MotorsTV UK Official Blog

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well.

I am now just chilling out back home after a very solid weekend in Budapest. I love the circuit and I love the city. In the evenings I spent a lot of my time downtown and went to some great restaurants and saw some incredible views. It is not very often that whilst racing I ever get the chance to have a good look around the actual city so for me it was a bonus!

In my free practice my car felt pretty good and I was happy with my balance so for qualifying I felt good. Of course though, the circuit changes so much from free practice as the temperature increases and more rubber is laid down from F1 and GP2.

For qualifying on my first set of tyres I felt pretty good although I had some understeer but I was expecting this slightly and I realised how to drive around it. In qualifying there is no time to change the car really so it is down to me to just get on with it. On my second set of tyres it was very scrappy but I pulled a couple of okay laps together to qualify 8th and 5th for my two races. This was satisfying and I knew with some improvements I could race forward.

We made some good steps forward and in race 1 I made a mega start and a good first lap got me up to 6th… and that is where I stayed for the next 12 laps! My pace was really very good but without being a big margin faster or another driver making a mistake it is very difficult to move forward. But, 6th is solid points and I was happy. My car balance felt good but could be improved I thought.

For race 2, I expected a little more starting from 5th and I wanted a podium. I had another good first lap, moving up into 4th. I tried for 3rd around the outside at the fast sixth gear turn three but this was not happening!.. I went very wide and dropped to 6th…once again this is where I stayed and where I finished my race. My car was about the same as race 1 but overall my pace was good and 6th is very solid points. Both of my races were very professional with no real drama in either and I am happy for that after the messy races I have had previously this year.

I now have a big three week break. I have been training super hard recently and will keep this up because I expect Valencia to be very hot like Budapest. I am going on holiday to Spain this Sunday with a few of my close friends which will be great because I can just relax and switch off for a little while which I think is important… but don’t worry, my training gear will be packed!

I really enjoyed the Valencia circuit last year even if it is not a traditional street course, but still, I am now up to 7th in the Championship and closing in on 5th so I cannot wait for my next race. I feel very happy with my car’s balance in most conditions now so I feel well prepared.

I will speak to you when I’m back from holiday with an update on what is happening in my life during the three week break.

Take care and speak soon.

Rupert

Hi everyone

Well that was not exactly how I expected Brno to go. We had a few problems with the bike which cost us much needed time on track. Brno is an extremely technical circuit and therefore track knowledge is key. I’m not entirely unhappy though.

We just missed out in Qualifying and started 17th on the grid. I made a really good start in the first race though and managed to come through to take 7th which is a good solid points finish. Then they moved us all up a place on the grid for race because of Ruben Xaus breaking his leg. I got a little boxed in, but managed to pass a few people and ended up 12th. On the last couple of laps I passed Nakano about ten times only for him to keep out dragging me. I was happy enough though.

We have five weeks off now so it’s time for training, trailing, some enduro, some poker and some relaxing, so it’s going to be a busy few weeks.

Speak soon

Leon

After a tough weekend at Anglesey three weeks ago I was determined to make up for it at Donington Park, one of my favourite circuits and one that I always go well at.

It was great to be back on the British F3/GT package, and there was a really good atmosphere in the paddock all weekend. Despite the miserable weather, a big crowd turned out to watch all the action.  Furthermore, a strong 20 car grid including reigning champion David Mayes promised some fantastic racing. This surely indicates the benefits of being part of the F3/GT meetings, so hopefully there will be more than one meeting on the package in 2010.

For me, the weekend itself couldn’t have started any worse thanks to an engine failure just 20 minutes into the first practice session on Friday. We still haven’t had any word from engine builders Minister Power as to what has gone on the engine, but we have our fingers crossed it won’t be too expensive.

Thankfully a spare engine was on hand and thanks to great work by Mat Blyth Motorsport, Rob from Tecserv and Simon Lambert for finding an oil filter in a van I was able to get a good run in the car before racing.

So onto the racing. Qualifying presented a tough challenge for me because I am running in a one car team. it would be better to work together with another car to capitalise on the huge performance advantage a tow down the straights can give you in these cars. This meant that whilst I was quickest in clean air, it was championship rival Peter Ratcliff and team mate David Mayes who took the front two positions on the grid, whilst I had to settle for third.

Race one of the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon in lovely sunshine and the race itself was defiantly one of the best of the year. Having eight cars fighting for first place underlies why the R400 Superlight championship is so good. As Mayes built up a good advantage at the head of the field I had to deal with all three of my closest championship rivals trying as hard as possible to find a way past me. Luckily, their squabbles meant I was able to break the tow and hunt down Mayes, eventually passing him into Goddards to take the win. It was a great feeling to finally finish in front of him after spending the last three rounds of 2008 coming second best to David.

Race two on Sunday provided challenging conditions, with heavy rain falling minutes before we went out to race. A late tyre change by us proved a great move as, despite losing the lead on the first bend to David, I was back in the lead again by the start of lap two from where I sped off into the distance, winning the race by over 32 seconds.

A really great weekend more than made up for the disappointment at Anglesey and made the hard work of changing engines on Friday very worthwhile.  The fantastic results mean I am now 13 points clear at the head of the driver’s championship with six races left to run. There is a long two month wait until I’m next out, but it should be worth the wait as the next round of the championship is at the awesome Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Many people consider this the best circuit in the world, so I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Dan

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well. Please accept my apologies for the very late update but my life has been incredibly busy recently and whenever I get some spare time all I feel like doing is nothing!

After my success at Silverstone I of course felt very confident going to the Nurburgring. I spent my days in between the 2 races just seeing my friends, training and flying my planes. I also went along to see the F3 at Snetterton because it’s good to see my team as they also race in F3 and also it gives me my fix of motorsport when I have had a boring week! The weather was so so good!… so seriously big bike rides during the day and then long evenings flying my model planes was how it went for a couple of weeks.

Dennis came with me to the Nurburgring and the weekend started very well. We flew out Wednesday evening from Stansted to Cologne which is about 1 hour drive from the circuit…. the hotel though was a further 40 minutes over the hills so it was quite a journey! The weather was miserable all weekend. On the Friday it was like a March test day not a July race weekend… it was just above 12 degrees and I don’t think anybody was prepared for that.

Free practice started well, I finished the session with a comfortable balance and I knew for my qualifying that I had a very good car. My qualifying on the first set of tyres was very good but of course when you pit and have the second set for the final 10 minutes you naturally will go faster as both yourself and the circuit improves. I was beginning my first flying lap on the second set when I had traffic come out of the pits in front of me. I decided to immediately just give up the lap and not take too much out of the tyres and have another go on the second lap. This lap was OK but once again I had traffic…. and my session eventually ended with me having traffic on every lap on my second set of tyres. I did just about pull out two good laps to take 6th and 7th on the grid but just with a clear lap I would have been fighting for rows 1 and 2. I know I am always moaning about traffic but I guess when things are not going your way in a session there is not much you can do about it. But I knew that my car was very good and my pace was also much better than my grid slot suggested so I felt confident for my race.

I started the first race very well and had just fought my way up into 4th at the first corner on about lap 5 but then at turn 3 I just felt a knock from behind and I was spinning. It was a great shame because my pace was so good and 4th was the worst result possible for me in that race. I didn’t see anything in my mirrors although I knew who it was. These things happen and while it is very frustrating, I was once again fighting at the front so it is not so bad. When things are out of your control there is no point in getting upset about it.

Race two was very very wet! Unfortunately for me they decided to start behind the safety car so the grid was very spread out for the start and it was very difficult to make progress but I finished a solid 6th which is good points and I was happy for that after what happened in race one.

My potential for the weekend was certainly much higher than what was achieved but this is motorsport and I know that I did nothing wrong all weekend and that only circumstances prevented me. My next race is in Hungary this weekend which I leave for tomorrow afternoon. I absolutely love the circuit. In fact, it’s close to one of my favourite circuits. Every corner is so crucial with each one flowing to another without any long straights. That means you cannot afford to make a mistake because you will always pay twice.

Last weekend I also raced an Abarth 500 in the Trofeo Abarth 500 European championship at Brands Hatch. I got a phone call at around 5.30PM on Thursday asking if I wanted to come and do it for some fun… so I did! It was my first time in a left hand, front wheel drive car with a roof above my head but it was very enjoyable. The racing was very close and because I blew an engine in Quali I had to start last… but I had a mega race and came through to 3rd! It was good fun and of course great experience.

However, on the Sunday of course the whole weekend and the whole of the motorsport world was saddened by the news of Henry Surtees’ death. I first raced with Henry in karts at Rye House when I was 8 years old and ever since our paths have crossed on and off over the years. It is so very upsetting to me to have witnessed the accident and know of the consequences. It was a reminder for me of what a dangerous sport motorsport is, and that the chance of that freak accident can never really be taken away. But, what I do not agree with, is how easily the wheels are flying off the F2 cars and I expect this to be overcome because the accident should never have happened. I wish his family and friends my deepest sympathies.

The harsh reality for me is that I have a race this weekend and a career to pursue and maybe when I start moaning of getting traffic in my qualifying and what has happened to Henry puts it all into perspective a bit.

I am very much looking forward to Hungary this weekend and I look forward to updating you soon after.

Take care,

Rupert

Hello everyone and welcome to my second blog of the week, this one all about my recent visit to Germany for a test at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Formel ADAC.

On the Monday night after Snetterton I travelled down to Stanstead in order to stay in the Holiday Inn Express. My flight was at 6.25am Tuesday morning and would mean a very early start if I was to drive down from Leeds so it was easier to stay over. On arrival at Berlin airport we picked up the hire car – A Volkswagen Golf, very smart I must add, it would later be put through its paces. The track was 70 miles from the airport straight down the A13 motorway. Not fully understanding the speed limits we wait to be passed by a big BMW or Mercedes doing some silly speed before we get our foot down.

The Eurospeedway is a brilliant track. Very similar to that of Rockingham, just with a much better infield section and atmosphere. I would be testing for Neuhauser Racing, an Austrian race team who had competed at the track that very weekend so it made sense for the test to be here. The car itself is very smart indeed and a definite step up from the tubular Formula Ford I was driving. The car featured a Carbon Fibre tub, sequential gearbox and front and rear wings. The engine is from Volkswagen, and is a lot slower than what I am used to with the Ford. But the brakes and downforce mean the corning speeds are much higher and the car handles brilliantly. The sequential gearbox and the grip make the car very easy to drive. The time is really gained on the brakes and also keeping up the rolling speed. With the lack of power it is important you carry as much mid-corner speed as possible.

The team also run in German Formula 3 and have a brilliant setup. Hannes Neihuaser oversees the ADAC operation. Despite his young age he has a lot of experience, having raced in both the F3 Euroseries and Porsche Supercup.

We spent much of Tuesday setting up the car to my liking, making a seat and adjusting all the pedals. We then walked the track to see the lines and get a general feel for the place. The track looked like a good challenge with some wide open corners meaning various different lines could be used.

Wednesday morning rolled around and we were on track at 9am. We had time for a quick few laps in a road car to see the track at speed. We opted that the best vehicle would be the hired Golf and Hannes was at the wheel. A few slow laps at first before being passed by a Seat Cupra. Things got a lot quicker from here, in England they are very strict on the speed of the cars when doing these sort of things. If anything the marshals were cheering us on, lots of tyre squeal ensued and we almost visited the gravel at turn 2 but still all good fun.

I was rather nervous I have to admit. I had only competed in four car races in my life, yet here I was being strapped into a totally different car with a different team and surroundings. Not to mention I was here after being invited, I was feeling the pressure to perform. Left foot braking was a must in these cars, something I had left behind in Karting and the gearbox was also new to me. It took me about a lap to figure the car out, the gearbox was very simple, pull back on the stick when you hit the limiter going up, and blip the throttle going down. Straight out of the pits I could feel the difference in the grip to what I was used to. The car doesn’t slide around underneath you like the Ford and just wants to be driven deeper and deeper into the corner, using the downforce to pull you round.

It was a great experience and by the end of the day I posted a very good time on my new tyre run. Hannes seemed very pleased with my performance, and despite my lack of experience with the car by the end we were testing setups and wing angles for his own knowledge.

So that was Germany, thank you to Hannes for the opportunity and also to my Uncle, Phil who accompanied me on my trip. He has spent the last seven years following me all over Europe Karting and he continues to do so now in cars, for that I say a big thank you.

Will I be racing it?…I will let you know.

Cheers
Dan