DICK CLOSING ON FIRST G50 WIN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TIGER BACK ON TRACK AT CASTLE COMBE

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

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

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

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

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

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

SPEEDWORKS OWNERS MARRIED

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

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

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

SYKES LEADS SPEEDWORKS SURGE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DICK TAKES FIFTH

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

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

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

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

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

GRID FOR G20 RACE TWO

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

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

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

RICHARD AND PHIL SYKES IN TOP TEN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DICK TO START FIFTH

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

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

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

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

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

STRAW TAKES CAREER-BEST

Speedworks Motorsport's Edd Straw claiming the best qualifying position of his Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship career with eighth on the grid on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

The 28-year-old set a best time of 1m45.927secs to earn a place on the fourth row to start the race as the best-placed Speedworks driver.

"I've been driving better every time I've been out this season and I'm now at the point where I'm able to be in the top ten regularly," said Straw. "Eighth is a decent result, but hopefully I'll be able build on it in the race."

Phil Sykes will start 11th after going into the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend on only his third flying lap.

"Julian Barratt fired up my inside which took me by surprise," said Sykes. "Whether he came from too far back I'm not sure, but it's very disappointing to be outside the top ten."

Richard Sykes will start 14th, one place ahead of Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 debutant Scot Kirlew.

"I struggled to get the car turned in to the fast corners," said Kirlew. "Considering I've only driven the car for one morning at Mallory Park before this weekend I'm pretty happy."

Dave Jackson and Neil Merry will start from the back of the grid after both suffering mechanical problems during the session.

QUALIFYING TIMES
1 Julian Barratt, 1m44.039s
2 Kieran Vernon, +0.238s
3 Russel McCarthy, +0.611s
4 Andy Smith, +0.636s
5 Spencer McCarthy, +0.674s
6 Steve Rigby, +0.925s
7 Gary Simms, +1.682s
8 Edd Straw, +1.888s
9 Paul Morgan, +1.931s
10 Paul Marsh, +1.953s
11 Phil Sykes, +2.290s
12 Mark Wania, +2.373s
13 Tom Jones, +2.463s
14 Richard Sykes, +2.539s
15 Scot Kirlew, time unavailable
16 Wayne Austin, +4.122s
17 Alex Dziurzynski, +4.200s
18 Peter Dignan, +4.210s
19 Michael Ralph, +4.844s
20 Steve Williams, +5.220s
21 Martin Jones, +5.354s
22 Emily Fletcher, +5.590s
23 Andrew Long, +6.595s
24 Duncan Gass, +9.907s
25 Neil Merry, +11.195s
26 Dave Jackson - no time