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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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News Archive 2010 mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk 01/05/2010 IF RACE REPORTS LINKS REMOVED - FOLLOW 'Reports' LINK ON THE GRID above 02-02-10 The European Late Model Series will now appear on the social networking site, Twitter. Race fans can go to http://twitter.com/EuroLateModels to follow the European Late Model Series to their Twitter. The European Late Model Series Twitter will provide fans with updates, news and race results as they happen on race weekends. This will also be the place to get the headlines for Europe ’s only oval series for American Late Model Stockcars, as they happen! The first round of the European Late Model Series takes place at Warneton Speedway on the 3rd of April.
LMS: Strakka Racing has signed Jonny Kane to be the team’s third driver in this season’s Le Mans Series and, entry permitting, Le Mans 24 Hours. Kane will partner Nick Leventis and Danny Watts in Strakka’s HPD ARX-01 LMP2 sports prototype. The decision to give Kane the contract came at the end of a frenetic period of negotiation for the Silverstone-based outfit. “We had many options in front of us,” explains Piers Phillips, the Team Manager, “and there were some really big hitters throwing their hats into the ring. It was enormously flattering to be on the receiving end of so much attention, but in the end, Jonny just fitted the bill perfectly. He has a wealth of experience and accomplishment, and signing him is an indication not only of the level that we are aiming for but also the goals that we have set ourselves. I believe we now have one of the strongest line-ups in P2.” Team owner and co-driver Nick Leventis is “very happy that Jonny is joining us. Although it was incredibly encouraging to have so many top level drivers putting their names forward and wanting to get involved, we had to consider our long-term goals. It wasn’t a straightforward decision, but Jonny’s experience, personality and skill were exactly what we were looking for. I now believe we’ve established the driver line-up we need to realise our plans for the future.” Jonny Kane is no stranger to the team, or the car he’ll be driving. Shortly after taking delivery of the ARX-01 last November Strakka participated in the official Michelin tyre test at the Misano circuit in Italy, and Kane was one of three professional drivers invited to join the squad for the shake-down. “He impressed us massively,” concedes Phillips. “He was immediately at ease, not only with the car, but also with everyone else in the team. It was apparent even then that we’d found someone we could work with very easily.” 1997 British F3 champion Kane has raced for several teams in Sports cars including Team LNT, Spyker, Audi Sport UK and he was Team Bentley test driver. In 2009 he joined Speedy Sebah Racing in the team’s LMP2 Lola Judd, scoring a class win in the final round at Silverstone. “I’m very pleased to be joining Strakka, and to be co-driving with Danny and Nick. I’ve worked with Danny in Formula 3 and A1GP, and then got to know the rest of the team last season, not only through the test at Misano, but also because we had adjacent garages several times through the year,” said Jonny. “They have a very professional outlook, and the Misano test gave me an opportunity to witness that first-hand. The team has some very experienced and talented personnel, and they’ve chosen a fantastic product to go racing with. I’m sure we’ll be there or thereabouts and fighting for the championship,” he grins. Later this week the team should also learn whether or not they’ve been successful in their bid for an entry at Le Mans. Jonny has participated six times in the 24 Hours, and finished on the LMP2 podium in 2009 with Speedy Sebah Racing. French Karting Championship: The FFSA has announced the French Championship for 2010 which will include KF2, KF3, and KZ2 categories. There will be five meetings for this season’s national titles all offering the very best of French karting. GP2: Following the creation of the Renault F1 Driver Programme, announced yesterday in Valencia, DAMS have been chosen as a partner in this new adventure. In 2010, it will run the two Renault F1 reserve drivers, Ho-Pin Tung and Jerome d'Ambrosio, who will race in the GP2 Series in cars bearing the Renault colours. Thus, DAMS will become the Renault F1 Junior Team in GP2, the formula that opens the door to the top category in motor racing. As a result DAMS have recruited Loic David as General Manager, and Yannick Hubert as track engineer. Jean Paul Driot, CEO: "I'm very proud that DAMS is now running in the mythic Renault F1 colours. For the last twenty-one years DAMS has won in many branches of the sport, and my aim in 2010 is to honour this partnership with many victories in the GP2 Series. Our new management structure and the recruitment of new engineers should help us achieve very good performances." Ocean Racing Technology will take to the track this weekend as the Portuguese GP2 team picks up the Asian series where it left off in November 2009, on the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Ocean Racing Technology will count on its new driver line-up of Fabio Leimer and Max Chilton as it continues it’s preparations for the upcoming GP2 Main Series. In Leimer's last outing in Abu Dhabi, the talented Swiss secured the 3rd fastest time in qualifying while in the race, his pace was fast and consistent. For Chilton, Abu Dhabi will be his first race meeting with Ocean Racing Technology At just 18 Max Chilton already has a vast amount of experience in motor sport and it was this that attracted the attention of Tiago Monteiro and Jose Guedes. In 2009, he secured 4th place in the British F3 championship and proved he was ready for a new challenge. Ocean Racing Technology approaches the second round at Abu Dhabi with 7 points and 5th place in the team's Championship, just 2 points off 3rd place. Their objective will be to leave the Yas Marina circuit with kilometres and experience for their drivers, as well as points. The two races will be broadcasted by the Eurosport 2 with the sprint race on Feb 5 at 2:00PM and Saturday's feature race on Feb 6 also at 2:00PM (UK Time). 01/02/10
LMS: Aston Martin Racing will enter two Works LMP1 cars bearing the iconic blue and orange livery of Gulf Oil in the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours. In addition, Aston Martin Racing will compete in three races prior to the Le Mans 24 Hours with one LMP1 car. The races will provide the team with valuable on-track experience prior to Le Mans and include the first two rounds of the American Le Mans Series – the 12 hours of Sebring on 20 March and the Long Beach Grand Prix on 17 April and the opening round of the European Le Mans Series at Paul Ricard in France on 11 April. Aston Martin Racing drivers, Chris Buncombe (GB), Stefan Mücke (DE), Harold Primat (CH) and Darren Turner (GB) return for the 2010 season and will be joined by experienced sports car driver Adrian Fernández (MX). Fernández is new to Aston Martin but no stranger to sports car racing and the American Le Mans Series having won the LMP2 class outright in 2009. The team will also compete in selected blue riband races around the world post Le Mans, details of the remaining race programme and sixth driver will be subject to further announcements in the coming weeks.
Karts: Formula Kart Stars have a new partnership with touring car team Bamboo Engineering that will see two of its 2009 champions test on the team’s state of the art race simulator. The Silverstone based outfit, which ran Harry Vaulkhard in the 2009 British Touring Car Championship, awarded Alex Albon and Matt Parry a day in their state of the art race simulator as part of their prize for winning the Formula Kart Stars KF3 and Junior Rotax titles respectively. “It's great to have two exceptionally talented young drivers coming to spend time with us at Silverstone and for them to experience our latest driver development tool,” says Bamboo Engineering’s Neil Riddiford. “We see the simulator as a vital tool in helping drivers graduate from Karts to Cars and aid the more experienced drivers in their personal development.” With realistic G-Forces, a force feedback steering system, motec data logging system, full motion seat and a choice of H-Pattern, sequential or paddle shift gear system depending on the type of vehicle being used, the Bamboo simulator is amongst the most advanced of its type in the world. “Formula Kart Stars has always been about giving young drivers the best possible start to a career in motorsport,” says series director Carolynn Hoy. “This prize with Bamboo Engineering will give Alex and Matt a unique insight into the world of car racing and I’m confident that both will learn a great deal. Riddiford continued,” The Plan for Matt and Alex is to spend a couple of days with them working on various areas of simulator development, We often like to use a Formula One car on the simulator as this helps to remap the brain to think and react much faster. With F1 speeds the driver must drive with total accuracy combined with very fast reactions and of course any mistake is a bigger mistake. We can let the guys drive every UK circuit and monitor their progression. Overall it should be a very interesting program and I'm sure the lads will really have a great time and certainly learn loads.” FBMW: Scuderia Coloni has decided to end its Formula Bmw Europe programme. The whole team thanks Bmw and the championship staff for their cooperation and the efforts made for the series organization. In the next weeks Scuderia Coloni will release the details of its 2010 plan. Grand-Am: Sunday's Rolex 24 At Daytona was won by the unsponsored Porsche Riley of Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, Ryan Dalziel, and Mike Rockenfeller run by the new Action Express Racing. The unexpected winners beat the Chip Ganassi car of Scott Pruet,Memo Rojas, Max Papis and Justin Wilson by just 52 seconds after 24 hours of racing. Other News: BikeRadar Live 2010, the UK ’s ultimate bike festival, will take place on the weekend of the 10/11 July at Brands Hatch in Kent – a circuit born from cycling. A weekend celebration of all things cycling, a total of 8,500 riders and their families came to the inaugural event in 2009. 2010’s event promises to be even better with a fantastic new venue, more riders, more pros, more features and more races! The layout of the circuit means that the track action will be so much closer to the heart of the festival so visitors can get closer to the action. A fantastic sportive route will run through the North Downs , and there will be incredible viewing facilities of the dual slalom and dirt jump features. The event will also feature a bigger Expo area, an all-weather mountain bike loop, world-class camping facilities and on-site restaurants catering specifically for competitors. Brands Hatch was born from cycling in 1926 when the land at Brands Hatch Farm became a popular venue for cycling and time trials. This historic legacy is now set to return to the roots of Brands Hatch as cycling comes home! The event is also ideal preparation for the circuit’s involvement in the London 2012 Olympics, as Brands Hatch has been listed as a potential road cycling training camp. Whatever you ride, BikeRadar Live offers you a chance to test-ride the latest road and mountain bikes, see the pros in action, ride Brands Hatch circuit on your own bike, or challenge yourself in one of the many races and challenges. Whether you want to ride 1k or 100k, on the road or off-road, there is something for every type of cyclist. The festival’s many attractions will include spectacular all-weather stunt displays, dirt jump and dual slalom competitions, a cycling film festival and big top entertainment including live music. Festival-goers will be able to grab show-only deals on bikes and accessories in a purpose-built bike and accessories Expo, and test-ride the latest bikes in the UK ’s biggest demo day. One-day, Weekend and Family festival tickets from £15 in advance. Children 12 years and under go free (maximum 3 children per adult). No booking fee. To book tickets for BikeRadar Live call 0871 230 7158 or visit http://bikeradar.com/live. 30-01-10
Exciting Year ahead for Mondello Park: Following a season which saw reductions in entries across all of its events in 2009 Mondello Park has announced an exciting programme for 2010 which sees the return of a number of overseas championships and the introduction of a number of all new events. GP2: Giedo van der Garde and Sergio Perez will be Barwa Addax team's drivers for the GP2 Asia Series race of Abu Dhabi from 5th till 6th February. This one off replacement is seen as preparation for the forthcoming GP2 Main Series, where the race of Abu Dhabi has been added to the calendar. Giedo van der Garde: ''I am very thankful to the team for giving me this seat for the race. My goal is to know the track and team better! Besides that I hope to contribute to the development of the car for the last races in the Asia Series. It is good to get some rhythm again and to look where I am physically. The last period I trained really hard and am feeling physically very fit''. Sergio Perez: I'm aware that this will be a very important season for me as a great part of my future will depend on my perofrmances and for thgis reason I've prepared harder than ever. Racing in Abu Dhabi will mean I'll get to know another new circuit that we'll be racing in the championship and that I'll start the season with more race rhythm. I appreciate all the efforts that the team are making. 29-01-10 Historics: The Historic Sports Car Club has unveiled its best-ever calendar for the 2010 racing season, with headline events at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Oulton Park. As well as race meetings at six venues where the focus is on racing for club members, three higher profile events are the Silverstone International Trophy (May 15/16), the Brands Hatch Historic Superprix (3/4 July) and the Oulton Park Gold Cup (29/30 August). The Brands Hatch meeting will again use the superb Grand Prix circuit and all three events will include prominent guest races, which will be announced shortly. In early June, the Autosport Three-Hours will run at Snetterton for cars from the club's Guards Trophy GT and Sports Racing category. Later in June the club will return to Mallory Park, while in August is a new two-day meeting at Croft. Breaking with tradition, the season will start at Silverstone in late March due to the unavailability of Donington Park, and the club will return to Silverstone in October for the annual Championship Finals meeting. Ten of the events will be solely organised by the HSCC, while for several other events selected HSCC categories will appear as guest races. Once again, the club will be responsible for organising the racing at the Silverstone Classic in July and at the Walter Hayes Trophy in November. "It is certainly one of the best calendars that the club has ever had," said CEO Grahame White. "In addition to our own race meetings, we will also have an interest in the 60th Anniversary Meeting at Castle Combe, the Spa Classic Six-Hour meeting in September, Dijon in October and five continental races for our Formula 2 Championship."
Jordan King WTCC: The total prize money for WTCC Independent competitors has been raised by 72,000 euros thanks to the MONROE Performer trophy that will reward the fastest drivers. 3,000 euros will be awarded to drivers setting the fastest lap in the Independents' category at each of the championship's 24 rounds. At the same time, the drivers setting the race's overall fastest lap (irrespective of being independent or not) will be awarded a TW Steel watch MONROE Perfomer limited edition and a Marzotti mountain bike WTCC limited edition. "We are very grateful to MONROE, who recently joined WTCC as an official partner, for their generosity. The MONROE Performer 72,000-euro prize money comes on top of the 480,000 euros awarded by the Yokohama Independents' Trophy, increasing the total prize money to an amazing 552,000 euros," KSO general manager Marcello Lotti commented. During the 2009 season, Stefano D'Aste set the independents' fastest lap in eight races, which would have been worth 24,000 euros Young Moroccan driver Mehdi Bennani who made an impressive WTCC debut last year, will compete in 2010 at the wheel of a Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si. "We are delighted that Mehdi will be able to do the entire season with Wiechers-Sport. As the only Moroccan driver in a world championship, he will be carrying high the colours of Morocco on the world's most prestigious circuits" said Aly Horma, President of Marrakech Grand Prix. "We are very pleased that Mehdi Bennani has joined Wiechers-Sport. From his very first laps in the WTCC, he proved to be very competitive Our common aim is a place on the podium of the 2010 Yokohama Independents' Trophy," said team manager Dominik Greiner. In 2009 Bennani took part in selected events with a SEAT León run by Exagon Engineering and managed to claim an outstanding victory in the Independents' class on his maiden appearance at his home race in Marrakech.
Superleague
Formula:
Tickets for
this season’s Superleague Formula by Sonangol round at Brands
Hatch are now on sale with fans able to make a 40% saving on
pre-booked weekend passes. The football-themed series will be
making its first appearance at the Kent venue, home to round
eight of the season on July 31/August 1, where British clubs
Tottenham Hotspur, Glasgow Rangers and reigning Superleague
Formula champions Liverpool will take on the likes of AC Milan,
Lyon, Roma and Atletico Madrid. To celebrate, the circuit is
offering weekend tickets for just £29 when booked online, a
saving of £12 over the on-the-day price! A raft of qualifying
and race day options are also available with entry free for
children under the age of 12. Hospitality packages are also
available. A full support bill will accompany the championship
with the mighty Group C prototypes sure to provide a spectacular
highlight on their first return to Brands Hatch since the fabled
1000km races of the 1970s and 80s disappeared. Huge grids of the
popular GT Cup, Lotus Elise Trophy and Historic Formula Junior
meanwhile will also be in attendance. 28-01-10
Porsche Carrera Cup GB:
New in-house technical facility for Porsche Carrera
Cup GB.
The technical
support service for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB is being taken
in-house from the beginning of March as part of a significant
expansion of the Motorsport Department of Porsche Cars GB. The
new operation will be responsible for all parts and technical
support for the Carrera Cup GB, as well as all engine and
gearbox rebuilds. It will run from Porsche Cars GB headquarters
at Reading and will attend all Carrera Cup GB race weekends and
test sessions. Celtic Speed confirms three-car Carrera Cup squad. Celtic Speed has confirmed that it will field a three-car team in the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, with Tommy Dreelan, Bob Lyons and George Brewster on the driving strength. The Montrose-based squad is headed by former racer Alan Keith and the team carries the honour of Scotland into the 20-race calendar. Irishman Dreelan has been based in Aberdeen for many years and will go into his second full season in the Carrera Cup contesting the pro-am1 category. Lyons, also from Aberdeen, will stay in the pro-am2 category, having challenged for the title last season. Edinburgh-based Brewster, who joined the Carrera Cup at Croft last summer, will also contest the pro-am2 category having claimed three pro-am2 victories in a limited programme in 2009. Both Dreelan and Brewster plan to take in all 10 race weekends, while Lyons will only miss the season opener at Thruxton due to holiday commitments. "We're really looking forward to the season," said Dreelan. "I thoroughly enjoy racing in the Carrera Cup; it's good value for money and extremely professional yet it is still a very friendly paddock." Alan Keith added , "I'm pleased that we've got all three cars set for the season. We'll be out testing in March." A1GP: A1 Team USA Holdings LLC (“Team USA”) has been awarded a $4.5 million dollar judgment against A1 Holdings Ltd., Antonio Teixeira and Lyndhurst Holdings N.V., jointly and severally, for materially breaching a settlement agreement resulting from a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia. Team USA was a founding franchise holder in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and competed in all 32 events held in the initial three seasons of the Series from 2005 to 2008. The team brought suit shortly after the Series improperly terminated its franchise agreement with Team USA and named Andretti Green Racing the U.S. franchise holder in October 2008, all in breach of the exclusivity provision in the Team USA franchise agreement. Team USA also sought to recover $1.2 million in prize money that the Series failed to pay Team USA during its three seasons of competition as well as other monies owed to Team USA that the Series failed to pay pursuant to its binding legal agreement with Team USA. The parties reached a $4.5 million dollar settlement agreement, which defendants immediately breached by failing to make any of the payments as agreed to. As a result, on October 9, 2009, the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia awarded Team USA a final judgment for $4.5 million, plus fees, costs and interest.A1 Team USA Holdings LLC intends to aggressively pursue the collections of the judgment both domestically and internationally.
Menasheh Idafar is to graduate to the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series for the coming season, it was announced today. He will race a T-Sport prepared Dallara-Mugen Honda in the championship's National Class. He joins T-Sport after a series of successful winter tests with the squad towards the end of last year and with backing from Gulf Computer Services W.L.L. "I'm so happy to be joining the British F3 grid this year, it's what I've wanted to do since first testing an F3 car," said Menasheh. "Everyone at T-Sport is fantastic, I get on really well with the team and that can only be good for the season ahead. Although last year didn't go how we'd have hoped in Formula Renault, I showed what I was capable of in the winter series." T-Sport team principal Russell Eacott added: "We're very happy to welcome Menasheh to the team and we're sure he'll be extremely competitive in this year's National Class. During his first test with us last year we were stunned by the pace he showed; his lap times were very impressive. It's good for us to sign a driver with Menasheh's potential so early into the year, thanks to the conclusion of our deal to advertise and promote Gulf Computer Services W.L.L. Now the plan is for him to get as much mileage under his belt as possible before the start of the season in April." T-Sport is one of the championship's leading teams, last year securing two outright race victories and eight National Class race wins; the squad's Brazilian driver, Gabriel Dias, placed second in the National championship. Idafar is the first driver to announce his commitment to British F3's National division for the coming season GT: New challenge for Tomas Enge. After the win in the Le Mans Series in 2009, he will compete in this year’s inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship. Enge will partner Darrene Turner in the AMR Aston Martin DBR9 in the colours of the Young Driver AMR team. Young Driver AMR is a new team created specifically to compete in the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship and Le Mans. The team will enter two Aston Martin DBR9s with 007 driven by Enge and Turner. Car 008 will be driven by Stefan Mucke (GER) and Christoffer Nygaard (NED). The first race will take place at Yas Marina (UAE) on April 17. GP2: Alexander Rossi will contest the remaining rounds of the GP2 Asia Series with the championship winning team, Malaysia-QI-Meritus. The 18-year-old American will partner GP2 race winner Luca Filippi. "I want to thank Peter Thompson, President and team founder of MalaysiaQI- MeritusMaharaGP.com and its chairman Raad S. Abduljawad for giving me the chance to compete for the rest of the season", Rossi commented. "I am very confident in the teams abilities to prepare a race winning car and I am looking forward to getting back to work in Abu Dhabi. My goals are simple - 'to win' and I feel that I can deliver on this ambition as this team is one of continual strength and determination." Runiing with Malaysia Qi Meritus for the rest of the GP2 Asia championship will further develop his abilities and experience. "The GP2 cars are very enjoyable to drive but very physical at the same time" says Alexander. "In many ways they are more physical than F1 cars, which have the benefit of power steering. My training has been at a very high level since last September, and the past month back home has been 6 days a week in preparation for 2010. I feel fantastic and I know that I am ready for the next GP2 race in Abu Dhabi. It will be the first time in my racing career that I've returned to a circuit twice with the same car, so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do." Malaysia-QI-Meritus team principal Peter Thompson says, "I've been following Alexander's progress for the last couple of years. He impressed me with his speed in both Formula BMW and Formula Master, where he beat Earl Bamber, who's a guy we know and rate highly. He's got a great attitude, very focused and has a big future. I first made contact with Alexander in the adjacent pit garage at the first round of the GP2 Asia Series in Abu Dhabi, where he was racing for Ocean Racing Technology. Then several things just clicked together after that, as we spoke a lot. I'm delighted to have signed him!" Alexander currently lies fifth in the GP2 Asia Championship, only two points out of second place after the opening two rounds driving for Ocean Racing Technology. After Rounds 3 & 4 in Abu Dhabi, the Series will make a short trip to Bahrain, for the final four rounds at the Sakhir circuit. Alexander has not had an opportunity to race at the track, but he doesn't expect that to pose a problem. "I am scheduled for a GP2 / Bahrain simulator in the U.K next month", says Alexander. "On top of this, I am very confident in my ability to learn new circuits quickly. We only have a 30 minute practice session prior to qualifying, so we will need to be on pace immediately in order to start dialing in the set-up of my car."
Star Mazda: JDC Motorsports has continued preparations for defending its Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear title with the announcement that Caio Lara will remain with the team for 2010. It’s the second consecutive year the Brazilian will race for the Minnesota-based team. With continued support from MLD, ATW and Red Line Oil, Lara will pilot the No. 19 JDC MotorSports entry The Brazilian native was a consistent front-runner in his second full-season of series competition last year, remaining part of the title chase until the closing stages of the season. Lara will partner fellow series veteran Gerry Kraut, as well as newly signed rookie Chris Miller at JDC MotorSports throughout the season. "We are excited to have Caio Lara back under the JDC MotorSports awning in 2010," said Team Co-Owner John Church. "He showed good speed last season and was very consistent. I think if he continues to develop behind the wheel this season, he can not only win some races, but also be in contention for series title come the end of the season." Grand-AM: Drivers and teams with Ford Racing Mustang Challenge experience will be well-represented this weekend as the 2010 GRAND-AM season kicks off with the Fresh From Florida 200 on Friday, and the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday. 2008 and 2009 Mustang Challenge Champion Andrew Caddell will lead that charge, as he collects part of his Mustang Challenge Champions Package with the opportunity to race a Ford Mustang in the opening round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Caddell will be in good company as he will share the controls with defending series Champion Ken Wilden, Caddell made his debut in the series last year at Daytona, scoring a top-ten finish with fellow Mustang Challenge competitor Jim Click. "Hopefully I can put what I learned last year to good use, and of course having a championship-caliber teammate like Kenny is going to be a big help because he obviously knows his way around in a Mustang!" said Caddell. "I feel like I'm going into this weekend at Daytona knowing a lot more about what to expect, and I'm just eager to see how the race plays out. Hopefully we can be a part of a good start to Ford's championship defense!" Caddell isn't the only driver to be taking his experience in Mustang Challenge competition into new realms of GRAND-AM competition, as the series continues to prepare drivers for participation in a wide range of categories. The Fresh From Florida 200 is slated to go green at 1:45 PM ET on Friday, January 29, with the Rolex 24 At Daytona set for a 3:30 green live on SPEED Channel on Saturday, January 30. Continuing his climb up the motorsports ladder, Dane Cameron moves up from a season in the 2009 Grand-Am GT class to co-drive the #2 Beyer Racing/uberwürx Chevrolet Crawford with Jared Beyer in this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona. Also sharing driving duties will be a trio of experienced endurance racers including Cort Wagner, Jan-Dirk Leuders and Romeo Kapudija. The Beyer Racing team, founded by entrepreneur Jeff Beyer in 2006, completed its first Grand-Am race at Virginia International Raceway on April 27, 2008. Running a full season with a 2-car effort in 2009, the team scored a string of top-10 finishes, including 4th in Montreal at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. For 2010, Beyer Racing will focus on competing for the 2010 Grand-Am championship with a single-car program. Driving the full season will be Texan native Jared Beyer, with two years of Grand-Am experience under his belt with backing by uberwürx, a manufacturer of premium car care products. Cameron, who will be Beyer's teammate at Daytona, arrives at this major step in his career via an accomplished climb up through the ranks of both open-wheel and endurance racing. Last season, Cameron co-drove the #30 Racers Edge Mazda RX-8 in the full 2009 Rolex Series GT season. "I'm really looking forward to taking the next step in my racing career, driving at Daytona with Jared and Beyer Racing," says Cameron. "I've raced the 24 Hours at Daytona before, last year with Racers Edge, and I've raced a prototype before, co-driving with Michael Valiente in the Finlay Motorsports car in the 2007 series finale at Miller Motorsports Park. So I'm confident I can contribute to the team this weekend and with a bit of luck, hopefully we can score a good result." The 48th annual Rolex 24 at Daytona is scheduled to take the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday. For additional coverage, visit the GRAND-AM Road Racing page on Facebook or www.twitter.com/RolexSeries. Ford Racing Mustang Challenge : The 2010 Ford Racing Mustang Challenge season will kick off at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March, and will feature a new wrinkle in the championship. Mustang Challenge officials have confirmed the final 2010 Ford Racing Mustang Challenge schedule, which will see the series feature three double-header race weekends and grow to an 11-race calendar. BTCC: Brands Hatch will host the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship's Media Day on Tuesday 23 March. Media Day traditionally acts as the official launch of the new BTCC season where the media can get their first proper glimpse of the teams, cars and drivers. This year's event will include the championship's first official ‘TOCA' test of 2010 - on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit – with drivers on track during both the morning and afternoon. Brands Hatch has also confirmed it will open its gates free of charge for the public to watch the testing action from the trackside spectator enclosures. BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: "We're delighted to be launching our 2010 season at Brands Hatch which remains one of the most famous and demanding motor racing circuits in the world. It will make for a great backdrop for our teams, drivers, sponsors, partners, media and fans as the BTCC begins a new decade in its proud and illustrious history." Following Media Day, the BTCC's teams will have just 11 days to prepare before the opening round of the 2010 season at the high-speed Thruxton circuit in Hampshire on Easter Sunday 4 April. Nine more rounds - each featuring three races - will follow at circuits across the UK culminating in the season finale at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday 10 October. All rounds will receive extensive Live TV coverage on Sunday afternoons on the ITV4 channel plus highlights on ITV4, ITV1 and Men & Motors. The www.itv.com website will also live-stream race events.
27-01-10
Formula Ford : Saloon-racing ace David Ellesley is to switch to the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain for the coming season, at the wheel of a works Spirit chassis. The 23-year-old Suffolk driver won the Ford Fiesta ST Championship in 2009 after a tin-top career which began in his teens in autocross; David has never raced a single-seater before. "This will certainly be a first for me," said David, "and it's all very exciting. I have a lot to learn about Formula Ford but I've joined a team with huge experience and that will benefit me greatly. Formula Ford is where I want to be, and this is a cost-effective option for me. Hopefully I can bring something to the team to help them with their plans for a new car." Ellesley's 2007 Spirit chassis is to be run in the Ford-backed championship by Spirit Engineering and Steve Wills, the marque's founding father. "We are building a new chassis for next year," said Steve, "and we need to do some serious development work, which is how the deal with David came about. We need to get back out there, have a good time and give it a good go. The car has the potential but has never really had much of a chance to show it." Wills hopes to have the 2011-specification Spirit running before the end of the season, and has promising youngster Richard Huddart lined up to drive it. Formula Ford, which this season gains new radial tyres developed by title sponsor Dunlop, gets underway at Easter Formula 3/British GT: The UK's leading single-seater and sports car championships - the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series and Avon Tyres British GT Championship - will come under the media spotlight at Silverstone in March. Silverstone has been selected as the venue for the championships' annual Media Day event, which will take place on Wednesday 24 March, a little over a week ahead of the opening rounds of the 2010 season. Teams from each series will be revealing to the media their new driver line-ups, new cars, engines, team personnel, sponsors and liveries, and journalists will have the opportunity to ride alongside a pro in a 200mph GT3 sports car, as well as to interview the drivers and their team personnel. The Silverstone event will not only be a valuable showcase for the British F3 and British GT teams but also a handy opportunity for them to test ahead of Easter's opening rounds of the championships at Oulton Park in Cheshire. The Silverstone Grand Prix circuit plays host to British F3 on two occasions this season: in May and again in August, alongside a two-hour endurance round of British GT. "We are very pleased that once again Silverstone will be hosting the British Formula 3 and British GT Media Day," said Bernadette Fitzsimons, general manager of SRO Motorsports Group, "and I am sure that the lure of a chance to ride the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit will make the occasion an attractive one for the media."
26-01-10  Endurance:
Nelson Panciatici and his fellow countryman Guillaume
Bermond
took a dominant win driving a DAMS prepared LMP2 car in the
Winter EWndurance series at Paul Ricard last weekend. The pair
won from pole position, breaking the lap record in the process.
For GP2 and Superleague racer Panciatici it was a great comeback
after suffering from food poisoning on Saturday that resulted
in a night at the local hospital
Formula 3: Less than four months after clinching the Cooper Tires British F3 championship title, Daniel Ricciardo has been confirmed, - alongside Brendon Hartley, as a reserve driver in Formula 1 this season. Australian Ricciardo and Kiwi Hartley, both 20, will fulfil reserve-driver duties for the Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso teams, following in the wheeltracks of the 2008 British F3 Champion Jaime Alguersuari, the Spaniard who began the '09 F1 season as a Toro Rosso reserve and ended it in a full-time race seat. Ricciardo sealed his place in the squad in December at the F1 'rookie tests' at Jerez. Said Daniel: "It's very exciting. It was an email I was hoping for since the test in December, but I wasn't sure whether it would come at all. So, a big relief, but also very satisfying. This will be a very good introduction to F1 - even though I won't be driving the car, just to sit in on the briefings and do what the drivers do on a weekend is a good way to start learning. It's all exciting and I'll be busy, even though I'm not driving." Hartley, who was third overall behind his Carlin team-mates Alguersuari and Oliver Turvey in British F3 in 2008, with 5 wins, said: "I'm happy to be a part of the Red Bull F1 set-up again and it'll be good to be at the race tracks learning as much as possible, so that if I do get the opportunity to do a race I'm fully prepared." As well as being F1 reserve drivers, the pair, both based in Milton Keynes, will compete as team-mates in the World Series by Renault for the Tech 1 team. Their duties will see them sit in on team meetings, spend time with the current race drivers and familiarise themselves with how Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso work so they are ready for action in the event of a call-up. Carlin race director Trevor Carlin said: "I think it is a testament to British F3 that the championship keeps producing the F1 stars of tomorrow, a tradition which I am sure will continue in 2010." Bathurst: Entries for the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour officially closed last Friday with a 47 car field entered for the showroom endurance race to be held over 12 -- 14 February at Mount Panorama. Twelve manufacturers and 27 different models or variants will line up on the grid Sunday morning at 6.30 am and Bathurst 12 Hour Promoter James O'Brien is confident of an exciting Race. "We are pleased with the numbers, it's a quality field and we expect a healthy crowd with lots of atmosphere," said O'Brien. "We have a bumper support category programme, plus plenty of off track entertainment so it will be a fantastic weekend.
25-01-10
Carrera Cup GB: Euan Hankey, one of the two Scholarship winners for the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, has signed to race with Team Parker Racing this season. Hankey, who has single-seater experience up to and including Formula 3, will join the team that took Tim Bridgman to the 2009 title. Having won the £50,000 Carrera Cup GB Scholarship, 22-year old Hankey is making the switch to sports and GT racing. The Taunton-based racer will start testing with the team in mid-February and said that the Parker team's obvious passion for racing was a key factor in his choice of team. "I could tell from talking to Stuart Parker and the team that the passion was there and I think it will be a very good relationship," said Hankey. "They won the championship last year and that's really, really important; I've got all of Tim Bridgman's data to work with. They ticked all the boxes for me and the team's history speaks for itself." Hankey will join Glynn Geddie at the forefront of the Parker squad and Euan believes that having a quick team mate will push him on. "It's always good to have a strong team mate to spur you on," he said. "Glynn will be a great benchmark to feed off and to learn from." Stuart Parker said: "Drivers switching to the Carrera Cup from single-seaters have a history of doing particularly well. I think Euan's background will only assist him. I look forward to working with Euan and getting him right onto the pace. "Along with Glynn Geddie, it gives us a really young team and that is fantastic for us. Euan and Glynn are already starting to build a relationship and I hope they'll push each other on. I want to see them both winning races and challenging for the title." Porsche: Craig Baird was right on form in the latest round of the 2009/10 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship at the Timaru International Motor Raceway over the weekend. After setting fastest time in qualifying he won the first 2 races of the weekend before taking third in the final race behind Matt Halliday and former Mini Challenge Courtney Letica who took his debut win in the series in the third and final race.. F2000: Liberty Motorsports was at Sebring for pre-season testing. with Terrick Mansur driving one of the team's Zetec powered Van Diemens. It was a reunion of sorts as Liberty Motorsports team manager, Chuck Lessick, who had been Terrick's crew chief during the 2007 F2000 season. After finishing third that year, Terrick took a break from racing to pursue his education and is now looking at making a comeback. Mansur was quick to knock the rust off in the morning session turning some quick laps. "We put him out on some used rubber just so he could get used to the car. He hasn't been in a car since the 2007 season.", said Lessick. Sharing the track with just 4 other cars, the team took the opportunity to get feedback from Mansur and make set up changes. "We were just one of only two F2000 cars out there today. It was nice to have all that track time and all that room to run. We gathered a lot of valuable data.", said team owner Brian Belardi. In the afternoon session they tested the new Cooper Pro Series radial tyres with Mansur going around 2 seconds a lap faster than he had on last years’ rubber.
24-01-10 Reigning ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup Champion Daniel Lloyd has agreed a management deal with Tim Sugden. Daniel is delighted to have become part of the Tim Sugden Management family of drivers as he strives to carve out a professional career in sportscar racing. The 17-year-old is relishing the chance to work with Sugden. “This really is fantastic news”, said Daniel, “Winning the Winter Cup in Clios was great but we’re realistic enough to know sportscar racing has to be our aim if I want to become a fully professional driver. Tim has a huge amount of experience, both as a driver and a manager, so we’re confident this deal will add nothing but positivity to my racing career.” Tim Sugden Management currently guides the careers of several top racers including World Series by Renault race winner James Walker, Aston Martin sportscar driver Jonathan Cocker and Darryl O’Young who has just secured a deal to race in the 2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship. Sugden commented: “I’m delighted to welcome Daniel into my management group, he’s shown a lot of promise already in just two years of car racing. My aim is to add some fresh impetus into his career and to try and put him on the path to becoming a professional driver.I’ve been competing in motorsport for 30 years and have been managing drivers for the past 10 years so that experience should give Daniel’s career some added momentum. I see him as someone very much like Jonny Cocker who I helped to become a professional driver. His career has gone from strength to strength and the aim is to do the same for Daniel.” Daniel’s 2010 motor racing plans will be sorted in due course, please visit www.daniellloydracing.com for further information. Karts: FKS names new Media & PR Co-Ordinator. Commentator to take on advanced role with improved web content & increased driver input first goals. Formula Kart Stars, the kart series backed by Bernie Ecclestone & Lewis Hamilton have a new media and PR co-ordinator for the 2010 season, Henry Beaudette. “We’re delighted that Henry has been able to take a bigger role with the championship,” says series director Carolynn Hoy. “I know Henry will put as much energy into his new role as he does with his race commentary.” In addition to providing on-site commentary for the series, as he has done since 2007, Henry will also take charge of providing race weekend media content and press materials to the series website www.formulakartstars.com . He will also work with drivers in the series on their media and PR skills. “It is vital that Formula Kart Stars maintains an informative and up to date website for its existing drivers and all potential future entrants,” says Henry, who has ten years of journalistic experience with global motorsport portal www.crash.net. “Likewise it is important that Formula Kart Stars gives its’ drivers all the necessary tools off the track that will help them on the road to becoming professional racing drivers.”
22-01-10
Silverstone Circuits Limited will host Britain ’s round of the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2010. The circuit has stepped in to agree a new, short term contract with Infront Motor Sports (the commercial rights holder for the FIM Superbike World Championship) after the event’s immediate future had looked in jeopardy. Ticket details for the only UK round of World Superbikes, taking place at Silverstone between 30 July and 01 August, will be announced in due course. The Superbike World Championship has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and in 2010 there will be plenty of British interest for fans to get behind. A total of seven British riders will be competing on full factory or factory-supported bikes this season, including James Toseland (Sterilgarda Yamaha), who returns to World Superbikes for the first time since winning the title in 2007, Jonathan Rea (Ten Kate Honda), Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki), Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati), Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Superbike), Cal Crutchlow (Sterilgarda Yamaha) and Leon Camier (Aprilia Racing). Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, commented, “Following all the problems with Donington and the uncertainty that has been created over the last few months, we are now very satisfied to have reached an important agreement with Silverstone Circuit to host the British round of the Championship. This agreement confirms the excellent relationship existing between our Group and Silverstone Circuit and we hope it will be the first step of a new long-term relationship.”
Formula 3:
Bathurst: New Zealander Tony Head will join Lauren Gray Motorsport at the 2010 ArmorAll Bathurst 12 Hour, completing the three-driver line-up that includes experienced 12-hour racer Lauren Gray and her dad, Michael. Head, 43, hails from Hamilton on the North Island and is a nine-time veteran of Targa New Zealand, primarily driving Toyota products ranging from production-based Corollas to racing a 600hp twin-turbo Levin in a South Island endurance race. Having enjoyed factory support from Toyota New Zealand for the past eight years, Head's experience and history with the Toyota product make him an ideal fit for Lauren Gray Motorsport's first tilt at the 12-hour race. "I have been racing for over 20 years in many forms of motorsport, from Tarmac Rallies to Gravel events and Touring car sedan racing," he said. "I am looking forward to the experience. I aim to be a level headed, focussed driver and I know what it takes to bring a car home to the finish whilst also performing at the highest possible levels. It's going to be a great challenge tackling the mountain with Lauren Gray Motorsport, and I can't wait to get out there." Australian movie star Eric Bana will make a return to the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro 12 – 14 February 2010. The actor who starred in such films as Chopper, Black Hawk Down, Hulk, Troy and Munich expressed his passion for cars in his 2009 move "Love the Beast," which he launched at last year's Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour. He has competed in several Targa Tasmania events, the Porsche GT3 Challenge and Australian GT Championship, however the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro has become the biggest race of the 41 year-old's racing career. The Melbourne born driver will return to the Event with 2009 teammates Tim Leahey and Peter Hill in the same Mitsubishi Evo X. Last year the team ran 6th in their class and 10th overall in their first Bathurst appearance and the team is hoping to better their result this year. "At the end of the day we are better prepared than we were this time last year. Pete and Eric are a lot more advanced than they were last year and we are definitely in with a chance to win," commented Leahey. Mitsubishi is the reigning manufacturer, with Alan Heaphy's Team Ralliart taking the last two Bathurst 12 Hour Enduro's with Damien White and Rod Salmon at the wheel. Sydney driver Bob Pearson is expected to enter a front running lineup in a two car Mitsubishi Evo X team, with a number of experienced Bathurst veterans to share the drive. Pearson has fully recovered from an accident during last years race and is keen to finish what he started 12 months ago. BMW is expected to take the fight to Mitsubishi with the new 135i BMW joining the 2007 race winning 335i. Also expected to be on the front row of the grid is the new Shelby Mustang GT500 to be driven by Marcus Zukanovic. The car is unproven in race trim, however should be competitive given the horsepower and torque of the supercharged 5.4 litre Ford. The car is undergoing final preparation at Zukanovics workshop in Melbourne. The driving line up for the Mustang is expected to be announced early next week. The Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro is also in its 4th year, with a grid of over 40 cars expected to compete. Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge : The smart money has got to be on Australian driver David Reynolds as the battle for the 2009/10 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship heads to Timaru this weekend. Though V8 Supercar series commitments meant he missed the opening round of this season's Battery Town series at Pukekohe in early November last year, the 24-year-old from Melbourne won the second round later that month in Christchurch and the third at Invercargill's Teretonga Park last weekend. Defending series champion Craig Baird continues to lead the series points standings after winning the first round and claiming podium spots (second behind Reynolds in Christchurch and third behind Reynolds and international Matt Halliday at Invercargill) but Triple X Motorsport teammate Reynolds is fast catching up. Racing Education: David Brabham , one of motorsport’s leading sportscar drivers and Le Mans 24 Hours winner is also an established driving force in developing the next generation of racing stars. During his recent visit to Autosport International, Brabham was announced as the National Race Coach for the new MSA Team UK driver education and development scheme, which forms the pinnacle of the MSA Academy structure created in 2009. The MSA Academy is designed to guide young drivers from eight years old through to world championship level, while the new Team UK designation reflects the creation of a national squad of the country’s most promising drivers, aged 17-24, from the previous Elite Race and Rally schemes.
WTCC: On Wednesday and Thursday this week in changing weather conditions, BMW's RBM team and Chevrolet spent two days testing at Portimão's new Autódromo do Algarve, in Southern Portugal. Rain poured down at intervals on the first day, while by the end of Thursday morning the track finally dried up.Facing his fourth season as BMW Motorsport driver, Brazilian Augusto Farfus completed his first test in the BMW 320si run by Bart Mampaey's RBM outfit, in which he joins triple WTCC champion Andy Priaulx. Chevrolet fielded two Cruze LT cars during the test, for 2008 world champion Yvan Muller and Robert Huff, who both had already tested two weeks ago in Valencia. Alain Menu attended the test and the briefing, but did not drive. He will be back at the wheel together with his two team-mates during the team's last test session before the beginning of the season, on February 17th and 18th at Valencia again. 21-01-10
Star Mazda: Dom Bastien plans to compete in five of the 13 events in the Masters class of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear with Andersen Racing. Bastien plans to enter the season opener on March 19 at Sebring, the doubleheader at New Jersey Motorsports Park on June 26-27, Road America Aug. 21 and the season finale on Oct. 1 at Road Atlanta. Bastien's agreement with Andersen calls for him to participate in eight test days. "Dom tested with us at both Sebring on the short course on Nov. 11, and at Palm Beach Dec. 1-2," noted Geoff Fickling, Andersen Racing's Star Mazda team manager. "He's improving every time out, and should be a contender for Masters class victories this season.” Bastien said, "I joined Andersen Racing because the team is well structured and highly professional. Its people are very skilled, attentive and personable. After just a few test days I have learned a lot, and I can see improving my driving and racing skills dramatically in the months to come." A native of Roubaix, France, Bastien finished tenth in the Skip Barber National series in 2008 and won its Grand Masters title. Bastien's teammates will be Anders Krohn of Sandnes, Norway and Mikael Grenier of Stoneham, Quebec, Canada. LMS: The 2010 endurance season starts in 45 days with the official Le Mans Series test days at Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track. REBELLION Racing is eagerly awaiting taking part in that first event. The first of REBELLION Racing’s Lola B10/60 was completed a few days ago and its Rebellion engine was run-up in the car to test the basic systems. The team’s second Lola Rebellion will be completed this week. "Having our two new cars ready to roll out of Lola’s factory by the end of this week is a very positive achievement and a key milestone in our plan. We started working early on with our major partners, Lola on the new aerodynamics and Engine Developments on the new Rebellion engine, to develop our package for 2010. This has given us the time to complete our development programme as scheduled. Moreover, it has allowed us to focus resources on some of the finer details that, when put together, will play a significant part in the performance of our cars. In fact, we now just need to make the drivers’ seats in order to run the cars out on the track!" said REBELLION Racing team manager Bart Hayden. After a full systems check in England in early February, the REBELLION Racing team will undertake four days of testing in southern Europe with all four of the team’s drivers, Andrea Belicchi, Jean-Christophe Boullion, Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost together for the first time this year. The team will then head off to the official Le Mans Series test days at Paul Ricard (7-8 March). GP3: With just over six weeks to go until the initial Series test, the first of three new GP3 cars were delivered to the teams this week, with engines ready for collection on Friday. The new chassis has been designed and built by Dallara, with hydraulics and electronics supplied by Magneti Marelli. Hewland provided the 6 speed paddle shift sequential gearbox, and Brembo the steel brakes and pads. The engine, based on a road car 2L Turbo, has been developed by the Renault F1 Team in Viry-Châtillon. After months of thorough preparation the first generation car, to be raced for a three-year period, has been completed on time. The ten teams entered in the 2010 season now have the chance to begin readying their cars for the first official test on March 3rd at Circuit Paul Ricard. The second batch of cars will be delivered during the first week of February as planned, and the third during the third week of February in time for the first test. GP3 Series Organiser Bruno Michel said: "The manufacturing of the first generation GP3 car is complete and on time, and I am confident that it will achieve the same level of quality competition and reliability reached in GP2. We always kept in mind during the design team to produce a car that will offer great racing to the fans whilst keeping it affordable for the teams. "It's also great to see that the 2010 grid is fast taking shape. A number of teams already have promising young drivers signed for the Series, and one can only be impressed by their high- calibre."
Muscle Milk extreme athlete, Memo Gidley, took home some top honours in this year’s DJSA Jet Ski awards banquet by winning both the series championship and Rookie of the Year titles in the Super 800 stand up Jet Ski class. The awards banquet was held at the indoor karting center, GO-Kart Racer in Burlingame, California. “I have really been looking forward to this evening since I wrapped up the title earlier in the year,” said Gidley. “Even though I am new to this organization, so many of these people have become friends and I was proud to accept this championship trophy in front of them.” In total, ten different class winners were crowned. The awards banquet was just the first half of what would be a very memorable evening. A total of 60 Jet Ski racers signed up for the go-kart challenge race to see if their skills were as good on land as in the water. The field would run through various qualifying and heat races to narrow the top sixteen racers down to the final showdown and crowning of the go-kart challenge champion. Although not a big surprise, Memo was fast time qualifier and normally would have been starting at the front. “Jim Lambert the DJSA president told me a while back that he wanted me to start last if we had this event, and at the time I said no problem,” said Gidley. “But seriously, after seeing my fellow Jet Ski racers drive in practice and qualifying, if I knew how good they were going to be I probably would not have agreed to this…they were tearing it up out there!” The start of the final go-kart race was memorable and the second turn saw the first of a number of pile ups as the field tried to sort itself out. “The action of the first lap reminded me of the first laps of the Vegas SuperNationals!” said Gidley. “There were karts everywhere and no-one wanted to give an inch.” As the race progressed, Gidley one by one began picking off karts and gradually moved up through the field. With ten laps to go, Gidley was in fourth, moved to third, then picked off Eddy “ETD the animal” Lacayo for second. With three laps to go Memo was glued to the back bumper of “flying Ryan” O’Sullivan, and planning a move. “Ryan was fast and I knew getting by him has going to be a challenge,” said Gidley. “He made a slight mistake coming off a hairpin. I thought being next to him was going to be enough but then he squeezed me into the barriers. I kept my nose in there, pushed him sideways, and then let him go just before the corner. Because he was sideways he ran a little wide and I was able to sneak by on the inside…it was a great battle!” And what did Memo think of the talent of the Jet Ski racers? “Just another example of what I have always believed, a racer can race anything,” exclaimed Gidley. “I was smiling in my helmet the entire time as I watched these riders from the water, tear it up on four wheels…they were awesome!” Memo’s next race is with the McDonald’s/Doran Racing car in the Grand Am Rolex Series on January 30th in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Superleague Formula: Menard Competition Technologies, (MCT) is celebrating this week after winning the Motorsport Industry Association’s (MIA) highly coveted Technology and Innovation Award. Fighting off opposition from companies such as Williams Hybrid Power and Millers Oils, MCT was presented with the MIA Business Excellence accolade, at the NEC in Birmingham, on 14th January, for its outstanding design and engineering work undertaken on the Superleague V12 racing engine. Kevin Lee, MCT’s managing director, commented: “All of us at MCT are thrilled with our success at this year’s awards. To be awarded this honour by a panel of our peers is truly gratifying. The whole team back at Leafield continues to deliver reliable, innovative and high-performance products and this award is vindication of their hard work. We have an exciting year ahead of us; the Superleague championship has been extended to 12 rounds and the Bloodhound SSC land speed record project continues to gather pace as engine testing continues. This has been a great way in which to start the year and further demonstrates MCT’s passion and commitment to being one of the world’s leading motorsport and high performance engineering organisations.” The only awards of their kind within the industry, the MIA Business Excellence awards are presented at the industry association’s annual Autosport Show dinner. GP2: Alberto Valerio will race with Scuderia Coloni in GP2 this year. The 24 year-old Brazilian signed with the team in the past week and will drive for the Italian team throughout the season. Paolo Coloni's noted Valerio’s performace during the 2009 championship where the Brazilian clinched his first GP2 victory at Silverstone. This prompted Coloni to offer him a day testing at the end of the season in Jerez where he posted the second fastest time of the three days. Valerio will start his career with the team in the GP2 Asia Series at Abu Dhabi on February 5-6 followed by GP2 official testing session at Le Castellet on March 23-25. The first race of the main GP2 Championship is on May 8-9 in Barcelona. ALMS: The JaguarRSR race team has confirmed that Marc Goossens will return to the #33 JaguarRSR XKR GT cockpit and compete in a full-season American Le Mans Series' championship effort in 2010. "It is an honour for me to be selected by Jaguar Cars and RSR to drive the #33 JaguarRSR XKR GT and to be a part of this new Jaguar racing program," Goossens commented. "I can't wait to get through all the testing and development and get back to racing at Sebring after what we accomplished at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the progress the RSR team has made this winter." Goossens has raced in everything from Formula Ford and F3000 through to Grand-Am and nine Le Mans 24 Hours. Goossens was asked to join the JaguarRSR team for the debut of the new JaguarRSR XKR GT racer at the Petit Le Mans, and piloted the big cat to its first green flag during the ALMS season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. "I have great respect for Marc," said RSR Principal Partner Paul Gentilozzi. "He is a very talented driver that has a lot to offer to this Jaguar program. He provided valuable feedback during our initial testing and development in 2009, and drove flawlessly at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Moving forward for 2010 and fighting for a championship title we know Marc is going to be a key factor both on and off track." Goossens and Trans-Am legend Gentilozzi are the two confirmed drivers for 2010. Additional drivers will be added for the endurance events this season. The 2010 ALMS starts with the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 20. Indycar: Tony George has resigned from the Board of Directors of Hulman & Company and affiliated companies, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, effective immediately, according to Mari Hulman George, chairman. "As members of his family, we are sorry to see Tony leave," said Mrs. George. "We are grateful for his service to our company as a board member and of course for formerly serving as CEO and president of our companies. I speak for our whole family in wishing him well. All of us had hoped that Tony would continue to serve on the board, and we made that clear to him. We are disappointed with his decision to step down despite our wishes." His resignation removes George from any remaining role in Hulman & Company, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indy Racing League, IMS Productions and other affiliated companies. He continues to be involved in racing through his ownership of Vision Racing, a competitor in the IZOD IndyCar Series of the Indy Racing League. 20-01-10
Formula Renault: Silverstone-based ATECH Grand Prix has confirmed a three-driver line-up for the 2010 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship. Swiss-Filipino Marlon Stockinger will be joined by Briton Nick Yelloly and Hungarian Tamás Pál Kiss in the 20 round championship which kicks off at Thruxton in April. “I’m delighted to finally be able to announce our Formula Renault line-up.” said Team principal David Hayle. “All three of the guys raced with us last season and showed a lot of promise particularly over the second half of the season. Having the continuity of the same team for a second season is a great situation to be in. Nick and Marlon’s results in the end of season Winter Cup, together with their post-season testing performances have been very impressive. Tamás has been working hard in Hungary with his own car and team over the winter, so we head into our second season in the UK very much focused on achieving strong results.” Nineteen year-old Yelloly finished the Winter Cup as runner-up following four superb performances which netted him two podium finishes, four top six places. A podium finish and two further top five finishes for former BMW scholarship winner Stockinger earned him fifth place overall. The team will commence an intensive test programme which kicks off later this month, prior to the opening rounds of the series, at the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit in Hampshire.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship winners Euan Hankey and Michael Meadows will start the 2010 season with brand new Arai crash helmets following a link-up between Arai and the Carrera Cup GB Scholarship. "It is excellent for the Carrera Cup GB Scholarship to have a tie-up with one of the leading helmet manufacturers," said Marion Barnaby of the Carrera Cup GB. "This is another of the ways in which we are helping the Scholarship winners with their racing programme." The two drivers had a helmet fitting during the recent Autosport International and will shortly receive their new Arai helmets ahead of the start of their 2010 testing programmes. Each Arai helmet is made to exacting standards and is the result of up to 18 hours of work by skilled craftsmen. Arai helmets meet and exceed the standards laid by the various international governing bodies for two and four-wheeled motor sport. Formula Ford: Gisborne driver Craig Brogan has acquired one of the factory run 2009 Spectrum 011d Formula Ford racing cars for his 2010 Victorian State Racing campaign. Having raced a Mygale during 2009, Brogan tested the Spectrum at Winton Raceway prior to Christmas and was able to significantly improve his previous best time at the track. “I was quite surprised at how much easier it was to achieve the times in the Spectrum,” said Craig. “The first thing that I noticed was how well the car turned in; it is much more responsive than what I was used to. The Spectrum is also much more comfortable to drive physically; everything is just easier in it,” he added. Craig also found the Borland Racing Developments(BRD) team of great benefit to his performance. “Everything about the BRD operation is very impressive. From making a seat and fitting me to the car, to analysing the data after each session at Winton, their professionalism and performance was first rate,” Craig commented. BRD welcomes Craig to the factory team and looks forward to working with him aboard the National Diesel backed Spectrum 011d.
F3: Patron Highcroft Racing's David Brabham's trophy cabinet was already bulging at the seams after a highly successful 2009 season, but the popular Australian finally received a surprise award at last week's Autosport International show in the UK. One major piece of silverware was missing from his cabinet. Brabham clinched the 1989 British Formula 3 Championship after a season-long battle with the man who has gone on to become one his great rivals and friends, Scotsman, Allan McNish. A mid-season series of technical protests in the '89 F3 season left the final result of the championship in doubt with Brabham's results from the British Grand Prix Support Race excluded at one stage. McNish also was excluded, only to have his points reinstated before the season end. The final championship winner wasn't decided until early 1990 when the MSA Court of Appeal eventually let all race results stand, handing Brabham the championship. However, the delay in deciding the championship winner resulted in Brabham never receiving the championship trophy. The Patron Highcroft racer will now however need to find extra room in his trophy cabinet after being presented with the championship trophy at the Autosport show by British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) Competitions Manager, Dale Wells and Patron Highcroft Racing team boss, Duncan Dayton. "I was on stage talking about the Racing4Charity karting event when they asked me to stay on stage after our segment was finished," Brabham said. "I had no idea what was going on and then my team boss Duncan Dayton and Dale Wells from the BARC were there to present me with a trophy for winning the Formula 3 championship all those years ago. It was certainly a nice surprise. That Formula 3 championship really kick-started my career as the following season I made my Formula 1 debut. It will be nice now to finally have the trophy on the shelf to celebrate that year." Brabham's intense rivalry with McNish has continued ever since 1989 with the pair now acknowledged as two of the finest sportscar drivers in the world. The result at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans mirrored that Formula 3 year, with Brabham and the Peugeot squad defeating McNish and Audi. "I have had a great relationship with Allan, even through the year of F3 with all the protests and everything," Brabham said. "We have continued to race strongly against each other ever since then and have become very good friends." McNish was one of around 100 celebrity drivers who took part in the Racing4Charity Celebrity Karting Challenge which benefitted Malaria No More UK.
19-01-10 Club Sport: The Autosport Show ended on Sunday evening after four very busy days on the BRSCC's eye-catching stand, which proved to be popular with show visitors. All ten cars on the stand generated a lot of attention with the respective championship co-ordinators reporting a promising amount of genuine interest. The number of visitors attending the Autosport Show seemed to be up on recent years and there was a real buzz around the stand on all four days. The BRSCC would like to thank all the championships that provided a car for display, not only on the Club stand but throughout the exhibition and special mention should also go to the volunteers who helped build and staff the stand. A note for your diaries, the 2011 Autosport Show will take place between Thursday 13th and Sunday 16th January. The BRSCC launched a brand new DVD at the Autosport Show last week aimed at encouraging more people to take up circuit racing in the UK . The DVD takes the viewers through the steps of how to get started in club motorsport, which championships are particularly suited to novice competitors, what equipment they will need and all the relevant contacts.The DVD, which was produced with the support of Grand Prix Racewear and Gaz Shocks, comes as part of the printed guide called 'How to get started in motorsport' which the BRSCC produce annually in time for the Autosport Show. Club Director and Formula Ford competitor Peter Daly commented "We have produced a printed guide on how to get started for many years and it has been a great success. The addition of the DVD takes it one step forward and is part of the Club's aim to reach a wider audience". The DVD is available by sending a request to enquiries@brscc.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain unveiled it’s provisional calendar for the new season - the 44th in Formula Ford 's illustrious history – last week with five meetings supporting British Formula 3, one alongside the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, another supporting the DTM and a "jewel in the crown" slot at Europe's F3 blue riband event, the Zandvoort Masters.The Ford-backed championship will be contested over 25 races with a mix of double-header and triple-race events spread over the 10 meetings; Sam Roach of Formula Ford promoter RacingLine says the planned calendar will be superb for spectators and competitors alike: "The natural progression of drivers from Formula Ford to Formula 3 is being re info rced with every passing season. Our 2008 champion, Wayne Boyd, was a British F3 race-winner last year and we expect our '09 champion, James Cole, to follow Wayne into F3 this season. So we are in an excellent position for the coming year with five of our 10 meetings alongside British F3 at the UK 's best circuits. It's fantastic also to have been selected to join the bill at the European 'Formula 3 Grand Prix', the Masters at Zandvoort in the Netherlands , which I am sure will be a highlight for everyone." The British teams will share the grid in Holland with cars from the Benelux Formula Ford series, and it's hoped that Scandinavian-series cars will join the party to create what would be an interesting sneak preview of the Festival. For more info rmation go to www.britishformulaford.co.uk BRSCC Porsche Championship : A test day has been arranged on the Silverstone National circuit on Friday 26th February for drivers who are registered for the 2010 BRSCC Porsche Championship. The cost is £179.00 and the closing date for payment is Monday 25th January. Time is short so please telephone Ernie on 07778 666 911 if you wish to attend, so that numbers can be confirmed to Silverstone. Cheques should be made payable to “Porscheracing Drivers Association” and sent to Ernie Cheetham at: Lodge Sports, Abbey Hey Lane , Gorton, Manchester M18 8TG. To participate in the test day you will need to register for the championship before the test day (i.e. before 26th February). For 2010, the championship registration form is contained in the Championship Regulations. These will be available to download from the BRSCC website in the near future. The payment arrangements for the Championship registration fee have been changed for 2010. Cheques should made payable to “BRSCC”. Credit card payments for the registration fee can also be made direct to the BRSCC by calling 01732 780100.
F2000: SMR Motorsports have announced the
formation of a new two car F2000 Championship Series team. SMR took delivery of two Van Diemens in 2009 and is preparing to
contest the full 2010 schedule. 24-year old American Timothy
Paul (right) will drive the team's #06 CellMark Paper Van
Diemen/Zetec. Paul moves to the F2000 Series after years of
success in sprint car and midget acing. “The first and most
important expectation is to get comfortable in a new cockpit,”
said Paul. “I want to do well in the series but I'm not putting
any emphasis on points standings or position right now. I want a
general feeling at the end of the day that I did everything
behind the wheel that I could and am happy with my performance.”
Paul admits there are some differences between his background
and the F2000 Series: “The biggest changes between the two cars
are pretty obvious: right turns and a gearbox. Am I particularly
worried about either of these things? The answer is no. I am
however aware that I'm wet behind the ears, and just prepared to
keep my eyes and ears open and learn as much as I can as fast as
I can. There are some benefits too. I'm comfortable in traffic;
I'm comfortable racing at wide open throttle or wheel to wheel.
I enjoy it. There's really no feeling like getting out of the
car after a back and forth battle completely exhausted. After
using every little trick you know and seeing what the other guy
has. I love it.” Paul was set to be joined by established
oval-track veteran Tad Uzzle in the #69 Race House Van Diemen/Zetec.
Those plans are on hold as Uzzle is sidelined by a work related
injury. The team is committed to finding a deserving midget or
sprint car shoe to put in the #69 for the beginning of the 2010
season. Michael Watson will be the lead crew chief for both
cars, with some engineering support being lent by GTP
Motorsports as SMR gets adapted to the Van Diemen. SMR is
putting its effort toward a successful F2000 campaign, but also
plans to contest some midget races on F2000 off weekends.
Porsche Carrera
Cup GB
Historics: Thermal management specialist Zircotec reaffirms its commitment to historic car racing as it renews its sponsorship of the HSCC Historic Road Sports Championship for 2010 Classic car drivers and owners participating in the HSCC Historic Road Sports Championship are set to benefit from further thermal management support from Zircotec as the company renews its sponsorship of the historic race series for the 2010 season. The company first supported the series in 2009, having become increasingly involved in providing coatings for historic road and race cars in recent years. Its plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings offer an effective solution to the traditional problems associated with overheating, such as poor reliability, heat damaged components and driver injury and discomfort. “We received a strong response to our support of the series during the 2009 season, with many drivers appreciating our trackside help and advice, and are delighted to be renewing our sponsorship of the championship in 2010,” explains Terry Graham, managing director, Zircotec. “Our plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings help historic road cars to perform more consistently as they come under additional stress on track.” Applied as a lightweight layer, Zircotec’s coatings are highly durable and offer robust protection for vital engine and electrical components. In particular, they can protect drivers from injury through exposure to high temperature surfaces and help to reduce in-cabin temperatures, allowing for a more comfortable driving experience. “Zircotec’s team made a significant contribution to supporting the Historic Road Sports Championship in 2009 and we particularly appreciated their trackside presence,” comments Grahame White, chief executive, HSCC. “We’re very pleased to welcome them back for the 2010 season. Many of our participants are now using Zircotec’s coatings, and have been reporting a number of benefits.” Competitors in 2010 may be interested in Zircotec’s new ZircoFlex™ coating, which is believed to be the first ever flexible ceramic heat shield material. The new patent pending ZircoFlex product has been proven to reduce surface temperatures by up to 64 percent and offers a low cost solution to the thermal protection of engine and electrical components as well as bodywork. Historic car owners may benefit from applying the coating to the footwell area or bulkhead to prevent heat transfer from the engine, or to cover the transmission tunnel, which can become uncomfortable in some cars. ZircoFlex is supplied in a roll, and is easy to apply using mechanical fasteners or high temperature adhesives. For further information about Zircotec or to make an enquiry about a coating, please visit www.zircotec.com. The Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda have re-arranged the series-sanctioned preseason testing from January 22-24 at Sebring International Raceway to early March at a venue to be determined. The reason for the change was to move the test closer to the beginning of the 2010 season and minimize the amount of travel required for Atlantic teams, especially those based on the West Coast. The 2010 Atlantic season gets underway on Friday, March 19 at Sebring. "The feedback we received from a majority of our teams was that the January Sebring test was not practical for them," said Atlantic Championship Vice President of Operations John Brunner. "We could have gone forward with the test this weekend, but participation would have been minimal. It is an expensive proposition for teams to travel cross-country, and the January test would require two cross-country trips. By moving the test to March, the teams can do the test and the race at Sebring in one trip. There is a significant amount of interest from drivers and teams to participate in the 2010 Atlantic Championship and we are confident that we will have a strong field at the test and throughout the season." Exact dates and the venue for the test will be announced as soon as possible.. Formula Two: 2009 FIA Formula Two Champion Andy Soucek says the Williams-designed F2 car has already been significantly improved for the 2010 Season as he continues to play a major role in developing the car. The 24-year-old confirmed initial upgrades had resulted in a gain of around 1 sec per lap compared to the 2009 car at a recent test in Portugal. With further advances due to be introduced later this month, Soucek is confident the car will be up to three seconds per lap faster than its predecessor. "The car is developing nicely and we have already made progress with the set-up, extra power, electronics and the throttle map," said Soucek. "The car was already more than a second quicker than the others in Portimao and we still have a lot to come, so it is all very positive. The programme went really well before Christmas - Giles Butterfield and the team are working really hard and I am enjoying working with them very much. It has been hard work but also very rewarding." The 2010 F2 car is set to be dubbed the Williams JPH1B after undergoing a raft of changes over the winter, including an increase in engine power and improved aero efficiency. One of the major improvements already tested is the new high flow Garrett turbocharger, which will raise standard power from 400bhp to 425bhp this season. The new turbocharger will produce an even greater gain on overboost, with power increasing from 450bhp to 480bhp. Other improvements were also tested, but further significant advances are set to be incorporated over the coming weeks. Soucek will continue his testing duties, alongside regular test driver Steven Kane, when the pair travel to Barcelona and Portimao later this month. The aerodynamic upgrades designed by the Williams F1 team will be available for these tests and the overall weight of the car is set to be significantly reduced. A number of new and improved tyre compounds are also set to be tried and tested. 18-01-10
Star Mazda: Four-time Indy Lights Champions, Brian Stewart Racing have announced that they will enter a team in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear in 2010. “In our 45-year history, we have consistently graduated drivers through the various levels of open-wheel racing. Since 2005 we have sponsored the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship (BSRKC) and we recently added a USF2000 team to our Driver Development Program,” said team founder, Brian Stewart. “With the addition of our Star Mazda team, we now have a seamless series of stepping stones for a driver moving from karting right through to our Firestone Indy Lights team.” Participants in BSR’s Star Mazda Team will compete in 13 races in 2010 and will be supported by Indy-Lights quality staff and technology. “Each driver will be supported by all of the resources of our Driver Development Program which includes many of the most skilled personnel in auto-racing,” adds BSR Business Manager, Janet Stewart. “The addition of this team provides drivers as well as sponsors with a wide spectrum of ways to get involved with one of the most respected racing teams in the industry.” “Tommy Byrne who is one of the most intuitive drivers I have ever known,” remarks Brian, “will be providing the drivers with personal coaching and, as with our USF2000 Drivers, Jim Leo of Pit Fit will be working with them and providing the drivers with individualized fitness plans and on-going support. Winning is what we do best and we have put the resources in place to provide our drivers with every possible advantage.” Brian Stewart drivers will also be able to participate in the team’s track-side USF2000 and Firestone Indy Lights Team activities. Space in BSR’s Star Mazda Team is limited, so those interested in becoming involved should contact Janet Stewart, BSR Business Manager, at 613-299-5003 or janet@brianstewartracing.ca right away.
F2000: AIM Autosport’s entry in the new USF2000 series will be 15 year-old Anthony Furfari. Anthony has spent the last year testing in preparation for a concerted effort to break into the next level of open-wheel racing. He raced a couple of events in the 2008 Skip Barber Western Region series and impressed by taking the win in his very first start. “Anthony has taken to the new F2000 car very quickly”, said Willis. “He has already gained valuable seat time in open-wheel cars and he adapts very quickly.” He continued, “The focus for Anthony is to achieve success in the F2000 class with the goal of moving up to Formula Mazda.” AIM tested with both Michael and Anthony in Florida just prior to the Christmas holidays with the assistance of team principal and former USF2000 graduate and Formula Atlantic driver Andrew Bordin. “Andrew was a great influence on both drivers”, noted Willis. “He has the ability to communicate with the guys and make them feel comfortable which is important to the team dynamic, especially with young drivers.” . AIM will continue to conduct a testing program for drivers in both USF2000 and Formula Mazda during the next two months leading up to back-to-back events to start the season in March. The USF2000 Championship joins the Star Mazda Series March 27th with a double-header at Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida. AIM will be making additional driver announcements in the coming weeks. The first race in the Star Mazda Championship takes place March 19th at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida.
Porsche: Australian driver David Reynolds has taken his second round win in succession in the third round of the 2009/10 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship at Invercargill's Teretonga Park over the weekend. Reynolds won the two races on Sunday with his International Motorsport team-mate Matt Halliday winning the opening race on Saturday. Craig Baird retained the lead in the Championship after coming away with a second and two third place finishes.
17-01-10 Carrera Cup GB: Motorbase Performance unveils six-car Carrera Cup GB squad. Motorbase Performance has unveiled plans to field a record-breaking six-car team in the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The squad, announced on the Porsche stand at Autosport International, represents the biggest team ever planned in the eight-year history of the Carrera Cup GB. Team boss David Bartrum has confirmed four of his six drivers and will reveal the names of his two pro category drivers shortly. In the pro-am1 category, Motorbase will run cars for Ollie Jackson and Liam Griffin, while Steve Parish and George Richardson will represent the squad in the pro-am2 category. Bartrum plans to run two trucks and two awnings, with three cars in each half of the operation. Never before has a team run six cars throughout a season of the Carrera Cup GB. "We're set for a busy year and this is a fantastic opportunity for Motorbase to really establish itself in the Carrera Cup," said Bartrum. "We've got two strong teams and the right people to engineer the cars. We've got a good mix of drivers across the team; they are all at different stages of their careers." Jackson returns for a full season after a fine debut year in pro-am1. He was the only driver to finish every one of the 20 races in 2010 and was a pro-am1 podium finisher as he made tremendous progress through the season. Parish and Griffin both joined the series in the second half of last season as a build up towards full programmes in 2010. Former VW Cup pacesetter Griffin was immediately running strongly in pro-am1 on his Carrera Cup debut at Silverstone, while racing newcomer Parish joined the Carrera Cup as soon as he had upgraded his race licence to National A status and won the pro-am2 category at Rockingham. Finally, former Ginetta Junior racer Richardson is set for a full season after budget problems cut his 2009 season short at the start of the year. He will still only be 18 when the 2010 season finishes next October and will join Parish as a leading contender for the pro-am2 title. Dakar: Volkswagen has won the Dakar Rally for the second time in succession. After a 'showdown in blue' the Volkswagen duos and their TDI powered Race Touareg prototypes celebrated a one-two-three podium lockout at the finish. Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) triumphed by only 2 minutes 12 seconds from their team mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) in the closing 202 kilometre sprint on the 14th and final stage. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) claimed third position. Last year's winners Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) finished seventh. Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen said: "Three weeks ago a highly motivated Volkswagen team came with the goal of successfully defending the 'Dakar' title won last year. Volkswagen has achieved something historical with this one-two-three. We are not only unbeaten in South America, we are also the only manufacturer to have won the world's hardest rally up to now with diesel technology. The Volkswagen drivers fought amongst themselves for victory all the way to the chequered flag - sometimes by hard but fair means. This is exactly how we imagine motorsport to be. My congratulations therefore go to every Volkswagen duo who would all have been worthy winners." Despite the extreme demands the powerful 300 hp Race Touareg proved to be not only the most robust, but also the fastest vehicle winning seven of 14 stages. The result of the rally kept observers and fans alike on tenterhooks up to the finish line: Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz, Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford led in this order since the fifth Dakar Rally stage. However, at no point did any pairing have an unassailable lead. In a strong final burst Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk edged ever closer, repeatedly taking seconds from Sainz/Cruz. The Qatari/German duo made up ground specifically in the dune sections - which once again formed one of the "Dakar's" core elements - while the Spanish duo Sainz/Cruz were quicker on the fast, twisty gravel sections. Two stage wins went to Sainz/Cruz, four to Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk, one to Miller/Pitchford. .
GTs: The French IMSA Performance MATMUT team has won the Dunlop 24 Hours of
Dubai.
After 24 hours of racing at the Dubai Autodrome circuit, Raymond
Narac, Patrick Pilet and Marco Holzer racked up a total of 608
laps with the MATMUT team's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Marco Holzer
drove the car across the finish line. "My first ever outright
win in a 24- hour race, a fantastic feeling", said the German.
Second place was taken by the Japanese Petronas Syntium Team
with the BMW Z4 Coupe, driven by Nobuteru Taniguchi, Masataka
Yanigada, Farique Hairuman, Johannes Stuck and Hiroki Yoshida.
Al Faisal Racing with Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Claudia Hurtgen,
Marko Hartung and Khaled Al Faisal took their BMW Z4 Coupe to
third place overall.
Dakar: Two Volkswagen Race Touareg are fighting for victory and keeping the 2010 Dakar Rally exciting with the final result still undecided. On the desert classic's thirteenth and penultimate stage Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) took 2 minutes 32 seconds off their team mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E). The Spanish duo's lead has shrunk to just 2 minutes 48 seconds. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) completes the Volkswagen trio at the head of the leader board. The two leading drivers and co-drivers have kept the Dakar fans on tenterhooks for days, during a remarkable chase Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk reduced their deficit from 10 minutes 6 seconds (stage 10) to 4 minutes 28 seconds the following day (stage 11). The gap then climbed to 5 minutes 20 seconds (stage 12) before yesterday’s stage between San Rafael and Santa Rosa in Argentina where is once again came down, this time to 168 seconds. So it’s everything to play for on the final run to the finish in Buenos Aires. Victory on Stage 13’s 725 kilometres went to Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F) in an X-raid BMW ahead of Al-Attiyah. Sainz and Miller were fourth and fifth. Peterhansel in fourth position overall is also the closest challenger to the three leading Race Touareg. The penultimate "Dakar" day was characterised by two different sections. Around the start the 368 kilometre long stage provided the rally's final dune sections with soft sand. Fast sections across fields and farm tracks made up the final part. Victory will be decided today, Saturday, on the final 206 kilometre long stage, which leads the teams to the Argentine capital Beunos Aires.
15-01-10
Historics: The Historic Sports Car Club will provide two grids for races at this year's Silverstone Classic, covering Road Sports and over2-litre pre '66 touring cars. As well as organising the entire racing element of the annual festival (23-25 July), the HSCC will arrange two of the grids at the biggest historic racing meeting of the season. One grid of up to 50 cars will be assembled from the club's 70s and Historic Road Sports Championships. This marks a return to the Silverstone Classic for HSCC racers in a wonderful array of production sports cars from the 1950s up to 1979 and the race is expected to be heavily over-subscribed. Over 80 cars entered the corresponding race in 2008. Meanwhile, a similar size grid will be put together for a pair of races for over 2-litre pre '66 touring cars. The regulations for these races will follow those successfully used by the HSCC for races at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and the Oulton Park Gold Cup in 2009. "We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to organise these two grids at the Silverstone Classic," said Grahame White, CEO of the HSCC. "I am particularly pleased that our Road Sports cars will again be represented, as these classes are the perfect way to get started in historic racing. The Road Sports race will show newcomers to the sport that historic racing is very accessible for novices and those with modest resources." White is also keen to hear from drivers of over 2-litre touring cars. "I'm not sure what the record is for the largest number of over 2-litre pre '66 V8 saloons on one grid, but I would love to have around 40 of them as well as some Jaguars and other big-engined saloons."
Formula Renault : CRS Racing have signed three drivers for the 2010 Formula Renault UK Championship. Harry Tincknell and Michael Lyons will be joined by karting star, Robert Foster-Jones. The fourth seat at CRS is still open as discussions continue with potential drivers. 2009 Formula Renault Graduate Cup and Winter Series Champion, Harry Tincknell, is returning to the series in 2010 as he has a title to fight for. The 18 year-old put in some outstanding performances last year and is now ready to step up and challenge for the overall championship win. “I'm really happy to have been able to re-sign with CRS for 2010 and I think I can build on a fantastic first season and go for the overall title,” said Harry. “I had an excellent first year with the team with some great results. I've built up a good relationship with my engineer and my mechanic, so we should have a good year.” Michael Lyons(‘Mick’) drove the satellite CRS car in last year’s Formula Renault UK Championship but will join the main team for 2010 as he continues his single-seater career. “I’m very pleased to be racing with CRS again this year,” commented Mick. “Last year was a real learning experience as it was my first full season in modern motorsport. The team did a great job for me and hopefully with the experience gained though the season and over the winter I should be able to go into the new season as one of the contenders for the podium.” Robert Foster-Jones is the 2009 KF1 MSA Super 1 British Champion and he has chosen CRS as the team to take him from karting to cars. The 19 year-old from Southend-on-Sea is planning to attack the 2010 championship head on.“The transition from karts to cars is hard so I’m pleased that I’ve taken to it so well during winter testing. I chose CRS as they seem to be the most professional team and I immediately feel at home here. I’m 19 now so time isn’t exactly on my side. I’m hoping I can just do one season in Formula Renault so I want to hit the ground running in April and finish the championship in the top three.” ALMS: Patron Highcroft Racing has signed Marino Franchitti to it’s driver line-up for the American Le Mans Series, the Scot joining up with David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud. Franchitti took two LMP2 class victories for Dyson Racing in 2009, but for 2010 he will drive the Honda Performance Development factory-backed ARX-01c Patron Highcroft Racing entry in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Monterey Sports Car Championship at Laguna Seca and the season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Marino will have slightly more involvement than his brother, Dario did ast season. Alongside his three confirmed race outings, he will be behind the wheel for additional test duties as well as attending each round of the ALMS championship. Franchitti took three pole positions, three fastest race laps and 10 podiums from 10 races last season, two of which were ALMS LMP2 class victories alongside Butch Leitzinger at Lime Rock Park and at Petit Le Mans with Leitzinger and Ben Devlin. Dakar: Volkswagen provided an example of the power and performance of its TDI technology on the twelfth and longest Dakar Rally stage. Both the cars of Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) and Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) dominated the two-part twelfth stage, with a total of 476 kilometres run against the clock, from their team mates Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA). All three Race Touareg were more than ten minutes faster than their closest rivals in therefore continue to hold a commanding lead. Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) celebrated their second stage win, the sixth for a Race Touareg this year. Towards the middle of the stage from San Juan to San Rafael the two Spaniards were about four minutes faster than their team mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D). However, on the second sandier section consisting of many crests and jumps, Al-Attiyah reduced the gap to 52 seconds by the finish. Overall the Qatari now lies 5 minutes 20 seconds behind Sainz. Miller/Pitchford (USA/ZA) completed the extremely fast starting stage 4 minutes 22 second behind in third place. He now trails the leader by 28 minutes 12 second in third place. At 476 kilometres the twelfth stage contained the longest section in the rally. However, 130 kilometres of the route were neutralised to bypass a nature reserve via a tarmac road. An ad-hoc action by the organisers confirmed just how great the locals' enthusiasm is for the rally: In the afternoon such a large hoard of fans from nearby Mendoza stormed to the finish that the organisers had to move the finish 6,000 metres in order to enlarge the spectator zones. Formula 3: Team Lucidi Motors has reached an agreement with Gianmarco Raimondo for the 2010 Italian Formula 3 Championship. Canadian Raimondo won the rookie title in Formula BMW Americas in 2008 and his first race in 2009 at Mosport. Gabriele Lucidi (Team Principal)"Raimondo is a promising young driver: he acquired a good technical preparation during the two years in Formula BMW Americas and this will allow him to face in the best possible way a competitive championship like Italian Formula 3. The work during pre-season tests will be very important but I am confident Gianmarco will do good things since the beginning". GTs: Qualifying for the Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours of Dubai took place on Thursday at the Dubai Autodrome and the Imsa Performance Matmut Porsche took pole position. Imsa Performance MATMUT drivers Raymond Narac, Patrick Pilet and Marco Holzer were pleased with their team performance and Pilet, who was the fastest driver for the team, got in at the very last moment, "We're very happy with these results, we hope it's a good sign for tomorrow. I liked the way the track was, lots of grip on it, so it was a very exciting qualification. There was a great deal of traffic but that is what this type of race is about." Second fastest was the Gravity Racing International Mosler, with Vincent Radermecker fastest. Third fastest overall was De Lorenzi Racing Porsche driven by Marco Cioci: "I think this is a great job by all of the team, I'm really happy for everyone. I think this is a very good sign for tomorrow as I think we definitely have a shot at a win."
Stefano D'Aste will return to Proteam Motorsport for the 2010 WTCC. The Italian driver previously raced for the team directed by Valmiro Presenzini Mattoli in 2005, 2006 and 2008, but spent the 2007 and 2009 seasons with Wiechers-Sport. "I am very pleased with our agreement. With D'Aste back in the team we can look at the next season with high expectations," said Presenzini. "I am really happy I have received this offer from Proteam. We have managed to find a deal and we have the same goal: achieving the best possible results without wasting money," D'Aste stated. The team is currently negotiating to sign their second driver, whose name will be unveiled soon.
Macau
racing driver Andre Couto,
a regular competitor in the FIA WTCC event at Macau, needs your
help. Andre's six-year-old son, Afonso, has leukemia and needs a
bone marrow transplant. Please help him find a bone marrow
match:
http://bit.ly/8rcrgj There is a list of clinics worldwide
where you may go to see if you are a match here: Cadwell Park : For the first time, Cadwell Park will host two rounds of the MCE British Superbike Championship as part of its 2010 event line-up. This year, bike racing fans will have the chance to enjoy a second dose of BSB action when Cadwell Park hosts round four of the championship on 21/22/23 May, as well as its traditional Bank Holiday meeting on 28/29/30 August. The Modified Live performance tuned car festival will also make its Cadwell Park debut on 1 August, showcasing the UK ’s hottest modified cars and latest tuning products. This interactive event for car enthusiasts will include racing, demonstrations, grid girls, drifting, passenger rides and a huge exhibition area, and has already been held very successfully at MotorSport Vision’s three other race circuits – Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Snetterton. Cadwell Park is offering more events than ever this year, with 36 race meetings between March and November. The season begins with racing from the Auto 66 Motorcycle Club on 20/21 March and concludes with Norasport’s dirt-scrambling Supermoto Championships on 6/7 November, featuring two and four wheeled racing from both historic and modern machinery along the way. Other highlights include a journey to the golden age of motorsport at the Vintage Sports Car Festival on 19 June, where spectators can enjoy racing from machinery dating back to the 1920s. Cadwell Park will also host one of only three UK Grands Prix when it welcomes the BSA British Superkart GP on 17/18 July, plus there will be classic bike racing from the Vintage Motorcycle Club (VMCC) on 25/26 September. Discounted advance tickets for Cadwell Park ’s two British Superbike events already on sale and further race meetings will be available shortly. A joint Cadwell Park and Snetterton season pass – guaranteeing entry to all 2010 events at the two circuits – is also now on sale for £125.
14-01-10
Dakar: Volkswagen defended its lead on the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally: The three Volkswagen Race Touareg cars continue to lead after the second Andes crossing from Chile to Argentina. The leaders Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) lost 5 mins 38 secs of their lead to Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA). VW’s closest rivals -- Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F) in an X-raid BMW -- are already 2 hours 9 minutes behind the leader in fourth place. Sainz was forced to accept a setback on the descent of the Andes from an altitude of around 3,000 metres after two slow punctures dropped him back. He now leads by 4 minutes 28 seconds from his team mate Al-Attiyah from Qatar with Mark Miller third 23 minutes 50 seconds behind. Best of the Volkswagen drivers yesterday were Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D). They recorded the third fastest stage time ahead of Al-Attiyah and Miller and remain seventh overall. Victory on the day went to Guerlain Chicherit/Tina Thorner (F/S) in an X-raid BMW. The eleventh Dakar Rally day was dominated by tight gravel sections, made great demands of both man and machine through river crossings and formed a challenge for the brakes with a long downhill section at the end of the stage. GTs: A record number of nine Aston Martins have entered the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai which takes place this weekend, 15/16 January 2010. Since its launch in January 2007 the Aston Martin Vantage N24/GT4 race car has established an extraordinary record of success in 24 hour races around the world including a remarkable 2nd, 3rd and 4th overall in the 2008 Britcar 24 Hours at Silverstone, UK and class victories in the 2008 and 2009 Nurburgring 24 Hours. Eight of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4s and N24s will compete in the SP3/GT4A class for GT4 cars with one modified Vantage N24 competing in the SP2/GT3A category for cars with more than 4,000cc and/or more than six cylinders. Three of the cars are based locally in the UAE with the other teams travelling from Europe and the UK to compete in the 24 hour race. The new Jaguar RSR racing car makes its European debut this week at the 2010 Autosport International at the NEC in Birmingham. It is the first and only chance for the public to see the new XKR GT before it heads back to the US to compete in the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS). GT driver Paul Gentilozzi is taking a break from the development programme to feature the XKR in the largest motorsport exhibition in Europe. The car will be on display at the Jaguar stand alongside a production model XKR, XFR, and the fastest Jaguar ever - the Bonneville XFR prototype, which Paul drove to 225.675 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2008. Jaguar asked the Michigan-based RSR team to help create car to compete in GT2 racing in 2010. The Jaguar engineering and design teams, based in Coventry, have jointly developed the car from a standard road-going XKR with the RSR team. Paul Gentilozzi, Principal Partner JaguarRSR said: "Jaguar is so intertwined with British motoring history making this a fantastic opportunity to debut the JaguarRSR XKR GT racecar internationally. Having our new GT racecar and the Bonneville prototype XFR on display at the biggest motorsport exhibition in Europe with the production cars that made these possible is such a great way to showcase our dedication to the Jaguar brand and to motorsports." The car uses the standard Jaguar XKR lightweight aluminium monocoque together with additional steel reinforcements and safety structure developed by RSR. The 5.0-litre V-8 engine boasts 550 horsepower at 7000 rpm and a maximum speed of 180mph. The Alms season gets underway at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 20. WTCC: SEAT will no longer compete with its official team in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). SEAT Sport will now focus on customer sports in different championships, ranging from the Independent class participants in the WTCC to different national championships. They also focus on the SEAT Leon Eurocup and the Supercopa SEAT Leon that will take place in several countries in 2010. SEAT Sport will continue to give support to all those drivers who chose the Leon TDI WTCC, the Leon FSI WTCC or the Leon Supercopa/Eurocup. Jaime Puig, SEAT Sport Director: "After achieving all possible successes with our team in the WTCC, we are now going to focus all our efforts on customer sports in different championships, such as the WTCC, the Eurocup or the Supercopa SEAT Leon, which will be enjoying a new boost this year with editions in more countries. We are always eager to win when a SEAT is on the track and to do so, SEAT Sport will provide all of our customers with the necessary technical support." With the new FIA WTCC season just weeks away, RML has appointed Graham Watson to undertake the role of Team Manager for the Chevrolet Cruze outfit as it looks to conquer the prestigious world championship title this year with Rob Huff, Alain Menu and new signing, Yvan Muller, at the helm. Graham joins RML with a wealth of motorsport experience, starting his early career in the World Rally Championship before making the switch to single seaters in the early nineties, leading Paul Stewart Racing's Formula Vauxhall entry and later progressing into the now re-badged F3000 series. Since 1997, Graham's career has progressed through team management with top line names in Formula 1, including Benetton and Honda. Most recently, RML's new recruit was instrumental in developing and managing the team for Campos' 2010 F1 campaign. Speaking on his new role, Graham summarised: "I am very happy to join RML and such a competitive and high-profile championship as the WTCC, having spent many years in Formula 1. I am just starting in my new role as Team Manager and clearly, everything is pretty new to me! This test session was very useful; to see the car on track for the first time, and to get to know all the team members in a real-life set-up. This is a new, exciting challenge and I look forward to the 2010 season."
GP3: Tech 1 Racing kicks off 2010 by announcing its first driver in the GP3 Series. The Toulouse-based team will enter three cars one of which will be driven by Rumanian, Doru Sechelariu, The first official GP3 test session will take place on the Paul Ricard at the beginning of March, by which time Tech 1 Racing will have announced the names of its three drivers for its first season in the championship. Doru Sechelariu, 17 from Romania comes to the team from Formula BMW. "Doru Sechelariu is the first driver we've announced officially for our GP3 programme," explains Simon Abadie, the Tech 1 Racing team manager. "He's very young and this season his aim will be to fight at the front at this new level. He's proved his speed and his capacity to work, and we're delighted to welcome him to Tech 1 Racing. The real aim of this formula is to train young drivers and that's what we're going to do with Doru.". ART Grand Prix have announced their driver line-up for the 2010 GP3 Championship. The French based squad will have Esteban Gutierrez, Alexander Rossi and Pedro Enrique competing in the championship. After clinching the Formula BMW title in 2008, Mexican racer Esteban Gutierrez has just completed his maiden season in the F3 Euro Series where he took two podiums. Alexander Rossi meanwhile won the Formula BMW America championship in 2008, following that up with the rookie title in Formula Masters last season. The third and final driver, Pedro Enrique has previouslt raced in the SudAm championship before graduating to the F3 Euro Series last year. Frederic Vasseur: "We are delighted to be able to announce our full driver line-up so early in the season. We are really happy to be able to count on these three drivers for the first year of the championship. Esteban knows ART GP very well and has done a fantastic job in single seaters and especially with us last year in the F3 Euro Series. Alexander is an extremely promising young talent and Pedro has shown a rare determination during all the tests we have undertaken. I am really confident that we will be able to fight for podiums and wins." The USF2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda have signed a three-year agreement with VP Racing Fuels, the world leader in race fuel technology. "Although VP offers nearly 70 fuel blends, it is its VP110 leaded race fuel that will be the official fuel for both of the USF2000 series' classes through the 2012 season and hopefully beyond," said Dan Andersen, co-owner and chief executive officer of Andersen Promotions, which administers the series. A VP representative will attend all 12 USF2000 races in 2010 to provide support. The firm will also supply VP110 at all series tests. In addition, the San Antonio, Texas-based company will present a $1,500 award at the series' year-end awards ceremony.
13-01-010
Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours: Cars have arrived at the Dubai Autodrome for the fifth edition of the Dunlop 24 hours of Dubai this weekend (Jan 14-16). With 20 different manufactures and 80 teams from 21 countries the 24- hour race for GT and touring cars organised by Dutch agency CREVENTIC BV, looks set to be a good race. BMW and Porsche have the strongest contingent with 20 BMWs and 15 Porsches on the entry list. Land Motorsport’s Porsche came out on top last year, bringing team owner Wolfgang Land his first-ever race win in a 24-hour event. This year, they and their closest rivals in 2009, Al Faisal Racing’s BMW, are back but they are far from the only contenders for a good result in the race. Last year's other podium finishers, German Besaplast Racing team with former DTM stalwarts Kurt Thiim and Roland Asch are eager to do one better this time round. Another strong Porsche entry comes from the French IMSA Performance MATMUT team, the Porsches from the Auto Racing Club Bratislava, the Austrian Jetalliance Racing Team, German outfit Hermes Attempto Racing and the aptly-named Swedish team Need for Speed are also expected to do well. Other BMWs include two Z4 Coupes from the Japanese Petronas Syntium team and the German Black Falcon team. Another interesting entry is the Ferrari F430 of the Italian AF Corse team, one of three Ferraris in the field. The line-up on this car includes two drivers from the ranks of the American NASCAR Sprint Cup series: Michael Waltrip and Marcos Ambrose. Another well-represented sports car brand is Aston Martin with no less than nine cars entered, while other more exotic brands include Ginetta, Mosler, Ascari, Brokernet, Saker and the Dutch Donkervoort sports car that will be taking on a 24-hour race for the first time ever with a line-up that includes former Le Mans class winner Peter Kox. The event also has various different classes on the grid, too, from Renault Clios, SEAT Leon Supercopa and silhouettes like the French Solution F machines and a brawny Ford Mustang. The Dunlop 24H of Dubai gets underway on Friday, January 15th, at 14.00 h, under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Dubai, sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum. Porsche Carrera Cup GB: 2009 Pro-Am 1 Champion, Glynn Geddie, is to stay with Team Parker Racing for the 2010 season. The Apex Tubulars-backed 19 year-old from Aberdeen will launch an attack on the Pro category having clinched the Pro-Am 1 honours last season, and the Pro-Am 2 Championship the previous year. Geddie finished 5th in the overall standings in 2009 and was fighting for overall podiums in the latter half of the season, claiming two second place finishes and a third in the remaining four meetings. Glynn Geddie: "2010 presents a new challenge for me in the Pro category but Team Parker Racing are the team to do it with and I'm delighted we can continue our association for another year. Having won the overall drivers’ Champiopnship last season they will provide me with the best opportunity to fight for race wins. "It's a little too early for making predictions but we aim to continue from where we left off last season when we were challenging right at the front. For sure there will be some strong competition, especially from the more experienced drivers, but it's all part of the challenge and I can't wait for the season to start at Thruxton in April - it should be good."
Grand-Am: It was a wild weekend at the Three Day
Daytona “Roar Before The 24”,
but not for the usual circumstances that typically go on at
this race track, but for the weather. Everyone expects the
usual mixed conditions of rain and sun that seem to follow this
event, but the sight of snow and below freezing temperatures
definitely were unusual to see. Regardless, the #77
McDonalds/Doran Racing Team ran fast, consistently inside the
top six during the on track sessions and came away with an
optimistic feeling for the race in three weeks. “Frankly, we
had a very difficult test a few weeks ago when we were here at
Daytona,” said Gidley. “It seemed nothing was working right and
we just could not get a handle on exactly what was wrong with
the car.” Despite that poor test, the Doran team went back to
the Cincinnati race shop and tore into the car to find what was
causing them all that grief. “We all knew something was wrong,
but just didn’t know what,” said Gidley. “It was related to the
rebuild after that big crash from Montreal…something just got
overlooked.” However, when the team unloaded for this test, Memo
and the #77 McDonalds car instantly jumped into the top five on
the charts for the first on track session. “Man, the car felt
like a completely new car…I was so happy!,” said Gidley. “We
made a few minor changes in the few laps I drove but as I told
the team right away, our racecar is back!” The team spent the
rest of the three days trying different set-ups, waiting for the
track to dry or getting the other Doran team drivers laps in the
car.
Dakar: The Spaniards Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) increased their lead over their two team mates in the Dakar Rally after their first stage victory and Volkswagen’s fifth so far this year in the 2010 Dakar Rally. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) are now second 10 mins 6 secs behind the leaders, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) in the third Race Touareg trail the leaders by a margin of 28 mins 19 seconds. The three leaders were incredibly evenly matched after more than three hours of driving through the tenth stage: Sainz, Al-Attiyah and Miller reached the finish in team formation covered by a mere 1 minute 40 seconds. The former Rally World Champion Sainz was completely in his element along the small mountain passes from La Serena to Santiago with it’s stony tracks and tight corners, more reminiscent of a rally world championship than a desert rally. However it was anything but routine, Sainz winning the tenth stage in the Race Touareg with a 28 second margin over Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F) in an X-raid BMW. It was his sixteenth stage victory in a Dakar Rally. Another rival in the fight for victory was Volkswagen team mate Mark Miller who even led after having completed 148 of the 238 total kilometres. The American finished third ahead of team mate Nasser Al-Attiyah. After ten of the 14 stages the Volkswagen trio hold a considerable advantage at the head of the standings: Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F) are 2 hours 14 mins 20 secs behind in fourth at the wheel of an X-raid-BMW. Atlantic: Ben Johnston, owner of the Cooper Tires presnts the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, is headed to England to take part in the Autosport Show held at NEC in Birmingham, England on January 14th - 16th. Ben Johnston and top series officials are set to meet with many talented European drivers that have shown great interest in running in the 2010 Atlantic Championship Series. There has been great buzz surrounding the success of many ACS drivers that are having opportunities to drive and test with teams in top tier racing sanctions. The ACS team has a busy schedule in front of them when they arrive at the Autosport Show. There is great excitement surrounding the show for both racers and the ACS team. "I have two days of meetings lined up with drivers and," said Atlantic Championship President Ben Johnston. "As a result of demand we have organized a two day test in February in Florida, exclusively for European drivers, who will get a great deal of seat time in the car and will also have the chance to meet all the team owners. We expect a strong driver showing from Europe on the grid in 2010, which will make this a tight and competitive season for racing." Other News:. To mark the 60th anniversary season of Castle Combe, a new book has been published telling the story of the Wiltshire race track from 1950 right through to the end of the 2009 season. 'Castle Combe Circuit - the first 60 years' has been written by Paul Lawrence and Peter Stowe and published by TFM Publishing Ltd. The new title completely updates the story first told in the book 'The first 50 years', which was published in 2000 and sold out several years ago. All the photographs are new and the story of the last 10 years covers the circuit's rise to hosting British Formula 3 and British GT racing. It also cover the subsequent noise issues that brought massive change to this incredibly popular venue, as well as the creation of the Castle Combe Racing Club. The two-wheel action, including non-championship British Superbike events, is also detailed. The new hard-back book runs to 160pp and includes over 200 photographs, most in colour. The new edition also takes in personal views on the circuit from drivers like Ian Flux, Mike Jordan, Ilsa Cox, Brian Fisher and Bob Higgins. The updated story of the last decade takes in the development of the hugely popular local championships. The book is priced at £20 and is available from motorsport book retailers, from Castle Combe circuit and direct from the publisher. Please call 01952 510382 to place an order. There is a P&P charge of £4. The ISBN number is 978 1 903378 74 8.
The Motor Sports Association (MSA) has been appointed as one of the first two Regional Training Providers by the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability to help increase the safety and training standards of motor sport officials across the world. The UK has consistently enjoyed a first class international reputation for the quality of its training programmes and the calibre of officials that this has created. Having now demonstrated that its training programme meets the highest standards of the FIA Institute, the MSA has been granted Regional Training Provider status. The MSA will become a key partner in the education and training of officials in other countries as part of the projects approved by the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund. As a training provider, the MSA's skills and expertise will be used to encourage and implement ever higher standards of training and safety in every region. The appointment forms a major part of the FIA Institute's global education strategy in motor sport. The MSA, and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), will be allowed to help clubs outside of their region for now, but the long term goal for the FIA Institute is to have at least one training provider each in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, thus creating a network of recognised trainers around the world. The Board of the MSA has confirmed that Tony Scott Andrews has been selected to take over from Graham Stoker as Chairman of the Motor Sports Council with effect from 1st January 2010. Graham Stoker, who has chaired the Council since 2001, took the decision to stand down following the FIA Presidential elections in October 2009 where, as part of the Jean Todt Team, he was elected to the position of FIA Deputy President for Sport. The commitment demanded by this new role made it impossible for Graham to continue as Chairman of the Motor Sports Council, although he will retain a seat as an Honorary Member of the Council and will remain the UK Titular Member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council. Based in Oxfordshire, Tony Scott Andrews has been a lawyer for 35 years and has held an MSA competition licence since 1971. He was a founder member and is now President of the Classic Saloon Car Club/Classic Touring Car Racing Club which organises championships for touring cars of different eras. Tony won the Pre-‘57 Modified championship in an MG in 1983 and claimed championship success again in 1990 in the Pre-‘65 category at the wheel of a Ford Mustang. Since then, when time allows, he has campaigned a Camaro, Falcon and most recently a Rover Vitesse in Historic Group 1 Touring Cars. On the administrative side of the sport, Tony is already a member of the Motor Sports Council and has chaired both the National Court and the Judicial Advisory Panel, as well as serving as a member of both the MSA Historic and Race Committees. Tony first held an MSA Steward's licence in 1993 and was appointed Permanent Steward to the BTCC from 1998 to 2009. Having served as the National Steward at the British GP since 1999 (with the exception of 2007), and having been an FIA F1 Steward from 2003 to 2005, Tony was appointed FIA Permanent F1 Steward in 2006 and 2007. He has been chairman of the Stewards at the end of season Macau Grand Prix for the past ten years and in 2009 was also Permanent Steward for Formula BMW Europe. 12-10-09 British F3: 2008 National Class Champion, Jay Bridger, is to rejoin the Litespeed F3 team for an all-out assault on the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series in the coming season, it is announced today. The Kent-based 22-year-old will drive a Volkswagen-powered Dallara chassis.It will be Bridger's third season in Europe's most competitive single-seater championship, and Jay plans to work hard to impress Litespeed F3, which recently announced a talent-spotting affiliation with the reborn Lotus F1 team. "Litespeed F3 helped me through a difficult season in 2009 and I am looking forward to demonstrating to both Litespeed and to my new sponsors, H2 Industries, just how competitive I can be," said Bridger. "I have unfinished business in British F3 and the package that Litespeed F3 has put together for 2010 is very strong. I can't wait for the season to start." Litespeed F3 director of engineering Steve Kenchingtons said, "Jay will be in his third year of F3and his previous experience will be an immense benefit in the new-format race weekends. The three races each weekend will demand consistency, pace and the skills of a proven F3 race winner. I am sure Jay will deliver both to become a strong championship contender." M\anaging director Nino Judge added, "This is the first of our driver announcements and we are very pleased to continue our relationship with Jay. The support from Lotus F1 has been remarkable, and my role as head of European driver development at Lotus has enabled Litespeed F3 to provide the possibility of a direct route into F1 for up-and-coming drivers. It would be fantastic if Jay could be the first Litespeed F3 graduate." Bridger's competitive career began at the age of nine in karts. After a season in BRDC single-seaters in 2005 he moved on to Formula Ford, in which he was Festival runner-up in 2006 and fifth in the British championship the following season. Five class wins in a Fluid-prepared Dallara netted him the British F3 National title in 2008, and the following season he took his maiden steps in the championship's International class with a Litespeed F3-prepared Mygale chassis. The Cooper Tires British F3 International Series gets underway at Easter (3 April) at Oulton Park. Highlights of the 30-race season include twin visits to the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit and races at the European Grand Prix tracks of Magny-Cours, Hockenheim and Spa-Francorchamps, as well as a return to Britain's fastest track, Thruxton. pic Jakob Ebrey Photography Masters Historic Racing has launched its latest tin-top series, thought to be the first ever ‘one make’ historic series, catering solely for FIA specification Pre-1966 Minis. The series will have rounds at Masters Festivals and Top Hat meetings in 2010, with a particular highlight being the two races at the Silverstone Classic in July. The new Mini series will be open to cars built before 1966 and complying with the FIA’s Appendix K regulations, with class prizes for over and under 1000cc cars up for grabs. Races are planned for Snetterton (April 18th), Anglesey (at the track debut for Masters on May 15th), Brands Hatch (May 29th – 31st), Donington (June 26th - 27th), the Silverstone Classic (July 3rd – 25th), Spa (September 24th – 26th) and Mallory Park (October 24th). Series founder Ron Maydon said: “We are excited to be able to announce this new series for pre-1966 Minis which has come about thanks to competitor interest – and my own enthusiasm for these great little racing cars; I’ve got one! We have had good numbers of Minis racing with us in Masters Saloons and this, coupled with the numbers of cars that were seen in the one-off race at Goodwood last year, led to quite a few inquiries about more Mini-only races. Now that we are confident that there are enough cars and interested drivers out there, we are happy to create this eight-race mini-series.” The races will be of either 30 or 45 minutes, with a pit stop, (except at the Classic, where there are two shorter races) so there is the potential for a double-driver cost-sharing entry. Further, with the Mini races being separate from existing Top Hat Masters Saloon races, it gives Mini owners a chance to race twice over a weekend Brands Hatch will feature a major single seater event this year to replace A1GP when the Kent circuit welcomes the Superleague Formula for the first time on 31 July/1 August. After two successful six round seasons, the series will expand to 12 events in 2010, with three races on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit next summer. The two-day event will begin with a qualifying shootout - similar in format to a knockout football tournament - and the quickest car will start on pole position for Sunday’s first race. Race two will feature an exciting reverse grid, where the fastest cars from the first outing will make their way through from the back of the field. Each race is approximately 45 minutes long, equivalent to half a football match.The point scores for the first two races are then combined, and the top six teams go through to a five lap ‘Super Final’ shootout. This sprint dash decides the overall weekend winner and a cash prize is offered to the top three teams. Robin Webb, Superleague Formula Competition´s Director, said: “It gives me great pleasure to announce Brands Hatch as part of our exciting 2010 calendar. It’s certainly a driver favourite and thanks to MotorSport Vision’s commitment and professionalism, it is one that the championship as a whole is really looking forward to visiting. The high-speed layout offers our cars the chance to properly stretch their legs. It’s also a great place to watch motorsport, given all the elevation changes, so we’re confident that fans, especially those of Tottenham which isn’t too far away, will be there cheering on their team.” Tickets for Superleague Formula at Brands Hatch on 31 July/1 August cost from £24 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0870 950 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk. Dakar: One-two-three for Volkswagen - third stage win for Al-Attiyah. Volkswagen have taken the first three positions on stage 9 of the Dakar Rally, The TDI diesel powered Race Touareg continued to set the benchmark on the ninth of the 14-day long 2010 Dakar Rally. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) claimed the day's victory on the route between Copiapo and La Serena in Chile ahead of their team mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D). Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) set the fifth fastest time in another Race Touareg behind the French X-raid driver Guerlain Chicherit in a BMW. Carlos Sainz continues to lead the rally from Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mark Miller while Al-Attiyah reduced his deficit to the leader by six minutes to only 8 minutes 36 seconds. In the process of taking Volkswagen's fourth stage victory this year Nasser Al-Attiyah's winning margin of 5 minutes 59 seconds represented the largest lead for the winner of a stage during this year’s rally. The driver from Qatar achieved this on the shortest stage so far, which ran through difficult dune fields in the Atacama Desert. The original 354 kilometre long section was reduced by more than half to only 170 kilometres after the organisers postponed the start by 3 hours 45 minutes due to isolated fogbanks. The ninth "Dakar" day saw the competitors finally leave the Atacama Desert behind them. FRMC: While the countdown for the 2010 Ford Racing Mustang Challenge still has over 50 days to go until the field takes the green flag at Homestead Miami Speedway, there is still a lot of action taking place as the 2010 racing season kicks off in the new year. This weekend’s "Roar Before the 24" three-day test at Daytona saw a significant presence from a variety of Mustang Challenge drivers, teams, and alumni racers as the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and newly re-named Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) series were both in action on the 3.56-mile oval-based road circuit. Leading that list was two-time Mustang Challenge Champion Andrew Caddell, who will race with 2009 CTSCC Champion Ken Wilden after winning the seat as part of his Champions Package from Ford Racing and Miller Motorsports Park. The duo will contest the Fresh From Florida 200 in a Ford Mustang FR500C prepared by the championship-winning Rehagan Racing squad, and were right on the pace in testing to open up the season as Ford pursues a second consecutive Manufacturer Championship. Caddell made two CTSCC starts in 2009, including one at Daytona, as he looks to put his previous Mustang experience to good use to start the 2010 season off with a flourish. TC Motorsports were also in action with the team's two-car assault for the 2010 CTSCC season, with Mustang Challenge veterans Ted Anthony Jr. and D. Rick Edwards teaming up in the same entry. Compass 360R principal Karl Thomson, who first noticed the talents of Zach Lutz while racing against him in Mustang Challenge competition, was impressed with what he saw from Lutz at Daytona as Lutz has signed for a full-season CTSCC effort with 360R. Lutz is also expected to contest the season opening Mustang Challenge race at Homestead as he continues to grow his experience in GRAND-AM competition. Besides Thomson, several pilots who made guest appearances in the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge "Media Car" last year were also hard at work in Daytona. Andy Lally will look to defend his 2009 Rloex 24 At Daytona GT Class victory this year, with CTSCC regular Jack Roush Jr. also targeting another strong season in a Ford Mustang this year. 2008 Mustang Challenge race-winner Terry Borcheller was putting his new Daytona Prototype Action Express entry through its paces during the three day test, and kept his schedule full as he also shared a CTSCC GS-Class entry with fellow StableOne pilot Andrew Hendricks. Mustang Challenge racer and Ford dealer Jim Click was also hard at work during the Daytona test, with both Jim Click and Mike McGovern doing driving duty in the Jim Click Racing Ford Mustang FR500C machines. Click raced the 2009 Daytona event with Caddell, and has been a longtime stalwart for the Ford Mustang on race day. Charlie Putman and Gunter Schaldach, who both have Mustang Challenge race starts on their racing resumes were also in action during the three-day test.
Other News: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has announced that over one million downloads of the GT Academy Time Trial have been recorded in the three weeks since it went live on 17 December, 2009. GT Academy 2010 is a competition set up by Nissan and PlayStation® to unearth a real racing driver from the virtual world of the hugely successful Gran Turismo® race simulation game. Run across 15 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand , 19 winners will have the chance to take part in a racing driver ‘boot camp’ at Silverstone Circuit. The eventual, overall winner will take the controls of a real Nissan 370Z race car to compete for a full season in the European GT4 Cup. The Time Trial stage of GT Academy has given gamers the chance to download a stunning new piece of Gran Turismo for PlayStation®3 (PS3™), offering a small taste of what is to come in the new Gran Turismo 5 due for release this year. The download features the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, a newcomer to the Gran Turismo series. Players drive the circuit using a standard, road-going virtual version of Nissan’s stunning new 370Z and a race-tuned version of the same car. Their combined lap times give them their position on their territory leader board. The fastest 20 players from each territory, when the competition closes at midnight GMT on 24 January, will then battle it out at a live national final event. Nineteen winners, from across the participating territories, will be invited to take part in the five-day GT Academy 2010 event at Silverstone to be schooled in racing technique by top-quality instructors. 11-01-10 Silverstone announces all star line-up of events in 2010. Having recently announced that it will host the FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX on 9-11 July, Silverstone Circuit has now released its event calendar for 2010. The Northamptonshire venue offers the very best in both national and international motor sport, including MotoGP on a newly configured circuit at The Home of British Motor Racing in June of this year. 2010 ticket prices include* access to grandstand seating, free parking, a wealth of off-track entertainment and free entry for children aged 15 years and under**. Advance tickets for all of Silverstone’s main events are available to purchase online at www.silverstone.co.uk.
Ginettas: Funding permitting, Tom Ingram hopes to line up on the grid for a second campaign in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2010 – and this time around, he warns his rivals, he will be going for glory. On a shoestring budget last year the High Wycombe driver picked up a podium in only his second time out at Thruxton and a double pole position at Oulton Park.“I think we did well for the budget we had,” Tom mused, “and I’m pleased with how it went overall. We were able to do very limited testing, whereas some other drivers were out practically all the time and throwing crazy sums of money at it. Being able to test every weekend means you get to learn the car and the circuits quicker – but we just weren’t in a position to be able to do that. “Thruxton and Oulton were two very special moments during the year. I really, really enjoyed Oulton – it’s like Whilton Mill and Buckmore from when I was in karting, a proper drivers’ track. You need to be really precise, and everything just came together – the car was perfect and I didn’t make a single mistake. As to Thruxton, I would never have believed I’d be on the podium so early in the season, in only my second meeting in cars – that was quite a shock! It was really quite emotional standing up there, because it just made all the sacrifices, hard work and effort we had put in all-the-more worthwhile. On only two occasions – on his car racing debut at Brands and at Donington Park, when engine issues and the weather played havoc – did Tom miss the top ten on the starting grid, and as he now eyes a second bite at the cherry in 2010. “We would like to do another year in Ginettas if we can,” he concluded, adding that he has received interest from other teams and other series’ and is presently evaluating his options. “We need to get the money together – finances are the main issue, as usual. I’ve obviously got a year in the championship under my belt now; I’ve got experience of most of the tracks and of what car racing and standing starts are like. In our second season we’ve got to go all-out for the title, so if we are on the grid we will certainly be aiming to win! Advert: After the successful launch of Freem UK during the summer, leading kart racer Jonathan Walker is now introducing the Freeminds label into the motorsport market. Already known for its range of racewear, British customers will now be able to choose from a range of Italian-made racesuits, underwear, gloves, boots and accessories. Jonathan says, “I’m very excited to be able to bring Freeminds’ tremendous products to Britain. To perform at your best, you need to be comfortable. I believe that Freeminds’ gear offers unrivalled performance and fit.” Freem UK will be at the Autosport International show, (stand 6207, in Hall 6) at the NEC in Birmingham from 14 to 17 January and Jonathan says it’s a great opportunity for drivers to see the complete Freeminds range. You can also see the complete Freeminds range by going to ww.freemuk.com. 10-01-10
Dakar: After seven of the 14 legs of the 2010 Dakar Rally Volkswagen maintains a commanding advantage with 3 Race Touareg cars running at the front. Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) are leading the world's toughest rally 11m 03s ahead of their team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) and 22m 06s in front of Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA). Nasser Al-Attiyah managed an outstanding feat on the seventh leg from Iquique to Antofagasta in the Chilean Atacama desert. The driver from Qatar won the 600-kilometre, and so far longest stage, after a nail-biting duel where the lead changed many times, to arrive 3m 29s earlier at the finish than Stephane Peterhansel/Jean Paul Cottret (F/F) in the X-Raid-BMW. For Al-Attiyah it was the second stage win after his exploit on the second day of the rally. Carlos Sainz finished the stage that consisted of dunes, then a surface of "salar" salt crystal blocks and, ultimately, quicker, stony sections in third place. Mark Miller took fourth. Last year's winners Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) finished the stage before the rest day in sixth place after two punctures but due yo delays are 4h 31m behind the leading group. FPA: The 2010 Formula Palmer Audi Championship now offers young drivers an opportunity to win the biggest prize in British motorsport, as this year's champion will receive a remarkable £100,000 scholarship prize towards a drive in the 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship. As well as offering a huge financial reward for the 2010 champion, series organiser MotorSport Vision has further enhanced its prize offerings this season to include an official Formula Two test for the top six finishers in this year's FPA championship. MotorSport Vision Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer said: "Clearly the current economic climate continues to be challenging and our philosophy with both FPA and F2 is to provide exceptional affordability, which has never been more important. Whoever wins the 2010 FPA Championship will be an outstanding talent, most deserving of progressing to F2 en route to their F1 dream, and I wanted to have a championship prize that was going to make a real difference to that driver's chance of progressing their career. With our record GBR100,000 scholarship prize, the cost of a Formula Two season for the FPA championship winner is likely to be around just GBR185,000, which is an incredibly low sum for an F1 feeder championship. Once our 2010 FPA champion is in F2 he will in turn have the chance to challenge for the title and the stunning reward of a test with the Williams F1 team, to help enable him to achieve his goal of a Formula One race drive." The 2010 Formula Palmer Audi Championship will take place over 20 rounds at seven UK circuits including an outing on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit supporting the British F3 and GT Championships, along with a four race format for the season finale at Silverstone in October. The full calendar will be announced shortly. Other enhancements for FPA include the installation of new onboard video cameras to all vehicles to aid driver performance analysis. Jonathan Palmer said: "We have already pioneered on board cameras in F2 with the drivers being able to have access to all their footage within minutes of a session ending. Our F2 drivers have found this to be of great benefit in developing their skills. As part of our commitment for FPA drivers to have the best learning opportunities at the lowest cost we are now extending this opportunity to them." The 2010 Formula Palmer Audi Championship costs just £59,500 +VAT and applications for drives are now being considered.
08-01-10
Porsche Carrera Cup GB: Derek Pierce and Mark Hazell have committed to JHR for the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season as the team builds towards running either three or four cars in the championship. The JHR squad joined the Carrera Cup for the 2009 season and is now preparing for an expanded programme in 2010. Pierce will remain in the pro-am1 category, while Hazell will return to the Carrera Cup to contest the pro-am2 category. "The ideal team for us is three cars but we may expand to run four cars," said team manager Paul Leach. "We're delighted to confirm that Derek and Mark will be with us and we are now talking to other drivers about the coming season." Pierce made his Carrera Cup debut last year and was a pro-am1 podium finisher during a strong learning season. "We were very pleased with Derek's progress in 2009 and he'll certainly be a leading contender in pro-am1 this year," said Leach. Hazell, meanwhile, returns to the Carrera Cup having last raced in the championship in 2006. He has raced with JHR in a Renault Clio for the last two seasons and is now relishing a return to a Porsche. "I think pro-am2 will suit Mark very well and we expect him to challenge for the title," said Leach.
Karts: Stuart Wright Racing is looking for Rotax drivers to complete its karting line-up ahead of its inaugural season of competition in 2010, with highly-respected mechanic Wright promising that ‘no corners have been cut in any area’ as he endeavours to offer ‘the best service out there’ without an elevated price tag to match. SWR intends to conduct a full British programme this year at both MSA and Rotax level – comprising Formula Kart Stars (FKS), Super 1, Kartmasters and the ‘O’ Plate – as well as club meetings at PF International, Shenington, Kimbolton and Whilton Mill when no clashes occur, and the European qualifiers and finals. Reigning Kartmasters Champion Jordan King (KF2) and rising stars Roy Johnson and Charlie Robertson (both KF3) are already confirmed at the team, leaving room for one more MSA contender and a complement of Rotax competitors. “We decided to go with Stuart knowing that he has lots of knowledge about junior and senior karts,” revealed Johnson, who made history in 2008 by clinching all four major British crowns – Super 1, BRDC Stars of Tomorrow, Kartmasters and the ‘O’ Plate – in the Cadet class. Wright has two decades’ experience in the sport, having started out as a driver himself before turning his hand to mechanic duties. “I originally started thinking about doing this four years ago,” the 31-year-old revealed, patently enthusiastic about having turned his dream into a reality, “but it’s only now that I feel fully ready to actually go ahead and do it. I’ve just been making sure everything is in-place so that the team is built perfectly, with no corners cut in any area. SWR will be a professional team offering the best service out there, but importantly without ripping people off. I can offer the benefit of 20 years’ experience in karting, and a proven track record of results that vouch for my commitment. SWR will be based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and with space limited, the awning places will be allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested, please call Stuart on 07789 957018. LMS: Double Le Mans Series Champion 2005-2006 and 2009 Runner-up Jean-Christophe Boullion will be the fourth REBELLION Racing driver for the 2010 season in Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Frenchman Boullion will join Rebellion Racing’s other drivers Andrea Belicchi (Italy), Nicolas Prost (France) and Neel Jani (Switzerland), confirming the high ambitions of the Swiss team. Jean-Christophe will team up with Andrea Belicchi at the wheel of one of the team’s Lola-Rebellions.
WTCC: Eurosport Events, the promoter of the FIA World Touring Car Championship through its subsidiary KSO has announced a two-year cooperation with the suspension leader MONROE. MONROE, who previously covered the 2007 and 2008 seasons, now extends its partnership across the 2010 and 2011 to become the Championship's ''Official Suspension Partner''. MONROE will also be the Event Presenting Partner of the Race of Belgium (Zolder, 20 June 2010) and of the Race of Czech Republic (Brno, 1 August 2010). On top of the sponsorship package, MONROE will present a brand new award in 2010: the "MONROE PERFORMER" that will be given at each WTCC round to both factory and independent drivers who have recorded the fastest lap times. "Monroe is a very special partner for us, as it has been very active on WTCC in the past years. We are delighted to welcome Monroe back with such a strong commitment that underlines its loyalty to and trust in the continuous development of the WTCC brand," said Jacques Raynaud, Vice-Chairman of Eurosport Group and Eurosport Events. "This cooperation will also enable Monroe to benefit from Eurosport's powerful multimedia platform, on-air, online and through event sponsorship," he continued. "WTCC has been an excellent marketing and communication platform for both MONROE and its customers since 2007. Following the pause we felt it appropriate to take in 2009 due to the economic environment, we are delighted to invest again in our WTCC partnership," said Alex Gelbcke, Vice President and General Manager Aftermarket Europe for Tenneco which manufacturers and markets Monroe branded suspension worldwide. "The demanding performance requirements and high quality standards of the Championship and its fans worldwide are values that are extremely well aligned with those of the Monroe brand," he added.
LMS: Leading UK GT race team Beechdean Motorsport has entered into a long term partnership with Nigel Mansell to form Beechdean Mansell Motorsport, with the long term aim of acheiving glory at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The Buckinghamshire based team will run a factory supported Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S Le Mans Prototype in the 2010 Le Mans Series for Nigel's sons Leo and Greg, with the 1992 Formula One World Champion joining them behind the wheel at several events including the Silverstone 1000km in September and, subject to receiving an entry, at the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours in June. The LMP1 car will be run with full factory support from Derbyshire based Zytek Engineering, one of the world's leading motorsport and automotive engineering compaies. Zytek will provide Beechdean Motorsport with full engineering and development for the Le Mans Prototype throughout the season. Indylights: Canadian racer Philip Major has joined Sam Schmidt Motorsports for the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights Championship. Major, who has spent the last two seasons racing in Europe, is excited about racing back on the other side of the 'pond'. "Sam Schmidt Motorsports offered me a program for 2010 that I just couldn't pass up," Major said. "The experience of living and racing in Europe was fantastic, but I feel that the opportunity to join the Firestone Indy Lights Championship and race here, back at home, is the right step in my career." After completing his second year of racing in Europe, Major carefully weighed his options for 2010. Ultimately it was a test with Sam Schmidt Motorsports that sealed the deal for Major. "The team is fantastic, and their record speaks for itself," Major said. "The test went really well, and I was impressed with the car." Team owner Sam Schmidt said. "Our team had the opportunity to test Philip, Clearly, his experience in the UK has given him technical ability and discipline beyond his years. He progressed quickly through our program, and I am confident he will adapt to the car and circuits successfully this season." Dakar: Volkswagen continues leading the 2010 Dakar Rally after the sixth of 14 stages with three Race Touareg cars. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz (E/E), who had taken the lead a day earlier, extended their advantage from 4m 37s to 15m 24s. Their team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) continue in second ahead of Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) in another Race Touareg. Almost up to the finish of the 418-kilometre stage from Antofagasta to Iquique in Chile's Atacama desert it looked as though Miller/Pitchford had taken second place overall. However, on the final 25 kilometres their temporary lead of 3m 19s over Al-Attiyah changed to a gap of 2m 23s behind. The sixth "Dakar" leg between Antofagasta and Iquique was marked by constantly changing terrain and winding passages across gravel. The leg ended with a spectacular downhill finish to the rally bivouac on a dune situated in front of the coast at which the participants ran 600 metres downhill in just a few seconds at speeds of up to 180 km/h. Volkswagen, however, also suffered a set-back on the sixth leg: The Brazilian duo Mauricio Neves/Clecio Maestrelli retired from the event after rolling over. The driver and co-driver are in good condition all things considered. As a precautionary measure, Mauricio Neves was taken to a hospital for a check where he was diagnosed with two fractured ribs
07-01-10
The Karting Show at Autosport International opens its doors to the public on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 January 2010 at the NEC, Birmingham, offering any aspiring Jenson Buttons and Lewis Hamiltons the chance to find out how to get racing. Housed within the world’s biggest motorsport show, it’s the perfect place to get all the information you need to start and progress in karting, with some of the sport’s best drivers on hand for expert advice. Other News: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Polyphony Digital Inc have unveiled the cover artwork of the forthcoming Gran Turismo® 5 for PlayStation®3 (PS3™), revealing the game’s cover star to be the new Mercedes SLS AMG. The gull-winged supercar, with a top speed of 197mph, has been chosen amongst a total of nearly 1000 cars recreated down to the finest detail for players to race in the forthcoming title. The game – the first primary Gran Turismo title for PS3 – is the culmination of ten years of developing ultra-realistic driving experiences hand-in-hand with the motor racing industry. Players will get to prove themselves in a global community of racers, taking on the world’s most iconic racetracks in cars, including the Mercedes SLS AMG, that will astound with their realism, design and physics. It’s going to be the drive of a lifetime. 06-01-10 Masters Historic Racing has unveiled it’s calendar for the 2010, covering some of the most prestigious historic racing events in Europe as well as a range of domestic meetings for competitors in the Top Hat categories. Events include Masters Festivals at Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Portimao and Monteblanco. Masters races will also feature prominently at major events including the Silverstone Classic, Nurburgring Oldtimer GP and the Spa Classic Six Hour meeting.
KAMS: Dutch driver Rodger Twikler, the latest addition to the European Late Model Series, has revealed the all new #177 Monster Energy Chevrolet Impala. Speaking on the Euro Late Model Series Facebook page, Twikler said "I can't wait to race the Monster!" And a monster it is. This, the latest car to be sold from the Roots V8 Racing stable, features a 400BHP Chevrolet crate engine, Lefthander offset chassis and a Fivestar Chevrolet Impala body topped off with some beautiful blue and silver paintwork by "The Fast Frog" Jean Vasseur. Twikler will be in action with the rest of the Euro Late Model Series at Warneton Speedway in Easter when the championship begins in earnest.
05-01-10 Autosport International: Radio Le Mans Supports Brabham’s Celebrity Karting Challenge. Radio Show Limited, the team behind Radio Le Mans, has confirmed its special support of David Brabham’s Celebrity Karting Challenge 2010 at Autosport International, taking place at the NEC Birmingham (UK) on Friday 15 January. The broadcast will allow motorsport fans across the globe to follow the on-track antics of over 80 celebrity drivers in the only UK charity event that allows members of the public the chance to battle wheel-to-wheel with their racing heroes. Eve Hewitt, RSL Managing Director, commented: “The Celebrity Karting Challenge is a great way to start the season. Our listeners will have a chance to hear from the drivers and I expect there will be as much going on in the pits as on the track. This event is supporting a very worthy cause and we are delighted to be able to broadcast it live.” Held primarily to raise awareness and funds for Malaria No More UK, the 2010 Celebrity Karting Challenge is hosted for the first time on a specially constructed kart circuit within Autosport International’s Live Action Arena at the NEC Birmingham. Although attracting top drivers from across all classes of motorsport, stars are turning out in force to support the event co-founded by David Brabham. Five-time Le Mans 24 Hours victor Derek Bell joins the event as Race Director while Allan McNish, Emanuele Pirro, Guy Smith, Marino Franchitti, Johnny Mowlem, Paul Drayson, Johnny Cocker and Rob Bell will be battling it out on-track against drivers from every echelon, from karting to bikes, rallying to Formula One.With just a few places remaining, members of the public still have the chance to get on-track for the Celebrity Karting Challenge for just £300, which includes two tickets to Autosport International on trade day.
Dakar: Team X-raid GmbH's Stephane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret have taken the lead in the Dakar Rally. Volkswagen continues to maintain it’s hold amongst the front runners with Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz, Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford, their three Race Touareg cars in second, third and fourth respectively after three stages of the world's toughest desert rally. The overall lead was taken by Stage three winners Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F) in the X-raid-BMW-Team X3 after a stunning performance catapulted the French pair into the outright rally lead in their Trebur built-BMW X3 CC. The pair will now take a 4m 33s advantage over Spain's Carlos Sainz into the fourth stage across the border in Chile on Tuesday, having beaten the two-time World Rally Champion by 5m 44s on the short stage, which featured the first dune crossings and off-road sections of this year's event. Sainz, who set the second-best stage time with a driving time of 3h 01m 03s, achieved an average of just 60.315 km/h. "It was a good day," said Peterhansel. "We started sixth and finished first. It was not an easy stage, despite the short distance. There were soft dunes, off-piste sections and it was fairly complicated. There were large ridges and a big sandy rise where even the official cars had problems with power. We passed many bikes stopped on the stage. "The difference today came from the start, because some crews got lost and we had a good navigation option. Then we pushed hard. For the moment, stage victories do not interest me. We want the overall victory. But we are building a good foundation and we will see later." Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director) "The Dakar Rally" started in earnest today. We knew that as of today things would be getting much more difficult. Nevertheless, we were a little surprised about how difficult it really was and how slow the average speed was on the course. With Carlos Sainz's second place in front of his team-mates we continue doing well in the race and have every reason to be optimistic." Indycar: Andretti Autosport has signed Phillips-Van Heusen (NYSE: PVH) and its IZOD brand to team up with driver Ryan Hunter-Reay for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series. The main focus of Hunter-Reay's effort in the #37 IZOD entry will be the 2010 Indianapolis 500 but he will also contest a number of other events before and after the 500 in May. The number and the actual races have strill to be decided. 04-01-09
Dakar: Volkswagen driver Al-Attiyah takes lead at Dakar Rally - Volkswagen factory duo Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) decided the second stage of the Dakar Rally in their favour yesteday. Following them with a fourth in Stage 2 are Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) in another one of the 300-hp Race Touareg cars powered by TDI diesel engines taking second place overall with a gap of just 1m 19s. The factory squad continued the solid team performance from the previous day: Mauricio Neves/Clecio Maestrelli (BR/BR) secured third place on the special stage between Cordoba and La Rioja, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) fifth and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz eighth place. The day was tougher on the BMW X Raids as Nani Roma, who was opening the trail in the rain, only took two kilometers to do a double somersault and end up in the gulch. They emerged unhurt but it cost the Spaniard a good 15 minutes and the lead to Al Attiyah. The X-Raid of Guerlain Chicherit. took second on the stage however, despite electronic problems that caused his engine to stop several times. The special stage that took the "Dakar" participants in a north-westerly direction with quick gravel passages plus rougher and stonier sections. In the bikes the day's special stage went to David Fretigne, finishing 43'' ahead of David Casteu, who remains leader in the overall standings 03-01-10
.jpg) Welshman
Tom Harvey
will be hoping that his rivals will be seeing his rear number
plate in 2010 as he eyes title glory. After a breakthrough year,
in 2009 Tom sprang to prominence after joining respected MSA
Cadet class outfit Fusion Motorsport, run by Dan Hazlewood.
Having failed to better 17th place in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS)
curtain-raiser at Kimbolton, worse was to come with a failure
even to escape the dreaded ‘B’ final on ‘home’ turf at Glan Y
Gors in North Wales and at Rowrah in Cumbria. What followed was
a remarkable turnaround. “I feel 2009 was my best racing year so
far, because I had better results and I enjoyed it more. I made
a lot of progress and really started to improve mid-season, when
I won the ‘C’ Plate in the Welsh Championships at Llandow, which
I’d say is my biggest title so far. It was tough, because I had
another driver on my tail all the way through and I just managed
to hold him off on the last lap. It felt great to win,
especially as one of my teachers had come to watch me that day –
my school started supporting me even more after that!” said Tom.
His achievements over the second half of 2009 were remarkable,
another highlight for the 11-year-old was victory in the
Midland Championships at Rissington, prevailing in all three
heats as well as the final and setting a new lap record for good
measure. Other memorable moments included the FKS finale at
Whilton Mill, when suspected kidney problems necessitated an
extended stay in hospital in the build-up to the weekend and
cast doubt on Tom’s participation at all. Not only did he race,
though, he saw off all comers to seal his maiden success at
national level. “Having been in hospital all week, I was never
expecting to win and didn’t really think I would even be
fighting at the front,” he recalled of Whilton. “Winning gave me
a huge boost, and it meant a lot to me to be presented with the
‘Fired-Up’ award too, because it meant I had been chosen as the
best driver of that round.” He now turns his attentions to a
season of FKS, fellow UK-wide series Super 1, the Welsh and
Midland Championships and the prestigious one-off ‘O’ Plate and
Kartmasters outings. And he leaves nobody in any doubt at all
that he is in it to win it. “I think my reputation has changed a
lot over the last year. You need to earn your stripes, and I
think I’ve earned a lot more respect the more I’ve been racing
at the front, which has set me up really well to be able to
challenge right from the off this year. I’d like to finish in
the top three in all of the championships I’m entering – but
really I’m aiming for a clean sweep! Hopefully the other drivers
will only be seeing the back of my number plate...” kart pics
Chris
Walker/www.kartpix.net02-01-10
The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily shared by 11/56 MotorSport or any of theGrid team
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Michelin
Formula Renault UK
VW
Cup:
Formula
Renault UK
Rallying:
Formula
Renault
Leading
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 team MP Motorsport
Karts
is getting revved up to chase glory on foreign shores
Denmark-based
Hartmann Racing
Cadwell
Park:
A
major ground works project involved filling in a large part of
the lake with 4200 tonnes of(picture right) material,
which needed to be virgin soil to avoid any environmental
impact, and then building this up to track level. The Armco
barrier was then removed and re-installed on the newly reclaimed
ground. The increased run-off area will offer greater
protection for riders and drivers at that part of the circuit,
and changes to the area will also provide better views of Barn
Corner for fans from nearby spectator banking. The run-off
extension at Barn Corner (picture left above) is part of
an ongoing commitment by MSV to improve Cadwell Park safety and
facilities, following similar run-off development projects at
the Hairpin and Chris Curve. In addition to two BSB events,
Cadwell Park will also welcome the Modified Live performance car
festival for the first time in 2010. Other season highlights
include the MSA British Superkart GP – one of only three Grands
Prix taking place in the UK this year - a Vintage Sports Car
Festival and racing from the Vintage Motorcycle Club. Tickets
are now on sale for the MCE British Superbike Championship and
Modified Live at Cadwell Park . For more information call 0870
950 9000 or visit
HSCC
Formula
3
Will
Bratt
Le
Mans: 
Silverstone:
F2000:
LMS:
After a 2009 season which brought six podiums in eight races,
OAK Racing Team Mazda France will continue to concentrate on the
LMP2 category in 2010. The team will run two Pescarolo
chassis in the Le Mans Series and hopes to participate with its
two prototypes at the Le Mans 24 Hours. After winning the Asian
Le Mans Series in Japan, the #24 Pescarolo has already earned a
guaranteed invite to the race, while an application for the
second LMP2 car has been lodged with the Automobile Club de
l’Ouest (ACO). The team will continue to develop its partnership
with tyre manufacturer Dunlop, while both Pescarolos will this
year be powered by Judd engines. At the same time, the team’s
partnership with Mazda France Automobiles, established in 2009,
continues. Jacques Nicolet, President of OAK Racing: “We are
very satisfied with our set up and organisation this season and
we can look forward to the new campaign with optimism. We shall
be equipped with Judd engines, who have a fine reputation and
with whom we enjoyed performance and reliability throughout 2008
in both LMP1 and LMP2. At the same time we are proud to maintain
our partnership with Mazda France Automobiles and keep the Team
Mazda France name. For OAK Racing and Team Mazda France, this is
a fantastic, continuing adventure...” Thierry Guillemot,
President of Mazda France: “As planned, Mazda France has renewed
its partnership with OAK Racing for 2010 on the back of a very
successful year in 2009. Endurance racing is considered to be an
efficient communication tool for Mazda as it promotes the fields
of reliability and sporting competition. It is logical to
continue the presence of Mazda in endurance racing in view of
its historical commitment to the discipline and the values it
represents. Beyond pure sporting results, Mazda France considers
the OAK Racing team to be extremely professional with a very
good balance between competition and friendliness, which allows
customers and network members to share the passion of the team
in a superb atmosphere at circuits during major race meetings.”
Karts:
There are not many people who can say they have been
presented with an award by Lewis Hamilton one year and Jenson
Button the next, but for Callum Bowyer, his brushes with
Formula 1 royalty have only served to reinforce his resolve to
one day emulate his heroes in joining the grand prix grid. In
2008, Callum met Hamilton for achieving championship glory in
the Mini Max class of both major British karting series, BRDC
Stars of Tomorrow and Super 1. Twelve months later, he found
himself coming face-to-face with the McLaren-Mercedes star’s new
team-mate and 2009 Champion Jenson Button for having finished
second in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS) and fourth in Super 1 in
the more powerful KF3 category. “It was a really good experience
to get my trophy from Jenson,” reflected the cash-strapped,
Chris Rogers-run driver. “It doesn’t actually sink in until a
couple of hours later that you’ve just met the F1 World
Champion...” Of more immediate concern for Callum is the
upcoming finale of the 2009/10 Winter Series campaign at PF
International in Lincolnshire, where he will be bidding to
overturn the eight-point deficit currently separating him from
the championship leader and with it clinch the coveted ‘O’ Plate
honours that accompany title success. “It would just be amazing
to win the ‘O’ Plate,” he concluded, acknowledging that to do so
would crown a superb graduation to KF2 to-date and palpably
eager to start as he means to go on. “I would be absolutely
over-the-moon with that. I don’t think any of us expected to be
this close to the pace this soon, but we are – that has come as
a bit of a shock to everyone! We’ve earned the respect of the
more experienced drivers in the class already – and even if we
don’t win the ‘O’ Plate, I think we’ve certainly opened people’s
eyes a bit.” 
Star
Mazda:
LMS:
The
European Late Model Series
Karts:
James
Singleton
Harry
Crawley (centre in green of picture right) has
been tipped for great things indeed in 2010
Circuit
News : MotorSport Vision has carried out a major
resurfacing project at Brands Hatch
BARC
Formula Renault
Formula
Renault: 
Historics:
The Historic Sports Car Club will run a special race
series in 2011, dedicated to the Jaguar E-Type.
The
Star Mazda
Team
West-Tec's plans to field a two-car squad in the National Class
of the Cooper Tires British F3 Series have received a boost
with the announcement of an extended relationship with
lubricants manufacturer Motul. The striking Motul livery
introduced to British F3 by West-Tec last season will be a
feature of both cars and the deal will, says the team's John
Miller, be a big boost: "We are absolutely delighted to be able
to continue and build our successful team sponsorship with Motul,
as it is truly one of motorsport's iconic brands. It allows us
to keep driver budgets to a minimum and also provides us with
Motul's superb range of products, as well as analysis and
laboratory facilities to allow us to maximise performance on
track." Motul's UK importer is Pace Products, whose spokesman
Gareth Burnett added: "Last year we decided to start a new
programme with Team West-Tec, with an eye on a good, long-term
relationship. Therefore it was only natural to continue and
expand on that relationship for 2010, when we look forward to
seeing the team add to their record." Added Romain Fabre, of
Motul: "We were very pleased to start our association with Team
West-Tec in 2009 and the cars looked fantastic with the Motul
logos. We are looking forward to seeing them race to success in
2010.". The opening rounds of the 30-race championship are at
Oulton Park over the Easter weekend (3-5 Apr). pic:
British
GT:
Formula
3.jpg)
Karts:
Star
Mazda:
Carrera
Cup GB:
GP3:
GTs:
Formula
Ford
British
GT and Ginettas:
As for the team crossing over from the oval track ranks, Paul
underlines that it was an easy decision: “F2000 is simply the
most cost effective, best bang-for-your-buck formula car series
right now. The performance capability is so high and the series
is so accessible. It was a very easy decision for SMR to choose
the F2000 series when we started looking at formula cars.” The
team's primary sponsor, CellMark Paper, is the largest
privately-owned marketer of forest products in the world. Based
in Gothenburg, Sweden and with offices worldwide, they have been
a long-time supporter of Timothy Paul. CellMark, Inc. recently
donated $100,000 to various charities to aid the victims of the
earthquake in Haiti. Additionally, SMR and CellMark Paper, USA
are supporting the SOS Children's Villages in 2010. SOS
Children's Villages have provided homes, education and support
for thousands of orphaned and abandoned children in over 130
countries for over 50 years. 
Scholarship
winners Michael Meadows and Euan Hankey
GTs:
Ginetta
Jnr:
Continuing
its tradition as a team focused on driver development, AIM
Autosport’s Keith Willis
The
Celebrity Karting Challenge.jpg)
Karts
GP2:
British
GT:
GT
Academy: RJN Motorsport FIA GT driver Alex Buncombe
VW
Cup
Autosport
International saw the launch
of
both the new Ginetta G40 and the Pirtek/Dunlop BTCC team car for
2010 which will be driven by Mike and Andrew Jordan pics
Dennis Goodwin
WTCC:
Reigning
Danish Touring Car champion Michel Nykjær
British
GT:
Star
Mazda
Autosport
International
Superleague
Formula
F2000: Victor Carbone will stay
for a second-year in the F2000 Championship in 2010.
GTs: -Derek-Johnston-(.jpg)
The current lineup is Fabrizio Gollin, 2004 FIA GT
Champion, and Derek Johnston, Sunoco Challenge winner, with one
driver still yet to be named. “I have raced with Fabrizio the
last few years at Daytona and he is an awesome teammate who has
always done a fantastic job,” said Gidley. Gidley’s other
teammate is Derek Johnston(pictured on left with Gidley in
middle and Gollin right) who was this year’s Rolex Challenge
24 at Daytona Driver Challenge presented by Sunoco Challenge
winner. Derek won the UK Radical Championship which lead to his
prize of a fully sponsored ride in this year’s Daytona 24.
“Derek has been a really cool customer in the car and is a great
person to be around,” said Gidley. “He has no experience in a
car of this speed and size, nor has he been to this track
before. Despite all this, he has done a really nice job under
immense pressure and I’m looking forward to driving with him.”
The Rolex 24 starts January 30th at 3:30 pm EST. Live coverage
is broadcast on SPEED Channel. 
It was
announced today(Wednesday) that Raphaël Caillé
Star
Mazda: International karting star Tatiana Calderon
Autosport
International
.jpg)
Karts:
Formula
Reanult
British
GT: Chamberlain masterminds new Aston Martin British
GT campaign. A new team with some experienced old hands is
joining forces to put the Aston Martin name on the grid for the
2010 Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Vantage Racing - whose
chief advisor is sports car legend Hugh Chamberlain - will
shortly be taking delivery of a factory-fresh DBRS9. The Aston
will be driven by team principal Tom Black and multiple British
GT race-winner Stuart Hall. Chamberlain believes the duo will
have a strong chance in a GT3 field which is daily growing in
size and stature. "I am very happy that Tom has decided to step
up to British GT, and I'm very happy that we have the kit to do
a good job; I'm looking forward to the challenge." Vantage
Racing was formed by Black in 2008, and its chief engineer is
ex-Chamberlain Engineering employee Steve Hay. The team guided
Black through his first steps in racing that season and paired
him with Hall in a GT4 Aston in club sports car racing last
year. "Tom is very much a brand new driver," says Chamberlain.
"We were very happy with his progress in 2009; by the end of the
season he was a lot closer to Stuart's pace." Tom Black
commented: "Having really enjoyed my first two seasons in GT
racing I'm delighted to be stepping up to GT3 in such a
competitive car. With the depth of driving and support
experience we now have on-board at Vantage Racing, I'm confident
that we will be competitive in 2010." Twenty-five-year-old Hall
won two British GT races in 2009. Chamberlain's career spans
more than 30 years, he has managed teams to three sports car
world championships, two European championships and nine
national championships, as well as numerous class wins at Le
Mans. Chamberlain's return to the Avon Tyres British GT
Championship is welcomed by series manager Benjamin Franasovicci:
"It is great news for the championship that a competitor of
Hugh's experience and standing is supporting us for 2010. Things
are moving ahead well: the GT3 class is looking more than
healthy and there is strong interest also in GTC and GT4."
British GT, the opening rounds of which are scheduled for Oulton
Park at Easter, is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres
and is further supported by insurance specialist AON, by Sunoco
Racing Fuels, by Anglo American Oil Company and The Independent.
Le
Touquet Enduropale
Euro
Late Model Series
Formula
3:
Karts:
Off
the back of a 2009 campaign that displayed flashes
Karts:
Avon
Tyres British GT Championship
Autosport
International
Grand-Am:.jpg)
Karts:
KAMS:
Karts:
Karts:.jpg)
James Singleton
came of age in 2009
Ash Hand might
rate it as an ‘up-and-down’ year