A Message from Kart Force

“ALIVE TO DRIVE” AT WHILTON MILL

KARTForce – karting for injured troops

Sun 1^st APR 2012

Want to race against our team of injured troops? 

Our next team race will be at one of UK’s top kart tracks – and we’ve been allowed to race on their National and International Circuits.

A full day of racing with Sprints in the morning and Endurance race in the afternoon.  Maximum 20 teams.

Drivers can enter just the team Sprints, or just the team Endurance race, or both.

Sprints only                       £75 per driver - £450 per Team – max 6 drivers per team

Endurance only                £50 per driver - £300 per Team - max 6 drivers per team

Sprint & Endurance        £120 per Driver - £720 per Team

Full info on our web site – www.KartForce.org

Goodwood Motorsport Round Up

You wanted Variety??

Goodwood's two motorsport events, the Festival of Speed and Revival continue their success into 2012. If you don't know what these events are about, then frankly we think you've been living under a rock for the last decade or so! The Festival of Speed continues to be a heady mix of classic racing cars (and bikes), bang up to date motorsport machinery, and the very latest road cars becoming the de-facto British motorshow. The Revival is an awesome retro themed race day where the organisers go to great lengths to re-create the spirit of the 1960s motorsport scene. Here's the round up of the recent Press day...

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LORD MARCH ANNOUNCES HIGHLIGHTS FOR
THE 2012 GOODWOOD MOTOR SPORT SEASON

Late last week the Earl of March – founder of the annual Festival of Speed (28 June – 1 July) and Goodwood Revival (14 – 16 September) – announced some of the news highlights for this season’s Goodwood events. These include:

2012 Festival of Speed Highlights:

Very young guns heading for the revival.

-At least seven current Formula One teams attending and in action, including the very first Goodwood appearance for double F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, along with the Red Bull Racing team and his team mate Mark Webber. Expect to see other top teams and drivers at the Festival too, with more names due to be confirmed shortly. Sebastian Vettel’s Goodwood attendance links in perfectly with the 2012 Festival of Speed theme - ‘Young Guns – Born to Win’.

-The Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ is one of the World’s finest automotive concours d’elegance car design competitions, and for 2012, a unique gathering of vehicles will be brought together to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. All vehicles will have a direct connection with Her Majesty, with most never or rarely seen in public before. These will range from formal State limousines, through to personal cars, an aircraft and even a Royal train carriage.

Lotus will feature prominently

-The 2012 Festival of Speed will honour one of Britain’s most iconic and innovative sports car brands – Lotus. The Company’s past, present and future will be celebrated with the main Central Feature ‘installation’ outside Goodwood House, plus at least 50 significant Lotus race and road cars in action and on display during the Festival weekend.

Festival favourite, Dougie lampkin will perform.
Girls not nessasarily included.

-The 2012 Festival will see expansions and enhancements to the GAS (Goodwood Action Sports) arena, the relocation of the Goodwood Aviation Exhibition within the Festival Parkland, near the Moving Motor Show, plus the largest collection of two-stroke competition motorcycles ever assembled at the event.

2012 Goodwood Revival Highlights:

-An at-speed demonstration of the breath-taking Silver Arrows Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union competition cars 75 years after their memorable race in the UK at Donington.

The cobra will also be a main feature at the Revival.
Lord March and girls not necessarily taking part.

-Fiftieth anniversary celebrations for the Ferrari 250 GTO, with plans for a daily parade of at least half the total GTO production, plus an all-AC Cobra race to mark the first half-century of the iconic Anglo-American sports car.

-A daily tribute to American racer Dan Gurney, 50 years after taking his first Grand Prix victory.

-Two very special races, with the Nine Hours night race, 60 years after this first Goodwood race into the dark, plus a new Goodwood competition, the Settrington Cup, being held for young drivers in Austin J40 pedal cars!

There will be many other features and attractions to this year’s Goodwood motor sport event, with more details to follow over the coming weeks and months.

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JAGUAR TAKES ON THE GOODWOOD HILL AS 2012 FESTIVAL OF SPEED IS LAUNCHED

The Jaguar XF-R looks right at home on the Goodwood Hillclimb

The Jaguar XFR has taken on the notorious Goodwood Hill at the launch of the 2012 Festival of Speed.

The demonstration runs provided a suitably dramatic start to the preview event for the 2012 running of the Festival of Speed – set to take place between June 28 and July 1.

The theme for the 2012 Festival is 'Young Guns – Born to Win' celebrating young drivers, riders, designers and engineers in every aspect of the automotive world. This theme is echoed by the recent steps taken by Jaguar Land Rover to recruit hundreds of new graduates in every part of the business, encouraging them to contribute to, and play a key part in, JLR's ambitious plans for the future.

In 2011 the Festival celebrated 50 years of the E-type in spectacular style with a 28-metre sculpture of the iconic sports car forming the centrepiece of the event that saw significant Jaguars including the XJ13, C-, D- and, of course, E-type being driven in anger in front of crowds numbering in excess of 175,000 people.

Once again Jaguar is proud to play a role in the Festival of Speed with vehicles from the past and a little way into the future promising to take part in the notorious run up to Goodwood Hill.  

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Racing Ahead : Keeping Britain at the front of global motor sport

Lord March (Left) and Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive.

 A new initiative to promote the UK’s on-going position at the forefront of world motor sport was announced yesterday (Wednesday 14 March) at Goodwood.

Established by Motor Sports Association and Motorsport Industry Association – the two leading bodies in UK motor sport – as an integral part of National Motorsport Week 2012, the new scheme is titled ‘Racing Ahead – keeping Britain at the front of global motor sport’ and will reward and inspire a select band of this country’s most promising young drivers and engineers.

As the governing body of UK motor sport, the MSA will select six potential future world champions from junior karting, circuit racing and rallying. These will be joined by six of the brightest young engineers selected by the MIA, the world’s leading trade association representing the UK motor sport industry. The MSA’s group will be announced shortly while the MIA will be organising a special competition for gifted young engineers via the new National Motorsport Week website which also was launched at Goodwood’s media preview event.

The 12 members of the Racing Ahead initiative will experience a full programme of activities during National Motorsport Week (30 June-8 July) including visits to both the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Santander British Grand Prix at Silverstone. They will also enjoy exclusive tours of the UK’s premier Formula One factories and World Rally Championship teams aimed at providing invaluable insights into the sport and industry.

“National Motorsport Week is about raising awareness of the UK’s leading position in world motor sport, as well as giving people the chance to try our sport for the first time,” explained Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive. “We may have produced more Formula One World Champions than any other country, but we face increasingly strong competition from other nations, so we cannot afford to be complacent. The MSA is committed to investing in future champions because it is fundamental to our objective to lead and develop the sport at both international and grass roots levels.”

In 2011, the MSA joined forces with MIA to promote the annual National Motorsport Week and the creation of Racing Ahead is another product of this teamwork to promote the unrivalled status of UK motor sport.

“The UK motor sport industry is booming, during otherwise uncertain times,” said Chris Aylett, MIA CEO. “Customers, from all over the world, realising the exceptional quality, value and expertise of UK motor sport products and services, are spending their hard won budgets here in Motorsport Valley. Jobs are growing in engineering and the sport to meet this increased demand. We particularly need more young, well-trained, engineers and technicians so we stay ahead in this race for business. As part of National Motorsport Week, the MIA will shortly announce details of an exciting national competition for all young engineers looking to get into motor sport. The six selected winners will join this special Racing Ahead scheme and thus gain a great head start to their careers.”

Full details of the competition will be revealed on the new National Motorsport Week website which has been developed by web specialists mso.net and is launched simultaneously with Racing Ahead. The new look site includes information on how all involved in the sport can take full advantage of the promotional period and will also list all the special events taking place during NMW 2012. Appropriately the week commences with the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the world’s greatest celebration of past and present automotive culture.

“We are delighted that the Festival of Speed will kick off this year’s National Motorsport Week – more so as the Racing Ahead initiative, which is being set up to highlight many of the next generation of drivers and engineers, ties in so well with our own ‘Young Guns – Born to Win’ theme that we are celebrating at the Festival in June,” confirmed Lord March, founder of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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FORD FOCUS ST IN FILM STAR ROLE AT THE GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED

Lights, Camera, Action!!

Ford's first global performance car is previewing its starring role in new film blockbuster The Sweeney at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer.

The Focus ST and Jaguar waltz around Goodwood's hillclimb

Stunt drivers will take the place of famous Flying Squad detectives Jack Regan and George Carter as their black Ford Focus ST is pitted against a Jaguar XFR up the famous Goodwood hillclimb in an exciting chase sequence to whet the appetite ahead of the movie’s release in September.

Ford has been a major sponsor of the Goodwood Festival of Speed since its inception in 1993 and it is again supporting this prestigious event over the weekend of June 29-July 1, 2012. The Festival of Speed is Europe's premier historic motor sporting event – a combination of hillclimb, rally stage, garden party, and motor show, all in the grounds of Goodwood House, the Earl of March's ancestral home in West Sussex.

Ford Focus ST takes centre stage

In October 2011, special Ford Focus ST prototypes were secretly delivered to The Sweeney set, joining Ford Mondeo, Galaxy and Transit models also being used by the cast as unmarked Flying Squad vehicles.

Red and black... but black first. See, our colour scheme is right!

Director and co-writer, Nick Love, whose prior films include The Football Factory and The Firm, said: "It was important for me to collaborate with Ford on The Sweeney as their legacy with the original TV show is so strong – they're the perfect partner. I like the Ford Focus ST so much, I want one!"

Ford's strong link with the 1970s Sweeney TV series saw Regan, Carter and their Flying Squad colleagues using a string of Ford Granada, Consul and Cortina models to make the streets of London a safer place.

Production Companies Vertigo and Embargo Films, used six Ford Focus ST models during filming. Set in modern day Britain, The Sweeney stars Ray Winstone as Jack Regan and Ben Drew (aka Plan B) as George Carter and also features Hayley Atwell (from Captain America), Damian Lewis (Homeland), Steven Mackintosh (Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans) and Paul Anderson (The Firm).

The Sweeney will be released in the UK in September.

Ford at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ford's motorsport heritage is unparalleled: there were successful Model Ts in motor racing in the 1920s, Ford V8s won the Monte Carlo rally in the 1930s, and since the 1950s Ford has always been prominent in racing and rallying, often with specially-developed cars like the Le Mans winning GT40s, the Escort RS1600 and RS1800, the RS200, the Sierra RS500 Cosworth, and racing Mondeos. Ford-powered cars from all around the world will be reflecting this heritage at the Festival of Speed.

Visitors to Goodwood will see an astonishing variety of famous Fords, including those located on the Ford stands at the entrance to the festival and the main exhibition site inside the hillclimb track. Prominent in these displays, as well as on the Goodwood hillclimb, will be the Ford Focus ST with its powerful 2.0-litre 250PS four-cylinder EcoBoost engine.

The new Ford Focus ST goes on sale in 40 countries this year and was shown in final production-ready form at the Geneva motor show this month.

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Daniel Lloyd takes to the hill with a nervous passenger aboard his Porsche 911 GT3

Lloyd stars at Goodwood for Porsche Carrera Cup GB 

Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship driver Daniel Lloyd wowed the motoring and motor sport media during the annual press day for the Goodwood Festival of Speed (Wednesday 14 March).

Fresh from a stunning performance the day before when he ran fourth fastest in the Carrera Cup pre-season test day at Silverstone, the Huddersfield racer was in action on the famous Sussex hillclimb course.


Just ten days after his 20th birthday, Daniel ferried journalists up the Goodwood Hillclimb in a 450bhp 911 GT3 Cup as the Festival of Speed unveiled a ‘Young Guns’ theme for 2012. In addition, the livery of Daniel’s car celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Carrera Cup GB.


As well as getting to grips with the rather different environment of the hillclimb course, Daniel gave a first class account of himself as he handled media interviews and photograph sessions with aplomb.


Media including What Car? and the Daily Telegraph rode alongside Daniel in the car and the Telegraph has already featured an in-car video they shot on its website, as part of its role as media partner of Goodwood. The video can be watched at:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motoringvideo/9144498/Daniel-Lloyds-hillclimb-at-Goodwood.html


Meanwhile, Daniel and his crew at Team Parker Racing are now busy preparation for the opening races of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch (31 March/1 April).

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The TWR prepared XJS is a regular at the festival of speed.

JAGUAR WINS 'MOST SPIRITED GETAWAY' AWARD FOR SECOND TIME AT GOODWOOD

A Jaguar has won the 'Most Spirited Getaway' Award for the second consecutive year at the launch of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The honour, won last year by Touring Car driver Anthony Reid in an XFR, was won at the 2012 event by Alex Buncombe at the wheel of an XJS TWR owned by JD Classics.

The light-hearted Award is given to the driver judged to have made the most enthusiastic, crowd-pleasing departure up the notorious Goodwood Hill.

The XJS meets it's big brother, the XJR-8/9 which is sure to be a quick car

The car, a 1984 Jaguar XJS TWR and chassis 005 of just seven produced was previously driven by Win Percy. It made a suitably dramatic start as the combination of slick tyres and a 485bhp, race-specification V12 and side-exit exhaust system ensured a visual and aural spectacle.

It was joined on the Goodwood Hill by the iconic Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-8/9 run by Don and Justin Law – the latter aiming to once again set the pace at the 2012 running of the event having completed the run in just over 44 seconds in previous years.

The 2012 Festival of Speed takes place between June 28 and July 1 with crowds expected to number in excess of 180,000 over the three days.  

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Bulldog Rally Round Up

Tom Cave steps up a gear on the Bulldog Rally

Tom Cave's new Citroën DS3 R3

Young rally driver Tom Cave will step his 2012 rally campaign up a gear next weekend, when he tackles the Bulldog Rally, his 'home' round of the British Rally Championship in his brand new Citroen DS3 R3 rally car. Not only will the youngster, partnered by Craig Parry, be looking for a solid points haul for the BRC, he will also be looking for success in the newly-announced Citroen Racing Trophy, the one-make series offering significant prizes.

Tom drove a rented Ford Fiesta R2 on the BRC season-opener, the Sunseeker Rallye in February as his Citroen hadn't even landed in the UK by the time the event began. However, the car is now here, has been converted from tarmac to gravel specification by DMS, had its livery applied and is ready for the pre-event test that Tom will be carrying out on the Tuesday of rally week.

While Tom has yet to drive the DS3, he is deliberately leaving the test to just before the event, so that he arrives in the car fresh and can immediately take everything he learns forward to the event.

The Citroen Racing Trophy takes place over all six rounds of the BRC and offers drivers not only the chance of a genuine championship but also, significant prize money. First place overall for a driver of a Citroen DS3 R3 on each event wins €6000, second is worth €3500 and third, €1500. At the end of the season, the winning Trophy driver under 23 gets €10,000 towards an entry into the Rallye du Var while the winner over 23 claims an additional €5000.

Commenting, Toms said; "I'm really looking forward to getting out in the Citroen. Is a very serious rally car and I'm very excited to be driving it in not only the BRC but also, the Citroen Racing Trophy. The prize money is, of course, a fantastic incentive and will definitely help our campaign if we can get some good results.

"Driving the Citroen will be a fresh challenge for me as it's very different to what I'm used to but I'm really looking forward to it. We'll have a pre-event test just before the start of the rally so that it all remains as fresh as possible for when we start the first stage but I'm very excited."

The Bulldog Rally is effectively Tom's home round of the BRC, since it's based in Welshpool and uses stages close to Aberdovey, home to him and sponsor, the Trefeddian Hotel. Despite this though, he doesn't have a vast amount of experience of the stages and will be starting the pre-event recce from scratch, with no existing pace notes.

However, he does know that the stages will be tricky, as his 2011 event came to an abrupt halt when he went off the road on the first timed test. "That stage, the first last year, runs as the last one this year, so by the time we get to it, hopefully I will have felt my way into the car and won't have any problems. I think we'll settle in on the Friday night stage and then up the game a little on Saturday.

"The plan is to target a podium finish. I think that we will look at where we are on Saturday and if we're in touch with the leaders, then we'll push for that result. We need to grab as many points as we can for the BRC standings and of course, do as well in the Trophy as we can."

The event begins with the traditional ceremonial start in Welshpool centre on the evening of Friday 23 March, before two runs through the Dyfant stage in falling light. Following an overnight halt, the crews then face nine further stages on Saturday 24 March, including two runs through the gruelling 15-mile Gartheiniog test. The first crews are expected to reach the finish podium at 19.00hrs on Saturday. 

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Sykes keen to maintain title charge on Bulldog Challenge rally

Richard Sykes in action on the Rallye Sunseeker : Photo by John Evans

Rally driver Richard Sykes will continue his quest for the 2012 BRC Challenge rally championship title next weekend when he contests the Bulldog Challenge event.

 

Stourbridge's Sykes made an excellent start to the season on the opening round of the championship, taking second place on the Rallye Sunseeker Challenge in his Bathams Brewery, G I Sykes Ltd, Boroughbridge Marina and Silverstone Tyres-supported Citroën C2 R2 Max, and he is keen to put in another good performance on the Welshpool-based round two.

 

"The Sunseeker went really well for us, the pace at the top of the leaderboard was very quick so I was delighted to finish second," said Sykes. "My aim for this season is to take the BRC Challenge title so I need another strong result next weekend."

 

"I'm really looking forward to the event, it uses some of the classic Welsh rally stages such as Dyfi and Gartheiniog and they are sure to provide a tough test for all the crews. With every second counting in the BRC Challenge we'll have to be fast right from the start to be in with a chance of taking a top position."

 

Sykes will be partnered by co-driver Simon Taylor on the event which will start from Welshpool at lunchtime on Saturday. The BRC Challenge crews will face an opening loop of three stages in Dyfi and Gartheiniog forests and then three further stages in Llangywer, Penllyn and Dyfnant before heading back to Welshpool for the finish. The rally will be preceded by a ceremonial start in Welshpool town centre on Friday evening.

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RENAULT UK’S BULLDOG AGILITY TEST 

(who comes up with these headlines? honestly, that one's awful!)

Bigger photo next time please, Renault.

Drivers representing Renault UK will mount a stern challenge to defend the French marque’s lead in the MSA British Manufacturers Rally Championship on Bulldog International Rally of North Wales this weekend.
Renault’s first round lead came after a thrilling season opener last month in which Clio R3 crew Mark Donnelly & Dai Roberts not only took top Manufacturers’ points, but won Rallye Sunseeker International outright.
Fellow Clio driver Peter Taylor and his co-driver Andrew Roughead took fifth and with it sufficient points to grab a slender single point lead from rival marque Citroën, returning with their car in Wales.

The principle of privateers scoring points for their chosen car make is an innovative one, but one that has been embraced and which fosters great competitiveness amongst the crews and manufacturers. The Ford Motor Company played a waiting game, but could not bear to miss out on the fun, signing up at the eleventh hour ahead of the opening round.

Therefore, with three makes vying for the prestigious MSA title in some of the world’s most iconic forest rally stages, it will take nerve, speed and agility to hound down maximum points on this classic event.

Further down the field is a trio of Twingo Renaultsport Trophy runners who will play their part too. Although they lack the outright power of the Clios, Chris Ingram/Joe Cruttenden and Nick Allen / Andy Bull could help keep the pressure on the Fiestas, while Garry Pearson / Craig Wallace will push their Class 10 car to try to keep the youngster’s MSA British Junior Rally Championship lead.

Matt Cotton takes on Bulldog Rally

Matt Cotton on his way to 2nd on the Rallye Sunseeker

Cornish rally driver Matt Cotton will tackle the 2^nd round of the British Rally Championship The Bulldog International Rally of North Wales this weekend, after finishing an encouraging 12^th overall and 2^nd in class on the season opener Rallye Sunseeker in February.

Cotton, 32 from St Teath, heads to his first ever Bulldog Rally which is based in Welshpool and will take some of the world’s fastest drivers into the classic Welsh forests for this popular event. Partnered once again by co-driver Glyn Thomas from North Somerset; the south west duo aim to better their Sunseeker result after gaining confidence in the car and new team during the event.

Matt said “I’m still smiling from our Rallye Sunseeker result as it was a big achievement for me to finish such a tough event. I`ve spent time analysing our in-car camera footage and I can see where I can up my pace even more to be able to challenge for the lead of the class on the Bulldog. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car again”.

Matt Cotton

Due to a lack of budget Matt will not be able to carry out any pre-event testing in his Ford Fiesta ST, so it will be important for him to settle into a good rhythm from the very first stage. This will be even harder than usual as the event starts with two forest stages in the dark on Friday night. “It’s been a long time since I competed in the dark and Dyfnant is a really tough stage to contest in the daylight let alone at night. But we have no choice to push hard right from the start and hope we can start day 2 with a confidence boosting result”.

The Bulldog Rally starts on early Friday evening with an autograph session in Welshpool town centre for the crews before they head off into the stages just after dark. An early start is required on Saturday morning as there are another 85 miles to complete before the remaining competitors arrive back in Welshpool to spray the champagne and to celebrate finishing the tough North Wales stages.

During the event, Matt will have a dedicated media team on hand to keep you informed with LIVE news from the event as its happening. You will find results, news and images of Matt’s progress both on and off the stages by visiting www.mattcottonrallying.co.uk, following us on Twitter, or finding us on Facebook.

Photo Gallery : BTCC Media Day 2012

The class of 2012
Back Row (Left to right) : John Thorne, Liam Griffin, Oliver Jackson, Lea Wood , Tony Hughes, Tony Gilham, Chris James
Middle Row : Jeff Smith, Daniel Welch, Aron Smith, Andy Neate, Adam Morgan, Nick Foster, Dave Newsham
Front Row : Frank Wrathall, Andy Jordan, Mat Jackson, Jason Plato, Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden, Rob Collard, Tom Onslow - Cole

Our huge thanks to Matthew Miller from www.mmphotos.co.uk for taking these exclusive photos from the BTCC Media Day on Monday (19th March). It looks like the BTCC will have a great year this year judging by all the fantastic cars on display!

Plato will be hoping that his new MG 6 brings him success in 2012

Plato and Neate take the covers off in front of the press corps

The colourful MG6 car is one of a new breed of NGTC spec cars

Honda will hope to stop their rivals with their new Civics

Neal and Shedden aren't the only drivers with new Civics this year. This is Andy Jordan's car

Lea Wood reveals his new Vectra

Wood's striking new livery is attached to an ageing, but still competent chassis

The Vectra's successor, the Insignia ran late last year with a dubious Batman themed livery... John Thorne's car now looks much more sensible!

With Team AON's departure to WTCC, Motorbase is the only team with Ford Focuses this year. new Sponsor Redstone recreates a famous livery previously seen on works Hondas

Hughes in the new Toyota Avensis

Oliver Jackson in the VW Golf

Tony Gilham in the older specification Civic

Reigning champion Matt Neal contemplates the season ahead

Neal will want to repeat his success of last year with the new Honda

Jordan pushes his Civic onto 3 wheels

Built in Britain ... as are the Toyotas and MGs.

It will be hard to miss Team ES Racing's bright yellow Vectras this year

Onslow - Cole joins WSR this year driving one of the few RWD cars

Neal's performances will be watched by full grandstands next time at Silverstone

Hazell could be driving one of two Audi A4s on the grid this year

Bring on the action!

See the complete gallery from Silverstone by clicking here

Birch sets the pace in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge

James Birch with his appropriately liveried car at Silverstone

Former single-seater racer James Birch made the early running in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge as teams and drivers tested at Silverstone yesterday (13 March) during Porsche’s pre-season test and media day.

Contenders in the GT3 Cup Challenge joined competitors from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for over three and a half hours of exclusive testing on the Silverstone National circuit and by the end of the afternoon Birch was top of the GT3 Cup times in his IN2 Racing entered 911 GT3 Cup.

The 22-year old racer was delighted with the day’s work. “I’m really starting to get in the groove with the car now and I feel that I can push,” said Birch. “I’ve been on a learning curve today and I’m just trying to take a lot on board at the moment.”

Leading the chase of Birch was Graeme Mundy, who has recently confirmed plans to contest a full GT3 Cup Challenge season with Team Parker Racing. The Salisbury racer lapped within half a second of Birch’s best time as Neil Houston and Steven Liquorish made it three Team Parker Racing cars in the top four. For Houston, it was a very encouraging finish to his first day of testing in a 911 GT3 Cup after two part seasons in a Ginetta G50 in 2009 and 2010.

Peter Smallwood rounded out the top five for Parr Motorsport, while Lithuanian racers Michael Osterman and Vilmantas Audzijonis ran well as they learnt the track with Juta Racing. Also on hand, but not ready to run in the test session were Guy Riall (Almara Racing), Tom Hallissey (ASK Racing) and Mark Cowne (Fearn Sport).

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge season starts at Snetterton over the Easter weekend (7/8 April).

BREAKING NEWS : Formula Renault UK Championship 2012

Renault UK and Renault Sport Technologies have taken the difficult decision to postpone running the CERTINA Formula Renault UK Championship this season due to the low number of entries.

With six cars registered and just two weeks to go to the opening round supporting the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch, organisers have decided to suspend this year’s championship and divert all efforts towards returning  the championship to full health in 2013.

“This is the most sensible decision for all concerned”, said Renault UK Managing Director Thierry Sybord upon hearing the news. “Initially there is a feeling of shock that this prestigious series will not take place this year but, upon reflection, trying to run the Formula Renault UK Championship in its current state is unacceptable for the drivers, teams, sponsors, suppliers and, of course, the spectators.”

It is anticipated that the six drivers registered for the UK championship will have the opportunity to race their Formula Renault 2.0 cars across the English Channel in the Northern European Cup series.

Formula Renault UK has run continuously since 1989 when it was introduced by the British Automobile Racing Club. Renault UK came on board in 1990 and the championship flourished producing a number of front-running Formula One drivers among them world champions Kimi Räikkönen and Lewis Hamilton. Multiple World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx, and BTCC’s own Jason Plato are also Formula Renault “old boys”.

Whilst Formula Renault UK will have a year’s sabbatical, the Air Asia Renault UK Clio Cup will continue to run according to its published calendar. The Clio Cup is looking strong this year with 24 registered drivers.

It's not yet certain what will replace Formula Renault on the BTCC support bill, More news as we get it.

Brutus set to rock Chomondeley

Brutus packs a 46 litre BMW V12 punch... And breaths fire!

Following a red-blooded display of fire-breathing exhausts and smoking tyres on Top Gear (BBC2, 4 March), the aero-engined BMW ‘Brutus’ will be making a star appearance at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (15 to 17 June; www.cpop.co.uk), the UK’s biggest celebration of power and speed.

The three-day Pageant will play host to a weird and wonderful collection of early 20^th-century cars that are powered by aeroplane engines, with the 500bhp Brutus taking centre stage on the track and in the paddock. Germany was forbidden from creating military aircraft after World War I, so, with large numbers of aeroplane engines spare, this 46-litre experimental project was created.

While Brutus is normally on display at the Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany, this automotive marvel will be making a special trip to the UK for Pageant crowds to experience for themselves.

The 42 Litre Packard - Bentley warms up.

Other aero-engined cars at the 2012 Pageant of Power will include a 23-litre Maybach Zeppelin (affectionately known as ‘Chitty Bang Bang 1’, one of four celebrated 1920s English race cars believed to have inspired the creation of the fictional Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), the 24-litre Napier-Bentley and the fearsome 42-litre Packard-Bentley. Including Brutus, the combined power output for these four cars totals more than 2,800bhp.

James Hall, Event Director for the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, said: “Aero-engined cars are a rare breed, but these are some of the most fascinating and exhilarating machines people are likely to ever encounter. We can’t wait to see what the crowds make of these unique cars, as there is simply nothing else on the road that can match them for sheer drama.”

Now in its fifth year, the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power will take place on the Cholmondeley Estate in Cheshire from 15 to 17 June. A full event schedule and list of participants will be announced over the coming weeks, with Pageant organisers set to reveal some exciting new additions and features for 2012.

Some spirited driving from this Lamborghini!

Time is fast running out for the early-bird ticket offer. Until the end of March, adult day tickets are available from just £18 (Friday), while crowds can experience the best of the Saturday and Sunday action for only £24 – a 25 per cent reduction on last year’s price. Under-16s tickets are also now available free of charge, giving families a cut-price option to the North West’s most high-octane event.

James Hall, Event Director for the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, said: “Whether you’re coming to the event with friends, family, or even a local car club, the Pageant of Power has never represented such incredible value, particularly with the current discounted tickets. Visitors can experience all the sights, sounds and smells of a unique race weekend and there are a huge number of opportunities to get involved in the action.”To take advantage of the 25 per cent discount on ticket prices (available before the 1^st April) or to find further information, visit www.cpop.co.uk.