DOUBLE SYKES AT THRUXTON

Speedworks Motorsport duo Phil and Richard Sykes were the team's top performers in the second Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship race at Thruxton.

Phil finished a strong sixth, just over four seconds behind race winner Mark Wania, with Richard only a few lengths behind him in seventh.

Dave Jackson and Neil Merry also put in strong performances to take 13th and 14th, with Edd Straw down in 17th after struggling with brake problems and a coolant leak.

Ross Edwards was forced to withdraw after 7 laps after handling problems forced him into a spin at Goodwood Corner.

GINETTA G20 RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Mark Wania, 12 laps in 17m54.504s
2 Keran Vernon, +0.383s
3 Spencer McCarthy, +0.476s
4 Russel McCarthy, +2.558s
5 Andy Smith, +4.149s
6 Phil Sykes, +4.395s
7 Richard Sykes, +4.991s
8 Gary Simms, +6.182s
9 Julian Barratt, +10.805s
10 Paul Marsh, +11.543s
11 Tom Jones, +12.040s
12 Matt Flowers, +17.805s
13 Dave Jackson, +29.619s
14 Neil Merry, +30.001s
15 Steve Rigby, +33.167s
16 Peter Dignan,+33.276s
17 Edd Straw, +33.428s
18 Neil Houston, +36.727s
19 Charlie Kemp, +46.230s
20 Emily Fletcher, +48.194s
21 Steve Williams, +48.836s
22 Wayne Austin, +57.838s
23 Duncan Gass, +58.258s
24 Michael Ralph, +67.649s
25 Alex Dziurzynski, +68.266s
DNF Ross Edwards - spin

ANOTHER PODIUM FOR DICK

Christian Dick added another Ginetta G50 Championship podium finish to his growing collection with third place in race one at Thruxton.

Dick carved his way from sixth on the grid to third in the early laps after fighting past Tom Dunstan, Frank Wrathall and Richard Dean. He moved up to second when championship leader Nigel Moore spun exiting Church Corner, only to drop back to third in the closing stages when Moore re-passed him.

"We've taken a step forward from yesterday, although we still need to find a little more pace," said Dick, who finished within ten seconds of race winner Rob Austin. "I was able to get past the rest without too much trouble, but we just need to make a few changes for race two to be able to fight for a win."

Richard Sykes survived two spins at the chicane to take 10th, one place ahead of team-mate Tony Hughes.

"That was really difficult," said Sykes. "The car was very hard work."

G50 RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Rob Austin, 23 laps in 31m19.687s
2 Nigel Moore, +6.866s
3 Christian Dick, +9.515s
4 Frank Wrathall, +17.901s
5 Toby Newton, +20.462s
6 Tom Dunstan, +21.558s
7 Rod Carman, +60.635s
8 Michele Tommasi, +62.172s
9 Richard Dean, +1 lap
10 Richard Sykes, +1 lap
11 Tony Hughes, +1 lap
12 David Dove, +1 lap
DNF Tom Sharp
DNF Chris Clayton

STRONG SHOWING FOR SPEEDWORKS

Speedworks Motorsport picked up another three top ten finishes in the first race of the sixth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Thruxton.

Phil Sykes, a race winner earlier this season at Knockhill, was the team's strongest performer in sixth from fourth on the grid, finishing one place ahead of Richard Sykes, who carved his way up the order after spending the early stages of the race outside the top ten.

"I was strong enough on the brakes to be able to pass people into the chicane," said Richard. "It was a really enjoyable race but it was hard work. I was battling with Phil and Gary Simms right to the flag."

Straw's Ginetta career-best ninth place, from 18th on the grid, was built on a strong start which put him close to the top ten by the second corner.

"Qualifying wasn't particularly good so I knew I needed to make up some ground on the first lap," said Straw. "Once I was up there it was just a question of being patient and sensible - I knew if people came past me I could usually pass them into the chicane."

Dave Jackson was set to finish right behind Straw, only to spin on the final lap, while Neil Merry was on course for another strong finish before spinning in the complex. He was then forced out of the race after he was rear-ended by Paul Marsh on the run to the chicane.

"He just came right into the back of me," said Merry, the third Speedworks driver to have been put off by Marsh this season. "It was a hard enough hit to damage the fuel tank, which shows it wasn't just a tap."

Ross Edwards also put in a strong race, only to crash at the chicane after contact with Mark Wania.

G20 RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Kieran Vernon, 14 laps in 21m16.308s
2 Spencer McCarthy, +0.416s
3 Julian Barratt, +0.887s
4 Andy Smith, +2.698s
5 Russel McCarthy, +5.690s
6 Phil Sykes, +12.957s
7 Richard Sykes, +13.527s
8 Gary Simms, +13.852s
9 Edd Straw, +17.162
10 Tom Jones, +17.332s
11 Matt Flowers, +18.204s
12 Mark Wania, +19.271s
13 Neil Houston, +29.812s
14 Charlie Kemp, +30.222s
15 Steve Rigby, +34.332s
16 Duncan Gass, +35.204s
17 Alex Dziurzynski, +35.533s
18 Wayne Austin, +38.488s
19 Dave Jackson, +39.061s
20 Peter Dignan, +75.002s
21 Michael Ralph, +91.721s
22 Andrew Long, +93.398s
23 Steve Williams, +1 lap
DNF Ross Edwards - accident
DNF Neil Merry - accident
DNF Paul Marsh
DNF Emily Fletcher

DICK HOPES FOR STRONG RACES

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick is hoping for an improved showing in tomorrow's Ginetta G50 Cup double-header after qualifying only sixth.

After making several major setup changes ahead of qualifying, Dick was unable to match the pace of the frontrunners. But despite this, he is optimistic of a stronger performance come race day.

"It's disappointing to be struggling for pace, but things will be different in the races," said Dick. "We've got a fair bit of work to do ahead of tomorrow but we've got a few ideas of what to try. It's a tricky circuit to get the setup right on and it's our first time here with the G50."

Richard Sykes will start 10th, with Tony Hughes 13th.

"I've made a big gain in terms of time since free practice so that's a good step forward," said Hughes. "I'm still inexperienced so the important thing is that I'm doing better compared to myself every time I go out."

GINETTA G50 QUALIFYING
1 Rob Austin, 1m19.733s
2 Nigel Moore, +0.062s
3 Richard Dean, +0.725s
4 Tom Dunstan, +1.065s
5 Frank Wrathall, +1.394s
6 Christian Dick, +1.863s
7 Rod Carman, +1.972s
8 Michele Tommasi, +1.984s
9 Tom Sharp, +2.369s
10 Richard Sykes, +4.402s
11 Chris Clayton, +4.519s
12 David Dove, +6.135s
13 Tony Hughes, +6.539s

SYKES HITS BACK AT THRUXTON

Speedworks Motorsport's Phil Sykes bounced back from a weekend blighted by bad luck last time out at Snetterton by qualifying fourth for the sixth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Thruxton.

Sykes set a best time within a second of pole man Kieran Vernon to put himself in contention for a podium finish on his first outing at the high-speed Hampshire circuit.

"Being up at the sharp end means I should be in contention for a podium finish," said Sykes. "It's a fantastic circuit - I've watched Ginetta racing here before but I've never been to it - so the races should be great fun."

Neil Merry qualified 11th after spending much of the session in the top ten, with Richard Sykes earning 13th place on the grid.

"I had a few moments in the session," said Merry. "But although I didn't get a particularly good tow I was able to set a decent time."

Ross Edwards and Dave Jackson locked out the eighth row in 15th and 16th, with Edd Straw in a disappointing 18th.

G20 QUALIFYING
1 Kieran Vernon, 1m27.348s
2 Julian Barratt, +0.216s
3 Spencer McCarthy, +0.278s
4 Phil Sykes, +0.908s
5 Peter Dignan, +0.975s
6 Mark Wania, +1.139s
7 Paul Marsh, +1.160s
8 Andy Smith, +1.325s
9 Russel McCarthy, +1.905s
10 Gary Simms, +1.983s
11 Neil Merry, +20.072s
12 Matt Flowers, +2.095s
13 Richard Sykes, +2.166s
14 Alex Dziurzynski, +2.308s
15 Ross Edwards, +2.461s
16 Dave Jackson, +2.584s
17 Wayne Austin, +2.683s
18 Edd Straw, +2.841s
19 Tom Jones, +3.141s
20 Michael Ralph, +3.332s
21 Steve Rigby, +3.592s
22 Neil Houston, +4.151s
23 Emily Fletcher, +4.198s
24 Duncan Gass, +4.341s
25 Steve Williams, +4.666s
26 Andrew Long, +7.647s

THRUXTON PREVIEW

As we pass the half way mark of the season and move onto one of the fastest tracks on the country, here's where Speedworks drivers are up to.

Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship
Speedworks is currently second in the Teams Championship thanks to some fantastic drives through the first half of the year. Richard Sykes has lept from the G50 to the G20 with ease and has stormed through the pack several times to take great finishes. Phil Sykes started late but has made up for lost time with some great results and a win at Knockhill. Neil Merry is constantly teetering on the top ten and currently at 13th in the Championship will be looking to get into the top ten. Ross Edwards has ever improved since joining Speedworks and gained his best ever result at Cadwell, he'll be looking to go well at Thruxton before taking a break until Silverstone. Dave Jackson has had mixed fortunes, but he's looking to improve his last Thruxton performance and Edd Straw has had some good results, he too will be looking to go well.

Ginetta G50 Cup
Speedworks is also in second place in the G50 Teams Championship. Finally Christian Dick has got to grips with the car and went well at Snetterton claiming two second places, he's looking to go even better at Thruxton. Richard Sykes suffered yet more damage at Snetterton in qualifying, but the team managed to get him out for both races. Tony Hughes is gathering pace after a late start, his performance is getting better and better!

SPEEDWORKS SECOND IN G50 TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

Speedworks Motorsport is running second in the G50 Cup Teams Championship on the run up to Thruxton. This is a fantastic result considering that Speedworks is also second in the G20 Teams Championship.

Collards 277
Speedworks 264
Rob Austin 257
IDL 252
Xero 237

OLLIE HANCOCK NAMED BRDC RISING STAR

Speedworks Motorsports Chief Instructor, Ollie Hancock has been named as a British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star following four wins from the opening five races in the Formula Renault BARC championship.

The 20-year-old, who only started racing modern single seaters in 2007, has dominated the junior formula this year and currently leads the championship by 17 points having taken a maximum score, for the win and fastest lap, in the last four races.

The BRDC Rising Star scheme opens the door to the prestigious British Racing Drivers’ Club to young racers and is an invitation only programme for a selection of the most talented up and coming racing drivers in the UK.

A delighted Ollie said: “This is a very big honour for me and to say I am happy would be a massive understatement. The BRDC is a hugely respected organisation, not just in the UK, but worldwide, so not only does their invitation to the Rising Stars initiative show that my results this season are being recognised, it also opens up many opportunities for me within the sport.”

BRDC Secretary Stuart Pringle said: “We’ve been very impressed with Ollie’s performances this season and are confident he has the potential to be a very successful racing driver in the future. We believe that by making him a Rising Star we can help that process and we look forward to welcoming him as a full BRDC member in due course.”

Hancock will be hoping to celebrate his selection with another race win when he returns to Formula Renault BARC championship action at Croft on 19-20 July.

SPEEDWORKS SECOND IN STANDINGS

Speedworks lies second in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Teams' Championship standings at the halfway point of the season.

The championship awards points for the team's top two finishers in each race, meaning that the team only trails McCarthy Motorsport in the current standings.

"The teams' championship is a good initiative," says Team Principal Christian Dick. "We've lost a bit of ground in the past few races, but our drivers are getting stronger every race and we will hopefully be able to close the gap."

STANDINGS
1 McCarthy Motorpsort, 345 points
2 Speedworks Motorsport, 246 points
3 Reflex Racing, 211 points
4 Optimum Motorsport, 205 points
5 Tockwith Motorsport, 137 points
6 Hepworth International, 77 points

STRAW CLAIMS FIRST TOP TEN

Speedworks Motorsport's Edd Straw claimed his first Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship top ten finish with a strong drive in the second race of the fifth round of the series at Snetterton.

Straw made a strong start from the fifth row of the grid, running with the lead group early in the race in what was his best Ginetta performance yet.

"After all the problems I had in qualifying and the first race I really enjoyed that," said Straw. "I had some great - and clean - battles throughout the race and have finally started to show something approaching the kind of form I've wanted to! I've got the first top ten, but need to improve on that in the next round."

Richard Sykes claimed 11th after surving a spin at the chicane, with Dave Jackson taking 14th after scrapping with team-mate Ross Edwards for much of the race.

"I had a really good race," said Jackson. "It's not the result I was looking for, but I had some good battles."

With Edwards retiring with an overheating problem, Neil Merry ended up 17th after an early clash with Sykes.

Phil Sykes was unable to start because he was suffering with ongoing engine problems.

GINETTA G20 RACE TWO
1 Spencer McCarthy, 15 laps in 20m37.261s
2 Julian Barratt, +0.004s
3 Paul Moden, +9.409s
4 Andy Smith, +9.431s
5 Paul Marsh, +12.011s
6 Gary Simms, +14.926s
7 Russel McCarthy, +24.014s
8 Paul Morgan, +28.409s
9 Tom Jones, +29.263s
10 Edd Straw, +30.689s
11 Richard Sykes, +34.405s
12 Peter Dignan, +35.060s
13 Steve Rigby, +36.942s
14 Dave Jackson, +37.292s
15 Matt Flowers, +38.166s
16 Wayne Austin, +38.167s
17 Neil Merry, +39.945s
18 Martin Jones, +50.457s
19 Steve Williams, +55.155s
20 Jonathan Hawkins, +56.039s
21 Emily Fletcher, +56.521s
22 Michael Ralph, +72.581s
23 Kieran Vernon, +1 lap
24 Tracey Dixon, +1 lap
25 Andrew Long, +1 lap
26 Paul Mancey, +1 lap
R Ross Edwards - overheating
R Duncan Gass

DICK DOUBLES UP

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick claimed his second runner-up spot of the day with a strong drive in the second Ginetta G50 Cup race at Snetterton.

Dick, who started down in sixth on the grid, made a good start to climb to fourth. He soon got ahead of early leader Frank Wrathall and G50 debutant Glenn Denny to again prove that a first win is close despite the dominance in the championship of Nigel Moore.

"If we had qualified better maybe we'd have had a better chance to challenge Nigel," said Christian. "But it proves we've made good progress with the car since the last round."

Richard Sykes claimed 11th place, with team-mate Tony Hughes continuing to progress in only his second season of racing with a solid 12th.

GINETTA G50 RACE TWO
1 Nigel Moore, 23 laps in 30m08.031s
2 Christian Dick, +2.383s
3 Toby Newton, +7.140s
4 Frank Wrathall, +17.524s
5 Tom Sharp, +18.588s
6 Glenn Denny, +19.991s
7 Michele Tommasi, +20.087s
8 Chris Clayton, +23.617s
9 Richard Austin, +29.624s
10 Tom Dunstan, +43.750s
11 Richard Sykes, +53.419s
12 Tony Hughes, +54.810s
13 David Dove, +73.726s
R Clive Coote
R Ben Elliott

DICK TAKES SECOND PLACE

Christian Dick charged from sixth on the grid to finish second for Speedworks Motorsport in the red-flagged first Ginetta G50 Cup race at Snetterton today.

The Speedworks Team Principal leaped to third place, behind only race winner Nigel Moore and Frank Wrathall, at the rolling start and tailed the lead pair early on. He lost places to Toby Newton and Glenn Denny, but soon fought his way back past them to earn his second runner-up finish of the year.

The safety car was then deployed after Jon Cook suffered a massive accident just before the bridge at the end of the Revett Straight, with the red flag eventually deployed to allow his car to be recovered from the top of a barrier.

"It was a short one, but went very well," said Dick. "It would have been nice to get the race underway again so we could see where we were relative to Nigel, but overall I'm really happy with second place."

Richard Sykes and Tony Hughes claimed 13th and 14th-place finishes after the red flag deprived them of the time they needed to make up more positions.

GINETTA G50 RACE ONE
1 Nigel Moore, 7 laps in 9m20.883s
2 Christian Dick, +0.616s
3 Toby Newton, +1.404s
4 Glenn Denny, +2.043s
5 Frank Wrathall, +2.735s
6 Tom Dunstan, +3.388s
7 Tom Sharp, +24.942s
8 Ben Elliott, +26.212s
9 Michele Tommasi, +28.355s
10 Clive Coote, +108.925s
11 David Dove, +109.912s
12 Chris Clayton, +110.908s
13 Richard Sykes, +112.032s
14 Tony Hughes, +113.342s
R Richard Austin, 4 laps
R Rod Carman, 4 laps
R Jon Cook, 4 laps

SYKES SURGES TO SIXTH

Speedworks Motorsport's Richard Sykes charged from 13th on the grid to claim sixth in the first race of the fifth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Snetterton.

Sykes made a flying start, leaping straight into the top ten then battling his way to a top six finish ahead of title contender Kieran Vernon.

"I made a really quick start and had some really good battles," said Sykes. "I didn't qualify anywhere near as well as I could do, so making a good start was very important."

Neil Merry was the only other Speedworks car to finish, recovering to 18th after a spin while in the top ten dropped him to the tail of the field.

"I tried a pass into the first corner and spun," said Merry. "It's a shame because I'd made some good progress on the first couple of laps."

Ross Edwards was on course for a strong finish - setting a fastest lap bang on the pace of the leaders - only to be forced into the pits with two laps to go suffering from overheating.

Dave Jackson also missed out, retiring with a broken steering arm, while both Edd Straw, who had qualified 11th, and Phil Sykes retired with electrical problems.

GINETTA G20 RACE ONE
1 Julian Barratt, 15 laps in 20m42.233s
2 Spencer McCarthy, +10.684s
3 Gary Simms, +14.281s
4 Andy Smith, +19.325s
5 Paul Moden, +21.878s
6 Richard Sykes, +27.167s
7 Kieran Vernon, +29.167s
8 Russel McCarthy, +29.406s
9 Tom Jones, +29.931s
10 Paul Morgan, +35.731s
11 Peter Dignan, +37.495s
12 Matt Flowers, +39.883s
13 Martin Jones, +50.450s
14 Jonathan Hawkins, +51.107s
15 Wayne Austin, +51.413s
16 Steve Rigby, +52.595s
17 Duncan Gass, +59.163s
18 Neil Merry, +59.613s
19 Michael Ralph, +63.611s
20 Paul Marsh, +63.687s
21 Steve Williams, +64.405s
22 Alex Dziurzynski, +79.161s
23 Andrew Long, +80.616s
24 Tracey Dixon, +1 lap
R Ross Edwards, 13 laps - overheating
R Paul Mancey, 9 laps
R Edd Straw, 6 laps - electrical
R Emily Fletcher
R Dave Jackson, 0 laps - steering
R Phil Sykes, 0 laps - engine

DICK STARTS SIXTH FOR G50s

Speedworks Motorsport Team Principal Christian Dick will start the first of Sunday's two Ginetta G50 Cup races from sixth on the grid.

Dick set his time on his flying fast lap of a rain-affected session, which was interrupted by the safety car after several cars were caught out by conditions.

"The track was soaked so the conditions were very difficult," said Dick. "With a clean session we would probably have qualified a lot faster, but from the third row we are in the mix. But with the amount of standing water that session was largely about survival!"

Tony Hughes will start 15th, while team-mate Richard Sykes was unable to set a time after becoming one of several drivers to be caught out by standing water and crashing early in the session.

QUALIFYING TIMES
1 Nigel Moore, 1m25.901s
2 Toby Newton, +0.576s
3 Frank Wrathall
4 Glen Denny, +1.572s
5 Ben Elliott, +1.650s
6 Christian Dick, +1.984s
7 Michele Tommasi, +2.296s
8 Clive Coote, +2.393s
9 Tom Sharp, +2.699s
10 Richard Austin, +2.789s
11 Tom Dunstan, +2.905s
12 Clive Clayton, +4.137s
13 Rod Carman, +4.598s
14 David Dove, +5.733s
15 Tony Hughes, +7.197s
16 Richard Sykes - no time

STRAW LAMENTS MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Speedworks Motorsport's Edd Straw belives he was denied a far stronger qualifying position for the fifth round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship at Snetterton by an electrical problem.

Although he qualified 11th, the best of the team's six drivers, Straw believes that without the problem, which led to the engine cutting out several times a lap, he would have been on the front two rows in monsoom conditions.

"These sort of conditions are perfect for me and I know the circuit inside out so I was really looking forward to the session," said Straw. "I did an out and an in lap in the free practice session and the car was fine, but as soon as I pulled out of the pits for qualifying it started cutting.

"I stayed out because electrical problems are very difficult to find and made the best of it. The frustrating thing is that it cut every single time out of Sear. This meant I was slow on the longest straight in Britain. I'd have had a shot at pole without it, but that's racing and there's nothing anyone can do about bad luck!"

Team-mate Richard Sykes will start 13th after becoming confused about when the 15-minute qualifying session, which started immediately after free practice, begun.

"The time I qualified on was an ok lap, but I wasn't pushing at all," he said. "I was just cruising round and would have been much higher.

Neil Merry claimed a strong 15th, two places ahead of Dave Jackson.

"The conditions were really bad," said Merry. "I just took it easy and built up as the session went on."

Ross Edwards also struggled with a misfire, caused by a faulty ECU. He will start 18th on his return to the championship after missing the last two rounds with work committments.

Phil Sykes, a race winner at Knockhill, will start 30th after an engine problem forced him to stop on his out lap.

QUALIFYING TIMES
1 Julian Barratt, 1m30.052s
2 Paul Moden, +1.184s
3 Steve Rigby, +1.265s
4 Spencer McCarthy, +1.436s
5 Alex Dziurzynski, +1.607s
6 Gary Simms, +1.683s
7 Paul Marsh, +1.816s
8 Russel McCarthy, +1.940s
9 Kieran Vernon, +1.963s
10 Andy Smith, +1.964s
11 Edd Straw, +2.467s
12 Matt Flowers, +2.714s
13 Richard Sykes, +2.755s
14 Wayne Austin, +2.838s
15 Neil Merry, +2.989s
16 Martin Jones, +3.607s
17 Dave Jackson, +4.316s
18 Ross Edwards, +4.655s
19 Tom Jones, +4.777s
20 Peter Dignan, +4.835s
21 Andrew Long, +4.855s
22 Michael Ralph, +5.000s
23 Paul Morgan, +5.420s
24 Jonathan Hawkins, +6.356s
25 Emily Fletcher, +6.651s
26 Tracey Dixon, +7.307s
27 Paul Mancey, +7.958s
28 Duncan Gass, +8.090s
29 Steve Williams, +8.218s

HUGHES AND SYKES IN TEST ACTION

Speedworks Motorsport Ginetta G50 Cup duo Tony Hughes and Richard Sykes tested at Snetterton today ahead of this weekend's fifth round of the series at the Norfolk circuit.

"With how busy the start of the season was I hadn't had much testing time at all," said Hughes. "The break has given me a bit of time to learn about the car.

"It's a big learning curve and I'm in only my second season of racing, but I'm making good progress."

Speedworks Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship driver Edd Straw also tested.

Practice and qualifying for the fifth round of both championships will be held on Saturday, with two races for each category on Sunday.