Goodwood Festival of Speed breaks records : NOW WITH VIDEO!

Rarely seen cars like this Gas Turbine indy Car ran at FoS

With the annual Festival of Speed and Moving Motor Show now over for another year, Goodwood is reflecting on a truly exceptional weekend, which attracted a record 181,000 motor sport and car enthusiasts, as well as more than 100 star racing drivers and riders.

Celebrated drivers tackling the Festival hillclimb included Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, John Surtees and Sir Stirling Moss, making his first public appearance behind the wheel since announcing his retirement from competitive motor racing a few weeks ago.

The amazing sculpture of a Jaguar E-Type made an impressive backdrop

The 50^th anniversary of the Jaguar E-type was marked with a jaw-dropping 28 metre-high sculpture of this most iconic of British sportscars. A large selection of Jaguars also took to the Hill as Goodwood celebrated 60 years since the Coventry marque first victory at Le Mans.

Among many 2011 Festival highlights was Sunday’s thrilling Top Ten timed shoot-out finale against the clock, with Dan Collins bringing this year’s event to a stirring conclusion with an epic performance in his Lotus 88B. Times recorded in the opening first timed batch of runs were eclipsed by Andrew Willis in the wailing Matra MS670B with a time of 53.18sec, but this was just the warm-up act. Minutes later, Andrew Smith recorded a time of 50.03sec in his deceptively standard-looking Toyota Celica sprint car and neither Gary Ward’s Penske PC19 nor Paul Knapfield’s Brabham BT42 went faster. The weekend-long battle between GT star Michael Bartels’ Maserati MC12 and double British Rally Champion Jonny Milner’s Toyota Celica hillclimber failed to take into consideration Collins’ determination aboard his Lotus 88B ‘twin chassis’ F1 car. This radical machine practised but never competed in a Grand Prix in period, but Collins exploited the car perfectly to cut the timing beam at just 48.52 seconds. 

Goodwood staged a memorable tribute to the centenary of the Indy 500 race with 42 significant Indianapolis cars present, 33 of them lining up on the ‘grid’ outside Goodwood House and running up the Hill, driven by a host of famous Indy drivers and accompanied by some suitable pageantry, including a marching band, the singing of the traditional Indy song ‘Back Home Again in Indiana’, and guitarist Jeff Kollman playing the American national anthem up on the roof of Goodwood House. On Festival Sunday Queen guitarist Brian May joined in the celebration with singer Kerry Ellis and their Anthems band.

Vitaly Petrov makes a smoky start in his Lotus F1 car

Josh Hill became the third-generation member of the same family to drive the Lola-Ford T90 ‘Red Ball Special’, albeit a recreation of the original car which was destroyed in a last lap accident in the 1967 Indianapolis 500. His grandfather Graham Hill won the 1966 Indy 500 on his maiden visit to The Brickyard, his son and fellow Formula One World Champion Damon piloting this car on several occasions in recent years. Formula Renault driver Josh returned to Goodwood for another run at the hillclimb course, the Lola being significantly different to the Ford Focus WRC he drove in 2010. “It was such a great experience to drive something that has such a family link,” he said. “My grandfather won Indy with Lola and my dad (1996 Formula World Champion Damon Hill) has tried it so it’s really cool to drive this car. It’s pretty quick, too. It has a lot of power so it’s been a very special experience.” Former Formula One driver and 2002 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever was wide-eyed after braving the 1931 Duesenberg ‘Cummins Diesel Special’. “I went back in time,” he said. “I imagined driving it on bricks as they did all those years ago. Somehow I expect it was a bit more difficult than when I won. Just being here is good for the soul. It’s such a stunning place to have all these drivers and cars from different eras and they’re accessible. It’s just brilliant that Goodwood is celebrating the Indianapolis 500.”

What a way to finish a race!

The Goodwood Cricket Pitch area received a major makeover for the 2011 Festival, being brought to life by GAS, The Goodwood Action Sports arena, presented by SEAT. GAS was home to some of the world’s greatest riders performing a series of gravity-defying tricks and stunts on everything from mountain bikes to motorcross machines. Among the daredevils mislaying their sanity were 12-times World Trials Champion Dougie Lampkin, X Games star Kye Forte, motorcycle long jump record holder, Robbie Maddison, who jumped a stupifying 332 feet, and Edinburgh’s own BMX bandit, Danny MacAskill.

On a calmer note, David Cottingham’s sublime Touring-bodied 1951 Ferrari 340 America claimed overall honours in the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance. Among the other winners, William Ainscough claimed the Boat-Tail Beauties category with his 1931 Bentley 4.5-Litre Supercharged Roadster, while Kees Smit’s 1937 Tatra T87 was a worthy recipient of the Extreme Lines prize for ‘Pre-War Streamlined Specials’. The People Power class went to the 1961 Renault 3 from the factory’s collection, with the Comeback Kids gong going to Maarten de Buijn’s 1999 Spyker Silvestris V8 prototype.

From a vast variety of other Festival of Speed highlights, a few other notable moments included renowned stunt driver Terry Grant setting a new record in a Nissan Juke for driving up the entire 1.16-mile Goodwood hillclimb on two wheels, as well as breath-taking air displays from the Red Arrows and Vulcan bomber, a hugely popular Moving Motor Show, skillful sideways action up at the Forest Rally Stage, and a record number of supercar debuts, including the new Ferrari FF, Lamborghini Aventador and Jaguar XKR-S.

Dates for the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed will be confirmed in the autumn, but motor sport enthusiasts needing their next Goodwood fix only need to wait another 11 weeks before the 2011 Goodwood Revival (16-18 September) gets underway.




UPDATE : We've just found this video showing the amazing Gerry Judah Jaguar E-Type sculpture being built. It's fascinating viewing and well worth a watch.

Cholmondeley set to thrill

Cholmondeley Pagent of Power features a strong line up

The Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (15-17 July; www.cpop.co.uk) is set to be more action-packed than ever this year, with race cars classic and modern, motorbikes, helicopters, powerboats, the UK’s only British Army combat power assault simulation and a stunning Fireworks Concert.

Last year the Pageant, located in the Cholmondeley Estate in Cheshire, welcomed 50,000 guests, and this year advanced ticket sales are up by 40 per cent. Until 18:00 Thursday 14^th July, tickets for the three-day event will remain available at a discount when purchased online, starting at just £17 for adults and £5 for children.

Now in its fourth year and voted Best Tourist Event in Cheshire in 2010, the Pageant in 2011 will feature a series of exciting new features. With the continued backing of Founder-Sponsors Bentley Motors, Breitling and Eurocopter, the event has also been extended to three days with a new ‘Preview Day’ on Friday, where the focus will be on track activities, vehicle preparation and practice sessions.

The crowds will also be able to mingle with famous names from the worlds of sport and entertainment, including world-champion rally driver Juha Kankkunen, five-time Le Mans-winning racing legend Derek Bell, Olympic gold-medallist Rebecca Romero and comedian John Bishop.

Like Goodwood, Supercars mingle with classic race and rally
cars at Cholmondeley Pagent of Power

The morning of Friday 15 July at the Pageant will start with the ‘Magnificent Marques’ (Bentley, Jaguar and Ford) taking to the track so their guests and members of the press can experience the 1.2-mile course first-hand at a thrilling pace.

Throughout the weekend there will be non-stop on-track action, featuring an eclectic mix of more than 150 high-octane race and road cars taking part in the event’s timed sessions and parade runs.

Some historically-significant race cars will compete alongside modern supercars on the venue’s testing circuit, as well as being on view in the paddocks throughout the event. Last year, Nikki Faulkner established a new track record of 62.68 seconds in a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.

Famously successful racing cars at the 2011 Pageant will include Sir Stirling Moss’s 1961 Monaco GP-winning Lotus 18, Jim Clark’s 1963 championship-winning Lotus 25, Jackie Stewart’s triumphant 1971 Tyrrell-Ford and Bentley’s glorious Speed 8 Le Mans 24 Hours victor from 2003.

Racing saloon cars will also star, with “the most beautiful E-type ever” (Lindner Nocker’s Low Drag Lightweight restoration) topping a cast which includes an AC Cobra, Ford GT40, and a host of Ferrari, Porsche and Jaguar sportscars. Hundreds of other cars will also feature in static displays, and the combined value of the vehicles at the Pageant will exceed £150million.

Adding to the spectacle, professional Nissan stunt driver Terry Grant will be attempting to become the fastest four-wheeled vehicle to race around the track on just two wheels in the Nissan Juke.

Other innovations for 2011 include a purpose-built 1.3-kilometre tarmac Rally Stage that will play host to more than 30 rally cars, including a line-up of legendary and Group B machines (1982 to 1986), headed by Audi’s awesome 1983 Quattro.

Green-Car-Guide Live! will be a new area dedicated to green performance motoring. Visitors can see the all-electric Nissan LEAF hatchback, Volkswagen’s latest BlueMotion products and the first UK public outing for the brand new 62.8 mpg BMW 520d EfficientDynamics. The area also features vehicles from Jaguar, MINI, Ford, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi and Oaktec Honda’s remarkable Insight rally car. On track, Nissan’s first electric prototype race car will be in action.

More than 40 world famous classic and modern motorcycles, including many marques from the golden age of British motorcycling, will attend. This year’s ‘star attraction’ will be the fabulous 1977 factory Kawasaki KR750 racer ridden by Tom Sykes. Britain’s World Superbike ace will also push his 2011 ZX10R Kawasaki to the limit around the course.

Away from the track, there will be awesome on-water thrills, with F2 Catamarans ripping across the Deer Park Mere at incredible speeds, and seven classes of powerboat competing for Breitling-sponsored awards. The recently launched Bluebird Electric Water Speed record-challenger will be present, together with famous wetbike from The Spy Who Loved Me.

In the air, brilliant aerobatics will be executed by the Breitling Wing Walkers, the Abarth Extra 300 SC high-tech stunt plane and the elegant Redhawks duo. Sure to be a crowd favourite will be the 10 replica warbirds of the WW1 era that will fill the sky and complete a simulated dogfight. Helicopter pleasure flights will also be available during the event.

The Army and RAF will also put on a live-action combat power assault display with a mock-attack on an enemy position using an array of military hardware – the only demonstration of its kind in the UK this year.

Saturday night will end with an extravaganza of music as the Pageant’s Firework Concert and military tattoo aims to raise thousands to help Combat Stress and Remount’s work with veterans. The Mossley Brass and Military Marching bands will be followed by the Manchester Camerata Orchestra and a sensational fireworks finale.

“We are heartened by the tremendous public support for our event and we are determined to reward visitors by making the 2011 Pageant even better with several exciting innovations,” comments event organiser, James Hall. “Last year we welcomed a record number of guests and in 2011 advanced ticket sales are even higher. I’m sure everyone attending and participating in the event will enjoy a fantastic weekend.”

Visiting the Pageant

For 2011, the Pageant gates open at 08.00 each day. Friday is Preview Day with no air or water displays, but plenty of action on the track.

Park (basic admission) tickets for Saturday and Sunday cost just £17 (adult) and £5 (children aged 4-15 years). Paddock tickets, which allow visitors to view all the participating machines and their drivers up-close, cost £20 (Friday) and £27 (Saturday & Sunday). Tickets for Saturday night’s special Concert & Fireworks display cost £25.

Park, Paddock and Concert tickets can be purchased on the day at the estate entry points for £20, £25 (Friday) and £30 (Saturday or Sunday), and £30 respectively.

Special combined tickets are available only by booking in advance. A three-day Paddock pass and Concert ticket is priced at £85 (a saving of £14), while a Saturday Paddock pass and Concert ticket costs £45 (saving £7). A range of high quality hospitality packages are priced from £75 to £234, booking essential.

Ticket booking details and further event information can be found at www.cpop.co.uk or by calling the ticket hotline on 01829 772 432. On all three days, admission for children aged under 4 and car parking are free.  

Classic times at Shelsley

A classic motorsport meet - one of the growing number of events for older cars - at the world's oldest motorsport venue, older even than Brooklands? It sounds like the perfect match! The period dress idea has been trialled with great success at the Goodwood Revival. In short, this event has all the marks of a great event.

What better place to re-create the atmosphere of those magic motor sport moments of yesteryear than Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb?

Shelsley Walsh nestles in the magical Teme valley in Worcestershire and speed hill climbing has taken place there since 1905. It is English countryside at its most beautiful and a surprising place to see racing cars at flat out speeds.

As well as admiring the sight of competing classic cars ,enjoy the friendly and relaxed atmosphere, view the cars at close quarters in the paddock and meet the drivers, listen to “George Huxley’s Jazzmen – The Hot 5”, visit our working water mill and see the progress with the building restoration projects including the new Stratstone Restaurant.

This could only be Shelsley Walsh

A great opportunity for a summer picnic amidst a fantastic gathering of classic cars and other vintage vehicles. In our main car park we will be holding a free Concours D’Elegance for all comers, sponsored by Classic & Sports Car magazine. Our only rule is that cars have to be driven through the entrance, not arriving on trailers; it’s a genuine street Concours which will be judged by famous motorsport journalist, Simon Taylor. The winner will be invited to show their car on the Club’s stand at the 2011 NEC Classic Car Show in November.

To enhance the period atmosphere, everyone is being encouraged to dress in period clothes and there will be a prize for the best dressed spectator.

This is the first event in a series of annual meetings dedicated to the rapidly growing classic car interest within the MAC.

Also of interest to enthusiasts will be the repeat running of the “MAC Classic” on April 22^nd 2012, a multi –start tour for classics, open to all, which finishes with an untimed run on the famous Hill itself. A remarkable and memorable day of classic motoring.

BTRDA Rally Round 6 Preview - Nicky Grist Quinton Stages

Having been involved with the sixth round of the Silverstone Tyres BTRDA Rally Series, the Quinton Stages Rally, for a number of years as an adviser to competitors in the 1400cc category, former World Rally Championship co-driver Nicky Grist has put his name to the event itself this year and already a number of innovations and changes are planned.

In BTRDA terms, having won four of the first five rounds of the Gold Star Championship so far outright in their Peugeot Cosworth, what leaders Andy Burton and Robin Kellard are hoping won’t change is that it will be their names at the top of the timesheets, once again, as the survivors begin arriving back at the finish of the event at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells. Such is their lead at the moment that, whatever happens on the day, the Herefordshire pair will still be ‘kings of the castle’ by the close. However, The BTRDA Rally Series takes into account each competitor’s best six scores, from the eight events, and Burton is the only driver in the Top Five to have maintained a 100% finishing record thus far. So, as the season draws to a close, his rivals for the Gold Star title will seize the opportunity to attempt to catch and pass the current leader. Easier said than done? Time will tell!

Behind Burton, 2nd to 6th places in the table are separated by just five points, leading to some fantastic ‘scraps’ on the three remaining rounds as everyone involved attempts to further their own particular cause.

Late entries on the NG Quinton Stages, Roger Chilman and Andrew Sankey have stayed closest to Burton, even beating him on the Somerset Stages in their Subaru Impreza WRC.

With 30 points available for a win on each event, it’s amazing how quickly the look of the leaderboard can alter and, to that end, Chilman/Sankey, also from Hereford, must keep applying pressure. Newcomers to the BTRDA Rally Series this year, Yorkshiremen Charlie Payne/Craig Thorley are in a similar situation. Their season started badly with a retirement on the Wyedean Forest Rally but, since then, they have been beavering away and their Ford Focus WRC is now not only up close and personal with Chilman’s Impreza, but also within striking distance of the leaders.

2009 Gold Star Champion David Wright and co-driver Michael Wilkinson are mounting a serious challenge in their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9 with third-place scores on the Wyedean, Plains and Dukeries Rallies. As Wright heads down to mid Wales from his home in Lancaster, he has amassed an identical points tally in the overall category to Group N Production Cup leader Jamie Anderson.

The Ulsterman has brought his particular Lancer to the finish of every event so far which sets him apart from Tom Cave, who used various cars to take maximum class points on each of the first three rounds, only to come to grief on the fourth. Then the Lancers of Tom Naughton and James Grint have also registered one DNF apiece but are, nevertheless, strongly placed to come good by the end of the season provided, it has to be said, that some good results are forthcoming.

Warren Philliskirk maintains his lead in the two-wheel drive Silverstone Tyres Silver Star Championship – his Ford Escort MkII heads that of Boyd Kershaw, but it is Allan McDowall’s Opel Kadett that they should be keeping an eye on. Three maximums are balanced somewhat by a retirement on the Plains, but the Mauchline driver poses a significant danger to the Escort brigade as the season moves towards its conclusion!

Darren Pinchin/Karen Watts’ stranglehold on the Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 Championship has been loosened slightly, firstly by Justin Lawson whose Vauxhall Nova upstaged their Proton on the Plains Rally and then by Kieran Darrington whose Corsa did likewise on the Dukeries. Even so, Pinchin has a healthy lead over Clive Anstey whose own Corsa starts right behind the Proton which will lead the 110+ car entry away from the start at 9.30am on Saturday 9th July.

The first 2011 BTRDA Champions to be crowned were the Rally First crew of Ash Slights/Tom Hughes (Toyota Yaris) whose fifth consecutive maximum score, achieved on the Rainworth Skoda Dukeries Rally, ensured back-to-back titles for the Yorkshire teenagers. They are spending the rest of the year preparing for an attack on the full 2012 Millers Oils 1400 Championship, while Roy Gravestock/Tim Ball (Vauxhall Corsa) and Dave & Mick Town (Rover 214) will be present on the Quinton to squabble over the remaining podium places.

The first car is due back at the finish of the Nicky Grist Quinton Stages Rally in Builth Wells just before 4.00pm on the Saturday afternoon.

A Fast Friday Film From Ferrari...

We couldn't film a track guide to the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb - but fortunately Ferrari fitted several cameras to it's 458 italia supercar and got a pretty good view of a trip up the famous hill!

Silverstone Classic revs up

This weekend (9/10 July) Silverstone will host Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton and the British round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. But just two weeks later, more than 100 Grand Prix cars from six decades of motor racing history will deliver a fabulous spectacle at the Silverstone Classic (22-24 July).

The 2011 Silverstone Classic will be the biggest gathering of Grand Prix cars ever seen, yet this is no static display as around 110 cars will be in fast and furious race action in six of the weekend’s 22 races.

A magnificent 32-car field for the Silverstone Classic Trophy for Grand Prix Masters will re-live the halcyon days of the 1970s and early 1980s of the Cosworth DFV engine era. Produced in nearby Northampton, the DFV revolutionised motor racing at the end of the 1960s and made Grand Prix racing accessible to a host of new teams. These are the iconic cars raced by World Champions such as Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi.

This was also the era when sponsorship truly arrived in Formula 1 and stirring the memories every car on the Silverstone grid runs in period livery of sponsors like Yardley, Marlboro and John Player Special. Every car on the grid has a history, and some of the key cars are the ex-Mansell Lotus 92 (raced by Roger Wills), the ex-Andretti Lotus 79 (Chris Locke) and the ex-Fittipaldi McLaren M23 (Richard Meins).

Stepping back a generation from the DFV-powered cars will be nearly 50 cars in the Silverstone Classic Trophy for HGPCA Pre-1966 Rear Engine Grand Prix Cars. These fabulous machines come from the time following the rear-engined revolution when Cooper and Lotus turned racing car design on its head and put the engines in the back of the cars.

Driver aids : A gearstick, 3 pedals and a steering wheel!

This was the era of Jim Clark, Graham Hill and John Surtees and one of the star cars racing at the Silverstone Classic is the Lotus 25 that Clark used to dominate the 1963 World Championship. Nearly 50 years later this famous car is still racing and will be driven by former touring car racer Andy Middlehurst, a self-confessed Clark fan.

The Lotus 21 that brought Colin Chapman’s team its first Grand Prix win is raced by another Lotus aficionado, Dan Collins. The earlier 18 was the car that started the rear-engined era for Lotus and famous examples include those raced by Sir John Chisholm (ex-Jim Clark) and Paul Smeeth (ex-John Surtees). Meanwhile, the sensational engine note of the 1500cc V8 Climax engine in Mark Piercy’s ex-John Surtees Lola Mk4 will be a real treat for race fans.

1961 or 2011?

Another sensational field will contest the Silverstone Classic Trophy for HGPCA Pre-1961 Front Engine GP Cars. These cars, in some cases dating back to the 1930s, herald the early days of Silverstone and cover the era when Ferrari scored its first Grand Prix win, 60 years ago at Silverstone on 14 July 1951.

One of the most glorious cars in action all weekend will be the Ferrari Dino of Tony Smith, the car that Phil Hill used to score the final Grand Prix victory for a front-engined car at Monza in 1960. The Ferrari will be challenged by the nimble front-engined Lotus 16s and the rare Scarab from North America. Notably, the Scarab to be driven by Julian Bronson will be racing for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Aston Martin, BRM, Maserati, Cooper, Talbot, Alta and Gordini are all represented, while the magnificent ERAs from the 1930s represent the time when the small British manufacturer took on the might of German technology. Mac Hulbert and Mark Gillies will battle against the best of the 1950s cars in their ERAs, while the car of Charles McCabe is the ERA that racing journalist John Bolster famously flipped over at Silverstone in the 1949 British Grand Prix.

"The line-up of Grand Prix cars for the 2011 Silverstone Classic is nothing short of sensational – we will have more than four times the number of F1 cars than will be racing at the British Grand Prix," said event director Nick Wigley. “Nowhere else can visitors see so many Formula 1 cars racing on one weekend and see the development of Grand Prix cars from 1930 right through into the 1980s. We are very proud to have more than 100 Grand Prix cars ready to compete at the Silverstone Classic.”

Whatever your favourite period of Grand Prix history, it will come alive at the Silverstone Classic with this fantastic gathering of cars spanning six decades

Aston Martin GT4 Challenge moves abroad for Round 4: Spa Francorchamps

British racing series and drivers have been heading abroad for many years, always seeking out the most challenging circuits in the world to compete on and show off their skills. Le Mans, The Nurburgring and of course Spa.

This weekend it's the new Aston Martin GT4 challenge's turn to take the trip to Belgium and the world renowned Spa Francorchamps. Generally regarded as being the best track in F1 at the moment, it's a circuit from a different, more dangerous and demanding, era. 

It's also one of the most challenging endurance racing tracks. Britcar and British GT have both visited it in the past and will continue to do so.

The factory-run one-make race series for V8 Vantage GT4/N24s, The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge, continues this weekend at the famous Belgian Spa Francorchamps circuit on 8-9 July 2011.

A double header comprising two one-hour races which takes place on Saturday will be preceded by a practice session on Friday morning with qualifying in the afternoon. Nine cars are expected to join the grid which will share the seven kilometre circuit with the British GT Championship.

Now in its second year, the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge caters for customers who wish to compete in a close-to-standard V8 Vantage on iconic race circuits in the UK and Europe with like-minded competitors. Spa is the fourth round of the 2011 season following races at Silverstone, Snetterton and Donington.

The season has been packed with excitement and close competition in every race. In the last round at Donington, the four lead cars finished on the same lap of the race illustrating how evenly matched the cars are. Individuals, dealerships, race teams and guest drivers including Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner have all participated in the friendly atmosphere.

Aston Martin will be entering its media Vantage GT4 car nicknamed ‘Alec’ sporting a unique ‘X-Ray’ livery which will be driven by Nürburgring 24 hour regular Anja Wassertheurer from German publication Sport Auto and established British freelance journalist, Jethro Bovingdon. Alec is the latest specification GT4 car featuring a standard 4.7 litre V8 engine producing 420 bhp with styling inspiration taken from Aston Martin’s latest addition to the Vantage stable; V8 Vantage S.

The X-ray livery depicts the V/H architecture philosophy which underpins the marque’s core range of road and race sportscars. Visible from the outside, the bonded and extruded aluminium under frame as well as the rear mounted six-speed Graziano gearbox serve as a reminder as to the race car’s standard features.

Practice sessions for the Spa Francorchamps round takes place at 09:00-10:00 and 12:00-13:00 with qualifying at 16:05-16:40 on Friday 8^th July. The two one hour races start at 09:40 and 13:20 on the Saturday. Live coverage can be viewed on Motors TV and by following twitter at: @amr_official.

TOYOTA CELICA FASTEST CAR AT GOODWOOD 2011

Jonny Milner's awesome Celica tackles the Goodwood Hillclimb

Milner managed an average speed of 119mph on his fastest run

Taking just 48.07 seconds to blast up the 1.6 mile driveway of Goodwood House, a 800bhp Toyota Celica was the fastest car overall at Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2011.

To win the Celica had to beat many famous racing cars, including recent Formula 1 cars.

The car was driven and built by former British Rally Champion, Jonny Milner. Milner had narrowly missed out in previous years and returned in 2011 with an extra 100bhp to clinch the FTD (fastest time of the day) in front of a massive crowd swelled by the presence of stars such as F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.

Rising over 300ft from the start line to the finish, the course is very technical and challenging, putting the skills of the world’s very best drivers and riders to the ultimate test of concentration and speed. 

A small mistake by former British Rally Champion Milner meant he narrowly missed winning the televised “shootout” on Sunday afternoon, but his time set earlier in the day was the fastest of all 200 cars over the prestigious three day event.

Based on the sixth generation Celica, Milner’s car is super-lightweight, tipping the scales at just 1,050kg. For better weight distribution, the driver’s position has moved back 12 inches, and the car’s centre of gravity has been lowered by raising the wheel arches and upper suspension mounts. A flat floor and rear diffuser add a degree of ground effect.

The engine is from a World Rally Championship winning Corolla, newly fitted with a Rotrex supercharger that will help raise maximum output to more than 800bhp. A nitrous oxide injection system helped reduce turbo-lag for quicker acceleration off the line. Super soft rallycross specification Michelin slick tyres also played an important role in getting all that horsepower to the ground.

SPRINT SERIES TOYOTA CELICA GT4 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Engine type	Corolla WRC four-cylinder, 16-valve
Displacement (cc)	1,998
Turbocharger	Garrett GT35/42
Supercharger	Rotrex, belt-driven
Engine management	Motec
Compression ratio	9.7:1
Max. power (DIN hp @ rpm)	700 @ 5,700 at 2bar boost >800 with nitrous oxide boost
Fuel tank capacity (l)	15
Weight (kg)	1,050
Transmission	Mactrack 5-speed manual with Fensport triple-plate clutch
Suspension (front & rear)	Reiger Corolla WRC 3-way adjustable dampers,
Brakes	Front 343mm and rear 295mm Corolla WRC ventilated discs with Alcon callipers
Wheels	18in

Going to Silverstone for the Grand Prix? Here's some useful travel tips

Traffic access arrangements for the 2011 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix at Silverstone in Northamptonshire have been announced.

The tried and tested arrangements for the Grand Prix on the 8, 9 and 10 July 2011 will be very similar to previous years. The traffic management will help race goers to get in and out of the event as smoothly as possible, with cross-country traffic kept separate from race traffic.

Advance notice of these changes and diversion routes are being given to drivers who use the A43 and local residents so they can plan their journeys or make alternative arrangements if necessary. Non-race traffic is advised to avoid roads in the area if possible.

On 8, 9 and 10 July the A43 will be closed to through-traffic between M1 junction 15a in Northamptonshire and M40 junction 10 in Oxfordshire. The road will be closed from 5am until 9pm each day and non-race traffic is advised to avoid the area if possible.

Road users heading for the Grand Prix will be directed along one-way systems, and this system will be reversed as traffic leaves the event.

Grand Prix traffic will take the following clearly signed routes:

• From the M1, Grand Prix traffic will be directed onto the A43 southbound from junction 15A on the motorway. Drivers using the A5 will join the A43 at Towcester.
• South of Towcester, cars will leave the A43 to follow the A413 into the circuit at Winterhills for the external car parking.
• Official vehicles and coaches will continue onto the A43 to the Dadford Road interchange to enter either the circuit main entrance or the adjacent coach park.

Drivers approaching via the M40 will leave the motorway at junction 10, as directed and continue along the A43 towards Brackley.

• Cars will be directed to Dadford Road and will access the circuit’s west car parks.
• Coaches and official vehicles will use a split route that allows access to the circuit main entrance and coach park.

Diversions will be set up for drivers not heading to the Grand Prix and these will be well signed:

• Southbound traffic will be diverted to junction 15 of the M1, along the A508 to Milton Keynes, the A422 to Buckingham and A421, rejoining the A43 south of Brackley.
• Northbound traffic will leave the A43 at the A421 junction to Buckingham, the A422 to Milton Keynes and the A508 to junction 15 of the M1.
• Local diversions will also be set up for light traffic.

Planning for the event has been carried out by the Inter-Agency Group made up of the Highways Agency, Silverstone Circuits Ltd, Northamptonshire Police, Thames Valley Police, Northamptonshire County Council, South Northamptonshire Council and Aylesbury Vale District Council.

Graham Littlechild, Highways Agency spokesperson, said:

“We have a tried and tested traffic management system in place that has served us well in previous years and ensured that delays are kept to a minimum. Motorists using the roads in the area over the Grand Prix weekend can help us to help them by planning their journey in advance and leaving extra time as the roads on the approach and around Silverstone circuit will be very busy.

“We will use our electronic message signs on the approaching motorways to give road users information about diversion routes and delays, and provide up-to-the minute traffic information using local radio. People with iPhones will be able to check the traffic conditions using our Highways Agency travel news app, while stopped for a break or as a passenger, and you can also follow us on Twitter @HAtraffic_emids”.

Detailed access arrangements will be given to residents between now and the Grand Prix for each of the villages affected by the closures and diversions, including the impact on school and public bus services, to keep disruption to a minimum.