WINTER SERIES PREVIEW

The two Ginetta Winter championships will kick off this weekend, with Speedworks Motorsport fielding cars in both the G50 category at Silverstone and the G20s at Silverstone.

Richard Sykes and former British Touring Car Championship racer Mark Proctor will be racing their G50s at Snetterton. Proctor, on his third outing in a G50, will be looking to get to grips with his new car, while Sykes will be determined to build on his season's best seventh place in the main championship finale at Donington Park earlier this month.

Dave Jakson will be Speedworks Motorsport's sole representative in the Walter Hayes Trophy-supporing G20 winter races at Silverstone. He will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing season with podium finishes in the triple-header meeting.

SYKES MAKES IT A DOUBLE

Speedworks Motorsport's Phil Sykes made it two out of two with his second Ginetta Club Series victory of the day at Brands Hatch.

Sykes, who started from second on the grid in the wet, led home Paul Morgan by over seven seconds, proving his speed in both dry and damp conditions by taking his second fastest lap of the day.

Dave Jackson was unable to start the race after being hit with a clutch problem.

Ginetta Club Race 2
1 Phil Sykes, 16 laps in 15m15.780s
2 Paul Morgan, +7.161s
3 Giles Dawson, +14.846s
4 Emily Fletcher, +38.310s
6 James Haynes, +41.856s
7 Joe Shaw, +45.359s
8 Tony Abrams, +62.368s
9 Harvey Booth, +1 lap
10 Edwina Graham, +2 laps
DNF Mick Morgan, +3 laps
DNS Dave Jackson - clutch

TIGER SEVENTH IN WET

Speedworks Motorsport pairing Neil Merry and Christian Dick claimed seventh place in Class C in the second Heritage GT race of the day at Brands Hatch.

Despite having to work flat out to repair some problems which had blighted the car in the morning race, Merry and Dick took their Sunbeam Tiger to 19th overall in wet conditions.

Heritage GT Race 2
1 Thurtle/Thurtle (Chevrolet Camaro), 41 laps in 40m26.097s
2 Jenkinson/Young (Aston Martin DBS V8), +57.516s
3 McCallum/Bussell (Aston Martin DB5), +1 lap
4 Kemp (Aston Martin DB4), +1 lap
5 Searles/Jardine (Aston Martin DBS V8), + 1 lap
6 King/Worthington (Aston Martin DB4), + 2 laps
7 Morris/Ringer (Austin Healey Sebring Sprite), +3 laps
8 Chalmers/Davids (Porsche 911 RS), +3 laps
9 Death/Death (Mini Cooper S), +3 laps
10 Shoesmith/Barrow (Chevrolet Camaro), +3 laps
11 Dickinson/Castaldini (AC/RAM Cobra 427sc), +4 laps
12 Williams/Cann/Cann (Aston Martin DBS V8), +4 laps
13 Bloohn/Nunn (Shelby GT 350), +4 laps
14 Streeter (Ford Anglia), +4 laps
15 Knight (Ford Mustang), +4 laps
16 Cooke/Dowd (Porsche 911 RSR), +4 laps
17 Smark/Hancock (Aston Martin DBS), +5 laps
18 Glover/Cann (Ford Escort Mexico), +5 laps
19 Merry/Dick (Sunbeam Tiger), +5 laps
20 Townsend/Conoley (Daimler SP250), +6 laps
21 Hyde/Hyde (Ford Escort), +7 laps
22 Goff/Goff (MGB GT), +7 laps
23 Bennington/Cummins (Ford Cortina), +9 laps
24 Cooke/Cooke (Ford Mustang), +10 laps
DNF Godbold/Matthews (BMW 2002)
DNF North/North (Ford Mustang)

GEARBOX PROBLEM SILENCES TIGER

Neil Merry and Christian Dick were unclassified finishers in the first Heritage GT race at Brands Hatch after gearbox problems cost the Speedworks Motorsport pairing nine laps.

Despite the problems, the Speedworks Sunbeam Tiger continues to show improvement and the team is confident of an improved showing in race two, provided the car makes it onto the grid for the second race.

"We've got a few things to sort on the car before the second race," said Dick. "We're having to change a head gasket too, but hopefully we will make it out. The car has improved every time it has hit the track, so this afternoon could be very valuable to us."

Heritage GT Race 1
1 Jenkinson/Young (Aston Martin DBS V8), 31 laps in 30m46.141s
2 Kemp (Aston Martin DB4), +41.907s
3 Thurtle/Bennington (Chevrolet Camaro), +44.609s
4 Searles/Jardine (Aston Martin DBS V8), +46.101s
5 Wheeler/Samuelson (TVR 5000), +48.517s
6 North/North (Ford Mustang), +1 lap
7 McCallum/Bussell (Aston Martin DB5), +1 lap
8 King/Worthington (Aston Martin DB4), +1 lap
9 Hyde/Hyde (Ford Escort), +1 lap
10 Chalmers/Davids (Porsche 911 RS), +1 lap
11 Shoesmith/Barrow (Chevrolet Camaro), +2 laps
12 Streeter (Ford Anglia), +2 laps
13 Bloohn/Nunn (Shelby GT 250), +2 laps
14 Death/Death (Mini Cooper S), +2 laps
15 Cooke/Dowd (Porsche 911 RSR), +2 laps
16 Williams/Cann (Aston Martin DBS V8), +3 laps
17 Smart/Hancock (Aston Martin DBS), +3 laps
18 Knight (Ford Mustang), +3 laps
19 Goff/Goff (MGB GT), +3 laps
20 Glover/Cann (Ford Escort Mexico), +3 laps
21 Cooke/Cooke (Ford Mustang), +4 laps
22 Townsend/Conoley (Daimler SP250), +5 laps
23 Bennington (Ford Cortina), +7 laps
NC Merry/Dick (Sunbeam Tiger), +9 laps
DNF Godbold/Matthews (BMW 2002)
DNF Morris/Ringer (Austin Healey Sebring Sprite)
DNF Dickson/Castaldini (AC/RAM Cobra 427sc)

SYKES STREAKS TO VICTORY

Phil Sykes claimed another victory for Speedworks Motorsport with a dominant victory in the Club Ginetta Series at Brands Hatch,

Sykes led home Paul Morgan by over five seconds, adding fastest lap of the race to his pole position to round out a perfect performance.

Team-mate Dave Jackson, a regular in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship, claimed fourth place on his first outing in the Club Series.

RACE RESULTS
1 Phil Sykes, 14 laps in 15m56.563s
2 Paul Morgan, +5.503s
3 Joe Shaw, +8.817s
4 Dave Jackson, +10.021s
5 James Haynes, +22.878s
6 Tony Abrams, +29.999s
7 Edwina Graham, +1 lap
DNF Harvey Booth
DNF Mick Morgan
DNF Emily Fletcher
DNF Giles Dawson

SYKES DOMINATES QUALIFYING

Speedworks Motorsport's Phil Sykes claimed pole position for the final round of the Ginetta Club Series at Brands Hatch, emerging from qualifying as the only driver to break the one-minute barrier.

Sykes, who is in contention to seal the runner-up spot in the championship standings, set a best time of 59.758s, a quarter-of-a-second faster than second fastest Giles Dawson.

Speedworks team-mate Dave Jackson will start fourth.

Qualifying times
1 Phil Sykes, 59.758s
2 Giles Dawson, +0.244s
3 Paul Morgan, +0.877s
4 Dave Jackson, +2.511s
5 Joe Shaw, +2.741s
6 Emily Fletcher, +2.983s
7 James Haynes, +3.254s
8 Harvey Booth, +3.718s
9 Tony Abrams, +5.771s
10 Mick Morgan, +7.508s
11 Edwin Graham, +10.365s

MERRY & DICK QUALIFY NINTH

Neil Merry and Christian Dick will start tomorrow's two-driver Heritage GT race at Brands Hatch from ninth in Class C despite the pair's running in their Sunbeam Tiger in qualifying being limited by a coil problem.

Despite completing just 13 laps of the Brands Indy circuit, Dick set a best time of 59.702secs before being forced to stop.

In addition to the Heritage GT race, Speedworks Motorsport is also fielding a brace of G20s in the Club Ginetta Series finale for Phil Sykes and Dave Jackson.

Heritage GT Qualifying
1 Thurtle/Thurtle/Bennington (Chevrolet Camaro), 52.654s
2 Jenkinson/Young (Aston Martin DBS V8), +0.044s
3 Dickinson/Castaldini (AC/RAM Cobra 427sc), +0.674s
4 McCallum/Bussell (Aston Martin DB5), +1.251s
5 Wheeler/Samuelson (TVR 5000), +1.646s
6 Kemp (Aston Martin DB4), +1.914s
7 North/North (Ford Mustang), +1.935s
8 Chalmers/Davids (Porsche 911 RS), +2.188s
9 Searles/Jardine (Aston Martin DBS V8), +2.340s
10 Shoesmith/Barrow (Chevrolet Camaro), +2.762s
11 King/Worthington (Aston Martin DB4), +2.929s
12 Hyde/Hyde (Ford Escort), +3.164s
13 Smart/Hancock (Aston Martin DBS), +3.429s
14 Death/Death (Mini Cooper S), +3.519s
15 Morris/Ringer (Austin Healey Sebring Sprite), +3.739s
16 Cooke/Dowd (Porsche 911 RSR), +4.264s
17 Bennington (Aston Martin V8), +4.494s
18 Andrew Knight (Ford Mustang), +4.494s
19 Streeter (Ford Anglia), +4.825s
20 Cooke/Cooke (Ford Mustang), +5.931s
21 Bloohn/Nunn (Shelby GT 350), +5.944s
22 Williams/Cann/Cann (Aston Martin DBS V8), +6.126s
23 Glover/Cann (Ford Escort Mexico), +6.138s
24 Godbold/Matthews (BMW 2002), +6.341s
25 Goff/Goff (MGB GT), +6.759s
26 Merry/Dick, +7.048s
27 Townsend/Conoley (Daimler SP250), +9.925s
28 Bennington/Wood (Ford Cortina), +13.645s

SPEEDWORKS SWEEPS BEST PRESENTED CARS

Speedworks Motorsport was awarded the Best Presented Car award for both the Ginetta G50 and Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championships at the Donington Park season finale.

Neil Merry won the best-presented car award in the G20 category before charging to a top ten finish in the final race of the season, while former British Touring Car Championship racer Mark Proctor's G50 was also honoured.

Merry's next outing will be behind the wheel of his Sunbeam Tiger in a Heritage GT race at Brands Hatch this weekend, while Proctor will be out in the upcoming G50 Winter Series.

BRANDS HERITAGE DEBUT FOR TIGER

Speedworks Sunbeam Tiger will make its Heritage GT debut at Brands Hatch this weekend. After a successful outing at Donington Park last weekend, both Neil Merry and Christian Dick are looking forward to competing on the the Brands Indy circuit.

Two Speedworks Ginetta G20s will also be out this weekend with Phil Sykes looking to seal second place in the Ginetta Club series and Dave Jackson also making his debut in the championship.

KIRLEW HAS SUCCESS AT SNETTERTON

Speedworks Motorsport Mazda MX-5 driver Scot Kirlew claimed a clean-sweep of podium finishes at Snetterton last weekend, with a victory in Saturday's second race the highlight.

After overcoming a torrid first lap in race one, Kirlew set fastest lap on his way to second place before fighting his way to victory from third on the grid in race two.

Kirlew also put in two battling performances in the Sunday races, taking a brace of third places.

"We had a fantastic weekend with the car,' said Scot. "Speedworks have helped me a lot with the set up over the last few weeks and the car feels great!"

TIGER EXCELS AT DONINGTON

Speedworks Motorsport regular Neil Merry and Team Principal Christian Dick claimed the best performance yet for the team's Sunbeam Tiger, with eighth place in the final Aston Martin Owners Club metting of the year at Donington Park.

The two-driver race was shortened from 40 minutes to 30 minutes after a massive accident earlier on in the day, which worked in the team's favour as the Tiger was suffering from braking problems.

After starting fifth, Dick ended his stint in sixth place after battling hard against the braking difficulties, with Merry ending up eighth after losing time when the car needed a push-start after the driver-change pitstop.

It was a fantastic result for the Tiger, which Speedworks has been working relentlessly to improve in recent weeks.

SPEEDWORKS WINS G50 CHAMPIONSHIP

Speedworks Motorsport has been awarded the 2008 Ginetta G50 Cup team championship after a spectacular season.

Team Principal Christian Dick, who claimed a stunning win at Silverstone in August, led the team to a comfortable teams' title, finished almost 100 points ahead of nearest rivals Rob Austin Racing.

His efforts were ably backed up by Richard Sykes and Tony Hughes throughout the season, with former British Touring Car Championship racer Mark Proctor joining up for the final two rounds at Mallory Park and Donington Park.

“It has been a fantastic season and this title is testament to the hard work put in by everyone,” said Dick. “The G50 was a brand-new car for the start of the season, so we didn't have much time to get the best out of it, but I'm proud to say that the team did just that.

“It's a great move for Ginetta to have introduced a team championship, because although the drivers get all the glory it is as much a team sport as any other in the world. Without the hours of effort – the long nights and the early mornings – put in on preparing the cars, the drivers would be nowhere.”

Dick also paid tribute to his team-mates, who played a vital role in securing enough points to seal the title.

“Richard Sykes and Tony Hughes both progressed very well this season, especially when you take into account their levels of experience with this type of car,” said Dick. “Without them, and Mark Proctor who came on board at the end of the year, we would not have been able to win the championship.”

GINETTA G50 CUP FINAL STANDINGS

1 Nigel Moore, 626 points
2 Frank Wrathall, 424
3 Christian Dick, 367
4 Toby Newton, 351
5 Tom Dunstan, 325
6 Tom Sharp, 318
7 Clive Richards, 231
8 Richard Sykes, 184
9 Rod Carman, 172
10 Jon Cook, 163
11 Michele Tommasi, 158
12 Ben Elliott, 141
13 Tony Hughes, 141
14 Rob Austin, 132
15 Richard Austin, 129
16 David Dove, 107
17 Chris Clayton, 103
18 Paul O'Neill, 100
19 Clive Coote, 88
20 Phil Keen, 60
21 Hunter Abbott, 37
22 Glenn Denny, 36
23 Mike Simpson, 36
24 Henry Fletcher, 36
25 Hampus Rydman, 32
26 Mark Proctor, 30
27 Fiona James, 27
28 Philip Broad, 23
29 Joachim Ritter, 18
30 Chris Dittmann, 13
31 Stephen Hepworth, 6
32 Andrew Hepworth, 5
33 Alan Bonner, 0
NC Richard Dean, not eligible for points

DICK DNFS BUT SYKES TAKES SEVENTH

Speedworks Motorsport's Christian Dick sealed third in the Ginetta G50 Championship despite an electrical problem forcing him to retire from the final race of the season at Donington Park.

Dick's main rival for third, Toby Newton, had already retired from the race, meaning that he couldn't be caught for the position.

Despite Dick's retirement, there was still a good result for Speedworks, with Richard Sykes taking his best finish of the season in seventh. Behind him, Mark Proctor claimed 11th place, with Tony Hughes 13th.

G50 RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Nigel Moore, 24 laps in 30m02.415s
2 Frank Wrathall
3 Tom Dunstan
4 Tom Sharp
5 Michele Tommasi
6 Jon Cook
7 Richard Sykes
8 Hampus Rydman
9 Phil Broad
10 Joachim Ritter
11 Mark Proctor
12 Rod Carmen
13 Tony Hughes
DNF Christian Dick
DNF Toby Newton
DNF Chris Clayton
DNF Chris Dittmann

SYKES CLAIMS SECOND PLACE

Speedworks Motorsport's Phil Sykes finished the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship season impressively with second place in the last race of the year at Donington Park.

Sykes finished just five seconds shy of racewinner Julian Barratt at a circuit he loves, sealing seventh place in the final championship standings in the process.

Dave Jackson also finished the season well, with a battling drive to eighth place, with Neil Merry getting his head down to charge from 20th on the grid to tenth.

Both Jonathan Greensmith and Jonny LeRoux scoring good points with 11th and 12th respectively, meaning that all five Speedworks Motorsport cars finished in the first dozen.

G20 RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Julian Barratt, 15 laps in 20m43.138s
2 Phil Sykes, +5.349s
3 Matt Flowers, +15.133s
4 Tom Jones, +21.395s
5 Peter Dignan, +27.661s
6 Andy Smith, +27.887s
7 Alex Dziurzynski, +27.981s
8 Dave Jackson, +28.520s
9 Andy Thompson, +29.009s
10 Neil Merry, +29.309s
11 Jonathan Greensmith, +42.655s
12 Jonny LeRoux, +51.504s
13 Martin Jones, +51.685s
14 Duncan Gass, +51.878s
15 Paul Morgan, +56.175s
16 Russel McCarthy, +64.499s
17 Sarah Franklin, +69.064s
18 Steve Williams, +76.153s
19 Nick Hull, +1 lap
20 Freddie Heatherington +3 laps
DNF Dan van Rosen
DNF Gary Simms
DNF Spencer McCarthy
DNF Kieran Vernon
DNF Emily Fletcher
DNF Andrew Long
DNF Mark Wania

ANOTHER PODIUM FOR DICK

Speedworks Motorsport Team boss claimed a valuable third place finish in the penultimate race of the Ginetta G50 Champinship at Donington Park.

Dick finished just four seconds behind Toby Newton and Nigel Moore, who crossed the line just five-thousandths of a second apart after a thrilling race.

Newton's win means that he closes up on Dick in the battle for third in the championship. Dick is 15 points ahead of Newton with 36 available in this afternoon's second race.

“A top four finish will be enough to guarantee third in the championship, so that's the main aim,” said Dick. “But winning is even more important so I'll be trying to get back on the top step of the podium too!”

Dick also has a slim mathematical chance of snatching second in the championship from Frank Wrathall. He is 29 points behind Wrathall heading into race two.

G50 RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Toby Newton, 22 laps in 30m25.145s
2 Nigel Moore, +0.005s
3 Christian Dick, +4.291s
4 Frank Wrathall, +5.137s
5 Chris Clayton, +7.643s
6 Hampus Rydman, +26.391s
7 Tom Sharp, +28.414s
8 Tom Dunstan, +31.828s
9 Chris Dittmann, +31.882s
10 Phil Broad, +49.993s
11 Richard Sykes, +58.463ss
12 Mark Proctor, +1 lap
13 Tony Hughes
14 Joachim Ritter
15 Jon Cook
DNF Michele Tommasi
DNF Rod Carmen

ANOTHER STRONG FINISH FOR SYKES

Speedworks Motorsport's Phil Sykes continued his run of strong finishes in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship with seventh place in a wet race one at Donington Park.

Sykes finished just two-tenths of a second behind sixth-placed Matt Flowers, to consolidate seventh place in the championship, an impressive feat after missing the start of the season.

Team-mate Dave Jackson narrowly missed out on a top ten finish on his return after two rounds out, with Neil Merry finishing 17th behind the wheel of the car usually campaigned by Ross Edwards after writing his off in the last round at Mallory.

Former MaX5 champion Jonathan Greensmith and Jonny LeRoux both failed to finish on their first outings for Speedworks Motorsport.

G20 RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Kieran Vernon, 14 laps in 20m23.561s
2 Julian Barratt, +0.748s
3 Andy Smith, +14.681s
4 Spencer McCarthy, +14.876s
5 Gary Simms, +18.111
6 Matt Flowers, +22.148s
7 Phil Sykes, +22.350s
8 Alex Dziurzysnki, +26.087s
9 Russel McCarthy, +27.092s
10 Andy Thompson, +26.087s
11 Dave Jackson, 41.973s
12 Peter Dignan, +42.057s
13 Tom Jones, +44.987s.
14 Paul Morgan, +50.83s
15 Martin Jones, +70.447
16 Duncan Gass, +76.340s
17 Neil Merry, +90.716s
18 Steve Williams, +1 lap
19 Sarah Franklin, +1 lap
20 Andrew Long, +1 lap
21 Nick Hill, +1 lap
DNF Jonathan Greensmith
DNF Mark Wania
DNF Jonny LeRoux
DNF Dan van Rosen
DNF Freddie Heatherington

DICK BOOKS FRONT ROW SEAT

Speedworks Motorsport team principal will start the first of tomorrow's two Ginetta G50 Cup races from second on the grid.

Dick put in a strong showing in damp conditions to pip Toby Newton for a place on the front row. With Frank Wrathall, Dick's rival for second in the championship, down in ninth place, the Speedworks boss is well-placed to close the points gap.

“Second is a long-shot, but we've got to go for it,” said Dick. “The car is good whether it's wet or dry in the race and I'm looking forward to giving Nigel Moore a run for his money.”

GINETTA G50 QUALIFYING
1 Nigel Moore, 1m23.776s
2 Christian Dick, +0.442s
3 Toby Newton, +0.459s
4 Michele Tommasi, +0.685s
5 Phil Broad, +0.904s
6 Chris Clayton, +1.073s
7 Rod Carmen, +1.076s
8 Tom Dunstan, +1.330s
9 Frank Wrathall, +1.527s
10 Chris Dittman, +1.900s
11 Tom Sharp, +1.992s
12 Hampus Rydman, +2.033s
13 Jon Cook, +2.528s
14 Joachim Ritter, +3.421s
15 Richard Sykes, +3.785s
16 Mark Proctor, +4.364s
17 Tony Hughes, +5.795s

SYKES SEALS SECOND ROW SLOT

Speedworks Motorsport's Phil Sykes will start fourth on the grid for both of this weekend's Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship races at Donington Park.

Sykes, a multiple race winner at Donington, will start alongside championship challenger Kieran Vernon in the first race, and will also start on the second row in race two with qualifying decided by second fastest lap.

Dave Jackson, on his Ginetta G20 return after missing the last two rounds, will start seventh and sixth, while Jonny LeRoux, making his Ginetta debut behind the wheel of the G20 previously raced by Edd Straw, qualified an impressive 10th for race one.

Former MaX5 champion Jon Greensmith will start 17th and 15th for the two races on his first Ginetta outing since the 2005 season finale at Silverstone. Further back, Neil Merry, driving an unfamiliar car after writing his off at Mallory Park last month, qualified 22nd and 20th.

GINETTA G20 FREE PRACTICE
*number in brackets denotes race two starting position)
1(1) Julian Barratt, 1m21.524s
2(3) Andy Smith, +0.505s
3(2) Kieran Vernon, +0.554s
4 (4) Phil Sykes, +0.583s
5(5) Gary Simms, +0.743s
6(7) Matt Flowers, +1.203s
7(6) Dave Jackson, +1.250s
8(10) Spencer McCarthy, +1.330s
9(11) Russel McCarthy, +1.396s
10(13) Jonny LeRoux, +1.642s
11(12) Alex Dziurzynski, +1.778s
12(8) Mark Wania, +1.860s
13(9) Paul Morgan, +1.924s
14(17) Steve Rigby, +2.060s
15(16) Andy Thompson, +2.174s
16(14) Peter Dignan, +2.252ss
17(15) Jonathan Greensmith, +2.395s
18(18) Tom Jones, +3.046s
19(24) Dan van Rosen, +3.581s
20(22) Martin Jones, +3.692s
21(19) Freddie Heatherington, +3.904s
22(20) Neil Merry, +4.149s
23(21) Andrew Long, +4.222s
24(23) Sarah Franklin, +4.510s
25(25) Duncan Gass, 4.918s
26(26) Steve Williams, +6.919s
27(27) Nick Hull, +7.175s

DICK FIFTH IN PRACTICE

Speedworks Motorsport team principal got his final Ginetta G50 Cup weekend of the season off to a solid start with fifth fastest time in free practice at Donington Park.

He set a best time just 0.480s off pacesetter Chris Dittman and three-tenths faster than Frank Wrathall, who Dick can still beat to second in the championship standings.

GINETTA G50 FREE PRACTICE
1 Chris Dittmannn, 1m14.132s
2 Nigel Moore, +0.153s
3 Tom Dunstan, +0.284s
4 Rod Carmen, +0.416s
5 Christian Dick, +0.480s
6 Philip Broad, +0.484s
7 Chris Clayton, +0.564s
8 Frank Wrathall, +0.782s
9 Clive Richards, +0.864s
10 Tom Sharp, +1.022s
11 Michele Tommasi, +1.183s
12 Tony Hughes, +1.512s
13 Joachim Ritter, +1.601s
14 Jon Cook, +1.832s
15 Mark Proctor, +2.023s
16 Richard Sykes, +2.683s
17 Toby Newton, +3.358s

SYKES STARTS OFF STRONGLY

Phil Sykes justified his reputation as a Donington Park specialist by setting the sixth fastest time around the Leicestershire circuit in free practice for the final round of the Texaco Havoline Ginetta G20 Championship.

The Speedworks Motorsport driver, who has several race victories to his name at Donington, was less than half-a-second off pacesetter Gary Simms despite taking a relaxed approach to the session.

He was joined in the top ten by Ginetta debutant Jonny LeRoux, with Jonathan Greensmith, making his second G2- appearance three years after his debut, a solid 12th.

Dave Jackson was 12th on his return to G20s after skipping several races, with Neil Merry, driving the car usually campaigned by Ross Edwards after his own was written off at Mallory last month, 23rd.

GINETTA G20 FREE PRACTICE
1 Gary Simms, 1m21.547s
2 Andy Smith,+0.062s
3 Julian Barratt, +0.113s
4 Matt Flowers, +0.209s
5 Kieran Vernon, +0.392s
6 Phil Sykes, +0.444s
7 Spencer McCarthy, +0.478s
8 Steve Rigby, +0.574s
9 Jonny LeRoux, +1.242s
10 Alex Dziurzynski, +1.244s
11 Dave Jackson, +1.379s
12 Jonathan Greensmith, +1.667s
13 Mark Wania, +1.786s
14 Peter Dignan, +1.912s
15 Russel McCarthy, +2.196s
16 Sarah Franklin, +2.236s
17 Emily Fletcher, +2.364s
18 Tom Jones, +2.513s
19 Paul Morgan, +3.194s
20 Freddie Heatherington, +4.140s
21 Duncan Gass, +4.770s
22 Dan van Rosen, +4.992s
23 Neil Merry, +5.406s
24 Nick Hull, +6.440s
25 Steve Williams, +6.717s
26 Andrew Long, +10.616s

GINETTA G50 CUP JOINS BTCC

The Ginetta G50 Cup, in which Speedworks Motorsport currently runs four cars, will join the prestigious British Touring Car Championship package next year.

The TOCA-run BTCC package is the best-attended series of races in Britain, and will give a significant boost to the profile of the G50 Cup in its second year.

“This is fantastic news for the G50 Cup,” says Speedworks Motorsport team principal Christian Dick. “Not only does it showcase the championship to an even bigger audience, but also it is a clear sign of the impact the G50s have made in 2008.”

The G50 Cup, a one-make series for the 300bhp Ginetta G50, was launched at the beginning of this season as part of the British F3/GT bill. With one round remaining, at Donington Park this weekend, a total of 33 drivers have already taken part in the series, making the first year a massive success.

“For a start-up year, this has been very impressive,” said Dick, who is currently battling for third in the G50 standings. “As a team, we are very much committed to the series and are already making progress with signing drivers for next season.

“There has already been an enormous amount of interest, and confirmation that the G50 Cup is joining the BTCC is only going to increase that.”

MERRY BACK IN THE DRIVING SEAT

Speedworks Motorsport regular Neil Merry will be back in the driving seat of a Ginetta G20 this weekend at Donington Park for the Season finale. However, after his massive accident at Mallory Park, which saw Neil taken to hospital and his car subsequently written off, he will be renting a car to continue and complete his 2008 season.

Sykes to contest Club Ginetta

This weekend will see Speedworks regular Phil Sykes travel down to Lydden Hill for the penultimate Club Ginetta race to try and add to his ever growing collection of trophies! Phil is currently second in the club Ginetta Championship as well as seventh in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship. He will also be racing at Donington Park next weekend for the season finale of the Ginetta G20 and G50 Championship.