JustBritish

The much talked-about HRDC MGB50 Series got underway at Goodwood on 1 November, with an auspicious reunion between four original works MGB competition cars and some of the luminary figures who were instrumental in the success of these fabulous racers.

Long-term MGB stalwart Barry Sidery-Smith and Julius Thurgood, founder and race director of the HRDC, hosted this special gathering at Goodwood, with the support of long-term HRDC sponsor CCK Historic. Guests included: works driver Alec Poole, BMC Competition Department guru Bill Price, BMC Competition Department Manager Peter Browning, BMC ‘Comps Shop’ Manager Basil Wales, BMC ‘Comps Shop’ mechanics Den Green and Brian Moylan, MG guru Malcolm Beer, veteran MGB racer Paul Campfield and MG historian John Baggott.

The Works MGB cars were not just on static display, but were put through their paces on the Goodwood circuit by Barry Sidery-Smith, Tony Dron and Paul Campfield, to the amazement of the many MG aficionados present, who all agreed that this was probably the first time that the four works cars had ever run together.

WORKS MGB COMPETITION CARS AT GOODWOOD:
  DRX255C – Le Mans car – Owner: Barry Sidery-Smith
  GRX307D – ‘Old Faithful’ Marathon de la Route car – Owner: Malcolm Beer
  BRX854B – Spa-Sophia-Liege rally car – Owner: Paul Campfield
  1964 #47 – Sebring car – Owner: Anthony Binnington

The HRDC MGB50 Series will consist of six rounds, each a 30-minute, single-driver race for pre-’66, FIA-specification MGB race cars, with an invitation class for historically important MGBs which do not comply to FIA Appendix ‘K’.

The first round of the series takes place at Castle Combe on 9 April 2012.

Further details and driver registrations can be obtained from either website:

www.hrdc.eu or www.mgb50.eu

Media & competition enquiries to:

JULIUS THURGOOD direct@juliusthurgood.co.uk

This weekend the Saturday night around Silverstone will be filled with the varied engine noises of some 50 cars during the middle portion of the 2011 running of Britain’s most grueling race.

The Britcar 24 Hours is Britain’s only true 24 hour challenge and this year is fittingly run on the Arena circuit, the latest iteration of the home of the British Grand Prix. The challenge of the 3.66 mile circuit is compounded by the endurance test of men and machine and the time of year.

Just like the twice-around-the-clock event at Daytona in January, and very unlike the French midsummer benchmark for 24 Hours as much as half the race is run under the cover of darkness, with little or no artificial light around the track. Thankfully, for anyone who has braved previous editions the vagaries of the British weather appear to have delivered the 2011 race from the rain that blighted the 2010 weekend. Whether the ubiquitous Britcar 24 fog can be avoided remains to be seen.

The field – with over 50 cars expected – is split into four classes, spanning cars from bespoke racing machines to production based Renault Clios and MG ZRs with a range of drivers to match.

Leading the entry list, carrying the no.1 plate is the four man Ferrari crew of MJC Ltd. The team saw off the challenge of JetAlliance Racing in 2010 after a battle that lasted for much of the race. While their Austrian rivals opted out of a return to Silverstone the MJC team of Witt Gamski, Keith Robinson, John Gaw and Phil Dryburgh are reunited with the Ferrari 430 from a year ago.

Gamski and Robinson dominated the Britcar GT season in 2010, winning all but the final race, but have endured a less auspicious 2011. After getting off to a winning start at Silverstone in March, they were narrowly beaten at Rockingham the following month. Their season came to an end at Donington Park in May, when the car spectacularly blew its engine in qualifying forcing an expensive rebuild by Michelotto in Italy. The car will only return to competition on the 24 Hours weekend.

Read the full story at The Checkered Flag.

The Dakar Rally is a 14 day off road race that goes for over 5,500 miles with hundreds in competition. Three cars crafted by RaBe Race Cars will be driven by the British Rally Raid Team, made up of drivers Andrew Colley, John Hardy, and Martin Rowe.

The unique vehicles the team will be driving are a mix of the all-new Range Rover Evoque body, powered by a BMW 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six diesel engine. This motor puts out 275-hp at 479 lb-ft of torque, and is paired with a ZF 6-speed transmission.

David Jones is the British Rally Raid Team’s business manager, who comments “We’ve been working on this project for a long time. We were approached by a manufacturer, RaBE Race Cars, whose staff has been around the sport for a long time. Seeing our professional approach, they asked if we could work together. We have goals we can assist each other with, so we have now set our sites a bit higher.”

RaBe Race Cars’ Mike Jones also notes “We have years of off-road motorsport experience at entry level, from club to international work teams…It is little known, but we have built cars for many other teams who race under their own colors and logos.”

Crowds of up to 25,000 motor fans packed into Rockingham Motor Speedway for the British Touring Car Championship at the weekend. The two-day event is part of Britain’s biggest motor racing championship and was Rockingham’s flagship event during its 10th anniversary year.

British motor racing star Lewis Hamilton was among the spectators at the track on Saturday and yesterday to watch his brother Nicolas take part in the racing.

Among the several thousand fans was Mark Barber, 28, of Northampton. He said: “I go to see the touring cars quite regularly and it’s good to have it so close to home at this event.”

Kevin Clarke, 51, of Finedon, attended the event with his father, who was celebrating his birthday. He said, “It’s the first time I’ve been to Rockingham and the first time that I’ve seen the touring cars. My father has always been interested in motor sports so the tickets were a birthday present for him, but I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Aside from the racing there was also plenty of entertainment, including a performance by the RAF Falcons parachute display team and a visit from children’s television favourite Roary the Racing Car.

Sarah Neal, 32, travelled from Bourne, in Lincolnshire, with her 11-year-old son, Tyler, and his two young cousins to watch the touring cars. She said, “It’s the first time I’ve been to Rockingham. We came because one of my friends works with Nicolas Hamilton. There is a nice family atmosphere and there is plenty for children, and all the family to enjoy.”

Michael Caine is set to live a life long dream at Rockingham on Sunday after agreeing a deal which will see him compete in the final three rounds of this year’s British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

Having held talks with manager of the Airwaves Motorbase team Dave Bartrum last month, a package was agreed between the pair earlier this month to run a third car in the team for the 42 year old from Newmarket in the closing three rounds.

It will not be the first time that car salesman Caine has taken to the track in one of the team’s Ford Focus cars having jumped into one at Snetterton last month, when competing against the world’s fastest ice cream van.

“It is something that I have always wanted to do ever since I became involved in motor racing,” said Caine. It’s a fantastic opportunity and it’s going to be really interesting. When Dave Bartrum offered me the chance I jumped at it straight away.”

Although a prominent racer in the Porsche Carrera Cup in recent seasons, the former Caterham race ace is under no illusion that the step up in to one of Britain’s most popular racing series will not be easy.

Planet LeMans is reporting that boosted by a new driver and a major sponsor, Team RLR will enter the 6 Hours of Silverstone determined to impress in front of a home crowd at the penultimate round of the 2011 Le Mans Series next weekend (September 9-11).

The mid-season break proved to be a productive one for the Lancashire-based squad as it added former Le Mans 24 Hours winner Warren Hughes to its line-up alongside regular drivers Barry Gates and Rob Garofall, and also confirmed famous British car brand MG Motor UK as an official sponsor.

Read the complete story over at Planet LeMans.