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News Archive  June 2011

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06/07/2011

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30-06-11

Porsche Carrera Cup GB : Seven drivers from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB will step up to the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup for the race supporting the British Grand Prix at Silverstone (9/10 July).  Team SAS/Redline title contenders James Sutton and Michael Meadows will lead the pack as the driver with previous experience of the Supercup race at Silverstone. They will be joined by Sam Tordoff, Ben Hetherington, Ahmad Al Harthy, Keith Webster and Andrew Shelley, who will all make their Supercup debut in front of a huge Silverstone crowd.  For Banbury-based Meadows, it really is his home race in every sense and, like several of his fellow competitors, he has the Supercup in his sights as the logical career step on from the Carrera Cup GB. Meanwhile for Webster, a leading contender in the Pro-Am2 category, it is an incredible opportunity in only his second full season of racing.  James Sutton: “To get back into the Supercup is great. This will be the fourth time in six years that I’ve done the Silverstone race and in 2009 I finished third. The Supercup is where I want to get to, and always has been.”    
Michael Meadows: “I did the 2010 Supercup race as part of the Carrera Cup Scholarship, so this year I’ll be more prepared for it. You’ve got to go there believing you can be competitive. The desire is to be in the Supercup fulltime in 2012.” 
Sam Tordoff: “I watched the 2010 Supercup race at Silverstone from the pit wall and it was then I made up my mind to switch to the Carrera Cup. It will be a fantastic experience to race with the biggest guys in Porsche racing, but we’re under no pressure.” 
Ben Hetherington: “It’s another big challenge coming straight after the World Cup race at the Nurburgring. It will be a very big learning curve, and I’m certainly looking towards the future with the Supercup.”  
Ahmad Al Harthy: “It will be amazing for me and I just want to keep on learning. It is another level on from anything we’ve done before and the Supercup is on our agenda for the future.” 
Keith Webster:“That race has to be one of the pinnacles of an amateur career. I love Silverstone and what an atmosphere there will be. These are some of the best drivers in the world and it will be a fantastic experience.” 

F2000: Six races down, eight to go, the F2000 Championship Series heads for the mid-point of the 2011 title fight this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Championship points’ leader Remy Audette is coming off a clean sweep at Watkins Glen one month ago, winning both races and extending his lead to 67 points over rookie Kyle Connery, who has two wins on the season to Audette’s three. The biggest news coming into the Mid-Ohio doubleheader, however, is the schedule. A Thursday practice day will give way to dual qualifying sessions and races both on Friday and Saturday with just 30 minutes in-between sessions. The short turnaround time, much like a Saturday night short-track program, will not allow for any mistakes. Pic Valet   Read report

F1600: Tim Kautz and Bill Valet lead a highly competitive 29-car field to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend for rounds five and six of the 2011 F1600 Formula F Championship Series. Both are coming off strong runs at Watkins Glen, where they each took a victory, with Kautz extending his points to lead to 21 over Valet heading into Ohio. However the major change over the weekend at the Mid-Ohio doubleheader is the schedule. Just as in F2000 Thursday practice day will give way to dual qualifying sessions and races both on Friday and Saturday. With just 30 minutes in-between sessions there isn’t any room for error.  Pic Valet   Read report

Aston Martin GT4 Challenge: Following victory in Round 2 of the AstonMartin GT4 Challenge at Snetterton. Dan De Zille joined Nicholas Mee Racing at Donington Park last weekend (25-25 June) for rounds 3 and 4 od the series. However, with Saturday’s 3hr race curtailed and an electronic gremlin hampering progress in Sunday’s extended race, NMR’s highly competitive pace wasn’t accurately reflected in the result.   Read report

Historics: Croft Circuit has announced initial details of the  on- and off-track entertainment during  its much anticipated two-day historic motor sport ‘Nostalgia Weekend’ taking place in just over five weeks time (6-7 August). The retro which,  invites public to dress in period style (1940s-1970s) , received  widespread acclaim during its inaugural event in 2010. Twelve months on, the North Yorkshire venue is preparing to turn back the clock for a second time and another highly charismatic trip down memory lane. On track, there are  no fewer than 18 races being organised by the rHistoric Sport Car Club for a potential entry of some 200 saloon, GT, single-seater and sportscar categories from the Forties right through to the Eighties.  But while there will be plenty of circuit action, off track there will be just as much entertainment to turn the two-day festival into just as much a social occasion and thereby keep the visiting public fully entertained. For example, more than 300 classic cars have already been pledged as part of a huge static show that will also feature numerous motorcycles and other rare automobilia, again from the Forties right through to the Seventies. Also confirmed, thanks to the highly enthusiastic Croft Military organisation (www.croftmilitary.co.uk), and adding a real wow factor in the skies above will be a Battle of Britain Memorial fly-past from a WWII Spitfire and Hurricane (Saturday) as well as an aerial display from a late Fifties Jet Provost (Sunday). Carrying on the heavy WWII military theme that symbolises much of the weekend, a vast collection of wartime vehicles including jeeps, tanks (including a 19-ton Chaffee), motorcycles, weapons carriers and even an ice cream tricycle(!) is being assembled for viewing as well. Adding further to the atmosphere and charm will be a Forties fashion show, music including a George Formby tribute, 'living history' WWII encampments and Army Kitchen serving up food from the period, plus public rides around the Croft race circuit on the Sunday morning in a vintage open top bus.Tickets for adults are available at special advance rates priced just £10 (Sat) or £12 (Sun) by visiting www.croftcircuit.co.uk or calling the circuit office on 01325 721815. Admission for accompanied children aged 15 and under is FREE all weekend.

National Motorsport Week : Three female students at Mid-Cheshire College were given an insight into careers in motorsport at Oulton Park recently. The day, which was organised as part of National Motorsport Week, aimed to challenge the perception that motorsport is a male-dominated industry whilst showcasing some of the opportunities available. Carol Spencer, Samantha Royle and Louise Doyle spent the morning working on cars used for Oulton Park's driving experiences, including single seaters, rally cars and BMW M3s. Supervised by Oulton Park's female Engineering Team Leader Sophy Owen, they were rewarded in the afternoon by enjoying some of the driving experiences on offer at the Cheshire circuit, including Young Drive! – an introductory driving course in a BMW 1 Series for 11 to 17-year-olds. Mark Wheatley of Mid Cheshire college said, "Our course primarily looks at motorcycle maintenance, however many of the students end up working with performance cars and motorsport as the techniques are so similar."Student Louise Doyle said, "I had a fantastic day at Oulton Park on Friday and was given a fabulous insight into the world of motorsport. The staff were friendly and made the day very relaxed, whereby we were not afraid to ask more questions. My personal highlights were at the beginning of the day when we had a look at the single seater race car, the rally car and then the BMW M3," Louise continued, "and then in the afternoon I had the experience of driving round a rally circuit. I had no idea how much I had already learnt when the staff were explaining the mechanics behind the vehicles and the checks that they do to make sure the cars are safe."  Colleague Samantha Royle was equally impressed: "The whole day was absolutely fantastic. The team at Oulton Park made us feel very welcome and took time to go into great detail with the vehicles. It became clear how similar they are to the bikes we work on and I was surprised how much I understood and learnt. Although I am an aspiring motorcycle mechanic, a career change into car racing would definitely be an option and a great experience in the future. 

"The highlight for the day I have to say was the YoungDrive experience," continued Samantha, "as I had never driven a car before and the instructor completely made the experience fun. Being introduced to this side of engineering has opened new doors for me and set me targets for the future I would not have even considered setting myself up until this experience."

Goodwood: The first McLaren car built for racing outside of Formula 1 since the McLaren F1 GTR will make its public dynamic world debut at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed, held from 30 June-03 July. The new GT3 car, based on McLaren’s MP4-12C high-performance road car, will appear in its revised form, honed during a recent intense period of development. New components designed to optimise the car’s aerodynamic performance include a front radiator, which increases the maximum ambient temperature at which the car can run, along with a new gearbox cooler mounted on the rear Aerodeck.  These features complete an aerodynamics package incorporating a new front splitter, door blade, rear wing, diffuser and louvres in the front fenders, all of which is produced entirely from carbon fibre by McLaren Racing, following design input from McLaren Automotive.  The 12C GT3 is being developed by the recently established McLaren GT.  Led by McLaren Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh and CRS Racing Team Principal Andrew Kirkaldy, McLaren GT is spending the 2011 race season developing the 12C GT3 before delivering 20 cars to privateer teams for GT3 racing in Europe in 2012. Like the 12C road car, the MP4-12C GT3 features a one-piece carbon fibre chassis, the ‘MonoCell’.  McLaren introduced a carbon fibre monocoque to Formula 1 in 1981, and the 12C GT3 will feature several other Formula 1-derived technologies. Since the 12C GT3 was unveiled to the media and prospective team owners in May 2011, McLaren GT has tested its new car at a mixture of proving grounds and FIA approved circuits across Europe. This development phase is an opportunity for McLaren GT to optimise the technical specification and durability of the 12C GT3.  Confirmed drivers of the GT3 car for the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed weekend are Andrew Kirkaldy, 2010 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes test driver Oliver Turvey, and McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin.

29-06-11

European late Model Series: It has been a busy few weeks for the Late Model Series and so  we check in with the race action since late May.  The European Late Model Series was in mourning as it headed for Warneton on the 22nd of May. Tony Roots, the founder of the European Late Model Series and the driver of the #77 Roots V8 Racing Ford Fusion, sadly lost his battle with cancer and passed away peacefully at his Surrey home. Tony was known as a friendly, cheerful man who always enjoyed the thrills and spills of motorsport and will be sadly missed by everyone in the stockcar racing world. Drivers and fans paid tribute to Tony after the races on Sunday, saying goodbye to the #77 car, as it was pushed down the front stretch and into the Roots V8 Racing workshop.Despite the sombre mood, everyone knew that racing was what Tony loved and racing is what he would expect them to do, even on this sad occasion, so racing it was. Pic Xavier Verquin  Read report

Formula 3: Germany’s Nurburgring will host the fifth race meeting of the 2011 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series this weekend, 2nd/3rd July, marking the first time this year Bart Hylkema will be competing at a track he has previous experience of…and he can’t wait to get started. Although every circuit visited so far in his debut season of F3 – Monza, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Brands Hatch – have been new challenges, he has been hugely successful with nine class wins from the 12 races contested to date. With past knowledge of the Nurburgring from his time racing in Formula Renault, Bart is relishing his return to the 2.8-mile circuit and the season-long leader of the ‘Rookie Class’ aims to secure three more wins to enhance his championship advantage.  “It’ll be good to be racing back in Europe and especially at a track I know from when I was in Formula Renault”, said Bart, “I’ve had some good results there in the past and it’s a circuit I enjoy driving on so hopefully we can have a very strong weekend. Every track so far has been new to me but we’ve still been fast and gone well, hopefully Nurburgring will be the highlight of the year so far.” As has been the case since the start of the championship, Bart’s main goal is to secure the Rookie Class title but the greater challenge of getting in amongst the quicker International Class cars is becoming a bigger focus.  He added: “Of course, the main thing for us is to keep picking up wins for the Rookie Class and to try and extend our lead in that. The bigger challenge is to race with the quicker A-class cars and that’s something we’re getting close to achieving. At Brands Hatch last time we did manage to keep ahead of some A-class guys and race well with them so I’m aiming for more of that in Germany.”

Karts: Full of confidence after her performance at the European Championship, her victories at the WSK Master Series and the BNL Series, Beitske Visser moved on to the La Conca circuit in Italy last weekend. There she celebrated her first WSK Euro Series podium in KZ1 after battling with some of karting’s elite the whole weekend.   Two elements allowed her to improve her performances at each race. In the hot temperatures of Southern Italy she had to keep her head cool and analyse the situation to best adapt the set up of her equipment to the extreme heat and the conditions."The track had been resurfaced not long before the race. With the scorching temperatures we experienced, the asphalt grip was incredible, with almost 45° C on the ground. It was physically demanding. One had to remain focussed, keep the good trajectory and make no mistakes", the Dutch girl commented. But thanks to her numerous trips all over Europe, especially Italy, Beitske adapted well to these conditions. She immediately set the fourth best time during qualifying and after the heats she made an excellent start in the first Final. She soon found herself in amongst the leaders. "Unfortunately the end of the race was hard because of a problem with my front wheels. But I fought until the end to keep Marco Ardigo behind me and claimed 5th place".The following day, her Intrepid chassis with Praga colours was always very effective in high grip conditions. With her TM engines prepared by the Tec-Sav French team, she even went as high as second in one heat, where she also set the second fastest lap. "Again, I made a very good start when Final 2 start lights went off. Lap after lap, the positions began to settle. I was fourth on track, but I saw that a driver had been inflicted a penalty, so I preferred to secure my place and climb on the third step of the podium. After the lack of success I had experienced at my first WSK Euro Series meetings, I was happy with this result".In Final 2, the number of points is higher than in the first final, so Beitske Visser made a jump forward up to 10th in the WSK provisional standings, with only one meeting to go.

GP3: Thomas Hylkema thoroughly enjoyed his first weekend of GP3 Series action at Valencia Street Circuit in Spain over the weekend, 25th/26th June, and despite a pair of unfortunate non-finishes in the two races the Dutch rookie made consistently strong progress throughout the event.   Read report

The Atech CRS GP team clearly demonstrated its solid season progress in the third round of the GP3 Series, with a collection of finishes in and around the top 10 in Valencia cementing some of the team’s best results of the season so far.With both Briton Nick Yelloly and Swiss Zoel Amberg tackling the twisty, challenging street circuit for the first time, the pair naturally took time in free practice to learn the track, but both drivers together with teammate Marlon Stockinger made steady progress getting to grips with the car, conditions and set-up throughout the two sessions.The Leicestershire-based team’s solid showing in race one saw impressive charges through the pack from all three drivers, producing some of Atech CRS GP’s best results amid the fiercely competitive 2011 GP3 field.  Read report

Goodwood:  AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK team Total Control Racing will make its first ever appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend, 1st/2nd/3rd July, running a current specification Clio Cup car for racing  rookie Nicolas Hamilton. The 19-year-old, younger brother of Lewis, will undoubtedly prove to be a major attraction for the hundreds of thousands of spectators in attendance at the glorious West Sussex estate between Friday and Sunday.  Although not taking part in a timed attack up the famous Goodwood Hill, Hamilton will provide a series of demonstration runs over the course of the three days. Furthermore, the team will be based in the ‘Formula One’ paddock – a prime location at the Festival of Speed. For TCR, the chance to be involved in an event as popular and highly-regarded as Goodwood is a fantastic opportunity and team principal Lee Brookes is looking forward to being part of the true must-see motorsport and motoring event of the summer. He said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be involved with the Festival of Speed for the first time, it’s a great privilege and a real treat. We know Nic is going to be a very popular draw and I know he’s really looking forward to meeting the spectators and giving some demo runs in his Clio. It’s such a fantastic event and a massively popular one as well, we can’t wait to be a part of it.” So far in his first season of competition, Hamilton has finished eight of the 10 races contested with a best result so far being 10th at Thruxton. More than that though, the teenager is an incredible inspiration to others as he continually overcomes the challenges posed from living with cerebral palsy. In addition TCR will also be promoting its available race drives in AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK and the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup.

For legendary engine additives brand STP, Goodwood provides the perfect opportunity to re-engage motorsport fans with its racing roots, the evocative STP March 711 Grand Prix car.Owned by historic racing enthusiast, Mike Wrigley, the immaculate 1971 Formula One car, presented in its original STP livery, is as eye-catching and engaging as it was when originally in action. Driven by Ronnie Petersen to runners-up spot in the 1971 World Championship, and almost 40 years to the day that Peterson claimed second overall at the British Grand Prix, the car will again treat fans to its head-turning looks and evocative Cosworth DFV soundtrack on the Goodwood hill. The distinctive chassis of the 711, which featured aerodynamic input from Frank Costin, incorporated an ovoid front wing that is often referred to as the ‘tea-tray’ or ‘Dinner plate’, which helped return four second-place GP finishes for Peterson, capturing the public’s imagination in the process. More recently, Wrigley has regularly competed with the car in the Grand Prix Masters race series, and the FIA Historic Formula One Champion of 2003 will share driving duties up Goodwood’s famous hill with current Red Bull Racing F1 Team Principal, Christian Horner.

One hundred years on the highway is one helluva road trip! And that will be the theme running through Chevrolet’s on and off-track action as the Goodwood Festival of Speed roars into action this week. The iconic American brand returns to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2011 with a larger stand to mark is 100th birthday – and a whole host of treats for the visiting public. As well as launching the new 5-door Cruze Hatchback to the public, Chevrolet will be showcasing its entire 2011 model range, including the all-new Aveo (due in the Autumn) and the New orlando and Captiva models. As well as the mainstream models, the range-extending electric Volt, 2011 USA Car of the Year, will be making its UK debut at the festival, alongside the first UK appearance of the new European specification Camaro, which will be shown in both coupe and convertible forms. The cars will be displayed against a fascinating backdrop – a journey through Chevrolet’s history in the form of a road trip, with a distinct Americana theme. Iconic models from the company’s past will also star at the festival. Running up the hill will be a multitude of Chevrolet icons – the brawny Corvette ZR-1 and Camaro, with Jason Plato at the wheel, along with the Volt – the very car that epitomises Chevrolet’s 100 years of progress. To mark Chevrolet UK’s Motorsport involvement, BTCC drivers Jason Plato and Alex MacDowall will be attacking the hill in their distinctive blue Cruzes, while at a more grass roots level 16-year old Cameron Davies – the youngest ever works-supported rally driver - will be showcasing his new 1.0-litre Formula 1000 Spark.

28-06-11

Formula 2: Jordan King not only made history when he became the youngest driver ever to compete in the modern era of the FIA Formula Two Championship at Spa-Francorchamps – he also caught the eye with an extraordinary performance in which he troubled the front-runners first time out. Taking advantage of the long summer break in his 2011 Formula Renault UK schedule, Jordan pitched himself right in at the deep end in Formula Two. With just a single day’s testing underneath his belt he headed to Spa targeting a top ten finish. Pic James Bearne Photography    Read report

Track Test: German racer and TV presenter, Tim Schrick said “I’ve fallen in love,” testing the Chevron GR8 Challenge Car at Donington Park circuit this week. Tim was testing the GR8 ‘Gran Rapida’ race car – the first new GT Chevron race car since the original race winners created by Derek Bennett during the 60′s and 70′s – for European TV show, Turbo Automagazin, on Sport 1, and for an article in www.roadmagazine.co.uk. The German soon got to grips with the GR8 in dry conditions on Donington Park’s 1.953-mile National Circuit, doing a best lap of 1m19s – “not at full throttle for a whole lap.” The test and TV filming took place at an RMA Track Day, with a plethora of high performance supercars and modern and historic race cars on track.  After his test Schrick said: “I’ve fallen in love with this car. It’s so beautiful to drive. It’s such a nice car, and right up my street, as a racer. The grip levels are amazing. And the little car is so stable, with a stiff, direct and totally connected steering feeling. It feels very nimble, and it’s so loud and exciting inside, with a very, very nice sound from the Cosworth two-litre engine. You have 260bhp on tap and even here with these great cars on track, you can play with anyone, and not get beaten.” He continued: “The car is so light, it’s amazing. It feels very, very stiff, which usually makes a car hard to find the limit in, but this is not the case with the Chevron, where it is very easy to know where the limit is and hold it there. It is a very, very fast car in the corners and offers really late, hard braking, with a really good feeling for the driver. The Hewland (JFR five-speed sequential) gearbox is so fast also, with an autoshift at 8,250rpm, so you waste no time at all between gears, up or down shifting. It’s just on it.”  The Chevron Racing team also brought along a stunning, freshly finished B19 Works car – a brand new, 2011 car, re-built to the same exacting standards and design that Chevron-founder, Derek Bennett had for the original in 1971. This model is powered by a Cosworth FVC 1790cc engine and comes with a Hewland FT200 gearbox. It costs £125,000 (+ VAT). Tim was deeply impressed with this “Old timer classic,” spending time away from the TV cameras to discuss the specification and re-build process with Chevron team members. The Chevron B19 will also feature in the Turbo Automagazin TV program and Road magazine article, both due to air later this Summer.

Nürburgring 24 Hours: The Team Peugeot RCZ Nokia’ that has dominated the diesel class of the four and six-hour races of the Nürburgring–based VLN series, proved it has staying power as well as speed by achieving a dominant class victory in last weekend’s 24 hour event at the incomparable German circuit. Following the loss of its black-coloured sister car to an accident some three and half hours into the race, the white RCZ of Michael Bohrer, Stéphane Caillet, Jürgen Nett and Alexandre Premat  assumed the class lead and eventually claimed victory by no less than three laps, having covered 2061.96 miles at an average speed of 85.87 mph.Delighted to achieve its season-long ambition of success in this much-vaunted annual marathon, the team was quick to recognise the fundamental role of its Kumho tyres - slick, intermediate and full wet versions all of which were employed during the event. Making the right tyre choice throughout was, of course, a crucial element and the knowledgeable technical support of Mark Hamnett (Kumho’s European Motorsport Division) and JT Kim (Kumho’s R&D Centre) undoubtedly aided the success.

Subaru claimed an impressive class win at the 24 Hour Nürburgring race last weekend. The All-Wheel-Drive WRX STI tS, prepared by Subaru Tecnica International (STI), the firm’s in-house motorsport division, completed 142 laps (approx 3,603km) in 24 hours - 76km further than the car covered in the 2010 race.  The WRX STI tS finished first in the SP3T class for sub-2.0-litre turbocharged vehicles, ahead of some race-proven machinery, including Team Raeder Mortorsport’s Audi TT S, Kissling Motorsport’s Opel Astra GTC and Michael Kraus’ Mitsubishi Lancer CTO. Starting at 16.00hrs on Saturday in wet conditions, the car was driven by Toshihiro Yoshida, who has taken part in the Nürburgring 24-Hour race every year since 2008, and Kouta Sasaki, who competes in Japan’s Super GT series with a Subaru Legacy.  Dutchman Carlo van Dam and Germany’s Marcel Engels completed the four-man team.  Engels and van Dam both joined the Subaru team last year. Hideharu Tatsumi, General Manager of STI’s Vehicle Experiment Department and Team Manager for the 24-hour race, said: “As always, taking part in this race presents an enormous challenge, and our team has put in a mammoth effort to fight against some of the world’s best cars. In our third year of racing in the SP3T class, it’s clear that we have come a long way.  Our success in 2011 stands as testament to the fundamental capability of the WRX STI, and that STI’s direction in creating cars is not wrong,” Tatsumi continued.

Porsche Carrera World Cup : Three of the drivers who have contested the 2011 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge took up the opportunity to race in the Porsche Carrera World Cup at the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany at the weekend, Saturday June 25th, in an event called by enthusiasts the ‘greatest Porsche race in history’. The event brought together Carrera Cup and GT3 Cup Porsches from across Europe and Chris Harris was the first driver home, both Peter Smallwood and Steven Liquorish falling foul of first lap incidents.   Harris used his experience of the 13-mile circuit to be quickest of the trio in practice, all three going quicker as they learnt the intricacies of the long lap, though conditions and almost 100 cars on track made life far from easy. “I wanted to go quicker,” said Harris after the session. “I did one slow lap on wets then there was mayhem in the pits. I got one lap done, but there probably a nine-minutes dead lap in the car. I’ve done a lot of laps here and it is a wicked event.”   Second quickest driver Liquorish said , “It was frustrating, there were a lot of yellows out there. I took three seconds off my testing time but I could go faster.I went half a minute faster than in testing,” explained Smallwood. “I just kept it safe and kept on learning. It’s an amazing experience.” In the six-lap race conditions were again wet, numerous runners being eliminated in first lap incidents, including both Liquorish and Smallwood. Harris was able to avoid the various incidents and bring his 997 GT3 safely home 59th overall and third in the class for 2007-2009 GT3s.“I missed all the first corner carnage,” said 2010 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Driver of the Year Smallwood, “which was the first objective. I was building pace on the first lap, but hit the brakes and the car swapped ends and went backwards into the barrier. I managed to get it back to the pits, but had to retire.”

F2000: Nathan Morcom is hoping for better luck in rounds 7 & 8 of the American F2000 Championship Series at Mid-Ohio this weekend – not a big ask after the previous two rounds at Watkins Glen. The young Sydney driver’s Rondo Van Diemen suffered no fewer than three major engine failures at The Glen, two of them on their first lap out on the racetrack! Morcom missed most of practice, and had to sit out the first race after the third engine blew up during qualifying. That he managed to salvage seventh place in the second race from 11th starting position, using an underpowered borrowed engine, was a minor miracle. “It looks like the problems at Watkins Glen started with some debris from a crack in the first engine block getting into the oil system,” he said. “When the next two engines failed so early, the guys at Primus Racing cleaned the entire oil system when the fourth one went in. It did qualifying and the second race, so there shouldn’t be a repeat.” What Morcom is looking for, is a trouble-free race meeting. “Even after I won the first race in Virginia there were problems: traffic in qualifying for race two, a first corner incident that put me down the back of the field, and an overheating engine that cost me a few positions at the finish,” he said. “Then at Road Atlanta I didn’t qualify as well as I could have, the car’s set-up in the first race wasn’t ideal, there was a gearbox problem in practice before the second race, and the throttle cable broke in the race itself. And of course everyone knows what happened at Watkins Glen. In such a competitive series any problem can make a big difference in terms of results, and I’ve had more than my share so far.” With eight of the 14 rounds of the F2000 Championship Series still to be contested, Morcom is looking forward to the remaining races with renewed enthusiasm. “The season will only reach the halfway mark at Mid-Ohio, so there’s still time to come back from sixth in the pointscore,” he said. “I’m confident that with trouble-free race weekends I can finish on the podium consistently. That was my goal at the beginning of the series, and it still is.”

Karts: By climbing first on the third and then on the second step of the podium during the two KF1 races held at Muro Leccese, Nyck De Vries (Zanardi-Parilla) took an important step towards the title of the WSK Euro Series 2011. The Dutch karter perfectly managed the track conditions on a recently resurfaced track in  the heat of Southern Italy.   read report

Touring cars: Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan is currently in Australia taking part in a competition for a place in the biggest race in Australia, the Bathurst 1000 in October. The Shannons Supercar Showdown is pitting 10 ambitious young drivers against each other in a reality TV series, and Andrew is the only driver from Europe selected for this incredible competition. Andrew (22) is making use of the summer break in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship schedule to take part in the competition, in which one candidate is eliminated each week until the final winner is decided. The prize is a drive with Kelly Racing in the famous Bathurst race. For Andrew this is a fabulous one-off opportunity, earned as a result of his performances with Pirtek Racing in the BTCC. He’ll be back in the BTCC for the next races at Snetterton in early August when it will be business as usual in his bid for more wins in the British Touring Car Championship. The winner of the Showdown will race alongside the show’s host, TV personality and racing driver Grant Denyer, in the Shannons-Mars Racing entry at the Mount Panorama track. Viewers will meet the people behind the scenes of a motorsport race team, from engineers and mechanics to designers, dieticians and personal trainers. The 10 finalists, including three female drivers, will eat, sleep and train with Kelly Racing during the evaluation process. Over the series they will be eliminated one by one until only the best of the best remains. In order to get to Australia in time for the start of the programme, Andrew had to rush straight from the latest round of the BTCC at Croft on Sunday 19 June and needed a helicopter shuttle to get him to Manchester in time for the flight to Australia. Due to the nature of the competition and the TV scheduling, he will not be able to talk about the competition and its result until after the final TV programme has been aired. The TV programmes covering the ‘Shannons Supercar Showdown’ will be screened on Australia’s 7mate channel on Saturday afternoons, starting 23 July.

Chelsea AutoLegends : Legend has it that in his racing heyday, whenever Britain’s best loved racing driver encountered the long arm of the law, he was greeted by the phrase: “Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?”  But, after finally hanging up his crash helmet this month, the 81-year-old Moss (who has gained a knighthood and an OBE over the years) has admitted he’s not as fast as he used to be. Due to race a 1961 Porsche RS in an historic event at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, Moss suddenly realised he had had enough. “I was going around quite slowly and I suddenly thought that if I’m going to go as fast as I feel I want to go, I’m going to be scared,” he said. He pulled into the pits and decided there and then to retire from competitive driving… though that won’t stop him staying involved with the sport, as his busy diary would confirm. On September 4, for example, Sir Stirling will be turning the clock back to the 1960s at Chelsea AutoLegends, London’s celebration of motoring and motor racing held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Moss, who is Patron of the event, is just one of the personalities who promises to be at the show. Eight times motorcycle world champion Phil Read will also be there, along with a host of other drivers and riders from the past. But the cars will be the real stars. More than 30 classic Le Mans racers will be on display alongside countless other important historic machines, such as the fabulous Ferrari 250GT SWB in which Moss won the 1961 Tourist Trophy at Goodwood. There’ll be displays of the brutal Group B rally cars of the 1980s, classic motorcycles and the ten most significant road cars of all times, as well as 50th birthday celebrations for the two most iconic British cars of the 1960s – the E-type Jaguar and the Mini Cooper. Eric Verdon-Roe, Chairman of Chelsea AutoLegends, said: “Sir Stirling’s decision brings the curtain down on a remarkable career, but we are delighted that his involvement with Chelsea AutoLegends means this great man can still be seen by his legion of fans.“And, as for the ‘Who do you think you are…’ story, I’m not sure whether it’s apocryphal or not, but I’ve always wondered how the police ever managed to catch him. We shall have to ask him on the day.”

Tickets for this year’s Chelsea AutoLegends are now on sale either via the event’s new website (www.ChelseaAutoLegends.com) or from the ticket hotline on 0844 581 0760.

27-06-11

GP3: Adrian Quaife-Hobbs drove a faultless race to take a convincing lights to flag victory in the latest rounds of the GP3 Series in Valencia on Saturday. The 20 year-old started from the second row and after leaping into the lead at the start was never headed as he went on to record his maiden series win and the fastest lap of the race.  Read report

Addax Team racer Dean Smith lost out on the chance of a near-guaranteed podium finish at Valencia Street Circuit in Spain over the weekend, 25th/26th June, during the latest instalment of GP3 Series action – a fuel pressure problem robbing him of a certain second place on the final lap of race one.  Pic: GP3 Media Service/LAT    Read report

Nürburgring 24 Hours : It was one of the most exciting and dramatic 24 hour races at the Nürburgring. And it finished with a triumph for Porsche. In front of 220,000 spectators lining the legendary Nordschleife in the Eifel region of Germany, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) as well as Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) won the 39th running of the long distance event with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, and relegated their strong opponents from BMW, Mercedes and Audi to finish down the field. For Porsche and the Porsche Team Manthey, this marked the fifth victory at the race in the last six years – likewise for Timo Bernhard. And for the Porsche 911, it is the eleventh triumph since the event began in 1970. Read report

The Audi R8 LMS was once again class winner on its third outing in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The mid-engine sportscar from AUDI AG won the GT3 car class for the third time in succession and, like last year, finished third overall. The Audi TT RS also impressed in front of the 250,000 spectators: the quattro GmbH development demonstrator took the chequered flag in 14th position overall and won the SP 4T class as best front-wheel drive car in the field of 202 cars. In a thrilling finale, the Audi R8 LMS #14 of Audi Sport Team Phoenix driven by Marc Basseng/Marcel Fässler/Frank Stippler passed the Mercedes SLS, class leader at that time, 43 minutes before the finish when it had to pit with a technical problem. Christopher Haase/Marc Hennerici/Markus Winkelhock (Audi Sport Team Phoenix) and Mattias Ekström/Timo Scheider/Marco Werner (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) completed the Audi one-two-three in the GT3 class after taking fourth and fifth positions overall at the finish. Read report

After a spectacular chase spanning 128 positions, the FALKEN Porsche 911 GT3 R swept across the 24h-Race finish line in 48th position preceded by 24 hours of performing at the limit. Team chief Sven Schnabel’s crew had to spring into action as early as the first lap, checking tyres and rims in the pit  for safety reasons following a minor collision with another vehicle. Wolf Henzler and Peter Dumbreck fought their way up from position 85 to reach 14th place. Shortly after Dumbreck handed over the wheel to Martin Ragginger at around 7:15 p.m., disaster struck: Distinct noises from the drive train accompanied the transmission’s complete failure. Breaking down in the ‘Schwalbenschwanz’ section of the track, the Porsche had to relinquish 30 valuable minutes before being towed to the pit. There, the mechanics team worked at an almost super-human pace, planting a new engine and transmission into the 911 in approximately two hours. Now truly running like clockwork, the FALKEN Porsche re-entered the race at 10 p.m. on position 176 and proceeded to persistently attack the field from the rear. Thanks to fairly constant lap times, the ‘Hawk of the Ring’ was able to find its prey 128 times in total – a feat the entire team can be proud of.  Read more

Formula 2: Round five race winner Will Bratt backed up his first ever FIA Formula 2 Championship victory with his second podium of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, 26th June, to move up into the top four in the driver standings.  Bratt drove a faultless race in wet conditions on Saturday to seal a well deserved maiden win, continued his successful Belgian weekend during Sunday morning’s qualifying session by taking his first F2 pole position with a lap of 2m07.495 seconds (197.8 km/h).. It was also the fastest ever F2 lap of the 4.35-mile circuit.  Pic: FIA Formula 2 Championship    read report

Goodwood Festival of Speed : Peugeot will be demonstrating an advanced electric vehicle concept – the EX1 – that is capable of record-breaking acceleration, and will be running up the 1.16-mile hill climb in the hands of Stéphane Caillet and prominent motoring journalists during the Festival of Speed weekend. EX1 is propelled by two electric motors driving each axle with a combined power output of 340bhp, with torque at the wheels of 1680Nm which enables impressive acceleration with a capability of 0-62mph in just 3.49 seconds.Peugeot is also displaying new and future products, some that make their UK debut at Goodwood.  Key amongst these is the petrol-hybrid HR1 – a Compact MPV concept car that is a modern, bold design that provides a further style indication of the design direction Peugeot is taking going forward.  Another key new car, soon to launch in the UK is the astonishingly capable Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4. It is the world's first diesel/electric car and combines a diesel HDi 163bhp engine at the front with a 37bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels to provide four-wheel drive, a potential combined 200bhp but with an achievable 74mpg and emissions of just 99g/km. Finally, the 3008 HYbrid4 also has the ability to operate as a ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle).Competition vehicle displays include the 908 Endurance Race car, one of three factory Peugeot cars that finished the recent gruelling Le Mans 24-hour race, and are chasing victory in the ILMC at Imola this same weekend.  Also displayed is Guy Wilks’ Peugeot 207 S2000 IRC Rally Car.  Guy will be running the 207 up the hillclimb and sideways through the rally stages throughout the weekend. 

The Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B will take to the hill, filling the West Sussex venue with one of motorsport’s most evocative and distinctive soundtracks. In 1991 Mazda rewrote motorsport history when its rotary-powered 787B won the 24-Hours of Le Mans. Mazda became the first - and to date the only - Japanese car manufacturer to win the race, and the only marque ever to do so with a rotary-engined car. The 700PS carbonfibre-bodied racer, which has a 210mph top speed, completed 362 laps at an average speed of 127.62mph. The winning 787B, number 55, wore the iconic green and orange livery, and was driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot.  Ex-Formula 1 driver and Le Mans veteran Mike Wilds and current Mazda works driver Mark Ticehurst will be driving the 787B up the Goodwood hill throughout the festival weekend.  The 787B will be joined by Mazda UK’s MX-5 GT which is racing in this year’s Britcar Dunlop Production GTN Championship. The MX-5 GT is powered by a tuned 275bhp 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine and features a six-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox, carbonfibre doors and polycarbonate windows. With a kerb weight of just 850kg – the result of a painstaking 400-hour build by motorsport engineering specialist Jota Sport – the MX-5 GT accelerates from 0-to-60mph in just three seconds and has a top speed of 160mph. With Mark Ticehurst and talented Auto Express journalist Owen Mildenhall behind the wheel, the MX-5 GT has already racked up two podium results and currently lies fifth in the championship.

Making a rare appearance from US shores, the iconic STP Lotus gas turbine Indy car from 1968 is due to take centre stage at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed, with former STP driver Parnelli Jones set to steer the four-wheel drive racer up the famous hill. With Goodwood’s 2011 theme 'Racing Revolutions – Quantum leaps that shaped motor sport', the Lotus type 56 developed by Colin Chapman and run in the 1968 Indy 500 typifies an era of ingenuity. Following ‘Mr STP’, Andy Granatelli’s own turbine Indy car – codenamed ‘Silent Sam’ – that retired just four laps from victory of the1967 Indy 500 at the hands of Parnelli Jones, three Lotus cars were entered in the infamous 500 mile race by Chapman, in STP colours, in 1968. Driven by turbine ‘veteran’ Graham Hill, Art Pollard and Joe Leonard, it was former motorcycle racer Leonard who blasted to pole-position with a record speed of 171.559mph, ahead of Hill’s 171.208mph in second place and Art Pollard in 11th place. Despite a storming performance, all three cars would retire from the race however, Leonard from the lead, just 10 laps from victory. Sadly, the public weren’t to be treated to further sights of the revolutionary technology, as The United States Auto Club (USAC) banned turbine cars and four-wheel drive shortly after, but the status of the STP Lotus gas turbine cars remains legendary and typifies the innovation in design for which Lotus remains famous.  Designed by Maurice Philippe, the wedge shape was testament to the growing realisation of the importance of managing aerodynamic lift/downforce, whilst the four-wheel drive system honed by Ferguson (of Massey-Ferguson fame) was considered to be ideally suited to the peculiar demands of oval racing.  Gas turbine power via a Pratt & Whitney engine (designed primarily for helicopters) offered significant advantages in terms of power and reliability – developing over 500 bhp and 1560 Nm of torque – especially for oval racing where cars needed to maintain very high speeds over long distances.  Colin Chapman’s son, Clive, concludes: “Amongst its competitors the STP Lotus type 56 looked years ahead; and it was!  My father learnt a lot from Andy Granatelli about the commercial and promotional aspects of motor racing which would not go to waste.”

DTM: There is only one DTM race on the current calendar which Audi has never won in the DTM since its comeback with a manufacturer’s commitment: the brand’s "home event" at the Nuremberg Norisring. Spurred on by its tenth triumph at Le Mans and three consecutive victories in the DTM (Zandvoort, Spielberg, Lausitzring) Audi aims to change this on the first weekend in July. The goal which Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich has set for his squad is clear. After the spell was broken most recently at the Lausitzring - where Audi was victorious for the first time since 2005 - the long awaited and overdue triumph at the Norisring is to now be turned into reality as well. Eight times in a row Mercedes-Benz won on the city street circuit that is only 2.3 kilometers long and located between the Dutzendteich lake and the Easycredit stadium. Laurent Aiello in the Abt-Audi TT-R claimed the last victory for Audi in 2002 when he outwitted Bernd Schneider, who had been leading the race up to that point, in the last corner. The legendary V8 quattro was another car with which Audi was successful in the early 1990s in the "old" DTM. Only the Audi A4 DTM is still lacking a Norisring triumph. It will have its last chance to clinch it on July 3 as in 2012 the car will be replaced by the new A5 DTM. For the second time since 2007 Audi driver Martin Tomczyk travels to Nuremberg as the Championship leader. Last year he was the quickest Audi driver in qualifying and with two consecutive victories at the wheel of a year-old car Tomczyk has just written a small chapter of DTM history. And in view of the fact that both of the past two races at the Norisring were also won by year-old cars, Tomczyk can be expected to manage this feat in Nuremberg as well. But the same applies to his brand colleagues too. Every single one of them is looking forward to the season’s highlight in Nuremberg. Whether or not Mike Rockenfeller will be able to compete after his severe accident at Le Mans, will only be decided shortly before the race.

VW Racing Cup: The success of last year’s first overseas foray for the Volkswagen Racing Cup with FUCHS Lubricants ensured that a repeat trip to the Dutch seaside circuit of Zandvoort would be a must for the 2011 calendar; a field of 20 Volkswagens is making the journey for Saturday’s (2 July) races.Heading the pack to Zandvoort is the new points leader, Aaron Mason. The Doncaster driver won one of the Dutch rounds last year - his first race victory - and is hopeful of further success and the opportunity to stretch his slender 12-point title lead. “We have come away from the Brands Hatch rounds really pleased,” said Aaron. “We seem to have nailed the set-up now for the suspension modifications we introduced to the Golf at the start of the year, and we did well at Zandvoort last year, so we are optimistic. “If the weather is mixed once again we should be in good shape, but if it’s really hot I think Steve Chaplin’s Beetle will be the one to watch.”The men right behind Mason in the championship battle - Steve Wood, Chaplin and James Walker - will be out to stop him from gaining further advantage, with reigning champion and Beetle racer Chaplin looking for a repeat of the race victory he scored at Snetterton in May. Golf GTI man Walker shared the season-opening victory honours with Bora pilot Joe Fulbrook at Oulton Park. The other race winner on the grid in Holland will be Kieran Griffin, who broke his duck at Brands Hatch at the wheel of his Addison Lee Scirocco. Mike Kurton, the driver of the second SlideSports Scirocco, returns to the series next weekend.It was at the Zandvoort meeting last year that Zoe Wenham made history at 16 as the youngest-ever driver in the championship’s history. She’s been a regular top-10 finisher all this season in her Golf and returns to the Netherlands with a grip on championship eighth, just behind Dutch driver Peter Lettinga, for whom Zandvoort will be a home match.The Dutch crowds missed out on seeing the amazing Caddy Racer in action last year but Simon Elliott - who achieved a notable top-10 finish for the new machine last time out - will be making amends. Nick Beaumont will meanwhile hope to build on the encouraging Brands Hatch debut he gave the all-new Golf GTI Mk VI.

Formula BMW Talent Cup. As part of this unique education and coaching programme by BMW Motorsport, the talented youngsters attended the 24h race at the Nürburgring – though not as  drivers. After observing the hustle and bustle as the cars lined up for the event, as well as meeting BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, the participants from seven different nations watched the official start of the endurance classic: “When the lights went out and the engines howled I got goosebumps all over,” said the young 14-year-old Prince Max zu Schaumburg-Lippe from Switzerland. During the course of the race, the participants gleaned an insight into the telemetry data and visited the garage of Team BMW Motorsport. Dirk Adorf, who acts as Chief Instructor of the Formula BMW Talent Cup on-track events, was himself taking part in the 24-hour race. Before the BMW works driver was due to get behind the wheel, he passed on a few race strategy secrets to the enthusiastic youngsters and explained the tasks of the various team members in the pits. On the day after the 24-hour race, the youngsters had some rehearsals lined up in front of and behind the cameras of the NRW-TV studio in Düsseldorf in preparation for possible public appearances. Body language and facial gestures were analysed and the drivers were given practice in handling unexpected questions that might be thrown at them in the course of their motor racing career. Over the coming months, there will be more theory and practice awaiting them as well as going out on track at six events in Germany, Sweden, France, Spain and Portugal. The season will close with the Grand Final that forms part of the support programme of the DTM in Oschersleben, Germany. The winner of the Formula BMW Talent Cup can look forward to a season in the ATS Formula 3 Cup financed by BMW Motorsport.

Ginetta GT Supercup: After Saturday mornings qualifying session, Camberley’s Tom Sharp though he had done enough to secure 3rd place on the grid but unfortunately Sharp had his fastest times disallowed for a tyre infringement, resulting in the Surrey teenager dropping down to 6th.Race 1 saw more frustration after a blistering 10 laps left Sharp in third place only to receive a drive through penalty for an out of place grid start, leaving him last of the runners.From the last row of the grid in race two, a fast starting Sharp amazingly moved into the lead of the race by lap two, overtaking his closest rival around the outside of the Esses, a 140mph chicane. Four laps from the end and with a health lead of nearly 8 seconds the heavens opened but only around half of the circuit and Sharp for first to find out how poor the conditions resulting in a spin for him and six others. Sharp quickly rejoined to finish third. In the reverse grid race it was Sharp that had difficulty off the line dropping into fourth.  By lap nine Sharp closed the gap on third with the car ahead struggling with tyre wear. Sharp made his move into the complex but the pair made contact and both failed to finish. “I had to make the move quickly, he was three seconds a lap slower and the pack was closing behind, I was fully alongside when there was contact and its made worse by the fact he’s only competing for two rounds and its cost me the championship lead.” pic Chris Roberts/WiderViewPhoto

26-06-11

Radicals:  Alice Powell took time out of her Formula Renault UK schedule, to dominate both races in the Radical Club Cup at Snetterton and become the first female winner of a Radical Championship race. Swede Fredrik Moberg joined her on the podium with two second places, with Darron Anley and James Abbott the best of the regulars.  Read report

Endurance Racing: Aston Martin’s three factory-backed entries in the 39th ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hour race – including two new V12 Zagato concept cars – have overcome a series of challenges to all successfully complete the ultimate endurance test in Germany, observed by some 200,000 spectators.  As the chequered flag fell at 16.00 on Sunday afternoon, Aston Martin’s number 5 V12 Zagato took 5th place in the SP8 class with sister car, the number 3 V12 Zagato finishing 6th. In the SP10 class, a factory-backed V8 Vantage N24 raced to 5th place, but the final positions do not tell the full story of the typically incident-packed Nürburgring 24 Hour. 

Aston Martin’s twin V12 Zagato entry marked the next step of an ambitious project which began when the car was premiered at the Concorso D’Eleganza at Villa D’Este in May this year, winning the Design award for Concepts and Prototypes. The show car was then transformed into the number 3 race car, nicknamed ‘Zag’ (red livery) while in parallel, a sister car – number 5, nicknamed ‘Zig’ (green livery) was built.   Speaking after crossing the finish line in the red V12 Zagato, Aston Martin CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez said: “All our cars finished today, and two out of the three customer teams also crossed the line. This includes two brand new cars which we launched only four weeks ago. With a little more luck we could have finished higher up the order, but finishing first wasn’t the goal, we aimed to have the cars running at the end – I am really pleased with the team who did such a great job keeping the cars running throughout.” Of Aston Martin’s customer team entries, Team Pflanz managed a 7th place finish in SP10 GT4 while Bratke Motorsport finished 7th in SP8. Special thought is reserved for Mathol Racing who endured an agonising finish to the 24 hours having dominated SP10 GT4 remaining in first place for the vast majority of the race only to be forced to retire with little over one hour remaining.  Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, David King said: “We came here with two concept cars and the aim of finishing the 24 hours as the ultimate test for the V12 Zagato and we’ve achieved that. I’m immensely proud of the team – as ever they have represented Aston Martin in the right way; staying calm under pressure, acting professionally and quickly solving problems when they arose.”

In parallel with events in Germany, Aston Martin’s Americas team joined forces with Road & Track magazine to run a standard road specification Rapide at Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch in Nevada.Despite extreme temperatures in the Nevada desert, the four-door Rapide has covered over 1,300 miles in the 24 hours endurance run, demonstrating the durability of the standard production sports car while raising money for charity. The drive, held concurrently with Aston Martin’s participation at the Nürburgring, saw a total of nine drivers from Aston Martin and Road & Track magazine complete nearly 500 laps.

GT: The Two 24 hour challenges on either side of The Atlantic were not the only Aston Martins in racing action this weekend as the 4th round of the Vantage GT4 Challenge took place at Donington. In a closely fought race which was only decided in the final closing laps, Stuart Hall in the number 91 Vantage GT4 crossed the line in 1st place after a thrilling battle. The Stratton Motor Company team with drivers Hall, Tiffany Chittenden and Chris Kemp qualified in 2nd on the grid in yesterday's session. Second to pass the chequered flag was Generation AMR with drivers Richard Abra and Mark Poole. Also clinching a podium was Vantage Racing with drivers Tom Black and Alan Bonner.

Grand-AM:  AIM Autosport’s visit to Road America came to a disappointing conclusion yesterday with an 11th-place finish in the DP class of the Rolex Sports Car Series 250 Driven by VISIT FLORIDA. Following days of continual improvement to the car’s set up, the team was confident and in high spirits before the start of the two-hour race.  Read report

Porsche Carrera World Cup : Richard Plant bounced back from adversity to produce a fantastic drive in the Porsche Carrera World Cup at the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany this weekend (24/25 June). The talented 21-year-old finished the race an unbelievable 63 places higher than his starting position, leading to manufacturer Porsche handing him the 'driver of the weekend' award. A disastrous start to the weekend saw Plant's car run out of fuel during practice and then suffer a catastrophic gearbox failure in qualifying, preventing him from completing a single flying lap in the session. "Whatever could go wrong, has gone wrong," said Plant after realising he would start at the back of the monumental 98 car grid.  Despite running at the back of the pack and facing extremely wet conditions in the early part of the timed race, Plant was able to lap more than 20 seconds faster than the gaggle of cars immediately ahead of him. He was showing as high as 51st after just two laps and continued carving his way through the field as the rain began to ease during the 95 mile contest. After moving into the top ten of the Carrera Cup GB standings with two laps remaining, tyre wear became a problem with the wet Michelin rubber wearing quickly in the drying conditions, although Plant maintained an impressive pace. Richard still had time to make further manoeuvres on his final tour of the 14.173 mile circuit, ending up eighth in the Carrera Cup GB standings and 35th overall at the finish. The overall race winner was German Rene Rast after the Nordschleife expert got the better of pole sitter Norbert Siedler in the early running. The two experienced drivers proved inseparable throughout the race however, eventually crossing the line less than two seconds apart after more than an hour of racing. Porsche Supercup racer Nick Tandy ended his chances of victory in the barriers, after the Englishman made an ill advised attempt to pass Siedler. Tandy got two wheels on the grass in the process and was fired off into the barrier at high speed. The highest Carrera Cup GB finisher was Tim Harvey.  read full report

Wet conditions made the already immense challenge of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife an even greater task on Saturday for Oman’s Ahmad Al Harthy.  Acting as round nine of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship,  the six-lap race began well for the Oman Air Racing Team star who qualified fourth fastest of the Pro-Am 1 Class drivers from the UK series. Making a fantastic start in truly awful weather, Ahmad scythed his way past at least 10 cars during the early stages and was very well placed as the competitors headed out from the ‘Grand Prix’ part of the Nurburgring onto the incredibly daunting ‘Nordschleife’ section. Gaining confidence all of the time as the first 14-mile lap unfolded, Ahmad ran strongly until midway through the opening lap , while embroiled in a three-car battle, he ran slightly wide and into the gravel before making unfortunate contact with the barriers. Although recovering to the track, the Muscat racer’s involvement came to an end soon after when damage to the radiator led to retirement.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read  full report

Team Parker Racing’s Porsche Carrera Cup GB team had an unforgettable experience at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, with Stephen Jelley and Sam Tordoff racing onto the podium. The second place earned by Jelley and third for Tordoff in a wet race pepped the team up after a horrific 165mph accident suffered by Euan Hankey in qualifying on Friday. Read report

Star Mazda: Capitalizing on the momentum of his victory last weekend at Milwaukee, his dominance in pre-race testing and the first-ever pole position he scored in cold, damp conditions during qualifying earlier today, rising star Sage Karam went flag-to-flag to score his second win of the season at Iowa Speedway.  Crossing the finish line in his #88 Andretti Autosport / MAZDASPEED / Comfort Revolution Mazda, he had a 7.8-second lead over Brazilian runner-up J.V. Horto in the #18 Juncos Racing / Programa Leilões Mazda.  Also of note, scoring his first Star Mazda podium ever, California driver Gustavo Menezes brought his #28 Juncos Racing / Truecar / Safety Park Mazda home in 3rd. read report

Formula 2: Will Bratt secured his maiden FIA Formula 2 Championship race victory in sensational style at the immensely challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium this afternoon, Saturday, 25th June, thanks to a superbly judged performance in a wet fifth round of the 2011 season. The Banbury 23-year-old, who started the race fifth on the grid, made a good getaway and after an exceptionally bold move around the outside at the first corner, he swept into second on the run down the hill towards Eau Rouge before taking the lead at the exit of Les Combes. From there, the Briton built and maintained a healthy lead – punching in fastest race laps when he needed to – before taking the chequered flag on lap 16 some 2.5 seconds clear. The fantastic win, in very tricky conditions, has hoisted Will back into the championship top five, just a single point shy of fourth place.   Pics: FIA Formula 2 Championship   Read report

Karts: Dan Zelos entered the third meeting of 2011 in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship at Glan Y Gors targeting a trophy, having come so close in the season curtain-raiser at Rowrah in Cumbria. He would leave again with mission well-and-truly accomplished.After impressing around the  North Wales circuit in fellow national series Super 1 only a week earlier – with a fdouble top ten finish – Dan returned under no illusions about the strength of the opposition he would be facing in FKS’ MSA British Cadet class field.  Read report

25-06-11

Porsche Carrera Cup GB : Tim Harvey called on all his racing experience and wet weather prowess to win the Porsche Carrera Cup GB element of the Porsche Carrera World Cup race on the Nurburgring Nordschleife today . The race, over six laps of the toughest circuit in the world, ran in truly challenging conditions that caught out many drivers, but Harvey (Nationwide/Motorbase) drove a superbly measured race to win after working ahead of Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing). Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) was a tremendous fourth to win Pro-Am1, while Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) drove the race of his life to win the Pro-Am2 category.  Read report

Grand-Am: Driver Burt Frisselle has secured a fourth-place start for AIM Autosport’s BMW-Riley sponsored by GAMMA88 in today’s Rolex Sports Car Series 250 Driven by VISIT FLORIDA. With a lap of 2m 2.388s around the 4.048-mile road course, Burt got all that he could out of a car that he praised for a fantastic set up. Having posted a competitive time on old tires during the second half of morning practice, AIM was thrilled with the car’s handling. With limited running yesterday due to inclement weather the true pace of the competition remained to be seen. “We have been working hard to reduce downforce, and therefore drag, for the long straights here at Road America,” said Chief Engineer Ian Willis. “But that places a bigger emphasis on generating grip from the chassis without hurting the tires.We’re very happy to have qualified fourth fastest and we need to find just a bit more speed for tomorrow.”  Burt said, “I’m really happy to have qualified in the top five and do a good job for GAMMA88 because we wouldn’t be here without their support. We’ve got some more work to do to get with the Ganassi team as they’re running the same package as us and they’ve been the benchmark of the series. I’m confident that with the tuning we do tonight we’ll have a strong race car tomorrow.”

“It’s a great result for the team,” said Burt’s co-driver, Mark Wilkins. “We’ve had a great car that we’ve been fine tuning since our test day on Wednesday. We’ve had a lot of confidence in the car and Burt drove a great qualifying session. Fourth is a great result given that we’ve missed a couple of races and have been playing catch up."

Star Mazda: After a four-hour practice session yesterday, the 45-minutes of on-track time at Iowa Speedway allotted to the cars and drivers of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear produced a new – and not unexpected – racer at the top of the time sheet… Nazareth, PA native Sage Karam, winner of Round 4 at Milwaukee.  His lap of 21.905 (146.925 mph) in the #88 Andretti Autosport / MAZDASPEED / Comfort Revolution Mazda was only a tenth quicker than his best time of yesterday, but was under the official Star Mazda track record set by Peter 'The Irish Steamroller' Dempsey in 2010; the time however does not count as an official new lap record, because Star Mazda recognizes lap records set only during qualifying and the race.   read more

Porsche Carrera Cup GB : Oman Air Racing Team driver Ahmad Al Harthy has spoken of his amazement, awe and respect of the challenge offered by the Nürburgring-Nordschleife after qualifying fourth in Pro-Am 1 on  Friday, ahead of the weekend’s ninth round of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship. As part of the inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup, competitors from Porsche Carrera Cup GB are taking on by far their greatest ever test at the phenomenal 14-mile German track this weekend and 29-year-old Ahmad was delighted with his competitive run during this afternoon’s qualifying session. Pre-event practice on Thursday, 23rd June, marked his first ever experience of the unique, infamous circuit and after getting to grips well with the immense challenge the Omani sporting star headed into today’s all-important run aiming to improve yet further. Reducing his best lap time by a full 12 seconds in qualifying to lap fourth fastest in Pro-Am 1  “For my first time ever at this track, to be fourth in class is amazing – I’m very happy and delighted for all of my sponsors”, said Ahmad, “As always, the Oman Air Racing Team has done an incredible job with the car and I’ve been gaining confidence all of the time. Nürburgring-Nordschleife is just something else, it’s an unbelievable experience and a track that demands maximum respect. It rained very heavily before qualifying started but the track dried fast during the first five minutes. On my second set of tyres, yellow flags were shown so I had to back off but to have still improved by 12 seconds between testing and qualifying is very satisfying. Tomorrow is a very important day and we have a good crowd here from Oman supporting us – I’m so proud to be representing them.”

Nurburgring 24 Hours: Aston Martin’s brace of new V12 Zagato endurance race car concepts and a factory-backed V8 Vantage have this evening successfully completed qualifying for the ultimate 24 hour race, to be held at the Nürburgring  today. Outbreaks of rain both shortly before and midway through today’s qualifying proved prohibitive to achieving the quickest times as many teams opted for a cautious approach with the race now a matter of hours away. On closing of the two-hour session - which followed an initial qualifying run yesterday evening – V12 Zagato number 5, running in green livery will start from 5th place in the SP8 class, equating to 46th overall in a field of over 200 cars.Sister car, V12 Zagato number 3 sporting red livery will start 7th in class, 65th overall. Aston Martin’s third entry, a V8 Vantage GT4, qualified in 4th place in the SP10 class, 68th overall.  Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, David King said: “As expected the mixed weather meant that it wasn’t worth trying to improve on our times we set last night. “We have therefore adopted a conservative qualifying strategy, concentrating on making sure that all drivers had some laps and that our cars are in good order. We are happy that we’ve had a clean run and stayed out of trouble. Now we look forward to tomorrow.”
Three further customer teams are also in action at the Nürburgring this weekend joining the factory-backed cars across the SP8 and SP10 GT4 classes. Mathol Racing (#62) and Team Pflanz (#75) will start from 3rd and 6th place respectively in SP10 driving V8 Vantages while AVIA Racing Team Bratke (#85) take 9th in their Vantage GT4 in SP8.  The 39th ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hour race starts at 4pm, Saturday 25 June – live updates are available by following @astonmartin on Twitter and live commentary will be broadcast via Radio Le Mans

WTCC: The 11th and 12th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place next weekend on Porto's Circuito da Boavista. This is the third visit the championship pays to the track that winds along the streets of the Portuguese city and was revived in 2005, half-a-century since it hosted the Portuguese Formula 1 Grand Prix. In 2007 - on WTCC's first visit - Chevrolet's Alain Menu and BMW's Andy Priaulx claimed one victory apiece. Two years later, Gabriele Tarquini won the first race for SEAT and Augusto Farfus the second for BMW. For this year's races the track has been consistently modified to improve safety. The chicane in front of the pits, a troublemaker in the previous years, has been totally re-designed; at the same time the track sector that includes the long straight on Avenida da Boavista and the fast corners on Avenida do Parque has been widened from eight to twelve metres and provided with larger run off areas. In Porto the WTCC competitor will benefit from a 30 minute test session on Friday to re-discover the track and then of the extended qualifying session (30-minute Q1 and 15-minute Q2) adopted for the events hosted on street circuits. 

The Chevrolet Cruze and the Volvo C30 will be the heaviest cars in the next WTCC event at Porto, both will be laden by 40 extra kilos according to the calculation of the compensation weight based on the lap times set in the three previous events (Italy, Hungary and Czech Republic).  The Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T remains the reference model, while the Volvo keeps on with the maximum weight due to the introduction of the new 1.6-litre turbo engine in the previous event.The BMW 320 TC cars that ran in Brno on the maximum weight, will be 10kg lighter than the Chevrolet and Volvo. Having competed in Budapest and Brno on the maximum weight, the SUNRED SR León 1.6T cars can now benefit from the application of the compensation weight system and will benefit from a 20-kg reduction of the minimum weight, just like the SEAT León TDi.

Compensation weight Porto
+ 40 kg Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T, Volvo C30 Drive
+ 30 kg BMW 320 TC
- 20 kg SEAT León TDi, SUNRED SR León 1.6T

The maiden racing event for Volvo's new 1.6-litre turbo engine gave Robert Dahlgren and Polestar Racing their best result so far since they joined WTCC. At Brno, Dahlgren and his Volvo C30 Drive car achieved an encouraging sixth position despite losing a couple of places at the start that prevented them to stay in touch with the leading group. In the second race Dahlgren finished ninth after fighting for seventh with a group of other drivers. "Considering that these were the first races for the engine, we are happy because it ran until the end without technical problems," commented Polestar Racing principal Christian Dahl, adding: "We had to work on a very tight schedule, with a lot of man hours for having the engine ready for Brno. It was a huge effort, but we respected the timing in delivering the technological product we have designed and developed." Besides the results, the Swedish car was impressively performing, running consistently for top places in free practice, qualifying and warm-up and also setting the second best top speed in both races behind Norbert Michelisz's BMW. "It is difficult to say how much performing the engine could be. We have to take into account the added weight to the car and we have still to work for improving drivability and further adjusting the chassis, because the weight distribution has changed with four cylinders instead of the normally aspirated engine's five. We are already focusing to improve in the next event at Porto, although we will need to adapt the full package - chassis, engine, driver and weight - to a track that is totally new to us," concluded Dahl. 

Danish drivers shared victories in the latest races of the Yokohama Trophies, last Sunday at Brno. Kristian Poulsen (BMW 320 TC) and Michel Nykjær (SUNRED León 1.6T) emerged as the winners and also claimed one fifth place apiece in the overall results. The winner of Race 1, Poulsen commented: "It was great fun to fight with Menu and Coronel for third position. I took a very good start and managed to overtake Alain on the outside, although he passed me again soon. In the second part of the race I focused on Tom, I could see that I was faster, but I did not want to risk. I needed the points and settled with winning the trophy."  Nykjær said after winning the second race. "I was very happy, especially because the start of the weekend had not been good, with a lot of problems in setting up the car. I took a good start and was able to follow Coronel, but then the Chevrolet cars came up. I kept Muller at bay for four laps, but I could see that I wouldn't be able to hold second place, so it was safer to let them by. We are getting closer now; we are still a bit short on power, but we have something to build on and the potential to claim podium finishes."  Poulsen is the current leader with 67 points, four more than Javier Villa. Norbert Michelisz lies in third position a further ten points behind, and is closely followed by Darryl O'Young and Nykjær.

A regular WTCC competitor from 2005 to 2010, Stefano D'Aste returns to the championship and to the Wiechers-Sport team for which he clinched the 2007 Independents' Trophy. From Porto D'Aste replaces Urs Sonderegger who split from the German outfit in a friendly way. "My personal life very important and to be on the pace with the professional drivers of WTCC I would be forced to invest a lot of time in testing and give up on a lot of things in my life. I was really happy to start in WTCC but now I'm happy to stop," Sonderegger said. Team manager Dominik Greiner stated: "Urs is a nice person and a good friend. He understood that he needed more testing to reduce the gap, but he is a very busy man. We are happy to have Stefano back in the family and our German fans can rejoice as we will arrive at our home races at Oschersleben with a lot of motivations and expectations.""I am over the moon! I feel honoured for receiving this call from Wiechers-Sport and extremely excited to return to WTCC! I love Porto, because is a very demanding track, though I am aware that racing there without having tested the car will be tough. I'm also eager to drive the BMW 320 TC. I have heard good things about it and I was impressed by looking at the engine data when I visited the team a few days ago," D'Aste commented.

Karts: Prima Racing trio Gaby Weyer(pictured), Tommy Weyer and Herbie Grout were in fine form indeed as the Little Green Man WTP Cadet Championship headed east to Ellough Park Raceway in Suffolk for the third round of its 2011 campaign, with all three of them concluding the weekend firmly ensconced inside the top five.pic  Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net  read report

24-06-11

Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the launch of National Motorsport Week – a special celebration promoted by the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) and the Motor Sports Association (MSA) that culminates at this summer’s staging of the spectacular Goodwood Festival of Speed.Over the course of National Motorsport Week (25 June – 3 July), all manner of activities from promotions to open days and taster days will be taking place up and down the country, hosted by motor clubs, businesses, venues and teams to help drive awareness of, and engagement in, motor sport. In the coming days all eight of the UK-based Formula One teams plus this country’s two WRC teams are supporting and promoting National Motorsport Week by opening their doors to the public providing a unique insight into the behind-the-scenes operations of a premier league world championship team. These activities not only illustrate that the vast majority of F1 and WRC teams are located in Britain but also their unrivalled accomplishments at the pinnacle of the sport. Emphasising this global superiority during the course of National Motorsport Week factory tours to F1 teams Red Bull Racing (Milton Keynes), Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (Woking), Lotus Renault GP (Enstone), MERCEDES GP PETRONAS (Brackley), Force India (Silverstone), AT&T Williams (Wantage), Team Lotus (Hingham) & Marussia Virgin Racing (Sheffield) will be on offer via a series of daily competitions hosted on the MSA’s www.gomotorsport.net website. On the rallying front there will be a further competition to win tours of Prodrive (Banbury) home to the exciting new MINI WRC team as well as a special Open Day at M-Sport (Cockermouth) where the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team is headquartered on Monday 27 June. The full list of events and activities can be found on www.nationalmotorsportweek.com

Porsche Carrera World Cup : James Sutton was the leading Porsche Carrera Cup GB driver on the Nurburgring Nordschleife today (Friday 24 June) during qualifying for round nine of the championship, the Porsche Carrera World Cup. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) headed Pro-Am1 and George Brewster (Celtic Speed) set the Pro-Am2 pace. Sutton (SAS/Redline) and Euan Hankey (Parker with Juta) headed the times, but both fell foul of the challenging track and crashed out before the end of qualifying. Sutton’s car should be ready for Saturday’s race, but will require a major amount of work from the Redline crew, but Hankey’s will not be able to race. A rain and hailstorm swept across the circuit shortly before qualifying, but the main Nordschleife was largely dry and most drivers started the hour-long session on slick tyres. Sutton set his best time on his second flying lap of the 14-mile track, but later spun into the barriers trying to improve on 17th place overall in the 100-car field. “We had the job done and the car was fantastic, but the circuit bit me,” admitted Sutton. The Redline team now faces a late night of work to fix the car, but team boss Simon Leonard is confident that it will be ready for the race on Saturday morning.Things were not so good for Hankey, who had been the star of testing. Attacking the track in pursuit of a leading time he crashed heavily. Hankey was unharmed, but the car is out for the rest of the weekend. Third fastest in overall terms was Michael Meadows (SAS/Redline).   Gelzinis headed Pro-Am1 with a fine performance ahead of his first race on the Nordschleife. “I was very careful from the start and I decided to stay out of trouble,” said the Lithuanian racer. “The result is quite okay.” Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) was an excellent second fastest in Pro-Am1. “I really enjoyed that,” said the Scot. “It’s a real challenge and we are just so lucky to be racing here.” Fellow Scot Derek Pierce (Team Parker Racing) was a very close third in Pro-Am1, despite a high-speed spin when catching a slower car. Brewster made it a good day for Celtic Speed with the best time in Pro-Am2, after pitting mid-session to change the set-up to suit the drying track. “I knew we had a chance of two flying laps and there were yellow flags, but we got a good run. The whole thing is amazing,” said Brewster of the Porsche Carrera World Cup race weekend. Second to Brewster was Keith Webster (Redline Racing) as Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) completed the top three in Pro-Am2. “I’m disappointed; I wanted to be P1 but I just couldn’t string a lap together,” said Webster. “I love the track,” said Denny, who found a 10s improvement over his best lap in testing.

Euan Hankey was the hero of the day in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at the Nurburgring Nordschleife on Thursday during testing ahead of round nine of the championship.  With a mighty performance, Hankey (Parker with Juta) belied his inexperience of the German venue to not only top the Carrera Cup GB field but also post eighth fastest time overall within the 100-strong field for the Porsche Carrera World Cup. Even though he has only raced at the Nordschleife once before, Hankey was the only driver from outside the Porsche Supercup and Carrera Cup Germany runners to feature in the top 10 times. He ended the session ahead of established Porsche and Nurburgring aces like Patrick Huisman, Nick Tandy and Jeroen Bleekemolen. The Porsche Carrera World Cup is the biggest single-make Porsche race ever held, with 100 cars from Europe including 21 cars from the Carrera Cup GB and GT3 Cup Challenge. It was a fabulous sight as James Sutton headed 100 911 GT3 Cup cars out of the Formula 1 paddock onto the Grand Prix circuit at the start of testing. The race on Saturday morning will run over six laps of the daunting 14-mile Nordschleife circuit. Next among the Carrera Cup GB crews were Sutton and Michael Meadows (SAS/Redline). In Pro-Am1, Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) headed the times from Derek Pierce (Team Parker Racing) and Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed). Pro-A1 contender Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) was bowled over by the whole experience. “It’s the hardest circuit I’ve ever driven on and really challenging in a Cup car,” he said. “It really is something special and like nothing we’ve ever done before.” In Pro-Am2, George Brewster (Celtic Speed) and Keith Webster (Redline Racing) were the Pro-Am2 pacesetters. “That was the experience of my life,” said Webster, who had previously done many laps of the Nordschleife on motorbikes. “It is awesome; what a place to drive,” he said.

In only his fourth weekend racing a Porsche, Stephen Liquorish is competing in the biggest Porsche race in history on the most demanding race track in the world, the Nurburgring Nordschleife. As a contender in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Liquorish is racing in this weekend’s Porsche Carrera World Cup as one of 100 drivers tackling the 14-mile challenge of the famous Nordschleife. But not long ago, Stephen was taking part in Porsche Club GB track days. “I started off doing track days with the Porsche Club GB; I had a 996 Turbo, a Boxster and a Boxster S. I’ve tried other brands but I keep coming back to Porsche,” he said. “When I got to the age of 40 I thought if I didn’t have a go at racing I never would, so I did a week’s intensive course at Silverstone about four years ago. “I knew someone who was racing in the Mini Challenge and so I went into that for three seasons and had a reasonable season in 2010 with some success and a number of podiums. But for 2011 I decided to take the leap of faith and buy a GT3 Cup car. I spoke to Steve Kevlin at the Porsche Club about the GT3 Cup Challenge and bought Glynn Geddie’s car from the Carrera Cup. The other hook for me in buying the car was the chance to race at the Nurburgring.” To race on the monster challenge of the Nordschleife, with 88 corners on every lap, was Stephen’s major ambition for 2011 and this weekend he is realising a life ambition. “I’d never been here before I thought it would be brilliant to do it and a big life tick. I came and did a track day a couple of months ago in my GT3 RS road car. It was hard enough doing a track day, let alone racing a Cup car!”  Stephen has now enlisted the backing of Team Parker Racing to prepare the car and that has allowed him to concentrate on driving. “There was so much for me to learn in the car. Joining Team Parker Racing has allowed me to focus on my own driving. That just makes the whole experience much more enjoyable. This is my fourth weekend in the car and I’m really enjoying it. Without a doubt I’m glad I made the change to the Porsche. Now it’s about getting the best out of me! Up at Croft in April for the GT3 Cup Challenge races, Chris Harris said to me that once I’d raced at the Nurburgring, I wouldn’t want to race anywhere else. It’s intimidating, but once you are in the car and you link a few corners together, it’s incredible; an amazing place.”

Grand-Am: AIM Autosport has been at Road America this week, preparing its Riley-BMW sponsored by GAMMA88 for competition in Saturday’s Rolex Sports Car Series 250 Driven by VISIT FLORIDA. This is the first time that the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 has run at Road America and a full-day test session on Wednesday allowed all the teams to gather some data on the circuit. Being their first time here, all teams are on a fairly equal footing and AIM’s reputation for great handling proved well deserved as the car got faster in every session yesterday and even held top spot for much of the final session despite lagging on tire data having entered just half of the races so far this season. After a two-race absence, the team was thrilled to have posted the the second-quickest lap of the day with its GAMMA88 car. Thursday’s practice sessions were handled entirely by driver Burt Frisselle as his co-driver, Mark Wilkins, flew back to Toronto to participate in yesterday’s announcement of the Gregory C. Wilkins Centre for Excellence in Neuro-Oncology at Toronto Western Hospital. Mark’s father, Greg, died of brain cancer in 2009. Much of the day was spent in varying rain—quite heavy at times—and Burt had only about five laps on a nearly dry circuit during which he posted the fourth quickest time of the day, 2m 6.002s at an average speed of 186.1 km/h (115.7 mph). “I’m happy with the day,” said Burt, “We had tough conditions, but we got through it with everyone in good spirits. It was a little odd without Mark here to provide input, but he did most of the set-up work yesterday and the car feels great. Today’s weather allowed us to test some rain modifications and they worked really well in terrible conditions. We’re looking forward to making more progress tomorrow morning and qualifying up front.”  More practice sessions are scheduled for today(Friday) and a 15-minute qualifying will begin at 2:35 in the afternoon. The Rolex Sports Car Series 250 Driven by VISIT FLORIDA is slated to start at 11am (noon ET) on Saturday with live coverage broadcast on SPEED and MRN.

Karts: Set in the stunning foothills of the Snowdonia National Park, Glan Y Gors is one of the toughest challenges in British Karting and one which 98 Formula Kart Stars competitors had to face in the fifth and sixth rounds of the 2011 Championship on June 18th and 19th.Greeting the championship competitors on arrival was the newly finished Glan Y Gors clubhouse and viewing area but also some pretty uncertain Welsh weather, which left drivers and mechanics on tenterhooks all weekend. While Sunday stayed cool, windy but (thankfully) dry, Saturday was more of a lottery with intermittent light showers making tyre choice a headache for nearly every race. Pic Chris Walker/kartpix.net       Read report

Léo Roussel at 15 is one of the promising  young racers in Karting. A revelation of the first meeting of the World KF1 Championship, he is also a contender for the title of French Champion. A podium regular since his debut in karting, Léo knows that he also owes his excellent results to the efforts of all those who support him: his numerous partners, the Ludo Racing team, French chassis manufacturer Sodikart, Parilla engines, as well as the FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile), which called him into the France 2011 team. With the support of his financial and technical partners, Léo Roussel decided to take up the challenge and join the world elite of karting by entering the prestigious and difficult World KF1 Championship. In Germany on the Wackersdorf circuit, he started his weekend by taking pole and ended one of his races with a 5th place.  “I am satisfied with this first experience at the highest level”, Léo confessed, “Although I am not going to stop there, this confirms our excellent season debut in the French Championship. I am the only one to have won two races in 2011, Varennes and Ostricourt. I am on form to aim for the title in the second part of the season, which promises to be very in­tense for me from a sporting viewpoint». «I am also lucky enough to be supported by Sodikart, which provided our team with some excellent equipment”, Léo continued. “Likewise, there is a very posi­tive feeling within the Ludo Racing team. Ludovic Veve, the team manager, and his technicians do their maximum for me. We keep the momentum going and I am very motivated for the rest of the season”.

To say that ‘it’s going really well at the moment’, to borrow James Singleton’s words, is something of an understatement, for in pulling off a double victory in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship on home turf at Glan Y Gors, the talented young North Wales racer has now made it an incredible seven national triumphs in short order. Pic Chris Walker/kartpix.net       Read report

Luke Whitworth kept himself firmly in contention for a strong overall finish in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship with a determined effort in the fifth and sixth rounds of 2011 at Glan Y Gors.   read report

Cumbrian karter Nathan Aston is one step closer to chasing his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver after being selected to the McLaren High Performance Programme. The 13-year-old will join a small group of elite young racers on the McLaren scheme to help find the next generation of Formula 1 drivers for its Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team.Aston caught the eye of the McLaren scouts after clinching the Formula Kart Stars Cadet championship last year – in only his second season of serious racing. His competitive career has been short but very sharp – he first sat in a kart just three years ago after a one-off trip to an indoor circuit. But the youngster caught the bug and, after a season of stunning performances including some scintillating displays in the wet, is now one of the top young karters in the country.The McLaren Group is serious about its development of aspiring, young drivers and has created the McLaren High Performance Programme to offer year-by-year guidance, assistance and endorsement to help promising young racers – regardless of nationality – to climb the motorsport ladder.The exclusive programme aims to provide training and support in areas such as physical training, nutritional needs, career guidance, driving skills and media training. However, possibly the biggest advantage for Aston is the endorsement from one of motorsport’s most established names and the growing reputation that will enable him tocontinue his career with increased independence.

Star Mazda: With three ovals in a row on the 2011 Star Mazda Championship schedule, each of them dramatically different from each other, it's reasonable to expect that even among the cream of the racing crop, the different currents set up by a 5/8ths mile bullring, a 1-mile oval with virtually no banking and a 1-mile high-banked oval would see different drivers rising to the top… and so they have.  In a multi-hour Thursday practice session for Round 3 this weekend with IndyCar at the Iowa Speedway, it was Chilean racer Martin Scuncio who set the quickest time.  Read more

 Historics: A huge entry list of historic racing cars will be taking to the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit next weekend (1-3 July) for the HSCC Superprix. The annual fixture at the Kent circuit, organised by the Historic Sports Car Club, is a highlight of the historic racing calendar and becomes a three-day meeting for the first time this year. The event is headlined by the FIA Historic Formula One Championship and, taking place just one week before this year’s British Grand Prix, is the perfect way to kick off seven days of F1 fever. Whilst the sport is in a rude state of health right now, the glory days of the sport were in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and these are recalled with cars from the McLaren, Williams, Brabham and Tyrrell factories likely to be the ones to watch. Not only is Brands Hatch a venue that many of these racers once competed at, but it is one of the few to remain virtually unchanged in its layout.  Competing for the crowd’s affection in the ‘80s was Group C sportscar racing, with spectacular cars from Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes and Nissan battling all over the world. Le Mans may have been the one they all wanted to win but the Brands Hatch 1000km race was a sportscar classic and all of these cars, plus many more, can be seen on track in anger once again.   The Historic Superprix will feature races from classic Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula Junior and Formula Ford cars, many of which still carry the names of their illustrious former drivers and will see large grids filling the 2.3 mile circuit. GT cars are also well-catered for with many racing stars in the line up for the 50th anniversary Jaguar E-Type celebration races. Desiré Wilson, the only woman to win an F1 race, will face Barry ‘Whizzo’ Williams, former BTCC champion John Cleland and former F1 driver and team owner Jackie Oliver in the legendary car’s 50th anniversary year. Further variety is provided in Road Sports, with Lotuses, MGs, Alfa Romeos, Datsuns, Lancias and many more. Races for the older sports racing cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s sees Chevrons, Lolas and Abarths, too. Finally, fans of saloon car racing will rejoice at the sight of the entrants of the Historic Touring car race. Close racing has always been a feature of this category and expect to see a revival of the great battles as the big American muscle cars such as the Ford Mustangs and Falcons take on the lighter and more agile Mini Coopers and Lotus Cortinas. The big Jaguar saloons and little Austin A40s and Hillman Imps are sure to provide an entertaining sideshow too.  Tickets for the Brands Hatch HSCC Historic Superprix are available in advance from £17 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk

On August Bank Holiday Monday 30 original Modsport and Thundersaloon race cars from the 70s and 80s will once again drift around the demanding Mallory Park circuit in Leicestershire including the legendary Vauxhall Baby Bertha. Created by the Classic Sports Car Club, the race will mark the start of what the organisers hope will become a full-blown series in 2012, reuniting some of the greatest V8 saloon racers and drivers that ever competed in the UK. In addition to Bertha, the Daf V8 and the Chevrolet-powered Beetle, other original cars set for a competition renaissance include Chris Tilly’s MGB GT V8, Simon Frowen’s 4,000cc Reliant Kitten, Simon Lane’s Chevrolet Camaro and Dave Teley’s Stars & Stripes Opel Manta

Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup : Only a few days removed from his debut race victory in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Daniel Lloyd is eyeing continued success when the fifth round of the season takes place at the Norisring street circuit in Germany next Saturday, 2nd July.  Offering a totally different challenge to that encountered in Lausitz last weekend, one thing which remains the same is the fact it’s yet another track the 19-year-old has zero experience of. Ahead of round five, Daniel is third in the championship standings and only a single point behind the next competitor and with 60 points up for grabs for a race win the action will be as fierce and fast paced as ever. Situated near Nuremberg, in the Bavaria region of Germany, Norisring – which is the only street circuit on the 2011 calendar – demands maximum concentration and commitment, attributes Daniel has by the bucket-load. Qualifying will likely play a major role in the outcome of the race, as will traffic, so a top grid position could be crucial. “Next weekend will be the same again really as every other track we’ve visited, we need to learn it as quickly as possible and go in with the same mentality we have at every round so far – work hard for some solid points and try and get on the podium”, said Daniel, “It is a help having taken my first win, that does help with confidence, but it’s all to play for again at Norisring – I’m sure it’ll be really close.” Since the start of the season Daniel has been at the sharp end, just missing out on victory in his first race in the VW Scirocco R-Cup having memorably qualified on pole position. Immediately adapting to the driving style required to be successful in his turbo-powered, bio-CNG fuelled, 2.0-litre Scirocco, the West Yorkshire teenager is undoubtedly one of the top contenders for the 2011 championship title.He added: “From one weekend to the next it can change a lot in this championship, we’ve already seen that. The most important thing is to get solid results every weekend. Austria didn’t go so well for us but we bounced back with a win at Lausitz so that’s made me realise you can recover from an iffy weekend and get right back in the championship.”

ILMC: Allan McNish races his diesel-engined Audi R18 TDI on Sunday  3 July for the first time since the Scotsman stepped uninjured from his spectacular Le Mans 24 Hours accident. The strength of the Audi Coupé undoubtedly saved the Dumfries-born ace and German team-mate Mike Rockenfeller –  in a separate accident – from major injury in the annual race which Audi ultimately won. But McNish is now raring to go again and relishing the prospect of contesting the four remaining Intercontinental Le Mans Cup races between now and November. Allan finished fourth (Sebring, USA) and third (Spa, Belgium), and is hungry for glory at Imola. “After Audi’s victory in the year’s biggest race [Le Mans 24 Hours] and obviously what I went through, the team and I are now totally focussed on the remaining ILMC races,” confirmed McNish who tested an Audi R18 TDI this week. “There is no Drivers’ championship, only Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles and it’s very close so my target for the remainder of the year is to help Audi and Audi Sport Team Joest claim the ILMC titles to go alongside the Le Mans 24 Hour race silverware in Ingolstadt.” For the Imola and remaining ILMC races, McNish will co-drive with Tom Kristensen while Marcel Fässler, one of the three triumphant Le Mans drivers, partners 2010 Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard in Italy. “Between Timo, Marcel, Tom and myself, we will be trying very hard to ensure that we have a good follow-up success story following Le Mans,” continued Allan. “It’s a fantastic track which has changed a lot since I raced there back in 2002. It has always been undulating but nowadays it has a long straight. Coping with slower “traffic’ will be challenging because the track is narrow while the corners lead into each other. We will need to find a good balance for the R18 TDI between top speed and downforce. It will also be hard on the brakes because there are some big stopping zones which can create overtaking opportunities.” This is only my third ever two-driver race sharing a car with Tom. The last time we finished second in China last November – less than five seconds from the win. We’re both keen to make sure we get a victory on the scoreboard but it’s going to be a tough race.” The Imola Six Hours marks the third race for the Audi R18 TDI which made its race début less than two months ago. Having claimed pole-position on its race début at Spa (7 May), the 3.7-litre turbo diesel engined Coupé scored a “pole”, fastest race lap and race win in its second race, the Le Mans 24 Hours (11-12 Jun), to chalk up the German manufacturer’s 10th Le Mans race win in 13 years. 

Just two weeks after the Le Mans 24 Hours, OAK Racing is preparing to return to the track for the Italian round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the Imola 6 Hours. However, unlike in previous events, the team will only be running one of its LMP1s, car #15, alongside its pair of LMP2s. The Le Mans 24 Hours was a tough event for many teams and for OAK Racing, the short timeframe between the two events has meant that car #24 hasn’t been repaired in time after the damage it suffered during a small fire at the iconic endurance race. The team has therefore reluctantly taken the decision to withdraw its entry for the forthcoming race. The #15 LMP1 will enter the event, which is also a round of the Le Mans Series, with Guillaume Moreau and Pierre Ragues at the wheel as Matthieu Lahaye is still recovering following his accident at Spa. The crew of car #35 will be the same as at Le Mans, Andrea Barlesi, Frédéric Da Rocha and Patrice Lafargue. OAK Racing will also run its second #49 LMP2 car, which also did well at Le Mans. The OAK-Pescarolo prototype will again receive support from neighbours and friends DAMS and for this race will defend the famous orange-and-blue colours of Gulf Oil International. Jacques Nicolet will be the team’s non-professional driver, as stipulated by the regulations, and will share the car with Alexandre Prémat.  The 29-year-old has F3 wins in the Masters of Zandvoort and the Macau GP while racing in the F3 Euro Series, and he was also a winner in the first edition of A1 GP and in the GP2 Series, where his team-mate was no other than Lewis Hamilton! He graduated to the DTM and endurance racing with Audi in 2007 and, the following year, won the Le Mans Series and finished fourth at the Le Mans 24 Hours. In total he has raced four times at La Sarthe and will be a key performer for the team. Following his recent appearance at Le Mans, the Italian race is an opportunity for Prémat to quickly get back behind the wheel of an LMP2 car.“I’m delighted to join OAK Racing for the Imola 6 Hours in the #49 LMP2 car alongside Jacques Nicolet. It will be an interesting challenge because we don’t have much time or test days, so I will have to adapt to the car quickly. Nevertheless, I hope to use my experience to help develop the car at the Italian circuit, which is somewhere I have raced before. For sure the objective is to challenge the other LMP2 cars and achieve a podium finish.”

Charity: On behalf of Aston Martin, the company’s Chief Executive Dr Ulrich Bez today presented a cheque for £100,000 to Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda which will be directed to charities providing aid to victims of the recent earthquakes and Tsunami in Japan. The presentation took place at the Nürburgring where both Chief Executives are currently supporting their respective teams in the  24 hour race held at the German circuit this weekend. Dr Bez will lead the driver team piloting two examples of Aston Martin’s new V12 Zagato endurance race car concept both of which are sporting a special ‘Heart for Japan’ dedication to symbolise the company’s support. At the annual Aston Martin Bonhams auction held last month, Dr Bez offered his company Rapide for auction in a bid to raise funds which could be directed to charities working on providing support to victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami to hit the region. The Rapide was purchased by long–time Aston Martin enthusiast David Linley, a world renowned furniture designer, as he recognized the importance of this appeal.

23-06-11

Nurburgring 24 Hours: Motor sport is in the Mini’s  genes and now car manufacturer  is set to add a new chapter to its racing heritage with the arrival of the Mini  John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance. The newly developed racer will line up at this year's 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit, previewing the series-production version of the car due to be unveiled to the public in autumn 2011  read more

Karts: Piers Sexton Racing (PSR) has re-launched, bolstered by the addition of a Rotax division, the arrival of highly-regarded mechanic Stuart Wright, a full campaign of WSK competition and a feeder link to Comer Cadet front-runners Eclipse Motorsport.Formerly concentrating on the MSA (KF) side of karting, PSR is now branching out, and will also take on Rotax competition as a full-scale operation for the first time. The effort will be spearheaded by Wright, a man with years of expertise in that area and whose record palpably speaks for itself.pic Pixelero  Read more

Samuel Oram-Jones has vaulted up the championship standings following rounds five and six of the 2011 British Formula Kart Stars (FKS) series at Glan Y Gors in North Wales last weekend.   Sammy, who competes in the MiniMax class for 11-16 year-olds and who also contests the same class in the British Super One Rotax Series, came into the event just outside the top-ten, but following a largely positive weekend - including taking a very fine fourth in the round five final - he is now joint seventh overall, once dropped scores are taken into account, with 665 points on the board. pic Chris Walker - www.kartpix.net  read report

Renault 3.5: The 5th round of the World Series by Renault was fought out last  weekend on the Nurburgring  in front of more than 50,000 spectators and some  poor weather conditions.In qualifying Nelson Panciatici, racing for  the  KMP Racing team, was held up in his fast lap and had to be satisfied with a 9th place on the grid.  In the two races a puncture and a penalty for a late pitstop put paid to any chance of a good finish. Read report

National Motorsport Week : In readiness for National Motorsport Week (25 June-3 July) BBC commentator and ex-F1 driver David Coulthard has visited two of Britain’s most famous venues to discover how accessible motor sport can be.The Scotsman, 40, was filming a feature for the BBC's BAFTA-winning Formula One coverage, which will be aired during the European Grand Prix as a curtain raiser to National Motorsport Week. National Motorsport Week is a joint initiative set up by the Motorsport Industry Association and Motor Sports Association to encourage newcomers into the sport, whether they are drivers, spectators, engineers or volunteers – a scheme which Coulthard fervently supports. "Britain is the centre of the universe of motor sport. There is so much history and heritage here and success with British engineers and designers and racing drivers and we need to keep feeding that. Inevitably, the focus tends to be on F1 so it was great to see just how much more motor sport has to offer. What’s more just how accessible, affordable and fun it can be,” reported Coulthard. Britain’s all-time top F1 points-scorer first visited a sold-out Club MSV Trackday staged on the historic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent and was impressed by what he found. “Anyone who wants to give it a go can take their own car and find out if they have talent for driving or not. The open road is clearly not the place to do that, but properly organised events like these are. I would never have thought you could do this. I literally could have driven down to Brands Hatch in my Mercedes, paid as little as £25, put my crash helmet on and driven that car around one of the world’s most iconic race tracks. What a great way to start in motor sport.” Coulthard then moved on to Shelsley Walsh, the oldest motor sport venue in continuous use in the world. With a history of staging hill climb events stretching back more than a century, Shelsley underlines the UK’s long-running position at the pinnacle of motor sport. After meeting double MSA British Hill climb champion Scott Moran and inspecting his British-built Gould GR61X single-seater that features a 3.5-litre Nicholson-McLaren V8 engine plus F1 style paddle-shift gearbox, the 13-time grand prix winner joined Moran for a blast up the hill in an entry level Lotus Elise.Thereafter Coulthard experienced two very different forms of grass roots motor sport, once again with expert advice from reigning MSA champions. First he jumped aboard Ian Wright’s purpose-built lightweight Sherpa Indy for an insight into the world of sporting trials – a discipline, which involves competitors climbing, marked sections of steep hills. Rather than speed, trials are all about finding traction whatever the surface: grass, mud, loose gravel or deep rutted sand. It’s a real team effort, too, with passengers bouncing about the vehicle to create more grip.Finally, multiple MSA champion Alastair Moffatt in his Mini Special gave the Scot an autotesting master class. Handbrake turns, tightly controlled powerslides and amazing reverse flicks are the tricks of the trade as participants manoeuvre around a specially laid-out course as swiftly as possible.

Goodwood Festival of Speed: Nissan has set its sights on claiming two records at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 1-3 July – and it will be the LEAF and Juke that set them, rather than the flagship GT-R.The Nissan LEAF, 2011 Car of the Year, will attempt to become the fastest car ever to be driven up the famous hill climb course – backwards. Unlike petrol-powered cars, in which reverse gear allows only low speeds, the LEAF has an electric powertrain that, theoretically, enables it to be driven backwards as fast as it can go forwards. This means the car has a potential reverse top speed of 90mph.* Nissan will also makes its first attempt at a two-wheeled record up the Goodwood Hill, with the Juke aiming to become the fastest four-wheeled machine to climb the entire course using just two wheels. Professional stunt driver, Terry Grant, will be the man attempting to set the records in the LEAF and Juke by performing the stunts once every day he said: “I’ve experienced Goodwood before but never attempted to set a new record. To have the chance to grab not only one but two records at the same event will hopefully provide everyone with a very entertaining spectacle.”The Nissan LEAF NISMO RC – the “Racing Competition” version of the electric car  is a purpose-built prototype that wraps production LEAF components and technology in a carbon fibre body and has been designed to show that electric cars can be fast and exciting. Like the production Nissan LEAF, a lithium-ion battery composed of 48 compact modules powers the NISMO RC version and a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor generates 107 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque.In a more conventional demonstration run on the hill climb course, one of the Sumo Power GT team’s GT1 race-winning Nissan GT-Rs.. |Celebrating the second win in succession of the RAC tourist trophy at Silverstone in the FIA GT1 championship this year, the 600HP V8 car is visiting Goodwood for the first time. Behind the wheel will be Alex Buncombe, Nissan’s FIA European GT4 Championship and GT Academy driver.

Formula Renault 2.0 : MP Motorsport came extremely close to earning its first podium finish of the 2011 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season at the Nurburgring in Germany last weekend, 18th/19th June, with Estonian teenager Karl-Oscar Liiv just missing out on third place during the final lap of race two. The second of the weekend’s encounters was by far the best for the Dutch team with Liiv almost managing to grab the last podium place on lap 12. In the end, he took the chequered flag just 0.1 seconds adrift to secure his first championship points of the season in the ultra-competitive series.  Read report

22-06-11

Nurburgring 24 Hours: Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid returns to the Nürburgring 24 Hours race, Germany, this weekend. Ingenious ‘racing laboratory’ features two electric motors producing the equivalent of 200 hp driving the front wheels, supplementing the characteristic rear-mounted flat-six engine Eight Porsche factory drivers and a strong contingent of Porsche customer teams will contest the race   read more

Formula Ford: Kelly Racing has announced a new reality TV program to be known as the Shannons Supercar Showdown' which will see Todd and Rick Kelly embark on a global search to find the next young driver to join their ranks. Launching on July 23 on 7mate, the TV program will feature 10 up-and-coming racing drivers, six of whom are Australian Formula Ford Championship drivers, highlighting once again the category's place as Australia's premier junior development category.Series regulars Cameron Waters, Nick Foster, Shae Davies and Nick Cassidy have all secured a spot in the reality show, while part time racers Samantha Reid and Ben Small will also feature.Throughout the TV program, a series of eliminations will determine the winner of one of the most significant prizes ever offered in motorsport to race at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 this October. The winner will race alongside the show's host, TV personality and racing driver Grant Denyer, in a Shannons-Mars Racing entry at Mount Panorama, a fifth entry in the event for Kelly Racing. "I think it says a lot about the quality of the Australian Formula Ford Championship that so many drivers have been chosen to compete in this new reality TV program," Margaret Hardy, Category Manager said. "Formula Ford has proven over many years that it's a great breeding ground for future V8 Supercar drivers and I think the Shannons Supercar Showdown will showcase how talented and professional the drivers are. I'll certainly be watching with interest to see how the series unfolds." V8 Supercar driver and Kelly Racing co-owner Rick Kelly is excited about the opportunity to bring new talent into the sport  "Since our birth, Kelly Racing has been a team that is very interested in bringing new talent into V8 Supercars," Rick Kelly said. "It's very tough for youngsters to break in and not many teams are able to give young drivers the opportunity that both Todd and I had when we came into the sport. Shannons Supercar Showdown is a fantastic platform for us to offer this opportunity to young guys and girls from Australia and around the world. It's massively exciting for us as a team, but it's a project that is fantastic for Australian motorsport as a whole in terms of exposing the sport to a wider audience." The Shannons Supercar Showdown' and will screen on 7mate on Saturday afternoons from July 23.

Formula Renault UK : Jack Hawksworth enjoyed what he described as an ‘absolute dream’ debut with his new team in the fifth outing of the 2011 Formula Renault UK Championship at Croft, by storming to his breakthrough car racing victory. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   Read report

The Formula BMW Talent Cup drivers lined up at Sweden’s Sturup Raceway last weekend (17-19 June). As part of the unique education and coaching programme offered by BMW Motorsport, the talented youngsters familiarised themselves with a range of race procedures. German driver Stefan Wackerbauer prevailed four times against strong international competition.The battle between Maximilian Günther (Rettenberg/DE), Kevin Jörg (CH) and Max Edelhoff (Hemer/DE) for second, third and fourth places was down to tenths of a second. “Naturally I’m really pleased with my success this weekend,” said Wackerbauer. “I had extra support from my whole family, who had travelled with me to Sweden specially for this event.” An elimination contest held before the start of the season had already seen the 15-year-old secure a free place in BMW’s junior promotion scheme. “This weekend has given us an idea of where we actually stand,” said Kevin Jörg from Switzerland. “I see it as an incentive. In future my aim is to make it right to the front.”   The track near Malmö Airport was the ideal venue to give the young drivers lenty of useful practice. The course is 2.075 kms with some extremely tight corners, making it a technically challenging track. “The key factor here is to find the right rhythm,” explains BMW works driver Dirk Adorf, who was providing help and advice over the weekend. Although Adorf is in the middle of preparations for the Nürburgring 24-hour race, he took time to analyse each driver’s performance out on the track. “In car racing it comes down to the right mix of concentration and composure. I’ve seen numerous talented drivers here and I can’t wait to see how they progress in future,” concluded the man from the Rhineland.

Euroformula  Mid season review:  Eurofomula have drivers in many disciplines, notably Nelson Pantiatici (pictured) Formula Renault 3.5 and 2.0 plus Bertrand Baguette in Indy cars. Halfway throughn the season how are they getting g on..read more

National Motorsport Week: Croft Circuit is joining the likes of the Red Bull and McLaren Formula 1 teams in hosting a special event to celebrate the forthcoming National Motorsport Week (25 June to 3 July).The Public will be able to attend Croft between 10.00am-4.00pm on Friday 1 July and taken for a high-speed passenger lap of the track by a qualified race instructor in a Caterham sportscar.The minimum age for laps is 14 and all Croft is asking in return is a £2 donation per ride towards its chosen 2011 charity, St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington. Rides are strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Backed by the Motor Sports Association (MSA), the UK’s governing body of motor sport, and the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), National Motorsport Week (25 June-3 July) exists both to highlight the UK’s on-going world-leading role in all areas of international motor sport as well as to showcase the wide range of opportunities open to enthusiasts at grass roots level throughout the country. A huge range of activities are taking place throughout the land with all UK-based F1 teams opening their doors for public tours. More details can be found at www.nationalmotorsportweek.com. “It is hugely important that, as the region’s leading motor sport venue, we are involved in what is regarded as the country’s week of celebrating and raising awareness of what the sport gives back to people in terms of entertainment, inspiration for youngsters, job creation and even advancements in science. Motor sport is one of Britain’s most successful industries after all,” commented Tracey Morley, Croft Circuit Manager. “What we are offering is a very exciting opportunity for both fans but also newcomers to the sport to experience just why so many professional racing drivers describe this as one of the most thrilling circuits to drive in the country. We’re putting this on absolutely free – all we ask in return is a small contribution to St Teresa’s to aid them in their fabulous work for the community.” Fans can further keep in touch with what’s happening at Croft Circuit online via Facebook (look up CroftCircuit), Twitter www.twitter.com/croftsupporters

Ginetta Jnrs: HHC Motorsport is celebrating a maiden win in the Ginetta Junior Championship at Croft at the weekend, after a stunning performance by Charlie Robertson. Charlie, aged just 14 ½ years old, became the youngest ever pole-setter, race winner and lap record holder as he scored victory in the second of the weekend’s all-action races.  pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   read report

Despite being twice taken off the road, Jody Fannin recovered to score two fastest laps and two podiums in tricky conditions at the Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire at the weekend. After qualifying third and finishing fourth on Saturday, the decision was taken to make some changes to the car overnight in an effort to cure excessive oversteer. On a showery Sunday afternoon, tyre choice was difficult, but slicks were the way to go on a damp track. In race one, Fannin settled down in third in the opening laps, then picked off championship leader Tom Ingram and was soon making inroads into the lead as a short shower on half of the circuit meant that it was virtually dry on one half and very slippery on the other. As the seventeen year old was about to get on terms with the leader a rival lost control on the slippery track and knocked him off the circuit and into the tyres. In spite of some  damage, Fannin regained the track and pressed on, lapping over a second faster than the leaders over the last few laps, setting fastest lap by over half a second and taking fourth on the road which became third after the intervention of the Clerk of the Course.The track was dry for the second race of the day and, much happier with the car, Fannin was confident of a good result. An incident with a G55 at the first corner put paid to that, as he found himself facing the oncoming cars and rejoined last, some way off the back of the field. For the second time in the day he fought his way back and by the time of an intervention of a safety car, was up to third. After a safety car period of several laps, the MSA Academy student was quickly up to second and in sight of the leader, when a spinner ahead required avoiding action and the resulting grassy moment meant the loss of a place which couldn’t be made up by the end. A philosophical Fannin commented “I had the pace to win both races today, but a few incidents prevented it unfortunately. The important thing is I’m back in the championship hunt, so am looking forward to the second half of the season.” Having kept his head through changing conditions, Fannin has halved the points gap to the championship leader and is in a good position to challenge over the second half of the season.

Charity: Riders on the 2011 Barry Sheene Memorial Challenge were treated to a lap of the Brands Hatch circuit today as they set off on their European charity tour.  The ride starts at Brands Hatch and from there heads across the Channel into France , onto Belgium and Germany , before crossing the border to the Netherlands . The trip ends this weekend at the TT circuit in Assen for the Dutch round of the MotoGP championship. The tour is in aid of children’s cancer charity Clic Sargent, of which Motorcycle World Champion Sheene was a keen supporter. Following their lap of the circuit and in tribute to Barry, who died of the illness in 2003, riders lined up at the corner named in his honour. Rider Lindley Horner, from neighbouring West Kingsdown, said, “it’s an awesome experience made better by raising funds for kids and doing what we do well. The trip takes in some great roads, with the rider in mind. Each evening there is a synopsis of the event, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone. I’d highly recommend this to any biker and we’re grateful for support from Brands Hatch.” Kerry Timbrell from Clic Sargent added, “This is the sixth year of the challenge, raising thousands for children with cancer. Our main aim is to ease the burden for children and their families – currently we can only help 2 out of 3 children but with the help of these riders, we’re one step closer to helping every child.”

21-06-11

Formula 3: Bart Hylkema secured his ninth Rookie Class race win of the 2011 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series at a rain-hit Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday, 19th June – a positive end to an otherwise frustrating event for the talented Dutchman.pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   read report 

Nurburgring 24 hours: Audi sets its sights on overall victory in yet another endurance classic only two weeks after the tenth 24 Hours of Le Mans victory: the Audi Sport Teams Abt Sportsline and Phoenix, known from the DTM, will compete with four Audi R8 LMS in the 24-hour race around the famous Nürburgring-Nordschleife on June 25/26.  In 2011 the team around Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich makes a second attempt with the Audi R8 LMS. The GT3 sportscar is the first Audi race car that was specifically developed for customer racing and which is now fielded successfully by customer teams throughout the world. The R8 LMS powered by a near standard production V10 engine has already claimed 83 wins. Audi aims to win the 39th running of the endurance classic and in doing so have its name etched for the first time on the winner's trophy and promote both the Audi R8 in general and the Audi R8 LMS specifically. To achieve this ambitious goal nothing has been left to chance over the last few months. Various details of the R8 LMS were improved with a view to the Nordschleife races. In addition to pure performance the greatest attention was placed on reliability, which was checked in two 30-hour tests. To this end Audi used the tests scheduled for the Le Mans winning Audi R18 TDI in order to complete the endurance runs simultaneously. The driver squad for the 24-hour race includes Mattias Ekström and Timo Scheider from the DTM with Le Mans winners Marcel Fässler and Marco Werner and acknowledged Nordschleife specialists Marc Basseng, Frank Stippler. Mike Rockenfeller, who is still recovering from the aftereffects of his accident at Le Mans, will not participate.  . Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "I assume that it will be just as close at the Nürburgring as it was at Le Mans. At least five different types of car can probably fight for overall victory. At the Nürburgring it will more than likely be down to finding a good combination of fast lap times and calculable risk. Just like at Le Mans it will be crucial to drive through the 24 hours without a technical problem; otherwise you won't have a chance of winning. Of course we'll only see during the race how the balance of performance of the various cars will work." The race starts on Saturday, June 25 and 4:00 p.m

André Lotterer, a member of the winning squad at this year’s Le Mans,  has been named in the Gazoo Racing team for the Nürburgring 24 hours this weekend. Lotterer is a double series champion for Lexus in Japanese Super GT 500 competition and will form part of the line-up for the two Lexus LFAs led by driver/team manager Akira Iida. It will be the fourth time the LFA has competed at the Nordschleife. Gazoo Racing’s technical team is drawn directly from Lexus’s research and development section, and by participating in the event the  engineers are able to hone skills which  can be fed directly into new Lexus products.British racing fans will have their own chance to admire the LFA at close quarters, as Gazoo Racing is due to bring one of its race cars straight from the Nürburgring to this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, from 30 June to 3 July.The full Gazoo Racing line-up for the 39th Nürburgring 24 Hours: - Takayaki Kinoshita (Japan), André Lotterer (Germany), Akira Iida (Japan) and Kazuya Oshima (Japan.

The most spectacular Golf will line up for the most extreme race as Volkswagen prepares to contest the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring this weekend with three 450-hp Golf24 cars. Flat out around the clock, rapidly changing weather conditions, strategy chess and all this on the world’s most difficult race track – the Golf24 has been built for exactly this enormous challenge.  Fitting the 35th anniversary of the Golf GTI, Volkswagen Motorsport has developed a thorough-bred racing version of the world’s highest-volume production car. Powered by a 450-hp 2.5-litre five cylinder turbo engine, the Golf24 is equipped with four-wheel drive, a sequential 6-speed gearbox with paddle shifters and, last but not least, a spectacular body shell. The drivers range from seasoned Nordschleife drivers like Peter Terting and Patrick Simon, Formula 1 legends Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell and  Volkswagen junior René Rast and the DTM rookie Edoardo Mortara. With green power: three Dakar winners on the grid together for the first time. Nasser Al-Attiyah, Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers – these are the names that have dominated the Dakar Rally in the past three years.   The trio  will compete together for the first time and share a 330-hp Scirocco GT24-CNG.  Their team-mates will also be direct rivals for victory in the class for vehicles with alternative power-trains. Le Mans racer Vanina Ickx and the journalists Peter Wyss and Bernd Ostmann will be driving the sister car. Both Scirocco vehicles are powered by bio natural gas and reduce CO2 emissions by 80 per cent compared with conventional petrol engines. The fourth driver of both cars will be the former DTM racer Klaus Niedzwiedz, who has already won the 24-hour race twice.

MR2 Sportscars : After a three week break following Castle Combe last month, David Pittard is champing at the bit to get back on track and maintain his 100% win rate.  The 19 year old and his Montana Motorsport team head to Snetterton for rounds 5&6 of the Fuch Titan Race MR2 Racing Series confident that after such a dominant display in the wet at Combe last month they have the car sorted for any conditions the Norfolk based circuit can throw at them. “It seems ages since I was out on track at Castle Combe” commented Pittard. “Myself and the team are still high from the double win at a circuit I had never seen before. It was such a good effort by the team that weekend!” Both Pittard and the Montana Motorsport team have used the break between races to ensure the car is at its optimum ahead of this weekend. “The whole team have worked hard these last three weeks. We’ve completely checked the car over multiple times and I have maintained my level of training throughout the weeks leading up to Snetterton to make sure we have the best chance of getting another 2 wins.” Pittard is no stranger to victory at the recently revamped Snetterton 300 circuit, having dominated on his  Sports 2000 debut race earlier in the year. “I really enjoyed the new Snetterton 300 circuit and am pleased the Red Dragon Race and Track club are going there. The new infield section really adds a new challenge and I think that driving the Herts Business Support Scheme Toyota MR2 round it will be great fun. I hope to carry on as I did earlier in the year in the Sports 2000 where I won by 38 seconds”. The MR2 Racing Series will be joined by the Lotus Festival this weekend, celebrating one of Britain’s most iconic names in motorsport. 

Porsche Carrera World Cup : The biggest challenge in the history of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB awaits the drivers as the series heads to the Nurburgring Nordschleife for round nine of the championship during the Porsche Carrera World Cup (Saturday 25 June). This race will present Carrera Cup GB racers with the chance to tackle the track that is widely-regarded as the finest and most daunting in the world, with 88 corners packed into 14 miles of twisting track in the Eifel Mountains in Germany. To race on the Nordschleife is the dream of many drivers and the Carrera Cup racers will tackle a six-lap, 85-mile race on Saturday in the build up to the annual Nurburgring 24-hour race.  Heading to Germany with a handy points’ lead is James Sutton (SAS/Redline), who has a 20-point margin over team mate Michael Meadows. However, it is far too early for Sutton to be thinking about a second Carrera Cup title and his aim for the Nurburgring is another strong points’ finish. Meadows, meanwhile. knows that he cannot afford to let Sutton add to his lead as the series heads into a seven-week mid-season break. Two drivers from the Parker with Juta team are taking the fight to the SAS duo and both Stephen Jelley and Euan Hankey are determined to use the wild card of this race on the Nordschleife to peg back the points’ gap. The experience of the track acquired by Stuart Parker and his team over the last decade could prove crucial in Saturday’s race. Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline) and Team Parker Racing’s Sam Tordoff and Richard Plant are new to the track as well, but are all capable of claiming a podium place. In Pro-Am1, Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) is setting the pace and that is likely to continue in Germany, where he may well be right up among the pro drivers. Chasing Gelzinis are Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) and Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) and Butcher heads to Germany on the back of a stunning performance last time out in changing weather conditions at Oulton Park. With Pro-Am2 leader Andrew Shelley (Redline Racing) missing the race due to family commitments, it is George Brewster (Celtic Speed) and Keith Webster (Redline Racing) who are poised to take over the Pro-Am2 lead. Other Pro-Am2 podium contenders are Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) and Tommy Dreelan (Celtic Speed).

Breath-taking, awe-inspiring, remarkable, unparalleled…the superlatives to describe Germany’s Nürburgring-Nordschleife race track are endless and this Saturday, 25th June, Oman Air Racing Team driver Ahmad Al Harthy will experience the circuit for the first time in his career. The inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup will bring together around 200 drivers from across the globe to take on the 14 miles of asphalt – and 29-year-old Ahmad will be proudly flying the flag for Oman in, what will be, his greatest challenge so far. In addition to the ‘World Cup’ aspect, the race will also be the ninth round of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship in which the Muscat driver is currently second in the Pro-Am 1 standings having achieved one class win and five other podiums in 2011.  “This is without doubt the biggest challenge of my career so far, a very proud moment for me and everyone involved within the Oman Air Racing Team”, said Ahmad, “Nürburgring -Nordschleife is the greatest test for any driver, it’s the most demanding track in the world. It will be a huge honour to represent Oman, the people of Oman and all of my sponsors in such a prestigious event.”

Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup : Nathan Freke was looking to build on his success at the previous round at Oulton Park when championship moved to Croft last weekend. Freke was again driving for his own Century Motorsport team sponsored by The Player and he came away with yet more success taking two wins from three races. Pic Chris Roberts/WiderViewPhoto     Read report

A weekend that culminated in two failures to finish and a hefty slice of damage might not perhaps be regarded as the most successful of endeavours, but for Tom Ingram, such ill-fortune in the fifth meeting of the 2011 Ginetta G50 Cup at Croft failed to detract from a race that he described as his finest triumph of the season and one that reaffirmed his status as the fastest and most accomplished driver in the field.  pic Jakob Ebrey Photography      read report

British GT: Jake Rattenbury  and Josh Wakefiield were competing in the latest round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Brands over the weekend. The pair qualified 5^th but thenhad to make up lost time after spending 4 minutes in the pits with broken wheel studs. Rattenbury and Co-driver Wakefield then had to make up lost ground on the other Ginetta G50s, a couple of Lotus Evora’s and two KTM XBows in the GT4 class. The battle at the front of the class got pretty intense and on the last lap the leading two cars collided taking the other Ginetta out which handed the Ginetta G50 GT4 car of Rattenbury & Wakefield 3rd place. Read Jake’s report  - Read Josh’s Report    Pic Chris Roberts/WiderViewPhoto   

On a weekend controlled by the weather, Freddy Nordström once again made his presence known in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship with another podium finish. A large grid quickly spread out over the formation lap, which made it difficult for Freddy to advance on his grid position. However, as he reached the 10 lap mark his Lotus Evora soon came to life, as he chased down his rivals, also setting the fastest lap of the Lotus Sport UK team in the process. As Freddy carved his way through the opening hour of the race the weather intervened once again, as the rain started to fall. After proving the wet pace of the Lotus Evora last time out at Snetterton, Freddy’s speed in the wet once again became apparent, as he fought through to second place. Before long it was time for Freddy to hand the car over to Leyton. As their rivals faltered on a wet track, Freddy and Leyton could almost taste victory. As the end of the race approached the rain stopped and the track began to dry. Despite holding a 30 second lead, the dry track appeared to favour their nearest rivals, with Leyton unable to hold off the opposition. After temporarily dropping to third place, a collision between the top two enabled Leyton to slip through into the lead on the final tour, before being forced back to second in the closing stages. Read report

BTCC: The 5th meeting of the BTCC took place at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire on a weekend with changeable weather. Nick Foster and Rob Collard were both in action with the latter picking up three podium finishes whilst Foster took second in the final race. Pic Chris Roberts/WiderViewPhoto   Read report

National Motorsport Week takes place from Saturday 25 June to Sunday 3 July 2011. To help celebrate this week of activity Silverstone and the MG Car Club are working together to open the full Grand Prix Circuit to all cyclists on Saturday 25 June from 19:00 – 20:00hrs, as part of the MG Live weekend. As well as being able to cycle the Grand Prix Circuit guests will be welcome at the MG party, which is also taking place at Silverstone that evening.  The Circuit will be open to all holders of a ticket to MG Live and after 18:00hrs on the day, we will open the gates to all cyclists in order that they can access the venue free of charge for the evening. However, in return, a donation to support the Help the Heroes charity will be encouraged. The circuit will be open to cyclists from 19:00 until 20:00hrs and the MG Live party will take place on the inside of the circuit, starting at 19:30hrs, and includes live music, family friendly entertainment and children’s funfair.

As further support of National Motorsport Week, two of the UK-based Formula One teams – Mercedes Petronas GP and Team Lotus – are each inviting two members of the public to join their respective pit crews at the forthcoming events. The four lucky winners joining either F1 Team for a memorable day will be selected at random from those entering a simple competition hosted on www.gomotorsport.net website. The promotion opened yesterday Monday 20 June and will close at midnight on Thursday 23 June when a series of competitions to win factory tours at all eight UK-based F1 teams will commence. Terms and conditions apply and are detailed on the website. As fully-uniformed members of the team, two winners will join Mercedes Petronas GP at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on either 2 or 3 July. They will assist in the preparation and running of the team’s entry in the world-famous hill climb, providing an experience of a lifetime opportunity to see the operation of a Formula One team from the inside and enjoy the Festival from a unique perspective. The two other winners will join Team Lotus at a forthcoming straight-line test at the Kemble Airfield, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire on either 4 or 5 July. They, too, will gain a rarely seen insight into the workings of a modern Grand Prix team. Alongside a wide range of initiatives and activities taking place up and down the country at teams, venues, businesses and motor clubs, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be offering its own support to National Motorsport Week. Britain’s most successful F1 team will be acknowledging and rewarding the legion of volunteer marshals. Recognising their contribution, McLaren is offering all registered marshals the opportunity to visit the state-of-the-art McLaren Technology Centre in Woking later in the year via a special competition which, again, will be hosted on the www.GoMotorsport.net website during National Motorsport Week. The full range of National Motorsport Week activities are now listed under the events section on www.nationalmotorsportweek.com.

Formula Renault UK: Jordan King had been threatening this kind of result for some time,  but the accomplished manner in which Jordan achieved his breakthrough podium finish in the 2011 Formula Renault UK Championship at Croft suggests it will be far from his last. Read report

Renault 3.5 : Round 5 of the World Series by Renault Championship in Nürburgring, Germany, proved to be a challenging weekend for American driver Alexander Rossi who, after strong performances in both incident filled qualifying sessions, ended the weekend in 6th place in the Championship standings.read report

Dutch rookie Daniël De Jong continued his impressive progress with a season-best performance during qualifying added to a pair of consistently strong race runs.  Having impressed at Monza in Italy and on the streets of Monte-Carlo during the Monaco Grand Prix support event last month, the Comtec Racing driver arrived at the Nurburging looking forward to the race meeting having previously gone very well at the track in Formula Renault 2.0.  read report

Goodwood Festival of Speed: Maserati honours one of its favourite ‘sons’ by reminding motor racing fans around the world of what would have been the 100th birthday of the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. Celebrations will continue here in the UK at the Goodwood Revival (16-18 September 2011), of which Maserati is a proud sponsor. Their annual feature tribute will be to Juan Manuel Fangio, on the centenary of his birth and 60th anniversary of him winning the first of his five world championships.  A daily track parade will include a variety of his most famous cars, to honour the life and achievements of this incredible man. Born in Balcarce, Argentina on 24 June 1911, Fangio’s name will be forever linked with some of the greatest accomplishments in the history of motorsport. A winner of five Formula One World Championships, Fangio took two of his titles in Maseratis, bringing the most coveted prize in racing back to Maserati’s Modena home in 1954 and 1957.Fangio will forever be remembered for saving the greatest drive of his life to win his fifth and final World Championship in a Maserati 250F. On August 4, 1957, he lost the lead at the Nürburgring by pitting to refuel – an unheard-of strategy at the time – but went on to drive an incredible race, repeatedly smashing the lap record, closing a 1 min 48 s gap and overtaking the two leading Ferraris to achieve his final Grand Prix victory. At the end of the race, Fangio confessed that he had driven "in a state of grace" and that it was the best he had ever driven in his life.The son of Italian emigrants to Argentina, Fangio always maintained a special relationship with Italy and, in particular, with Modena and Maserati. The echo of one of his famous statements still resounds at Maserati’s headquarters in viale Ciro Menotti in Modena: "I raced and won with cars of all makes, but I always had a special relationship with Maserati. Not only were they safe and reliable cars always on the cutting edge of technology, but there was a relationship of friendship and a special atmosphere between the brand and I...felt at home."

The fifth generation of the world’s most successful performance saloon, the BMW M5, will be seen for the first time at The Goodwood Festival of Speed 1-3 July 2011. The new car will make its UK debut in the BMW pavilion along with a selection of the Bavarian manufacturer’s hottest current cars and some famous racing cars celebrating anniversaries from its glorious heritage.  Read more

Porsche will once again showcase an exciting array of new, iconic and historic models at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 2011 Festival’s chosen theme is Racing Revolutions – Quantum leaps that shaped motorsport, a perfect fit for Porsche given its reputation for race-bred engineering innovation.  Read more

MSA Euroclassic: Event organiser International Motor Sports Limited has announced further route details regarding this year’s MSA Euroclassic (4-11 September).As tradition dictates, this year’s running of the annual ‘blue riband’ continental tour will include a mouth-watering mix of sight-seeing and circuit driving opportunities. Now entering its 19th year, however, the 2011 MSA Euroclassic will break new ground both in terms of destinations and permissible car criteria. Read more

20-06-11

Britcar: Thruxton played host to the 4th round of the Britcar Championship last weekend, and it was a fraught weekend for many, not least the Strata21 team. New engine and delivery issues for their BMW meant a frantic Friday - and when the new engine wouldn't start the mechanics worked through the night to sort it. With spanners flying back at the workshop, and with both the Mosler and BMW on the same truck, neither cars made it out for Saturday’s warm-up or qualifying sessions.   read report

Volkswagen Racing Cup : Rounds five and six of the Volkswagen Racing Cup with FUCHS Lubricants delivered some great racing on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on Sunday, with Kieran Griffin and new championship leader Aaron Mason claiming hard-fought wins.  Scirocco driver Griffin capitalised on an excellent start to hold Steve Chaplin’s Beetle at bay and take his first win in three seasons of Cup competition, with Golf GTI man Mason making a superb late-race charge to claim third step on the podium in the day’s first race. A wet-but-drying track for the second event made tyre choice and performance crucial. Mason secured an emphatic win, leading for 10 of the 11 laps and resisting James Walker’s valiant efforts to snatch victory.  pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read report

Star Mazda: Sage Karam, driving the #88 Andretti Autosport / MAZDASPEED / Comfort Revolution Mazda, led 93 of 98 laps around the Milwaukee Mile to score his first victory of the season in Round 4 of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.  Karam started from the inside of the second row, but took the lead on Lap 5 and stretched it to a 13.430 second advantage over second placed  Martin Scuncio’s #60 Juncos Racing / Bia Comunicaciones / Cable Del Pacifico Mazda.   Pole-winner Nick Andries claimed the final podium spot in his #81 Team Pelfrey / Lithionics Battery / GS610 Brake Fluid / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda. Read report

BTCC: Matt Neal and Mat Jackson shared the wins in yesterday’s (Sun 19 June) three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at the Croft where Robert Collard and his rookie team-mate Nick Foster were also stars of the show. Former double champion Neal won the day’s first two races in his Honda Racing Team Civic but Jackson, the young pretender, struck back with victory in the third in his Airwaves Racing Ford Focus. As a result, Worcestershire’s Neal continues to lead the championship but Warwickshire’s Jackson, looking his most competitive yet in his fifth season in the BTCC, is a mere nine points adrift as the teams head into a seven-week summer break before the next three races of their season at Snetterton, Norfolk on 6-7 August. Read report

Matt Neal heads the charge for the 2011 Dunlop MSA BTCC after two majestic wins at Croft.  It means the Civic driver is now nine points clear at the head of the points at the halfway point in the season while the sister car of Gordon Shedden is third, 20 points adrift. Honda also continues its leads of the manufacturer and team standings. Neal conquered the tricky conditions in the opening race on Sunday to fend off a late charge from a rival and took the chequered flag just 0.055 seconds clear following a tense race. He was able to control the pace in the second race to add his fifth win of the campaign and was then seventh in the reversed grid race three. Three top six finishes for Scotsman Shedden have also helped him keep the pressure on in the fight for the prestigious crown.“If you had have offered me two podium finishes coming in to this weekend, I would have taken them,” said Neal. “To get two wins and then more points in race three was better than we could have imagined. The Honda Racing Team car has been fantastic this weekend. We have worked hard on getting the most out of the handling of the Civic chassis which really is a benefit in the wet weather – the entire Honda Racing Team crew has been at the top of its game this weekend and that is what has helped us to get the results.” Shedden said he was disappointed not to have scaled the podium but thinks that there are lessons that can be learned from a solid weekend at Croft. I was never really in the sweet spot with the handling of the car but we still walked away with three top six finishes,” said Flash. “I am frustrated that I couldn’t have been on the podium like Matt but I know the potential is there in the car and we just have to work on finding it. We have got a seven-week break in the championship now before the next rounds at Snetterton, so we have plenty of time to go back through the data that we get from this meeting to work out the areas that will push me even further forwards. This wasn’t a perfect weekend for me, but it wasn’t a disaster either. In this series, it is all about consistently scoring points.”

For the fourth time in five race weekends, Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racing were on the podium in the Dunlop MSA BTCC. A tremendous performance from the Pirtek Racing squad put Andrew into the top six right through the weekend and he ended Sunday with fourth place overall in the drivers’ championship standings. Read report

Toyota’s independent Avensis racer Frank Wrathall enjoyed arguably his most promising outing to date in the Dunlop MSA BTCC as the series reached the half-way point at Croft over the weekend. Frank’s Dynojet Racing Toyota showed points-scoring pace throughout race day in the North East and, even if a top 10 finish proved elusive, the team made huge strides to boost confidence going into the summer break. Frank had qualified 17th and race day started well with a strong run through to 12th place in a wet opening encounter, in which the Dynojet Avensis briefly ran inside the points.“That was a really good race,” Frank said, “and easily the best one we’ve had so far. The car ran faultlessly and performed well in the conditions.” Starting race two from 12th as a result, Frank again found himself battling for a top 10 position before contact from the Chevrolet of Alex MacDowall at the hairpin damaged a rear wheel and left Frank to retire after going off into the gravel at the following corner.After hard work from the Dynojet team to repair the car, Frank was keen to fight up from 20th on the grid for race three but, on the second lap, he clipped a tyre stack going into the Jim Clark Esses with the resultant damage seeing him go off into the corn field on the outside of the circuit. While that meant the end result from the weekend was two DNFs, the pace displayed by the Avensis and a reliable weekend on track means the team goes into the summer break confident of a strong showing when racing resumes at Snetterton in August. “The car felt excellent in the final race and I was tucked in behind the car in front heading into the Esses,” Frank said. “The tyres on the edge of the circuit are in a ridiculous place as every lap you have cars either touching them or nearly touching them and I just made a mistake. I clipped the tyres on the left and that was it; game over.It’s frustrating that we go home from here with two DNFs, but race two was down to someone else hitting me and then I made a mistake in race three. The car has been fantastic this weekend and had run faultlessly, which is really good for the team.

Carlisle’s Alex MacDowall heads into the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s seven week summer break ninth in the driver standings following a mixed outing at his ‘home’ track, Croft in North Yorkshire, over the weekend, 18th/19th June. Read report

Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup newcomer Tim Harvey and Nathan Freke shared the wins at Croft on Sunday, 19th June, but a second podium of the weekend for Carl Breeze enabled him to overhaul Tom Sharp at the head of the driver standings. Sharp’s once substantial points lead was heavily eroded throughout the weekend and despite a third place finish in round 13, a non-finish for the IDL driver in round 14 – after contact with the car of Stefan Hodgetts while dicing for the final podium spot – means he is now 13 points adrift of Breeze. After making a terrific debut at the wheel of a Total Control Racing Ginetta G55 on Saturday, former BTCC Champon and double Porsche Carrera Cup GB title winner Harvey took  a very popular win in the first of Sunday’s races. Even more impressive was the fact he came through from the very back of the grid to achieve it. pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read report

Tim Harvey took Total Control Racing back on to the top step of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup podium at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire on Sunday, 19th June, with a scintillating drive from the back of the grid to claim his maiden category win – in only his second race in a Ginetta G55. read report

Clio Cup: While TCR enjoyed a successful outing with their Ginettas, Sunday’s AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK race didn’t bear fruit with two of the squad’s four cars failing to finish the 12-lap encounter. First, Nicolas Hamilton had a clutch problem on the opening lap so retired instantly and then points leader James Dixon was forced out on lap 12 after contact from a rival led to broken steering. pic Jakob Ebrey Photography      Read team report

Scuderia Vittoria dominated a weekend of AirAsia Renault Clio Cup racing at Croft, with Matt Allison winning both races and Luke Wright claiming a second place, after the duo had blitzed the field in qualifying to take first and second on the grid. They were the first Clio Cup victories for Scuderia Vittoria, which was only established before the start of this season, and add to the win the team took at April’s opening round of the British GT Championship with its Ferrari 458 at Oulton Park.  Read report

James Dixon experienced the highs and lows of motorsport in the space of 24 hours at Croft Circuit over the weekend, 18th/19th June – the AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK star taking the outright points lead on Saturday before an enforced retirement on Sunday dropped him to third in the title race.pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Ginetta Challenge: Clive Richards and Mark Davies took wins in the Ginetta Challenge at Brands Hatch, although Sean Huyton continues to lead the title race.  Read report

Ginetta Jnrs: Charlie Robertson and George Gamble took a win apiece at Croft on Sunday during two highly entertaining Ginetta Junior Championship races – Robertson quite possibly becoming the youngest ever winner of a car race in the UK. Aged 14 years and five months, the HHC Motorsport driver finished second to fellow first year rookie Gamble during round nine but bagged his maiden victory with an impressive drive in round 10 to move up to third in the championship standings. Robertson also set the new lap record in race one.     Read report

Hillspeed drivers Seb Morris and Struan Moore each delivered a pair of  strong race performances at Croft over the  weekend during the ninth and 10th rounds of the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship. Points leader Morris, winner of seven of the eight races contested prior to the visit to the North East, had to produce two determined drives from  lower than expected grid slots. Although missing out on a podium for the first  time this year, the 15-year-old underlined his determination and sparkling  racecraft with fourth and fifth place finishes. pic Jakob Ebrey Photography     Read report

Marford teenager Seb Morris showed tremendous depth of character and determination at Croft over the weekend, 18th/19th June, to maintain a 88-point lead in the Ginetta Junior Championship standings despite his most challenging event of the season so far.   Read report

Formula Ford: Scott Malvern sealed his place in the history books by winning the inaugural Formula Ford Eurocup contest after a dramatic rain-afflicted final race at Brands Hatch on Sunday afternoon. Malvern mastered the treacherous conditions in his Jamun Racing Mygale to take his third win of the weekend around the Brands Hatch Grand Prix loop. Malvern’s three wins put him comfortably clear in the Eurocup contest, which is awarded to the highest scoring driver across the course of the weekend. The hat-trick of victories also means that Malvern has stretched his advantage in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain title race and extends his winning streak to nine races in a row.   pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read report

Testing on the Friday went well, with Dan  de Zille in the top 10 all day, finishing 3rd fastest overall on the full Brands Hatch GP circuit. Qualifying would also have followed suit, was it not for De Zille catching traffic on the last flying lap. However, he’d done enough to gain respectable start positions of 5th, 5th and 4th for the weekend’s three races.  Read race report

The first and second in a series of documentary-style ‘vodcasts’ about Formula Ford have just been published online by Ford. The two 12-minute films, which can be viewed now on the Ford UK TV channel on YouTube, takes a behind the scenes look at the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship and the season’s contenders, and features race footage from the opening rounds at Silverstone and Oulton Park. Viewers can also get a glimpse of what goes on in race control during a meeting, and how a track’s safety systems operate during an on-track incident. “These are the first of several vodcasts featuring Formula Ford - both the British series and the EuroCup - which will be featured on the Ford UK TV channel,” said Sam Roach of championship promoter RacingLine. “We are keen that YouTube’s many followers not only get to witness the spectacular racing action provided by Formula Ford, but also that they gain an understanding of how the championship’s young drivers are guided in their careers.”   The Ford UK TV channel can be found at youtube.com/user/forduktv and there are links to the Formula Ford vodcasts from the Formula Ford website at britishformulaford.co.uk

Formula 3: Carlin’s Felipe Nasr destroyed the opposition during round 12 of the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series at a rain-lashed Brands Hatch yesterday, on his way to a sensational fourth win of the season. Off the back of a fine second place during round 10 on Saturday and a top six finish during this morning’s ‘sprint race’, round 11, the 18-year-old from Brasilia was untouchable in the last of the weekend’s outings to extend his championship lead to a 45 points.  . pic Jakob Ebrey Photography     Read report

T-Sport’s Menasheh Idafar produced a terrific performance during the 11th round of the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday, 19th June, to secure his second podium of the season – a mere 0.6 seconds shy of a maiden race victory. pic Jakob Ebrey Photography     Read report

British GT: Gregor Fisken scored his first Avon Tyres British GT Championship victory of the season at Brands Hatch on Sunday after he and co-driver Tim Bridgman mastered tricky conditions throughout the accident-affected two-hour enduro. The result was the epitome of team work and a perfect tonic for reigning champions Trackspeed who had worked tirelessly to prepare both its Porsche 997 GT3 Rs since their Snetterton accident last month. Gregor showed little fear on slick tyres in the slippery track conditions to bravely pass four cars around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend on the opening lap, then take the lead two corners later, before settling into second place. The leading trio soon pulled clear of the rest with Fisken closely sandwiched between the front-running Ferrari and team-mate David Ashburn in the sister Porsche. By lap 14 the lead had developed into a four-way fight before a fresh downpour at the half-hour mark made life particularly tricky for those on slicks. Crucially Fisken held his nerve as accidents further down the order triggered a Safety Car period. Soon after racing resumed the pit-stop window opened with Gregor diving in to hand over to Bridgman. By the time all of the leading contenders had pitted, the #2 Porsche was 13 seconds adrift of first place, only for a succession of quick times on the soaking surface to reduce the deficit. With the Ferrari soon dispatched, Bridgman began building a sizeable advantage.  And although the charging #21 Ferrari did mount a late effort, the 25-year-old was able to withstand the pressure over the closing laps to record the duo’s first victory of 2011 by 5.399 seconds.This year’s Avon Tyres British GT Championship moves on to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium on July 8/9 for round four of the campaign.

Super GT: Celebrated as a hero by the small Japanese contingent that travelled to Malaysia, the recent winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours encountered a very different sporting weekend in Sepang, but still kept hold of the Super GT championship lead. Benoît and his friend Andre Lotterer, team-mates at Audi but opponents in Super GT, were both eagerly welcomed by the series’ entire paddock as it visited Malaysia for round 3 of the 2011 championship.  Read report

Formula Renault: Oscar King secured fifth place for Atech Reid GP in Sunday’s second Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship race at Croft, finishing two places ahead of Cypriot Tio Ellinas. Despite losing two laps in the pits, Dan Wells finished eighth while yesterday’s race winner Jack Hawskworth was one of many caught out by the tricky conditions spinning out of third place, four laps from home.  read report 

19-06-11

WTCC : The championship hasn’t reached the half way point yet, but already  the fight for the world title seems to be limited to a private affair among the three Chevrolet drivers.Rob Huff and Yvan Muller shared victories in Brno, while Alain Menu collected two third places. And the races proved that now all will be up to the drivers' nerves and their ability to impose their authority on the track. Which  is what  Huff did best when he checkmated Muller in three moves at the start of Sunday’s Race 1. However the reigning champion proved he is not willing to abdicate and recovered from eighth on the grid to victory in Race 2.The gap between them is only now 25 points, or one race win. At the present moment Menu looks a step behind his team-mates lying  53 points from Huff.  Behind the Chevrolet cars the rest of the field is steadily improving. Tom Coronel fought tooth and nail to claim another podium result for BMW, while Michel Nykjær and Robert Dahlgren gave SUNRED and Volvo their best results so far with the new 1.6 -litre turbo engines.

Norbert Michelisz is having a black series. After the drive-through in Budapest for causing the pile-up at the start of the second race and yesterday's exclusion from the qualifying due to underweight, the Hungarian youngster was given another drive-through for pushing Darryl O'Young off today's Race 2.

DTM: Martin Tomczyk (Audi) has won the fourth DTM round at Lausitzring. Having started from fourth on the grid  the German crossed the finish line after 52 laps at the 3.478 kilometres long track. With his second season win after his earlier success at Spielberg in Austria a fortnight ago, the 29-year old has taken over the lead in the championship  with 30 points. In second place, Timo Scheider completed the 1-2 for Audi with Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz) third .  read report

Formula Renault: Atech Reid GP secured it’s first 1-2 of the season at Croft on Saturday with Jack Hawksworth making a dream debut for the team, leading home team-mate Tio Ellinas in round nine of the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship. Starting from pole, 20 year-old Hawksworth made the perfect start to take the lead, quickly followed by Ellinas, who made a great getaway from the second row.  Read report

Formula Ford: The momentum of the chase for the 2011 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain title swung firmly in the favour of Scott Malvern at Brands Hatch on Saturday. Jamun Racing Mygale driver Malvern took two race wins on the Kent circuit’s Grand Prix loop to snatch the championship lead from his team-mate, and season-long leader, Jeroen Slaghekke.Malvern’s pair of wins came in mixed conditions, the Barkingside driver having to cope with a very wet opening race and then soak up intense pressure from rapid Australians Geoff Uhrhane and Nick McBride in the second outing. In contrast Slaghekke, who held a four-point lead coming into the weekend, could manage only a single sixth place finish in race two after falling foul of the difficult conditions of the first outing. As a result Malvern has opened up a 39-point lead in the title race.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read report 

GT: Mok Weng Sun ended a perfect weekend with another pole to flag victory in his Ferrari F458 GT3 in Round 4 of the GT Asia today. The Singaporean driver claimed the win ahead of Malaysian Tunku Hammam Sulong and Hong Kong driver Eddie Yau, completing 18 laps in 40 minutes 32.765 seconds. Mok’s perfect weekend began when he claimed both pole positions during the two Qualifying sessions held on Friday and collecting the first race win of the weekend yesterday for Team Clearwater Racing. Pic: afos.com by Ying Ching Heng     Read report

Star Mazda: It was in the opposite order last time, but for the second oval in a row, Team Pelfrey made it an all-yellow front row for the start of  Round 4 of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. In qualifying, Florida racer Nick Andries put his #81 Team Pelfrey / Lithionics Battery / GS610 Brake Fluid / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda on the pole with a 27.269 (133.998 mph), just 0.02s off the Star Mazda track record at Milwaukee of 27.249. Sitting next to him on the front row will be his teammate, California driver Connor De Phillippi with a lap of 27.272 in the Team Pelfrey / Justice Brothers Products / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda. Sage Karam will start third after a lap of 27.375  in the #88 Andretti Autosport / MAZDASPEED / Comfort Revolution Mazda. Karam topped the times during Star Mazda testing at Milwaukee on Thursday and has been at the sharp end of the time sheets throughout. Rounding out the top four is French racer Tristan Vautier, the current championship points leader with a lap of 27.530 in his #5 JDC Motorsports / Cecibon / Circuit du Laquais Mazda. Fifth is California racer Gustavo Menezes, he has been quick in practice and will start from the inside of the third row with a 27.643 in the #28 Juncos Racing / Truecar / Safety Park Mazda.
Qualifying Results - Milwaukee Mile

1. Nick Andries (Team Pelfrey) 27.269
2. Connor De Phillippi (Team Pelfrey) 27.272
3. Sage Karam (Andretti Autosport) 27.375
4. Tristan Vautier (JDC MotorSports) 27.530
5. Gustavo Menezes (Juncos Racing) 27.643
6. J.V. Horto (Juncos Racing) 27.745
7. Martin Scuncio (Juncos Racing) 27.754
8. Tatiana Calderon (Juncos Racing) 27.863
9. Joao Jardim (JDC MotorSports) 27.963
10. Jérimy Daniel (Daniel Racing) 28.377
11. Carlos Linares (Linares Racing) 28.665
12. Nick Mancuso (JDC MotorSports) 28.847

Formula 3: For a guy that didn’t have a drive on Friday morning, Kristian Lindbom has done a pretty good impression of a full-time racing driver after winning a dramatic City of Darwin Cup weekend  at Hidden Valley Raceway. With a last-minute deal placing him behind the wheel of the #4 Team BRM Dallara for this round only, Lindbom dodged plenty of dramatic moments across Sunday’s  two races to take the most points away from Formula 3’s first visit to Darwin – and he won the final race as well. After finishing second in race one yesterday, and third in this morning’s 14-lapper, Lindbom assumed the lead on the opening lap of the third race after John Magro and Bryce Moore ran wide at turn one whilst battling for the lead. Lindbom was never headed from there, ecstatically pumping the air with his fist as he took the flag after 12 tough laps. Earlier in the day, regular Team BRM driver John Magro won his first career race – but all eyes were on Lindbom who actually survived a high-speed ‘off’ at turn seven whilst leading race two, costing him the race victory but not the overall win.  read report   Pic Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK Photos

In a major development in the continued regeneration of Formula 3 racing in Australia, Formula 3 Management has announced that the category will race on the Mount Panorama, Bathurst circuit in 2012.  A successful application to the National Track Safety Advisory Committee ensures that the category can race at the circuit from next season.  Formula 3 category management are currently in discussions with Bathurst event promoters in order to secure a round at the iconic track for the 2012 racing season, which will mark the first time in approximately 40 years that top-level ‘wings and slicks’ racing will have competed at the Mount Panorama circuit. In 1970 Niel Allen set the then-outright lap record at 2m09.7 seconds driving a McLaren M10-B Chevrolet F5000, the last time a major ‘wings and slicks’ category raced at the circuit. With its worldwide recognition and standing, an F3 event at Mount Panorama is expected to be a major talking point in the global F3 community and a milestone for the category in Australia.  The category hopes to announce a spot for a Bathurst race on its 2012 Calendar before August this year. Ian Richards – Formula 3 Management - “The decision made by the NTSAC is welcomed by the entire Formula 3 community in Australia and indeed, around the world. The lure of Bathurst is truly international and the news that there was a chance Formula 3 could race there in the near future has been doing the rounds overseas and it’s created a lot of excitement. I’m sure that now it has been confirmed the interest will grow further. Part of the strategy in growing the sport in Australia is centred around building a major international presence within a Bathurst Formula 3 race. Not only will it benefit Formula 3 in Australia, but it will give the category another marquee circuit globally. It is the ultimate circuit and Formula 3 cars will be truly spectacular to watch there.” Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Richard Craill photos

Brazilian Felipe Nasr secured his seventh podium of the 2011 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series with a great drive to second place during a rain-affected 10th round of the season at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday, 18th June. Earning yet another healthy haul of points, the 18-year-old maintains his position at the top of the championship standings thanks to a fantastically well judged drive.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography        Read report

Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series racer Menasheh Idafar produced an excellent drive during the 10th round of the season at a rain-hit Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday afternoon, 18th June, to take a well deserved ninth place finish – up from 13th on the grid. The result, which sees the 20-year-old climb into equal 11th position in the championship, came after a good call by his T-Sport team on when to pit for slick tyres as the track dried towards the mid-point of the 21-lapper.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography        Read report

Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup : Former Ginetta G50 Cup Champion Nathan Freke took his second victory of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup season at Croft Circuit  on Saturday afternoon with a faultless performance in tricky conditions during the 12th round of the season. Although beset with misfortune during the early part of the 2011 campaign, Freke is now beginning to show the sort of form which carried him to the G50 crown in 2009. Securing pole position for the race by 0.2 seconds from Adam Morgan, he went on to claim an emphatic lights-to-flag win by just over three seconds.Morgan, a consistent podium finisher season-long, delivered an assured drive to second place and was never realistically challenged as a titanic battle over third place raged. Involving as many as half a dozen drivers at one stage, Colin White emerged with his second podium of the year.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography       Read report

Title challenger Carl Breeze closed to within just 19 points of the championship lead at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire on Saturday, 18th June, by finishing in fourth place during the 12th round of the season for Total Control Racing. Meanwhile his team-mate James Dixon took the outright points lead in the AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK during round nine of the season, the TCR driver importantly keeping championship rival Paul Rivett at bay to finish just half a second ahead at the chequered flag. In doing so, the Stockbury racer has taken a slim two point lead at the head of the standings. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography       Read report

Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup : Daniel Lloyd produced arguably the best performance of his young career at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany on  Saturday, 18th June, by racing through from fifth on the grid to claim his maiden victory in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup. Only four rounds in to his first season of European competition, the 19-year-old from Huddersfield delivered a memorable drive in a race regarded throughout the paddock as the best of the year so far. Offering close action lap after lap, with continual position changes, the fight for the lead boiled down to a three-car battle involving Daniel, Poland’s Mateusz Lisowski – the series leader – and American driver James Mobley.  In the end, Daniel judged everything perfectly to pull clear over the final couple of laps to win by an impressive 1.4 seconds. In addition, he also posted the fastest lap of the race and the result has also seen him rocket up the driver standings from eighth place into the top three –a point shy of second position. Read full report

WTCC: Yvan Muller claimed his first pole position of the season, and the first since Brands Hatch last year, beating his team-mate and current championship leader Rob Huff by more than three tenths of the second.After having been the fastest driver in both the day's free practice sessions, Muller made three out of three in Q2 and gave the Chevrolet RML team their fifth pole position in five events.Tom Coronel emerged as the fastest of the others, posting the third fastest lap - his best result so far with the ROAL Motorsport BMW.  Read more

18-06-11

DTM: Bruno Spengler, leader in the points, was fastest again in qualifying for the fourth DTM season round at Lausitzring and claimed pole position with his AMG Mercedes C-Class. The Canadian completed the lap at the 3.478 kilometres track near Berlin in 1:19.119s. After his first place on the grid for the Hockenheim opener and at Zandvoort, it is his  third pole of the season and the tenth of his DTM career. “Today, I am particularly happy, because we were still having problems in free practice. We were able to improve in every qualifying heat. For me, it was great fun and I hope that we can win again on Sunday”, said Spengler, who won last year’s race at Lausitzring. His fellow Mercedes driver Jamie Green will start  from second , the Briton 0.405 s down on Spengler. After Zandvoort and Spielberg with 16th and 18th place respectively, Swede Mattias Ekström succeeded in making it into third  with his Audi A4 DTM :  “I find it annoying that, in the end, we are always a little bit slower than Mercedes-Benz at Lausitzring. We will analyse that now. When we find the problem, we will have very good chances in the race tomorrow”, said Ekström, still confident. Audi driver Martin Tomczyk is behind Spengler in the drivers’ standings and will start from fourth place. Fifth and sixth are Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) and Oliver Jarvis (Audi).  Tom Kristensen (Audi) had a great comeback with seventh, the eight times’ Le Mans winner is standing in for Mike Rockenfeller, who had an accident in the Le Mans 24 Hours and refrained from starting as a precautionary measure.

Formula 3: James Winslow won the first Formula 3 race to be staged at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway, fighting his way back from an early disadvantage to take his third consecutive win of the 2011 season. Starting from pole position, which he earned dramatically earlier in the day, Winslow dropped to second early in the race but was able to re-take the lead and continue his impressive streak of wins since his return to the championship earlier this year. As such, he becomes the first ever race winner of an F3 race at the Hidden Valley circuit. Pic Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK Photos   Read report

GP3: Atech CRS GP successfully completed the final mid-season two-day test at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valencia-Ricardo Tormo ahead of next weekend’s rounds of the GP3 Series at the Spanish track. On Thursday Swiss racer Zoel Amberg led the way for the Leicestershire team, winding up tenth fastest and on Friday it was the turn of Marlon Stockinger 11th fastest, as Briton Nick Yelloly concentrated on race simulations and set-up. With scorching hot conditions predicted later in the day, the trio and the rest of the 30-car grid were keen to make the most of the cooler temperatures early in the day and took to the track for the morning session. A red flag 30 minutes from the end of the session prematurely ended their charge, with just one final run remaining when the lights again turned green. In Friday’s final test, the team was greeted with overhead cloud, and once again were quick to take to the track, spending much of the day thereafter working on race simulations and setup ahead of the third round which takes place around the Valencia street circuit next week. Another red flag in the final ten minutes ended any chance of improvement, but nevertheless, in a field of 30 cars, in which the top 21 were covered by a second, the trio remain optimistic ahead of the race weekend. Marlon Stockinger: “I feel we had a very good test, the team did a great job, and we covered a lot over the course of the two days, with plenty of development work and much progress made. I wound up 11th at the end and the car performed very well in the warm conditions, which will hopefully be the same for the race weekend. Overall I feel we are moving in the right direction and look forward to a good result next weekend.”  Nick Yelloly: “I struggled a bit over the opening day and a half with getting the best out of the car and the tyres, but this afternoon it all came together and I feel much happier with the direction we’re going in. Today I concentrated on getting some decent runs in and improving my braking points which worked well as I ended up much closer to the lead cars and I feel now I can easily make up a few tenths more when it comes to qualifying. I’m looking forward to getting into the race weekend.” Zoel Amberg: “It was a fairly good test this week and I’m looking forward to a good outing next weekend. I feel I’m continuing to make really good progress with Mick Cook, my new engineer and hopeful we can continue to move forward into qualifying and the remainder of the season.”  Team Principal David Hayle: “It was a fairly promising outing overall with a lot of progress made with all three drivers. We spent much of the first day carrying out development work and race simulations and are fairly confident we’re going in the right direction with regards to set-up which should hopefully allow us to be on the pace in the next rounds in Spain.

The 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours will go down in sporting history as a race packed full of superlatives thanks to the fierce battle between its protagonists, the tactical mastery of an Audi team never stronger than when faced with adversity, by the excellence of its drivers and emotional pressure under which Benoît Tréluyer and his team scored victory. It’s the flashback over these 24 hours that will forever define the Le Mans local…read report

17-06-11

WTCC: A group of WTCC drivers - Yvan Muller, Norbert Michelisz, Gabriele Tarquini, Robert Dahlgren and Rob Huff - took part together with championship promoter Marcello Lotti in a promotional event that took place on Friday afternoon at the Olympia shopping mall, located a few kilometres south of Brno, along the D2 motorway to Bratislava. The event began with a press conference that was attended by a delegation of local media. An autograph session followed for the visitors of the shopping mall, one of the largest and busiest of the city.Two Chevrolet Cruzes, Yvan Muller's WTCC racing car and a road-going model, have been exhibited in the mall's atrium since last week. 

Thomas Biagi had his first taste of a WTCC car, driving the ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC on the Adria racetrack. Biagi, the reigning Superstars Series champion and twice a winner of the FIA GT championship (2003 and 2007), was impressed by the car that Tom Coronel drives in the World Touring Car Championship. "The BMW 320 TC is an amazing car. Although it has less power than the BMW M3 I drive in the Superstars Series, the development of chassis and suspensions joint to the lighter weight compensate the difference. This car provides all the feelings needed to drive to the limit. I admit that after this first test I would really love to compete in the WTCC from the final races of the current season," Biagi commented. Team principal Roberto Ravaglia said: "Thomas has a remarkable talent; he was soon able to get in tune with the car and duly completed the scheduled work. We are now working to find the necessary budget for fielding a second car alongside Tom Coronel's in the final races of the season. Together with Thomas we are trying to involve some sponsors interested in overseas markets and in the huge media impact provided by the world championship."

The FIA Touring Car Committee have accepted the request of Polestar Racing to use the new 1.6-litre turbo engine in Robert Dahlgren's Volvo C30 from this weekend's event in Brno.The Volvo C30 Drive car was homologated by Sweden's National Sporting Authority (SBF) and declared eligible for competing in WTCC by the FIA Touring Car Committee as a 'national car' (article 10C of the WTCC Sporting Regulations).Dahlgren will be given 40 kg of compensation weight as per articles 79 B2 and B5 of the WTCC Sporting Regulations."I am absolutely thrilled. The engine is still in its early development, but the potential seems very good. We don't know yet about its reliability and now my car is 60 kilos heavier than in Hungary, which will make a big difference. But this track should suit the car's chassis and my driving style, so I am confident," Dahlgren commented. 

Following the Touring Car Committee's decision to make the Volvo C30 Drive eligible to compete, the FIA amended the compensation weight list for the event in Brno.With the Volvo laden by 40kg and Fabio Fabiani's BMW 320si not taking part in the Czech meeting, all the cars will be on the same weight but Aleksei Dudukalo's SEAT León TDi that is 20 kilos lighter. Compensation weight Brno + 40 kg BMW 320 TC, Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T, SUNRED SR León 1.6T, Volvo C30 Drive + 20 kg SEAT León TDi

Formula Renault UK: Atech Reid GP continued to be among the pacesetters in testing for the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship with Cypriot Tio Ellinas second in the final session at the Croft circuit today. New signing Jack Hawksworth was an impressive fourth fastest in the session, just off the pace of Ellinas, in only his first test with the Cardiff-based team. Oscar King and Dan Wells both had a successful opening session, but were unable to get the most out of new tyres in the second. After making changes to their cars between the sessions however, both remain optimistic ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying for rounds seven and eight of the BTCC support series. Tio Ellinas: “I think both sessions went very well, the second better obviously to finish second fastest. On my flying lap I had a good first sector but made a little mistake in the second which ultimately cost me P1 but overall I think we are moving in the right direction and should be in a good position tomorrow when it comes to qualifying and when it really counts, to have a front row start. I haven’t raced here before and the track is quite bumpy, so it will be very important to be careful and not get into trouble.”  Oscar King: “The first session was OK, I was running around the P6/P7 mark but didn’t get many laps in towards the end and dropped to ninth. In the second I was hopeful of improving further but I overdrove I think and wasn’t able to capitalise as much as I’d like. But, when it matters in qualifying, I can hopefully repeat the form of this morning’s session and get a good start position for the races.” Dan Wells: “We had a good first session and had a good balance with the car running in sixth or seventh on old tyres. However in the second session I pushed too hard too early on new tyres and went off, which damaged the floor and nose and upset the tracking. But I’m optimistic about qualifying as we’d made some changes between the sessions which improved the car so now I can get my head down tomorrow and hopefully get some good times in when it matters.” Jack Hawksworth: “I think that was a reasonable start to my season with the team and I’m pretty happy with the result. I spent much of the first session finding my feet and ironing out a few issues, which are inevitable when you run a car for the first time in a while. I wasn’t too far off Tio’s pace but to be honest the benchmark is how far off the quickest driver you are and that’s the aim for tomorrow. I’m feeling pretty confident, we know where the time is, and we are moving in the right direction.”  Team Principal David Hayle: “It’s been a fairly productive day overall and we’re optimistic about the weekend, with both Tio and Jack setting some quick times in the second session, particularly impressive was Jack on his first time in the car. Oscar had a good first session but felt he overdrove in the second, however I’m confident he can be up near the front tomorrow. Dan too had a good first session and the changes we made between the first and second should allow him to improve again for qualifying tomorrow. All in all, we’re happy with all the driver’s performances and relish the chance to get some more podiums under our belt this weekend.”

Formula 2: Rounds five and six of the 2011 FIA Formula 2 Championship take place at Spa next weekend, 25th/26th June – an event which could well mark a turning point in the season for Will Bratt as he strives for his maiden F2 race win.  Off the back of a scintillating performance in testing at the Snetterton 300 Circuit little more than a week ago, the 23-year-old served notice of his title-challenging credentials with a faultless run half a second quicker than anyone. Dominant throughout the day’s four sessions, Will delivered the sort of performance which has seen him enjoy success at every level he’s competed – a great fillip ahead of the visit to the challenging 4.35-mile Spa circuit next weekend. “Spa is definitely one of the events I’m looking forward to the most this year”, said Will, “We went really well in testing at Snetterton so the aim is to go to Belgium, deliver a knock-out punch and get right back into the championship.”  Second position during the season-opener at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit got his year off to a great start. However, a run of misfortune over the course of the next three races means he heads to Belgium seventh in the championship. Hungry to get back among the leading contenders in the points table, Will knows he needs a couple of podiums at least at Spa which is regarded worldwide as a classic track and a real test of driving skill. His only previous experience of the circuit came in 2008 when racing in Formula 3 – achieving pole position and a podium finish on his track debut. Will added: “We were quick at Silverstone and should have been quick at Magny-Cours as well but it went wrong there – that was a blip though, I’m confident of a good run at Spa next weekend. It’s a great track and there are some awesome corners, I’m looking forward to it and sure we’ll do well.” Pic:  FIA Formula 2 Championship

Formula 3: At 9:30am this morning, Kristian Lindbom didn’t have a drive at this weekend’s Skycity Triple Crown Event at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway.  At 10:30am he was returning to the garage having banked what would ultimately be the fastest time of the day in practice for round two of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship at the same event. When a last-minute sponsor appeared, Victorian driver Lindbom jumped aboard the #4 Dallara from Team BRM and immediately topped the first of two practice sessions – his 1m05.7037 seconds lap standing as the quickest of the day as the Formula 3 cars took to Hidden Valley for the first time ever. That lap stands as the fastest any racing car has lapped Hidden Valley in ten years, some four seconds up on today’s V8 Supercar best.  Remarkably, Lindbom’s time was done in a car that he had only seen for the first time ten minutes before the session, utilising a seat mould last used by Kiwi driver Ben Crighton and pedals used by Mitch Evans – but it didn’t seem to bother the talented former-karting champion as he topped the competitive field assembled this weekend with a series of scintillating laps in practice one. The cooler track conditions in the first session suited the cars ideally, further improvement expected tomorrow when the field bolts their new Kumho control tyres on for Qualifying.  Championship leader James Winslow was second overall today and Lindbom’s Team BRM team-mate John Magro – who topped the slightly slower afternoon session – was third in a day where the weather was warm and the times even hotter. The top five cars were all within half-a-second in the second session, Chris Gilmour and Bryce Moore right in the thick of the action after making dramatic improvements between the first and second sessions. Tim Macrow was fifth and first of the older-model F304 cars entered, ahead of the increasingly competitive fight for the Forpark Australia F3 Scholarship being waged between three talented young drivers. Ben Gersekowski, Steel Guiliana and Bryce Moore were split by negligible margins in both sessions with a competitive fight looming across the weekend. Roman Krumins was also within striking distance in the second of the BF Racing Dallara’s. Drivers will this weekend race for the newly-inaugurated City of Darwin Cup, the driver with the most points at the end of the weekend taking home the impressive trophy.  Pic Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK Photos

Menasheh Idafar made a steady start to the fourth race meeting of the 2011 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit today, Friday, 17th June, by posting the 13th fastest time in both sessions. This morning’s opening one-hour run at the 2.3-mile Kent track took place in dry conditions with the 20-year-old steering his Dallara-Volkswagen to a best time of 1m19.518 seconds (110.16mph), placing him just over a second shy of the top three.  Heavy rain for session two led to a significant drop in lap times for all concerned, Menasheh setting a quickest of 1m32.238 seconds (94.96mph) to go 13th fastest once again. Unfortunately, the T-Sport driver did have a trip into the gravel trap at Druids Hairpin midway through the session but the excursion proved to be harmless. “It’s been an ok day really”, said Menasheh, “I would have liked to have been quicker, obviously, but it’s not a bad start. We had some experience of the track in the dry and wet too which could be very useful as we don’t know what the weather will do at the weekend.” Heading into rounds 10, 11 and 12, the British-born Bahraini is 12th in the championship standings, five points clear of his closest pursuer and just a couple of points adrift of 11th place. So far in his maiden season in the headline International Class, Menasheh has achieved one podium which came during round six at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

Star Mazda: Sage Karam, the 2010 USF2000 champion and Mazda Road to Indy scholarship driver now competing in the 2011 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, made his first foray to the top of the time sheet this season, setting the fastest time in Thursday testing at the Milwaukee Mile.  His lap – in clear and dry conditions - of 27.250 (132.110 mph) in the #88 Andretti Autosport / MAZDASPEED / Comfort Revolution Mazda was just 1/1,000th of a second shy of the official Star Mazda lap record at the Milwaukee Mile, a 27.249 set by Adrian Carrio in 2006.  "Today was great! We ended up P1 for the first time this year, so we're definitely showing improvement. The Andretti boys put together a great car today so I hope we can keep this momentum going for the rest of the weekend!"  Karam's effort left him 0.4s of a second clear of the second-quick driver, Brazilian J.V. Horto with a lap of 27.722 (129.861 mph) in the #18 Juncos Racing / Programa Leilões Mazda.  Rounding out the top-5 were Chilean driver Martin Scuncio in 3rd with a 27.742 (129.767 mph) in the #60 Juncos Racing / Bia Comunicaciones / Cable Del Pacifico Mazda; Californian Gustavo Menezes in 4th with a 27.755 (129.706 mph) in the #28 Juncos Racing / Truecar / Safety Park Mazda; and Florida driver Nick Andries with a 27.767 (129.650 mph) in the #81 Team Pelfrey / Lithionics Battery / GS610 Brake Fluid / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda. Connor De Phillippi, who has won two races so far this year,  wound up 6th-quick with a 27.845 (128.374 mph) lap in his Team Pelfrey / Justice Brothers Products / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda.  French racer Tristan Vautier, the current points leader, brushed the wall on lap 20 of the session and had to be satisfied with a 7th-fast lap of 28.043 (128.374 mph) in his #5 JDC Motorsports / Cecibon / Circuit du Laquais Mazda.  The top-8 cars were all within one second of each other.  Qualifying will take place from 3:00 – 3:40 pm Saturday, June 18.  The one-hour Round 4 of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship will take the green flag at 11am, Sunday, June 19

Karts: Jay Goodwin has ‘kick-started’ his 2011 national karting campaign after producing a gritty performance in the third outing of the Super 1 Series at Rowrah. He came away from the cumbrian circuit with a double top ten finish, his finest result of the season to-date.  Pic Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net    Read report

The meeting in Wackersdorf (Germany) was definitely one of the two most important events of the season. Which is why the Energy Corse team had prepared meticulously for the European Championship in 2011, KZ1. Italian Paolo De Conto put in a fantastic performance, leading after the qualifying heats and winner of the pre-final, he triumphed in the final race at the wheel of his Energy-TM/Rizzi. Crowned KZ2 vice European Champion, Swedish Joel Johansson showed that Energy has definitely been the most successful on the demanding Wackersdorf circuit. Read report

Dan Zelos has closed the gap on the runner-up spot in the 2011 Super 1 Series and kept himself in the title hunt following an impressive weekend at Glan Y Gors – and now he is bidding to do it all over again in fellow national championship, Formula Kart Stars (FKS).  Read report

CRG has always been one of the makes most appreciated by drivers in the 125cc gearbox categories. Indeed, almost 20% of all drivers in European KZ1 & KZ2 Championships were equipped with a chassis manufactured by the Italian make! In Wackersdorf, on 10-11-12 June, quantity was a synonym for quality since the colours of the Italian chassis were always visible in lead positions  read more

Superleague Formula : Atech Reid GP today confirm that New Zealand driver Chris Van Der Drift will be driving the Kiwi dubbed Black Beauty Superleague Formula car at the next round of the series at Zolder. Chris, who survived a horrific crash at Brands Hatch back in 2010 whilst leading the Championship is overwhelmed to be representing his home country New Zealand. ‘It is a fabulous feeling to be representing my home country.’ Chris stated. ‘It is a little bit surreal after my crash to be back in the car, but I am confident that I will be able to step back into Black Beauty and get her to the front of the grid. The Atech Reid GP team are very professional and have had a good start to the season so bring it on.’ Chris’ injuries saw him sit out the second half of the Superlegaue Formula championship in 2010 but team owner Anthony Reid is positive that Chris will be back at the front of the grid in no time.‘Chris is a very popular driver in the Superleague Formula championship and we are happy to have him representing New Zealand. He is feeling fit and ready and he is in a positive mind set. I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised with his pace.’ The championship series continues in Belgium at Zolder on July 16-17.

The 2011 GT Academy Race Camp drew to a thrilling conclusion on Thursday when 19-year-old Jann Mardenborough from Cardiff took the chequered flag in a four-way, 20-minute race on Silverstone’s national circuit. Pole position and the race win in the Nissan 370Z was enough to satisfy Head Judge Eddie Irvine that Jann was a worthy winner of GT Academy 2011 – a collaboration between Nissan and PlayStation® that saw over 90,000 people from 10 European countries take part on the Gran Turismo®5 game. Jann will now begin an intensive Driver Development Programme and compete in a number of UK national races to enable him to qualify for an International race licence. In January, 2012 he will line up on the grid of the Dubai 24 Hour race in a Nissan 370Z GT4 car – the ultimate prize in what has become the ultimate racing competition since its inception in 2008. Thibault Lacombe (FRA), Carlos Murillo (ESP) and Danilo Bordino (ITA) finished in that order behind Jann in both the race and the overall competition. These four had been selected earlier in the day by Irvine for the final race challenge. Sascha Meyenborg (DEU) and Thomas Arends (NED) had been eliminated after their first taste of driving a real GT4 race car around Silverstone’s Stowe Circuit.  “I am really buzzing, ecstatic,” said a jubilant Jann. “This competition is going to change my life massively. I can’t imagine, but I’m looking forward to it. I’m not sure about the next Lewis Hamilton, but being the next Lucas Ordoñez would be a pretty good start. This whole experience has been amazing and I would like to thank everyone involved, especially, PlayStation and Nissan. A massive thank you to my mentor this week, Johnny Herbert. He is amazing. Such a great guy and a great teacher.”  Four-time Formula One winner and Head Judge Eddie Irvine said: “I have been surprised by this experience. When I arrived, I saw there was some work to do, but the six that made it through to the final day did so because they reacted positively and showed some real grit and determination. Jann did a great job throughout and the final decision turned out to be fairly straight forward. He has been given an amazing opportunity by PlayStation and Nissan, but the hard work has only just begun for him. Even with this head start, making a career iin racing is tough and he’ll have to have talent, determination and luck in pretty much equal measure if he is to make it. I’ll keep an eye on him and hope he doesn’t let me down.”

MSV: A pair of Berkshire teenagers are on the road to writing success, after being awarded a unique driving prize for winning  MotorSport Vision’s Young Motorsport Journalist of the Year competition.  12-year-old James Martin from Maidenhead and 13-year-old Benjamin Greig from Wokingham were selected as the winner of the Southeastern category winners in the contest, which was launched by MotorSport Vision (MSV) – owners of Brands Hatch circuit - to uncover the next generation of budding journalists.  The competition challenged aspiring writers to put together a 300 word report based on a video of a Formula Two race. James and Benjamin’s entries were chosen by a panel of MSV staff and professional journalist Robert Ladbrook from Motorsport News magazine.  As their prize, both winners were offered the opportunity to flex their journalistic muscles by reviewing MSV’s YoungDrive! experience - an introductory driving lesson for 11-17 year olds in a BMW 1 Series at Brands Hatch.  James Martin said: “I enjoyed the whole experience of YoungDrive! at Brands Hatch, and I certainly feel more prepared for when I can really take to the road.” Benjamin Greig added: “Now I can annoy my parents by telling them what their driving mistakes are!”  Both reviews have been published in the official event programme for the British F3 and GT Championships this month, and Brands Hatch is delighted to present their articles in full … click here

Other News: A time of 8 minutes 08 seconds has seen the new limited edition Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy set a new benchmark time for a production-specification front-wheel drive car at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit.  Renault Sport established its first lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the Nordschleife on 23 June 2008. The time of 8 minutes 17 seconds posted that day by the Mégane Renaultsport R26.R demonstrated that a showroom-specification front-wheel drive car could beat high-performance models from some elite specialist brands and tuners. Today, it was the turn of Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy to beat the time by a full 9 seconds, a lap record that has stood for three years.  Laurent Hurgon (development driver, Renault Sport): “The Nordschleife is a legendary course. Its length and layout, which is very different to that of a conventional circuit, make it a unique and technically demanding challenge. Its difficulties are extremely varied, ranging from fast and even very fast in places to much twistier and slower portions. Turns like ‘Karusell’ and ‘Pflanzgarten’, for example, make huge demands of the car and driver alike, yet Mégane Renaultsport Trophy is very much in its element here and feels particularly reassuring despite the uncompromising nature of the terrain. The limited slip differential allowed me to accelerate hard out of the countless turns without understeer. The carefully-tuned Cup chassis, the dampers, the fade-resistant brakes, the Recaro seats, the power of the 265hp engine, the ready availability of torque between 2,500 and 5,000rpm and the car’s Bridgestone RE 050A (235/35 R19) tyres allowed me to make the most of the car’s enormous potential, especially into and out of the corners. It is this package which enabled me to post such a quick time round this circuit which you must always approach with a certain degree of humility.”

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Formula Renault : Atech Reid GP will run Jack Hawksworth for the remainder of the 2011 Michelin Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship which resumes at Croft this weekend. The 20 year-old from Bradford will join Tio Ellinas, Oscar King and Dan Wells in North Yorkshire on Friday for testing prior to the double-header rounds of the BTCC support series. The former karter contested the earlier rounds of the Formula Renault series after making an impressive debut in the 2010 Winter Cup, securing pole in his very first single seater race. Thereafter the talented Yorkshireman picked up three additional pole spots and finished the series in third place with two podium finishes to his credit. After visiting the Atech Reid GP’s Cardiff base yesterday, Jack was delighted to confirm his participation in the remaining rounds of the series with the David Hayle and Anthony Reid-led team. “I’m very much looking forward to contesting the remaining rounds of the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship with Atech Reid GP, who have proved to be a very professional team so far so this season,” said Jack. “I was very impressed with my visit to the team yesterday when I got to meet all the key team members, who are all very motivated for success. Although I have yet to test with the team, I think we all gelled very well and I’m hoping they will help me to up my game and help me to improve. Although it’s unrealistic to talk about my chances of winning first time out, I will still go into the Croft races this weekend the way I always do, determined for victory and with the confidence to do so. I am very much up for the challenge.” Team Principal David Hayle was equally optimistic about Jack’s first race weekend with the team. “We at Atech Reid GP are delighted to welcome Jack as the latest addition to our team. Along with Tio, Oscar and Dan we have another fast driver in the team which will help us keep pushing forward. His performance in last year’s Winter Cup showed he has the pace to be a front-runner and we look forward to a successful remainder of the 2011 series.”

Historics: One of the rarest and most intriguing Formula One cars of all times will return to racing after a 50 year absence at next month’s Silverstone Classic (22-24 July). The extraordinary front-engined Scarab was the first American Formula 1 car, built by wealthy enthusiast Lance Reventlow, who was the son of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and the step-son of actor Cary Grant. After success with sports cars, Reventlow decided to tackle GP racing and the Scarab single-seater made its debut at the 1960 Monaco GP. But by the time the front-engined car was ready to race, Lotus and Cooper had made the switch to rear-engined designs and the Scarab was out-classed. Chassis number three – now in the hands of new owner Julian Bronson – was one of the original trio of cars taken to Zandvoort in 1960 as a spare with no engine. It was then acquired by Tom Wheatcroft in 1964 and spent many years in the Donington Collection. The other two front-engined Scarabs are owned and raced by US enthusiast Don Orosco. “I bought it from the Donington Collection,” confirmed Bronson, who hopes to have it ready for the Pre ’61 Front-Engined Grand Prix Car races during the Silverstone Classic. It will race with a 2.5-litre Offenhauser engine, which has been built in Cincinnati. Bristol-based Bronson has been working flat out to get the car ready to race at the end of July and took delivery of the engine at the end of May. He has had a replica set of bodywork made so that the original set can be safely stored away in case of damage. “It will run in exactly the same livery,” confirmed Bronson. “It’s going to be close to be ready for Silverstone, but we should do it,” he admitted. “It would be lovely to give it a debut race at the Silverstone Classic. It’s really exciting. I’ve always wanted a front-engined Grand Prix car and this is just about the last of them. It’s just incredible; such an exciting car.”

DTM: Tom Kristensen will make a comeback in the DTM this coming weekend at the Lausitzring. The Dane replaces third in the standings Mike Rockenfeller (27) at the wheel of the E-POSTBRIEF Audi A4 DTM for Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. Mike Rockenfeller is recovering quickly but Audi wants to be completely sure that he has sufficient time to fully regenerate following his heavy accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Knowing well that Mike is fighting for the DTM title this year his full recovery has absolute priority," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "After prior consultation with our team doctor I have decided to rest him this coming weekend and also for the 24 hour race at the Nürburgring for this reason." With Tom Kristensen an old hand returns for one race to the Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline squad. The eight-time Le Mans winner competed between 2004 and 2009 for Audi in the DTM before concentrating solely on the sport prototype program. Although he considers the Lausitzring not to be one of his favorite circuits, the Dane has fond memories of the circuit: he mounted the podium as best Audi driver there in 2005 and 2006.. "First of all I’m sorry for ‘Rocky’ that he will miss this race. I wish him a speedy recovery. After being out of the DTM for two years it will certainly be very tough to come back. But when Dr. Ullrich called me it was self-evident for me to help Audi Sport in this situation," says the Dane. "I’m looking forward to seeing all the old friends again and will try to substitute ‘Rocky’ as well as possible."

Le Mans: Larbre Competition confirmed their domination of the Le Mans 24 Hours for a second consecutive year on Sunday after recording a 1-2 finish in the GTE Am class. The #50 Corvette C6R driven by Patrick Bornhauser, Julien Canal and Gabriele Gardel made up for a difficult qualifying session by charging through the class from eighth to first by early Sunday morning. Meanwhile, Jean-Philippe Belloc, Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon in the #70 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR jointly run by IMSA Performance were the only trio capable of matching their team-mates’ pace as the two cars built an unassailable 17-lap lead over their nearest challengers by the chequered flag. pic V-Images Read race report

Goodwood Festival of Speed: Ferrari will exhibit its new flagship V12 four-seater, the FF, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, alongside the front engined V8 California and the mid-rear mounted 458 Italia. The FF ushers in an entirely new GT sports car concept and represents not so much an evolution as a true revolution with the Prancing Horse’s first ever four-wheel drive system. The FF is the first road car to take drive to the front wheels from the front of the crankshaft, rather than through a separate transfer case. The innovative and patented 4RM system weighs 50 per cent less than a conventional four-wheel drive system and ensures perfect weight distribution (47:53) for the optimum driving performance that clients expect from a Ferrari, even for a Grand Tourer with four seats. Performance comes courtesy of the new 6,262cc direct injection engine which develops 660hp at 8,000 rpm. In tandem with its transaxle dual-clutch F1 gearbox, stunning acceleration (0-62mph in 3.7sec) is guaranteed. Also taking part in the event is the Ferrari 458 Italia, an 8-cylinder two-seater berlinetta with a mid-rear 4,499cc V8 engine, which produces 570hp, the 458 Italia boasts an extraordinary weight-power ratio of 2.42 kg (a power-weight ratio of 413 hp per ton). This means it sprints from 0 to 62 mph in under 3.4 seconds and hits a maximum speed of over 203mph.  The Ferrari California is the Prancing Horse’s first front-engined V8 which shares styling cues with the 250 GT California. The new California, however, is packed with the latest technology and includes Ferrari’s first application of the dual-clutch 7-speed gearbox, a direct injection 4.3 V8 engine with 460hp, the latest F1-Trac traction control system, multi-link rear suspension, and, of course, an innovative retractable folding hardtop that opens or closes in only 14 seconds. The California has already received the critical acclaim of the automotive press around the world, with Top Gear claiming it is a “proper God’s honest, marrow-deep Ferrari!”  Ferrari is also represented by the Scuderia Ferrari team who will be demonstrating the 2009 F1 car, driven by Marc Gené (TBC).

Toyota and Lexus will raise the sound and spectacle of the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed (30 June to 3 July) with a full-blooded array of competition machinery, past and present. At the cutting edge of road car performance, Lexus will be showing its LFA supercar, running for the first time with the Nürburgring Package. This combination of detailed engine, suspension and bodywork adjustments give the car more performance and increased downforce  while  maintaining the car’s 3.7-second 0 to 62mph acceleration time through an increase in output from the 4.8-litre V10 engine to 562hp.  The Goodwood hillclimb will also host Gazoo Racing’s competition LFA, direct from its participation in the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. The Festival of Speed will mark a reunion for Belgian F1 grand prix winner Thierry Boutsen with the Toyota GT One sportscar he drove at Le Mans in 1999. Boutsen and the GT One will be joined by Toyota’s newest race car, the Dynojet Racing Toyota Avensis driven by Frank Wrathall in the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Jonny Milner will once again be in contention to claim the fastest time up the hill, returning with his Toyota Sprint Series Celica. Milner, a past winner of the British Rally Championship in a Corolla WRC, will have around 800bhp on tap. The hillclimb will also provide a chance to see the MR2-based Toyota Group S car in action, a prototype rally car from the 1980s that never saw competition after championship regulations were changed. The machine is one of just two that have survived. Juha Kankkunen  will be taking the wheel of a mighty Group B Celica, a version of the car that was specially built by TTE to take part in the Hong Kong – Beijing Rally in 1986. Toyota’s rallying greats will be out on Goodwood’s forest stage, led by Björn Waldegård in another Group B Celica, the famous “King of Africa” that dominated the Safari and Ivory Coast rallies in the mid-1980s. Carlos Sainz’s 1992 WRC Celica and a WRC Corolla – piloted by Jonny Milner – will also be taking part, together with one of the earliest rallying Celica cars, a TA23 that was prepared for Group 1 competition in the French rally championship in 1981. Joining the historic rally machinery will be this year’s class-winning Land Cruiser V8 from the Dakar Rally. The car, driven on the event by Jun Mitsuhashi and Alain Geuhennec, took a third consecutive victory in the T2 category for production spec’ vehicles, adding to a run of six wins for Land Cruiser (100 and 200/V8 versions) in the event.

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Club Racing: The massed ranks of the Ma5da MX5 Championship for Mk1’s and the MX5 Cup for Mk3’s head to Oulton Park this coming Saturday for a one day meeting packed with eleven races, seven of which feature the Japanese marquee. At least 109 MX5’s will be in competitive action and they will be joined by the Avon Tyres Formula Ford 1600cc Northern Championship and by the Design911.com Porsche Championship The Formula Fords are Oulton regulars and will have separate races for the Pre 90 and Post 89 classes. Veteran racer John Loebell leads the former class in what is his first season for many years, while John Murphy heads the very competitive Post 89’s.  Dave Clark is the man at the top of the Boxster field in the Design911.com Porsche Championship but there are several drivers who are all capable of beating the 2010 champion. Austrian exile Alfred Piesinger leads the 924 class but the wins have been shared around so it is still very much anyone’s championship. The entry lists and timetable can be found here OULTON PARK 18 JUNE

At this weekend’s Brands Hatch F3/GT meeting, the Formula Ford races will stake a claim to a special place in the history of the world’s longest-lived junior single-seater category, for not only will they be keenly contested rounds of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain but also the first-ever races in the Formula Ford EuroCup. Brands Hatch is a highly appropriate venue for the EuroCup launch - 44 years ago, almost to the day, the Kent track hosted the first-ever Formula Ford race. The EuroCup is an opportunity for the Duratec-powered cars from the thriving European and Scandinavian Formula Ford championships to get together with their compatriots from the UK for a real Europe-wide festival of Formula Ford. Following next weekend’s British rounds, the EuroCup will head for Spa-Francorchamps and Zolder in Belgium , and then the Dutch track of Zandvoort. At each event a EuroCup Champion will be declared. So it is that the Brands Hatch grid will have a truly international feel, with drivers from the Netherlands , Belgium and Denmark joining the British championship, and its English, Australian, Finnish, French, Dutch, Channel Islands and American regulars.For a full preview of the Formula Ford & EuroCup races click FORMULA FORD PREVIEW

Oil and car care company, Comma, is repeating its motorsport promotion, offering motor racing fans in the UK a share of £2 million worth of raceday tickets. In the inaugural running of the promotion last year, Comma had 70,000 event tickets to give away as part of its partnership with MotorSport Vision. With tickets for more than 100 different race events between May and November available, the campaign is one of the biggest of its kind and was launched to celebrate Comma’s Technical Partnership to MSV and the FIA Formula Two Championship. Free tickets are available via promotional packs of its Performance Motor Oil and can be claimed by visiting www.CommaOil.com/tickets.  The promotion features some of the UK ’s biggest race events at MSV circuits – Brands Hatch, Oulton Park , Snetterton and Cadwell Park . Among the major motorsport events that are part of the promotion are the UK round of the DTM German Touring Car series at Brands Hatch in September, rounds of the British Superbike and British Touring Car Championships and a vast array of club and historic race meetings including the Formula Ford Festival in October and eight other BRSCC meetings. For further information and to find your nearest Performance Motor Oil stockist, visit www.CommaOil.com.

When attending race meetings and test days around the country you will have noticed people using an increasing number of laptops, data loggers, and video systems in pit garages. A search for any circuit on YouTube shows dozens of onboard videos and data too. Racelogic, who supply a range of high accuracy GPS based products to the motorsport community under the Performance Box and Video VBOX brands, is interested in hearing your views on the subject. Do you record your testing and racing sessions, either using video or data logging? Have you found it useful for driver training and car setup? Or is your money better spent on vehicle components? Please take a few moments to fill in this anonymous survey (your data won’t be used for any other marketing purposes) to tell them what you think.  In return they are offering a Video VBOX data logger to one lucky person, plus a 51 page eBook for everyone that responds to the survey. The eBook contains seven chapters discussing advanced circuit driver training on circuits around the world, with tips from professional racing drivers and coaches to give you the edge. www.surveymonkey.com/s/datalogging Fill in the survey and you will be sent the ebook and could be in with a chance of winning a Video VBOX GPS data logger! 

Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship drivers believe this weekends City of Darwin F3 SuperPrix event at Hidden Valley will be ‘wide open’ – and in more ways than one. It marks the first time that Australian Formula 3 will have visited the 2.8km circuit near Darwin, characterised by its 1.1km long straight and fast, technical corners.  As such, all drivers this weekend – from experienced former champions to the newest of rookies – believe the playing field will potentially be at its most even ever. “It is the first completely ‘neutral’ round the series has had in years, and that makes me more excited about it than ever,” North Queensland Mango farmer-come racing driver John Magro enthused. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK Photos Read more

ALMS: Archie Hamilton is set to drive in the ALMS with PR1 Motorsport at the Mid-Ohio and Road America races in August. 2011 has seen Archie in the BARC Formula Renault in preparation for a step up to sportcar racing. Archie’s ambition has always been to race at Le Mans and hopefully emulate Duncan Hamilton, his grandfather, and win. In May he drove in a two day test with PR1 in the LMPC car at the Californian Buttonwillow circuit, setting quick times on both the short and full circuit configurations. Bobby Oergel, Owner PR1 Motorsports - “One of the exciting things about Archie is that he’s very ‘green’ as far as open wheel prototype racing and his adaption rate was awesome. It fits how he looks to want to be driving and he has the right attitude, charisma and character. He’s striving for a career in motorsport and is very grounded. I really think he wants to do it the right way and earn it – not wait at home to be handed a drive. His speed was good and he didn’t put a wheel wrong in the test. He did everything that we asked him to do. I think working together we will make a better programme for both of us.” Archie Hamilton - “The plan to work on my race-craft and increase track time with Formula Renault has definitely paid off and these two ALMS rounds fit in well with Renault’s August break. I got in the LMPC car at Buttonwillow and had to adapt to the differences – mainly getting used to being patient through slow corners, the aero and the weight distribution, but it wasn’t difficult. I’m really looking forward to being part of the PR1 team which has made me feel so welcome and showing what I can do.”  Archie races at Mid-Ohio on 5th-6thAugust and Road America 18th-20thAugust.

Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup team Total Control Racing is delighted to confirm former British Touring Car Champion and double Porsche Carrera Cup GB title winner Tim Harvey will race with the squad at Croft this weekend, 18th/19th June. Harvey, who recently called time on his hugely successful career in Porsche Carrera Cup GB, will drive the car piloted previously by Switzerland-based Joachim Ritter who has chosen to curtail his racing commitments at present for business and family reasons. “It’s fantastic for TCR to have Tim running with us at Croft”, said team principal Lee Brookes, “It will bring a lot of prestige to the team having a driver as well-known and as successful as Tim onboard, we’re really looking forward to working with him this weekend.” Having been a mainstay of the national motor racing scene for close to three decades, 49-year-old Harvey became a household name for his exploits in touring cars in the 1990s.  Today, he is just as well known through his work as co-commentator for the BTCC race coverage on the ITV network. “This could be the start of a Ginetta chapter in my career!”, said Harvey, “The reasons behind me stopping racing in Porsche are well documented and the Ginetta G55 is a powerful, front-engined, rear-wheel drive car that suits my love of fast sportscars. Plus, Ginetta is a British manufacturer so that’s great and the racing is on the TOCA package so fits in well with my ITV commitments. I am looking at this seriously as possibly the next step in my racing career. Lawrence (Tomlinson – Chairman of Ginetta Cars) has been keen to get me in the car and I must say a big thank you to him for sorting out this great opportunity. It’s a one-off for now but we’ll have to see what happens.” Harvey will run as team-mate to TCR regular Carl Breeze for rounds 12, 13 and 14 of the season and heading into the Croft weekend the Kings Lynn driver is just 25 points shy of the championship lead with two wins and seven other podiums to his credit so far in 2011.

Karts:Four races, four victories... Nyck De Vries couldn’t have dreamed a better debut at the new CIK/FIA World KF1 Championship. On the Wackersdorf circuit, the Dutch kartman dominated his opponents, set all the fastest laps in the races and ended up  with a 22-point advantage in the provisional standings. Once more, his Zanardi-Parilla from Chiesa Corse Team was a precious ally in Germany.  Read report

In Germany, Beitske Visser faced one of her toughest challenges in her  2011 karting season: the European KZ1 Championship. Despite a disastrous start to the meeting when she was run into forcing her  down the order, the Dutch girl staged a superb recovery, which concluded with an encouraging 10th place in the final. Read report

Formula Pilota: Naomi Zhang Ran has joined Asia Racing Team for the 2011 Formula Pilota China Series (aka Formula Abarth Asia). Zhang Ran is the second Chinese driver to join up with Asia Racing Team's for the Series and he will race alongside fellow countryman Chi Cong Li, Angola's Luis Sá Silva and Thailand's Tin Sritrai this season.

Formula Ford: Melbourne based racing car constructor, Borland Racing  Developments(BRD), has confirmed that it has shipped the first of its Spectrum F1600 Formula F chassis to the  United States, where it will make its debut in the F1600 Formula F Championship Series at Mid Ohio next month. F1600 Formula F includes cars powered by a 1500 cc Honda engine and runs on a specified Hoosier slick tyre. With the car packed in its crate and at Melbourne Airport awaiting airfreight to the USA, Mike Borland, principal of Borland Racing Developments, is confident that it will make its debut at the Mid Ohio circuit on the first weekend in July. The Spectrum will be run by multi championship winning outfit, Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing and will be driven in its debut meeting by young Australian rookie driver, Mitch Martin. Mitch, a mechanic at BRD, has just a handful of Formula Vee races under his belt and is elated to have the opportunity to debut the car. The Spectrum F1600 Formula F is based on the hugely successful Spectrum Formula Ford. In taking their first steps into the USA, Borland Racing Developments is looking to continue the success they have enjoyed in Australia as well as New Zealand and the UK. The Spectrum chassis has been the most successful in Australian competition over the past seven years and has won multiple races and championships in NZ and the UK.

Rallycross: Tony Lynch enjoyed a strong weekend of racing at Mondello Park as the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship made a welcome return to Irish soil for the third round of the season. The weekend’s action marked the first appearance at Mondello Park for the Suzuki Swift Rallycross Championship, with Tony heading into the event seeking to secure his second victory of the 2011 season. Tony was one of only two drivers in the Suzuki field with past experience of the Mondello Park circuit and it paid dividends when he won his first qualifying heat of the weekend. A slight coming-together with Jonny Bean in the second heat prevented Tony from taking another win but he responded with a fine run in heat three, where he picked up the bonus point on offer for setting the fastest lap time of the day.  The end result for Tony and his Team Geriatric Suzuki was second on the grid for the final. Having gone three wide with championship rival Dave Bellerby and Adam Clark into the first corner, Tony slotted into second behind Bellerby and then followed the defending champion home to pick up more vital championship points.  Following the weekend, Tony retains second place behind Bellerby in the championship and is just three points adrift going into next month’s trip to the Maasmechelen circuit in Belgium for round four.  “I had a good start to the weekend in the opening heat but then in the second, I got a bit sideways and got clipped by Jonny Bean as he tried to come through,” Tony said. “It meant I had to push in the third heat to get fastest time of the day because that bonus point could make all the difference at the end of the year. In the final, we were three wide into the first corner but Dave managed to just squeeze up the inside to get ahead. I pushed hard to try and get past and I did have a bit of a lunge at one point, but then he managed to get a bit of a gap and I used my head and settled for second. It would have been stupid to push too hard and throw it off the road – you don’t get any points if you bin it!  Getting fastest time of the day means Dave has only extended his lead to three points and that means that I’ll take the championship lead back if I can win and get fastest time of the day in Belgium next month, which is the target. Of course it’s a little disappointing that we’ve not come away from Ireland with another win, but we’ve kept the pressure on Dave and have broken away a bit from the chasing pack.”

BTCC: Honda Racing Team drivers Matt Neal and Gordon ‘Flash’ Shedden

14-06-11

National Motorsport Week : Teams, venues, championships and businesses right across the United Kingdom are embracing the re-energised National Motorsport Week (25 June-3 July) with a raft of different initiatives and activities.  Read more

Porsche Carrera World Cup : In just 10 days time, drivers from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be in Germany preparing for the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring Nordschleife (Saturday 25 June). The Nordschleife, or ‘Northern Loop’, measures a massive 14.173 miles and is widely regarded as the most challenging track in the world. It is steeped in racing history and sits high in the Eifel Mountains, where unpredictable weather simply adds to the mighty challenge faced by the drivers.  Read more

Star Mazda: With just one point separating the top two contenders – and twelve other young racers from around the world within striking distance of turning the points battle on its head – Round 4 of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Milwaukee Mile, June 17-19, is shaping up to be a wheel-to-wheel battle with both dominance and redemption on the line.  The Star Mazda Championship last visited the Milwaukee Mile in 2009, with that race won by Norwegian racer Anders 'the Viking' Krohn; he is currently racing in the Indy Lights series and, returning to a track where he has already shown he can win, will be a force to be reckoned with this weekend. Read race preview

Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup : Carl Breeze is reducing Tom Sharp’s lead as the title race heads to Croft this weekend. When the Ginetta teams rolled into Croft last year, the championship ran purely for the G50 model, the title race was between Frank Wrathall and Carl Breeze and Tom Sharp scored a maiden win. A year later, Sharp has established himself as the man to beat but Breeze, inevitably, heads the chase. Sharp’s IDL car started the season in amazing form, taking six wins on the bounce before Thruxton. There, Sharp’s style of driving seemed to wear out his tyres more than the opposition and he struggled to take podiums as Breeze and Adam Morgan (another winner here in 2010) put their names on the list of race victors. Sharp regrouped and headed to Oulton Park eager for success but found himself on the back foot as he had a moment in race one that dropped him down the order and he had to fight to finish 12th. A sixth row start for race two meant more tough work was ahead of Tom and he batted up to fifth in a race won by Stefan Hodgetts (JHR Developments) in a maiden G55 outing in the Supercup. Nathan Freke (Century Motorsport) won the opening race but after early season dramas is still trying to get back into contention in the championship, but Thruxton winner Breeze, who bagged a second and a third in Cheshire, is the man most likely to make Sharp sweat for his championship lead – it is down to just 25 points. Colin White has enjoyed a great run of form of late as the multiple National Hot Rod World Champion has been a genuine podium contender, while Adam Morgan (Ciceley Racing) took a win at Thruxton and is becoming a regular front-runner. Add in reigning Ginetta Challenge Champion George Murrells (Optimum Motorsport) and hard-charging Dane Joachim Ritter (TCR) and there will be some great battles at the head of the field. Another feature of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup is the G50 fight for the older cars, which are still a perfect way of going top-level sports car racing on a budget. Tom Ingram (Plans Motorsport) heads the championship against fellow young guns Jody Fannin (Team Pyro) and Jake Hill (Optimum Motorsport). Aaron Williamson (FML) took a first G50 win at Oulton Park in a lively race that included category-newcomer Lee Pattison (JHR Developments) running in the leading group until he suffered an off at Druids in the second race. Ingram is 81 points clear and is looking like the benchmark driver at present, although the G50 class is notoriously unpredictable and with a whole raft of drivers looking for podium results, including brother-and-sister Andy and Louise Richardson, you ignore the G50s at your peril. Last year, Croft was a turning point for Sharp: It was the event at which he scored a win and it unlocked something psychological for him. This year, he needs to win again otherwise the championship lead will have disappeared. It’s pressure time…    pic Jakob Ebrey Photography

Ginetta Jnrs: Seven wins from eight races mark out Seb Morris as a real star of the Ginetta Juniors as they  head  to Croft this weekend.  The championship boasts a grid full of young hopefuls, all in identical cars, all capable of overtaking and with each contest producing great racing. But yet one driver has made his mark on the title race with seven wins out of eight races: step forward Seb Morris. The Welshman has been in superb form this season and has only been beaten once. That defeat came at Thruxton and was by just 36-thousandths of a second! If that was a narrow defeat, his winning margin last time out at Oulton Park was 23 seconds. That, if you translate it into Ginetta Junior-speak, is enormous. Morris (Hillspeed) is certainly the class act, but there is a host of other drivers all capable of running near the front and George Gamble (TJ Motorsport) is the one driver who has been able to combat Morris’ relentless progress this season. Gamble was the winner in that last-gasp run to the flag at Thruxton, but other drivers have proved their pace this season. Reigning Irish Champion Niall Murray (Beacon Racing), younger brother of former BTCC Alfa Romeo racer Eoin, took a superb second place at Oulton Park on a wet-but-drying road. The call to put him on dry weather tyres, rather than wets like the bulk of the field, came from big brother and it was the correct one: despite being elbowed off the road at Lodge Corner on the opening lap, Murray made superb progress to bag second as the road dried out. Charlie Robertson (HHC Motorsport) has been impressive this year too, a pair of second places being his best results. The first trip to the podium came at Donington, the second at Oulton Park and he’ll be keen to go one better here at the home circuit of his Harrogate-based team. Team-mate Mikey Day is making solid progress and working his way up the grid, but William Foster (Tollbar Racing with WIRED) is a dark horse for a win as he lies third in the championship and has enjoyed a solid season, racking up the points. The other drivers in the top six in the title race are Max Coates and Tom Howard (Tollbar Racing with WIRED), both in their second seasons and both capable of challenging for the podium.Former Junior Rallycross Champion Brad Bailey (TJ Motorsport) has been showing improved pace this season and will be one to watch at a circuit he knows well, while Sennan Fielding (TJ Motorsport) is making progress all the time and will be fighting in the top six. With all the cars powered by the same 1800cc engine and each driver having the same car, driver ability is vital. But so too is the ability of the team and how well engineers and drivers work together. This is another aspect to motor racing’s ultimate classroom where students are under a very bright spotlight. Make no mistake, though: front-runners here are stars of the future.

The Ginetta Challenge has enjoyed a superb start to its season where beating Sean Huyton is proving quite a challenge as the teams head to Brands Hatch this weekend.   After Snetterton’s latest double-header, Sean Huyton (Academy Motorsport) has proved to be the man to beat, with a win at Oulton Park over Easter and then two more in Norfolk. His racecraft was impressive in the G20s in which he was a front-runner last season, but that added to his ability to push hard early on cold rubber makes him hard to beat. Mark Davies (Optimum Motorsport) is the other winner, the 2009 Champion returning to the Challenge after a frustrating season in the G50 Cup last year. Davies is at home in these cars and took a fine win in the season opener at Oulton, only to end race two in the tyre wall while squabbling with Clive Richards’ Colards Motorsport-run car. He was in the wars at Snetterton as well but certainly has the speed to recapture his winning ways at Brands. Mike Robinson, new to Ginettas from Clios, has been going well for TCR, while keep an eye on Richard Sykes (HHC Motorsport) who led at Snetterton on the last lap until a clutch gremlin caused a spin. In the G20 class, it’s three-one in terms of wins to Gary Simms over Stuart Pearson. Simms, an experienced Ginetta hand these days and an under-rated pedaller, won both Oulton Park races in his Optimum Motorsport-run car, despite a gearbox problem in race two. A victory at Snetterton kept his 100% record intact (despite contact from Lee Mowle who’d been tapped into a slide by Pearson) but he lost out on a frantic last lap in race two giving Pearson the win. Expect battle to be renewed this weekend, with Matt Flowers in touch as well. Expect two cracking races, with action all the way down the field. Just keeping track of it all will be a challenge! 

Britcar: The Mazda MX-5 production race car finished third in class in round four of the Britcar Dunlop Production GTN Championship 2011 at Thruxton Circuit on Sunday 12 June 2011.Despite qualifying a lowly fifth in class on Saturday 11 June 2011, the Mazda Financial Services and Motul backed Mazda MX-5 production car demonstrated its outstanding wet handling strengths to finish third in class. On race day, despite adverse weather conditions causing poor visibility and heavy traffic on track, the Mazda MX-5 production race car out handled rivals Honda Civic Type R, Ford Focus, Seat Leon Cupra and Honda Jazz to give the production car its first podium of the season. Mazda driver Mike Wilds started the race and handed over to freelance motoring journalist, Jesse Crosse at the half way point. The Mazda MX-5 production race car proved highly competitive in the conditions– thanks to its 50:50 weight distribution, handling and performance. Also entered by Mazda was the MX-5 GT race car - driven by Mark Ticehurst, Mazda works driver and Owen Mildenhall, racing driver and motoring journalist – and despite poor track conditions, the MX-5 GT led its class for the first half of the race, climbing to fifth overall chasing two Ferraris before an electrical fault saw the car recovered to the pits.The electrical fault was traced to water in the MX-5 GT race car’s cockpit, and Owen Mildenhall rejoined the race 15 laps adrift of the class lead. After almost an hour and 10 minutes into the two hour race, the conditions were considered bad enough for the race to finish early and the GT race car finished fifth in class. “Despite adverse weather and Thruxton circuit lending itself to the faster cars on track, we had a great result on Sunday, which is testament to the drivers and the handling and reliability for which the MX-5 is renowned,” commented Graeme Fudge, PR director, Mazda UK.

Saloons: Adrian Churchill extended his advantage at the top of the points table with a win and a third place finish at Thruxton, but the Courtenay Sport Vauxhall Astra VXR driver was denied a third chance as the meeting was abandoned mid-afternoon on Sunday due to ever worsening conditions. There was a surprise in qualifying with Ryan Bensley (Vauxhall Astra VXR) taking pole, but it wasn’t a trouble free run for him as shortly after bumping Churchill from the top of the timing screen, the nearside front tyre burst pitching him into the barrier at the infamous chicane.  “As I went on the brakes, there was a pop and I felt the car juddering. I knew what it was straight away but was only a passenger as the car hit the tyre wall” said Bensley. “I’m disappointed as I’ve just spent a lot of money on new suspension and the car felt good until then. I’m going to have to spend more now on repairs” he added.  Read report

Danny Keenan made it two in a row in the CNC Heads Sports and Saloon Car Championship over the weekend. Starting from pole he took his MK Indy to victory at a damp Cadwell Park but  he didn’t have it all his own way, as newcomer Daniel Wainwright was never far behind.  Read report

Le Mans: Everyone at RML AD Group knows what it feels like to win at Le Mans. The team has taken the LMP2 title twice in recent years, and they have experienced the rich swell of emotion, pride and satisfaction that comes with seeing their own drivers standing on that famous podium. On Sunday, in the 79th edition of the 24 Hours, the team’s trio of Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos and Ben Collins, battled through to fourth in the LMP2, yet it felt almost as good as winning all over again. pics: Peter May / Dailysportscar  read report

In one of the most dramatic and competitive races ever seen on the classic French circuit, Greaves Motorsport scored a emphatic victory on the LM P2 Class with their Zytek Z11SN – Nissan, driven by Karim Ojjeh, Olivier Lombard and Tom Kimber-Smith. The trio completed 326 laps to finish at the head of their class and also an amazing 8th overall in the final results.The victory was achieved in the classic way, by keeping the car out of the pits and on track. The ingredients of this success were three very quick and safe drivers, the best team to support their performances and of course an ultra competitive Zytek Z11SN - Nissan package.  Read report

Lucas Ordoñez completed his switch from the virtual world of PlayStation®3 with a LMP2-class second place finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the Signatech Nissan team on Sunday. The Spanish winner of the 2008 GT Academy, a collaboration between Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Nissan Europe, showed the full potential of the programme by graduating from gamer to the Le Mans 24 Hour podium after just two full race seasons. Following successful campaigns in the European GT4 Cup driving a Nissan 370Z, this year Lucas stepped up to race a  Nissan-powered LMP2 car in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. With his Signatech Nissan team-mates, Franck Mailleux and Soheil Ayari, Lucas fulfilled a lifelong ambition when he earned the hard-fought podium at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe.  “It was a day when all of my dreams came true,” said Lucas. “Three years ago I won an amazing prize but never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would take me all the way to the Le Mans podium.  I have been on the biggest adventure you could ever imagine and I must thank Nissan and PlayStation for creating GT Academy!  I also have to thank my two teachers, Franck and Soheil, from whom I have learnt so much, and of course the Signatech Nissan boss, Philippe Sinault.  Finally I must thank my family and friends for putting up with me while I pursue my dream.  It will take a while for this to sink in for me but so far it is the most amazing feeling.” In an exciting and dramatic race, Nissan powered cars took both first and second place in the LMP2 class. The Greaves Motorsport Zytec Nissan took class honours to mark a successful return to Le Mans for the Japanese manufacturer.

For any self-respecting driver, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is quite a feat. Something that Maxime Martin was about to experience at first hand. Thanks to the collaboration between Kronos Racing and Marc VDS Racing, the young Belgian was able to realise the dream and discover the legendary circuit at the wheel of a Prototype in the LMP1, the Lola Aston Martin. The outcome was quite simply terrific: Best Rookie following the qualifying sessions, 7th place overall, 2nd place in the LMP1 Petrol. Difficult to ask for more for a début.   Pic: Marc VDS Racing & Patrick Davin     read report

Silverstone has announced that race day tickets for this year’s FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (8-10 July) are very close to selling out. All but one of the circuit’s grandstands are sold out for the Sunday of the British Grand Prix, while the last ‘General Admission’ tickets for the UK’s premier motor sport event were sold yesterday (Monday 13 June). The only race day tickets still available for the Formula 1 British Grand Prix are in Vale Grandstand which, in addition to offering great views of the circuit, now overlooks the F1 Paddock, as well as the new Pit Lane entry into the Silverstone Wing complex. Silverstone expects the few remaining tickets in Vale to sell out over the next seven days.  However, individual and family tickets are still available for the Friday and Saturday. In addition to F1 Practice and Qualifying, there will be a host of support race action on the Friday and Saturday, including the first GP2 and GP3 races and Qualifying  for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Tickets for the 2011 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX are still available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.silverstone.co.uk, or by calling 0844 3728 300.

The British Racing Drivers’ Club has released it’s financial results for the year ending 31 December 2010. These include the income and revenue from Silverstone’s property, corporate and retail interests as well as those generated from the circuit’s major events, including the 2010 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix and AirAsia British Grand Prix (MotoGP). The Silverstone business continued to grow through 2010, with turnover at £48,580,000 – an increase of 23% over 2009 levels.  The net loss before tax reached £1.9 million in 2010, versus a profit of £1.3 million a year earlier, therefore down £3.2 million on 2009 results. Of this, gross profits were £1.4 million lower at £12.8 million. This was solely due to the combination of a shorter Formula 1 British Grand Prix sales cycle (tickets were on sale for 7 months, rather than 12 months), as well as an increase in costs associated with the new Formula 1 fee structure. Stuart Rolt, Chairman of the BRDC said: “The headline is an operating profit of £1.6 million and a net loss after tax of just over £1 million, but we are very pleased and encouraged by these results. It is important that people are aware of the underlying success and growth of the business. In the last two years more than £40 million has been invested to improve the circuit and the venue’s facilities, in particular the new Silverstone Wing complex, which was officially launched in May 2011. While this investment has significantly increased relative depreciation and interest costs in the short term, it has provided the platform for Silverstone to significantly grow its circuit-related business in the long term which, in turn, will result in future profit growth. This investment has secured Silverstone’s long term future. With a 17-year Formula 1 contract [16 years remaining] and a five-year MotoGP contract [4 years remaining], Silverstone is now uniquely positioned as one of the leading two and four wheel motor sport destinations in the world. I would like to thank the Silverstone Holdings Limited team, led by Neil England and Richard Phillips for their excellent work.”

13-06-11

Le Mans: At one of the most thrilling and dramatic 24-hour races in Le Mans history Audi has prevailed. Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), André Lotterer (Germany) and Benoît Tréluyer (France) in the innovative Audi R18 TDI clinched the tenth Le Mans victory for the brand with the four rings.The drama at the 79th edition of the world’s most famous endurance could hardly be surpassed. After Audi had lost two of its Audi R18 TDI cars as early as in the first third of the race due to accidents all hopes were pinned on car number "2” that had secured the pole position in qualifying for Audi. For 16 hours Fässler, Lotterer and Tréluyer were on their own in the battle against three factory-fielded Peugeot cars that left no stone unturned to keep Audi from taking victory. Lotterer started his last stint with a seven-second advantage over the second-placed Peugeot. In the end he crossed the finish line after 24 hours cheered by his team colleagues Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer and the entire Audi squad with a lead of 13.420 seconds. For the three Audi drivers who had finished as the runners-up last year this marked the first Le Mans exploit – and the tenth for Audi.  Read report

After an incredibly close race, the outcome of which was not decided until the chequered flag, the 79th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is set to go down in history as a classic. In front of a 249,500-strong crowd, all three Team Peugeot Total cars made it to the end. After an exciting and incident-packed race, the driver team of Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud (Peugeot 908 no.9) finished only 13.854 seconds behind the winner.  Read report

American sportscar outfit Robertson Racing wrote one of the great fairytales in Le Mans 24 Hours’ storied history on Sunday by claiming a superb GTE Am third place finish at Circuit de la Sarthe in France, the first of any kind for the team in its short four-year history. The storyline of the plucky privateer American Le Mans Series squad, which receives little manufacturer support in a class dominated by factory-developed machines, could not have been better composed with team owners/drivers Dave and Andrea Robertson celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary at Le Mans.  Read report

Saloons: The legacy of the late, great Gerry Marshall will be alive and kicking this August Bank Holiday Monday when over 30 original Modsport and Thundersaloon race cars from the 70s and 80s will once again drift around the Mallory Park. Created by the Classic Sports Car Club, the race will mark the start of what the organisers hope will become a full-blown series in 2012, reuniting some of the greatest V8 saloon racers and drivers that ever competed in the UK. Dave Taylor, Mick Hill, Vince Woodman and Alistair Thompson will be just some of the star racers from the Modsports era who’ll be attacking Mallory on Bank Holiday Monday, August 29, exactly 35 years ago to the day since Gerry Marshall took the 1976 Modsports Championship in Vauxhall’s DTV-sponsored Baby Bertha (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkxxpMI__5o). In addition to Bertha, the Daf V8 and the Chevrolet-powered Beetle, other original cars set for a competition renaissance include Chris Tilly’s MGB GT V8, Simon Frowen’s 4,000cc Reliant Kitten, Simon Lane’s Chevrolet Camaro and Dave Teley’s Stars & Stripes Opel Manta. The CSCC’s Richard Wos is passionate about bringing the series to a younger generation of race-goers: “This is the first bespoke race series of its kind this century and, with its noise, speed and drama, it’s sure to appeal to a younger generation of motorsport enthusiasts, as well as those spectators who have fond memories of the original Modsports race series. As a prelude to the event, the CSCC will be running a press and test day at Mallory on June 29, where all the cars racing in August will be given a shake-down. Many cars, like Dave Taylor’s V8 ‘Dafnee’, have not been driven in anger for more than a decade, so the day promises to be exciting and maybe a little unpredictable! Vauxhall Motors, which sponsored Baby Bertha’s mighty campaign in the 70s and 80s, is giving the series its wholehearted support, and has kindly donated the latest 6.2-litre, 431hp VXR8 to act as course-car throughout the event. Perhaps the ultimate spiritual successor to many of the V8 behemoths gathered at Mallory this August, the VXR8 will act as safety car, following the grid around for the first lap of the race and providing emergency back-up in the event of an accident.

The British F3 and GT championships head to Brands Hatch this Saturday and Sunday (18/19 June), racing on the famous 2.3 mile Grand Prix circuit. A trio of South Americans currently lead the way in the Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, with Brazilian Felipe Nasr leading the championship from Colombian Carlos Huertas. Nasr’s countryman Lucas Foresti is equal on points with Huertas. There’s plenty of home-grown interest though, and front-running Brits Rupert Svendsen-Cook and Riki Christodoulou will also be targeting wins. 

The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is in rude health in 2011, with a multi-million pound entry of 30 cars expected at Brands Hatch. Standout cars include the United Motorsports Audi R8, which took a debut win on the new Snetterton 300 circuit last time out, and the 'gullwing' Mercedes AMG SLS GT3. There's also a number of Porsche 997s, Ferrari 430s and Ferrari 458s, plus entries from Lotus, Aston Martin, Chevron, Corvette, Ginetta and Ford.  Sunday raceday will feature a two hour endurance race for British GT, plus two British F3 races. The first F3 race of the weekend takes place on Saturday, and there’s a further 9 support races over the two days including Caterhams, VWs, Ginettas and Formula Fords. Adult raceday admission tickets are £17 online in advance until midday Wednesday, or you can purchase a weekend ticket for £21. Children aged 12 and under are admitted free. To book tickets call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk.Adult tickets will also be available on the gate for £12 on Saturday and £21 on Sunday.

Porsche Club: Miles Maserati and Richard Lambert took the wins as the Porsche Club Championship visited Thruxton, both claiming their first outright wins in the series in races held in very different conditions. On Saturday Maserati held off championship leader Mark Sumpter to win a close battle, while in Sunday’s race Lambert also battled with Sumpter on an extremely wet track, taking the lead on the final lap to record the win. Class Two wins went to Chris Dyer on Saturday and Malcolm Scott on Sunday – Scott finishing third overall in the rain.  Read report

Formula 3: At Round One of the 2011 Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, former Gold Star champion James Winslow re-asserted himself at the top of the Australian wings-and-slicks pecking order with a dominant victory. However, whilst he will likely face sterner challenges from his 2011 season rivals next weekend in Darwin, another former champion is coming back to further shake up the establishment and challenge Winslow’s unbeaten 2011 run. Tim Macrow has confirmed he will contest the City of Darwin Cup races at Hidden Valley next weekend, the first time in Australian Formula 3 history that two former champions will have raced in the same field. Pic: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK Photos    Read more

Historics: Gregor Fisken, owner of historic automobile specialist Fiskens, described driving the actual 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours winning Aston Martin DBR1 as a ‘huge honour’ as the Scottish racing driver competed in the ‘Le Mans Legends’ race that supported this year’s iconic endurance event.  The car was originally part of the British manufacturer’s stunning 1-2 finish at the Circuit de la Sarthe, where American Caroll Shelby and Britain’s Roy Salvadori piloted it to victory ahead of the sister David Brown Racing DBR1 of Maurice Trintignant and Paul Frere. During the race, Fisken, who is currently racing in the British GT Championship, had climbed to fifth place and was in sight of the leaders when an oil leak forced him into retirement. “I’ve had such a tremendous weekend and it has been an absolute honour to drive this hugely important DBR1,” said Fisken. “I must give great credit to Tim Samways and his guys for the job they’ve done with the car and to set a lap time of around four minutes 47 seconds, which was up there with the Lister Jaguars, was very satisfying. Unfortunately, in the race we had an oil leak caused by a broken part of the trans axle and, in view of the history and value of the car, we thought it prudent not to continue after my pit stop. Nevertheless, it hasn’t taken anything away from the joy of driving what is Britain’s finest front engined sports car of the 1950s period. It’s no surprise that it was a Le Mans winner.”  As well as being a memorable day for Fisken, the race proved to be an historic occasion as Sir Stirling Moss, who was competing in a 1961 Porsche RS61, announced his retirement from racing at the age of 81. 

BTCC: The scene of Andrew Jordan’s first BTCC victory, Croft in North Yorkshire, is the next stop for Andrew and Pirtek Racing over the weekend of 18/19 June as the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship reaches the halfway point.  A year ago, Andrew scored his landmark victory at the venue and he now heads north once more. He has already won this season at Donington Park and has finished on the overall podium six times in 12 races to date. He is now just 15 points behind series leader Matt Neal and only three points behind defending champion Jason Plato. But Andrew’s main target is the Independents’ Trophy and he is currently third in the standings, just 10 points behind leader James Nash, Meanwhile, in the Independents’ Team Trophy, Pirtek Racing is only five points behind first place. Supporting Andrew in the team contest is Jeff Smith in the other Pirtek Racing Vectra, and his impressive pace is set to increase further as his BTCC experience builds.

VW Cup: The 35th birthday of the Golf GTI is to be celebrated this weekend (18/19 June) at Brands Hatch by the motorsporting debut of the latest example of Volkswagen’s iconic hot hatchback, the Mk VI.Resplendent in special ‘Golf GTI 35’ livery, the latest car on the grid of the Volkswagen Racing Cup with FUCHS Lubricants has been prepared for the track by Volkswagen Racing UK and will be driven at Brands Hatch by former BTCC driver Nick Beaumont. Read more

Porsche Carrera Cup GB:  Motorsport UK TV slot for Porsche Carrera World Cup  - The biggest Porsche race in history will enjoy extensive TV coverage when contenders in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB take part in the Porsche Carrera World Cup race at the Nurburgring on 25 June.
A dedicated hour-long programme in the Motorsport UK series will focus on the Carrera Cup GB racers as they tackle the incredible 14-mile track in Germany in the first ‘away’ race in the history of the Carrera Cup GB. Motorsport UK, which is shown on ITV1 and ITV4, will show a special feature on this unique race, including on-board footage from what is widely regarded as the finest track in the world. The Motorsport UK series, which features hour-long programmes, is covering all of the Carrera Cup GB action again this season and the Nurburgring programme is provisionally scheduled for transmission on ITV4 on the afternoon of 9 August, with repeats on ITV4 on Saturday 13 August and on ITV1 on the night of Sunday 14 August.

12-06-11

Le Mans: OAK Racing’s hopes of a fourth consecutive podium finish at the Le Mans 24 Hours ended in a challenging race for the French team as the #49 OAK-Pescarolo proved to be its best finisher with a solid fifth place in the LMP2 class. Running four cars in the event for the first time, OAK Racing lost both of its LMP1 challengers during the night time hours on Saturday/Sunday with mechanical problems.The #15 car, shared by Guillaume Moreau, Pierre Ragues and Tiago Monteiro was plagued by several issues in the first hours of the race before eventually succumbing after several long spells in the pits following a recurring power steering problem. The #24 car of Jacques Nicolet, Richard Hein and Jean-Francois Yvon was running strongly until a small fire after midnight which saw it retire at the side of the track during a long Safety Car period. Things were more positive in LMP2 despite both cars joining numerous others in suffering punctures throughout the weekend. After surviving those scares both were pushing for the top three before they then had issues on Sunday. Car #35 of Frederic Da Rocha, Andrea Barlesi and Patrice Lafargue lost time in the pits due to broken suspension after Da Rocha went off on cold tyres, while #49, shared by Jan Charouz, Shinji Nakano and Nicolas De Crem suffered with some gearbox management issues which ruled out a top three finish. Nevertheless, both cars made it to the chequered flag at the end of an enduring contest, with #49 fifth in LMP2 and 14th overall, despite suffering broken rear suspension on the final lap, and #35 taking a seventh-in-class finish, 25th out of the original 56 starters.   Read full report

Nicolas Prost, Neel Jani and Jeroen Bleekemolen drove their #12 Lola-Toyota to the chequered flag in sixth place overall after a race that will go down in history as one of the most epic editions of the Le Mans 24 hours.  In this race, where everybody was ready for a fight , some of the strongest competitors saw their cars lost before the end. The Audi effort was struck before the dawn broke on Sunday morning as two of their three cars suffered spectacular car destroying crashes, REBELLION Racing themselves lost their car #13 in a heavy crash during the night where, fortunately, Jean-Christophe Boullion who was driving at the time was not injured.  The Oreca Peugeot had two trips off track but was able to rejoin the race after two quick stops for repairs and the Pescarolo team lost its car #16 in another crash only two hours from the end of the race.  Read report

The Kronos Racing/MarcVDS Aston Martin DBR1-2 this afternoon fulfilled its pre-race ambition of getting to the end of the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours.The #22 LMP1 machine powered by the Aston Martin production-based V12 engine, shared by all-Belgian crew Vanina Ickx, Maxime Martin and Bas Leinders, enjoyed an almost trouble-free run and completed 328 laps on its way to seventh place overall and second in the unofficial petrol-powered class. It marked the 52nd time that an Aston Martin has finished the gruelling race since the British marque first appeared at La Sarthe in 1928. A wheel-problem for Ickx, in the opening hour was swiftly rectified, but that was the extent of the team’s worries during the round-the-clock French enduro classic. Kronos/MarcVDS Team Principal, Marc van Dalen said: "What can I say? It's a dream come true. Three months ago we were not sure if we were going to be here and now look! It was a big human effort from the team. We got to know each other quickly and we built something special."   Vanina Ickx: "I am so proud of the team right now. They have put in so much effort, working together and not sleeping for days and days. It all paid off and it was a great 'victory' for everyone."  George Howard-Chappell, Team Principal, Aston Martin Racing said: “I would like to congratulate the Kronos Racing/MarcVDS team for their valiant effort in the build-up andover the past 24 hours. They have achieved their overall objective in a calm professional way flying the flag for Aston Martin customer teams. I am sure they will celebrate well tonight!”

Formula 3: Gary Thompson, one of Ireland’s brightest motorsport prospects, continued his push for the Japanese F3 Championship National Class title with two podium finishes at the former Formula One Grand Prix venue in Fuji this weekend.   read report

British GT: Teenager Jake Rattenbury is looking forward to the challenge of racing on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in a 2-hour race in the British GT Championship. He will again be sharing the Ginetta G50 GT4 car, run by Century Motorsport, with another teenager Josh Wakefield. Having already won this season in the British GT at Oulton Park, in the GT4 class, and having tested at Spa Francorchamps is ready for the challenge in his class. The full Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit is a major challenge to drivers with its quick straights into challenging corners and with a 2 hour race the order will change throughout the race. As Rattenbury commented “I'm very much looking forward to it, brands hatch GP is a great track and I think we can definitely be on the pace all weekend. After a bad weekend at Snetterton I'm up for bringing us back into the fight for the championship !” The race at Brands Hatch takes place on 19th June  : 

Aston Martin Racing’s remaining customer teams continued successfully through the night at La Sarthe. After a safety-car period of two hours and 20 minutes due to an incident with a front runner, the Gulf AMR Middle East was running well in the GTE-Am class. Driven by Fabien Giroix, Mike Wainwright and Roald Goethe, the car unfortunately retired from the 79th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at 0400 hours following an accident at the Porsche Curves. The V8-powered car had been running faultlessly but sustained too much damage to continue. After 19 hours of problem-fee running, the Kronos Racing/MarcVDS Aston Martin V12-powered DBR1-2 is running in 8th place. Kronos Racing/MarcVDS Team Principal Marc van Dalen said: "We are very happy with our progress - we have had no problems at all. Everything has been perfect. I am trying to slow our drivers down because we cannot catch the car in front. We had a pre-race plan to get to the finish and we need to stick to that plan."

The Aston Martin Racing crew worked hard to get the 007 AMR-One, shared by Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (D) and Christian Klien (AUT), back into the race after its earlier water-pump pulley drivetrain problem. With the pulley replaced, Stefan was sent out to start his first stint in the race. Unfortunately, he returned to the pits after one lap – damage sustained in the earlier incident proving to be terminal. The car was then officially withdrawn.

Larbre Competition’s expected fightback through the field has materialised during the first six hours of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours with the #50 Corvette C6R now leading the GTE Am class. The French team’s chances of making early progress were initially stifled by a lengthy Safety Car period after an accident just 50 minutes into the race caused significant damage to the Armco barrier.At that stage Gabriele Gardel had climbed two places from his starting position to sixth in class, but benefitted further from the confusion of the resulting caution period to lie third when action resumed over an hour later, before slipping back to sixth as their rivals’ disrupted pit-stop sequences played out over the following hour. With Gardel’s double stint complete, Patrick Bornhauser took his turn behind the wheel, moving up to and maintaining a strong net-third position. Julien Canal took over at around 19.30 and improved still further, leading his class as the sixth hour began.   Larbre’s second car, a jointly-run effort with IMSA Performance, started strongly and ran second in the opening hour before it was unluckily caught out by the timing of the Safety Car. Jean-Philippe Belloc is currently aboard running fourth.  pic V Images

Robertson Racing’s #68 Ford GT continues to run strongly with the car up to fourth in class and 29th overall as the race entered its final six hours. The American GTE Am contenders safely made it through the night and into dawn before the third lengthy Safety Car period of the 2011 race provided some relief from the relentless pace. The astonishing reliability of the independent Braselton-based team’s self-developed Ford GT has been in evidence ever since the fourth hour when trademark speedy pit work saw the gearbox switched to its ‘manual’ sequential back-up. Aside from a regular full brake change, the driver trio of Dave Robertson, Andrea Robertson and David Murry has had little to worry about as all three continue to exert pressure on those ahead. Robertson Racing’s decision to run a conservative race strategy also appears to be paying dividends with some of the class’ more fancied entries pre-race now falling by the wayside through a combination of mechanical maladies and incidents. 

Ginetta GT Supercup: Series leader Tom Sharp had a difficult weekend at Oulton Park (Cheshire) which saw his championship lead drop to just 35 points. After running away with the early championship lead, the Saturday morning qualifying session, in hot and sunny conditions, didn’t quite go according to plan for Sharp after he qualified the number 10 IDL car down in four place. After a strong start to the race, Sharp moved up quickly into third place ahead of Stephan Hodgetts and began to close on the battle for the lead. Unfortunately for Sharp, an official Ginetta ECU update made to the car before the first race caused the car to cut out dropping him down the running order. The second race of the weekend saw an inspired Sharp carve through the field in the early stages after a technical problem in race one. After just a handful of laps rain started to fall and with the entire field starting on dry weather slick tyres. As the driving conditions got worse, Sharp made the best of the difficult conditions and managed to catch up to the lead battle after starting from the back of the grid. Sharp caught and made an attempt to pass third place man Carl Breeze but the pair clashed in the braking zone with both drivers managing to keep control of their 370 bhp machines.  Two laps later Sharp made a mistake and ran of the road but manage to recover to sixth place.    Pic WiderViewPhoto.com   Read full report

11-06-11 

Formula Ford : Next weekend’s (18/19 June) Formula Ford races at Brands Hatch will stake a claim to a special place in the history of the world’s longest-lived junior single-seater category, for not only will they be keenly contested rounds of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain but also the first-ever races in the Formula Ford EuroCup. Brands Hatch is a highly appropriate venue for the EuroCup launch - 44 years ago, almost to the day, the Kent track hosted the first-ever Formula Ford race.  pic Jakob Ebrey photography    Read more

Le Mans: Larbre Competition were left satisfied with their Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying performance at the Circuit de la Sarthe, despite narrowly avoiding disaster after the team’s Corvette crashed on Wednesday evening.Gabriele Gardel went off at the Porsche Curves with just minutes left in Wednesday’s night time session, hitting the wall at close to 180km/h. However, the French squad’s mechanics emerged with huge credit as they once again excelled under pressure, working through the night and for most of Thursday to ensure the LM GTE Am-class car was ready to run on Thursday.The result was eighth place on the grid for Saturday’s race, but with a car that the team believes will show good race pace and, more importantly, be comfortable to drive throughout the twice-around-the-clock event.Julien Canal did most of the driving on Wednesday, setting the fifth best time, while Gabriele Gardel and Patrick Bornhauser both had seat time on Thursday, the latter having lost some running in Wednesday’s session with a brake pump issue. The team also used Thursday’s practice to validate its race engine, brakes, gearbox and transmission and ran without any major issues.Meanwhile, the team’s second car, an LM GTE Am Porsche 997 GT3 RSR shared by Jean-Philippe Belloc, Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon, will start the race from fourth on the grid after a strong start to Le Mans week.  pic V-Images

Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup : EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany hosts the fourth round of the 2011 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup next Saturday, 18th June – a race of huge importance for 19-year-old Daniel Lloyd as he aims to battle back from a robust weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria last time out. Showing outstanding pace in Austria last weekend, the first double-header event of the year, Daniel unfortunately slipped down from second to eighth position in the championship standings after being forced to mount recovery drives in each encounter. Knocked out of second place in round two, the British racer had to fight back from the tail of the field but a stirring performance not only lifted him into 13th place, he also posted the fastest lap in the process. During round three – the first race of the season in which competitors were eligible to earn full points – another fight through was required, this time finishing in eighth. “I’m still disappointed about how everything turned out at the Red Bull Ring”, said Daniel, “We’ve got to stay positive though, I did a good job and our pace was good. The rest of it was out of our control, I couldn’t do much about being knocked off so I just had to come back through as best I could.”  EuroSpeedway Laustiz is another unique and brand new challenge for Daniel but as he’s shown during the first two race meetings of the season, he’s taken no time at all to learn the tracks and be instantly competitive in practice and qualifying. . If he can qualify on the first couple of rows of the grid, and have some better fortune than at the Red Bull Ring, he stands a great chance of being back on the podium to move further up the championship table. Daniel added: “I’m looking forward to getting back out there and hoping for a good result at Lausitz. Every track has been new to us so far but it’s not been a problem, we were quick at Hockenheim and in Austria so I’m sure we can be next weekend too. I’m definitely aiming for a podium.”

DTM:  Fourth at Hockenheim, third at Zandvoort, winner at the Red Bull Ring. Audi driver Martin Tomczyk is the man of the hour in the DTM. And at the Lausitzring the Bavarian from Rosenheim who lives in Switzerland even has the chance of capturing the lead of the standings in the most popular international touring car racing series. What seemed like a descent to an older-generation Audi A4 DTM has turned into a piece of fortune for Tomczyk. The interaction with his vehicle engineer Jürgen Jungklaus in Audi Sport Team Phoenix is working perfectly. And in combination with the new Hankook tires the drivers of the year-old cars can fully bring their weight advantage over the more current models to bear.Martin Tomczyk has scored twenty points at the first three races of the 2011 season - more than any other Audi driver. Only three points separate him from the leader of the standings, Bruno Spengler. This means that Tomczyk may even be able to grab the lead of the standings from the Canadian at Lausitz. This is by no means an unrealistic prospect: In the past two years the older-generation A4 cars had already been very strong at the Lausitzring. In addition, all three Audi teams tested at the race track in East Germany - in view of the extremely close competition in this year’s DTM this is by no means just a minor advantage. On the other hand, the Lausitzring has not necessarily been the favorite track of the Audi A4 DTM in the past years. The last Audi victory took place six years ago. Since then the brand with the four rings has had to settle for podium positions at Lausitz. So it is high time to change this. 

BTCC: Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire plays host to the latest three rounds of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, 18th/19th June, where ‘local’ driver Alex MacDowall will be aiming to build on the fantastic podium finish he achieved last time out at Oulton Park. The Carlisle racer, who drives for the prestigious RML-run Silverline Chevrolet team, always views the annual visit to Croft-on-Tees as his true home event and he has enjoyed good success there in recent years – particularly in the Renault Clio Cup in 2009 where he took a win and second place. Achieving his long-awaited first podium of the season during round 10 last Sunday, driving brilliantly from seventh on the grid into a top three finish, the 20-year-old has his sights set higher for rounds 13, 14 and 15.  With just nine points separating Alex from seventh place in the BTCC standings, he hopes to make up that ground during Croft’s three encounters.  “I think qualifying will be crucial again and Croft is very hard on tyres which could play into our hands”, said the Cumbrian racer, “I qualified well last year but struggled with lots of understeer and poor braking so my main aim for the weekend is to work on a good set-up.” Throughout the season so far there has been just as much going on off-track as there has on-track in the UK’s most popular motor racing series. Much of the debate has surrounded the performance differential between the normally-aspirated 2.0-litre cars, such as Alex’s Chevrolet Cruze, and the more powerful turbo powered competition which forms the bulk of the grid this year. He added: “Croft is a very fast track which will favour the turbo cars but there are two very technical parts which will favour the Chevrolet Cruze – so I think it will be very close. I am currently nine points off seventh place in the championship so to move up the standings will definitely be one of my goals for the weekend, along with some more podiums and hopefully my first win!”

Ginetta Junior : Seb Morris, winner of seven of the eight Championship races to have been contested so far in 2011, aims to increase his lead when the ninth and 10th rounds of the season take place at Croft Circuit next weekend, 18th/19th June. Earning two more victories at his local track, Oulton Park, last time out, the 15-year-old is an incredible 88 points clear at the top of the standings. Seb’s record so far during only his second full season of car racing is nothing short of remarkable – on top of his seven wins he has secured five pole position starts and four fastest race laps, including three lap records. Croft’s 2.25-mile track always provides action and will offer a much different challenge to that offered by Oulton Park last weekend. Largely flat with no undulation, the North East’s motor racing venue provides a blend of high-speed corners and slower, technical sections. Seb knows there is no time at all to rest on his laurels. With 35 points on offer for a win, and an additional bonus point for pole position and fastest race lap respectively, the championship picture could change dramatically at any given moment. Seb is focused increasing his advantage yet further at Croft. “It’s a completely different circuit to Oulton but we’ll try our best as ever and work as hard as we possibly can to try and qualify on pole position and fight for two more wins”, said the Liberty Properties Plc and Legat Owen-sponsored racer.You never know what’s going to happen but hopefully we’ll hook it all up again and go well. I really like Croft, it’s got a good mix of slow and fast corners and I’m really looking forward to the challenge. As always I’ll be racing to win and I’m determined to try and keep increasing my lead in the points.”Another factor at Croft could, of course, be the weather but inclement conditions at Oulton Park proved no barrier to Seb’s high level of performance. The Hillspeed driver – who away from the track attends The King’s School, Chester – has shown phenomenal pace in the wet and dry so whatever the weekend throws at him, he’ll be ready.

WTCC: The 9th and 10th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place next week in the Czech Republic, at Brno's Masaryk Circuit. This is a traditional meeting for the series which has visited Brno every year from 2006. BMW notched up seven victories out of the ten WTCC races; only Chevrolet (Robert Huff won Race 2 in 2006 and Race 1 in 2010) and SEAT (Gabriele Tarquini in 2008 Race 2) have managed to break the German cars' supremacy. The 2010 meeting saw Huff leading from lights to flag in Race 1, claiming his second victory at the Automotodrom, four years after his maiden WTCC win. In the second race Andy Priaulx came from fourth on the grid to give BMW its 50th WTCC victory, with Colin Turkington completing a 1-2 finish for the German manufacturer. With the Chevrolet Cruze cars capable of winning seven of the eight races held so far in the season, current championship leader Huffs has the opportunity to improve his tally on the Czech racetrack. However, Tom Coronel may become the Chevrolet team's strongest competitor, taking into account that his ROAL Motorsport team have always been very competitive at Brno, winning four WTCC races here between 2007 and 2009. 

SUNRED announced that Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro will switch to the SR León 1.6T cars from the next race meeting at Brno. With Fredy Barth, Pepe Oriola and Michel Nykjær having already driven the petrol-powered cars in Budapest, Aleksei Dudukalo is the only driver to keep on racing in the SEAT León turbodiesel.Barth and Oriola scored points finishing eighth and tenth in Hungary's Race 1; Nykjær was in a position to do even better in Race 2, fighting with Monteiro's SEAT León TDi for fifth until being stopped by a blown tyre with only one lap to go.
"We were very happy with these results," SUNRED's principal Joan Orús said. "The engine has clearly shown its potential and did not have reliability problems and in terms of speed, the 1.6T was a bit faster than the 2.0 TDi.  We are in late compared to the others. And to fill the gap we must develop the engine at the race weekends. The TDi has no margin left for improvements, while the 1.6T has a good potential and can improve a lot. Torque and power are there, but we have to work on drivability, therefore I would be very happy to achieve in Brno the same results we could achieve with the TDi: top ten in qualifying and top five in the races," Tarquini commented. 

Polestar Racing is also ready to race the new 1.6-litre turbo engine on Robert Dahlgren's Volvo C30 car. "We sent a request to the FIA Touring Car Committee for being granted the authorization to use the engine from Brno," unveiled team principal Christian Dahl who added: "We have done only four track days and reliability testing is far from completed. We are also no fully satisfied with drivability yet. However, we have come so far that we will learn more from now on if we start racing than just continue testing." Until the previous WTCC event in Budapest, Dahlgren's car was still powered by a 2.0-litre normally aspirated engine.

In the calculation of the compensation weight for Brno, it was decided not to take into account the lap times clocked during the second race at Budapest that was affected by changeable weather and track conditions. The calculation based on the lap times set in the three previous events (Belgium, Italy and Hungary) identified the Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T as the reference model and allocated 40 extra kilos to the five cars ran by Chevrolet-RML and bamboo-engineering.
The BMW 320 TC (that was only 0.3 seconds slower than the Cruze) and the SUNRED SR León 1.6T (as per art art. 79 B2) will also receive the maximum compensation weight. The SEAT León TDi will receive 20 extra kilos, while the Volvo C30 and BMW 320si will benefit from a 20-kg reduction of their minimum weights. However the Volvo will also receive 40 extra kilos should the team switch to the turbo engine.

Compensation weight Brno
+ 40 kg BMW 320 TC, Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T, SUNRED SR León 1.6T
+ 20 kg SEAT León TDi
- 20 kg BMW 320si, Volvo C30

10-06-11

Le Mans: The front row of the grid at the Le Mans 24 Hours belongs to Audi. In one of the most thrilling qualifying events in recent years the new Audi R18 TDI and the company’s ultra-lightweight technology prevailed. Benoît Tréluyer set a time of 3m 25.738s and clinched the top grid position for Audi. His French team-mate Romain Dumas was merely 0.061 seconds slower. 
For Audi, this marks the sixth pole position at Le Mans in total and the first since 2006 when the brand with the four rings achieved the first victory of a diesel-powered vehicle at the world’s most famous endurance race. Although Audi Sport Team Joest concentrated on preparing for the race again on Thursday night, the three Audi R18 TDI cars set the pace in the two final qualifying sessions. Benoît Tréluyer’s performance was particularly impressive. The Frenchman clinched the pole position 30 minutes before midnight on the 21st lap of a race simulation on used tires - also thanks to the full LED headlights of the R18 TDI which ensure optimal illumination of the track at night. The competition despite making several attempts to do so tried in vain to beat Tréluyer’s fastest time in the final phase of the captivating qualifying in which the fastest six cars were running within just six tenths of a second. This was the first pole position at Le Mans for Tréluyer, who together with Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer, will start from the grid in the number "2" Audi R18 TDI.In the Audi R18 TDI trimmed for uncompromising lightweight design Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller clinched the front row as well. The car designated as number "1" had been slightly damaged in the first qualifying session on Wednesday night.The crew of car number "3" on the other hand is in for a lot of work. While trying to push forward onto the two front rows of the grid from fifth place Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen slid against the track barrier in the "Tertre Rouge" section. Despite extensive damage the R18 TDI driven by Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish can be repaired before the race. The single-component carbon fiber monocoque remained intact in the impact.The 79th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be started on Saturday at 3 p.m. by FIA President Jean Todt. Audi has the chance to secure its tenth Le Mans victory. In view of the extremely narrow time gaps between the front runners it will be more important than ever to deliver a zero-mistake performance in the race.

With just five tenths separating the top six cars, the qualifying sessions have already ensured this 79th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take its place in the annals. The battle for pole position was exciting and closely contested in all three sessions, leaving the outcome of this weekend's race hard to predict. On Saturday, the Peugeot 908 no.9 will line up in third position on the starting grid, just in front of the no.8 car, whilst the no.7 car will start from sixth position. The second day of qualifying began in similar fashion to the first day.  Stéphane Sarrazin and Marc Gené picked up the pace, whilst the driver team of car no.9 (Bourdais, Lamy and Pagenaud) remained focused on its development programme. The no.8 (Sarrazin) and no.7 (Gené) cars took it in turns to hold provisional pole position at the end of the second qualifying session. The much sought-after pole was snatched at the death by Marcel Fassler. The timesheets changed again in the final qualifying session until Simon Pagenaud, credited with fastest time of the Peugeots with 3’26’’010, was stopped in his tracks by a puncture on his final attempt to grab pole. Franck Montagny, Nicolas Minassian and Stéphane Sarrazin’s no.8 car will start from fourth and the no.7 car (Davidson, Gené and Wurz) will line up in sixth place. The leading private car, Oreca Matmut team’s Peugeot 908 HDi FAP will line up in 7th position on the starting grid.

Results:

1- Audi R18 TDI no.2: 3’25’’738
2- Audi R18 TDI no.1: 3’25’’799
3- PEUGEOT 908 no.9 (Pagenaud): 3’26’’010
4- PEUGEOT 908 no.8 (Sarrazin): 3’26’’156
5- Audi R18 TDI no.3: 3’26’’165
6- PEUGEOT 908 no.7 (Gené): 3’26’’272
7- PEUGEOT 908 HDi FAP Oreca no.10: 3’30’’084
8- Lola Toyota no.12: 3’32’’883
9- Pescarolo no.16: 3’33’’066
10- Lola Toyota no.13: 3’34’’573

Neel Jani in Lola-Toyota N°12 secured the first place non diesel car in the third and final qualification session for the 2011 24 hours of Le Mans. With a lap time of 3'32''883, the Swiss driver also secured 8th position overall on the grid.Andrea Belicchi in Lola-Toyota N°13 couldn't do better than the 10th overall fastest lap after being hindered by traffic during his qualifying laps.Neel Jani, driver of Lola-Toyota #12 “ After yesterday's test sessions, we have improved the car a lot. I have made my best lap time because of good sector 1 and 3. Despite having traffic in sector 2, I was able to bank a good lap. I'm really happy to get the pole position of petrol cars because the Pescarolo car is very strong here, in particular with a higher top speed than our Rebellions on the straights. I'm happy for all the Rebellion team who worked hard for that. All three of the drivers in our car will do our best to get the same result at the end of the race... “  Andrea Belicchi, driver of Lola-Toyota #13. “ I had traffic during my quick laps. So I couldn't made a good qualifying lap at the level of the improvement that we made on the car. But I'm pleased with the work we've done on the car. I'm very confident for the race “. Bart Hayden, Rebellion Racing Team Manager “ We spent most of the free practice and qualifying sessions working to find a good race set up for our cars. Pescarolo pushed us really hard for the petrol pole, so we are very happy to secure the fastest petrol grid position. Hopefully, the setup work that we've carried out will help translate into a good race result, we are very much looking forward to the race now.”

OAK Racing’s hard work in the lead up to this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours paid off last night with all four OAK-Pescarolo prototypes – two each in LMP1 and LMP2 – demonstrating competitive pace during qualifying. The French team’s first foray into the premier LMP1 category at the twice-round-the-clock enduro proved a great success with the #15 car driven by Tiago Monteiro, Guillaume Moreau and Pierre Ragues lining up 11th overall but fourth of the petrol-powered runners despite a small electrical glitch, while the #24 machine of Jacques Nicolet, Richard Hein and Jean-Francois Yvon starts three places further back in 14th.  OAK Racing’s tried and tested LMP2 contender meanwhile is also in the thick of its class’ action with #49 (Shinji Nakano, Nicolas De Crem and Jan Charouz) fifth, just 0.5 seconds shy of third place, and #35 (Andrea Barlesi, Frederic Da Rocha and Patrice Lafargue) tenth. These were especially positive results for the outfit, based but a stone’s throw from the circuit at the Le Mans Technoparc, after a less than perfect build-up to this year’s race which included big accidents at the official Test Day and Spa-Francorchamps Intercontinental Le Mans Cup round.   

Robertson Racing continued to make positive progress during qualifying for Le Mans last night with the American squad set to line up 10th in GTE Am for their first tilt at the Grand Prix of Endurance. Dave Robertson, Andrea Robertson and David Murry all completed their mandatory night time laps during the pair of two-hour sessions at the wheel of the #68 Doran Ford GT. After making the usual array of technical adjustments on Thursday, which included overcoming a crank sensor issue, the Braselton-based outfit enjoyed a trouble-free combined final four hours of running, during which the Robertsons gained valuable track time on their first trip to Circuit de la Sarthe.Wednesday saw the car turn a wheel competitively for the first time since the American Le Mans Series season opener at Sebring in March. The team has worked hard since then to improve the Ford’s lighting system for the rigours of Le Mans, while further track time and set-up work on Thursday also helped the drivers feel more confident with the car.  Murry, who scored a GT class podium on his last Le Mans visit ten years ago, posted a best lap of 4m08.208s during his limited time behind the wheel but felt there could have been more to come.

Aston Martin Racing driver Andy Meyrick, who will share the #009 AMR-One LMP1 prototype with Adrian Fernandez and Harold Primat for the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours, describes a lap of the 8.40-mile Circuit de la Sarthe: read more

Reigning Le Mans 24 Hours GT1 champions Larbre Competition return to Circuit de la Sarthe this week with a new car and fresh challenge as they fight for GTE-Am class honours at the world’s greatest endurance race, as well as double Intercontinental Le Mans Cup points. The French outfit will contest this year’s race with their third American manufacturer – Corvette – following stints with Dodge (2001-03) and Saleen (2008 and 2010). The team’s trusted ILMC driver squad of Gabriele Gardel, Patrick Bornhauser and Julien Canal will again pilot the factory-supported C6R which, as a one off for Le Mans, is joined by a Porsche 911 GT3-RSR featuring Jean-Philippe Belloc, Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon at the wheel. The car was then assessed during Monday’s traditional public scrutineering session in Jacobins Square.   Gabriele Gardel: “Following the training camp at La Croix Valmer, I am fully prepared thanks to their physical trainer Jerome with whom I had a full check up. The hospitality is magnificent this year. The entire team is highly motivated for this weekend.” Patrick Bornhauser: “I am very happy following the training camp in La Croix Valmer, and to see that my physical condition is at its highest level just like that of my two team-mates. I am always amazed by the public’s enthusiasm during scrutineering at Jacobins Square.” Julien Canal: “It is always an exciting moment when we get together for training and team building. We have had a very enjoyable stay, appreciated the atmosphere and had ideal preparation. Our first day in Le Mans for scrutineering has allowed us to meet the public and fans who were as passionate as ever. A great moment.”

After one of the most intense periods that anyone in the team can remember, RML AD Group is in positive mood ahead of this weekend’s 79th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Just four weeks ago the squad’s HPD ARX-01d was virtually destroyed in a high-speed accident in practice for the Spa 1000 Kilometres, yet the team overcame a logistical mountain to have a replacement car ready for this week. Arriving with realistic aspirations, the team has been very pleased with the progress made in free practice and qualifying, and everyone is looking forward to the race with confidence.  The replacement tub for the HPD chassis arrived at the team’s Wellingborough workshops late on 26th May. Inside a week the team had the car fully rebuilt and ready for a shakedown test at Snetterton, where the car performed faultlessly. "Reliability is everything," said Phil Barker, Team Manager at RML. "The chassis and suspension is proven, and we know it's a successful 24 hour race-winning car. The unknown quantity is the engine, which is all-new for this year, but HPD has run it extensively on the dyno and as a team we have the experience to make the most of a very positive situation." Mike Newton recovered remarkably quickly from the 30G impact he sustained at Spa. Consistently quick laps during the shakedown test at Snetterton last Friday were followed by some personal best times in practice and qualifying at Le Mans. “I’m feeling very comfortable in the car now,” he said. “Overall, I’m confident we have a great race car that just gets better every time we go out. We don’t know yet exactly what our outright pace could be, since we’ve not had a chance to run on soft tyres, but our times give a fair indication of what we should be capable of setting in the race.” Ben Collins is thoroughly enjoying the experience of being back at the Circuit de la Sarthe. “It's eight years since I was last here, so I’m taking things as they come. The car feels really inspiring to drive, so reacquainting myself with the track has been a pleasure. The Porsche Curves are especially impressive. Hammering through those corners with your foot pinned to the floor is a fantastic experience, and completing each lap can’t fail to put a smile on your face. This circuit has such tremendous charisma, and being here is just living a dream. I love it." Thomas Erdos will take the start in the RML AD Group HPD #36 on Saturday. David Lord / Dailysportscar

NASCAR: When the ‘King’ of NASCAR - Richard Petty - and famed fuel additives brand, STP, first signed a deal in 1972, it was the start of one of the longest and most successful sponsorship relationships in motorsport. In twenty years, Petty thrilled legions of NASCAR fans and rewarded STP with four NASCAR Championship titles*.Petty hung up his helmet in 1992, but nearly two decades later, over the weekend of June 4/5, the iconic STP Day-Glo red and ‘Petty Blue’ race colours were once again on track, heralding STP‘s return to top-line motorsport in its native USA.Under the banner of Richard Petty Motorsports, the STP-sponsored NASCAR Ford Fusion - driven by former Champ Car driver, A.J. Allmendinger, and sporting Petty’s famous ‘43’ race number - was unveiled at Kansas Speedway, launching a full season for the team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in 2011.The car pays tribute to the ‘King’, with a livery that replicates that of Petty’s 1972 STP Dodge Charger. Aside from taking Petty to his fourth NASCAR Championship victory that year, this is the car in which he wowed the crowds during his guest appearance at the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed.The landmark return to NASCAR is part of STP’s major re-engagement with enthusiasts worldwide, in line with a major development of its fuel additive and engine care product ranges. Renewed motorsport participation also includes NASCAR race and track sponsorships, and a return to big league NHRA drag racing. Adding a global dimension, STP is also a founder sponsor of the UK-based Bloodhound Project - the bid to raise the World Land Speed Record to 1,000mph, which will be played out across a 14-mile land strip in South Africa in 2012/13.And sports car enthusiasts across Europe are being treated to the vivid sight and sound of the STP AF Corse Ferrari F458, contesting the FIA GT3 European Championship, with qualifying rounds in seven nations.

Formula Pilota China : Luís Sá Silva has joined Asia Racing Team for the Formula Pilota China Series; a new single seater championship introduced this year with the support of the Ferrari Drivers Academy. After taking  the runner-up position in the 2009 Asian Formula Renault  Asia Racing Team, Sá Silva moved to Europe last season where he raced in German F3 Championship until an accident and a serious hand injury took him away racing. Speaking ahead of the new season, Sá Silva said: "After one year without racing, I am very satisfied to relaunch my career, and nothing better than do it in the team where I started racing and where I got my best results." Based in Zhuhai International Circuit, Asia Racing Team is one of the most well known racing teams in the region. After one year out of competition, Sá Silva admits Asia Racing Team give him the confidence to win again.  “With Asia Racing Team I know that I will have a very competitive car from the start of the season and guarantees to win. I've really enjoyed the times we raced together and already feel part of the team. I learnt a lot last season in F3 and I want to build on that this year and put together a strong championship campaign. I will do my best and I look forward to defend my nation with pride”, he said. Team Manager Philippe Descombes, added. “Luis gave the first steps in motor racing in this house, and in 2009 we were decidedly unlucky to lose the Asian Formula Renault championship. After one-year forced break, Luis needs to get back the rhythm of racing and trust. We are certain that the European experience will help him to be competitive from the outset as we mustn't squander any points.” 2011 Formula Pilota China Series will run over six double-header rounds. Formula Pilota China runs Formula Abarth, featuring chassis manufactured by the Italian Tatuus and a 1400cc turbo engine.  

Formula 3: Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series ‘Rookie Class’ points leader Bart Hylkema enjoyed a competitive couple of days at Rockingham this week, the 21-year-old Dutchman once again leading the way convincingly during officially timed testing.On Tuesday, 8th June, the T-Sport driver began the two-day run impressively in the opening session by setting the 14th fastest time overall with a lap of 1m14.885 seconds (93.26mph) – placing him ahead of three ‘Championship Class’ cars. Marginally improving his time in the second session to 1m14.816 seconds (93.34mph) and running almost identical pace in the first of the afternoon runs, Bart maintained his incredibly comfortable 1.7 second gap in the Rookie Class and ended day one at the 1.94-mile track 17th fastest overall.Four more sessions awaited the competitors on Wednesday, 8th June, and the first year F3 racer posted his best effort of the day during the first run – a lap of 1m14.182 seconds (94.14mph) placing him only 1.5 seconds shy of the fastest Championship Class car.“We’ve had two good days of testing at Rockingham”, said Bart, “We tried a lot of setups on the car and improved a lot throughout the test. I’m very pleased with the work we completed.”   Bart’s focus now is the fourth event of his maiden F3 season, rounds 10, 11 and 12 at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit next weekend, 18th/19th June. Yet again a UK track that he has never raced on before, Bart is greatly looking forward to the challenge and aiming to take a clean-sweep of wins. So far this season, the talented racer from Delft in The Netherlands has been in a class of his own by taking Rookie Class victory in eight of the nine races contested. The only blemish on his tremendous record is a non-finish during round eight at Snetterton 300 Circuit – Bart an innocent party in a multi car tangle on the opening lap of the race.Arriving at Brands Hatch next weekend with a fantastic 58 point lead in the standings, his first goal is to enjoy continued success in the Rookie Class and extend his tremendous advantage. The greater challenge for Bart is to get in among the quicker and more advanced Championship Class cars in race conditions, something he is getting closer and closer to achieving as the season progresses.“I’m looking forward very much to Brands Hatch next week”, he said, “Although I’ve never raced there before, I’ve been told it’s one of the UK’s best tracks. It’s supposed to be very fast and flowing so I can’t wait to get there next weekend.”  pic Jakob Ebrey

One of the most eagerly anticipated debuts of an open-wheel racing car in Australia for some time now has a starting date. Queensland businessman and racer Jon Mills unveiled his Mygale M-07 Formula 3 car to media and corporate guests at a Brisbane function earlier this week and expects to debut the car at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway in July, during round three of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship. The car only arrived in Australia last week and as such will miss the forthcoming City of Darwin Cup Event next weekend – but promises to add a new level of interest in the championship as the closest thing to a ‘works’ entry the series has ever seen. The Mygale will be the first non-Dallara chassis to race in the championship since its inception as a national title in 2000, and the first Mygale F3 car thought to have raced in the Southern Hemisphere. The program announced by Mills this week includes a ‘direct line’ to the Mygale factory in France and ongoing support from Mygale Australia boss Greg Woodrow. “The launch went really well and it was a great night,” Jon Mills said of the night hosted by Brisbane Ferrari dealer EuroMarque. “This is a professional program and there is a great partnership with Greg Woodrow and Mygale. The most pleasing thing, however, has been the level of support from the factory and from the engineer who worked on the cars when they were run by Ultimate Motorsport in British Formula 3. They have been fantastic in assisting the process and opening up their information and data about the car to us. Michael Devaney, who raced the car and scored podium finishes in British F3, is now Sydney-based and we’ve enlisted him to come on board and help with the initial development and set up. There is no data for the Kumho tyres so we’ll be starting from scratch in a lot of ways so to have someone like him on board is a massive benefit. The car will debut at Eastern Creek,” Mills added. “We would have loved to go to Darwin however it’s all come together too late to make it, especially given I wouldn’t be able to get any time in the car before the round. We’re still waiting on a lot of stuff to arrive from Europe so its better we wait, do it properly, and go to Eastern Creek in July ready to go.” Pic Darrin Mandy / Digital Realism     

Karts: Ed Brand is now firmly in the driving seat of the Super One Rotax Championship after taking back to back victories in Cumbria last Sunday (5 June). These most recent successes maintained the Strawberry Racing stars’ near perfect run of form, in which he has triumphed in four of the six races in the Championship - 3rd has been Ed’s lowest finishing position. Pic Bas Kaligis   read report

Jack Barlow sensibly settled for 3rd and 2nd place finishes in Cumbria last weekend (4/5 June) and was rewarded with the Super One Rotax Championship lead. The Arai and Freem supported youngster responded to advice from his Strawberry Racing team and went for a good haul of vital points, rather than outright glory, in the third round of Britain’s toughest junior kart championship.   Pic Alex Roache    read report

Strawberry drivers Harry Webb, Jack Barlow and Ed Brand currently head their respective classes after a successful third round of the Super One Rotax series, at Rowrah last weekend (4/5 June). In Mini Max, Harry Webb (left) claimed his first win of the season after delivering solid performances in the build up to Sunday’s main final. His delighted team manager Warwick Ringham said: “Harry finished 5th in the pre-final but we felt that the set-up could be improved. We changed a few things and it paid off for him.”    Pic Alex Roache    read report

Formula Renault: After producing his finest performance of the year to-date to take a well-deserved podium finish at Oulton Park, Jack Hawksworth ‘s Formula Renault UK rivals know that he is now ‘back on it’ and more fired-up than ever to claim his breakthrough victory.  Read report

Clio Cup: Having left Team Arm Ash Shuttlewood is aiming to continue with his plans to race in the Clio Cup UK running his own Car under his TGR Motorsport banner. " Things didnt go as planned with Team Arm with them deciding not to race in the Clio's so I have decided to have a go at running myself, we will be starting pretty much from scratch so need Sponsorship and a car etc, we have a good team behind us but need the backing to get this off the ground. To be honest its been an awful year so far with several plans and promises not working out as we had hoped but we're here for the long haul and will not give up!!"

Le Mans: Aston Martin Racing and its customer teams Kronos/MarcVDS Racing, Jota Sport and Gulf AMR Middle East continued to make solid progress during the final two qualifying sessions for the 79th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The two Gulf sponsored and liveried AMR-One LMP1 prototypes ran in both two-hour sessions in a bid to continue the rapid data-gathering exercise in the team’s first year in the French enduro with the new car. The 007 car, shared by Christian Klien (A), Stefan Mücke (D) and Darren Turner (GB), ran trouble-free during the opening two hours of track action between 19:00 and 21:00. The sister 009 car, driven by Adrian Fernandez (MEX), Andy Meyrick (GB) and Harold Primat (CH), briefly suffered an overheating brake duct after being called in for a routine weighbridge check but soon finished the session with plenty of additional mileage under its belt.During the second two-hour session (22:00-24:00), both cars were again subjected to set-up changes designed to simulate different performance and reliability characteristics. In keeping with Le Mans regulations that state all drivers must attain a minimum laptime in relation to the class benchmark, as well as a requirement to complete three laps in the dark, both cars spent the session lapping the 8.4-mile circuit at a consistent pace. 007 will start the race from 22nd and 009 from 25th. The Kronos/MarcVDS Aston Martin DBR1-2 again underlined its competitiveness in the LMP1 battle for petrol-powered cars, the all Belgian crew of Vanina Ickx, Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin having a clean run and setting times very close to the unofficial petrol-class polesitter and will start from 12th position. In the GTE-Pro class, Jota Sport was happy with the balance of its V8 Vantage in the build-up to the start of the race at 3pm on Saturday, as it set times quicker than yesterday’s opening qualifying session. They will start the race 10th in class. Gulf AMR Middle East worked hard during the first hour of the evening’s action to get its V8 Vantage back in shape following yesterday’s collision with an LMP1 car and will start 6th in class.

Last year’s GT2 class winning team - Marc Lieb, Richard Leitz, Wolf Henzler – return to defend their crown behind the wheel of the 2011-spec Felbermayr-Proton team 911 GT3 RSR Five teams, eight vehicles, 24 drivers: Porsche customer teams from Europe and the USA are particularly well represented at the 79th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend.  With the same line-up, last year’s winners return to the site of their success. For Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz, 2010 yielded their second class wins in Le Mans (after 2005 and 2007 respectively). Wolf Henzler climbed to the top of the podium for the first time. Title defender Felbermayr-Proton fields the 2011-version of the 911 GT3 RSR in the ‘GTE Pro’ class. The American Flying Lizard Motorsports team competes with the punchy works driver pairing Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) at the wheel of a 911 in the ‘Pro’ category. Together, they claimed a Le Mans class win in 2004, with Patrick Long also achieving success in 2007. The multiple champions of the American Le Mans Series receive support from Lucas Luhr (Switzerland), who celebrated GT wins in Le Mans with Porsche in 2002 and 2003.The French Porsche works driver Patrick Pilet shares driving duties with his compatriots Raymond Narac and Nicolas Armindo in the 911 GT3 RSR of IMSA Performance Matmut. Whilst team owner Narac has extensive experience in Le Mans, Armindo, as reigning champion of the Carrera Cup Deutschland, makes his debut at the endurance classic. The youngest Porsche works driver, Marco Holzer (Germany), drives for the Belgian ProSpeed Competition team. The 22-year-old celebrated his Le Mans premiere in 2010 with a podium result. He shares the cockpit of the GTE Pro 911 with Marc Goossens (Belgium) and Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands). At the wheel of the fifth 911 GT3 RSR in the GTE Pro class, also fielded by Felbermayr-Proton, are Britain’s Nick Tandy – the current leader of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and the Carrera Cup Deutschland – as well as Bryce Miller (USA) and Abdulaziz Faisal (Saudi Arabia).Racing in the ‘GTE Am’ sports car category, in which only one professional race driver per vehicle is permitted, are three further 2010-spec 911 GT3 RSR. Taking up the challenge for Flying Lizard Motorsports are Americans Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Spencer Pumpelly, for Proton Competition are team boss Christian Ried (Germany) as well as Austrian drivers Horst Felbermayr Senior and Junior. Racing for the Larbre Competition team are Frenchmen Christophe Bourret, Pascal Gibon and Jean-Philippe Belloc.

Formula 3: With just over a week to go until the fourth race meeting of the 2011 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series, Menasheh Idafar is in high spirits after another positive test outing at Rockingham. Concluding this week’s two-day official test at the Corby venue pleased with his pace, the 20-year-old steered his Volkswagen-powered Dallara to within just 0.5 seconds of the top time on Wednesday. After a solid opening on Tuesday, where he ended the first four sessions 10th fastest overall, the British-born Bahraini continued to make good progress with a best time of 1m13.137s (95.49mph) during Wednesday’s session one.Placing Menasheh just 0.5 seconds away from the head of the timing screens, he went on to produce a similarly strong lap of 1m13.293s in the second run to go seventh fastest for that particular session. His afternoon best came in the fourth and final session with a lap of 1m13.517s(94.99mph), capping off a consistently strong test. “We had another good run today and I’m quite happy with the gap to the front”, said Menasheh, “It would have been nice to be another couple of 10ths quicker but it was a really competitive day so to be half a second off isn’t bad. I can’t wait for Brands Hatch now, the GP circuit is a great track.” All attention now turns to rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the season at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit next weekend, 18th/19th June.

FIB GT: On only its second appearance on the European Grand Touring scene, the LMP Motorsport team scored the first podiums in its young history. At Silverstone, Maxime Martin and Gaël Lesoudier drove their Aston Martin DBRS9 to a brilliant second place on Saturday and followed it up on Sunday with third spot. These results propelled the Franco-Belgian pairing to fourth overall in the FIA GT3 European Championship ratings.  Read report

Karts: Very competitive during the whole Italian weekend, Beitske Visser continued her progression in the WSK Master Series where the Dutch girl fought for victory in both races. On the Siena circuit she won for the first time in KZ1 and she showed that she was competitive in all conditions, such as when it started to rain during Sunday's final.   read report

Matty Graham did not expect to be spraying the podium champagne after the way his weekend had begun in the fourth round of the 2011 WSK Master Series at Siena in Italy – but courtesy of a gritty performance, that was precisely what he did.  Read report

Rallycross: Tony Lynch will aim to make the most of past experience

08--06-11

VLN: Aston Martin’s new V12 Zagato endurance race car concept will return to the Nürburgring this weekend for final preparations ahead of the 24-hour race hosted at the famous German circuit at the end of the month. Competing in the 51st ADAC Reinoldus-Langstreckenrennen VLN5 four-hour race on Saturday will be two examples of the V12 Zagato endurance race car which won the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes at its first public appearance at the Villa D’Este Concours last month. This warm-up race - used as a test session ahead of the Nürburgring 24-hour race which takes place between 25th - 26th June - will be the first time two new V12 Zagato race cars have been in action together after one of the pair enjoyed its first running under race conditions at the 53rd ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup VLN race last month. This weekend will be used to refine race setup and allow further driver familiarisation with the new cars on the gruelling 25.378km circuit. Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez will lead the driver team joined by the company’s Nürburgring Test Centre Director, Wolfgang Schuhbauer plus experienced amateur racer Peter Cate in the first of the two V12 Zagato’s. The sister car will be driven by One-77 Chief Engineer Chris Porritt, experienced sports car driver Oliver Mathai and automotive journalist Richard Meaden. Introduced as a modern interpretation of the famous Aston Martin and Zagato collaboration in the 50th anniversary year of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, the V12 Zagato revives a collaboration which has produced some of the most beautiful and sought-after cars in the world. The partnership takes inspiration from the past to create a modern interpretation based on Aston Martin’s ultimate performance interpretation of the Vantage range: the     V12 Vantage. The 51st ADAC Reinoldus-Langstreckenrennen VLN5 four-hour race starts at noon Central European Time on Saturday.

Le Mans: Robertson Racing make their long-awaited Le Mans 24 Hours debut this weekend with husband and wife duo Dave Robertson and Andrea Robertson joined by long-time driver partner David Murry behind the wheel of the team’s #68 Ford GT. Here the American trio offer their thoughts ahead of the great race. Read Q & A

When the Le Mans 24 Hours starts at 3 pm on Saturday the "Audi Live Racing" microsite will go online at www.audi-microsites.com/lemans. On the microsite Audi will be delivering a 24-hour live stream with onboard footage of the three Audi R18 TDI cars. In addition, telemetry data of the respective vehicle such as speed, selected gear and position on the track will be available online. Every two hours the microsite will provide a summary of the race. On Twitter the five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro will contribute current information and assessments of how the race is developing. At www.twitter.com/Audi__Sport and www.facebook.com/AudiSport motorsport fans have been able to find brief info, photos and videos from Le Mans since the Technical Scrutineering event on Monday. Users are receiving behind-the-scenes insights into Audi Sport Team Joest and have the feeling of being part of the action "live" themselves. The Facebook page of Audi Sport has already recorded more than 35,000 "friends", with thousands of new fans joining them every day. The free "Audi Sport" iPhone app offers a live ticker. Audi.TV is airing extensive reports from Le Mans as well. Eurosport is broadcasting a total of 40 hours live from Le Mans, with non-stop coverage of the race on its two channels, Eurosport 1 and 2. The programme of SPEED TV in the USA is similarly extensive.   

Radicals: With such a large entry for the second UK round of the Radical Masters, the SR8’s and SR3’s were split into individual races on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. Alex and Martin Brundle set the pole time for the first SR8 race, fractionally ahead of William Vermont and Christian Kronegard. But after both lead cars slid off, Per Staaf Jnr collected another victory. But the Brundle’s were dominant at the second time of asking.  Read report

It was opportunity for the SR3 crews to take home some overall glory, with their own Masters & UK Cup double header, Pete Osborne and Alex Kapadia in the first race and Junior Strous in the second, did just that.  Read report

It wasn’t a weekend that will go in the history of Marks Electrical Radical, as memorable.  For the first of their Radical Masters and UK Cup Mark Smithson and Stuart Moseley qualified their SR3 in sixth place, “we had no mishaps, quiet boring really,” said Mark.It was Mark that did the first stint in the first of the days two races and after avoiding a first lap skirmish, he emerged with an early third place. Two safety car periods intervened, as the tricky conditions caught a number of drivers out. Mark had settled in third, but from the second green flag ran wide out of Graham Hill Bend and lost two places, but managed to fight his way back to fifth by the time he had to pit and hand to Stuart.It was a rapid climb for Moseley at the beginning of his stint, taking second on lap 16, before disaster. Mark had been caught speeding in the pitlane and Stuart was forced to take a drive through penalty. “I had a good start sixth to third, just brought it in and then was speeding in the pitlane. Stuart didn’t have to say anything, his look said it all,” Mark explained.Despite his best efforts, Stuart could not improve on sixth when he  rejoined. “It would have been fine I reckon, but that stop didn’t help at all,” he said. Read full report

360 Racing came away from a busy weekend at Brands Hatch with a mixture of success and disappointment. There were four podiums, one for each for Robert Enestedt, Terrence Woodward and Ross Kaiser in the Radical Masters/UK Cup SR8’s and two for Tony Wells’ SR3 in the Clubmans Cup.With Derek Johnston withdrawing from the team a few days before the race weekend, last years SR8 had to brought back into action. Ross Kaiser was back to partner Terrence for the first time this season and despite the shortage of testing, lined up eighth for the first race. Read full report

Formula 3: Rising single-seater driver Gary Thompson heads to Fuji International Speedway for rounds 3, 4 and 5 of the Japanese F3 Championship this weekend in confident mood after a recent strong performance in testing at the same circuit. The 19-year-old Dubliner  finished second at the group test two weeks ago in his SGC by KCMG-run Dallara at the 4.563-kilometre Fuji track.  Having scored a podium in the season opener at Suzuka last month Thompson, who enjoys support from Aviation Display and Cebu Pacific Air, is hoping for a repeat performance in the three races at Fuji and is also eyeing a first victory in the National Class. Thompson heads to what will be the first of two back-to-back race meetings at Fuji, the second taking place on 16-17 July, lying fourth in the championship. Gary Thompson: “Our race pace in testing at Fuji recently was particularly strong and although we’ve got some one-lap speed to find for qualifying, we were still second quickest. Also, this weekend’s triple-header will see one short race and two longer events, which should suit us. I think we’re looking good and I’m feeling very confident.Fuji is a lot different from Suzuka. It’s a good track and, while it’s not as challenging for the drivers, there are definitely more overtaking opportunities which should make for good racing. We’ve made a few changes to the car, but tweaks and refinements rather than anything major, particularly as the test went so well.Having finished second at Suzuka in the last round, I’d really like to get a win this weekend. The main target is to be on the podium in all three races to score good points for the championship, but honestly I’d like at least one victory!”

Karts: James Singleton is currently the form driver in British karting so heading into the third round of the2011 Super 1 Series at Rowrah he was the clear favourite. An after a hard  battle he took a brace of hard-fought victories and made it five national-level triumphs in succession. pic Chris Walker/kartpix   Read report

Formula 2:  Will Bratt completely dominated official FIA Formula 2 Championship testing at Snetterton 300 Circuit in Norfolk yesterday, Tuesday,a timely reminder of his obvious title potential with little more than a fortnight to go until the next two rounds of the 2011 season. Topping three of the day’s four sessions, the 23-year-old was in sensational form and he rounded-off the test in the fourth and final run – the only session of the day in which the car’s ‘push-to-pass’ overboost function is enabled – almost half a second clear of anyone. “I’m really happy with how today unfolded, we were on it from the off and very quick all day”, said Will, “It’s a nice feeling when you’re so dominant but testing is one thing, we need to try and repeat this at Spa in a couple of weeks in qualifying and the races. I’m determined to get right back in the championship hunt there and I really think a couple of wins are possible.”  Will began the day 0.5 seconds ahead of his closest challenger with a lap of 1m39.222 secs (107.71mph) in session one before again going quickest in session two with a time of 1m40.032 secs (106.84mph). Although just missing out on being fastest in the first of the afternoon’s two outings by a mere 0.1 secs, having posted a lap of 1m39.373 secs, Will surged back to the top of the timesheets in the fourth and final run with a superb 1m38.044 seconds (109.01mph). Ending the day 0.4 secs clear, the Briton signalled notice of his ability and pace. Currently seventh in the championship after a difficult weekend at Magny-Cours last time out, Will is fully focused on moving back up the points table when Formula 2 returns to Spa on 25th/26th June for rounds five and six. Despite his clear ability and proven track-record, Will is still facing an uphill challenge where budget is concerned. In order to complete the season in F2 more funding is required. Details of the sponsorship and marketing opportunities available can be obtained from Henry Spratt at Enterprise Sports Management on 0207 5903667 or henrys@enterprisesports.com

BTCC : With just over a week to go, the Croft Circuit is now into final preparations ahead of staging the North East’s biggest motor racing event of 2011 – the Dunlop MSA BTCC on Father’s Day weekend 18-19 June.Huge numbers of people are anticipated at the event for it is the only time this year that the BTCC will visit the region.  And there is heightened excitement surrounding the event after Honda team-mates Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden who lie first and second in the standings, knocked each another off the track last weekend at Oulton Park. Now just 15 points – equivalent to a single win – cover the top six. Among those chasing Neal and Shedden is Chevrolet’s Jason Plato  and his young Carlisle team-mate Alex MacDowall for whom Croft is  his home venue. “This is traditionally a huge event for us here at Croft and also a huge sporting event for the whole of the North East,” commented Croft Circuit Manager Tracey Morley. “The BTCC brings tremendous kudos with it and we’re very proud to be staging such a prestigious and high-profile motor sporting event as this. It is massively important that the region is able to host events of this stature. The BTCC is also a race series that is famed for its bumper-to-bumper action and great rivalries such as Jason Plato vs Matt Neal. What happened yesterday will surely only add to the fascination about what lies in store here at Croft in two weeks.” Also in action on 18-19 June will be Ginetta Junior and GT Supercup championships plus Renault's Formula Renault single-seater and Clio Cup saloon car series.. Tickets on the gate will cost £13 to see practice and qualifying on the Saturday or £27 for the main race day (Sunday). Alternatively, an all-encompassing full weekend ticket costs just £33 while admission for accompanied children aged 15 and under is FREE as Croft continues its hugely popular ‘free for kids’ policy for all its race events in 2011. Camping is also available for those looking to make a real weekend of it. For all ticketing and other information about the event contact the Croft Circuit office on 01325 721815 or visit the www.croftcircuit.co.uk website.

Ginetta Jnrs: HHC Motorsport made another step towards its first win of the season in the Ginetta Junior Championship as it celebrated a podium finish at Oulton Park.The team, running three cars in the Junior series for the first time this season, enjoyed a career-equalling best of second place for Charlie Robertson, 10th for Mikey Day and 11th for new team driver Patrick McClughan.  read report

GT Academy: Nissan and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have announced an impressive line-up of motor sport experts to support the 2011 GT Academy ‘Race Camp’. Former Formula One ace Eddie Irvine takes on the role of head judge and will lead a team of respected professionals recruited to educate the GT Academy international finalists in the fine art of circuit racing. The world of ultra-realistic Gran Turismo®5 will break into reality starting at the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend and continuing at Silverstone from 13 to 16 June.Current Italian F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi will be joined by Le Mans 24 Hour and three-time-F1-winner Johnny Herbert, Dutch star Jeroen Bleekemolen and ‘the German Queen of the Nürburgring’ Sabine Schmitz, to take on the role of nurturing the PlayStation®3 young guns. Flying in from their Signatech Nissan Le Mans 24 Hours exploits, original GT Academy champion, Spaniard Lucas Ordoñez, and his French teammate, Franck Mailleux, complete the assembly of mentors.Over 90,000 hopefuls from across Europe entered the time trial phase, for the competition that uses the Gran Turismo 5 game to unearth real racing talent. The final 12 GT Academy competitors from France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK will arrive at the renowned home of British motor racing for a baptism of fire.Silverstone’s top-level race instructors have devised a series of rigorous driving tests behind the wheel of Nissan performance cars such as the 370Z and GT-R. The competitors will also face a gruelling set of physical and mental contests designed to measure what it takes to become a modern day professional racing driver. The 2011 GT Academy champion will immediately move into a comprehensive driver development programme before racing at the Dubai International 24 Hour race in January 2012, in a full race-spec Nissan 370Z GT4 car.

Formula Ford: The second round of the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship was recently held at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria.Catch all the action as Australias future stars take to the track over three races around the tight and twisty Winton circuit this Saturday on 7mate. Some changable weather ensured round two had plenty of action throughout the field, while the championship contenders made their intentions clear.DATE: THIS SATURDAY! 11 June, 2011 - TIME: 3:00pm AEST (check your local guides)- WHERE:7mate

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Formulec’s EF01 single seater will be on display at the ‘Le Mans Looking to the Future’ exhibition from Wednesday 8 June before completing two timed demonstration laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Motorsport’s first fully electrically-powered single seater has been designed to meet high levels of performance comparable to that of a Formula 3 car. Thanks to 220KW of power (300bhp), the EF01 accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3 seconds and will go on to a top speed of close to 250km/h.  During the event to be staged at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, ten innovative cars with sporting potential will each take to the full 13.629km-long circuit, beginning on Thursday between 21.15 and 21.35 and then on Saturday between 12.10 and 12.30. The entire collection will also be displayed at the 24 Hours Village from Wednesday until Sunday at 16.00.  Along with its innovative counterparts, the EF01, driven at Le Mans by Jonathan Cochet, will once again demonstrate its capacity to combine speed and efficiency whilst respecting the environment and championing sustainable development. Recent testing focused on fine-tuning the single seater’s Energy Recovery System which will feature in the one-make championship expected as early as 2012.  Formulec and the EF01 are the pioneers of tomorrow’s motorsport. In development since 2008, the EF01 has benefited from Segula Technologies Automotive’s engineering expertise, aerodynamic studies by the Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team and the experience of ART Grand Prix in testing and development carried out by drivers Alexandre Prémat, Jules Bianchi and Jonathan Cochet. Michelin has conducted specific optimisation tyre studies, FCI’s know-how has been utilised in the essential area of cables and connectors, while Dekra’s involvement in safety and control is seen as an utmost priority. The EF01 has also benefited from the input of Siemens (engines), SAFT (batteries), Hewland (gearboxes), OZ (wheels), Motul Systems (lubricants) 2D (acquisition systems) and FAAR Industry (electronic). For more information, please visit the Formulec website: www.formulec.org

Formula 3: T-Sport’s Menasheh Idafar made a strong start to this week’s official Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series test at Rockingham on  Tuesday by lapping 10th fastest overall on combined times.Menasheh, who is currently 12th in the championship, started the opening day of testing at the venue’s 1.94-mile International Sportscar Circuit very well by going ninth quickest during session one with a time of 1m14.097 seconds (94.25mph) – within 1.1 seconds of the pace. Markedly improving in the second of the morning runs, the 20-year-old lapped in 1m13.293 seconds (95.28mph) to close to within 0.6 seconds of the top of the times and this turned out to be his best effort of the day. In session three, he posted a time of 1m14.053 seconds (94.30mph) but any hope of pushing for a possible improvement later in the afternoon was prevented by the onset of rain at the Corby track. “We’re quite happy with how today has gone”, said the British-born Bahraini, “The morning went well, especially the second session, and I’m pretty pleased to be within 0.6 seconds. Hopefully tomorrow will be another good day for us.” The Rockingham test concludes on Wednesday.Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography

BRDC: Having overseen one of the most important and successful periods in the history of both the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) and Silverstone, Damon Hill O.B.E. has indicated to the BRDC Board that he plans to stand down as BRDC President at the Club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 25 August. Damon was appointed BRDC President in 2006. During his tenure the BRDC has secured the long term future of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, agreeing a 17-year deal with Formula One Management; has overseen major developments to both the circuit and venue, including significant revisions to the Grand Prix Circuit layout in 2010, and the opening of the Silverstone Wing, the circuit’s £27 million state-of-the-art Pit and Paddock Complex, in 2011; has secured the rights to host Britain’s rounds of both the FIM MotoGP World Championship and Superbike World Championship; and has launched the BRDC SuperStars programme – an initiative that Damon is passionate about, supporting and encouraging young British racing talent. Hill said, “It has been a great privilege and honour to serve as BRDC President since 2006. As a Club and business, we can be immensely proud of everything we have achieved for British motor sport over the past few years. The BRDC and Silverstone face a stable and exciting future, so the timing is right for me to hand over the reins and devote more time to my family, my own interests, and the racing career of our son, Josh. However, I remain a committed Member of the BRDC and look forward to watching the Club go from strength to strength.”   BRDC Chairman Stuart Rolt, said, “I cannot speak highly enough of the superb work that Damon has carried out since his appointment as BRDC President. We owe him an immense debt of gratitude for the commitment and energy he has put into being the public face of the Club, and therefore Silverstone, at times of uncertainty and then great optimism. We will miss his low key, no nonsense approach to life, and wish him all the best.” BRDC Members were made aware of Damon’s decision in a notification of the impending AGM. The BRDC Board also announced its unanimous support for existing BRDC Board Director Derek Warwick, who will stand as a candidate to replace Damon as President. Rolt added, “The Board is delighted that Derek is willing to offer himself for election as BRDC President, to take over from Damon. In Derek we have another hugely experienced, yet down to earth, genuine racer. “In addition to his on-track success and recent work as a Director of the BRDC, Derek has been heavily involved in the management of the BRDC SuperStars and he very much shares Damon’s passion for supporting young British drivers.”

Le Mans: The RML AD Group HPD-ARX successfully passed through scrutineering on Monday morning to complete the first stage in the build-up to this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Merely having a car ready for technical inspection in the city centre at Le Mans was a significant achievement for the team, following the destruction of the former De Ferran Motorsports "tub" in practice for the Spa 1000 Kilometres. The replacement chassis arrived just a week before the car was due for despatch to France, and the team at Wellingborough worked against the clock to have the car rebuilt in time for a pre-event shakedown at Snetterton last Friday.  A report on Scrutineering has been posted on the www.rml-adgroup.com website and will be followed over the coming days by detailed coverage of the team's week at Le Mans. It will be a busy few days for Ben Collins, following the announcement that the ACO has agreed to stock the recently released paperback edition of his autobiography; The Man in the White Suit, in the official ACO Boutique at the Musée des 24 Heures, just outside the main entrance to the circuit. Ben will be signing copies of his book on Tuesday afternoon, during the official autograph session, and also in the Boutique on Friday between 14:30 and 15:30.

Normally the scrutineering of cars and driver registration ahead of a race meeting are two unspectacular events. However, that certainly does not apply to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Many fans were eager to attend the formalities on Monday when Team BMW Motorsport presented its two BMW M3 GT cars for technical inspection and completed the so-called “Convocation” at the Place des Jacobins. These two activities traditionally open the programme ahead of the 24-hour s which starts on Saturday at 15:00hrs. “This scrutineering is a great public event”, said Augusto Farfus (BR), who is contesting the endurance classic with Jörg Müller (DE) and Dirk Werner (DE) in the no. 55 BMW M3 GT. “We do this for the people, for the fans. And it’s definitely one of the reasons why the fans love Le Mans so much. This is one of the biggest races in the world, and public scrutineering is the perfect way to start proceedings.” Andy Priaulx (GB), Dirk Müller (DE) and Joey Hand (US) will share car number 56. After scrutineering Priaulx commented: “Le Mans is simply an amazing event, already from the Monday. Fans come from all over the world, the history of this place is unique. Events like this or Friday’s Driver Parade help to turn this race into a really big thing. It’s really exciting to be here again.” On Tuesday the BMW driver line-up faces various briefings plus the official autograph signing session. Wednesday will see both BMW M3 GT cars on the track for the first four-hour practice session, with the first qualifying session is scheduled for 22:00-24:00hrs that evening.

Traditionally, the Le Mans 24 Hours begins with the “Pesage” Scrutineering in the city centre. For Team Peugeot Total, however, this year’s Le Mans kicked-off yesterday with a 125 kilometres cycle ride, starting from Chartres. Accompanied by Olivier Quesnel, Director of Peugeot Sport, the nine team drivers (Anthony Davidson, Marc Gené, Alexander Wurz, Nicolas Minassian, Franck Montagny, Stéphane Sarrazin, Sébastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Simon Pagenaud) used pedal power to get to this year’s Scrutineering.The journey started in the morning from Chartres and the riders had to cope with changing weather conditions as they covered the 125 kilometres separating the cities of Eure-et-Loir and Sarthe. “We had a good time all together”, commented Olivier Quesnel. “It was an original way of diving head first into this long and hard week in Le Mans. Everyone rode well, covering 125 kilometres at an average speed of nearly 36 kph. That just shows what good shape our drivers are in. We then went through the traditional Scrutineering.  The pressure will increase gradually as the race approaches. We will manage that using the same methods that we’ve being applying for several years now. Today was a good warm-up session. Riding all together helped us to clear our heads before calmly beginning this 79th Le Mans 24 Hours.”All the riders arrived together in Le Mans and were greeted by loud cheers from a large and enthusiastic crowd. Yesterday, the drivers and Team Peugeot Total satisfactorily completed technical and administrative scrutineering.

Liz Halliday, the most successful female driver in American Le Mans Series history, will make her fourth consecutive appearance as part of Eurosport’s commentary team at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Halliday, who has competed in the event three times as a driver - finishing fourth in class in 2006 - will again be providing expert analysis throughout the race for the pan-European channel, which will screen all 24 hours live as well as practice and qualifying throughout the week. Liz will join F1 race-winner Johnny Herbert, fellow sportscar star Stuart Hall, former driver Chris Parsons as well as motorsport journalists Martin Haven, Mark Cole, Jeremy Shaw and Neville Hay in the commentary box.

VLN Endurance Series: Team Peugeot RCZ Nokia’ recovered from a challenging start to achieve class victory in round four of the VLN Series at the Nürburgring (May 31) – this was the Kumho-shod team’s second overall win and maintains their record of finishing on the podium at every round to date. Following a qualifying accident that sidelined the black RCZ of Jouanny, Ayari, Perez and Cochet, Le Mans star Jouanny joined the white sister car of Bohrer, Caillet and Nett – a drive required for him to gain entry to the circuit’s upcoming 24 hour race. Bohrer’s best qualifying lap of 9:51.887 minutes (the team’s fastest so far) put the quartet in a great position and, just hours after being punted into the guardrail, Jouanny found himself part of the winning team. Not only is the Bohrer, Caillet and Nett Peugeot currently the most successful diesel-powered car in the VLN Series, it currently lies in an astonishing 18th place overall out of 800 participants.The black RCZ will be repaired in time for round five of the Series on June 11, when Jouanny will expect to complete his qualification for the 39th running of the famous 24 Hour race, in which ‘Team Peugeot RCZ Nokia’ are determined to achieve class victory.Commenting on the equipe’s latest success, Kumho’s European Motorsport Manager Steve Thompson said, “It’s great to see this well organised team continuing to successfully develop their cars and overcome any difficulties that come their way. We’re delighted with the way they get ever more out of their Kumho slick tyres en route to podium after podium. Long may it last.”

FIA GT: Essex student Dan Brown put all thoughts of his Economics degree course behind him at the weekend of June 4/5 as he and 20-year old Glynn Geddie clashed with, and beat, some of the best sports car racing drivers in Europe, in their AF Corse STP Ferrari F458. A month after the scoring points in the first two rounds of the FIA GT3 Europe Championship in Portugal - their first taste of the prestigious and ultra-competitive series – the duo lined up at the weekend on the newly-configured Silverstone Grand Prix circuit for the two gruelling one-hour follow-up races in the series.Dan and Glynn, both BRDC ‘Rising Stars’, and the Championship's youngest driver pairing, are contracted to the crack Italian AF Corse Ferrari racing team, and are sponsored by legendary fuel additives brand, STP, Apex Tubulars plus car styling company, Brown & Geeson, to drive the competition derivative of the Ferrari 458 supercar, prepared by AF Corse in Piacenza, Italy. Regrettably, there was bitter disappointment for the team following a retirement in the first race on Saturday - due to a mechanical problem at the mandatory driver change-over - despite Dan having moved to fourth overall and the team setting their sights on a podium finish. But in race two, Dan put the disappointment behind him, again lapping amongst the fastest, to charge to a great fourth place overall with team-mate Geddie. Reflecting after the races, Dan said: "It was good to leave Silverstone with more points under our belt. It’s a super-tough championship, and I’m proud to be one of only seven British drivers in the series, and hugely honoured to be driving for the prestige AF Corse Ferrari racing team…and there couldn’t be a more exciting way to learn a bit of Italian!” Glynn added: “ I think we can be satisfied with P4 and our consistently strong pace all weekend was very encouraging, so we will keep pushing and hopefully bring home a podium at the next rounds of the series, at Navarra, Spain on July 2/3.”

Porsche Carrera Cup GB : Richard Plant enjoyed another successful race weekend securing sixth and seventh places in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB double-header at Oulton Park. After qualifying in eighth position for the opening contest, Plant set about making progress up the order. He made one of his now customary good starts but was blocked off into Old Hall Corner by Ahmad Al Harthy, before mounting a race-long assault on the Oman driver.  In a display of opportunistic driving Plant eventually nipped by his rival late in the race and also stormed by Euan Hankey in the same move, as Hankey was recovering from an off track excursion. As the chequered flag waved, Plant completed his third top six finish of the season. Plant experienced the challenge of wet conditions for the first time in his Porsche career during Sunday’s race and the McDonald’s-backed racer coped admirably. Again starting from the fourth row of the grid, Plant enjoyed yet another early fight with Al Harthy. As the circuit began to dry at the mid-distance stage of the race, Plant was able to make good use of his smooth driving style while others were struggling to maintain performance in their tyres.Eventually the pressure paid off and Plant swept by Al Harthy for the second time in two days. He consolidated his position for the remainder of the race – settling for seventh in the ever changing conditions. Plant also maintained his impressive record of finishing every race this season in either the same place or higher than his starting position. He now lies sixth in the standings, some 20 points clear of his nearest rookie rival and team-mate Sam Tordoff.

Ginetta Jnrs: Hillspeed’s Seb Morris scorched to another pair of stunning race victories during the latest event on the Ginetta Junior Championship calendar at Oulton Park Island Circuit over the weekend, 4th/5th June, to further increase his dominant points lead. Beginning the race meeting in tremendous style during qualifying, the 15-year-old served up some scintillating laps to take pole position for rounds seven and eight by 0.7 seconds and 0.8 seconds.   Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   read report

He might have faced his habitual battle to secure sufficient funds to be able to compete, and Oulton Park may not have been the happiest of hunting grounds for Tom Ingram in the past, but as he returned there for the fourth outing of the 2011 Ginetta G50 Cup, he made sure that this time he came away again a result.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read report

Declan Jones put in a brilliant performance at Oulton Park last weekend in rounds seven and eight of the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship, running as high as fifth in the second race and eventually finishing ninth, despite a puncture. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography    Read report

Charlie Robertson delivered a star performance at Oulton Park over the weekend, 4th/5th June, to secure the second podium of his debut season in the Ginetta Junior Championship. Second place in Saturday afternoon’s seventh round followed by a sensational recovery drive to fourth in round eight, necessary after he was taken off the circuit on the first lap, mean the Surrey youngster is now up to fourth in the championship and just 12 points shy of the coveted top three. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   read report

Ginetta GT Supercup : Nathan Freke was competing again in the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup at Oulton Park, driving a Ginetta G55 for his own Century Motorsports team. After testing at Oulton Park on Friday Freke had been confident of a good weekend after only being 0.2 seconds off the quickest time on used tyres. The weather on the Saturday for qualifying was again scorching hot with temperatures up to 24C and so the leading drivers were all looking to get in their quickest lap early on to preserve their tyres for the race. Freke didn’t quite get a perfect lap but was happy to line-up in 2nd place on the grid, just 0.2 secs behind poleman Breeze. Race 1 was run on Saturday afternoon and after a clean getaway Freke kept Breeze in sight for the first few laps before reeling him in and keeping him under pressure. Then on lap 8 he made a bold overtake move on Breeze into Old hall corner to take the lead. He then pulled away to take the chequered flag by almost seven seconds and, with it, the new lap record, to the joy of both driver and team. As Freke commented after “I’ve made a few mistakes and we’ve had a couple of mechanical failures this year but finally we got the win”, Carl (Breeze) seems to be the king of qualifying, and all credit to him for that, but we have amazing race pace and that showed today.”  Come the main race day on Sunday the weather conditions had changed with overnight rain and further showers during the day left drivers having to race in tricky conditions. This happened also in Race 2 with Freke holding off a determined Hodgetts for the first few laps before getting catch out my the greasy conditions at the chicane and having to take the escape road. He lost the lead to Hodgetts but held onto second for the rest of the race, not without a few moments during the last few laps. As Freke said after the race “The conditions were so tricky out there and I got caught out at the chicane as the track got wetter. I was really trying to stay on the road for the last few laps but nearly came off at cascades towards the end. So I was really happy to get a 2nd place to go with yesterday’s win and I am now looking forward to Croft.  Words and pic Chris Roberts/WiderViewPhoto

BTCC: A win and a podium position in the Dunlop MSA BTCC at Oulton Park on Sunday has hauled Gordon Shedden on to the boot lid of his Honda Racing Team Civic team-mate Matt Neal at the top of the chase for this season’s drivers’ title. Shedden stormed to victory in the opening race of the weekend after an inspired tyre choice in tricky conditions. His blend of slick rubber and treaded racing Dunlops was the key to his win. In race two, Shedden was fighting for another win when he and Neal collided at the last corner after what Neal described as a “horrible mistake” which ran them both off the road. In the final encounter they both bounced back with Shedden taking second place and Matt in fourth to consolidate the teams’ grip on the drivers’ standings, the team points and the manufacturers’ chase. Looking back on the weekend, Shedden said that the pace the Civic had shown in the tricky conditions meant it was uncatchable for rivals. “It was raining on and off, and in those conditions you need a great chassis,” explains the Scot. “The fact we were able to run at the front in both races proves that we have been working on all the right areas when it comes to traction and grip.” Former champion Neal apologised to Shedden after their race two contact and ‘Flash’ Gordon said the incident proved how hard the two drivers were pushing. “After winning race one we were determined to get the most out of race two that we could. It was unfortunate that we made contact but these things happen in racing,” said the Fife Flier. “The best way to respond was to get back on to the podium in the third race and that was what we did.” The treacherous conditions prompted a difficult tyre choice for the entire field at the start of the opening race and Neal opted for wet weather tyres all round. However, as the track dried up he found that the grip went away in his treaded rubber and he could only manage eighth position. Then came the race two incident with Flash. “I am annoyed with myself for letting it happen,” he said. “I am sorry for Flash that I crashed into him. I was looking down the inside and it was wetter on the track than I thought. I locked up the brakes and went into him. I am sorry for him and for the team because we would have had a one-two finish.” Despite that hiccup, Neal charged from 19th on the grid to fourth in the final dry race of the day and that was enough to ensure he left Oulton Park still in the lead of the points standings. He is two points in front of Shedden.  “Every cloud has a silver lining,” says Neal. “It was hard to find a positive after race two but when the car was free of success ballast it was really hooked up in race three. We have been working so hard on the chassis and the engine and everything trying to make it faster and it showed it’s been worth it today. I hold my hands up and even though I did my best to drop the ball in race two we are still in the in the fight, which is great as we are getting to the halfway stage of the season.”

Formula 2: Jordan King will becomes the youngest driver ever to compete in the modern-day FIA Formula Two Championship next month. Currently in his maiden campaign of car racing in Formula Renault UK series with Manor Competition, he has already had a fleeting taste of F2 power with a test behind the wheel of one around Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo in late 2009. After catching the eye both then and also during a one-off appearance in Formula Palmer Audi at Silverstone last autumn  which yielded pole and a podium finish – Jonathan Palmer suggested that he might like to try his hand at Formula Two as well.  “Despite his age, Jordan has already achieved a great deal of success, quickly rising through the ranks in karting and now beginning what will undoubtedly be a successful single-seater career,” he opined. “I watched Jordan’s first Formula Two test at Valencia, and he was really impressive – form that was backed up by his fantastic FPA debut. Jordan is very quick and cool with it, and I suspect the level playing field of Formula Two will enable him to prove just what a talent he is with some top ten results.” Jordan is clearly keen to live up to those rave reviews, and taking advantage of Formula Renault UK’s annual summer break, he will join the championship to race at Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring and Brands Hatch.   “It will obviously be completely different to Formula Renault – with the turbo-boost, the Formula Two car has more than twice as much horsepower – but I don’t think it will be the power as such that is the most difficult thing to adjust to; that kind of comes as second-nature. It will be more the way the car handles and the delivery of the power, because with the turbo, you get on the gas and have to wait a second for the power to come. I know it’s going to be difficult, especially going from one formula to another, but I’m keen to experience as much as possible to help progress my career. I’m going into the Formula Two Championship with high hopes, and I’d like to be up at the sharp end again and in the points-scoring positions.”  There was, unfortunately, little points-scoring in Jordan’s most recent Formula Renault UK outing at Oulton Park, as he endured a very disappointing weekend, slithering off-track whilst doing battle for fifth position in race one and paying the price for a ‘disastrous’ qualifying session in race two.

Castle Combe Circuit Action Days are delighted to announce a new partnership with one of the UK’s leading performance tuning companies – Forge Motorsport. The premier aftermarket tuning brand will be supporting the historic Wiltshire circuit’s popular Summer ‘Performance Car Action Day,’ on Saturday September 10th – which also incorporates the inaugural “Subaru Saturday” event, set to attract a raft of Subaru owners and fans of the rally-bred marque. New Performance Car Action Day event partners, Forge Motorsport (www.forgemotorsport.co.uk) will be showcasing a range of their tuning products including intercoolers, alloy tanks, blow off valves and much more to the 1000’s of performance car, drift and track day fans attending the Summer Action Day in early September. And Forge will also be demonstrating and displaying some of their highly-modified race and sprint cars – including Bo Neilson’s Astra VXR (2010 Time Attack Champion), Steve Chaplin’s VW RSI Beetle, aka ‘Herbie’ (2010 VW Racing Cup Champion) and Joe Fulbrook’s VW Racing Cup VW Bora 1.8T; showcasing many of their products in style in the packed paddock, and on the circuit.Tickets for the Summer Performance Car Action Day are only £8 in advance (plus 50p P&P/credit card charge) or £10 on the gate on the day. Under 16s go FREE and there are discounts available for track time and admission for car club exhibitors. Track sessions are available for £30 in advance, or £35 on the day. visit www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk  for more info

06-06-11

Le Mans: This coming weekend  the Aston Martin Racing team will be putting the new ground-up developed AMR-One LMP1 prototype race car through its toughest test yet in front of a 250,000 strong crowd at the Le Mans 24 Hours on 11-12 June.The British team are returning to La Sarthe to continue the development of the new AMR-One in its inaugural year on the 8.4 mile (13.6km) circuit. 2011 has seen the re-invention of the Aston Martin Le Mans programme with an innovative prototype car designed ultimately to make the best of the new technical regulations balancing the performance between diesel and petrol engine competitors. All that is carried over from 2010’s entry is the iconic orange and blue Gulf Oil livery.The AMR-One features a new 2.0 litre straight six turbo-charged engine designed and built by Aston Martin Racing. The new open-cockpit car was only given the green light in September 2010 and since then the team has been busy designing, building and developing the car ready for its most demanding challenge yet. The main aim for the team at Le Mans this year will be to accumulate valuable experience and information to support its challenge for top honours later in this ambitious three year programme.As is tradition, Aston Martin will be running the famous starting numbers of 007 and 009 adorning the two works-entered Gulf liveried AMR-Ones. Driving the 007 car will be Darren Turner (GB) Stefan Mücke (D) and newly joined ex F1 ace, Christian Klien (A). Piloting the 009 car will be Harold Primat (CH), Andy Meyrick (GB) and Adrian Fernandez (MX).On how the car and the team have been progressing in 2011, Team Principal, George Howard-Chappell said: “Time has not been on our side in the build up to Le Mans, however we have made significant progress since our first outing with the car at Paul Ricard in April. We have recently come back from a test in Monza where the engine has demonstrated better reliability, and our drivers have reported very positively on the car’s balance and handling.“We won’t be pushing the car to its maximum potential this weekend, as we need to build up to that. It’s a three year programme; we’re in the early stages of the car’s birth so it will be nice if we can run reliably; the performance will come later.”The Aston Martin factory team will be joined by three customer teams, Kronos Racing in the LMP1 category with their V12 powered DBR1-2, Jota Sport with their GTE-Pro Vantage and Gulf AMR Middle East with their GTE-AM Vantage.

Porsche Club: The high-speed Thruxton circuit is the venue this coming weekend, June 11th and 12th, for rounds seven and eight of the 2011 Porsche Club Championship, with the two races expected to continue the close and exciting racing seen so far in the competitive series. Mark Sumpter took the wins in the first four races, but his reign was over at Donington last month where Pete Morris took the first win for a front-engined car in 2011, and then Sumpter’s team-mate Andy Purdie won race two in his first meeting with his newly built-up 964 C2. The racing at the front of the field has been close all season, with Sumpter having to work ever harder for his wins prior to Donington. As well as the challenges from Purdie and 968 CS mounted Morris, both Ben Demetriou, 2009 Class One champion and winner of both races the least time the series was at Thruxton, and 2007 overall champion Mark McAleer, twice second to Demetriou when the series visited in 2009, are out in new 968s, and will be running at the front, the 968 suited to the long fast Thruxton sweeps. Other Class One challengers include the fast-starting Kevin Harrison in his 964, the consistent and quick Miles Maserati, Paul Follett, due a strong finish in his 968, and Richard Ellis, the 993 C2 proving competitive at Thruxton two years ago. The Hampshire circuit often sees the Class Two cars getting amongst the more powerful runners, the fast corners allowing the 944s in particular to carry their speed and momentum round the major part of the lap. 2010 overall champion Chris Dyer is always a challenger, though was headed home at Donington by former Class One race winner Marcus Carniel on a rare 2011 outing.

Formula Nippon: Alexandre Imperatori produced a gutsy comeback drive at Autopolis on Sunday to record the first points’ finish of his maiden Formula Nippon campaign.The Swiss star, fresh off the back of another Porsche Carrera Cup Asia double victory the previous weekend, turned his attention to Japan’s powerful one-make single seater series with the intention of scoring points in just his second outing following a top ten finish on debut at Suzuka.   Read report

GT: Tony Quinn’s 2011 Targa Rotorua lasted just a few seconds when his VIP Petfoods Nissan GT-R ground to a halt less than a hundred metres into the first competitive stage. read report

Superleague Formula: Craig Dolby started his 2011 season in superb style at the TT Circuit Assen in Holland at the weekend with a strong points haul and a cheque for €100,000 in the opening round of the 2011 Superleague Formula Nations Cup. Driving for team England, the Melton Mowbray-based driver, who has finished runner-up in the series for the past two seasons, got his title challenge underway with a magnificent second place in the weekend’s first 40-minute feature race, a solid eighth from the back of the grid in the second event and then a win in the five-lap, dash-for-cash Super Final.  Read report

FIA GT: Michael Krumm and Lucas Luhr took an incredible victory for Nissan at Silverstone on Sunday in an enthralling GT1 Championship Race packed full of drama from start to finish. The German duo, driving the no.23 JR Motorsports, were engaged in a fascinating battle for the lead throughout the race with the no.7 Aston Martin, but were able to hold off the British marque’s challenge to clinch first place, and with it secure their names on the prestigious RAC Tourist Trophy and move up to first place in the GT1 driver standings. As at yesterday, the no.20 Sumo Power GT was the only other GT-R to finish the race, ending up in seventh. Pic Dennis Goodwin  Read report

Star Mazda: With the top-3 finishers in this year's 100th Anniversary Indy 500 having worked their way up through the ranks of the Mazda Road to Indy, this unique driver development program aimed at creating the next generation of open-wheel racing stars is becoming increasingly important to IndyCar.  Race winner Dan Wheldon was the 1999 USF2000 Champion and raced in Firestone Indy Lights; runner-up J.R. Hildebrand was the 2006 USF2000 Champion and 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Champion; 3rd-place finisher Graham Rahal raced in both the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and Firestone Indy Lights.  Read more

Radicals: More than 300 competitors helped produce a weekend of exciting racing at the MSVR Brands Hatch GP Weekend on Saturday and Sunday (4/5 June). The GT Cup Championship, Radical UK Cup, Radical Clubman's Cup, MINI Challenge, Champion of Brands, Project Eight Racing Saloons and the Production BMW Championship all entertained on the 2.3-mile Grand Prix circuit. A huge entry of nearly 90 Radicals took to the famed track to make up the manufacturer’s largest ever group of entrants for a single race meeting.  A highlight of the event was a victory for former F1 driver Martin Brundle and his son Alex, as the pair guided a shared Radical SR8 through difficult wet conditions to the chequered flag in the Radical UK Cup on Sunday. The Brundles adapted well to the works Radical but a spin in the first UK Cup race saw them finish in 11th position, whilst Per Staaf went on to take the win. However, in difficult wet weather Martin and Alex triumphed from sixth on the grid to win the second SR8 race on Sunday. Pete Osborne and Alex Kapadia came from 16th on the grid to win race one in the SR3 category, whilst Junior Strous produced an impressive drive to win the second race. In the Radical Clubman’s Cup, Tony Wells and Richard Carver shared the victories on Saturday. Martin Brundle said: “It was very good for me to get back behind the wheel, as I’m testing a Formula One car for BBC television this week. The guys in the series are very good and they know how to set these cars up.” 

Radical UK Cup: Bradley Ellis was welcomed back to the Brands Hatch podium for round five of the Dunlop Radical UK Cup following a blistering 13-place drive to take his second consecutive championship third-place finish.   Ellis’ excellent form marked his return to his home track for the first time in four years while also securing back-to-back podiums following his first of the 2011 season at Oulton Park last month.   Read report

Richard Carver took his maiden Radical Club Cup victory in the first of the weekends races at Brands Hatch, after a hard fought battle with Oulton Park victor Tony Wells. But roles were reversed in the second race, with Wells two seconds clear of Carver.  Read report

The GT Cup Championship provided two entertaining races from a bumper field as the wet weather really tested the drivers’ skills. Danny Winstanley, in his TVR Sagaris, drove a mature race from third on the grid to win the first encounter. He was joined on the podium by Group 2 winner Benjamin Harvey and Group 3 victor Mark Radcliffe. Matt Seldon completed a lights-to-flag victory to win race two, finishing ahead of Gary Eastwood and Winstanley. Harvey completed a double win in Group 2, while Adam Hayes claimed the top honours in Group 3.   

Mini Challenge : Chris Knox was the class of the field in the MINI Challenge as he completed a perfect weekend by claiming pole position and victory in all three races. The MINI Spares UK driver was untouchable in the wet conditions and has surged up the championship standings. Reigning champion Lee Allen, Luke Caudle and Chris Smith all visited the podium during the weekend.   read race report

Club Racing: Australian Formula Ford racer Jordan Skinner became the first two-time winner of the Champion of Brands after producing a lights-to-flag victory on Saturday. Skinner‘s lead was rarely threatened during the race after making a strong getaway from pole position.         

Ben Winrow continues to be the man to beat in the Production BMW Championship after showing his class in wet weather to record a double win. The trip to the famous Grand Prix circuit attracted huge grid of nearly 40 cars for both races.

BMW driver Adam Sharpe continued his run of victories in the Project Eight Racing Saloons with two more visits to the top step of the podium. Once again, he was pushed hard by Colin Tester in both races, which saw 44 cars tackle the Kent circuit with action throughout the field.

The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers has honoured land speed record breaker Richard Noble OBE with this year's Ford-sponsored Jim Clark Award.Richard Noble is best known for breaking the land speed record in Thrust2 in 1983 with an average speed of 633.468mph and as project director of the Thrust SSC programme, achieving the first ever supersonic land speed record at 763.035mph.Edinburgh-born Noble is a qualified pilot whose other projects include the ARV Super2 light aircraft, the Atlantic Sprinter Blue Riband contender and most recently the Mach 1.4 Bloodhound SSC project – the latest in the long line of Land Speed Record cars.Presented annually, the Jim Clark Award is sponsored by Ford and decided by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW).  After the presentation Richard said: "This is a huge privilege for me and important recognition for the ThrustSSC and BloodhoundSSC teams. Jim Clark was one of my boyhood heroes and as we all know a totally brilliant driver and a great ambassador for Scotland.I was born in Edinburgh in 1946 and I follow fellow Scot Sir Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948) who held the World Land speed Record 9 times between 1924 and 1935. We have only taken the World Record three times but have held it for 27 years – the longest ever. With the BloodhoundSSC car under construction we hope to raise the record to 1,000mph taking it multiple times on the way forward from our current record of 763.035mph – so we might get even with Sir Malcolm yet!The Jim Clark Memorial Award is named after Jim Clark who, in a Lotus 49 at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1967, gave Ford its first ever Formula One win with the new Ford-Cosworth V8 Grand Prix engine.  Previous winners include motorsport legends Sir Jackie Stewart, David Coulthard, Allan McNish and Colin McRae.

Ginetta Jnrs: Another race and another win for Ginetta Junior Championship leader Seb Morris at Oulton Park Island Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 5th June, during an action-packed, rain-affected eighth round of the 2011 season. While the 15-year-old was able to increase his points advantage yet further with his seventh win from eight races and second victory of the weekend, reigning Ginetta Junior Ireland Champion Niall Murray made headlines himself after a fantastic recovery drive to second place. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography   Read report

Ginetta Junior Championship dominator Seb Morris proved untouchable once more at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire over the weekend, 4th/5th June, by racking up his sixth and seventh wins of the season in scintillating fashion. Increasing further his lead in the driver standings, the 15-year-old Hillspeed racer scored a near-perfect 73 points over the course of his ‘home’ event – in addition to the double win he also scorched to pole position for both races and set a new lap record in the first encounter. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Ginetta Gt Supercup: Stefan Hodgetts proved his undoubted class as one of the hottest talents in British motorsport at Oulton on Sunday, 5th June, with a magnificent victory during the 11th round of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup – only the JHR Developments driver’s second race in the  category.Renowned as one of the very best tin-top and sportscar racers around, the perennially under-funded Hodgetts dominated the wet race at the 2.2-mile Cheshire track to also give debuting squad JHR its maiden victory.   Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

DTM: Martin Tomczyk (Audi) has won the third DTM season round at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. In front of a capacity crowd, the 29-year old crossed the finish line after 38 laps as the winner ,  his fifth victory in a DTM race while his Audi Sport Team Phoenix celebrated its maiden victory in the DTM. Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes-Benz) finished second, 0.462 seconds down, scoring his best DTM result to date. Oliver Jarvis (Audi) completed the podium. Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz) defended his points\' lead by finishing fourth and now has 23 points. Following his victory at Spielberg, Martin Tomczyk is now runner-up in the drivers\' standings with 20 points. Read report

Formula 3:  From pole position, Daniel Juncadella, driving for Prema Powerteam, won the twelfth round of the Formula 3 Euro Series at  the Red Bull Ring in Styria. The Spaniard took the lead at the start and went on to win the race by five seconds from Nigel Melker of Mücke Motorsport. For Juncadella, it was the third victory of the season. Third place went to guest driver Tom Dillmann (Motopark) with  Daniel Abt (Signature) in fourth.  While Daniel Juncadella drove to victory, his team-mate Roberto Merhi collided with Felix Rosenqvist on the opening lap while battling for second place. Swede Rosenqvist retired on the spot, while points’ leader Merhi made it into the pit lane but had to retire. Nevertheless, the Spaniard retains his lead in the points while Juncadella moves into second place overtaking Marco Wittmann who retired due to a technical problem. Daniel Juncadella: “For me, it was a perfect race. I concentrated on making a good start and I succeeded. Of course, it was my luck that Felix Rosenqvist and Roberto Merhi retired directly behind me. The car ran perfectly, I became faster and faster. I want to dedicate this victory to my team manager René Rosin, who isn’t here as his wife is about to give birth.” Nigel Melker “We were quick throughout the weekend, but I had problems making best use of the tyres in the first two races. In the third race, things went significantly better.”Tom Dillmann :“We have really deserved this podium. Throughout the weekend, my car was really good. In the first race, I was able to move up from seventh place on the grid to finish fourth and now I am even on the podium.”   Merhi (claimed victory in the eleventh round, the Spaniard scoring his second victory of the weekend having already won the first race in the morning. In an action-packed race on a wet track, Laurens Vanthoor (Signature) finished second. Daniel Abt (Signature) was third. Due to the rain, the race was started behind the safety car and it was Gianmarco Raimondo (Prema Powerteam) who led until the seventh lap when he was overtaken by Merhi, the  Canadian having a brief ‘off’ during the manoeuvre allowing Laurens Vanthoor to pass him as well.. One lap later Raimondo collided with Dillmann promotingl Abt to third. Raimondo dropped back to seventh behind Kimiya Sato (Motopark) Jimmy Eriksson (Motopark) and Daniel Juncadella.

West Aussie Bryce Moore believes he is more than ready to challenge for wins when the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship heads to Darwin next weekend. The 19-year-old from Perth impressed with his speed at Winton’s opening round, going head-to-head with former champion James Winslow and John Magro and Chris Gilmour in both qualifying and the two races contested. Following the first round he sits second in the championship, with 17 points to his name. And a week ago he got some additional practice by taking on acknowledged Barton Mawer in a series of races at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in the Radical Australia Cup. Moore and Mawer and another former-F3 racer in Tim Berryman, were amongst the class of the field with Bryce leaving the Island with a new lap record for the class. “It was a good weekend and ideal preparation to keep me race-fit for Darwin,” Moore said following his successful weekend. The cars have quite similar driving styles. The Radical’s have a lot of aero and mechanical grip like a Formula 3 car, so it should have been a helpful experience in keeping me sharp for getting back into the F3 car. It will also be great preparation for when we head there later this year in the championship.” Moore was pleased with his weekend in the sports racing car, pleased to have a strong benchmark like Bart Mawer on which to measure his own performances. Moore said he was excited for his first visit on-track at Hidden Valley Raceway, suggesting that the results compared to Winton could be as different as the Northern Territory’s weather is likely to be. “All I need is a trouble free run,” he noted. “We had the speed to win at Winton but not the luck. We got turned around in race two and had a steering column bracket fail in race one that sent me off the track. Without those issues I’m sure I would have been right at the front and I see no reason why I can’t again. Hidden Valley is a level playing field for everyone. No one has raced there or tested there in one of these cars so it will be the car and driver that can dial them in the quickest who will have the best chance at winning that weekend.” The Darwin Formula 3 SuperPrix will be held as part of the SKYCITY Triple Crown V8 Supercars event, part of the V8 Supercar Championship, on June 17-19. In a change to the regular race format of two sprint races and a deciding-feature race as a finale’, the Darwin winner will be determined across a combined point score over all three races, with the winner to take home the City of Darwin Cup for their efforts. An expanded grid is set to take the starter in Darwin, several new and returning faces set to challenge the round one-pacesetters for the chance to win the first ever City of Darwin F3 SuperPrix.

Clio Cup: James Dixon has surged to the top of the AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK driver standings after a highly successful weekend at Oulton Park, the 21-year-old securing his third win of the season in round seven and backing that up with another podium in round eight. Earning pole position for both races during qualifying on Saturday, 4th June, the Stockbury driver produced a tremendous lights-to-flag win in the opening encounter before claiming his fifth podium of the year during round eight on Sunday, 5th June.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Total Control Racing continued its run of podium success in both the AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK and Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup at Oulton Park in Cheshire on Sunday, 5th June, with James Dixon and Carl Breeze both adding more silverware to the team trophy cabinet. In Clio Cup, Dixon is now heading the championship – albeit tied on points with erstwhile leader Paul Rivett – after his fifth podium of the season during a rain-affected round eight in which he finished third on his first ever competitive wet-weather outing at the 2.2-mile track.  Read report

Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup front-runner Daniel Lloyd mounted a pair of sensational recovery drives at the Red Bull Ring in Austria over the weekend, 4th/5th June – minimising the damage to his points tally after being shunted off the circuit in rounds two and three of the 2011 season. Marking the 19-year-old’s maiden experience of the 4.3-kilometre (2.67-mile) Spielberg track, Daniel displayed fantastic pace from the off and had a realistic opportunity to challenge for the podium in both encounters.  Pic Volkswagen Motorsport  Read report

Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship racer Ahmad Al Harthy took his second Pro-Am 1 podium of the weekend, and sixth of the season, during a wet eighth round at Oulton Park Island Circuit on Sunday afternoon, 5th June. Starting the encounter from Pro-Am 1 pole position for the first time in his Porsche Carrera Cup GB career, the 29-year-old made one of his now customary fantastic getaways and looked very comfortable indeed in the class lead. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Stephen Jelley took his second win of the season – the fourth for Team Parker Racing-run drivers – in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Oulton Park. The Leicester driver was supreme in wet conditions in his Parker with Juta entry, taking the chequered flag almost five seconds clear of the opposition after leading from start to finish. After pocketing the bonus point for fastest lap, this combined with his second place (plus another fastest lap) in the opening race to lift Jelley from fourth to third in the championship. Read report

Formula Renault UK: Race one produced the best overall team result of the season for Atech Reid GP with Tio Ellinas notching up a third, and another podium, followed by Oscar King and Dan Wells in fifth and sixth respectively.Ellinas pushed hard for third but wasn’t able to pass on a tricky dry track with damp patches off-line. King and Wells both started well and gained two places apiece in the early stages of the race. The second race saw Ellinas gain a valuable place at the end after pressuring Serralies and gaining fourth. King and Wells had an unfortunate coming together which led to both retiring with accident damage.  Read report

Formula Renault BARC: It could have been a total washout for Russ Danzey in the third outing of the 2011 Formula Renault BARC Championship at Oulton Park, but evincing determination the talented Sheffield racer turned things around in spectacular style.  Read report

Oulton Park was the next destination for Kourosh Khani, who last month had double podium finishes in both BARC Formula Renault as well as a guest appearance in the Monoposto 2000 where he shined in a Formula Renault against faster F3 cars and finishing in 2nd place. Kourosh Khani was the undoubted star of round six, taking his maiden category victory and entering the record books as the first Iranian in history to win in Formula Renault. Having taken his first BARC Formula Renault podium in round four at Brands Hatch, the 21-year-old’s win also put his Scorpio Motorsport team back on top of the podium for the first time since 2009.  read report

F1600: Tim Kautz somehow recovered from an opening lap excursion that sent him back to 11th place to win at Watkins Glen in his #88 Piper/Ford. It was Kautz’s second win of the year, and fourth straight top-five finish. Bill Valet finished a very-close second, after winning on Saturday, in an entertaining closing-stages battle with Kautz. John Robinson rounded off the podium. Kautz, in the Braeburn Thermostats car, set fastest lap after fastest lap while moving through the field and had luck go his way. “There are easier ways to win a race,” said Kautz, in post-race technical inspection. “I got inpatient on the opening lap and went off in the bus stop. The car was just awesome though and I was able to make up time. Valet’s car was loose and he had a handful, if it was like yesterday I wouldn’t have been able to get close.”  Pic : Valet   Read report

F2000: Remy Audette made it two wins at Watkins Glen in two days, three on the season, and added to his quickly growing championship lead on a Sunday in New York. Audette, now with an impressive six-straight top four finishes, started second and had to fight his way to the point in the #21 Audette Racing Van Diemen from third place, passing Chris Livengood and then Tim Minor for the lead a few laps later. Livengood held on to finish second ahead of Minor, who wins the Masters Class. “Connery passed me in the bus stop but I got back around him when he spun,” explained Audette, who also set the fastest lap. “I had to get by Chris and Tim after the restart. It’s my first weekend with two wins, so this is awesome.”    Pic : Valet       Read report

Nathan Morcom has salvaged some pride, if not many points, from an F2000 Championship Series race meeting that would have tried Job’s patience. The young Sydney driver’s Rondo Van Diemen suffered no fewer than three engine failures, the first two throwing his testing and practice program into disarray, and the last one costing him a start in Saturday’s fifth round.But when the going got tough, Morcom got going at The Glen.  Read report

Porsche Carrera Cup GB: Stephen Jelley mastered tricky conditions to win round eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Oulton Park on Sunday 5 June in a race that was full of action and drama on a track that was wet and slippery.  While Jelley dived ahead from the start to head Michael Meadows and James Sutton into the race, Rory Butcher delivered the drive of the weekend to win Pro-Am1 while Keith Webster raced hard to win Pro-Am2. Read report

BTCC: Gordon Shedden, Jason Plato and Mat Jackson shared the wins in yesterday’s (Sunday) three action-packed Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at a damp Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire. But it is Matt Neal who continues to lead the title race which now heads to the daunting Croft circuit in North Yorkshire on Sunday 19 – that’s despite a highly controversial last corner, last lap clash with team-mate Shedden in Oulton’s second race that put them both off the track as they fought for the victory…  read report

Oulton Park saw the Silverline Chevrolet team take a crucial haul of points in a meeting packed with drama, but reigning champion Jason Plato has called on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship organisers to ensure a fairer playing field for the remaining six rounds of the season.Plato took victory in the second of the day’s two races after the Hondas of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden took each other into the gravel in the second of the day’s two races, while he and team-mate Alex MacDowall took a solid second and third position in race one to strengthen the RML-built Silverline Chevrolet cars’ championship chances. Showery weather in the first two races led to a race meeting packed with drama, with tyre choice proving critical. Plato and MacDowall climbed from fourth and seventh on the grid respectively to come home second and third overall, while in the second race the extra power of the turbocharged Hondas made it impossible for the Chevrolets to pass. Plato was gifted a victory after Matt Neal collided with team-mate Gordon Shedden on the final lap. Speaking after the race, he said: “It’s great to have the points in the bag as we’ve worked really hard for them, but the BTCC series organisers need to take a long hard look at the parity they promised between turbo and non-turbo cars at the start of the season. It’s not racing when a more powerful car can sail past us on the straights, and we were promised at the start of the season that this wouldn’t be the case. It’s not fair on the teams that invest so much time and money into trying to win the championship, but more importantly it’s not fair on the fans, who turn up to race meetings or watch at home on the TV, as they want to see close, hard-fought racing.”  Nonetheless, the additional points haul helped put the Silverline Chevrolet team back in contention for the manufacturers/constructors championship, just 27 points behind Honda with 18 races and six meetings left to go in the season. Plato trails championship leader Matt Neal by 12 points, while just 15 points separates the series’ top six drivers. The BTCC next moves to Croft, North Yorkshire, on Sunday June 19th.

Alex MacDowall raced to his first podium of 2011 at a damp Oulton Park Island Circuit on Sunday, 5th June, with a fantastic drive to third place in the first of the weekend’s three encounters. With the weather playing a major factor in each of the races at the Cheshire track, the Carlisle 20-year-old proved his abundant skill by carving his way through from seventh on the grid in round 10 to third position and then backing that result up with a strong fifth place in round 11. Despite a non-score in round 12, the result of an enforced pit-stop due to a problem with the gear lever on his Chevrolet Cruze, Alex heads to Croft in North Yorkshire a fortnight from now edging ever closer to the championship top seven after bagging 16 points this weekend. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

On a day when track conditions were some of the toughest possible, Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racing were back on the podium at Oulton Park (5 June) during the fourth meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.  The three races, run in front of one of the biggest crowds ever seen at the Cheshire track, left Andrew in the top six overall drivers and a close third in the Independents’ Trophy. Read report

Superleague Formula: Duncan Tappy secured Atech Reid GP’s first race win of the Superleague Formula Nations Cup series in Assen on Sunday. After encountering gearbox issues early in the week, Tappy (Japan) won the second 40 minute race in spectacular fashion. The British driver did not get onto the track until an hour before qualifying on Saturday because of a gearbox issue and qualified 14th for race one. The Japanese representative managed to crawl back after two great race results to qualify on pole position for the 5 lap ‘dash-for-cash’ Super Final along with team mates, Filip Salaquarda (Czech Republic-Sparta Prague) and Frederic Vervisch (Luxembourg). Read report

05-06-11

Formula 3: Argentinean driver Facu Regalia finished fourth today during second race of Italian Formula 3 championship at Misano, Driving  the Team Ghinzani´s Dallara-FPT Racing machine Regalia achieved t his best result to date in Italian Formula 3. Starting  from third place on the grid. Regalia had a battle with Maxime Jousse and Sergio Campana, the latter overtaking him on the last lap of race and thereby keeping him off the podium. Afterwards Regalia explained: “It´s really annoying I lost my first podium finish in Formula 3 during the last lap. My car suffered from understeer since fifth lap, and when Campana caught me, I hold him behind but finally he hit me and he could overtook me. We made a complaint but it didn´t work. Now we must improve our singleseater, to avoid its understeer and we will introduce new developments for next test sessions”.  Next up for Italian Formula 3 championship is 17th July at Imola.

F2000: Remy Audette raced down Kyle Connery and took the lead at Watkins Glen to notch his second win of 2011 and extend his points lead over Connery, who finished second and led the first half of the race. Niki Coello put his RFR on the podium, inheriting third position on the last lap and holding off Tim Paul. “The start was good but we did drop back a bit,” said Audette following the race. “We passed a few cars and then I traded the lead back and forth with Kyle. I’m very happy to be able to win at the Glen, we’ll see what we have tomorrow too.” Audette adds to his championship points lead and takes the lead of the SOS Children's Villages Watkins Glen Cup.  Pic: Valet  read report

F1600: Bill Valet started on pole, taking back the lead on the first lap and fighting off a very fast Tim Kautz late in the race to take his first F1600 Formula F Championship Series race win in the #83 Swift/Ford. Championship leader Kautz finished second, driving a Piper/Ford, setting the fastest lap of the race at 1:57.9. Colin Thompson completed the podium in a Swift/Honda. “I thought I had a good start and then all of a sudden there were like three cars next to me,” said Valet. “Those other guys came around and I was in fourth and behind me it looked like a huge wreck was about to happen but everyone went through clean. I managed to get back into the lead through the bus stop and then just put the pedal down. The full course yellow ate up the lead but it was a good experience.”  pics Valet     read report

Clio Cup: James Dixon kept up the pressure on AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK championship leader Paul Rivett at Oulton Parkon  Saturday, 4th June, by taking his – and Total Control Racing’s – third category race win of the season with a tremendous performance. The Wednesbury squad, a multiple title winner in Clio Cup racing, came close to getting two of its drivers on the round seven podium but Tom Grice had to settle for fourth place in the end during, what was, quite a sedate outing all told.    Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Ginetta GT Supercup: Nathan Freke, 2009 Ginetta G50 Cup Champion, secured his first race victory in the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup with a dominant performance during the 10th round of the season at Oulton Park Island Circuit on Saturday, 4th June.Pole-position qualifier Carl Breeze led the first half of the 15-lap encounter but Freke took control on lap eight into Old Hall and from that point on he was unchallenged. In the end, the 27-year-old easily pulled clear to take the chequered flag by almost seven seconds and, with it, the new lap record.  .  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Round 10 of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup brought a fifth podium on the trot for TCR’s Carl Breeze, the championship contender taking a hard-fought second place finish to move to within 33 points of the series lead.   Read report

Ginetta Jnrs: Seb Morris enjoyed a victorious homecoming at Oulton Park on Saturday, 4th June, to extend his Ginetta Junior Championship lead to an incredible 86 points with his sixth win from seven outings.Thoroughly dominating qualifying to take pole position for round seven of the season by a massive 0.7 seconds, the Hillspeed driver was never headed throughout the 10-lap encounter. After the first couple of laps, Morris motored away from his rivals and he went on to build an unassailable winning margin of almost nine seconds. Charlie Robertson matched his previous best with a fantastic drive from fourth on the grid to second place while Thruxton race winner George Gamble finished in third place for TJ Motorsport.  Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

Porsche Carrera Cup GB:  James Sutton clinched his third Porsche Carrera Cup GB win in a row at Oulton Park on Saturday in an action-packed round seven, but it was at the expense of his team mate Michael Meadows who led for 16 of the 18 laps. When Meadows fell foul of coolant on the track, Sutton swept ahead and Stephen Jelley battled though to take second from Meadows. Jonas Gelzinis claimed Pro-Am1 victory and Andrew Shelley won Pro-Am2 from long-time leader Steve Parish.  Read report

Ahmad Al Harthy secured an excellent second place Pro-Am 1 finish during the seventh round of the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship at Oulton Park Island Circuit this afternoon, Saturday, 4th June, to bring his superb tally of podiums to five for the year. In addition to yet another rostrum visit – which means the Oman Air Racing Team driver has now collected silverware at Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Thruxton and Oulton Park this season – he also posted the fastest Pro-Am 1 lap for the first time in his career to gain an extra bonus point. Pic Jakob Ebrey Photography  Read report

The third programme in the dedicated television coverage of the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be broadcast in the Motorsport UK programme during the afternoon of Tuesday 7 June on ITV4, on ITV1 on the night of Sunday 12 June and will also be shown on ITV4 on Saturday 11 June. The Motorsport UK series, which features hour-long programmes, is covering all of the Carrera Cup GB action again this season. Round four of the season at Donington Park will feature in this programme. 
Motorsport UK will be broadcast as follows:
Tuesday 7 June at 3.30pm on ITV4
Saturday 11 June at 9am on ITV4
Monday 13 June at 2am on ITV1

Formula Renault : In qualifying at Oulton Park, the Atech Reid GP Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship team set times that put drivers Tio Ellinas, Oscar King and Dan Wells on the second and fourth rows of the grid for race one.  In the second session Ellinas finished fifth, with Wells this time seventh starting alongside King in eighth. Tio Ellinas: “I was qualifying well but I had only had two flying laps when the red flag came out and then didn’t get another chance at the end of the session. In the second session the car didn’t feel right. I had some understeer and some oversteer and some vibrations on the right side. It’s mysterious but we will look at it and solve it for tomorrow. I’m hoping for some podiums and maybe a win.” Oscar King: “It was alright but there’s still more to find. There are things I want to change but don’t want to risk making the changes for the race. I’ll be happy when I’m in the top five.” Dan Wells: “I felt there was more to come from me but it was a good solid start to the weekend. In the second session I felt more confident with the car but didn’t manage to put a good lap together so I should have been higher. I’m looking forward to racing tomorrow – Oulton’s such a great circuit.” Team Principal David Hayle: “Dan and Oscar did a fantastic job and have both made a big improvement by being so close in time to the fastest cars. It’s a definite step forward. Tio can still fight for wins, or at least podiums from his start slots. He didn’t quite have the pace this morning that he usually shows but he’s come forward through the field before so I have no doubt that he’ll be collecting trophies tomorrow.”

Formula 3: Facu Regalia ended the first race of the Italian Formula 3 championship at Misano in sixth yesterday.  The Argentine driver, at the wheel of Team Ghinzani´s Dallara- FPT, was in good shape during free practice sessions on Friday setting fifth and eighth fastest times. In qualifying, he then set a 1:31.451 which put him in sixth place on the grid for race one on Saturday and third for race two on Sunday. “Using my first set of tyres I was 4th, just three tenths off pace. When we put on my second set of tyres, I have improved, but in my third lap I have found traffic on track, losing around two or three tenths as I could have set an 1:31.2. After that, I made a beginner failure, because I decelerated next lap and my tires lost temperature. I had just two attempts after that, and Jousse blocked me too, but I think it wasn´t a bad qualifying session at all”, Regalia explained.  Regalia then went on to finish sixth in the opening race,  “I have done a good race. During first laps I was really close to Giovesi, but I couldn´t overtake him as Misano is hard to try it. My front tyres suffered because of slipstream and my singleseater experienced understeer at the end. Tomorrow I start third on the grid, and I will try to gain places and I hope to fight for a podium finish”, he said.

WTCC: Chevrolet's domination continued in qualifying at Budapest, where the blue Cruze cars claimed their fourth pole from four events. This time  it was Alain Menu who took the honours, beating his team-mate Yvan Muller by 0.111 seconds. It was Menu's first pole since Brands Hatch 2009. Proteam Racing's Javier Villa topped the Yokohama Trophy, but more than this he created a surprise by qualifying third overall and best of the BMW drivers. Another surprise  was provided by current WTCC leader Rob Huff, on pole in the three previous race meetings, the British driver only managed  12th fastest lap in Q1 and therefore failed to advance to Q2. In Q1 Javier Villa posted the fastest lap of 1:57.166 midway through the session and only Robert Dahlgren looked like threatening his leadership. The Swede did a  1:57.207 securing his first trip to Q2 so far in the season. Behind them, all other drivers had to fight hard to make it to Q2 and positions changed at every lap. Norbert Michelisz and Tom Coronel were the last two to secure a place among the top ten, just before the end of the 20-minute Q1. The drivers who qualified for Q2 were Villa, Dahlgren, Muller, Tarquini, Michelisz, Monteiro, Coronel, Poulsen, Menu and Bennani, with the latter winning pole position for Race 2. Darryl O'Young and Rob Huff were the first two drivers excluded from Q2 as they qualified 11th and 12th respectively. in Q2 Alain Menu settled the matter of pole on his first flying lap, becoming the first WTCC driver to break the 1:57 wall at the Hungaroring. The Swiss driver's 1:56.546 was not to be beaten. Javier Villa set a provisional second fastest lap of 1:56.710, but he was demoted to third by Yvan Muller when the reigning world champion completed his last attempt in 1:56.657. Tom Coronel and Norbert Michelisz tried in vain to squeeze among the top three and eventually had to settle in fourth and fifth positions respectively, with Robert Dahlgren in sixth ahead of Tiago Monteiro, Kristian Poulsen and Gabriele Tarquini. The first nine drivers were all covered by only half-a-second. Mehdi Bennani closed the time sheet in 10th position after spoiling his chances when he ran wide at turn 1. 

04-06-11

DTM: For the first time since 2003, fans trekked to a DTM qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring that re-opened in mid-May. In front of the Styrian mountains, German Audi driver Tomczyk  ended up fastest and claimed pole position on a wet track and in difficult conditions, the 29-year old  setting a time of  1:40.001 minutes. “Pole position was our goal after everything went very well so far this weekend. Everything has to fit together in order to achieve a good lap time. Apparently, that has worked out today. It is the best position to win a race”, said the delighted Audi driver, who will be starting a DTM race from first place for the eighth time in his career. Tomczyk, who is currently third in the points’ standings, is racing a 2008-spec Audi A4 DTM this season.  Only 0.325 seconds separated Oliver Jarvis (Audi) from pole position, the Brit completing the front row of the grid. Third place went to Mercedes-Benz driver Ralf Schumacher, “I had already forgotten how beautiful it is here. It was difficult as the weather changed all the time. Especially at such a fast track, aquaplaning is dangerous. Being third provides good opportunities for tomorrow. But we also have to see what kind of weather is awaiting us. Tomorrow, many friends and my family will be here and I hope that it will be a good race”, said Schumacher. Italian Edoardo Mortara (Audi) made it into the second row of the starting grid in his third qualifying  attempt. Following  tenth place on the grid at Hockenheim and seventh at Zandvoort, he ended up fourth. Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller, winner at Zandvoort, was fifth. Maro Engel (Mercedes)was sixth, followed by Timo Scheider (Audi). A trio of Mercedes-Benz drivers, Gary Paffett, Jamie Green and Christian Vietoris, completed the top ten. The third round will  start is at 14.00 tomorrow.

Formula 3:  Roberto Merhi (Prema Powerteam) won the tenth round of the Formula 3 Euro Series at the Red Bull Ring. By one second ahead of his team-mate Daniel Juncadella. Marco Wittmann (Signature) completed the podium. With this success, Merhi extended his lead in the drivers’ standings, he has 152 points, 33 ahead of Marco Wittmann in second on 119. Starting from second place Merhi took the lead from pole-sitter Juncadella and in  the remaining 26 laps the Spaniard didn’t make any mistakes to take victory. Behind the top 3, returnee Tom Dillmann (Motopark) came out on top after a nice battle with Nigel Melker (Mücke Motorsport) while Daniel Abt (Signature) was classified sixth.  Roberto Merhi: “The race was really good and also relatively easy. It was great fun. Initially, I was able to pull a little gap over Daniel, but in the second half of the race, he closed up again. The set-up of our car was great, too, as our first and second place show.”  Daniel Juncadella: “I am happy with second place, even though I would have liked to win from pole position. However, my start, which was the key to victory today, wasn’t very good. On my starting grid position, I didn’t expect so much grip, but now I know what it is like and hopefully will do better in tomorrow’s third round.”  Marco Wittmann: “We were already struggling in qualifying and in the race, the Prema Powerteam cars were again quicker than ours. Third place is not what we were dreaming of. Now, we have to continue working hard in order to return to winning ways.”

Superleague Formula: New Zealand driver Earl Bamber will start off the front row of the Superleague Formula Nations Cup opener this weekend in Assen. The 20 year old from New Zealand held off Yelmer Buurman, Andy Soucek and team mate Robert Doornbos to make it through to the pole shoot out and will start off grid position two. Earl was fastest in the first sector on his flying lap, however a mistake in the second sector placed him 2nd on the grid. In what has been a fairy tale Superleague Formula career so far, Bamber is in high spirits and looking forward to race one tomorrow. ‘It was a really close pole shoot out, but I am just really excited to be racing for my home country New Zealand. It was a great effort by the team to make it into the pole shootout and I am looking forward to the racing tomorrow.’ Atech Reid GP team mates Robert Doornbos, Frédéric Vervisch, Filip Salaquarda and Duncan Tappy will be starting from grid position 3, 5, 12 and 14 respectively for race one tomorrow. Vervisch and Doornbos both made it through the first semi-finals, but were unable to hold on in their respected groups. Vervisch ran wide subsequently losing time in the last sector and was eventually knocked out. 

Porsche Carrera Cup GB : Michael Meadows was the star of qualifying at Oulton Park today when he clinched pole for both rounds seven and eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. In a fiercely competitive session, the top four were covered by less than a tenth of a second as James Sutton, Stephen Jelley and Michael Caine ran right on the pace. Meanwhile, in Pro-Am1 Jonas Gelzinis and Ahmad Al Harthy shared the top slots and in Pro-Am2 Andrew Shelley and George Brewster each took a pole position. Meadows (SAS/Redline) set the standard with two best laps within two-thousandths of a second to clinch his first double pole. “Overtaking here is very difficult and starting from the front row at Oulton Park is very important; the team has done a great job,” said Meadows. Sutton (SAS/Redline) and Jelley (Parker with Juta) each took a second and a third place and both felt that they could have been on pole. Sutton formed an SAS one-two for round seven and ran fewer laps than anyone else in a bid to keep his tyres in the best possible shape for the races. “It was a case of preserving tyres and I know that we can race well,” he said. Jelley, meanwhile, reckoned that his best lap on his second set of tyres should have netted P1. “I put two wheels onto the dirt at Druids; that was the lap that should have been pole,” he reported.  For Caine (Nationwide/Motorbase), two fourth places was a strong finish and marked a big step forward in performance for the Motorbase squad. His time for round seven was less than a tenth of a second away from pole position. Euan Hankey (Parker with Juta) was next up among the Pro drivers, with sixth and fifth places.  The stage is set for some fine competition in Pro-Am1 as Gelzinis (Juta Racing) and Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) shared top position, with Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) chasing them hard with a brace of third places. However, Gelzinis admitted that qualifying had not gone as well as he had hoped. “On my first set of tyres I locked up at Lodge and ran into the gravel; that was a good lap,” he said. The Lithuanian was then more cautious on his second set of tyres, knowing that he could not afford to lock up again. Butcher found half a second over his testing pace. “I think we could have had a little bit more; it’s just so tight,” said the Scot. It was just as close in Pro-Am2 as Shelley (Redline Racing), Brewster (Celtic Speed), Steve Parish (Motorbase Performance) and Keith Webster (Redline Racing) proved typically closely matched. “There was lots of traffic; it was one of those sessions,” said Shelley. “It can be an exciting place to start,” he added of the Cheshire track. “I was just untidy,” said Brewster. “But our race pace is strong.” Parish, meanwhile, was second to Shelley for round seven. “The car is much better,” said Parish.

Michael Caine is the latest Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer to benefit from Michelin’s on-going support of the championship by winning a set of tyres this weekend at Oulton Park. Caine, racing for Nationwide/Motorbase, arrived at Oulton Park as the proud father of a baby daughter Charlotte, born to Michael’s wife Kim in mid-May. His success in the tyre draw was mirrored by an upswing in on-track performance as the Motorbase squad enjoyed its best qualifying pace to date, with Caine posting fourth fastest time less than a tenth of a second away from pole position. Having been the control tyre supplier for the Carrera Cup GB since the championship was created in 2003, Michelin is once more supporting the teams and drivers with the award of a complete set of slick racing tyres at each event. Before the start of testing, a name is drawn from a hat to receive the tyres, with a value of more than £1000. 

F2000: Championship points leader Remy Audette stayed on the point during practice at Watkins Glen, setting a very fast lap of 1:51.9 , well under the existing track record of 1:53.0. The Canadian easily paced both 30-minute practice sessions in the #21 Audette Racing Van Diemen, and was an underheard-of-for-F2000 full second up on anyone else in the afternoon. “We had two good sessions,” said Audette, who leads the point race over Kyle Connery and Robert La Rocca. “The car was awesome. In the morning it started to develop a push right in the middle of a session and it turns out we had snapped the sway bar in the rear. Besides that, the team is doing a good job and I am very comfortable with the track.” The afternoon session saw Audette easily lead Niki Coello, the first of the RFRs. Chris Livengood followed in fourth position ahead of La Rocca, in the HP-Tech RFR, which has seen some updates after Road Atlanta.pic valet   Read more

Le Mans: To have any chance of winning the biggest motor race in the world you obviously need a fast and reliable car, but it’s not the only factor. Benoît reveals the four simple rules that can help tip the balance!  With six participations at the Le Mans 24 Hours already under his belt, Benoît Tréluyer’s objective this year is to do better than in 2010. Only one step away from the top of the podium last year, his first with Audi, he is now dreaming of adding his name to the race’s prestigious list of winners. Like every other year, the Alençon-born driver, who grew up in the backyard of the Circuit de la Sarthe, has not let anything interrupt his preparations. With the 2011 edition of the race set to get underway, he gives us some crucial tips and rules that are his keys to success.  Read more

OAK Racing is targeting a fourth consecutive podium finish at next weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours as the French squad enters the world’s most famous endurance race with an unprecedented four-car line-up. The team, which this year opened brand-new premises at the Le Mans 24 Hours Technoparc adjacent to the 13.629-kilometre Circuit de la Sarthe, has received four invitations to compete in the 2011 event from race organisers the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, more than any other single squad.With two OAK-Pescarolo prototype cars in the premier LMP1 class and two more in the competitive LMP2 category, as well as strong driver line-ups boasting youth and experience, OAK Racing is hoping to at least match its podium results of the past three years.  Read more

03-06-11

Porsche Carrera Cup GB : James Sutton underlined his position as the man to beat in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB by setting the pace in testing at Oulton Park today (Friday 3 June) ahead of rounds seven and eight of the championship. In warm and dry conditions, Sutton (SAS/Redline) dipped beneath the 1m23s mark in the afternoon test session to head team mate Michael Meadows at the top of the times. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) set the Pro-Am1 pace, while Steve Parish (Motorbase Performance) was top of Pro-Am2. Despite being fastest by a quarter of a second, Sutton still felt that he could have been faster. “The lap was a little bit scrappy and I think there is more to come,” said Sutton. “The car is fantastic and we’re looking in good shape,” he added, as he prepares to try and extend his championship lead. Meadows was a fraction outside the 1m23s mark as he pipped Stephen Jelley (Juta with Parker) for second fastest. “James found a bit of time on me, but our base set-up is good and the team has done a great job,” said Meadows.  Taking the fight to the SAS cars was Jelley, who shot to the top of the times early in the afternoon session. “To put new tyres on and do that on my first flying lap was pleasing, but I think there is a bit more time to come,” said Jelley. His team mate Euan Hankey was well in touch in fourth place, while fifth was a fine result for Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline). With his best testing run of the season so far, the Carrera Cup Scholarship driver was firmly in contention at his home track. Richard Plant (Team Parker Racing) was a strong sixth, just ahead of Gelzinis who set the Pro-Am1 pace. However, Gelzinis was disappointed with his pace at one of his favourite British tracks. “We are struggling with the car,” admitted the Lithuanian driver, which was ominous news for the rest of the Pro-Am1 drivers. Half a second behind Gelzinis in Pro-Am1 was Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed). “It was okay,” said Butcher of his day. “I’ve just got to build from that tomorrow and find some more time.” Third in Pro-Am1 was Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline), although his running was interrupted by a trip into the gravel. Once again, the stage is set for a mighty contest in Pro-Am2 after the leading three drivers were covered by a mere seven-hundredths of a second. Parish topped the times after a fine day’s work, but knows that he must repeat the performance in qualifying on Saturday. “We’ve done a lot of work since Thruxton and it’s paid off, but it’s tomorrow that counts,” said Parish. Right behind Parish on the times were Andrew Shelley (Redline Racing) and George Brewster (Celtic Speed) for what promises to be some of the closest battles of the pair of races.

Formula Renault: Atech Reid GP’s Tio Ellinas staked his claim on a podium slot following a strong test session before before this weekend’s racing at Oulton Park in the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship. Ellinas was second in this afternoon’s test and third in the combined times. Dan Wells was also on a charge, lying fourth this afternoon and finishing the day in seventh with the morning time included.  Oscar King sustained slight damage to his car in the afternoon session, in which all three drivers used their new tyres, so missed improving his position above twelfth.Oulton Park hosts the seventh and eighth rounds of the Championship, in which Cypriot Ellinas is currently second and fighting for the lead. Oscar King and Dan Wells are looking to move up the table from their respective 8th and 12th positions. Atech Reid GP are currently second in the Teams’ standings.Tio Ellinas: “Today was basically very good. I was on the pace and in the second session we were looking at set-up for qualifying. Our aim is for ‘P1’ tomorrow.” Oscar King: “I struggled a little in the first session. Then in the second it was better and I was up to seventh when I had a crash so I missed out on setting a good time on new tyres. Tomorrow will be better.” Dan Wells: “I got a good run on old tyres this morning. The balance felt good and on new tyres it just got better and better. It’s a good start to the weekend and I’m looking forward to qualifying.”

Le Mans: Exactly 183 days after its world debut in Ingolstadt the new Audi R18 TDI is facing a truly serious challenge: When the starting lights at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours switch to green at 3 p.m. on June 11, Audi will have the chance for its tenth victory at the world’s most important endurance race.  Read more

Allan McNish bids to earn himself a third and Audi a 10th Le Mans 24 Hours race victory when the Briton drives a brand new diesel-engined Audi Coupé in the race. The Dumfries ace drives a new Audi R18 TDI with co-drivers Dindo Capello  and Tom Kristensen sharing the driving duties of the “closed cockpit” Audi – the same driver combination for the past five years. “The Le Mans race is going to be difficult for a number of reasons – even more so than in recent years,” confirmed McNish who won at Le Mans in 1998 and 2008. “The top-five cars were covered by one second in the official test at Le Mans in April and that’s around a 8.5-mile circuit. In terms of qualifying and race pace, Audi and Peugeot are likely to be very close which suggests we have to be very good on the execution of our pit-stops, which must run like clockwork, and our race strategy. We’ll need to be fast but also good on fuel economy and tyre management. With over 50-cars in the field we need to be good in traffic but with the new regulations and the downsizing of engines, getting past the slower cars will be more of a challenge as we now have less power and torque. But that’s all part of racing and a key factor of the Le Mans 24 Hours.”

Strakka Racing will be racing for Britain as it aims to give the 70,000 British fans who are expected to travel to watch this year’s Le Mans 24 hours  something to cheer about as it attempts to retain the LMP2 Le Mans 24 hour title it won in spectacular style in 2010 – and bring the trophy back to the UK once again.  Read more

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. Have announced that the first ever public demonstration of the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC will be at LE MANS VERS LE FUTUR. This is a support event for the 79th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  The Nissan LEAF NISMO RC is a purpose-built race car based on the Nissan LEAF, the first all-electric production vehicle in the world. The Nissan LEAF NISMO RC, the first-ever zero emission racing spec production vehicle, was unveiled at the 2011 New York International Auto Show in April and garnered considerable consumer attention throughout the show.Two demonstration runs by the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC are scheduled: – the first at 21:15 on Thursday, June 9th and the second at 12:10 on Saturday, June 11th local time. This year Nissan/NISMO-powered LMP2 cars will participate in the race.  Lucas Ordonez, winner of the first GT Academy, will drive the Signatech Nissan, one of the LMP2 cars.

F1600: 2010 F2000 Championship Series title-winner Alegra Motorsports will offer an F2000 test to the top placing F1600 Formula F Championship Series driver, aged 21 or younger, at the end of the 2011 season. Alegra will provide the opportunity for an aspiring driver to test a Van Diemen under the lights at Palm Beach International Raceway this fall. “We believe the F2000 Championship Series is the premier training series in North America for aspiring young drivers and we want to give a deserving driver the chance to experience a competitive F2000 car” said Andy Greene, Alegra’s team manager. The Miami-based squad, 2007 Daytona 24 hour GT class winner, also runs cars in the Trans-Am Series, various Grand-Am Daytona Prototype events and vintage races. The 2011 Alegra F2000 team features Gustavo Rizzo in the #23 Van Diemen/Zetec, Fabio Orsolon in the #24 RFR/ Zetec and Angel Benitez in the #26 Van Diemen/Zetec. Offering the complimentary test, Alegra helps smooth the transition for a deserving and aspiring race car driver from F1600 to the more advanced F2000 cars.“This is a great opportunity that Alegra has offered and we fully expect the competition to earn this test to be every bit as close as the overall championship,” said Series Managing Director Michal Rand. “One young driver will get the best prize they can imagine and we know they will make the most of the chance to drive in a front-running F2000 car for the 2010 Championship team.” An eligible driver must have been 21 years old, or younger, when the season started at Virginia International Raceway in April.

Karts: Rounds three and four of the 2011 Formula Kart Stars Championship incorporating the MSA British Cadet Championship saw the Formula One Management backed series travel to Wigan in Lancashire for some high speed thrills around the short but extremely exciting Club Circuit layout of the Three Sisters venue. Drastically different from the undulations of Rowrah, host of the opening two rounds of the season, Wigan offered drivers a completely different set of challenges with flat, fast straights and flowing corners putting a premium on slipstreaming, drafting and working with others in all three classes.   Pic Chris walker/www.kartpix.net          Read report

He has been racing at Senior level for just a few months but such has been Ash Hand’s transition to the highest echelon of Rotax karting that he has already established himself as a genuine front-runner blessed with outstanding ‘raw talent and raw speed’ – something that he wasted little time in underlining in the ‘O’ Plate outing at Rowrah.    Read report

Having endured a nightmarish debut on the European stage with a bruising encounter in the Euro Rotax Challenge curtain-raiser at Genk in Belgium just under two months earlier – finding himself knocked around left, right and centre – Junior Rotax class rookie Jay Goodwin travelled to Wackersdorf eager to banish the memory of that disastrous weekend with a far more successful one second time around.  Read report

The Formula 3 Euro Series made its last Spielberg appearance to date back in 2003, with Australia’s Ryan Briscoe winning both rounds of that event. This weekend, however, the F3 Euro Series is going to make its Styria comeback at the  new 4.326-kilometre Red Bull Ring, the venue for  the 10th, 11th and 12th rounds of the 2011 season. In the nine races contested to date, five drivers succeeded in making it to the highest step of the podium. Spain’s Roberto Merhi (Prema Powerteam) already has three race wins under his belt and holds the lead in the championship, followed by Marco Wittmann (Signature) and Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport). None of the drivers on this year’s grid has contested a race at the Red Bull Ring before and only three of the teams - Mücke Motorsport, Signature and Prema Powerteam - were already Formula 3 Euro Series competitors when the newly created series raced at the circuit - called A1-Ring at that time - back in 2003. Both races were won by Prema Powerteam courtesy of Ryan Briscoe who also won the maiden Euro Series title at the end of that season. For the first time this year, the squad around Team Principal Angelo Rosin has entered three drivers: Canadian Gianmarco Raimondo has left Team Motopark and will be teamed up with Roberto Merhi and Daniel Juncadella to race a third Dallara-Mercedes for Prema Powerteam. While Team Motopark has signed Frenchman Tom Dillmann as guest driver for the Austrian weekend. Peter Mücke (Team Principal Mücke Motorsport): “The Red Bull Ring is a demanding circuit that is nicely embedded into the nature. I really like this kind of circuits and I think it’s great that the Formula 3 Euro Series will be back racing, there. I’m happy with the course of the season for my team, so far. We have won the season opener in every young-gun series we are involved in. It goes without saying that these successes represented a great start into the season - but that doesn’t help when it comes to the following races. After all, the Formula 3 Euro Series in particular is extremely competitive and many drivers have got what it takes to win. But that’s exactly how it should be.”

Superleague Formula: The team and driver line-up for the opening round of the 2011 Superleague Formula Nations Cup has been announced. The line-up at Assen will see the cars liveried in the national flag of their home countries. 

Neel Jani - SF Belgium – RSC Anderlecht                                 

Yelmer Buurman - SF Netherlands – PSV Eindhoven   

Tristan Gommendy - SF France – Girondins de Bordeaux

Filip Salaquarda - SF Czech Republic - Sparta Prague

Frédéric Vervisch - SF Luxembourg                                            

Earl Bamber - SF New Zealand                                            

Duncan Tappy - SF Japan                                                      

Robert Doornbos - SF Netherlands                                             

María de Villota - SF Spain- Atlético de Madrid            

Andy Soucek - SF Turkey – Galatasaray SK                       

Ho-Pin Tung - SF China                                                       

Antonio Pizzonia - SF Brazil                                                       

John Martin - SF Australia                                        

Craig Dolby - SF England   

Qualifying gets underway on Saturday at 13:40 CET. Race One begins on Sunday at 13:10 and Race Two at 14:20. The top eight placed cars will then be back onto the grid almost immediately for the five lap dash for cash Super Final. The winner will walk away with €100,000, while the runner-up will collect €50,000 and the third-placed driver €40,000. The prize money extends down to the driver in sixth spot who will bank €10,000. Produced by Endemol Sport, the TV production which will also have pit cams introduced in the team garages, promises to bring viewers the drama and emotion of the race weekend. This seasons broadcast agreements will make the championship available to 400m homes and live streaming in its own website at www.superleagueformula.com.

Atech Reid GP can now confirm that the five drivers racing Atech Reid GP prepared cars in the 2011 Superleague Formula Nations Cup are Filip Salaquarda, Czech Republic / Sparta Prague, Frederic Vervisch, Luxembourg, Earl Bamber, New Zealand, Robert Doornbos, Netherlands and Duncan Tappy, Japan.  It has been months since the 750 brake horse powered cars have been on track and both sessions today have been used by the team as an opportunity for each driver to re-familiarize themselves with the feel of the car, setup and to get back into a groove. In both sessions all drivers managed to set a time to place themselves within the top 10, with Robert Doornbos (Netherlands) setting the second fastest time in free practice 2. He was the only Atech Reid GP driver to put on new tyres in the second session which also saw Luxembourg’s Frederic Vervisch set a time to place him within the top 6 on old rubber.  Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Filip Salaquarda (Czech Republic / Sparta Prague) were 10th and 8th respectively in the first session of the day with Earl improving his overall pace in the afternoon's session setting the 9th fastest time followed by team mate Salaquarda in 10th.Duncan Tappy has been confirmed as the 5th driver for the Atech Reid GP team and will be representing Japan this weekend in Assen. He was unable to get out on circuit this afternoon due to technical problems but has been granted a shakedown session by Superleague Formula officials this evening. The session will give him the opportunity to check that all systems are running correctly on the car as well as some time to get back into a groove. He has a lot of catching up to do but is confident that he will not be too far behind in qualifying tomorrow. 

Earl Bamber will return to race with Atech Reid GP, representing his home country of New Zealand for the first round of the Superleague Formula Nations cup. The 20 year old from  Wanganui, New Zealand won back to back rounds in a fairy-tale style in China and will be driving for the Welsh based team once more this weekend in Assen. Earl was a wild card entry at the first ever rounds in China, representing FC Porto in Ordos and PSV Eindhoven in Beijing. Having never driven the Superleague Formula category before and arriving at the circuit anticipating to commentate the races, Earl was offered to drive for the Atech Reid GP team.. A stellar performance saw him take away 200,000 Euros in consecutive weekends, making him hot property for this year’s championship series. ‘I am really excited to be racing this weekend for Atech Reid GP.’Earl stated. ‘ In 2010 I raced for the team in China in two different cars and won both rounds. After my results last year I am looking forward to racing again. Superleague Formula is a great format and I am really proud to be racing for my home country New Zealand.‘
Team principal Anthony Reid is anticipating an interesting weekend of results. ‘We were blown away with Earl’s performance in 2010.. When we heard that Superleague Formula was developing a nation’s cup series, it seemed a perfect opportunity to work with Earl again. It’s great to see him in a New Zealand car and we have high hopes for not only this weekend but for the series. ’

Jamie Kett CEO of the Hampton Downs MotorSport park in New Zealand is also in Assen renegotiating with the series owners to bring a round of the exciting Superleague Formula to New Zealand and helping Earl with is preperation for this last second opportunity.  'Atech Reid GP is a great team and their experience and preparation will give Earl a very competitive race car'.Jamie has said that having a Kiwi driver of Earl's caliber in an all black New Zealand car is great for the profile of the event back home and will attract many fans. Hampton Downs is New Zealand newest motosport facility and would be a great home for the New Zealand round of the Superleague Formula

BTCC: Honda Racing Team’s Matt Neal is aiming to consolidate his points lead in the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park this weekend as the series nears its halfway stage. Neal currently sits on top of the points after nine races in his two-litre turbocharged Civic but he says running at very front will be a tough task because he has to carry an extra 45 kilogrammes for the first of three races in Cheshire because he is the pacesetter. “The rules say that if you are leading the points, you have to have success ballast and that is going to be a real penalty around somewhere like Oulton Park,” says Neal. “It is a fast, flowing circuit with lots of undulations and plenty of points where you have to accelerate hard – which is where the success ballast is going to hold me back. Despite that, I love the track because it is a real challenge and you have to be very committed.”  Despite the weight handicap, Neal says the 2.26-mile track will also play to some of the Honda’s strengths. “One thing that we do have up our sleeve is that Oulton is about handling and we know that the Civic has a brilliant chassis,” adds Neal. “If we can exploit that and then maybe shed some of the success ballast later on then we will have a real shot at big points. I am looking to protect the advantage that I have in the standings and then reap the rewards in races two and three. I am expecting my main opposition to come from my team-mate ‘Flash’ Gordon Shedden and I will be trying to hang on to him.”  Flash comes into the fourth meeting of the year with only a small amount extra weight on his car and he will be able to exploit the hatchback to its maximum.  A win and a second place last time out at Thruxton has thrust the Fife Flier back into contention and he is in fifth place in the points table. His results this year have helped Honda to the top of the manufacturers’ standings and the Honda Racing Team is also leading the teams’ contest. Like Neal, Flash rates his chances highly going into the meeting. “It will be wins that I am after,” said Shedden. “I am not that far away from second in the points behind Matt and the best way to achieve that is to win races at Oulton Park.I have traditionally gone well there and the Civic is a great car for getting around the sweeps and the dips at the track so I am going to the races in a very optimistic frame of mind. I only have nine kilogrammes of success ballast and that puts me in a good position to capitalise while the others are loaded up. There is lots of racing to be done and they have changes the rules again ahead of this meeting so I am expecting the competition to be strong but I am confident that we will be right in the mix as well.”

WTCC: In a windy afternoon, Robert Dahlgren and his Volvo nearly created a surprise in the first outing ever of the WTCC at the Hungaroring.With three minutes left in the half-an-hour test session, the Swedish driver posted a provisional fastest lap of 1:57.396, jumping ahead of the BMW 320 TC cars of local hero Norbert Michelisz (1:57.551) and Proteam's Javier Villa (1:57.664).However, it was only a short-lived glory for Dahlgren who was demoted to fourth position by the Chevrolet trio of Alain Menu, Rob Huff and Yvan Muller when they completed their last lap just before the chequered flag dropped. Menu clocked the fastest lap of 1:56.858, less than two tenths faster than Huff's 1:57.044; Muller was third fastest in 1:57.203. Darryl O'Young, Tom Coronel, Mehdi Bennani and Tiago Monteiro filled the positions from seven to ten right behind Dahlgren, Michelisz and Villa. All the three SUNRED SR turbo cars of Pepe Oriola (14th), Fredy Barth (16th) and Michel Nykjær (no lap time) suffered from engine problems as the team were working hard to finish assembling the cars. The WTCC field will hit the track again tomorrow for the usual two 30-minute free practices and the 30-minute qualifying. 

SUNRED's 1.6-litre petrol-powered turbo engine, developed in cooperation with Lehmann Motorentechnik, is finally facing its first race weekend. After extensive track tests at Calafat and Alcarras, the Spanish outfit announced today that three of the new units will be run at the Hungaroring in the cars of Fredy Barth, Michel Nykjær and Pepe Oriola. SUNRED's three other drivers, Gabriele Tarquini, Tiago Monteiro and Aleksey Dudukalo will keep on racing with the 2.0-litre turbo diesel. SUNRED homologated by Spain's National Sporting Authority (RFEA) the SEAT León car with the 1.6 turbo engine and this was declared eligible for competing in WTCC by the FIA Touring Car Committee as a 'national car' (article 10C of the WTCC Sporting Regulations) with the name of SUNRED SR León 1.6T. For the Hungarian event, Barth's, Nykjær's and Oriola's cars will be laden by 40 kg of compensation weight as per articles 79 B2 and B5 of the WTCC Sporting Regulations.

Following further track testing at Falkenberg, Sweden, Polestar Racing decided to postpone the debut of the new Volvo 1.6-litre turbo engine to one of the next events. "We were very pleased with the test, as everything went well," unveiled team principal Christian Dahl, adding: "However there is still a lot of work to do on fine-tuning drivability. The introduction is getting closer, but we are only going to take the decision after the races in Hungary."

The FIA issued an amended weight list for the WTCC Race of Hungary. Besides the addition of the SR León 1.6T cars to the list of the models, with an extra weight of 40 kg, the weight of the BMW 320 TC cars was adjusted to +10 kg.In the previous list the German car was due to run with no additional weight, but further calculations proved that was wrong because of a bug that affected the spread sheet used for calculating the different weights.
The actual compensation weights for this weekend's races are:
+ 40 kg: Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T, SR León 1.6T
+ 10 kg: BMW 320 TC
± 0 kg: SEAT León TDi
- 20 kg: BMW 320si, Volvo C30

02-06-11

Britcar: Mazda and Jota Sport have spent the last month developing the handling and performance of the Mazda MX-5 GT race car in time for the next Britcar Dunlop Production GTN Championship race at Thruxton on 11 and 12 June.  Since the last race, held at Donington Park on 8 May 2011, where the team secured their second podium, Jota Sport has improved the rear brake package, modified the differential, added a new induction system and developed bespoke dampers. The latter will allow an increase in mid-corner speed and better feel for the driver, while the additional enhancements will provide improvements to overall performance. Combined with the lightweight, nimble and responsive handling attributes which make up the DNA of the MX-5, the GT race car will be taking the fight to the competition, aiming to beat BMW, Lotus and Ginetta at Thruxton. “Thruxton will be the fourth race of the Britcar Dunlop Production GTN Championship race series, with just three races run, the Mazda MX-5 GT car has secured second in its class in the championship and fourth overall. This is testament to its bullet proof reliability, nimble handling and lightweight. The latest modifications will make the MX-5 GT race car an even stronger contender against the more powerful race cars in its class,” comments Graeme Fudge, PR Director, Mazda UK. To follow the lightweight Mazda MX-5 GT race car’s performance, race results and lap times for each of the Britcar Dunlop Production GTN Championship races visit: www.mazdamx5racing.co.uk. 

GP3: All three Atech CRS GP drivers have spent two days at the official GP3 test at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest. Conditions didn’t play into the team’s hands with very hot conditions followed by rain this afternoon limiting progress. Each driver tested a variety of set-up options and new suspension geometries. Nick Yelloly: “We struggled a little with not being able to get me or the car quite right. We missed the cooler conditions this morning and when I got out it rained so I didn’t get the benefit of new tyres. We’ve tested a lot of things and hopefully we’ll put it together for Valencia.“ Marlon Stockinger: “Our progress has not been as fast as we would like on the time sheets which is always disappointing but I think we will benefit from trying the set-ups we have worked on here. I’m just looking forward to getting to the next race and feeling better prepared.”  Zoel Amberg: “I had a good race weekend in Barcelona and I think the work we have done here will help with my progress and pace.”  Team Principal David Hayle: “The test has been productive but I know the drivers find it frustrating that the changes that worked didn’t all happen for one fast lap. The suspension work will definitely help us in Valencia, and we will arrive there with much better data than before this test. ” On 16-17 June a further two day test takes place on the street circuit of Valencia before the next event at the same circuit on 25-26 June.

FIA GT: This weekend, the HEXIS AMR team will be at Silverstone leading the FIA GT1 World Championship. The French team’s two Aston Martin DB9s have won two of the first four races in the championship, shared equally between their two driver line-ups. Three weeks ago, Andrea Piccini-Christian Hohenadel came first at the Sachsenring and as a result are leading the drivers ‘standings while Abu Dhabi winners, Clivio Piccone-Stef Dusseldorp, are lying fourth. Silverstone is a special event on the FIA GT1 World Championship calendar for the team as only 30 kilometers separate the Northampton circuit from the AMR workshops in Banbury, so it’s a home race for Aston Martin.  As in 2010, this event will carry the prestigious Tourist Trophy name, a race held for the first time in 1905. Last year, HEXIS AMR put in a great performance and the French DB9 scored a double in the qualifying race, as well as second place in the championship round. Without a penalty for having started the engine a fraction early during a pit stop, HEXIS AMR could have won. Team manager, Philippe Dumas, makes no bones about his ambitions in the British round of the championship. “It’s MY race, by which I mean it’s THE race I want to win. We’re investing more hope in Clivio and Stef as Andrea and Christian will have to carry thirty kilos ballast after their victory in Germany. We all really want to win at Silverstone and fight for the world championship title. It’s obvious that there are many other favourites but we can no longer be considered as outsiders.”  Pic  Antonin Grenier     Hexis Race report from Navarra

The F1600 Formula F Championship Series heads to Watkins Glen International this weekend for its second event ever, with an entry list checking in at just over 30 cars. Coming off an action-packed inaugural event at VIR, veteran Tim Kautz leads the points with one race win over John Robinson, Jim Goughary, Bill Valet and Caitlin Johnston. Kautz, the standing Formula F National Champion in his Piper/Ford, said his goal was to extend his points lead at Watkins Glen. “This is my first time racing at Watkins Glen,” stated Kautz, driving with sponsorship from Braeburn Thermostats.  “Gearing and car setup will be the biggest challenges, we have spent a lot of time on the car since VIR, finding a few things that should make it quicker.”  Read more

V DE V: The French V de V series headed for Spain last weekend and the Aragon Circuit where Raymond Narac and Anthony Pons(pictured) won the GT/Touring race with a three-lap margin. However their efforts were slightly overshadowed by Xavier Pompidou’s final stint behind the wheel of Mosler n°5, the Frenchman snatching second place from Jean-Bernard Bouvet in the n°2 Ferrari in the final five minutes thanks to a virtuoso performance. He made up a 90 second deficit in 1 hour and provided Gabriel Abergel, who also put in a remarkable display, with a result that bodes well for the rest of the season. Marc-Antoine Dannielou once more outclassed all his Funyo Challenge opponents over the Spanish weekend. We are now at the mid-point of the Challenge season and the diminutive Breton is out on his own at the front. Behind, the battle is fierce – in particular between François Hériau, the reigning champion, and Nicolas Cannard who have both scored two podiums.Sporting their new Norma M20 FC n°1, Philippe Mondolot and David Zollinger got what they’d been hoping for all season: a win in the Proto Endurance race. They finished with a three-lap lead over Philippe Haezebrouck and Damien Toulemonde. In the Single seaters Alex Chuklin, who had seemed unstoppable after winning the first two races of the season, jumped the start in the third, earning himself a 30-second stop-go and leaving Monclair unchallenged for victory.  Read report

Formula 3: After a hard start to the season at Franciacorta, Team Ghinzani driver Facu Regalia hopes to recover the positive feelings he had during pre-season testing  at the wheel of his Dallara-FPT Racing.  Regalia debut one month ago at Franciacorta wasn’t  as good as expected, so after some positive tests at Misano he is looking for a better performance. “We aren´t worried before this second meeting. We look forward to get good results at Misano, and in my opinion our championships begins now. Misano is a really fast venue, and I think is more suitable for my driving style than Franciacorta. My engineer and I are working to solve different problems which we found here last week, but I am confident about how things are going”, Regalia explained. In addition, for Misano Regalia entered WinWay Intensive Driver Development Program, a coaching program for young drivers, which “I think it´s a good help for me. I am going to have a driver coach there, and it will be fantastic to work with him. I have to keep growing as driver”, said Regalia. The Misano meeting starts with two free practice sessions on Friday, with qualifying and first race are on Saturday and the second on Sunday morning.

Le Mans: Nissan/PlayStation GT Academy winner, Lucas Ordonez, realises the ultimate virtual-to-reality dream by racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours. In just a few days time, GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez is going to see all of his dreams come true when he competes at Le Mans in the Signatech Nissan LMP2 car.  Since he won GT Academy in 2008, Lucas has been on a steep learning curve and has now made the grade as a professional sportscar racer."Le Mans has been my dream since I was ten-years-old," said Lucas.  "It is the most important race in the world and a very important event for my family. My father has all the yearbooks, which I used to read as a kid, never thinking I would one day be part of it.  Even after winning GT Academy I never expected to get this far and I don't think I'm really going to believe it until it happens.  The Test Day was an amazing experience for me; on my first lap is started to rain so it was pretty scary along the Mulsanne.  After that though I enjoyed the moment, going through all those legendary corners and I can't wait to go back there for the race."  Nissan has created a rich history at Le Mans since its first attempt at the world-famous race in 1986 where the company entered two of its R85V prototypes.  Throughout the 80's and 90's Nissan entered a host of GT and prototypes in the 24-hour race; from the R90CK which took pole position in 1990 to the R390 GT1 that finished third overall in 1998 and finally the R391 in 1999. Now after an eleven-year absence Nissan is back! The Japanese manufacturer is supplying the Nissan VK45DE V8 engines to three LMP2 teams in the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours: partner team Signatech Nissan, Greaves Motorsport and Team Oreca Matmut. Nissan will also provide a glimpse into the future at Le Mans when it's all-new EV racing car will be seen in action for the first time outside of Japan.  The Nissan LEAFTM NISMO RC made its debut at the New York Motor Show earlier this year and is heralded as the car that will bring new meaning to the term ‘Racing Green'.

Not only is the Le Mans 24 Hours the highlight of Team Peugeot Total’s season, but it is also a unique event in the motor racing calendar. It is an unpredictable and unforgiving race which calls for meticulous preparation. The aim of the three new Peugeot 908s will be to win again the trophy which the team last won in 2009. Coming to terms with this unique circuit is an incredible challenge which calls for meticulous and rigorous planning. Read more

Just over a week remains before the Flag drops for the start of the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours. It will be a significant moment in the short history of Robertson Racing who are set to make their first appearance at the greatest motor race on earth with one of the event’s most iconic machines, the Ford GT. The American outfit, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has been preparing for this moment for the past four years when team owners/drivers David and Andrea Robertson first set out on the road to Le Mans via the American Le Mans Series. Now their self-developed #68 Doran/Ford GT Mk VII returns to its forbearer’s ancestral home and scene of the Blue Oval’s most celebrated achievement in motorsport: the four consecutive overall victories of the 1960s.  Long-time ALMS co-driver and Le Mans 24 Hours veteran David Murry completes the GTE-Am trio that faces its toughest examination so far. In a class awash with manufacturer-backed entries, just finishing the great race will feel like a victory in itself.  Despite completing just one day’s worth of running at La Sarthe this year, the 13.65km part road, part purpose-built circuit will come to resemble a home from home over the next ten days. Official scrutineering kicks off this Sunday before cars hit the track for the first time on Wednesday with free practice and first qualifying. Two more qualifying sessions are scheduled for Thursday ahead of Saturday’s 3pm start. Sandwiched between is the Le Mans Drivers’ Parade, a celebration in the town centre that gives fans a chance to meet all 168 competitors. Team Manager Andrew ‘H’ Smith: “It’s great to be back at Le Mans which has moved on a lot since I was last here. It was important to do the official Test Day beforehand and re-familiarise ourselves with the way they do things. Obviously we’re disappointed not to have the second car on the grid but that has at least meant we can focus all our efforts on the #68. There are two lots of mechanics working on it so we won’t be short of experience.It would be a fantastic result to finish the greatest race in the world. That would be a terrific achievement for the entire team, as well as Dave and Andrea of course. We will do all we can to make the finish. This might be a private team but we’ve got some of the most accomplished guys in the paddock who are desperate to show what they and the car can do.”  Robertson Racing’s second Ford GT remains first reserve on the official entry list. But even at this late stage Smith would not rule out running it should the opportunity arise, however unlikely that now appears. “Time is very tight but should someone not turn up we would have a serious discussion about whether we could be ready in time. The second car is still here from the Test Day and its drivers have qualified but logistically it would be very difficult. We’re still seeking clarification from the ACO.” 

01-06-11

Club Racing: A selection of the world’s most exotic sports cars will be on show on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit this weekend (4/5 June), where there’s an impressive entry of more than 300 competitors across seven of MSVR’s flagship championships and series. Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs and TVRs will make up the grid for the GT Cup Championship’s two races on Sunday. Andy Ruhan leads the standings going into the meeting  after recording a win and a fourth place finish at the last round at Oulton Park . But the Porsche 997 driver isn’t running away with the championship, and holds a narrow 12-point lead from David Tomlin, driving a Ferrari 430. The popular Radical UK Cup and Radical Clubman’s Cup will host six races in total. Bumper grids are expected as the UK Cup competitors will be joined by cars from the Euro Masters series. An estimated 90 Radical cars are set to contest the meeting and the demand has forced the introduction of two specific races for the SR3 and SR8 versions of the sports car.  David Thorburn and Rob Wheldon currently hold a three point lead from the Marks Electrical car of Mark Smithson and Stuart Moseley in the Supersport Class of the UK Cup. The pair will be set to do battle in two 40 minute endurance races, involving a pit-stop and driver change. Manhal Allos leads the Masters Class.  In the Radical Clubman’s Cup James Abbott stretched his lead after recording his second win of the season at Oulton Park last month. Nearest rivals David Jacobs and Nick Panteli will have their eyes fixed on victory to reel him in. The MINI Challenge will be one of the highlights of the event, celebrating its 10th year, the MINI Challenge is open to three variants of the modern version of the car. The premier JCW category will see former British Touring Car drivers Martin Depper and Arthur Forster amongst a competitive field of 220 bhp MINIs vying for the top step of the podium. Formula Ford will also entertain as the Champion of Brands series visits the full GP circuit for the first time this season. Neil Alberico won the opening race of the year on the Indy circuit in May and the American is set to be among a healthy grid for this weekend. Josh Barnett holds the Champion status heading into the meeting after recording a hard fought win on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit at the Masters Historic Festival last weekend. Also joining the action will be the Production BMW Championship and the Project 8 Racing Saloons. The Production BMW Championship will see a packed grid of saloons constructed from 1983-1990. More than 70 cars have been entered for the event which will include an eclectic mix of Jaguars, Fords, BMWs, Renaults and a Hillman Imp. Both the Production BMW Championship and Project 8 Racing Saloons are expected to feature grids of 44 cars.     Tickets for the MSVR Club Car Championships at Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 4/5 June are available for £13 on the gate for adults with free admission for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk.

F2000 Championship Series 2011 title battle is starting to gather momentum as the 35-car field heads to Watkins Glen International for rounds five and six of the season, supporting the Grand-Am six hour endurance race. Remy Audette is leading the points, coming off two solid drives at Road Atlanta, but rookie Kyle Connery is just 13 points back, taking home two race wins at Road Atlanta.  Audette has four straight top four finishes, including a win at VIR, and hopes to continue his consistency coming into Watkins Glen, where he ran strong in 2009.“In 2009 we had a good run, but this time we’re more comfortable, so we will push,” said Audette, who drives the #21 Audette Racing Van Diemen. “We are going for the win. The car was really good at VIR and Atlanta and I think we have a good setup to be fast everywhere.”  Audette continued: “I’m not thinking about the championship yet, but we need to finish races and be on the podium.”  Pic Kniffinphotography   read more

Formula Ford: Jesse Fenech has made it through one of the tougher weekends of his short racing career. The Australian Formula Ford Championship rookie faced tough opposition as he took to the Winton Motor Raceway in his Bosch Batteries Spectrum 012. “We came here expecting a real challenge,” Jesse said. “Winton is our home track, but it’s also the home track for most of the field, so this is usually the most competitive round all season. A couple of tenths of a second means six or seven places in qualifying and it’s then quite difficult to overtake,” he explained.“The team at Borland Racing Developments, as well as my sponsors in Bosch Batteries and Kool RV, keep reminding me that this is only my first season and our goal is the Rookie of the Year title. But as a racer, you always want to win, so it’s great to have strong support around to keep that in perspective,” he added. Despite his relative inexperience, Jesse secured top ten finishes in the two opening races. A great drive in the final, rain drenched race had the young charger inside the top five, with a potential podium result beckoning. Unfortunately, with only a couple of laps to go, an optimistic move from a fellow competitor saw him taken out of the race. Although obviously disappointed, Fenech showed his strong character and took the incident in his stride. He offered, “It’s the old cliché, but ‘that’s motor racing’, isn’t it? The move was never on and we wound up standing in the rain to watch the last few laps, which was less than ideal. But we leave the round still leading the Rookie points and the Bosch Batteries Spectrum has only minor damage, so our season is still very much on track.”

GT: 17-year-old Jake Rattenbury has been busy in between races testing a Ginetta G50 GT car, with the Century Motorsport team at the Spa Francorchamps, to get ready for the races at the circuit in July in the British GT championship. He had now also been signed up to drive another Ginetta G50 at the FIA GT meeting at Silverstone racing on June 4th/5th with Henry Taylor in the European GT4 championship. Rattenbury’s thoughts after testing: “At the last test day we went to the Spa Francorchamps circuit. I had never been on the track before so I was extremely excited to finally drive such a famous track. I was first of all just getting used to the track, and I found the track very challenging at first but very fun. It was a very successful day in all, and I got a lot of data and track time so all in all a brilliant day for me and Josh Wakefield (co-driver). We were both pushing each other really hard which is good. I find it better if we push each other, as we both stride to be faster than the other which is great for us. But all in all a great day out in the car.”With the late news on Monday that Rattenbury would now compete in the European GT4 championship this weekend, again in a Ginetta G50, driving with Henry Taylor, he said “Very excited about making the step to European GT4. We have a strong team out with Henry and myself so we will definitely be going for the win! Been working extremely hard on my fitness ready for the weekend so it's going to be good !” After the Silverstone FIA GT European Rattenbury will next be competing in the British GT rounds at Brands Hatch on June 18/19. Pic Chris Roberts/WiderViewPhoto

Jersey based Dan De Zille  was guest driver for Nicholas Mee Racing in last weekend’s Aston Martin GT4 Challenge. The 3-hour event was the 2nd round in the Championship held at Snetterton where Dan and Karsten Le Blanc  lined up against a full grid of professionals and gentlemen driver pairings. Confident of NMR’s high standards of preparation, the team started the weekend in cautiously optimistic mood.  Read report

Australian GT: One car stopped, the other was far from perfect, and race officials gave a new meaning to ‘creative penalties’ last weekend at Eastern Creek – but through it all, Klark Quinn in the VIP Petfoods Mosler managed to retained his lead in the Australian GT Championship.  After salvaging sixth and fourth places from the two races, despite handling and braking problems with his Mosler MT900 GT3.  His second race was punctuated by a controversial drive-through penalty that arguably cost him at least one position in the results as well.  Greg Crick won the opening race in his Viper while David Wall took the second in his Porsche 997 GT3 while Tony Quinn’s race meeting ended 10 laps into the first race, when the Aston Martin had differential problems for the second time in a week.  read report

Saloons: Danny Keenan’s MK Indy picked up the victory spoils in the CNC Heads BARC (NW) Sports and Saloon Championship at Oulton Park, when Robert Spencer’s Locosaki coasted into retirement after 12 laps, having led comfortably. It brought the end to Spencer’s unbeaten record and was Keenan’s second win. Read report

With a four-week break between F2000 Championship Series rounds, Nathan Morcom didn’t want to idle away the time. So, during a flying visit home to Australia, the 19 year-old Sydney driver popped down to Phillip Island in Victoria last weekend for a touring car race.Not just a sprint event, but the first round of the Australian Production Car Endurance Championship, over six hours! Nathan co-drove a Direct Plasterboard Outlet/Eastern Creek Karts BMW 335i in the race with his father, Barry, and Garry Holt. And they won their class ! The car performed faultlessly throughout the marathon, the only hiccups being when Barry received a drive-through penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, and a delaminating tyre near the finish. Nathan, who clocked the fastest race lap of the three drivers, said track conditions made the high-speed 4.5km Phillip Island circuit even more demanding than usual. “It didn’t rain but the track was very slippery, so I had to concentrate on being consistent as well as quick. One small slip-up on any of the fast corners and the race would have been over for all three of us.The only worry was when a tyre started delaminating with a few laps to go – there was a massive vibration through the steering – but luckily it held together until the end.” Morcom will  head for the USA for the resumption of the F2000 Championship Series next weekend. Driving a Rondo Van Diemen for Ohio-based Primus Racing, he’s looking for top-three results in the two rounds at the former US Formula 1 Grand Prix venue in upstate New York. His 2011 campaign in the F2000 series began with a sensational debut victory and a fifth placing in the opening rounds at Virginia International Raceway in early-April. But a driving error and car problems in the following rounds at Road Atlanta a month later yielded only a fifth placing and a non-finish. “I need a strong weekend at Watkins Glen to make up for Road Atlanta,” Morcom said. “I didn’t make the most of qualifying for the first race, but a bigger problem was that while we were trying get the handling right we didn’t notice that the engine was losing power. I finished fifth in the first race, but it was only after the throttle cable broke on the first lap of the second race that we saw the cable had stretched, causing the car to be down on top speed.Fortunately I can drop my worst four races for the final pointscore, but I can’t afford more weekends like at Road Atlanta!”  Pic James Smith   

Karts: After a run of bad luck, James Singleton has been making his own luck of late – and a magnificent triumph in the Rowrah ‘O’ Plate meeting means he is very much the driver in-form in the Junior Max class as the 2011 campaign races towards its midway stage.  Read report

The first indoor kart meeting was held in Bercy in 1993, now a new chapter in its history will be written on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th December 2011 thanks to electricity! The ERDF Masters Kart will be an exciting show with 100% electric performance, and it will be back on the end-of-season calendar for drivers and for all motor sport fans. Sodikart has been developing the electric kart on an exclusive basis, and it will be driven by two different fields of drivers invited by Philippe Streiff and the French Motor Sports Federation (FFSA). On the one hand, there will be 20 star drivers from F1, Rally, Endurance and Motorbikes, and on the other, 10 Junior drivers from the current kart scene. “We couldn’t revive Bercy without introducing a major innovation and putting on a demonstration of new technology. It’s now possible with the electric racing kart specially developed by Sodikart, a very quick, clean vehicle that’s fun to drive. I’m also very proud that ERDF has decided to join us in this new adventure ” said Streiff, the organizer of the ERDF Masters Kart.  “It’s amazing to see that among the junior drivers of the time in the 3-14-year-old bracket were Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, the reigning F1 World Champion, winner of the last event in 2001! I’d like to invite for certain of them to come back to the scene of their former triumphs and for the others to discover this exceptional ambience. I’m in touch with the friend drivers, they love karting and Bercy will be a great moment for all of us ” added an enthusiastic Streiff.   The purpose of Bercy ‘version 2.0’, which aims at securing a long-term future, is for the ERDF Masters Kart to act as a launch pad for electric karts in the field of leisure as well as racing. Bercy will again play its role as pioneer.

Renault 3.5: Following an eventful race weekend in the Principality of Monaco, in which American Alexander Rossi and his fellow drivers supported the Formula One World Championship, Rossi lies third in the World Series by Renault Championship. However during the later stages of the race as Rossi,  running with the lead group of 4 cars, came up to lap Oliver Webb at Massenet (the blind high speed left hander). Webb pulled slightly off the racing line to give Rossi some room to pass, but the two cars clipped wheels sending Rossi hurtling into the barriers. Rossi suffered a slight concussion and a pulled calf muscle from the accident, but following a check up at the local hospital he was discharged.  Read report

Monaco’s circuit  demands absolute concentration, the smallest error can be fatal. It is the mythical circuit all drivers dream one day of winning or at least showing their worth. That’s what Nelson Panciatici achieved when he crossed the finishing line in a nice 5th place in the Formula Renault 3.5 race. Read report

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