MotorsTV UK Official Blog

Hitech Racing has officially launched its 2010 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series campaign as the team enters a new era this season.

The hugely successful launch at the team’s Buckingham base, which was attended by the likes of Brawn GP team manager Ron Meadows, saw new team boss Ryan Sharp reveal the Dallara-Volkswagens which will be driven this season by youngsters Will Buller and Gabriel Dias.

MSA Team UK member Buller makes his move into British F3 after two years of competing in Formula BMW and has already displayed race-winning pedigree in Formula 3 machinery with victory at Interlagos over the winter. Despite being just 17, the rising star heads into the season as one to watch and with his focus firmly on the championship crown.

“I had two difficult years in Formula BMW, but they have really helped me to improve as a driver and I am ready for the new challenge,” he said. “I spoke to Ryan about F3 and he explained what Hitech were doing and when I drove the car, I found it really suited my style. The whole team wants to push to be successful and I believe they are the best team to be with.

“Winning in Brazil was a huge boost to my confidence and means I can hit the ground running this year. My focus is fully on taking that success into the new season and winning has to be the aim.”

Brazilian racer Dias joins Hitech having finished second in the National Class last season in what was his first year in the championship. With a year of British F3 experience and valuable knowledge of British circuits under his belt, Dias too is aiming high.

“Hitech are the team I wanted to be with and I feel they will give me a great chance this season,” he said. “I have full confidence in the team, in the car and in the engineer I will be working with this season; it’s the opportunity of my life. I knew the team would be good after they finished second and third last season, but when I tested the car I realised just how good they are – it’s like being part of an F1 team. I know the circuits now which will be a big advantage for me in 2010 and the aim has to be to fight for the title as that is what will open doors for my career.”

Alongside a new look driver line-up for 2010, Hitech take on a new identity for the season ahead, with leading GT racer Sharp having put his own racing career to one side to take control of the team over the winter.

As well as signing two stars of the future, Hitech has also concluded a deal to run with Volkswagen engines this season and hopes are high for the year ahead as the team looks to reclaim the title it took back in 2007 with Estonian racer Marko Asmer.

“This is a huge deal for me,” Sharp explained. “Racing has been my life since I was young, so if I was going to put my own racing to one side and do something else, it had to be a big opportunity. Hitech is that opportunity and I am 110 per cent committed to this programme, as is the whole team. It’s all or nothing when it comes to our plans as we have three young drivers to focus on and want to do the best we can for their careers. As a team, we have invested over the winter and will be coming out for 2010 bigger and stronger.

“Will and Gabriel signed up early for the programme and have shown their speed in the car already. They are working well within the team and I feel the work we are putting in will be to good use with them. It is great for us to have them in our cars.

“In terms of our engines, we saw how the VW progressed last season in British F3 and it was our idea to make the move over the winter. The chance presented itself to do it for Macau and it was a big job to get ready, and while the event didn’t go to plan, it allowed us to learn a lot for the new season. VW share our passion and drive and it is important that we are all singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to our aims.

“We only go racing to win and we want to win races this season and fight for the title. We hope to carry on the work shown by the team last year and achieve the goal we have set; which is to bring the title back to Buckingham.”

Hitech has now successfully completed all pre-season testing and is looking forward to the first race which will take place at Oulton Park on the 3rd-5th of April.

It seems like a long time since my last race back in November so I can’t wait for my British F3 debut next weekend.

It’s great to have been invited to be part of the official Motors TV Blog this year, a very important season for my career. Testing has gone really well, much better than I could have hoped, but I know my first year in Formula 3 is going to be really tough.

Last season in Formula Renault UK didn’t go as well as I’d have hoped but taking my first podium in the Winter Championship was a big boost. Since then, I’ve been working really hard to improve my fitness and have been working closely with the guys at T-Sport, it’s a fantastic team and we’ve gelled really well which is very important.

At each official test during the pre-season we’ve been quickest which is obviously fantastic. I know there’s a lot of hard work ahead though and with three races each weekend this year, fitness and learning to look after the tyres will be the most important thing.

Oulton Park is a great track and I’m really looking forward to making my Formula 3 debut there. If testing is anything to go by we should be pretty quick but there are a lot of very strong drivers and top teams in British F3 so we’re not taking anything for granted!

It’s great Motors TV is showing highlights of every British F3 race weekend again this year so hopefully you’ll enjoy watching me in action as the season unfolds…

Menasheh

For more info on Menasheh Idafar, please visit www.menashehidafar.com

I have just returned from the 12 hours of Sebring in Florida where I drove the Dyson racing LMP2 Lola. The 58th running of America’s toughest endurance race was my first race outside of Europe and was certainly a challenging introduction to the American Le Mans Series!

The first race of any season is always exciting as everyone is keen to blow off the winter cobwebs and get racing again. The initial thing that struck me was the electric atmosphere leading up to the race and on race day. Over 160,000 enthusiastic fans were crammed into the infield, adding even more tension to the eagerly attended race start.

The race started really well for us as Chris Dyson flew past the muscle milk Porsche and into 2nd place and set his sights on the Highcroft Acura ahead. The Mazda Lola was working really well on the Dunlop tyres as Chris reeled off some great lap times. Unfortunately our excitement was short lived as about halfway into the first hour we hit a technical problem. We were forced back to the transporter to investigate the setback in more detail.  The experienced Dyson crew did a fantastic job and managed to fix our problems and retuned the isobutanol fuelled Mazda to the track.

We were however way down on the leading cars in the LMP2 class and it was clear that we were now racing for points. Chris finished his stint and then I got aboard to complete my first racing laps in the USA. My double stint was all about collecting as much information about the new Dunlop tyres and adapting to the track conditions. Regardless of this the car was working incredibly well and I was able to drive a consistent and trouble free stint. I then handed over to 2003 Le Mans winner Guy Smith who continued with a faultless run through the afternoon.

I got back into the car just after 6pm and drove another double stint around the bumpy ex military airfield, a physical challenge that I am glad I trained hard for! The car was still running perfectly, highlighting how competitive we really could have been. After my run into the night I handed over to Guy once again. After an incredible team effort we finished the race in third and collected some valuable championship points.

The team’s next race is at Long Beach street circuit in California. Unfortunately I wont be driving at this event as I am only driving in the three endurance races, but I will hopefully be there supporting the guys. I am next in the car at Mazda Speedway and I really can not wait! Wish me luck.

Hi everyone, just a quick blog before the season starts.

Yesterday I had my final preseason test, at Oulton Park in Cheshire. The track is where the first round will be held come Easter weekend, where we are supporting the British F3 and GT races. I ended the day posting the 6th fastest time and being the quickest Van Diemen driver on the track, which is a real buzz. This makes me feel I should be able to race near the sharp end, with my sights set on 3 good top 10 finishes over the weekend.

I am now really looking forward to the first race but at the same time a little apprehensive, as it is something completely new, never having raced a car before. But the team, Fluid Motorsport, are giving me great confidence seeing how hard they all work on the cars and data 7 days a week, making my car the best it can possibly be.

I would like to thank my sponsors; Superseal, BG Printers, MTS and Sue-Sew for helping me get here.

Please feel free to visit my website, www.jamesjtucker.co.uk

I’m delighted that I will be writing blogs on the Motors TV website this season and keeping everyone up to date with this year’s racing as I’m sure it is going to be a fantastic year. This year will be my first year in car racing and I will be competing in the Ginetta Challenge in a new Ginetta G40.

The seven rounds of the championship will take me to circuits all over the UK including Silverstone GP and Brands Hatch GP. The first round will take place on the 3rd of March at Oulton Park which is known for being technically very demanding, but I am certainly up for the challenge! The key to this year will be consistency and pushing myself to the limit, so far I have learnt a great deal and I am relishing the chance that I have been given.

The G40 will be new to the Ginetta Challenge grid this year as it is a new car which was launched at the Autosport show in January. I believe the car will be very strong and it suits my driving style perfectly. Only two new G40’s will start the season and I will be the only girl in the Championship which is certainly very exciting.

I am on a driver development programme with Bamboo Engineering and this year will be Bamboo’s first year in the World Touring Car Championship so I wish the team all the best for the coming year. I work alongside instructor Neil Riddiford on Bamboo’s simulator to help improve my driving technique and learn the circuits before each test and round, this has been an invaluable source of driver training so far and will continue to be a key source of training for me throughout this season.
I will continue to keep blogging throughout the year with my progress as it is certainly going to be a hard but very rewarding year.

For more information and pictures please visit my website http://www.charlotteburridge.co.uk/ or burridgeC on Twitter

Photo courtesy of David Ayres www.motorsportmedia.co.uk