Motorsport Champions take to the Stage at Silverstone MotorSport UK 2012

30 October, 2012 Silverstone Motorsport UK No comments

Motor sport champions from across the country head to Silverstone on 3-4 November for the Silverstone MotorSport UK show, a Who’s Who of exhibitors from the world of national motorsport, exciting ‘live’ elements and the inaugural Spirit of Motorsport Awards.

Silverstone MotorSport UK will feature a live stage presented by theCheckeredFlag.co.uk and Motors TV headed up by 2012 champions including Michael Meadows (Porsche Carrera Cup GB),Jack Goff (Clio Cup), James Walker (VW Racing Cup), Charlie Robertson (Ginetta Jr), Henry Gilbert (Mini Challenge) and British GT frontrunner Zoe Wenham, who finished second in the GT4 class.

They will be joined by BTCC racer and Team-HARD boss Tony Gilham, Ginetta GT Supercup frontrunner Tom Ingram, upcoming Clio Cup star Josh Files, 2009 Clio Cup champion and GT racer Phil Glew, Aaron Scott who has been busy in both British GT and Britcar.

There is also an international flavour as European Formula 3 star Emil Bernstoff joins the line up with Oliver Webb who was been racing in the American Indycar feeder series in 2012 and Freddy Nordstrom who has been racing the in the NASCAR endorsed Euro Racecar series showing some of the talent that has come up through the ranks of UK motor sport.

Rising stars Max Coates (Ginetta GT Supercup), Ollie Chadwick(Ginetta Jr), Jade Edwards (Ma5da MX5 Cup) and Laura Tillet(Formula BARC) also feature on the stellar line up.

Martin Capenhurst comments “We are absolutely thrilled to have such a line up of talented drivers coming to SMUK this year from every spectrum of motorsport. For all aspiring motor racing drivers, this is a fantastic opportunity to hear their experiences first hand and really understand what it takes to compete and build a career in motorsport.”

theCheckeredFlag.co.uk Editor-in-Chief Vince Pettit added: ”The selection of drivers on the main stage give a brilliant representation of motor sport in the UK and will bring visitors a great insight in to career development as a competitor.”

Silverstone MotorSport UK will also play host to more than 100 companies from the world of motorsport. Exhibitors include some of the UK’s largest motor sport championships and key suppliers, and the event will see the announcement of the first Spirit of Motorsport Awards winners, who will share a £10,000 prize fund, courtesy of high performance oil and lubricant manufacturer RAVENOL.
Keep up with the latest show news online at www.motorsportshow.co.uk, www.twitter.com/SMUKshow and
www.facebook.com/SilverstoneMotorsportUk.

All Motor Racing Club members benefit from a 33% reduction on the admission charge (just £10 instead of the standard on-the-door ticket price of £15) on production of their MSA Licence or club membership.

Parking for all show visitors is FREE.

Zoe Wenham Secures Second Place In British GT Championship

14 September, 2012 Zoe Wenham No comments

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18-year-old racer Zoe Wenham secured second place in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT4 class in the scorching heat at Silverstone with one race still left on the calendar.

A challenging weekend saw time lost on the Saturday with overheating problems in her Ginetta G50 as Silverstone basked in a late summer heatwave, hard work from the Century Motorsport team saw the car repaired and ready to go for the three hour endurance race.

While main championship rivals Team WFR took the race victory and the championship Tewkesbury-based Wenham battled hard with her teammate Dom Evans to secure a strong finish in the high attrition race.

“The race at Silverstone was slightly disappointing as we should have been on the pace of the front in qualifying.” said Wenham. “Although I secured second place I had hoped to do it in more style – at least with a podium – but it just wasn’t to be. We did our utmost to try and put ourselves in a good position but struggled more than we had thought with tyre degredation. All in all it was a great experience but would have been nice to come away with a trophy.”

A consistent season of improving performances has seen Wenham come on leaps and bounds through the season as she made her debut in sportscars after a brief flirt with the SaxMax championship and the VW Racing Cup since passing her ARDS test at just age 13 in 2008.

“My debut year in GT’s has been absolutely amazing, the cars are out of this world and a pleasure to drive especially against so many well respected drivers in the motorsport world. I could only have dreamed of 2nd place at the start of the year and it has become a reality so a huge thanks goes to everyone involved: Century Motorsport, Supagard, FadalCNC, CapMedia and my family!”

“My confidence improved throughout the season and I can only hope that budget will come together for next year and I can win the championship.” added Wenham.

Century Motorsport team principal Nathan Freke has been impressed with Wenham’s progress throughout the year: “Zoe started the year quite nervous and not fully believing her capability but with time in the car she has flourished and has become a great little GT driver proving she can mix it with the top drivers in the class. ”

“She’s got a very level head on her and her style is very easy on the car, which for GT driving is essential. I’m so pleased for her to secure second in the championship this season. Its a fantastic achievement for someone with her experience and I hope she capitalises on this and carries the momentum through into next year.”

“It’s been a joy to have her in the team and hope the relationship is a long term one.” added Freke.

High resolution photos available on request – please contact vince@blackeaglemedia.co.uk

About the Avon Tyres British GT Championship:

The 2012 Avon Tyres British GT championship showcases the most prestigious and stylish sportscar grid of any national motorsport championship. The 2012 season will visit six UK venues with one international event held at Germany’s infamous Nurburging GP circuit, during the N24 weekend.

For further information please visit: http://www.britishgt.com/ Press images of the championship can be downloaded from: http://www.britishgt.com/gallery.php

Photo credit: Marc Waller

Dave Newsham Takes Team ES Racing To Victory

13 August, 2012 Team ES Racing No comments

12 August 2012 will be a day etched in Luton-based Team ES Racing history as Dave Newsham took his and the teams’ maiden victory in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton.

The weekend didn’t start ideally for Newsham when he retired from the first practice session early with radiator problems, but he soon made up for lost time as he qualified third place just 0.054 seconds from pole position.

Race one saw Newsham drive a strong race to finish fourth only to be disqualified after stewards deemed the car to be underweight after a miscalculation with fuel.

Newsham had it all to do again in the second race as he started from last on the grid, his steady pace saw him move up through the field to finish a strong eighth place, securing second place on the grid for the final race of the day as 9 was drawn for the reverse grid.

After initially losing out to the BMW of Tom Onslow-Cole at the start Newsham pushed hard to build the pace and take back his second place by the end of the first lap. His pace would prove relentless as he found a gap to pass Lea wood in to the hairpin for the top spot, from that moment Newsham never looked back.

“I thought we might be able to do something like this this weekend if everything went in to place. We had great pace in qualifying and practice, no testing in between the last race, it’s just awesome isn’t it.” commented Newsham after the race.

Team mate and team principal Chris James suffered a disappointing weekend that involved delaminated tyres in qualifying, broken driveshafts and a number of collisions where James was hit from behind. Despite his own disappointment James was delighted at the performance of Newsham to take his team the top spot of the podium.

“We always believed we could do it but believing and it turning in to reality is two different things. What an up and down weekend for the whole team with Dave being disqualified in the first race and three DNF’s from myself we ended the weekend as a BTCC race winning team” said James. “The team have turned out a quality car and with Dave in the driving seat the whole package comes together.”

Team mananger Andrew Dean added “Well done to all at Team ES racing after another ‘character building’ weekend – under sometimes trying circumstances Dave and the team got the result that we knew we were capable of at the media day back in March.”

Press enquiries please contact Vince Pettit – pr@blackeaglemedia.co.uk

You can follow the team on twitter at @teamESracing and Dave Newsham at @newshamracing. The team are also on facebook at www.facebook.com/teamESracing.

The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) was formed in 1958 and is Britain’s most popular motor racing spectacle. Its race season comprises ten events at top circuits across the UK. It is contested by professional racing drivers in competition versions of every day road cars, giving it tremendous public appeal. Some 366,000 watch the BTCC trackside each year. It is also receives widespread UK TV exposure on the ITV network with all ten race events broadcast live on ITV4, ITV4 HD and www.itv.com

Dunlop is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high and ultra-high performance tyres with an impressive track record of motor sport successes. Dunlop’s extensive racing experience has led to innovative technologies for tyres designed for everyday motoring. Always looking to maximize driving pleasure, Dunlop offers all types of motorists the performance and durability of the latest tyre technologies, including tyres with RunOnFlat technology, which is fitted to award winning vehicles such as the Mini, BMW One, Three, Five Series and X5. Many of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers including Alfa Romeo, AMG, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche fit Dunlop as standard. Official Dunlop website www.dunloptyres.co.uk

Mechanical failure leads to Brands Hatch DNF

5 July, 2012 Lotus Sport UK No comments

Lotus Sport UK had another disappointing weekend at Brands Hatch after a parts failure robbed the team of a strong finish.

Throughout practice and qualifying the lone Lotus Evora of Phil Glew and Sailesh Bollisetti looked strong only being pipped to pole position by Alex Osborne in the APO Sport UK Ginetta.

Glew set the pace in the warm up heading in to the race so the team were confident of a strong performance to make up for the disappointment of a double DNF at Rockingham.

Bolisetti started the race taking the gamble to start on slicks, unfortunately the race track proved to be greasy from the drizzling rain. A safety car period bunched up the pack once again but a front wishbone failure put Bolisetti in to the gravel trap.

Sailesh Bolisetti rounded up the weekend: “Well the last two rounds have been a big learning curve for me, and has made me see the highs and lows of competitive motor racing. It was really tricky at the start as it was a little greasy and we were on slicks. When the safety car came out it gave me the chance to bunch back up to the leaders, but the front suspension failed and put me out of the race.”

A frustrated Phil Glew, “After I did morning practice the car felt mega and I could see us on the podium no problem at all. It was unfortunate about the suspension failure but at the end of the day that’s racing and sometimes things are out of the hands of the drivers.”

Gary Ayles Team Manager remained positive, “We definitely had the pace in the car after we cured the issues from the previous round, and I think our race pace would have been really consistent. It’s a shame the car gave up, but that’s racing and we will be sure to bounce back for the next round at Snetterton.”

You can follow the team on twitter at @LotusSportUKGT and on facebook at www.facebook.com/LotusSportUK.

About the Avon Tyres British GT Championship:

The 2012 Avon Tyres British GT championship showcases the most prestigious and stylish sportscar grid of any national motorsport championship. The 2012 season will visit six UK venues with one international event held at Germany’s infamous Nurburging GP circuit, during the N24 weekend.

For further information please visit: http://www.britishgt.com/ Press images of the championship can be downloaded from: http://www.britishgt.com/gallery.php

Lotus Sport UK ready to get back on track at Brands Hatch

22 June, 2012 Lotus Sport UK No comments

Lotus Sport UK head to Brands Hatch looking to make up lost ground following a disappointing performance at Rockingham where the team missed out on points due to technical problems.

Once again the team will be running the sole #48 car with regular drivers Phil Glew and Sailesh Bolisetti.

Phil Glew is looking forward to moving on and getting back on track, “After a disappointing round at Rockingham we have to put that behind us and look forward. The team have rectified the technical issues so we are hungry for points! I shall be working with Sailesh to get him up to speed with the Brands GP circuit as he is yet to drive it. We work well together, so I’m confident we can get him lapping at good pace come qualifying”

Sailesh Bolisetti was disappointed with his time at Rockingham and is looking at the bigger picture. “Rockingham was really disappointing for me as I didn’t really get much time in the car due to the issues we had, and I feel we had good pace for us to be able to take home some good points, but that’s racing, and we must look ahead to the rest of the season!”

“I’ve driven the Indy circuit at Brands when I was here supporting DTM in the sirocco cup, but never the GP circuit. Phil will help me with that, so I’m looking forward to getting back in the Evora, and getting back on the podium” added Bolisetti.

Team Manager Gary Ayles explained that the team have been busy and are looking forward to a solid performance at the Kent circuit, “It was a tough weekend at Rockingham and losing both cars in the race hurt our championship points haul as it was a double scoring race due to it being a 2 hour race. We’ve stripped the cars, rectified the niggles, and are looking forward to Brands.”

You can follow the team on twitter at @LotusSportUKGT and on facebook at www.facebook.com/LotusSportUK.

About the Avon Tyres British GT Championship:

The 2012 Avon Tyres British GT championship showcases the most prestigious and stylish sportscar grid of any national motorsport championship. The 2012 season will visit six UK venues with one international event held at Germany’s infamous Nurburging GP circuit, during the N24 weekend.

For further information please visit: http://www.britishgt.com/ Press images of the championship can be downloaded from: http://www.britishgt.com/gallery.php