SPEED EuroSeries News - June 2011

Great footage from on board the HGRT Ligier JS51 of Nigel Greensall battling with Robbie Kerr and Darren Burke.

SPEED EuroSeries championship leader Dean Stirling has been snapped up by Wolf for this weekend’s race at Imola. In a bid to garner as many points towards the manufacturers’ title as well as the team and drivers championships, the Italian squad has entered no fewer than six cars for its local round. In adding former Formula Renault and Le Mans Series driver Dean to a line up that includes Alex Caffi, an Italian veteran of 56 Grand Prix starts, the Brescia-based racecar manufacturer has served a massive notice of intent.

The Honda supported SPEED EuroSeries has reached the halfway point in the season and Wolf is determined to translate its undoubted pace into results. In attempting to do so it must take on the rapid WFR03s that have won four out of six rounds so far this year. Xero Competition will again enter the Yorkshire-built cars with a formidable driver line up of Warren Hughes, Jody Firth, Ben Clucas and Tom Bradshaw. Leyland-based Juno has also upped its game of late, TFL Racing’s Darren Burke having scored a pole position and fastest lap at the recent Donington Park round.

Dean currently leads the SPEED EuroSeries by a scant four points from Warren and Jody with Darren and his co-driver Sarah Reader in pursuit. The Wolf pack is determined to catch up on home ground in the manufacturers’ championship and sees Dean as being a tremendous asset. Currently France’s Ligier leads the manufacturers’ title, mainly thanks to consistency, ahead of WFR. However, expect the commitment of Wolf and WFR to challenge this state of affairs at Imola.

Rounds 9 & 10 of the SPEED EuroSeries at Silverstone will see the championship team up with London-based information security consultancy, Quantainia.

Quantainia advises financial institutions, marketing firms and other industry leaders on how to structure the important information held in their business and delivers bespoke information and data security protection services to ensure client organisations meets legislative, legal and contractual data security criteria and controls the secure management of and access to that information.

Quantainia works to understand business security risks and requirements and designs, implements and manages pro-active programmes safeguarding data holdings, hardware, software and staff assets. This integrated security platform enables customers to meet increasing compliance burdens and third party security demands across multiple network structures including banking and finance.

“We’re delighted to have Quantainia join us for the Silverstone event,” says SPEED Organiser, Oli McCrudden. “A number of SPEED EuroSeries competitors operate in global financial operations or are owners of companies and a significant number of LMS entrants have partnerships with financial institutions so the partnership makes sense. We look forward to welcoming the Quantainia directors to the event and helping in their brand expansion.”

Mark Segelov, CEO of Quantainia: “Our Company’s reputation is growing in the information security markets and by partnering with the fast-growing SPEED EuroSeries championship we will continue that brand push and consultancy capability to customer prospects. We’re looking forward to an exhilarating weekend of racing.”

For more information, visit www.quantainia.com

Dean Stirling narrowly retains the lead in the SPEED EuroSeries despite a commanding performance by the Xero Competition duo of Warren Hughes and Jody Firth at Donington Park. Jody, who became a father over the weekend and Warren, who was overcoming the disappointment of Le Mans, won both 90-minute races in very different circumstance with their WFR03. However, a measured performance by IF Motorsport Ligier drivers Dean and Matthew Draper saw the former move on to the next round at Imola in two week’s time with a slender and drastically reduced lead.

TFL Racing’s Daren Burke took a fighting pole for the weekend’s two races, putting co-driver Sarah Reader on the front row of the grid for the Saturday contest. However, Warren in one of Xero’s WFR03s and former Grand Prix driver Alex Caffi in a factory Wolf blasted past the lady on the run down to Redgate Corner. For almost half the race the Italian kept the Englishman honest, taking the lead when he ran slightly wide at McLeans. However, Warren “didn’t panic” and continued on as the rain came down and the track quickly became saturated. Despite the fact that the pit window was still a few laps away, a number of teams dived in to change tyres. Warren stayed out as the safety car was deployed.

Warren’s wily engineer Geoff Kingston kept him informed as to how long it would be before the pit window would open. With Geoff literally counting down the seconds, and rather than risk another lap in the treacherous conditions waiting for the moment he could legally pit, Warren crawled almost to a halt. With the rain dispersing as quickly as it had appeared, the strategy proved good enough to put Jody, whose daughter Imogen had been born that morning, back into the lead. He was to spin and drop back for a while but his pace was fine and the race long enough for him to return to the front and what Warren called ultimately, a “straightforward” win. In second place came the other Xero WFR03 of Ben Clucas and Tom Bradshaw, the factory having withdrawn from racing in favour of its customers. Dean Stirling and Matthew Draper were third, despite pitting early for wets, thus maintaining the Guildford man’s championship lead.

The following day’s race really was straightforward for the Hughes/Firth duo. With the exception of the pit stop period, they led the entire race, pulling away with ease from the competition.  Warren reported that Geoff had made “some good calls” with regard to set up between the two races, making the car less nervous than it had been on the Saturday.

Initially, second place was held by Ben Clucas in the sister WFR03 until Ben spun off just as he was about the start the 29^th lap. Dean Stirling moved up and then his co-driver Matthew Draper saw off Nigel Greensall to consolidate the position to the flag. “We stayed out of trouble,” observed the championship leader. When a rear wheel problem ended the race for Nigel’s Ligier, pole man Daren Burke took over in third, the last not to be lapped by the flying orange WFR03.

“On to Imola,” said former Formula Renault and ALMS driver Dean. He feels that the team has made major improvements since the start of the season and feels “relaxed and confident”. Warren, who has now won three out of the six rounds held so far, reckons however that the competition will hot up for the second half of the series.

2010 SPEED UK Champions and winners of the opening round of the SPEED EuroSeries at Le Castellet, Jody Firth and Warren Hughes will race together in the Xero Competition prepared WFR03 at Donington this weekend.

Nigel Moore had been pencilled in to drive alongside Hughes but a clashing arrangement for Nigel meant he was unable to take up the seat and, despite impending fatherhood looming, Jody was able to get involved.

It will  be the debut for the Xero Competition team in the SPEED EuroSeries which will have a second car on the grid driven by Ben Clucas and Tom Bradshaw.

Last weekend saw a classic Le Mans 24hrs race produce a nail biting finish and SPEED competitors were part of the spectacle.

Level 5 Motorsports’ Scott Tucker finished a superb 10th overall and 3rd in the LMP2 class in his Honda Performance Developments Lola Coupe driving alongside Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa.

SPEED EuroSeries Spa race winner, Philippe Haezebrouck, was in the Extreme Limite AM Paris-run Norma M20P Judd BMW (pictured) that finished  28th overall, 8th in class and the last classified runner after 24 hours.

2010 SPEED champion and race winner of the opening 2011 round at Le Castellet, Warren Hughes, returned to Le Mans with Portuguese outfit Quifel-ASM Team Zytec 09 but retired after 48 laps. Former SPEED racers Sam Hancock and Simon Dolan were also on the grid in the Jota Aston Martin Vantage. Despite running well in the opening stages they sadly retired after 74 laps but are certain to feature in Le Mans 24hrs in the future.

SPEED EuroSeries would like to congratulate all our competitors that made it to the Le Mans grid.

Below are a number of links to websites giving mention to SPEED EuroSeries which includes details of Spa race winner, Ander Vilarino, a preview of the Donington event and multiple reports on the SPEED EuroSeries Honda CRZ pace car!

MSVR Website (Donington Preview)

www.autoevolution.com (Donington Preview)

http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/motoring/one-step-at-a-time-uae-racing-team-closes-in-on-le-mans-dreams (UAE)

www.abudhabicityguide.com (HMR report)

http://www.nascar-europe.net/2011/05/25/racecar-euro-series-ander-vilarino-a-por-todas-en-motorland/ (Spain)

http://www.nascar-europe.net/2011/05/26/ander-vilarino-en-la-segunda-cita-de-las-fia-racecar-euroseries/ (Spain)

http://www.automovilzona.com/2011/06/02/racecar-euroseries-motorland-ander-vilarino-en-el-podium/ (Spain)

CRZ reports:

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/08/honda-performance-development-cr-z-ready-to-hit-le-mans/

http://www.newstreet.it/articolo_id_20711_Honda_CR-Z_le_mans_2011.html

http://autos.terra.com/noticias/honda_crz_racer/aut117024/

http://www.a5.hu/cikkek/1/47883.shtml (Hungary)

http://www.auto.cz/honda-cr-z-hybrid-racer-turbo-hybrid-miri-le-mans-59306 (Czech Republic)

http://www.tienphong.vn/Xe-Hoi/541245/Honda-CR-Z-phien-ban-dac-biet-tham-gia-giai-dua-Le-Mans.html (Vietnam)

http://www.auto-buzz.com/honda-crz-racer-24h-mans-531555.html (France)

http://www.antena3.ro/auto/honda-cr-z-pe-le-mans-127698.html (Romania)

http://www.antena3.ro/auto/honda-cr-z-pe-le-mans-127698.html (Netherlands)

http://news.drom.ru/Honda-CR-Z-16773.html (Russia)

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110608/ALMS/110609863 (USA)

http://www.abola.pt/motores/ver.aspx?id=268388 (Portugal)

http://www.sport-fm.gr/article/481091 (Greece)

http://www.nitrobahn.com/news/await-honda-cr-z-racer-at-le-mans-race-track/

SPEED EuroSeries is not responsible for content on external websites