PRIVATEER AWARD LAUNCHED

The best-presented privateer entry over the course of the 2007 Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship season will be recognised by a new award created by Speedworks Motorsport and GT Bicycles.

The winner of this prestigious accolade - to be announced at Ginetta's end-of-season awards dinner - will receive a stunning GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc mountain bike provided by GT Bicycles. The prize, which retails at £299.99, will be awarded to an independent competitor who makes the most successful effort in terms of presentation both on and off track over the course of the season.

"The beauty of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship is that it attracts a large number of privateer entries who can run at the front and fight for the championship," says Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick. "We put a premium on the importance of good presentation, as it benefits not only our team but the championship as a whole. There are some very well-prepared privateer entries on the grid this year, and we wanted to take the opportunity to reward their efforts.

"We're not simply looking for whoever throws the most money at the presentation of their car - a new paint job every round is obviously out of the question! But what we are looking for is proof of a concerted effort to make the car look the part on and off the track."

The award winner will be decided by a panel of representatives from Speedworks Motorsport, GT Bicycles and Ginetta Cars.

For further information on GT Bicycles click here

MOORE STARS AT SILVERSTONE

Nigel Moore kept up his 100% record with a double victory in the second round of the PlayStation Ginetta Junior Championship at Silverstone last weekend.

The 15-year-old had to work hard for victory in race one after starting fifth on the grid. While Kieran Vernon took the lead from pole position starter Nick Ponting off the line, Moore clashed with Dominic Lakemann-Pettit at the hairpin and spun down to eighth.

While Vernon, Lakeman-Pettit and James Jefferson disputed the lead, Moore climbed back up the order and by lap seven was up with the leaders. Lakemann-Pettit dropped out of the lead battle when he spun at Luffield after another clash with Moore, who dragged past both Vernon and Jefferson on the start/finish straight at the start of lap eight.

Moore held the lead to the finish, with Jefferson nicking second place from Vernon on the last lap.

In race two, Moore fought back after slipping to fourth at the start to take the lead on lap three. With Lakemann-Pettit and Jefferson taking themselves out of the reckoning after clashing at Brooklands, Moore edged away to take victory by over two seconds. Paul Marsh took second after IDL Engineering’s Tom Sharp spun down to fifth while challenging Moore for victory.

Race 1 Results
1 Nigel Moore, 15m38.243s
2 James Jefferson, +0.424s
3 Kieron Vernon, +0.508s
4 Tom Sharp, +4.854s
5 Chris Clayton, +6.368s
6 Paul Marsh, +6.491s

Race 2 Results
1 Nigel Moore, 15m16.339s
2 Paul Marsh, +2.208s
3 Nick Ponting, +4.745s
4 Chris Clayton, +8.371s
5 Tom Sharp, +8.832s
6 George Richardson, +15.291s

HANCOCK TAKES FIRST WIN

Speedworks Motorsport Chief Instructor Ollie Hancock claimed a dramatic first Formula Renault BARC win of the season at Silverstone last Saturday.

Hancock, driving for Mark Burdett Motorsport, started the first race of the weekend’s double-header from pole position after topping qualifying by a second, but dropped behind Ross Worswick in the middle stages of the race. However, Hancock reeled Worswick in over the closing laps and capitalised on a spinning backmarker to claim the lead on the last lap.

“I was catching Ross towards the end and was three-tenths behind him at the start of the last lap,” said Hancock. “Then in Copse a backmarker spun in front of us. Ross went right of him and I went left, which gave me a slight run on him and I was able to take the lead on the inside into the hairpin.”

Despite taking his first victory of the season, there was also disappointment for Hancock as an engine problem in race two made it impossible for him to challenge for victory despite again being on pole by a massive margin. Despite battling in the top four in the first part of the race, he ultimately finished tenth after being hit by Aaron Steele.

“I was trying to hang onto fourth place into Brooklands,” said Hancock. “Aaron Steele came up the inside and pushed me into a spin – just as he did at Oulton Park. It’s frustrating because it leaves us a long way back in the championship.”

Race two winner Hywel Lloyd now leads the championship from Dean Stoneman, with Hancock currently lying third.

NEWCOMER ADDISON SET FOR DEBUT

Novice Laura Addison will make her racing debut behind the wheel of a Speedworks Motorsport-prepared Ginetta G20 in the inaugural Powernights event at Silverstone on August 2.

Addison will also contest the second Powernights event at Donington Park a week later before her planned debut in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Croft on September 8/9.

Despite never having seriously tested a Ginetta before, Addison made impressive progress during her first outing at Donington last Thursday, significantly improving her lap times during the sessions.

“I’ve never done a test session like this and there was a lot to learn,” said Addison. “But towards the end of the day I really got the confidence up and got more used to being on track at speed with other cars.

“The Silverstone race will be my first time at the track, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick was impressed with Addison’s progress during the test.

“Laura’s times came down throughout the day and she did a very good job,” said Dick. “There’s a lot to learn when you start out in racing – things that more experienced drivers take for granted – and I’m sure she’ll have a fantastic time at Silverstone.”

EASTWOOD TO MAKE RACE RETURN

Former Speedworks Scholarship winner David Eastwood will return to racing in the MaX5 Championship at Brands Hatch on August 26-27.

Eastwood, who won the 2006 scholarship and was a consistent frontrunner in the one-make series for Mazda MX-5s, has sat out much of the season while concentrating on graduating from university. Having achieved a degree in Business Studies from Liverpool University, Eastwood is eager to return to racing full-time next year.

“It’s just a one-off to get a feel for the car before a full season next year,” said Eastwood. “I’ve been desperate to get back out there, but the degree has had to come first, and this will give me a good chance to get back into it ahead of next season.”

Eastwood will race the 2006 scholarship car, which he purchased from Speedworks at the start of the season, as a privateer.

“It’s good to see David back out racing,” said Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick. “He did a very good job last year and showed that he has very real promise as a driver.”

SYKES JOINS SPEEDWORKS MOTORSPORT

Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship frontrunner Richard Sykes has joined Speedworks Motorsport.

The 42-year-old, who already has a fastest lap to his name this season, only started racing in August last year but has rapidly moved to the front of the field to become a regular top ten runner, claiming a best finish of second at Donington Park in 2006.

“I’m really enjoying racing in this championship and hopefully the results will continue to improve,” said Sykes. “I’ve had a bit of bad luck in the first part of the year, so I’m looking forward to picking up some good finishes in the second half of the season.”

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick is confident that Sykes is a worthy addition to his driver line-up.

“I’ve been impressed with Richard’s driving this season, especially when you consider he’s been racing for less than a year,” said Dick. “In the last round at Brands we had a good few cars in the top ten, and in Richard we have another driver who will produce those kind of results. He already has several very strong finishes to his name, and I'm confident there are more to come.”

MERRY TAKES TOP TEN

Speedworks Motorsport’s Neil Merry claimed his first top-ten finish in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship after a superb drive in race two at Brands Hatch.

Merry, in his first season of Ginettas, fought his way up the order from 19th on the grid to take a tenth place finish.

“I was so excited when I saw my position on the pit-board that I almost put it in the gravel,” said the delighted Merry. “It was hard work from where I was on the grid, but it was a really enjoyable race.”

Team Principal Christian Dick claimed another solid result with eighth after a close battle with Daniel Laddiman, while Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms battled his way through a midfield pack to claim 15th place.

“I didn’t have a great first lap and realised I had to start going past some people,” said Simms. “My lap times were far better than when we were here in April, and there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend.”

Tony Hughes picked up more points with 18th, while Edd Straw was unable to capitalise on charging from 24th to 12th on the opening lap after hitting braking problems.

“The guys had worked really hard on the car between the two races and the brake pedal was absolutely perfect for about the first lap,” said Straw. “I knew had had a cracking lap and was confident I could take a good result, but it just got harder and harder to go quickly.

“In the end I couldn’t touch the pedal without the brakes locking and decided that enough was enough when I almost took out Matt Nicoll-Jones, who was leading, after the fronts locked solid on the run to Paddock.”

Dave Jackson was on target for another decent points haul when he lost it on the run out of Druids, hitting the barrier. Despite only suffering light damage, he was unable to restart the car and had to retire. Jonny Hyde also failed to finish after suffering engine problems following a clash with Spencer McCarthy at Stirlings on lap one.

Brands Hatch Race 2
1 Matt Nicoll-Jones, 15 laps in 26m21.368s
2 Rob Austin, +3.120ss
3 Frank Wrathall, +12.468s
4 Andy Smith, +12.535s
5 Joe Osborne, +13.827s
6 Mark Wania, +22.100s
7 Daniel Laddiman, +22.390s
8 Christian Dick, +22.821s
9 Ben Elliott, +25.807s
10 Neil Merry, +28.872s
11 Paul Rutter, +33.517s
12 Richard Sykes, +41/276s
13 Paul Moden, +49.091s
14 Duncan Gass, +54.199s
15 Gary Simms, +54.720s
16 Miles Masarati, +67.261s
17 Paul Morgan, +75.279s
18 Tony Hughes, +77.082s
19 Martin Jones, +82.587s
20 Paul Galan-Bamfield, +89.230s
21 Neil Houston, +94.846s
22 Steve Williams, +109.993s
23 Steven Graham, +1 lap
24 Edd Straw, +1 lap
R Dave Jackson – accident
R Chris Petch
R Jonny Hyde – engine
R Spencer McCarthy
R Gavin Mitchell
R Michael Ralph

HYDE FIFTH AT BRANDS

Speedworks Motorsport’s Jonny Hyde claimed a season’s best fifth place in the first race of the fourth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Brands Hatch.

Hyde, who started eighth on the grid, evaded a race-stopping shunt which wiped out several frontrunners, including Julian Barratt and Mark Wania, holding off Joe Osborne to take his first top five of the season.

Team Principal Christian Dick battled from 10th on the grid to seventh despite struggling with handling.

“The car was a little unpredictable, so I wasn’t totally confident to really attack,” said Dick. “The pace is there in the car and with a few small changes we should be in good shape for race two.”

Dave Jackson claimed another solid points haul in 12th, one place ahead of Neil Merry.

“I’m a bit disappointed because I was well up in the top ten in the first part of the race,” said Jackson. “I struggled with understeer all through the race and it was hard work.”

Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms picked up his third consecutive points finish with 17th, while Tony Hughes kept out of trouble to take 22nd.

“After the carnage of Snetterton I took it very easy in the first few laps,” said Hughes. “I didn’t make a great start, but picked up a few places and managed to avoid the accidents.”

Edd Straw finished 29th after struggling with braking problems.

Brands Hatch Race 1
1 Matt Nicoll-Jones, 9 laps in 17m39.665s
2 Spencer McCarthy, +4.378s
3 Ben Elliott, +6.794s
4 Rob Austin, +8.917s
5 Jonny Hyde, +9.712s
6 Joe Osborne, +9.972s
7 Christian Dick, +10.926s
8 Andy Smith, +13.390s
9 Daniel Laddiman, +15.538s
10 Frank Wrathall, +17.739s
11 Gavin Mitchell, +18.186s
12 Dave Jackson, +23.452s
13 Neil Merry, +25.511s
14 Richard Sykes, +29.625s
15 Duncan Gass, +30.433s
16 Paul Moden, +34.052s
17 Gary Simms, +34.410s
18 Chris Petch, +35.056s
19 Michael Ralph, +42.024s
20 Miles Masarati, +42.831s
21 Paul Rutter, +44.810s
22 Tony Hughes, +49.479s
23 Martin Jones, +50.155s
24 Paul Galan-Bamfield, +50.610s
25 Neil Houston, +63.340s
26 Steve Williams, +68.969s
27 Paul Morgan, +69.128s
28 Steven Graham, +69.933s
29 Edd Straw, +82.243s
DNF Christopher Wright
DNF Mark Wania
DNF Julian Barratt
DNF Edwina Graham

HYDE LEADS THE WAY

Jonny Hyde was the best-placed of Speedworks Motorsport’s drivers in qualifying for the fourth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship at Brands Hatch.

Hyde will start from the fourth row of the grid after putting in a best lap of 1m44.889s around the Brands Grand Prix circuit, despite having lost his bonnet during the morning's free practice session (pictured).

It might have been even better for Speedworks, with Team Principal Christian Dick holding pole position in the first part of the session before being forced to stop with a thermostat problem. As others improved, he was unable to defend his position and slipped to 10th.

“The bad luck I’ve had this year has been incredible,” said Dick. “The basic pace is there, so it’s going to be another race of battling up the order.”

Dave Jackson, who claimed a career-best seventh last time out at Snetterton, will start 11th, but it could have been even better for him before an electrical problem kicked in.

“It’s frustrating,” said Jackson. “The lap times were still coming down, but at least it means I’ve got a good car for tomorrow.”

Neil Merry qualified 19th, two places ahead of Speedworks Ginetta Scholarship winner Gary Simms.

Edd Straw will start 23rd after struggled to overhaul his driving style to suit the Ginetta.

“Every car requires a certain style and it’s up to the driver to adapt to it,” said Straw. “But without any testing it makes it very difficult. My pace through individual corners is good, but in trying to drive in a very different way to what I’m used to the car keeps catching me out.”

Tony Hughes will start 28th.

Qualifying
1 Matt Nicoll-Jones, 1m43.774s
2 Spencer McCarthy, 1m44.222s
3 Ben Elliott, 1m44.299s
4 Frank Wrathall, 1m44.440s
5 Joe Osborne, 1m44.552s
6 Rob Austin, 1m44.577s
7 Mark Wania, 1m44.780s
8 Jonny Hyde, 1m44.889s
9 Julian Barratt, 1m44.953s
10 Christian Dick, 1m 45.031s
11 Dave Jackson, 1m1m45.231s
12 Andy Smith, 1m45.433s
13 Gavin Mitchell, 1m45.555s
14 Daniel Laddiman, 1m45.627s
15 Paul Rutter, 1m45.738s
16 Richard Sykes, 1m45.745s
17 Duncan Gass, 1m46.059s
18 Miles Masarati, 1m47.082s
19 Neil Merry, 1m47.467s
20 Michael Ralph, 1m47.712s
21 Gary Simms, 1m47.943s
22 Christopher Wright, 1m48.139s
23 Edd Straw, 1m48.139s
24 Neil Houston, 1m48.425s
25 Paul Galan-Bamfield, 1m48.546s
26 Martin Jones, 1m48.766s
27 Paul Morgan, 1m48.892s
28 Tony Hughes, 1m49.575s
29 Steve Williams, 1m50.745s
30 Steven Graham, 1m53.744

WERRELL COMPLETES LEJOG

Motorsport commentator Mark Werrell successfully completed his charity ride from Lands End to John O’Groats last week.

He covered the 997 miles in 12.5 days, ahead of the original schedule, and has raised in the region of £4,500 for the Lincoln B.A.B.I.E.S. (Babies Are Born Incredibly Early Sometimes) charity. The charity is raising money for the Special Care Baby Unit of Lincoln County Hospital.

A keen statistician, Werrell has compiled detailed figures which demonstrate the epic scale of his ride.

Time taken 12.5 days
Total distance997 miles
Top speed 42.5mph
Longest day 91.63 miles
Leg cycles 378,241
Calories 49487
Total heartbeats 552,341

RACING AGAINST CANCER IN WTCC

Luis Pedro Magalhaes is contesting this weekend's World Touring Car Championship round at Porto in Portugal to raise money for the Portuguese League Against Cancer.

The 36-year-old was diagnosed with cancer last year, but has since successfully completed a course of chemotherapy. He will make his top-line racing debut behind the wheel of a SEAT Leon run by the independent Exagon Engineering outfit. The car has already run at the front of the indie class this season, and the Portuguese has every chance of an eye-catching result.

The World Touring Car Championship races in 11 different countries over the course of the season and is one of just three world championships available to win in motorsport. This makes it the ideal platform to raise awareness of cancer.

"My life was at a turning point when I finished chemotherapy treatment," said Magalhaes. "I said to myself, what can I do to show other people that it is possible to defeat cancer? The answer was to go back to normal life and start racing again.

"This will give worldwide exposure to our initiative. To achieve this goal is a dream fulfilled. Never mind what the sporting results will be, the most important thing is to pass the message onwards. And if I will be able to help somebody in his fight against cancer, that will be my victory."

Magalhaes was eighth fastest of the independents in yesterday's half-hour test session at the Portuguese street track.

Qualifying for the Porto round of the WTCC takes place at 1500 (BST) today, with the two races screened at 1000 (BST) and 1600 (BST) tomorrow on Eurosport 2 and Eurosport respectively.

TWYMAN IN THE BIG TIME

Speedworks Motorsport instructor Joe Twyman drove in two of the world's highest-profile motorsport events last month, appearing at both the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Twyman shared a Lotus XI with fellow Speedworks instructor Matt Harris in the Le Mans Legends race - a historic support event to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a mechanical problem in qualifying leaving the duo starting 47th on the 60-car grid, Twyman was leading the class in damp but drying conditions when the rotor arm broke on his in-lap just before handing over to Harris.

"It was absolutely amazing to be starting a race at Le Mans in front of a 24 hour crowd," said Twyman. "I got a great start and threaded my way through the slower cars but at the end of the first lap a Ford GT40 squeezed me onto the grass making me loose most of the time I made up as I spun!

"Over the next laps I gained back the time and got out into the class lead. I had a comfortable gap and was confident Matt was going to keep us there. On my in lap out at Indianapolis the car then cut out!"

Twyman then appeared at Goodwood a week later, demonstrating the legendary Porsche 917 and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the famous hill.

"Although they were only demonstrations it was a fantastic experience to be driving the 917 that featured in the film Le Mans and won Daytona with Rodriguez and Oliver onboard in 1971!

"The Teenage Cancer Trust, for whom I work as an ambassedor, were the sole beneficiary to the event and stand to have made a healthy six-figure sum on the back of it, not to mention the good publicity."

LNT SIXTH AT NURBURGRING

Team LNT pairing Lawrence Tomlinson and Richard Dean claimed sixth place in the GT2 class in last weekend’s Nurburgring 1000kms.

Just two weeks after taking a solid fifth place in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the duo piloted their Panoz Esperante GTLM to another top six in the latest round of the Le Mans Series. Dean started the car from 11th place in the ultra-competitive class, with he and Tomlinson coming home within 30 seconds of the fifth-placed Speed Racing Team Spyker C8 of Andrea Belicchi, Andrea Chiesa and Jonny Kane.

The second LNT Panoz of Tom Kimber-Smith and Danny Watts retired after 76 laps with an engine problem having qualified eighth in class.

Rob Bell, who shared an LNT Panoz with Dean and Tomlinson at Le Mans last month, also enjoyed success in the race, winning the GT2 class as part of the Virgo Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT line-up alongside co-driver Allan Simonsen.

The race was won overall by the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of former Formula 1 drivers Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin, with the second Peugeot of Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian second.

MOORE TAKES FIRST JUNIOR WIN

Nigel Moore fought back from a first-lap clash to claim his first car racing victory in the opening round of the PlayStation Ginetta Junior Championship at Anglesey last weekend.

The 15-year-old karting graduate clashed with Fergus Walkinshaw in Peel corner while attempting to take second place on the first lap of the racing, dropping down to seventh place.

While Moore set about climbing back up the order, Dominic Lakeman-Pettit, who dominated the pre-season warm-up meeting at Pembrey, extended his lead. On lap six, he spun down to fourth, promoting the charging Moore to third place.

Moore then passed Cassey Watson for second at Rocket on lap seven before slipping ahead of Chris Clayton on the run out of Peel on the final lap of the race.

Moore had an easier job of winning the second race, leading every lap despite constant pressure from Lakeman-Pettit.

Race 1 Result
1 Nigel Moore, 15m32.647s
2 Chris Clayton, +1.067s
3 Cassey Watson, +7.879s
4 Dominic Lakeman-Pettit, +25.824s
5 Kieron Vernon, +26.866s
6 Tom Sharp, +27.215s

Race 2 Result
1 Nigel Moore, 15m37.473s
2 Dominic Lakeman-Pettit, +0.237s
3 Tom Sharp, +11.947s
4 Fergus Walkinshaw, +20.688s
5 Kieron Venon, +20.982s
6 James Jefferson, +23.479s

SYKES TAKES TOP TEN IN NEW CAR

Phil Sykes claimed a top ten finish on the first outing for his new Speedworks Motorsport-build Mazda MX-5 at Mallory Park last weekend.

Sykes, who finished fourth in last year’s championship, put in two battling performances at the Leicestershire circuit to take 10th and 12th places in the well-supported races.

It was a doubly successful day for Speedworks, with Team Principal Christian Dick assisting step-father Paul Sheard’s Shearspeed Motorsport operation.

Veteran racer Sheard put in two strong drives, winning the first race from second on the grid after battling past pole man Jez Clark and taking second in race two behind 2006 champion Jonathan Greensmith to keep his championship bid well on target.