MotorsTV UK Official Blog

Hi everyone.

Hope you’re all well. Just a quick word ahead of the British F3 round this Sunday.

I’m really looking forward to this weekend and our races on the Silverstone GP circuit. This will be the first opportunity of the year for all the competitors to show their skills on a current Grand Prix track.

I last raced on the GP track back in 2007 when I shared the Zytek LMP1 sports prototype with my brother Tom. We had a few mechanical problems in the 1000km race, but still finished 5th. This gives me even more determination to get good results in the F3. The track is a great circuit to drive as it has some very fast high-loading corners and also a tight and more technical section to finish the lap.

I am aiming to get two podium finishes this weekend and I’m fairly confident as in the recent test day, I managed to be on the pace in both the wet and dry sessions. I don’t really mind which conditions we have this weekend, I’m happy in the wet or the dry.

I’m expecting my main rivals to be my team mate Dan Ricciardo and also fellow British driver – Nick Tandy. However, having really competitive rivals just drives me on even more, especially when they’re in the same team as me!  There are some really good, quick drivers this year so it will be tough, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Speak soon.

Max

Hi everyone

For those who don’t know me, a quick introduction. I’m Phil Quaife, a racing driver from Tonbridge in Kent who this year will be driving one of CRS Racing’s Ferrari 430s in the FIA GT3 championship, starting with the Silverstone round this weekend. I’ve already taken a class win in the Dubai 24 Hours for Aston Martin earlier in the season after finishing fifth in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2008, so hopefully I’m in for a good season.

I’ll start my opening entry with a confession; I’m completely new to this blogging malarkey. The consensus of opinion seems to be to just tell you all what’s going on both at home and on-track so that’s what I’ll be doing over the coming season here on Motors TV who, you’ll probably have gathered, will be showing GT3 highlights throughout 2009.

So, to the new season, and what a year it promises to be. I know this is going to sound a little biased but really, the FIA GT3 Championship looks like being a classic. I can’t think of another championship in world motorsport that’s got 11 manufacturers competing in the same class, let alone another sportscar series!

They’re rapid bits of kit too, take it from me! Having been confirmed at CRS three weeks back, I had the chance to drive last season’s GT3 Ferrari at Paul Ricard, and boy, was it quick! The team are also running a GT2 430 this season which they let me have a go in and that was mega.

The team take delivery of the 2009 spec car this week, which is just as well considering the first race is this weekend! Our short preparation time is hardly going to help but we’ve at least got one or two aces up our sleeve. For starters, the team know all about running GT3s at Silverstone having won there in the British GT championship en route to the title last year. I also took my first Carrera Cup pole position there last season as well as gaining plenty of experience on the GP layout throughout my junior motorsport career.

As with most GT racing, driver changes take place during the race. One thing to bear in mind about this championship however is that one of the team’s drivers is a pro and the other an amateur. It’s designed to keep the racing close and unpredictable, not to mention placing a lot of emphasis on strategy. This season I’ll be joined by Robert Hissom, a very talented American amateur who I partnered at Dubai in a Jaguar last season.

Okay then, I guess you’re about up to date with the life and times of Phil Quaife for this week. I’ll be at Silverstone tomorrow testing a Radical SR8 on the GP circuit. It’s been a while since I was in one of those so it should be blast, plus it’ll sharpen me up for the coming weekend’s two races. I’ll let you know how it all goes next week.

PQ

Hi

Hope everyone is keeping good! So Last weekend was the first round of the Women’s World Championships in Bulgaria which Motors showed live on TV !!!

It wasn’t such a good weekend for me though as I had a big crash in free practice which left me with a sore back and neck!! I qualified in 5th which I was happy with as the top seven girls were all basically the same speed…

I had a good start in moto one and got up to 2nd position. But on the second lap I made a silly mistake on a corner and crashed so ended up getting 6th!! I didn’t get such a good start in Moto two and this time was in the middle of pack but I made up good ground by lap two and was into 4th position. Then, going through the rhythm section, me and Ashley Fiolek (3rd) collided and I went down – my bike all twisted at the front – so I only managed to get back up to 9th position which left me 7th overall in the championship!! I’m happy enough with that but hope to do better at round 2 in Portugal!!

Last weekend I did a women’s Red Bull national in England, taking three wins out of three so I’m happy with that. I’m still having problems with my back though so this week I will not ride and try to find out what the problem is!!

I’ll let you know how I get on.

Nat #44 x

Hi everyone.

This is my first blog for Motors TV where hopefully I can shed some light on what’s happening through the season.

My preparation for this year has been the best I’ve ever had. It’s fantastic to be part of such a successful team, but also to have strong team mates as well. I’ve got access to a lot more data than I’ve had before and the competition amongst the Carlin drivers pushes me to another level. It’s a great atmosphere, we all get on really well, but we’re all determined to beat each other as well so it makes you lift your game.

This season my aim is race wins. I’ve had podium finishes before, but now the target has to be winning my first F3 race. I’m confident that I can but at the same time I know how competitive it’s going to be. If I’m going to be in with a chance of the title then it’s also about being consistent and that’s something that I’ve shown in the test days I can do. Obviously races are different but I’ve got the experience now and I’ve got to use that.

Being selected for the MSA Academy is a huge compliment. I have heard how many good drivers applied for selection so to have a group of people recognise my potential is a great confidence booster. The best thing about it though is how much it will benefit me in the future with the training and support that the programme brings. I’m really looking forward to the technical education and working with their experts.

Now the season is about to get underway, next weekend at Oulton Park. We found a very good set up there when we tested back at the beginning of March so I think the Carlin cars will be strong there. I finished 2nd last season at the first race so I will be aiming to go one better this year.

Max