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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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Go to www.joinYRC.com at the end of October to see how you can join in the team’s fun and successes in 2010 as a fan sponsor. Any businesses who want to be members or partners of the team should contact Hannah@yourracingcar.com or Kathryn@yourracincgcar.com to get involved.
Pics Kathryn@YRC.
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Fourth and fastest for Fulvio and fan-sponsors
Nerve-wracking weekend for the YRC fan sponsors as the battle went to the final race, when Fulvio went all out to make sure of holding on to the fourth place in the championship in his first season out. A stunning lap of 1m 32.731s with a top speed of near enough 128 mph on the GP circuit. This topped off the well-deserved fourth podium finish of the season in the second race that added a 2nd place cup to the YRC trophy cabinet. The fan-sponsored racing team’s driver was on the pace from qualifying. Despite a quick trip to the pits to check out a flat-spot on the right front tyre he was putting together great laps for second best sector times in the first and second sectors. Fulvio made sure he had his best starting positions of the season on the first two rows of the grid for the weekend’s races with, importantly, Tom Sharp starting one place behind him in each race. In the first race, Fulvio was close to taking Nathan Freke at the first corner in a bid to gain the lead, but the eventual Cup champion was having none of it. Four corners later contact between the cars behind resulted in the YRC car being shunted off the track, but for once the car bodywork damage was minimal. A great recovery by Fulvio put the car back on track, but in fifth with no immediate chance of recovery as a safety car incident, caused by an incident involving TCR team mate Carl Breeze and the unfortunate Colin White which tagged other TCR team mate Joachim Ritter, added three yellow flag laps. Despite several attempts to regain position that’s were the YRC team ended that race. This reduced the points margin between fourth and fifth in the Cup.
The second race was less eventful with a fired up Fulvio making a
well-judged overtaking move at the tight second corner hairpin to gain Still needing to be ahead of nearest rival Tom Sharp, to retain Cup position, Fulvio lost ground to him off of the line, but again Fulvio’s pace in the car meant that he was not going to be passed by any others and for good measure he took the lap record off of the Cup champion on lap 10 giving the YRC fan sponsors a lot to celebrate in the sunshine. Hannah James, Team Manager said; “Fourth place in the Cup in our first season for our fan-sponsored car is fantastic! The buzz of the home crowd and all the YRC fans cheering and hooting Fulvio as he’s gone passed today seems to have done the trick – to smash the lap record is just brilliant. We could not have done it without the fans and small businesses who have got on board this year so a big, big thank you to each of them. TCR have engineered the car, and Carl the YRC car mechanic has been amazing – we hope they all get more sleep next year! “
YourRacingCar.com fights to defend their Cup place
Saturday afternoon’s race saw the YRC car squeezed out at the start, but their driver Fulvio Mussi held on to the car in front’s tail and re-took his place back on lap 4. Fulvio then hounded down close Cup rival Tom Sharp and made a move on lap 8 with the result that the YRC car finished the 10 lap race in 5th despite some rear damage from the action. Sunday morning’s 18 lap contest saw an early racing incident lifting the YRC car up and weakening the left rear bodywork. Further on in the race Fulvio was again defending his position as his car was bumped up the rear several times by Sharp. Eventually the damaged bodywork started rubbing the tyre requiring a visit to the pits for a tyre as control had become too difficult. Due to other incidents and mechanical problems to other cars Fulvio rejoined the race in 8th and held the position until the end.
The final race saw a second corner run in with title chasing Frank
Wrathall leaving the YRC car without a bonnet. Incredible driving from
Fulvio Hannah James, Team Manager, said; “Fulvio showed why he is the fan’s favourite this weekend. Despite a mid-pack qualifying he has fought hard to retain our Cup position. Whilst the television coverage is welcomed by our sponsors we’d rather not be racing with a battle scarred car throughout the weekend - Fulvio’s got talent! Others would have struggled to bring the car home at this circuit let alone in sixth in the final race.” YRC are looking forward to seeing more of the YRC fans drop by the team’s garage at Brands Hatch on 3rd and 4th October and by joining YRC before 24th September fans will have time to get their name and picture on the car this year. Their money will go towards the repairs on the car. It’s simple go and press the ‘Engine Start’ button at www.joinyrc.com.
YourRacingCar.com gets a tuck up the rear and a facelift
Sunday morning’s 22 lap contest saw another early racing incident lead to the YRC car’s bonnet being left beside the track. Once again the driving skill of Mussi getting the car home ahead of where it started for a 5th place finish despite further unexpected alterations to the tracking, a bent steering arm and major changes to the car’s aerodynamics. All the drama in the last race of the weekend happened off-track as the race was declared wet - a result of rains in the previous session. YRC took to their grid slot on wet tyres. A hold as another car had issues on the grid and then the race started in the dry and continued that way. After battling with the car for 11 laps Mussi brought the car in for a polished tyre change performance from engineers Total Control Racing as seen on ITV4. With not enough time left to recover YRC went over the line in 18th which was a disappointing result for the team, but has not damaged their position in the Cup where Mussi remains in forth behind team mate Carl Breeze. Hannah James, Team Manager, said; “The fan sponsors saw some incredible driving from Fulvio again this weekend as he responded to one racing incident after another. He likes a good challenge! It proved interesting for our tyre sponsors for the weekend UKdatacabling.co.uk and bucksrailcentre.org whose positions on the car took the full brunt of the wheel-to-wheel racing.”. “We’re looking forward to seeing more of the YRC fans pop by the team’s garage at Rockingham on 19th and 20th September and by joining YRC before 10th September fans can get their name and picture on the car. It’s simple go and press the ‘Engine Start’ button at www.joinyrc.com. Businesses wanting to come to the racing to see their website over a wheel arch as one of our tyre sponsors should email Kathryn@yourracingcar.com.”
Two little ducks from a Croft downpour
Round 12 on the Saturday afternoon, was on a hot dry track and late in the day. Fulvio Mussi had a good start and held his position with Chris Dittman spinning off across the gravel in the first corner behind him. Despite picking up debris on the second-lap which was carried by the YRC car to the end, position was held for the first fourth place of the weekend. Starting on the second row for Round 13 the YRC car had to give to Christian Dick and whilst working hard to try to reduce the gap to the cars in front, Mussi was unable to stop Wrathall taking fourth at Tower Bend on the seventh lap and was lucky to miss the bouncing tyre stack at the Esses after the unfortunate Carl Breeze careered off after touching them. Within a couple of laps Tom Sharp was pushing to try to gain fourth place and spun out, releasing the pressure on the YRC car which took it’s second fourth place of the weekend. Back to the garages and yet more work for the hard-pushed TCR team who engineer the car for YRC as the gear-box had to be dropped out and replaced within the 4 hours between the races. An amazing effort by the team saw the work completed and the car ready to go out to a rain-soaked track for Round 14. Sitting on the grid behind the empty pole position spot in front of him, as Breeze could not take to the grid due to damage to his car, the YRC team were disappointed to have a start, albeit at full racing speeds, which was run for three laps under a Safety Car due to heavy rainfall. This was YRC’s first time in the wet so a maiden voyage for the car’s wet set-up. Wrathall made an early move on Mussi and gained second place which Mussi was not able to recover despite best efforts in the tiring and challenging wet conditions. Within a couple of laps Sharp was on top of Mussi and eventually got round the outside of the YRC car to grab third position. Hampus Rydman was putting the pressure on the YRC team during the final three laps of the 15 lap race, but Mussi held on to come across the line in fourth. Speaking on the events of the weekend, Hannah James team manager said: "Fulvio pulling second row grid positions out of the bag was a great start to the weekend. A strange mix of racing incidents, mechanical issues and the weather meant however a first podium for the eager YourRacingCar.com fans was not to be this weekend. The consistent points haul does mean that the team has held on to sixth in the Championship and we’ll be working over the break to find that little bit more that is needed to bring home some silverware. Thanks to all the YRC fans at Croft and at home who were cheering us on."
YRC gets back on track
In blistering heat on the Saturday Mussi continued to bed the new parts of the car in and took two sixth place qualifying positions in a field of sixteen cars for Rounds Ten and Eleven despite some issues with the wiring loom causing shorting, which had to be replaced prior to the first race that day. Round Ten of the G50 Cup, the first 15-lap G50 race of the weekend, was on a track that was sticky and dusty from the days events, and Mussi managed to hold on to his sixth position despite jostling at the rear of his car along the way from Tom Sharp. A quick repair to the rear diffuser and re-siting of the exhaust which had been shifted from its brackets put the car right and ready for the next days action. Sunday’s race, Round Eleven, was eventful
from the start with Mussi seeking to put the car into a higher finishing
position and a move across the grass saw dust laid across the track. The
contention between Mussi and fifth placed Sharp distracted garage mate
Joachim Ritter who ended up in the barriers at Old Hall. Lap two saw
Mussi still ahead of Sharp, and both having to take evasive action as
Frank Wrathall tapped the YRC team’s other garage mate, and Cup leader,
Carl Breeze, who went onto the grass and then span back across the
track, stopping in the middle. In the dust created by the incident and
eleven cars somehow avoiding the stricken Breeze the penultimate car
driven by Mark Proctor was unsighted and ended up hitting the white car
broadside. The race was red flagged. As the cars went to the grid to reform, the marshals were fast to the scene and did their work efficiently to ensure that both drivers were out of their cars in the shortest possible time. Both drivers were attended by doctors at the scene and sent to hospital which was no surprise after such a high-speed impact. Round Eleven has been postponed. YRC Team Manager, Hannah James commented, “Fulvio’s father and I had attended fire training with the marshals in the morning and met the Rescue Unit crews, as part of the YourRacingCar.com fans investment in the team goes to the British Motorsport Marshals Club, so we knew that the guys involved in the crash were in good hands. Everyone at YRC wishes Carl and Mark all the best for their recovery.” “We’d like to thank TCR for the tremendous work they did to get us out on track at Oulton Park after our incident at Donington Park two weeks before. Fulvio has moved up a place in the championship from seventh to equal sixth position with Chris Dittman. We look forward to getting all of the fans names and pictures on the car for the next rounds.”
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As
fan-sponsored team YourRacingCar.com’s driver Fulvio Mussi smashed the
lap record in the Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup at his home races at Brands
Hatch; Nathan Freke won the championship adding a further three podiums,
three pole positions and two fastest laps to his season’s haul ahead of
Frank Wrathall who also took to the podium three times in the season
finale. 
A
relatively traffic free qualifying session at Rockingham for the
Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup was interrupted by a gear pump problem for the
YourRacingCar.com (YRC) car. This made it somewhat sluggish, resulting
in a qualifying position of sixth for the weekend’s three races. 
ensured the YRC car came over the line despite the body damage. The loss
of another car from the front of the pack meant that despite the
aerodynamic disadvantage to the YRC car, Fulvio brought it home for the
fans in sixth; only to lose ten Cup points as a result of the judicial
enquiry into the early incident with Wrathall. It’s still enough to take
Fulvio into the final race weekend of the Cup fourth, but with Sharp and
returning previously retired Christian Dick close on his wheels. 
With
five new racers on the grid for the Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup qualifying
traffic caused a shake-up of the grid with YourRacingCar.com qualifying
to start in 8th, 6th and 5th for the weekend’s three races. The early
evening Saturday race saw the first damage to the YRC car of the
weekend, with an incident under yellow flags on the second lap resulting
in a shattered rear bumper and diffuser. YRC’s driver Fulvio Mussi
showed the benefit of experience to take the car to the line 18 laps
later in 7th despite the tracking having been knocked out of alignment. 
YourRacingCar.com
driver Fulvio Mussi held on to his sixth place in the Michelin Ginetta
G50 Cup driver standings at Croft on Sunday, 14th June, after his best
qualifying results to date and finishing a consistent fourth in rounds
12, 13 and a rain-soaked 14 earning 22 points each time. 
After
two weeks of late nights from their race preparation team Total Control
Racing (TCR) to return a racing-incident wrecked car to a race contender
the fan sponsors of Milton Keynes based YourRacingCar.com saw Colchester
driver Fulvio Mussi take the car to third fastest of fourteen in the
practice sessions on 29 May 2009 for the Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup at
Oulton Park, Cheshire. 