THE
MAGAZINE FOR BRITISH MOTOR SPORT
JASON PLATO INTERVIEW
‘I’m a Marmitey sort of character’
SPRING 2011 HILL CLIMB
PRIAULX’S UPHILL STRUGGLE THE TOURING CAR KING’S ROUTE TO THE TOP
BTCC DOUBLE CHAMP OPENS UP ON WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE LOVED AND LOATHED
YOUR ESSENTIAL GEAR GUIDE COVETABLE WATCHES GLOVE CHECKLIST DARREN TURNER’S KITBAG SPRINGS AND THINGS AND MUCH MORE
WINNER’S
PODIUM
THERE’S A TW STEEL RENAULT F1 WATCH UP FOR GRABS SEE PAGE 58
HISTORY
LEGEND OF THE D-TYPE
HOW JAGUAR CREATED AN ALL-TIME BRITISH CLASSIC
this issue
Contents
60
ON THE
COVER Jason Plato, shot by Charlie Best at Silverstone, February 2011. Interviewed by Gemma Briggs, on p32
38
24
05 From the Chairman
38 Insight
Alan Gow welcomes MSA licenceholders to their new magazine
06 Action replay
Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally
09 Briefing
Although hill climbing is not quite as intensive as circuit racing, it is a great way to learn about the car. It helps you to understand how you can engineer a car – a crucial skill Interview with Andy Priaulx, on p20
Night of Champions 2010; MSA raises forest fears; Go Motorsport honoured; Spill kit investment; Autosport International; Mark Webber helps young drivers get fit; and a Q&A with the JLT MSA Marshal of the Year
16 Opinion
Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive, says it’s time to defend our forests
19 Talking heads
It’s the perennial debate – are there too many championships in UK motor racing?
20 Start line
Andy Priaulx’s hill climb experience paved the way for global success
24 History 20
The beautiful Jaguar D-Type – Le Mans winner and national hero
44
31 A day in the life
Paul Biggerstaff tells how he helps to run the Hankook MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship
32 Profile
Jason Plato has a reputation for rubbing people up the wrong way, but the reigning BTCC champion doesn’t plan to change a thing
57 Gear
The finest motor sport watches; grippy gloves; shocks and dampers; Darren Turner’s kitbag; and the perfect livery
Team UK’s Oli Webb, who will campaign in Formula Renault 3.5 this year, attends a marshaltraining day
44 Place notes
In the first of a new series looking at key UK motor sport venues, we visit PF International Karting Circuit in Lincolnshire
48 Performance
Stripping weight brings your times down and improves your fitness
51 Ask the experts
Our people answer your queries about the world of motor sport
54 Events
Make a date to visit the must-see events of the coming months
69 National court
Recent cases before the Motor Sports Council National Court
74 Simon says...
Our new columnist Simon Arron explains why homegrown racing is the perfect antidote to F1 Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 03
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welcome
A NEW LOOK FOR THE MODERN MSA Having taken on board your feedback, we are proud to unveil our all-new magazine From THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE MOTOR SPORTS ASSOCIATION (MSA) EDITOR
Gemma Briggs NEWS EDITOR
Tim Swietochowski PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF MSA BY:
Think The Pall Mall Deposit 124-128 Barlby Road London W10 6BL Tel: 020 8962 3020 www.thinkpublishing. co.uk CHIEF SUB-EDITOR
James Debens
ART DIRECTOR
Jes Stanfield
ADVERTISING
Adam Lloyds (adam.lloyds@ thinkpublishing.co.uk) ACCOUNT MANAGER
Duncan Johnson PUBLISHER
Ian McAuliffe PRINTED BY:
Wyndeham Press Group Limited, which holds to the ISO14001 environmental management system.
PHOTOGRAPH: TEX AND TAX
MSA magazine is printed on 90gsm UPM Finesse Silk. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MSA. EQUALLY, THE INCLUSION OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENT OF THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES CONCERNED BY THE MSA.
Alan J Gow, MSA Chairman
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the all-new official magazine of the Motor Sports Association. As you will see, it has a new title, a new
style and, most importantly, a new editorial approach as well as a greater depth of quality about it. Having canvassed opinion from readers and non-readers of the old Motorsports Now! magazine over the past few months, we were overwhelmed by the great feedback offered to us. As well as a wide range of more specific suggestions, there were three key points that quickly became clear: 1 The magazine should be well written, enjoyable to read, reflect the wider motor sport interests of the readership and have a longer shelf-life. 2 Although there is recognition that it has a role to play in explaining the work of the governing body, the magazine should not be full of just the MSA’s activities. 3 There should be more attention paid to ‘grassroots’ motor sport and the people behind it. Of course, the other thing that we have learned is that everybody would like something different. We have to accept that with a circulation of more than 40,000 we are never going to please everyone all of the time, but we hope that the feedback that many of you provided will enable us to deliver an improved publication. We have also decided to move the magazine to a quarterly publication, rather WHAT DO than the previously ad hoc publication dates. These dates were as a result of YOU THINK? having to accommodate all the rule changes emanating from the most recent What do you think of your meeting of the Motor Sports Council, but the new online consultation process new-look magazine? Drop us a line at msa@thinkpublishing. for regulations means that this is no longer such a critical requirement. co.uk or write to us at The MSA magazine will continue to carry all regulation changes approved MSA magazine, Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, by the Motor Sports Council, but we have separated them from the main body 124-128 Barlby of the magazine and these are now published on the carrier-sheet (i.e. where Road, London your address is printed) on the outside of the magazine. Doing this enables you W10 6BL to keep or file the regulation changes separately, and thus much more conveniently, from the magazine. If you have already thrown this sheet away by mistake, please contact the MSA and we can send you another copy. Of course, all regulation changes can now also be found online. The changes to this magazine are all part of the MSA continually striving to improve its
service to you, our stakeholders. Our suite of communication materials now includes a weekly email update of the MSA-titled championships, a monthly electronic newsletter, this new quarterly magazine and the annual company report. If you would like to receive any of these, they can be found online or contact the MSA Communications Department – media@msauk.org – who will be pleased to send you a copy. These publications are now a better reflection of the modern Motor Sports Association, but it would be wrong to think that the changes within the organisation are restricted to superficial appearances and glossy new magazines. There is a substance to what the MSA is doing at every level throughout the sport and through strong leadership we are determined to secure the future health of UK motor sport. I hope you enjoy our new MSA magazine. As ever with a first issue, it won’t be perfect, but we believe that it’s a major step forward. Please let us know what you think. Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 05
DATA BURST
WHEN: 12 February 2011 WHO: Nick Elliott and Dave Price CAR: Ford Escort MkII RS1800 EVENT: Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally ORGANISER: Forest of Dean Motor Club WEBSITE: www.wyedeanrally.com
WRITTLE PHOTOGRAPHIC
Nick Elliott and his co-driver Dave Price not only won the historic section in the Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally in their Ford Escort MkII RS1800, but were also the first two-wheel drive car home, finishing just outside the Top 20 in a 180-strong field of competitors. “I’m a big fan of MkII Escorts and have owned a few,” says Elliott. “I entered the Wyedean in preparation for this year’s Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship and the car ran faultlessly, as it always does.” The Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally 2011 started and finished at Chepstow Racecourse, taking in 45 miles, split into six stages in the surrounding forests. There is also a 1.5-mile spectator stage through the racecourse itself.
The original owner lives in the Forest of Dean; I bought it from him three years ago, refurbished it and have used it to win five rounds of the BHRC
06 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
action replay
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 07
news
IN THIS
ISSUE:
Webber helps students; MSA revamps recruit push
Briefing CHAMPIONS CROWNED AWARDS
60 YEARS OF SUCCESS
DOM ROMNEY/MODERNPICS; LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
BRITISH F3 The Cooper
Tires British F3 International Series celebrates its diamond anniversary this season, which gets under way at Monza on 15 April. Series promoter Stéphane Ratel said: “Becoming a winner in British F3 gets you noticed by the most important people in motor sport – this was true 60 years ago and it’s still true today.” The title was first won by Eric Brandon in 1951 and is currently held by Jean-Eric Vergne, who collected his trophy from Ross Brawn at the Night of Champions in January.
Best of British motor sport honoured by MSA
A marshal whose innovative cadet scheme attracted scores of new recruits was among those honoured at January’s Night of Champions awards, with the 2010 MSA British title winners also crowned. Barry O’Neill, Vice Chairman of Northern Ireland’s Motorsport Marshalling, collected his trophy at London’s Royal Automobile Club. Also picking up silverware were Jake Cook (RSF MSA Young Driver of the Year) and Alice Powell (BWRDC Lord Wakefield Trophy). Broadcaster Steve Rider acted as Master of Ceremonies, and guests included Formula 1 team boss Ross Brawn and WRC team principal Malcolm
Wilson. “It was a great honour for me to receive an invitation to the Night of Champions to present trophies, some of which I had been lucky enough to pick up myself during my driving career,” said Wilson, who handed co-driver Barry McNulty the MSA British Rally Championship trophy he received in 1994. “It was fantastic to see so many motor sport disciplines recognised on the night and to see the pleasure on the winners’ faces.” For a full list of winners, visit www.msauk.org
O’Neill Q&A, p12
For information, visit www.gomotorsport.net
Potential revenue for local communities from closed-road motor sport events over the next five years, according to Sheffield Hallam University Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 09
SCHOOL EVENT PRAISED GO MOTORSPORT
Enterprising development officer wins top award
An ‘Enterprise in Motorsport’ event, organised by the Go Motorsport campaign’s Midlands Regional Development Officer, Robin Webster, has been recognised with a national entrepreneurial award. More than 200 pupils from 14 schools visited Silverstone to learn about Go Motorsport and careers in the sport during the event. It was run in conjunction with
the Buckinghamshire Economic & Learning Partnership and the Milton Keynes & Bucks Enterprise Learning Partnership. It was awarded a High Impact Badge of Honour by organisers of the Global Entrepreneurship Week. “The students had a great time, and it really opened their eyes to the opportunities in motor sport,” said Webster.
MSA FEARS FOREST COMPLACENCY MSA The motor sport community must act now to ensure that the government’s plans for the forest estate in England do not spell disaster for stage rallying. Despite the coalition’s backdown over the original proposals to sell off the forests, the MSA is still urging competitors, businesses and supporters to voice their opinions to their local MPs. Meanwhile, the MSA will take its case directly to the relevant government departments in an attempt to preserve access to the English forests for motor sport events within the recommendations of the new ‘independent panel’. “The sell-off may have been halted for now,” said MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton, “but cost-effective access to the forests is absolutely critical to the future of our sport. “We need to ensure that ministers, advisers and civil servants recognise the importance of the forests to our activities, as well as to those of the walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.”
Access to the forests is absolutely critical to the sport 10 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
MSA INVESTS CASH IN SPILL KITS Some £25,000 has been invested by the MSA in providing every event-organising MSA-registered club with an Environmental Spill Kit in time for the motor sport season. “The MSA has a duty to ensure that UK motor sport takes its environmental responsibility extremely seriously,” said MSA Technical Director John Symes.
SUCCESS AT AUTOSPORT SHOW
MSA MSA staff and drivers were a hit at January’s fourday Autosport International show, when thousands of visitors came to find out about licensing, regulations, the MSA Academy and the Go Motorsport campaign. The MSA stand featured the inaugural Reaction Race – with nearly 1,000 showgoers taking on the BATAK wall – while the Go Motorsport stand focused on Maximum Thrills for Minimum Bills. “This year’s Autosport International was one of the best yet for the MSA,” said Chief Executive Colin Hilton.
news
NEWS IN BRIEF FUTURE OF KARTING TAKES SHAPE
KARTING MSA representatives met with UK Kart Clubs at a series of regional meetings in February to discuss the future of karting. The meetings were prompted by the publication of the Kart Sporting Committee’s Green Paper last year. Kart Committee Chairman Rob Jones said: “I consider the meetings to have been constructive in gathering input from the karting community before we produce a White Paper, which will ultimately be submitted to the Motor Sports Council.”
INDIAN WINTER FOR MSA TRAINERS
MSA REVAMPS ANNUAL PUSH FOR NEW RECRUITS RECRUITMENT
Fresh ideas to build National Motorsport Week The timing for the initiative could not be better as it will draw increased media attention to the sport in the run-up to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 8-10 July. The sport has seen a surge in interest in recent years, thanks to the success of British teams and drivers in Formula 1. “The MSA has always supported the concept of National Motorsport Week,” said MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton. “Indeed, the objectives of the Go Motorsport campaign are very similar – let’s get more people involved in motor sport. The new date will make it possible for more activity to be included, and it will be a great buildup to the Festival of Speed.” Further information on National Motorsport Week – including details on how your team, club or company can take part – can be found at www. nationalmotorsportweek.co.uk Find out more at www.GoMotorsport.net
UNIQUE PRO-MOD FOR MSA SERIES
DRAG RACING Drag racer Andy Frost will campaign the world’s first and only NHRA-compliant road-legal Pro-Modified car in this year’s MSA British Drag Racing Championship. The 1972 Vauxhall VX4/90 FD – dubbed Red Victor 3 – has an 8.8-litre, twinturbocharged GM V8 engine, can produce in excess of 3,000hp and exceed 240mph over a quarter of a mile. However, it also has a tax disc and MOT certificate.
SURVEY WINNER
MSA The MSA and Think would like to thank all who filled out the MSA magazine survey. Muriel Holder, picked from thousands, receives two free tickets to the 2011 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix.
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 11
GOODWOOD
Thousands more competitors, fans and volunteers could be drawn to the sport this year as plans for an ambitious revamp of National Motorsport Week have been unveiled. The MSA and the Motorsport Industry Association have joined forces to create a new-look recruitment drive that will take place in early summer. Beginning on 25 June and culminating at the worldfamous Goodwood Festival of Speed – which draws up to 150,000 spectators – on 3 July, the initiative will draw nationwide attention to the sport. The 10 days of activity – which will build on the success of the MSA’s yearround Go Motorsport drive – will throw the spotlight on Britain’s wealth of motor sport talent from grassroots clubs to circuits across the country. Companies will be encouraged to open their doors to the public and venues to offer taster experiences, while individual clubs will also be targeted to run their own local recruitment campaigns.
MSA MSA trainers visited the Federation of Motor Sport Clubs of India (FMSCI) and the Indian Motorsport Marshals Club (IMMC) recently to deliver training on behalf of the MSA as an FIA Gold Standard Regional Training Provider. Allan Dean-Lewis, MSA Head of External Affairs, said: “The FMSCI and the IMMC are incredibly enthusiastic and dedicated to the development of Indian motor sport. I’m sure the MSA’s support will show great results.”
news WEBBER HELPS STUDENTS GET FIT MSA Formula 1 star Mark Webber helped MSA students work out with a pre-season training event at the Porsche Human Performance Centre at Silverstone. The six MSA Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) pupils – Jake Cook, Jack Dex, Dan O’Brien, Louise Richardson, Ollie Varney and David Wagner – took part in sessions focusing on vision and reaction, strength and conditioning and more. “We’ve seen many talented people fail as they weren’t determined,” said Webber. “Never be too shy to look in the mirror and say, ‘What am I really about?’ Only you know how much you’re putting into it, and how much you want it. Some strong results I got in the junior categories came through preparation, rather than talent.” “He was happy to answer all of our questions,” said 18-year-old Dex, who plans to contest the Formula Renault BARC Championship this year. “It was a great opportunity, one I wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for AASE.”
“There’s a corner at Goodwood that I used to take flat, but now when I approach it my right leg seems to get shorter” Sir Stirling Moss
Moss in action in the MadgwickCup, Goodwood, West Sussex, 16-19 September 2010
BACK CLOSED-ROAD BID Registered clubs can help the MSA’s campaign for closed-road motor sport by sending in their event proposals.Discussions are ongoing with Westminster regarding an amendment to existing legislation that would grant local authorities the power to suspend the Road Traffic Act. “We’re making good progress,” said MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton. “We now need to draw up more details of potential events.” An event proposal form is available on the MSA website, and completed forms should be sent to media@msauk.org
MY MOTOR SPORT MARSHALLING
A Q&A with the JLT MSA Marshal of the Year, Barry O’Neill
When did you begin marshalling and why?
a community of like-minded enthusiasts. For me, the job is a reward in itself.
A few friends and I used to spectate at some of the bigger motor sport events in Northern Ireland (Barry is from Omagh, Northern Ireland). One of them knew a marshal who needed some extra hands to man a junction on the Donegal Rally about 10 years ago. That was my introduction, and I become increasingly active as a volunteer over the following years.
I’m Vice Chairman of Northern Ireland’s Motorsport Marshalling Partnership, and last year, we launched a cadet marshal scheme that attracted almost 100 recruits to the first training event. I was also Chief Marshal on the Ulster International Rally and started producing a quarterly marshals’ newsletter.
It’s a chance to become more closely involved in the sport, and to become part of
At first, I felt a sense of shock, as I didn’t start marshalling to win prizes and
What do you enjoy most about being a marshal?
12 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
What did you get up to in 2010?
How did it feel to be named the JLT MSA Marshal of the Year?
never thought that my efforts would be recognised in this way. But it was a privilege to win and to collect my award at the Night of Champions, and I want to dedicate it to all of the volunteers who take the time to get out there and make the sport happen. What do you do away from the track?
I work as an Employment Liaison Officer at South West College, where I developed a motor sport division that runs automotive engineering and eventstewarding courses. I also compete in club rallies using a Skoda Felicia prepared by students at the college.
news CLUB
FOCUS
NEWS IN BRIEF AWARD OF A LIFETIME FOR MICHAEL SOUTHCOMBE
CLUBS The Association of South Western Motor Clubs presented MSA Honorary Vice President Michael Southcombe with a lifetime achievement award at its annual prizegiving ceremony in February. Southcombe was chairman of the association for more than 40 years, and also chaired the Motor Sports Council for 14 years. ASWMC Chairman Paul Parker said: “Michael has made a major contribution to motor sport in the UK over so many years, and it was our pleasure to recognise his many achievements with this accolade.”
BRISTOL MC HITS A CENTURY
WHY CDMC IMPRESSED THE MSA JUDGES AUTOCROSS
Cramlington and District Motor Club had boom year in 2010
There are more than 700 MSA-registered clubs, so nothing short of excellence is required to lay claim to the JLT MSA Club of the Year Award. Cramlington and District Motor Club (CDMC) is the latest to achieve the feat, having impressed the judges by growing its membership, supporting other clubs and raising money for charity in 2010. Club Chairman Dave Wellden picked up the accolade at the Night of Champions ceremony. “It was quite an emotional experience,” he said. “It’s something that the Cramlington DMC prides itself on, and there’s no better pat on the back for a club than winning this award.” CDMC was founded in 1984 by Brian Reid and has since been widely regarded as an Autocross club. However, Wellden is keen to see the club branch out into other disciplines. “We’re becoming increasingly involved in Rallycross, which will feature highly on the club’s agenda this year,” he said. “We’re looking to run the CDMC Rallycross Championship, which would be a grassroots series aimed at introducing novices to the discipline.” Wellden wants to focus this year on recruiting younger members, whom he considers to be the club’s future lifeblood.
“A few years ago, I gave a presentation to the MSA about introducing juniors to Autocross,” he said. “And here we are now with a junior, Ross Westgarth, as the MSA British Autocross Champion. We have about a dozen junior members. This year, we’re giving them the chance to elect a spokesman so they’ve a voice at our committee meetings. “We’re also planning to provide offroad driving tuition for underprivileged youngsters this year. The sessions will be conducted by club members and will aim to teach basic skills free of charge.” However, CDMC’s ambitions do not end there, as Wellden explains: “We’ve been discussing the possibility of launching a motor sport show with other members of the Tyneside Motorsport Group, which is an organisation within the Association of North East and Cumbria Car clubs. The idea is still in the early stages, but it will provide vital exposure for the sport in the North East of England, and will also be a great promotional opportunity not just for CDMC, but for all clubs in the area.” For a full list of winners, visit www.msauk.org
SPRINTING Bristol Motor Club is to celebrate its centenary by gathering road and race cars from the past 100 years at its annual sprint event at Castle Combe on 25-26 June. “The sprint will run on the Saturday and in the evening we’ll have a marquee, a barbecue and a band,” said club Chairman Allen Harris. “Then, on the Sunday, we’ll display the centenary cars in the paddock, and some will also do exhibition laps on the circuit.” The club was founded in November 1911 as Bristol MC&LCC.
TOP MARKS FOR STUDENT’S KART CLUB
KARTING In a move that embodies the spirit of the Go Motorsport campaign, MSA Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence student David Wagner has co-founded a successful kart club at Glasgow’s Hutchensons’ Grammar School, for which he and two fellow pupils (Greg Barnard and Kerr McEwen) won the 2010 British Schools Karting Championship (BSKC) title. “We run two championships for different age groups,” said the 18-year-old. “They run at two venues: Scotkart Cambuslang and Scotkart Clydebank. We have more than 30 people taking part, only one of whom was previously involved in motor sport.”
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 15
opinion
TIME TO TAKE A STAND FOR OUR FORESTS Evocative names such as Kielder and Sherwood could be lost if the government disposes of the forest estate, warns Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive
TEX AND TAX; LAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Since the RAC Rally first experimented with a forest
stage in 1960, motor sport has enjoyed a long and very successful link with the UK’s forest estate. The forests have subsequently become an integral part of UK motor sport, particularly in the discipline of stage rallying. The continuing use of forestry land has been facilitated in no small part by the long-standing relationship between the governing body and the Forestry Commission that dates back almost half a century to the first Master Agreement in February 1965. In the past decade, this relationship has been enshrined in the Motorsport Concordat agreement that created a partnership for managing and developing motor sport alongside the other activities on the Commission’s estate. The coalition’s plans to sell off or lease the public forest estate in England could have had a catastrophic impact on motor sport in this country. And while we welcome the government’s recent change of heart, it is tempered by the knowledge that the war is not yet over. An “independent panel of experts” will now consider the issues facing the public forest estate in England, including biodiversity, commercial interests and recreational use. There is a very real danger that while the “traditional” pastimes of walking, cycling and horse-riding are safeguarded for the millions of participants, the views of the motor sport minority will be forgotten. If we do not succeed in getting motor sport onto the radar of this panel, we could see some great names from our history, such as Kielder, Sherwood and the Royal Forest of Dean, lost to the sport for ever. And although any new policy would cover only England at this stage, it surely wouldn’t be long until the precedent was followed in other parts of the United Kingdom. That is why the entire motor sport community, from competitors and teams to marshals and clubs, still needs to stand up and make its voice heard before it’s too late. The original government proposals suggested that access for recreational 16 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
purposes would be protected in any change of management structure, but no mention was ever made of motor sport activity. However, even a right of access may not be enough for our sport, unless it is accompanied by legislation to ensure that the access is priced at a level costeffective for a sport that is run, for the most part, by volunteers for the benefit of amateur participants. The Forestry Commission has, to date, been content to charge for repairing the actual impact of our events, but new regulations may result in charges rising to a commercial rate for the use of the land. Furthermore, the current centrally negotiated arrangements provide organisers with a flat-rate cost per mile for any of the Commission’s forests. Negotiations with individual landowners will inevitably lead to variable pricing with the likely consequence that some forests will become disproportionately
The entire motor sport community, from competitors and teams to the marshals and clubs, still needs to stand up and make its voice heard before it’s too late
expensive and therefore inaccessible to the sport. Nor is the mooted takeover of England’s forests by the National Trust likely to offer a workable solution as the Trust’s stated position is not overly welcoming of motor sport activity on its properties. The MSA continues to oppose the break-up of the Forestry Commission and we would hope to continue the excellent working relationship that has built up over the past 50 years. This is a point that the MSA will be making to the government and opposition MPs in the coming months. If, however, new regulations and forest ownership are to be brought in, we must fight to preserve not just our continued rights of access into the forests, but a costeffective right of access that allows motor sport to continue to thrive in the forests. Please support us by writing to your local MP. A suitable briefing document on the issue can be found on the MSA website.
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talking heads
Up-and-coming drivers face a tough decision on which series to compete in, with added concern that some categories lack a depth of talent
ARE THERE TOO MANY CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BRITISH MOTOR SPORT? Interviews Kevin Turner
NO
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC; ILLUSTRATIONS: JOE WILSON
Dale Wells, British Automobile Racing Club Competitions Manager
No, there aren’t too many championships overall. Competitors in the UK probably have the greatest choice of routes through the system of championships than anywhere in the world. It is probably this choice that has brought so many competitors into the sport over the years. “Healthy competition between different championships for different cars creates a marketplace that is never going to be 100% stable, as there are always going to be championships that come and go – with these, grids will go up and come down. But that healthy competition keeps the general standard high. “The question should be: ‘Why are there so
many races with poor grids?’ You could argue there are, in some cases, too many championships for the same type of car. Scott Malvern, Where championships are 2010 MSA duplicated, the only possible Formula Ford outcome is for one of them Championship to fail. For argument’s sake, of Great Britain if you have a Formula Ford, runner-up or a Mazda MX5, or an MGB, there are too many places where you can race. Success Some people think here very much depends on it gives you lots of the survival of the fittest, options as a driver, but it just and this is why we have seen dilutes fields. Where do you recent examples of poor grids go so that people notice you? and failing championships Do you do Formula Renault, at club-level race meetings. Formula Ford, or the new This duplication is not Formula Abarth? WHAT DO serving any club or “It also makes it YOU THINK? competitor well. difficult for people We want to know your “Additionally, outside the sport thoughts on the number of championships in UK we have to to understand motor sport. Email us at appreciate that what you’ve msa@thinkpublishing.co.uk or write to MSA magazine, it takes time to achieved. I tried Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, establish a new to get sponsorship 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL championship or recently and said series. This was very I was second in much the case in the 1980s Formula Ford – they and 1990s when, for instance, didn’t realise it even Formula Renault started with existed. People don’t just eight cars. So we have want to hear long stories to accept that a new project – they just want to know also falls into the small-grid how good you are. category and these shouldn’t “With so many be categorised as failing.” championships, you run
YES
the risk of spreading the grids a bit thinly. The good guys are still there, but the depth isn’t. If you had to put all the championships in order, it would be a nightmare – how do you compare? People have preconceived ideas about championships, but each one is only as good as the teams and drivers in it. It needs to be cut down to make it easier for everyone. When the grids are big and it’s a hard grid, the best drivers stand out. “Fewer championships would bring people together and reduce budgets because teams could run more cars in each series – there would also be more competition between them. It would be better for the spectators, too. People who go to national events are the real enthusiasts and they don’t want to see seven cars racing. They want to see 30.”
If there were fewer championships, it would reduce budgets as teams could run more cars in each series Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 19
start line
RUNNING UP THAT
Andy Priaulx’s career has seen him go from the bottom of the hill to the top of the world – and he has no plans to slow down now Story Matt James
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC; RICH DANBY/ZIPP.CO.UK
Multiple touring car champion Andy Priaulx
rather than taking the more traditional route of junior karting. For a cash-strapped family, hill climbing is probably the most affordable way of getting the buzz of motorracing competition in high-powered cars. “What is nice about the sport is that it is attainable,” says Priaulx. “You can prepare your own car and because you aren’t having the high mileage that you would with a fully-fledged racing car, you haven’t got the same sorts of costs that are involved with competing on a circuit. You will also find drivers teaming up and using the same car, which is another way of saving on the costs of competing. I shared with my dad, and there are a lot of families that go out there and race alongside each other.
knows a thing or two about uphill struggles. The Guernsey man began his hugely successful motor-racing career by powering a Pilbeam chassis to MSA British Hill Climb Championship success back in 1995 – it was the launch pad for a glittering career in the sport that shows no signs of slowing down. The 37-year-old, three times an FIA World Touring Car champion, looks back on the formative years of his career on the hills as some of the most enjoyable competition of his life. He shared his family-run, four-litre single-seater with his father, Graham, and the pair formed a close bond by enjoying their passion together in a sport that they both fell in love with. “I look back on my hill-climbing career in a very positive way,” remembers Andy, now a full-time factory driver for the BMW marque. “Hill climbing was a lot of fun and, in some respects, those were my best racing days ever. “Although it mattered and the results mattered to me personally, the pressure wasn’t that high. I found that I could really enjoy just being part of it. It is a bit different for me these days racing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) when I have the responsibility of a manufacturer in everything I do. I have been very determined and fortunate to get where I am today, but hill climbing was a great introduction to the sport and one that gave me a strong grounding in the skills I have used all the way through my career. Andy Priaulx is the only touring car As a building block to where I champion to win an have got now, it was invaluable.” international-level Priaulx says that it was a lack
of finances that led him to begin his motor sport career on the hills 20 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
championship for four consecutive years – he did it from 2004 to 2007
“Hill climbing is a great club-level area of the sport and everywhere you go, there is a really nice atmosphere. I remember breaking a drive shaft on the start line before a round, and all my main competitors pitched in to help me get the car sorted out so that I could take part again. That sort of thing happens all the time and it is quite a unique thing in motor sport that everybody wants to help everybody else. It certainly wouldn’t happen at a level like the WTCC.” As well as the competitive driving,
Priaulx acknowledges that aspects of his initial steps in hill climbing were vital in preparing him for the next stage of
I remember breaking a drive shaft on the start line before a round, and all my main competitors pitched in to help me get the car sorted out so that I could take part again
HOW TO...
hill climb
There are very few barriers to getting involved with hill climbing – it is one of the most cost-effective ways of competing in the sport. It is divided into four main categories, with classes in each: a production-car class for road-going motors, another for more modified cars, a sports racing and specials car division, and a category for single-seater cars with more than 600bhp. Competitors are first restricted to the production and modified categories, as well as sports-racing and single-seater classes of up to two litres, until they have gained enough experience. All UK speed licences are issued by the Motor Sports
Association. A beginner with no race experience will need a £33 ‘non-race National B’ licence, which lasts until the end of the calendar year in which it is issued. It comes with a Competitors’ Yearbook, which carries an upgrade card that is signed at every event. A competitor’s licence will be upgraded when they have enough race experience. To compete, you must join a club – hill climbs are open only to members, championships and invited clubs. Go to www.msauk. org for car clubs or join the Hillclimb and Sprint Association. Many venues run schooling days, with details on the club websites.
For more information on hill climbing, visit www.gomotorsport.net
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 21
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start line
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC; COURTESTY ANDY PRIAULX
Priaulx took an unusual route to motor sport stardom, taking a Pilbeam chassis to MSA British Hill Climb Championship success in 1995
his motor-racing career. He switched to the Formula Renault championship in 1996 and his technical background gained from racing the Pilbeam meant he was ahead of the game when it came to the set-up of a sensitive single-seater. “Although hill climbing is not quite as intensive as circuit racing, it is a great way to learn about the car. It helps you to understand how you can engineer a car – that is a crucial skill. You learn about things like rollbars and the suspension, differentials and gear ratios. Because the runs in hill climbs are so short, you have to focus hard on what you are doing and make sure everything is right with the car before you get to the start line. You can’t afford to leave anything to chance. “It really is like a 100-metre sprint on an athletics track because once you start your run up the hill, it is all or nothing – the concentration required to make sure you are at the top of your game is quite high. That gives you a tremendous buzz. Winning the British Championship in 1995, it also gave me a profile and the recognition I needed when I moved on.” The technical expertise required to
extract the most out of the powerful single-seaters – or even the sportscars or saloons that tackle the hills – is something that Priaulx says can benefit people who want to become motor-racing engineers too. Former Ferrari F1 aerodynamics guru Willem Toet has been a regular in the MSA British Hill Climb Championship over
the past decade and, along with Priaulx, recognises the freedom and interest the category can deliver. Priaulx explains: “A lot of people in hill
climbing are keen engineers – it is a great way to play around with the car and then get to experience the fruit of your labours. That is also a very positive aspect of the sport and one that is hard to emulate elsewhere – I can’t think of another area of motor racing where you get so much freedom in terms of what you can do to the cars. If you want to be a race engineer, not a professional driver, then you can learn your craft in hill climbing. You can get a feel for it behind the wheel – that gives you an extra skill as an engineer. It is an avenue that any aspiring engineer should look at seriously.” As a stepping stone to a fully-fledged career such as the one that Priaulx has enjoyed, hill climbing is an unusual route to take. As a branch of the sport that is low-cost, sociable and skilful, hill climbing remains one of the most attainable.
PRIAULX’S ROLL OF HONOUR 1995 – MSA British Hill Climb Champion 1999 – British Renault Spider Cup champion 2004 – FIA European Touring Car Champion 2005-2007 – FIA World Touring Car Champion 2009 – Race of Champions Legends Winner
Although hill climbing is not quite as intensive as circuit racing, it is a great way to learn about the car. It helps you to understand how you can engineer a car – a crucial skill Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 23
history
How the big cat left its mark The Jaguar D-Type may be heading towards pensionable age, but it remains a classic British sports car success, says Paul Lawrence
In the 87-year history of the most famous motor event in the world, very few cars have won three times in a row. So, when
the Jaguar D-Type scored a hat-trick of victories at Le Mans in 1955, 1956 and 1957, it earned a place as one of the all-time great racing sports cars. The sleek lines of the D-Type – characterised by the signature bonnet bulge and tall shark fin behind the driver’s head, mated to the faithful Jaguar XK engine – made the car a winner from its early days in 1954. More than half a century later, the D-Type is still a winner at major historic festivals, despite values now measured in millions of pounds for the cars with the best provenance. Back in the 1950s, the D-Type was part-evolution and partrevolution as Jaguar pursued its dream of victory at Le Mans, the single most important event on the racing calendar. A whole season of work and development focused on the gruelling roundthe-clock marathon in France, when the pride of Coventry lined up against the might of Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz. Having won Le Mans twice earlier in the 1950s with the C-Type, LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Ninian Sanderson and John Lawrence put their Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type through its paces during the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 1957
a racing version of the XK120 road car, Jaguar and the country it represented were hungry to win again. With the horror of World War Two less than a decade past and the privations of rationing still fresh in the memory, the D-Type was a motor sport success story that captured the heart of the nation. The car was
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 25
Ivor Bueb and Ron Flockhart drove their Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-type all the way to 1st position at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1957
an automotive beauty and the drivers were heroes at a time of national austerity. Yet, ironically, it took a small private team based in an Edinburgh mews to bring the D-Type the success that it truly deserved. Unlike the C-Type, which was constrained by its road-car
heritage, the D-Type was a racer without compromise, designed specifically for Le Mans. Top speed was critical as, back in the 1950s, the Mulsanne Straight was unfettered by chicanes. Much attention was paid to aerodynamics and drag, and a test hack was clocked at close to 180mph during a test run on the Belgian motorway near Jabbeke. Under the management of Lofty England, the works team headed for Le Mans with expectations high, following the car’s public debut at the Le Mans test in early May. Stirling Moss and Peter Walker drove the lead car, but contaminated fuel caused the team major dramas – only the Tony Rolt/ Duncan Hamilton car survived, running strongly to take second place to the Ferrari 375 of Maurice Trintignant and José Froilán González. 26 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
Despite the disappointment of failing to win at Le Mans, the speed of the D-Type was emphasised by a one-two in the 12 hours of Rheims in July, while a sixth place in the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood wrapped up the 1954 campaign. Le Mans in 1955 will forever be remembered for the terrible tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 80 spectators. The Mercedes team withdrew shortly after the accident, but Jaguar continued and the works D-Type of Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb
The D-Type was a motor sport success story that captured the heart of the nation. The car was an automotive beauty and the drivers were heroes at a time of national austerity
history
XKD 603 – A VERY FAMOUS D-TYPE Of all the D-Types, one of the most original and well documented is chassis XKD 603. New for the 1956 season, its event debut was with Mike Hawthorn at Silverstone in May. Paul Frère and Desmond Titterington tackled Le Mans as a works entry but retired and at the end of the 1956 season, ‘603’ was sold to the Ecurie Ecosse team in Edinburgh. The Scottish team campaigned ‘603’ all over the world in 1957, often in the hands of Glaswegian car dealer and practical joker Ninian Sanderson. Teamed with Jock Lawrence for the 1957 Le Mans 24 hours, Sanderson gave ‘603’ its finest result with second place to complete the team’s one-two. In 1958 and 1959, ‘603’ returned to Le Mans as part of the Ecurie Ecosse team, but failed to finish either event and was likely sold at the end of the 1959 season. It is thought that it went to the USA before being bought by noted British collector Anthony Bamford, of the JCB empire, in the 1970s. Over the intervening 35 years, 603 has a largely continuous history as historic racing developed. Frank Sytner and Willie Green raced it for Bamford with much success. Pearson Engineering tended the car through that era, and Gary Pearson counts himself fortunate to have tested and raced the car. “It’s the best D-Type in the world and one of the best cars I’ve ever raced,” said Pearson, who has raced Jaguars for three decades. “It is very, very proper and has the original bodywork, engine and gearbox.” Now owned by Jonathan Turner, ‘603’ is used sparingly, and contested the 2010 Mille Miglia with Turner at the wheel.
Top: Jack Fairman (left) at the Race of Two Worlds, 1957. Middle: Ron Flockhart and Ivor Bueb lead at Le Mans 24 Hours in 1957. Bottom: Nürburgring
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
took a sombre victory. Equipped with a longer nose – to further increase top speed – and an uprated engine, the D-Type was now much in demand as a sports racing car, and teams such as Ecurie Ecosse and Duncan Hamilton raced the cars all over the world. With Mercedes quitting the sport after the previous year’s disaster, it seemed that Jaguar would dominate the 1956 event. However, the works team suffered poor reliability and got only one car home in sixth place. In contrast, Ecurie Ecosse rescued Jaguar’s honour in the face of challenges from Aston Martin and Ferrari, with a winning performance from its D-Type crewed by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson. As D-Types proliferated in sports-car racing, other wins came at Rheims, Silverstone, Watkins Glen, Goodwood and Nassau. Clearly, this was a car that gave smaller teams a chance to beat the best, and the production output of completed race cars quickly found purchasers. Having achieved its Le Mans ambition, the Jaguar works team
withdrew from racing at the end of 1956, yet the 1957 Le Mans proved to be the pinnacle of the D-Type’s racing career. Privately entered cars dominated the race, finishing first, second, third, fourth Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 27
history
HOW AERONAUTICAL THINKING SHAPED THE D-TYPE When the Jaguar D-Type was unveiled to a positive response in 1954, it was clear that considerable aeronautical engineering expertise had been applied in its design. The sleek D-Type broke new ground in using a monocoque construction, rather than the spaceframe that had been the accepted norm for racing car manufacture. The monocoque process, by now already well established in aircraft construction, used sheets of aluminium alloy to form the central tub, which included the cockpit. The D-Type was the first Jaguar, and one of the first racing cars, to use a monocoque and the early cars had a front subframe welded to the monocoque.
On later cars, the subframe was bolted on. The subframe carried the engine, suspension and steering, while the rear suspension and differential were mounted directly onto the monocoque. Also taken from the aviation industry was the use of deformable bag tanks for the fuel, with fuel cells incorporated into the monocoque. While there was much new thinking within the execution of the D-Type, some essentials were carried over from the C-Type, including disc brakes and the familiar and well-proven XK engine. But even the engine was developed to suit the new model, as bodywork guru Malcolm Sayer, drawing
and sixth, with Ecurie Ecosse taking an epic one-two with the cars of Flockhart/Bueb and Lawrence/Sanderson. Cars from the Los Amigos, Ecurie Nationale Belge and Duncan Hamilton teams packed out the rest of the top places as rivals from Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin were soundly beaten into the minor places. From the high of 1957, the D-Type headed into a steady decline, not helped by a rule change at Le Mans that introduced a 3-litre engine limit for the 1958 event. The faithful and hugely effective 3.8-litre XK engine was reworked accordingly, but it never found the reliability of the bigger engine, and none of the four cars entered for Le Mans in 1958 finished the event. Back home, however, a young Jim Clark showed his pace by winning national races in a Border Reivers D-Type. The D-Type was represented again at Le Mans in 1959 and, finally, in 1960, but made little impression against the latest cars from Ferrari and Aston Martin. The glory era for the D-Type had lasted just four seasons, but the cars carried on winning through to the end of the 1950s, with the Briggs Cunningham team scoring many US successes. Into the 1960s, D-Types were still racing all over the world, but
the ageing design was being steadily outclassed. One of the last significant results came in September 1961 when Mike Salmon won the Autosport three-hour event at Snetterton in XKD 504. That was an ex-Ecurie Ecosse car, which Salmon later sold for just £1,750 in 1962. A decade after the car’s debut, the D-Type had come to the end of the line as a contemporary racing car. However, a little over a decade later, the emergence of historic racing offered a new avenue for these glorious cars. 28 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
on his aviation background, demanded a very low frontal area for the new car. In order to reduce the height of the XK engine, a dry-sump oil system was designed and, with the engine installed at eight degrees to the vertical, a far lower frontal area was achieved. That also led to the trademark off-centre bulge in the bonnet to accommodate the top of the engine. While the D-Type had an impressively low frontal area, Sayer also paid attention to the underneath of the car and created a low-drag floor. Finally, to cope with the expected high speeds at Le Mans, a large vertical fin was added behind the cockpit to try to aid stability.
Right, from top: the beautiful D-Type was designed as a racer without compromise, unlike its early 1950s predecessor, the road-car C-Type
It is as a sports racer without compromise that the D-Type is remembered. It remains one of the most beautiful racing cars ever from Great Britain and carved its place in racing history In total, the D-Type was in production for four years from 1954, and it is believed that 87 cars were built, including 18 for the Jaguar factory team and another 53 that were sold to private race teams. In February 1957, a catastrophic fire at the Jaguar plant at Brown’s Lane in Coventry destroyed at least nine cars and damaged others. The final chapter in the D-Type production story was the Jaguar XKSS, a road-going version of the D-Type. A total of 16 unused D-Type chassis were converted into XKSS models, with the addition of a second seat, a full-width screen and a simple soft top. But it is as a sports-racer without compromise that the D-Type
is remembered. It remains one of the most beautiful racing cars ever to emerge from Great Britain and rightly carved its place in racing history. Many cars survive today and grace the tracks of the world at historic racing festivals. Fifty-seven years after it first broke cover, the Jaguar D-Type remains an all-time great.
PASSPORT CONTROL:
ALAMY
LICENCE TO RACE
For any historic race or rally car, its Historic Technical Passport is the key to competing in FIA international events worldwide. This is the essential document that confirms the car conforms to a correct period specification. In Great Britain, the HTP process is managed by the MSA and is mirrored across the world as each governing body, or ASN, works to the same system. In Britain, more than 3,000 HTPs have been issued since the FIA scheme was introduced five years ago. It is the owner’s responsibility to prove that the car is correct. Each car is inspected by an MSAappointed independent inspector – there are around a dozen, each with a particular area of expertise. Robert Ellis manages the HTP system on behalf of the MSA. “It’s an ongoing process as cars are still coming onto the scene. It is not a provenance document, but it does mean that the car can be used all over the world.” Most applications run smoothly, but there are always a few that are adrift of correct period specification when presented. “Cars do get rejected, but they can be re-presented at a later date. We do get most of them through in the end,” said Ellis. Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 29
a day in the life
PAUL BIGGERSTAFF In a regular look at motor sport’s backroom boys and girls, championship co-ordinator Paul Biggerstaff reveals how the Hankook MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship runs like clockwork Interview Marcus Simmons
Paul Biggerstaff puts in 12-hour days, handling everything from answering competitors’ queries to assembling the airbridge and finish
ROYDEMPSTER.COM; ILLUSTRATIONS: JOE WILSON
Making the leap from a club secretary to co-ordinator
for Northern Ireland’s biggest motor sport championship is a stiff challenge. It’s no wonder, then, that Paul Biggerstaff says the highlight of his first season in the role (2010) was just seeing everything come together for the first event. You can almost hear him wipe the sweat from his brow... In addition to a gruelling 12-hour shift on the big day, his work on each of the 10 rounds begins long before the event kicks off. Handily for Biggerstaff, with the championship set within an area that is on the small side geographically, none of the rounds is too far from his Tandragee home. “The furthest rally is two hours away,” he says. “I’ll generally be leaving home at seven o’clock or earlier and the first thing will be to go to documentation, or scrutineering if that’s taking place on the Saturday morning instead of Friday. At documentation, I’ll be taking queries, chatting with competitors
The preparation can be last-minute. You can be putting up the finish area five minutes before the first car is due
and getting views. There are tyre vouchers information he needs: “He is a big to sort out.” enthusiast and keen photographer and Next up is drivers’ briefing, where sometimes he needs a navigator as well!” Biggerstaff tells us there is unlikely to be Then it’s off to the service area to meet any fisticuffs between competitors, just the results officer and check that the some light-hearted banter. “I will championship banners are erected. have a word with the clerk of the Then it’s off to the finish area. WHAT DO course to make sure he points “You can be putting it up five YOU DO? me out to whoever might need minutes before the first car is Want to tell the world about your motor sport life? me. For instance, if drivers due, with the representative Drop us a line at msa@ want points they will need the thinkpublishing.co.uk from the organiser missing, or write right decals in place on the but there weren’t any major to us at MSA Magazine, Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, car.” Biggerstaff photographs problems last year. Famous 124-128 Barlby each competing car at the start: last words!” Road, London W10 6BL “I do this as a record just in case Paul will make sure that there is a query. There have been photo opportunities for the leading examples in the past where the decal is crews are organised, and Hankook hats on the car’s roof – which isn’t much use!” sorted – it can be nearly 6pm. Unless, of course, the car ends its rally not There’s still the matter of updating on all four wheels… the championship points for the website, and sending a rally report for the MSA Biggerstaff then makes sure plans are championships round-up. But they can in place to move the airbridge to the finish wait until after some well-deserved sleep. area, and dismantles the championship Biggerstaff’s last Saturday job is to help equipment from documentation. “You dismantle the airbridge and banners at the might have to take the airbridge from the finish: “It can be 7pm when it’s all wrapped start in a car park to the finish in a town up. I don’t have to be at prizegiving so I go centre. We had an event in Enniskillen home. I’m too tired for anything else!” where it needed to be taken 15 miles, so it’s Biggerstaff may have a lot to do, but this a matter of getting a gap in the traffic.” is no full-time job. “I wish it was! My job is He also makes sure the Hankook working for a pharmaceutical company.” representative has all the maps and Well, they do say motorsport is like a drug... Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 31
profile
JASON PLATO:
one against them all Few drivers divide opinion quite like reigning BTCC champion Jason Plato. He opened up to Gemma Briggs about three decades of struggle and why he doesn’t tempt all palates
CHARLIE BEST
As a schoolboy, Jason Plato would arrive home to find a kart engine –
not his supper – sitting in the oven. The family’s kitchen doubled as a workshop as they set out on a journey that, 30 years on, has led to a brace of touring car titles. Today, the only oil you’ll find standing on the worktop is of the extra-virgin variety. Dishing up meatballs for his youngest daughter’s dinner, this relaxed family man couldn’t be more different from the ruthless, on-track demon that has made Plato one of the most exciting drivers in the country. It is winter, the off-season, and his converted Oxfordshire barn is surrounded by snow. Inside, the phone buzzes with a stream of business calls, which come second to the home life that carries on around. For every photo of the 43-year-old in a race suit hanging on the wall, there are at least three more of his family – his wife and two young daughters. Anyone who has watched coverage of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will know how much family means to its reigning champion – it’s not difficult to spot his mum and dad in the RML pit garage, nestled in Silverline Chevrolet jackets. Their support has been unwavering since his father, then a Newcastle car dealer, took in a kart as a bad debt. “Even before getting the kart, I’d watched F1 on TV and knew it was what I wanted to do,” says Jason, whose cousin was touring car driver Kieth O’Dor, who died on track in 1995. “Karting was for us
32 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
a stretch. It was either karting or school holidays and ski trips – and I didn’t do any of that. That was a sacrifice that I was more than happy to make. “It became the most important thing in the Plato household. You walked in the house, and our dining room was our workshop. There were engines in the oven getting cooked to put liners in. We used to travel everywhere in a little Vauxhall van. Me and my dad built a partition in the back and got some foam cut and that’s where we slept – travelling throughout Europe.” Sitting in his vaulted barn, he recounts these more
humble times with cheeky relish but, before long, he turns serious: “Nothing in this game has ever been gifted to me; I’ve had to fight and earn every penny.” Finding money was a stretch throughout karting, which culminated in a world title, but became even more difficult when he reached Formula Renault, from where he suffered a string of knockbacks that would have stopped most people. But Plato admits to telling the odd porkie and “doing what you have to do to succeed in this game when you have no money”. Eventually, his promising career – “there were quite a lot of industry people saying that I was going to be the next thing” – ground to a halt. “You can only tread water for so long with no dough. It was a big kick in the teeth. I spent two or three years not competing, sitting in racing schools, getting bitter and twisted. It was Renault UK who was my saviour.”
You walked in the house, and our dining room was our workshop. There were engines in the oven getting cooked to put liners in. Me and my dad used to travel everywhere in a little Vauxhall van
profile
Plato’s vaulted barn is a very long way from his humble beginnings when the family kitchen was home to car engines. Below right: Plato with a recent award
Despite seeing it as a backward step, he decided to give his career one last go and signed up for the Renault Spider Cup, whose champion would win a test with the Williams Renault British Touring Car Championship team. Tipped off that their star driver Will Hoy would be leaving, so creating the tantalising prospect of a top race seat, Plato gave it his all and took the crown. “Even then, I’d done the prize test with Williams
and was told there wasn’t a drive for me. I’ve still got the letter from Frank [Williams] saying, ‘You couldn’t have done any better, but actually the seat’s going to an ex-F1 driver and you’re not at that level in your career. Sorry but, blah, blah, blah.’ Again, I thought, ‘What more have I got to do to get a chance?’ It was about a month or two afterwards that I woke up one morning full of hell, and that’s when I went round to doorstep Frank. And that was a life-changing moment.” Having persuaded the legendary team boss that he was worthy of a seat, Plato promptly stuck his Laguna on pole position for his debut BTCC race, at Donington Park in 1997, and finished the season in third overall. In the 11 subsequent seasons in the series, he has won two titles – we’ll get to his several near-misses in a while – and last year, matched Andy Rouse’s long-standing record of 60 BTCC race wins. Standing in Plato’s dining room, you can, out of the corner of your eye, catch sight of rows of silver trophies sitting high in the eaves. But they 34 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
I don’t think there’s anyone else like me. I believe I’m the best overtaker in the business. I’m probably too aggressive at times, but that in itself means very few people mess with me on the track. A lot of people get out of my way, so it’s effective are almost out of view. He may be Britain’s most recognisable national racing driver – a star of television as well as of the track – but the house is not a shrine to his success. That may surprise some people, because Jason has a fair few detractors to add to his army of fans. “I’m a Marmitey sort of character,” he muses.
“That’s just my make-up. I’m not a squeaky-clean, Andy Priaulx-type. Not that there’s anything wrong with Andy, but I’m not that sort of bloke. For every 10 people I meet, I probably rub three or four or five of them up the wrong way. So, in many ways, I’m making it hard for myself. Had I been slightly softer – arrogant is the wrong word; I call it confidence – then I might have gone a bit further.” Then again, if he wasn’t the Jason Plato we know and love (or hate), he wouldn’t be capable of coming
For every 10 people I meet, I probably rub three or four or five of them up the wrong way. So, in many ways, I’m making it hard for myself. Had I been a slightly softer person, then I might have gone a bit further
from the back of the grid to a podium position, as he has done on more than a handful of occasions. There is no driver more ruthless on track (and possibly off it, too) in this country. “I don’t think there’s anyone else like me. I believe I’m the best overtaker in the business. I’m probably a bit too aggressive at times, but that in itself means very few people mess with me on track. A lot of people get out of my way, so it’s effective. I generally find it much easier to not like my competitors – I go out of my way to actually be disliked by them. For me, winning is everything. Everything. I don’t subscribe to this ‘it’s the competing that’s important’ thing. It’s not at all.” But that has surely worked against you on some occasions... “Oh, absolutely.”
CHARLIE BEST; LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Plenty of other drivers have played conservatively,
picked up the points and later on the title, but never Plato, who could conceivably have another four titles to his name. “Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s cost me some championships,” he admits. “In 2009, for instance, had I not attempted to dive down the inside of Colin Turkington at Snetterton in the opening lap, I would have won the championship. I’m not a ‘sit tight
BEST OF BRITISH:
WHY PLATO LOVES UK MOTOR SPORT “There’s no other country that I know of where there is such a depth of championships, whether professional or amateur, clubby - whatever you want to call it. There are so many motor sport activities – from trials in weird cars to karting and rallycross. There’s a fantastic specialist industry built around it – from engineering to marketing. “I firmly believe we have the best marshals – who are shipped around the world because of that. It’s easier to engage with motor sport in the UK than in any other country. I wouldn’t want to be a Belgian up-and-coming driver. This is the place to be; everyone comes to Britain for the junior formulae. “When it comes to the tracks, Oulton Park is very special and so is Brands Hatch GP – oldstyle, edgy, bumpy, difficult circuits where there’s a penalty for going off. While we all must think about safety, I cannot think of a duller place to drive than [the French track] Paul Ricard - there’s no jeopardy, no danger. Oulton Park, Brands Hatch GP and Thruxton have got that element of being an old-style, really challenging drivers’ track.” Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 35
profile
Plato believes that he has found his ideal home with Ray Mallock’s RML outfit after his previous team SEAT pulled out unexpectedly at the end of 2008
and see what happens’ kind of guy. I’d rather regret making a move and it not coming off, than regret not making that move at all.” As we talk, the 2011 season is several weeks away. His filming for Fifth Gear over, Plato’s days are filled with phone conversations and meetings. A stream of calls light up his mobile phone as he negotiates his driving seat – even for a double champ, there are businessmen to be convinced, deals to be done. One thing is certain: he has found a happy home with former driver Ray Mallock’s RML outfit. A lastgasp deal to race with him was cobbled together for 2009 after the Spanish marque SEAT, with whom Plato had a long-term contract, pulled out unexpectedly at the end of 2008. Looking back on what could have been another
false start in his career, Plato recalls: “Two racers – me and Ray – got our heads together and said, ‘Let’s have a go.’ I didn’t have any money. For the first race at Brands Hatch, I’ll be honest, I put my hand in my pocket and so did Ray. There’s not many people who can engineer their way to success like they can. For me, RML are the best touring-car team in the world.” This brings us to the question of why Plato races in a national, rather than international, touring car series. “Simplistically, I’d rather race at Monza or Macau than Silverstone National. And I’d rather race with a grid full of big names. But, with the level of TV the BTCC gets in the UK, I don’t think the world series would do anything for me – my profile
would go down rapidly. So, commercially for me, it’s a no-brainer to stay in the UK. The other thing is I’ve raced against Yvan [Muller] and beat him, raced against [Alain] Menu and beat him. So it’s not as if I haven’t beaten these guys. But at this age, do I want to be travelling around the world on planes, sitting in naff hotel rooms and missing my kids? I don’t think I do.” With a parched gap of nine years between his first
BTCC title and last year’s triumph, some of his rivals might be tempted to think Jason Plato’s thirst for success has been slaked. They would be mistaken. “The funny thing is, the championship is a bit of an anti-climax,” he concludes. “The sexy thing is doing it. Once you get home, yeah, it’s great you’ve got a trophy on the kitchen worktop. But come on – let’s go and do the next one.”
With the level of TV the BTCC gets in the UK, the world series wouldn’t do anything for me. At this age, do I want to be travelling around the world on planes, sitting in naff hotel rooms and missing my kids? No
SECRETS OF HIS SUCCESS: WANT TO KNOW THE KEY TO PERSEVERANCE
“I was very close to packing it in during 1995. I was driver coaching and I reached the point where I thought, ‘This isn’t going anywhere.’ The problem is, this sport is a bit of a disease. I’d been racing competitively since the age of 12 and that’s what gets me up in the morning. So, to turn your back on it, unless you’ve exhausted every single avenue – and
in this game, there are lots of different avenues – well, you just keep going. And that’s why I’m here now talking. Lots have given up and knocked it on the head.”
LUCK
“I do feel lucky. At the end of the 1996 season, the planets were aligned: it was Will Hoy’s last season; Renault UK wanted me; I doorstepped Frank at the crucial time;
there was a test that was going to happen, which he put me into. All the planets were aligned, but I do know that if I hadn’t got out of bed to see him with a bee in my bonnet, looking for an opportunity, then it would not have happened. Everybody needs a little luck, a bit of timing.”
TEAMWORK
“Everybody knows we’re there to do a job. Actually,
Had I not dived down the inside of Colin Turkington at Snetterton in 2009, I’d have won the title. I’m not a ‘sit tight’ kind of guy. I’d rather regret making a move and it not coming off, than regret not making that move at all
FURTHER INFORMATION
As an ambassador for Go Motorsport, Jason Plato supports the MSA’s initiative to help more people get involved in the sport. To find out more, log on to www. GoMotorsport.net
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
JASON PLATO’S 30-YEAR CAREER AND KILLER INSTINCT? READ ON... it’s easy with a team like RML because they’re tremendously focused; they’re not on a jolly for the weekend. Even down to the third or fourth technician on the car, they really want to win. I think my style is a natural gel with the team. They know that when I’m in the car, I’ll give 110%. That’s nice, I think, from a team point of view - we’re all in it together. I understand that I
can’t do it without the team. It’s a joint effort.”
PLANNING
“I spend hours on the phone with the engineer. Before we get to the race weekend, we have the two 40-minute test sessions planned to the second. We know what we’re changing, what our running order is, and we’ll have two or three tyre strategies depending on the weather.
We know if we change this component, we might get two results - but we’ll also have planned what changes we’ll make for each of those. I really enjoy working with my engineers, and we’re really precise and efficient at using our time. It yields results.”
CONFIDENCE
“You need inner confidence and self-belief and that needs to be genuine. Not something
you’ve told yourself, but something you believe. If you can get yourself in that state of mind, then that does improve the way you perform. Something I worked on a lot last year was learning what makes me tick. What’s important for me is to just be relaxed. I can wind myself up and I don’t perform as well in the opening laps. Know your faults, what can let you down, and try to suppress that.” Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 37
insight Team UK’s Oli Webb, who will race in Formula Renault 3.5 this year, thought that being in an accident was tough, but then he faced a racing incident at a marshal-training day Story Gemma Briggs
out of the frying pan... Oli Webb was just 14 years old when he flipped a racing
JAKOB EBREY
car at 120mph. “I had to be pulled from the wreckage,” he recalls. “I no longer find it scary, but back then, it was. I seem to have about one big crash a year – that’s the way it goes.” Being rescued from an upturned or burning car may be something that drivers like Oli risk every time they take to the track, but how much do they understand about the people who come to the rescue? We sent the 19-year-old to an incident training day at Silverstone for an induction into the world of marshalling. As a member of the elite band of Team UK drivers, Oli knows a thing or two about safety: the MSA works closely with the FIA Institute’s Motor Sport Safety Development Fund to educate its most promising drivers in this field. But there’s nothing like getting your hands dirty with a spot of fire-fighting to see incident rescue from the other side. After an early-morning start signing on alongside more than a hundred keen
marshals, the day got under way with a briefing on tackling vehicle fires before the group headed outside for a practical session. “They chucked 20 litres of gasoline on a car inside in a big empty area. The fire was 15 feet tall and the whole of Silverstone was covered in smoke,” says Oli, with something close to a schoolboy’s relish. “I volunteered to go up first – actually, I was forced! – and I had to use powder, foam and water to put it out. I could see straight away how good the fire extinguishers are. They put it out instantly... but in three seconds of walking away, it would relight. What was really interesting is that it can take up to three or four hours to put out a fire, and you might need to use 10,000 gallons of water.” Having felt the intense heat of the situation
– in both a literal and metaphorical sense – it was no surprise to hear that Oli’s admiration for the work of the marshal quickly grew. “I already knew a lot about what marshals do, as I get involved in some
What was really interesting is that it can take up to three or four hours to put out a fire, and you might need to use 10,000 gallons of water safety work during instructing at Oulton Park. But I really learned something. Every single marshal loves racing and they do it to be close to the action, but they certainly put in the hours, and it’s such hard work.” Next up was a session on dealing with flipped cars – something that Oli has personal experience of, albeit from the driver’s seat. To a spectator, this might not look as dramatic as putting out a huge fire, but it is an equally challenging task, not least because the driver is still strapped in place. “If you do it wrong, you
From left: Oli Webb, from the elite band of Team UK drivers, swapped his helmet for a fire extinguisher as he spent a day shadowing race marshals; staged crashes are used to train marshals to deal with potentially injured race drivers and their flipped cars; the day’s training was held at Silverstone; a Land Rover rescue vehicle tows an abandoned car from the run-off area as the assembled marshals look on
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 39
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insight
Clockwise from above left: dozens of fire extinguishers (dry powder, foam, water) are needed for every event; armed with an extinguisher, Oli tackles a staged fire under expert guidance; marshals must learn the different extinguishers and their uses; Oli puts questions to his guide for the day, David Britain, an experienced marshal; a crucial duty of the marshals is rescuing drivers from their crashed cars as swiftly and as safely as possible
could break your back – or that of the person inside the car,” he says. Talking Oli through the process of gently rolling over the car was David Britain, a marshal of two decades’ experience: “I rather thought his view was that we were never going to manage it but he was pleasantly surprised when we did!” With seven or eight marshals to hand, it is not a difficult feat – “you don’t have to be particularly strong,” adds Oli – but there may not always be that many to help. “If a driver rolls a car, you can’t roll it back over with only two marshals,” says David. “Oli asked what we’d do if we didn’t have enough and I said, ‘We couldn’t roll it.’ You must get the driver out another way.” Indeed, Oli seemed struck by the problems
faced in recruiting enough volunteers to the sport. “I certainly have a different view of marshals now, and one of the things that surprised me was how they are trying to get more people to do it. For every one marshal who retires, they need one more to sign up, but last year, it was four marshals
For every one marshal who retires, they need one more to sign up, but last year, it was four marshals retiring to one joining up. The average age is quite high
coming off the track can change your whole life,” says Oli. “They’re trying to help us, but a lot of the time, we’re not happy.” Thankfully, marshals are “a friendly, chatty bunch”, according to David, and are used to building a spot of banter and diffusing a driver’s anger. But there is still a ‘them and us’ situation, as Oli found out: “They ribbed me all day – but that was what I was expecting,” he laughs.
retiring to one joining up. The average age is quite high, so it would be good to get more young marshals to start.” After the practical exercises were over, and the group was satisfied by a muchneeded lunch break, came a session about safety and flags. This was an opportunity for Oli to lend his expertise and tell the group how flags work from his perspective, and there were one or two faces he recognised among the crowd. It’s little wonder that when marshals come into contact with drivers, the latter are usually not in the best of moods. “Because racing costs so much money,
The hardest part of the day came when
he had to leave. A crucial meeting with a sponsor meant Oli’s day as a trainee marshal would unfortunately be cut short. “I was dreading it,” he says, with a rueful chuckle. “I could not exactly slope off as I was on the front row with 100-odd people behind me! I kept looking at my watch and I did not want to stand up and ended up leaving 30 minutes later than I intended. There was a bit of banter then... ” Every driver knows that without the unpaid marshal army, they couldn’t race. But, as David adds, “if there were no drivers there would be no use for us!” Oli’s Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 41
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insight TEAM UK: CLASS OF 2011 The MSA’s national squad of top racing talent is a vital part of its plan to develop the sport. This year, the scheme has been extended to include 13 drivers and co-drivers, all of whom will benefit from advanced training in areas such as safety, in-car performance, fitness and psychology. David Brabham, Robert Reid, Nicky Grist and Mark Higgins are four of the big names involved in coaching the young chargers from the grassroots to world championship level. This year’s squad includes:
Tom Blomqvist, 17 2011 TBA 2010 Formula Renault UK Champion
Because racing costs so much money, coming off the track can change your whole life. The marshals are trying to help us, but a lot of the time, we’re not happy Above: Oli got a fresh experience of a training day showed how insight into just how the two groups rub along nicely together. hard the marshals “The marshals took to him well, especially work to make sure that racers like him as he was happy to muck in,” says David. are catered for on Although training days are crucial to track – and off! keeping volunteers up to date with the latest practices, there is no textbook answer for dealing with a crashed car. “All the different scenarios will play through your mind as you’re running towards an incident,” says David. It’s a good reminder that the job of a marshal is not an easy one – and no doubt, Oli left with a sigh of relief at returning to the more straightforward task of driving, rather than rescuing. “It was all pretty hands on – FIND just how I like it – but much OUT MORE more intense than I was For information on how to become a marshal, visit the expecting,” Oli says of the ‘Go Help’ section at www. day. “It’s really increased GoMotorsport.net Once you know which area you want to my respect for the work that be involved in, log on to www. marshals do.” volunteersinmotorsport. co.uk The ViM website has info on full training days.
Will Buller, 18 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series 2010 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series (8th); Brazil F3 Open (1st)
Jack Harvey, 17 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series 2010 Formula BMW Europe (2nd)
Alex Lynn, 17 2011 Formula Renault UK 2010 Formula Renault UK (10th); Formula Renault UK Winter Cup (Champion)
Harry Tincknell, 19 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series 2010 Formula Renault UK (5th)
Oli Webb, 19 2011 Formula Renault 3.5; FIA Formula 3 International Trophy 2010 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series (3rd)
John MacCrone, 21 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship / Fiesta SportTrophy UK 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship (18th); Fiesta Sport Trophy (2nd)
Lewis Williamson, 21 2011 GP3 2010 Formula Renault UK (2nd); McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner
Andrew Edwards, 25 (co-driver for Elfyn Evans) 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship (Junior Champion); Fiesta SportTrophy UK (Champion); Pirelli Star Driver winner
Elfyn Evans, 22 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship (Junior Champion); Fiesta Sport Trophy UK (Champion); Pirelli Star Driver winner
Harry Hunt, 22 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge / P-WRC 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge; Fiesta Sport Trophy International (Champion); JWRC (Rookie Cup winner); Richard Burns Trophy winner
Stuart Loudon, 22 (co-driver for John MacCrone) 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship; Hankook MSA Scottish Rally Championship 2010 Fiesta SportTrophy UK (2nd)
Seb Marshall, 22 (co-driver for Harry Hunt) 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge / P-WRC 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge; Fiesta SportTrophy International (Champion); JWRC (Rookie Cup winner); Richard Burns Trophy winner
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 43
PF International Karting Circuit The inside track on some of the very best motor sport venues in the UK. First up, the PF International Karting Circuit in Lincolnshire…
DATA BURST
LENGTH: 1,070 metres TRACK WIDTH: Eight metres LAP RECORD: 43.6 seconds LOCATION: Brandon, Grantham NG32 2AY WEBSITE: www.jmkartsport.co.uk CONTACT: 01636 626424
Story Mike Breslin
4/5
7
Turn 7
Turn 4/5
This corner also includes the pit entry and is one of the most difficult on the circuit. The approach speed is quite high, and the kart’s full grip is required to keep momentum here.
Paul Fletcher is the ‘PF’ in PF
International. He is a former kart racer and current team owner who has spent some £4m of his own money on making his circuit, which opened in 1994, one of the very best in Europe. Fletcher made his millions through a large bakery business, but actually The History
44 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
These tricky ‘S’ bends require smooth driving from a racer, as well as good lines – precision steering is essential if a driver is to post a fast lap.
finding the site for his dream track was no piece of cake, however much dough he had to hand (that’s the end of the bakery puns, promise). “It was extremely difficult because you simply can’t get planning permission, and I looked for sites all over,” he says. Eventually, he stumbled upon PFI’s location, near Grantham in Lincolnshire,
Finding the site for my dream track was extremely difficult because you simply can’t get planning permission, and I looked all over
place notes
Turn 1
The first corner you come to on leaving the pits or start line. This long 180-degree right-hander requires smooth steering and judgement to get the best from your kart.
1
2
Turn 2
This is where all the action happens! The corner has the fastest entry speed and yet it is one of the tightest on the circuit. Heavy breaking is the order of the day here.
ILLUSTRATION: NINIAN CARTER
Turn 1
when another kart track, Fulbeck, was threatened with closure. “They were told they had to get off the Ministry of Defence land. So the farmer next door to Fulbeck got outline planning permission just outside the boundary for another kart track for when that one closed, and I bought that planning permission.” As things turned out, Fulbeck didn’t close and is
Turn 2
still going strong, which means there are now two kart tracks operating completely independently of each other, yet merely 200 metres apart. In its 16-year existence, PFI has played
host to many future stars, including Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Hamilton, in particular, stuck out, says Adrian Mills,
Turn 7
the managing director of PFI operating company JM Kartsport: “He was very, very good; you could see that straight away.” PFI hosted its first international event last year, a qualifying round for the European Championship, while its annual Kartmasters British Kart Grand Prix is a highlight of the karting calendar and attracts more than 300 entries. Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 45
place notes “This place has the best Facilities facilities in the UK by a country & Testing mile,” says Litchfield. He’s not
PFI opened in 1994 and hosted its first international karting event last year, a qualifying round for the European Championship
Smooth: that’s the defining
characteristic of the surface at PFI, and also the best approach when it comes to mastering the track. Mills, who is also a former British karting champion and a qualified ARKS (Association of Racing Kart Schools) instructor, says the secret to going well here is “just being very accurate and very smooth, because if you run less than a foot off line, then the grip disappears”. As for the surface, five-time UK karting champion Mark Litchfield says: “There are no bumps in the track at all, which personally I like. I don’t mind a bumpy track, but the smoother the better.” However, he adds: “Because it’s so silkysmooth, it’s notorious for being one of the slipperiest tracks there is in the wet.” The key to a good lap is the hairpins, and taking good speed out of them, says Litchfield, as well as the tight section towards the end: “Following the 90-degree right, it tightens up on itself then switches left in the complex. I would say that’s key, and it’s the hardest corner on the track. There’s a big direction-change.” Drive It
As far as problem corners in a race
situation are concerned, Mills points to the first hairpin (the second corner) after the long sweeping right: “In a two-stroke, you can be going into that at 70mph-plus, braking down to a corner speed of about 30mph. That’s usually where we have the main issues, often on the first lap.” The runoff here has recently been extended, making a circuit that Litchfield reckons to be one of the safest in the UK even safer.
exaggerating either: what other karting circuit – or full-scale race circuit for that matter – can boast 45 garages? Then there are the other amenities. “There are full restaurant facilities, a licensed bar, a panorama room – which is a big viewing gallery – and we have showering facilities and two sets of toilets… and the best parc fermé building in the UK,” says Mills. PFI also has the huge JM Kartsport karting shop, which is said to be one of the biggest in Europe. WHAT DO All of the above makes it YOU THINK? Is there a venue you would a great place to test – it is open like to discover more about? for two-stroke testing every Email your suggestions for the next issue to msa@ Friday and Saturday, with the thinkpublishing.co.uk or write odd Tuesday test day before to us at MSA magazine, Think, The Pall Mall the bigger meetings. Testing Deposit, 124-128 Barlby costs £40 for the day. “It’s got Road, London everything you need for good W10 6BL testing,” says Litchfield. “You get a lot of people there, and for any track, the best you can get it for testing purposes is to have as many people out as possible. You get more rubber down – the track is better and it becomes more consistent.”
The secret to going well on this circuit is just being very accurate and very smooth, because if you run less than a foot off line, then the grip disappears. There are no bumps in the track at all
Like many kart venues, much of PFI’s
revenue comes from its corporate and arrive-and-drive karting operations, with a fleet of 40 twin-engined four-strokes. It also runs ‘Racing for Buttons’ on Monday evenings – under its floodlights in winter – at which kids can get into karts for as little as £5.
PFI Karting looks to extend its range While there’s little doubt that with 10 corners, PFI is a real technical challenge for a kart racer, even those involved with the circuit admit it has more than its fair share of constant radius turns, and less than its fair share of gradient. But all that is set to change – there are plans to extend the circuit to 1,400 metres (from 1,070m), which will mean it could qualify to host the world championship – one of Fletcher’s ambitions. The changes, which should start this year
provided that planning permission is obtained, will radically alter the appearance of the track, thanks to the addition of a bridge to make a crossover. “Halfway around the first corner, it will turn left,” explains Mills. “It will go under a bridge and then up to a left-hand banked corner. Then there’s a bit of a complex leading back over the bridge and on to the back straight.” This would make PFI one of very few karting tracks with a crossover, says Fletcher, adding: “It’s extremely expensive
to have a bridge because you have to have the width of the track on the bridge, plus the runoff area over the top, and going underneath.” Even without the extension, the circuit is looking forward to a cracking calendar of events this season. These include another European qualifier in May, plus a round of the MSA British Junior and Short Circuit Kart Championships in March, PFI’s televised Kartmasters event in August, and regular meetings run by the Trent Valley Kart Club.
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 47
performance
THE EASY WAY TO STRIP WEIGHT FROM YOUR CAR If you believe fitness regimes are the preserve of grand prix drivers, think again... Story Marcus Simmons
Motor sport competitors in the public eye are
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
supremely fit athletes. Gone are the days when you’d watch Superstars in the 1970s, cheering on the grand prix driver, only for him to labour home last in the squatthrusts with a tiny fraction of the score of judo king Brian Jacks or shot-put giant Geoff Capes. The only exercise that racing drivers seemed to do in those days, other than the actual act of driving their cars, was pursuing ladies. These days, racing heroes seem to lead a monastic life of discipline – in public at least! But, if you’re reading this, the chances are that you’re one of the overwhelming majority who compete in motor sport for fun, and who work full-time in order to spend whatever disposable income you may have left over. On a typical week day, you may get home at 6pm, work on your car, have dinner and watch TV with the other half, then go to bed and do the same thing all over again the next day. There’s not much time to head down to the gym to hone your upper-body strength on the parallel bars; the closest you’ll get to that exercise is hauling yourself into the loft to find a paint-stripper from years ago. It is important, though, to keep yourself in shape, even if you can’t devote much time to it. “You’re looking to be within the
There is a lot of money spent on stripping weight out of the car, but if you can get yourself five or six kilos lighter, that’s a far more cost-effective way to improve performance, as well as improving your comfort and enjoyment 48 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
healthy norm,” says Eliot Challifour of the Porsche Human Performance Centre (PHPC), which coordinates fitness for the MSA Academy, which includes the AASE and Team UK programmes. “There is a lot of money spent on stripping weight out of the car, but if you can get yourself five or six kilos lighter, that’s a far more costeffective way to improve performance, as well as your comfort and enjoyment.” The PHPC was set up two-and-a-half
years ago by Challifour and Andy Blow in conjunction with Porsche. Blow was the physiologist at the Benetton/ Renault Formula 1 team, and Main: Blow (left) and Challifour did part of his work Challifour hone their training programmes placement with him as part of at the PHPC. Below: his degree. They set up their own 1976 F1 World company, votwo, which manages Champion James Hunt took a different the PHPC, with Blow as head view of training of sports and science testing, Challifour as manager and sports coaching expert, Gareth Evans on strength and conditioning, and Raj Jutley as doctor, who is also responsible for hydration. “Our ethos is that we have a team approach: rather than having one person doing everything, we have specialists in each area,” says Challifour. Most amateur motor sport participants are competing for relatively short periods of time (eg, a 15-minute race) in cars that are not particularly physically demanding to drive (no downforce or carbon brakes). So, you don’t need to turn up at signing on looking like a close relative of Charles Atlas. But fitness improves your alertness, sharpens up the brain. “It will help with consistency of lap times,” points out Challifour. “If you keep fit and strong, then you can cope with stresses. That not only helps you get the best out of your passion – it also helps you feel better later in life.”
Professional drivers will usually train six times a week with three cardiovascular sessions, two weight sessions and one circuit session. One of the cardio sessions will be cycling for up to three hours, to build endurance
is a massive detriment to performance,” warns Challifour (this writer was rather hoping he’d say, “Alcohol is fine as long as you’re not caning it every night!”). “It has a lot of calories, and if you drink on a regular basis, it suppresses your body’s ability to burn fat, and that’s obviously of massive implication. And it’ll dehydrate you. I would recommend that you stay off it during the week and then have a couple of glasses of wine or beers on a Saturday night. It’s like with anything: it’s about being 80% on the straight and narrow, 20% whatever you want.” For the professionals, it’s a different
Challifour reckons that a regular training regime of four days per week should do the trick. “That’s from an all-round perspective,” he says. “You’re looking at a couple of cardiovascular sessions – you can do a whole variety of different sports for this: swimming, cycling, running, rowing. Climbing is a great one for grip and forearm strength. Then you’d want to do one session in the gym using weights to build strength and another that’s a circuit-based session to develop muscular strength and endurance. “Remember that fitness is about being
consistent – you have to keep it up.” Diet is critical, too. That bacon sandwich at a rally service park on
game: “They’ll usually train six times a week,” says Challifour, “with three cardiovascular sessions, two weight sessions and one circuit session.” One of the cardiovascular sessions will be cycling for up to three hours, to build endurance. One will be interval training, “which is doing repetitions at a high intensity, with periods of rest before doing more. I’d typically use running.” And WHAT DO another is swimming: “I’d YOU THINK? use that after a race weekend Do you put more hours in down the gym or in front as active recovery. You can of the television? Tell us a windswept airfield may be be a bit battered, and if you about your fitness routine at appealing, but don’t make it msa@thinkpublishing.co.uk or have a day off, your body write to us at MSA magazine, can seize up a bit. You a habit. “It’s all about what Think, The Pall Mall you output versus what you recover more quickly if you Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London input,” says Challifour. “It’s do a bit of exercise, and in W10 6BL easy to eat too many high-calorie water, all your weight is supported foods, so you need a healthy, balanced and you use all your muscles. It diet alongside the exercise. Always eat can be between 1,000 and 3,000 metres, breakfast, and try to make sure you get followed by lots of stretching. We also use some complex carbohydrates – porridge hot and cold sessions at a spa to flush out with fruit gives you a nice, steady release of the lactate.” energy. You want to minimise the saturated If that all sounds daunting, remember fats, which are hard to get rid of, and keep that the professionals focus solely on sugary foods – which give you a short spike their racing to earn their living. For the of energy – to a minimum.” rest of us? Keep it up, or take it up. You probably like the odd visit to the “Fitness takes time,” says Challifour. pub or restaurant. If so, you may want to “It will help you enjoy your sport more, skip the rest of this paragraph… “Alcohol and to live a longer life.” Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 49
ask the experts
ASK THE EXPERTS
Are grants available for clubs, can you study an academic course in motor sport and how do you become a volunteer marshal? Our panel tackles your puzzlers...
PRACTICE INSURANCE
Does the MSA insurance policy cover me for any practice sessions outside a race weekend?
When the MSA issues a permit for a motor sport event, the MSA’s master insurance policy comes into effect for the duration of the permit to cover any third-party liability on behalf of the organisers and the signedon officials. Signed-on competitors are also covered for their third-party liabilities in participating during the event. However, the MSA permit does not cover practice sessions (other than those within MSA-authorised meetings) or general test days as these are, in effect, private circuithire sessions. Consequently, the MSA insurance cover would not be in operation for this type of event. Competitors should be aware that when participating in any activity that is not covered by the MSA event permit, they could be liable for any damage that may be caused by their actions, either on the track, in the paddock or in the vicinity of the race track. As ever, the best advice is always to check thoroughly with the event organiser before participating.
ROAD RACERS
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Are there any motor sport events I can contest with my road car?
Several disciplines are open to standard or lightly modified road cars, and serve as the perfect grassroots gateway to the sport. AutoSOLOs challenge drivers to tackle cone-marked courses, and it is actually a requirement that entrants drive their competition cars to the meetings in which they are competing. Autotests are also car-handling competitions but include reversing in the test. The cost of a full season of enjoyable competition in these events is just a few hundred pounds. Sprints and hill climbs are also open to street vehicles; both comprise time trials on asphalt courses and the only necessary vehicle modification is normally
the addition of a timing strut. Then there are Car Trials, in which competitors tackle twisty courses laid out on hillsides, and Cross Country, which takes place on rough terrain and is perfect for anybody with a 4x4. Navigational Rallies are run on the road and involve night navigation on country lanes. Maps, petrol and entry fees are the only costs involved. Meanwhile, for the corner-averse, there is ‘Run What Ya Brung’ drag racing; as the name suggests, drivers compete in whatever cars they arrive in. A helmet for those who will be hitting 110mph or more is the sole requirement.
There are around 40,000 people working directly or indirectly in the UK motor sport industry, with careers ranging from design to engineering and media STUDYING TO RACE
Is it true that you can study at college to become a professional driver?
The MSA’s Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) in Motor Sport is a government-funded course for potentially elite drivers. It is a part of the MSA Academy and caters for 16- to 18-year-old drivers and riders (in conjunction with the AutoCycle Union). AASE is delivered for the MSA by Loughborough College. It is fundamentally a human-performance programme, but students receive three separate academic qualifications that make up the Apprenticeship framework, which is equivalent to two/three A-levels. Should they wish, candidates are able to continue studying for their A-levels at school as part of the framework.
FORMULA 1 FUTURES
I am a big fan of Formula 1 and would really like to get a job in motor sport. Where should I start?
There are around 40,000 people working directly or indirectly in the UK motor sport industry, with careers ranging from design, engineering and management to catering, media and marketing. Securing a career in one of these areas is a matter of possessing the right qualifications, knowledge and attitude. Solid GCSEs and A levels are usually a prerequisite, and a degree in the field in which you wish to work is always advantageous and often essential. Work experience is a great way of getting your foot in the door and making yourself known to the right people. There are several school-based engineering competitions such as Formula 1 in Schools, Formula Student, Formula Schools and Greenpower. Participation in any of these is a great way to gain early experience, and will demonstrate to potential future employers that yours has been a longstanding ambition. The Motorsport Industry Association provides some valuable guidance for young people on its website: www.the-mia.com/ Motorsports-Careers.
BECOME A MARSHAL
I have stopped competing but would like to stay involved in the sport as a volunteer – what can I do?
The recruitment of new marshals and volunteers is essential to the ongoing development of motor sport. Without volunteers, there would not be any events. The best place to start is the Go Motorsport website (www.GoMotorsport. net) where you will find a section entitled ‘Go Help’. This will provide a list of clubs you could join as well as information about Volunteers in Motorsport, an MSA-backed initiative to encourage more people to become involved with the sport. Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 51
ask the experts Volunteers in Motorsport can help you get involved as a marshal, timekeeper, technical official or in many other roles. It is the perfect way to get close to the sport and a disability does not necessarily stop you being involved. No qualifications are necessary and having begun as a trainee marshal, you will be able to work your way through further grades by gaining experience and attending a specified number of training days and seminars. Those who are aged from 11 to 15 can become cadet marshals, which enables them to undertake a number of duties in slightly less demanding and responsible roles.
Having begun as a trainee marshal, you will be able to work your way through further grades by gaining experience and attending a specified number of training days and seminars RECRUITMENT HELP
Our club needs new safety equipment – can the MSA help with the cost of this?
The Club Development Fund has been running since 1995, during which time it has provided nearly £1m of ‘grant aid’ funding to assist projects with a total value of more than £4m. Any MSA-registered club may apply for a total of £2,500 funding each year, which should represent no more than 50% of the project’s value. Applications are considered by an awards panel and projects focusing on safety and venue improvements are encouraged. Full details can be found on the MSA website.
UNDER-16 LICENCES
I’ve heard that MSA competition licences are free for under-16s, is this true?
No, just the first one. In 2008, the MSA announced that anyone under 16 would be able to get their first MSA competition licence free of charge. This has been continued each year since then and is designed to encourage youngsters inspired by the exploits of their heroes to give motor sport a go. 52 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
HAVE A QUESTION?
If you have a question you’d like to put to the experts, email msa@ thinkpublishing.co.uk or write to us at MSA magazine, Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL
THAT’S MOTOR SPORT British rally star Gwyndaf Evans talks us through the best – and worst – advice he’s received throughout his career By Kevin Turner
“I think the best advice I got was before I even had a Ford works drive, from Ford’s Stuart Turner, when I failed to win an award to find a rally driver. It was in 1987 and I was second – and I won a Ford rally jacket! The winner was George Donaldson and he got a works Group N drive in the MSA British Rally Championship. That’s quite a gap between the prizes – second was useless. “I’d put everything into it and I thought that was the end of my career. I asked Stuart’s advice and he said: “You’ve got to get out there next year and beat George to show us that we were wrong.” Somehow I managed to put something together to get back out for the following season, and we beat George to the Group N title. After that I got more support, then a Ford works drive, so I think it was pretty good advice! “The other good support was from very early on in my career. My uncle, Gerallt Evans, used to rally a bit and he would always say – whatever I was going through – “never give up, you’re far too good, never give up”. He spannered for me, supported me and helped me enormously. “I don’t think I’ve ever had really bad advice. I didn’t ask a lot of questions – we ran our own cars in the early days and I worked it out for myself. “There was a lot of advice once you got your first works drive, but I don’t think any of it was bad. I don’t have any regrets. I don’t think I’d change anything. Perhaps I sometimes put too much pressure on myself. I was so determined to do well that I pushed and would sometimes make the odd mistake, but that wasn’t because of anyone else.” Gwyndaf Evans takes to the air in his Mitsubishi Evo X, in which he finished second overall in the 2010 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship
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10 MUST-SEE SPRING EVENTS
With the season about to kick off, it’s time to plan your next few Sundays. Jonathan Gill is here to point you in the right direction… TIME BANDITS
BUMPER TO BUMPER
IT TAKES TWO
Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Rounds 1-3 Brands Hatch, Kent 3 April 2011 www.BTCC.net or www.MotorSportVision.co.uk
FIA Formula 2 Championship Rounds 1-2 and MSA British Sprint Championship Rounds 3-4 Silverstone 17 April 2011 www.formulatwo.com and www.BritishSprint.org
If you’re seeking a day of non-stop thrills and spills, then look no further than the opening rounds of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. This year’s BTCC kicks off at Brands Hatch on the tight Indy Circuit, where more than 40,000 fans witnessed Jason Plato capturing the 2010 crown in last year’s fiercely fought title race. Now, with an exciting breed of Next Generation Touring Cars, the competition could be even closer. The top guns will be seeking early supremacy and the Brands Hatch seasonopener could throw up major surprises. As ever, the bill includes three touring car contests and support events, including rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Formula Renault UK, plus the debut Ginetta GT Supercup. You can catch it live on ITV4.
There is good news for those who struggle to make decisions, such as whether to indulge in circuit racing or a bit of sprint action on a Sunday afternoon. The opening round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship will take place on Silverstone’s Arena Grand Prix circuit in mid-April, while the MSA British Sprint Championship runs on the Silverstone Stowe circuit at the same time. The F2 Championship is recognised as one of the main feeder series to Formula 1, while the British Sprint Championship features single-seaters of immense power running against the clock, at the hands of some of the UK’s finest Speed racers. Take your pick...
TRIAL AND ERROR
MSA British Sporting Trial Championship JB Taylor Crewkerne, Somerset 3 April 2011 www.BTRDA.com
Get up close and you soon appreciate the huge amount of skill involved in guiding Sporting Trials cars up hills that even a mountain goat would think twice about tackling! The format is simple: drivers attempt a series of tests – called ‘sections’ – marked out with stakes on a hillside. Cars tackle each section one at a time, and the further up the hill they get, the fewer points they lose. Drivers are aided by their passengers, who bounce and balance the vehicles to maximise available grip. The stunning scenery makes it a perfect introduction to the discipline. 54 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
CROSS AND BOTHERED
FIA European Rallycross Championship Round 1 Lydden Hill Race Circuit, Kent 24-25 April 2011 www.RallycrossUK.com
Lydden Hill hosts the opening round of this year’s FIA European Rallycross Championship over the Easter weekend. The circuit has undergone a major programme of modernisation in recent years and is well worth its re-established place on the international calendar. “I’m delighted that we have been successful and that we will bring this major European event back to Kent again this year,” says Lydden Hill Race Circuit Managing Director, Amy Doran. “Last year was only the second time that we have organised the event and we were ranked third of the 10 rounds in the championship, ahead of more experienced organisers.”
Time Attack Series Round 2 Knockhill, Scotland 15 May 2011 www.TimeAttack.co.uk This year is the second for Time Attack as an MSA-recognised discipline. Its arrival at Knockhill in May provides those north of the border with a great chance to become part of a fastgrowing motor sport community. Time Attack originated some years ago in Japan as a way of comparing tuned road cars with the standard vehicles from which they derived, and in its current incarnation, the discipline is a showcase for the best of the aftermarket tuning scene. The format pitches modified cars on road-legal tyres against the clock on standard race circuits, culminating in the SuperBattle Final. There are two classes: the grassroots Club Challenge and the Pro Class, the latter featuring machines with nitrous-oxide-aided power outputs in excess of 900bhp.
SCOTTISH SPECTACULAR
Jim Clark International Rally Kelso HQ 27-29 May 2011 www.JimClarkRally.com
Set in the Borders, the Jim Clark Rally is staged on closed roads in Berwickshire over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. This event features several major series, such as round four of the 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship and the return, after a year’s absence, of the spectacular WRC machines of the Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. The competitors in both of these championships, along with a host of others, will tackle the special stages set throughout the late Formula 1 legend’s homeland on Friday and Saturday, while Scottish championship contenders and local clubmen will be out for the highly popular Reivers event on Sunday.
go see STELLAR EVENT COMING UP?
Tell us about it at msa@ thinkpublishing.co.uk or write to us at MSA magazine, Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL. For a full calendar of motorsport events, visit www. GoMotorsport.net
SIX THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT... DRAG RACING By Matt James
MUDDY MAGIC
ALRC Nationals 2011 The National Construction College, Bircham Newton, Norfolk 27-30 May 2011 www.ALRCNationals2011.co.uk
This Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend, visit the Association of Land Rover Clubs National Rally – an off-road event at the biggest construction college in Europe. Mud-plugging action includes TYRO, RTV, CCV Trials, a Team Recovery, Competitive Safari and a Concours d’Elegance.
BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT
Motorsport at the Palace Crystal Palace Park 29-30 May 2011 www.MotorsportAtThePalace.co.uk
Last year, Sevenoaks & District Motor Club (Sevenoaks DMC) brought competitive action back to the capital, using sections of the famous circuit for its first ‘Motorsport at the Palace’ timed sprint. After that huge success – which saw more than 5,000 spectators enjoy two days of motor sport – this year’s event will see 200-plus historic and modern racing cars competing against the clock. There’s even a class for electric and alternative-fuel cars.
HILL START
MSA British Hill Climb Championship Rounds 9-10 Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire 4-5 June 2011 www.Shelsley-Walsh.co.uk
Shelsley Walsh was first used in 1905, making it one of the world’s oldest motor sport venues. The world’s oldest national motor sport championship, the MSA British Hill Climb Championship, has been running there since 1947; the first of two 2011 visits is in June. There will be a celebration of the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Jaguar Eand C-Types, and historic Jaguar models.
1
Youngsters can start racing at eight in the Junior Dragster class. These are scaled-down versions of full-sized machines and run as side-by-side time trials rather than outright races. Junior dragsters can reach up to 85mph.
2
A good way to start drag racing is at ‘Run What You Brung’ meetings. A competitor can race a standard road car at the sport’s home, Santa Pod in Bedfordshire. They just need a helmet and mandatory check that the seatbelts are in good condition.
3
Drag racing uses a lot of jargon. For instance, the starting lights are set in a column called the ‘Christmas Tree’. Also, before each race, cars are allowed to spin their tyres on the startline to warm them up and get more grip. This is called a ‘burn-out’.
4
Drag racing has two types of competition – head-to-head and bracket racing. The first style is a car-versus-car race, but in bracket racing, a driver has to declare – or ‘dial in’ - a time that he
LIFE’S A DRAG
Auto Trader Easter Thunderball Santa Pod Raceway 22-25 April 2011 www.SantaPod.co.uk
thinks he will complete the quarter mile in. If he beats his opponent but crosses the finish line faster than he intended – called ‘breaking out’ – he automatically loses.
5
Top Fuel dragsters are the fastest cars in the sport. Their supercharged V8 engines produce in excess of 8,000bhp and run on a special fuel called Nitromethane. As they accelerate off the line, a driver will experience more than 3G of force on his body. A Top Fueller will complete the quarter mile in under five seconds and at speeds in excess of 300mph.
6
Drag racing caters for all ages and experience. Jayne Kay, at just 17 years old, graduated from the Junior Dragster ranks in 2010 and now races a 3,000bhp Funny Car. By contrast, Britain’s longestserving drag racer, Al O’Connor, started competing in 1970; 23 years before Jayne was born. After 40 years in the sport, O’Connor still regularly wins the Super Gas class using a V8 Chevrolet-powered Ford Popular.
FIND OUT MORE
To find out more about how to get involved with drag racing, visit www. GoMotorsport.net
The Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod opens the UK drag racing season and features a whole host of exciting attractions. Topping the bill is a fiery batch of 300mph Top Fuel Dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars, which will be starring in head-to-head shoot-outs piloted by Europe’s top drag racing talent. Adding to the excitement will be a huge variety of race cars and bikes that will be competing in the opening rounds of our premier national drag racing series, including the MSA British Drag Racing Championship. Alongside the racing, we are promised an eye-popping array of show vehicles including monster trucks, stunt displays, jet cars and more.
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 55
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IN THIS
ISSUE:
Wondrous watches p58 Gloves galore p60 Paint schemes p62 Springs p64 Darren Turner’s kitbag p65 MSA Gear of the Year 2011 p67
Gear TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Platinum Ltd Edition £66,500
www.tagheuer.com
Blow the Budget
OK, for that price you could do the best part of a season of top-end Formula Ford, but we’re guessing that this is aimed more at the GT racing crowd, the sort of people who appreciate, and can afford, pedigree. And pedigree is what this remarkable little ‘machine’ – for that’s the only way to describe it – has in spades. The Monaco V4 is the newest incarnation of the watch that Steve McQueen wore in the classic 1971 movie Le Mans, but it’s so much more than just a square face – it broke new ground on release by replacing the pinions and wheels of a traditional movement with a belt-driven transmission. It’s an amazing piece of engineering, and while there’s not the space to go into detail here, suffice to say that the five belts – made of polyether block amide – have a 0.07mm section, which is about the size of a human hair. But if the price tag is a little off-putting, then look at some of TAG Heuer’s other offerings, such as the Formula 1 Calibre S, a relative snip at £1,295.
Bag a Bargain
Petrolthreads T-shirts £20
Compiled by Mike Breslin
www.petrolthreads.co.uk
These are sure to be the T-shirts to be seen in when the sun comes out in the paddock this year. Each has its own iconic motor sport image – the BASF BMW M1 in red, the Escort RS2000 in yellow, the Lancia Stratos in green and the Porsche 917 in blue. The T-shirts are designed by New Zealand-based motor sport mechanic and artist Mat Ineson and are on high-quality heavy cotton. There is quite a large range, so check out the website to see if you can find a T-shirt depicting your own favourite motor sport legend. Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 57
WINNING
STYLE
time keepers
The strong link between watches and motor sport is down to the shared obsession with fractions Split-second decisions
Motor sport is obsessed with time in its tiniest fractions. At what other point in your life do you worry about the tenths or even hundredths of a second you fret about at the track, stage or hill? It’s little wonder then that many in the sport have always had an interest in timepieces, and it’s also little wonder that, in the past, the very best watchmakers have seen motor sport as a way to prove their wares. These days, most timing at tracks is computerised, with transponders feeding information to decoders which can measure to an accuracy of 1/10,000th of a second. Just try to think about that: a ‘ten-thousandth’ of a second – it’s hard to get your head around. But while rows of clocks, and clipboards with stopwatches, are beginning to disappear from the motor sport scene, there do seem to be more actual wristwatches involved than at any time before, with many of the prestigious watch brands now using it as a marketing tool – watch any F1 press conference and the only thing gleaming more than the victor’s smile will be his watch.
A special relationship
From the point of view of the watchmaker, the link is understandable, because motor sport is all about engineering prowess and accuracy. For the sport, the link just means that some of the world’s most desirable objects come with a motor sport theme, which should make them even more collectible – and remember that the better watches can hold their value. But the real point is this: if you are going to worry about fractions of a second, then you might as well worry in style. So here’s a selection of the very best motor sport-themed watches for you to choose from.
The link to watches is understandable – the sport is about engineering prowess and accuracy. Some of the world’s most desirable objects have a motor sport theme 58 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
Win a TW Steel Renault F1 Team CEO Tech watch worth more than £650 www.twsteel.com
TW Steel is pleased to offer you the opportunity to win a watch from the Renault F1 Team CEO Tech collection. The CEO Tech range offers a more luxurious edge to TW Steel’s partnership with the team. Mirroring the high-end values that have made TW Steel’s existing CEO collection a success, these elaborate watches, all of which feature a chronograph movement, are very much in keeping with the lifestyle platform associated with the sport. The TW683 offers a 48mm PVD black case. To enter Send the competition code [MSA magazine – TWSteel] along with your name, address and telephone number on a postcard to Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL or via email to msa@thinkpublishing.co.uk. No purchase necessary. One entry per person. Check the terms and conditions in full at www.msauk.org. Promotion closes at 11.59pm on 21 May 2011. Promoter: Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL Open to UK residents only aged 18 or over
WIN!
gear
of a second. When time counts, you must count on your timepiece…
Oldstyle Chic
Stirlingapproved Style
The Christopher Ward C90 Beckett’s
Kobold Rattrapante Stirling Moss
Nice to see a watch company grasp what racing is really about – challenging corners. Christopher Ward says that this item is more “Stirling Moss than Lewis Hamilton”. The Beckett’s has a multilayered precision dial with a Swiss-made 24-jewel Valgranges automatic movement and a unique engraved serial number for collectability.
This American watchmaker celebrates a very British hero in a very stylish way with the watch designed closely with Sir Stirling. It can mark split-seconds for multiple events and the tachometric scale can measure a car’s average speed. The titanium case is attached to a Louisiana alligator strap; an optional solid titanium bracelet, based on a design by Sir Stirling, is available for £610.
£699
www.christopherward.co.uk
approx £9,340
www.koboldwatch.com
Breitling Bentley GMT Racing Green Limited Edition
£7,460 www.breitling.com Breitling and Bentley have formed one of the most recognisable partnerships between a manufacturer and watchmaker, the latter tapping into a marque that has long dumped its staid image – thanks to its Le Mans victory in 2003. To mark the launch of the Continental GT last year, Breitling unveiled this edition of its Bentley GMT chronograph, limited to just 1,000 pieces.
The Driver’s Choice
Graham Mercedes GP Silverstone
TW Steel Dario Franchitti Edition
Graham first got involved with the F1 team formerly known as Honda, during its year as Brawn in 2009. The partnership kept up when it became Mercedes for 2010. This 48mm watch has ‘silver arrows’ – harking back to Mercedes’ 1930s/1950s racing exploits – and the blue-green represents the colours of Mercedes team partner Petronas.
Modern racing drivers like their watches chunky, so oversize watchmaker TW Steel has stormed motor racing, first with its tie-up with Renault in F1, and then collaborating with motor sport stars, including Dario Franchitti. The watch highlights the Scot’s helmet colours in 45mm or 48mm cases (the latter, £595).
approx £4,200
www.graham-london.com
£575
www.twsteel.com
TAG Heuer Formula 1 £725
www.tagheuer.com
Costing less than a grand, Tag Heuer’s new Formula 1 Chronograph Calibre S is still the watch of champions. Well, almost. Alain Prost, the four-time Formula 1 world champion and Ayrton Senna’s great rival, helped with the design. Whatever your chosen discipline, this watch is robust enough to adorn the wrist of even the most discerning motor sport enthusiast. Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 59
BUYER’S
GUIDE
glove box
Need a new pair of race or rally gloves? Then here’s all you need to know…
You might not be surprised to hear that your race car, rally car or kart has been designed on CAD – but your gloves? Jeremy Appleton of Alpinestars says: “From the initial working designs, we then work with 2D flatplan CAD designs, where we spec out the outline of each piece of the glove, and then we overlay it all on the 3D CAD system. Glove design is one of the most complex things we do. Precision-fit is key. We were one of the first – if not the first – to pre-shape all of our gloves.” Pre-shaping means making the gloves so they fall into the shape of a hand holding the wheel with no excess material at the fingers and palm.
Hi-tech materials
This material will be Nomex in the main, but Appleton says Alpinestars uses hi-tech materials elsewhere on the glove, especially on the palm. “It is a silicone-based tacky grip. It’s lightweight – when you’re flexing your fingers, it offers much less resistance.” It’s not just about grip, and padding is also important, as Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship driver Tom Cave explains. “In a rally car, you tend to do a lot of steering with the thumbs, particularly on twisty and slippery stages, so a good thickness of material here is crucial. I’ve had gloves that haven’t lasted more than a couple of stages before they split.”
Light yet Strong
Alpinestars Tech 1-ZX
Puma Furio
You will notice just how lightweight this top-of-the-range glove is as soon as you pick it up. It features external seams and a lightweight fabric, its special weave of Nomex also means it should be a much more breathable glove than some cheaper options. The glove also has a Velcro closure flap. The 1-ZX comes in a wide range of sizes (8 to 12) and in blue, red, white or black.
This resin-palmed glove is good value and extremely comfortable, almost having the feel of a regular leather glove rather than a race glove, while the palm is remarkably sticky to touch. The glove is based on the company’s Pro Fit, which features leather pads rather than resin coating, and is also £64. Both come in black, red, white or blue and in a variety of sizes (8 to 12).
£95
www.alpinestars.com
£64
www.pumamotorsport.com
Padding it out
“We use gel padding, particularly over the thumb area,” says Appleton, “sometimes on the inner part – the palm side – of the thumb. For people who are still stick-shifting, it can be quite a brutal operation, and there can sometimes be quite a hefty crack as the gear engages, so it offers firstly an impact absorption, but also some vibration absorption as well.” Appleton believes that “improved materials will allow us to make gloves even thinner and less intrusive than they already are”. And to see how far gloves have come, check out the accompanying feature.
60 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
Entrylevel Pick
Blow the Budget
OMP Speed 2
Sabelt Digit
This is OMP’s entry-level offering, a no-frills race glove featuring suede palms and fingers, no wrist fastener, but a neat and uncluttered look. It’s a simple and cheap glove, but when it’s on your hand, it feels robust and will probably last a long time, making it a bargain on two counts. Available in sizes from extra-small to extralarge, and in red, black, or blue, this glove is the perfect budget option.
Made in Italy from soft-knitted textile, this padded-knuckle glove is all about comfort and fit. As for feel, Sabelt claims that the Digit leather on the palm works particularly well when paired with a leather steering wheel. (Anyone would think they made steering wheels.) The diagonal sleeve cut, external stitching and simple but secure Velcro fasteners make for a top-end product that fits like a…
£39
www.ompracing.it
£125
www.sabelt.co.uk
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR...
Fit
Seams
A glove should… er, fit like a glove. So a snug fit is good, because, as well as being able to grip the wheel, you might also need to operate switches and toggles. The best bet to make sure you get that fit exactly right is to pay a visit to a racewear retail outlet and try on a number of gloves for size. If they also sell steering wheels, which is likely, then you might ask if you can try the gloves out for feel on a wheel similar to your own.
Grip The palms of gloves can be suede or, increasingly, printed with a sticky resin that is tacky to touch. The resin palms can wear out more quickly than the suede palms but they are getting popular, particularly with single-seater racers, because they are lighter and give more feel than suede palms, which tend to be a bit thicker. The printed resin also covers the stitching and gives a greater area of grip.
Sparco KF1 kart glove £34
gear
www.sparcouk.co.uk
This mid-price offering is a sturdy glove that feels tough enough to last a season or two of the most boisterous kart racing. It’s made of a Corduratype material and features padded knuckle pads in suede leather, and a padded suede palm. The glove also features a Velcro strap and comes in black, blue or red in a wide range of sizes (7 to 13). These are thick enough to keep your hands toasty, too.
Legend has it that Ayrton Senna started the trend for having the glove seams on the outside – apparently the Brazilian legend would wear his gloves inside out for luck. Whatever the truth of that, there is no doubt that it’s a trend that’s catching on in F1 and other categories, mainly because it’s said to offer greater comfort, though many racers still personally prefer the older, ‘inside in’, style.
Padding Some cockpits, particularly those in single-seaters, can be tight, and it would be silly to wear away a glove-back through continued rubbing against a piece of bodywork, while knocking your knuckles can be painful, too. This is why gloves will often feature pads, usually made of fire-retardant foam and sewn in, or of built-up layers of the material the glove is made of.
Fastening Gloves these days tend to come either with Velcro fastening straps or without – if it’s a tight enough fit, then there’s little need for a strap, and the elasticated cuff of the racesuit should fit snugly into the opening of the glove anyway. However, if you prefer a looser fit, and some do, then a Velcro strap will make very good sense, but it does add just a little bulk and weight.
Fabric Most race gloves are fireretardant and are made of two layers of Nomex, the fabric and lining of the glove, while the stitching will also be Nomex. Karting gloves are the exception and tend to be made of hardwearing materials because there is a low fire-risk in karting but a higher risk of hand injuries should you have an accident.
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 61
HOW TO... NAIL THAT COLOUR SCHEME If you have a sponsor to impress, then an eyecatching livery is a must If you’ve been lucky enough to find some sponsorship, then you will do well to make sure your new backer gets the most from its investment – that way, the sponsor might stay with you for more than one season. So getting the car’s signage and colour scheme just right is pretty much a no-brainer. If a sponsor’s investment is small, then it might just be a matter of slapping on a couple of stickers, but if it’s a major backer, then you really should think about getting the professionals to look at it, starting with a designer. Andy Footman of Racewraps has designed plenty of racing schemes, and he’s clear on what makes an effective livery: “First of all, you have to look at the rest of the grid, as there’s no point in designing a black car if there are lots of other black cars – it’s just not going to stand out. So you need to look at a colour that’s missing. Of course, sometimes the sponsor’s colours are set, and we will often be asked to design a livery around a sponsor’s logo.”
Sponsors
GT racer Glynn Geddie, whose cars have worn some memorable liveries in recent seasons, agrees: “It’s important that it should stand out, that it’s a noticeable design that people will remember, and that the colours are good for the cameras.”
First, you have to look at the rest of the grid, as there’s no point in designing a black car if there are other black cars – you won’t stand out 62 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
Multiple sponsors can actually prove a problem when it comes to an effective design and at times, a unifying theme is needed, says Footman: “Sometimes, we will get somebody who has lots of sponsors, none of which is particularly big and can dictate the look of the car. So I then design a livery that flows with the car – we try to get the attention on the car first, by creating a striking-looking design.”
Graphics
Once the design is set and, importantly, agreed with the sponsor, then the next step is to get to work on applying
the graphics. Andy Kelly heads up Signs and Graphics UK (one of a number of companies dealing in applying vinyl graphics). He says: “We find that most people tend to paint the base colour and then we do the additional colours in a wrapping material. We also do full wraps; especially on single-seaters.” The wraps, made of a special vinyl, will usually be applied at the customer’s premises, with none of the bodyshell stripping a paint job would entail – even on a large saloon car, Kelly says the job should take only a day. They are reasonably durable, too, certainly as good as paint, claims Kelly, and are easily replaced should a panel be damaged in the rough-
gear POLE POSITION
what’s hot
New products setting the pace this spring Bell Mag 1 helmet £189
www.gprdirect.com
This brand-new, classic open-faced helmet from legendary bone-dome producers Bell, is incredibly cheap for the quality. It is FIAhomologated (Snell SA2010) and available with HANS posts (for an extra £30) and it should prove hugely popular with those rally drivers, touring-car racers and historic competitors who still prefer to let the spectators see their faces. It also comes with a neat-looking black dazzle peak.
Alpinestars Tech 1-Z boot £187
www.gprdirect.com
Fancy prowling the paddock in some alligator-skinned shoes? Well, this Alpinestars race boot could be just for you, part of the Tech 1-Z range (also available in less reptilian white, black, and black and gold) is actually mock-alligator (the safer sort!). It features the company’s quick-lacing system, which is a sliding closure, plus ultra-thin rubberised sole. The Nomex-lined boot, which has kangaroo leather uppers, is also remarkably light.
Sometimes, we will get someone who has lots of sponsors, none of which is big and can dictate the look of the car. So I design a livery that flows with the car
and-tumble of a race. And for the gram-conscious, they weigh next to nothing, we’re told: “It’s about the same difference as the driver having his breakfast or not.”
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Budgeting
But just how much of your hardwon budget should be spent on the livery? Well, this will vary on size of vehicle and complexity of design, but a ballpark figure of between £500 and £700 for design and £800 for a wrap (and as little as £400 for a single-seater) is there or thereabouts, we’re told – which is not a great deal of money if it makes a sponsor happy enough to stay onboard for future seasons, is it?
WIN! Your chance to win one of two exciting Duke prize bundles worth almost £100 each www.DukeVideo.com
You could relive the best 2010 motor sport action in this fantastic competition. We have two bundles of official review DVDs to be won. The prize bundles include the two-disc review of the FIA World Rally Championship, won by Sebastien Loeb, the seven-hour Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship review, the official review of the Le Mans 24 Hours and the star-studded Race of Champions. To enter, just answer this simple question – who won the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship? To enter Send the competition code [MSA magazine – Duke] along with your name, address and telephone number on a postcard to Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL or via email to msa@ thinkpublishing.co.uk. No purchase necessary. One entry per person. Check the terms and conditions in full at www.msauk.org. Promotion closes at 11.59pm on 21 May 2011. Promoter: Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL. Open to UK residents only aged 18 or over
Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 63
TECHNO
FILE
spring time
GAZ
There’s a wide range of springs and dampers out there – but before you go shopping for shiny shocks, it’s worth getting the basics right A steel spring is a simple yet strong piece of kit. But it’s next to useless without a damper, which controls the coil’s compression – without it, your car will bounce like a dodgy cheque. At club level with a saloon car, you’re likely to buy your springs and dampers together, as part of a coilover kit. There are plenty of motor sport-ready kits on the market, ranging in price from £500 to well into the thousands, but Ma5da MX5 and Production BMW racer Warren Gazzard, director of family suspension firm GAZ, says: “You could spend a fortune on a kit, but unless it’s set up properly, it’s not going to work.” In championships where there is still technical freedom, there will be lots of money spent on tuning. But Tony Mundy, boss of MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain winning outfit Jamun, believes that club drivers should not go overboard. “The average club driver won’t see the advantage of buying sophisticated dampers.” Gazzard agrees: “Dampers that are just adjustable in bump and rebound will probably suit 95 per cent of the drivers out there. The other five per cent? Well, you’re getting down to the top, top, drivers there.” Mundy adds: “One thing many people don’t realise is that with most dampers, if you crash over kerbs, you can bend the little spring discs inside – they can easily be damaged.”
AVO GTX
From £800 www.avouk.com AVO is a champion of low-cost but high-quality motor sport suspension. Its GTX coilover kit combines mono-tube and twin-tube damper technology, with the vast majority of the GTX kits featuring mono-tube front and twin-tube rear – the hi-tech inverted mono-tube set-up placed where it’s needed most. AVO offers a very good level of suspension technology for a reasonable price, which is probably why its kits are so popular with club- and national-level competitors.
Eibach
From £62 www.eibach.com German family-owned company Eibach has been making springs for generations, and its coils are found in everything from F1 to club rallying. All of its motor sport springs are lightweight, with good block resistance, and made to what it claims is the tightest precision tolerances in the industry. They are also durable, thanks no doubt to the company’s stringent quality control, which stretches to each and every spring being individually tested and rated. Eibach can also manufacture bespoke race and rally springs to your own specification.
Ohlins
£6,136 www.ohlinssuspension.co.uk Swedish suspension wizard Ohlins has been involved in motor sport at the very highest levels – including F1, Le Mans and NASCAR – for more than 35 years, and this kit is typical of its high-quality product. Developed for the amazing Porsche 997 GT3 RS, it features a 46mm two-way adjusted shock in the front, balanced by a lightweight 36mm shock in the rear. It’s also said to be adjustable enough to be a truly practical proposition on the road – if you happen to enjoy taking your GT3 race car on the odd shopping trip…
GAZ
From £950 www.gazshocks.com Well-known UK shock absorber maker GAZ has been making inroads into the motor sport market in recent years, particularly at a club level where it sponsors and supplies shocks for a number of championships. It has now also launched a new range of mono-tubes, which are lighter than other types of damper and therefore help to reduce unsprung weight, always a good thing on a race car. First applications are for the Lotus Elise and various models of TVR, with more kits to fit other popular makes to follow.
Ohlins
Specialists in the design and manufacture of gearboxes and differentials
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64 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
14/02/2011 14:50
gear
DARREN TURNER’S ESSENTIAL KITBAG Helmet
“This is the most vital piece of kit. I’ve been with Arai for quite a long time and I’m very happy with the quality and the fit – it [the GP-6 RC carbon helmet] is a great helmet. My design has evolved over the years, but the core element goes back to when I watched grand prix racing as a kid – the side of my helmet is sort of Gerhard Berger-style and the colour is from the Leyton House March.”
Frontal Head Restraint
“My FHR is a Schroth HANS device. I first used it when I did DTM in 2000 – that was the first time it was mandatory. The early ones weren’t the most comfortable or user-friendly, but it keeps evolving. If you look at the general shape of the HANS, that’s stayed pretty much the same, but what’s changed is the way it attaches to the helmet. The tether can now slide, so you can move your head from left to right.”
Race suit
“Normally we will have three suits. [For his Aston Martin Racing LMP1 drive, these are supplied by Sabelt.] At Le Mans, if you’re in the car for two or three hours, you’re going to be wet through with sweat by the time you get out, so it’s good we have three suits. We make sure the suit is comfortable
and fits well. But probably not baggy, because with the driver changes, the suit can’t affect the belts.”
If you’re in the car for two or three hours, you’re going to be wet through with sweat by the time you get out, so it’s good to have three suits Gloves
“I use the Sabelt Digit Glove. You look for something with good grip and a good fit. If you have baggy gloves on, you lose feel for what is going on with the car – it also makes it more difficult to operate buttons and rotary switches, so most drivers will have a reasonably snug-fitting glove. Race suit and underwear [Delta top and Sabelt bottom] get cleaned regularly; gloves and boots never get touched.”
Boots
“I heel-and-toe so I like my Sabelt Light mid-boots to have the extra material on the right side of the right boot. Initially when we went to Sabelt, the boots weren’t to the liking of some drivers so we carried on with the boots that we’ve used over the years for the first two races. But Sabelt made us a new boot; we’ve all been very happy with it ever since.”
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Visit www.oliverbryant.com Or call 07946524941 for more information PICTURE: MATT SAYLE
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reader awards
gearof theyear magazine
Not only have we relaunched the magazine, but this year, we’re also founding an awards programme for the best motor sport gear of 2011. We know that all of you have your own opinions about the best products available. Well, here is your chance to be heard. Throughout the year, we’ll be asking you to vote on your favourite products and services. From the best pair of gloves to that garage accessory you just can’t live without, this is your chance to tell the manufacturers, dealers and retailers what you really think and champion those brands that help make British motor sport what it is. In the next issue of the MSA magazine, we will unveil the awards categories and explain the online voting procedure. As well as getting the opportunity to voice your opinion about the products and services you love and those you loathe, everyone who votes will be entered into a fabulous free prize draw!
REMEMBER, THESE ARE YOUR AWARDS AND EVERY VOTE COUNTS
magazine
magazine
reader awards
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For now, get in touch if you want to help shape the 2011 awards programme or would like to take part in our MSA magazine Gear Awards reader’s panel. This is your chance to ensure top products from a whole range of disciplines are given the recognition they deserve. To register your interest, please email us at msa@thinkpublishing.co.uk or write to MSA magazine, Think, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL.
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National Court
RECENT MATTERS BEFORE THE MOTOR SPORTS COUNCIL NATIONAL COURT Case No J2010/19 Norman Ferguson On Saturday 7 August 2010, Larne Motor Club Ltd. organised a National ‘B’ Autotest at St. Congalls School, Larne, Co. Antrim.
The meeting was staged under the General Regulations of the Motor Sports Association (incorporating the Provisions of the International Sporting Code of the FIA) and also written Supplementary Regulations issued by Larne Motor Club. By paragraph 24 of the Supplementary Regulations, competitors were provided with the opportunity to walk the tests between 11.00 and 12.00 hours but competitors were not permitted to walk the tests once the event had started. Mr Norman Ferguson was a competitor on 7 August 2010. Ms Phyllis Gilliland, a highly experienced and respected marshal, was a test official on Test Three of the Autotest. All tests were ready and approved by 11.10am on 7 August 2010 and familiarisation was extended to 12.10pm. At the end of the drivers’ briefing, all drivers, including Mr Ferguson, were requested to go to their cars and start the tests. In order for Test Three to commence, Mr Ferguson, who was still walking the course, was repeatedly asked to leave the test area by Ms Gilliland. Mr Ferguson ignored the marshal’s requests, responding “who do you think you are” and, allegedly, made an obscene gesture. The matter was subsequently reported to the Clerk of the Course who confronted Mr Ferguson about the matter. Mr Ferguson declined to discuss the complaint and left the meeting without submitting his score card. The case came before the National Court on the basis that Mr Ferguson had been guilty of ‘misbehaviour’ (not unfair practice) in that he had failed to comply with the reasonable demands of the autotest marshal to leave the test area. The National Court heard the oral evidence of Ms Gilliland, Mr Ferguson and also a number of witnesses called on behalf of Mr Ferguson, all of whom had provided written statements. During his testimony, Mr Ferguson admitted inter alia that he had not read the Supplementary Regulations and had been asked by the marshal two or three times to leave the test area and that he had ignored her and had continued to familiarise himself with the test. Although the National Court heard a great deal of evidence about the background to this event, the Court was not called upon and did not make any specific findings in this regard. The Court found the case of Misbehaviour proved against Mr Ferguson. The Court was impressed that following all of the evidence being heard but prior to sentence, Mr Ferguson unconditionally apologised to the marshal. The Court also noted Mr Ferguson’s hitherto unblemished record and significant contribution to Northern Irish Motorsport as competitor, organiser/promoter. Sentence: An immediate suspension of Mr Ferguson’s competition licence until 1 January 2011 and costs of £750 to include the expenses of Ms Gilliland’s attendance before the Court. This decision was set down at 5.25pm on Friday 26 November 2010.
CASE NO J2010/30 SHAYNE HARRISON INQUIRY
The National Court has convened to deal with an Investigatory Hearing in accordance with General Regulation C9.
Having considered written submissions from Mr S Chapman (Clerk of the Course) and Mrs A Laws (WTP Championship Coordinator for Durham and Yorkshire Kart Club), the Court notes that following a protest from another competitor at the round of the WTP Little Green Man Championship at Shenington on 15 August 2010, Kart number 17 was found to be ineligible to compete and has been excluded from the results of the meeting. Together with oral evidence from Mr P Klaassen, Technical Commissioner, and the entrant of Kart number 17, Mr Martin Fox, the Court finds as follows. There is very clear
and uncontested evidence that the engine unit fitted to Kart number 17 had been substantially re-engineered and the kart was not eligible to compete in the Championship on 15 August 2010. It is not possible to determine who had reengineered the engine unit or when this had been undertaken. The engine was examined by Mr Klaassen on 14 September 2010 and he noted on 15 September that the engine seal number 00873840 appeared to have been tampered with. There is no compelling evidence as to who may have been responsible for the
tampering and accordingly there can be no finding in this regard. It is noted that the engine log book reveals that the engine was last serviced by John Mills Engineering (the engine importers) on 15 April 2010 and that the questioned seal was affixed to the engine on that date. There being no other evidence available, the Court can reach no further conclusions. The Court orders that engine stripping and inspection costs, to a maximum of £300, are paid by Mr Fox. There are no other orders as to costs. This decision was set down at 16.38 hours on Tuesday 14 December 2010.
Case No J2010/29 Thomas Nolson
The National Court has considered the matter of Thomas Nolson (licence number 202280) in connection with breaches of general regulations C1.1.2(b), C1.1.3 and C1.1.4.
The Court is satisfied that a cheque written in respect of entry fees by Mr S Nolson, the parent and entrant of the licence holder, was dishonoured following a meeting at Rowrah on 15 May 2010 organised by West of Scotland Kart Club. Mr S Nolson was informed of this by letter dated 4 June 2010. The entry fee of £90 and £15 charges remains outstanding. Notwithstanding this default, Mr Nolson entered his son at a race meeting at the same circuit on 10 July 2010. The entry fee was again £90. On this occasion the organising Club was Cumbria Kart Racing Club Ltd. Again the cheque was dishonoured incurring £15 bank charges. This amount also remains outstanding. The Court is satisfied that this amounts to a deliberate course of conduct on the part of the entrant. As a result of this default in payment, the competition licence of Thomas Nolson was suspended pursuant to General Regulation C1.1.3 with effect from 2 August 2010 with a further concurrent suspension with effect from 19 August 2010. During the currency of the suspension, Thomas Nolson was entered by his father in an event at Fulbeck organised by Lincolnshire Kart Racing Club on 26 September 2010. This entry was an act in breach of General Regulation C1.1.2(b)
as its object was the unlicensed participation of Thomas Nolson in the event concerned. The Court is also satisfied that this was a fraudulent act in connection with the event contrary to General Regulation C1.1.3 and further that it was an act prejudicial to the interest of the MSC and motor sport generally, contrary to General Regulation C1.1.4. It is made more serious as it inevitably involved a 15-year-old participating in competition without insurance cover. This cannot be overlooked and the Court notes that Mr S Nolson has not attended the hearing or offered any explanation for his actions, accordingly the following penalties will be applied: In relation to the breach of General Regulation C1.1.13 on 15 May 2010, there is a fine of £250. In relation to the second breach of General Regulation C1.1.13 on 10 July 2010, there is a fine of £500. In relation to the breaches of General regulation C1.1.2(b) and General Regulation C1.1.4, the competition licence is suspended until 31 December 2012. In any event, the licence remains suspended pursuant to General Regulation C1.1.13. Costs in the sum of £500 are ordered. This decision was set down at 11.30 hours on Tuesday 14 December 2010. Spring 2011 www.msauk.org 69
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www.westwalesrallyspares.co.uk Untitled-5 1
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Fabricage_MSA_Spring2011.indd 1 09/02/2011 16:01
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16/02/2011 15:36
simon says...
“Heaven is a whiff of Castrol R” In the first instalment of his new column, Simon Arron explains how he escapes the sanitised world of Formula 1 with the help of a hill climb or banger race We live in a world where tradition is often bulldozed to make way
JOE WILSON; JAMES CAREY
Simon Arron is a former editor of Motoring News and Motor Sport. Now a freelance Formula 1 writer, he contributes to titles including Motorsport News and writes a blog for The Daily Telegraph’s motoring section
74 www.msauk.org Spring 2011
for the corporate shilling, but British motor sport retains a healthy respect for its own heritage. For nine months of the year, I am fortunate to work in Formula 1 – the 2010 seasonal finale in Abu Dhabi marked my 176th consecutive grand prix attendance – but it’s just as great a privilege to observe other elements of the sport. I have become accustomed to a paddock in which pit garage floors are cleaner than most hospital wards and it is felt necessary, for the sake of the show, to park rows of articulated trucks with fanatical precision and keep them freshly polished throughout the weekend. But that’s not grand prix racing as history records it. Just check any behind-the-scenes photograph from the 1960s or 1970s, and you’ll see that teams sometimes operated with only a handful of staff (including the driver). Nowadays, the rules “limit” them to 45… Many fresh F1 hosts are building their motor
sport industries within this regimented modern landscape, but Britain is blessed by history, and Silverstone is a case in point. I first visited the circuit in 1977; a few years later, as a cub reporter, I used to feast on egg and chips in the wonderful, ramshackle café that stood to the outside of the old Woodcote chicane. The place has changed significantly during the past three decades, yet its essential character survives – a perfect example of progress without desecration. I always try to attend the Le Mans 24 Hours when it doesn’t clash with the Canadian GP – an absurd rarity. During the past couple of seasons, I have also combined my F1 commitments with club events at several UK circuits (including Anglesey, Silverstone, Brands Hatch,
Lydden and the combined parklands of Cadwell, Oulton, Donington and Mallory), the Goodwood Revival Meeting, a Prescott hill climb and the occasional banger race at Wimbledon Stadium. The romantic musk of Castrol R never fails to appeal – ditto, the combined scents of frying onions and cheap tomato sauce. Everyone is aware that discerning owners
continue to race bygone legends with sevenfigure price tags, but it’s a source of great comfort that you can still stumble into a paddock and find worthy, less-appreciated old racers – a Hillman Avenger Tiger or Mazda RX-3, perhaps – with competition numbers on the side. In Britain, few racing cars have a shelf life: there will always be a category, somewhere, in which almost any car can compete – my aforementioned itinerary gives me a proper appreciation of as much. When you stroll into an F1 paddock each morning, you are greeted by a security guard and an electronic swipe gate. Our grass-roots equivalent is the sound of engines being primed, the smell of bacon and, frequently, a wisp of crepuscular mist. Both have their place, but I know which I find more engaging. If it’s a while since you’ve explored one of our sport’s alternative nooks, I’d encourage you to do so. We should all embrace this glorious diversity.
It’s a source of great comfort that you can still stumble into a paddock and find worthy, lessappreciated old racers
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