4th December 2009

A New Car Has Arrived....

A brand new SEAT touring car has arrived for next year...

We will be competing in the Euro saloons, NSSCC and possibly some Endurance racing with the team of 'Bernard & Marcus' at the wheel next season.

The car is pictured during in a trip to the paint-shop.

Then it's off for some more modifications before the 2010 season gets underway.

The Prodrive Mondeo Supertourer is only semi-pensioned and will still be racing at events like the Silverstone Classic.

It's therefore nice to report, that it will still be seen about the circuits on a regular basis...

24th September 2009

Spa-rkling weekend

Round 5 of the British Caterham R400 championship took us all off to the world’s most (in)famous circuit – Spa Francorchamps, arriving only 2 weeks after the F1 boys had vacated the paddock and benefitting from some rubber left behind by Jenson and his pals.
 
Qualifying on Friday was daunting – “……it’s flat through Eau Rouge in 6th” (see below) says team manager “Flavio” Dave Ketter-atori as he straps us into the missile I’ve come to know as my Caterham R400.

 
Are you sure Dave ????????
 
Anyway it was flat in 6th and after a disciplinary for me and team mate Ed we established it was flat, but this does not include straight lining the exit for which we we received a final warning and the threat of a drive through in the race.
 
So first qually on Friday was more of a navigation exercise than a race environment – 7Km and 20 corners meant every time you arrive at a corner you’ve no idea which one it is or where it goes and invariably it was up when you thought it was down and left when you thought it was right!
 
So after an hour on track and some changes to the front bar to find some more front end grip under turn in, we had a half decent setting. Some more changes to ride height of the rear before final qually gave us pretty much the perfect balance of predictable under and over steer you need for spa and we qualified 10th out of 27, including 11 of the less powerful R300s. Having set off doing 2.52s we’d got down to 2.46s so it began to feel like progress and we were ahead of some of the guys who’d been there before.
 
So on to race one, too many revs and a stodgy start dropped me down the grid straight off and embroiled in a battle with the middle of the order we didn’t see the front runners again and finished up 6th after a few ding dongs, a lot of slipstreaming on Kemmel straight and a couple of front runners taking each other out at Les Combes.
 
With a decent points haul from race 1, team mate and I, Ed Hayes, started Race 2 on the 3rd row of the grid he in 5th to my left.
 
Far better start this time and straightlined to the apex at La Source, focusing on keeping it tidy and making it through to avoid Donington style heroics which inevitably end up with a going too fast backwards moment. A tidy entry and exit made it possible to get the power down early on the run to Eau rouge and tucked in with the front 4.
 
Eau Rouge is the most phenomenal experience in Motorsport.
 
Accelerating to about 110mph from the hairpin to the base of Eau Rouge you point the car away from the bend, take all the grass on the left then drag the car back across the track as you go up the hill with Newton’s basics trying to drag you through the floor of the car and the suspension dropping onto it’s haunches. Keep full power and stick the car on the rumble on the right and it drags you up the road in roughly the right direction – then down into 5th before the crest and enjoy the air time as you lift off over the blind crest onto Kemmel which goes on …. for ever. Far better drivers than I have had major offs here and it wasn’t lost on me lap after lap as adrenaline helped me ignore my more rationale nature.
 
So away with the fast lads and managing to live with them for the duration the race turned into by far the best of the year and on the last lap as team mate (veteran) Peter Ratcliffe backed the pack up for the final flurry I got a run on the front 4 on the exit of Stavelot only to put a wheel on the gravel and go into a 90’ sideways whoooooaooooaoo moment. Caught it and got back on the power, flat through blanchimont and as I arrived into the bus stop chicane, Ferrari Challenge driver Mike Cantillon over cooked it on the right left and I squeezed through to take 4th leading him over the line by 15/100ths of a second
 
All in all a fabulous weekend at the most beautiful scary and challenging race track in the world, a mega confidence boost and some momentum to take to the last round at Snetterton and into the closed season testing.







22nd September 2009

Tom Chilton Video

Here we have some footage of Tom Chilton driving the mondeo at Mallory Park on the 15th July. Courtesy of EVO magazine.



Images From Brands Hatch 15th/16th August 2009








Oooops!!!!


19th August

Not a Good Day At The Office - Brands Hatch 15th/16th August

As can be seen by the pictures, not a very good weekend...

After laying second in the DKM Supertourer Championship and 2nd in class B in the LMA Euro Saloons going into the Brands meeting, I wanted a good result in the last double-header of the season.

I didn’t have a good qualifying time in the morning session, bedding in new front discs and also a red flag stopping the period after 10 minutes.

I ended up on the 6th row of the grid for the race on Saturday afternoon!

After gaining several positions during the first half of the race, on the penultimate lap I got off the racing line at the end of the pit straight, prior to paddock hill bend, and on braking, after dropping down to 4th I went in too deep, too late on the brakes, only to hit the ‘kitty litter’ at about 80 mph and due to the flat bottom of the car was no more than a passenger on a sledge! Next stop the tyre wall/barrier!

Basically I out braked myself trying a little too hard to catch John Hammersley and Isla Cox who I had been slowly catching prior to the off.

Very stiff on Sunday (but I would have been much worse if I had not been wearing my Hans device) now the worst thing is my injured wallet, but we will be back soon.....

31st July 2009

A day with Tom Chilton at Mallory Park 15th July
 
We were invited to go to Mallory as part of a feature being produced for EVO magazine.
 
Tom was hired to take several FORD  Ex BTCC cars around the circuit from different eras.
 
This included an Escort, Capri, Galaxy, Lotus Cortina, etc and our Mondeo. . .
 
After allot of manoeuvring for pictures, Tom went around the circuit in his current Focus BTCC car and the times were within a second of the Mondeo’s time.
 
Bearing in mind he had never driven my car before (and wasn’t ringing its neck, as it was someone else’s vehicle ) it shows just how good the Mondeo’s were in their day.
 
If only I could drive it like that !!
 
Tom turned out to be a really nice personable guy and made it a great day out for the club racers among us.
 
The feature with some great photos should be in the September edition of EVO....








 

Silverstone Classic 24th-25th-26th July

Three dry days and a collection of some of the finest classic machinery available (estimated to be some £25m worth in one day) made for a fabulous weekend.
 
Racing was on the Grand Prix circuit of almost 3.2 miles. We were garaged with the only other authentic racing Prodrive Mondeo in existence, the ex Anthony Reid car owned by Welch man Alvin Powell. The Menu car is in the Prodrive museum. (All though in true Alvin style, he has Menu stickered in the back window, not Reid).
 
In Friday mornings qualifying I ended up on the 5th row of the grid (for Saturdays race) with 28 starters and a time of 2:09.9 which was, I thought, easily improved upon in the race.
 
This turned out to be so in the Saturday race, with a time of 2:05.7 and I finished 5th in class and 6th overall. A great race and I was pleased with the result.
 
This meant I was on the 3rd row of the grid for the Sunday race, so I was happy.
 
This feeling soon ended on Sunday afternoon with two off’s during the race which put me well back, the second one sent me airborne coming out of Abbey and did some damage to the front splitter!
 
Ambition beating talent?
 
I finished 7th in class and 11th overall, with a time of 2:09.0 so as they say, not a good day at the office!
 
But, with fabulous cars, great concerts (Pussycat Dolls, Blue & Toploader) an aerobatic team, celeb’s milling about and a dry weekend what could be better?  Just a better race on Sunday I suppose. . .
 
Next outing, Brands Hatch 15th & 16th August.

See many more shots of the Touring Cars in action from the Classic weekend by using the 2 links below:

	Flickr Gallery
	Touring Car Times

"Even Murray Walker called by..."





7th July 2009

Silverstone 27th - 28th June - Some Like It Hot...

A great weekends racing at Silverstone on the National circuit in glorious sunshine. The good news was the slicks were very sticky, the bad news it was 40°c in the car with no ventilation, fixed windows and wearing enough safety gear to keep warm in December.

On the Saturday we qualified 7th in class, which was disappointing and started from the 8th row of the grid behind some very beefy 600+ BHP ‘class A’ machinery up front! After some great tussles with the other Supertourers like John Hammersley’s Honda Accord ST and the Seat’s, we ended up 6th in class and 9th overall.

On Sunday we started from the 4th row of grid (following Saturdays result) and we finished 5th in class. With a few more points in the bag we remain 2nd in the dkm Supertourer car cup and also 2nd in class B of the LMA euro saloon championship.
With only Brands Hatch left for the last two rounds of the ‘dkm supertourers’ on the 15th and 16th August there is still a battle to be had to hang on to that position!

Before then we will be at the Silverstone classic on the 24/25 & 26th July racing on the GP circuit in the David Leslie memorial races. The weekend is televised and with concerts in the evening (Pussycat dolls etc) 70,000 visitors are expected. See you there . . .

11th June 2009

Donington Report - 6th June


The LMA Euro Saloons doubleheader event at Donington on the 6th June turned out to be a typical race day at Donington Park!
 
After some marvellous summer weather recently we arrived to pouring rain, and it was chilly to say the least.
 
I only managed 5 laps in qualifying with so many people having off’s in the awful weather in what was a very stop-start session.
 
Going down the Craner curves, it was more reminiscent of being on a river than a race track ....
 
Starting on the 6th row of the grid in pouring rain, we completed a difficult race and finished 5th in class.
 
The inside of the car was like a swimming pool by the end of the race...
 
The 2nd race, in the evening was a dry, so it was nice to get the slicks back on the car.
 
Starting from the 5th row I had some great battles, kept it on the ‘black stuff’ and came in 4th in class.
 
A great days racing and it was nice to be supported by a gaggle of my sponsors and friends and family who all added to the day.
 
We are now 2nd in the ‘DKM Supertourer Car Cup’  also  2nd in class ‘B’ of the LMA Euro Saloon Championship and 6th overall in the LMA championship.
 
The next races are in three weeks at Silverstone, hope you can make it!

14th May 2009

A great day was had on the 6th May for the Media Day at Silverstone to publish the Silverstone Classic Meeting on the 24th/25th/26th July.
 
We got three 20 minute sessions on the GP circuit for a good shake down, everything was spot-on. Hanger straight is the only place I’ve run out of top speed, after some gear ratio changes during the lunch break by Dave and Lewis (Taylors Foundry Motorsport) we were back on the pace again. . .
 
Driving the Grand Prix circuit with Sterling Moss out there in a classic Maserati, talking to Murray Walker and viewing the beautiful machinery in the paddock, some real icons of motor sport, all added to the occasion.  I’m sure it will be even better with a good crowd around too in july!
 
The band Blue were there (they are performing at the classic event) as was Lewis Hamilton’s girl friend Nicole Scherzinger from Pussycat dolls.
 
Pictures from the day can be viewed now on the Motors TV website.
 
The organisers are expecting over 65,000 people at the event, which will also  be on Motors TV ....
 
Get the date in your diary!

 

6th May 2009

After the first 2 rounds in Bernard’s Prodrive Mondeo Supertourer, and Marcus’s Caterham R400 we are sat in 4th and 6th position in our respective championships with 30 and 26 points.

We will next be competing in the DKM Supertouring Car Cup (part of the LMA Euro Saloons)and the Avon Tyres Superlight R400 Championship on May 25th (Caterham) at Oulton Park, and Donington Park (Mondeo) for a double header on the 6th and 7th June. We look forward to seeing you there, and the sponsors too for a weekend out at Donington!

15th April 2009

A BAPTISM OF FIRE... FIRST TIME OUT IN THE AVON TYRES R400 BRITISH SUPERLIGHT CHALLENGE

Easter weekend arrived and anyone watching the testing session would wonder what exactly was Good about this particular Friday.
 
Arriving on the capacious track at the world famous Silverstone circuit in torrential rain and being beaten up by every other car on the track had me wondering if it had been such a great idea to miss out the academy, roadsport A, roadsport B, graduates and R300s en route to racing in the top Caterham class in the country.
 
Breaking from top speed in 6th into a hairpin with zero visibility, dense spray and the occasional flicker of a rain light really was a baptism of fire, trying to apply 400 bhp/tone through the back tyres shortly after had me feeling like Todd Carty in dancing on ice…
 
So Saturday rolled in, with more rain, and qualifying was a difficult affair with me and team mate Ed Hayes “locking out” the back row of the grid. Having had some success in the past between us with Ed competing in the Porsche Championship last year and my own experience racing at Croft and doing sprints, we were both taken aback by the ferocity of the cars and the quality of the competition.
 
So to the grid at Silverstone - Team mate behind me everyone else in front …. 30 second board, 5 second board, red lights on, red lights off – go. Too many revs in first had my tyres lit up on the starting grid and the field in front rapidly disappearing. My team mate had also apparently attached himself to a fully extended bungee cord and disappeared past me into the spray ahead.
 
So hook up second gear and get on with it. Second challenge in the race, one of the fastest, most famous and daunting corners in world motorsport, surrounded by petrol-heads determined not to give an inch, even in the wet. I managed to sneak up the inside of one car and at the entry to Beckets one other driver fell off never to recover his position. The net return on a further 30 minutes of racing was a puddle in my seat (I hope from the rain!) and +1 position gained on the grid.
 
So on to race 2, starting this time one row higher up the grid, again flanked by my team mate, an emerging trend. Again a far from perfect start saw me temporarily hit the back of the field but growing confidence allowed me to get deeper into Copse and take 3 cars by the time we exited the corner. Fortunately on this occasion determination and a lack of self awareness was met by some grip and a capable car as the penny finally dropped that the racing line is not the place to be in the wet.
 
On the run down to Abbey I still had some tow from the front runners and managed to stretch a lead over my team mate and the cars behind - but before long Ed was looming large in the microscopic, spray filled, shaking mirrors, clearly faster than me and clearly wanting to make progress. Turning too early into   
Copse at the beginning of the next lap and Ed got me on the run to maggots as he carried more exit speed and began to disappear. But with the track drying and in identical machinery he shouldn’t have been I thought and pushed on.
 
So we then raced each other up for the remainder of the race, changing places several times before the checkered flag and taking to the grass on more than one occasion (at full speed 1m from a concrete wall) Pretty evenly matched I was able to grab 6th place from Ed in the end with ‘my mentor/main sponsor’ and the Taylor’s team manager watching from the stand
where you enter the complex as we regularly came within centimeters of each other mid corner and in a straight line. They were all relieved to see the car back in one piece, unlike several others.

So first time out with 6th and 8th places and 26 points for the championship feels like a decent starting point and something to build on.

Thanks to everyone on the sponsorship front who’s helped make the racing possible so far – the second race of the weekend is being shown on Motors TV Sky Ch 413  Saturday 2 May and Sunday 3 May 2009.

The next round at Donington due for 2 weekend’s time looks to have been cancelled owing to a contra temps between Donington and the FIA, and will now be on 18/19th July. So the next Championship outing will be at Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday May 25th.

7th April 2009

MONDEO SUPERTOURER AT SILVERSTONE CLASIC MEETING 24/25/26th JULY

We are entered for the Silverstone classic in July, an event which last year attracted crowds of over 65,000.

The event will be televised and is now a highly regarded event on the motorsport calendar.

We are entered for the David Leslie memorial trophy a race to commemorate a great driver who sadly died in an aircraft crash in 2008.

The grid will be made up of touring cars from the period when David was at his very best driving such machinery.

WE ARE TESTING FOR THE ABOVE EVENT AT THE SILVERSTONE MEDIA DAY ON THE 6th MAY


MONDEO - FIRST OUTING OF THE SEASON AT ANGLESEY
 
Two dry days at the Anglesey circuit for the first 2 rounds of the DKM Supertourer car championship and LMA Euro saloons was a bonus at this time of year, especially as we were only meters from the Irish sea!
 
The first race on Saturday was on the Coastal Circuit a 1.55 mile track and we qualified on the 4th row of the grid with 23 starters. A great race and we got two third places and a good hand full of points.
 
Sundays racing was in even better conditions with glorious sunshine but a wind straight from the North pole!  But, it meant dry racing so no one was complaining...
 
The Sunday race was on the International circuit,  2.10 miles and we qualified on the 3rd row of grid for this day’s event, so some progress.
 
All was going well in the race and with two thirds of the race time had passed, as I braked hard for the 2nd gear 180 degree hairpin I got a ‘punt’ up the off side rear corner from Ilsa Cox in her Seat Leon Cupra. This was hard enough to send me spinning off the circuit on to the infield.
 
(I know this incident was not intentional and she was generous enough to very apologetic in the paddock) so you just have to accept the result and the subsequent repair costs...
 
Out braking yourself at end of a fast straight is a mistake we all can make, unfortunately the one by Ilsa Cox meant I had to rejoin the race from the grassy infield after losing half a lap,
 
Result,  a lot less points!
 
Next race:  Donington Park 6/7th JUNE




CATERHAM R400 AT SILVERSTONE 11/12TH  EASTER WEEKEND

Marcus has been elevated from occasional races at Croft, Yorkshires leading motor sport circuit, to the starting grid of the Europe's premier Caterham series.

Fortunate enough to secure the championship winning car of last year from David Mayes and with the backing of Dalziel, Paragon Packaging and IGSG logistics,

Marcus will take his place on the grid at Silverstone on April 11th/12th (Easter weekend) for the first 2 rounds of the Caterham Superlight R400 championship.

He commented on his commitment for the coming season and highlighted his rigorous pre season training, tipping the scales some 13 kilos lighter than last season.

The R400 will be run by the UK's leading Caterham team, last year's Championship team winners, Taylors Foundry Motorsport based in Haverhill Suffolk.

But... With a great start to the season from the Hogarth racing teams principal Bernard, in the ex Rydell Prodrive Mondeo, taking 3rd in class at Anglesey international circuit last weekend, and a third

In the DKM Supertourer championship too, Marcus is hoping that a little success will become a family affair.


15th December 2008 - David Leslie Memorial Trophy

We are looking to compete with our Mondeo Super Tourer at the Silverstone classic on the  24th– 26th  July 2009, in the David Leslie memorial trophy races.
 
Leslie was a great BTCC competitor, and sadly died prematurely in a tragic air accident in 2008 aged only 54. To commemorate his life and achievements a massive grid of ex-Touring cars will be assembled for what will be a nostalgic event.
 
At the Silverstone Classic meeting, crowds of 65,000 are expected and the races will be televised by Motors TV.
 
For more info visit:  www.supertouringregister.com