Rockingham lines up action packed Calendar for 2013

BTCC is sure to be a fan favourite at Rockingham in 2013

WITH the new motorsport season just around the corner Rockingham has announced its exciting racing line-up for 2013, which will again feature action on both two and four wheels at the Northamptonshire circuit.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship leads the action on four wheels and will again be the headline race meeting when it returns in the autumn. Rockingham hosts Round Eight of the UK’s premier tin-top series over the weekend of September 14/15.

Following a successful return last season, the UK’s largest bike racing series, Thundersport GB, is back over the weekend of July 27/28, to offer the chance to watch an awesome array of motorcycle racing on Rockingham’s 1.94-mile International Motorcycle Circuit.

It’s also a summer date for 750 Motor Club, which is one of the UK’s leading motor racing organisers with championships to suit all tastes. The club will hold its maiden race meeting at Rockingham over the weekend of July 13/14.

The Avon Tyres British GT Championship will provide a touch of glamour over the Bank Holiday weekend of May 5/6, when some of the world’s most prestigious supercars will provide bumper-to-bumper racing at breathtaking speeds.

Rockingham Chief Executive Charlotte Orton said: “We are looking forward to a fantastic 2013 season at Rockingham. We have secured some great race meetings this year from grass roots motorsport through to the UK’s premier motor racing series.”

The British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC) will raise the curtain on the new season over the weekend of April 6/7, while British Automobile Race Club (BARC) are pencilled in for two visits on May 10/11 and August 10/11.

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Rockingham 2013 Race Calendar

April 6/7 BRSCC Race Weekend

May 5/6 Avon Tyres British GT Championship

May 10/11 BARC Race Meeting

June 1 Britcar

July 13/14 750 Motor Club

July 27/28 Thundersport GB

August 10/11 BARC Race Meeting

Sept 7 BRSCC Race Weekend

Sept 14/15 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship

Dec 7/8 Rockingham Stages Rally

To reinforce Rockingham’s commitment to making motor racing accessible and affordable to all fans, adult admission prices start from just £10 per day, while children aged 16 and under get in for free.

Don’t forget if you buy a BTCC Sunday race day ticket before March 1, you will receive free entry to Saturday’s qualifying day. Advance tickets can be purchased either online at www.rockingham.co.uk or via the ticket hotline on 01536 500500.

All tickets include a grandstand seat with a unique panoramic view of the entire circuit and access to the race paddock, allowing an exclusive insight into the hard work which goes on behind the scenes to keep the drivers and cars on track.

For more information visit the race events page on the Rockingham website.

Autosport International 2013 : Britcar announces plans for 2013 and beyond

Britcar Boss James Tucker talks to Chris Lucas about the plans for the 2013 British Endurance championship, the replacement for the 2013 Britcar 24 hours and the future of the around the clock racing event at Silverstone

Autosport International 2013 on Overdrive-uk.com

Autosport International 2013 is set to be just as popular as last year's show

It's that time of year again - our annual trip to Birmingham's glittering National Exhibition Centre for the now traditional kick off to the new motorsport year. As usual, we'll be taking our cameras along to bring you the best video features from the world of British Club and National motorsports. Whilst our regular presenter Rosemary John takes some time off due to injury, Chris Lucas takes over the reins and the microphone and will be catching up with some familiar faces and new innovations alike.

Highlights this year will include

• Ariel's new Atom Cup car and championship
• Karting action from the Johnny Herbert Celebrity Karting Challenge featuring Kart Force and Ben Collins
• BARC and BRSCC's plans for the new season
• Highlights from the Live Action Arena
• And some familiar faces from years gone by.

To keep up with our latest videos, keep watching this website - you may like to google+ or bookmark it - follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. You can also subscribe to our Youtube Channel, or just hit the link marked Overdrive-TV up there on the top.

This is Overdrive!

Here are our videos from the 2013 show so far

Toyota GT86 scores success at Britcar 24 Hours

The Toyota Drivers collect their rewards!

Team Toyota GB is celebrating a remarkable UK racing debut for its GT86 sports car , which claimed eighth place overall and third in its class in Britain’s toughest race, the Britcar 24 Hours on its conclusion Last Sunday at Silverstone.

Toyota GB's distinctive Livery getting stuck into the start of the race

Crewed by a four-man team led by Chris Hodgetts,Toyota’s double BTCC champion of the 1980s, the near standard GT86 ran faultlessly throughout its 512 laps and 1874 miles around the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Hodgetts was joined on the driving strength by his son, Stefan, evo journalist Richard Meaden and Travis drummer Neil Primrose.

“It is an absolutely fantastic result,” said Gary Blackham, whose team GPRM prepared the car for the event. “We harboured ambitions of finishing in the top 10 and we are more than delighted with eighth overall. Given the differential in horsepower between our car and the other rather more modified racing cars in the division, third in class is a great result also.

“The GT86 ran faultlessly throughout; I think the only work we had to do was to add about half a litre of oil during the whole race. All the pit stops went smoothly, the technicians - a mixture of seasoned GPRM regulars and staff from Toyota GB's head office - worked very well together and the drivers were fantastic; they did everything they needed to and everything that was asked of them.”

The Sun sets on a fine achievement for Toyota's New Car

The drivers took three-hour turns at the wheel and each put in two stints. Stefan Hodgetts started the race and set theToyota’s fastest lap towards the end of his first stint, and his 61-year-old father enjoyed the honour of taking the chequered flag. Said Chris: “We drove the wheels off it for 24 hours. We literally ragged the poor little car throughout, and as you would expect from a Toyota it responded with fantastic reliability.”

Added Meaden: “The car is mega through the corners. Considering the short space of time the team had to do the preparation this result is testimony to them and to the performance of the car. Eighth place overall is a fantastic achievement.”

Thirty-three cars took the start of the Britcar 24 Hours, and the class for modified production cars featured 14 entries, of which 12 made it to the chequered flag.

The Britcar Toyota GT86 was powered by the standard 16-valve double overhead cam horizontally opposed ‘boxer’ engine of the road-going model, delivering 197bhp. GPRM now plans to develop a more powerful version for customers looking to buy track Toyotas of their own - although there are currently no plans to run the car again this year.

The Toyota GB Team with their appropriately numbered GT86

TEAM TOYOTA GB RETURNS TO RACING WITH GT86

Toyota's GT86 Artists impression looks fantastic!

A famous name from British motorsport history is to return to the track in September with an entry
from Team Toyota GB in the UK’s toughest race, the Britcar 24 Hours. The newly reformed squad will field a Toyota GT86 in the Production Class of the Silverstone enduro. The livery on the new coupe will echo that of the double British Touring Car Championship winning AE86 from the mid-1980s.

Work on the first British racing GT86 is well underway at the Buckinghamshire technical centre of
GPRM, the race preparation firm behind the successful BTCC Toyota Avensis prototype. The emphasis is on turning the potent 2.0-litre sports car into a competitive track machine while retaining as much of the standard road car’s specification as possible.

GPRM’s Gary Blackham and Roger King will oversee Team Toyota GB, and Blackham believes the GT86 will be a strong contender: “The new Toyota has all the makings of a great production class racer. We are concentrating our efforts on stripping back the chassis, lightening and strengthening it and of course equipping it with a roll cage and all the other safety gear required, as well as quick-refuelling equipment. Other than that, the GT86 will remain essentially in road car form.”

An announcement on who will drive the GT86 in the 24 Hours will be made in coming weeks.
Powered by a 16-valve double overhead cam horizontally opposed ‘boxer’ engine delivering 197bhp,
the Toyota GT86 captures some of the best elements of three models from Toyota’s rich sporting
heritage: the Sports 800, 2000GT and AE86. It went on to sale in the UK to critical acclaim at the
beginning of July.

The Britcar 24 Hours is the only round-the-clock race held in Britain for sports and GT cars and last
year attracted a 55-car field. The action takes place on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit over the
weekend of 22 and 23 September.

Team Toyota GB earned fame in the 1980s and ’90s thanks to championship victories with the Corolla in the British Touring Car Championship and UK rallying. The team’s last appearance was in the BTCC in 1995 with the Carina Es raced by Julian Bailey and Tim Sugden.

New Aston Martin GT4 unveiled.

Speaking personally, I can't wait to see the new Aston Martin on track - it's a great looking machine, and the engineers at Prodrive have clearly pulled off one of their famous efforts to produce the car. What's more, apparently it can be made Road Legal ... although Aston Martin point out that "it's a track car through and through", so whilst it would make a great, if somewhat expensive track day car, it's probably best to have it driven to the venue rather than drive it there!

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With the latest Aston Martin Vantage road car set to debut at next week’s Geneva Motor Show, a revised version of its closest circuit-racing sibling made a debut appearance of its own at Silverstone on Friday (2 March). The 2012 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 features an all-new aerodynamic package plus further improvements to the rollcage and fuel tank.

Showing off the new rear wing

 For the first time, the Vantage GT4 gets a carbon fibre rear wing, working in conjunction with a larger front splitter to increase downforce for greater dynamic performance, while also adding visual tension to the muscular Vantage bodywork. The re-designed rollcage conforms to the latest FIA regulations and improves access and legroom, while the mid-mounted, 115-litre fuel tank lowers the centre of gravity for better weight distribution. The fuel tank’s twin quick-fill entries in the rear quarter-lights are directly carried over from the recently launched Vantage GT3.

John Gaw, Managing Director of Aston Martin Racing said: “We have taken the opportunity to make some quite dramatic aerodynamic enhancements to the Vantage GT4, which will close the performance gap between this entry level GT car and the GT3. We have also fitted the car with the same roll cage and fuel tank configuration that’s found in the Vantage GT3 and GTE. We are about to sell our 100^th Vantage GT4 and since its launch it has been one of the most successful cars in its class; the Vantage GT4 and its predecessor, the Vantage N24, scored many 24 Hour race class victories, the 2010 European GT4 Cup title and also back-to-back championship victories in the Nürburgring VLN series in 2010 and 2011.

The front end has had a splitter added to it 

“The revised version has very large boots to fill, but given the effort we’ve put into developing the upgrades and following a successful first outing, we’re very confident that the 2012 Vantage GT4 will pick up where its predecessor left off.”

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin Lagonda, added: “The launch of the 2012 Vantage GT4 completes the comprehensive overhaul of Aston Martin’s race car line up. Late last year we revealed the V12-powered Vantage GT3 and last month our new Vantage GTE – which Aston Martin Racing will run in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – made its debut in London.

“All three models benefit from Aston Martin Racing’s seven years of experience in international motorsport, during which time we scored back-to-back GT1 victories at Le Mans. Not only have all of our racing cars been revised or completely overhauled for the 2012 season, they are all now based on Aston Martin’s sportiest road car, the Vantage.”

The road-going Vantage will show off its most comprehensive raft of improvements since 2008 at the Geneva Motor Show, including aerodynamic enhancements that draw inspiration from Aston Martin Racing’s GT motorsport programmes. The Vantage GT4 benefits from the road car’s exceptionally rigid bonded aluminium chassis, basic suspension design and 4.7-litre V8 engine while the compact dimensions lend themselves perfectly to circuit racing.

Unmistakably an Aston Martin! See it race in British GT and Britcar British Endurance Championship.

Costing from £119,500, the 2012 Vantage GT4 will be officially presented at the GT4 balancing test at Zandvoort, the Netherlands, on 6-7 March and will be eligible to race in all GT4 series including the European GT4 Championship, Blancpain Endurance Championship, the VLN series, British GT, Britcar, Brazilian GT, Belgian Endurance Championship, Dutch GT Championship, GT Asia series and most national series with a GT4 category. 

Mazda races to success in Britcar Production

The sun sets on a successful season for the MX5 GT

Brilliantly unfussy and distinctive livery makes the MX5 stand out

Mazda’s MX-5 GT car finished the Britcar Production GTN Championship season on a high this weekend at Brands Hatch with a race pace that placed it ahead of rivals Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus, Ginetta and Marcos.

Finishing fifth overall and second in class from 21 competitors, the MX-5 GT car was only beaten in its class by a 400bhp BMW M3 and ran at a competitive GT4 pace around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Regular drivers Mark Ticehurst and Owen Mildenhall qualified in damp conditions with a mid 50 second lap which put them second in class on the grid, during the two hour race they completed 129 laps, averaging 77.82mph.

Slick pit work is essential to all endurance racing.

The MX-5 GT car at Brands Hatch was the new 2012 development version, complete with a new lightweight chassis and gearbox, lower roll cage, new front splitter and rear diffuser for improved aerodynamics. The weight has been reduced by 50kg over the previous car and lowered by 20mm to give it better aerodynamic performance, better grip and more stability through the corners, which combined with the car’s legendary handling, fuel economy and light tyre usage, makes this an ideal endurance car.

Mazda finishes the race season with the lightweight Mazda MX-5 GT car ranking fourth overall in the championship and second in class, while the Mazda MX-5 production race car is fourth in class and seventh overall.

The Mazda MX-5 production race car - driven by Mike Wilds, Former F1 Driver and Major James Cameron of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment who raced with Mazda at the Britcar 24hr Race in October - finished second in class at Brands Hatch this weekend.

Britcar Production always has varied grids - the MX5 fits right in!

“Throughout this year’s race season the MX-5 GT car has been subject to ongoing developments which has made the MX-5 GT an ideal GT4 endurance car which is competitive against Porsche, Lotus, Ginetta and Marcos. In just a year we have achieved fourth overall in the championship, three podiums and second in class overall. This is testament to professional motorsport company, Jota Sport - who designed and developed the MX-5 GT car - and the MX-5’s agility, reliability and handling,” comments Graeme Fudge, PR Director, Mazda UK.

Computer gamers get a reality check at Silverstone

Whilst it's true that you can learn track layouts and racing lines from computer simulations, actual race pressures - particularly in a 24 hour race - can't be simulated at all. This team of playstation gamers seem to have found this out the hard way; when your car breaks down in a game you can just hit reset and carry on, in real life it's not that easy! Still, the gamers do have talent. Heitkotter and Mardenborough recently took part in a round of the Welsh Sports and Saloon championship at Pembrey and came away with podium finishes up against some much more powerful machinery (Including the returning Alvin Powell in his ex BTCC Ford Mondeo Super Tourer, and David Krayem's Ginetta G50). Admittedly the WSSC is not quite the same league as Britcar, but still the talent is there. It's doubly unfortunate that the talent of the drivers has been hobbled by a rare mechanical failure on the well prepared Nissans. Still, Here's how they got on at the Britcar 24 hours last weekend.

The Nissan PlayStation® GT Academy endured a challenging time at the Britcar 24 Hours (1/2 October 2011). After qualifying a strong seventh overall , second in class, for the Silverstone endurance event the RJN Motorsport run 420bhp Nissan 370Z GT4 race car was running in a competitive fourth place early on.

Experienced Nissan driver Alex Buncombe handed over to latest European GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough who was quickly recording competitive lap times. But as the 20-year-old started his fifth lap, the car lost all oil pressure and coasted to a halt. It was disappointing for Chris Ward and American GT Academy winner Bryan Heitkotter who despite showing impressive practice pace didn’t get to race.

The 370Z was recovered to the pits where the RJN Motorsport mechanics elected to retire the car. “We were looking good for a strong finish,” said team principal Bob Neville. “This is only our second retirement in 26 races this season so we’re not used to this kind of disappointment, especially as the car was so competitive during qualifying and the start of the race.”

Jann Mardenborough added: “It’s disappointing but you have to take the rough with the smooth and I have been lucky enough to experience many highs since winning GT Academy. I can also take encouragement from today, having put in some good lap times both in the heat of the day and in the dark.”

The weekend did end up being a celebration for GT Academy. The first gamer-to-racer champion Lucas Ordoñez and his Signatech Nissan teammates won the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LMP2 title after a strong finish in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, USA. The result continues the fairytale story for the Spaniard who has proved the full potential of the GT Academy programme.

Having already qualified for their ‘International C race licence’, the latest GT Academy graduates Jann and Bryan are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Ordoñez. The pair will start preparing for their next race in Zandvoort, Holland, on 15/16 October, as they continue their driver development programme for their main prize – entry into the Dubai 24 Hours in January 2012.

News and views on GT Academy 2011 and the progress of Jann and Bryan’s training can be followed on various platforms including: www.facebook.com/GTAcademy | http://eu.gran-turismo.com / | www.twitter.com/GTAcademy

Live from the Britcar 24 hours at Silverstone

Please note, this is the official Britcar video stream - as such it's not under the control of us here at Overdrive

Live video from your Android device on Ustream

LIVE TIMING HERE

Ginetta Dominates Silverstone 24 hours

Ginetta boasts one of the largest numbers of same-marque entries, ahead of Porsche and second only to BMW, as the Brits prepare to take on the Germans at Silverstone - the home of British motor sport. The small volume manufacturer -famed for building successful endurance racers- will be out in force offering factory support for teams taking part in the Silverstone Britcar 24hr -Oct 1^st-2^nd as they combine to take on the formidable moneymen of BMW and Porsche with 2 x G40 - class 4, 5 xG50/GT4- class 3 and 1 x G55 - Class 2.

Ginetta Boss Lawrence Tomlinson will also be making a return to 24hr racing in a prototype laden G55 with Rollcentre Racing, alongside drivers Martin Short - famed LMP1 driver and Rollcentre Racing Team Principal, BTCC ace Colin Turkington, 2008 British GT4 champion Matt Nicoll-Jones and former British Karting Champion/Ginetta factory driver Mike Simpson. The Britcar 24hrs G55 mule is part of a continual testing programme for Ginetta’s newest machine, the G55 GT3, which will be released later this year.

The new G55 GT3 £147,000, 3.7lt machine – which will be on display in the Britcar 24hrs Silverstone paddock for the first time - boasts 58 carbon fibre panels, a wider track making maximum use of the GT3 permitted dimensions, a new aero packcreating impressive down force (designed with the aid of an F1 design team) and 10”/12” rims for increased traction and handling, along with a striking 1.8m curved swan neck rear wing assembly. 

Tomlinson said: “I’m excited to be back at Britcar this year following the amazing success of our G40 last year. We listen to what our customers want and Ginetta is all about producing competitive, cost effective machines. The G55 GT3 is no exception. Our G55 Britcar 24hr entry features elements of the GT3 machine as part of factory testing ahead of its release later in the year. I am yet to drive this car but having seen the work that’s gone into the development and the standard ofengineering it excites me. With the new design and continued engine development programme we expect the G55 GT3 car to be every bit as competitive as the GT3 Ferrari’s, Audi’s and Porsche’s. Our G50 GT4 model has become a proven race winner beating the competition at every stage since its launch back on 2008; we hope our G55 GT3 car will mirror that success in GT3”

Rollcentre Racing have 2 Ginettas entered for the Britcar 24hr at Silverstone, the G55 #30 and  ‘2010 Britcar hero’ the G40 #94. Tomlinson went on the say: “There is no bigger test for a race car than a 24hr endurance race, Martin Short and the Rollcentre Racing team are experienced endurance racers and I’m confident both cars will perform well. We have an excellent team of drivers and in between my own driving stints I will obviously be keeping a close eye on the other teams running Ginettas and wish them all the very best of luck.”

Toyota MR2 takes on Silverstone 24 hours

Rogue Racing is a familiar sight at the 24 hours

 A four-man team of Toyota enthusiasts is planning to mount a giant-killing assault on the UK’s toughest race, the Britcar 24 Hours, using a supercharged Toyota MR2 Roadster. Not only are they hoping for top honours in their class, but also have their sights set on a top-20 overall finish in the 1/2 October Silverstone enduro.

It’s the third time that Team Rogue Racing has entered an MR2 in the Britcar 24 Hours; last year the squad’s tenacity was underlined by an against-the-odds race finish. Now Patrick Mortell, Simon Aris, Alric Kitson and Lee McKee are hoping that substantial performance modifications and support from Toyota GB will help bring success.

The view the team hope that most of it's competitors will be seeing!

“The MR2 is fitted with a 3.5-litre V6 engine, a unit which is more used to delivering sufficient power to pull along a Lexus, so it’s quite a proposition in an MR2 weighing around 1100 kg – particularly when we add a supercharger to boost power output to 350-400 bhp,” said team leader Mortell.

In Class 3 of the race, the Toyota is up against some race-proven performance models, including GT4 cars from Aston Martin, Ginetta and Lotus, as well as several BMW M3s and a GT3 Porsche.

Nonetheless, Mortell is “quietly confident” that a good finish is on the cards: “I would like to think that so long as we don’t have any unforeseen problems the overall top 20 is a realistic opportunity, and with it a good finish in class.”

The MR2 bosts a 3.5l Lexus sourced V6. With a supercharger.

The four drivers all started their competitive careers in the MR2 Championship; two of them are flying from their homes at opposite ends of the globe to compete – Aris from Texas and McKee from Kuala Lumpur.

In addition to support from Toyota, as part of their campaign to support British Motorsport, Team Rogue Racing has several other blue-chip backers, including Microsoft, which is using the event to publicise its forthcoming Forza Motorsport 4 Xbox game, and Alpinestars.

The car looks perfectly at home at the race track!

“Our Alpinestars race suits will carry Forza branding,” adds Mortell, “and Microsoft will be demonstrating the new game to spectators in the paddock.” Emagine Productions will be filming a documentary about the team’s campaign.

Following daylight and night qualifying sessions, the 24-hour race will get underway at Silverstone at 4pm on Saturday 1 October. A field of around 70 cars is anticipated.

Mazda Works Team in Britcar

Britcar is enjoying some good times this year since they were awarded the title of "British Endurance Championship". But it's nice to see that the more traditional aspect of Britcar remains intact with the Production series as busy as ever!

It's even nicer to see a Works team competing, and it's hard to miss this one since their car is such a bright colour! Mazda MX5s are great fun to drive (Click on Series 1 on the top right of this page to see a S1 MX5 on the Llandow Track guide), and despite what anyone says, are quite definitely proper sports cars. Here's how the team got on at Thruxton

Another Podium for the Mazda MX-5 Race Team

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.

The next race is at Spa Francorchamps on 26th June 2011.