Brands Hatch - Saturday April 16th

[Trackside]

So who's going along to round 2 of the best race series in the UK? I would suggest anyone who went to Donington last weekend and was disappointed by the meagre BTCC grid gets down to Kent this weekend to see full grids of saloons, sports and GT cars.

I'll be there for sure, mooching about, camera at the ready, snapping the 'Unofficial PH Britcar Racing Club'! Looking forward to taking my new Coupe for a maiden drive too!

See you there!

[Scuffham]

Yup,

see you all there (pit 18)

[chris sideways]

We will be there with are Jade(BritSports)in pit "4"i think,see you there guy's.
Chris.





>> Edited by chris sideways on Thursday 14th April 21:00

[Racylady]

Trackside said:

So who's going along to round 2 of the best race series in the UK? I would suggest anyone who went to Donington last weekend and was disappointed by the meagre BTCC grid gets down to Kent this weekend to see full grids of saloons, sports and GT cars. I'll be there for sure, mooching about, camera at the ready, snapping the 'Unofficial PH Britcar Racing Club'! Looking forward to taking my new Coupe for a maiden drive too! See you there!

So, Gary, you'll actually BE trackside this weekend then eh?! I'll no longer insist that you change your name then!

May try to make it myself to Brands this w/e. The BTCC was SO disappointing.

[scuffham]

Grid looks interesting...

DRIVER (S) SPONSOR VEHICLE CC

CLASS 1

5 Steve Hirst / Rick Wood Vauxhall Astra DTM
6 Adam Sharpe / Steve Hyde Adam Sharp Motorsport Ford Falcon 6500
8 Lee Noble / Alistair Mackinnon Noble Automotive Ltd Noble M12-2 2968
10 Kevin Hancock / Leigh Smart Jemco Racing Marcos Mantis 4600
12 Colin Simpson / Jeff Wyatt Marcos Mantis
20 Philip Harris / Nigel Greensall BS Motosport Porsche GT3 Cup 3800
27 Bill Cameron / Kelvin Burt Driver Porsche GT3 Cup 996 3598
28 Peter Chambers Team Eurotech Porsche GT3 Cup 3600
40 David Back Damax Ferrari 360 Challenge 3600
44 Bo McCormick / Calum Lockie Driver Ferrari 360 Challenge 3600
51 Henry Firman / Pete Morris 911virgin.com Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 3600
56 Craig / Elliott Cole Damax Ferrari 360 Modena GT 3600
62 Barrie Whight / Paul Whight Cadena Consult Limited Lotus Motorsport Elise 1800

DRIVER (S) SPONSOR VEHICLE CC

CLASS 2

32 Tony Rodriguez BMW E46 GTR
34 Harry Handkammer / David Leslie GT Services BMW M3 E36 3200
42 Rupert Bullock / Jon Harrison Topcat Marcos Mantis
43 Mick Mercer / Richard Fores Topcat Marcos Mantis
58 Simon Scuffham / Chris Randall Team Scandel Lotus Elise 1998
59 Rupert Laslett Rapid Chariots Ltd Lotus Exige 2 1798

DRIVER (S) SPONSOR VEHICLE CC

CLASS 3

70 Tim Arnold / Henk Kridenier L V C Motorsport BMW Compact 3000
75 Witt Gamski / Keith Robinson MJC Ltd Ferrari 355 3500
76 Paul Fenton / Mike Gardiner Moore Racing BMW M3 3000
78 Michael Symons / Peter Knee Geoff Steel Racing BMW M3 E36 3200
81 Aaron Scott Beechdean Motorsport BMW Mini 53 3200
86 Don Grice / Jamie Wall Vista Labels Limited/CLS Europe BMW M3 E36 3200
90 John George / Phil Bennett JAG Communications Peugeot 406 Coupe 2000

[hui]

6 Adam Sharpe / Steve Hyde Adam Sharp Motorsport Ford Falcon 6500

I thought Steve Hyde was driving at Spa this weekend?

or are there two Steve Hydes?



Mrs Hui

[Trackside]

hui said:

6 Adam Sharpe / Steve Hyde Adam Sharp Motorsport Ford Falcon 6500 I thought Steve Hyde was driving at Spa this weekend? or are there two Steve Hydes? Mrs Hui

If he is the same bloke then the Britcar race is on Saturday, the Spa 1000 KM LMES on Sunday so he could possibly race in both. Then again, the Falcon didn't show for round 1 at Silverstone last month which was a shame.

Looks like Top Cats have put their #42 Marcos back together then! It ended up looking a bit second hand last time out...

Oh, Racylady. Thanks for letting me keep my name!

[wedge girl]

I'll be there waving my PH flag.

[The DJ 27]

The Falcon should be there, according to dailysportscar.com

[instructor]

Well I'm (Tim Arnold) hoping to be there and in the race...

I'm in the entry list above in Class 3 in the LVC Compact, but that was never the case anyway... I was actually supposed to be in the ex-Cecotto LVC M3 in Class 2 (car No. 30 - which isn't in the above list)...

The LVC team withdrew the M3 today after we couldn't come to an agreement over some issues from the last race... I'm currently waiting on getting the nod from another team, to turn up and drive their car this weekend.

At the moment, I don't think the LVC team will be back in the series... which is a shame because the M3 has a lot of potential... it's probably not so well known because the 1st qualifying and race were each a disaster, but on Good Friday it proved to be a quick car...

Considering it was my first time back to racing after a long lay-off, so I was a bit rusty (I do a lot of track miles instructing but that's not quite the same), and that my previous experience of the car was just eight laps of a damp/drying Goodwood back in January, it was very encouraging... in the Friday test my team-mate did most of the running because he was completely new to the car... I did three laps at the end of the morning session, on old tyres from last year's Belcar series, then Tony drove for most of the afternoon session again, this time on a fresh set of Dunlops... he was circulating consistently in the 1:36.00's for about 15 laps... then I jumped in and did three laps... the third of those was a 1:31.00... consider that at the time that was only a second or so off David Leslie (David was doing 1:30.00's and a best of 1:29.80 - he told me that... and his qualifying lap on Saturday was 1:28.66) and that I was nowhere near pushing the M3... I was being careful! I know I could have gone at least 2 secs quicker than that with some more laps! The GTS car has a proper aero package - splitter, flat bottom, diffuser - and a sequential box with flat shifter... we had none of that... manual 5-speed box, front air-dam, rear wing... ok we had a bit more power, but that's no use without the traction. The chassis is brilliant... it was awsome through Copse!

In qualifying on Saturday morning my team-mate flat-spotted the front left tyre before I got in the car (that caused severe understeer), and a Marcos dumped oil at Copse... I did 3 laps again and still managed a 1:34.9... first time I went through Copse I was getting ready to check in at Whittlebury Hall on the way past! But a 1:34 was only good enough for 18th on the grid... a 1:31.00 would have put us 11th... I believe I would have gone quicker than that and could have put us in the top ten but for the handicaps.

The race went even worse... 20 minutes in it broke down... I eventually did 4 laps with a serious misfire... other stuff then started to go wrong and we called it a day.

So far I have done a total of 19 laps in the car, including Goodwood!

I reckoned on a top six grid position at Brands, but it isn't going to happen now!

I've got other drives in the pipeline for future races though!

[Trackside]

Does anyone know if the Hirst/Wood Astra has had it's refuelling gremlins (as in, can it actually refuel now) sorted yet? I'd love to see it's genuine pace over a full race distance.

[Scuffham]

OK, what's the odds on a Marcos dumping it's sump this weekend?

[instructor]

Scuffham said:

OK, what's the odds on a Marcos dumping it's sump this weekend?

A racing certainty I would have thought!

[Trackside]

Scuffham said:

OK, what's the odds on a Marcos dumping it's sump this weekend?

Just make sure you're not following it when it does, Simon! You don't want to be rebuilding the little yella fella again already!

BTW, have you got the uprated engine in yet?

[Scuffham]

Trackside said:

Scuffham said: OK, what's the odds on a Marcos dumping it's sump this weekend? Just make sure you're not following it when it does, Simon! You don't want to be rebuilding the little yella fella again already! BTW, have you got the uprated engine in yet?

err - exactly.....

and no, been trying to get our heads round the setup and tyres, adding another engine to the equation seemed like a bad idea. Assuming no more un-planned 'incidents', it sould be in for snett.

[evoblade]

Was refuelling really the reason for the Astra retiring? Just that I was following Kelvin Burt in the Porsche, who was trying to get past the Astra, resulting in the Astra spinning and then retiring.

[instructor]

evoblade said:

Was refuelling really the reason for the Astra retiring? Just that I was following Kelvin Burt in the Porsche, who was trying to get past the Astra, resulting in the Astra spinning and then retiring.

Hi Tony... I don't know... although I did hear they were finding it a bit of a handful! I followed it briefly on Friday. Our M3 was nearly as quick on the straights... in fact I stayed with it from exit of Woocote, through Copse and through Maggots into Becketts without losing much ground... but in the tighter corners it was stuck like a limpet where we were struggling to get the power down, and it pulled away... it pulled away exiting Becketts and same at Farm Hairpin and its turn in at Brooklands and Luffield was in a different league... I think it should have been a lot faster than it was in terms of lap time.

Still waiting for the call this morning!

[Graham]

during the Britcar race i'll either be hanging around the moore racing/BMW garage or in the Paddock with my head under the bonnet of a sick tuscan..

or failing that if it all goes to ratsh1t i'll be in the bar at the bottom of paddock hill


G

[dank]

I should be popping along, will be parked up at southbank in me 172 watching the action!

[Scuffham]

So, what did everybody think?

Personally had a rough weekend, but a big thumbs up for all the organisation/marshals/etc. for doing their stuff.

any comments on the start of the Britcar race? I have seen video's of it now, not impressed....