rjn commentary

End of season stuff (and politics)

2011-12-05T09:09:00.001-08:00

We had a great time up in Edinburgh at the Scottish Motor Racing Club awards. I've been commentating for the club's TV coverage for the last three years and I am a paid up club member but it was still an honour to be asked to be MC at the event.

I don't know if any of you have heard of Bob 'the cat' Bevan but he was guest speaker at an event I'd MC'd many years ago and he came up on stage and said in my case that the 'M' stood for 'Monumental...'. The guy is a genius speaker and rips into everyone. Anyway, I digress. The SMRC do was star studded with the likes of Dario Franchitti, Paul Di Resta, John Cleland, Gordon Shedden, Ryan Dalziel, Marino Franchitti and Lewis Williamson. It was one of the best organised events I've worked on and shows that the Scots seem to know a lot more about supporting their drivers than we do in England. They put on a good bash as well. One of the many highlights was when Alan McNish interviewed all the guys I mentioned before - leading to some terrific banter.

We did not finish the awards until 12:15 so it was a bit of a marathon as a presenter but the whole evening flew past.

The hospitallity and camaraderie demonstrated made me reflect on the politics that creeps into the sport from time to time. It is a shame that this happens as sport, for me, is about bringing people together, not making divisions. Generally in life if you tolerate and nurture rather than retaliate, then situations will improve. There will be some people reading this who know exactly what situation I am writing about but for those who don't, I'm not going to air anyone's dirty laundry in public.

End of the Season for TTX

2011-11-29T00:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did the commentary for the last programme in the TTXGP series - for those of you who don't know, that's the championship for zero emission (electric) motorcycles. Some of my mates who are into bike racing looked down their nose at the idea but it's a concept which I think is ahead of its time. There are just a few pioneers racing in it at the moment and yet there is embrace from across the globe. The Aussies and Americans have their own championships whilst what was a British Championship last year has morphed into a European competition this season.

The move to a European championship may have been a little premature as numbers have not grown this year but the performance and technology very much has. There were very few race retirements at the tail end of this year and the pace of the bikes saw a big leap from last season. The European Championship was won by Matthias Himmelman on the MÜNCH but he had competition from the two bike Chinese Zongshen team who only elected to race in the top tier at the last minute. Let's also not forget the Italian team, CRP, who won the opening round of the European Championship at Silverstone through Alessandro Branetti.

This is without doubt a growing concept and I am already looking forward to the 2012 season.

Pickups 2012

2011-11-22T03:24:00.000-08:00

The Pickup Trucks have announced a very impressive calendar for the 2012 season. OK, the dates are provisional at the moment but as Phil Cooper of Legends used to say... "The fixtures are provisional until the races are run. Then the results are provisional".

The Pickups will be giving their sponsors better value for money than ever and will reach the biggest number of event spectators for many seasons. Gone are the club meetings racing on the same bill as "MOT Failures" and with a handful of die hards standing on the grass. In come more meetings with the crowd pleasing / drawing British Truck Racing Associastion, three meetings with the well attended Modified Live events, another with the FIA Trucks at Donington and three more on oval at Rockingham. Pickup supremo (sorry to use typical racing journo speak) Sonny Howard has clearly worked hard to get this schedule together - it cannot be easy to co-ordinate a fixture list as a standalone formula to guest on different packages with such regularity.

There are those who will criticise one or two of the dates but this really is a well rounded schedule and it deserves the full backing of all the drivers and teams. One of the dates that stood out for me was the Knockhill one in June. It's the Modified Live date which is one of the biggest spectator events at the Fife circuit. The Pickups have not been up to Scotland since 2003 when Kevin Clarke took a brace of wins and out of the current field only Dave Longhurst has won in the formula up there. I was talking to one of the Scottish marshals last night and they were delighted to hear that the Pickups are on the way back. "Do you mean the Lee Caroline Pickups?" was the question asked which shows a) how long it's been and b) that a lasting impression was made.

Knockhill may well throw up some surprises as in the past there were first time race winners such as Alan Fisher and my old co-commentator Alistair Lane. Yes it's hard to believe but the 'fast Lane' did actually take a win there back in 1998.

31 March/1 April	Pembrey	BTRA Trucks
21/22 April	Brands Hatch	BTRA Trucks
19/20 May	Rockingham	BARC
10 June	Knockhill	Modified Live
30 June/1 July	Donington	FIA Trucks
8 July	Brands Hatch	Modified Live
28/29 July	Thruxton	BTRA Trucks
18/19 August	Rockingham	BRSCC
1/2 September	Rockingham	BARC
23 September	Snetterton	Modified Live
13/14 October	Pembrey	BTRA Trucks
27/28 Octobe	Brands Hatch	BTRA Trucks

Last BTCC meeting

2011-10-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

That's the BTCC season over with - another year racing past in more than one way.

I have to admire Tio Ellinas in the Fomula Renault final round - the Cypriot could have had a deliberate retirement from the race to secure second place in the standings but he kept on track racing to the end. This is one of the nonsenses of the dropped score situation and, as I blogged last time, I don't think championships of this pedigree should have dropped scores. Alex Lynn meanwhile drove superbly most of the year and was a very worthy champion from a small and select field.

I gather Renault will have three races per meeting next season and the addition of a junior class which is effectively a way of bringing the BARC spec cars back into the championship and adding to the grids. I think that's a great move although it might deflect some of the attention from the main class as I thought the racing was better in the BARC formula at the weekend than in the current spec machines and when the two are racing together on TV the director will go with the best action...

If you have been following the Formula Renault coverage this year you will know the name of Alice Powell who was last year's BARC champion and who was racing as a first year driver or Graduate in this year's campaign. With the BARC cars guesting on the ITV4 programme we took the opportunity to ask Alice to co-commentate with me on the race. Alice's debut (I think, the first lady to commentate on motor racing on ITV) was confident and assured. We all wish her well in the forthcoming race in India (supporting the GP) and in getting a budget together to continue her career.

The Ginetta Supercup was very entertaining all season. The entries were not huge in either class but that did not seem to matter as we were treated to great racing all year and a roller-coaster of a final round. I really did not think that Carl Breeze would lose out on the title but of course Adam Morgan drove superbly and found himself at the top of the standings for the first time at the only time it mattered - at the end of the season. Carl's turn will surely come - as a former Renault Champion we know he has the talent.

Monday morning, after getting home from Silverstone, greeted us all with the terrible scenes and news from Indycar. This sport that we love can be so cruel. I had but a few moments to reflect before having to pick up the microphone in my studio at home and begin commentating on some domestic racing. I love my commentary roles and I hope the interest and passion for racing comes across in my work but Monday certainly was a difficult day to sound so positive when thinking about the family and friends of Dan Wheldon.

Racing will go on of course. We learn from what happens but it will remain a dangerous sport. Why do we do it? It's where we all gather from time to time, play our many different parts, go home and then reconvene on another day to enjoy each others' company and the many thrills once again.

My attention now turns to next season although I am trying to get some Autumn / Winter filming projects underway - my first project as a co-producer. I am finding it hard to get people to commit to even a small filming budget, but I will persevere with it and hopefully you will see the results at some stage on TV over the Winter months.

Dropped Scores

2011-10-04T00:06:00.000-07:00

We all enjoyed the weather down at Brands Hatch over the weekend but I've got to say that the general mood in the paddock I encountered was one of the most negative of the season. Loads of huffing and puffing going on although of course there were a few contented people.

My main moan has got to be dropped scores. At that level of motorsport I really don't see the need for it. I think generally it produces the same table at the end of the season. Most of the people watching the racing on the BTCC package, either on TV or at the track, are more concerned with watching a good race rather than worrying about who has or has not dropped 9 points in a meeting three months ago. In club racing I can fully understand the desire to discount a couple of scores as drivers who have no option for time off work all year deserve a fighting chance against those for whom the dates fell well. BTCC level though? No. Can you imagine what the Premier League would be like if teams could negate their worst two results??

So, going back to the weekend I suspect that there are a lot of people looking forward to their Winter break.

The good news from the weekend was a thrilling end to the Clio Cup. No dropped scores and five drivers in with a shout of the title, down to three realistically on the last race. Paul Rivett was a very worthy champion. His place men were great ambassadors for the championship as well - Aron Smith, Jame Colburn and James Dixon all raced cleanly and fairly. It's unfair that many of the past Clio Cup winners have not had a break to get into Touring Cars. Think of Ben Winrow and Phil Glew recently in particular. Paul Rivett has now won three titles and so surely deserves a break more than anyone. Again, to compare to football, there is promotion and relegation for winners and losers and I know you can't replicate the format in motorsport but it shows there are drivers who merit backing and promotion. Darren Wilson wrapped up the Masters Class title with a win in the second race.

The G55 Ginetta Championship is to be applauded for affording the winner a Touring Car drive. I guess the driver will still have to bring some money to the table but it is still a major opportunity that Ginetta are offering. Talking of Ginetta, the G50 Champion, Tom Ingram, will have the use of a G55 next year as his prize so hopefully we will see him in action again in 2012. Young Seb Morris is to be congratulated on his Junior title too although there were a few clouds over the Junior racing at the weekend once again. The positives were a first win for Niall Murray and a third for Charlie Robertson.

Oliver Rowland was man of the weekend in the Formula Renault without question but it would be easy to overlook Tio Elinas who has been fast and consistent all season and is still in with a shout of the title. We all thought Alex Lynn was going to tie up the championship in race two although earlier in the season had been told he would have to race all the rounds even if he had enough points to drop the last Silverstone ones... Dropped scores again!

Brands GP

2011-09-29T01:53:00.000-07:00

And so we head to Brands Hatch for the penultimate race meeting of the season.

I was having a chat with someone yesterday about various aspects of my work and how long I have been doing it for. I was trying to work out if I have commentated on a father and son racing in different senior formulae. I've commentated on loads of second gen drivers in Karts so I did not want to count that. My wife worked out that I have - it was Mike and Andrew Jordan. I used to commentate on Mike in the Eurocar / Pickup days - 1995 being the earliest - and then Andrew raced in Clios. The conversation went onto other drivers and my wife's friend had seen Damon Hill on the ITV coverage and asked about Josh - she was aware that he is in fact a third generation driver but couldn't quite remember his grandad's name - she thought that was Jimmy Hill!!

We are lucky up in the telly commentary box to be looked after by some very good people. This season we've had a guy called Martin who used to be a racer himself. He's a top bloke and also very interesting to talk to - one of his first jobs in TV was as the sound man on Tiswas. That must have been a high point for him and now the poor guy gets stuck with the likes of me waffling on every other Sunday.

I nearly forgot to mention that Lawrence Tomlinson won't be with us in the comms box for the rest of the season as he is at the Britcar 24 hours this weekend and then on holiday for the last round of the championship. Thanks Lawrence for your company and help this year. With my colleague Simon Hill on presenting duty it will be a great pleasure to work with 2009 Clio Champion Phil Glew once again.

We will see the Clio championship resolved this weekend (any one from five in with a shout) and most likely the Ginetta Junior Championship too (what a great season for Seb Morris). Whatever happens I wish all the drivers the very best of luck and everyone an enjoyable weekend.

Return from Rockingham

2011-09-22T04:19:00.000-07:00

An interesting weekend had at Rockingham circuit with the BTCC package. I did not think that the racing was as good there as in previous years but there were some very noteworthy performances and stories across the two days.

One of the best things about the BTCC meetings at Rockingham is the number of people who come through the gates - a normal club meeting always seems a little strange to me as the place appears to be void of any spectators and therefore atmosphere.

The Clio Cup seems to be resurgent with several new drivers and an incredibly close championship table going to the final round at Brands Hatch in a week or so. The top four drivers are covered by just four points - amazing. Jack Goff in fifth is not completely out of the picture either - what a turn around from the last three years which have seen (deserving) runaway titlists. I am really looking forward to the final two races at Brands. The Ginetta racing was not the best this season although it was great to see new winner George Murrells in the pistop race. The G50s had a great scrap in Saturday's encounter too. Seb Morris and Charlie Robertson continued to be stars in the Juniors. Oliver Rowland and Alex Lynn did well in the Formula Renault racing with a win each.

This week...

2011-09-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

How sad to see that John Bell was injured in the Legends race at Mallory Park on Sunday. John had his first win there some eight years back in what was his debut year (he was rookie champion). Here's wishing John a very speedy recovery.

There were some other problems on and off track at Mallory and I am pleased to see that the drivers concerned were disciplined by the clerk of the course and disqualified from all the races. I must add that I was not at Mallory and am not passing comment on the incidents themselves. There is talk that the on-track problems were not dealt with and that it was post race conduct that was being punished but the total exclusion from the meeting (all three race results) shows me that the officials (who can't see everything all the time incidentally) won't stand for this behaviour - on track or off. Now guys, get back to what you do best - clean racing and a friendly paddock.

This weekend it's the Rockingham BTCC meeting and there is a new race format for the Ginetta GT supercup which will see a half hour pitstop race - more added excitement for the fans and also the TV viewers. I thought the idea was a bit bonkers to start with but it's another USP for Ginetta and brings the teams as a whole to the fore.

Another youngster is making the move into Formula Renault - Alex Walker who is just 16 is second in the Intersteps Championship and will be racing with Fortec. I wonder if anyone will be able to challenge Alex Lynn this weekend. The Clios will be contesting their penultimate meeting of the season and at this stage for the last three seasons we have known who would be the champion - no such thing this year as the title will seemingly go the distance!

Back from Scotland

2011-09-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

Well the Scotland weekend was better than ever this year. It did not start too well as we all got soaked on Saturday - I know that's not unusual for Scotland but it is for this year up there. With Renault not making the trip we had Scottish Minis and Classics as the 'support' classes.

I think everyone enjoyed both the guest formulae - I know them well from commentating on them on Motors TV but they are genuinely great racing. There were comments that the Saturday Mini race was one of the best races in Scotland for the last 10 years. The Sunday races did not let us down either. Both classes showed that you don't need fancy, over priced race cars to put on some excellent racing in front of a big crowd. Vic Covey was the quick guy in the Minis again with pole and fastest lap but he now needs David Sleigh to have a non-finish to realistically have a shot at a scond title.

The Ginatta Championships are still alive and of course it's sad to see a driver have a DNF but any of the top four drivers in the Supercup can win it. Amazing stuff. Same for the G50s which had three different deserving winners. There is plenty of fighting spirit in the Juniors too - Seb Morris's points lead is still large but the chasers will not give up. The second junior race was disappointing on the whole but well done to George Gamble on a great drive to win - his third of the season.

Rockingham now beckons and we welcome back Renault - don't forget we will most likely have a newcomer in the Clios as the circuit ran a competition to get on the grid - a ballot which anyone who pre-booked a ticket went into. They are having the assessment day for the 10 hopefuls who were drawn this week.

A Double Scottish

2011-08-24T01:45:00.001-07:00

The next two weekends will be all about racing in Scotland for me. This weekend I will be recording the commentary for the latest Scottish Motor Racing Club racing that took place on 14th August. The production team have had a little longer than usual to turn around the races. The following weekend I will be leaving the family at home again and travelling up to Scotland for real to work on the BTCC programme again for ITV. I am particularly excited about this meeting as I have a lot of good friends up at Knockhill and we have a change in support formulae as Renault are not making the journey this year.

It's the Scottish Minis and the Classic Sports and Saloons that will be sharing the bill. My understanding is that their races will be shown at some point too which is fantastic for anyone who has not seen them. The Scottish Mini Cooper Cup has been a favourite championship of mine since I started work on it. I'm hoping we get the reverse grid race on TV - watch the sparks fly if that's the case. The classics have really blossomed over the last few seasons and there should be a mega entry of diverse cars - they are split over four classes ranging from the likes of Minis in class A to the Morgans and TR8s in class 8. In between those you have machines like the class B Mk1 Escort of reigning Champion John Marshall and the class C Porsche of Stan Bernard. Both John and Stan have been outright winners this season.

Following the Summer break

2011-08-02T01:48:00.000-07:00

I am really looking forward to getting back to the BTCC support races at Snetterton this coming weekend. I hope you can join us live on ITV4. The time has flown since Croft and it will be interesting to see if anything has changed over the weeks.

One thing that broke last week was the news that the BBC are to share the F1 rights with Sky. I've been asked what my opinion is and thought I would scribble a few lines here about it. I don't get the opportunity to watch many Grand Prix live as you would imagine working as a commentator I am often out and about on race weekends so the move is not a big issue for me. I don't have Sky either although I think the people who wind up subscribing to it for F1 will also get to enjoy some of the other great motorsport that is on there. Dare I say they may even enjoy it more than the F1.

Over the 'break' I have continued to do a fair amount commentary in my home studio - on some of the most entertaining National car racing you are likely to see. In addition I did my first ever bike voiceover which was on the ground breaking TTXGP for electric bikes. Most of my mates who are into bikes turned their noses up at that but it is a very remarkable championship. The first programme in the series featured the opening round of the American Championship from Infineon (Sears Point) and the first European round from Silverstone. It does not have huge numbers at the moment but the technology is fascinating.

Croft

2011-06-15T11:42:00.001-07:00

The last BTCC weekend for a bit is coming up. I think the absentees from this weekend have been well documented on blogs and tweets elsewhere so I won't go into those too much other than to say that it is a big shame to lose drivers of the quality of Ollie Millroy and Tom Ingram. I hope they can sort out some budgets. The plus side this weekend is going to be watching Tim Harvey in the Ginettas.

I will say however that I always look forward to Croft - whatever is racing there. I've been to some really good Legends Cars meetings there in years gone by. I just thank goodness the old commentary box has gone now - it was an old double decker bus at the end of the pit lane which was freezing during cold weather and unbearably hot on the best summer days. I nearly passed out once one year with the heat in there. The other odd thing about the old double decker was that when I was the Eurocar commentator I inadvertently left my folder of notes in the bus. When we went back the following season they were still there in the drawer! The bus used to leak as well which was sometimes a worry when it rained as electrics and water are not the best mix.

One of my old acquaintances, Daren Hills, had two nightmare Legends meetings at Croft - his car caught fire at one of them and then on a later visit his car cleared the spectator fence. Luckily no one was hurt. Daren's son, Aiden, currently leads the Junior Rallycross championship so I guess will be looking to lay the Hills Croft Jinx to rest.

Generally I just love the area around Croft and the people are fantastic. We'll be up there again later in the year just to enjoy a short break some racing as spectators.

The down side of racing this weekend is that I won't get to see my dad on Father's day - he's away on holiday. My son is a bit too young to make the trip as well so I won't see him either.

I am sure the racing will be as good as usual up at Croft and leave us all looking forward to the second half of the BTCC season.

Scottish Legends at Cadwell

2011-06-08T00:43:00.000-07:00

There were some very interesting results in the Scottish Legends Cars rounds at Cadwell Park. Guest drivers included Nick and Dean Brace, Dominic Spurr, Lee Fitzpatrick and John Higgins.

Sunday's meeting saw Robbie Burgoyne take his first overall meeting win. He was also the first Scottish Championship driver home in race two so effectively a class win - his first. Gerard McCosh was second both days and is now by my calculations second in the championship as well. Paul O'Brien took fourth on Saturday (3rd 'Scot' in the final) which I think is his best result whilst Scott Hynds was third on Sunday. Great results for all concerned as the entry was pretty much as strong as you would normally see at Knockhill.

The guests fared well to with wins for Nick, John, Dean and Lee (including a lap record).

So where are we?

2011-06-02T04:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks break from the British Touring Cars which has seemed like an age! Despite that I've been busy working on other programmes over that time and also started to look at some Winter television projects as well.

During the break I particularly enjoyed working on the Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship - there was some great racing there at Donington Park and it's really very much a formula that should be seen as a stepping stone to BTCC. Last year's champion Jeremy Gumbley would look very much at home in BTCC (if he had the budget). There are some real up and coming saloon car racing stars including David Grady, the Cockill brothers, Jason Cooper and MattParr. There's loads more drivers who would move up from the A&B class although ex Karter John Lagnridge stands out.

The National Legends television has come to an end although I am looking forward to commentating on one of the drivers, Simon Belcher, as he plans a move into the Clio Cup - part of his 'Project BTCC'. Simon will have a steep learning curve as he has not raced front wheel drive although as an ex Jet Ski Champion and also a front running, race winning Legends racer he should not be under estimated. Simon will be coached by Clio Champ Dave Newsham.

Not much else to report on the BTCC supports although I think Lee Pattison might be moving into Ginettas which will be very interesting. Lee is certainly one of the characters of the racing scene - we could do with a few more personalities out there rather than some of the corporately-correct crew.

Home, sweet home

2011-05-04T01:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks off from the BTCC package - amazing isn't it? you spend all Winter looking forward to the racing starting again and then after just a few weeks you are ready for a break. It's not that I don't enjoy the racing - I do very much - but as I am working flat out in between rounds on the day job at the moment a couple of weekends at home provides a chance to take stock.

I've now completed the commentaries on all the opening rounds of the various things I am working on (so far) this year. BTCC supports, all the Scottish racing at Knockhill, The Fiesta Championship and the National Legends too. That equates to approximately 25 races to voice every two weeks throughout the season. I nearly forgot that there will also be some action from the new Junior Fiesta Championship later in the year as well.

On top of that I am working with one of the producers to get some more racing on TV over the Winter - if anyone out there wants to talk to us about filming, please get in touch.

Another week, another race meeting...

2011-04-26T01:16:00.000-07:00

Less than a week to go to the next BTCC meeting which is at Thruxton - fairly local to me so not too much travelling.

Since the last blog entry I've been working on the first rounds of the Scottish Motor Racing Club championships which comprise Legends, Minis, Saloons and Sports, Classics, Formula Ford and Scottish Fiestas. All had some great racing and it looks like some serious entertaining competition north of the border once again.

I went to watch the second round of the Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship yesterday at Snetterton. It was on the revamped circuit which I thought looked great on paper but a few drivers are saying it lacks something. I admire MSV for the revamp though - there are some good new vantage points in place and some of the key features are still intact. Good to see Colin Stancombe there with his team successfully running in Caterhams. He's having an excellent start to the year what with Paul Rivett leading the Clios too.

This week I will commentate on the first rounds of the Fiestas which was at Silverstone a couple of weeks back - I think they are broadcast on Motors next week - and then I'll get ready for the tyre killing Thruxton!

Donington, etc

2011-04-18T01:14:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend at Donington Park. Very good to work with Phil Glew once again - Simon Hill was on presenting duty which left a vacancy in the comms box. Phil did a top job. I would love to see him back out racing again - hopefully in touring cars - but in the meantime a real pleasure to work with him on the racing.

We had some fantastic action to work with over the weekend as well. The Ginettas probably provided the best action for us - the Supercup had battles everywhere - it must have been a nightmare for John Watts and Mark Cross (the director and assistant director of the programming) to pick out what to cover.

The icing on the cake was the weather which was superb all weekend. I think this season will continue to be a really entertaining one.

This week I'm back to the day job and also spending some time in the studio at home commentating on more club racing which will eventually get broadcast on Motors TV.

Looking forward to Donington...

2011-04-11T00:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am, of course, off to Donington Park for the second weekend of the season with the ITV4 team. Live television is a very exciting thing to work on - you never quite know what is going to happen... I suppose one of the best examples of that were the fire alarm that went off in the Rockingham building (where we were working from) when I was commentating live on air.

The Brands Hatch weekend started to set the scene for this year but I think there will be some story changes at Donington. In Formula Renault we've not seen the best of Manor Competition yet - they will keen to get back up at the sharp end of things. With regard to this year's entry I don't think I have seen one that is, on paper, so evenly matched. Unfortunately that can only result in disappointment for a few of the drivers but given the quality of the grid this year I don't think a bad table position at the end of the year should be considered as career breaking.

The Clio Cup looks very open as well. Paul Rivett leads the table with Aron Smith, a very welcome returnee to the championship in second. Rivett's lead is already 18 points though!

The Ginetta GT Supercup was exciting to watch with Tom Sharp's superb treble making a strong statement. This weekend though will see Carl Breeze and Nathan Freke back in the hunt I think. In the G50 class there is a question mark over championship leader Tom Ingram getting to Donington. Jody Fannin, who won the class in the first race of the year, is second in the table from Andrew Richardson. I think the class battle will be proper fight all season! Congratulations to Jody on passing his driving test last week as well by the way.

The Juniors saw two wins from championship favourite Seb Morris. Jake Giddings, Tom Howard and Will Foster were very close to his pace all weekend. So too were Max Coates, Charlie Robertson and George Gamble. Actually, most of the field are potential winners and it will make great television once again!

Great weekend at Brands

2011-04-04T01:27:00.000-07:00

What a great opening weekend at Brands Hatch - sure there were some disappointments for people but that's motor racing - I am sure everyone will have some ups as well as the downs.

For me this was a three day weekend - trying to say hi to as many people as possible over the time. Saturday afternoon was spent with Martyn Reardon, the MSUK producer and cameraman Matt who helped me a great deal with my first 'to camera' work for the programme. Thanks guys. I was first to interview Nic Hamilton after his first ever motor race in the AirAsia Clio Cup. Nic obviously got a lot of media attention over the weekend but a) it was deserved and b) he handled it incredibly well.

The two Clio races over the weekend were entertaining - there are so many new drivers in this year, it's like a new championship in many ways. James Dixon got off to a great start (literally) in race one taking the win from pole sitter Jake Packun who really shone too this weekend. Race two saw the old stager (sorry!) Paul Rivett in top form with Jack Goff, another star emerging in the championship, coming second from the returning Aron Smith.

The Ginatta Juniors started well and what better start for Seb Morris with two wins. Jake Giddings was very nearly equal to the task too and very unlucky in race two. I think we will see a lot of different winners again in the Juniors this year. Newcomers Charlie Robertson and George Gamble were sensational too - I think the standard of newcomers is getting higher and higher each season.

The Formula Renault races set up what looks like being an interesting season with Alex Lynn's two wins and poles setting out his and Fortec's stall. Keep a look out for Tio Ellinas, second in race two, who I think will be a race winner before too long - maybe at Donington where we saw him do so well in Formula Ford on ITV last year. Manor endured a difficult weekend but they are a topline team and will be all the more fired up after Brands.

The Ginetta GT Supercup worked well for me - two classes gave us two races to watch and Tom Sharp, just 19 years of age, took three dominant wins. Don't ever write off Carl Breeze though as he is second in the table despite a lot of problems over the two days. Junior champion Tom Ingram came away from Brands with the G50 championship lead - smooth, fast, assured driving once again his characteristics.

Overall a very enjoyable weekend - looking forward to Donington in a couple of weeks!

2011 Preview part 4 - Ginetta Junior

2011-03-31T03:11:00.000-07:00

Last, but certainly not least is the 14-17 year old formula - Ginetta Junior.

Tom Howard is the top seed returning - he was 5th last year and of course a race winner at Rockingham. Tom turns 17 in June whilst Winter champion Seb Morris (15) is back with the championship winning team, Hillspeed. Seb's team mate this season is Jersey based newcomer, Struan Moore

Privateer Max Coates went well in the Winter championship too - the ex Karter showed last year that he was getting quicker and quicker in car racing as the season progressed. Jake Giddings, Patrick McLughan and William Foster are other familiar names coming back along with Brad Bailey, the former Junior Rallycross champion teaming up with the race winning TJ Motorsport outfit for this season. Former short oval junior champion Mikey Day will be running with the HHC team. You might remember Mikey having his debut at the Brands Indy circuit at the final rounds last year.

The newcomers include Irish junior champion Niall Murray and SaxMax Rookie champ, Myles Collins, the latter racing with established Clio team, Westbourne Motorsport. I've been lucky enough to have commentated on Formula Kart Stars for some time and it's great to see some familiar names graduating into the Ginetta's - Sennan Fielding and Charlie Robertson being just two of the youngsters making that move. TJ Motorsport are also running George Gamble, the 14 year old from Nottingham who was a front runner in Super1 Karting last season. Declan Jones joins Patrick McLughan at Kelvin Jones Motorsport whilst Barnsley's Sam Priest turns 14 in April and will be the youngest driver in the pack. Team-wise it will be good to have the Rollcentre outfit in the paddock with 15 year old Eric Moore competing for them.

This formula always seems to produce action packed racing - there is no question that it is a proven training ground for future stars.

Preview part 3 - Ginetta Super Cup

2011-03-31T00:59:00.000-07:00

Two races for the price of one this year! The new Ginetta G55s will be the principal focus, especially with the prize of a 2012 Touring Car drive up for grabs. With Frank Wrathall already making the move into Tourers I think everyone is assuming that Carl Breeze will mop up but... I see from the entry list that 2009 champion Nathan Freke is back with us so we have an exciting competition in prospect. We can't stop at only considering Breeze and Freke though. There are plenty of others capable of taking the chequered flag including the returning Tom Sharp and Adam Morgan. One thing this class has never lacked is characters and two great sparring partners, Colin White and Joachim Ritter are back with us again - I would love to see them join the winners' circle. As with last year we have another Ginetta champion moving up into this level, it's Danbury based George Murrells. Mint.

The entry list I received yesterday also shows Clint Bardwell (from Mazda and GT racing) and Mark Steward who raced in the CSL Cup on the Great and British package last season. Bristol based Aussie Jordan Skinner is an ex Formula Ford racer making his TOCA package debut whilst Alistair James has GT experience and should get to grips with the G55 very quickly.

I mentioned that we get two races for the price of one and that's because Ginetta have kept open the option to run last year's G50 cars as a separate class. This is great news for drivers coming into the Supercup as it's now dubbed and I think this group's competition will be every bit as exciting as the G55s. Here's why... The entry list reads like a who's who from the Junior Ginetta Championship from the last couple of years and I am sure you will agree that has been one of the most entertaining competitions you can see. Reigning Junior Champion Tom Ingram is on the entry list with Plans Motorsport. He will be joined on the grid by the junior championship runners up from last year Jake Hill (Optimum) and Louise Richardson. Top 2010 junior Rookie Jody Fannin will be racing under the Team Pyro banner whilst Aaron Williamson will be looking to build on his G50 experience from last season.

Rob Gaffney makes the switch from Clios to G50s - Rob was a former Ginetta Junior driver as well. Another ex Junior joining the ranks is Fergus Walkinshaw. Colin White's CWS team will be running Martin Thomas in the 50s and the entry list I have to hand is completed by Patrick McClughan, Andrew Richardson and Connaire Finn.

New season part 2 - Clios!

2011-03-30T01:14:00.000-07:00

The Air Asia Renault Clio Cup UK. Renault Clio is always a blast and this year looks like it is going to be a great year. Why? Well, as you all know, the class has been very successful as a training ground for Touring Cars - loads of drivers have made the move over the last few seasons. This year though there is a whole big bunch of newcomers ready to enter the fray!

I'll start with James Dixon though, the personable youngster from Kent has already shown his race winning pedigree and with Lee Brookes's TCR team he will be in with a real shout at the title for sure. His team mates pack some punch as well. Great to see Mark Proctor back in the package - the ex Touring Car man will slot in well I am sure. Karting star Tom Grice and Nicolas Hamilton (Lewis's brother whom I have the utmost respect for making his debut at this level) complete the TCR quartet.

Mark Hunt's Team Pyro have won the championship for the last three seasons (Ben Winrow, Phil Glew and Dave Newsham) and should be good value once again. Josh Files, Jack Goff, Chris Swanwick and Adam Bonham (fastest at Rockingham last week) should all be quick. Goff was a Clio racer last season so that will be a help to the newcomers. Swanwick and Bonham we know are quick from their reputations in Ginetta Junior.

Lee Pattison is a talented driver - the JHR man is also a race winner in Clios and will be up front for sure. Same too for Jake Packun who is due an win in this formula.

Now, at the time of writing this blog I've not seen the full and final entry list but Darren Wilson is back and should be moving up the order. Paul Rivett was involved in the testing at Rockingham last week with Stancombe Vehicle Engineering and it would be great to have the Banstead glazier back in the fold - he's got such a great record in Clios that we can measure the others' quality against him!

New team Scuderia Vittoria were mentioned in the press a few weeks back with ex Tourer Matt Allison likely to be a front runner along with Luke Wright who, like James Dixon, is an ex Formula Renault man - and we know they're quick! Two other newcomers I've seen mentioned in press over the Winter are Alastair Rushforth and Stewart Calder.

There might well be more drivers entering the fray and I apologise if I've missed any of them out. Here's to the next generation of Touring Car drivers... Time to light the fuse of the muse!

New season (part one)

2011-03-29T09:20:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my look ahead to the 2011 race season. I am looking forward to working with the team at ITV4 once again to commentate on the support races in the British Touring Car programmes.

I say support races but that's a bit of an outdated phrase as most of the people I talk to who watch and enjoy all the racing that happens on the TOCA package. Anyway, as the season get underway this weekend at Brands Hatch I thought I would look at the classes I'm commentating on one by one...

Formula Renault gets the most pre-season testing and this year has seen several drivers at the top of the timing sheets. Returning drivers Alex Lynn (2010 Winter Champion) and Ollie Millroy have both been quickest whilst newcomers Josh Hill and Tio Elinas came out top on other occasions. You might remember seeing the latter pair in action last season if you were watching ITV's coverage from Donington Park - they were both front runners in the Formula Ford races. Josh is of course the son of Damon Hill and gradson of Graham Hill. He is no stranger to the TOCA package having been a front runner in the Junior Ginetta Championship a couple of seasons back. Last year there were two or three lady racers making their mark in national racing - Louise Inch won the Mighty Mini Championship whilst Alice Powell won the BARC Formula Renault title. Alice is back with us in this National Formula Renault Championship this season.

Antel Motorsport are involved in the BARC Formula Renault Championship but will be taking part in TOCA series as well this season - this is a very young and ambitious team who have 19 year old Dan Wells in the hot seat. Wells is particularly worth a look as he only started karting at age 18!! Great to see that this level is open to later starters to motorsport.

Completing the Manor Competition line up (joining Millroy, Hill and Powell) is 17 year old Jordan King. At the time of writing, Mark Burdett Motorsport have a single entry for Karting champ Jack Hawksworth. Reigning champions Fortec line up with Olly Rowland (who beat Wells and others to the Racing Steps foundation drive) and fast Aussie Mitchell Gilbert. last, but not least, Oscar King lines up alongside Elinas at Atech Reid GP.

I'm not going to make any predictions about champions in these blogs but I would say that with four drivers taking their turn at the top slot in testing it's going to be a very close season!