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Open
Torque – Edition 2 - January 2010 I must start by thanking all those of you that contacted me after the inaugural Open Torque with best wishes, comments and news. At least I know that more than one person out there reads this. And speaking of news, there’s been rather a lot of it recently. To start with, the dates for the 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship including the 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Superprix have now been confirmed. When the provisional calendar was announced before Christmas some were quick to point out the date clashes with other events and questioned why the various organisers didn’t work together to avoid this. To put the record straight, it isn’t that simple. Remember that there are many factors influencing when an event can be held at a particular circuit. Rallycross is not the only sport vying for dates, nor do circuits only host racing events. Corporate days are very popular and a good money spinner for the circuit management. Some dates are booked well in advance, some events bring in more money than others and some event organisers have more funds available than others. All circuits are currently facing rising costs, a difficult economic future and a reduction in the number of days they are allowed to race because of noise issues. They need a return for their investment otherwise we would soon have nowhere to race! It’s a vicious circle. Rallycross tends to race later into the year, which means that by the time the next year’s championship is being put together many dates have already been taken. And no, simply booking dates before a championship is finished doesn’t always work either for a whole host of reasons, including getting sponsors to confirm and knowing what sort of budget is available. So, finding a suitable date can be just as tricky as finding a circuit! Hats off then to PSM Motorsport who did listen to the comments and somehow managed to move the Round 7 Knockhill event forward a week and thus resolve one of those clashes. Moving on, just when it looked like there would be no Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship round in the North East, up popped Tockwith to replace the loss of Croft – great news. Many of you are already familiar with the name and started looking up the new circuit on Google Earth. Well, you won’t see it. The pictures were taken some time ago, whereas construction of the venue only started mid-autumn. The tarmac for a 1400m test track has been laid and work on the loose sections is ongoing. Once the track has seen some use it may well undergo slight modifications depending on driver feedback. Although there is some spectator facilities associated with the venue, these will be augmented by additional brought-in facilities until such time as they can be made more permanent. It is all part of a 10-year plan thrashed out by PSM Motorsport and the owners to ensure Tockwith is here to stay. Still on the subject of venues, there was some concern voiced about whether two visits to Knockhill this year would be too far for some to travel. Surprisingly, this doesn’t appear to be the case. Reigning 2009 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Champion Andy Grant thought it would be ‘brilliant’ racing at the Scottish circuit and has already confirmed his intention to travel all the way from the West Country to defend his title. Likewise for Kevin Procter who, although it isn’t quite as long a journey as Grant’s to get to Knockhill, has already confirmed he will be there in October to defend his 2009 crown at the 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Superprix event in his Tony Bardy Motorsport prepared Ford Focus. Even the foreign competitors are happy with the choice of Knockhill it seems. Writing from a VERY cold Norway recently (-30oC) Ola Frøshaug commented that it would be the best finish to the rallycross season and he would be doing his best to attend the Superprix weekend. Camilla Antonsen too says that she is working hard towards securing a deal that will see her racing in Scotland, perhaps she wants to pay Procter back for being punted off during last year’s event! The comments have been inspiring from the UK too. Terry Maynard said it was great news about Knockhill. He thinks the circuit is the best bar none, having driven it in the Lotus and V6 Sierra. He likens it to Brands, but thinks it’s fantastic that rallycross is going back to Knockhill. I have to say that I think so too, having been there for the very first rallycross event back in the mid 80’s. The circuit was so new then that when I asked Arthur Debenham what he was doing with a hammer and a pile of wood - he replied ‘…building my ****** commentary box!’ And we call those the good old days. Quite a lot has been happening on the driver front recently too. Many will have seen Mad Mark’s Xsara at the Autosport Show recently. Adam Clark has joined forces with Mark and is also racing under the Jersey Farm Hotel banner, his Citroen Saxo having been rebuilt over the winter and painted in the familiar pink and black colour scheme. By the way, have you replaced the bollards Mark - news travels fast! You may have spotted Jonathan Bean’s 325 for sale on eBay. The Northallerton BMW driver has built a new car for this season plus is hopeful of acquiring an M3 to use at the odd event this year in preparation for 2011. Craig Truelove is excited over the Tockwith news and has committed to competing exclusively in the 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship, although work commitments may not see him at every round. His ex-Hal Ridge 205 GTI Procar 1600 is currently undergoing ‘a bit of a tidy up’ and Craig is looking forward to bringing it out at the York track’s inaugural event on the 7th March. Defending champion Andy Grant says his car has been rebuilt over the winter and is all ready to go whilst the news from David Ewin is that he will continue in the Procar 2000 category with his Ford Fiesta. David Black too will continue with his Vauxhall Astra in the Revivals category and Gareth Wood will use his Subaru Impreza in the Supercar category. In Super National, Richard Moore is now building a BMW M3 for this class and is selling the Ford Fiesta that he purchased from Jamie Lea to use in the 2009 Rallycross Superprix. Steve Cozens is rebuilding his Super National Renault Clio V6 but is unsure if he will use his Peugeot 205 or Renault Clio at the first event of the championship at Mallory Park. Still with Super National, Allan Tapscotts new Vauxhall Corsa is now nearing completion whilst Ashley Simpson has confirmed he too will compete in the Super National category of the Rallycross Open Championship. Russell Simpson meanwhile will be driving in the Procar 1600 category with his Citroen C2. Hal Ridge will probably use the March 7th Tockwith event to shakedown his Division 1A Renault Clio that was on display at Autosport Show recently. Finally on the driver front, Paul Smith will continue with his VW Polo in the Procar 1600 category, Paul Barrett is planning on contesting the 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship in the Junior category and Mike Manning will return with his Ford Puma to try and win the title that eluded him in 2009. Ok, so what about the TV news. Well, I can confirm that an announcement is imminent but you may have to wait just a little longer as the decision as to when to announce is out of PSM Motorsport’s hands. I realise that people need to know so they can report back to their sponsors, etc. but a deal is definitely in place, paperwork has been completed and signed and we are now just waiting for the green light from the TV press office. What I can tell you is that there will be nine one hour slots plus a 30 minute 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship taster to promote the opening round at Mallory Park. The footage for this preview will be shot at the first Tockwith event on March 7th, so don’t forget to put in your entry ASAP. That’s it, 2010 is racing away and in the blink of an eye it will once again be time for ’Gentlemen, start your engines’. Don’t forget to send me your news so I can include it in the next Open Torque. See you at Tockwith. Bill Mantovani |
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