DICK TAKES STUNNING VICTORY

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick bagged his first Ginetta G50 Cup race victory with a superb drive from third on the grid in race two at Silverstone.

Dick ran third on the first lap, passing Chris Dittmann on the second lap and then taking the lead from Tom Dunstan into the hairpin. But once he had the lead, Dick, in his first race meeting after his marriage to team co-owner Amy Dick, had to absorb intense pressure for the remaining 17 laps.

He was never able to pull more than a few car lengths clear of Dunstan, but continued to turn in consistent and fast laps which made it impossible for the chasing car to make a move for the lead. With four laps to go, newly crowned champion Nigel Moore barged his way past Dunstan, who ended up in the gravel as a result of the move, to run third. Despite having a new driver chasing him, Dick made no mistake and claimed his first victory for one year and 280 days!

"It's certainly been a long time, but the best thing about this result is that we've beaten everyone on merit," said Dick. "We haven't relied on others going out and have finally turned the pace that we've had all season into a first win. With the amount of work the guys have put into getting this car as good as it is I owed them a win!

"Once I had the lead, it was just a case of trying to set a good consistent pace. It was always close, but I always felt reasonably well in control because Tom was never quite close enough to have a go. I had a feeling all weekend that this time we would get our first win - fortunately that feeling was justified!"

Richard Sykes recovered from his Ginetta G20 being destroyed in a first lap accident to take ninth.

"I didn't have anyone to battle with but I really enjoyed the race," said Sykes. "The car was handling well and I was able to get a decent result."

Team-mate Tony Hughes failed to finish after he lost fuel pressure in the early stages of the race.

RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Christian Dick, 20 laps in 30m10.967s
2 Nigel Moore, +2.266s
3 Frank Wrathall, +3.498s
4 Toby Newton, +12.458s
5 Clive Richards, +12.981s
6 Henry Fletcher, +23.682s
7 Tom Sharp, +24.072s
8 Chris Clayton, +39.650s
9 Richard Sykes, +56.932s
10 Jon Cook, +74.932s
11 David Dove, +1 lap
12 Tom Dunstan
13 Chris Dittmann
14 Tony Hughes - fuel pressure

DICK BOOKS SECOND ROW SLOT

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick will start tomorrow morning's 15th round of the Ginetta G50 Cup at Silverstone International from fourth on the grid.

Dick held a place on the front row for much of the session, but was shuffled down to fourth in the closing stages.

"A couple of others improved late on which pushed us back a bit but it was a solid session," said Dick. "We're struggling a bit for grip in the final sector, but we're in the mix for the races tomorrow."

Richard Sykes will start from 13th, while team-mate Tony Hughes rounded out the top 15 qualifiers.

QUALIFYING
1 Chris Dittmann, 1m28.951s
2 Tom Dunstan, +0.251s
3 Frank Wrathall, +0.366s
4 Christian Dick, +0.393s
5 Toby Newton, +0.700s
6 Clive Richards, +0.709s
7 Mike Robinson, +0.923s
8 Nigel Moore, +1.032s
9 Tom Sharp, +1.224s
10 Henry Fletcher, +1.329s
11 Rod Carman, +1.731s
12 Chris Clayton, +1.887s
13 Richard Sykes, +1.970s
14 Jon Cook, +3.038s
15 Tony Hughes, +4.069s
16 David Dove, +4.133s

SPEEDWORKS SEEKING DRIVER FOR BRITCAR 24

Speedworks Motorsport is seeking additional drivers for its attack on the Britcar 24 Hours race at Silverstone on September 20/21.

The team will run a Ginetta G50, equipped with the full endurance racing package including rear wing and engine upgrade, in Class 2 of the race with Joachim Ritter and Paul Sheard already confirmed to drive.

Any experienced drivers with the appropriate budget interested in joining the team should contact Amy Dick on 07825 036 312 or amy@speedworksmotorsport.com.

SYKES DOMINATES AT SILVERSTONE

Phil Sykes claimed his second race win of the year with a dominant lights-to-flag win in wet conditions at Silverstone yesterday.

Sykes, making a rare appearance in the Club Ginetta series, won the first race from pole position by a massive 34-second margin from championship leader Stuart Pearson. With the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship visiting Silverstone this weekend, it was the best possible preparation for Sykes.

"It's a good boost for the weekend to have another win under my belt," said Sykes. "I was able to control the race relatively easily - you can't ask for more than pole position, fastest lap and a win!"

Sykes followed up his success with second place behind Pearson in race two after being delayed by a spinning Paul Morgan.

“I was sitting back behind Stuart waiting for the last couple of laps to have a go at him and Paul got past,” said Sykes. “Then he spun in front of me and the delay meant that the gap between us was too large.

STRAW TAKES 16TH IN 24 HOURS

Speedworks Motorsport's Edd Straw finished 16th in the Citroen 2CV 24 Hours at Snetterton driving for Team Fine Print.

Straw, sharing with 2001 Formula Renault UK Champion Carl Breeze, car owner Martin Harrold and German Nordschleife specialist Said Baloui, overcame a late-race engine failure to take a solid finish.

"We would probably have been 12th without the engine failure," said Straw, who was competing in his fifth 2CV 24 Hour race. "That said, we were fortunate that the engine went in a scheduled pit-stop and the team was able to pull off a very fast switch to get us back out there.

"Considering the speed of the car, 16th is a reasonably satisfying result. If the rain had stayed throughout the race it would have favoured us, but all things considered it went well. It is a very enjoyable race to do, particularly when you've got such a good team behind you."

DIFFICULT QUALIFYING FOR STRAW

Speedworks Motorsport driver Edd Straw will start the Citroen 2CV 24 Hours from 23rd on the grid after gearbox problems struck his Team Fine Print entry in qualifying.

Straw, who is sharing the car with former Formula Renault UK champion Carl Breeze, car owner Martin Harrold and German Nurburgring specialist Said Baloui, was unable to make a qualifing attempt after the gearbox started losing oil early in the session.

"Said set the time after going out first, and although it's not a great position to start from it at least gets us a third of the way up the field," said Straw. "Qualifying was never going to be the car's strong point, and the positive thing is that it's a problem we shouldn't have in the race now!

"I just did three laps holding it in third gear to make sure I qualified - the important thing is to be in the race rather than a few rows further up the grid.

"The strategy for the race is simple. Although we haven't got the fastest car out there we should have a reasonably reliable one with one of the better driver line-ups. With a bit of luck, we can hit our target of a top ten finish."

The race starts at 1700 today.

PODIUM FINISH FOR TIGER

Speedworks Motorsport's Sunbeam Tiger claimed a podium finish in class in yesterday's Guards Trophy event at Castle Combe.

The car, shared by Neil Merry and Christian Dick, finished third in Class D and 17th overall in the endurance event. It was only the fourth race start for Speedworks with the Tiger, and the team shaved another four seconds off the car's fastest lap.

"We've made good progress with the car this weekend and had a good time," said Dick. "It's an interesting challenge expanding into historic racing but every time we take the car out we're learning."

TIGER QUALIFIES THIRD IN CLASS

Speedworks Motorsport's Sunbeam Tiger will start this afternoon's Guards Trophy race at Castle Combe from third in class.

The car, shared by car owner Neil Merry and Speedworks Team Principal Christian Dick, set a time one second faster than yesterday's previous best around the Wiltshire track.

The duo will start the race 17th overall.

TIGER MAKES IT TO THE GRID

Neil Merry and Christian Dick made it to the finish of this afternoon's 45-minute Cloth Cap event at Castle Combe after working flat out to repair the car following a qualifying crash.

Merry, who crashed at Quarry on only his second lap of the day, made good progress through the 34-car field after starting from the back of the grid. Only a delay during the driver change pit-stop, when Merry came in to hand over to Dick after ten laps, prevented a strong result and the Tiger came home only 27th.

But despite losing almost two laps trying to restart the car at the pit-stop, Merry was delighted with the performance of the car.

"After frantic repair work we were allowed to race," said Merry. "I was a bit tentative for the first five laps after the qualifying crash, but I really enjoyed it. In my defence, it was less than two laps before Christian spun it as well so I wasn't the only one!

"The really positive thing is that we were setting times good enough to run strongly in the middle of the pack, which bodes very well for tomorrow."

Merry and Dick will share the Tiger in tomorrow's Guards Trophy race.

MERRY IN QUALIFYING CRASH
Speedworks Motorsport faces a race against time to repair its Sunbeam Tiger in time for this afternoon's 45-minute Cloth Cap race at Castle Combe after Neil Merry suffered an accident in qualifying.

Merry crashed on his second lap at Quarry corner, suffering significant, but repairable, front-end damage.

"On the rise just before quarry the front end got really light," said Merry. "It just went straight on into the barrier. I guess you could say I understeered off.

"It's mainly bodywork damage so we're working flat out to get it fixed in time."

The race is due to start at 1545.

STRAW TO CONTEST 2CV 24 HOURS
Speedworks Motorsport's Edd Straw will make his annual appearance in Citroen 2CV racing in the 24 Hour race at Snetterton on August 9/10.

Straw, who races for Speedworks in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship, will drive for Team Fine Print for the fifth year in a row alongside team owner Martin Harrold, 2001 Formula Renault UK champion Carl Breeze and Nurburgring Nordschleife specialist Said Baloui.

Straw has contested the race with Fine Print since 2004, and is hopeful that the team's bad luck will finally come to and end this year to deliver a top ten finish.

"Realistically, we know we haven't got the budget of the big teams so a podium isn't possible, but we're aiming for a top ten finish," said Straw.

"Over the past four years we've been close - we ran third early on in '04 and should have been well inside the top eight last year but for one of my team-mates getting caught up in someone else's accident.

"The team really deserves a top result. Martin puts in an enormous amount of work to get the car on the grid and the team we've got in the garage is as good as any in the field. With a bit of luck, this will be the year they get a top result to celebrate!"

DICK CLOSING ON FIRST G50 WIN

Speedworks Motorsport team principal Christian Dick is confident the team’s first victory in the new-for-2008 Ginetta G50 Cup is just round the corner.

Despite a shortage of testing, Dick currently holds third in the championship and by the end of each race meeting he has consistently been one of the outright fastest, if not the fastest, driver of the weekend. At Brands Hatch, Dick set fastest lap while charging to third in race two, and he’s confident that pace is a clear sign of the progress the team has been making.

“We’ve been on the back foot because we haven’t had a huge amount of testing, but now we’re really getting on top of the car,” said Dick. “We’re now at a point where the car should be pretty much on the money when we hit the track in free practice, which bodes well for the rest of the season.

Dick also believes that the development work the team has so far done in 2008 will be particularly beneficial for the 2009 season.

“We’ve learned so much about the car that we’re certain we’ll be as quick as anyone next year,” said Dick. “This year’s championship is out the window because Nigel Moore is too far clear, but in 2009 I’m confident we’ll be right up there whoever our drivers are.”

The next round of the Ginetta G50 Cup takes place at Silverstone on August 16/17.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1 Nigel Moore, 458 points
2 Frank Wrathall, 275 points
3 Christian Dick, 227 points
4 Tom Dunstan, 222 points
5 Toby Newton, 218 points
6 Tom Sharp, 200 points
7 Clive Richards, 173 points
8 Rod Carman, 161 points
9 Ben Elliott, 139 points
10 Michele Tommasi, 138 points
11 Rob Austin, 132 points
12 Richard Sykes, 113 points
13 Richard Austin, 112 points
14 Paul O’Neill, 100 points
15 Tony Hughes, 96 points
17 David Dove, 89 points
18 Clive Coote, 88 points
19 Phil Keen, 60 points
20 Chris Clayton, 52 points
21 Hunter Abbott, 37 points
22 Glenn Denny, 36 points
23 Fiona James, 27 points
24 Stephen Hepworth, 11 points
25 Alan Bonner, 0 points

TIGER BACK ON TRACK AT CASTLE COMBE

Speedworks Motorsport will return to historic racing action in this weekend’s Classic Carnival meeting at Castle Combe.

The team’s Sunbeam Tiger, owned by longtime Speedworks Motorsport driver Neil Merry, made its debut in a Masters Racing Series event at Brands Hatch in May, but this is the first time it will have raced since its first outing.

On Saturday, the Tiger will contest the Cloth Cap race, before turning out in the GT Sports & Racing event on Sunday.

“We made a lot of progress with the car at Brands,” said Merry. “It has always been great fun to drive, but now we have hopefully made it more competitive as well.

“It’s a fantastic car and I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel again. It’s a completely different type of racing to what I’ve done before and it’s going to be a great weekend.”

Merry last raced at Castle Combe in June 2006 when he made his Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship debut.

SPEEDWORKS OWNERS MARRIED

Speedworks Motorsport co-owners Christian Dick and Amy Leigh were married today at Northwich Registry Office.

The pair, who founded Speedworks Motorsport at the end of 2005, agreed to marry after Christian proposed at last year's team Christmas Party and took advantage of a one-month gap in the racing calendar to make their vows.

Everyone at Speedworks Motorsport offers their best wishes to Christian and Amy Dick for their future happiness.

SYKES LEADS SPEEDWORKS SURGE

Richard Sykes led the way for Speedworks Motorsport in the second race of the seventh round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship by charging from 12th on the grid to finish fifth.

Sykes made a flying start to run eighth at the end of the first lap, climbing as high as fourth before slipping behind Tom Jones on the final lap.

“I had a cracking race,” said Sykes. “I made a really good start and was just fighting all the way – it’s a fantastic circuit. It made up for the disappointing qualifying.”

Phil Sykes also made good progress in the race, climbing to eighth, while Dave Jackson put in a stunning charge to finish 11th from the back of the grid.

“When you are that far back you just have to take risks and go for it,” said Jackson. “I just tried to go past people as soon as I caught them by catching them unawares. It proves that if I hadn’t had the problem in qualifying the results this weekend could have been really strong.”

Scot Kirlew took a second 12th place of the weekend on his one-off appearance in the championship.

“I had a really good weekend,” said Kirlew. “I’m a bit disappointed to have lost 11th place on the last lap of both races, but I’ve had a great time. It’s a shame it’s only a one-off run!”

Edd Straw, who had been the best Speedworks qualifier in ninth, ended up 14th after a difficult race struggling with a car problem.

“There’s something in the left rear which is making the car be all over the place on turn-in,” said Straw. “In the circumstances 14th isn’t bad because I was 1.5 seconds a lap slower than I had been, but it’s gutting not to be able to turn the pace I had into some top results.”

Neil Merry made sure all six Speedworks cars made the finish, putting in a charge from the back of the grid after clutch problems in qualifying. With a broken throttle cable keeping him out of race one, he started the race with barely any laps under his belt.

“I really started getting into it after the first few laps,” said Merry. “I had a good time picking my way through the field.”

G20 RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Spencer McCarthy, 12 laps in 21m07.398s
2 Julian Barratt, +0.261s
3 Kieran Vernon, +12.362s
4 Tom Jones, +14.668s
5 Richard Sykes, +14.817s
6 Andy Smith, +15.376s
7 Gary Simms, +15.770s
8 Phil Sykes, +22.224s
9 Paul Morgan, +22.344s
10 Steve Rigby, +25.590s
11 Dave Jackson, +32.818s
12 Scot Kirlew, +33.046s
13 Matt Flowers, +39.410s
14 Edd Straw, +41.919s
15 Alex Dziurzynski, +44.001s
16 Michael Ralph, +49.651s
17 Neil Merry, +49.803s
18 Duncan Gass, +75.706s
19 Steve Williams, +76.428s
20 Andrew Long, +79.187s
DNF Martin Jones
DNF Emily Fletcher
DNF Paul Marsh
DNF Peter Dignan
DNF Roy McCarthy
DNF Wayne Austin
DNF Mark Wania

DICK TAKES FIFTH

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal banked valuable championship points with fifth place in the 13th race of the Ginetta G50 Championship at Brands Hatch.

Dick fought back from being forced onto the grass early in the race to take fifth, and came close to nabbing fourth from Frank Wrathall on the last lap.

“I couldn’t quite stay ahead of Frank,” said Dick. “The important thing is we’ve made some good progress with the car and hopefully we’ll be able to take a step forward in race two.”

Richard Sykes came home 11th, with Tony Hughes a solid 13th.

G50 RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Nigel Moore, 13 laps in 20m55.192s
2 Tom Dunstan, +1.082s
3 Toby Newton, +2.015s
4 Frank Wrathall, +3.635s
5 Christian Dick, +4.334s
6 Michele Tommasi, +22.204s
7 Rod Carman, +35.798s
8 Tom Sharp, +37.397s
9 Hampus Rydman, +38.038s
10 Clive Coote, +38.958s
11 Richard Sykes, 44.435s
12 David Dove, +46.720s
13 Tony Hughes, +67.872s
14 Fiona James, 101.339s
15 Stephen Hepworth, +1 lap
DNF Hunter Abbott

GRID FOR G20 RACE TWO

Edd Straw is the highest-placed Speedworks Motorsport driver on the grid for this afternoon's second Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship race of the weekend at Brands Hatch.

Both Neil Merry and Dave Jackson will start from the back of the grid after suffering mechanical problems in qualifying.

STARTING POSITIONS
1 Julian Barratt
2 Kieran Vernon
3 Andy Smith
4 Spencer McCarthy
5 Steve Rigby
6 Gary Simms
7 Paul Marsh
8 Paul Morgan
9 Edd Straw
10 Tom Jones
11 Mark Wania
12 Richard Sykes
13 Scot Kirlew
14 Phil Sykes
15 Matt Flowers
16 Peter Dignan
17 Wayne Austin
18 Alex Dziurzynski
19 Martin Jones
20 Emily Fletcher
21 Steve Williams
22 Andrew Long
23 Michael Ralph
24 Duncan Gass
25 Neil Merry
26 Dave Jackson
27 Roy McCarthy

RICHARD AND PHIL SYKES IN TOP TEN

Speedworks Motorsport drivers Richard and Phil Sykes both claimed top ten finishes in the first race of the sixth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Brands Hatch.

Richard climbed from 14th on the grid to claim eighth, with Phil ninth from 11th on the grid after spinning into the Paddock Hill Bend gravel trap in qualifying.

"I made a really bad start and lost a few more places, which made things more difficult for myself," said Phil. "I ended up battling with just Richard for most of the race because we were just too far back from the top seven."

Scot Kirlew, making his Ginetta debut, finished an impressive 12th despite limited testing time.

"I really enjoyed it," said Kirlew. "The car is great fun to drive and the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit is fantastic. I'm learning all the time and hopefully tomorrow I'll have a better result."

Dave Jackson charged from the back of the grid to finish 14th, while team-mate Neil Merry, also from the back row, was unable to start after his throttle cable snapped on the warm-up lap.

Edd Straw, who had been the strongest of the Speedworks drivers in qualifying in eighth, retired on the first lap after spinning at Graham Hill Bend and being collected by Wayne Austin.

"Entirely my fault unfortunately," said Straw. "I got shuffled wide at Druids and was a bit over-anxious to make up some places again and overcooked it at the exit. I was lucky I wasn't collected by more people and I'm just sorry that Wayne suffered so much damage because of my mistake."

G20 RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Julian Barratt, 12 laps in 21m12.210s
2 Kieran Vernon, +0.026s
3 Spencer McCarthy, +0.133s
4 Andy Smith, +4.928s
5 Gary Simms, +6.547s
6 Tom Jones, +7.518s
7 Russell McCarthy, +9.911s
8 Richard Sykes, +14.975s
9 Phil Sykes, +15.446s
10 Steve Rigby, +24.047s
11 Alex Dziurzynski, +33.555s
12 Scot Kirlew, +33.816s
13 Mark Wania, +34.405s
14 Dave Jackson, +40.830s
15 Matt Flowers, +41.653s
16 Peter Dignan, +47.592s
17 Emily Fletcher, +67.200s
18 Martin Jones, +71.549s
19 Duncan Gass, +79.402s
20 Michael Ralph, +90.779s
21 Paul Morgan, +1 lap
DNF Steve Williams
DNF Andrew Long
DNF Paul Marsh
DNF Wayne Austin
DNF Edd Straw - accident
DNS Neil Merry - throttle cable

DICK TO START FIFTH

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick will start Sunday's first Ginetta G50 Cup round at Brands Hatch from fifth.

Dick, who currently lies third in the championship standings, set a best time less than two-tenths of a second slower than pole man and guest driver Hunter Abbott.

"I'd have prefered to be a few places further up, but fifth is still in the mix," said Dick. "We're strong in the speed traps so hopefully it should be possible to have a good race."

Team-mate Richard Sykes will start 11th, just missing out on a place in the top 10, with Tony Hughes a solid 13th as he continues to get to grips with the 300bhp Ginetta G50.

G50 QUALIFYING
1 Hunter Abbott, 1m34.436s
2 Nigel Moore, +0.286s
3 Tom Dunstan, +0.425s
4 Toby Newton, +0.659s
5 Christian Dick, +0.785s
6 Frank Wrathall, +0.851s
7 Michele Tommasi, +1.434s
8 Tom Sharp, +1.999s
9 Hampus Rydman, +2.170s
10 Rod Carman, +2.686s
11 Richard Sykes, +3.846s
12 David Dove, +4.705s
13 Tony Hughes, +5.590s
14 Clive Coote, +6.949s
15 Stephen Hepworth, +7.745s
16 Fiona James, +11.255s