The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998
|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
|
| Home |
 Features |
Calendar |
News
Archive |
11/56 MotorSport | |
|
Reports |
Gallery |
Links |
Classified |
|
Championship Standings after Round 5 – ST Class
Sponsors Kempster Ford is a family owned Ford dealership in Heywood, North Manchester and is the leading ST dealership in the UK. It has been part of the Ford family for over 50 years. Kempster Ford prides itself on its reputation of outstanding customer service. Kempster Ford offer the full garage experience - New and Used car sales, service and mechanical repair workshop and a bodyshop. All staff, including sales, technicians and body repairers, are fully trained to the latest Ford Standards. Visit www.kempster-ford.co.uk for information or call 01706 369 817 Tom Lord Driving Solutions are based in Heywood, North Manchester. They provide high quality driving tuition throughout the local area. One of their main aims is to make driving tuition an enjoyable experience and have many satisfied customers. Visit www.tomlord.co.uk for information or call 07876 210116 Tom Lord Driving Solutions are based in Heywood, North Manchester. They provide high quality driving tuition throughout the local area. One of their main aims is to make driving tuition an enjoyable experience and have many satisfied customers. Visit www.tomlord.co.uk for information or call 07876 210116 Orion Engineering were established in 1986. The Orion Group achieved consistent growth over the ensuing 20 years to become a global leader in recruitment engineering. The Orion Group supplied over 5,000 personnel in the last year with an estimated turnover for the current year of £150 Million. The recruitment engineering business is complemented by Energy, IT & Telecoms, Rail, Office People and Industrial division providing the expert knowledge and quality of service which is synonymous with the Orion brand.Visit www.orioneng.com for informationSimply French Knickers is a web-based business dedicated to traditionally designed French knickers. Branded GJ, the French knickers are cut on the bias for a feminine fit in the traditional 1950s style and suit the latest fashion trends for glamour and femininity. The launch collection will be made in luxurious 100% pure silk, and come in black, ivory, soft pink and champagne, in sizes 8 to 22. Collections include Simply Elegant, Simply Special and Simply Sparkle.
Simply French Knickers was formed by Co-founders Josephine Pitcher and David DiCara. All the designs have been created by Josephine and are of the highest quality materials and trims, which include French lace and Swarovski crystals. Each pair of knickers comes in its own, free, matching organza bag. Visit www.simplyfrenchknickers.com or call 0844 800 9704 for details ST Owners Club has been established since 2002 and prides itself on being a growing community of friendly, enthusiastic Ford ST owners of all ages and nationalities. Along with a friendly atmosphere, they have a wealth of knowledge and technical expertise on the Ford ST range which only comes with experience and a passion for the cars. Visit www.stownersclub.com for details. Anthony Barton Car Sales is a family owned business with over 30 years of experience gained in the motor trade. They have built up a reputation for outstanding customer service and value for money, a large proportion of their business is done via repeat customers and referral sales. They offer a wide range of quality cars at affordable prices and have built their reputation on providing courteous, honest service. For total peace of mind, they will ensure that the vehicle of your choice has been prepared and presented to exceed the expectations of the most demanding car customer. Visit www.anthonybarton.co.uk or call 07884 440 457 / 01204 880 438 for details.
! |
continued from news mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk Nick Sanderson Racing Ford Fiesta Championship - Rounds 4 & 5 Snetterton – 4th / 5th May 2008 Having gained two good podium finishes at Silverstone, Nick was determined to continue his good form at Snetterton Race Circuit in Norfolk for the Bank Holiday weekend meeting. This was the first ever visit to the circuit for Nick however; he admitted he did know the circuit quite well from watching British Touring Car Championship DVD footage and Playstation racing games! NSR was also featured in the weekend programme with a footnote stating “Nick Sanderson’s immaculate Ford Fiesta ST” – a credit to the race preparation by Kempster Ford and DB Motorsport. Testing The team booked a pit garage for the weekend with all four cars sharing the costs. There was to be four 50 minute test sessions with the aim to get lap times in the region of 1:25 / 1:26 seconds to be on the pace. Due to some logistical problems, Nick’s car didn’t arrive in time for the first practice but as Stewart Scott wasn’t testing until the afternoon, Nick drove Stewart’s car for the first session. Although the main aim of the first session was to gain familiarisation of the circuit, Nick got faster as the session progressed, with lap times down to 1:28 seconds. In session two, Nick was out in the NSR car and improved the lap times to 1:26.6 seconds and then reduced them further to 1:26.3 seconds in the next session. Nick finished the test day with a 1:26.3 as his best time and confident of being on the pace in qualifying. Ryan Stirling, John Findlay and Stewart Scott also got quicker as the daywent on and were not far off Nick’s times by the end of the final session. Qualifying Another bumper grid was made up of 33 Fiestas, 11 of which were the new Fiesta ST Class C model. The problem that comes with having a large number of cars is trying to get good clean laps for a grid position at the front. Nick struggled to get clear laps and there was also a red flag, halting proceedings for some time with two Fiestas stranded on the circuit. Nick couldn’t get the hot lap he wanted and had to settle for a disappointing 1:26.626 which eventually put him 6th on the grid. David Abbot put his Fiesta Si on pole with an excellent 1:25.924 second lap. Ryan managed a 1:27.012 (8th), Stewart a 1:28.184 (11th) and John a 1:28.623 (15th). Qualifying Result Nick Sanderson – 1:26.626 – Position: 6th (0.702 seconds off pole)
Photo courtesy of Andrew Kent Round 4 After three mediocre starts in the previous rounds, Nick was determined to sort out his start off the grid and when the red lights went out, he got a storming start, putting him up to 5th by the first corner. There was a lot of dicing on the first lap with the top six or seven cars all jostling for position. At the start of the second lap, the front cars all went into the first corner at full throttle but found halfway around the corner that someone had dropped loads of oil and all five front running cars went straight off the circuit as there was no ‘slippery surface’ warning flag on entry. Nick managed to avoid the out-of-control cars and re-join in 3rd position. He was pushing for 2nd place when the red flags came out, signalling a race stoppage due to the dangerous conditions. As there had only been one full lap completed, the cars were re-gridded back in their original positions so Nick lost out on all the hard work and was sat on the grid back down in 6th place. At the re-start, he again rocketed off the grid and was up to 4th place very quickly. The first few laps were pretty hairy between Riches and Sear corner as the cement dust covering the spilt oil meant that it was impossible to see the approach or braking area for the corner! On lap 3, Ben Roper, who had just taken the race lead slowed and went into retirement with a broken drive flange, elevating Nick up to 3rd position. Nick was pressurising David Ellesley for 2nd and on lap 7, all three front runners had a big moment at The Esses as Gordon Tompkins had lost his water from this radiator onto the circuit on the previous lap. The positions stayed the same until the next lap when David again hit the water and went down the escape road, with Nick going through into 2nd place. Nick was pushing hard for the lead and got the gap down to 0.406 seconds on lap 8 but Sandy Forrest drove well and kept Nick at bay, taking the chequered flag by 1.671 seconds. When the results sheets were issued, Nick found he’d also set the fastest race lap with a lap time of 1:25.006 seconds, which counts as an extra championship point. Ryan finished in 8th place, Stewart in 9th place and John in 11th. Round 4 Result Nick Sanderson – Position 2nd (2nd Fiesta ST) - Fastest Lap 1:25.006 (Fastest Overall Lap)
Photo courtesy of Andrew Kent
Round 5 Although the weather forecast showed rain clouds, the Bank Holiday Monday race day was run in sunny conditions. The second race of the weekend is gridded based on the finishing order from race 1 so Nick was starting on the front row of the grid with Sandy Forrest in pole position. As the lights went out, Nick again got a cracking start and instantly moved across in front of Sandy to take the lead into the first corner. At the end of Lap 1, Nick was leading by 0.435 seconds and set about pulling away from Sandy but Sandy was also driving well and the gap was never over a second throughout the first 10 laps. On lap 11, Nick and Sandy were lapping the Fiesta Zetec 1400cc cars andNick made a great move at Russell’s chicane, diving up the inside of two Zetecs late on with Sandy not being able to get past until after the chicane.This gave Nick the slight advantage he needed, although only small, to pull away from Sandy and open up the gap to 2.431 seconds. They remained in the order and Nick took the race win by 2.336 seconds at the chequered flag. To demonstrate how well both Nick and Sandy drove, the nearest rival was a further ten seconds behind with Ben Roper driving a storming race from the back of the grid after his Race 1 retirement. The drama wasn’t over then though as Nick had received the ‘driving standards’ flag during the race and had to visit the clerk of the cour se due toreports of ‘corner cutting’. Nick maintained his innocence and although he did admit to running over the kerbs at the Russell chicane, no advantage was judged to have been gained. The clerk of the course gave him a warning but allowed the results to stand so a very relieved Nick took his second-ever Fiesta ST win! Stewart finished in 10th place, John in 20th with braking problems and Ryan did not finish as his clutch gave out early in the race. Round 5 Result Nick Sanderson – Position 1st (1st Fiesta ST) - Fastest Lap 1:24.772
Photo courtesy of Kate Thompson
Summary All-in-all, a brilliant weekend for NSR with a 2nd place including fastest race lap and a race win. The results put Nick joint 2nd in the overall Fiesta ST Championship after Round 5. Nick also won the ‘free-entry’ draw when his grid slot number was pulled out of the bag which means a free entry for the next rounds at Cadwell Park on 14th & 15th June 2008.
Ford Fiesta Championship - Rounds 2 & 3 Silverstone – 12th / 13th April 2008
A new look set-up was in place from this meeting onwards with Nick, John Findlay, Stewart Scott and Ryan Stirling all working together at trackside (although there would be fierce rivalry on track of course!). Ryan was making his debut in a brand new Fiesta ST, with Stewart joining the series in his new car having tested at Knockhill prior to this meeting. Testing All four drivers opted to test at Silverstone with four 45 minute test sessions available. Having checked the previous year’s lap times, Nick knew that the aim was to get into 1:11 second laps, in dry conditions. The weather couldn’t decide what to do with rain patches throughout the day. Although all four sessions were on slick tyres, the track was very slippery and it was difficult to get clean, fast laps. At the end of the fourth session, Nick’s best was a 1:12.2 with Stewart Scott putting in a 1:12.6. John and Ryan had in-car timer problems but they both also appeared to be on the pace, ready for the next day’s qualifying session. Qualifying A bumper grid was made up of 32 Fiestas, 12 of which were the new Fiesta ST Class C model. Although the conditions were dry, again the track was slippery in places but Nick worked at getting a good lap and after a few 1:12 second laps, gained his fastest lap with a 1:11.991 which would be close to the front of the grid. With only a 15 minute qualifying session, Nick managed 12 laps and at the chequered flag, it was Ben Roper again taking pole position with a 1:11.791, with Nick on the front row of the grid in second position, missing pole by 0.200 seconds. Ryan put in a blistering lap which would have put him third on the grid however, upon scrutineering, his car was found to be 13 kgs under weight and he was therefore penalised and moved to the back of the grid with a 10 second penalty. This moved Stewart up to 8th on the grid with John in 12th position. Qualifying Result Nick Sanderson – 1:11.991 – Position: 2nd (0.200 seconds off pole) Round 2  At
the start of the race, Nick got a little bogged down and dropped down to
4th place by the first corner although he kept the power on
and was side-by-side with David Abbott from Copse Corner all the way to
Maggotts. Nick held the inside line and re-gained 3rd
position and set about closing on second place. At this point, Ben Roper led with David Ellesley on his bumper with Nick a couple of seconds behind. He set about closing Ellesley down but the safety car was deployed on lap 3 with a Fiesta Si stranded in the gravel at Becketts. After two laps behind the safety car, it pulled off into the pit lane signalling the re-start and the top three Fiesta STs broke away from the pack. Nick caught Ellesley and was all over his bumper but couldn’t quite get past, which also allowed Roper to pull away in the lead. They remained in this order when with a couple of laps to go, the rain started and the track became treacherous, especially through the Luffield / Woodcote complex. All three drivers experienced some hairy moments with major slides and had to narrowly avoid a spinning backmarker at Woodcote. Nick kept pressing to try to catch the impressive Ellesley but he had pulled away a little and was in turn pressurising Roper for the lead. At the chequered flag, Nick came home in a solid 3rd position – so finally some good points on the championship leader board! Stewart came home in 8th place; Ryan made it up to 12th from the back of the grid with John finishing in 13th with some braking problems. Result : Nick Sanderson – Position 3rd (3rd Fiesta ST) - Fastest Lap 1:11.746 Round 3 After sunshine all morning at Silverstone, it came as no surprise that the rain started half an hour before the Fiestas were about to race! There was a lot of activity in the paddock as all the drivers decided which tyres to use. After a lot of consideration, Nick decided to opt for the dry weather slick tyres, hoping that the track would dry out and the rain stop. Others opted for the wet weather tyres hoping that it would continue to rain. Nick didn’t get too bad a start but the cars on wet tyres got amazing traction and were far quicker off the line. Nick locked the wheels a little into the first corner and had a monster slide, at one point being broadside across the circuit before pulling it back in line and having to change down to 3rd gear to gain momentum – fortunately, he wasn’t collected and didn’t actually lose that much speed. Sandy Forrest, gambling on wet tyres, went past Nick and then Ross McColm, also on wets drove straight past in a straight line. Nick was down in 6th place and struggling as the opening few laps were very tricky with the car sliding about with slick tyres on a wet surface. Mid-race, the track began to dry quickly and Nick started reeling in the cars in front. First, he took Ross McColm on the exit of Becketts and then set about reeling in Sandy Forrest. Although the track was drying, the complex was still very slippery and Nick found that holding the inside kerb and completely staying off the power was the quickest and safest way around the corner.
Nick had Stewart Scott in the 4th placed Fiesta ST on his bumper for much of the race but with a few laps to go, Brian Roper was much faster in his Si and Nick opted to let Roper go through before the complex (the Class A Si not being involved in the Class C ST points) so he could concentrate on keeping Scott at bay. This also allowed Roper to catch David Nye for the overall Class A lead, with Nick also passing Nye who was also struggling on wet tyres. At the flag, Nick took a solid 4th place overall and 3rd place in the Fiesta ST Class C. Roper and Ellesley were well out in front in this round but all-in-all, two great results for Nick and no damage to the car. Stewart finished in a well deserved 5th place, Ryan in 7th place and John in 15th place once his wet tyres couldn’t cope with the drying conditions. Result : Nick Sanderson – Position 4th (3rd Fiesta ST) - Fastest Lap 1:12.166 Summary Although Nick would have liked to have been challenging the leaders in the second race, two good 3rd place finishes with no problems experienced with the car is a great result after the Mallory Park disappointment. The next rounds are at Snetterton on 4th/ 5th May which is the Bank Holiday weekend. We have already booked full testing on the Saturday as we haven’t raced at Snetterton before but we intend to be at the front of the grid! Championship Standings after Round 3 – ST Class
Photos courtesy of Jurek Biegus
Ford Fiesta Championship - Round 1 Mallory Park 24th March 2008 The NSR team arrived at Mallory Park with the car looking in first class condition with the all new 2008 design. Unfortunately, there are only test days at Mallory Park on Wednesday mornings and the team was unable to make this due to logistical reasons and work commitments however, Nick had raced and won at Mallory Park in his championship winning XR2 season, so he was confident that a good result could be obtained without any prior testing.
Qualifying The grid was made up of 26 Fiestas, 10 of which were the new Fiesta ST model which is a great improvement in numbers from the inaugural season in 2007, with more STs still to join the championship. It was difficult to gain clear track space due to the amount of Fiestas on track and the shortness of the 1.35 mile Mallory Park circuit. Nick got to grips with the car and circuit and put a decent lap in early on and then concentrated on gaining good track space. Out of the 19 laps he completed in qualifying, only 7 laps were really clear laps judging from the individual lap times. At the end of session, Ben Roper took pole position with a 54.654 second lap with Nick in second place with a 55.049 second lap, 0.395 seconds off pole and 0.396 seconds faster than the next Fiesta ST of Sandy Forrest who was out for the first time in the national series. Nick was pleased with getting a front row position and confident of a good result during the race. Qualifying Result Nick Sanderson – 55.049 – Position: 2nd. Round 1 At the start of the race, Ben Roper got a slightly better start than Nick and took the lead into the first corner with Nick slotting into second place. On the exit of the corner, Ben slowed up having seen a red flag, signalling an immediate stop to the race – Nick also saw the flag and eased up but the cars behind didn’t and very nearly slammed into the back of the NSR car! At the time, the front running cars were unaware as to why the red flag came out but upon entering the main straight, it became quite obvious as there was carnage near the pits with the two heavily damaged cars of Andy Neate and John Findlay. Three STs had come together at the start with Andy being spun around and John collecting him before hitting the pit wall. Both cars were severely damaged and will require major work to be ready in time for the next rounds at Silverstone. Whilst awaiting the re-start, Brian Roper’s Si in third position on the grid suffered a major engine related problem and he also had to retire. Other cars were involved in the start line incident trying to avoid each other and were also forced to miss the re-start. After a lengthy delay, the re-start got underway with Ben again taking the lead and David Abbott storming past Nick into second off the line. Nick had to defend from David Nye around Gerrard’s but kept his third position into the Esses. Across
the line after lap 1, Ben led with David Abbott second and Nick in a
comfortable third place. Nick was catching David and ready to make a
move when coming out of the Esses, the rear end of the car got loose and
completely caught Nick unaware. Exiting stage-left at high speed, Nick
tried to steer the car away from the Armco as best as possible but the
rear end caught the barrier lightly, spinning him around and then into
the Armco with a hefty impact with the front end.
Nick managed to get the car moving and back onto the circuit but the steering was caught on the bodywork and he decided to pull into the pits for a check, not knowing the extent of the damage. Upon inspection, it was ‘race over’ as the bodywork was too badly damaged with fluids spilling out underneath. Ben Roper also had a nightmare start to the season as after leading by a long way, a rear wheel bearing failed and he had to pull into the pits with two laps to go. Sandy Forrest went on the take the race win at his first attempt and his first drive in the car – well done Sandy! Round 1 Result Nick Sanderson – DNF - Fastest Lap N/A Summary A very disappointing opening weekend to the season after such a promising grid position. Nick is not entirely sure what caused the spin although we think it was a combination of cold tyres, weather conditions and the possibility of grease/diesel on the circuit. Nick had the in-car television camera so hopefully, we may gain some information from the footage. On the brighter side of things, only 13 of the 15 rounds count towards the overall championship scoring so as Mallory Park was only a single race meeting, that is only one DNF to count (rather than two as we wouldn’t have been able to fix the car in time for a second race). The car needs a lot of work prior to the next rounds as the front end took a lot of damage. It is currently being stripped down at Kempster Ford for initial assessment. The
next rounds are at Silverstone on 12th/13th April
where we will be ready to make amends. Championship Standings after Round 1 – ST Class
Photos courtesy of Peter, ST Owners Club
Introduction / Background Nick Sanderson Racing Ltd was established in 1999 when starting out in motorsport with Nick Sanderson (Director) taking part in the Scottish XR2 Championship. After developing our racecraft and motorsport mechanics, we progressed in the series, dominating the 2005 season to become XR2 Champions with two rounds remaining. Whilst taking a year out of motorsport in 2006 due to work commitments, NSR built a brand new Ford Fiesta ST and raced in the national www.dees.co.uk Ford Fiesta Championship in 2007, eventually finishing 3rd overall in the Fiesta ST class. After this initial development season during which we achieved excellent results, we are now aiming at an assault on the 2008 championship title. www.dees.co.uk Ford Fiesta Championship Details The www.dees.co.uk Ford Fiesta Championship is run by Ford Racing UK in association with the British Racing & Sports Car Club (BRSCC). The series incorporates three models of Fiesta, all running on slick and wet Dunlop control tyres – Class A for 1800cc Si cars, Class B for 1400cc Zetec cars and the new Class C for 2000cc Fiesta STs. Although more powerful than the Si cars, the Fiesta ST is materially heavier and the Championship Co-ordinator has striven to make both these classes run at as much a similar pace as possible. This was evident during the 2007 season where Si cars could be found at the front of the field. The championship had an average of 30 cars during the 2007 season; on occasions, the only limiting factor being the number of cars a circuit is licensed to race. There are eight meetings over the course of the season consisting of 15 championship rounds. All rounds score points with the best 13 results out of the 15 rounds counting towards the overall championship points tally. The Ford Fiesta Championship gives very good value for money, due to the cheap cost of the bodyshells and engines and the fact that performance modifications are not permitted. Television coverage is confirmed again for 2008, giving a huge incentive for sponsorship, with an estimated viewing audience of over 70,000 people per programme. 2008 Race Calendar The calendar below shows the race dates for the 2008 championship. NSR has won races at three of these venues and the majority of circuits were learnt during the 2007 championship season.
Sponsorship Opportunities – What can NSR offer your company? In return for any sponsorship received, a sponsorship package can be agreed that will typically include the following: -
· The racing is reported on numerous motorsports websites and professional photographers attend each meeting so pictures of the car are distributed across the internet.
All the above items offer maximum exposure for your company. We can offer large packages for company decals on the main panels of the NSR Fiesta ST or alternative packages in prominent positions for smaller budgets.
Our ethos is that once a company commits to supporting us, they become part of the NSR team and join us in our goal of becoming the 2008 Ford Fiesta ST Champions.
Typical Sponsorship Packages Although sponsorship packages can be tailored to individual company needs, the table below highlights some of the typical packages available.
2007 Season Expenditure The table below shows the full expenditure of running the NSR fiesta ST over the course of the 2007 season (including building the car from new) and demonstrates the commitment from NSR invested into this programme. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The
NSR Fiesta ST was repaired by Kempster Ford and back in first class
condition after the damage sustained at Mallory Park. Nick had not been
on track at Silverstone before so intended to get on the pace quickly
and make amends for the disappointment of retiring from the opening
round of the championship. 
