WERRELL REACHES HALF-DISTANCE

Motorsport commentator Mark Werrell has reached the halfway mark of his epic bicycle ride from Lands End to John O'Groats.

Werrell, who hosted this year's Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship evaluation days, has undertaken the journey to raise money for Lincoln County Hospital Special Care Baby unit's "Babies Are Born Incredibly Early Sometimes" (B.A.B.I.E.S.) charity.

Riding a GT Legato 3.0 cycle supplied by Speedworks driver Neil Merry's Hot Wheels company, Werrell has reached Penrith in Cumbria having covered over 500 miles in the seven days since his odyssey began last Saturday.

"It's pretty relentless, but we're on course" said Werrell. "I'm enjoying the challenge, although it's a completely different experience to what I've been doing in training. But it's in a very good cause and I'm sure that we'll get to the end on time!

"I've been keeping myself busy by compiling statistics on the ride - I can tell you just about anything. Number of revolutions, number of heartbeats, anything!"

Werrell is confident of raising over £4000 for the charity, which he became involved in after his son, who is now five, was born 10 weeks prematurely. Speedworks Motorsport is making a donation in recognition of Werrell's efforts.

"It's amazing that he can talk, let alone still ride a bike after covering that kind of distance," said Team Principal Christian Dick. "What he's putting himself through is testament to how close to his heart the charity is, and I have an enormous amount of respect for his efforts. Everyone at Speedworks wishes him the best of luck for the final seven days."

To make a donation click here

MAZDA COMEBACK FOR SYKES

Phil Sykes will give his Speedworks Motorsport-built MaX5 car its racing debut at Mallory Park on Sunday.

Sykes, who finished fourth in the 2006 MaX5 Championship with a victory at Donington Park, has opted to make a full-time return to the series after contesting the Croft round of the championship in a loaned car.

He will shake down his new Mazda MX-5 at Mallory Park on Saturday ahead of the seventh and eighth rounds of the series at the Leicester track on Sunday.

"I've had some good results at Mallory in the past so hopefully should be in the mix for a possible podium," said Sykes. "I enjoyed getting back into the Mazda at Croft, so with a bit of luck I should be able to add to my win tally this season."

Speedworks Motorsport was the leading team in the MaX5 Championship before stepping up to the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship this season, and is recognised as the best preparer of MX-5s for the series.

"We're very pleased with the car - it's given good power figures on the dyno straight out of the box so there's no reason why Phil can't be right up the sharp end at Mallory," said Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick. "It's a bit of a blast from the past to be building up a MaX5 car, but we had a bit of a lull in the Ginetta calendar so had the time to put it together."

JACKSON AIMS TO BUILD ON FORM

Speedworks Motorsport's Dave Jackson is confident of another strong run in the next round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Brands Hatch on July 14/15 after his star turn in the Snetterton round at the beginning of June.

Jackson, in only his second season of circuit racing after starting out in the MaX5 Championship last year, picked up a career-best seventh place in race one at Snetterton. After a successful test on the Brands Hatch GP circuit configuration last Wednesday, he is hopeful of repeating - or even bettering - that kind of form.

"The big thing for me was the chance to get used to the Brands GP circuit," said Jackson. "We didn't get much running there in the April and went straight into qualifying. but without any effort I was able to do times that would have put me in the top ten when I tested."

Jackson puts much of his improvement down to driver coaching from Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick, who as well as being a hugely successful race driver is also an experienced instructor.

"During the time I've spent testing with Christian I've really found a lot in the car," said Jackson. "I owe a lot to him and now I feel I really click with the Ginetta. I'm comfortable that if I drive well I should be able to slot in behind the top four or five and get some more good results."

For ticket information for the meeting click here

JAGUAR GT3 SET FOR BRANDS HATCH DEBUT

The Apex Motorsport-developed Jaguar XKR GT3 challenger is set to make its competition debut in the next round of the British GT Championship at Brands Hatch on July 14-15.

The car had been expected to appear in the opening round of the FIA GT3 Championship at Silverstone in May, only for unforseen homologation problems to force the team not to run. Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick had been due to share one of the team's two cars with James Littlejohn at Silverstone, but although there are no further plans for him to race the car he is confident that the Jaguar will become a formidable contender.

"Apex will have had a couple of months to work on the development of the car since Silverstone and considering how short a lead time the team had originally they will have been able to make some good progress," said Dick. "It may not be until next year that we see just how good the car is, but I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it on track at Brands."

In the past two months, Apex has put in an enormous amount of time into developing the car and in particular the engine - which as per GT3 rules is a essentially a production unit - in association with AER Engines and Mountune.

“It is obviously very disappointing that we will not be at Monza in June, but we don’t believe that would be in the best interests of anyone involved in the programme," said Apex boss Richard Lloyd. "We are convinced that when the time comes for the Jaguar XKR GT3 to take to the track it will not only be reliable but also competitive. If that takes time, then time is what we shall give it.”

The Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship will also run at the Brands Hatch F3/GT meeting in July. For ticket and event information click here

HANCOCK ROBBED OF VICTORY

Speedworks Motorsport instructor Ollie Hancock was denied a first Formula Renault BARC win after being punted out of the lead at Oulton Park last weekend.

Hancock, driving for Mark Burdett Motorsport, jumped pole position man Aaron Steele at the start to lead into Old Hall. Unfortunately, Steele clipped the rear of Hancock's 2-litre Formula Renault into Island Bend. The contact pitched Hancock into a spin and down to the back of the field.

Despite the incident, Hancock scythed back through the field, passing Ahmad Al Harthy in the closing stages to salvage fourth place and valuable championship points.

“The car was good,” said Hancock. “Naturally I was pretty hacked off with the incident on the first lap so, yes, I was pushing hard all the way to the flag. I am totally convinced we had the car to win today. It's a shame it didn’t work out this time but I’m sure that if we keep improving at the current rate, our time will definitely come."

Hancock now lies fifth in the championship standings, eight points behind leader Hywel Lloyd, who benefitted from Hancock's misfortune to win at Oulton.

Championship standings after three rounds
1 Hywel Lloyd, 29 points
2 Ross Worswick, 28 points
3 Aaron Steele, 28 points
4 Dean Stoneman, 25 points
5 Ollie Hancock, 21 points
6 David McDonald, 19 points

GINETTA COVERAGE ON SKY SPORTS

The action-packed Snetterton round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship will hit Sky Sports this week, with six showings of comprehensive highlights of the double-header.

Watch out for Team Principal Christian Dick’s charge from the back of the field into the top ten in race two, as well as Dave Jackson’s star turn in race one on his way to seventh.

It wasn’t all good for Speedworks Motorsport, and there will also be spectacular footage of the first corner accident which removed Neil Merry, Tony Hughes and Jonny Hyde from race two.

BROADCAST TIMES
Tuesday 1830 Sky Sports 2
Tuesday 2330 Sky Sports 2
Wednesday 0200 Sky Sports Extra
Wednesday 0830 Sky Sports 3
Sunday 0530 Sky Sports 2
Sunday 1630 Sky Sports 2

LNT FINISHES FIFTH IN LE MANS 24 HOURS

Team LNT overcame adversity to claim fifth place in the hotly-contested GT2 class in the Le Mans 24 Hours

The number 82 Panoz Esperante GTLM of Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Rob Bell recovered from losing time overnight when the left-rear hub failed, requiring the driveshaft and wheel speed sensor to be replaced and the traction control wiring to be repaired. Despite losing any real chance of fighting for a second successive victory after running as high as third in the early stages of the race, the crew fought back to finish fifth.

It might have been higher but for a late-race safety car. Bell was scything into the lead of the fourth-placed AF Corse Ferrari 430 GT of Formula 1 aerodynamicist Adrian Newey when it the safety car was deployed because of a massive rainshower.

"It's been very uneventful today," said Bell. "We've done good, solid times - in fact we started going faster than we have done all week. Overall, though, it's a disappointing result because of what happened yesterday. I enjoyed the wet at the end, and it was good to have the Newey car as something to aim for, but I must say it was the right decision to bring out the safety car."

The number 81 car of Tom Kimber-Smith, Danny Watts and Tom Milner Jr was forced to retire overnight with an electrical problem which affected the fuelling. Despite the failure to finish, it was an encouraging performance for the car, which ran in the top two early in the race.

The GT2 class was won overall by the IMSA Performance Porsche 911 GT3-RSR of Richard Lietz, Raymond Narac and Pat Long, with the Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT of Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Colin Braun second.

LE MANS GT2 RESULTS
1 Lietz/Narac/Long (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR) - 319 laps
2 Krohn/Jonsson/Braun (Ferrari 430 GT) - 313 laps
3 Nielsen/Simonsen/Ehret (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR) - 309 laps
4 Newey/Macari/Aucott (Ferrari 430 GT) - 307 laps
5 Tomlinson/Dean/Bell (Panoz Esperante GTLM) - 307 laps
DNF Marsh/Villaroel/Rosenblad (Ferrari 430 GT)
DNF Salo/Melo/Mowlem (Ferrari 430 GT)
DNF Niarchos/Muller/Kirkaldy (Ferrari 430 GT)
DNF Janis/Hezemans/Kane (Spyker C8 Spyder)
DNF Van Overbeek/Bergmesiter/Neiman (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
DNF Belicchi/Caffi/Chiesa (Spyker C8 Spyder)
DNF Collin/Felbermayr Jr/Felbermayr Sr (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
DNF Kimber-Smith/Watts/Milner Jr (Panoz Esperante GTLM)

LNT UP TO FIFTH WITH FOUR HOURS LEFT AT LE MANS

Team LNT's remaining Panoz Esperante GTLM is still on course for a top-five finish in the GT2 class with four hours of the race remaining.

The number 82 car of Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Rob Bell is running fifth, two laps behind the fourth-placed AF Corse Ferrari 430 GT of star Formula 1 aerodynamicist (and sometime Ginetta racer) Adrian Newey, Joe Macari and Ben Aucott.

"No problems on the 82 car since we did the driveshaft change," said LNT technical director Alan Mugglestone. "We did a routine disc change at 13 hours, but that's about all that went on in the night. All we can do now is keep going round and wait until the Ferraris and Porsches break! You've just got to stay out of trouble and out of the pits in this race. We didn't manage that with either car early on."

Only six cars remain in the class with the front-running Scuderia Ecosse and Risi Competizione Ferraris both retiring this morning.

Also among the retirements is the number 81 LNT Panoz of Tom Kimber-Smith, Danny Watts and Tom Milner Jr, which stopped with an electrical-related fuelling problem after running as high as second.

GT2 STANDINGS AFTER 20 HOURS
1 Lietz/Narac/Long (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
2 Krohn/Jonsson/Braun (Ferrari 430 GT)
3 Nielsen/Simonsen/Ehret (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
4 Newey/Macari/Aucott (Ferrari 430 GT)
5 Tomlinson/Dean/Bell (Panoz Esperante GTLM)
6 Marsh/Villaroel/Rosenblad (Ferrari 430 GT)
DNF Salo/Melo/Mowlem (Ferrari 430 GT)
DNF Niarchos/Muller/Kirkaldy (Ferrari 430 GT)
DNF Janis/Hezemans/Kane (Spyker C8 Spyder)
DNF Van Overbeek/Bergmesiter/Neiman (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
DNF Belicchi/Caffi/Chiesa (Spyker C8 Spyder)
DNF Collin/Felbermayr Jr/Felbermayr Sr (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
DNF Kimber-Smith/Watts/Milner Jr (Panoz Esperante GTLM)

LNT STILL IN THE HUNT AT LE MANS

Team LNT'S number 82 Panoz Esperante GTLM is still in contention for a strong result at the Le Mans 24 Hours despite the retirement of the team's other car.

Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Rob Bell held sixth in the GT2 shortly after the 16 hour mark after losing five laps in the pits overnight when the car suffered a hub failure which broke the left-rear driveshaft, wheel speed sensor and damaged the traction control wiring. Despite the setback, the car is still running and with a third of the race remaining is still on target for a good result, even if the team needs luck on its side to get back into the top three.

"You never know what can happen," said Dean. "But we're still running round and not completely out of sight."

The team's number 81 car was forced out of the race after suffering an electrical failure which affected the fuel flow.

GT2 STANDINGS AFTER 16 HOURS, 30 MINUTES
1 Niarchos/Muller/Kirkaldy (Ferrari 430 GT)
2 Lietz/Narac/Long (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
3 Nielsen/Simonsen/Ehret (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
4 Krohn/Jonsson/Braun (Ferrari 430 GT)
5 Newey/Macari/Aucott (Ferrari 430 GT)
6 Tomlinson/Dean/Bell (Panoz Esperante GTLM)
7 Salo/Melo/Mowlem (Ferrari 430 GT)
8 Marsh/Villaroel/Rosenblad (Ferrari 430 GT)
DNF Janis/Hezemans/Kane (Spyker C8 Spyder)
DNF Van Overbeek/Bergmesiter/Neiman (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
DNF Belicchi/Caffi/Chiesa (Spyker C8 Spyder)
DNF Collin/Felbermayr Jr/Felbermayr Sr (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
DNF Kimber-Smith/Watts/Milner Jr (Panoz Esperante GTLM)

GEARBOX PROBLEMS FOR LNT

Team LNT's hopes of a second success GT2 class win in the Le Mans 24 Hours were dealt a blow when gearbox problems struck the number 81 car driven by Tom Milner Jr.

The American, who took over from starting driver Tom Kimber-Smith, survived being hit by the Swiss Spirit Lola-Audi of former Formula 1 driver Jean-Denis Deletraz at the Ford chicane, but was soon forced to return to the garage for work on the gearbox shortly before the four-hour mark. Milner rejoined the race last in GT2 after losing 40 minutes in the pits.

"We lost gears because the pin at the front of the gear lever was broken," said Rick Gouldsbrough, the car's chief mechanic. "It had just sheared off and was gone. I got that sorted, but there was also an oil leak from the gearbox. The lads couldn't find anything though, so we put fresh oil in and sent it out."

The number 82 car of Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Rob Bell continues to run strongly in seventh place in GT2, within a lap of the class-leading Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT of Jaime Melo, Mika Salo and Johnny Mowlem.

GT2 POSITIONS AFTER 4 HOURS, 20 MINUTES
1 Nielsen/Simonsen/Ehret (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
2 Salo/Melo/Mowlem (Ferrari 430 GT)
3 Lietz/Narac/Long (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
4 Niarchos/Mullen/Kirkaldy (Ferrari 430 GT)
5 Janis/Hezemans/Kane (Spyker C8 Spyder)
6 Van Overbeek/Bergmesiter/Neiman (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
7 Tomlinson/Dean/Bell (Panoz Esperante GTLM)
8 Krohn/Jonsson/Braun (Ferrari 430 GT)
9 Belicchi/Caffi/Chiesa (Spyker C8 Spyder)
10 Collin/Felbermayr Jr/Felbermayr Sr (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR
11 Newey/Macari/Aucott (Ferrari 430 GT)
12 Marsh/Villaroel/Rosenblad (Ferrari 430 GT)
13 Kimber-Smith/Watts/Milner Jr (Panoz Esperante GTLM)

TKS OFF TO A FLIER AT LE MANS

Team LNT has made a strong start to the Le Mans 24 Hours, with the lead Panoz Esperante GTLM of Tom Kimber-Smith, Danny Watts and Tom Milner Jr running second in GT2 after two hours.

Starting eighth in class, Kimber-Smith made good progress in the early stages of the race before a shower at around the one-hour mark plunged the race into chaos. Several overall frontrunners were caught out by the conditions, including the third Audi R10 TDI of Mike Rockenfeller and the Bruichladdich Radical SR9 of Tim Greaves, wth both crashing out of the race.

Despite the conditions, Kimber-Smith remained on slick tyres while many others switched to wet rubber, allowing him to climb to second place behind the Autorlando Porsche 911 GT3-RSR of Allan Simonsen.

"I've had no problems so far," said Kimber-Smith. "There was no point in changing tyres in my stint, though some of the others did. There was never enough to make a difference - it was noticeable but not enough to slow me."

The second LNT Panoz, driven by Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Rob Bell, is currently 10th in GT2.

The race is led overall by the diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI of Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello.

GT2 POSITIONS AFTER 2 HOURS
1 Nielsen/Simonsen/Ehret (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
2 Kimber-Smith/Watts/Milner Jr (Panoz Esperante GTLM)
3 Salo/Melo/Mowlem (Ferrari 430 GT)
4 Lietz/Narac/Long (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
5 Van Overbeek/Bergmeister/Neiman (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
6 Niarchos/Mullen/Kirkaldy (Ferrari 430 GT)
7 Janis/Hezemans/Kane (Spyker C8 Spyder)
8 Collin/Felbermayr Jr/Felbermayr Sr (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
9 Belicchi/Caffi/Chiesa (Spyker C8 Spyder)
10 Tomlinson/Dean/Bell (Panoz Esperante GTLM)
11 Marsh/Villaroel/Rosenblad (Ferrari 430 GT)
12 Newey/Macari/Aucott (Ferrari 430 GT)
13 Krohn/Jonsson/Braun (Ferrari 430 GT)

LE MANS GT2 PREVIEW

You can make a good case for the GT2 class being the most competitive in this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. With some of the best drivers in the race and factory-backed entries from Porsche, Ferrari, Panoz and Dutch manufacturer Spyker, the slowest of the four classes on pace at Le Mans is also one of the closest. Team LNT won the class last year with a spectacular run for Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Tom Kimber-Smith. The 2007 running of the French endurance classic starts at 2pm (BST) today.

Autosport journalist and Speedworks Motorsport driver Edd Straw rates LNT's chances, as well as those of the team's leading competitors.

Imsa Performance Porsche 911 GT3-RSR
#76 - Patrick Long, Raymond Narac, Richard Lietz (Qualified 2nd)
The quickest of the Porsches in qualifying with second in class, this car will be the marque's leading contender in the race. Porsche-contracted drivers Long and Lietz are both proven front-runners, while car owner Narac is firmly in the capable bracket. Whether the team can beat the lead Risi car in a straight fight at Le Mans is yet to be seen.

Flying Lizard Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
#80 - Jorg Bergmeister, Johannes van Overbeek, Seth Nieman (Qualified 4th)
The American Le Mans series team has run solidly at Le Mans in recent years without quite having the outright pace to lead from the front. Bergmeister is a well-established Porsche specialist and could give the team the impetus it needs to trouble the top three from the off.

Team LNT (Panoz Esperante GTLM)
#81 - Tom Kimber-Smith, Danny Watts, Tom Milner Jr (Qualified 8th)
#82 - Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean, Rob Bell (Qualified 10th)
The TKS/Watts/Milner Jr car is likely to be the hare, although the well-driven second car is not to be underestimated and won't be far behind. The Panoz doesn't have the outright single-lap pace of the leading Ferraris or Porsches, but if the cars can repeat the reliable run of 2006, they will be in contention to take a second successive Le Mans triumph.

Scuderia Ecosse (Ferrari 430 GT)
#87 - Chris Niarchos, Andrew Kirkaldy, Tim Mullen (Qualified 1st)
The former British GT Championship-winning team will start from GT2 pole position, so the pace is there. Third last year after a few minor problems, the Scottish outfit has two top-liners in Kirkaldy and Mullen backed by the under-rated Niarchos. Expect this car to be right in the thick of the fight at the front.

Autorlando Sport (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR)
#93 - Lars-Erik Nielsen, Pierre Ehret, Allan Simonsen (Qualified 5th)
Simonsen is proving himself to be something of a star in this kind of machinery and the Autorlando team won last year's GT2 Le Mans Series crown, so it is a proven winner at this level. It won't be setting the pace throughout the race, but should be able to run well from the off.

Risi Commpetizione (Ferrari 430 GT)
#97 - Mika Salo, Jaime Melo, Johnny Mowlem (Qualified 2nd)
#99 - Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson, Colin Braun (Qualified 6th)
The #97 car is deservedly the pre-race favourite after dominating in the first half of the American Le Mans Series. With factory backing and an A-list driver line-up in former Ferrari Formula 1 racer Mika Salo, Felipe Massa's successor as Euro F3000 champion Jaime Melo and British GT2 specialist Johnny Mowlem, nothing less than a win is expected.

For a full preview of the great race, pick up this week's Autosport magazine which includes a 70-page Le Mans supplement.

RAIN PREVENTS LNT IMPROVEMENT

Team LNT was unable to improve on its first day qualifying performance ahead of Saturday's Le Mans 24 Hours after rain struck Thursday's running.

With the session already delayed by 30 minutes while oil deposited on the track by the historic support race practice session was cleared up, a cloudburst moments before the start soaked the circuit. Although the rain eased off in the second half of the session, the track never dried, meaning that the team's two cars will start eight and 10th in the GT2 class.

Despite bad luck in qualifying preventing the team from showing it's true pace, Danny Watts, who set the qualifying time for the number 81 car he shared with Tom Milner Jr and Tom Kimber-Smith late during Wednesday's running, is confident of the Panoz's speed.

"I'm very happy with the pace in the wet - in fact I'd prefer a wet race at this stage," said Watts. "I was third-quickest in the wet while I was driving and the car's well-sorted for these conditions now. I'm getting nicely into the groove in the wet and the dark now."

The number 82 car, shared by Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Rob Bell, will start tenth despite restricted running during Wednesday's qualifying after Bell suffered a high-speed tyre blowout.

GT2 QUALIFYING
1 Kirkaldy/Mullen/Niarchos (Ferrari 430 GT), 4m04.185s
2 Long/Leitz/Narac (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR), 4m04.622s
3 Salo/Melo/Mowlem (Ferrari 430 GT), 4m05.358s
4 Van Overbeek/Bergmeister/Neiman (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR), 4m05.588s
5 Nielsen/Ehret/Simonsen (Porschee 911 GT3-RSR), 4m08.211s
6 Krohn/Jonsson/Braun (Ferrari 430 GT), 4m09.065s
7 Belicchi/Caffi/Chiesa (Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R), 4m10.719s
8 Kimber-Smith/Watts/Milner Jr (Panoz Esperante GTLM), 4m11.025s
9 Janis/Hezemans/Kane (Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R), 4m11.598s
10 Tomlinson/Dean/Bell (Panoz Esperante GTLM), 4m13.049s
11 Villaroel/Rosenblad/Marsh (Ferrari 430 GT), 4m15.669s
12 Felbermayr Sr/Felbermayr Jr/Collin (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR), 4m17.750s
13 Newey/Marcari/Aucott (Ferrari 430 GT), 4m21.714s

LNT IN TOP TEN DESPITE BAD LUCK

Team LNT overcame a double dose of misfortune during the first day of qualifying for this weekend's 75th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, with both of its Panoz Esperante GTLMs in the top ten in class.

The team's number 81 car, crewed by 2006 GT2 class winner Tom-Kimber Smith, former Renault Formula 1 junior driver Danny Watts and American rising star Tom Milner Jr, missed the vast majority of the session with a clutch problem. After repairs, Watts was able to hit the track late on to set a lap good enough for eighth.

The second car, number 82, crewed by Lawrence Tomlinson, Richard Dean and Rob Bell, was also hit by bad luck as Rob Bell suffered a high-speed front-right tyre blowout early in the session. Fortunately, Bell was able to keep the car out of the wall and bring it back to the pits for repairs after suffering front-end bodywork damage.

"It was a very big moment," said Bell. "I was on the Mulsanne Straight heading towards the first chicane at 160-170mph. Then before the corner the car started juddering and bodywork started flying off. The tyre had exploded and there was a lot of debris coming up over the car."

Despite the setback, the team was able to repair the damage in time to qualify a solid tenth.

Overall provisional pole position for the race, which starts on Saturday, was taken by former Minardi Formula 1 driver Stephane Sarrazin behind the wheel of the diesel-powered Peugeot 908 HDi.

Team LNT has the opportunity to improve its starting position with a further four hours of qualifying starting at 6pm (BST) Thursday.

LNT READY FOR LE MANS

Team LNT, the international sportscar racing arm of Ginetta-owning company LNT Automotive, is this week bidding to repeat its famous victory in last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

The team is fielding a brace of Ford V8-engined Panoz Esperante GTLM machines in the GT2 class of the French endurance classic, which starts at 2pm British time on Sunday. Last year, it claimed the first Le Mans win for the American sportscar marque in a decade of trying with a faultless run by Lawrence Tomlinson, Tom Kimber-Smith and Richard Dean.

The Esperante will face strong opposition from both Porsche and Ferrari in the GT2 class, although Kimber-Smith was a very promising sixth fastest in the pre-Le Mans test at the beginning of June. The class is recognised as one of the most competitive at Le Mans, with a high standard of driving and preparation throughout the field. That Team LNT heads into the event among the favourites is testament to the team’s strong reputation.

Dean and Tomlinson will link up with Rob Bell in one of the team’s cars, with Kimber-Smith, Danny Watts and Tom Milner Jr in the other.

First qualifying for the event starts at 6pm British time on Wednesday, with a total of four hours of running. The second qualifying session is at the same time on Thursday.

INSTRUCTORS ON FORM AT SNETT

Speedworks Motorsport instructors Joe Twyman and Ollie Hancock enjoyed mixed fortunes in Sunday’s Guards Trophy three-hour endurance race at Snetterton.

Twyman, sharing an Elva Mk7 with car owner Roger Wills, was denied a strong result when the car suffered a gearbox failure with only 15 minutes to run.

“I started the race, did and hour and a quarter and handed over to Roger in eighth place and second in class," said Twyman. "I was pretty pleased with the drive – it was nice being out there for so long and passing so many cars!

"Roger took over and we moved up to seventh, but then the gearbox failure.”

Despite Twyman’s disappointment, at least one Speedworks instructor picked up a good result. Hancock, sharing a Lotus 23B with brother Sam and father Anthony, won the class in sixth overall behind the wheel of a Lotus 23B.

Pictured: left to right, Hancock, Speedworks instructor Matt Harris, there in support and Twyman

MERRY MAKES HIS MARK

Speedworks Motorsport's Neil Merry is pleased with the progress he made in the third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Snetterton last week despite being eliminated from race two in a first-corner pile-up.

Merry, along with team-mates Tony Hughes and Jonny Hyde, was one of three Speedworks drivers who were caught up in the accident and did not get past the first corner.

"Max Henderson's car had spun in front of me and I had to brake to avoid hitting him," said Merry. "Unfortunately I was collected by another car. It was disappointing obviously, but I had a fantastic weekend and was really happy with what I did in qualifying and race one."

Merry claimed a career-best 16th on the grid, coming home in the same position after a spectacular race.

"I feel I took a big step forward in qualifying," he said. "This is such a competitive championship and a few tenths can make a massive difference in terms of grid position. The race was hard work because I was battling all the way through but fantastic fun. I was up to 13th at one point!"

Team Principal Christian Dick was impressed with Merry's progress.

"Neil's been struggling to achieve the lap times he's capable of in qualifying, which has made life difficult for him in previous races," said Dick. "I'm very pleased he's been able to show everyone what he can do when he doesn't have to play catch up in the races."

AVALONVALE PARTNERSHIP WITH SPEEDWORKS

Speedworks Motorsport’s Christian Dick will be supported by leading HR/Payroll Solutions company AvalonVale in this year’s Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship.

The company has been involved in motorsport since 2005, initially backing former Speedworks driver Phil Sykes, and has chosen to move into the high-profile Ginetta series this year.

“AvalonVale is, like Speedworks Motorsport, a dynamic and rapidly growing company which has earned itself an excellent reputation in its marketplace,” said Dick. “To have a company of this standing as a team partner is a major boost both to the team and to my own championship hopes.”

For further information on AvalonVale click here

DICK FIGHTS BACK AT SNETT

Christian Dick put in a superb recovery drive to take a top ten finish in the second race of the third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Snetterton.

Dick, who started fourth on the grid, dropped to the back of the field after spinning at the Esses with a brake problem early in the race. Despite the setback, he carved his way back through the field to finish tenth.

"The race was going really well," said Dick. "I was in the lead pack and trying to make a pass when I touched the brake and felt nothing. It was a choice of either spinning myself or taking out four or five cars, so I had to let it spin. After that it was just a question of getting as far back up the order as possible."

Dave Jackson also had to work hard for his 12th place after being wiped out by Frank Wrathall at the first corner.

"I was really comfortable running in the lead queue, but I got t-boned at Riches," said Jackson. "It was good fun coming back through though! Just a shame the red flag stopped me from getting into the top ten."

Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms was the only other of the team's seven drivers to finish, coming home a career-best 13th despite a clash with Miles Masarati at the chicane.

Neil Merry, Jonny Hyde and Tony Hughes were all eliminated in a first-corner accident, while Andy Cakebread retired after just one lap with a recurrence of the gearbox problems which put him out of race one.

Race results (amended)
1 Joe Osborne
2 Matt Nicoll-Jones
3 Julian Barratt
4 Ben Elliott
5 Paul Moden
6 Daniel Laddiman
7 Spencer McCarthy
8 Andy Smith
9 Gavin Mitchell
10 Christian Dick
11 Chris Petch
12 Dave Jackson
13 Gary Simms
14 Jon Cook
15 Duncan Gass
16 Ross Edwards
17 Martin Jones
18 Neil Houston
19 Steve Williams

DNF Paul Rutter
DNF Richard Sykes
DNF Andy Cakebread - gearbox
DNF Max Henderson
DNF Mark Wania
DNF Neil Merry - accident
DNF Jonny Hyde - accident
DNF Jonathan Hawkins
DNF Michael Ralph
DNF Tony Hughes - accident

JACKSON STUNS AT SNETTERTON

Speedworks Motorsport Dave Jackson put in a storming drive to take a career-best seventh place in the first race of the third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Snetterton.

Jackson, who started 12th on the grid, charged into the top ten on the opening lap after making a flying start. He went on to finish the 15 lap race within striking distance of pole position starter Joe Osborne.

"I tried everything I could to get past him, but he's good at keeping you behind," said Jackson. "It's a shame I lost touch with the lead group at the restart after a safety car - I was down as low as 10th or 11th place - but to be able to run with these kinds of drivers at the front is fantastic."

Team Principal Christian Dick had headed Jackson in the early stages, only for an engine problem to force him to retire.

"I just ran over the kerb at Russell and the engine died," said Dick. "We're trying to work out what the problem is now to get it out for the second race."

Speedworks' other drivers also put in strong drives, making up for Dick's disappointment at his own retirement. Jonny Hyde, who had qualified only 19th after going radical on setup in qualifying, surged into the top ten.

Neil Merry finished a season's-best 16th after enjoying several close battles, while Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms picked up the first points of his Ginetta career with 19th.

"I managed to avoid the first-corner pile-up to make up some places, and I passed a couple of cars in the race," said Simms. "It's a boost to get the first points, and although I'm near the back of the grid for race two I want to do the same again."

Tony Hughes was eliminated in the same first corner pile-up, while Ginetta debutant Andy Cakebread also failed to finish when he hit a gearbox problem while 11th in the middle part of the race.

Race results
1 Matt Nicoll-Jones, 15 laps in 25m15.249s
2 Daniel Laddiman, +0.849s
3 Ben Elliott, +0.934s
4 Julian Barratt, +1.121s
5 Paul Moden, +1.759s
6 Joe Osborne, +8.031s
7 Dave Jackson, +9.269s
8 Spencer McCarthy, +12.246s
9 Mark Wania, +16.606s
10 Jonny Hyde, +16.685s
11 Gavin Mitchell, +17.756s
12 Max Henderson, +18.263s
13 Paul Rutter, +18.889s
14 Richard Sykes, +21.047s
15 Andy Smith, +22.465s
16 Neil Merry, +23.394s
17 Jonathan Hawkins, +33.434s
18 Jon Cook, +36.852s
19 Gary Simms, +40.286s
20 Chris Petch, +49.790s
21 Duncan Gass, +49.795s
22 Steve Rigby, +57.629s
23 Neil Houson, +63.192s
24 Miles Masarati, +71.139s
25 Michael Ralph, +75.003s
26 Steve Williams, +1 lap
DNF Martin Jones
DNF Andy Cakebread - gearbox
DNF Christian Dick - engine
DNF Frank Wrathall
DNF Stuart Pearson
DNF Richard Austin
DNF Ross Edwards
DNF Tony Hughes
DNF Andy Coombs
DNF Christopher Wright

DICK TO START EIGHTH

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick will start eight for the first race of tomorrow's third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Snetterton.

Dick recovered from a broken shock absorber during the free practice session to seal a slot on the fourth row of the grid despite a minor engine problem costing him power on a circuit where straightline speed is critical.

"I'm confident that the time is there in the car and myself," said Dick. "Now I need to make some good progress early in the race to be in a position to fight for the podium."

Dave Jackson claimed his personal best qualifying position in an impressive 12th overall, only a second off pole man Joe Osborne.

"I could have done a little bit better if I'd picked up a good tow," said Jackson. "But overall I'm happy. I know I'm quicker than a few of the guys ahead of me and I'm really up for this one. I have to get into the top ten!"

Andy Cakebread, making his racing return after almost two years out of competition, was a strong 13th. Cakebread, a former MGBC V8 champion, is racing team-mate Edd Straw's regular machine and enjoying the experience, despite ending up in the corn field at Riches in qualifying.

"I found the ghost gear," said Cakebread. "I was heading to Riches, thought I had it in third and there was just nothing! I braked as much as I could but ended up on the grass and then went into the field to help the farmer out!

"I'm still feeling my way in with the car and working on the setup. I'd have liked to have been a littler further up the grid, but I'm really looking forward to getting out racing again."

GT Bikes-backed Neil Merry also took his career-best Ginetta qualifying position in 16th overall.

"I'm over the moon with this," said Merry. "I had a good talk with Christian before qualifying about where I could find some time and where I was going to attack and this is the result."

Jonny Hyde will start 19th, although he has the pace to race forward into the top ten, while Tony Hughes continued to progress along his learning curve with 27th.

Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms will start 32nd.

"Obviously I wanted to be further up the grid than this" said Simms. "But hopefully in the first race I should be able to pick up some time by following some of the other drivers and be in a position to get some points in the bag by the end of the day."

Qualifying times
1 Joe Osborne, 1m20.785s
2 Julian Barratt, +0.198s
3 Matt Nicoll-Jones, +0.227s
4 Ben Elliott, +0.268s
5 Daniel Laddiman, +0.346s
6 Stuart Pearson, +0.483s
7 Paul Moden, +0.607s
8 Christian Dick, +0.683s
9 Paul Rutter, +0.765s
10 Frank Wrathall, +0.879s
11 Andy Smith, +0.932s
12 Dave Jackson, +1.085s
13 Andy Cakebread, +1.324s
14 Richard Sykes, +1.369s
15 Spencer McCarthy, +1.396s
16 Neil Merry, +1.435s
17 Max Henderson, +1.442s
18 Mark Wania, +1.495s
19 Jonny Hyde, +1.617s
20 Gavin Mitchell, +1.686s
21 Steve Rigby, +2.059s
22 Christopher Wright, +2.109s
23 Richard Austin, +2.142s
24 Jonathan Hawkins, +2.201s
25 Chris Petch, +2.251s
26 Ross Edwards, +2.594s
27 Tony Hughes, +2.622s
28 Michael Ralph, +2.706s
29 Jonathan Cook, +2.707s
30 Duncan Gass, +2.717s
31 Miles Masarati, +2.823s
32 Gary Simms, +2.963s
33 Martin Jones, +3.314s
34 Andy Coombs, +3.318s
35 Neil Houston, +3.664s
36 Steve Williams, +5.755s

HYDE FLYING IN PRACTICE

Jonny Hyde was the best-placed of Speedworks Motorsport's seven drivers in free practice ahead of the third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Snetterton.

Hyde was less than eight-tenths of a second off pacesetter Julian Barratt's best mark in the session, which does not count for qualifying for tomorrow's races.

Team Principal Christian Dick ended up only 17th after his front-right shock absorber broke. However, Dick is optimistic that there's more to come in qualifying.

"It's a frustrating setback, but better for it to happen in free practice than in qualifying or the race," said Dick. "I'm hopeful that with a clean qualifying session we should be right up there."

Andy Cakebread, making his first Ginetta appearance racing absent team-mate Edd Straw's regular car, was a solid 14th fastest despite only having half-a-day of testing in the car.

Dave Jackson was 15th fastest off the back of some impressive lap-times in testing, with Neil Merry and Tony Hughes, on his first racing appearance at Snetterton, 18th and 27th respectively.

Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms was 29th.

FREE PRACTICE TIMES
1 Julian Barratt, 1m20.892s
2 Joe Osborne, 1m21.163s
3 Paul Moden, 1m21.280s
4 Stuart Pearson, 1m21.284s
5 Frank Wrathall, 1m21.418s
6 Andy Smith, 1m21.449s
7 Daniel Laddiman, 1m21.492s
8 Ben Elliott, 1m21.683s
9 Jonny Hyde, 1m21.688s
10 Matt Nicoll-Jones, 1m21.915s

14 Andy Cakebread, 1m22.396s
15 Dave Jackson, 1m22.437s
17 Christian Dick, 1m22.549s
18 Neil Merry, 1m22.657s
27 Tony Hughes, 1m23.698s
29 Gary Simms, 1m24.087s

TWYMAN AND HANCOCK ON TRACK

Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship instructors Joe Twyman and Ollie Hancock enjoyed mixed fortunes in their historic racing outsings at Brands Hatch on Bank Holiday Monday.

Twyman (pictured) qualified 10th overall and fourth in class for the two-driver Sports Racing Masters race at a sodden Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, running well up the order in his Elva Mk7 before dropping back with a misfire. Despite the problem, he handed over to car owner Roger Wills in a strong position and the pair were able to complete the two-driver race an impressive 12th overall.

"It was certainly pretty hairy going into Paddock hill Bend from a rolling start with Lola T70s, Ford GT40s and McLarens kicking up the spray!" said Twyman. "For me the race was a test run in the Elva ahead of the Autosport-backed Guards Trophy three-hour race at Snetterton last weekend."

Hancock qualified the Lotus 23B he shares with his father an impressive third at Brands, but despite leading early on he was forced to retire from the one-hour race after just three laps when his gearbox failed.

As well as his successful run at Brands Hatch, Twyman had a superb first outing in his Lotus 7, finishing fifth overall and winning his class on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on the previous Saturday.

SIMMS GUNNING FOR POINTS

Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms is confident of picking up his first points in this weekend's third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Snetterton.

Simms had a successful test at the circuit last week, improving his pace in the final session of the day to a point where he is a sure-fire contender to make the top 20 points-scoring positions. Despite ending his last race at Brands Hatch in the wall at Paddock Hill Bend, Simms is optimistic for Snetterton.

"Brands Hatch was difficult because I went straight into the weekend without driving the circuit as testing on the GP track is so limited," said Simms. "I really enjoyed Snetterton in testing and with a free practice session still to come before qualifying I'm hopeful of a good run.

"As far as objectives go obviously I want to score my first points and continue to improve my pace. I really enjoyed the races at Brands and want to use Snetterton to continue to improve my racecraft. It's a quick track with a few good overtaking opportunities, so I can't wait to get out there on Saturday."

For ticket information for the meeting click here