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GUEST EDITOR DARIO FRANCHITTI 

FORMULA 1 • SPORTSCARS • TOURING CARS • NASCAR • INDYCAR • RALLYING • NATIONAL RACING & MORE 

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CONTENTS 

January 12 2012 – vol 207 no 2 

“I don’t think 

it’d be good for 

Go Daddy’s marketing 

if they put me 

into a bikini” 

INDYCAR RACER JAMES HINCHCLIFFE 

PONDERS TO WHAT EXTENT HE HAS 

TO ‘STEP INTO DANICA PATRICK’S 

HEELS’ AT ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT 

117 

Cars participating in this 

week’s three-day pre-Daytona 

24 Hours test, ahead of the big 

event on January 28-29 

SUBSCRIBE... 

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Spider sunglasses P84 

NEWS REGULARS 

8 World Rally in chaos 

Championship survives… just, as 

series scrambles for promoter in 

the wake of disastrous week 

10 Trio in Williams frame 

Beleaguered F1 squad chooses 

between Senna, Barrichello, Sutil 

13 This week in Formula 1 

Round-up of the latest stories – 

from Buemi to James Allen 

16 Minassian leaves Peugeot 

FEATURES/REPORTS 

24 Jim Clark Special 

A series of features celebrates 

the career of the Scot, winner 

of two world championships 

47 AUTOSPORT International 

All you need to know for this 

week’s NEC extravaganza 

It’s rough going in 

the world of rallying 

French make’s stalwart quits Le 

Mans effort in bid for more racing 

19 Bottas: no racing in 2012 

Finn to focus on Williams 

third-driver role – for now 

21 Sims to race McLaren 

Brit falls off single-seater ladder 

but picks up enduro race deal 

23 Citroen battle is on 

Loeb says Hirvonen will be 

able to catch him – if he can 

Up-to-the-minute news and reports 

from F1, WRC and more. Subscribe for 

must-read opinion, stats and images 

74 Sebastien Loeb interview 

How do you motivate yourself if 

you’ve already won eight WRC 

titles? Simple: aim for a ninth 

77 Looking ahead to the WRC 

After a tumultuous off-season, 

it’s Monte Carlo Rally time 

5 From the editor 

6 Snapshot 

15 Mark Hughes column 

84 Subscribe for a free gift 

116 Final drive 

Letters and Latest Gear 

SPORTS EXTRA 

107 Van Diemen pulls out 

Legendary constructor won’t build 

EcoBoost Ford; Sinter steps in 

108 Harvey returns to Brit GT 

Ex-BTCC champ to lead Trackspeed 

Porsche line-up in 2012 

COVER IMAGES: 

LAT ARCHIVE 

INSETS: 

FERRARO, 

LEVITT/LAT 

COVER 

STORY 

Clark blasts off at 

1963 Mexican GP 

81 Gronholm on the Monte 

Ex-champion looks back 

at his ‘love-hate’ event 

85 Monte runners and riders 

Who will battle it out in France? 

88 World of Sport 

Dakar Rally update 

118 On track/on screen 

The best action in the next week 

121 From the archive 

Jim Clark wins in the BTCC 

122 Race of my life 

Ray Mallock, ShellSport Snet, ’76 

112 Track test 

Garrie Whittaker, winner of more 

races in the UK than anyone else 

in 2011, heads to Valencia and 

swaps his regular M3 for GT3 

and GT4 BMW machinery 

New Sinter FFord, p107 

January 12 2012 autosport.com 3

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POLE POSITION 

World rallying heads 

off down a rocky road 

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE MONTE 

Carlo Rally kicks off the World Rally 

Championship next Wednesday, as it 

always should. The bad news is about 60 

people were laid off this week from the 

championship’s former global promoter 

North One Sport and its TV arm, as the 

FIA terminated its contract. 

Since North One Sport’s parent company 

Convers Sports Initiatives went into 

administration after the arrest of its principal backer Vladimir 

Antonov following an investigation into alleged asset-stripping 

in Lithuania, one always feared for the future of the WRC. And 

here we are, days before the season-opener, with no firm news 

on TV deals or who will promote the WRC this year. 

The fallout is bound to reverberate over the coming weeks 

– trust me, the allegations are flying – with the spotlight 

falling on FIA president Jean Todt’s role in proceedings in 

particular. After all, the buck stops with him, whether he was 

on holiday or not. But, like I said, the good news is that we 

have a rally to watch at all. 

Charles Bradley, editor 

BAMBER’S 

WEEK 


DAKAR RALLY 

Peterhansel continues his Mini adventure 

Nine-time Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel held on 

to his lead of the 2012 event as we closed for press 

earlier this week. The French Mini ace held an eightminute 

advantage over team-mate Nani Roma and the 

Hummer of American racer Robby Gordon after a trek 

across the Atacama desert. Dakar report p88. 

Pic: Lennon/Getty 

THE AUTOSPORT APP – 

NOW ON ANDROID/iPHONE

SNAPSHOT 

PIT & PADDOCK

PICS: McKLEIN.DE Rallying 

back from the 

brink after chaotic week 

The WRC is on course to survive after a huge scare on the eve of the 2012 season. By DAVID EVANS 

The World Rally Championship 

has emerged from the most 

turbulent week in its history, 

but a possible £100m investment 

has been lost and the FIA has been 

left to foot the bill. 

The astonishing chain of events 

began just under a week ago, when 

the FIA terminated its global 

promoter North One Sport’s 

contract after the London-based 

THE HISTORY OF 

NORTH ONE SPORT 

The WRC’s outgoing 

global promoter has 

existed in some form 

since the early 1980s. 

8 autosport.com January 12 2012 

1982 

International Sportsworld 

Communicators is formed 

by Bernie Ecclestone to 

produce and distribute 

motorsport footage. 

firm was found in breach of the 

agreement. As AUTOSPORT closed 

for press this week, Eurosport was 

expected to step in and film and 

distribute the WRC’s TV coverage, 

starting from next week’s opening 

round, the Monte Carlo Rally. 

WRC Commission president 

Jarmo Mahonen spent Monday 

locked in meetings with Eurosport 

officials in a bid to hammer out 

FIA President Todt 

is a fan of rallying 

1996 

ISC signs a 14-year deal 

for broadcasting 18 FIA 

championships, this is 

reduced to the WRC and 

the FIA’s Regional series. 

the agreement that will deliver 

television coverage and promotion 

for the sport in 2012 and beyond. 

WHAT WENT WRONG? 

North One Sport’s problems began 

in November when its parent 

company Convers Sports Initiatives 

went into administration, following 

the arrest of CSI’s principal backer 

Vladimir Antonov. 

NOS was forced to seek a buyer 

for the firm to continue to service 

the FIA’s contract. First contact 

with a Qatari investment bank was 

made by NOS on December 23 and, 

after NOS staff worked through the 

holidays, the deal was planned for it 

to be bought out. Contracts had 

been expected to be signed for the 

purchase of NOS today (Thursday), 

before the deal fell apart. 

A combative statement, issued 

by the FIA on Sunday night, said: 

“No firm offer to purchase NOS 

has been presented to the FIA. 

Not only has NOS failed to perform 

2000 

ISC is sold 

to David 

Richards. 

2007 

Richards sells ISC to 

North One Television, 

allowing him to focus 

on the purchase of 

Aston Martin from Ford. 

in accordance with its contract, it 

has also been unable to secure the 

investment required to enable it 

to deliver the championship.” 

Speaking exclusively to 

AUTOSPORT, NOS chief executive 

officer Simon Long said: “The 

facts of the matter are that a 

formal offer was forthcoming and 

documentation was produced in 

support of a very significant plan 

to transform the WRC. It was 

communicated to the FIA that 

there was this opportunity and this 

offer on the table. But, for reasons 

best known to them, it was not 

deemed acceptable.” 

When the FIA terminated NOS’s 

global-promoter agreement, set to 

run until 2020, there was nothing 

for the potential investor to buy and 

the deal, believed to be worth in 

excess of £100 million, collapsed. 

WHAT NOW? 

While it is believed to be unhappy 

at the short-notice period before 

2009 

ISC signs 10-year deal 

to become the WRC’s 

global promoter, and 

later is re-named 

North One Sports.

“There was an 

offer on the table 

but it was not 

deemed acceptable 

by the FIA” 

NOS CEO Simon Long 

Eurosport will take over TV 

MARCH 2011 

Convers Sports Initiatives 

buys North One Sports. 

the Monte Carlo Rally, which starts 

on Wednesday (January 18), 

Eurosport is expected to film and 

distribute footage from the stages. 

The Paris-based company will likely 

do this for the remainder of the 

season, financed by the FIA. 

Sources within the governing 

body have confirmed they hope to 

service all NOS agreements, while 

screening more action on Eurosport. 

NOS had lined up new deals with 

ITV4 in Britain and for between 15 

and 20 hours of live coverage from 

all 13 rounds on the championship’s 

official website. It remains to be 

seen whether the FIA can deliver 

on those at such short notice. 

Stage One Technology, the firm 

that runs timing and tracking in the 

WRC, is trying to resolve a legal 

battle aimed at preventing the 

equipment being used on round one. 

The Automobile Club de Monaco 

has its own kit that can be used on 

its event, which returns to the WRC 

for the first time since 2008. 

NOVEMBER 2011 

Arrest warrant issued 

for CSI backer Vladimir 

Antonov, and CSI goes 

into administration a 

week later. 

DECEMBER 2011 

North One Sports seeks 

a buyer or investor for 

the firm following the 

demise of CSI and 

Antonov’s arrest. 

The WRC has had to 

take a few leaps of faith 

THE FALLOUT… 

While the reverberations were still 

being felt throughout the sport, the 

termination of NOS’s contract hit 

home on Monday when around 60 

full-time and part-time staff were 

laid off from NOS and NOTV. 

Along with the loss of the staff, 

there is the loss of expertise from 

within the series, with many of the 

employees having worked in the 

WRC for more than a decade. 

At this late stage, there will not be 

any calendar or sporting-regulation 

changes this year, but the Powerstage 

will not be filmed live from Monte 

Carlo. AUTOSPORT’s sources in 

the governing body have confirmed 

the extra points will remain for 

the Powerstage, but funding the 

live footage from the final-stage 

shoot-out is likely to be left to 

the individual events. 

Beyond this season, once a 

new global-promoter deal is in 

place, virtually everything will 

be under review. 

JANUARY 6 2012 

FIA terminates its 

contract with North One 

Sports, forcing it to close 

its doors just days later. 

NEWS 

PIT & PADDOCK 

AUTOSPORT SAYS… 

DAVID EVANS 

RALLIES EDITOR 

david.evans 

@haymarket.com 

What next? Whatever next? The telephone 

conversations just kept getting more 

ridiculous last weekend. 

“Have you heard?” demanded one caller, 

“Monte’s cancelled. It’s off. All off. And I 

hear the whole championship might be on 

its way as well.” 

Mass hysteria ruled the World Rally 

Championship throughout last weekend. 

Fortunately, commonsense has prevailed 

and Valence followed by the Principality 

beckon. For some… 

Not for North One Sport. After a decade 

of diligence, it’s destination dole queue for 

far too many of the WRC’s good people. It’s 

easy to get caught up in the emotion of the 

moment and forget the failings of North One 

Sport, and there were some – ESPN springs 

to mind as a British consumer of WRC… 

Then there were the unkept promises of 

mass investment and delivering the dream. 

And then, just as that dream and cash were 

on the horizon, the plug was pulled. 

The FIA insists no offer was made by the 

Qatari contingent, while NOS insists it never 

got the chance to make an offer to a president 

who was on holiday in Bali. 

Last time I checked, Bali was still on planet 

earth and serviceable via a conference call. 

So, did NOS not try hard enough or were 

they given the 

NOS has spent a decade in WRC 

wrong number? 

It depends who 

you talk to. 

The upshot of 

all this madness 

is, once again, 

letdown. When it 

might just have 

been liftoff. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“ 

The events 

are bigger 

than the 

promoter. 

We can be 

sure the 2012 

WRC will run 

as planned” 

FIA vice-president Morrie Chandler moved to 

quell fears from the organisers of rallies over 

the 2012 calendar after the recent disruption 


Williams closing on driver decision 

Off-season saga drawing to an end as legendary team ponders vital choice to complete its 2012 line-up 

Williams is on the brink of 

making a final decision on its 

second driver for 2012, a choice 

that could make or break its season. 

The team endured its worst 

Formula 1 campaign since it became 

a constructor last year, prompting a 

technical restructure. Ex-McLaren 

man Mike Coughlan succeeded Sam 

Michael as technical director, with 

former Toyota staffer Mark Gillan 

joining as chief operations engineer. 

Resources were then focused on 

ensuring that this year’s FW34 

is a significant step forward. 

Gillan suggested late last season 

that Williams could realistically aim 

to move to the front of the midfield 

in 2012 – but the driver chosen to 

partner second-year pilot Pastor 

Maldonado will be crucial in 

developing the car and unleashing 

its full potential on the track. 

Team sources indicate that 

Renault refugee Bruno Senna 

potentially has the strongest 


RUBENS BARRICHELLO 

PROS 

Vast experience 

Technical knowledge 

Established at Williams 

CONS 

Short-term option 

Modest budget 

Part of old regime 

commercial package, with a 

portfolio of backers in Brazil keen 

to bankroll him into a seat. The 

Brazilian, 28, showed good speed 

during his eight-race stint last year, 

but he lacks experience in F1. 

Many at Williams favour the 

retention of veteran Rubens 

Barrichello. The 39-year-old has 

worked hard to raise sponsorship 

money in Brazil and is willing 

to race for a very low wage. 

Barrichello impressed the 

Maldonado is already 

signed up at Williams 

“Barrichello’s ability 

with engine maps furthers 

his cause as the team 

switches to Renault” 

incoming technical team – Gillan 

in particular – in the second half 

of last season and would provide 

the technical feedback to allow 

Williams to quickly develop a very 

different car to its 2011 machine. 

Barrichello’s ability to work with 

engine maps, highlighted by his 

former team boss Ross Brawn, 

will further his cause. Williams 

switches from Cosworth to Renault 

powerplants this year and will 

spend the early stages of testing 

adapting to the engine. 

Force India reject Adrian Sutil 

is neither the strongest contender 

on finance nor technical ability. 

Despite having proved himself as an 

accomplished driver, the German is 

ADRIAN SUTIL 

PROS 

In his prime 

Proven points scorer 

Strong end to 2011 

CONS 

Average technically 

Moderate backing 

Limited potential 

reckoned by some who have worked 

with him to be lacking in technical 

understanding. Even so, his five full 

seasons of race experience in F1 

give him an advantage over Senna. 

It is unclear how much budget 

Sutil, 28, has been able to offer 

Williams, and there is also the 

problem of how long he is willing 

to commit to the team. Williams 

would be looking for a one-year 

deal with options for the future, but 

Sutil’s management is aspiring to a 

switch to a top team in 2013, and 

could opt for a third-driver role 

with a squad such as Ferrari with 

the bold aim of stepping up in 2013. 

Given the importance of starting 

the season strongly after a dismal 

2011 season, Barrichello appears 

to be the strongest contender on 

merit. But financial concerns could 

put Senna, a driver who appears 

to have the potential to emerge 

as a good competitor at grand 

prix level, on pole position. 

PICS: DUNBAR, FERRARO, BELLANCA, ETHERINGTON, COATES/LAT

1ST 

2ND 

3RD 

4TH 

5TH 

6TH 

7TH 

8TH 

9TH 

BRUNO SENNA 

PROS 

Big backing 

Untapped potential 

Intelligence 

CONS 

Inexperience 

Error-prone in 2011 

Unproven 

ARRESTING THE DECLINE 

Tonio Liuzzi seems 

unlikely to stay on 

HRT holds last empty seat 

HRT IS THE ONLY OTHER 

team yet to finalise its 

line-up for 2012, although 

Jarno Trulli’s Caterham 

future remains in doubt. 

Spanish squad HRT is 

close to a final decision, 

which could be made at 

the end of this week. GP2 

race winner Giedo van der 

Garde, 2011 HRT driver 

Narain Karthikeyan and 

18-year-old Auto GP 

champion Kevin Ceccon 

are among the contenders. 

The backmarker team 

requires a budget of more 

Williams hasn’t won a grand prix since October 2004, and 

last season was its worst since the team was formed in 1977 

Best of the rest in 2002 

than ¤5 million for the seat. 

Several of the unemployed 

drivers from the 2011 season 

are out of contention for 

the HRT seat, with Vitaly 

Petrov, Jaime Alguersuari 

and Bruno Senna all not 

interested in joining. 

Caterham appears 

increasingly likely to run 

Trulli, having previously 

come close to a deal with 

Red Bull to run new Toro 

Rosso recruit Daniel 

Ricciardo in his place. 

But a driver with a budget 

could still take the drive. 

Decline started in 2004 

Promise in early 2009 

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 

NEWS 

PIT & PADDOCK 


EDD STRAW 

F1 EDITOR 

edd.straw 


Somehow, Rubens Barrichello never goes 

out of fashion. A few months ago, his 

19-season grand prix career seemed dead 

and buried. Now, setting any financial 

considerations aside, he is surely the 

best choice for Williams as it ponders 

its 2012 driver line-up. 

It’s impossible not to admire Rubens. His 

enthusiasm remains boundless and, even with 

the temptation to treat last year’s Brazilian 

Grand Prix as a valedictory outing, he never 

publically allowed himself to accept that it 

would be his last grand prix. He calls himself 

a man of the people, and proved it with his 

willingness to stop his car while leaving the 

track and spend a little quality time with those 

fans who had waited hours for him to appear. 

Barrichello has never lost the conviction 

that he is a future world champion. Even now, 

with doubts over whether he will even be 

on the grid in 2012, his self-confidence will 

remain unshakable. Some may dismiss that as 

fantasy, but what it reflects is a determination 

to succeed that has remained undimmed over 

all his years in F1. 

There are some 

drivers a decade or 

more his junior who 

could learn a lot 

from his attitude. 

If Williams does 

opt for Barrichello, 

it will be impossible 

to begrudge him a 

20th F1 season. If it 

Still no farewell wave? 

doesn’t, then it will be time to celebrate the 

career of a driver who, although not quite 

world champion calibre, has earned huge 

respect in the grand prix paddock. 

READERS’ POLL 

Who should Williams sign for 2012? 

Adrian Sutil 

22% 

Bruno Senna 

54% 

Rubens Barrichello 

24% 


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THIS WEEK IN F1 

OUSTED BUEMI LANDS 

RED BULL RESERVE ROLE 

Toro Rosso refugee Sebastien 

Buemi will remain on Red Bull’s 

books as the main team’s third 

driver in 2012. Buemi will attend 

all races for Red Bull Racing and 

is also expected to drive in the 

simulator between events. He will 

also be available to fill in at Toro 

Rosso should either race driver, 

Daniel Ricciardo or Jean-Eric 

Vergne, not be able to compete. 

BUEMI’S BEST F1 RESULTS 

7th 

2 

10th 

5 

STARTS 

55 

9th 

3 

8th 

5 

RAIKKONEN TEST CONFIRMED 

Lotus confirmed this week that 2007 world champion 

Kimi Raikkonen will test a 2010 Renault R30 to 

reacclimitise to Formula 1. The Finn, who visited the 

Lotus base at Enstone for his seat fitting last week, 

will drive at Valencia on January 23-24. “It felt a bit 

odd at first because the cockpit seems a bit small, 

but that’s normal,” said Raikkonen of his seat fitting. 

ALLEN JOINS 

5 LIVE CREW 

Former ITV F1 commentator, and 

sometime AUTOSPORT man, James 

Allen has been 

confirmed on BBC 

Radio 5 Live’s F1 team 

for 2012. He will 

act as lead 

commentator, 

as well as 

providing 

news content 

for the station. 

BAHRAIN 

WARNING 

795 

Number of days between Kimi’s 

seat fitting and the last time he 

properly sat in a Formula 1 car. 

Bahrain Center for Human Rights 

vice-president Nabeel Rajab has 

called on F1 teams to boycott 

April’s Bahrain GP. “If they come, 

they are helping the government 

to say [the situation is normal],” 

he said. Race organisers have 

cited an independent report 

commissioned by the King of 

Bahrain that has tackled 

human-rights violations. 

Raikkonen at seat fitting 

Blocking tweaks for 2012 

OVERTAKING RULES 

The FIA released its regulations for the 2012 

Formula 1 season last week. Among the new rules 

is one developing the “one-move” regulation on 

defensive driving, insisting that drivers must 

leave a car’s width to the edge of the track 

once they have moved to block a rival. 

NEWS 

PIT & PADDOCK 

DOUBTS OVER 

SPAIN’S RACES 

Vice-president of the 

Valenciana region Jose 

Ciscar has revealed that 

he is seeking a reduction 

in the race-hosting fee 

paid to F1 boss Bernie 

Ecclestone to stage the 

European Grand Prix. 

The regional government 

is under financial stress 

and looking to save 

money on the lossmaking 

street-circuit 

event. The Spanish 

Grand Prix, which has 

been held at the Circuit 

de Catalunya since 1991, 

is also under threat after 

the local government 

expressed doubts over 

the affordability of 

hosting a race long-term. 

“Toro Rosso was created to 

give young drivers a chance. 

Alguersuari and Buemi had it for 

three years and after this time it’s 

possible to evaluate a driver’s 

development. We haven’t seen in 

them any possibility of growth. 

Both are worthy of 

grand prix racing, 

but for us that’s 

not enough. We 

need winners” 

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko explains Toro Rosso’s 

axing of Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi 

WILLIAMS LOOKS TO 

QATAR FOR NEW BACKER 

The Williams team is hoping to tie up a new title-sponsorship 

agreement with Qatar’s Qtel for the 2012 season. Its previous 

naming-rights deal, with AT&T, concluded at the end of 2011. 

FORCE INDIA ON COURSE 

Force India’s 2012 car is on 

schedule to appear at the first preseason 

test on February 7 at Jerez. 

Technical director Andrew Green 

revealed that the VJM05 passed 

its mandatory crash tests before 

Christmas, even though the team 

kept up development of its 2011 

car to the end of last season. 

Covers will come off on time 


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Perception is all: if you’re 

not regarded as one of 

F1’s finest, or the latest 

rising star, there’s no 

place for you on the grid. 

Just ask Sebastien Buemi 

and Jaime Alguersuari… 

PIC: COATES/LAT 

MPH 

Mark Hughes 

AUTOSPORT grand prix editor 

When Toro Rosso announced 

a few weeks ago that it would 

be dispensing with both Jaime 

Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, 

there was a general reaction of 

surprise. But there really shouldn’t 

have been. If the news underlined 

anything, it was that in F1 a driver 

has to be perceived to be either one 

of the very best or of showing 

potential to be. You’re either 

moving up or moving out. 

Being good enough to be on the 

F1 grid – as both the Toro Rosso 

guys were – doesn’t justify your 

staying there. If you’re treading 

water as a solid middle-of-the-pack 

competitor with no indication of 

being able to threaten the top guys 

were you to get in an equal car, 

then you’re adding nothing either 

to the show or to the competitive 

aspirations of a team. 

Alguersuari showed a useful, 

consistent ability to garner points 

even from unpromising grid 

positions, Buemi was on balance 

a faster qualifier, but within the 

P45s for Buemi 

and Alguersuari 

team – from the engineers looking 

at the data traces of tyre loadings 

and driver input – there was the 

belief that neither was accessing the 

full potential of the car. Neither 

liked the feeling of the car on the 

softer tyres, the way all cars squirm 

on the compound, and therefore 

was unable to squeeze out the last 

couple of tenths. That isn’t the 

signature of a future champion and 

they had each been in the team for 

three seasons. They had stagnated. 

Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric 

Vergne now get the opportunity 

instead. If they stagnate they too 

will be out, but it just might be that 

one or both of them is a future ace. 

There are a few others still on the 

grid that really need to do more in 

2012 than they have done so far to 

justify their continued place there. 

Standing trackside at every 

venue, your eye becomes attuned to 

a car being driven at or close to its 

limits. Regardless of driving style, 

the body language of a car close to 

the edge is always evident. There 

were a few occasions when the Toro 

Rosso guys were visibly at that edge 

– Alguersuari at Singapore 2010 

comes to mind – but it was the 

exception rather than the norm. 

When you then discuss driver 

performances with the engineers, 

they invariably tally reasonably well 

with what your eyes have told you. 

So for all that F1 cars are easier 

to drive than they were, say, 15 

years ago, they are still challenging 

enough that the great drivers can 

visibly separate themselves from 

the good ones. As F1 is considering 

the future, in particular its adoption 

of further green technology, it 

needs to ensure that this remains 

COMMENT 

PIT & PADDOCK 

the case. One of the keystones of 

the post-2013 ‘green’ turbo formula 

will be enhanced KERS power and 

over the years there have regularly 

been requests from engineers to 

have the harnessing of braking 

energy from both axles rather than 

just the rear which we have at 

present. In efficiency terms, this 

makes obvious sense; because of 

weight transfer the front brakes 

are doing more than the rears. 

But having KERS both front and 

rear opens the way for electronic 

stability control. Electronically 

programmed variation of torque 

loads on each end of the car will 

allow it to always be cornered to 

its maximum potential, with the 

inherent instability at these speeds 

taken care of by the computer 

rather than the driver. The margin 

where a great driver does his stuff 

would be wiped out. This was 

pointed out in this column some 

years ago when the original 

intention in F1 was to have KERS 

on both axles and Max Mosley, 

upon reading it and making further 

enquiries with, among others, 

Michael Schumacher, decreed that 

it would be on the rear wheels only. 

But things like that tend to be 

forgotten over time – and if you 

think it sounds unlikely that the 

technology can be used in this 

way, you need to know that it’s 

already making waves in sportscars. 

Last year Audi is believed to have 

evaluated recuperation devices on 

both axles. Apparently Peugeot 

found out and campaigned to 

the rulemakers to have two-axle 

KERS banned. The 2012 rules have 

indeed been tweaked to have it on 

the front or rear, not both. 

‘‘In Formula 1 you’re either 

moving up or moving out’’ 


SPORTSCARS 

Minassian quits Peugeot 

Frenchman walks away from sportscar giant because he wants more racing. By GARY WATKINS 

Sportscar stalwart Nicolas 

Minassian has quit Peugeot’s 

Le Mans 24 Hours squad in 

order to seek a full-time drive 

for the coming season. 

Minassian revealed that he has 

turned down the chance to remain 

with the in-house Peugeot Sport 

squad for a sixth season in 2012. 

The British-based Frenchman would 

not discuss exact details of the deal 

offered to him, but it is understood 

that he would have been given one or 

two additional races around Le Mans. 

“The proposition I got from them 

wasn’t what I was hoping for,” 

said the 38-year-old. “I need to 

do more races and be fully 

involved in a programme. 

Minassian has 

won for Peugeot 


“Two or three races a year isn’t 

enough. The other problem is that 

the contract would have restricted 

me from racing elsewhere.” 

Minassian, who continued to test 

for Peugeot into December, became 

a free agent at the end of last month 

and has now started looking for 

another drive in earnest. He 

explained that his preference was to 

remain in the prototype ranks but 

that he was exploring all options. 

He said he had no regrets about 

his time with Peugeot 

“I had five good years with 

them and am leaving with my 

head held high,” he said. “I had a 

difficult year in 2011 because of 

my crash [in testing at Paul Ricard 

prior to the season], but I know 

I am still competitive.” 

Minassian’s departure creates 

another vacancy at Peugeot, which 

revealed in November that it was 

expecting to make only two changes 

to its Le Mans line-up in 2012. It 

said it would only replace Toyotabound 

Alex Wurz and Pedro Lamy, 

who has been released after a 

disappointing 2011 season. 

It tested a number of drivers at 

the back end of the year. Ex-Formula 

1 racer Lucas di Grassi, who is 

believed to have agreed a deal for 

the coming season, and prototype 

regulars Franck Mailleux, Olivier Pla, 

Loic Duval and Marino Franchitti 

are all known to have sampled a 

2011-spec Peugeot 908 turbodiesel. 

Multiple FIA GT1 World 

Championship race winner Frederic 

Makowiecki and 2009 Formula 

Renault 3.5 champion Bertrand 

Baguette were also tested by 

Peugeot. Nico Hulkenberg was 

also given a chance in a 908 

prior to sealing a return to the 

F1 grid with Force India. 

No comment was available 

from Peugeot about its 2012 driver 

line-up or speculation that it could 

run four cars. Peugeot traditionally 

announces its programme at the end 

of January or early in February. 

Minassian wants 

a change of scene 

MINASSIAN’S SPORTSCAR STATS 

12 

BEST RESULT 

AT LE MANS 

LE MANS 

24 HOURS 

STARTS 

2ND 

7 LE 

5TOP-SIX 

FINISHES 

AT LE MANS 

MANS 

SERIES 

VICTORIES 

FOR 

PEUGEOT 

LAPS TO GO IN THE 

2008 LMS FINALE 

AT SILVERSTONE 

WHEN HE CRASHED 

OUT AND HANDED 

AUDI THE TITLE 

150 

MARGIN OF HIS FASTEST 

LAP AT LE MANS 2009 

0.492s

PICS: LE MEUR, CURUTCHET/DPPI, CLEARY/GETTY, JOHN DAGYS, DUNBAR/LAT 

WORLD ENDURANCE 

UK squad aims for manufacturer deal 

DELTA MOTORSPORT IS TO 

become an entrant for the first 

time in this year’s new FIA World 

Endurance Championship as 

part of a multi-year plan to land 

a manufacturer LMP1 deal. 

Delta, which designed and built 

the Grand Prix Masters single-seater 

racer of 2005-06, will field at least 

one ORECA-Nissan 03 LMP2 in 

the championship. It has joined 

forces with Alan Docking Racing, 

with which it previously worked 

IN BRIEF 

KC looks set to race an HPD 

CHANDHOK GOES SPORTSCAR 

Ex-HRT and Lotus Formula 1 driver 

Karun Chandhok was closing in on 

a drive in the JRM Racing Honda 

Performance Development HPD 

ARX-03a in this year’s World 

Endurance Championship as 

AUTOSPORT closed for press. 

The Indian is understood to have 

a handshake agreement to join 

JRM regulars David Brabham and 

Peter Dumbreck in the car. 

MORGAN LE MANS RETURN 

The Morgan Motor Company will 

return to the Le Mans 24 Hours 

in 2012 in the prototype ranks. The 

British sportscar manufacturer 

has agreed a badging deal 

with OAK Racing to call its 

latest OAK-Pescarolo LMP2 

contender a Morgan. 

BARTELS BACK IN GT1 

Michael Bartels’s Vita4One Racing 

squad is set to return to the FIA GT1 

World Championship with BMW. 

The team (then known as Vitaphone 

Racing) that won the title with 

in Superleague Formula, to help 

run its operation. 

Delta managing director Simon 

Dowson said: “We are already 

working on hybrid projects in the 

automotive sector and our ambition 

is to work with a manufacturer 

in LMP1. To get to that point, we 

recognise that we have to showcase 

ourselves as a winning team. 

“Our goal is to win the LMP2 

championship this year and move 

into P1 in 2013 as a privateer, but 

Maserati in 2010 will run a 

pair of Z4 GT3s. 

NEW LOLAS FOR DYSON 

Dyson Racing has purchased two 

new Lola LMP1 coupes in a bid to 

win the American Le Mans Series for 

the second year running. The cars 

will replace its 2008-vintage 

LMP2-based Lolas. 

NEWSHAM JOINS TEAM ES 

British Touring Car Championship 

racer Dave Newsham has joined 

Team ES. The ex-Clio champ made 

his debut last year and scored his 

best result – fourth – with a Special 

Tuning SEAT. ES will announce its 

choice of car later this month. 

REBODIED RILEY DEBUTS 

The rebodied Riley DPG3 MkXXVI 

made its public debut at last 

weekend’s official Daytona test. The 

two Ganassi machines and solo 

Shank car ran so-called ‘Standard’ 

Riley aerodynamics, while the Bob 

Stallings/GAINSCO racers used the 

Corvette-styled bodyshape. Max 

Angelelli was fastest in the SunTrust 

Racing Corvette-bodied Dallara. 

Shank car: ‘Standard’ aero 

Artist’s view of 

Delta’s ORECA 

using hybrid technology. The aim is 

to be working with a manufacturer 

by 2014 and be designing and 

building a car for them by 2015.” 

The lead car will be driven by 

John Martin, who won last year’s 

truncated Superleague series with the 

Docking squad, ex-British Formula 3 

champion Robbie Kerr and Tor 

Graves, who will be the mandatory 

amateur driver in the line-up. The 

team is working on putting together 

a deal for a second WEC entry. 

BLANCPAIN SERIES 

Full-time 

comeback 

for Blundell 

Blundell back in a McLaren 

FORMER GRAND PRIX DRIVER 

Mark Blundell will undertake his 

first full season of racing in 12 years 

at the wheel of a McLaren. 

The former McLaren F1 driver, who 

also raced a McLaren F1 GTR at the 1995 

Le Mans 24 Hours, will drive one of the 

British organisation’s MP4-12C GT3s for 

the Anglo-American United Autosports 

team in the Blancpain Endurance 

Series. The move follows sporadic race 

appearances over the past two seasons, 

including two starts in the Spa 24 Hours 

and one in the Daytona 24 Hours. 

Blundell, whose last full season was 

his final in Champ Car in 2000, said: 

“Doing those races last year, especially 

Daytona, made me start to think about a 

full season. Daytona proved the speed 

was still there, but also that the 

enjoyment was still there.” 

The 45-year-old Briton will share 

the United McLaren with team boss 

Zak Brown and Mark Patterson. 

NEWS 

PIT & PADDOCK 


GARY WATKINS 

INTERNATIONAL 

EDITOR-AT-LARGE 

Of course Nicolas Minassain doesn’t want 

to do just a couple of races a year – he’s 

a professional racing driver and a successful 

one at that. But it wouldn’t have been a 

problem for Peugeot if he had. It knew it 

could strap him into the car at Le Mans 

and that he would do the job. 

There’s a band of drivers from which 

Peugeot can choose to take his place. Just 

look at the list of names it has tested. But 

that situation could be different a couple 

of years down the line. There’s going to be 

an inevitable changing of the guard as the 

current stars of sportscar racing near the 

end of their careers, which will be combined 

with an increase in demand as new 

manufacturer squads bolster the grid 

over the next few years. 

There will, of course, be a pool of quick 

single-seater drivers looking to make the 

transition to long-distance racing, but the 

problem for Peugeot, Audi, Toyota and 

Porsche is going to be finding drivers with 

the experience necessary to win the Le Mans 

24 Hours. They’re not going to get that by 

doing two or three races a season. 

REMEMBER WHEN… 

JUNE 19/20 1994 

… Minassian made his Le Mans debut? He 

was racing in French Formula Renault for 

Alpa, who reworked a Sauber into this Alpa- 

Ford LM. He shared with Patrick Bourdais 

(Sebastien’s dad) and Olivier Couvreur. 

Minassian has 

stepped out 


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2537

PICS: STALEY/LAT, LAT SOUTH, JAMES BEARNE PHOTOGRAPHY Single 

FORMULA RENAULT 3.5 

focus for Bottas 

No dual Formula 1/World Series campaign for Williams Friday driver in 2012 

Reigning GP3 champion Valtteri 

Bottas has decided against 

combining a Formula Renault 

3.5 campaign with his third-driver 

role for Williams in Formula 1. 

The 22-year-old will drive in the 

first free practice session of the 

weekend at 15 grands prix this 

year for Williams, and he had been 

looking at options to enable him to 

dovetail that experience with race 

outings. AUTOSPORT understands 

that Williams has not mandated 

FORMULA 2 

Tyre change 

promises 

more speed 

FORMULA 2 ORGANISERS BELIEVE 

that their car will be quicker by as much 

as two seconds per lap due to the tweaks 

being introduced for the new season. 

Chief among the changes, which were 

scheduled to be announced at AUTOSPORT 

International today (Thursday), is the 

switch in tyre supplier from Avon to 

Yokohama, while carbon brakes will 

also be introduced to reduce weight and 

improve performance. The new package 

was recently tested by reigning series 

champion Mirko Bortolotti at Barcelona. 

F2 chief executive Jonathan Palmer said: 

“We’re confident our new tyres will deliver 

that the Finn cannot race this 

year, but it recommended that he 

focused on his test driver duties. 

“We decided it would be quite 

difficult to do another series 

and really focus,” Bottas told 

AUTOSPORT. “It would involve 

quite a lot of jumping from one car 

to another and that wouldn’t help. 

So we decided the best solution was 

to focus completely on the F1 side. 

“World Series was an option, and 

I think it was the main option. But 

enhanced performance both in terms of 

pace and also consistency. This forms a 

significant part of an upgrade package 

that will see the car lap around two 

seconds faster than its 2011 equivalent.” 

Bortolotti reported that his initial 

impression of the changes were positive. 

“The new tyres suit the car perfectly, and 

Bottas will focus 

solely on F1 role 

if the F1 is the only thing I am 

driving this year then I can try 

to learn as much as I can and 

do it properly.” 

Bottas added that he is not 

worried about losing his race 

sharpness by spending a year 

out of competition. 

“We thought about that, but I 

think one year out of racing will 

not do any harm,” he said. “I’ve been 

racing since I was six years old so 

it will not go away in one year.” 

Bortolotti gave the new 

F2 package a thumbs up 

combined well with the new brakes, which 

are 12 kilos lighter and allowed me to brake 

harder and later,” he said. 

AUTOSPORT understands that further 

upgrades, including revisions to the way 

overboost is used during a race weekend, 

may be introduced in time for the seasonopener 

at Silverstone in April. 

NEWS 

PIT & PADDOCK 

IN BRIEF 

Coletti has joined Coloni 

COLONI LINE-UP SORTED 

Scuderia Coloni has confirmed its GP2 

line-up for 2012, with series regular 

Stefano Coletti set to return alongside 

rookie Fabio Onidi, who is a racewinner 

in Auto GP and Euroseries 3000. “We 

are heading towards the season with a 

promising and competitive line-up,” 

said team boss Paolo Coloni. 

ARIC REPLACES AJ 

Aric Almirola has been confirmed as AJ 

Allmendinger’s replacement at Richard 

Petty Motorsports. The 27-year-old, who 

finished fourth in the NASCAR Nationwide 

Series last year, has been signed on for 

one season. 

REUTIMANN FINDS A DRIVE 

David Reutimann will remain in the 

NASCAR Sprint Cup this year after 

securing a deal to race alongside Dave 

Blaney at Tommy Baldwin Racing. 

Reutimann was left without a drive when 

Michael Waltrip Racing replaced him with 

Mark Martin late last year. 

STENHOUSE FOR DAYTONA 

NASCAR Nationwide Series champion 

Ricky Stenhouse Jr will race at the Daytona 

500 after being picked up by Roush 

Fenway to drive its #6 car, previously 

used by David Ragan. 

WHITT GETS JR CHANCE 

Cole Whitt will graduate to the NASCAR 

Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports this 

year. The 20-year-old Craftsman Truck 

frontrunner will drive the #88 entry 

formerly steered by Brad Keselowski 

and Aric Almirola. 

BARNHART REPLACEMENT NAMED 

IndyCar has named former ALMS race 

director Beaux Barfield as its replacement 

for the oft-criticised Brian Barnhart. 

Barfield, who has also been tasked with 

rewriting the rule book, has promised 

better communication and more 

consistent decisions. 

Barfield replaces Barnhart 


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W8164 /Y1735 

A00465 -GS

PICS: GIBSON/GP3 & LEVITT/LAT Sims 

GT 

lands 

McLaren 

chance 

McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC 

Award winner joins up to race 

a McLaren MP4-12C GT3 

GP3 race winner Alexander 

Sims has put his singleseater 

career on hold to race a 

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 in 2012. 

The 2008 McLaren AUTOSPORT 

BRDC Award winner has been 

signed up by the McLaren Group 

as one of its development drivers 

for the coming season. As part of 

the deal, the 22-year-old will be 

placed at one of McLaren’s 

customer teams. 

Sims said that he explored 

moving into sportscars after being 

dropped by Gravity Sports 

Management, which funded his 

GP3 season last year with Status. 

McLaren was his first port of call 

because of his links with the 

company through the Award. 

“With everything at Gravity 

coming to an end, I wasn’t going 

to be in a position to move up to 

GP2 or Formula Renault 3.5,” he 

said. “The focus was then on how 

I could continue racing, although 

I’m not closing the door on 

single-seaters.” 

INDYCAR 

Hinchcliffe becomes Wheldon 

replacement at Andretti 

LAST YEAR’S INDYCAR SERIES ROOKIE 

of the Year James Hinchcliffe has been 

confirmed as the late Dan Wheldon’s 

replacement in the Go Daddy-backed 

Andretti Autosport entry for this season. 

Wheldon had signed on at last 

year’s Las Vegas finale to take the 

seat being vacated by NASCAR- 

bound Danica Patrick, just hours 

before his fatal accident. 

Hinchcliffe said that he felt privileged 

to be filling Wheldon’s position. 

“It’s pretty common knowledge that 

Dan was a shoe-in with Go Daddy and 

Andretti,” said the 25-year-old Canadian. 

“I look at Dan Wheldon as a 

tremendous race car driver and a 

champion, but also as a tremendous 

person. I’m going to think him about 

every time I get in that car.” 

Hinchcliffe finished 12th in his debut 

season with Newman/Haas last year, 

with best results of fourth at Long Beach, 

New Hampshire and Kentucky. 

His deal was secured with 

McLaren after a successful test in 

one of the development MP4-12Cs 

at Jerez prior to Christmas. 

IN BRIEF 

McLaren is building 

up its driver roster 

INDYCAR CALENDAR UPDATE 

A street race in Fort Lauderdale, Florida has 

emerged as the likeliest contender to replace 

Las Vegas as the final round on this year’s 

IndyCar calendar. There are also talks about 

a possible return to Milwaukee, despite the 

track originally being dropped for 2012 

due to poor attendances. 

‘TAG’ SIGNS WITH HERTA 

Canadian IndyCar veteran Alex Tagliani has 

been confirmed as driver for Bryan Herta 

Autosport for the team’s first full IndyCar 

season. Tagliani will also help with the initial 

development runs for the new Lotus engine 

this month before official testing in February. 

NEWS 

PIT & PADDOCK 

WILSON RETURNS TO COYNE 

Briton Justin Wilson has reportedly joined 

Dale Coyne Racing for the upcoming IndyCar 

season. The 33-year-old, who missed six 

races last year with a back injury, gave 

Coyne’s team its maiden victory in 2009 

before switching to Dreyer & Reinbold. 

Wilson returns 

Sims switches 

to sportscars 

Two-time Le Mans Series 

GT2 champion Rob Bell has 

also joined McLaren’s roster 

of drivers for 2012. 

“It was a wrench to leave Jim 

McWhirter [whose Ferraris and 

Aston Martin he raced at the JMW 

and Virgo teams in 2007-11], but 

the holy grail of any professional 

driver is a factory deal,” he said. 

Alvaro Parente has extended 

his deal with McLaren into 2012 

and Oliver Turvey is expected 

to do the same. 


PICS: PHOTO4, MCKLEIN.DE Loeb: 

New-for-2012 Fiesta 

has internal tweaks 

WRC 

Ford makes cockpit tweaks to Fiesta 

FORD’S FACTORY DRIVERS WILL SIT 

lower and further back than ever in their 

cars in 2012 following changes made to the 

Fiesta RS WRC that will challenge Citroen. 

While regulations preclude significant 

technical changes to the current World 

WRC 

Hirvonen can fight 

World champion rubbishes rumours of number-two status for new Citroen team-mate 

Sebastien Loeb has scotched 

suggestions that his new 

Citroen team-mate Mikko 

Hirvonen will not be allowed to 

fight him for the World Rally 

Championship this year. 

It has been rumoured that 

Hirvonen has been signed as Loeb’s 

number two for 2012, but the 

eight-time world champion is 

adamant that the pair will be 

allowed to fight each other for 

the first half of the season. 

Loeb said: “Mikko is the number 

two, but if the number two is 

beating the number one then he 

will be the number one – it’s not 

really a number two. If he beats me 

in Monte Carlo and Sweden, then 

he is in front. At the moment, I 

consider that Mikko will be quite 

an interesting rival in the season 

and I think he has some good 

feeling with the car.” 

Hirvonen moved to Citroen after 

Loeb’s 2011 team-mate Sebastien 

Ogier departed for Volkswagen. The 

two Frenchmen struggled to work 

together in the Versailles-based 

team and the relationship ended 

with an acrimonious split. 

Loeb admitted he and Hirvonen 

Rally Cars, Ford has sought to further lower 

the centre of gravity of the car ahead of the 

Valence-based season opener. 

Jari-Matti Latvala said: “I am sitting 

10cm lower and further back. Sometimes 

I have to lift my head a little bit when we are 

Loeb hopes for happier 

time than with Ogier 

would be starting on a better 

footing. While the new Citroen 

team-mates haven’t yet worked 

together at a test, they have shared 

set-up data and information with 

each other via their engineers. 

“Mikko and I are friends. I hope 

it will be different from last year,” 

he added. “I hope we can do a good 

and friendly job, but also we have 

to fight together. If he is faster, he is 

number one.” 

In previous seasons, Citroen has 

made it plain that its two drivers 

start the season on equal footing 

coming to the crest, but I will get used to it.” 

The car Latvala and Petter Solberg 

will drive was unveiled at AUTOSPORT 

International today (Thursday). The new 

colour scheme shows Solberg’s personal 

sponsors on the front spoiler. 

before making a strategic decision 

halfway through the year. Loeb said 

he expects that to continue. 

He said: “If Mikko is leading the 

championship after the first half 

then for sure we will not tell him 

to go behind [me].” 

Loeb said he also welcomed news 

of Yves Matton’s return to the 

Citroen fold, in place of outgoing 

team principal Olivier Quesnel. 

He said: “I know him [Matton] 

quite well from the past. I have a 

strong relationship with him, so 

it will be good.” 

NEWS 

SPECIAL STAGE 

IN BRIEF 

Ostberg gets 11-round deal 

OSTBERG STAYS AT FORD 

Mads Ostberg will remain in a Ford Fiesta 

RS WRC for an 11-round programme in this 

year’s world championship. Ostberg, who 

twice finished on the podium in WRC 

rounds last year, will not contest next 

week’s Monte Carlo Rally and is also 

likely to miss Rally New Zealand. 

TOP TEAMS WRAP UP TESTING 

Ford, Citroen and Mini will all be 

concluding their Monte Carlo Rally tests 

in the south of France this week. Ford and 

Citroen have so far run on dry and wet 

asphalt, but nobody has run on snow in 

the Alps yet. The long-range forecast for 

next week’s season-opening WRC round 

is largely dry, with the possibility of snow 

falling for the Saturday night (January 21) 

run over the Col de Turini. 

Ford has tested on dry asphalt 

SKODA PAIR TOP JANNER 

Skoda factory pair Jan Kopecky and Juho 

Hanninen overcame heavy snow to take 

a one-two finish on last weekend’s Janner 

Rallye in Austria. The event was running 

as a European Rally Championship round 

for the first time. Former world rally 

champion Stig Blomqvist finished 15th 

in a Group N Mitsubishi. 

MOUTON HONOURED IN FRANCE 

WRC rally winner Michele Mouton was 

honoured by French president Nicolas 

Sarkozy with the Chevalier of the Legion 

d’Honneur in Paris late last month. 

Mouton dedicated the French equivalent 

of a knighthood to her late father: “He 

did everything for me,” said Mouton, 

“including making the decision I should 

become a driver rather than a co-driver.” 

RALLYDAY NOW IN AUGUST 

This year’s Rallyday has moved forward 

due to Rally GB’s September date. The 

Castle Combe event runs on August 18. 


PICS: HAINES/IMS, INGHAM/GETTY & LAT ARCHIVE 

LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

GUEST EDITOR: DARIO FRANCHITTI 

Honouring my 

hero: Jim Clark 

Jim Clark is my 

hero, the driver 

I most admire. 

I was thinking 

hard about this 

the other day, 

preparing for my 

guest-editor role, 

because Jackie 

Stewart is obviously a huge 

hero of mine too. So, I asked 

myself, what’s the fundamental 

difference between the two? 

After all, anyone who’s into 

motor racing in Scotland is 

immensely proud of both of them. 

The big difference is that Jackie 

is still here, and he’s always been 

here for me. In fact, I can pick up 

the phone right now and call him. 

I raced for his team for three 

fantastic years. But Jimmy… 

He died five years before I was 

born, so I never had that chance 

to know him. That’s a big part of 

it, that lack of connection, and 

the rest is obviously the way 

Jimmy went racing, his exploits 

on and off the track, and his 

great achievements. 

In fact, my true obsession with 

Jim Clark began when Jackie 

called me in 1993 and invited me 

to a dinner to commemorate 25 

years since Jimmy’s passing. I 

was sitting next to people who’d 

grown up with Jimmy, his friends 

and colleagues, and the stories 

I heard that night were simply 

amazing about how he would 

charge around the back lanes 

of the Borders in racing cars. 

That flicked a switch in me. 

Like me, Jimmy went to school 

in Edinburgh – but it sounds like 

he enjoyed it about as much as I 

did! But when Ian Scott Watson 

put him in that first racing car, 

the fuse was lit and there was no 

stopping him. He moved from a 

local racer to a national racer – in 

D-types and other serious stuff! 

– to an international superstar 

so quickly. He hooked up with 

Colin Chapman, and from there, 

with Colin’s brains and Jimmy’s 

skills, it took off. 

Clark and Chapman were a 

force that dominated the racing 

world. Twenty-five grand prix 


wins, 33 poles, 28 fastest laps 

and success across Indycars, 

F2, sportscars and touring cars. 

In a period where cars were very 

fragile, that’s a very impressive 

strike rate. On many days, they 

were simply unbeatable. 

You can marvel about the 

variety of cars he drove in his 

career – but often he was driving 

that vast array on a single 

weekend! That was what made 

him incredible to me, how he 

could jump from one car to 

another – a completely different 

machine – and deliver the same, 

top-notch performance week-in, 

week-out. 

I’ve been lucky enough to drive 

the Lotus 25, a 1.5-litre F1 car, 

and then jump into the Lotus 38 

Indycar with 500bhp – and the 

difference between the two is 

massive. To be that adaptable, to 

win a grand prix in the 25, then 

win the Indy 500 in the 38 and 

then go back to wrap up the F1 

world championship... Incredible! 

When I drove the Lotus 38 

around Indy it was amazing, a 

fantastic experience, but it was a 

relatively big car compared with 

the 25. It felt so small and fragile, 

and gave me a huge appreciation 

of what those guys did back then. 

You sit there, look at the fuel 

tanks that surround you – over 

the tops of your leg and down 

the sides of you – and you think, 

‘my God!’ You can’t really move 

your arms, because of the size 

of the cockpit, so you’re driving 

from your wrists. Anybody who 

jumped in those cars at the time 

was incredibly brave, and you 

could see why not all of them 

that did survived. 

Obviously something that’s 

very apparent to me is the way 

Jimmy adapted to the intricacies 

of oval racing from his roadcourse 

racing background. He’d 

been there in 1963 and ’64 before 

he won there in ’65, but adapting 

to the tyres, the huge fuel-loads, 

the pitstops – it didn’t take him 

long to get it all figured out. 

For me, winning my first Indy 

500 in 2007 to emulate what 

Jimmy had done 42 years earlier 

“He jumped from 

car to car and 

delivered a topnotch 

performance 

week-in, week-out” 

Franchitti emulated hero Clark in 2007 

made it extra special. Following 

in his footsteps, having my name 

on the same page of the history 

books and my face on that same 

Borg Warner Trophy – that is 

really, really cool. 

What would Jimmy have gone 

on to achieve had we not lost him 

in that Hockenheim F2 race? I was 

at Father David Leslie’s funeral 

recently, having lunch with guys 

from the Scottish Motor Racing 

Club, and Sandy Denham was 

talking about that exact ‘what if?’. 

And it was fascinating to hear his 

thoughts and ideas on what might 

have been. Lotus still had lots of 

life in the 49 and the 72 was just 

around the corner. How long 

would Jimmy have carried 

on racing for? It was such a 

dangerous period. While it’s 

interesting to speculate, it’s 

also kinda sad to reflect that 

we’ll never know. 

I tell you what would have 

been amazing to watch: Jim Clark 

versus Jackie Stewart. Jimmy was 

a few years ahead of Jackie, but 

when Jackie was breathtakingly 

quick too, and really got into his 

stride with Tyrrell. Both of them 

racing head to head at the top of 

their game… How awesome would 

that have been to see?

Franchitti sampled Clark’s 1965 Indy 500-winning Lotus 38 at Indianapolis in 2010 

Trademark dark helmet and goggles: unmistakably Jim Clark 

JIM CLARK: SUPER SCOT 

By Dario Franchitti 

Contents 

26 Boy from the Borders 

AUTOSPORT’s profile from early 

1960 on the hotly-tipped Clark 

30 Cedric Selzer 

Looking back at the 1960s with 

Clark’s Team Lotus mechanic 

36 His final chapters 

The successes continued as Clark 

the businessman grew tougher 

40 Great car: Lotus 49 

DFV-powered jewel that moved the 

F1 goalposts as a debut winner in ’67 

Next week 

JACKIE STEWART 

Britain’s only 

three-time Formula 1 

world champion 

gets the AUTOSPORT 

Legend treatment 


LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

From humble beginnings 

a superstar emerges 

Jim Clark was profiled in AUTOSPORT in 1960. He was a man with his feet 

on the ground, and who was pessimistic about his chances in the 1500cc F1… 

26 autosport.com January 12 2012

After 1959 AUTOSPORT 3 Hours win at Snet 

PROFILE: JIM CLARK – originally published in AUTOSPORT, February 12 1960 

By Christopher Nixon 

When a famous works team like 

Aston Martin gives a young man, 

with only three years’ club racing 

experience, a trial in a grand prix 

car, it must mean that the young 

man in question is possessed 

of the latent qualities that 

many, many people would like 

to possess themselves, but 

very, very few in fact do – ie 

those of a brilliant racing driver. 

Recently Aston Martin invited 

Jimmy Clark down to Goodwood 

for testing, and Jimmy, who had 

only sat in a single-seater twice 

before in his life, covered about 50 

tours, lapping between 1m30s and 

1m31s, his fastest being 1m29.8s, 

and all this on a damp track. From 

this you will appreciate that Jim 

obviously has what it takes to 

become a grand prix driver. All 

he lacks is experience with 

really fast machinery. 

It was in June 1956 that Jim first 

set wheel to track at Crimond, 

where he drove a DKW. Three 

months later he drove the DKW 

and a Mk2 Sunbeam at Brunton 

Beadnell High Speed Trials. That 

was the sum total of his ’56 

racing. The next year, he used the 

DKW again at Charterhall in June, 

and then in the October meeting 

he won three races in one day, this 

time in a Porsche. He also did 

a few rallies and sprints in the 

DKW and the Sunbeam. 

In 1958 Jim joined Border 

Reivers. It was through Ian Scott 

Watson that Jim got his first taste 

of racing, for they met in ’55 and 

quickly struck up a friendship. Jim 

used to go along as Ian’s mechanic 

when the latter went racing. 

When Jim joined the Reivers they 

had just purchased the ex- 

Murkett Brothers D-type Jaguar 

and it was in this machine that 

he started out on the ’58 season. 

His first race was at Full Sutton 

in April where he gained two firsts 

with the Jaguar and a sixth with 

the Porsche. At Winfield a few 

days later he claimed a first and a 

second with the Porsche. Then 

came his first continental race: 

the Sports Car Grand Prix of Spa, 

where he came home a very 

creditable eighth in the D-type. 

He didn’t like Spa very much – 

“it was too fast for me then!” 

His final race that year, a 

second at Boxing Day Brands in 

a Lotus Elite, was his first in the 

Hornsey-built car. Jim and Ian 

Scott Watson caught the night 

train to London from Scotland, 

picked up the car at Green Park 

and drove it straight down to 

Brands. There they stuck some 

numbers on it and Jim went 

racing. For eight out of the 10 laps 

he led but then a Sprite lost 

it and hit the side of the 

Elite. Because of this Jim 

lost the lead to Colin 

Chapman but nevertheless 

managed to come second. 

His final score at the end 

of the season was 20 wins, 

eight seconds and three 

thirds, from 33 races, 

an almost-incredible 

total that won him 

the 1958 Scottish 

Speed Championship. 

In March 1959, Border Reivers 

purchased Bruce Halford’s 

Lister-Jaguar and on the 30th of 

the same month Jim had his first 

race in the big car at Mallory Park. 

In fact he had three races in it and 

won them all! He also won the 

1000-1600cc class in the GT race 

with the Elite, making the day’s 

total four wins in four races. 

His next appearance was at 

Oulton Park for the British 

Empire Trophy Race meeting. 

“He went to work on 

his father’s farm as 

a shepherd, then 

graduated to look 

after the farm” 

Here he didn’t do so well, coming 

10th in the up to 1500cc race in 

the Elite and eighth in the over 

1500cc race with the Lister. 

This latter race provided an 

amusing incident for Jim. It was 

pouring with rain, so much so 

that he could hardly see where he 

was going. In fact, he missed the 

chequered flag and went blindly 

to complete another lap. The next 

time round he noticed a couple 

of cranes pulling Bruce Halford’s 

Lister out of the lake at Cascades. 

Then on the back straight he 

passed a Continental Bentley, 

which bothered him a little, for, 

as far as he could recall, Bentley 

hadn’t returned to racing. 

Finally he came up behind John 

Bekaert and noticed that John had 

taken his crash hat off. Suddenly 

it dawned on Jim that the race 

must be over, so he came into 

the pits to investigate, much to 

the relief of Ian Scott Watson, 

who could foresee his driver 

continuing well into the night! 

His first continental event of 

the year was at Le Mans, where 

he drove the Elite with John 

Whitmore. These two made a 

very good partnership, both being 

able to lap fast and consistently, 

for from a driving viewpoint they 

were pretty evenly matched. In 

the race they were plagued with 

starter-motor bothers, but they 

managed to finish second in class, 

10th overall and 11th on index. 

Jim moved on to Zandvoort for 

the AUTOSPORT World Cup race, 

where he was forced to retire 

when in the lead. At the British 

GP meeting at Aintree he came 

second in the over 2000cc sports 

car race after a very fine drive 

in the wet. He followed this 

up with two firsts and a second 

at the Winfield sprint. 

At Brands Hatch for the second 

part of the AUTOSPORT World 

Cup, Jim came first in the first 

heat and second in the second. He 

also won the over 3000cc class in 

the sports car race with the Lister. 

At Mallory Park a fortnight later 

he gained two firsts, a third and an 

eighth. At Oulton Park he won the 

up to 1600cc race for GT cars. 

The next day he went to 

Charterhall and collected a first 

and a fifth, then at another 

Charterhall meeting a couple of 

weeks later he gained three firsts 

and a fourth. Finally, he won the 

AUTOSPORT Three Hours Race 

at Snetterton in the Elite. 

So that was the end of another 

year, which had been even more 

successful than the previous one. 

Jim had gained 23 wins, nine 

seconds and two thirds. In 

addition to no fewer than five 

Championship awards: the 

Scottish National Speed 

Championship, the over 3000cc 

class of the BRSCC Sports Car 

Championship, the 1300cc class 

of the AUTOSPORT Production 

Sports Car Championship, the 

over 1200cc class of the Mallory 

Park Sports Car Championship. 

Jim was educated at Clifton 

Hall prep school and then 

went to Loretto public school 

in Edinburgh. He left Loretto in 

1952 and then went to work on his 

father’s farm as a shepherd for 18 

months, after which he graduated 

to looking after the farm. 

He is now in partnership 

with his father running the 

1250-acre arable farm in Duns, 

January 12 2012 autosport.com 27 

PIC: LAT ARCHIVE

PICS: LAT ARCHIVE 

LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

Berwickshire. He also has his 

own farm of about the same size 

20 miles away. The Clark family 

are notable stocksmen of the 

district, having three different 

pedigree breed flocks of sheep at 

Edington Mains. He is a very keen 

farmer and has not yet made up 

his mind whether he can devote 

his time to a really full season of 

continental racing, should that 

happy situation arise. 

In his spare time he likes to go 

shooting and is a pretty good shot. 

He is also quite a good hockey 

player and a fine sprint athlete. 

He is a committee member 

of the Berwick and DMC and is 

assistant secretary to Ian Scott 

Watson in the Border MRC. 

Photography is also one of his 

hobbies and he likes listening to 

music: Louis Armstrong, Frank 

Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald being 

among his favourite artistes. 

Ian himself is, of course, a very 

capable team manager for Border 

Reivers. Apart from this, he has 

known Jim for longer than most 

people and so is well qualified 

to talk about him. 

“As his best friend – we’ve 

been mistaken for brothers before 

now, much to his chagrin – and 

‘tame Ken Gregory’ [Scott Watson 

is referring here to Stirling Moss’s 

manager at the time], I probably 

know him as well as anyone 

outside his family circle. As 

anyone who meets him must 

realise, he really is one of the 

nicest chaps one could wish to 

know and is absolutely free of any 

tendency to show off or get 

conceited. He knows his own 

limitations and underrates 

his own driving ability. 

“One of the most remarkable 

things – which I think marks him 

out as a potential champion – is 

his wonderful consideration for 

the car he’s driving. He can always 

come in from a race and tell me 

exactly what every gauge and dial 

has been reading, how many 

revs he has used at what point, 

whether there are any queer 

noises, etc. He has only spun a car 

once this year – the Porsche – 

when trying to keep up with the 

much faster Shepherd-Barron 

Alfa at Charterhall. 

“He keeps an incredibly cool 

head when driving and is just 

about the only fast driver I can 

sit beside without having any 

qualms, but he himself is a very 

bad passenger. I think he has 

exceptionally fast reactions and 

coordination between eyes and 

limbs, and his eyesight at both 

day and night is quite exceptional. 

Leading the way in Lister-Jaguar at Aintree in 1959, chased by Graham Whitehead’s Aston 

“His style is very reminiscent of Tony 

Brooks; he sits well back and drives 

calmly and without fuss. His cornering is 

very neat and he gives the impression 

that he could become very good indeed” 

Clark and John Whitmore claimed class runner-up with Lotus Elite at 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours 

Clark (left of pic) in first single-seater race in Formula Junior Gemini, Boxing Day Brands ’59 

PROFILE: JIM CLARK 

“As one who watches him in 

every race, and I’ve done a little 

bit of club racing myself, I know 

something of what is involved, 

and I’ve come to the conclusion 

that he can drive much nearer the 

limit of a car than almost anyone, 

without using anything like the 

revs that others would or losing 

control of the car. For instance, 

for half the season we had a faulty 

rev counter on the Elite and 

discovered that Jim had been 

doing his fantastic lap times 

without going over 7000, whereas 

everyone else was using 7500 

and even 7800. This did not 

apply to Le Mans, where our 

rev counter was slow, not fast. 

“His weak points? Girls, 

perhaps! Drinks little – not that 

he can’t – and is always particular 

not to the night before a race. 

He does not smoke. He works 

very hard at home, literally. No 

London Chelsea playboy stuff 

or anything like that.” 

So there you are. That’s Jim 

Clark, as seen by his best friend 

and constant companion! 

Jim very much wants to drive 

single-seaters this year if he can, 

for he is not very interested in the 

new formula (for 1961). “I don’t 

think it will help me at all,” he 

says. “It will certainly be no safer, 

and a lot more expensive than the 

current formula, which, I think, 

should be continued.” 

Reg Parnell, who watched 

Jim’s handling of the Formula 1 

Aston with a very critical eye, is 

considerably impressed by the 

young Scotsman’s driving. “He 

does, of course, lack experience,” 

says Reg, “but nevertheless he put 

up a very fine performance. His 

style is very reminiscent of Tony 

Brooks; he sits well back and 

drives calmly and without fuss. 

His cornering is very neat and 

he gives the impression that, 

given time, he could become 

very good indeed.” 

Encouraging words from 

one of the shrewdest judges of 

driving ability there are, and 

it is worth bearing in mind 

what Roy Salvadori said in 

an earlier ‘Profile’, which was 

to the effect that what is needed 

is a team or teams willing to 

give a place to somebody like 

Clark to enable him to gain 

the necessary experience. This, 

Roy felt, would surely pay 

dividends in the end. 

However, whatever Jim drives 

this season, his relaxed and 

precise style is bound to reap 

reward. Watch him, for he is 

definitely, as our French friends 

say, a “coming man”. 


LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

Selzer (left) joins the crowd in applauding Clark’s success in the 1963 British Grand Prix 


Building the stage 

for Clark’s genius 

Cedric Selzer is the mechanic who bolted together the Lotus machinery 

in which Jim Clark danced to glory. He looks back at a magic era

Nigh on 44 years have passed 

since that dark April day in 1968 

when the world of motor racing 

lost its greatest driver. Jim Clark’s 

legend lives on, but when his 

Lotus 48 plunged off the track in 

that infamous Formula 2 race at 

Hockenheim, the next generations 

of racing fans lost the chance 

to get to know the Scot. The 

colourful Graham Hill, who was 

lost only seven years later, still 

looms in the public conscience, 

while compatriot Jackie Stewart 

remains on the racing scene to 

this day, but by contrast Clark is a 

far harder character to pin down. 

The statistics are well-known. 

Three months before his death, 

Clark broke Juan Manuel Fangio’s 

record for world championship 

grand prix victories in his final 

start at that level, and he would 

surely have added to his two 

titles had he lived on. But while 

his achievements speak for 

themselves, the loss of Clark and 

the relative paucity of audiovisual 

materials of this quiet 

man outside the car mean that 

he seems far-deeper buried in 

the mists of time than many 

of his contemporaries. 

Fortunately, some of those who 

INTERVIEW: CEDRIC SELZER – CLARK’S MECHANIC 

“Jimmy and Colin Chapman came from 

different worlds. Colin was very pushy 

and Jimmy was far more sophisticated. 

But they worked very well together” 

played their part in Clark’s success 

are still going strong. One of those 

is South African Cedric Selzer, 

who was in charge of Clark’s Lotus 

25 during the all-conquering 1963 

season. Selzer joined Team Lotus 

after the ’61 Monaco Grand 

Prix, thanks to heading to the 

legendary Tip Top bar in search 

of a job. There, a chance meeting 

with Colin Chapman’s right-hand 

man Jim Endruweit led to him 

being given a one-month trial 

that led to over four years with 

the team. After looking after 

Trevor Taylor’s car in ’62, he was 

switched to take charge of Clark’s 

for the following season. 

Selzer paints a picture of a great 

driver who was very professional 

to work with, but not easy to get 

close to. Even Lotus boss Colin 

Chapman, who Clark famously had 

a remarkable working relationship 

with, was never that close outside 

a motor-racing context. 

“Jimmy was very, very quiet 

and it was difficult to get to know 

him,” says Selzer. “He had his own 

circle of friends, which was pretty 

limited – people like Ian Scott 

Watson, Jackie Stewart and John 

Whitmore. Even people like 

Graham Hill, they got on well, but 

he was never really a great mate of 

Jimmy’s. He was a type of recluse. 

“He and Colin Chapman were 

always in a huddle chatting. There 

was a bond, but it was around 

motor racing, not around 

friendship as far as I’m 

concerned. They came from 

different worlds. Colin was very 

pushy but Jimmy was far more 

sophisticated than him. They 

were completely different, but 

worked very well together. 

“In the beginning, Jimmy would 

By Edd Straw 

Clark and Chapman were very different, but a successful double act 

go out and say the car is doing this 

and that and Colin would come 

up with something to try. I also 

did quite a few trips when Colin 

wasn’t around and had to interpret 

what Jimmy said. But we also had 

the problem that if Jimmy found 

something wrong with the car, he 

would quickly find a way to drive 

around it, which made it very 

difficult to fix the problem. He 

would get in a car and ask for two 

pounds more in the rear tyres and 

a thicker rear rollbar, then go half 

a second quicker, but I never knew 

if that was him or if the car had 

really improved! 

“He was obviously intelligent, 

but being the quiet man he was 

you wouldn’t know if what you 

were saying actually sunk in at 

the time. If he saw things in a 

slightly different light, you 

just couldn’t tell.” 

It’s difficult to peer through 

the fog of time and comprehend 

exactly where Chapman stopped 

and Clark begun. There are 

varying accounts of Clark’s 

technical ability and how he 

figured in the successful equation 

relative to the Lotus boss. Hill 

once said of Clark and Chapman 

that “you just cannot divorce 


PICS: LAT ARCHIVE

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PICS: LAT ARCHIVE; DUNBAR/LAT 

LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

the two; it was a parallel success 

story”. Fellow racing giants 

Stirling Moss and John Surtees 

both suggested that Clark’s 

technical ability was limited, 

although according to Selzer the 

Scot’s capabilities on that score 

evolved dramatically during the 

first half of his grand prix career. 

“By 1964, he knew exactly what 

he wanted from the car and how 

to achieve it,” says Selzer. “He 

improved a lot in that area. I can 

remember one time at Spa in 1963 

when Trevor Taylor went out and 

couldn’t do a time but didn’t know 

why. In desperation, Colin said to 

Jimmy to get in the car and see 

what was wrong with it. He went 

out and knew instantly that the car 

MONACO 

8th (not running at finish) 

Leading when gearbox 

broke with 22 laps to go 

wasn’t getting full throttle. That 

ability evolved in him. I think it’s 

right to say that Chapman did 

tailor Clark in that regard.” 

Certainly, there’s no question 

that Clark was the finished article 

by 1963. Having won three world 

championship races and gone to 

the finale with a shot at the title 

in ’62, Clark and the Lotus 25 

dominated the following season. 

Inevitably, it’s difficult to judge 

how much was car and how much 

was the man in the cockpit, 

especially as the driver in the 

other Lotus, Trevor Taylor, fell 

firmly into the good-but-notgreat 

category. 

But while the Lotus 25, 

which Selzer describes as the 

“grandfather” of the modern F1 

Selzer is working on a book about his time in racing, due out in 2013 

TIMELINE CLARK’S PATH TO THE 1963 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 

BELGIUM 

1st 

Wins by nearly five minutes 

from Bruce McLaren in wet 


HOLLAND 

1st 

Wins from pole position, 

setting fastest lap as well 

Clark (left) took seventh win of 1963 in South Africa. Brabham and Gurney are alongside 

car – it was the first monocoque 

grand prix machine – was the 

best of its time, it took a great 

driver to get the best out of it. 

“You had to drive it on tippy- 

toes,” says Selzer. “You had to 

have a light touch and set it up 

“Jimmy did pass 

cars, but I never saw 

him actually 

fighting. But he 

didn’t need to” 

for the corners, and once you had 

done that right it was absolutely 

brilliant. It wasn’t like a Cooper 

that you could throw into the 

corners. Stirling Moss said to me 

a couple of years ago that Jimmy 

had the lightest touch in that car. 

“It was an underpowered car 

with about 200bhp so you 

absolutely had not to scrub off 

the speed. Jimmy had a natural 

ability to do that. There’s a 

famous story about when we went 

testing at Silverstone with an F1 

and the Lotus Cortina. Chapman 

sat in the back of the Cortina with 

Clark driving to put some more 

weight in the car and asked Jimmy 

what line he was using as it was 

unusual. Later, I read Mark 

Donohue’s book where he talks 

about the friction circle – 

that’s what Jimmy was doing 

subconsciously. He didn’t 

know any other way but if 

FRANCE 

1st 

Despite two broken valve 

springs, holds on to win 

you said something to him 

about it he wouldn’t know 

what you were talking about. 

He did it automatically.” 

And Clark used that natural 

speed to extremely good effect. 

Very often, he would take off at 

the start and the rest of the field 

wouldn’t see him again, even if 

he started down the grid. For 

example, at Spa in 1963 he lined 

up down in eighth but moved into 

the lead very rapidly. It was a clear 

strategy, and one that led to Clark 

claiming a record for ‘grand slams’ 

– leading every lap from pole 

position and setting fastest lap – 

with eight. That’s a record that 

stands to this day despite half 

a dozen drivers now having 

eclipsed his record of 25 wins. 

But this inevitably led to 

suggestions that he wasn’t such 

a formidable competitor in wheelto-wheel 

battle. Surtees, for 

example, reckoned that this was 

an area of weakness. 

“On the pure driving side, the 

combination of Jimmy Clark and 

a car he had faith in was a very 

formidable one, because when 

he had faith in the car and the 

confidence he had the edge, then 

he drove his very best,” Surtees is 

quoted as saying in Paul Hamlyn’s 

Portrait of a racing driver. 

“Jimmy was not a mixer – he 

didn’t like to mix it – and if he 

didn’t feel he had a slight edge 

somewhere I feel he got very 

agitated. I don’t agree with 

the general view that he was 

invariably a tiger. He was a 

tiger, yes, when he knew 

BRITAIN 

1st 

Passes Jack Brabham early 

on to win by 26 seconds 


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LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

Clark chases Surtees en route to his only second place in a world championship GP 

GERMANY 

2nd 

Faulty spark plug leaves 

him on seven cylinders 

ITALY 

1st 

Clinches the drivers’ title, and 

constructors’ crown for Lotus 


Chapman celebrates 1963 Italian GP – and two world titles – on the back of Clark’s car Selzer (standing up) worked hard with Lotus crew 

nobody had any sharper teeth.” 

Selzer thinks there is some 

validity in Surtees’s opinion, with 

the proviso that Clark’s strengths 

in other areas meant that mixing 

it was very often unnecessary. 

“He liked to get out in front and 

control the race,” he says. “He did 

that so often. There is a little bit 

in what John Surtees said because 

he wasn’t a fighter. It just wasn’t 

in his character. He was a fast 

racing driver. He did pass cars, but 

I never saw him actually fighting. 

But he just didn’t need to.” 

It’s a fair point – for Clark was 

that good. And when he really 

needed to, he was more than 

capable of coming through the 

field. The 1967 Italian Grand Prix, 

when he came from a lap down to 

lead, springs to mind, as does the 

Aintree 200 F1 race in ’63, when 

his car wouldn’t get away but he 

recovered to third in Taylor’s car. 

But don’t mistake a lack of fight 

for any kind of cowardice, for 

Clark was as bold as anyone in the 

cockpit in adversity. Take that Spa 

victory in ’63, when he won by 

almost five minutes in some of 

the worst rain ever to have hit a 

world championship race, or his 

remarkable drive to second (his 

only runner-up spot in a world 

championship GP) at the 

Nurburgring that year, when 

he ran on just seven cylinders 

for most of the race courtesy 

of a faulty spark plug. 

“It was raining so heavily at Spa 

that it looked as if the cars were 

doing only 50mph past the pits,” 

recalls Selzer. “There was no 

grip at all and they were just 

aquaplaning. Chapman was 

jumping up and down telling them 

to stop the race because Jimmy 

was in the lead, but the organisers 

UNITED STATES 

3rd 

Battery failure at start costs 

him a lap, but charges back 

“Fangio said Jimmy 

was the greatest 

racing driver ever. 

Coming from him, 

that was fantastic” 

wouldn’t. Jimmy just kept going 

and devastated everybody. 

“At the Nurburgring, he drove 

very well. We always put new 

spark plugs in after practice but 

for this race one of them was 

faulty out of the box. So he 

did most of the race on seven 

cylinders. If I hadn’t installed 

the faulty spark plug, he 

would have won.” 

Clark himself agreed on that 

last point. The sheer confidence 

that Selzer had in the Scot is 

MEXICO 

1st 

Takes his third ‘grand slam’ 

victory of the season 

perhaps the best testimony that 

can be given, for the true measure 

of a great driver is often the 

faith his crew has in him. 

“We expected to win,” he says. 

“Our motto was that if we came 

second, we lost! We did expect to 

win every race with Jimmy. It was 

a great privilege to work with him. 

“I remember that I went to a 

cocktail party for Juan Manuel 

Fangio in Angouleme and I was 

introduced to him. He was a very 

wise interpreter of racing. He said 

two things to me; that Jimmy 

crashed [at Hockenheim in 1968] 

because something broke at the 

rear, because if something brakes 

at the front you can get out of 

it. The other thing he said was 

that Jimmy was the greatest 

racing driver ever. Coming from 

Fangio, that was fantastic. 

You can’t get a better 

recommendation than that.” 

SOUTH AFRICA 

1st 

Breaks record for wins in a 

season with seventh triumph 


LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

A winner, 

right until 

near the end 

The Lotus 49’s bugs were being ironed out, auguring 

well for 1968, but off-track things were less harmonious 

Clark nursed his car to 1967 United States GP victory 


Clark and Hayes (centre) share a podium smile 

Jim Clark, that most mechanically 

sympathetic of racing drivers, 

nursed his Lotus 49, its right- 

rear Firestone canted drunkenly 

because of a snapped suspension 

weld, across the line to secure a 

crucial victory at Watkins Glen. 

Ford UK’s Walter Hayes, straining 

– and unusually snappy – under 

the weight of expectation in 

FoMoCo’s backyard, was relieved 

and happy. The engineering 

genius that had delivered him his 

£100,000 V8 wonder, embossed 

‘FORD’ twinkling on its cam 

covers, was unimpressed, however. 

Cosworth’s Keith Duckworth 

possessed the stereotypical 

Lancastrian emotional hotchpotch: 

tough exterior, with a small-butsoft 

sentimental centre. He 

idolised Clark and passionately 

believed that he deserved better 

treatment than Lotus’s win-orbust 

mentality allowed. Its 49, 

for crying out loud, was suffering 

similar failures to those flagged 

up at its Snetterton shakedown 

in May – a few months prior. Not 

good enough. No, he would build a 

car for Jim – and Jim would come. 

Clark was beginning to wonder 

too. His relationship with Lotus 

boss Colin Chapman, despite 

its length, depth and genuine 

warmth, was exhibiting cracks. 

The fretting that had scarred 

Clark’s early career had been 

redrawn sharply into focus by the 

extra power and speed of the new 

three-litre Formula 1: the cars’ 

fragility; the trees’ proximity. 

The 49, the fastest thing in the 

joint, was not a sinecure. Neither 

its brakes nor ’box were up to it. 

And Duckworth’s first-iteration 

DFV was not without fault either, 

its snorting horses bolting at 

6500rpm, the precise point where 

Clark liked to squeeze and lean on 

his supernatural balance and feel. 

He was suspicious of it. All of 

it. He respected the abilities of 

Chapman and Duckworth, trusted 

them to put matters right – but 

it was taking an awful long time. 

Until then, he was the guy putting 

his neck on the block. Faith 

was being tested. 

So Clark the driver adapted – 

in and out of the cockpit. Gone 

were his quick-draw starts and 

bulleting first laps, to be replaced

y a more measured, conciliatory 

approach to winning. Gone too 

was his acquiescence. Spooked 

by a vibration on his first outing 

with the car, at Zandvoort for 

June’s Dutch Grand Prix, he 

refused to drive it until the source 

was traced. (Mechanics eventually 

discovered a disintegrating 

ball-race in the right-rear hub.) 

Clark the man changed too. Not 

fundamentally, but sufficient to be 

noticeable. The ‘racing shepherd’ 

had always been a media myth, but 

the odds on his making a return 

to the family’s Borders farm upon 

his retirement from racing, once 

short, were lengthening – and 

not just because of the Inland 

Revenue’s beady eye. Initially an 

unwilling tax exile, since April 

1966, Clark had warmed to it, 

spells in a Paris flat in particular 

opening new avenues and lines of 

inquiry and interest. That he and 

long-time girlfriend Sally Stokes 

separated at about this time was 

not unconnected. 

Clark’s busiest season had been 

1965, but suddenly he had time 

to ponder. Finalising decisions 

was still problematical, but new 

conclusions were beginning to 

distill: accountants were not to be 

averred to just because they were 

Scottish; and posh moneymen in 

swanky London offices perhaps 

did know a thing or two. His 

tight, trusted circle had broken. 

He missed the racing of course. 

Driving fast remained an 

obsession, and he admitted to 

jealous pangs whenever he saw 

Outing on 1966 RAC Rally in Lotus Cortina had been hugely enjoyable 

a saloon with its inside-front 

cocked. The fun bit was shrinking. 

Which is why his 1966 RAC Rally 

in a works Lotus Cortina was a 

tonic. More than a showcase for 

his stupendous skills, it was a 

homecoming, a reaffirmation. He 

stayed with the team even after he 

had crashed out, and bought it a 

slap-up feed near London Airport, 

an unusual splash from a canny, 

if financially naive, man. 

Lotus, in contrast, was becoming 

a bit of a chore. Therefore, when 

the phone at Clark’s spartan 

Bermuda condo rang with offers 

of alternative drives, he accepted 

eagerly. Chapman was most 

definitely not part of this loop. 

The week after winning the 

Mexican GP, final round of the 

1967 F1 world championship, 

Clark was bombing Rockingham’s 

D-shaped oval in a Holman- 

Moody NASCAR Ford. The 

week after that he was strafing 

Riverside in a Vollstedt Indycar. 

The Vollstedt was an eyeopener 

for him – and a worry for 

Chapman – this being his first 

single-seater race in anything but 

a Lotus since that so-so Gemini 

at Boxing Day Brands, in 1959. 

Oregon innovator Rolla Vollstedt’s 

design featured nose tabs 

balanced by a large plate curved 

at its trailing edge and sited over 

the quad-cam Ford V8’s tailpipes. 

Clark was impressed by the 

stability they imbued. 

The 49 had sported a nose-bib 

spoiler at Spa in June, but it was 

discarded because it generated too 

much oversteer. Hmm. Another 

conclusion distilling: either 

Chapman wasn’t the infallible 

technical guru that everybody 

assumed, or he had been keeping 

“Clark persuaded his mechanics to 

fashion a wing from a chopped helicopter 

blade. When Chapman, half a world 

away, heard of this he demanded that 

it be removed – forthwith” 

his aero powder dry for 1968, 

preferring to rely on Clark for 

success until then. 

And that was hardly a risk, 

because Clark was at the peak 

of his powers. He won the non- 

points November F1 race at Jarama, 

and on New Year’s Day succeeded 

Juan Fangio as the most-successful 

GP driver with a consummate 

victory, his 25th, at Kyalami. 

Already he was a clear favourite 

to secure the world title, his third. 

Next he won the eight-race 

CLARK’S LAST MONTHS 

By Paul Fearnley 

Tasman Series in New Zealand 

and Australia. This too was no 

easy ride. The shortening of the 

DFV’s stroke to fit the 2.5-litre 

rules caused more problems than 

anticipated, and Chris Amon’s 

lighter, more-compact V6 Ferrari 

was a genuine threat to his 49T. 

But Clark’s responses to a 

schoolmasterly Chapman reproach 

and a hair-raising crash at 

Teretonga were more telling than 

his being on top Down Under. 

Intrigued by wings’ influence, 

he had persuaded his mechanics 

to fashion one from a chopped 

helicopter blade, which they 

attached to the gearbox casing at 

a guesstimated height and angle. 

When Chapman, half a world 

away, heard of this, he demanded 

that it be removed. Forthwith. 

Yes, this was Chapman’s area. 

Man-management, clearly, 

was not. Rather than become 

increasingly testy – as though a 

spurned lover – he might have 

been better advised to allow the 

world’s best driver, his greatest 

asset, to use his judgement and 

expertise to remotely assess a 

new aspect of their sport. That 

Clark complied with the directive 

– he probably didn’t want to land 

his mechanics in deeper trouble 

– proved Chapman still held the 

whip hand. But it wasn’t healthy. 

Clark, his wing clipped, led the 

race in any case, until water in 

the electrics, as had happened in 

Canada in September, caused a 

misfire. He was attempting to 

clear it with stabs of throttle 

Our January 5 issue reported on his last GP win 

Racing NASCAR Ford (left) at Rockingham 

Clark in winning style in the Tasman Cup 


PICS: LAT ARCHIVE

PICS: LAT ARCHIVE, ED HEUVINK 

LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

Ushering in commercial era during 1968 Tasman series 

when all eight chimed over a 

bump on the fastest part of the 

circuit. He spun like a top, vaulted 

a ditch, flattened a fence and 

nerfed a tree in an orchard. He 

reckoned himself lucky not to be 

coming home in a box. And told 

people so. Dark thoughts, long 

bottled, were being aired. 

His manoeuvrings, if that’s what 

they were, took another turn when 

he declined to blow a precious UK 

weekend racing a Lotus at Brands 

Hatch’s Race of Champions yet 

agreed to drive Ford’s new F3L 

sportscar at the same track three 

weeks later. Chapman’s mood 

can be imagined. 

Alan Mann, whose team built 

and ran the F3L, is adamant that 

Chapman peevishly extracted 

Clark and Hill from that equation 

with a late, and fateful, decision 

to contest the F2 Deutschland 

Trophy at Hockenheim, a belief 

confirmed by an irritated phone 

call from Hill. Sources close to 

Clark tell a different story: that he 

hadn’t heard “a dicky bird” from 

Mann during the Tasman Series 

and so had agreed to race in 

Germany. Lotus was still his 

bread and butter after all. 

Clark had reasons to be hopeful: 

plans for the 49B would address 

the original’s shortcomings; the 

Series 8 DFV that he used at 

Kyalami was more user-friendly; 

and he was convinced that he had 

driven the next Indy 500 winner, 

cruising stealthily around the 

Brickyard in March aboard the 56 

turbine so as not to alert twitchy 

Clark and Chapman check out the Ferrari. Can you imagine Vettel and Newey doing that today? 

USAC officials to its ultimate 

performance. Dollar-laden 

paydays beckoned. 

The taxman’s cold, clinical 

calculations had hardened Clark’s 

attitude towards money, had wised 

him up. Obviously closer to the 

(natural) end of his career than 

its beginning, he was determined 

to place a higher value on his 

exceptional talent. He himself had 

unveiled F1’s commercial age, in 

New Zealand, posing tanned but 

hassled in a cockpit, its paint still 

wet after its Gold Leaf respray 

in a Christchurch Ford dealer. 

Chapman, in turn, was soon to 

become very rich by floating 

Lotus Cars Ltd on the stock 

market. Clark, though neither 

needy nor greedy, wanted a fairer 

share. He was making plans. 

What if he should die? he asked 

a taken-aback Stokes not long 

before the fateful day. 

On April 7 1968 Clark paid that 

price, at Hockenheim, slamming 

into trees that had loomed ever 

larger in his subconscious. 

Chapman battled his public grief 

– until the death of Mike Spence 

while testing a 56 at Indy in May 

tipped him over the edge. That his 

friendship with Clark had been 

at its most fractious, that he had 

been on a skiing holiday at the 

time of the crash, no doubt made 

Clark’s loss even more difficult to 

bear. He considered quitting the 

sport, and vanished without trace 

– only to return, unannounced, 

in Monaco, barking orders as if 

nothing had happened. 

“Clark had cruised 

the 56 turbine 

around Indy. Dollarladen 

paydays 

beckoned” 

A light moment with Chapman (left) and Jack Brabham (centre) 

CLARK’S LAST MONTHS 

Full-on pretence was the only 

workable option in the face of 

this hideous reality check. Clark 

probably would have done the 

same had he gathered that slide, 

shaved that tree. Any recoverable 

injuries, the first of his career, 

might have allowed both men to 

reflect and start afresh. Only when 

it’s taken away do you realise what 

you had. Plus it’s impossible to 

imagine Clark racing in F1 for any 

other team. Chapman would have 

had to allow him more wriggle 

room, but they’d have patched 

it up, got on with it at worst. 

Duckworth’s well-intentioned 

and superbly constructed ‘Jim car’ 

had rushed up F1’s four-wheeldrive 

cul-de-sac, and it was to be 

the 1970 Lotus 72 that ushered in 

the next generation of F1 winners. 

Clark would have seamlessly 

blended with its new demands of 

fatter tyres and bigger wings – 

been rejuvenated by them, indeed 

– and won another title, a third or 

a fourth, before handing the baton 

to compatriot Jackie Stewart. By 

which time the taxman’s UKvisiting 

constraints on him 

would have been less onerous. 

Maybe a stalwart steward would 

have been found to run the farm 

day-to-day while Clark mulled his 

future. Any decisions would not 

have been quick in coming – no 

surprise there – but he’d have 

found a happy niche somewhere, 

albeit who knows where. For, as 

even those closest too him had 

been discovering, this new 

Clark was full of surprises. 

In his F2 Lotus at Hockenheim, April 1968 


LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

Great Car: Lotus 49 

Jim Clark had a 50 per cent win rate in the Lotus 49 in his final 10 world 

championship races. He would surely have won the 1968 world title in it – and 

appreciated the significance of the Colin Chapman/Maurice Philippe masterpiece 

LONGEVITY 

The Lotus 49 and its successors 

– the B, introduced during 1968, 

and the C, brought in for 1970 

– had a long, competitive life. It 

was due to be replaced in 1969 

by the Lotus 63, an evolutionary 

concept that influenced the 

1970 Lotus 72 and featuring 

four-wheel drive. John Miles 

raced it five times in ’69, but the 

experimental car was abandoned 

because of handling problems 

that made it unpredictable and 

hated by those who drove it. 

WINGS 

Initially, Chapman added a small 

wing to the rear bodywork, but 

at the 1968 French GP the Lotus 

49B ran with a high rear wing 

mounted to the suspension. 

They proved dangerous and, 

after a few serious accidents, 

were outlawed after the 1969 

Spanish GP. 


FORD COSWORTH DFV 

Ford invested heavily in its Cosworth-developed 

Formula 1 engine that was introduced in 1967, 

with the stipulation that Lotus run equal 

number-one drivers from that season onwards, 

leading to Graham Hill being recruited from 

BRM to partner Clark. The DFV V8 featured 

four-valve heads with double overhead camshafts 

that produced around 410bhp at 9000rpm. 

The powerplant made its debut at Zandvoort, 

HANDLING 

The Lotus 49 had two fundamental strengths that gave 

it an edge over the competition. It was lighter than the 

rest and had a powerful engine. Despite several key 

changes – specifically the DFV engine, the use of the 

motor as a stressed member and the later addition of 

wings – the car was very much an evolution of the 

type 43 that preceded it. This meant that, once the 

initial teething problems that required work to be done 

to strengthen the suspension had been completed, the 

car was relatively easy to drive – certainly requiring 

less early-corner precision than with the Lotus 

machines of earlier in the decade. 

with Clark winning after Hill had taken pole 

position. Chapman had exclusive use of the 

engine in 1967, although it was made widely 

available from 1968 and soon became nearubiquitous 

in F1. While initially the engine 

was a little ‘peaky’, it was soon tweaked to 

give smoother power delivery and, by the end 

of its long competitive life in F1, was putting 

out well over 500bhp.


CARRYING THE LOAD 

While the Lotus 49 is often remembered 

for heralding the wing era and the start of 

DFV dominance, there was one crucial 

design feature that created a new 

paradigm in F1. While the Lotus 49 was 

not the first car that attempted to use the 

engine as a stressed member (both Lotus 

and BRM, for example, had previously 

experimented with this) the 49 redefined 

the genre. The DFV engine, which 

produced little vibration compared with 

the units of a few years earlier, made this 

development possible. With the 

suspension mounted on the gearbox, 

itself mounted to the rest of the car 

via the engine, which bolted onto the 

aluminium monocoque, a far more 

coherent and stiff package was possible. 

Rivals were soon forced to follow suit 

and dispense with the more orthodox 

rear-subframe configuration. Chapman 

also insisted that the engine packaging 

was conceived to allow rapid engine 

changes, requiring re-routing of pipes 

and cables, while brake pipes were 

secured to the suspension radius arms. 

LEGENDARY LOTUS 

By Edd Straw 

LOTUS 49 1967-70 STATISTICS 

RACES ENTERED: 41 

WINS: 12 

POLES: 19 

FASTEST LAPS: 14 

TITLES: 1968* – 

DRIVERS’ AND CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIPS 

*Jochen Rindt raced the Lotus 49C three times in 1970, winning 

the Monaco Grand Prix, although mostly used the new Lotus 72 in 

his world championship year. 

Clark wrestles the 49 to pole position at the 1967 German Grand Prix 

CLARK ALSO STARRED IN... 

JAGUAR D-TYPE 

Caught the eye driving 

a D-type for the Border 

Reivers equipe in 1958, 

winning races at a 

number of UK venues. 

LOTUS 25 

Won the 1963 world 

championship in the 

Lotus 25 and racked up 

14 world championship 

grand prix wins 

between 1962 and ’65. 

LOTUS CORTINA 

Won the Snetterton 

3 Hours on his first 

outing in the car in 

September 1963 and 

claimed the 1964 

British Saloon Car 

Championship crown. 

LOTUS 33 

Won five races during 

1965 to seal the drivers’ 

world championship 

title – as well as the 

1967 Tasman Series. 

LOTUS 38 

Clark won the 1965 

Indianapolis 500 in 

the 38, and it is claimed 

that only a lap-scoring 

mistake cost him 

victory in ’66 too. 


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LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

Silverstone in 1967 was scene of Clark’s fifth British GP victory 

Only Jackie Stewart finished on the same lap as Clark at Spa in ’65 

CLARK STATISTICS 

Clark of the courses 

From Formula 1 to Indycars, via touring cars, Jim Clark scored successes in a 

wide range of machinery. Here, we take a look at some of the most significant 

WORLD 

CHAMPIONSHIP 

GRANDS PRIX 

STARTS 72 

WINS 25 

1962 Belgian GP 

(Lotus 25) 

1962 British GP 

(Lotus 25) 

1962 United States GP 

(Lotus 25) 


(Lotus 25) 

1963 Dutch GP 

(Lotus 25) 

1963 French GP 

(Lotus 25) 


(Lotus 25) 

1963 Italian GP 

(Lotus 25) 


(Lotus 25) 

1963 South African GP 

(Lotus 25) 

1964 Dutch GP 

(Lotus 25) 


(Lotus 25) 


(Lotus 25) 


(Lotus 33) 


(Lotus 33) 

1965 French GP 

(Lotus 25) 


(Lotus 33) 

1965 Dutch GP 

(Lotus 33) 

1965 German GP 

(Lotus 33) 


(Lotus 43) 

1967 Dutch GP 

(Lotus 49) 


(Lotus 49) 


(Lotus 49) 


(Lotus 49) 


(Lotus 49) 

PODIUMS 32 

POLES 33 

FASTEST LAPS 28 

POINTS 274 

CLARK’S RECORD IN THE F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 

1 ST 

3 RD 

6 TH 

9 TH 

12 TH 

15 TH 

8 TH 

7 TH 

2 ND 

1 ST 

7 Wins 

3 RD 

3 Wins 3 Wins 

6 Wins 

1 Win 

4 Wins 

By Kevin Turner 

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 

1 ST 

6 TH 

3 RD 

11 TH 

1 Win 


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LEGENDS 

Jim Clark 

OTHER MAJOR 

SUCCESSES 

INDYCAR WINS 2 

1963 Milwaukee (Lotus 29) 

1965 Indy 500 (Lotus 38) 

TASMAN TITLES 3 

(1965, 1967 and 1968) 

TASMAN WINS 14 

1965 Levin (Lotus 32B) 

1965 Wigram (32B) 

1965 Teretonga (32B) 

1965 Warwick Farm (32B) 

1966 Warwick Farm (39) 

1967 Levin (33) 

1967 Wigram (33) 

1967 Teretonga (33) 

1967 Lakeside (33) 

1967 Sandown Park (33) 

1968 Wigram (49T) 

1968 Surfers Paradise (49T) 

1968 Warwick Farm (49T) 

1968 Sandown Park (49T) 

1964 BRITISH TOURING 

CAR CHAMPION 

BTCC WINS 8 

1963 Brands (Ford Galaxie) 

1964 Oulton 1 (Lotus Cortina) 

1964 Crystal Palace (Cortina) 

1964 Oulton 2 (Cortina) 

1965 Goodwood (Cortina) 

1965 Oulton 2 (Cortina) 

1966 Brands (Cortina) 

1966 Oulton (Cortina) 

1965 British and French 

F2 champion 

1960 Formula Junior 

champion 

LE MANS RECORD 

1 third (1960 – Aston Martin DBR1) 

NASCAR 

Clark made one NASCAR start, 

at Rockingham in 1967. Driving 

a Holman Moody Ford he ran as 

high as 12th before the engine blew 

Clark and Roy Salvadori took ageing Aston to third in 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours 

Leading the V8 tin-tops in Lotus Cortina at Snetterton in 1966 

CLARK STATISTICS 

On way to Milwaukee ’63 win 

First of three Tasman titles came in 1965 


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58 

52 

SENNA OUT IN FRONT 

Tribute to Ayrton Senna is a must-see 

display, from his kart to F1 title winner 

JASON PLATO 

The BTCC star goes on a search for 

his ancestors in a special feature 

62 

60 

SUPERCARS 

What to see at Performance 

Car Show: Powered 

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INDOOR RACING 

All the thrills of the NEC’s Live Action 

65 

F3 JUBILEE 

HSCC celebrates 60 

years of F3 to head 

a busy national cast 



The NEC’s the place 

to be for AUTOSPORT 

International 2012 

AUTOSPORT International has been an early highlight of the motorsport season for many 

years now, and the 22nd edition should be no exception. 

The great Ayrton Senna has made a resurgence in the public eye recently thanks to the 

much-heralded film, and a fine display will be one of the show’s highlights. Six of the 

Brazilian’s key machines, from early kart to grand prix-winning McLarens, will chart 

the triple world champion’s rise to prominence. 

But that’s only the start of the exotica that will be in Birmingham. The F1 Racing grid, led by 

Red Bull’s superb RB7, will celebrate one of the best GP seasons for many years, while rallying 

and Group C greats of the past will add extra dimensions. 

For those who want to get an early taste of racing cars in action after the winter break, there’s 

the Live Action arena. The new-and-spectacular McLaren MP4-12C GT3 machine of United 

Autosports will impress, as will the Formula 2 car driven by the latest McLaren AUTOSPORT 

BRDC Award winner Oliver Rowland. There will also be appearances from Formula Jedi, 

Time Attack, drifting and the short-oval racing scenes. 

Of course, one of the finest elements of any AUTOSPORT International is the Central Stage, on 

which our own Henry Hope-Frost will interview some of the luminaries of the sport. Paul di Resta, 

David Coulthard, Alan Jones, Christian Horner and John Watson are among those representing the 

world of F1, and there’ll be stars from sportscars, touring cars, GTs and karting too. Among them 

will be double BTCC champion Jason Plato, who discovers a lot more about his past in this very issue. 

Underpinning all the higher echelons of the sport, of course, is the grassroots competition of club 

and national racing. They always provide the meat of much of the show and this year a gathering of 

cars and drivers from the history of Formula 3 should provide a highlight. The successful Historic 

Sports Car Club is putting that together, but almost every other race-organising club in the UK 

will be on hand to show off its latest developments and attract more competitors and fans. 

So, here’s our guide, which should help you get the best out of AUTOSPORT International 

2012. We hope you enjoy it. 

Kevin Turner 

Features editor 

50 autosport.com January 12 2012

My picks 

PAUL DI RESTA 

DAVID COULTHARD 

JAKE HUMPHREY 

ALAN JONES 

Forgive my annual pre- 

AUTOSPORT International 

main-stage interview 

marathon reminder: if it moves 

and makes a noise it gets my vote. 

In fact, that pretty much sums up 

my raison d’etre, so chatting to 

ex-Formula 1 world champions, 

Le Mans legends, world rally 

warriors, touring-car doorbangers 

and youngsters ready to impress 

suits me just fine, thanks. 

This year’s four-day, all-day 

extravaganza has a line-up to 

match the best of them, so 

pop along to Hall 20 and enjoy 

hearing from this little lot: 

1970s AND ’80s F1 ACE WATSON 

AUTOSPORT MAIN STAGE 

“ If it moves and makes 

a noise it gets my vote, 

so it suits me just fine” 

Paul di Resta Force India F1 ace 

David Coulthard Ex-F1 racerturned 

BBC F1 pundit 

Alan Jones 1980 world champion 

Christian Horner Red Bull F1 boss 

John Watson 1981 Brit GP winner 

Jake Humphrey BBC F1 frontman 

Ben Edwards New voice of BBC F1 

Pat Symonds Top F1 engineer 

Anthony Davidson Peugeot 

sportscar ace and Sky F1 pundit 

Allan McNish Audi sportscar star 

and two-time Le Mans winner 

Tom Kristensen Eight-time 

Le Mans winner 

Terry Fullerton Karting legend 

and Ayrton Senna’s biggest rival 

Andy Priaulx BMW DTM racer 

Rob Huff Chevrolet World 

Touring Car top-name 

Gary Paffett McLaren F1 tester 

and Mercedes DTM racer 

Jason Plato Most successful 

British Touring Car racer ever 

Gordon Shedden Honda BTCC ace 

Darren Turner Factory Aston 

Martin sportscar driver 

Steve Rider Sky F1 presenter 

I hope you’re looking forward 

to it as much as I am. And who 

knows, you may even find 

yourself winning tickets to the 

British Grand Prix at Silverstone… 

Henry Hope-Frost 

RACER/PUNDIT DAVIDSON 

KART LEGEND FULLERTON 

AUDI LE MANS STAR McNISH 



Who does 

Jason Plato 

think he is? 

We thought it would be fun to find a 

victim to recreate the BBC’s Who Do 

You Think You Are? Step forward 

two-time BTCC champ Jason Plato. 

MARCUS SIMMONS plays genealogist 


John Plato 

Henry Plato 

Henry Plato 

Edna Plato 

Raymond Plato 

Timothy Plato 

Jason Plato 

See Jason Plato on the AUTOSPORT Stage

On a cold December 

afternoon, the man who 

holds the records for race 

wins, pole positions and fastest 

laps in the 54-year history of the 

British Touring Car Championship 

is chasing his ancestors. As Jason 

Plato makes swift-but-sure 

progress around Oxfordshire’s 

rural lanes, he muses: “It’s funny 

– when I go to different parts of the 

country I often try to find a phone 

book to see if there are any Platos.” 

It’s a theme that Jason, 

presenter of Live Action at this 

week’s AUTOSPORT International, 

immediately picked up on when 

we started this project a few 

months earlier. Relaxing in his 

office – the nerve centre for all his 

numerous activities, including his 

Brand Pilot marketing company – 

he’d remarked: “Any time we ever 

meet an unrelated Plato, and it’s 

only happened about three times, 

we’re always intrigued as to 

where the name comes from.” 

As it happens, Jason’s 

grandmother Elsie Plato 

(nee Holmes), who 

worked at Oxford 

University, 

befriended a don 

who tried to 

investigate 

her married 

surname, and 

who concluded that it could have 

been an affectation adopted by 

Italian or French immigrants. 

In the absence of any evidence, 

it’s as good a theory as any… 

Jason was born in Oxford but, 

before he started infant school, 

his father Tim’s motor-trade job 

took the family to Newcastleupon-Tyne. 

After Jason had left 

school, just at the point when 

he was looking to convert a 

promising karting career into 

fledgling steps in car racing, the 

family went south again, this time 

to Suffolk. During his single-seater 

days Jason moved to Northampton, 

where he shared a flat with fellow 

racer Simon Harrison. After this it 

was a few hops – BTCC superstar, 

Driven/Fifth Gear presenter, four 

years living in Monaco, marriage 

to Sophie, the births of two lasses 

(Platelettes?) – to the current Plato 

pad: a magnificent converted barn 

on the outskirts of Oxford, and 

only about three miles from… 

PLATO TRAVELS FULL CIRCLE 

…Abingdon, better known as the 

home town of MG and Radiohead. 

Where, unbeknown to Jason and 

Tim, the Platos lived a harsh 

existence in the 19th and early 

20th centuries, when to survive 

from day to day was as big a battle 

as JP has ever faced on the track. 

JP learns the names of 

100-odd direct ancestors 

“In 1920, Jason’s 

great-grandmother 

Edna Plato married 

a Chinese laundry 

proprietor” 

The key figure in Jason Plato 

being who he is today, the 

person who battled successfully 

to escape adversity in early life, 

is his great-grandmother Edna. 

She was born Edith Plato on 

October 3 1883 in Ock Street, 

Abingdon and died in the summer 

of 1979 – at the age of 95. Jason 

doesn’t remember her, but Tim 

recalls: “She used to frighten me. 

We would all troop in to visit her 

in bed, me and my brother and 

sisters. A lovely old lady, but she 

had this incredibly white skin. Very 

much a matriarch – and I heard 

she was known as a bit of a girl!” 

By the time of the 1911 census, 

Edith had become Edna – namechanging 

to something more 

‘glamorous’ was not uncommon 

at the time – and was working 

as a domestic servant in a 

16-room mansion in nearby Sutton 

Courtenay. Jason is intrigued, 

and we make the short trip to the 

village; the property we believe his 

great-grandmother to have served 

…includes JP’s 

great-great uncle 

in is next door to his 1997-98 

team-mate Alain Menu’s old house! 

In December 1914 Edna, living 

now in Headington on the outskirts 

of Oxford, gave birth to twin boys: 

Raymond (Jason’s grandfather) and 

Ernest. While Ernest died in infancy, 

Raymond became an engineer and 

motorcycle trials rider, married 

Elsie and had a family of four. 

Intriguingly, the birth certificates 

of Ray and his twin list no father, 

meaning the Plato name was 

passed down the maternal line 

for this generation. Bearing in 

mind their birth date of late 1914, 

the illegitimacy could have been 

caused by Jason’s great-grandfather 

being an early casualty of the First 

World War, and family whispers 

do suggest the involvement of 

an Australian soldier. 

Even so, the discovery is a 

revelation to Jason, who had 

assumed the Plato name had 

always passed down the male line 

and, remembering the Australiansoldier 

story, had even borne that in 

mind on trips down under for the 

Bathurst 1000. The news that his 

great-grandmother Edna was born 

a Plato also reinforces his ideal for 

the future. He is a very proud dad 

to his two girls, but he and Sophie 

may not have a third. “Because of 

that, I really want the girls to keep 

the Plato name to give to their 

Abingdon War 

Memorial… 

At Culham Bridge, site 

of a Civil War skirmish 


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PICS: STALEY/LAT, REX FEATURES 


John Darby Margaret Parkhouse 

Edward Darby John Darby 

James Darby 

James Darby 

James Darby 

Abraham Darby 

John Darby 

William 

Darby Burden 

John 

Darby Burden 

Philip Darby 

Jason Plato 

Abraham Darby 

‘Father’ of Industrial 

Revolution 

1678-1717 

Darby family were Quakers. 

Here’s one we prepared earlier! 

Margaret Darby Fred Scott 

Jason, and mum and 

dad, meet the ancestors 

The 1911 census 

provides clues 

Timothy Plato Linda Scott 

Abingdon Cemetery, next to MG Car Club HQ, 

is resting place of Henry Plato (1800-83) 

children when they grow up,” 

he says. “Otherwise there’ll be 

no Plato descendants of mine. 

Now I’ve discovered that already 

happened – through Edna!” 

In 1920 Edna married Chow 

Coon, a Chinese laundry 

proprietor whose business was 

built upon washing the gowns and 

starching the collars of Oxford 

University undergraduates. 

Together Edna and Chow had a 

son – a half-brother to Ray called 

Francis Neville Coon. Chow died in 

1941, but Jason fondly remembers 

his great-uncle Neville, and Tim 

adds: “He had spina bifida but 

looked after my grandmother until 

she died – everyone loved him.” 

The stabilising influence of 

Chow was much-needed for Edna. 

He gave his stepson Ray Plato a 

steady childhood, a platform to 

acquire the skills he would need 

to set his family off on the right 

foot, something Edna had 

certainly not enjoyed… 

A PUNCH-UP IN 1862 

Edna was one of four children born 

to Henry and Emily Plato. Big sister 

Alice was in and out of Abingdon 

Workhouse, while younger brother 

Ernest suffered severe illness from 

birth and died of a seizure in the 

Fairmile Asylum at the age of 13. 

Life was tough for the family long 

before these incidents, perhaps 

explaining some of the scrapes 

they became embroiled in and 

making Edna’s life journey to her 

own family stability so remarkable. 

For instance in 1862, Henry 

(Jason’s 2 x great-grandfather), 

his brother George, and Henry Sr 

(his 3 x great-grandfather) were 

involved in an altercation that 

was reported in the Oxford Journal. 

Time stretches 

back from JP 

‘A fight took place between John 

Leech and George Plato, by Culham 

Bridge,’ reads the write-up, ‘and 

Henry Plato, the father of George, 

had threatened to thrash his own 

boy if he did not give the other a 

good thrashing. Henry Plato the 

younger was charged with aiding 

and abetting, but was dismissed. 

Plato, the father, was ordered to 

pay a fine of 30 shillings or go to 

prison to hard labour for 10 days. 

George Plato was fined sixpence.’ 

Jason and Tim both laugh, before 

concluding: “We bet the missus 

made him do the time instead 

of paying the fine!” 

Edna’s other sibling was her 

youngest brother, Henry George, 

and here is the kindred spirit for 

Jason. Remarkably, he appears 

on the 1911 census with his 

occupation listed as driver (car), 

beating JP by at least 85 years 

as a professional driver, but was 

killed in the Battle of the Somme 

in 1916. Jason reflects: “He was 

probably a chauffeur. Maybe he 

got Edna to help get him the job… 

“Had my mystery greatgrandfather 

been around, the 

name Plato would have stopped, 

because my great-grandmother 

Edna’s brothers and sister all died 

without any surviving children.” 

A visit to the National Archives 

in Kew, in search of the relevant 

war diary for Henry George Plato, 

fails to unearth any specific details 

of Jason’s great-great uncle. We 

know he belonged to the 120th 

Siege Battery of the Royal Garrison 

Artillery and fell on August 7 1916; 

the war diary reports that they 

were at Carnoy. It makes no 

mention of the fatality, but brings 

to life the boisterous spirits of 

the troops as they named their 

trenches Pint Trench, Beer Trench, 

Ale Alley and Lager Lane. As a war 

hero, Henry is commemorated at 

the Thiepval Memorial in France 

and on Abingdon War Memorial. 

Henry George Plato would have 

been proud to know that his big 

sister Edna Plato would become 

a great-grandmother to not one, 


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PICS: STALEY/LAT, LAT ARCHIVE, VISITEDEN.CO.UK 


Raymond Plato 

Timothy 

Plato 

Cynthia Ann 

Plato 

Jan 

O’dor 

Jason Plato Kieth O’dor Jason Plato 

but two Touring Car stars, for 

Jason’s aunt Cynthia Ann Plato 

(Tim’s sister) married Hungarian 

refugee and motorsport engineer 

Jan O’dor. Their son Kieth, Jason’s 

cousin, would drive for Janspeed 

Nissan before his death in a 

crash at Avus in Berlin in 1995. 

KEN DODD… AND THE 

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 

Jason’s mother Linda is the 

daughter of Middlesbrough’s 

Fred and Margaret Scott, who 

moved south to Oxford with 

Fred’s parents, Wilfred and Mabel. 

“Mabel used to ride a motorbike 

and my grandad would be in the 

sidecar,” says Linda. “They were 

pawnbrokers, and they came to 

Oxford so my grandfather could 

become director of Charles 

Geddes antiques.” 

Jason grew up very close to the 

Scotts, and it was Fred who gave 

the future racer the controls of 

a car for the first time, letting 

five-year-old grandson Jason sit on 

his lap to drive up Shotover Hill in 

Oxford en route to Fred’s favourite 

place to enjoy a crafty cigarette! 

“My mum’s maiden name was 

Darby,” continues Linda. “She was 

once a Tiller girl and her sister 

[Isabelle] married Jimmy James.” 

Real name James Casey, Jimmy 

James was a hugely popular 

comedian, a star of stage, screen 

and radio until the 1960s – a man 

famous for playing drunks, even 

though he was teetotal. Their son, 

James Casey Jr, was Linda’s cousin 

and another comic. Casey Jr, who 

died last April, rose to a high 

position in the BBC’s lightentertainment 

department. He 

gave that scourge of mothers-inlaw 

Les Dawson his big break, 

discovered Ken Dodd, Tommy Steel 

and ventriloquist Peter Brough, 

and performed with Roy Castle. 

“The Les Dawson 

connection – he 

could have got me 

on Blankety Blank!” 

Timothy 

Plato 

As a leading scriptwriter, he was 

responsible for the hugely popular 

Clitheroe Kid and early episodes of 

TV/radio show Educating Archie. 

In other words, he was a true 

giant of northern comedy. 

“I’d absolutely love to have 

met him,” enthuses Jason. “I’ve 

been doing telly for 12 years and 

if only I’d known… And the Les 

Dawson connection: it doesn’t 

get any better than Les – if I’d 

been born earlier he could have 

got me on Blankety Blank!” 

Tracing Jason’s Darby ancestors 

further back, by the 1860s we 

found ourselves in Sedgley in the 

West Midlands. We then discover 

that Jason’s 5 x great-grandfather 

is Abraham Darby. Is this the 

Abraham Darby whose ironsmelting 

techniques kick-started 

the Industrial Revolution? No, 

too young, but the famous one 

also hailed from Sedgley. There 

must be a connection… Back 

and back we go until we find 

that Edward Darby, Jason’s 

9 x great-grandfather, was the 

brother of John Darby, whose 

Kieth O’dor: 

Plato’s cousin 

Fred 

Scott 

Linda 

Scott 

son Abraham, born in 

1678, pretty much did 

more to change the 

world we live in than 

anyone else. 

Philip Darby 

Margaret 

Darby 

NAPOLEONIC FLAWS 

Jason’s Scott ancestors spent 

most of the 19th century in the 

picturesque North Pennines town 

of Middleton-in-Teesdale, proper 

Escort Mk1 rally country not far 

from Hamsterley forest. While 

most of the town’s men worked 

as miners for the London Lead 

Company, the Scotts were the 

local blacksmiths. A little further 

back we find John Scott, who 

was born just over the border 

in Alston, Cumberland in 1789 

and got to Middleton via the 

Battle of Waterloo… 

We look up the service record 

of Private John Scott, Jason’s 4 x 

great-grandfather. Over six feet 

tall, he served in the First Life 

Guards regiment under the Earl 

of Harrington. His discharge, 

with good conduct, was due to 

‘repeated ulceration of the inside 

of the knee incurred by riding and 

occasional ophthalmia’. In other 

words, he needed glasses – and 

didn’t need saddle sores. 

Until the 13th century, Alston 

alternated back and forth between 

England and Scotland, so the 

Isabelle 

Darby 

James Casey (centre) with his 

cousin Eli Woods and Roy Castle 

‘Jimmy 

James’ 

James Casey 

Scotts were, in all likelihood, 

Scots. (We can almost hear John 

Cleland laughing at this point.) 

SO WHO IS JASON PLATO? 

We’ve now found 40 different 

surnames of direct ancestors, from 

Alder and Almond to Wilkinson 

and Wilson. Plato is a microscopic 

proportion of his make-up, but 

it’s his identity, hence the keen 

interest in where the name came 

from. We’ve got to John Plato, 

Jason’s 4 x great-grandfather, who 

died in Abingdon in 1825 at the 

age of 70. But no further… yet. 

Little clues keep disappearing into 

clouds of doubt, and there’s a 

connection to Portsmouth. So did 

the Platos really come from Italy 

or France, or is there just a long 

line of rural English strugglers? 

“Looking at your own family 

makes history engaging,” 

concludes Jason. “Just to live 

and breathe on a daily basis 

was so hard for these people. 

“I’d now really love to dig back 

in Sophie’s history so that my girls 

get the full picture of who they 

are, but that will be a bit difficult 

considering her dad is the 

youngest of a family of 14 siblings 

who hail from the Middle-East! 

“On my side, we’ve not found any 

millionaires, but we’ve met some 

interesting characters, and we’ve 

met people who’ve contributed 

to the world we live in, whether 

that be through the Industrial 

Revolution, or whether that be 

through just making us laugh.” 

→ SOON ON HOW WE TRACED PLATO’S ANCESTORS – AND MORE OF THEIR STORIES FROM THE PAST 



Sennasational 

display of the 

legend’s cars 

You’ve seen the documentary 

and our special Ayrton 

Senna edition. Now, at 

AUTOSPORT International this 

weekend, you can get up close to 

the cars, when a special tribute to 

Senna gives fans a rare chance to 

see some of the machinery that he 

raced during his career. 

Set your internal GPS for Hall 

20 and get up close to the DAP/ 

Parilla kart the Brazilian used in 

the 1980 world kart championship, 

and his title-winning Formula 

Ford 2000 from 1982. 

Senna moved into Formula 1 in 

1984 with Toleman. You’ll be able 

to see the TG183B he raced that 

year, as well as the Lotus 99T he 

used to capitalise on a turbo 

problem on Nigel Mansell’s car 

and take an emphatic win at 

McLAREN-FORD MP4/8 

F1 RACING GRID 

The 2011 Formula 1 field is 

probably sick of the sight of the 

Red Bull RB7, but they’ll line up 

alongside it one last time at ASI on 

the F1 Racing Grid, while foottapping 

team boss Christian Horner 

will also be on hand. At the time of 

writing, the line-up was also set to 

include the Force India VJM04 

driven by main-stage guest Paul di 

Resta, the Mercedes MGP W02, and 

cars from Williams, Lotus Renault, 

Virgin Racing (now Marussia) and 

Lotus (now Caterham). The first of 

2012’s cars are only weeks away, so 

take advantage of the chance to see 

their predecessors one last time. 


Monaco in 1987 – the first victory 

for a car with active suspension. 

One of the greatest races of 

Senna’s career was at Donington 

in 1993, when his sublime touch 

in wet conditions helped him to go 

from fifth to first on the opening 

lap. The clip of those first few 

minutes of the race has been 

watched more than a quarter of a 

million times on YouTube, and the 

McLaren MP4/8 that he deployed 

to such incredible effect on that 

afternoon will be on display. 

A Senna display wouldn’t be 

complete without one of the 

cars that took him to the world 

championship, and you’ll be able 

to see the MP4/4 that helped him 

earn his first crown in 1988. 

Make sure you’ve got your 

camera batteries charged… 

McLAREN-HONDA MP4/4 

RED BULL-RENAULT RB7

BRITISH RALLY HEROES 

A 

s usual, rally fans will be 

well catered for at the show, 

with our sister publication 

Motorsport News showcasing a 

collection of British rallying’s 

most important cars. 

Pretty much every legendary 

rally driver from the British Isles 

is represented. Among the 

favourites has to be the Mini that 

Paddy Hopkirk used on the Monte 

Carlo Rally in the 1960s, with an 

ex-Roger Clark Escort following 

quickly behind from the ’70s. 

Moving more up to date, you’ll 

find Malcolm Wilson’s Michelin 

Pilot-liveried Ford Escort 

Cosworth from his British Rally 

Championship-winning season 

in 1994. Staying with Ford, the 

stand is graced by the Focus RS 

WRC in which Colin McRae 

edged out Richard Burns in 

a classic Brit-fight on the 

2001 Cyprus Rally. 

Burnsie’s in there as well, with 

Prodrive supplying an Impreza 

WRC driven by the first and only 

English world champion. For the 

contemporary fans, there’s a 

2012-specification Fiesta RS WRC. 

Away from the Motorsport News 

FORD FOCUS RS WRC 

gathering, the place to be is the 

RS Owners Club stand, which 

houses Stig Blomqvist’s Ford 

RS200, resplendent in the decals 

in which it retired from the final 

ever Group B round of the WRC, 

the 1986 Lombard RAC Rally. 

GROUP C 

Fans of the great Group C era of 

sportscar racing should make a 

beeline for the Ohlins stand, where 

the display will include the Peugeot 

905 that won the Le Mans 24 Hours 

in both 1992 and ’93. Also on show 

will be the Porsche 962, the giant 

of Group C racing in the ’80s. 

PEUGEOT 905 



Don’t miss all 

the live action 

BriSCA STOCK CARS 

The Live Action Arena is 

a popular mainstay of 

AUTOSPORT International, 

giving the public a first chance to 

see, hear and smell cars on track 

– with no threat of the January 

weather intervening. 

Single-seaters, sportscars, 

rallying, short-oval racing 

and even motocross will be 

represented in the hour-long 

shows, which will be extended 

to 90 minutes on Saturday and 

Sunday evenings. Double British 

Touring Car champion Jason Plato 

and TV presenter Louise Goodman 


will talk the 4700-strong crowd 

through the action. 

Anglo-American sportscar team 

United Autosports will show off 

the mega McLaren MP4-12C GT3 

car in the show, and also perform 

pitstops to add an extra bit of 

spice to its demonstration. 

International motorsport 

will be represented again 

when McLaren AUTOSPORT 

BRDC Award winner Oliver 

Rowland takes to the track 

in a 500bhp, Williams F1designed 

Formula 2 car. 

National competition will take 

centre stage when championships 

including cars from Formula Jedi, 

Time Attack and autograss take to 

the arena. Stunt-driving superstar 

Terry Grant will be up to his usual 

tricks as well, while the twowheeled 

action will come courtesy 

of freestyle stunt performers UK 

FMX. There will also be a drifting 

performance, including the Nissan 

Silvia S15 driven by former 

Boyzone singer Shane Lynch. 

The UK’s popular short-oval 

racing scene will put on plenty of 

action with a field of BriSCA F2 

cars, which will reappear to have 

TERRY GRANT IN ACTION 

FORMULA 2 

their own races to form the basis 

of the extended shows at the end 

of Saturday and Sunday. 

PERFORMANCE TIMES 

Thursday January 12 1400 

Friday January 13 1400 

Saturday January 14 

0930, 1100, 1230, 

1400, 1530 

Sunday January 15 

0930, 1100, 1230, 

1400, 1530

PICS: GIBSON, BLOXHAM, GRIFFITHS/LAT 

Put the kart before the course 

The world of karting will be 

well represented at this year’s 

AUTOSPORT International, 

with plenty of on-track action 

complementing the various 

displays that will be on show. 

A regular highlight of the annual 

trip to Birmingham is the Ginetta 

Celebrity Karting Challenge, which 

takes place on Thursday January 

CATERHAM EXPERIENCE 

If you get tired of being on 

your feet while walking 

around Birmingham’s NEC, 

you can always take a seat at 

the Live Action Arena. And if 

you get tired of being on the 

outside looking in, head to the 

Caterham Driving Experience. 

There, you can get a 

passenger ride in a Caterham 

Seven for just £10, where you 

will witness first-hand the 

capabilities of the legendary 

little machines. To add to the 

experience this year, Caterham 

will be offering on-board video 

footage for passengers to 

take away with them. 

12 and is put together by the 

pairing of racing4charity founder 

Bill Williams and former Le Mans 

24 Hours winner David Brabham. 

As always, there will be a 

90-minute endurance race 

featuring teams of six drivers, each 

made up of four ‘celebrities’ and 

two paying members of the public, 

whose money is donated to charity. 

PRO/AM KART LINE-UPS 

KARTS READY FOR OFF… 

This year the causes backed by the 

race are The Royal British Legion, 

Help for Heroes and Combat Stress. 

In relation to that theme, there will 

be an additional 30-minute race 

for wounded military personnel 

in specially-adapted karts. 

Stars on hand to race include 

Brabham, GP2 race winner Sam 

Bird, ex-World Touring Car champ 

IT’S ALL-ACTION IN CELEB KARTING CHALLENGE 

Andy Priaulx, sportscar star Darren 

Turner and GP3 race winner 

Alexander Sims. Expect chaos! 

The more serious side of karting 

is always well covered too, with 

the sport’s top clubs, several 

big teams and suppliers all on 

hand to help newcomers and 

seasoned competitors prepare 

for the 2012 season. 

TRY THIS FOR A TENNER 



NOBLE M600 

McLAREN MP4-12C 

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4 


Marvelling at 

mega metal 

If you’re as serious about driving 

as you are about racing, then 

The Performance Car Show: 

Powered by PistonHeads.com is 

an absolute must. Alongside an 

array of exotic supercar muscle, 

the show will host the launch 

of Noble’s carbon version of its 

flagship M600 and BMW’s diesel 

3 Series Saloon, plus a spectacular 

display of UK engineering and 

ingenuity in the Hand Built British 

Sports Car Pavilion. 

In addition to the Noble M600, 

which boasts a top speed of 

225mph, visitors will be able to 

get up close to McLaren’s MP4-12C, 

the Ferrari 458 Italia and the 

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 – 

and plenty of other exotic models 

– in the Supercar Paddock. Porsche 

Club Great Britain is just one of a 

number of owners’ clubs 

contributing to the exhibition, 

as it brings a range of iconic 

models from past and present. 

Two kit-car launches will cater 

for those with a passion for all 

things mechanical, with R-Tec 

Motorsports unveiling its midengine, 

rear-wheel-drive La Bala, 

and SDR Sportscars pulling the 

covers off the latest model of 

the successful V-Storm. 

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to 

freshen up your road car, car care 

product manufacturer Dodo Juice 

will be on hand with its awardwinning 

products – including the 

popular ‘Home Brew’ wax kits 

– while the Autocar road test 

team will be conducting live Q&A 

sessions at 1200, 1400 and 1600 

on Saturday and Sunday.

COYS AUCTION LINE-UP 

Following record-breaking 

success in 2011, Coys auction 

house returns in 2012 with 

an impressive array of competition 

machinery, including a 1985 Austin 

Metro 6R4 Group B driven in a 

Welsh test by Ayrton Senna. 

Other highlights include the 2001 

Ford Focus WRC that the late, great 

Colin McRae drove in Rally Great 

Britain and Rally New Zealand, 

and took to victory in Argentina. 

From the F1 world the March 

811 used by Derek Daly in the 1981 

Formula 1 world championship will 

AUTOCAR MAGAZINE STAND 

FERRARI 458 ITALIA 

go under the hammer, as will a 

BMW M1 Group 4 Rally Car, veteran 

of several French events in 1984 

and 1985. 

Last year’s Coys auction proved 

a landmark success, grossing over 

£1.4 million in sales. The record 

purchase was an extremely rare 

1968 Bizzarrini 5300GT which 

went to a Spanish bidder for a 

record £242,600. This year’s 

auction will take place on Saturday 

from 1500, although visitors will 

be able to view the lots throughout 

the weekend. 

NISSAN GT-R 

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE 

INDUSTRY SHOW 

Alongside the main 

show, AUTOSPORT 

International also 

plays host to Europe’s 

largest trade-only 

motorsport exhibition, 

dedicated to performance 

engineering and specialist 

motorsport suppliers. 

AUTOSPORT Engineering 

is a two-day exhibition 

(Thursday/Friday in Hall 9) 

and offers an opportunity to 

meet some of the industry’s 

leading buyers, decision 

makers and suppliers. 

Around 200 exhibitors 

will be showcasing their 

expertise – be it cross-over 

technology from other 

industries, new suppliers 

or new expertise and 

techniques – creating 

an array of networking 

opportunities. 

Highlights will include 

displays from leading 

vehicle transmission 

specialist Xtrac, and Alcon 

– a firm that has provided 

brakes and clutches for 

teams competing in F1, 

NASCAR and the WRC for 

over 25 years – and a 

display from this year’s 

crack FIA GT1 Nissan team, 

James Rumsey Motorsport. 

OVAL RACING 

l The Oval Racing section 

of the show covers all 

aspects of autograss, 

rallycross, oval racing, 

drag racing and off-road 

racing. Located in Halls 

9 and 10, it will be open 

on the weekend public 

days of the show (Saturday 

and Sunday) only. 




Celebrating a slice of 

motorsport heritage 

SATO DOMINATED IN DALLARA 

BRABHAM WON IN ’89 

DE FERRAN REYNARD IS ON SHOW 

They say it’s impossible to 

know where you’re going 

unless you appreciate 

where you’ve come from. If that 

philosophy applies to motorsport, 

then there’s no better place to 

find it than the UK’s vibrant 

historic racing scene. 

The Historic Sports Car 

Club is one of AUTOSPORT 

International’s most-loyal 

partners and always puts on a 

fantastic show. Following on from 

wonderful Formula 5000 and 

historic two-litre sportscar 

themed displays of recent times, 

this year it will host a special 

offering to commemorate 

the 60th anniversary of 

Formula 3 racing in Britain. 

From the early 500cc Mk5 

Cooper and Kieft of the 1950s, 

right through to the latest 

Dallara F312 homologated 

for the coming season, this 

display on stand 6700 in Hall 6 

will showcase some of the 

category’s most iconic designs. 

The HSCC has managed to gain 

KIEFT 500CC F3 WILL APPEAR 

loans of 13 different F3 cars, 

including British Racing Drivers’ 

Club president Derek Warwick’s 

1977 Chevron B38, an example 

of the Ralt RT3 that dominated 

the category in the early ’80s, 

IndyCar legend Gil de Ferran’s 

’91 Reynard 913, and the Dallara 

F301 in which Japanese racer 

Takuma Sato dominated the 

2001 British F3 Championship 

with Carlin Motorsport. 

HSCC executive director 

Grahame White has also thumbed 

the pages of his little black book 

to organise a gathering of past 

stars of the category on Friday 

morning. Make your way to the 

WARWICK CHEVRON B38 


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PICS: LAT 


HSCC stand for 1130 to see 

mid-1970s Formula 5000 ace 

Ian Ashley, 1981 British F3 

champion Jonathan Palmer and 

’89 title winner David Brabham 

(among others) reminiscing 

about the glory days. 

The rich diversity of national 

motorsport underpins the more 

glamorous and professional tiers 

of the sport, and so it is at ASI, 

as some of the UK’s best-loved 

racing clubs come out in force 

to launch their new seasons. 

Organisations such as the 

British Racing and Sports Car 

Club, British Automobile Racing 

Club and the 750 Motor Club 

will all be on hand to advise 

showgoers what they can expect 

to see at circuits up and down 

the UK in 2012. 

Meanwhile, our governing body 

the Motor Sports Association 

will showcase thousands of other 

grassroots racing organisations 

through its Go Motorsport 

initiative, which will be on display 

in Hall 7, stand 7450, and 

celebrated club-racing 

manufacturer Caterham 

is planning to launch its 

own brand-new grass-roots 

initiative during the show. 

Club motorsport is a great place 

for engineering students to get 

their hands dirty and learn their 

craft before setting sights on 

more glamorous things. Glyndwr 

University students will put their 

skills into practice by race 

preparing a Golf Mk2 GTI during 

the show, in partnership with 

racing-component manufacturer 

Polybush. They will aim to fit a 

collection of race parts to a 

standard Golf in four days, in 

order to have the car ready to 

race in this year’s Production 

Golf GTI series. 

Speaking of club tin-tops, 

French motor-lubricants company 

Motul always has a strong 

presence at the show, and this 

year will show off a 20-year-old 

Nissan Skyline R32 GTR that will 

compete in the 2012 Classic 

Thunder championship. 

As ever, there will be various 

other manufacturers and 

suppliers on display at ASI, 

showcasing the latest cars and 

products they hope will take 

the motorsport scene by storm 

in 2012. So whether you’re a 

newcomer looking to get involved 

in motorsport for the first time, 

or a hardened veteran searching 

for the latest trick to make your 

racing car go faster, the National 

Motorsport section of ASI should 

be the place for you this weekend. 

BRITCAR IS ASI REGULAR 

BRSCC WILL BE ON HAND AT ASI 

ALL TASTES CATERED FOR 

CATERHAM RETURNS 

BARC IS ALWAYS WELL REPRESENTED 



Plot a path around 

the exhibitionists 

It can be a bit bewildering trying to make your way around the 

labyrinthine NEC, so take a look at our map to guide yourself to 

some of the headline attractions of AUTOSPORT International 

LIVE ACTION ARENA 


HALL 5 

AUTOSPORT ENGINEERING 

HALL 9 

HALL 4 

MN RALLY HEROES STAND 

(THURS/FRI ONLY) 

F1 RACING GRID AND STAGE 

HALL 8

PICS; GIBSON, BLOXHAM/LAT, LAT ARCHIVE 

AYRTON SENNA DISPLAY 

AUTOSPORT MAIN STAGE 

HALL 7 

ROUTE FINDER 

BY CAR 

The NEC is easily accessible 

from junctions 6 and 7 of 

the M42, which connects to 

the M6, M40 and M5. The 

A45 also passes the NEC. 

Alternatively, you can type 

B40 1NT into your sat nav. 

BY TRAIN 

The NEC is a few minutes’ walk 

from Birmingham International 

Station. Connections from 

Birmingham New Street run 

regularly and take 10 minutes. 

New Street has excellent links 

to all major UK cities. 

HALL 6 

HALL 20 

SHOW INFORMATION 

The Magazine Shop stand will be selling 

AUTOSPORT, F1 Racing, Motorsport News and 

Autocar, and offer discounted subscription 

rates including a choice of gifts – such as the 

Senna DVD and Autoglym car cleaning kit. 

BY PLANE 

The NEC is a few minutes’ drive 

from Birmingham International 

Airport. The easiest way to reach 

the venue is by the Rail Air Link, 

a free shuttle service running 

every two minutes between 

0515 and 0200. For scheduling 

call 08445 766000 or log on 

to www.bhx.co.uk. 

BY COACH 

National Express runs 

regular services to the 

NEC. For information, call 

08705 808080 or log on to 

www.nationalexpress.com. 

OPENING TIMES 

9am to 6pm each day (January 12-13 are Trade Days only) 

TICKET PRICES (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY) 

Ticket type Advanced price Door price 

Adult £30 £32 

Child (5-15) £19.50 £21.50 

Paddock Pass £37 £39 

Child Paddock Pass (5-15) £26.50 £28.50 

VIP Club £100 £100 

All tickets include a free seat in the Live Action Arena and free entry into 

The Performance Car Show. Children under five get free access to the show. 

TO BOOK TICKETS CALL 0844 581 1420 

OR VISIT AUTOSPORTINTERNATIONAL.COM 

M6 

B4114 

A45 

M6 

B4438 

A452 

Birmingham International 

Airport 

B4438 

B4438 

HALL 19 

M42 

A446 

M42 

M6 

NEC BIRMINGHAM 

A452 

Birmingham International Rail Station 

M42 

THE PERFORMANCE CAR SHOW 

B4102 

A45 

A452 

M6 


Scott Malvern 

 

 

26 Wins from 33 Races 

Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Champion 

Winner of all 4Formula Ford Euro Cup Series Events 

BRSCC Formula Ford Festival Winner 

BRDC Henry Surtees Award Winner 

McLaren AUTOPSPORT BRDC Award Finalist 2010 &2011 

Seeking Support &Opportunities for the 2012 Season 

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EXHIBITOR NAME STAND HALL 

3M United Kingdom 2400 20 

600 Racing 7440 7 

750 Motor Club Limited 7430 7 

A.R.C. Clothing 6610 6 

Active Simulators 4010 4 

Advanced Wear and Safety (1996) Ltd 

6120 6 

AET Motorsport 8450 8 

Aford Awards Ltd 6131 6 

AH Video Concept 6950 6 

Aireshelta 6721 6 

Alutight 6920 6 

Anglo American Oil Company Ltd 6565 6 

AP Racing 7500 7 

Association des Enterprises Pole de la 

Performance de Nevers Magny-Cours 6500 6 

ATS Motorsport 6755 6 

Aurora Bearing Company 8330 8 

Australian Clutch Services 8205 8 

Auto Concepts (Aust) Pty Ltd 6550 6 

Autoglym 6520 6 

AUTOSPORT International Show Research 

9050 Linkway 

Autotel Race Radio 7325 7 

Avitas Motorsport 7120 7 

Bailey Morris Ltd 8216 8 

Baines Engineering 8730 8 

BARC 7250 7 

Barkers Marquees 7755 7 

Base Performance Simulators 6476 6 

BB Engineering Services 6835 6 

BHP UK Limited 8246 8 

Birchills Automotive 6620 6 

BMW GB Ltd 2520 20 

BR Racing 7216 7 

Braid Wheels 6660 6 

Brembo SpA 8520 8 

Bremsen Technik UK Ltd 8245 8 

Brian James Trailers 7410 7 

Britcar 2700 20 

British Motorsport Marshals Club 7020 7 

British Radio Car Association 7246 7 

British Superkart Association 6200 6 

Brookland Speed International 6050 6 

Brookland Speed International 6445 6 

Brooklands College 7105 7 

BRSCC 7050 7 

Brunel University 7210 7 

Burning2Learn 7012 7 

Burton Power 8440 8 

BWRDC 8154 8 

Caracalla – Bath 6842 6 

Castle Combe Racing Club Ltd 7240 7 

Caterham Cars Ltd 2641 20 

Chaters Booksellers 2920 20 

Chevron Racing Cars 2850 20 

Civic Racing Cup 7130 7 

CJ Autos 6830 6 

Classic Sports Car Club 7330 7 

Classic Team Lotus 6730 6 

Club 100 Racing Ltd 4 

CNC Heads 8340 8 

Cobra Seats 6645 6 

Colway Tyres 8711 8 

Commercial Express 7405 7 

Corbeau Seats Ltd 6464 6 

Corby Motorsport 7740 7 

Core Motorsport 7750 7 

Courtenay Sport Racing 7540 7 

Coys 2270 20 

Coys 2280 20 

Craybell Ltd 6810 6 

Croydon Race & Rally 7752 7 

Cruden BV 6670 6 

CSMA 6430 6 

David Bailey Developments Ltd 6907 6 

A-Z of exhibitors 

Delphi Automotive 8705 8 

Demon Tweeks 6540 6 

DEN Motorsport 6850 6 

Dimsport – Dimensione Sport srl 8550 8 

Drayson Racing Technologies 6240 6 

Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes 8405 8 

Duke 6456 6 

Dynapak 6251 6 

EBC Brakes 8240 8 

EJM Preparation 7026 7 

EJM Preparation 7340 7 

Elite Racing Transmissions 8615 8 

E-Lites Electronic Cigarettes 2880 20 

enclosed-trailers.co.uk 6450 6 

Exact Engineering (Hose & Fittings) Co Ltd 

8700 8 

F1 Model Helmets 6895 6 

Fast Films 6515 6 

Ferret Fotographics 6826 6 

Fire Extinguisher Valve Company Ltd 7215 7 

Flameproof Technics Ltd 2664 20 

FlatOutArt.com 6822 6 

Forge Motorsport 8210 8 

Forge Motorsport 8230 8 

Formula Kart Stars 6000 6 

FreeM 6132 6 

Fuchs Lubricants (UK) PLC 6865 6 

Galuppo Racewear 6954 6 

Garage Tek 2945 20 

Gaz Shocks Ltd 7665 7 

GB Motorsports Ltd 2870 20 

Ginetta 2450 20 

Glyndwr University 7100 7 

Go Motorsport 7450 7 

Grand Prix Racewear 6220 6 

Grandstand Merchandise 2772 20 

Grandstand Motorsports Holidays 6932 6 

Greenpower 9070 Linkway 

Greycar 6821 6 

Group C Racing/GTP Racing Ltd 6705 6 

GRP4 Fabrications 7530 7 

Grumpy Grip 6202 6 

Hafixs 7562 7 

Hamilton Classic 6606 6 

Haymarket Research 6102 6 

Hedtec 6615 6 

HEL Performance 6510 6 

Hickleys Limited 8455 8 

Hill Rally & Marches 4x4 7150 7 

HiSpec Motorsport 8600 8 

Historic & Classic Kart Club for Great Britain 

6101 6 

Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) 6700 6 

Historica Ltd 6824 6 

Hofmann Megaplan 8344 8 

Hortons Books 2940 20 

Image Wheels International Ltd 6600 6 

Industrias Lahoz 2004 SL 7200 7 

In-Excess UK Ltd/RC Distribution 7640 7 

Instant Awnings 7510 7 

Intercomp 8300 8 

International Dongchuan Debris Off-Road & Perfect 

(Beijing) Culture Spreading Co Ltd 8247 8 

iracing.com 7245 7 

jjcraceandrally.com 7342 7 

John Monkman 6909 6 

JR Motorsports Limited 2200 20 

K&N Filters 6870 6 

Karcher 6555 6 

Karting Pavilion 6210 6 

Kent Performance Cams Ltd 8400 8 

Knight Motorsport – WS2 Coatings 7029 7 

Koni Suspension 7650 7 

KW Automotive UK Ltd 2750 20 

L’Anneau Du Rhin 6455 6 

LAT Photographic 6814 6 

Light Commercials Motorsport Models 

6956 6 

Lohen Limited 7140 7 

Lotus Cars Ltd 2500 20 

Lotus on Track Racing Drivers Club 6570 6 

LP Tent 6100 6 

Lucas Oil Products (UK) Ltd 6505 6 

Mac Tools 2860 20 

Magic of Motoring 6845 6 

Manchester Metropolitan University 7010 7 

Maxxis Tyres 2250 20 

McGard Deutschland GmbH 8640 8 

McGill Motorsports 7228 7 

MCR Race Cars Limited 7445 7 

MCR Race Cars Limited 6405 6 

Mechanix Wear 6255 6 

Mercedes-AMG GmbH 2765 20 

Millers Oils 8650 8 

Milltek Sport Ltd 8555 8 

Miracle Shammy 6938 6 

MIS 2405 20 

Mode Racewear 8320 8 

Motor Sports Association 2840 20 

MotorSport 6922 6 

Motorsport News: British Rally Heroes 

8435 8 

Motorsport Safety Fund 7232 7 

MotorSport Vision 2720 20 

MotorsTV UK – High Speed Television 

6765 6 

Motul 7610 7 

Mountune Racing 8540 8 

MP Motorsport 6934 6 

Muc Off 6253 6 

NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd 2650 20 

Nicky Grist Motorsports 6470 6 

Nimbus Motorsport 8250 8 

Ningbo Eascene Int’l Trade Co Ltd 7712 7 

Nitron Racing Systems Ltd 7525 7 

Ohlins Racing AB 7600 7 

Owen Developments (UK) Ltd 7630 7 

Oxford & Cherwell Valley College 7115 7 

Oxford Brookes University 8150 8 

Oxford Products 7560 7 

Paddock Solutions 7222 7 

Partsworld Performance 7620 7 

Peltor AB 2400A 20 

Pencil Gallery 6820 6 

Peter Lloyd Rallying 6406 6 

Piers Dowell 6900 6 

Piper Cams 8605 8 

Pipercross 6760 6 

Pirelli Tyres Ltd 6260 6 

Pitbitz 7710 7 

Plays Kool Motorsport 7027 7 

Porsche Cars GB Ltd 2540 20 

Powerboat P1 Management Ltd 6245 6 

Powerflex 7545 7 

Powervamp Ltd 7741 7 

Practical Performance Car 6750 6 

Praga Racing Holding 6150 6 

Premier Power & Race Performance 

8220 8 

PRG Trailers Ltd 7570 7 

Pro-Bolt Ltd 8305 8 

Quaife Engineering 8500 8 

Quantum Tuning 7520 7 

Race Tech 8618 8 

Race Technology 7315 7 

Race to the Finish 2910 20 

Race-Keeper 8708 8 

Racelogic Ltd 7535 7 

Raceshirt 6856 6 

Raceworld 6951 6 

Radical 2620 20 

Radtec Racing Radiators Ltd 7550 7 

Rally Design 8345 8 

Randstad Ltd 8202 8 

Rapid Racking 2665 20 

Reverie Ltd 8610 8 

Revolution Wheels International Ltd 6466 6 

Richbrook International 6772 6 

Rip Raw 2916 20 

Robert Bosch Ltd 7300 7 

Rustbuster 6926 6 

Ryan Motorsport Insurance 6770 6 

RZR Racing 7230 7 

Sadev 8620 8 

Saenz Transmission Europe 6805 6 

Saker Sports Cars 6400 6 

Samco Sport 7552 7 

SBD Motorsport 8315 8 

Scorpion Exhausts Ltd 6650 6 

Select Motor Racing 6959 6 

Selkin 6928 6 

Showtrax 6460 6 

Silverstone Autosport 2402 20 

Silverstone Classic and Classic & Sports Car 

6720 6 

Simply the Ticket 6855 6 

Sparco SpA 2550 20 

Sparco UK 6435 6 

Spax 6630 6 

SpeedKing.cc 6905 6 

Spencer Elton 6816 6 

Staffordshire University 8050 8 

Stingray RV Rentals 2780 20 

Stingray RV Rentals 8000 8 

Subaru 2460 20 

Suixtil 6800 6 

Super B 8745 8 

Super One Karting Championship 6410 6 

SuperPro Europe Ltd 8325 8 

SuperPro Europe Ltd 7132 7 

System Store Solutions 8740 7 

TAG Heuer Professional Timing 6250 6 

Team Dynamics 2640 20 

Team FJ – Racecar Euro Series 2760 20 

Tecalemit Garage Equipment Co Ltd 8200 8 

The AUTOSPORT Stage 2220 20 

The College of West Anglia 7022 7 

The F1 Racing Grid 6020 6 

The F1 Shop Ltd – Meadowhall 2900 20 

TheSimulator.co.uk & The Raceroom Bedford Ltd 

7714 7 

Thorney Motorsport 7040 7 

Tillett Racing Seats 7320 7 

Time Attack Series 7030 7 

Track Driver Magazine 6860 6 

Travel Destinations 6640 6 

Triple X Trading Ltd 8746 8 

University of Central Lancashire 7110 7 

University of Hertfordshire 7205 7 

V2 Helmets Ltd 6475 6 

Viper Performance 8310 8 

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2672 20 

Vortex Performance Exhausts 7400 7 

WD-40 2671 20 

WDE Motorsport 7310 7 

Wesbroom Engineering Limited 6133 6 

Westfield Sportscars Ltd 6575 6 

Whizzstitch Embroidery 6616 6 

Wiltshire College 7013 7 

Woodford Trailers 2770 20 

Wrights Auto Supplies 6812 6 

www.themagazineshop.com 2655 20 

XYZ Racing 8709 8 

Yokohama HPT Ltd 2740 20 

PistonHeads Performance Car Show 

exhibitors 

1st Tickets 19612 19 

360 Racing 19710 19 

Active Simulators 19070 19 

Adamesh Limited 19511 19 

Adrian Flux Insurance 19706 19 

ALIVE 19611 19 


ADaimler Brand 

The new B-Class. 

Looks smart. Is. 

Never before has anew Mercedes arrived with somany intelligent features and 

developments. Like Collision Prevention Assist, aradar-based system that helps the 

driver avoid acollision withthe vehicle ahead. Or thesleek contoursthat makethis the 

mostaerodynamic car in its class. Lookscan sometimes be deceiving. Herethey’re not. 

Discover more atnewbclass.co.uk 

Official government fuel consumption figures in MPG (Litres per 100 km) for the new B-Class Range: Urban 34.0 (8.3)–52.3 (5.4), Extra 

Urban 56.5 (5.0)–74.3 (3.8), Combined 45.6 (6.2)–64.2 (4.4). CO2Emissions: 145–115 g/km. Model featured is aMercedes-Benz B180CDI Sport at£25,775.00 

on-the-road including optional panoramic sliding roof at £1,195.00, Active Park Assist at £705.00 and metallic paint at £515.00 (price includes VAT, delivery, 12 months Road Fund Licence, number plates, new vehicle 

registration feeand fuel).Prices correct at time of going to print.


Ariel Motor Company Ltd 19370 19 

Auto Adrenalin UK 19780 19 

Auto Finesse 19672 19 

Autocar 19110 19 

Automotive Images 19634 19 

BDC Events Ltd 19180 19 

BEN 19333 19 

BMW Car Club 19770 19 

Cannonball 2000 19670 19 

CARBAND LIMITED 19231 19 

Cobra Exhausts UK 19613 19 

Complete Kit Car Magazine 19660C 19 

Dazs Model Cars 19031 19 

DF Automotive GmbH & Co KG 19151 19 

DF Automotive GmbH & Co KG 19153 19 

Disc Brakes Australia 19992 19 

Dodo Juice Car Care 19001 19 

Dreams In Reality 19633 19 

Electronics Worldwide 19332 19 

Ford RS Owners Club 19750 19 

GKD Sports Cars 19660H 19 

GMR Design UK Ltd 19316 19 

Great British Sports Cars 19350 19 

Hawk Cars 19660D 19 

Haymarket Research 19635 19 

Hearing Protection – Eryri 19060 19 

I Say Ding Dong Ltd 19656 19 

Inovit International Ltd 19020 19 

Interiors Seating 19658 19 

Javelin Track Days 19500 19 

JBA Motors 19582F 19 

KRF UK Ltd 19132 19 

M.K. Sportscar 19660A 19 

M.K. Sportscar 19660B 19 

Mitsubishi Lancer Register 19720 19 

Monster Energy 19170 19 

Nene Overland 19355 19 

Noble Automotive Ltd 19659 19 

Noble Owners Club 19740 19 

Performance Direct 19535 19 

Performance French Car Magazine 19630 19 

Pistonheads.com 19810 19 

Poorboy’s World UK 19130 19 

Popbangcolour 19570 19 

Porsche Club Great Britain 19380 19 

Prindiville Prestige 19352 19 

PS Presents UG 19111 19 

Rage Motorsport Ltd 19051 19 

Raw Striker Ltd 19660I 19 

Reflections on Canvas 19657 19 

RetroArtz 19006 19 

Revere London 19675 19 

Rico Rally 19610 19 

Road Runner Racing Ltd 19582A 19 

Road Track Race Ltd 19030 19 

R-Tec Motorsports Ltd 19660G 19 

SDR Sportscars Ltd 19582C 19 

Shark Performance 19530 19 

Sixonetwo Limited 19510 19 

Smartwax 19615 19 

Specialised Car Covers 19650 19 

Specialist Paints 19609 19 

Speed Jewellery 19000 19 

Steinbauer Tuning Technologies GmbH 

19550 19 

Strongman Tools 19230 19 

Supercar Paddock 19632 19 

The Racing Bug 19730 19 

Tockwith Motorsport 19133 19 

Toniq Sportscars 19330 19 

Tools For The Trade 19131 19 

Top Gear Ltd 19312 19 

TTS Performance Parts Ltd 19004 19 

TVR Car Club Ltd 19760 19 

Twisted Limited 19050 19 

Ultimate Finish International 19152 19 

V1 Championship 19515 19 

Wagner Tuning 19062 19 

A-Z of exhibitors 

AUTOSPORT Engineering exhibitors – 

trade days only 

AC Tech GmbH E729 9 

Advanced Fuel Systems E773 9 

AEL Powertrain Solutions E967 9 

Aerocatch E669 9 

Aerocom Metals Limited E871 9 

Aeromotive Inc E854 9 

Aerospace Metal Composites E754 9 

Albins Gear E238 9 

Alcon Specialist Brakes & Clutches E956 9 

Allegheny Technologies E549 9 

AM Group Redback E835 9 

Anochrome Technologies Ltd E955 9 

ARP Automotive Racing Products E746 9 

Arrow Precision E741 9 

ASNU UK Ltd E1063 9 

AST suspension/MOTON suspension E926 9 

AT Power E533 9 

Atec Autotechnic Limited E954 9 

ATL Racing Fuel Cells E253 9 

Aubert & Duval E330 9 

Autosport Bearings and Components E526 9 

Aviaid Drysump Oil Systems E259 9 

AVL Schrick GmbH E241 9 

Avo UK E319 9 

BBS Motorsport & Engineering GmbH E1146 9 

bf1systems E353 9 

BMS Engineering E468 9 

Braille Battery UK E139 9 

Brown & Geeson Limited E153 9 

Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Ltd E320 9 

Bruderer Ltd E1123 9 

Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground E432 9 

BTB Exhausts Ltd E1049 9 

Butser Rubber Ltd E658 9 

Capit Performance E457 9 

capricorn Automotive GmbH E538 9 

Cartek E728 9 

Central Scanning E1120 9 

CES Europe Limited E853 9 

CIMA SpA E326 9 

CL Brakes E329 9 

Clarendon Engineering E656 9 

Coil Springs (1989) Ltd E654 9 

Craftsman Tools Ltd E1005 9 

D.A.T.A.S. E426 9 

Dart Machinery E852 9 

Datron Technology Ltd E953 9 

DC Electronics – Motorsport Specialist Ltd 

E252 9 

Deutsch UK E427 9 

Development Engineering & Enterprise Ltd 

E972 9 

DMS Technologies Varley Red Top E160 9 

Docking Advanced Cooling Systems E739A 9 

Drakos Engineering E627 9 

DTA Race Electronics E462 9 

Dynocom Europe Ltd E933 9 

Dynojet UK E1143 9 

Earls Performance Products Ltd E739B 9 

Eibach UK E521 9 

Electrox Laser Marking E1142 9 

EOS Electro Optical Systems Limited E1039 9 

Estas Performance E235 9 

ETS Racing Fuels E255 9 

Eurolec E1048 9 

Faro E1027 9 

Ferodo Racing & Circuit Supplies E1159 9 

Ferrea Racing Components E646 9 

Folkard Gears E557 9 

G&S Valves Ltd E653 9 

Geartronics Ltd E455 9 

GEMS Performance Electronics E333 9 

Gibbs Gears Precision Engineers Ltd E328 9 

Gill Sensors Ltd E928 9 

Goodridge (UK) Ltd E541 9 

Gosnays Engineering Company E828 9 

Graham Goode Racing E765 9 

Gripper Differentials Ltd E949 9 

GTMA E1115 9 

Haas Automation E921 9 

Hartridge Ltd E1158 9 

HB Bearings E948 9 

Helix Autosport Ltd E1053 9 

Holinger E946 9 

Hurco Europe Ltd E1026 9 

Induction Technology Group Ltd E641 9 

Isoclima E829 9 

Jacquemin Tuning E458 9 

Jenvey Dynamics Ltd E672 9 

JLS Motorsport E430 9 

JR Motorsports Limited E456 9 

KA Sensors Ltd E663 9 

Kulite Sensors Ltd E435 9 

Langstone Engineering Ltd E546 9 

Laser Lines Ltd E449 9 

Lee Spring Limited E638 9 

Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems Ltd E256 9 

Link Electro Systems Ltd E665 9 

Lista (UK) Ltd E963 9 

Maha UK Ltd E943 9 

Metalweb E348 9 

Metrology Direct E1122 9 

Miba Coating Group Teer Coatings Ltd E1021 9 

MidWest Control Products UK E1043 9 

Mills Forgings Ltd E128 9 

Mini Gears – Components Worldwide E227 9 

Motec Europe Ltd E246 9 

Motorsport-Guide E671 9 

Nasmyth Group E357 9 

Newby Rapidcast E1000 9 

Newman Cams E932 9 

Nikken Kosakusho Europe Ltd E1023 9 

Obp Motorsport E257 9 

Odlings M.C.R. Ltd E626 9 

Ole Buhl Racing E469 9 

OPEN MIIND E1140 9 

Optimum G E1054 9 

Osborn E158 9 

Pankl Northbridge E738 9 

Penny & Giles E747 9 

Performance Engine Components E123 9 

Performance Friction UK E839 9 

Performance Racing Industry E652 9 

Phoenix Dynamics E1071 9 

Pistal Racing E735 9 

PMI Europe E659 9 

Polgain Ltd E428 9 

Precision Point Ltd E360 9 

Precision Technologies International (P.T.I.) 

E334 9 

Premier Fuel Systems Ltd E1072 9 

Prestolite Performance E564 9 

Production Engineering Solutions E1002 9 

ProShift Technologies Limited E131 9 

Quaife Engineering E133 9 

Quentor Cases E1153 9 

R&D Motorsport Ltd E1065 9 

Race Engine Technology E539 9 

Race Tech E130 9 

Racecar Engineering E120 9 

Raceparts UK Ltd E363 9 

RCS Ringspann E447 9 

REM Surface Engineering E1028 9 

Renishaw E1035 9 

Revotec E464 9 

Ricardo E347 9 

Rodmatic Limited of Reading E929 9 

Roemheld UK Ltd E1125 9 

Rolled Alloys E431 9 

Safety Devices International Ltd E154 9 

SAS Engineering Ltd E1047 9 

Schroth Racing E465 9 

SFS Performance E459 9 

Sil-Mid Limited E530 9 

Sitech Racing E354 9 

Smiths High Performance E759 9 

Souriau UK Ltd E764 9 

SPA Design E231 9 

SPAL Automotive UK Ltd E732 9 

Specialist Components E532 9 

Specialty Fasteners & Components Ltd E768 9 

St Cross Electronics E726 9 

Stand 21 UK E662 9 

Supertech E733 9 

Suplex UK Ltd E935 9 

Tarox E1046 9 

Think Automotive Ltd E247 9 

Thyssenkrupp Bilstein Tuning GmbH E720 9 

Tilton E535 9 

Titan Motorsport & Automotive Engineering 

E463 9 

Titan Motorsports E338 9 

Titanium Engineers E228 9 

Total Seal Piston Rings E848 9 

TPS Weld Tech Ltd E527 9 

Tran-X E453 9 

Trident Racing Supplies Ltd E734 9 

TRS Motorsport E559 9 

TSR Performance E757 9 

TTI Group Ltd E332 9 

TTV Racing Components E862 9 

VAC Motorsports E939 9 

Vapormatt E321 9 

Variohm Eurosensor Ltd E1056 9 

Variohm Eurosensor Ltd E959 9 

Vibra-Technics Automotive Ltd E1059 9 

Vi-PEC E667 9 

Viraver Technology SRL E356 9 

Virtual Human Resources Ltd E327 9 

VP Racing Fuels Inc E553 9 

Walkers – Teknofibra – Tecno2 E554 9 

Wallwork Heat Treatment Ltd E649 9 

Wavetrac Differentials E971 9 

WDS Component Parts Ltd E941 9 

Wellman Products Group E358 9 

Westwood Cylinder Liners E727 9 

Willans E471 9 

WOSP E849 9 

Xceldyne – PSI E127 9 

Xtrac Ltd E141 9 

XYZ Machine Tools E1129 9 

Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd E1139 9 

Young Calibration Ltd E635 9 

Zircotec E753 9 

Oval Racing & Extreme Motorsport 

– weekend only in Halls 9 & 10 

BPG Motorsport 10170 10 

BriSCA F2 10266 10 

British Autograss Series 10164 10 

Clubmans Rallycross Championship 10480 10 

DG Intosport 10250 10 

HCD 10253 10 

JM Toys Ltd 10430 10 

Lille Racewear 10260 10 

Martin Hunt Videos 10446 10 

McGill Motorsports 10115 10 

Motorsport Trailers 9390 9W 

National Autograss Sports Association 

10180 10 

Race Car Direct 10010 10 

Racequip 10518 10 

Randall Motorsport 10410 10 

Redline Racing Developments 10210 10 

road2racemodels 10040 10 

S&D Leisure Simulation Ltd 9140 9W 

Santa Pod Raceway 9370 9W 

Spedeworth Motorsports 10460 10 

The Dodgem Company 9630 9W 

Vision Plus 10174 10 


WRC 

Preview 

2012 


Loeb: I’ll fight for 

title number nine 

Sebastien Loeb made it through a tumultuous 2011 WRC season with 

an eighth title. Now he’s ready to try for a ninth, says DAVID EVANS 

Groundhog day. The same 

phone call around the 

same time on very much 

the same subject for the 

eighth consecutive year. 

Except this year was different. 

Sebastien Loeb was different. Sure, 

he’s always relaxed – the first time 

I made this call, in 2005, he was so 

relaxed he put me on speakerphone 

and started doing handstands. This 

time around, as far as I know, there 

were no handstands. 

Loeb is reunited 

with Yves Matton 

And no fluff. 

Talking to the world’s most 

successful rally driver is not a difficult 

job, he’s a disarmingly decent bloke. 

But, on occasion, he’ll bat off a 

question with a quick answer. 

Not this time. 

The obvious place to start is his 

motivation. With, brace yourself… 

67 rally wins, eight titles, 103 podiums, 

808 stage wins and 1281 points scored 

in a professional career spanning 137 

starts, where does he find inspiration 

for another season on the stages? 

“I like to drive,” he says. In previous 

years, he has talked of his motivation 

always being the same. Just as strong 

as it ever was. Psychologists might 

say this was born of the insecurity of 

fearing that somebody was going to 

topple him. Maybe it was. 

If it was, that fear has gone now. 

“My motivation has changed. It’s not 

the same as it was in 2003, when I was 

fighting for the first title. How can it 

be? The pressure was different in those 

days. Then, and even, five or six years 

ago I was still trying to prove that I 

was able to do something. Now, I have 

nothing to prove. I just don’t want to 

be beaten by anybody. The motivation 

is that I like what I do. But, I only 

enjoy it when I am in the fight.” 

Didn’t enjoy it much last year, 

though did he? 

There were fears that last year 

changed Loeb more than any other. For 

season after season, the 37-year-old 

enjoyed an entirely compliant teammate 

in Dani Sordo, the line-toeing 

Spaniard who became Versailles’s 

perennial whipping boy. Then, along 

came Sebastien Ogier. Ogier was Loeb’s 

polar opposite: confident to the point 

of arrogance, impatient, impudent and 

almost disrespectful of the records 

that surrounded him along Citroen’s 

corridors of power.

PICS: MCKLEIN.DE, EDUARDO OLIVA 

Loeb took his second 

Finland win in 2011 

Some reckon Loeb 

could win it like this 

It wasn’t long before civil war broke 

out within the team and it wasn’t 

much longer before Ogier’s exit was 

planned. Outwardly, there was a feeling 

that Loeb might have stamped his feet 

and, understandably, finally demanded 

the respect he commanded anyway. 

For a while, Loeb’s trademark 

nonchalance appeared to have deserted 

him and, for a while, he actually looked 

like the baddie. 

Twelve months ago, Loeb faced a 

team-mate he didn’t really want or 

like in a squad governed by Olivier 

Quesnel, a man with whom he never 

found the same bond as the previous 

team principal, Guy Frequelin – whom 

he describes as a spiritual father. 

And now, he has good friend Mikko 

Hirvonen sitting in Citroen #2 and 

Yves Matton, Freq’s general in the good 

old days, steering the ship. For a man 

never really seen as a political animal, 

Loeb appears to have played the game 

exceptionally well. 

And he has. But, and here’s the rub, 

he was forced to. 

Loeb’s actions weren’t born out of 

petulance, more of a frustration at the 

unfairness of a situation. Ogier was 

beating him, but only when the dice 

was loaded in his favour. Added to 

that, Loeb couldn’t bear the way the 

situation was undoing all the good 

work he and Frequelin had done 

in the early days. 

“The motivation is that 

I like what I do, but I only 

enjoy it when I am in the 

middle of a fight” 

All of this becomes clear when the 

conversation moves, inevitably, to last 

season. Loeb bristles at the subject 

change, but deals with it professionally, 

while making it clear this is the last 

time he’s going to talk about it. 

“We had team orders at the time 

which I was not happy with,” he says. 

“I’m not going into the stories again. 

That’s it. Now, Mikko is here and 

I hope it will be different from last 

year. I feel okay about Quesnel going, 

I have no problem with that. We have 

a new team manager in Yves Matton. 

I know him quite well from the past, 

when he was working in the Citroen 

team. I have a strong relationship 

with him, so it will be good. I think 

everything has been done in the team 

to try to have a good atmosphere. 

It will be good.” 

With Ogier dispatched to a car 

without a turbo and zero chance of 

challenging for the title this year and 

Hirvonen, the driver who finished 

runner-up for three of the past four 

years, in the team with him, surely he 

can win title number nine standing on 

PREVIEW 

WRC 2012 

Ford foe Hirvonen has 

joined Loeb at Citroen 

his head? 

Loeb can’t really see this point. And 

it’s hear that you realise that Loeb’s 

the same, decent and honest 

competitor he ever was. 

“Yes,” he says, “you are right Mikko 

is in the car #2. But if the #2 is faster 

than the #1, then he becomes the 

number one, right?” 

Yeah, right… 

Seriously? What about Sordo? He 

never got a shot at being number one. 

“I was always in front of Sordo,” says 

Loeb. “Okay, on some Tarmac rallies 

we were fighting together and he was 

asked not to fight. But this was logical. 

We were one minute ahead of 

everybody else in the rally, I was 

leading the championship and it was 

stupid to fight against each other. Of 

course, this worked in my favour, but 

at the same time it was logic. But, 

right now, I am not leading the 

championship and Mikko is another 

interesting rival for me.” 

Loeb wants a fair fight, nothing 

more and nothing less. 

He continues: “Mikko is my 

team-mate and I hope we can do a good 

and friendly job together, but also we 

have to fight together, because if he is 

faster, he is number one.” 

Loeb’s other concern is Jari-Matti 

Latvala: “He showed he can be very 

dangerous with his speed at the end 

of last year…” 

Right now, though, the danger man 

must be Loeb. He’s genuinely more 

relaxed and contented than ever before. 

Further evidence of this comes from 

the return of Monte Carlo – usually a 

season-opening slam-dunk for the 

champion. Loeb admits he’s pleased at 

the chance to race through the French 

Alps again, but he’s not so pleased 

about the fact that he’s got to be on 

duty from Wednesday until the 

following Sunday. Talking more 

deeply about the route for round 

one is, however, pointless. 

“I’m not sure where we are going,” he 

says, with a mildly embarrassed laugh. 

“I have to check what is the route. All I 

know is that it goes on for a long time!” 

Returning to that motivation, Loeb 

delivers the perfect pay-off. 

“I will fight for title number nine,” 

he says. “When you already have eight, 

what else can you do?” 

WRC rivals: you have been warned… 


Stunning Motorsport Canvas Art 

.......................................................................... 

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PICS: MCKLEIN.DE 

WRC 

Preview 

2012 

WRC 2012: what’s in store? 

The return of the most famous rally in the world, top drivers switching teams, and 

a few tweaks to the regulations. DAVID EVANS runs through the key changes 

Forget about Russians wanted 

in Lithuania. Forget the 

squabbles over Mini seats 

or the concern over Ford’s 

commitment to the World 

Rally Championship. Focus on the here 

and the now. Here is the start of the 

new season and now is the return of 

the Monte Carlo Rally. 

After a shocking winter of 

uncertainty, the WRC is back. And 

back where it should be: the French 

Alps. Lovely place that Karlstad is, it 

was never really right as a curtainraiser 

for the globe’s most glorious 

competition. And next week’s Monte 

Carlo Rally is going to be a great way 

to blow away the cobwebs. There’s 

competition spanning six days 

(including qualifying on Tuesday) 

and a route including the best 

Argentina becomes 

a marathon event 

Latvala hopes to make 

the Citroen boys dizzy 

mountain roads in the world. The 

classics are back. 

And so is Sebastien Loeb. 

For a while it looked like he might be 

done with us. But he’s not. And, after a 

troubled year with a fellow Frenchman 

sharing his team, it’s all change. In 

comes a Finn. And not just any Finn, 

the one who has come closer than most 

to beating Loeb in recent years: Mikko 

Hirvonen. There’s been plenty of seat 

shuffling during the closed season. 

But the drives are set now and it 

should be standing room only for a 

great year ahead. 

WHO’S GONE WHERE? 

But will it really be a great year of 

competition? How can it be when 

Loeb’s chief rival from last year, 

Sebastien Ogier, is now with a 

Volkswagen team running a Skoda 

without a turbo. And Hirvonen is 

sitting next to Loeb, gratefully 

accepting crumbs from the eight-time 

champion’s table. And he’s not about 

to challenge Loeb’s seniority in a 

Citroen team around which the 

world’s most successful rally driver 

has moulded perfectly his own needs. 

Hmm. It’s a tough one. Until 

you remember three words: 

Jari-Matti Latvala. 

Latvala is the Ford man charged with 

PREVIEW 

WRC 2012 

getting up in the face of the French. 

He has the full backing of Malcolm 

Wilson’s team and the pace to fight 

with Loeb across the spread of a 

season. Any lingering questions over 

Latvala’s asphalt ability were shot with 

a great showing in Spain last autumn, 

while the 26-year-old’s pace across a 

loose surface is incontrovertible. 

There’s going to be a fascinating 

dynamic at Ford this year. Latvala will 

have a wingman few ever expected to 

see darken Dovenby Hall’s front door 

again: Petter Solberg. The Norwegian 

and Wilson have put the past firmly in 

“Jari-Matti Latvala is the man charged 

with getting up in the face of the 

French and has Ford’s full backing” 

the past (Solberg walked out on him for 

Subaru in 2000) and this time around 

the 2003 world champion knows his 

place in a subservient relationship that 

mirrors that in the red corner across 

the service park. 

At least Loeb and Latvala have got 

pukka team-mates. Mini driver Dani 

Sordo hasn’t. The cash-strapped Mini 

World Rally Team has been forced to 

take paying drivers for Kris Meeke’s 

John Cooper Works WRC, leaving 


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WRC 

Preview 

2012 

Ogier (r) and Ingrassia 

have jumped ship to VW 

Ford has welcomed back 

Solberg after 11-year gap 

the former IRC champion all dressed 

up with nowhere to go. Meeke has been 

promised more testing this season, but 

what’s the point of building the toys if 

you don’t get a chance to play with 

them? The fiscal dire straits the team 

finds itself in are also likely to reflect 

in the development of one of the most 

talked about and promising World 

Rally Cars in the sport’s history. 

Instead of basking in the memory of 

Paddy Hopkirk’s glorious 1964 victory, 

Mini will be found hiding its light 

under a bushel at the quieter end of 

Monaco’s seafront next week. 

Ogier is another driver we won’t 

be seeing at the cutting edge this year. 

He won’t win again until at least next 

year, when VW’s Polo R WRC arrives. 

But, that’s not to say we won’t see 

some supersonic stage times from 

his Fabia S2000 in 2012. 

Ogier’s not registered for Super 2000 

WRC, which is a shame – with only 

half a dozen names in the hat, the 

feeder series could have done with a 

boost and a benchmark. Still it could be 

worse, it could be five… like the entry in 

Production Car WRC. Fortunately, the 

WRC Academy looks slightly healthier. 

AND WHERE ARE WE GOING? 

In a numerically unchanged 13-round 

calendar, the Middle East has made way 

Ott Tanak (l) gets big break, 

thanks to Ford boss Wilson 

Mini’s financial woes may 

have ended Meeke’s dream 

for Monte Carlo in 2012. 

Not that it was a straight swap: for 

a while, it was hoped we would start 

in Monaco and end in Abu Dhabi, 

until politics, agendas and apparent 

incompetence got in the way. So, 

unfortunately, we’re staying out of the 

sand this year – Jordan had always 

made it clear it would be taking a break 

after another fine WRC round in 2011. 

“The running order for every day after 

the opening leg will be reversed – the 

leader will be the last to tackle stages” 

The championship does return to 

New Zealand, which takes the place of 

Australia. And, once again, we head to 

Auckland with a sense that this could 

be the last time that trip is made. 

Despite being blessed with some of the 

best gravel roads in the world, it seems 

the day it takes to get there is a day too 

long for the sport’s rulemakers in these 

straitened times. 

We are, however, going to Wales 

again. But it won’t be the title decider 

following the shift from November to 

September, which comes in an attempt 

to show Wales in a meteorologically 

better light. Because it never rains in 

Wales in September… 

Which leaves Catalunya to close the 

curtains on the second weekend in 

November. Oh, yes, I almost forgot, 

Italy’s back – despite forgetting about 

its commitment to taking its WRC 

round back to the mainland. Oddly 

enough, soon after former president 

Silvio Berlusconi reportedly committed 

us to the mainland, news broke of Rally 

d’Italia’s departure for Sicily… 

NEW RULES 

The biggest regulatory change for the 

year ahead comes on the eve of each 

round. Shakedown switches from being 

PREVIEW 

WRC 2012 

a last-minute systems check to 

something meaningful with the 

potential for an impact on the end 

result of a WRC round: it’s now the 

qualifying stage. 

After two practice runs around 

the stage, the drivers will take one 

qualifying run. The fastest driver then 

gets to chose his place on the road for 

the opening leg of the event. The 

slowest driver is last to chose. This 

is aimed at getting rid of the nearconstant 

tactical jockeying for position 

at the end of days one and two on hot 

gravel rallies, where the lead driver is 

forced to sweep the loose surface clear 

for those following. 

In another related regulation change, 

the running order for every day after 

the opening leg of a WRC round, will 

be reversed – the leader will be the 

last of the FIA-seeded priority drivers. 

The tactics debate is one which rages 

in car clubs around the world: part of 

the game or the ruination of the sport’s 

simple philosophy of driving from 

point A to B as fast as you can? 

One thing that did seem to unite 

spectators across the world against 

the sport’s governing body was the 

SupeRally regulation, allowing crews 

who had – in the traditional sense 

– retired from an event to return and 

be classified as a finisher. SupeRally 

has been here since the 2004 Acropolis 

Rally until now, but for next year it’s 

up to the events if they want to run it. 

And those purists at the Automobile 

Club de Monaco have said “Non!”. 

WRC rookies and relative rookies 

like Ken Block are appalled at the 

prospect of paying all that money and 

coming all that way to start a rally and 

not have the chance to retire and carry 

on. Welcome to the way it was. And, 

dare I say it, the way it should be. To 

finish first, first you must… 

Sermon over. Enjoy the season. 


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PICS: MCKLIEN 

WRC 

MONTE 

CARLO 

Preview 

2012 

Marcus’s magic 

Monte memories 

Marcus Gronholm 

pauses, thinks, takes 

a deep breath. 

“I hate it,” he says. 

He stops. Thinks 

again. Another pause. “Hey, no,” 

he smiles, “I love it.” 

Now that he’s a long way away 

from it, he really does love it. And 

he loves it even more because he 

beat the master, the Monte master. 

Sebastien Loeb has won the Monte 

Carlo Rally five times. In his head he’s 

won it six times. Had Gronholm not 

got in the way in 2006, that number 

would have been seven. 

Six? 

Yes, six. Loeb: “I won the rally in 

Gronholm and Loeb 

fought for 2006 win 

2002, but got a penalty after the finish 

which made me second. In my mind, 

this was my first win. I count this 

one as a half win…” 

So, we’ll settle for five and half. 

Fact is, Loeb’s love for the Monte is 

the real deal. Which is why Gronholm’s 

2006 win hurts so much. 

And means so much to the Finn. 

“This is a classic rally,” says 

Gronholm. “Of course everybody 

wants to win it.” 

Given that the two-time world 

champion was the last man to beat 

Loeb, we thought he’d be a good 

guide to winning next week. 

“But nobody can beat Loeb next 

week,” says Gronholm. “Okay, maybe 

Mikko [Hirvonen] can get close in 

the same car, but really, nobody else 

can get close to him.” 

Gronholm did, though. Admittedly, 

Loeb did go off the road. I know: Loeb 

off the road… 

He out-braked himself in the second 

part of an icy right-into-left on the 

D428 just outside the village of Pierlas. 

The Citroen Xsara WRC gently slid 

down the bank and came to rest a 

couple of metres below the road. Loeb 

was staggered, the car undamaged, 

but going nowhere. 

“I was not so far from him when he 

Loeb’s off handed 

Ford rival the lead 

PREVIEW 

WRC MONTE CARLO 

Gronholm climbs a Monte 

mountain pass in 2006 

went off,” says Gronholm. Granted, 

he had taken time out of the defending 

world champion on one of the 

morning’s stages, but heading into the 

opening leg’s final test, Loeb had just 

about a minute on everybody. 

Gronholm continues: “I had lost 

some time myself. I was sliding the car 

around too much. I’d made the wrong 

tyre choice and I was pushing quite 

hard, we were really sliding… But Loeb 

made the mistake, maybe he made the 

mistake because he was fighting. I 

don’t know, but we were leading then.” 

Suddenly, a dream debut was on the 

cards for Ford’s new Finn. 

But Gronholm had been here before 

on the Monte Carlo Rally. 

“You can’t play with the Monte,” he 

says, “it bites you. I remember when I 

was driving with the [Peugeot] 307 for 

the first time. I was pushing like hell, 

much too hard. Crazy. I wanted to 

show that this car was good. Corrado 

[Provera, Peugeot team principal] 

wanted to show this was the best car. 

I was trying to do that by driving like 

mad. We were fastest on the first stage, 

but you can’t keep pushing like that.” 

A year after that Peugeot debut, the 

Monte did bite Gronholm. Having 

crossed the Col de Turini, the Finn was 

threading his 307 down the other 


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PICS: EDUARDO OLIVA 

WRC 

MONTE 

CARLO 

Preview 

2012 

Loeb’s expression on 

’06 podium said it all 

Ford’s flying Finn kept 

the Focus on the road… 

side of the mountain, when it got 

away from him and clattered a wall. 

“We lost a wheel,” recalls Gronholm, 

before adding with pride: “But we got 

out of the stage and drove on three 

wheels back to service in Monaco. You 

know, we were actually overtaking 

other cars on the motorway to get to 

service on time. The police waved us 

in, but they must have thought we 

were crazy. Maybe the people on the 

motorway thought the same…” 

But in 2006 the champagne flowed. 

“It was an incredible moment,” says 

Gronholm. “You know this is a nice 

rally. When you are up there in the 

mountains, it’s really nice, it’s 

beautiful. And then, when you have the 

stage which is full snow, it’s fantastic; 

… and was delighted to 

finally master the Monte 

you can really attack. And then you 

have the stage which is full Tarmac, 

all of the time dry, and this is okay. 

“But then, you get to the startline of 

the stage and the co-driver says, ‘Here 

we have ice, black ice, some snow and 

slush and dry road.’ Oy-oy, that I don’t 

like at all. That I really don’t miss,” he 

concludes with a shudder. 

“The feeling is the same. You drive 

your car down the road in the winter, 

you turn to the corner and the ice is 

there. You feel the car slide, you hate it. 

It’s the same sometimes in Monte, just 

the same. The feeling is terrible.” 

This is hardly going to inspire 

confidence in those squaring up to 

Loeb next week. But it’s not all bad, 

the last man to beat Loeb in the 

PREVIEW 


The Finn broke French 

hearts for a Ford win 

mountains does have some tips. 

“Confidence,” says Gronholm. 

“You must have confidence in 

what your ice-note crew tells you.” 

These are the crews who go through 

the stage an hour or so before the start 

of the stage to mark where the ice is. In 

the worst case scenario, four days will 

have passed between the crews’ recce 

and the time they see the stage at full 

speed. Four days is a lifetime in a place 

where the weather can change by the 

minute. And then there are the Monte 

intricacies; the Burzet stage, for 

“The police waved us 

in but they must have 

thought we were crazy” 

example, will run in dusk on 

Wednesday night. The sun’s still up 

when the ice-note crew find a damp 

patch. Fast forward that hour, the sun’s 

down and it’s starting to freeze. When 

does damp turn to black ice. Think 

about it… make the call. Get it wrong 

and your man could be in the boonies. 

“Don’t listen to any of the blah, 

blah, blah about the weather,” adds 

Gronholm. “Just listen to the ice-note 

crew and trust them. Drive fast, do 

your job and believe you can win. 

“Oh yes, and pick the right tyres.” 

Will that be enough for anybody to 

beat a man who knows these streets, 

has a Monegasque co-driver and a team 

that appears to have a meteorological 

inside line from the Big Fella upstairs? 

Probably not. 

Loeb might not have competed on 

this event for three years, but he cut 

his teeth on this terrain. He won his 

French Championship title down these 

lanes. Almost as much as Alsace or 

Trier, the switchback passes dissecting 

the Alpes Maritimes are home to the 

man who has spent eight years on top 

of the world. 

Good luck to anybody standing in 

the way of Loeb and Monte win 

number six. Or should that be seven? 

Or seven and a half? 


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WRC 

MONTE 

CARLO 

Preview 

2012 

Bouffier won IRC 

qualifier last year 

2012 MONTE CARLO 

RALLY ITINERARY 

Wednesday January 18 

Start Valence 0800 

SS1 Le Moulinon-Antraigues (22.91m) 0903 

SS2 Burzet-St Martial (18.94m) 1021 

Service Valence 1246 

SS3 Le Moulinon-Antraigues (22.91m) 1421 

SS4 Burzet-St Martial (18.94m) 1539 


Thursday January 19 

SS5 Labatie d’Andaure-Lalouvesc 

(11.80m) 0933 

SS6 St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet 

(15.67m) 1014 

SS7 Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere 

(13.45m) 1137 


SS8 Labatie d’Andaure-Lalouvesc 

(11.80m) 1450 

SS9 St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet 

(15.67m) 1528 

SS10 Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere 

(13.45m) 1654 


Friday January 20 

SS11 St Jean en Royans-Font d’Urle 

(14.46m) 1002 

SS12 Cimetiere de Vassieux-Col de Gaudissart 

(14.99m) 1043 


SS13 Montauban-Eygalayes (18.57m) 1511 

Parc Ferme Monaco 1956 

Saturday January 21 

Service Monaco 1315 

SS14 Moulinet-La Bollene Vesubie 

(14.54m) 1508 

SS15 Lantosque-Luceram (11.68m) 1554 


SS16 Moulinet-La Bollene Vesubie 

(14.54m) 1934 

SS17 Lantosque-Luceram (11.68m) 2017 


Sunday January 22 

SS18 Ste Agnes-Col de la Madone 

(3.20m) 1011 

Finish Monaco 1117 

There’s only one 

way worth going… 

After three years on the 

naughty chair, the World 

Rally Championship has 

been allowed to return 

to Monte Carlo. Sounds 

bizarre doesn’t it? But that’s the size 

of this tail-wagging-dog relationship. 

But it’s the Monte and it’s back. 

And that’s all that matters. 

That’s not to deride the 

Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 

any way. The IRC served the event 

superbly and helped to deliver the 

challenging and interesting route we’ll 

follow next week. It’s worth registering 

the point, however, that for all its 

foot-stamping about central service 

and cloverleaf routes, the Automobile 

Club de Monaco still hasn’t truly 

broken free from that mould. 

What we’ve got now is a cloverleaf 

still attached to the stalk. 

Like I said, the main thing is that 

the world’s fastest drivers and rally 

cars will be racing through the Alps to 

celebrate in the sunshine once again. 

TOP 20 MONTE CARLO RALLY ENTRIES 

Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroen DS3 WRC 

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen Citroen DS3 WRC 

Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Ott Tanak/Kuldar Sikk Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Evgeny Novikov/Denis Giraudet Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul Citroen DS3 WRC 

Martin Prokop/Jan Tomanek Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio Mini John Cooper WRC 

Pierre Campana/Sabrina de Castelli Mini John Cooper WRC 

Francois Delecour/Dominique Savignoni Ford Fiesta RS WRC 

Armindo Araujo/TBA Mini John Cooper WRC 

Bryan Bouffier/Xavier Panseri Peugeot 207 S2000 

Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Volkswagen Polo S2000 

Kevin Abbring/Lara Vanneste Volkswagen Polo S2000 

Per-Gunnar Andersson/Emil Axelsson Proton Satria S2000 

Giandomenico Basso/Mitia Dotta Proton Satria S2000 

Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts Ford Fiesta S2000 

PREVIEW 


Icy hairpins in the 

dark: classic Monte 

Monte Carlo: it’s snow business 

Just like the old days. And the really 

old days: this is the 80th running of 

this Med-bound dash. 

The master of the modern-day 

Monte is Sebastien Loeb and the 

defending champion will be very, very 

difficult to beat. There are drivers, such 

as Loeb’s own Citroen team-mate 

Mikko Hirvonen and Ford’s new signing 

“Defending champion Sebastien 

Loeb will be very, very hard to beat” 

Petter Solberg, who have more recent 

experience of a route running through 

the Ardeche, Drome, Haute Loire and 

Alpes Maritimes, but none who can 

match his five-from-six record. 

Or his instinctive ability to find 

grip where others fear to tread. 

Ford’s team leader Jari-Matti Latvala 

is not a man known for throwing in the 

towel, but he openly admits a troublefree 

run for the number-one Citroen 

will make it impossible to catch. 

But this is Monte Carlo. Impossible 

means nothing. Here, if the weather 

does its thing, everything is possible. 

Remember last year? Bryan Bouffier 

and Francois Delecour were down and 

out one minute. Then the snow came 

and they were one-two. 

It’s been a long time since we had a 

truly wintry Monte to open the WRC, 

so snow would be more than welcome. 

And if not, let’s have some hardcore 

frosts, forcing the even harder-core 

spectators to throw another log on the 

stage-side fire during the day and pack 

another sleeping bag for sundown. 

This is one for the brave; crest the 

Col, tighten the belts and take on the 

black ice of a north-facing downhill. 

Do that faster than Loeb, and you’ll be 

spraying the champagne outside the 

Grimaldi gaff a week on Sunday. 


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REPORTS 

WORLD OF SPORT 


INTERNATIONAL 

RACES & RESULTS 

DAKAR RALLY 

San Rafael (RA) - 

Copiapo (RCH) 

DAKAR RALLY STAGES 3-7, SAN RAFAEL (RA) - COPIAPO (RCH), JANUARY 3-7 

Peterhansel zones in 

on 10th Dakar win 

X-RAID TEAM DIRECTOR 

Sven Quandt edged ever 

closer to his dream of 

winning the Dakar Rally as 

123 cars began the final seven 

stages, starting with the 

Atacama desert, on Monday. 

Quandt’s Mini All4 

Racings were beginning 

to tighten their grip on 

proceedings, with Stephane 

Peterhansel 11m22s ahead 

of his Polish team-mate 

Krzysztof Holowczyc. But 

American Robby Gordon 

was still within striking 

distance of upsetting the 

Mini party over the stages 

to come in Chile and Peru. 

Gordon and 2011 winner 

Nasser Al-Attiyah had 

set the pace on the 

Copiapo loop stage before 

Sunday’s rest day, and that 

performance had pushed 

Gordon’s third-placed 

Hummer to within 1m47s 

of second spot. “We have 

changed a lot of things on 

the Hummer, including the 

transmission, and we’re in 

a great position for the rest 

of the rally,” said Gordon. 

Al-Attiyah’s chance of 

defending his Dakar title 

hung by a thread. The 

convincing Copiapo stage 

victory had improved his 

case, but engine-cooling 

problems, delays in a muddy 

hole and the cancellation of 

the stage between Fiambala 

Al-Attiyah was fast, 

but made errors 

LEADERS AFTER STAGE SEVEN 

→ Cars Stephane Peterhansel 

→ Trucks Gerard de Rooy 

→ Quads Alejandro Patronelli 

→ Bikes Cyril Despres 

and Copiapo had all worked 

against the Qatari. Despite 

his troubles, Al-Attiyah 

had climbed back into 

sixth, albeit 42m54s 

behind Peterhansel. 

“Attack and push hard 

is the only option now,” 

said Al-Attiyah. “I need to 

take around 7m on every 

stage. That is the reality.” 

Quandt’s army of Minis 

had enjoyed a relatively 

trouble-free run through 

Argentina and into Chile. 

Peterhansel – chasing an 

unprecedented 10th Dakar 

title and his fourth in a car 

– had taken the lead for 

the first time on stage two, 

regained the initiative on 

stage four and held the lead 

for four days with the help 

of one fastest stage time. 

Holowczyc set the 

quickest time on the fifth 

stage into Fiambala and held 

the lead for one day. “It was 

a nice feeling to lead the 

rally and take my first 

fastest time,” said the Pole. 

“There are no team orders 

with us so this final week 

will be exciting.” 

As we went to press 

RACE RATING 

★★★✩✩ 

Spaniard ‘Nani’ Roma held 

fourth in the third Mini 

and had set the quickest 

time on stage three. But 

Roma – a Dakar winner on 

two wheels in 2004 – began 

the second half of the rally 

trailing Peterhansel by 

over 18 minutes. 

The relatively untested 

South African-built Toyota 

Hilux, driven by 2009 

winner Giniel de Villiers, 

had been a revelation over 

the opening seven stages. 

De Villiers held fifth out of 

Copiapo and had been as 

high as second in Chilecito. 

Reigning FIA World Cup 

holder Leonid Novitskiy 

held seventh position in the 

fourth Mini, and Portugal’s 

Carlos Sousa was running 

in eighth with the Chinesebuilt, 

diesel-engined Great 

Wall Haval. Argentina’s 

Lucio Alvarez (Toyota) 

and Dutchman Erik 

van Loon (Mitsubishi) 

rounded off the top 10. 

Japan’s Jun Mitsuhashi 

held a comfortable 

23-minute lead over 

Spaniard Xavier Foj (Toyota) 

in the showroom T2 

Peterhansel edging 

away, but plenty 

of punctures keep 

you guessing 

IN BRIEF 

Peterhansel has run 

largely trouble-free 

category. Abdullah Al- 

Herais was third. 

l Neil Perkins 

STANDINGS AFTER STAGE SEVEN 

1 Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul 

Cottret (Mini All4 Racing), 

15h32m53s; 2 Krzysztof Holowczyc/ 

Jean-Marc Fortin (Mini), +11m22s; 

3 Robby Gordon/Johnny Campbell 

(Hummer H3); 4 ‘Nani’ Roma/ 

Michel Perin (Mini); 5 Giniel de 

Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (Toyota 

Hilux Pickup); 6 Nasser Al-Attiyah/ 

Lucas Cruz (Hummer). 

Riviere won twice 

ANDROS TROPHY 

Jean-Philippe Dayraut moved 

level with Alain Prost at the head 

of the points as the Mini driver 

beat his Dacia rival on each day 

at Isola 2000. Benjamin Riviere 

(Skoda) won both days, closing 

in on the series lead as a result.

TRAILERS &TRANSPORTERS 

 

Get your new race season off to aquick and efficient start with a 

safe and reliable brand new Brian James Trailer. 

The A-max is at the leading edge oftrailer efficiency. Every detail is 

honed through many years ofexperience and know how. 

A-max range 

Robust commercial quality components, a33year long understanding 

of race car transportation and dedication to providing the most 

 

an A-max. 

 

system is what makes this such apopular 

trailer. A low, wide loading platform is 

another highly attractive feature. 

Clubman &Clubman Tilt-bed 

TT Tilt-bed range 

Visit the new Brian James Trailers web site at 

www.brianjames.co.uk for full pricing details of the 

product range and our extensive national dealer network. 

Clubman -Tiltbed model 100-0510 

Range from £1,809 plus vat 

Race Shuttle RS5 

Models shown may feature optional equipment www.brianjames.co.uk Tel. 01327 308833 

ref. 12/01 


RACE &RALLYCARS WEB DIRECTORY 

APPOINTMENTS MARKETPLACE 

89

To advertise call 02082675367 autosport.ads@haymarket.com 

90 


Built in 2002 for BAR F1, this Communications and storage truck has two levels.The 

upper-deck has alarge office,kitchen area and separate workshop space,while the 

lower deck features more workshop space and externally there are many belly lockers 

providing extensive amounts of storage.With 2large antennas reaching almost 60m 

and racking for radio repeater, this is ideal for radio communications set-up. Also 

Large 415V generator, Hydrovane compressor, 2xCompressed air antenna masts, 

Oyster vision satellite system, Air-conditioning throughout, Dhollandia Tail lift. 

The transporter would now suit World GP Bikes, 2car Formula Team, or as ahigh 

end Formula Management/Data transporter with additional storage to support acar 

carrying transporter. 

Sale price £129,000+vat 

Year 2009 HMS Race Transporter, 

Complete new build in 2009 with 13.5m 

x 8m awning Co awining, 2,500kg 

Dhollandia Tail lift, capacity for 5 cars 

with drivers changing area. 

Top deck height: 1470mm, 

Lower deck height: 1880mm.


THE RACE TRANSPORTER SPECIALISTS 

SALES -BUILD -UPGRADES REFURBISHMENT -RENTAL 

Double deck 4 car race 

transporter with office 

on goose neck, 2,000kg 

Dhollandia lift, Awning, 

Air con, etc. 

£44,000+vat 

Year 2010 chassis and conversion by SDC,1car 

rally transporter,Dhollandia Tail lift, 9kw diesel 

generator, living, basic workshop. 

£55,000+vat 

Year 2004 Man support truck with workshop & 

generator, 110,000km from new, (this does not 

having aracing spec tail lift) 

£12,000+vat 

Double deck 4 / 5 car transporter, 

4m high, Dhollandia Tail Lift, Awning, 

Externally refurbished including: 

Chassis shot blasted and painted, 

New brakes etc, fresh paintwork. 

£38,000+vat 

We have 1x freshly converted transporter in stock 

finished externally only as per the photos attached, 

internally the trailer is empty except for the original 

middle deck. Specification: chassis shot blasted 

and painted, new brakes shoes, drums, air bag etc, 

Dhollandia 2,000kg Tail lift, internal heights 2080mm 

lower 1440mm top deck. The trailer can be finished in 

any colour. Our order books are now full so the trailer 

will be sold part built. 

£45,550+vat 

3xFormula car transporter with awning. 

£24,750+vat 

For more information please view our website 

www.hopkinsmotorsport.com 

or call 01179 509294 




91


92 

RL 5000 

£7,300 +vat 

For Sale 

Hi Specification Aloy panelled BTCC 45ft Race Trailer 

&Scania V8 530 Unit 

Total cost New £240,000 

For Sale @ £85,000 inc Tractor Unit 

Call David Pinkney on 07970 829293 

Currently in production. 

Tri-axle, step frame race 

transporter 

Will carry 4cars 

Front living area with 2pod 

Hydrovane compressor 

Honda generator 

Unit D16, Backfield Farm 

Business Park, Wotton Road, 

Iron Acton, Bristol, BS37 9XD 


Call Us Now! tel. 01327 263 384 

www.woodfordtrailers.com sales@woodfordtrailers.com 

RL 6000 

£9,500 +vat 

For further information, please contact Ian Green 

Tel/Fax: 044 (0) 1454 227 191 Mob: 07766108873 

Look Beyond 

 

 

 

 

 

Bespoke race transporters 

designed, built and refurbished 

to your requirements 

www.gbmotorsports.co.uk


The brand new Race Transporter. 

Contains racing DNA 

Paddocks and race meetings are no strangers toaBrian James Trailer. 

Literally tens ofthousands ofcompetitors over the years have chosen the 

quality, design integrity and value-for-money towhich there isnoequal. 

Visit the new Brian James Trailers web site at 

www.brianjames.co.uk for full pricing details of the 

product range and our extensive national dealer network. 

2012 and the arrival ofabrand new, very special and exciting 

race trailer range for professional and private teams alike. The 

Race Transporter. 

Provides race transportation and race weekend workshop 

accommodation, within an affordable and capable 

format. Your exact requirements can bemet with the Race 

Transporter being configured from avast array of sizes and 

optional specification. 

see the new 

Race Transporter 

at Autsoport Int. 

our stand 7410 

www.brianjames.co.uk Tel. 01327 308833 

ref. 12/02 




93

autosport.ads@haymarket.com 

To advertise call 02082675367 

94 

WEB DIRECTORY 

AWNINGS BOOKS &DVDS EXHAUSTS 

Suppliers of: Race &Rally Shelters, 

Minililite, Piloti, Moto-lita, Car Covers etc 

www.hamiltongrouponline.com 

GEARBOXES 

Rally &Race Gearboxes, 

GearKits, LSD’s and Driveshafts 

Tel: 01782 280136 Fax:01782 269913 

Email: sales@eliteracingtransmissions.com 

www.eliteracingtransmissions.com 

HELMET GRAPHICS 

SOLICITORS 

MEMORABILIA 

MEMORABILIA MODELS 

MOTORHOMES &TRAILERS 

Position Sensors Ltd 

Motorsport Specialist 

www.position-sensors.co.uk 

RACE PRODUCTS 

RACING OILS 

Mike Fairholme Designs 

Sole approved painter of Arai helmets. 

Silver Birches, Corby Birkholme, Nr Grantham, Lincs NG33 4LE. 

Tel: 01476 550630. Fax: 01476 550029. 

email: fairholmedesigns@btconnect.com 

www.fairholmedesigns.co.uk 

HISTORIC SPORTS RACERS 

For anew range of 1/43 

scale hand built 1950’s 

Sports Racing Models visit 

www.modelgarage.co.uk 

and follow the Online Shop link. 

GEARBOXES 

RACE PARTS RACE PRODUCTS 

www.pipercams.co.uk 

Come and seeus-Hall 19,Stand 19232 

+44 (0) 121 585 6088 

•www.stevens-bolton.co.uk 

•tudor.alexander@stevens-bolton.co.uk 

•Tel: 01483 734210 /07887 713512 

We are solicitors acting for racing teams, 

drivers, sponsors and manufacturers. 

Contact Tudor Alexander. 

RACE PRODUCTS 

RACEWEAR 

 

 

www.demon-tweeks.co.uk 

STORAGE 

www.listacabinets.co.uk 

Tel: 01228560911 /07733157911 

TO ADVERTISE IN THE WEB DIRECTORYPLEASE CALL 

02082675367ORE-MAIL autosport.ads@haymarket.com 

www. 

EXCLUSIVE MOTORSPORTMEMORABILIA 

EST. 1996 

We BuyYour Teamgear ! 

JW Green Trailers 

for Brian James Trailers 

Stock Ready ForDelivery 

Tel: 0333 456 0222 Mob: 07785230560 

www.jwgreen.co.uk 

RACING 

RACING CARS FOR SALE 

ALAN CORNOCK FCS 

BUYING - SELLING - BROKERAGE 

www.racingcarsforsale.co.uk 

TEL: 01480 891212 

WHEELS 

LONDON 

MOTORSPORT 

SHOWROOM 

www.msar.co.uk

MATT BLYTH MOTORSPORT 

Championship winning team has drives available for the 2012 Season. 

•Ginetta GT SupercupG55 &G50 

•Ginetta Junior 

•Ginetta Challenge 

•BritishGT 

•Britcar EnduranceSeries 

•ImmediateTestingProgrammeAvailable 

DRIVE FEATURE 

Topsports car team Century Motorsport are offering drives for 2012 in multiple prestigious series. 

Drives available in2012 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•FullPaddock Support 

•Excellent Preparation andPresentation 

•HospitalityPackages 

•DriverDevelopmentand Coaching 

•Capacity forOwner Drivers 

•Car Preparation andSet Up 

Full Preparation, Race Services,Rebuild &Restoration availablefor currentand historic 

race cars. Contact us nowtoarrange ameetingattheAutosportInternational Show. 

Email: enquiries@mattblythmotorsport.co.uk 

or contact Matt 07808 318494 or Andy 07900 800648 to discussyour requirements. 

 

 

 

 

 

Multi National Championship Winners. 

Professional services for all classes: 

 

 

 

 

 

and storage facilities



96 

HISTORIC 

FERRARI 

Ferrari F430 Challange GTC (2008) with all GT cup modifications,low milage,new 

pads and discs,GTC aero pack, race suspension, track exhaust and passenger seat. 

This car has had manyrace wins and is in first class condition ready to go out and win 

again this season. Car maintained by FF Corse for the past 5years. 

Priced to sell £85,000 

Forfurther information please call Glynn Geddie on 07763304895 

Ashley GT, 1963 

Perfect. 

£12,500 ono 

Tel07795 244 322. 

www.classiccars.eu 

Home: 0044 (0) 1462 230 282 

RACE &RALLYCARS 

SUNBEAM 

For Sale: 1967 Sunbeam Alpine 

Professionally prepared and maintained. 

Brand new unraced 1725cc engine by Coltec Racing 

and Power Engineering. 

Eligible for CSCC Swinging Sixties and HSCC/HRSR. 

This well-known and reliable car has many class 

wins including Eifelrennen and Spa Summer Classic. 

P.O.A. 

Contact Piers on 01753 885399 

MASERATI 

MASERATI 250 F. TIPO 1954 G.P.CAR 

DRIVER JUAN MANUEL FANGIO 

HONDA 

Team Dynamics 

offer for sale 

2011 specification 

Honda S2000 BTCC Civic 

Complete rolling chassis with engines available 

from Neil Brown Engineering. 

Comprehensive spares package available. 

Price on application. 

For further information, please contact Peter Crolla 

/ 01386 556122 / pcrolla@rimstock.com 

Mobile: 0044 (0) 7860 264932 

AUNIQUE OPPORTUNITY EXISTS TO PURCHASE THE “GREATEST GRAND PRIX CAR’’INTHE WORLD.SHE COMES 

WITH FULL F.I.A. PAPERS NAMING FANGIO AS THE WINNER OF THE 1954 ARGENTINE AND BELGIAN GRAND PRIX’S. 

AMATCHING NUMBERS CAR PURCHASED FROM THE MASERATI FACTORY AND THE FOURTH CAR REBUILT AND 

RESTORED BY CAMERON MILLAR. FROM APRIVATECOLLECTION SHE IS FULLY RUNNING AND READYTODRIVE. 

HUGE INVESTMENT POTENTIAL AND AGREAT ENTRY INTO HISTORIC GRAND PRIX RACING. 

LUST OVER HER OR DRIVE HER IT’S YOUR CHOICE. £995,000



98 

HPD ARX-03B FOR 

2012 COST CAPPED specification, including new tub. 

Full spares package included. 

Also available: Ex-RML Saleen S7R. 

For full details contact: 

Phil Barker :+44 7768397661 or Mike Newton :+44 7798927111 

www.rml-adgroup.com 

Speads RS08 fitted with hi spec Hyabusa Powertec 1300 drysump, 

programmable ecu, Racetec dash with logger, ATS f3 wheels 2sets, new 

suspension arms front and rear,new uprights front and rear,new brakediscs, 

callipers, pads and bells front and rear,new driveshafts with inner and outer 

joints, all new outer rod ends, 3way adjustable shocks with remote gas 

tanks, pricetoinclude sparefront and rear body work +spares. £19,995 

Contactdetails Tel: 01553 768376 Mobile: 07720 719515 

AWNINGS 

MARKETPLACE 

RACE &RALLYCARS 

SALE OR 

LEASE 

TO ADVERTISE IN 

THIS SECTION OF 

PLEASE CALL 

8 6367 

RACING CARS 

Dallara F396 race-ready.Mugen Honda engine, 2extra sets of wheels, numerous 

spares including wishbone pull rods, complete front wing and nose box, etc. Eligible 

for MSVR F3 championship (New Trophy Class/Masters Class/Monoposto Class). 

Sale price £13,000.00 ONO. 

Tel: 07766-465201/07766-465208. 01244-834100 for Jon Gray 

COMPETITION DIFFERENTIALS 

GRIPPER DIFFERENTIALS LIMITED 

Multi plate LSD’s 

Peugeot 205-£625.00.Peugeot 106 inc c/wheel £700.00. F/drive pinion £245.00. 

Renault Clio £750.00. Clio CWP 14/60, 13/59 &12/63 £450.00. 

VW Polo £625.00.VW 02A/J £625.00. VW 02Q/M £785.00. VW 020 £625.00. 

Astra F20 £625.00. BMW 188 £850.00. BMW 210 £850.00. 

Ford Atlas £745.00. English Ford £625.00. Cosworth 7.5” £750.00. Cosworth 7.0” £625.00. 

Honda Y21 £625.00. Honda Rtype £625.00. 

Jaguar 4HA&HU £850.00 Alloy body £950.00. 

We have afull range of Historic Race and Rally car Lsd units. We specialise in the 

manufacture of one off units from £900.00. If we cannot make it, no one else can. 

These prices do not include VAT. Fitting and installation service available. 

LIFETIME GUARANTEE 

Phone: 024 7663 8564 

Fax: 024 7658 1852 

sales@gripperlsd.com 

For more information please visit www.gripperlsd.com

ENGINES 

FLOORING 

Kiwi Tiles 

Interlocking Plastic Floor Tiles, as used by 

leading race teams throughout Europe. 

Easy installation &removal 

Many colours 

Lightweight 

Strong &durable 

Self draining 

Compact &easy to 

store 

Topquality 

Value for money 

Stock Colours: 

Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, 

Silver,Orange, Grey, 

Black, White, Dayglo Red 

Ralt Engineering 

Tel: 01865 883354 Fax: 01865 883789 

E-mail: enquiries@kiwitiles.com 

Web: www.kiwitiles.com 

MEMORABILIA 

JMJ Automobilia 

SUPPLIERS OFRACE 

MEMORIBILIA SINCE 1992 

Florida, USA (609)575-1143 

email: JMJ@JMJAUTO.COM 

WWW.JMJAUTO.COM 

#1 #1 FOR F1 MEMORABILIA 

We buy and sell F1 items 

We buy and sell F1 items 

AYRTON SENNA specialists 

AYRTON Call CHRISSENNA GRINT 01763 specialists 274448 

email: Call sales@f1collectors.com 

CHRIS GRINT 

MISSED AN ISSUE? 

THEN CALL OUR 

BACK ISSUE HOTLINE 

 

SUPPLIERS OF LUXURY HOSPITALITY MOTORHOMES 

ON EVENT COMMUNICATION &MEDIA CENTERS 

PROMOTIONAL ROADSHOWS 

MARKETPLACE 

HOSPITALITY 

MOTORSPORT EQUIPMENT 

Unit 45, Silverstone Circuit tel: 01327 858006 fax: 01327 858800 

Towcester email: info@mardigras.co.uk 

Northampton NN12 8TL web: www.performanceclutch.co.uk 

Distributors and agents for: 

INTERNATIONAL RACE CHAMPIONSHIP HOSPITALITY UNITS 

EXCLUSIVE CORPORATE HOSPITALITY &TEAM CATERING 

LOGISTICS &SECURE STORAGE 

As specialists in the field of International motorsport, with vast experience in all levels of sports hospitality, promotional roadshows &corporate events, we can 

supply for hire or sale an exclusive purpose built, fully self contained event facility, ideal for all on circuit hospitality, championship/media centers, marketing, 

merchandising conferences product launches &roadshows, at at any sporting event world-wide. Units vary in specification, and can include luxury lounges, office 

facilities, Comercial Kitchens, showers and full awning size options. 

F1 SPEC MOTORHOMES &AWNINGS 

GENERAL SERVICES 

International race centers, VIP hospitality &team catering specialists 

Hospitality &shared team catering service at SF, LeMans, LMS &FIA GTs 

Exclusive hospitality packages at all major events including, F1, WRC, 

Touring Cars &LeMans 

Sponsor/partner co-ordination, travel, accomodation, ticketing &VIP 

transfers to circuit 

Logistics on track marketing, merchandising, product sampling plus event 

support 

Management, logistics &operation of clients own units also underatken 

Comprehensive world-wide insurance 

Exclusive VIP Hospitality Race &Test Team 

Motorhomes 

Come Come and see us us at at the ASI show show please please call 07836767619 07836767619 to to discuss discuss your your season’s season’s requirements 

requirements 

Shared Team Catering 




99


100 

INSURANCE 

MARKETPLACE 

Admiral MultiCar 

RACE PRODUCTS 

OHLINS HAVE WON OVER 200 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 

MICK GARDNER RACING 

OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTION FOR ALL OHLINS PRODUCTS 

• Official Sales and Service Centre • Large Stocks of 

Shocks, Springs and Parts • Factory Trained Technicians 

• Fast Turnaround on Servicing, Revalving, etc. 

• Bespoke Shock Absorbers Built to Customer Spec 

CONTACT RUSS WALTON 

@MICK GARDNER 

RACING NOW 

TELEPHONE 

WEBSITE 

E-MAIL 

01226 240 099 

www.mickgardnerracing.com 

russwalton@mickgardnerracing.com 

More than just asecond car discount 

Some insurers give MultiCar discounts -but only for the second car. 

With Admiral MultiCar each car receives adiscount -guaranteed! 

admiral.com 

0800 600880

MARKETPLACE 

RACE PRODUCTS KARTING 

STAND E363 

In alaboratory “Come and see us at AutosportInternational" 

test a100mm 

Engineering, Hall 9, Stand E554 

solid sphere of 

mild steel was heated 

to 1000˚C. Asheet of 

Teknofibra “Contact“ 

adhered to a2mm piece 

of fibreglass to represent 

body work was put in 

direct contact with the 

1000˚C heat source. 

The temperature of 

the sample bodywork 

protected with the 

Teknofibra heat resistant 

material PEAKED at 

For more information of Teknofibra heat resistant materials please contact the 

Teknofibra UK distributor at Walkers Northallerton. NorthYorkshire DL7 9HT 

Phone 0044 (0) 1609 777221 or email info@walkersgarage.com 




101



104 

West Surrey Racing is looking for the following experienced people to join its 

Championship winning team. 

• Race Engineer • Data Engineer 

• No1Mechanic • Race Team Truckie 

• No2Mechanic • Hospitality Truckie 

Please forward your CV with acovering letter to: 

Human Resources 

West Surrey Racing Ltd 

Longwood Business Park 

Fordbridge Road 

Sunbury-on-Thames 

TW16 6AZ 

Or email: admin@wsr-racing.com 

Development Engineer -Caterham Cars Ltd -Dartford, UK 

Aposition is available for an experienced Automotive or Mechanical Engineer with arelevant degree 

to join the enthusiastic and dynamic engineering team at Caterham Cars. This job will expose the 

successful applicant to awide varied range of vehicle development, test and design aspects. The 

role will involve development of existing parts, designing of new parts and products through 

prototyping into production. The candidate should be highly motivated have current extensive 

experience of Solidworks, ability to create cost effect designs for varying manufacturing methods 

and flexible approach to working hours. 

Applicants CV and cover letter should be submitted to opportunities@caterham.co.uk 

www.caterham.co.uk 

Motorsport Tyre Engineer -Trackside UK Based 

Pirelli Tyre, one of the leading international tyre 

manufactures, with more than 100 years of success 

in Motorsport, is currently looking foranexperienced 

Tyre Engineer. 

Youwill provide trackside support to our Motorsport 

Activities to enable correct operation and utilisation 

of our product. Youwill also provide the link back 

intothe design department with analysis of 

performance data and operating conditions. 

Astrong background in either tyre engineering, race 

car engineering, or vehicle dynamics is required. You 

mustalso possessahigh leveloffluencyinboth spoken 

and written English and be highly computer literate. 

The role will require extensive travel. 

Successful applicants will be enthusiastic, capable 

of working with minimal supervision to tight deadlines 

and be confident in communicating in a team 

environment. Candidates with previous similar 

experience will be preferred. 

If youbelieve youpossessthe appropriate qualifications 

and experience for this position, please send acover 

letter and C.V. to the following email address: 

recruiting.motorsport@pirelli.com 

APPOINTMENTS 

Formula One 

Opportunities 

at Cosworth 

Cosworth areseeking the following positions for its 2012 F1 program 

Calibration Engineer 

Specific Responsibilities: 

Develop engine calibrations and associated tools to maximise on-track 

performance 

Work within ateam environment liaising directlywith chassis 

engineersand drivers 

Be the central point of contact forall team dialogue, including team 

briefs, installation issues, development tests etc 

Proven track recordinrace engine calibration, strategy development 

and track support,including liaison with race engineersand team 

principals 

Essential Skills: 

Team player, promoting good customer relations 

Strong relevant engineering degree 

Common, consistent and rigorous approach to documentation and 

engine running procedures 

Highlycomputer literate, including an interest in developing Matlab, 

Simulink and other softwarecapability 

Analysis Engineer 

Specific Responsibilities: 

To attend all F1 race and test events as well as attending dedicated 

team events when required 

To work within adedicated Cosworth F1 team environment whereyou 

will be responsible forthe performance, analysis and health-checking 

of the engines at the circuit 

To assist the team by identifying potential performance &reliability 

issues and either suggesting and/or performing fixes as required 

To compile detailed technical event reports in line with the current 

Track Support Group’s working practices 

To continuallywork to improvethe Cosworth Track Support Group’s 

analysis softwaretools 

To support related engineering activities to the above whilst back in the 

factory 

Essential Skills: 

Hold arelevant engineering degree with an strong interest in race 

engines 

Be highlycomputer literate with essential experience with all current 

MES softwareapplications 

Be familiar with VB.NET,VBA,Matlab and Simulink as well as the ability 

to quicklygrasp other related technical computing software 

Be able to work within ateam environment as akey player, promoting 

good customer relations and helping colleagues achievetheir work 

objectives in amethodical,time efficient manner 

Applyacommon, consistent and rigorous approach to technical 

documentation and engine running procedures and protocols 

Demonstrate aprofessional approach to Formula 1track support by 

promoting the Cosworth brand whilst exhibiting good self-discipline, 

time management and aprofessional visual appearance 

Exercise good communication skills (oral &written), management and 

interpersonal skills 

Awillingness to travel worldwide with extended periods away from 

home 

If youare interested in applying for either of these positions, please 

send your CV and acovering letter to clrecruit@cosworth.com 

www.cosworth.com




105



106

PIC: LAT 

ALL THE NATIONAL & CLUB RACE, RALLY AND HISTORIC NEWS. PLUS FULL REPORTS AND RESULTS ROUND-UP 

Sports Extra 

NATIONAL RACING • HISTORICS • CLUB • RALLY • RALLYCROSS • HILLCLIMB 

Van Diemen out of FFord 

Legendary constructor will not build EcoBoost car for category’s new era 

VAN DIEMEN WILL NOT 

build a car for the British 

Formula Ford EcoBoost 

regulations in 2012, but will be 

replaced by a new manufacturer. 

Southern International, run by 

experienced category team boss Lindsay 

Allen, is building the Sinter chassis for 

this year’s championship. Allen’s Fluid 

Motorsport concern, which has run the 

works Van Diemen team in the category 

since 2008, hopes to field up to three 

examples in British Formula Ford. 

Allen took over the Van Diemen 

factory and car construction in Europe 

ahead of the 2009 season. But, when 

American parent company Elan 

Motorsports Technologies decided not to 

build an EcoBoost car, the race-winning 

team boss decided to go it alone. 

“They didn’t want to continue with 

Formula Ford due to cost, and they didn’t 

Artist’s impression of the new Sinter Formula Ford 

see a market at this stage,” said Allen. 

“At that point I decided I wanted to 

build a car, so I had to loosen my ties 

with Elan/Van Diemen.” 

The car has been designed by Sam 

Owen and will be developed by Fluid. 

It also has bodywork design input 

from Caterham F1. 

“This is totally new from the ground 

up,” said Allen. “We’ve been working on 

it for the past 18 months and I wouldn’t 

have invested in the project if I thought 

the new rules weren’t going to work. 

The overall concept, with FIA regulations, 

allows the car to be sold further afield.” 

Allen also believes the new rules, 

which include a sequential gearbox and 

chassis/body changes, as well as the new 

turbocharged engine, provide a chance 

for Mygale’s run of seven consecutive 

drivers’ titles to come to an end. 

“It’s more of an even playing field,” 

he said. “Mygale has had to start again. 

They’re ahead of the game because people 

have been out testing already, but with 

our experience I believe we can compete. 

“We hope to run three cars and I’d like 

to think other teams will take it too.” 

Allen could still run some Duratecengined 

Van Diemens in the secondary 

Van Diemen was FFord 

powerhouse in 1990s 

class of British Formula Ford this year, 

but the company is unlikely to produce 

any new cars for Europe in the near future 

as it focuses on the American market. 

The move means that Van Diemen, 

which was founded by Ralph Firman 

Sr and Ross Ambrose, will not be 

represented at the top level of British 

Formula Ford for the first time since 

the firm started winning in the 

category in the mid-1970s. 

Van Diemen has also built successful 

FF2000 and Sports 2000 cars, but is 

most famous for its Formula Ford 1600 

machines, which have scored over 700 

national-level race wins in the UK alone. 

The manufacturer also helped launch 

the careers of Ayrton Senna, Roberto 

Moreno, Mauricio Gugelmin, Eddie 

Irvine, Mark Blundell, David Coulthard 

and Mark Webber. 

VAN DIEMEN’S UK Formula Ford record 

National titles 33* 

National junior titles 18** 

Frontline Festival wins 21 

Championship race wins with Fluid 6 

* Includes RAC, BARC, BRDC and MCD/ 

BRSCC titles ** Includes BARC Junior, 

Star of Tomorrow and Zetec Junior titles 


BEN 

ANDERSON 

NATIONAL 

EDITOR 

ben.anderson 


IF THERE’S ONE NAME PEOPLE 

associate with Formula Ford above 

all others it’s surely Van Diemen. 

Named after the initial identity of 

Tasmania, from where co-founder 

Ross Ambrose (father of NASCAR 

racer Marcos) hailed, this Norfolk 

marque has won more races in 

British Formula Ford than any other. 

Some would say Van Diemen 

hasn’t been the same since Ralph 

Firman Sr sold up in 1999, and a 

Van Diemen car hasn’t claimed the 

British Formula Ford title since Valle 

Makela topped the field in 2004. 

More recently, Fluid Motorsport 

boss Lindsay Allen has taken up the 

Van Diemen mantle. Despite taking a 

stunning Brands Festival win in 2010, 

he has not enjoyed the success of the 

glory years – as six race wins during 

the past four Mygale-dominated 

seasons of Duratec FFord attest. 

Not everyone is convinced that 

Formula Ford’s bold new EcoBoost 

boat is the right one to set sail on, 

and current Van Diemen owner 

Elan Motorsports Technologies 

doesn’t see the value in building 

a car to the new rules. 

That’s a shame, because it means 

Van Diemen will not be represented 

in the top class of the category 

for the first time since it started 

winning races in the mid-1970s. 

Allen clearly loves Formula Ford 

though, and good on him for going it 

alone and building a brand new car 

(dubbed the Sinter) to 2012 rules. 

It would be handy if his new 

design could give Mygale some 

serious trouble in the battle for 

British Formula Ford supremacy 

too. Multi-make racing is part of 

the essence of Formula Ford, 

so it would be a shame if more 

Mygale dominance turned it 

into a de facto single-make series. 

Extra contact details 

Kevin Turner, features editor 

kevin.turner@haymarket.com 

CONTENTS 

p112 TRACK TEST 

BMW M3 & Z4 GT 


British GT 

Harvey in British GT comeback 

Former Carrera Cup champion to join historic ace Jon Minshaw in Trackspeed Porsche 

EX-BRITISH TOURING 

Car champion Tim Harvey 

will return to British GT 

this season, after being drafted in by 

celebrated historic racer Jon Minshaw 

to share a Trackspeed Porsche. 

Demon Tweeks boss Minshaw 

has recruited double Porsche Carrera 

Cup champ Harvey to aid his 

progression into modern motorsport 

following a successful 2011 season in 

Formula Renault 

Red Bull’s Albon 

gets Renault seat 

RED BULL-BACKED BRITISH KARTER 

Alexander Albon will graduate to car 

racing this season in the Formula 

Renault Eurocup. 

The former European and World 

KF3 karting champion will also compete 

in the Italian/Swiss ALPS series with 

Spanish squad Epic Racing. 

Albon, 15, who will turn 16 on the 

day of his first race in March, was one 

of three drivers chosen to join the Red 

Bull Junior programme following a 

test at Estoril at the end of last year. 

Albon, who finished second in the 

CIK FIA World Karting Championship 

for KF1 this year, said: “Red Bull 

originally decided that I should go 

to BMW, but I always wanted to do 


the HSCC’s Jaguar E-type Challenge. 

Minshaw said: “For my first foray 

into a professional championship I felt 

I needed somebody with a wealth of 

experience in Porsches and Tim gives 

me that. After such a terrific year in 

historics I needed a bit of a challenge 

and always fancied doing a proper 

championship like British GT. 

“Now I’ve been fortunate to find a 

budget, I didn’t want to look back in 

Formula Renault and asked [Red 

Bull Junior programme manager] 

Dr [Helmut] Marko and he gave 

me the opportunity. 

“This is the biggest step I’ve 

made in my career – it’s like starting 

from zero again – so this year will 

be about experience and learning 

the tracks for 2013, that’s when I’ll 

10 years and think, ‘why didn’t I do 

that when I had the opportunity?’” 

Harvey, who last raced in British GT 

in a one-off for RPM in a Dodge Viper 

in 2007, added: “Jon is a competitive 

driver and serious racer. I wanted to 

be in a Porsche and Trackspeed has 

done a good job with the car.” 

Group C and Lola T70 racer Steve 

Tandy will also move into British GT 

with Trackspeed, partnering 2009 

Albon is targeting 

2013 Eurocup title 

be competing with the top boys.” 

German Stefan Wackerbauer, 16, won 

the 2011 Formula BMW Talent Cup and 

has also earned a Eurocup race berth, 

alongside Russian racer Daniil Kvyat. 

This year’s British Junior karting 

champion Callan O’Keeffe also 

appeared at the Estoril test and will 

now compete in the 2012 Talent Cup. 

Trackspeed will 

run three 997s 

European GT4 champion Joe Osborne. 

Osborne, who drove an Audi R8 in 

FIA GT3 in 2011, said: “Steve’s done 

well in historics. I know him from ’08 

when I raced a Ginetta G50 for RPM 

in GT4. We’ve always got on well. 

I want to get into historics, so to 

move in his circles should help.” 

Trackspeed is also expected to run 

a third upgraded 997 GT3-R for 2010 

British GT3 champion David Ashburn. 

Formula Abarth 

Scottish karter 

goes for Italian 

FORMER SCOTTISH KARTING 

champion Gregor Ramsay will 

graduate full time to the European 

and Italian Formula Abarth 

series in 2012 with Swiss team 

Jenzer Motorsport. 

Ramsay, 15, son of 1992 Scottish 

Junior Formula Ford 1600 and ’95 

BRC British FF1600 champ Scott, 

has joined FAbarth on the advice 

of Ferrari Driver Academy 

manager Luca Baldisserri. 

Englishman Andy Welch, who 

helped guide the early careers of 

the late Dan Wheldon and Danica 

Patrick in British Formula Ford, 

will engineer Ramsay at Jenzer. 

PICS: EBREY/LAT, RED BULL/CALISTO, GARY HAWKINS

Optimum will run 

new G55 in 2012 

British GT 

Optimum steps up to British GT 

SUCCESSFUL GINETTA SQUAD 

Optimum Motorsport will enter this 

year’s British GT3 championship with 

the latest-specification Ginetta G55. 

Shaun Goff and Ron Linn’s squad, 

which has won five Ginetta Challenge 

titles and ran George Murrells to 

a race win in last year’s inaugural 

GT Supercup, is looking to expand 

further into endurance racing. 

The line-up for the G55 in British GT 

has yet to be confirmed, but Optimum 

will take delivery of its 540bhp Ginetta 

G55 at the end of February and team 

principle Goff said he was already 

FORMER FORMULA PALMER AUDI 

champion Richard Plant will return to 

the Porsche Carrera Cup for a second 

season in 2012. 

The 21-year-old Derbyshire racer, 

who took the 2009 Formula Palmer 

Plant was top Carrera Cup rookie in 2011 

in discussions with several drivers. 

“We learnt a great deal in 2011 and 

are very confident we can hit the 

ground running in 2012,” he said. 

“The new Ginetta G55 GT3 is the 

perfect addition to our stable and 

enables us to offer a route to the 

pinnacle of British GT racing. 

“In the right hands, we expect the 

GT3 car to be a potential winner.” 

Murrells and G40 Challenge racer 

Lee Mowle have already competed 

with Optimum in Britcar and GT Trophy 

races in a Ginetta G50 and are expected 

to pair up again for Britcar in 2012. 

Ginetta GT Supercup 

Sharp to return for Ginetta title tilt 

GINETTA GT SUPERCUP 

frontrunner Tom Sharp plans to 

dovetail a return to the TOCAsupport 

category in 2012 with 

selected outings in British GT. 

Sharp, 20, won nine races – 

including the first six – and finished 

third in the inaugural title race last 

year with his family-run IDL team. 

He also appeared in the final 

two rounds of British GT, finishing 

10th in the three-hour Donington 

Park enduro in a works-blessed 

Rollcentre-run G55 and also 

driving in the Silverstone finale. 

Sharp is plotting a title assault 

in the GT Supercup, which will 

feature upgraded cars in 2012. 

Engine modifications to the 

top-spec G55s will hike power 

to 380bhp. 

Sharp said: “There’s no better 

Sharp and G55 were a strong combo in 2011 

way to improve your driving than 

in a closely matched one-make 

series, but I’m keen to get some 

more GT experience as well. 

“I enjoyed competing in the last 

two races in British GT with Ginetta 

and it’s definitely something I want 

to do more of.” 

Ginetta’s Junior championship 

(for 14-17-year-olds) has also 

been revised for 2012, with the 

introduction of slick tyres 

and a new rookie title. 

Porsche Carrera Cup 

Plant plots a fresh Porsche charge 

Audi title, finished fifth in last year’s 

Carrera Cup. He has re-signed with 

top squad Team Parker Racing for an 

assault on the drivers’ championship. 

Plant said: “Last year definitely 

exceeded my expectations. To be 

top rookie was a great achievement 

and the experience I gained and the 

relationships I built with everyone at 

the team made it the perfect fit for a 

title challenge in 2012. 

“Everything about the Parker squad 

is first class and I believe we have what 

it takes to really have a go at winning 

the series.” 

MARCUS PYE 

HUMBLE PYE 

The voice of club motor racing 

Five-starred in AUTOSPORT’s 

review of virgin race series 

(last week), the Historic 

Racing Drivers Club’s Touring 

Greats and Grand Touring Greats 

clearly won the hearts of racers and 

enthusiasts last season. Big grids, 

top value and plenty of harumscarum, 

tail-out track action are 

hallmarks of Julius Thurgood’s 

initiatives down the years, so why 

should anybody be surprised? 

There’s poetic licence in his 

Pre’60 tin-top rules, where vehicle 

specs mirroring those of the 

celebrated Goodwood Revival’s 

’50s ‘flashbacks’ encourage unlikely 

bolides. Purists may look elsewhere, 

but, with entertainment value king 

on both sides of the barrier, total 

authenticity matters not when 

motorsport and theatre are 

conjoined. This is clubbie fun 

by design, not a fastidious 

reincarnation of the period. 

While we are accustomed to 

‘red hot’ 1430cc Austin A35s (which 

come at a serious cost) duffing-up 

big bangers at Goodwood, interest 

in the Touring Greats ‘nipper’ class 

is running high. Darryl Davis of 

Moto-build Racing has thus evolved 

a budget A35 for those wishing to 

have a hoot battling Morris Minors 

and Abarth replica Fiats. 

The £15,000 Ashley A35R 

features a professionally prepared 

and caged shell with an MB-R 

1140cc engine specced using 

inexpensive standard parts and 

The HRDC offers 

big grids, top 

value and plenty 

of harum-scarum, 

tail-out track action” 

NEWS 

SPORTS EXTRA 

The HRDC was a 

2011 success story 

breathing through a Weber 

45DCOE carburettor. MG Midget 

disc/drum brakes and sorted 

suspension makes an accessible 

entry-level racer to share with 

pals or fly solo, with six 45-minute 

events in 2012. 

The 1500cc GT series follows 

the same calendar – Castle Combe, 

Snetterton, Spa, Donington, Lydden 

and Mallory Park – and eligibility 

format, although the single-driver 

races are over half an hour. 

For those demanding historic 

accuracy, the HRDC’s ‘TC63’ races 

(for Pre-’64 touring cars prepared 

to period FIA Appendix J Group 2 

regs), ‘GTS65’ (Pre-’66 sports cars in 

GT trim) and ‘MGB50’ series (Pre-’66 

FIA Appendix K cars and non-FIA 

MGBs of historical interest) are 

gathering momentum, too. No 

fewer than 72 owners have already 

registered for the B competition in 

the model’s Golden Jubilee year! 

Whichever HRDC series appeals, 

you can be certain it has been 

conceived from a competitor’s 

standpoint. But Thurgood’s 

strengths are also in brilliant 

branding and clever marketing. 

You won’t find an HRDC stand 

at AUTOSPORT International, alas, 

but catch up with Julius on the 

Coys auction enclave, where you 

might even pick up a car to join 

the fun that starts at 

Castle Combe on 

Easter Monday. 

See you at both.

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PICS: LAT ARCHIVE, EBREY/LAT 

IN BRIEF 

Belcher to Clios 

LEGENDS RACER SIMON BELCHER 

will graduate to the Clio Cup full time 

this year with multiple title-winning 

squad Team Pyro. The former British and 

European Jet Ski champion appeared at 

last year’s Brands finale in a self-run car 

and finished 15th and 16th in two races. 

FORMULA RENAULT BARC SQUAD 

Antel Motorsport has signed four drivers 

for its assault on the 2012 championship. 

British racer Raoul Owens and Russian 

Ivan Taranov will both return to FR BARC 

after switching to the team that ran Dino 

Zamparelli to the 2011 crown, while 

Formula Vee racer Henry Chart and 

karter Tom Oliphant will both step up. 

BRITCAR RACER JENSEN LUNN HAS 

reformed his Jensen Motorsport outfit 

for an assault on the 2012 British 

Endurance Championship with a 

Chevron GR8. The team competed in 

FF1600, FVauxhall, FRenault and British 

GT between 1999 and 2005 before Lunn 

stopped to focus on his driving career. 

THE PORSCHE GT3 CUP CHALLENGE 

will join Formula Renault BARC as part 

of the guest support package for the 

BTCC’s Silverstone finale in 2012. The 

move is the result of closer ties between 

the lower-level Porsche category and the 

premier Carrera Cup GB for this season. 

FORMULA FORD RACER NEIL 

Alberico will return to his native US 

this year to contest USF2000 with JDC 

MotorSports. Alberico, 19, was ninth in 

British Formula Ford in a CDR Ray in 2011. 

THE CLASSIC SPORTS CAR CLUB 

will run a series of races for Modsports 

and Special Saloons in 2012. The 

four-round series will include doubleheaders 

at Silverstone, Castle Combe, 

Mallory Park and Donington Park. 

THE FLEDGLING JD CLASSICS 

saloon car series will allow earlier cars 

into its ranks in 2012. The eligibility start 

date has been pushed back from 1972 

to ’66 in an effort to encourage Ford 

Anglias and Escorts onto the MRL-run 

grid for pre-’85 BTCC and ETCC racers. 

Older cars will be eligible for JD Classics 

Classic Thunder 

Super Tourer for Whittaker 

KUMHO BMW CHAMPION 

Garrie Whittaker is building a Super 

Touring replica for an assault on 

Classic Thunder this season. 

Whittaker dominated the BMW 

series in 2011 and scored Classic 

Thunder successes in his E36 M3. 

He is now building a faster version for 

Classic Touring Racing Car Club events. 

“I didn’t have enough opposition in 

Kumho, so I’m doing Classic Thunder 

to get a good race,” he said. 

“When you’re allowed to modify your 

car, if you’re not as quick as someone 

you’ll change it until you are. In Classic 

Thunder anything can happen.” 

The car will run a 390bhp E46 engine 

built by Gee-Sport and will appear in a 

livery based on Johnny Cecotto’s 1998 

German Super Tourenwagen 

Meisterschaft BMW 320i. 

Other successful club tin-top racers 

are also expected to race in Classic 

Thunder this season. Former Classic 

C4R will race 

this season 

Cecotto drove BMW 320i 

Super Tourer in Germany 

Kumho BMW champ is building Cecotto 320i replica for Classic Thunder 

Historics 

Shuckburgh 

to race replica 

Cunningham 

BEN SHUCKBURGH’S REPLICA OF 

a 1955-spec Cunningham C4R, which 

appeared briefly in practice at last 

year’s Goodwood Revival, will 

be raced this season. 

Shuckburgh is targeting the 

Le Mans Classic alongside RAC 

Woodcote Trophy and new FISCAR 

Group C/GTP 

Rare Toyotas to join Group C revival series 

TOYOTA IS SET TO JOIN THE GROUP 

C/GTP grid for the first time in 2012 

thanks to historic ace Kent Abrahamsson 

buying two of the Japanese marque’s 

cars from the late 1980s. 

Abrahamsson, who is a Group C 

regular at the wheel of a Nissan R90C, 

has acquired a Group C Toyota 87C 

and an IMSA GTP Eagle-Toyota HF89. 

The Group C car, chassis 003, raced 

(1950s sportscars) events. 

Shuckburgh, who will share the 

car with Ludovic Lindsay, said: “Fifties 

sports-racing cars have always, in 

my view, been the absolute pinnacle, 

but the best were also out of reach 

at Le Mans in 1987 with a roster of 

drivers including ex-F1 world champion 

Alan Jones. The Eagle, chassis AAR 06, 

raced in IMSA in 1989-90. 

Abrahamsson said: “These cars have 

great history. The 87C is ready to go. I’ll 

test it, see how it goes and then decide 

when to race it. The Eagle is as it 

finished its final race in 1990.” 

Series boss Bob Berridge added: 

NEWS 

SPORTS EXTRA 

Group 1 champion Stacy Vickers is 

developing a Mazda RX7, while Joss 

Ronchetti is planning to enter his 

recently acquired Holden Monaro. 

Whittaker has not ruled out Kumho 

BMW appearances in his old car and 

is also considering outings in Euro 

Saloons and GT Cup, as well as a Britcar 

race with BMW rival Colin Wells. 

→ 

P112 BMW TRACK TEST 

financially. Both original C4Rs are in 

museums, so, having found a ’52 C3 

project, I started to create one.” 

The Collier Motor Museum in 

Florida (which has an original) and 

builder Jim Stokes’s workshop in 

Hampshire have aided the project. 

“I’ve run it in on the road,” added 

Shuckburgh. “The Chrysler engine 

seems to make plenty of power, but 

the drum brakes are pretty useless 

so it’s going to take some taming. 

“I’m testing at Donington next 

month and plan to debut it there 

in the Historic Festival in May.” 

“We’ve never had a Toyota before; they 

are like hen’s teeth.” 

Rare Toyota 

will race again 


Whittaker drove M3 GT4 

(left), then fierce Z4 GT3 


Works driver 

for a day 

When Garrie Whittaker racked up over 20 club wins in 2011, 

he had no idea it could lead to a test with BMW. By KEVIN TURNER 

Most club drivers toil away 

with their own machines 

for years and, however 

successful they are, don’t get the 

chance to drive a factory-prepared 

racer. Happily, thanks to BMW, Garrie 

Whittaker is no longer in that category. 

Whittaker took his own BMW E36 

M3 to AUTOSPORT’s 2011 Golden 

Helmet for scoring the most race wins 

in the British Isles and we were able 

to reward him with a trip to Valencia 

before Christmas. There, he got to drive 

two of the Munich marque’s latest GTs: 

the GT4 E90 M3 and the GT3 Z4. 

“I didn’t sleep for a week after I 

found out I was doing it,” he admits. 

“I was thinking the plane would break 

down, I’d miss the flight, or I’d fall 

over in a lift and break something. I 

couldn’t believe it, especially after we 

looked up the Z4 and realised it’s worth 

something like ¤300,000.” 

When Whittaker does arrive at the 

Spanish circuit he’s met with another 

unfamiliar sight: a paddock that is 

empty and lifeless but for the BMW 

Motorsport truck. He is to share 

the day with four other drivers, but 

otherwise has the circuit to himself. 

They quickly get started on the 

briefings and all the drivers are taken 

around the track in a 5-series Bimmer. 

Then it’s time to get acquainted with 

the slick-shod GT4 M3 and GT3 Z4. 

“I can’t believe they’re going to let 

me out in their cars,” says Whittaker. 

First up is the M3. The GT4-spec car, 

which took both the drivers’ and teams’ 

titles in the 2011 GT4 European Cup, is 

relatively close to the road car on which 

it is based. Whittaker’s normal steed 

is a Group N-style BMW E36 M3, so 

it’s perhaps not surprising that he 

quickly finds his feet. 

“It doesn’t feel any different to my 

E36, which has 291bhp at the wheels,” 

he says after his 10-lap run. “The 

shocking thing is that the M3 has 

420bhp and I was expecting to put my 

foot down and really have to catch it, 

but it’s also quite heavy so it was fine.” 

With the starter rapidly consumed, 

attention swiftly turns to the main 

course. Launched in 2010, the GT3 Z4 

has racked up wins in the competitive 

FIA GT3 and Blancpain Endurance 

championships, as well as taking 

victory in the 2011 Dubai 24 Hours. 

Works driver Dirk Adorf is on hand 

to offer advice, and takes the car out 

on new tyres to make sure everything 

is doing what it should. 

Other drivers get their runs before 

Whittaker, so the tyres are well past 

their best when he climbs in, but that’s 

not his first worry: “It’s got paddleshift 

and I’ve never driven with that before.” 

It’s also got traction control 

and dynamic stability control, and 

Whittaker is told not to change the 

settings. “They are there to look 

after you,” says the engineer. 

The Kumho BMW champion is not

M3 felt little different to 

Whittaker’s club racer 

tall, so he needs cushions to enable 

him to see past the long bonnet that 

contains the 4.4-litre engine, producing 

over 500bhp. It’s intimidating, but 

Whittaker is allowed as many laps 

as he can cope with. 

There’s one last warning before he 

goes out. “There’s a new kerb out the 

back. The front splitter is ¤5000 so 

don’t hit that because it will rip it off.” 

Whittaker heads out, trying to 

remember what each of the myriad 

buttons and knobs do. He seems to 

do so pretty well and stays out for 

nearly 30 laps. Not only that, but 

he outpaces the other guests, and 

gets within around four seconds 

of Adorf’s benchmark. 

“It was even more different than I 

expected,” he says afterwards. “It was 

getting to about 160mph on the startfinish 

straight and goes through the 

gears so quickly – it wants the next 

one straight away. Everything happens 

a couple of seconds before you think 

it’s going to, but after about five 

laps I was thinking, ‘This is all 

right, I like this!’” 

The braking also takes some 

getting used to. “I didn’t 

get the ABS to kick 

in once,” he says. 

“I pressed the pedal harder and harder 

and it just stops quicker.” 

After an extensive debrief, Whittaker 

speaks to Adorf over lunch. Being a 

competitive club driver, Whittaker 

wants to know how to go quicker on his 

second run. “The pressure is all coming 

from me,” he says. “They are all about 

making sure I have a good time.” 

Once again the tyres are pretty worn 

by the time he gets in, but Whittaker 

is determined to press on and make 

the most of his chance. Only when he 

comes in is it noticed that the traction 

control has been turned off. 

Whittaker maintains his 

innocence, which the crew 

are able to confirm when 

they check the data 

logging. It must have been knocked 

during the driver change… 

“A bit lairy,” is Whittaker’s response 

when asked how it was without TC, and 

there are black lines out of the hairpins 

to prove it. “I had one moment on full 

opposite lock, but it came back.” 

But he hasn’t gone any quicker than 

in the morning and wants to look at 

the data to see where he is losing out 

to Adorf. He’s never driven an aero car 

before and isn’t trusting it to turn in 

on the brakes enough at Valencia’s fast 

first corner. The engineer goes through 

the rest of the lap, pointing out that 

much of the deficit is due to 

the worn tyres. “But I reckon 

I’m still two seconds off,” 

says Whittaker, who 

is clearly in full 

TRACK TEST 

BMW M3 & Z4 

BMW M3 GT4 

Engine 4.0-litre V8 

Power 420bhp 

Weight 1380kg 

Price ¤123,500 (exc VAT) 

BMW Z4 GT3 

Engine 4.4-litre V8 

Power 515bhp 

Weight 1190kg 

Price ¤315,000 (exc VAT) 


PICS: BMW, GARY HAWKINS 

BMW Z4 has been 

successful in GT3 

want-to-go-faster mode. “As a racer 

you want to know how quick you are. 

“What are the chances of putting 

on a new set of tyres and letting 

me have another go?” 

The engineer’s answer is courteous 

but unbending: “The problem with an 

aero car is you’ve got grip, grip, grip, 

and then you go off. We don’t want 

you to go off today.” 

Whittaker then has his eye on a 

set of the BMW Motorsport overalls. 

“You can have them, but you have to 

buy the car first,” is the response. 

That’s not an option, but Whittaker 

is clearly impressed with the Z4. “The 

only reason I came in on the second 

run was because it ran out of fuel!” 

he says. “It was such good fun. 

“I’m always thinking what to do next 

and I’d never thought of British GT 

[for which both cars are eligible] 

until I drove the Z4.” 

It’s also fair to say that Whittaker 

has done himself and British club 

racers proud with his performance, 

even if he is frustrated to be off the 

pace of the established pro. And 

he already has a plan to improve: 

“Now I’m determined to get some 

aero on my E36 so I can get some 

downforce experience.” 

Whittaker listens to 

BMW instructions 

BMW 

BLITZER 

GARRIE WHITTAKER IS THE 

second tin-top driver to win the 

AUTOSPORT Golden Helmet since 

we revived it in 2008. The BMW 

ace joined Rod Birley as the mostsuccessful 

pilot in the UK in a given 

year by taking 22 wins in his E36 M3. 

To achieve that he dominated 

the Kumho BMW Championship – 

finally taking the overall title after 

years of trying – as well as scoring 

successes in Classic Thunder and 

the Classic Sports Car Club’s new 

Deutsche Marque series. 

“I didn’t realise the Golden 

Helmet existed at the start 

of the year,” he admits. 

“I was always going to do 

Kumho, and I did a Classic Thunder 

race in 2010 and quite liked it. At 

the start of the year I persuaded 

[rival BMW driver] Dan Stringfellow 

to do the Classic Thunder round 

at Oulton Park and he beat me. 

If I hadn’t badgered him I’d have 

won that championship too.” 

Apart from some Jim Russell 

Racing School events in the late 

1990s, the 45-year-old didn’t do 

any competitive driving until he 

entered an E30 M3 in the Kumho 

championship in 2006. “I only did 

it because I wanted to drive an E30 

and learn the circuits,” he says. 

After several near-misses and 

numerous wins with the E30, 

Whittaker finally 

landed Kumho title 

Whittaker moved to the E36 

and won 17 Kumho races in 2011, 

despite running most of the year 

with 45kg of success ballast. More 

of a challenge was Classic Thunder, 

in which he took four wins, but it 

is a race he lost that stands out. 

“My favourite race of the year 

was coming fifth at Brands Hatch,” 

says Whittaker. “We’d just put 

slicks on for Classic Thunder and 

didn’t even add any more rear 

camber. I had a massive spin at 

Paddock on the first lap. Nobody 

touched me and I got going, but I’d 

ripped a front brake duct off so at 

TRACK TEST 

BMW M3 & Z4 

about half-distance I’d overheated 

the front brakes. 

“I was having such a good time 

I thought I’d be all right. My best 

overtake was on Keith Butcher’s 

Super Touring Nissan. We both 

braked for Paddock at the same 

place but nothing happened so 

I went straight past him on the 

inside! It was my worst result 

of the year and best race.” 

The result is that although 

Whittaker will keep his current E36 

for occasional Kumho outings, his 

focus is now on a Super Touring 

E36 replica for Classic Thunder. 

POS DRIVER (CAR/CARS) O/ALL CL. TOT. 

1 Garrie Whittaker (BMW E36 M3) 22 0 22 

2 Scott Malvern (Mygale SJ11) 19 0 19 

3 Mark Burton (Jade Trackstar) 18 0 18 

4 Ross Marshall (Ford Coupe/Ford Escort) 16 2 18 

5 Tom Roche (Mazda MX5 Mk1/Mk3/Alfa Romeo GTV) 16 1 17 

6 Kenneth Thirlwall (Van Diemen RF92) 16 1 17 

7 John Marshall (Ford Escort Mk1/Ford Coupe) 12 5 17 

8 Nic Grindrod (SHP Pickup) 15 0 15 

9 Paul Bellamy (BMW 318is) 1 14 15 

10 Stephen Treherne (Ford Coupe) 14 0 14 

11 Mark Coleing (Caterham CSR 260) 14 0 14 

12 Garry Watson (Westfield SEiW) 12 2 14 

Repechage, consolation, ‘overflow entry’ and handicap races not included. 

Races/classes must have minimum six starters, and be scheduled for a minimum distance of 10 miles. 

Overall wins take precedence in the event of a tie, followed by average grid size. 

For any queries, email us at autosport.editorial@haynet.com 


FINAL DRIVE 

■ LETTERS ■ GEAR ■ ON-TRACK ■ ON-SCREEN ■ PICS ■ TECH ■ ARCHIVE 

YOUR SAY 

What you think of the motorsport news of the past week 

Curtains for Buemi 

and Alguersuari 

Chances run out at Toro Rosso 

I agree with Red Bull’s Helmut Marko that Sebastien Buemi and 

Jaime Alguersuari were given enough chances to demonstrate 

that they are ‘winners’. The Toro Rosso was certainly quick in 

some of the races, but Buemi and Alguersuari didn’t seem to 

be extracting the best out of their machinery. 

Toro Rosso has become a test bed for future world champions. 

But sadly these two have failed to inspire like Sebastian Vettel 

did when he was there. It’s only right to bring on the next 

generation of drivers in order to seek out that ‘Vettel magic’. 

Luciane Sabiston, Didcot, Oxon 

EDITORIAL CONTACT mail@autosport.com 

I was disappointed to 

read of Kris Meeke’s 

omission from the 

Mini WRC team due 

to lack of funding. 

I had hoped that maybe 

this was a British driver 

in a British car that could 

have kickstarted interest 

in the sport – much needed 

at present – that was 

previously generated 

when Richard Burns and 

Colin McRae competed. 

But cash rules, and 

if necessary in these 

times funded drivers 

will get the drives, 

but it’s a shame. 

Andy Maclean 

Churchill, Oxon 


Just a word on Patrick 

Head as he leaves F1. 

He has done as much 

for our sport as any 

driver, owner or engineer/ 

designer. His innovation 

and solid engineering 

spoke for itself. 

I became a Williams 

supporter from the days 

that the white and green 

cars started to beat the 

black and gold cars. 

Patrick in particular got my 

attention and I hung on 

every word of interviews 

either in print or audio. 

Often preceded by 

“I have to say…”, you 

knew what was coming 

was pure gold – a profound 

statement of common 

sense said with 

forthright opinion. 

David Metcalf 

By email 

In response to Jacob 

Hanerman’s letter on 

how F1 can crack the 

States (January 5), I have 

a suggestion: make May 

the teams’ break, and 

allow F1 drivers to 

compete in the Indy 500 

for a regular IndyCar team. 

Having F1 drivers take 

part in the great American 

race would help capture 

the US imagination. 

Benjamin Middlewood 

By email 

Bernie Ecclestone is 

complaining that the 

US will not take to F1. 

It has embraced F1 in the 

past and has quite a large 

fan base. And the teams 

need a presence over 

there for their sponsors. 

But times have changed 

and it is questionable 

whether huge amounts 

of money can be put into 

circuits which may never 

turn a profit. 

Perhaps Bernie should 

be more realistic about 

the viability of these 

races before asking 

them to sign up. 

Brendan Budgen 

Woodley, Berks 

TOP FIVE ON 

OUR WEBSITE 

1. SENNA DOWNPLAYS 

WILLIAMS RUMOURS 

2. FIA CLARIFIES DEFENSIVE 

DRIVING RULES 

3. WILLIAMS LOOKING FOR 

NEW TITLE SPONSOR 

4. ROSBERG: MISSING 

TEST NO PROBLEM 

5. RAIKKONEN: COMEBACK 

FANFARE NO WORRY 

TOP STORY ONLINE 

NICO ROSBERG: A FUTURE F1 CHAMPION? 

To read this exclusive feature 

and many others like it, log on to 

autosport.com/plus and choose which 

package you’d like. A month will cost 

£5.50, a year £46. Includes access 

to Forix – the ultimate stats website. 

WIN! 

ROAD ANGEL VANTAGE 

This week’s star letter will receive 

a Road Angel Vantage – a dedicated 

safety camera and blackspot locator 

that displays the legal speed limit of 

every road you drive, automatically 

and wirelessly updating its database 

every few minutes as you drive. 

For more details on Road Angel 

visit www.roadangelgroup.com 

Please ensure that your full address 

is included on all correspondence. 

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS 

l Marijn van Kalmthout’s Donington Park National lap 

record was set in a race for the fledgling BOSS GP series, 

not EuroBOSS as reported in our ‘Fastest laps in the 

British Isles’ feature (January 5, page 64). 

It is the policy of AUTOSPORT to correct significant errors as 

soon as possible. Please note the issue date and page number 

when contacting us on autosport.editorial@haynet.com 

PIC: COATES/LAT

THE LATEST GEAR 

The most desirable new releases for motor racing fans: books, DVDs, models, art and gifts 

OFFICIAL F1 2011 

SEASON REVIEW DVD 

£16.99 

autosport.com/shop 

This year’s official review 

runs to more than five hours 

of footage. A highlight is 

the amount of unheard 

radio banter from each 

race, featuring a lot of 

(bleeped out) language! 

Lowlights? Glossing over 

stories such as Renault’s 

driver changes, and too 

many Vettel interviews. 

FUJIMI FERRARI F10 

1:20 PLASTIC KIT 

£59.80 

grandprixmodels.com 

Fujimi’s 1:20-scale plastic 

kit of Ferrari’s 2010 

Formula 1 challenger, 

the F10, is incredibly 

detailed, with 130 parts. 

It’s officially licensed 

by the Scuderia, too, so 

accuracy is guaranteed. 

The kit comes with 

decals to make up either 

the Alonso or Massa car. 

WRC: WORLD RALLY 

CHAMPIONSHIP 2 GAME 

£14.99 (PS3/Xbox 360/PC) 

play.com 

The second instalment 

of the official WRC series 

doesn’t take things on 

much from its predecessor, 

but it does have more cars 

(now 20 in WRC class), the 

2011 field in full and the 

new-spec pocket rockets. It 

can’t be expected to match 

the big-budget DIRT series, 

but it remains too far off. 

FINAL DRIVE 

LETTERS & REVIEWS 

UVEX CARBON HELMET 

£POA 

gprdirect.com 

Grand Prix Racewear has become the 

sole UK distributor for Uvex helmets 

and the all-carbon, futuristic model is 

soon going to be available to budding 

racers for the 2012 season. 

If the helmet’s good enough for 2011 

DTM champion Martin Tomczyk (the 

picture shows his Red Bull Audi-liveried 

example from last season), then it’s good 

enough for you. 

No prices have been released yet, but 

keep an eye on the website for details. 

HOT ON THE WEB THIS WEEK 

YOUTUBE: FRANCHITTI DRIVES HERO CLARK’S INDYCAR 

SEARCH FOR: Exclusive: Dario Franchitti Drives Jim Clark’s Indy-Winning 

Lotus 38 Ford (5:51) 

As you’ll have read in Dario Franchitti’s intro to our Jim Clark tribute, he 

realised a dream driving the Lotus 38. Here, you can watch how he got on. 


WHAT’S ON… 

Your guide to the best events taking place in the UK and around the world this week – plus TV and online 

MONTE CARLO RALLY 

World Rally Championship 

Rd 1/13 

Valence, France/Monte Carlo, Monaco 

January 18-22 

wrc.com 

Rallying’s blue-riband returns to the WRC fold 

for the first time since 2008, and there’s a 

number of storylines: Mikko Hirvonen is at 

Citroen; Sebastien Ogier is in a Skoda. But will 

it make a difference to Loeb’s domination? 

WIN 

TWO TICKETS 

TO ATTEND THE 

LAUNCH OF A NEW 

GRAND PRIX CAR 

XX 118 autosport.com January 15 12 2009 2012 

Monte returns to WRC after 

three years on IRC calendar 


January 12-15 

Birmingham NEC 

The annual AUTOSPORT International 

show returns to Birmingham’s NEC, 

bringing together teams, drivers and a 

host of specialist engineering and supply 

companies – from karting right up to 

Formula 1 – under one roof. 

DAKAR RALLY 

Stages 11-14 

Arica, Chile – Lima, Peru 

January 12-15 

dakar.com 

The 2012 Dakar Rally heads into the 

majestic dunes of Peru for the final 

four days. After seven stages Nasser 

Al-Attiyah’s bid to repeat his 2011 win is 

under pressure from Mini’s Stephane 

Peterhansel and Krzysztof Holowczyc, 

the Qatari driver trailing by just over 

40 minutes. Can he recover the deficit 

before reaching Lima? 

COMPETITION 

Hilton HHonors TM , the guest loyalty programme for the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of hotels, are pleased to offer you and a guest the chance to attend the official launch of the 

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-27. The event, which is not open to the public, is due to take place at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey on February 1 and will involve 

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button revealing their car for the 2012 grand prix season. In addition, each winner and guest will receive a year of free access to AUTOSPORT.com PLUS. 

Everyone who enters will receive one month’s free access to AUTOSPORT.com PLUS. 

To win, answer this question. Which of the current Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers most recently won the world championship? ❏ A: Jenson Button ❏ B: Lewis Hamilton 

To enter scan the QR code, visit www.autosport.com/competition or visit us at the AUTOSPORT, F1 Racing, Motorsport News or magazineshop.com stands at AUTOSPORT International. 

Essential terms and conditions: 1. To enter: visit AUTOSPORT, F1 Racing, Motorsport News or magazineshop.com stands at AUTOSPORT International or via AUTOSPORT.com/competition. 2. Entries close: 11.59pm 

January 24, 2012 3. Prize(s) are: as stated above, two winners and guest to attend the official 2012 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes launch at the McLaren Technology Centre. Transportation, subsistence or other costs 

incurred are at the winner's own expense. The location of the launch is subject to change and is at the sole decision of McLaren. 4. Open to UK residents aged 18 or over. 5. Approval will be necessary of the winner/ 

guests (ie if the winners or their guests work for/in the motorsport industry as an employee of or as a supplier to an F1 team, an engine supplier of a competitive team or in the media, be it general or F1 media, they 

could be subject to rejection). There can be no late substitution of prior supplied names. 6. Dress code will be obligatory. No communication of the launch via any digital channel will be permitted during the day (no 

image capture or recording, live blogging or tweets). 7. There will be no direct meeting with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers. 8. No cash alternative. Prizes are non-transferable. 9. Only one entry per person. 

10. For full terms and conditions see: AUTOSPORT.com. The Promoter: Haymarket Media Group, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 9BE. 

www.autosport.com/competition 

ANDROS TROPHY 

Rd 5/7 

Lans-en-Vercors, France 

January 13-14 

tropheeandros.com 

Jean-Philippe Dayraut overhauled 

Alain Prost at the summit of the 

championship in the previous round, 

but the four-time F1 champion 

remains in the hunt. 

24 HOURS OF DUBAI 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

January 13-14 

24hdubai.com 

NEW ZEALAND V8 TOURING CARS 

Rd 3/6 

Teretonga, New Zealand 

January 15 

nzv8s.co.nz 

TOYOTA RACING SERIES 

Rd 1/5 

Teretonga, New Zealand 

January 14-15 

toyotaracing.co.nz 

PICS: GRIFFITHS/LAT, LENNON/GETTY, PHOTO4

Television 

THURSDAY JANUARY 12 

0505-0600, 1620-1720 Motors TV 

Andros Trophy: Isola 2000 

0730-0815, 1130-1215, 

1725-1815 Eurosport 

Dakar Rally: Day 10 

1815-1845 Eurosport LIVE 


1900-2000 Sky Sports 4 

Racemax 



2100-2305 Motors TV 

Dubai 24 Hours: Qualifying Highlights 

FRIDAY JANUARY 13 



0900-1210, 1700-2000, 

2135-2205 Motors TV LIVE 

Dubai 24 Hours 



1300-1400 Sky Sports 3 

Racemax 

1800-1830, 1915-1945 Eurosport LIVE 




SATURDAY JANUARY 14 

0030-0115, 0730-0815 Eurosport 


0400-0425 Channel 5 

Motorsport Mundial 

0600-0700 Sky Sports 4 

Racemax 

0700-0800 Sky Sports 4 

Max Power 

REVVED UP OVER 

WHAT’S ON THE BOX 

We cast a critical eye over the best 

and worst of this week’s TV shows 


Dubai 24 Hours: Highlights 

2200-2245, 2345-0030 Eurosport 


SUNDAY JANUARY 15 







MONDAY JANUARY 16 

0315-0600, 1005-1310 Motors TV 


1230-1300, 1900-1930 ESPN Classic 

F1 British GP 1973 

1500-1600 Sky Sports 2 

Max Power 

1830-1900 ESPN Classic 

F1 British GP 1969 

Silverstone, 1969: 

Piers Courage in action 

Only on the Dakar can bikes 

be more practical than cars 

MUCH AS PUMPKIN 

sales peak around 

the end of October, 

Quality Street tins are 

conspicuous by their 

absence outside of 

December and Brits are 

only seen playing tennis 

around Wimbledon time, 

casual interest in the 

sport of rally-raiding 

reaches its pinnacle 

right about now. 

Of course, I mean the 

Dakar, or the Paris-Dakar 

as it was when I was a 

lad – but given that it 

neither starts in France 

nor finishes in Senegal, 

what it’s called doesn’t 

really seem to matter 

these days. 

Eurosport is the 

custodian of the rights, 

Online 

Coming up on the web this week 


AUTOSPORT International, the 

world’s best racing car show, takes 

place from January 12-15, so where 

better than AUTOSPORT.com to 

keep you up to date with all the 

breaking news from Birmingham’s 

NEC? Plus, find out whether 

Stephane Peterhansel takes his 

10th Dakar Rally win as the enduro 

concludes in Peru, or whether 

Krzysztof Holowczyc or Robby 

Gordon can defeat him. 

which means that live 

coverage starts whenever 

they can be bothered. 

Setting the Sky Plus to 

record any of the said 

action is a lesson in 

abject futility. Still, half 

a live stage is better than 

nothing, if only just. 

On Monday evening, 

it was the Copiato- 

Antafagasto trek that was 

beamed into our living 

rooms. And it was dusty. 

And windy. So dusty and 

windy, in fact, that a huge 

patch of soggy mud had 

been rendered invisible, 

which caught almost all 

the intrepid motorcycle 

entrants out, resulting in 

some comical footage as 

they were plunged head 

over heels into what was 

Read AUTOSPORT.com on 

your phone to keep up to date 

AUTOSPORT.COM ANDROID APP OUT NOW 

The AUTOSPORT app is now available for 

Android. Dial up AUTOSPORT.com on your 

smart phone for instant access to news, 

feature articles, image galleries and live 

text race commentary for a one-off fee of 

only £2.99 (there is no renewal cost). 

For more info, visit www.autosport.com/app 

bordering on quicksand. 

The ‘live’ action was 

restricted to showing the 

cars roll into the finish, 

but did provide some 

unexpected treats, not 

least Nani Roma having 

a massive pop at Nasser 

Al-Attiyah’s co-driver 

for failing to warn them 

when they made a 

pass mid-stage. 

Al-Attiyah had already 

given rise to a gem from 

this column’s favourite 

(ahem) commentator 

Carlton Kirby, who 

speculated that Robby 

FINAL DRIVE 

WHAT’S ON 

Gordon’s reaction to 

driving by his Hummer 

team-mate – temporarily 

sidelined with an 

alternator problem – 

was… “I bet it was hand 

signals only, if you get 

my drift, ha ha ha.” 

Infuriating as Kirby 

can be, his bizarre asides 

somehow suit an event 

that’s named after a place 

that it doesn’t visit and 

pushes its entrants 

to the limit of human 

endurance, but only if 

the weather’s right. 

Revved Up 

“The Dakar was the Paris-Dakar when 

I was a lad, but it neither starts 

in France nor finishes in Senegal” 


PICS: LENNON/GETTY, HORSBURGH/EDGE 

THE WEEK IN PICTURES 

Our lensmen pounding the beat, from Australia to South America 

UPHILL TASK FOR NASSER IN HIS HUMMER 

Last year’s Dakar Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah won stage seven to close on the leaders 

but then fell back on the next test after problems. He’s now 45 minutes in arrears 

TIN-TOP RACERS PAY TRIBUTE TO RICHARDS 

Aussie V8 stars Andrew Jones, Jason Bright and Paul Dumbrell 

honour fallen colleague Jason Richards at a Melbourne memorial 


SIX WHEELS ON THE THEIR WAGONS 

The annual ‘Wrooom’ press skiing event in Madonna di Campiglio gave 

Fernando Alonso and Valentino Rossi a chance to share secrets 

NASTY NOSEDIVE FOR SPANISH RACER 

Lucio Alvarez performs an unwanted ‘stoppie’ 

in his Toyota truck during SS7 of the Dakar

PIC: LAT ARCHIVE 

FROM THE ARCHIVE 

Formula 1 star proves adept at racing and rallying Cortina tin-top 

“Clark clung on and 

was rewarded when the 

Mustang retired and 

the Galaxie went off” 

JIM CLARK IS FAMOUS FOR MANY MOTORSPORT 

achievements, but outside his single-seater career 

many people remember his three-wheeled antics 

in Ford Lotus Cortinas. 

The Scot had already taken his first British Touring 

Car victory in a Ford Galaxie when he went into 1964 

with the 1600cc Lotus-tuned tin-top. He scored the 

first of his seven Cortina BTCC wins pretty quickly, 

but it took a bit of luck to beat the quickest of the 

American V8s at April’s Oulton Park round. 

The Galaxie of Jack Sears took command and was 

pulling away from Clark when a defective oil seal sent 

him off at Lodge. Clark was left to take an easy win. 

There were similar stories at Crystal Palace in 

May and Oulton in September. Sears led both, only to 

suffer a blown tyre in London and ignition failure in 

Cheshire. Clark took the wins, which, along with class 

successes throughout the year, gave the reigning F1 

world champion the BTCC title. 

Clark needed no such good fortune at Goodwood 

in 1965. Now Sears was in a Cortina and, when rain 

hit, the duo left the bigger cars behind, with Clark 

winning by 11 seconds. 

Four rounds later, Clark’s fine Oulton Park luck 

returned. He and Sears streaked away as Roy 

Pierpoint’s Ford Mustang triggered a multi-car shunt 

Clark takes the flag 

at Brands in ’66 

behind. Jack Brabham’s Mustang emerged from the 

melee to catch the Cortinas and win on the road, but 

was then disqualified. Clark was again the beneficiary. 

Perhaps his best BTCC performance was his next 

victory, at Brands Hatch on August Bank Holiday 

1966. By now Jackie Oliver led the V8 onslaught in 

his 4.7-litre Mustang, but a brief downpour levelled 

the playing field. Clark shot into the lead from the 

off and was never headed as the track dried. 

Clark’s eighth and final BTCC win was once again 

due to a tenacious drive spliced with some good 

fortune. After a good start at Oulton in September ’66, 

Clark was soon overpowered by Oliver’s Mustang and 

Brian Muir’s seven-litre Galaxie. He clung on and was 

rewarded when Oliver’s stub axle broke and Muir 

went off thanks to his brake pedal going to the floor. 

Just two months later, Clark showed he could handle 

the Cortina on the rough as well. Tackling the RAC Rally 

with Brian Melia, Clark was fifth quickest on the first 

stage and ran in the top 10 early on. Despite the odd 

puncture, Clark was “consistently fast and was going 

as quickly and smoothly as ever” according to our report. 

The duo spectacularly retired when the Cortina got 

airborne over some humps and flipped into some trees, 

but not before Clark had set three fastest stage times 

and added another dimension to his versatility. 

FINAL DRIVE 

PHOTO FINISH 

THIS WEEK IN… 

JANUARY 11 1990 

IT WAS A BUSY SEVEN DAYS FOR 

AUTOSPORT in 1990, with the 

annual AUTOSPORT Awards show at 

Cafe Royal and the Racing Car Show 

in Olympia to attend. It also proved 

a historic week with the unveiling of 

David Coulthard as the first winner of 

the newly created McLaren/AUTOSPORT 

Young Driver of the Year Award. 

As part of his prize for winning the 

Award, which has since been claimed 

by Jenson Button, Dario Franchitti and 

Paul di Resta, Coulthard received the 

opportunity to drive a McLaren F1 car. 

He would go on to join the team for 

1996, taking 12 of his 13 grand prix 

wins there and finishing runner-up 

in the 2001 world championship. 

Across in Olympia, the 1990 Racing 

Car Show proved a massive draw, with 

an array of race machinery, including 

the Cooper T53 in which Jack Brabham 

won the 1960 F1 world title. 

DID YOU BEAT THE 

GRAND PRIX PREDICTOR? Visit castroledgerankings.com/predictor 


RACE OF MY LIFE 

RAY MALLOCK 

■ Shellsport Formula 5000 ■ Snetterton ■ August 1, 1976 ■ March-Ford 752 ■ Victory in underdog F2 car 

THE BACKGROUND TO MY 

favourite race was that I’d gone 

into 1976 expecting to run the 

latest Lola Formula 2 car, the T460. 

It was basically a Formula Atlantic 

car with an F2 engine and I’d tested 

at the end of ’75 at Snetterton. It 

was a fabulous car – I lapped in 

under a minute – so I ordered one! 

Well, since my test and the car’s 

arrival it had had endless tweaks 

to the wheelbase, the tracking and 

the aero which meant it now 

handled like a pig! 

Because it was so far off the pace 

(three seconds at Snetterton) we 

decided to sell it and make the best 

of the season with what we could 

get together. John Wingfield kindly 

loaned us his Ralt RT1 for a couple 

of races which was a super little car 

and I got good results at Rouen and 

Hockenheim with it. 

By mid-season we had wheeled 

out the ’75 March Formula Atlantic 

car but fitted with a two-litre 

Swindon BDX motor. It had a 

good steady chassis, designed 

by Harvey Postlethwaite. Using 

some of the lessons learned from 

the RT1 we converted the March 

to full width nose (off a Mallock), 

front radiator and we stiffened 

the chassis considerably with 

PICS: LAT FINAL DRIVE 


“Mike and I were running one-two, but I realised the 

only way I was going to beat him was if I could pass 

him in two places on the same lap. And it worked!” 

an engine-bay cross-brace. 

When we arrived at Snetterton 

for the August 1 meeting we had 

done no testing with the car in 

that configuration. It was OK but 

not as well balanced as I would’ve 

liked and I qualified seventh. 

We made some set-up changes 

for the race and off we went! I made 

a good start and got into the thick 

IN PROFILE 

of a scrap at the front. One of the 

changes we had made was fitting a 

cockpit-adjustable anti-roll bar for 

the first time. The mods we’d made 

nailed the front end, but the rear 

was too nervous, so for the first 

time ever I used the cockpitadjustable 

ARB and that dialled 

it in. Now the car was flying! 

David Purley and Keith Holland 

RENOWNED RACER AND ENGINEER 

Ray Mallock began building 

clubmans cars with father Major 

Arthur Mallock before turning 

to driving. He raced extensively 

in single-seaters and sportscars, 

winning titles in Formula Atlantic 

and Group C. His RML concern, 

which he started in the early 

1980s, has recorded championship 

success for numerous global 

manufacturers. In 2011, RML 

masterminded Chevrolet’s 

dominance of the World 

Touring Car Championship. 

Mallock (14) stays out of 

trouble at the busy start 

had made a lot of the running at 

the front but they collided with 

two laps to go after early-spinner 

David had caught Keith. I had got 

up to fourth and eased up to Mike 

Wilds in the Shadow DN3 F1 car. 

After the leaders had gone off, 

Mike and I were running one-two, 

but I realised the only way I was 

going to beat him was if I could 

pass him in two places on the same 

lap. Firstly into Sear, the corner just 

prior to the back straight, then I’d 

have to hold my inside line while 

Mike inevitably drove back past 

me on the straight. I’d then have to 

outbrake him into the Esses at the 

end of the straight. And it worked! 

It was the first and only time that 

an F2 car had won a F5000/Group 8 

race – and it was my biggest 

single-seater win. A real thriller! 

Ray Mallock was talking to 

Henry Hope-Frost 

NEXT 

WEEK 

David 

COULTHARD

Porsche Carrera Cup GB 

The Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain is at the very pinnacle of British motor 

racing. Stunning cars, top teams, talented drivers and superb grids, with 

unrivalled back up from Porsche Cars GB, make the Carrera Cup GB the obvious 

choice for ambitious drivers in 2012. 

In 2012 the Carrera Cup GB will again be akey support race to the MSA British 

Touring Car Championship, thus ensuring the biggest crowds, best atmosphere 

and greatest media coverage available in British motor racing. 

The new season will be the tenth year of Carrera Cup in Britain, modeled on the 

long-established Porsche Carrera Cup concept. Equal cars, close and exciting 

racing and first-class facilities for teams, drivers and sponsors all add to the 

strength of the championship. Pro, Pro-Am1 and Pro-Am2 categories deliver 

fierce competition all the way down the field and ensure that all drivers are 

chasing success in their particular category. 

The Carrera Cup GB has proved to be the premier springboard for drivers aiming 

to graduate into the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. Richard Westbrook, Damien 

Faulkner, James Sutton and Tim Bridgman have all graduated into the 

international series after winning the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. 

For more information on the Porsche Carrera Cup GB visit www.porsche.com 

or email carreracupgb@porsche.co.uk

Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2012 

JANUARY 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 

29 30 31 

FEBRUARY 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 4 

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 

26 27 28 29 

MARCH 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 

For more information on the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain visit 

www.porsche.com 

APRIL 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 

29 30 

Rounds 1&2 

March 31-April 1 

Brands Hatch (Indy) 

GT3 Cup Challenge 

April 7-8 

Snetterton 

Rounds 3&4 

April 14-15 

Donington 

Rounds 5&6 

April 28-29 

Thruxton 

MAY 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 4 5 

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 

27 28 29 30 31 


May 19-20 

Rockingham 

JUNE 

S M T W T F S 

Rounds 7&8 

June 9-10 

Oulton Park (Island) 


June 17 

Thruxton 

Rounds 9&10 

June 23-24 

Croft 

1 2 

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

JULY 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 

29 30 31 


July 21-22 

Croft 

AUGUST 

S M T W T F S 

Rounds 11 &12 

August 11-12 

Snetterton 


August 18-19 

Donington 

Rounds 13 &14 

August 25-26 

Knockhill 

1 2 3 4 

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 

26 27 28 29 30 31 

SEPTEMBER 

S M T W T F S 

30 1 

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 

Rounds 15 &16 

September 22-23 

Rockingham 

OCTOBER 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 4 5 6 

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 

28 29 30 31 

Rounds 17 &18 

October 6-7 

Silverstone 


October 6-7 

Silverstone 

Rounds 19 &20 

October 20-21 

Brands Hatch (GP) 

NOVEMBER 

S M T W T F S 

1 2 3 

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 

25 26 27 28 29 30 

DECEMBER 

S M T W T F S 

30 31 1 

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge GB 

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge is poised for an excellent season in 2012. 

Following development seasons in 2010 and 2011, the series is gathering 

strength and promises to deliver excellent value for money racing in 2012 when 

it will be managed directly by Porsche Cars GB, alongside the hugely successful 

Porsche Carrera Cup GB. 

The series is open to any 911GT3 Cup car from 2009 or earlier. The series sits 

comfortably beneath the Carrera Cup GB, which will, as usual, be open to the 

latest model 911GT3 Cup car. There will be close links between the Carrera Cup 

GB and the new GT3 Cup Challenge and the series will share arace weekend at 

Silverstone in October when the GT3 Cup Challenge steps up to join the BTCC 

support programme for the first time. 

The GT3 Cup Challenge, which is an established concept across the world, will 

have asix weekend, 12-race calendar and is designed to be perfect stepping 

stone for drivers aiming to graduate from track days as well as an ideal learning 

platform for drivers planning to move up to the Carrera Cup GB in subsequent 

seasons. 

For more information on the launch of the GT3 Cup Challenge, please call 

0118 916 5012 or email gt3cupchallengegb@porsche.co.uk

KIMI KIMI - Mundo Motorizado

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