SPEEDWORKS BOSSES IMPRESSED

Speedworks Motorsport co-owners Christian Dick and Amy Leigh have paid tribute to the hard work put in by the outfit's personnel during a hectic start to the season.

The opening four events of the Ginetta G50 Cup and the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship were held over a total of just six weeks, taking in Oulton Park, Cadwell Park, Knockhill and Croft in an incredibly short period of time. Speedworks ran a total of nine cars at each of the four meetings, and Dick is impressed by the efforts made by the team.

"I can't speak highly enough of the efforts put in by everyone at Speedworks over the past month-and-a-half," says Dick. "We've had a ridiculously busy schedule, and even when cars have required substantial repairs of even partial rebuilds the team has been up to it.

"We've had a lot of new people joining us this year so it was important that the team gelled quickly, and although the results we've had so far have been mixed I'm very pleased with what's been happening off track as far as Speedworks is concerned."

Leigh has also been impressed with the industrious start to the season.

"It has been absolutely flat out but things have run relatively smoothly," says Leigh. "There literally hasn't been the time to relax for a second because of how quickly the rounds have been coming!

"We've got a five week gap in the run-up to the next round at Snetterton which is a good chance to catch up with everything, and if everyone keeps working as well as they have been doing the rest of the season will go very well indeed."

TWO SYKES' IN THE TOP FIVE

Richard and Phil Sykes put in strong performances to finish fourth and fifth in the second Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 race of the weekend at Croft.

Richard, who started sixth on the grid after being forced out of Saturday's race with a broken alternator bracket, was quickly climbed to fourth and held the position for much of the race.

"I was pushing but I couldn't quite get on terms with the top three," said Richard. "I enjoyed the race, even though it was pretty quiet for me!"

Neil Merry claimed ninth place after hectic race in which he ran as high as eighth.

"I maybe should have concentrated on going forward rather than worrying about what was behind me," said Merry. "But I had some really good battles and it's good to get another decent finish."

Edd Straw claimed 13th place after also running in the top ten before a clash at the hairpin dropped him down the order.

"I had Martin Jones up my inside and Paul Marsh had a go at both of us," said Straw. "I as on the outside and had a car in the side of me and ended up off the track."

G20 race two results
1 Spencer McCarthy, 10 laps in 16m10.319s
2 Kieran Vernon, +0.522s
3 Julian Barratt, +3.233s
4 Richard Sykes, +9.293s
5 Phil Sykes, +17.714s
6 Gary Simms, +21.214s
7 Andy Smith, +27.342s
8 Tom Jones, +36.102s
9 Neil Merry, +40.408s
10 Paul Morgan, +40.602s
11 Martin Jones, +42.208s
12 Paul Marsh, +42.494s
13 Edd Straw, +50.220s
14 Neil Houston, +51.408s
15 Wayne Austin, +60.222s
16 Matthew Flowers, +63.358s
17 Russel McCarthy, +63.709s
18 Steve Williams, +80.931s
19 Andrew Long, +80.934s
20 Steve Rigby, +81.867s
21 Emily Fletcher, +83.233s
22 Stewart Barton, +84.560s
23 Michael Ralph, +93.742s
24 Debbie Bennett, +1 lap
DNF Peter Dignan
DNS Dave Jackson - withdrawn

DIFF PROBLEM DEFEATS DICK

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick was forced to retire from the seventh race of the Ginetta G50 Cup season at Croft with a broken differential.

After making a stunning start from sixth on the grid to run third on the first lap, Dick was twice forced off the track by the diff problem which made the car "undriveable".

"I went off at Sunny In on the second lap and then spun at Barcroft - the fastest corner on the track - later on," said Dick. "I was having so many big moments because the rear just wasn't behaving so I thought it was safer to retire before I stuffed it in the wall!"

Team-mates Richard Sykes and Tony Hughes both opted to start on wet tyres on the drying track and ended up 13th and 14th, the latter after a tyre change.

"It was just all over the place," said Sykes. "The tyres were shot by the end of the race and the back was moving around even when you were going slowly!"

G50 Race 1 Results
1 Nigel Moore, 21 laps in 30m55.452s
2 Rob Austin, +0.876s
3 Frank Wrathall, +16.482s
4 Ben Elliott, +17.044s
5 Tom Sharp, +27.641s
6 Clive Richards, +43.513s
7 Rod Carman, +53.691s
8 Jon Cook, +58.921s
9 Toby Newton, +79.645s
10 Richard Austin, +83.535s
11 Tom Dunstan, +85.198s
12 Christopher Clayton, +1 lap
13 Richard Sykes, +2 laps
14 Tony Hughes, +4 laps
DNF Christian Dick - differential
DNF Clive Coote
DNF Michele Tommasi

BAD LUCK BEFALLS SPEEDWORKS

Speedworks Motorsport was denied several strong results in the first race of the fourth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship after bad luck struck four of its five drivers.

Phil Sykes - the top finisher for the team in sixth overall - was in contention to fight for a podium position before a clutch failure left him stuck in third gear for the last five laps of the race. Sykes came close to slavaging fifth, but was pipped on the line by Peter Dignan.

"I was in third gear our of the hairpin and he was in first so there wasn't much I could do about it," said Sykes. "It's a shame because I'd definitely have been fourth without difficulty because the pace is there."

Neil Merry was the only of the team's drivers to run without difficulty - claiming his best finish of the season in tenth - and it could have been better.

"I probably should have got ninth off Martin Jones but I really enjoyed the race," said Merry. "I had a big moment out the back but other than that it wasn't too difficult!"

The team's second Sykes, Richard, was running right at the sharp end only for a broken alternator bracket to force him to retire in the early stages.

"I was right up there and it's gutting to be out," said Richard. "It's a really simple part that broke as well. If I'd finished I'd have been right in there for the podium."

Dave Jackson, who started 11th on the grid, didn't make it past the first corner after being hit by former Speedworks driver Gary Simms.

"It's a really tight corner and you have to give each other a bit of space, but Gary just clattered into me," said Jackson. "That's three finishes in seven races now. I can't believe it."

Edd Straw, who started 14th, also ended up in the gravel as a result of the incident.

"I was playing it safe on the inside just looking to hold station but had to take to the grass to avoid the crash in the first corner," said Straw. "That meant I was going to fast and just flew into the gravel trap clipping a few other cars on the way. But if I hadn't taken the grass option it would have been a much bigger accident."

G20 RACE ONE RESULTS
1 Kieran Vernon, 11 laps in 20m13.679s
2 Julian Barratt, +0.822s
3 Spencer McCarthy, +0.911s
4 Gary Simms, +7.981s
5 Peter Dignan, +12.336s
6 Phil Sykes, +12.437s
7 Russel McCarthy, +18.702s
8 Paul Marsh, +24.697s
9 Martin Jones, +24.697s
10 Neil Merry, +25.623s
11 Wayne Austin, +34.292s
12 Steve Williams, +35.339s
13 Matthew Flowers, +35.507s
14 Neil Houston, +36.549s
15 Paul Morgan, +42.453s
16 Emily Fletcher, +44.352s
17 Andrew Long, +55.138s
18 Debbie Bennett, +55.948s
19 Stewart Barton, +62.079s
20 Andy Smith, +2 laps
DNF Tom Jones
DNF Paul Mancey
DNF Michael Ralph
DNF Richard Sykes - alternator bracket
DNF Steve Rigby
DNF Dave Jackson - accident
DNF Edd Straw - accident

DICK STRUGGLES IN QUALIFYING

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick will start both of tomorrow's Ginetta G50 races from sixth on the grid after a difficult qualifying session.

Despite setting times good enough for the third row, Dick complained of handling difficulties.

"It was really hard to drive," said Dick. "But we're making progress with the setup and hopefully we'll be in good shape for the races tomorrow."

Richard Sykes qualified 15th, two places ahead of third Speedworks driver Tony Hughes.

G50 CUP QUALIFYING
1 Nigel Moore, 1m25.804s
2 Ben Elliott, +0.534s
3 Rob Austin, +0.619s
4 Clive Richards, +1.112s
5 Frank Wrathall, +1.445s
6 Christian Dick, +1.818s
7 Rod Carman, +1.835s
8 Tom Sharp, +2.053s
9 Jon Cook, +2.823s
10 Tom Dunstan, +2.833s
11 Clive Coote, +2.971s
12 Michele Tommasi, +3.037s
13 Richard Austin, +3.112s
14 Christopher Clayton, +3.931s
15 Richard Sykes, +4.274s
16 Toby Newton, +4.688s
17 Tony Hughes, +6.897s

SYKES ON FORM IN G20 QUALIFYING

Richard Sykes followed up his maiden podium in the last round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Knockhill with a superb fourth on the grid at Croft.

Sykes set a time less than half a second off pole man Spencer McCarthy to earn himself a place on the second row.

Phil Sykes made it two Speedworks cars in the top ten with ninth, while Dave Jackson and Neil Merry just missed out in 11th and 12th places.

Edd Straw will start 14th for the first of the two races of the weekends, which will take place this afternoon.

G20 Qualifying
1 Spencer McCarthy, 1m35.467s
2 Kieran Vernon, +0.173s
3 Julian Barratt, +0.220s
4 Richard Sykes, +0.900s
5 Russel McCarthy, +0.917s
6 Andy Smith, +1.127s
7 Gary Simms, +1.353s
8 Phil Sykes, +1.583s
9 Peter Dignan, +1.719s
10 Matthew Flowers, +2.088s
11 Dave Jackson, +2.398s
12 Neil Merry, +2.451s
13 Martin Jones, +2.938s
14 Edd Straw, +3.052s
15 Paul Morgan, +3.123s
16 Stewart Barton, +3.163s
17 Steve Rigby, +3.446s
18 Wayne Austin, +3.614s
19 Michael Ralph, +3.799s
20 Tom Jones, +3.877s
21 Steve Williams, +4.082s
22 Emily Fletcher, +4.451s
23 Neil Houston, +4.489s
24 Andrew Long, +4.513s
25 Debbie Bennett, +4.763s
26 Paul Mancey, +5.554s

RICHARD AND PHIL SYKES RAPID IN PRACTICE

Speedworks Motorsport drivers Richard and Phil Sykes both ended this morning's free practice session for the fourth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Croft in the top ten.

Richard Sykes, who finished third last time out at Knockhill, was fourth fastest overall, with Phil, who also made the podium at the Scottish circuit eighth overall despite being disappointed with his session.

"It wasn't the best," said Phil. "I was struggling with understeer so hopefully we can dial that out for qualifying. I've gone well here in the past so I'm looking for some strong results!"

Dave Jackson, who starred at Croft last year running in the top three in both races, just missed out on the top ten in 11th, with team-mate Neil Merry eight-tenths of a second slower in 13th.

Edd Straw was 25th fastest after completing just five laps, while Knockhill race winner Paul Sheard sat out the session.

G20 Free Practice
1 Kieran Vernon, 1m34.864s
2 Julian Barratt, +1.103s
3 Andy Smith, +1.636s
4 Richard Sykes, +1.824s
5 Gary Simms, +1.983s
6 Paul Marsh, +2.021s
7 Russel McCarthy, +2.052s
8 Phil Sykes, +2.545s
9 Matthew Flowers, +2.809s
10 Peter Dignan, +3.026s
11 Dave Jackson, +3.340s
12 Steve Rigby, +3.849s
13 Neil Merry, +4.103s
14 Martin Jones, +4.346s
15 Sam Hare, +4.391s
16 Tom Jones, +4.456s
17 Wayne Austin, +4.530s
18 Emily Fletcher, +4.536s
19 Paul Morgan, +5.861s
20 Michael Ralph, +5.992s
21 Debbie Bennett, +6.794s
22 Steve WIlliams, +6.871s
23 Andrew Long, +6.921s
24 Paul Mancey, +7.050s
25 Edd Straw, +7.951s
26 Nei Houston, +7.953s

SPEEDWORKS STRONG IN CROFT TEST

Speedworks Motorsport completed its preparations for the fourth round of both the Ginetta G50 Cup and the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship with a total of six cars testing today.

Richard Sykes and Tony Hughes joined Team Principal Christian Dick behind the wheels of the team's three G50s, although wet weather in the afternoon disrupted the running of all three.

"Rain is the last thing I wanted because I still haven't had much running in the car," said Hughes, who was forced to miss the first session of the day with a fuel pump problem. "But it's all experience and that's what I need in this car at the moment! This weekend is all about continuing the learning process."

Sykes tried his rebuilt G50 for the first time since his big accident at Knockhill two weeks ago, while Dick was happy with the progress made despite the bad weather.

"We wanted to try a few things in the dry in the afternoon, but there's not much you can do about the rain," said Dick. "It's looking very positive for the weekend. We went well here in the G20s last year and hopefully we'll be able to be just as strong in the G50!"

The team also ran three G20s, with Paul Sheard joining Dave Jackson and Sykes. With Sheard and Sykes both on the podium last time out at Knockhill and Jackson turning in a stunning performance at the North Yorkshire circuit last yeat, the team is in with a strong chance of some top results.

SYKES'S G50 READY FOR CROFT

Speedworks Motorsport Ginetta G50 racer Richard Sykes will return to action in this weekend’s fourth round of the championship at Croft after the team completed a rebuild of the front-end of his car.

Sykes was one caught up in a first-lap accident at Knockhill two weeks ago caused when Toby Newton spun and triggered a multi-car pile up. Despite having to miss the second race of the day at Knockhill, Sykes’s car will be on the grid for this weekend’s races.

As well as chassis damage, much of the front-end of the car required a rebuild.

“It was a big job, particularly as we already had a lot of work to do after two race weekends back to back,” says Team Principal Christian Dick. “But we’ve got the car back into top condition and ready for Richard to get back out there this weekend.”

Sykes will line up alongside Dick and Tony Hughes on the G50 grid for Speedworks this weekend.

OLLIE HANCOCK TAKES DOUBLE VICTORY AT ROCKINGHAM

Speedworks Motorsport chief instructor Ollie Hancock took an impressive double Formula Renault BARC victory at Rockingham last weekend to take the lead of the championship.

The Hampshire-based driver dominated the wet races at Rockingham, underlining his pace by earning the bonus point for fastest lap of the weekend.

"The team gave me a great car for both races so my heartfelt thanks to them," said Hancock. "It had superb traction and was fantastic to drive, despite the conditions. I’ve never driven in the wet at Rockingham before, but we had a couple of warm-up laps in race 1 so I used them to find where the grip was off-line.

"It worked exactly as I’d hoped and that first lap was incredible. I know I’ve still got some work to do to improve my qualifying, but three wins from four races is a superb start to the season and I can’t wait for the next round at Oulton Park where both the team and I have a good record."

For further information on Ollie Hancock click here

GINETTA G50 CUP ON TV

The opening races of the Ginetta G50 Championship will be broadcast on Sky Sports on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Among the highlights of the coverage will be Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick’s charge to second in race two and team-mate Richard Sykes's spectacular off in the first race.

“We already knew the cars were fantastic to drive, but Oulton Park was the first time we could see just how good the racing was,” says Dick. “The TV coverage is going to be fantastic to watch.”

There will also be coverage of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship season-opening races in the programmes.

TV TIMES
1730 Tuesday (Sky Sports Extra)
2330 Tuesday (Sky Sports Extra)
0330 Wednesday (Sky Sports Extra)
0800 Wednesday (Sky Sports Extra)
1400 Wednesday (Sky Sports Extra)

SPEEDWORKS SWEEPS THE PODIUM

Paul Sheard led a Speedworks Motorsport lockout of the podium in the second race of the third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Knockhill.

Sheard claimed his first win of the season ahead of team-mates Phil and Richard Sykes after a spectacular charge from ninth on the grid to lead by the end of the first lap.

"The conditions early on were tricky so I knew I needed to make hay while it rained," said Sheard. "Once I was in the lead I tried to pull away, but it was difficult with Paul Marsh right on my bumper for a lot of the race."

With Marsh receiving a ten-second penalty for jumping the start, Phil Sykes was promoted to second on only his second appearance of the season. He had a comfortable margin over Richard Sykes, who charged from the back of the grid after an electrical problem in qualifying.

"I really enjoyed that," said Richard. "You really know you've been in a race when you come from the back so it was a fantastic experience.

Dave Jackson picked up more solid points with eighth place, while Neil Merry equalled his best result of the season in 11th. Edd Straw finished 16th after an unsuccessful gamble on slick tyres in the wet conditions.

G20 RACE TWO RESULTS
1 Paul Sheard, 14 laps in 15m01.795s
2 Phil Sykes, +3.878s
3 Richard Sykes, +5.433s
4 Paul Marsh, +11.165s
5 Peter Dignan, +16.082s
6 Julian Barratt, +23.929s
7 Kieran Vernon, +28.935s
8 Dave Jackson, +29.763s
9 Spencer McCarthy, +30.275s
10 Steve Rigby, +33.727s
11 Neil Merry, +33.034s
12 Gary Simms, +44.969s
13 Wayne Austin, +47.404s
14 Emily Fletcher, +49.670s
15 Andy Smith, +50.604s
16 Edd Straw, +1 lap
17 Matthew Flowers, +1 lap
18 Steve Williams, +1 lap
DNF Neil Houston
DNF Paul Morgan
DNF Michael Ralph
DNF Russel McCarthy

BAD LUCK LEAVES DICK EIGHTH

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick could manage only eighth in the second Ginetta G50 Cup race at Knockhill after picking up damage in the early stages of the race.

Dick, who started second, suffered significant rear-end damage while in the fight for podium positions which prevented him from showing the kind of pace which had earned him fastest lap in race one.

Team-mate Tony Hughes claimed another solid finish in 12th.

"I improved my lap times again so it's another step in the learning process," said Hughes. "I'm still a novice really so it's all about getting time in the car and getting better every time I go out."

Richard Sykes was unable to start the race after suffering significant front-end damage after being caught up in a race one pile-up.

G50 RACE TWO RESULTS
1 Nigel Moore, 24 laps in 22m08.041s
2 Frank Wrathall, +7.203s
3 Clive Richards, +7.717s
4 Ben Elliott, +15.503s
5 Jon Cook, +18.251s
6 Tom Sharp, +18.551s
7 Paul O'Neill, +20.298s
8 Christian Dick, +27.645s
9 Rod Carman, +39.392s
10 Richard Austin, +49.659s
11 David Dove, +1 lap
12 Tony Hughes, +2 laps
DNF Alan Bonner
DNS Richard Sykes
DNS Toby Newton
DNS Tom Dunstan

DICK CHARGES TO SIXTH

Speedworks Motorsport's Christian Dick put in a storming recovery drive to claim sixth place in the fifth race of the Ginetta G50 Championship season at Knockhill.

Dick set fastest lap on his way back up the order after dropping to last following an early-race off.

"I had just passed Paul O'Neill on the start/finish straight and tried to pass Tom Sharp into the first corner," said Dick. "But I mad the move a bit too late and he took his line - which he was right to do - and because I had to lift I went off.

"It's frustrating, but the positive thing is we showed we have the pace to win in the second race. It's also valuable points in the championship."

Team-mate Tony Hughes overcame a steering problem to take his first-ever G50 top ten finish.

"The steering went a bit strange after I'd had a big slide in the hairpin, so after that I was very careful," said Hughes. "It was hot work out there, but I'm pleased to have learned more about the car and got a decent result."

Speedworks Motorsport's third driver, Richard Sykes, was eliminated in a massive pile-up at Clark, triggered by the spinning Toby Newton, which caused the race to be red flagged on the first lap.

"I just came round the corner and there were cars everywhere," said Sykes, who collected Tom Dunstan's car. "I hit him so hard that my front splitter ended up in front of his fuel tank!"

The race was won by Ginetta Junior champion Nigel Moore, who has now won five out of five this season.

G50 CUP RACE ONE
1 Nigel Moore, 22 laps in 20m03.742s
2 Frank Wrathall, +6.310s
3 Clive Richards, +7.416s
4 Ben Elliott, +8.393s
5 Tom Sharp, +22.866s
6 Christian Dick, +35.748s
7 Richard Austin, +38.043s
8 Jon Cook, +49.494s
9 David Dove, +1 lap
10 Tony Hughes, +1 lap
11 Paul O'Neill
DNF Alan Bonner
DNF Richard Sykes - accident
DN Michele Tommasi
DNF Tom Dunstan
DNF Rod Carman

THREE TOP TENS FOR SPEEDWORKS

Speedworks Motorsport drivers claimed three top ten finishes in the first race of the third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Knockhill.

Richard Sykes, Paul Sheard and Dave Jackson finished seventh, eighth and ninth in a spectacular race, which was won overall by Ginetta Junior graduate Kieran Vernon.

"I couldn't quiet get up with the top six but I had a good battle with Richard," said Sheard. "Hopefully in the second race we can have a bit more luck and get right up there."

Jackson fought his way from 14th on the grid up to ninth, passing both Peter Dignan and Matthew Flowers in the closing stages.

"I had a really enjoyable race," said Jackson. "I was a little bit quicker than both Peter and Matthew and I managed to get them both in the end!"

Neil Merry survived a first-lap spin on the first lap after having to go onto the grass to avoid another rotating car to finish 12th.

"I was surprised to see people spinning there on the first lap and I just had nowhere to go," said Neil. "But I didn't lose too much time and had some fun fighting my way back up."

Team-mate Edd Straw was also caught up in the same incident, hitting the tyre wall after having to take evasive action.

"It was just a classic first lap incident," said Straw. "It was either head off to the right and into the barrier or t-bone Neil's car. After than I just took it very easy to keep the tyres in as good a conditions as possible for race two."

Despite the impact, and a pit-stop to check for serious damage which cost him a lap, Straw cruised home 17th.

Phil Sykes was the only Speedworks driver not to make it to the chequered flag, retiring with a clutch problem while running strongly in the top ten with five laps to go.

G20 RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Kieran Vernon, 19 laps in 20m13.970s
2 Spencer McCarthy, +0.382s
3 Julian Barratt, +2.128s
4 Andy Smith, +11.495s
5 Russel McCarthy, +11.677s
6 Paul Marsh, +20.372s
7 Richard Sykes, +22.846s
8 Paul Sheard, +22.960s, +22.960s
9 Dave Jackson, +32.006s
10 Peter Dignan, +32.452s
11 Matthew Flowers, +32.776s
12 Neil Merry, +42.176s
13 Michael Ralph, +42.486s
14 Steve Williams, +43.975s
15 Steve Rigby, +45.048s
16 Wayne Austin, +60.532s
17 Edd Straw, +1 lap
18 Paul Morgan, +2 lap
DNF Phil Sykes - clutch
DNF Neil Houston
DNF Emily Fletcher
DNF Gary Simms

DICK HITS FRONT IN QUALIFYING

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick will have the perfect opportunity to claim his first win of the season after qualifying on the front row of the grid for the first of Sunday's Ginetta G50 Championship races.

Dick proved his mastery of damp conditions to qualify second on the grid, just behind runaway championship leader Nigel Moore. Despite missing out on pole, Dick is confident he will have a good chance at victory come race day.

"To be honest pole was probably a possibility with how good the car was," said Dick. "But second is a very good position to be starting in and there's every chance we can give Nigel a good run for his money in the races.

Richard Sykes will start 12th on the grid, with Tony Hughes 16th.

G50 QUALIFYING TIMES
1 Nigel Moore, 58.590s
2 Christian Dick, +0.585s
3 Tom Sharp, +0.623s
4 Frank Wrathall, +0.862s
5 Paul O'Neill, +0.976s
6 Toby Newton, +1.394s
7 Ben Elliott, +1.532s
8 Clive Richards, +1.685s
9 Richard Austin, +2.349s
10 Alan Bonner, +2.620s
11 Jon Cook, +2.639s
12 Richard Sykes, +3.131s
13 Tom Dunstan, +3.215s
14 Rod Carman, +3.587s
15 David Dove, +4.712s
16 Tony Hughes, +7.306s
17 Michele Tommasi, +10.121s

SHEARD RAPID IN G20 QUALIFYING

Paul Sheard will start fifth on the grid for the first race of the third round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Knockhill.

The former TVR Tuscan Challenge racer had been second fastest in free practice, but despite slipping onto the third row in qualifying is confident of a strong race performance.

"I usually race better than I qualify so I'm in the mix at the front," said Sheard. "I got down to a decent time early in the session but couldn't get under the 60-second barrier. I'd hoped to be on the front two rows, but we know the car is quick enough to fight for podium places."

Phil Sykes continued his recent strong qualifying form with eighth overall, with Dave Jackson and Neil Merry 14th and 15th.

"I could have gone faster but didn't manage to get onto the pace I had in testing," said Jackson. "Now tomorrow I need a really good start and hopefully I will be able to push on into the top ten."

Richard Sykes, who is combining a G20 campaign with a full season in the new G50 Cup for Speedworks, will start in 18th, while Edd Straw will start 20th after his session ended early with a chronic misfire.

"It's a bit frustrating, but I'm going to have some fun fighting my way through the order in the races," said Straw. "The misfire started to come in quite early so I didn't get the chance to set a proper laptime."

The two races will be held on Sunday.

G20 QUALIFYING TIMES
1 Julian Barratt, 59.545s
2 Kieran Vernon, +0.065s
3 Spencer McCarthy, +0.494s
4 Paul Marsh, +0.549s
5 Paul Sheard, +0.606s
6 Russel McCarthy, +0.772s
7 Peter Dignan, +0.772s
8 Phil Sykes, +0.775s
9 Matthew Flowers, +1.100s
10 Gary Simms, +1.192s
11 Andy Smith, +1.699s
12 Neil Houston, +1.728s
13 Paul Morgan, +2.020s
14 Dave Jackson, +2.086s
15 Neil Merry, +2.160s
16 Steve Rigby, +2.181s
17 Steve Williams, +2.366s
18 Richard Sykes, +2.494s
19 Michael Ralph, +3.317s
20 Edd Straw, +3.444s
21 Wayne Austin, +3.740s
22 Emily Fletcher, +3.869s

DICK THIRD IN FREE PRACTICE

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick set third fastest time in free practice for the third round of the Ginetta G50 Championship at Scottish circuit Knockhill.

Dick set a best time just under three tenths of a second slower than championship leader Nigel Moore, and is confident of a strong showing in qualifying.

"We're in decent shape to go for a front-row start," said Dick. "We're learning more and more about the car every time we go out because we're having to do all our testing during the race weekends, and I'm very pleased with the progress we've made."

Team-mate Richard Sykes was 13th fastest, while Tony Hughes continued to log valuable mileage in only his second appearance in the championship and set 16th best time.


G50 FREE PRACTICE TIMES
1 Nigel Moore, 54.563s
2 Michele Tommasi, +0.214s
3 Christian Dick, +0.285s
4 Frank Wrathall, +0.391s
5 Rod Carman, +0.470s
6 Clive Richards, +0.597s
7 Tom Dunstan, +0.779s
8 Toby Newton, +0.884s
9 Jon Cook, +0.975s
10 Ben Elliott, +1.056s
11 David Dove, +1.415s
12 Richard Austin, +1.445s
13 Richard Sykes, +1.563s
14 Alan Bonner, +3.193s
15 Paul O'Neill, +3.853s
16 Tony Hughes, +4.060s

PROMISING PRACTICE FOR G20s

Speedworks Motorsport's sextet of Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship laid the foundations for a strong afternoon of qualifying in free practice for the third round of the series at Knockhill in Scotland.

Paul Sheard, who is looking for a strong weekend to get himself back into championship contention, was second fastest in the wet session, less than two tenths of a second off Paul Marsh's time.

"The car was really good in those conditions," said Sheard. "Testing went well in the dry yesterday, so hopefully we should be in good shape whatever the conditions are for qualifying."

Phil Sykes, making his second appearance of the season in place of the otherwise-engaged Ross Edwards, was sixth overall, with Edd Straw making it three Speedworks cars in the top ten with tenth place.

"There's a lot more to come in those conditions," said Straw. "There's not much point laying it on the line in free practice, but I learned plenty about the circuit and am pretty confident that if we have we conditions this afternoon I'll be further up."

Richard Sykes and Dave Jackson also showed good form, ending up 11th an 12th fastest.

"It was tricky because there was a lot of traffic out there," said Sykes. "But the car was really good and well-balanced so it was a very promising practice session."

Neil Merry, coming off the back of his best result of the season at Cadwell Park last weekend, took a cautious approach to the conditions and ended up 19th.

G20 FREE PRACTICE
1 Paul Marsh, 1m06.958s
2 Paul Sheard, +0.192s
3 Julian Barratt, +0.329s
4 Spencer McCarthy, +0.738s
5 Russel McCarthy, +0.776s
6 Phil Sykes, +1.350s
7 Andy Smith, +1.513s
8 Matthew Flowers, +1.669s
9 Gary Simms, +2.133s
10 Edd Straw, +2.296s
11 Richard Sykes, +2.550s
12 Dave Jackson, +2.653s
13 Paul Morgan, +3.412s
14 Peter Dignan, +3.463s
15 Steve Rigby, +3.867s
16 Neil Houston, +3.988s
17 Emily Fletcher, +4.004s
18 Michael Ralph, +4.025s
19 Neil Merry, +4.770s
20 Steve Williams, +5.079s
21 Wayne Austin, +5.083s
22 Kieran Vernon, +13.214s

DICK BOUNCES BACK WITH FIFTH

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick kept himself in the hunt for the inaugural Ginetta G50 Championship title despite failing to finish the first race of the double-header.

Dick finished a strong fifth in race two, right on the tail of British Touring Car Championship race winner Paul O'Neill, to in part make up for retiring early in the first race.

Richard Sykes picked up two solid finishes for the team, with 12th and 13th positions, while Tony Hughes built up some much-needed mileage in the car after missing the opening round of the season and registered a best finish of 14th.

RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Nigel Moore
2 Phil Keen
3 Paul O'Neill
4 Clive Richards
5 Richard Austin
6 Jon Cook
7 Tom Sharp
8 Toby Newton
9 Clive Coote
10 Michele Tommasi
11 Tom Dunstan
12 Rod Carman
13 Richard Sykes
14 Tony Hughes
DNF Ben Elliott
DNF Frank Wrathall
DNF Christian Dick

RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Nigel Moore
2 Phil Keen
3 Clive Richards
4 Paul O'Neill
5 Christian Dick
6 Frank Wrathall
7 Jon Cook
8 Richard Austin
9 Clive Coote
10 Tom Dunstan
11 Rod Carman
12 Richard Sykes
13 Toby Newton
14 Michele Tommasi
15 Tom Sharp
16 David Dove
17 Tony Hughes

COMEBACK KID SYKES STARS

Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship returnee Phil Sykes starred for Speedworks Motorsport in the Ginetta Festival event at Cadwell Park.

Sykes, making his first appearance in Ginettas for over a year, qualified a superb fourth and claimed fourth and seventh place finishes in the double-header. He followed this up with seventh in race two, one place ahead of team-mate Ross Edwards.

Paul Sheard also picked up a strong result in race two with fourth, while Neil Merry claimed his best finish of the season with 11th in race one.

RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Spencer McCarthy
2 Kieran Vernon
3 Julian Barratt
4 Phil Sykes
5 Russel McCarthy
6 Gary Simms
7 Paul Marsh
8 Matthew Floers
9 Paul Morgan
10 Peter Dignan
11 Neil Merry
12 Jonathan Hawkins
13 Steve Rigby
14 Andy Smith
15 Michael Ralph
16 Wayne Austin
17 Steve Williams
18 Andrew Long
19 Emily Fletcher
20 Martin Jones
21 Ross Edwards
DNF Richard Sykes
DNF Paul Sheard
DNF Dave Jackson
DNF Debbie Bennett
DNF Sam Hare

RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Kieron Vernon
2 Spencer McCarthy
3 Andy Smith
4 Paul Sheard
5 Russel McCarthy
6 Julian Barratt
7 Phil Sykes
8 Ross Edwards
9 Gary Simms
10 Steve Rigby
11 Peter Dignan
12 Martin Jones
13 Matthew Flowers
14 Jonathan Hawkins
15 Neil Merry
16 Michael Ralph
17 Paul Morgan
18 Steve Williams
19 Wayne Austin
20 Emily Fletcher
DNF Paul Marsh
DNS Dave Jackson
DNF Richard Sykes

PHIL SYKES MAKES GINETTA RETURN

Phil Sykes will return to the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship with Speedworks Motorsport at Cadwell Park on Sunday.

Sykes, a multiple winner in Mazda MX-5 racing, raced in the championship in last year’s season-opener at Oulton Park, and will make his return after a year’s absence.

He will drive the car raced by Johnny Hyde for Speedworks Motorsport last season, and plans to use the Cadwell double-header to reacclimatise to Ginetta racing.

“This will very much be a weekend of trying to make progress every time I go out in the car,” said Sykes. “I don’t expect to get any real results this weekend, but I’m looking forward to having a couple of good races.”

Speedworks will field a total of six G20s at Cadwell, with Paul Sheard, Richard Sykes, Dave Jackson, Neil Merry and Ross Edwards joining Sykes. Team regular Edd Straw will be absent because of work commitments.