by 1997 FIA Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. Beginning a new chapter in Zaamin’s young career, his participation in the i1 Super Series will mark the 21-year-old’s first experience of racing sportscars; the category featuring 18 identical Radical SR3 racers. Nine teams, each representing a different Indian city ‘franchise’ will field two cars and the ing prize purse of two million US dollars has attracted some major names. Joining the Indian racer on the entry list for the opening round at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on 21st/22nd January will be several ex-Formula One stars including Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mika Salo, Giancarlo Fisichella and Vitantonio Liuzzi. The new championship was officially launched at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi on Monday, 19th December, where Zaamin was named as one of nine ‘Indian International’ class drivers. In addition, there are two further classes – one for non-Indian racers with international experience and another for less experienced racers from the sub-continent. Yesterday Tuesday,  competitors had their first taste of the Radical SR3 which will be utilised in the five-event championship during a brief 20-minute test at Yas Marina. Immediately proving his worth, Zaamin – who has most recently been winning races in the Dubai-based Formula Gulf 1000 Championship – lapped within just 0.6 seconds of outright pace-setter Frentzen. Posting a best time of 1m01.153 seconds, Jaffer broke into the top 10 overall just 0.3 seconds shy of Liuzzi and ahead of Salo, Alex Yoong and Sakon Yamamoto. “We’ve been working really hard to try and be involved in the first season of the i1 Super Series so I’m absolutely delighted to have been announced as one of the Indian drivers”, said Zaamin, “I can’t wait for the first race, it’s going to be incredible competing on track with so many top drivers and it’ll be the highlight of my career so far for sure.The championship has been eagerly awaited for a long time and it’s going to be massive for Indian motorsport, it’s really exciting to be part of it from the inception and a huge opportunity. Having an F1 Champion like Villeneuve and Grand Prix winners like Frentzen and Alesi involved is fantastic. The first test went really well – to have been faster than someone like Mika Salo is a great feeling.”  Following the opening event in Malaysia in late January, round two will take place in the Gulf state of Bahrain on 3rd/4th February with round three scheduled for a week later, 10th/11th February, at Losail in Qatar. The ‘home’ event for the i1 Super Series will take place on 25th/26th February at the Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi with the finale set for 9th/10th March at Yas Marina in the UAE. Team line-ups are expected to be confirmed early in the New Year – for more information visit the official championship website www.i1superseries.com Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography

Karts: Matty Graham celebrated his 2011 karting campaign surrounded by some of the biggest stars in motor racing at the glittering FIA Gala in India, admitting that collecting his trophy in front of the sport’s elite was the icing on the cake of a superb season. After clinching the coveted CIK-FIA Under-18 World Championship laurels with a win at Ortona and two hard-fought podium finishes at Essay and Sarno, Matty was one of only two karters to be invited to the glamorous FIA gala, held in the luxurious surroundings of the Kingdom of Dreams in New Delhi. “It was a huge privilege to be asked to go,” he reflected. “There were so many F1 drivers there and other big names, and they called it a family of world champions – it was so special to know I was amongst them. It was such a good evening, and the Kingdom of Dreams was just awesome – I had never expected it to be as spectacular as it was!” Matty might have confessed to being rather nervous before being called up on stage, but his reward made it more than worthwhile, and as he rubbed shoulders with Red Bull Racing duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. “It was a brilliant way to end the year,” he enthused. “I had high hopes for my first participation in the Under-18 World Championship, but I knew the competition would be fierce so I wasn’t necessarily targeting the title. After winning the first round at Ortona, though, we began to realise we could do it. The weather conditions in the last round at Sarno were awful, and when I crossed the finish line in third place, I wasn’t sure whether I had done enough as I didn’t know where my main rival was – but when I saw my parents hanging over the pit wall waving and cheering, I knew I had done it!  Matty now eyes graduation to KF2 and perhaps also KF1 in 2012. Pic FIA

20-12-11

The Porsche Club Championship will be held over seven race meetings in 2012, six of which feature double-header race meetings, while as has become the norm in recent seasons, the final rounds will be on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit with three races to close the season in style. In order to help control costs for competitors, all meetings bar Silverstone will be one day events. The season includes events which have become firm fixture in the calendar, opening with two races at the MGCC’s early season Brands Hatch meeting, plus two races at the always popular Castle Combe August Bank Holiday Monday meeting. The large band of Yorkshire-based competitors always enjoy a visit to Croft, while for the first time the series has two rounds at Oulton Park, always a favourite with drivers.  calendar

FIA GT1:  The new Audi R8 LMS ultra will race in the FIA GT1 World Championship next year. Two of the brand new customer sportscars will be independently fielded by Team WRT in the world’s highest-calibre GT racing series. Following the inception of a FIA European Championship in 2006, there will now be an FIA GT1 World Championship exclusively for GT3. Consequently, the R8 LMS ultra will be competing in the 2012 season, fighting for a world champion’s title of its own for the first time. "We very much welcome the decision of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on December 7th in favour of the GT3 cars," emphasises Werner Frowein, Managing Director of quattro GmbH. "In the future, this vehicle class will not only stand for high-calibre national and European customer sport but also for the world’s pinnacle in GT racing. We are delighted that Team WRT has submitted its entry for the World Championship and will be representing the colours of Audi Sport customer racing." The squad based in Flénu, Belgium, has been fielding the R8 LMS in various championships since 2010 with successes in 2011. They took overall victories at the Spa and the Zolder 24 Hours and won the Blancpain Endurance Series. "The GT1 World Championship is a wonderful new commitment for us," says Team Director Vincent Vosse. "We’re facing a challenging new task which all of our team members are looking forward to." According to the wishes of World Championship promoter SRO each team will compete with two cars of a single vehicle model from a single brand. WRT is planning to announce its drivers before the end of December. It is expected that there will be ten events worldwide, each featuring two one-hour races. A provisional race calendar has already been established.  Calendar

Club Sport: Late last month the BRSCC launched its new website, which has been developed in conjunction with motorsport marketing specialists, CMA Silverstone, and the renowned digital agency MSO.net. Dominic Ostrowski from the BRSCC said, “We are very pleased with the new site CMA & MSO have delivered for us. It has a cleaner, sharper look, is very easy to navigate, has links to all our social media tools and offers a downloadable race meeting calendar. As you would expect the site provides all the key information about the many championships and meetings that the BRSCC runs, as well as details of how to get involved in motorsport as either a competitor or marshal.A key aspect of the new site is that it gives us the flexibility to quickly amend and change the content and imagery so it is always fresh and up to date. The site is also on a modular platform, allowing us to add a whole host of new features and we look forward to evolving the site over time. “  The new website can be viewed at www.brscc.co.uk

Autosport International: The Motorsport Safety Fund has confirmed that the 2012 Watkins Lecture will comprise of McLaren supremo Martin Whitmarsh in conversation with Maurice Hamilton. Having survived constant interrogation by Eddie Jordan and his BBC TV team-mates throughout this season, popular McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh is likely to regard a conversation with Maurice Hamilton for the 2012 Motorsport Safety Fund ‘Watkins Lecture’ as a bit of light relief. For the audience, however, it will no doubt be extremely insightful.The event will take place at 11.15am on Friday, January 13 at the Autosport International Show, NEC Birmingham. For more information and how to apply for a free ticket visit; http://www.brscc.co.uk/WATKINS-LECTURE-SPEAKER-CONFIRMED

Formula Ford: The BRSCC has confirmed the date and venue of the 2012 Formula Ford Festival after reaching agreement with MotorSport Vison - the 41st Festival will now take place at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 27th/28th October. There had been some conjecture as to whether the traditional end of season event would be moving from Brands Hatch for the first time since 1975 as the regular date, earlier in October, became unavailable due to a clash with the final meeting of the British Superbikes Championship.For the full story go to http://www.brscc.co.uk/FESTIVAL-DATE-CONFIRMED-FOR-2012

The BRSCC website reported back in July on Northern Formula Ford competitor David McArthur, who was just about to drive all the way to Mongolia in a Vauxhall Agila to (See http://www.brscc.co.uk/MONGOLIA-OR-BUST) raise funds for the Christina Noble Foundation (CNF) and The Meningitis Trust. We are glad to report that David and his accompanying friends returned in one piece and you can now read the full account of his Mongolian adventure in the latest edition of ‘Outpost’, the monthly journal of the BMMC. Click http://www.marshals.co.uk/regions/north/newsletters/176.htm

A 48 minute DVD featuring action from the Duratec, Kent and Zetec categories of this year’s Formula Ford Festival, the 40th in its rich history, is now on sale from RacingLine. Full details can be found at http://www.brscc.co.uk/Formula-Ford-Festival/Formula-Ford-Festival

Karts: Tec-Sav has been the engine-tuner reference point for international karting for five years now. A role that the Savard family has maintained year after year thanks to its development work and high-quality services, which have always improved race by race. During the 2011 season that has just ended, Tec-Sav and its partners have conquered several titles in KZ, both at national and international level: the fifth World Cup in a row, the first seven places in the GPO series, a new triumph in Las Vegas, five places in the order at the Trophée KART mag, not to mention the many victories in the WSK: these are just a few examples of the many excellent achievements of these highly-skilled technicians. Patrick, Thierry, Eric, and Yannick – gathered under the Tec-Sav banner – form a quartet of engineers who have contributed to lquite a few drivers and teams in 2011. One of their strong points is their capacity to simultaneously offer a large stock of engines and to follow their evolution throughout the weekend. “We leave nothing to chance”, Patrick Savard stated. “This requires some pretty heavy work both in the workshop and on the track. We never say we have reached the limit, although today we are very close to the maximum potential of a 125cc gearbox engine. There is always something to gain. Even if an engine is fixed to a chassis frame, it is still possible to help the driver to exploit it better. Improving a bit acceleration, torque or top speed is also our role on the circuits”. Jonathan Thonon’s victory (CRG-Maxter) is the best demonstration of this. It was after some very careful preparation work with his team and his engine tuner that the Belgian driver won the World Cup for KZ1, where Tec-Sav badged-engines walked away with the first four places! In addition to this successful partnership with CRG, Tec-Sav also triumphed with Yannick De Brabander (Formula K-TM) in the WSK, with Anthony Abbasse (Sodi-Maxter) in the Las Vegas Supernationals, with Thomas Mich (Birel/MRT-TM) in the GPO series, with Bas Lammers (Intrepid-TM) in the WSK, with Franck Matelli (Intrepid-TM) in the French KZ125 Championship,just to mention a few...

Goodwood: Six months ahead of next summer’s Festival of Speed (28 June - 1 July 2012), Goodwood has  revealed that it will be honouring the Lotus marque with the main ‘Central Feature’ installation, displayed prominently outside Goodwood House. Goodwood will celebrate this much-loved British brand at an exciting time in the marque’s history, as Lotus is currently two years into a dynamic five year brand reinvigoration plan with the goal of returning the marque to its original status alongside other prestigious sports car manufacturers. The plan includes an entire new range, the first of which will be the return of the iconic Esprit in 2013. It’s not all about looking to the future for Lotus though, a big part of the brand is its heritage and Lotus will enjoy a vast array of significant anniversaries in 2012, including 60 years since the first Lotus company was founded by Colin Chapman in 1952, four years after the incomparable engineer had built his first vehicle – the Mark 1 trials car – in an old stable behind his parent’s Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. Next year also sees the 50th anniversary of the Lotus Elan, 40 years since the Esprit supercar concept was first revealed by Giugiaro, 35 years since the innovative Lotus 78 ground effect Formula 1 car competed, and 20 years since cyclist Chris Boardman won a gold medal for Britain in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, riding the revolutionary Type 108 bicycle developed by Lotus. The enviable reputation that Lotus enjoys today grew out of Chapman’s unparalleled technical ingenuity to dominate all levels of motor sport, from club racing to Formula 1, to create a glorious and enduring legacy.  To date Lotus has won 13 Formula 1 World Championships (six drivers, and seven constructers titles), and a collection of these victorious F1 cars will be at Goodwood in the summer, along with a selection of Lotus Indycars, saloons, sports and road cars.  A wealth of current and ex-works Lotus drivers are also expected to appear at Goodwood.  Full details will be revealed over the coming months.Tickets and further information for the 2012 Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival can be found on the Goodwood website (www.goodwood.com/motor sport/)

19-12-11

F1600: Black Watch Racing Group has announced that it will contest the 12-round, six-weekend 2012 F1600 Formula F Championship Series season with a pair of Van Diemen/Hondas. The team is a newcomer to the F1600 Series, but ran a SCCA Formula F program in 2011, including an entry at the National Championship Runoffs. Drivers are yet to be announced, as the team continues its search, and has testing plans leading up to the season opener at VIRginia International Raceway, April 12 – 15. “The team has been established just in time for the 2012 season. We will run two completely rebuilt, Honda powered Van Diemens,” said Dan Murphy, team president. “We will be conducting a test and tune in conjunction with the SCCA January double national at Sebring and Homestead,” Murphy continued. He said it is their intention to use 2012 to run a two-car team in the surging F1600 Series, with plans to expand for 2013, looking at the rest of the Formula Race Promotions offerings, including the F2000 Championship Series and recently launched Atlantic Championship Series. “We are now actively recruiting drivers, and anticipating an ultimate composition of a team manager, four cars/drivers, four mechanics, two engineers and a logistics/transportation director,” added Murphy. The F1600 Series will start the year in April at VIRginia International Raceway, 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.

WEC/ALMS: Audi Sport is preparing for the 2012 sports prototype season. A test team has started the next trial phase of the LMP1 sports car for the 2012 season in the United States this week. After the previous tests of further developmenst of this year’s Le Mans winning car took place behind closed doors, Audi is now going into public at a race track for the first time with two vehicles at Sebring, the second car serving to compare the test results. Taking turns at the wheel of the cars are the 2011 Le Mans winners, Swiss Marcel Fässler, German André Lotterer and the Frenchman Benoît Tréluyer. Also involved are Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. 
The d American circuit has a special significance for Audias they have celebrated nine victories at the Sebring 12 Hours since the 2000. The 5.95-kilometre track that features 17 highly different turns, which makes for excellent test conditions. The rough concrete of the former airfield’s take-off and landing strip in combination with the tarmac of the other track sectors puts the material to a particularly tough test. On March 17th, the 12-hour race will open the new FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) as well as the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).  While the component tests have already started, Audi will not announce details of their 2012 racing program, driver line-ups or technical state pment until a later date. 

Dieter Gass (48) will reinforce the Audi team led by Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich as of January 1. The native of the German state of Hessen will assume the newly created role as Head of Racing Commitments. "We’re facing a particularly challenging racing season with two high-caliber and intensive programs in the DTM and in the new FIA World Endurance Championship with numerous overlaps of calendar dates, new strong competitors and the development of new technologies," says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "We gave some thought to areas in which we might be able to benefit from reinforcements in order to meet the challenges that have continued to grow. One of the results of these considerations, among others, is this new position for centralised optimisation of our racing commitments which we’ve been able to superbly fill with Dieter Gass." For Gass, this does not mark a new beginning at Audi Sport but a return to the Audi family. Gass, who has a degree in engineering, was working as an engineer for Audi Sport from November 1994 to March 2001, first in the super touring car department and, from 1999 on, in AUDI AG’s successful sports prototype involvement - as a race engineer at the Le Mans 24 Hours, among others.From 2001 to 2009, Gass was involved in Toyota’s Formula One project in a leading role, initially as test engineer, then as vehicle engineer to Allan McNish and ultimately, from 2005 on, as chief engineer for all test and racing commitments.  After the Japanese manufacturer’s withdrawal from Formula One, Gass switched to the Lotus Formula One team to become its deputy technical director. As of 2010, he also served as the team’s sporting director at the Grand Prix races and represented it at the FIA. "Even during my time in Formula One I continued to intensively follow Audi’s activities in motor sport," says Dieter Gass, who in his new role will be reporting directly to Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "I’m looking forward to the exciting projects awaiting me there. The DTM and the sport prototypes are two projects that are extremely demanding, both technically and strategically. With my extensive experience, particularly concerning racing commitments, I’m hoping to be able to contribute my part to Audi Sport’s ability to continue its success story in motor sport." 

A new OAK-Pescarolo LMP2 has rolled off the line thanks to the extensive work undertaken by Onroak Automotive, OAK Racing’s constructor department. Developed to cater for private teams and targeted at the international market, it is now available for purchase in the US through Conquest Endurance. The recently christened Onroak Automotive unites OAK Racing’s design office, manufacturing department and sales division in one group. Like the racing operation, it is based at the Technoparc des 24 Heures, just a stone’s throw away from the legendary Le Mans circuit. The new prototype meets all 2012 ACO/FIA regulations. Particular emphasis has been placed on cost-control and safety, with shark fins added above the engine and louvres now present over the wheel arches. Aerodynamic performance has also been given strong focus in order to increase downforce and reduce drag, with extensive work taking place during a major windtunnel programme.  The evolution of the 2012 LMP2 is also based on the expertise of the team’s design office, which has extensive history in prototype development, and the experience of the racing team, which fielded cars in various endurance series and events throughout 2011. Pic Keystone Création read more

BTCC: Frank Wrathall’s progress in his maiden season of competition in the Dunlop MSA BTCC was the highlight of the year, not least because it marked the successful introduction to the championship of the new ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ built-in-Britain Toyota Avensis. Equipped with a 2.0-litre turbocharged Toyota engine specially developed for racing, Wrathall’s Avensis was prepared for the track by Dynojet Racing and, after half a season of development and bedding in, became a regular frontrunner. Frank scored four podium finishes, with a best result of second, on his way to 12^th in the Championship and the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title. “The Toyota turned out to be far better than I ever dared hope,” said Frank, “and that is all thanks to the team around me and the hard work that everyone put in. They have done a brilliant job for me all year; I can’t fault them, they’ve been absolutely fantastic.” Wrathall paid tribute also to the BTCC fans, who voted him their favourite driver of the season in an online poll: “The support we have had from day one, when we were struggling to finish races, has meant a lot, not just to me but to everyone at Dynojet Racing.”

Toyota Sprint Series 2011 - Formed from an obsession for Toyota cars, the Sprint Series is designed to be an affordable step in motorsport for Toyota and Lexus owners regardless of vehicle age or modifications. It is designed to be as safe as possible while providing a challenge for drivers of all levels  looking to enhance their road or track driving abilities. For 2011 the competition couldn’t have been closer, which ended its season with two Celica drivers – Adrian Smith and Jonny Milner – tied on points, each having scored 403 out of a maximum 405. The tie-break went Smith’s way by dint of his victory in the first round at Rockingham. On his way to his second successive championship title, Smith and his 660bhp Fensport Celica GT4X won three of the six events and placed second to Milner in the other three. “We have made only small changes to the car this year but it has made the world of difference,” said Adrian. “The Celica is an absolute joy to drive – the smaller turbo housing we installed has helped with early power delivery and the new PPG gearbox has transformed it. I’m very happy to have won the series and have thoroughly enjoyed the fight with Jonny.” Series class winners were Nigel Levinson (Celica GT4, A2 Pro); Andrew Falkingham (Celica GT4, A3 Pro); Dave Ellen (IS350, A2 Street); Ash Simpson (Celica GT4, A3 Street); Barrie Newsome (Starlet Turbo, B Pro); Paul Thomas (Supra, C Pro); Tim Cogman (Yaris, F Pro) and Dan Quinn (Yaris, F Street).

Toyota MR2 Championship: More than 60 competitors raced their Toyota MR2s in the 750 Motor Club run championship, which took in 13 races at Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Mallory Park, Donington Park, Silverstone, Pembrey and Cadwell Park. James Cross, who finished eighth overall in 2010, was the form driver this season; he collected four race wins on his way to championship victory by a four-point margin over Paul Hinson, who won three rounds. There were race wins also for former BTCC driver Eugene O’Brien, and for Roland Wilkinson and Steve Lumley. Cross took the Class B championship honours in addition to the overall crown, with Nina Fountain the Class A overall victor and Simon Phillips the Class C title winner. Best-placed novice was Matthew Palmer. James Cross also claimed a brace of wins in the new-for-2011 MR2 Super GT Series; Alric Kitson was the most consistent race victor of the season with four wins to Patrick Mortell’s three.

Britcar Endurance Racing: Patrick Mortell’s supercharged MR2, prepared for the track by Rogue Motorsport, made another assault on the UK’s toughest race, the Britcar 24 Hours, in September. Piloted by Mortell, Simon Aris, Alric Kitson and Lee McKee, the car was fitted with a 3.5-litre V6 Lexus-engine instead of the normal 1.8-litre road version. The extra power and torque made the car faster, but a lack of pre race testing saw niggling reliability issues including a fuel pump failure 10 minutes from the end which robbed the team of taking the chequered flag – to be classified 39th overall and 17th in class.

Dakar Rally:  Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will return to the 2012 Dakar Rally as the event’sofficial supplier for the third year.  A fleet of nearly 40 vehicles, including 30 Amarok pick-ups, are being provided to the event’s organisation team, the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), as support vehicles.  These will be used throughout the event, regarded as the toughest marathon rally in the world, which takes place from 1 to 15 January. The 2012 Dakar Rally will see competitors from across the world lining up at Mar del Plata, Argentina before the 9,000 kilometre course takes them on a journey through Chile and on to the finish at Lima in Peru. On the rally’s rest day, some important visitors will join the event with Formula One legend Jacky Ickx showing Scorpions rocker Rudolf Schenker and boxing world champion Dariusz Michalczewski how to handle the Amarok Automatic safely under off-road conditions.  Also, windsurfers Bjoern Dunkerbeck, Klaas Voget and Robby Swift will head into the Atacama Desert to experience surfing on the dunes.The Amaroks and other support vehicles will be subjected to some of the toughest and most extreme terrain on the planet during the two week event.  As the event’s official support vehicles, they must be able to deal with everything this really fierce course can throw at them – from the Atlantic to the Pacific, through the Atacama Desert to the Andes mountains, through canyons, and across different climate zones.For more information on the Dakar Rally 2012, please visit www.dakar.com.

Tour Britannia has announced that Bonhams Auctioneers and EFG International (represented in the UK by EFG Private Bank) have become the main partners of Britain’s premier race and rally tour for classic cars. Tour Britannia is one of Europe’s leading historic motoring events offering the entrant the choice of the more relaxed regularity category or full-blown competition category. Following the very successful 2011 event, the 2012 Tour Britannia will run from 7-9 June and base itself around the beautiful Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate. Welcoming Bonhams and EFG International’s commitment to the event, Tour Britannia’s Alec Poole said: “Bonhams has assisted us greatly over the years and we are thrilled that Europe’s foremost collectors’ motor car auction house has become one of our main partners. Bonhams has a long standing partnership with EFG International, which is known for its commitment to historic motoring, and I welcome them alongside Bonhams.” More details about Tour Britannia can be found at the event website: www.tourbritannia.com and entry forms can be downloaded from the site. To learn more about its commitment to historic motoring, visit www.efgmotorracing.com

Other News: Rex Proctor and Partners London acting as Project Managers and Cost Consultants for the developer, The Marshgate Group have recently completed a new GP2, GP3, F3 and World Series by Renault facility for Capsicum Motorsport Limited.  The company, which races under the name of Carlin, is one of the most successful single-seater motorsport teams outside Formula 1.  The new £2,000,000 facility at Coxbridge Business Estate in Farnham, Surrey comprised a new industrial unit of 20,000 sq ft, fitted out on two levels including offices, workshops, machine shop, assembly and spray rooms, oven and autoclave area, simulator room and race bay areas.  This is a stunning new building, perfect for the winning team at Capsicum Motorsport Limited t/a Carlin. Capsicum Motorsport Managing Director Rupert Swallow said, “This was an important facility for our business and needed to be perfect.  The expertise of the team at Rex Procter and Partners was extremely professional and proficient, at no point did they lose focus on what mattered to us.  The result is a facility that is market leading at the sub F1 level.This is a fantastic new facility for our skilled team to use.  It will play a pivotal role in maintaining the team’s place as one of the most successful single-seater teams outside F1.” Mr McGeough, Director of Rex Procter and Partners London comments, “I’m a great fan of Formula 1 and to be involved in a scheme with Capsicum Motorsport was a boys dream come true!”

18-12-11

The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear has announced that the 2012 season finale will be held at Road Atlanta during the 15th Annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda, October 17 - 20. Although Road Atlanta was not on the 2011 schedule, the Star Mazda Championship has a more than decade-long history of competition at the famed 12- turn, 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia.Unlike the double-header races that will take place on the other road course and street circuits that make up most of the 2012 Star Mazda schedule, the Road Atlanta event will be a single-race weekend; with one TBA event still to be announced, this brings the count to 10 weekends and 17 races. Read more

16-12-11

LMS: Greaves Motorsport have signed 2011 Le Mans Series Driver’s Champion, Tom Kimber-Smith, for the 2012 season. Tom will drive in the team’s confirmed programme in next year’s European Le Mans Series and he will support the entry in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Tom Kimber-Smith will partner Alex Brundle in the 2012 European Le Mans Series, with the third driver to be announced in due course. They will drive a Nissan powered Zytek prototype, similar to the car that was so successful for the team in 2011. He will also be a key member of the team’s test programme for both projects in the early part of the season. Greaves Motorsport considers this to be an essential role in view of the substantial changes to the technical regulations introduced for the 2012 season. Greaves Motorsport’s Team Manager, Jacob Greaves, commented. “The whole team is delighted that we are able to continue our partnership with Tom into 2012. His contribution to the team and its successes in 2011 has been second to none. We are confident that with drivers of the calibre of Tom and Alex Brundle on the roster driving our Zytek Nissan, that we are well placed to achieve our potential in 2012.” Tom Kimber-Smith said of the announcement, “I am excited to continue racing with Greaves Motorsport next season. The team has done a fantastic job in preparing a fast and reliable car in 2011. The combination of Nissan, Zytek and Dunlop was a major part of the success that we enjoyed during the year. I am really looking forward to a similar programme for the 2012 season.”

MG Trophy Championship : At the end of season Presentation Evening dinner at Horwood House, Milton Keynes, guest Steve Carr of the MG Car Club presented the awards for all this season’sMG Trophy Championship winners . MC for the evening once again was Andrew Wilkins, the MG race commentator. The awards presented were:-  Class D 1st place Marc Koskela:  Class C 3rd place Julia Penfold, 2nd place Andy Campbell. 1st place Ross Makar: Class B 3rd place Paul Streather, 2nd place Doug Cole, 1st place Chris Bray : Class A 1st place Paul Luti : Highest Placed Lady Julia Penfold: The Luti Endeavour Award Robin Walker : The Entertainer Award Graham Ross : Best Presented Car award Paul Streather : Season Improver award David Williams: Drivers’ Driver award Chris Bray : Spirit of the Championship Colin Robertson : Top 3 points scorers overall -  3rd place Ross Makar,: 2nd place Chris Bray, Overall CHAMPION Oliver Barnard Championship co-ordinator Pete Macwaters said “It was another great evening which started with the now traditional first showing of the season’s Trophy Highlights video, another terrific effort from driver Ben Jacques”  

“It was a real Trophy ‘family’ event with Steve Carr, the MGCC’s Competitions Secretary, and MG race commentator Andrew Wilkins taking part. Next year will be tough but with the amount of new interest already shown in the Trophy Championship we should easily maintain healthy grids again”. 

Silverstone: Both Aylesbury Vale District Council and South Northamptonshire Council have approved* Silverstone Circuit’s outline planning application, which supports the venue’s 20-year Masterplan - the next big step towards securing the long-term future of the international venue, which is owned by the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC). This significant outcome demonstrates both Councils’ support of the BRDC and Silverstone’s vision for the future. The development of Silverstone will create around 8,400 permanent jobs with firms and activities attracted to the site, plus an average of around 550 construction jobs per annum throughout the development phase. At least 4,800 of these jobs are likely to be entirely new to the area. Approval of the Masterplan conforms with the Silverstone Development Brief, issued in February 2009, and comprises of a Business park, Technology park, Education campus, 3 hotels and  Ancillary retail and spectator facilities, including ‘Welcome Centre’ and ‘Museum of Motor sport’ with promotional and experiential automotive display space. There will also be a kart track and outdoor stage and additional ancillary development, including landscape works, grandstands, hardstanding and support paddock.    * The planning approval is subject to conclusion of a section 106 agreement, which is normal for a Masterplan of this size.

Historics: To encourage whole families to turn up and enjoy world-class historic motorsport, advance tickets to the Donington Historic Festival, 5-6 May 2012, are being held at the same prices as 2011, while family members under 16 free. And to make it even easier for car club members to turn out in force – without breaking the bank – there’s a two-for-one advance ticket deal for registered clubs. Over 20 car clubs have already signed up for this special offer, from the Bentley Drivers Club to the Morgan Sports Car Club, Porsche Club GB, etc . The full list of registered clubs can be found at www.doningtonhistoric.com and, if yours isn’t among them, get in touch with your club officials! “Our aim is two-fold,” said Duncan Wiltshire of Historic Promotions Ltd, organiser of the Donington Historic Festival. “First and foremost, we want to provide the very best racing, with truly thrilling on-track action featuring historic cars from the most evocative eras of the sport. Secondly, we want to do this at a price which club members and motorsport fans can readily afford – and all this at arguably the UK’s best spectator circuit.”  Judging by the inaugural Donington Historic Festival in 2011, the on-track action is sure to be fast, competitive and exciting – from the ‘Mad Jack’ for pre-War sportscars, through the glorious sportscars and sports-racers of the 1950s and 1960s, to the E-type Challenge, Historic F2, Touring Cars (both pre-66, and 1966-85), not to mention the always dramatic Group C sportscars. To whet your appetite for the 2012 Festival, take a peek at the 2011 video gallery at www.doningtonhistoric.com/2011-videos/

See www.doningtonhistoric.com for more details.

2012 Advance Ticket Prices

Saturday 5th May – £18 (£25 on the day)

Sunday 6th May – £18 (£25 on the day)

Weekend ticket – £30 (£40 on the day)

Children under 16 – Free

Plus… two-for-one ticket deals for registered car club members

Tickets can be bought via www.doningtonhistoric.com and through the 24-hour ticket hotline 0844 873 7355.

Karts: Jordon Lennox-Lamb didn’t miss the opportunity to take the second step of the podium at the Coloane-Macao circuit, in the Asia-Pacific Championship. The CRG Racing Team took advantage of this away from home to collect some valuable experience at the end of the season. While the CRG factory is getting ready for 2012, the official team continues its quest for victories.   The Asia-Pacific Championship, held at the end of the season in Macao for the KF1 and KF3 classes, provided an excellent way to ensure a successful transition from 2011 to 2012. "We sell a lot of chassis in this part of the world", a CRG representative commented. "For us, the important thing was to mark our presence with a good result. Congratulations to Jordon on his podium, conquered a bit more than two years after the Super KF World Champion title won by CRG and Maxter on this same circuit of Macao". On a track which is both fast and technical, Britain’s Lennox-Lamb got himself noticed over the weekend by moving up little by little in the results, concluding  with an excellent second place finish overall. "After my victory at Genk during a round of the World KF1 Championship, it was great to be back on the podium", Jordon confessed, happy with the performances and reliability of his CRG-Maxter. The team’s other three drivers - Felice Tiene, Laura Tillett, and Eddy Tinini – all finished in the top 10. Tiene taking 5th place in the final, after a difficult start due to accidents in the pack.  Hong-Kong driver Jacky Chan Cheuk Hin was tenth in KF3 with his CRG-Maxter.

Kart driver Max Defourny did not make the easy choice when he decided to race at international level in the very hard fought KF3 class in 2011. But difficulties can teach you a lot and this is exactly what happened to the driver from Luxemburg as he made it to the second step of the Ayrton Senna Trophy at Sarno (Italy), in November. Max is already looking forward to 2012 .read more

WTCC: The Sporting Regulations for the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship have been published by the FIA and are available for download HERE . The championship is now reserved for Super 2000 cars powered by 1.6-litre turbo engines. Old S2000 (2.0L normally aspirated) and S2000D (2.0L turbo diesel) cars may only be allowed to participate on a race-by-race basis, and are no longer eligible to score championship points. Other cars complying with the technical regulations of national championships may be accepted by the Touring Car Committee.  

The distance of each race may vary between a minimum of 50 km to a maximum of 60, while in the previous years it was limited to a maximum of 50 km.This change aims to enhance the competition, especially on longer racetracks.

The points scoring system remains based on the usual FIA World Championship scale that rewards the first ten drivers, however additional points will also awarded to the first five drivers in each qualifying session as follows:.

QUALIFYING POINTS - 1st: 5 points; 2nd: 4 pts; 3rd: 3 pts; 4th: 2 pts; 5th: 1 point
RACE POINTS - 1st: 25 points; 2nd: 18 pts; 3rd: 15 pts; 4th: 12 pts; 5th: 10 pts; 6th: 8 pts; 7th: 6 pts; 8th: 4 pts; 9th: 2 pts; 10th: 1 point

If qualifying points had been awarded this year  the gap between the first two (Yvan Muller and Rob Huff) would have been stretched from three to five points, while Norbert Michelisz would have moved one place up: from ninth to eighth ahead of Franz Engstler. A now penalty sytem will also be in place. Any WTCC.Drivers who receive three reprimands in the same season will be penalised with a drop of ten positions on the starting grid for the first race after the imposition of the third penalty. The penalty will be applied only if two of the reprimands are imposed because of driving infringements. None of the drivers received three reprimands during the 2011 season; two were imposed to Mehdi Bennani, Gabriele Tarquini and Fredy Barth.

Race numbers will be moved from the front doors to the rear side windows, above the driver's name.This solution, that has been already adopted in a number of other series, including the World Rally Championship, allows spectators and TV viewers to better recognize the cars and makes more space available for sponsor branding on the cars' bodywork. 

New Tyre regs in 2012 allow each competitor a maximum of 16 new slick tyres on his first participation and a maximum of 20 (12 new) in each of the following events. The number of rain tyres is limited to a maximum of 16 per event. This represents a simplification of the previous regulations that split the number of tyres between European and Overseas events, it also allows teams to save money by re-marking tyres that are still in good condition. Engine rules in 2012 will limit each driver one engine for the whole season and any change will automatically result in a drop to the back of the grid. In 2011, because it marked the first appearance of the new 1.6-litre turbo power plants, each engine was used for a minimum of six consecutive races before a change was allowed without penalty.The number of turbochargers that can be used are limited to six for the whole season. The use of additional turbochargers will result in a drop to the back of the grid.Obviously both engines and turbochargers may be changed without penalty in cases of force majeure.

The Compensation Weight system has also changed. The calculation is now based on the fastest lap set in the qualifying session and the average of the two fastest laps set in the races by the best two cars of each model. Until 2011 the two fastest laps of the best two cars set in each race were considered instead of their average. The range of application remains between +40kg and -20kg.

In the qualifying sessions, the number of cars allowed to advance from Q1 to Q2 has been increased from ten to twelve. Only the cars eligible to score championship points may take part in Q2. The twelve cars qualified for Q2 will fight for the top twelve positions on the starting grid for Race 1. The starting grid for Race 2 will be drawn up by reversing the ten fastest cars of Q2.
The cars eliminated at the end of Q1 will fill the positions from 13 onwards on the starting grids for both races.It is hoped that this change will improve competition in both parts of qualifying, especially in Q1.
The list of the cars' technical specifications, including their minimum weights, will be published by the FIA on 15 January 2012. 

15-12-11

Historic Rallying: Tomas de Vargas Machuca, Managing Director of the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation (HERO), and his co-driver Catherine Woodman were both sporting broad smiles as they climbed out of the BMW 1602 exhausted, yet happy they had helped the BMW team win the sought after Marques Award in one of the toughest endurance events of its kind. The blue and white coloured iconic 1973 classic saloon, prepared by BMW Park Lane Classic, had just completed the highly acclaimed LE JOG event (10 – 13 December) finishing in sixth position overall, second in class, whilst also collecting the Mixed Crew Award. The 1,400 mile, day and night course between Land’s End and John O'Groats had taken the crews on a gruelling journey back in time, to the heyday of British Rallying.  Read report

Atlantic: Formula Race Promotions has announced the formation of the Atlantic Championship Series for SCCA-legal Formula Atlantic race cars. The Series will be run in conjunction with the highly successful F2000 Championship Series and F1600 Formula F Championship Series, sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. A six-round, three-event Championship is planned for 2012.  The year will open May 10 – 12 at Road Atlanta with F2000 and Formula Drift, followed by a trip to New Jersey Motorsports Park, June 29 – July 1, with ARCA, TransAm, F2000 and F1600. The season will wrap up at Summit Point, August 24 – 26, with CCS Motorcycles, F2000 and F1600. “We are responding to numerous requests from inside the Atlantic community and are pleased to offer this spectacular class of race cars a dedicated series. While the car counts are not currently in the F2000 or F1600 league, we feel there are sufficient enthusiastic teams and drivers that, if offered a compelling program, will respond with their entry and participation,” said Michael Rand, managing director. “As a five-year competitor in Atlantic, and its immediate predecessor, Formula B, in the dark ages of the early 1970s, I am personally very excited to see this develop in 2012 and beyond,” Rand said. Formula Race Promotions will bring in dedicated technical staff just for the Atlantic Championship Series, while utilizing the existing Timing and Scoring, Chief Stewards and Registration personnel of the F2000 and F1600 Championships.  All cars will be required to run Hoosier Racing Tires, 13” diameter bias ply or 15” diameter radials. Sizes, compounds and purchase details are to be announced at a later date. Meanwhile, all chassis and motor rules are per the 2012 SCCA GCR. Registration fees will be $950, and include a permanent number, participation in the points championship, participation in any and all contingency programs that may be instituted, and SCCA Pro Racing driver and crew licenses.  Each event entry fee (double race weekend) will be $1,250.

The Silverstone Classic has announced a new partnership with the AA (the Automobile Association). From 2012 the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival will be known as the ‘Silverstone Classic powered by the AA’. The multi-year partnership with the UK’s leading breakdown service has significant benefits and synergies and is a logical union between two brands that share a common interest in motoring past, present and future. The event will be promoted directly to the AA’s 15 million members and customers who will benefit from a 10 per cent discount on day and weekend entrance tickets. “We are delighted to be teaming up with the AA in what’s a massively significant new partnership,” confirmed Nick Wigley, Event Director of the Silverstone Classic. “Together we are introducing many more new and interesting innovations right across the festival weekend – not least the chance for visitors to test drive many of the latest models right at the heart of the show. The millions of AA members will also enjoy a wide range of exclusive offers including ticket discounts.” The event organisers have confirmed many of next year’s major attractions. The on-track entertainment will showcase the full spectrum of historic motor sport with huge grids featuring an amazing array of Grand Prix, GT, Le Mans, single-seaters, sports and touring cars spanning more than seven decades of epic circuit racing history. Following the classic theme, the 2012 live music bill will be topped by Adam Ant and Mike and the Mechanics with other high-profile acts to be confirmed.Full details of the 2012 Silverstone Classic powered by the AA – including information on ‘Early Bird’ ticket offers and a comprehensive selection of on-site camping facilities – are available via the event’s official www.silverstoneclassic.com website.

GT: Nissan and PlayStation® are aiming to demonstrate the phenomenal success of their GT Academy programme with a ground-breaking driver line-up at the prestigious Dubai 24 Hours (12 to 14 January 2012). All four winners of the virtual-to-reality competition will tackle the endurance race as a team sharing the wheel of the 410bhp Nissan 370Z. Lucas Ordoñez from Madrid, winner of the first GT Academy in 2008,Jordan Tresson from northern France, winner in 2010 Jann Mardenborough from Cardiff, winner this and Bryan Heitkotter from California, winner of GT Academy USA 2011m will become the first-ever all-gamer-turned-real-racer team to tackle a major international race. A seat to race in the 2012 Dubai 24 Hours was always set to be the ultimate prize for the winners of the European and USA GT Academy competitions this year. European winner Mardenborough and his American counterpart Bryan embarked on a demanding five month Driver Development Programme with races at national level  to qualify for International C race licences. As Darren Cox, Nissan International’s European chief marketing manager for sports cars, explains: “This was the most comprehensive and intensive driver training programme to date in GT Academy and a fantastic opportunity for Jann. We planned every detail to make sure that it was not just a case of him being ‘qualified’ to race in Dubai, but that he is a fully-rounded package capable of challenging for a strong finish alongside all of the other winners of GT Academy.”

Indy Lights: With scholarship funding from the Mazda Road to Indy, Tristan Vautier - winner of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear -- will move up to Indy Lights for the 2012 season with the twice-defending champion team, Sam Schmidt Motorsports, in the team's No. 77 car. Vautier stormed to the 2011 Star Mazda title with four victories and top-five finishes in each of the 11 races.  Vautier received a Mazda Road to Indy scholarship to advance to Firestone Indy Lights after he won the Star Mazda Championship this past season. The Mazda Road to Indy Program, in its third year of existence, aims to help talented young drivers advance their careers and ultimately move to the top level of open-wheel racing-the IZOD IndyCar Series.  For further information, click here.  

Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear team Juncos Racing has expanded its presence in the Mazda Road to Indy program by adopting the Firestone Indy Lights team of Davey Hamilton Racing.  With three years of experience in the Star Mazda Championship-including a record-breaking championship title-team owner Ricardo Juncos is eager to grow his team and move up to the next rung on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder in 2012. Juncos Racing will move its team headquarters from Vero Beach, Florida to Brownsburg, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis, but will keep a facility in Fort Pierce, Florida to facilitate year-around testing.  Davey Hamilton Racing's lead engineer Darrell Soppe will transition into the role of lead engineer for Juncos Racing's Firestone Indy Lights program. Soppe is one of the most respected engineers in racing with a résumé that includes working for Penske Motorsports for five years where he helped Rick Mears win both the Indy 500 and championship title in 1979 and working with Newman-Haas where he helped Mario Andretti win the championship title in 1984.  For further information, click here.  

Star Mazda : TrueCar, Inc., creators of the intelligent automotive marketplace that benefits both buyers and sellers has announced an extensive, multi-year commitment to support top female race car drivers in premier racing series, along with young rising stars across several developmental racing series. The TrueCar Racing "Women Empowered" initiative is an extension of the company's efforts to help women enjoy the best possible car buying experience.  Ashley Freiberg, only the second female racer -- other than Danica Patrick -- to be nominated as a candidate for the prestigious Team USA Scholarship, won 25 Skip Barber races and two Skip Barber Series Championships during the 2010 season and made history as the first woman to win a Skip Barber Championship and the first woman to win a BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Series race.  She will compete in the full 2012 Star Mazda Championship schedule.  For further information, click here.  

Andretti Autosport has announced it will welcome back driver 2011 Star Mazda 'Rookie of the Year' Sage Karam for his second season in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear in 2012. Karam will drive the Star Mazda car with support from Comfort Revolution, a leading distributor and marketer of high-end sleep products.  In his debut season in the competitive Star Mazda series, Karam had a total of two wins, seven top-five finishes, including three podiums, and secured two pole positions throughout the year. The up-and-coming young driver ultimately finished fifth in championship.

JDC MotorSports, a team with three Star Mazda championships to its credit (including 2011 with Tristan Vautier) will field a 2012 Star Mazda effort for Columbian Juan Piedrahita,  Piedrahita previously contested a partial Star Mazda campaign in 2010, where he scored one top-five and two top-10s as one of the series youngest competitors.  In 2011, he competed for JDC in the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda finishing seventh in the title chase with two podium finishes, three top-fives, and eight top-10s.  Piedrahita will campaign a Petrosur/Color Mach/Colombia es Pasion/GFK-backed entry.  "We are very happy to continue our relationship with Juan and move him up the Mazda Road to Indy ladder into our Star Mazda program," stated JDC MotorSports principal John Church. "We expect to see Juan on the podium and challenging for wins."

Team Pelfrey, winner of the 2011 Star Mazda 'Team Championship' has announced the signing of British driver and newly-named BRDC (British Racing Drivers' Club) Rising Star Jack Hawksworth to partner American driver Gustavo Menezes during the 2012 campaign.  Hawksworth, from Bradford is a Star Mazda rookie but comes to the series with two impressive British Formula Renault 2.0 campaigns on his resume. The 20 year-old racer recently impressed the squad and onlookers in his initial Star Mazda run by posting the fastest time in the two-day Mazda Road to Indy Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We are delighted to welcome Jack to Team Pelfrey," commented 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." Menezes, from Coto de Caza, California, is a top international kart racer who made the jump directly to Star Mazda in 2011, scoring one podium finish, two top-5s and nine top-10s. "I am very happy to say that next year I will be a part of Team Pelfrey," added enezes. "They are a great team to be a part of and are awesome to work with. This past season they did a great job, especially for a rookie team, winning the team championship and more. I think I will learn a lot with such an experienced crew and with my new great teammates. I am so stoked to work with one of the most familiar faces in my racing career, Rocky Moran. Geoff has got a solid team for next year, and I cannot wait for the first race of the season next year to see what happens."

Formula 3: 2011 was the ninth season of the Formula 3 Euro Series. Over the course of these nine years, it has established produced some talented individuals, notably Lewis Hamilton, Timo Glock, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel and Edoardo Mortara being just some of the young drivers who successfully advanced to the pinnacles of touring-car and single-seater racing. In the past season, 76 TV stations in 173 countries and regions brought about 1,400 hours Formula 3 Euro Series race coverage - live, magazine features and race highlights. In Germany, the free-TV coverage of the nine race weekends amounted to nearly 23 hours. Once again, news channel n-tv covered the first and third rounds of every race weekend live and in addition, sports channel SPORT 1 reported about the series. In Germany alone, the Formula 3 Euro Series was watched by a total audience 22.62 million viewers. Plus on average, the two TV stations covered the action in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Germany. At the same time, the young-gun series also proved extremely popular in the rest of Europe with 33 TV stations reaching of 85.5 million households broadcasting a total of 784 hours of coverage. In addition to TV coverage, the World Wide Web also offered the opportunity to follow the action of every single Euro Series session live., the Formula 3 Euro Series website - www.f3euroseries.com getting 4.5 million page impressions, a monthly average of 371,000. Finally the nine DTM race weekends attracted a total crowd of 535,500 spectators.

13-12-11

Karts: As he prepares to enter his second season at Junior Rotax level in 2012, Jay Goodwin has stolen an early march on his adversaries by linking up with Silverstone-based iZone Driver Performance, where he will receive expert guidance from a three-time motor racing world champion. The iZone Academy, the brainchild of triple World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx, was set up with the express purpose of teaching young drivers the science behind operating in their ‘peak personal performance zone’, thereby enabling them to learn the key skills that they will require throughout their careers and unlock their inner potential.  Jay came to iZone’s attention through John Pratt, Priaulx’s driver coach for 12 years and formerly a successful competitor himself in Formula Ford, F3 and saloons. Pratt found the 14-year-old’s attitude and approach towards his craft refreshing, and he was duly invited to iZone where Priaulx took the time to speak to him one-to-one about what it takes to truly succeed in the sport...and he of all people should know. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, to be honest,” confessed Jay, “but my first impression was that it all appeared extremely professional. The simulator just looked out-of-this-world – and when I got on it, that was confirmed! I spent a lot of the day on it, looking at all the different aspects of driving. I completed 70 laps of the Silverstone National Circuit, which was amazing – and they told me I adapted to everything pretty quickly. Afterwards, Andy gave me some advice in terms of where I should be looking in order to progress my career, and told me all about how he had got started and worked his way up. It was a very special moment, talking to someone as successful as he has been, and he genuinely seemed to be taking an interest in me, which was quite a confidence lift. This is a really big boost for my career, so now it’s up to me to make the most of it!” Priaulx has pledged to mentor Jay and keep a close eye on his progress as he climbs his way up the motorsport ladder. iZone commercial director Neil Riddiford. “Jay has an excellent level of natural ability,” he opined, “and he is capable of digesting information and putting it into action. We looked at every facet of his personal performance, and from that, we began to identify pockets of opportunity to unlock. He responded exceptionally well to instruction, and displayed a very good understanding of what we are trying to achieve.He went away with a much clearer picture of the areas he needs to focus upon, and a lot more ammunition in his locker as to how he can channel his concentration into being the very best he can be. He has the potential to be extremely successful moving forward, providing he is prepared to put in the time, effort and commitment to make the difference.”  Pic iZone

Other News: Mazda is the official vehicle sponsor of Donington Park for the 2012 season and has provided the race circuit with a fleet of eight Mazda cars. Spectators and competitors at the Leicestershire venue will see Mazda3, Mazda6 and Mazda CX-7 vehicles used as medical, safety and pace cars on-track. The Mazda and Donington branded vehicles will also be used to transport VIP guests and senior managers off-track. Mazda’s new relationship with Donington Park also provides the Japanese brand with track time for testing its new 2012 Mazda MX-5 GT race car, which successfully competed in the Britcar Dunlop Production GTN Championship this year. “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Mazda UK once again, after enjoying a good relationship with the brand in 2008 and 2009. We look forward to promoting the unique benefits of Mazda’s stylish product range to our wider audience in 2012,” added Gemma Toogood, Head of Commercial Sales & Marketing, Donington Park Racing Ltd. For further information on the Mazda MX-5 GT race programme go to www.mazdamx5racing.co.uk

The definitive book on Jim Clark is now available as an ebook

12-12-11

Grand-Am: The Audi R8 GRAND-AM successfully passed its baptism by fire. The new model was fine-tuned at the Daytona race track during its final test on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. The development of the next customer sport race car from Audi Sport has been completed and the car will be delivered to the first customers by January. The new Audi R8 GRAND-AM is based on the extremely successful Audi R8 LMS for the Grand Touring class of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.  On the two test days, Frank Stippler completed about 1000 kilometres in the conspicuous test car that sports a stars-and-stripes design to prepare for the Daytona 24 Hours at which private racing customers will compete with the R8 GRAND AM on January 28th and 29th. The Grand-Am car clearly differs from the GT3  and required a fundamentally new set-up. Downforce, for instance, is drastically lower. About 70 to 80 percent of aerodynamic grip is lost because the Grand-Am regs prescribe modified body components. The new front splitter may only protrude from the front contours by 38 millimetres, for example. The front underbody must have a flat design. The rear diffusor corresponds to the production car component, while the standardised rear wing is only 152 centimetres wide and thus 260 millimetres slimmer than the rear wing of the R8 LMS. "The lower aerodynamic forces also require modified damper characteristics and softer spring rates," explains Armin Plietsch, Head of Engineering Customer Sport at quattro GmbH. In addition, the regulations prescribe a ride height of 65 millimetres - which is about 10 millimetres more than the minimum in the FIA series.  "We successfully tested all the modifications at Daytona," says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Customer Sport at quattro GmbH. "With Frank Stippler we developed a sound and solid set-up for our customers and also gathered valuable findings in the endurance tests. The durability of wearing parts and runs at high outside temperatures meet challenging demands. We can now provide our racing customers with concrete advice and reference values for fielding the car." One customer team for the 2012 season has already been determined. APR Motorsport from Opelika in Alabama will be the first team to field the car.

Silverstone Classic : Tickets for the 2012 Silverstone Classic (20-22 July) have gone on sale today (Monday 12 December) with discounted ‘Early Bird’ tickets available in good time for Christmas. Firmly established as the World’s biggest classic motor racing festival, next summer’s three-day Silverstone Classic will build further upon the huge success of this summer’s record-breaking event which attracted a massive crowd of more than 80,000. The on-track entertainment will showcase the full spectrum of historic motor sport with huge grids featuring an amazing array of Grand Prix, GT, Le Mans, single-seaters, sports and touring cars spanning more than seven decades of epic circuit racing history. Adding to the high octane, festival atmosphere, the very best of classic rock and pop bands will perform live on both Friday and Saturday evenings.  Read more.

Karts: It was, for James Singleton, the crowning glory of an outstanding campaign, and as he ascended the stage to collect his trophy for clinching the 2011 Junior Max class honours in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship at the Autosport Awards. Seven victories from the opening ten rounds in FKS enabled James to wrap up the laurels one meeting early, and his runaway success secured the talented young North Wales racer an invite to the prestigious Autosport Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. During the course of what was truly a red carpet affair, the 16-year-old rubbed shoulders with the likes of F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, Martin Brundle and multiple IndyCar Series Champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti. “It was a fantastic evening, and not like anything I had been expecting at all,” James enthused. “I’ve not been to any awards ceremony as high-profile as that before, and I certainly hadn’t thought it would be as glitzy and glamorous as it was! Everyone who is anyone in the world of motorsport was there, and it was just such a good night! “I met Christian Horner and Martin Brundle and spent some time chatting to them, and I spoke to Anthony Hamilton, too; he was talking about when to make the move up from karting into cars, and to make sure to get the timing right and go in with a solid plan. He has been through it all himself, of course, with Lewis, and he gave me some really useful career advice. It’s just been an awesome year,” he reflected. “ The highlight was probably winning the ‘O’ Plate at Rowrah, Super 1 there as well and two FKS meetings all in a row back in early-summer. Finishing third in the Rotax World Finals was a massive result, too. We were so happy just to have the opportunity to go there in the first place, but to come away with a podium was absolutely amazing! pic LAT Photographic

Porsche Carrera Cup GB:  The Porsche Carrera World Cup race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife will feature in the final TV programme of the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The programme will be broadcast in the Motorsport UK programme during the afternoon of Tuesday 13 December on ITV4, on ITV1 on the night of Sunday 18 December and will also be shown on ITV4 on Saturday 17 December. The remarkable race at the Nurburgring will feature in this special programme, with the focus on the Carrera Cup GB competitors within the 100-car field for this record-breaking race.
Motorsport UK will be broadcast as follows:
Tuesday 13 December at 5pm on ITV4
Saturday 17 December at 7.55am on ITV4
Monday 19 December at 2.05am on ITV1

11-12-11

Saloons: The form guide favoured one of the flock of all-wheel drive Class A cars – six Mitsubishi Lancer Evos and a Subaru WRX Sti – to win the six-hour production touring car race at Eastern Creek Raceway. They dominated qualifying, had more experienced driver pairings, and with rain forecast they looked to have a natural advantage over the two-wheel drives at the western Sydney racetrack. But victory in a rather soggy six-hour went to the Class B two-wheel drive BMW 335i driven by Nathan Morcom and Chaz Mostert; both 19 year-olds with less than a handful of long-distance races between them. It was the first time that the two young guns had co-driven in an enduro, and the first outright success for the Direct Plasterboard Outlet-Rondo team.  Read report

Karts: Following its most successful season to date in 2011 the British Historic Kart Club, the fastest growing kart club in the UK, has confirmed its 2012 calendar for the burgeoning RetroRacer Series. Comprising six rounds and catering for all Class I (Direct Drive) and Class IV (Gearbox) karts built between 1959 and 1982 the RetroRacer Series saw entries regularly top 60 karts in 2011 with many more machines taking part in track day demonstration runs in between the races themselves.With interest in historic karting in the UK at an all time high and with more and more machines literally being dragged out of people’s garages and restored on a monthly basis the 2012 RetroRacer Series should see entry levels raised even further. Already attracting drivers from all over the UK and the Channel Islands it is hoped that the addition of the one-off global historic championship event at Donington Park next May, where more than 200 entries are expected, will boost foreign participation in the domestic championship. The 2012 calendar looks largely similar to the 2011 edition with the only venue change being the addition of Fulbeck, itself one of the oldest kart tracks in Britain, at the expense of Teesside. The Series begins, as it did in 2011 at Ellough Park in Beccles on April 21st-22nd before a wait of more than two months before the second round at Llandow in South Wales on July 14th-15th. BHKC members definitely won’t be getting bored during the two month hiatus between rounds one and two as in between Ellough Park and Llandow will see many drivers in action at Donington Park and the annual Shenington Superprix and Reunion meeting. Fulbeck in Lincolnshire will host the half way mark of the season in August before RetroRacer returns to Larkhall in Scotland on August Bank Holiday weekend. The penultimate round of the season takes place at Whilton Mill in September with Clay Pigeon in Dorset hosting the season finale once again on October 20th 21st.  Pic Nick Purdie    full Calendar

10-12-11

The annual FIA Prize Giving Gala, held for the first time in New Delhi, India, awarded trophies to winners and Champions in the following categories:  read full list

WTCC: Last night Yvan Muller and Chevrolet were officially named 2011 FIA World Touring Car champions during the traditional FIA prize giving ceremony that took place for the first time at New Dehli. In the sumptuous setting of the Kingdom of Dreams, specially designed to offer a unique Indian atmosphere, the FIA honoured all its champions from Karting to Formula One.
The part of the ceremony dedicated to the presentation of the WTCC trophies culminated in an all-Chevrolet podium with the Cruze 1.6T racing car on the background. Rob Huff and Alain Menu - second and third in the championship respectively - received their runner up trophies to line up on either side of Yvan Muller. Chevrolet Motorsport director Eric Nève joined them to receive the Manufacturers' trophy. Yvan Muller was awarded the Drivers' World Champion trophy for the third time, after he won in 2008 for SEAT and in 2010 for Chevrolet, while Nève collected Chevrolet's second Manufacturers' Championship trophy.  After receiving his third WTCC championship trophy Yvan Muller commented: "It was a very close call! Rob (Huff) deserved to win the title just like me. He has been quick the whole season and won as many races as I did. I am now facing my third season with Chevrolet and my goal is to win a fourth world title. Nobody has done it before in WTCC and it would be nice to do it. After all, my Alsatian countryman Sébastien Loeb has won eight WRC titles." On Chevrolet's second Manufacturers' title, Motorsport director Eric Nève said: "The team worked very hard and the key to our success was to start testing so early with the new 1.6-litre turbo engine. Our sporting activity is of benefit for the brand. The Cruze is a truly global car and its involvement in a world championship where racing cars are so close to production cars is also good for the sales. Which is proved by the fact that we have already sold one million Cruze cars worldwide."

The calendar of the 2012 WTCC was approved earlier this week by the FIA World Motor Sport Council during the meeting in New Dehli.Once again the championship will comprise twelve events between March and November. WTCC will visit for the first time Austria, Argentina and the USA, and it will also return to Marrakech's street circuit. In 2012 the FIA European Touring Car Cup reverts to a multiple event format. The series will comprise four race meetings, three of them held during WTCC events, plus an ETCC stand-alone event that will conclude the season at Imola.

Rounds 1 & 2 - 11 March: Autodromo di Monza (Italy)
Rounds 3 & 4 - 1 April: Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia (Spain)
Rounds 5 & 6 - 20 May: Salzburgring (Austria)
Rounds 7 & 8 - 24 June: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola (Italy)

  calendar

The FIA World Motor Sport Council also approved a number of changes last Wednesday to the WTCC Sporting Regulations. ELIGIBLE CARS - In 2012 only Super 2000 cars powered by the 1.6-litre turbo engine will be eligible for full season entries. Older cars powered by 2.0L normally aspirated or turbo-diesel engines may only accepted on a race-by-race basis.

RACE DISTANCE - To enhance competition, the race distance that was previously limited to 50 km has been increased to a range from a minimum of 50 km to a maximum of 60.

full details of the 2012 WTCC Sporting Regulations that will be available by December 15 at www.fia.com . 

Karts: The annual Autosport Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London each December is the Motorsport world’s version of the Oscars and it was into that spotlight that the four Formula Kart Stars Champions of 2011 stepped to receive their championship trophies last Sunday evening.In front of the watching eye of the motorsport industry, reigning MSA British Cadet Champion Daniel Ticktum, Formula Kart Stars Mini Max champion Josh White, Junior Rotax title holder James Singleton(both pictured with Button) and KF3 Champ Callum Ilott (below)joined current Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel, fellow F1 drivers Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta and many more on the main stage and then got to rub shoulders with their heroes as the evening progressed. “I met Jenson Button and he was really laid back, a really nice guy,” commented Ticktum afterwards. “The FKS title is the biggest championship I’ve won in karting. It was my toughest year in karting and will probably one of my toughest ever.”  Ticktum, White, Ilott and Singleton may have been representing the best of Formula Kart Stars in 2011 but there were many connections back to the earlier days of the Formula One Management backed championship. Former series driver Oliver Rowland won the prestigious Autosport Young Driver of the Year award and multiple former FKS champion Di Resta was named Rookie of the Year. The late Martin Hines, one of the founders of the FKS championship in 1996 when it was known as Champions of the Future, was also posthumously honoured with one of his Superkarts on display. “To be a part of one of the most important nights of the year in our sport is a tremendous honour,” stated FKS Championship Director Carolynn Hoy. “It’s a fantastic reward for all the hard work our champions put in over the course of the year and, of course, they get to meet many of their idols. “But what our current drivers may not realise is that many of the major players in our industry are here and their names will be remembered by those players as they continue up the motorsport ladder.” All four 2011 Champions will officially receive their unique Formula Kart Stars steering wheel trophies and TAG Heuer watches at the full FKS Presentation ceremony at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham on Saturday January 14th next year.

ALMS: While the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is noted for its graduates now competing in IndyCar and Indy Lights, the series, now entering its 22nd season, has a long history of graduating drivers into a wide variety of top-level motorsports, from Formula One and NASCAR to prototype endurance racing. Star Mazda's most recent success story comes in the form of 2009 Expert Series champion Mike Guasch (center), who has announced he will co-drive with IndyCar/prototype driver Memo Gidley (right) in the LMPC class of the 2012 American Le Mans Series. The duo -- are based locally, near the team's Benicia headquarters -- will compete for the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing team in the Challenge class, which features the Michelin-clad ORECA-Courage FLM09 prototype.The team's expansion is the next step in its plans of growing and building a successful racing business. For the first time in its history, it will enter two cars in the series, after fielding a single entry in what were two successful full seasons in the ALMS the last couple of years.  read more

09-12-11

Formula 2: Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Champion of Great Britain Scott Malvern and runner-up Jeroen Slaghekke will make their Formula Two debuts next week after being awarded a prize test to take part in a two-day session in Barcelona. Two-time McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist Malvern claimed this year’s Dunlop MSA Formula Ford title by winning a record 18 of the 24 rounds - 13 of them consecutively. Dutchman Slaghekke, 19, secured championship second with three wins and a further 12 podiums. Both will join a host of international drivers for the test at the Circuit de Catalunya on 13/14 December. Malvern in particular is keen to step up full time to the series in 2012: “I’m looking to make the jump up to a higher category and F2 offers that at great value for money, together with racing on Grand Prix circuits and ensuring everyone has the same chance.“If I were to race it would be a two-year campaign as F2 is very competitive. This test is certainly a great prize to be awarded, especially with F2 fast becoming a recognised route on the motorsport ladder, and I’m hoping to use it as a springboard to F2 next year.” The 22-year-old recently sampled the 500bhp JPH1B car during the driver assessment process for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, and was impressed: “It’s a very good car that has been well designed and thought out. I’m looking forward to the test and to get some good mileage, as although I’ve sampled it before that was very stop/start.” Slaghekke said: “I’m definitely looking forward to the test. The F2 car is a lot more powerful with a big speed difference to the Formula Ford so it will be a new experience for me and on a new track. We’ll have to see how it goes but F2 could be a possible option for a future season.” Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship co-ordinator Penny Mattocks added: “Scott Malvern and Jeroen Slaghekke will get to enjoy a very special test and one we’re confident will enrich their future choices in motorsport, and help give recognition to their promising racing careers.” Full coverage of the Barcelona test will be available at www.formulatwo.com    Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography 

GP3: Atech CRS GP signed off a successful 2011 GP3 Series season with the completion of two days of post-season testing in Jerez, over 1/2 December. The Leicestershire-based team was among the 26-car field that stayed in Spain following two days in Valencia the previous week, making the most of the opportunity to continue its development programme ahead of the 2012 season. The team had enjoyed two successful sessions in Spain, with Tamas Pal Kiss firmly establishing himself among the pacesetters in both Barcelona in October and Valencia.  The team’s focus for Jerez lie in helping to build on the Hungarian’s pace while ensuring that new signing Ethan Ringel¸ who comes into the GP3 series in only his first season in car racing, benefited from valuable track time.  Read more

Karts: Nathan Harrison has described ranking sixth in the world at Junior Rotax level as an ‘incredible’ feeling and the ‘best experience of his life’ – after producing a superb front-running performance up against the very best around in the prestigious Rotax World Finals at Al Ain Raceway in the United Arab Emirates.   Pic: Chris Walker / www.kartpix.net    Read report

08-12-11

Caterham Cars continued its global expansion yesterday when it launched its much acclaimed Superlight R300 Championship at Sepang International Circuit. The circuit, which hosts the World’s best drivers for the Formula 1 Malaysia Grand Prix each year, will see a grid of 16 or more race prepared R300s do battle in what is considered to be one of the closest and most competitive championships in motorsport. With their proven 175bhp Ford Duratec 2.0-litre engines and dedicated race chassis, the R300 Championship is currently the ultimate Caterham Seven series. The expansion of the R300 Championship, having established itself as one of the finest motorsport series in the UK and Europe, will see the existing formula replicated in Malaysia but will be held exclusively at the Sepang circuit. The new championship will be backed by Air Asia with the first race weekend commencing in May 2012. Ansar Ali, Chief Executive of Caterham Cars, said: “We’re hugely excited to be officially launching the championship and demonstrating how fantastic Caterham Seven racing is, especially at such a renowned circuit which the Formula 1 drivers enjoy so much. “We already have plans to expand the grids to over 40 cars in the coming years; we know how much appetite there is for motorsport in the East and this is a terrific platform on which to continue expanding our motorsport and road car business in this part of the world.” As well as Ansar Ali, Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of Air Asia and owner of Caterham Cars, was also in attendance during yesterday’s event which marked the official announcement of the championship. Operating the series will be Caterham Motorsport’s Malaysian partner, the prominent Thunder Asia Racing Team, run by Raja Zaini. It will manage race package sales, build the race vehicles, provide technical support, transport and race organisation.

VW Racing Cup: Next year’s Volkswagen Racing Cup will feature two races on the bill at the fabulous German touring car meeting at Brands Hatch. The provisional Cup calendar for 2012 features seven events with two races at each, most of them alongside the British F3 and British GT championships. The ‘jewel in the crown’ is a double-header on the Brands Hatch Indy track as part of May’s DTM festival. “We are very pleased indeed to have secured a slot alongside DTM,” said Sam Roach of championship promoter RacingLine. “It will be great for competitors and spectators and is a nice fit for our tyre partner, Hankook, because it supplies the DTM also.” There will be a further five meetings - on the Silverstone and Donington Grand Prix circuits, Snetterton’s ‘300’ circuit, at Oulton Park and Rockingham - alongside F3/GT, plus a yet to be confirmed visit to a top European Grand Prix track. “We are hoping to finalise the overseas date in the next couple of weeks,” added Roach, “and that will take the championship to 14 races spread over seven events, which we feel is the right number.”   calendar

KPM Racing is to expand its challenge in the Volkswagen Racing Cup next season to field at least six cars - two of them new-shape Sciroccos. The squad, which is headed by former Honda F1 technician Kevin Poole, is also building a current-model Mk VI Golf GTI. James Walker, who won three races for KPM in 2011 on his way to runner-up spot in the championship, will lead the Silverstone-based team into action again, forsaking the Golf GTI which he has campaigned for four seasons for a Scirocco. The 25-year-old from Nottinghamshire, son of truck-racing champion Richard Walker, will be a title contender, says Poole: “James’s Golf was a race-winning car last season and what we are doing is building the best parts of that car into a new Scirocco shell, and that should make all the difference for the coming year. James is one of the quickest guys out there.” A second Scirocco is in build at KPM for Craig Milner, who enjoyed his first taste of the Volkswagen Racing Cup at the end of the 2011 season; the former bike-racing champion turned to cars two years ago in the Ferrari Open sports car series. Both Milner’s and Walker’s Sciroccos will be powered by the race-proven 2-litre TFSI turbocharged engine. There will be twin KPM Racing Mk V Golf GTIs for championship returnees Mark Howard and Philip Morris. Howard, the 1993 victor of the Renault 5GT Turbo championship, returned to racing in the Volkswagen Racing Cup at the start of the 2011 season and went on to claim championship ninth, with a best race finish of sixth. Morris is returning for his third year in the series having broken into the top 10 on occasion this season. Cameron Thompson will be fifth man in the squad with his Beetle RSI, and there is a sixth car - a new TFSI-powered Mk VI Golf GTI - in build at KPM as a race-rental machine. “Six cars is an ambitious plan,” says Poole, “but the team will be carefully structured at race meetings to ensure that everything runs smoothly. We were delighted by our results in 2011 and hope very much to build on that success next season.” Championship manager Sam Roach of RacingLine added: “KPM’s six-car vote of confidence in the championship is heartening. It will be great to see more Sciroccos on the grid also.”  VW Pics Jakob Ebrey Photography 

Karts: The British Historic Kart Club took pride of place at the recent Kartmania UK show in Coventry with a spectacular display of machinery and plenty of developments for 2012. With more than a dozen immaculately restored karts all built between 1959 and 1982 on display the club welcomed a steady stream of inquisitive onlookers, current drivers and potential new recruits to the Historic Karting scene over the course of the two-day show. Among the highlights of the display was a 1962 Italkart with twin Komet K125 engines originally imported by Bernie Turney, who later went on to form Tal-Ko and whose son Alan is still heavily involved with the British Karting scene.  Joining the Italkart and many other long-forgotten Marques such as Vacquand and Buckler that were also represented on the stand was Graham Loakes’ stunning 1976 Class IV Barlotti/Villiers, which has been the subject of a painstaking six month restoration that has been well documented on the BHKC’s website. Still to have its engine fired much less turn a wheel in anger, it is hoped that Loakes will appear on track with it during the 2012 season.Club patron Barrie ‘Wizzo’ Williams was in attendance on Saturday as the 2012 calendar was unveiled, which includes the six round RetroRacer Series, the as yet untitled global championship event at Donington Park next May as well as high profile demonstration events at the annual Shenington Superprix in June and Race Retro at Stoneleigh in February. While the karts are often the stars of the show in historic karting, one of the main talking points this year was eleven year old Ed Thurston, who demonstrated his 1976 Deavinson Sprint DAP T70 throughout the country in 2011. Despite being too young to race even though his lap times are comparable to the very quickest drivers in the RetroRacer Series, Ed and his father Gerry are working towards creating the first Historic class for Junior drivers in the near future. The club already have members signing up for 2012 and with over 200 drivers expected to attend the Donington Park event the BHKC are continuing to expand their international horizons and are working towards sending drivers to the two Angelo Parilla organised historic events at Jesolo in Italy next year.For more information on the fastest growing kart club in the UK please visit www.britishhistorickartclub.co.uk or www.retroracer.org     Pic: Chris Walker / www.kartpix.net

After four years racing under the Tony Kart Junior Racing Team banner, Paul Spencer’s multiple championship-winning team will once again compete under its original name - Strawberry Racing. Formed in 2007, the Tony Kart Junior Racing Team was an instant success and won the 2008 WSK and European KF2 titles with Flavio Camponeschi. The arrival of Ben Cooper and Chris Lock for the following season saw the former going on to claim the WSK KF2 crown and Lock winning the Nations Cup in 2010. During that same period, Strawberry Racing became one of the most successful teams in the Rotax categories – both at home and abroad. This year it dominated the Super One and Kartmasters Championships with Jack Barlow (Jnr) and Ed Brand (Snr).Paul Spencer says: “Mr Robazzi (owner of Tony Kart) and I realized that having two similarly named teams competing against each other didn’t serve either of us particularly well. Furthermore, with Strawberry’s enormous success in Rotax, I have a great platform from which to re-introduce that brand into KF racing and create a global presence under one banner.” Speaking on behalf of the whole team, Paul adds: “It’s fantastic to bring the two halves back together again. We will be able to really develop our talent ladder now by working closely to take the fastest and most gifted Rotax drivers and give them the opportunity to graduate into the KF3 and KF2 ranks. We did that with Ben Cooper, Luke Varley and Chris Lock and it’s something we’re committed to doing again and again.” After winning the Final Cup at Ortona (30 October) with Danish KF3 star Nicklas Nielsen, the Tony Kart Junior Racing Team’s swansong event will be this weekend’s (10/11 December ) CIK-FIA Asia Pacific KF1 and KF3 Championships at Macau. However, the re-branded outfit will continue to operate from Tony Kart’s Prevalle headquarters in Brescia, Italy. Pic: Chris Walker / www.kartpix.net

07-12-11

Trophée Andros: The first competitive outing of Dacia Lodgy Glace saw it take to the podium thanks to a top-three finish in the hands of Evens Stievenart, who was third in the opening race at Val Thorens in France.Conditions were made complex by a lack of ice, but Alain Prost, Nicolas Prost and Evens Stievenart all succeeded in showcasing the ability of Team Dacia’s latest challenger which was competitive out of the box. Action continues next week in the principality of Andorra where Team Dacia will be looking for an ever lighter placing. Read more

Saloons: The Rondo-DPO BMW 335i will be driven at Eastern Creek by Nathan Morcom and Chaz Mostert. Barry Morcom is taking a radical approach to next weekend’s Eastern Creek six-hour production car race ... he isn’t driving! The production touring car veteran has picked a youthful ‘all-pace attack’ for his Rondo-DPO BMW 335i: his son Nathan and Chaz Mostert, both 19. The two teenagers will share the driving which will be held over a shortened duration on a shortened venue – Eastern Creek’s truncated 2.8km ‘North’ circuit. (Last year’s race went for eight hours on the full 3.9km ‘Grand Prix’ circuit.) read more

Max Goff has set out his stall for a successful career in endurance racing after his debut in the Barcelona 24 Hours saw him and his team-mates finish second in class and sixth overall. A regular front-runner and podium finisher with Zest Racecar Engineering in the French SEAT León Supercopa Championship this year – his maiden campaign of car racing after moving from karts – Max’s form brought him to the attention of Team Clairet Sport, who added him to their driver line-up for the Barcelona round-the-clock encounter. Read report

BTCC: Donington Park’s date on the2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar has today been confirmed – meaning all ten BTCC fixtures for next year are now in place.The historic Leicestershire venue will host the second event of the season when the BTCC, the UK’s premier motor racing championship, tours the country – in total it will visit nine top-class race circuits in eight different counties. calendar

Formula 2: Aaron Steele is gearing up for his Formula 2 test session in Barcelona next week after claiming the test as a reward for his dominating season in the F3 Cup. In November Steele completed his seat fitting session ahead of the test and revealed his excitement was already building. “After having the seat fitting in the Formula Two car I am getting more and more excited about the test. The seat fitting went well and I am 100% comfortable in the car all ready and raring to go.” With the seat fitting out of the way Steele’s thoughts moved on to the differences from the F3 car he has been driving this year. “There's going to be a few things to quickly get on top of as the car is a bit more advanced than the F3 car I have been accustomed to racing this year. For starters I will have to left foot brake and there is a hand clutch with paddles to change gear.” Steele is confident it shouldn’t take too long to settle in to the F2 car though: “This shouldn't be too much of a challenge as I had to quickly adapt to this when I tested the A1GP car back in 2008, although it will still be a lot different to what I'm used to.” Aside from the differences in gears and braking Steele is looking forward to sampling the over-boost facility along with the adjustable front wing. “The over-boost facility increases power from 425hp to a blistering 500hp! I'm sure I will enjoy that feature the most.” Steele has been busy in the gym preparing for the test next week. “Physically I am preparing as hard as I can for what will sure be a very demanding drive, with the increase levels of downforce compared to the F3 car I am used to. Particularly I have been focusing on my neck and doing all I can to build that up so it will cope with the increased loads.”  Looking ahead Steele is relishing the chance to take on a track that has seen some great Formula 1 battles. “After watching F1 race at Barcelona on TV for many years I'm really looking forward to actually getting the opportunity to drive it myself, it looks to be a real good mix between tight technical corners and fast flowing ones, I can't wait to take on the challenge and my aim is to stamp my authority during the day, to send out a clear message of Intent." Official F2  winter testing takes place on 13/14 December and you can follow the action on the official F2 website – www.formulatwo.com.

Formula 3: Following the season finale at Hockenheim and the results at the Macau GP with 1st place Prema Powerteam and 2nd for Signature, the preparations for the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series season are running flat out. In addition to the established teams - Mücke Motorsport, Prema Powerteam und Signature - GU Racing, Jo Zeller Racing and URD also have confirmed their involvement for 2012. There are at present six teams and a total of 15 cars with another two cars expected in the coming weeks. Peter Mücke, Team Principal Mücke Motorsport: “Mücke Motorsport plans to enter up to four cars for the 2012 Euro Series season and we already negotiated and tested with several drivers, to date. It’s nice to see that the interest in Formula 3 and the Euro Series in particular is clearly increasing. Furthermore, the fact that the Euro Series is held in the DTM support programme provides all those involved with a professional environment that is second to none.” René Rosin, Team Principal Prema Powerteam: “Thanks to our championship triumph courtesy of Roberto Merhi and Daniel Juncadella’s win in Macau, we experienced an extremely nice and successful 2011 season and already look forward to 2012. I am convinced that the 2012 Euro Series grid will once again feature the best teams and drivers. Currently we are planning to enter four cars and we will announce our driver line-up in the coming weeks.” Philippe Sinault, Teamchef Signature: “As official Volkswagen Team we are extremely keen on taking the 2012 Euro Series title back to our camp. The 2011 season was highly contested. Finishing runner-up turned out to be the best we could achieve. With the come back of BMW in DTM, this is the championship to be in.” Walter Mertes, Managing Director Formula 3 Euro Series: “ With the BMW comeback in DTM taking place at the same time, this also represents a wind of change for the Formula 3 Euro Series season. Here, the sponsors and partners of the series are provided a perfect stage for showcasing themselves. At the same time, we can confirm that n-TV will remain the F3ES media partner. Just as it was the case in 2011, the German news channel will cover both feature races of the respective event live.”

Karts: Preparations for the 2012 Formula Kart Stars Championship officially began when the Formula One Management backed series took to the floor at the 2011 Kartmania Show in Coventry’s RICOH Arena last weekend. With registrations already flooding in for the upcoming season, which begins on Easter weekend next April (6th-8th) at Kimbolton, Formula Kart Stars used the UK’s only dedicated karting show to unveil the newly liveried Education Bus and meet with competitors new and old in the hospitality area. After taking more than a dozen new registrations over the course of the two day show championship director Carolynn Hoy was buoyant about the prospects for next season. “The MSA British Cadet Championship grid is already well over fifty per cent full,” said Hoy, before leaving the arena to join the 2011 Formula Kart Stars Champions at the Autosport Awards in London. “As usual there is already a strong contingent of returning drivers and plenty of new faces and we’re expecting to reach our maximum grid of 56 before very long. British Cadet karting is the envy of the world and I’m certain that 2012 will see that trend continue.I’m also very pleased with our numbers in Mini Max where we are two thirds of the way towards a full grid,” continued Hoy, who is still working on negotiations with Duck and Weave Productions to resume their award-winning television coverage of the championship. “We are over half way towards a full grid of Junior Rotax drivers and interest levels are very high in Cadet Honda and Senior Rotax.” 

In addition to the above classes, FKS has also applied to run a KF3 class in 2012 although Hoy conceded that getting the required number of entries to run a competitive season-long championship was proving challenging. “I would dearly love to see the KF3 class return on a full-time basis,” said Hoy. “There is interest there from the drivers but with such a packed European schedule many of their teams already have very busy schedules.”

Providing the backdrop to the Formula Kart Stars showpiece was Boston College’s Education Bus, now resplendent in full FKS livery courtesy of AST Signs and throughout the weekend many drivers and their parents took the opportunity to take a guided tour of the learning facilities available to all FKS drivers in 2012. “Perhaps the most satisfying part of the weekend for me was seeing the reactions of the parents when we showed them the interior of the learning bus,” concluded Hoy. “It looks fantastic from the outside thanks to its new graphics kit but it is what happens inside that matters and the response we’ve had from all parents, especially those whose children are entering our championship for the first time was unanimously positive.”

To learn more about Formula Kart Stars and to download registration forms for 2012 please visit www.formulakartstars.com  pic Pic: Chris Walker / www.kartpix.net

 

Silverstone: As another season of motor sport comes to a close, Silverstone is delighted to announce the launch of its first ever Silverstone Media Awards, inviting motor sport fans to vote for their favourite media coverage from the 2011 Formula 1 and MotoGP seasons. A combined crowd of more than 450,000 attended Silverstone’s two flagship events in 2011 – the FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX and AirAsia British Grand Prix (MotoGP) – and even more have an opinion on their beloved sports. Following exciting seasons in both championships, Silverstone is now inviting fans to help crown the media that have kept us up-to-date, throughout the year, with all the latest news and gossip from the worlds of F1™ and MotoGP.  Fans can cast their votes now* via an ‘App’ on Silverstone Circuit’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SilverstoneCircuits. All votes need to be in by 12:00hrs on 21 December, 2011**.  Categories include, best ‘National Newspaper’ coverage for both race series; best ‘motor sport’ magazine and best ‘bike publication’; best bloggers and tweeters; best website; and the best feature produced by the BBC F1™ team during the 2011 season.  All entries will be included in a prize draw to win two hospitality places** at either the FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (06 – 08 July), or the MotoGP British Grand Prix (15 – 17 June) in 2012. Ten runners-up will each receive a Silverstone Goody Bag**. For further information, or to cast their vote in the 2011 Silverstone Media Awards, fans should visit www.facebook.com/SilverstoneCircuits. 

* Participants limited to one entry.

** Winners of the hospitality tickets will be announced on 23 December. Goody Bag winners will be contacted in January, 2012.

BRDC Awards: On Monday December 5th at a luncheon organised in London by the British Racing Drivers Club Greaves Motorsport were awarded The Nigel Moores Trophy for 2011. This honour is awarded annually by the BRDC to the private entrant who has established the most meritorious performance(s) in international motor racing. In the letter of citation, Derek Warwick, President of the British Racing Drivers Club, wrote that the award has been made “in recognition of your fantastic LM P2 victories in both the Le Mans 24 Hours Race and the Le Mans Series overall.” Jacob Greaves, who received the award on behalf of the team at the BRDC Annual Awards at Grand Connaught Rooms in London said afterwards: “Greaves Motorsport is extremely honoured to receive such a prestigious award from the BRDC. The fact that it comes from a group of our peers who represent the best of British Motorsport only amplifies that feeling. Without doubt it is the perfect ending to what has been a successful year for the team. The award will be something that we will work hard to achieve once more in the future.” To add to the team’s delight, its lead driver, Tom Kimber-Smith has also been honoured by the BRDC, receiving the Woolf Barnato Trophy for 2011. The trophy is awarded each year to the highest-placed finishing British and/or Commonwealth driver, in a British car, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Three times winner at Le Mans, Joel Woolf Barnato was one of the original BRDC founders. He was a key member of the Bentley Boys, the legendary racers in the pre war motorsport scene. Tom also received another accolade, being named as Driver of the Year by the Guild of Motoring Writers. Greaves Motorsport congratulates Tom on these well deserved awards.

06-12-11

The Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race held at Daytona Milton Keynes on Monday, December 5, proved a fitting tribute to the 2005 IndyCar Champion and double Indy 500 winner who hailed from nearby Emberton in Buckinghamshire by raising over £17,000 for Alzheimer’s Society.

Friends and colleagues representing the elite ranks of worldwide motorsport united to race in Dan’s memory and in support of the event organised by close friend and sportscar ace Johnny Mowlem. Over 100 members of the public also had the chance to take part in honour of one of Britain’s best-loved and charismatic champions while helping to raise thousands of pounds of in aid of the Wheldon family’s nominated charity. The worthy winners were Team Button — DW Lionhearts, of Jenson Button, Dan’s Dad, Clive Wheldon, and family friends Doug Coleman and Mark Lewis. They took the top step of the podium thanks to the generosity of their rivals, who willingly embraced Mowlem’s Cash for Penalties initiative. In a manner of which Dan would have wholeheartedly approved, any person present could buy laps or black flags in exchange for charity donations for Alzheimer’s Society. Runners-up were Team Coulthard — DW Bandits, of David Coulthard, Dan’s brothers Elliott and Ashley, and Jason Moore. However, fifth-placed Team Franchitti — DW Legends, of Dario Franchitti, Dan’s sister Holly Wheldon, Peter Houghton, Tom Coleman and Gavin MacFayden aptly shared the second step on the podium. Team Watts came third, with Danny Watts, Jim Littman, Jason Fowler and Nick Perks completing the rostrum, while Dan’s brother Austen also joined the celebrations. The Daytona grid was stretched to capacity to accommodate demand for the event, with 36 teams of four people battling the bitterly cold conditions to mark their respects.

Other professional drivers, many of whom had raced with Dan at some stage or throughout his career, included Anthony Davidson, Jonny Kane, Rob Huff, James Hinchcliffe, Johnny Herbert, Marino Franchitti, Martin and Alex Brundle, Mike Conway, Derek Hayes, Adam Carroll, Chris Buncombe, Richard Dean, Steven Kane, Sam Hancock, Luke Hines, Marc Hynes, Bradley Ellis, Nic Minassian, James Rossiter, Peter Dumbreck, Richard Lyons, Sam Bird, Duncan Tappy, James Thompson, Tom Sisley, Jake Humphreys and Ollie Hancock.

Clive Wheldon: “The turn out tonight has been amazing. To have all these famous racing drivers racing for Dan and raising money for Alzheimer’s Society is fantastic. I was at the Autosport Awards where Dan got an award and received a standing ovation, and that also brought a lump to my throat and made me very proud. It’s nice to have all of his achievements in motor racing recognised. I just wish he could have been here tonight. I hope we repeat this event next year with people like Jenson and all the other drivers who have come to support him. I take my hat off to them.”

Dario Franchitti: “Dan was so passionate about karting. So to come here, close to where he grew up and alongside a lot of his family and friends, to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society, is a very fitting tribute. I think he would have been laughing, watching us racing in freezing conditions and some of the situations we got ourselves into tonight. Obviously it’s bitter sweet as he’s not here, that’s the very tough part. But it’s the best way I can think of to honour him. I think Johnny Mowlem and everyone involved has done a fantastic job getting this event together. It’s been terrific.”

Johnny Mowlem: “The Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race has quite simply exceeded all my expectations. Not only has the event achieved everything I hoped, but tonight was all about celebrating Dan’s life and the wonderful person, driver and friend he was. We’ve certainly done him proud and I can’t thank everyone enough for their support.”

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge: Porsche has announced details of its GT3 Cup Challenge for 2012, which will have a new six-weekend, 12-race calendar and culminate in a season finale alongside the Porsche Carrera Cup GB - and supporting the British Touring Car Championship - at Silverstone on October 6/7. Open to any 911 GT3 Cup race car from the 2009 model year or earlier, the series is designed to be a perfect stepping stone for drivers aiming to move up to the Carrera Cup GB in subsequent seasons. It is also ideally suited to younger racers with some backing, as well as competitors graduating from track days. The series is open to drivers with a National B race licence.  For 2012, the GT3 Cup Challenge moves under the control of Porsche Cars GB, providing closer ties to the UK headquarters of the German sports car marque, the world’s biggest manufacturer of race cars. Links to the premier Carrera Cup GB will be strengthened; both series will share a pre-season Test and Media Day at Silverstone in March, along with a spectacular end-of-season Awards Night. “The GT3 Cup Challenge is the ideal series for any driver wanting to race a 911 GT3 Cup on a level playing field,” said Marion Barnaby, Motorsport Manager, Porsche Cars GB. “It is the perfect learning platform for drivers hoping to move up to the Carrera Cup GB, but it will also suit competitors coming into racing for the first time from track days as well as those currently racing in other series. We will be aligning the GT3 Cup Challenge closely with the Carrera Cup GB.” The GT3 Cup Challenge is expected to feature two classes; Class One will be for ‘Type 997’ 911 GT3 Cup race cars up to and including the 2009 model year. There will be two minimum weights to balance performance between the two specifications of car from this period. Class Two will be for all earlier ‘Type 996’ 911 GT3 Cup cars. Races will be of 25-30 minutes duration wherever possible and the calendar is designed to keep time away to a minimum to help contain costs. Leading teams from the Carrera Cup GB will be fielding cars in the GT3 Cup Challenge, with full-season budgets from £50,000, or from £30,000 if drivers own their cars. A GT3 Cup Challenge race centre will be operational at all events, offering hospitality for drivers, families, guests and team members. Porsche Cars GB will provide further support with a technical service to give drivers the best chance of completing their race weekend as planned. The prize package for the series will be unveiled shortly, along with filming and broadcast details. Further information about the GT3 Cup Challenge 2012 including calendar will be announced on the Porsche Cars GB stand at Autosport International at the Birmingham NEC on January 12-15, 2012.

Le Jog: BMW Park Lane Classic has completed the preparation of an iconic 1973 BMW 1602, commissioned by the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation (HERO) to be included in an inspiring line-up of historic cars tackling the 17th annual, acclaimed LE JOG event (10 – 13 December). An entry list of over 70 cars will battle it out on a gruelling 1,400 mile course between Land’s End and John O'Groats with the longest night navigation section ever to be included in the event’s history.  Renowned as one of the toughest challenges of its kind, the LE JOG is open to cars built before 1984. The popularity of this Reliability and Touring Trial enables crews from around the world to experience the heyday of British Rallying by day and night, driving across a course that stretches from the extreme south west of the UK through to the north of Scotland using as many minor roads as possible.  BMW Park Lane Classic prepared the blue and white sporting coloured 1973 BMW 1602 to support HERO’s popular ‘Arrive & Drive’ event programme for LE JOG. The work undertaken on this classic saloon included aluminium plating of the interior, the introduction of a roll cage, installation of a bespoke loom, an engine rebuild and a complete repaint. Tomas de Vargas Machuca, Managing Director of HERO said: "Our ‘Arrive and Drive’ hire service offers people who don’t own a classic car the opportunity to experience our event for the first time with this spectacular BMW. LE JOG is HERO’s toughest event, so the cars need to be reliable and well prepared and that is what BMW Park Lane Classic represents. The generations of today are looking back at BMW models such as the 1602, 2002, 3000 CSL and remembering them as the cars they always wanted to have. The 1602 taking part in LE JOG is owned by HERO but has been restored to an Appendix K spec. The service has been excellent and a clear demonstration of how to bring a car back to its former glory in a professional way. The partnership backs our desire to break the barrier and get more enthusiasts involved in our event or similar movements in the future.”

Toyota Racing Series: As he moves towards his second full campaign of car racing competition in 2012, Jordan King is set to journey to the other side of the world at the beginning of the year – to compete in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand. The country’s fastest single-seater championship, the Toyota Racing Series will be spread over five weekends from mid-January to mid-February and visiting tracks at Teretonga, Timaru, Taupo, Hampton Downs and Manfeild. The one-make, slicks n’ wings formula – marrying a Tatuus-designed carbon-fibre chassis to a 215bhp Toyota engine – will not only guarantee a level playing-field, but should also not be a million miles away from what Jordan has been accustomed to in Formula Renault UK this year. “We first thought about entering the Toyota Racing Series last winter,” he explained, “because it’s the only opportunity to get some decent running in good weather at this time of year, especially with the testing ban in the UK. We ended up going to India instead, which obviously worked out really well for us, but people were still telling us that we should try New Zealand, too, and to be honest, when we looked into it all properly, it seemed a logical thing to do.”  The Indian trip to was indeed a successful one, yielding the MRF Formula Championship title. Jordan has signed up to race for front-running outfit M2, he will find himself racing with former karting sparring-partner and Ferrari Driver Academy member Raffaele Marciello as his team-mate.“I’m hoping to gain a lot of seat time, learn some different circuits, build up my level of experience and generally just progress my career a little bit further again,” the Hugo Boss brand ambassador revealed of his objectives. “It’s always important to try to keep your hand in and stay race-sharp and fit over the winter ‘off’ season, and it should be beneficial in terms of helping to hone my racecraft.If it’s anything like it looked to be this year, then the competition will certainly be pretty tough, with GP3, F3 and Formula Renault drivers there from across Europe and some extremely good local and Asian drivers as well. I’m definitely anticipating a high-calibre field, and hopefully, that should generate some close and exciting racing.I would love to come away with some good results – top rookie or top Brit might be a good starting-point to aim for – and feeling like I’ve really achieved something worthwhile. That would be a good confidence boost ahead of the main 2012 season. It will clearly be a tall order, but if we can do something similar to what we did in India, that would be amazing.”  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography 

Ginetta GT Supercup: Since clinching the Ginetta G50 Cup crown at Brands Hatch in October, it has been a whirlwind of celebrations and awards ceremonies for Tom Ingram, but now, he insists, all efforts are firmly focussed on 2012 – and on making it three car racing titles in swift succession.  2011 has been a monumental year for Tom, beginning with his BRDC Rising Star award and ten victories and 18 podiums culminating in his G50 championship triumph. After lifting the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2010 and the G50 Cup in 2011, Tom’s next target is to move to the Ginetta GT Supercup behind the wheel of a Ginetta G55, the free lease of which is his prize for his G50 title. “Going into G55s is the logical progression,” he opines. “I want to stay inside the Ginetta family; they’ve always been really good to us, and I enjoy being a Ginetta driver – I feel at home here. It’s a growing company, and I believe it has been very positive for my career being associated with such a well-respected name. I feel it’s the best route to get into touring cars, with plenty of good, close racing and awesome cars that are really fun to drive – and I’ve shown over the past two years what I can do when I have a decent car underneath me.  The objective now is to make it a hat-trick of titles before moving up into touring cars, which is the ultimate goal. It’s not going to be easy, of course, because the competition is likely to be fierce and I’m well aware that we will need to fight hard – but we’re more than used to that. We’ve had a lot of very promising meetings and discussions since the season finished and everything seems to be moving along – and, most importantly of all, moving in the right direction.” Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography 

Porsche Carrera Cup GB:  The next television programme covering the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be broadcast in the Motorsport UK programme during the afternoon of Tuesday 6 December on ITV4, on ITV1 on the night of Sunday 11 December and will also be shown on ITV4 on Saturday 10 December. The programme features the dramatic final race of the season at Silverstone.Motorsport UK will be broadcast as follows:

Tuesday 6 December at 5pm on ITV4
Saturday 10 December at 9am on ITV4,

Monday 12 December at 2am on ITV1  
This will not be the final Carrera Cup GB programme in the Motorsport UK series as coverage of the Porsche Carrera World Cup at the Nurburgring will be shown later in December (exact schedule to be confirmed).

 

Formula Ford: Scott Malvern, the reigning Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Champion of Great Britain, is the recipient of the prestigious Henry Surtees Award for 2011. Awarded annually in recognition of the most outstanding performance by one of the British Racing Drivers Club ‘Rising Stars’, the trophy was presented to Malvern at the club’s annual awards on Monday by former World Champion John Surtees. It was the first time that the 1964 F1 title-winner and father of late Formula Two driver Henry had attended the awards to hand over the trophy, which was instituted in 2009. Said Scott at the presentation: “I knew Henry and raced against him at the start of my career in cadet karting. It is a great privilege to receive this award in his honour from John; I'd like to thank him and the BRDC for recognising our achievements this year.”  Malvern’s superbly successful season in Formula Ford brought him 18 race wins - 13 of them consecutive - on the way to the championship title, as well as a clean sweep of EuroCup challenge victories. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography 

05-12-11

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) celebrated motor racing achievements of 2011 on Monday 05 December at the star-studded BRDC Annual Awards. The ceremony, hosted by BBC Formula 1 presenter Jake Humphrey, was attended by motor racing’s finest, including World Champions. Other greats of British motor sport included Sir Stirling Moss OBE, BRDC President Derek Warwick, Martin Brundle, David Brabham, Dario Franchitti, Paul Di Resta and Rob Huff. Rob Huff was awarded the BRDC’s premier annual award, the prestigious BRDC Gold Star, after a sensational season in the World Touring Car Championship. The Chevrolet driver finished second in this year’s championship just three points behind team-mate Yvan Muller, despite winning both races at the demanding Macau season finale. And a good year for Touring Cars was made even better when BRDC Director Jason Plato received the Club’s highest accolade for national racing, the BRDC Silver Star.  Read more

An emotional and astonished Oliver Rowland received the top award at the AUTOSPORT Awards last night at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. The Racing Steps Foundation driver was presented with the prestigious McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award by Steve Rider in company with McLaren F1’s Martin Whitmarsh and BRDC President, Derek Warwick. With this achievement, Oliver joins past winners David Coulthard, Jenson Button and Paul di Resta. And wins a McLaren F1 test drive, £100,000 and BRDC membership. Following a winning 2011, the four open-wheel Racing Steps Foundation racers have their plans for 2012 finalised. The unique Racing Steps Foundation initiative to help talented young British racers to achieve their dreams of a professional race driving career, is preparing to start its fifth year. Rowland, 19, became Formula Renault UK Vice Champion this by achieving 13 podiums in his debut year in the series. Oliver, driving for Fortec Motorsports, scored four wins in the 20-race series. He also won the Graduate Cup with 17 wins in the rookie category and claimed the Formula Renault UK Finals title with four out of six wins in the mini winter series. In 2012, the newly crowned McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner has RSF backing to compete in Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup with Fortec.  “I would like to congratulate Oliver Rowland on achieving a truly great accolade against very strong competition” said RSF founder, Graham Sharp. “The fourth year of the RSF has seen some remarkable results and we will continue to help selected British talent with holistic programmes of support involving all aspects of the very challenging route to the top of international motor sport.” 

Racing Steps Foundation – additional support for 2012 - The Foundation’s continued support of the InterSteps Championship is also confirmed: “We see InterSteps as a crucial stepping stone for junior racers making their transition from karts to single-seater race cars while avoiding conflicts with their education” comments the RSF’s Derek Walters. “As the late Martin Hines made clear to us when we started, the move represents a far bigger change than is generally understood. We would like to see InterSteps grow in influence to help foster future generations of professional British race driving talent.” Motor Sports Association - Also to be continued is the RSF’s support of the MSA’s Academy. In the second year of the RSF’s three year MSA support programme, the emphasis will again be to help educate under-18 licence holders on all the priorities of their approach, including personal fitness, diet and education as well as race craft and data analysis. 2012 will see a revised programme for the MSA/RSF educational Road Show that has proved to be a great draw in its first year. The Performance Master Classes will be managed to reach a larger audience of young hopefuls and their parents. Details to be released by the MSA.

V8 Utes: Ryal Harris had the speed to win the 2011 V8 Ute Racing Series; all he needed was a little more consistency, and a little better luck. Despite missing out on the title in the finale at Sydney Olympic Park last weekend, the V.I.P. Petfoods Falcon driver was a clear winner in the terms of race and qualifying wins (the same points are allocated for qualifying as for a race). He scored maximum points 11 times out of a possible 34 (26 races and eight qualifying sessions) – two more than the next best driver, second-placed David Sieders, and a whopping eight more than series winner Chris Pither. But non-finishes at Townsville and Sydney, and a single-digit score at Sandown, cost him dearly in a series that favours placings over pace.  The final round was fairly ordinary by Harris’s standards. He set a blistering pace in Friday practice, but qualified a disappointing third after failing to find a traffic-free lap on the congested 3.1km street circuit. In the first race he struggled with handling problems to finish a narrow second. He was leading the second race comfortably when his car’s front suspension became one of many victims to the venue’s abrupt kerbs. In a farcical wet final race, he scythed from 15th on the grid to fourth in the two racing laps conducted. Nevertheless Harris salvaged enough points to confirm third placing in the series, his best ever result.Danny Buzadzic, again driving the second V.I.P. Petfoods Falcon in place of Brad Patton, started cautiously but improved rapidly as the race meeting progressed.From being near the tail of the field in practice and qualifying, Buzadzic posted encouraging 19th and 11th results in the first two races. He didn’t fare so well in the third race washout, finishing 25th.  Read report

Formula Ford: Experienced Formula Ford racers and newcomers to the category came together at Silverstone on Friday to get a taste of the future car for the world’s leading and longest-lived novice single-seater racing formula.They were taking part in the annual Sampler Day, a chance for teams to meet prospective competitors, and for the competitors themselves to try the new Formula Ford chassis, which features Ford’s EcoBoost 1600 direct injection turbo unit producing 165PS and mated to a six-speed sequential racing transmission. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   Read more

Ex-Formula Ford racer and Ford saloons champion David Ellesley is to turn race team boss in 2012 to run a two-car squad in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain and the Formula Ford EuroCup. Ellesley’s Race Car Consultants outfit is joining forces with the family of rookie racer Ryan Cullen to run the 20-year-old Somerset man next season in one of the all-new EcoBoost Formula Ford chassis. The team has also bought an ex-Dan de Zille Mygale Duratec chassis and is looking for a driver to run alongside Cullen. “Ryan has some karting experience but has never raced a car before,” said Ellesley. “The plan is to get him up to speed with the Duratec car in the coming weeks and then for him to transfer to the new car when that is ready. It’s a great opportunity for me and for my team and Ryan shows a lot of promise. I am looking forward to it,” adds Cullen. “I’m told that Formula Ford is the place to start and the new car looks amazing.” Ellesley, who won the 2009 Ford Fiesta ST Championship title and who went on to enjoy occasional Formula Ford outings in Spirit and Juno chassis, says that although his single-seater focus next season will be on team management he is not yet ready to hang up his helmet: “I’m looking at some saloon-racing options for the future but nothing is certain yet.”

Jon Malvern, 19-year-old younger brother of 2011 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Champion Scott, is hoping to follow in his successful sibling’s wheeltracks next season and make a name for himself in motorsport. Jon enjoyed his first proper taste of a single-seater at the Formula Ford Sampler Day at Silverstone on Friday, going behind the wheel of a Duratec-powered Ray chassis and also Scott’s championship-winning Jamun Racing Mygale. “I have been watching Scott from the sidelines for three years now,” said Jon, a business student at Bournemouth University, “so when this opportunity presented itself I leapt at it. I would love to do Formula Ford and see how competitive I can be.” Jon has schoolboy karting experience but gave up the sport when he grew too large to be competitive. “I was very overweight and had to stop. Watching Scott go racing successfully was the spur I needed to get a grip and lose the weight,” added Jon, whose personal fitness regime was so successful that he now trains racing drivers, Scott included, to get fit.The boys’ father, Dominic, hopes to put together a deal to run Jon in a Duratec Formula Ford next season: “With Scott’s career taking off I have the time now to focus on Jon’s ambitions. Hopefully we can put together a budget which will allow him to race an older car next season as an introduction to single-seaters, and we’ll see where we go from there.”

Karts: "A dream weekend!". Anthony Abbasse's words sum up his performance in KZ2 perfectly after the 15th edition of the Supernationals in Las Vegas. Behind the wheel of a next generation chassis, the Sodi Racing Team's official driver utterly dominated the elite category at the US meeting against some of the toughest international competitors. Sodi claimed a major victory on a new continent, proving immediately the effectiveness of its new 2012 chassis range. Read report

04-12-11

Formula Ford: The all-new EcoBoost Formula Ford challenger will enjoy top billing in the UK and mainland Europe in 2012 in its maiden season of competition, with races at all of England’s top circuits as well as mainland Europe events at Zandvoort, Spa-Francorchamps and the Nürburgring. Plans for the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain and the Formula Ford EuroCup revealed this week by series promoter RacingLine build on the successful championship formats introduced to Formula Ford this year, with ‘dovetailed’ UK and European calendars offering great meetings and superb circuits. It is a great set of dates, says RacingLine chief Sam Roach: “Not only will Formula Ford support British Formula 3 at all of its six UK meetings, we will also share the stage with the DTM German touring cars at Brands Hatch, the Masters Formula 3 event at Zandvoort, and also top events at Spa and - for the first time - the Nürburgring in Germany. It is a great calendar for us and the circuits being visited will offer the young drivers taking part a suitably impressive challenge.”  In 2012 the new EcoBoost Formula Ford cars will race alongside the Duratec-engined chassis which have been championship mainstays for the last five years. The new car features an all-new powerplant in the shape of Ford’s EcoBoost 1600 direct injection turbo unit, which produces 165PS and is mated to a new six-speed sequential racing transmission. The steel tubular chassis of the new car is the first to be granted FIA Safety Compliance status and features front and rear carbon crash structures as well as full-height cockpit side-impact protection panels. The British championship for Formula Ford will feature alongside the British F3 and British GT series on the Oulton Park, Rockingham, Brands Hatch Grand Prix, Snetterton, Silverstone GP and Donington Park GP circuits, with three races at each. There will also be triple-header events at the Brands Hatch DTM meeting and at the Nürburgring, which will take the championship to 24 races in all. The Nürburgring and June Brands Hatch races will also form part of the EuroCup, with the best drivers from the Benelux and Scandinavian Formula Ford championships joining their British counterparts on the grid. The EuroCup will also feature standalone events at the Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa, and at Zandvoort at Europe’s blue riband F3 event, the Masters. RacingLine has confirmed that Formula Ford will once again benefit from excellent TV coverage, with half-hour standalone shows on Channel 4 in the UK and across Europe via satellite channel Motors TV. A new Formula Ford brochure with full details of the 2012 plans is available for download at the championship website britishformulaford.co.uk    Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    calendar

03-12-11

JK Racing Asia Series: Malaysian youngster, Afiq Ikhwan took pole position for Rounds 15 & 16 of the JK Racing Asia Series tomorrow after posting the fastest times of the day during Qualifying. The four Round Season Finale will be held this Sunday, 4th December at Sepang International Circuit. Ikhwan of Meritus.GP set a 2:13.054 and 2:13.153 respectively, to place him on pole for the two races tomorrow. Results from Round 15 will determine grid position for Round 17 while result from Round 16 will determine grid for the final race. “I think I just have to concentrate for tomorrow, focus and be ready to finish the races without any incidents” said Ikhwan. “We can probably win it tomorrow. We have a good car and we really need to win all four races, so I’m really excited for tomorrow. Im kind of worried about the rain tomorrow because anything can happen. We will see how it goes and pray for the best” smiled Ikhwan.It will also be a Malaysian top three on the grid tomorrow with Petronas Mofaz Racing’s Nabil Jeffri and Irfan Ilyas posting the second and third fastest times today. “It was okay I guess with second. I am a bit disappointed because I know I could have been on pole but we will just see how it goes” said Jeffri after the session. “I think I will be quite fast this weekend, the Petronas Mofaz team is quite strong and I think we have a chance to be on the podium. The expected rain is going to help us quite a bit because we are quite strong in the rain. I am pretty confident for tomorrow and hope to finish first all the way” ended Jeffri. For Ilyas the qualifying was good and he is confident of being able to maintain his pace today to be in the front. “I learnt a lot from the practice session yesterday and we learnt a lot from the car and the track is different from the rain these past few days, that’s why we have been doing a lot of data and car setup for the qualifying”. Championship leader, Lucas Auer completes row two for both races in the Eurointernational race car whilst teammate and guest driver, Tan Wei Ron will line up in ninth for Round 15 and eighth for Round 16. Daniel Cammish, guest driver for Eurasia Motorsport, will line up fifth in his first ever JK Racing Asia Series race. The Briton will line up alongside Hiqmar Danial of Petronas Mofaz Racing on row three. Akash Nandy of Meritus.GP and Natasha Seatter of Eurasia Motorsport takes row four while Tan will line alongside Calvin Seibl of Atlantic Racing Team on row five. Raj Bharath of Meritus.GP takes row five alongside Freddie Ang of Petronas Mofaz Racing, who was the only casualty of the day. Three minutes before the end of the session, Ang went off into the gravel. Aaron Chang of Eurasia Motorsport will start at the back of the grid.

Karts: Formula Kart Stars trio Josh White, Sam Oram Jones and Luke Whitworth arrived at Brand Hatch on a wet and blustery autumnal day having never sat in a single seater racing car before. By the end of the day all three had experienced, and excelled in their first taste of ‘slicks and wings’ even if the slicks were replaced by more suitable treaded rubber. Reigning Formula Kart Stars Mini Max champion White, his fellow Mini Max driver Oram Jones and Junior Rotax frontrunner Whitworth, earned their test drives with the Formula BMW Talent Cup thanks to their performances at the Formula Kart Stars round at Whilton Mill in September, which was attended by then head of BMW Motorsport Sebastian Herke. “Going into the test, I was still excited, but also a bit nervous,” recalled Whitworth, whose only previous experience of the Kent venue was in an iZone simulator. “I’d had no preparation in those kinds of 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,” continued Whitworth.. “It felt totally different to a kart and was definitely a big leap, bigger than I had thought it would be, if I’m honest, and certainly an eye-opener.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.”  At just 13 Oram Jones was the youngest driver at the test but, like Whitworth, was full of enthusiasm. “It was brilliant today and I was very happy with my overall performance,” said Oram Jones, who finished fifth in the 2011 Formula Kart Stars Mini Max class with one victory. “It was wet all day, and one other driver and I were pretty much gone from the rest of the field. A lot of the other drivers had driven single-seaters before and so to be up with people of that calibre was really encouraging. Overall it was a good experience and I’d like to thank BMW for giving me the chance to do it.”  Formula Kart Stars Championship director Carolynn Hoy was particularly pleased that BMW were able to provide the three FKS drivers with their maiden single seater opportunity. “Formula Kart Stars and the Formula BMW Talent Cup both share the same passion for educating young drivers on and off the track,” said Hoy. “The Formula BMW chassis has been a successful part of junior formulae racing for some time now and it’s a proven product that allows real talent to shine through. I’m grateful to BMW for giving Josh, Sam and Luke their first opportunity to drive a real racing car and I’m sure it won’t be the last time we see them in single seater action.”

02-12-11

Masters Historic Racing has confirmed that it will play a key part of the 2012 Catalan Classic Festival at the Barcelona circuit next April.The three-day festival, created by Spanish enthusiast Jesús Pozo, will run from April 20th-22nd and will build on the huge success of the 2011 event. Masters has confirmed that it will take selected grids for the second Catalan Classic Festival, but an announcement on which grids will race in the Spanish sunshine will be made shortly. The ICGP series for classic motorcycles has confirmed it will return to the Spanish track, taking machines and riders of yesteryear.Masters Historic Racing Event Manager Rachel Bailey said: “The inaugural Catalan Classic Festival was a huge success and we are working hard to make sure that the 2012 event is even bigger and better. We are aware that for some British teams, Barcelona is a long way to go so we will work carefully with our competitors and the event organisers in Spain to ensure that we get as full an entry as possible. The circuit is superb and everyone who raced there last year was full of praise for the circuit, the organisation and the event. It was the first time such a race meeting had been run in Spain and no-one really knew what to expect. Now that Jesús Pozo and his team have a year’s experience of running the event, it will surely build for 2012. We will look at taking GP Masters and sports cars but we will make a full announcement on the categories shortly.”

Le Mans: The Brundle name returns to Le Mans in 2012 as former winner Martin joins son Alex in an attack on the LMP2 class. But as Sam Tremayne found out, the race means more to the duo than a chance to compete as a father and son combo .  read more

Protyre Formula Renault BARC will once again join the TOCA support package of the BTCC’s final two rounds in 2012, triggering several revisions to the championship’s provisional calendar. As this year, Silverstone’s National Circuit will once again host the last two races of the season for Protyre Formula Renault BARC over the weekend 6th/7th October. Snetterton 200 Circuit will still host the first event on Easter weekend, 7th/8th April, but instead of the previously announced date at Brands Hatch in mid-May, the series brings forward its visit to Rockingham – that event now scheduled for 19th/20th May. As originally revealed though, the first two meetings will continue to be triple-header events.  From there, the championship will now go to Thruxton for a one day outing on Sunday, 17th June, ahead of the annual trip to Croft on 21st/22nd July. The fifth date on the calendar marks a rescheduled visit to Donington Park on 18th/19th August, rather than as support to the FIA British Truck Grand Prix at the start of July. There will then be a break of seven weeks ahead of the season finale at Silverstone in support of the BTCC. “It’s fantastic news for everyone associated with Protyre Formula Renault BARC to have the final two rounds of the 2012 season supporting the BTCC”, said Championship Promoter Simon North, “We’re delighted to be able to confirm our position on the TOCA package for the Silverstone event once again, it’s a very prestigious slot and something which will only help teams attract top young drivers. We’re very happy to be going back to Thruxton – that’s always a big favourite with the competitors and pleased we can include Donington Park as it’s such a great circuit. All in all I think we’ve got a tremendous calendar with 14 races, two triple-headers to kick-off the season and a real blue riband finale. We’re really looking forward to 2012.”  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography 

Formula 3: Drivers investigating Formula 3 as the next step in their racing career will have an opportunity to test one of Australia’s quickest racing cars on Monday, December 19th at the inaugural Kumho Tyres Experience Formula 3 day. Drivers are invited to contact Formula 3 Management (via the Formula 3 website, www.formula3.com.au) to secure their part of what will be the most cost-effective way possible to secure laps in a Formula 3 – or any ‘wings and slicks’ car - in Australia. To be held at South Australia’s Mallala Raceway, The Kumho Tyres come and Try day will allow drivers to experience up to 25 laps in a professionally-run team for just $1500 (+GST), with a $500 cash-back, returned at the completion of a successful day’s testing. Kumho Tyres will provide six sets of new tyres in support of the initiative, ensuring drivers get to experience the cars on new rubber and at their best potential. Each car will have data analysis and on-board video provided to assist drivers in the process adapting to the Formula 3 cars. A similar ‘Come and try’ day held in 2009 resulted in young stars Steel Guiliana, Josh Burdon and Ben Gersekowski all securing their positions on the Formula 3 grid, Guiliana winning this years’ Forpark Australia Scholarship and all three working on outright championship campaigns for 2012. “Getting that first opportunity to test a Formula 3 car was key to us deciding to race in the category,” Josh Burdon said. “The opportunity gave me the confidence that I could do the job in Formula 3, and that it was the right choice for my career. It’s been fantastic to be part of the championship and we are now in the process of putting together a full championship campaign next year to try and win the Gold Star. I would hugely encourage other drivers in a similar position to take the opportunity to test an F3 car when they can, they won’t look back.” Interested parties have until Wednesday, December 14th to secure their position in the day. All drivers interested in participating can contact Richard Craill in the first instance on 0408 813 141 or via richard.craill@formula3.com.au. Spaces are limited.

WTCC: The prize money of 480,000 euros for the competitors of the Yokohama Trophy in the WTCC has been confirmed for the next season. Just like in 2010, Yokohama - seven years as WTCC's sole tyre supplier - will award 40,000 euros at each of the twelve events, totaliing 480,000 euros over the season. This prize money will be split among the top six drivers classified by adding together the points obtained in the two races of each event, according to the following scale: to the first driver: 12,000 euros, second: 10,000, third: 8,000, fourth: 5,000, fifth: 3,000, sixth: 2,000.  The point system also remains unchanged, with 10 points awarded to the winner and 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 to the drivers classified between the second and eighth positions. Double points will be awarded in the two final races at Macau. One additional point is awarded for setting the category's fastest lap in Q2 and the races. 

Franz Engstler scored his first WTCC victory at Oschersleben that happened to be also the first victory for the new BMW 320 TC. In recognition of his performances over countless seasons as a representative of BMW customer racing, the 50-year old German driver was presented with the "Honorary Sports Trophy" by Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport director, during the BMW Sports Trophy Award Ceremony in Munich. Engstler was classified eighth in the WTCC Drivers' Championship - his best result ever - and third in the Yokohama Trophy.

They say figures speak for themselves, and Chevrolet's 2011 record season drastically re-shuffled WTCC statistics.38 drivers took part in at least one event, coming from 20 different countries and four continents. The most represented nations were Macau and Hong Kong with five and four drivers respectively, while Italy and Switzerland had three each. For the first time the championship welcomed a Canadian racer: Gary Kwok. Drivers were in cars built by five manufacturers: BMW, Chevrolet, SEAT/SUNRED, Volvo and Peugeot. Average participation was 21 cars per event with a peak of 27 in Macau. 158 drivers have started in at least one WTCC race since the championship was launched in 2005, from Ao Chi Hong (Macau) to Evgeny Zelenov (Russia) in alphabetical order. Tom Coronel and Rob Huff top the participation sheet with 154 races started out of the 156 held so far. Yvan Muller and Rob Huff with eight victories apiece erased the previous record of six, set by Andy Priaulx (2010) and Augusto Farfus (2009). Muller moved on top of the all-time statistics, with 21 victories. Three more than Priaulx and Huff, four more than Alain Menu. Three other drivers are in double-digit: Gabriele Tarquini (16), Farfus (15) and Jörg Müller (10). A total of 24 drivers have won at least one race from 2005 to 2011; this year the winners' circle welcomed one new member: Franz Engstler. With four pole positions and nine fastest laps during the season, Rob Huff emerged as the fastest of the field, followed by Yvan Muller with four poles and eight fastest laps. Gabriele Tarquini remains the "king of the pole"; with 13 pole positions the 2009 World Champion leads by two from Augusto Farfus, Alain Menu and Muller. Speaking of fastest laps, Huff leads with 18, two more than Tarquini, Jörg Müller and Andy Priaulx. Freshly crowned world champion for the third time, Yvan Muller dominates the list of the all-time scorers with 1144 points. He is followed by Rob Huff and Gabriele Tarquini who collected 953 and 869 points respectively.Muller's consistency is proved by an astonishing 8.53 points scored on average in the 134 races he started. Huff (6.18 pts over 154 races) and Tarquini (5.68 pts over 153 races) have been less effective. 57 drivers have scored at least one point over the championship's seven seasons; six of them collected their first points in 2011: Carlos Bueno, Robert Dahlgren, Aleksei Dudukalo, Charles Ng, Pepe Oriola and Javier Villa.

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The Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race, set to take place at Daytona Milton Keynes on Monday, December 5, has received overwhelming support from fans and the motor racing industry alike, all wishing to race in Dan’s honour while raising funds for the Wheldon family’s chosen charity, Alzheimer’s Society. Due to the unprecedented outpouring of support for the double Indy 500 winner and IndyCar Champion, who lost his life in the final round of the IZOD IndyCar Series at Las Vegas in October, the grid has been stretched to its absolute maximum with 36 teams of four drivers due to line-up on Monday evening. Aptly, Dan’s Dad, Clive, and his siblings Austen, Elliott, Ashley and Holly, will all be joining the race taking place just 10 miles from Dan’s hometown of Emberton, Buckinghamshire. An unrivalled gathering of professional drivers from across the realms of worldwide motor sport will join together in Dan’s memory for the race organised by Dan’s friend, sportscar ace Johnny Mowlem. Dario Franchitti, Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson, David Coulthard, Guy Smith, Jonny Kane, Rob Huff, James Hinchcliffe, Johnny Herbert, David Brabham, Marino Franchitti, Martin and Alex Brundle, Mike Conway, James Jakes, Adam Carroll, Chris Buncombe, Richard Dean, Steven Kane, Sam Hancock, Luke Hines, Marc Hynes, Nic Minassian, Jason Plato, James Rossiter, Peter Dumbreck, Richard Lyons, Sam Bird, Duncan Tappy, James Thompson, Tom Sisley, Ollie Hancock and Danny Watts are all confirmed to attend. 

Mowlem’s event aim is simply to offer the opportunity for those who loved, raced, worked and admired Dan to give him a send off he would have been proud of. To ensure that focus firmly remains, Mowlem has announced an additional fun element of which Dan would have approved, while generating more valuable funds for Alzheimer’s Society. The Cash for Penalties system will mean that any driver, whether professional or public, can pay for penalties to be bestowed on any team - whether by way of buying laps or black flags. Mowlem commented: “The response for Dan’s Memorial Kart Race has been unbelievable and really touching, from members of the public wanting to race in honour of their hero to professional drivers all too willing to give up their free time for their fallen friend. The Cash for Penalties system is just another way to raise some charity funds while helping to ensure that the racing doesn’t get too serious. We are there to remember one of the country’s most charismatic and talented champions and I don’t want that to be forgotten while we’re having fun in Dan’s honour. The event sold out within just a few hours and although we increased the teams to Daytona’s maximum it sadly wasn’t possible to fulfil everyone’s request to race. I can’t thank everyone enough for their support. It’s going to be a fantastic night and I am so pleased that Clive, Holly, Ashley, Elliott and Austen will be joining us. I hope we can do them, and of course Dan, proud.”

Daytona will open for the Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race at 6pm. Drivers’ briefing will be held at 6.30pm, practice at 7pm and the two-hour endurance race will start at 7.40pm. The evening will conclude with an awards presentation at 9.50pm. Due to limited spectator capacity, only drivers and their guests will be permitted.

The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear has announced a departure from tradition with a 2012 schedule featuring 18 races on 10 weekends, most with the IZOD IndyCar Series. On-track action begins with an official Star Mazda Championship series test at Barber Motorsports Park, March 19-20. This will be the first official series test. From the Barber test, teams will head directly for IndyCar's high-profile season-opener, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, March 24-25, and then return immediately to race at Barber Motorsports Park on the IndyCar weekend, March 31-April 1.  Read more

Race of Champions 2011: Following its debut last year, the Scirocco R-Cup racer returns to the Race of Champions to be driven by some of the world’s leading drivers this weekend, 3-4 December.  Among them will be double Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, who will be keen to get revenge for last year’s defeat to US motocross star Travis Pastrana in the biogas-powered coupé. The Scirocco R-Cup racers will line-up on the specially constructed track inside the Düsseldorf Football Stadium, with some of the world’s greatest racing drivers taking part.  Alongside Vettel and Pastrana will be the new Volkswagen rally factory driver Sébastien Ogier, Formula One world champions Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button, eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, three-time World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx,and DTM champions Timo Scheider, Martin Tomczyk and Mattias Ekström, among others. ‘We’re proud that the organisers of the Race of Champions have again selected the Racing Scirocco as a car to be fielded at the event. This shows the prestige which the Scirocco R-Cup enjoys worldwide as a one-make cup,’ said Volkswagen Motorsport Director, Kris Nissen. In 2010, it was a Scirocco of all cars in which Formula One world champion Vettel had to accept one of his few defeats, so he will want to make amends this year. In a direct duel, motocross star Travis Pastrana, not least thanks to clever use of the push-to-pass button that allowed each driver to activate an additional 50 PS for four seconds four times during the race, had achieved a surprise victory against Vettel.  ‘The push-to-pass button is a brilliant idea. By using it I was able to beat Sebastian as late as on the finish straight,’ said Pastrana last year, as he expressed his enthusiasm about the power boost at his fingertips. Thanks to the use of bio natural gas, the 2.0-litre engine of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup reduces the overall carbon footprint, of the fielding at the race and logistics, by 80 per cent – compared with conventional petrol fuels.  The Scirocco R-Cup enters its third season in 2012, being held as part of the DTM programme.

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