Autosport International 2010 - Part 2

Part 2 of Autosport and we arrive in easily the highlight for many of the show - the Live Action Arena. 1 entire hall is transformed into an indoor racetrack for racing and demonstration runs, so tight racing and very noisy! The Fiesta racing was the 1st racing demo out

Followed by the European Drift Championship drifters - Mark Luney, Paul Conlan and Pete Barber

and some close dirtbike racing

Then 5th Gear presenters Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler Henderson doing some semi drifting - Tiff struggled to do competitive drifting way back in 2006 so he might be better next time he fancies a proper go - or not, particularly when he claimed not to be able to turn the traction control off on the Jaguar he is seen driving above.... Vicki was a bit better in her Porsche though!

Then we have the Autograss specials - purpose built chassis, usually motorcycle engine powered so a very high power to weight ratio - so wheelies and the ability to drift almost the entire arena easier than the drift cars almost, although I think the wheelies were more for show, still good to see though!

And close racing, Id love to see these on their natural surface - grass and mud

The Formula Palmer Audi single seaters were good too, plenty of flames, although this,again, might have been done for the show with the cars adjusted to overfuel slightly, but looked good in the dark!

The cars were being driven by the finalists of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award

Pat (on the right, Fiesta) and Liam (on the left,Citroen C4) Doran about to do a rallycross demo - but given these cars are ideal for the slippery surface of the arena (4wd and 600bhp) the show they put on was a little tame compared to what Ive seen them do before, but then again with 17 shows to do over the 4 days of the show and practice sessions, you have to make the cars last

F1 stockcars - big, heavy, fast - and loud with their unsilenced Chevy V8's - always a favourite of mine - you dont just hear them, you feel them

Being RWD with low grip meant they too, were easy to drift around the arena and are full contact racing, so bumping,nudging and pushing is allowed

An original (not a replica) Lancia Stratos, sounded lovely with its raspy Ferrari V6

An original Audi Sport Quattro - driven here by none other than Stig Blomqvist - the original Stig!

And to end, figure of 8 banger racing, the previously made comment regarding 17 shows applies here too, Id say the last show on Sunday was entertaining!

Part 3 soon

Silverstone Classic 2009

After last year, it was only natural that I would return to the 2009 running of the Silverstone Classic, with the massive mixture of everything from pre war sportscars to SuperTouring, but my main reason for returning was once again - Group C. This time however I was armed with a media pass, as I am now covering events for Sports Car Pros so no standing on tippytoes or dodging bits of fence...

Ive somehow managed to narrow my selection down from over 1500 to just 20, so here goes.

The start of the second Group C race, the opening shot is the start of the first. Quite a feeling to have thousands of horsepower heading straight towards you as you both feel excited at the sight of them and try and fit them all into the frame at the same time!

Its back, the Sauber C9 except this time it was not damaged at the first corner! A stunning car to see aswell as to hear, this vid will give you an idea, not the same car (its a C11 in the video) but they sound alike, with the thundering 5 litre, twin turbo V8





Another big, loud fast V8 - Aston Martin AMR-1, could be heard well before it appeared!

The first Jaguar Group C car, the XJR-5 and the Nissan R88-C

Nissan R91CK, winner of Sundays 30 min sprint race

Onto the World Sportscar Masters and 2 rather dramatic shots from the 90 minute race, above a Ferrari 512s leads a Lola T70 a scene that reminds me of the film Le Mans...

and a flaming Chevron B8

Masters ‘Gentleman Drivers’ GT & Sports Endurance Cars (Pre 66) had this beautiful Corvette Stingray - each car in the race could tell a story and deserved its own photo

Grand Prix Masters (1966 – 1973 GP Cars) - fast and very loud!


Pre 1963 GT Cars, multi million dollar grid, probably the most valuble of the weekend
Ferrari 250 GT SWB Drogo aka The Breadvan

Aston Martin Le Mans Project DP 212
Ferrari 250 SWB
Corvette and Lotus Elite
Under 2 litre touring cars, throwback to the 60's, Lotus Cortinas, BMW 1800's,Alfa Romeo Giulias and Minis. Close and exciting racing, even now

Then onto the 90's, SuperTouring revival

or is it the 70's again? as the Cologne Capri battles the BMW CSL Batmobile

While up the front a more 90's battle goes on!

A great event, think Ill go back in 2010

Time Attack 2009 - Round 2 - Knockhill

Sunny Scotland for Round 2 of Time Attack at Knockhill.....


But it was not sunny the day before as the rain poured down....

Made for some slightly different photos though...

Pro/Club Pro Class

Taking its second win of the season was the RSE Motorsport Evo 7, with Rory Butcher driving to a 51.6 second laptime

2nd was Steve Gugliemi in the Gugliemi Motorsport Elise with a 51.7

If it had been eligible for points Andrew Gallachers AG Motorsport Focus would have been 3rd with a 51.8

3rd place for Tom Ferrier in the Zen Performance Impreza with a 52.0

4th for Olly Clark in the Roger Clark Motorsport Impreza with 52.2


5th went to Robin Duxbury in the Redbrick Racing Evo VIII with 53.4

Flying high Russell Humphrey in the Interceptor Racing Evo 5 didnt finist, but I couldnt resist including this kerb hopping pic

Club Class

Another win for Shane Smith in the Abbey Motorsport / CAT Driver training R32 GTR

But the top club car for many is Mark Pollards 6R4.com MG Metro 6R4

Round 3 is at Silverstone on May 31st

Silverstone Classic

Im not purely interested in tuned cars or Time Attack and Drift events. I was always was and will be a motorsport fan and every now and again the chance arises to take in some proper motorsport, in this case the Silverstone Classic event

The main reason I went was to see the Group C Sportscar racing. Ive been a big fan of Group C since the mid 1980's, and despite having seen many of the cars on display and doing demonstration runs, Id never seen them race, so with 2 races over the weekend, finally I was given the oppurtunity to see them ontrack together

A few more Group C pit photos:
Sauber Mercedes C9, 1989 Le Mans winner, 1989 World Sportscar Championship winner with 5 wins and racing land speed world speed record of 407Km/h (252mph) at Le Mans during the same year,a record that still stands today. Unfortunatley this car was invlved in an accident during the first Group C race of the weekend and would compete no further. Such is racing!

Porsche 962C, 1988 Le Mans Porsche works team. This car was on display and did not race

Nissan RC90-CK, 1993 All Japan Sports Racing Prototype Championship car, 1 of the fastest and most developed Group C cars ever. It finished 3rd in the sprint race, and 4th in the feature race and recorded the fastest lap of the feature

Nissan VRH35Z, twin turbo 3.5 litre V8 with a magnesium block. The car still runs on DOS for its engine management, the maps are switched by changing circuit boards as opposed to flicking a switch on more modern engine management, 800bhp race map or 1200bhp qualifying map. More Group C later...

Got Ferrari? 6 F40's,a F50 and an Enzo, there were over 150 Ferraris grouped together!

A rallying tradition - a sideways Mk2 Escort

Group B Audi Quattro S1 launching.....

and rebounding after landing,

Audi Sport Quattro S1 flaming away



and did I mention the noise of the Audis, 5 cylinder turbo heaven. Certainly not the best Group B car there ever was but the most evil looking and sounding, that means more to some people including myself.

Ford RS200, probably the best looking Group B rallycar
and the Peugeot 205 T16, probably the most sucessful Group B rallycar ever with 2 world titles, 1985 and 1986

Historic F1 cars competing both for the FIA Historic F1 championship and for the James Hunt Memorial trophy. I could easily talk about these cars for a long time, but late 1960's-early 1980's F1 cars are easily the loudest and among the fastest racing cars Ive experianced in my life. Its rare to feel your inner eardrums vibrating!

World Sportscar Masters 1963-1975 Sportscars racing for the Denny Hulme memorial trophy, Lola T210 leads Lola T70 and Ford F3L

Lola T70,Chevron B16 x 3

Going back now to the Group C cars, and the crash that claimed the Sauber, such a shame, but the car will return. This video gives you an idea of how fast these cars are:



An amazing spectacle, one that I had waited a long time to see, a reminder of most of the 1980's and early 90's Le Mans and the World Sportscar Championship, for many years Le Mans was a round of the WSC and other racing such as IMSA in America and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. Cars from all 3 series took part in the weekends racing

The sound of the 7 litre V12 engined Silk Cut Jaguars was amazing, the Nissan R90 was quiet but very fast

The Chevrolet V8 powered Spice SE GTP which won the The ACO Plate Trophy race, a 30 min sprint race

The Nissan RC90-CK ontrack, not much of a V8 roar from it, more the whistle off the turbos

For many though, myself included the quintessential Group C car is still the Porsche 962, 2 are seen on the left in the 2nd Group C race, the David Leslie Memorial trophy, in memory of David a well known Group C driver who was tragically killed in an air accident earlier this year

The most distinctive sounding car on the Group C grid, Mazda 757 with N/A 20B triple rotor engine, which generates a lot of flames

Another video

1990 Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-11

and the winner of the David Leslie memorial trophy race, Nissan R90-CK. A shallower photo angle will be used next time! Hopefully I will visit another historic motorsport meeting this year, these are so laid and relaxed back compared to more modern events!