Racing and Competition

At least two Bentley Continental GT3s will enter the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge as Bentley Team Absolute announces a programme including entries from young American rising star Andrew Palmer and one of Asia’s top sportscar drivers, Adderly Fong. The Pirelli World Challenge is a 20-round GT championship comprising 50-minute-long, single-driver races on eleven of America’s most historic and iconic racetracks, including Laguna Seca and Road America.  The Continental GT3 has taken race wins in the championship this year and Bentley Team Absolute is looking to continue the race car’s success in the States.

Jaguar today announced its return to global motorsport. In the autumn of 2016, Jaguar will enter the third season of the exciting FIA Formula E Championship as a manufacturer with its own team.  FIA Formula E is the world’s first global single-seater championship for electric powered cars. FIA Formula E offers a unique opportunity for Jaguar Land Rover to further the development of future EV powertrain including motor and battery technology.

The covers are set to come off the all-new Ginetta G57 as the new prototype racecar will receive its full public debut at Europe’s premier pre-season motorsport show, Autosport International, this January. Visitors coming to Ginetta’s stand at Autosport International between 14-17 January, 2016*, will be amongst the first people outside of the manufacturer’s HQ to see the G57 in the metal. A full press conference will take place on Thursday 14 January at 10:30am on Ginetta’s stand (6430 in Hall 6), with photo opportunities, a presentation and the chance to meet Ginetta Chairman, Lawrence Tomlinson. The public launch also marks the start of Ginetta’s intention to increase exports of its model range – already at 50% of production – with the G57 spearheading its growth to all major markets around the globe.

MG Motor UK is pleased to announce a new three-year contract extension with Triple Eight Racing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). This new contract will see MG Triple Eight Racing battling it out in this ultra competitive series for more pole positions and manufacturer championship wins until 2018. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “We are really excited to be renewing this partnership. The BTCC has given us the opportunity to give our brand some fantastic exposure, so we’re thrilled to be continuing this for another three years.

After a very successful 2015 The Midland Automobile Club announce Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb dates for the forthcoming year. The year starts with a round of the Sporting Trial which is held on the upper banks of the main car park. A real test of man, machine and skill, and providing a great spectacle as the drivers test their skills to navigate a very technical course. MARCH 13 Sporting Trial April 24th sees the club run its MAC Classic, a classic tour for 200 cars with four start points and a tulip book with all routes finishing at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb and a run up the 1,000 yards. Entry forms are available from the website and entries are now open.

Caterham Motorsport has announced the calendars for its five domestic race championships for the 2016 season. The calendar takes in the entry-level Caterham Academy, which enters its 22nd season next year, as well as the hugely competitive, single-make series for Roadsport, Tracksport, Supersport and Superlight R300-S models. The Academy again features two sprints – at Aintree and Curborough – and five circuit races, joining forces with the other Caterham categories for the final four meetings at Snetterton, Oulton Park, Croft and Donington Park. Meanwhile, the non-Academy classes get trips to Anglesey as well as the traditional race abroad, this year at Zolder in Belgium. The R300-S field kicks off its season at the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, supporting the prestigious British GT Championship. The schedules for all categories have been carefully planned to include circuits that lend themselves […]

With the chequered flag set to fall on the 2015 motorsport season, Bentley is celebrating a remarkable run of results by bringing together two generations of racer – the Continental GT3 and legendary 4.5 Litre ‘Blower’. The current GT3 and its illustrious forebear from 1929 met at Silverstone in front of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), the motorsport organisation founded in 1928 by Bentley Boy and Le Mans winner, Dudley Benjafield. They may be separated by more than eight decades but the two racing cars share Bentley’s indefatigable passion for innovation, competition and, above all, speed. Bentley Continental GT3 in 2015 – A Season to Remember In just its second year of competition in GT racing, the Bentley motorsports programme has gone from strength to strength in 2015. With teams competing on four continents, the Continental GT3 scored multiple […]

Land Rover Ambassador and polar explorer, Ben Saunders, swapped his snowshoes for winter tyres to put the Range Rover Sport SVR through its paces at a unique yet familiar test track near the Arctic Circle. A new film released by Land Rover charts the world famous adventurer’s journey from ice driving novice to experienced veteran in Arjeplog, Sweden, on a full-scale replica of the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit carved in the snow on Lake Udjaur.

The Jaguar Heritage Challenge will return for a second season in 2016 as Jaguar Heritage confirms next year’s race calendar along with the driver award winners from the inaugural 2015 season. The 2016 Jaguar Heritage Challenge will take place over four race weekends between April and August and drivers will have the opportunity to race on renowned circuits in the UK and Germany – plus one more special race date due to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The Lotus Driving Academy is initiating a franchising programme to create a global network of Lotus Driving Academies in which to offer its training packages to driving enthusiasts around the world. Currently catering for over 2,000 visitors a year out of its base at Lotus’ HQ, Hethel, the franchising programme aims to increase this number several fold with the introduction of new international sites throughout 2016. Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc, stated: “The Lotus Driving Academy was originally established in 1999, offering a comprehensive range of driver training and experience packages for customers to relish the benchmark handling and pure driving experience of Lotus cars. The driver training packages have been developed and fine-tuned over the years to keep pace with the progression and increased performance of Lotus cars, while staying true toLotus philosophies. I am […]

The 14th Annual Kastner Cup will be hosted by Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) as a part of the David Love Memorial Races, April 1-3, 2016 at Sonoma Raceway. All Triumph-powered racecars with a current racing log book are eligible. The Kastner Cup race honors the legendary, R.W. “Kas” Kastner, a championship winning driver and team manager who led the U.S. Triumph racing program to countless victories through the 60’s and 70’s. Kas himself will present the cup to the racer he selects to receive this coveted award. Sonoma wine country is filled with activities, great food, and unrivaled natural beauty. If you are a Triumph owner or British car fanatic, don’t miss this event! The CSRG David Love Memorial Races is a very popular and well-attended event. Typically more than 175 race cars participate, divided into eight run groups […]

Goodwood has announced the theme for the 2016 Festival of Speed along with the dates and the subject for the Revival driver tribute. The theme for the 2016 Festival of Speed, which is planned to take place on June 23-26, will be ‘Full Throttle – The Endless Pursuit of Power’, celebrating the most powerful competition cars and motorcycles from the history of motor sport, and the heroic drivers and riders who tamed them. Alongside this central theme, the 2016 Festival of Speed will celebrate the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, mark 50 years since the inaugural Can-Am Series for ultra-powerful sports prototypes, and pay tribute to James Hunt on the 40th anniversary of his Formula 1 World Championship success with McLaren in 1976.

Bentley Motorsport has announced that Team Parker Racing will run two Bentley Continental GT3s in the British GT Championship and Blancpain Endurance Series in 2016. Well known for its championship-winning successes across Europe’s top racing series, Team Parker Racing has selected the Continental GT3 after witnessing its Blancpain Sprint Series and GT Asia Championship wins, and second place finish in Blancpain Endurance Series in 2015. “We’re extremely excited to have Team Parker Racing in the Bentley Motorsport fold,” commented Bentley’s Director of Motorsport Brian Gush. “It’s important that we partner up with teams that have proven they have what it takes to run race- and championship-winning cars and we are confident that, together, we can have success.

The Defender Challenge 2015 reached its climax at The Scottish Hill Rallies Club’s ‘Borders’ rally at Forrest Estate, Castle Douglas, Scotland this weekend. 11 teams lined up on Saturday morning anxiously awaiting the start of the final fixture of the 2015 season. The Borders rally is reputed as the toughest round of the challenge due to the mix of extreme conditions and the skill and determination required to conquer it. Combining the speed of stage rallies, roughness of hill rallies, extreme conditions of a Scottish winter and set over two days, the challenge is one of endurance as much as skill, and to top it off, one of the most gruelling of the 13 stages is set at night. It is a mammoth battle of man against nature and the weapon of choice, the humble Land Rover Defender.

Nick Chester looks ahead to Abu Dhabi, the last race of the season and reviews the team’s performance in Interlagos. What are the challenges of Abu Dhabi? The first sector is generally medium speed with a couple of high speed corners and not too technically challenging; a reasonable level of downforce works fine here. The second sector is more power hungry with two good straights and two low speed corners – a low speed hairpin and a low speed chicane so it’s important to manage these well. The final sector is quite technical with a number of low and medium speed corners where the car needs to be well balanced and work well to achieve a good lap time. Putting all that together is key – you need a car that works well in low speed corners and be good […]

Established in 1999, the Lotus Driving Academy offers a comprehensive range of driver training and experience packages for customers to get a taste of the benchmark handling and pure driving experience of Lotus sports cars. Now available for the first time, prospective customers, Lotus fans and track driving enthusiasts alike can experience what a day with theLotus Driving Academy might feel like in full 360 degree immersion using the latest video technology. At the home of Lotus Cars in Hethel, Norfolk lies a 2.2 mile test track that has been the site for test and development of all Lotus Cars since 1966. Viewers now have the opportunity to experience this world famous circuit at full race-pace in virtual reality – through their computer, tablet or mobile device – and get a taste of what’s on offer before experiencing it for […]

Aston Martin will start the Six Hours of Bahrain from pole in the GTE Am class, while also enjoying a return to competitive form in the GTE Pro category. Despite the distraction of a restarted qualifying session due to technical difficulties at the circuit, the #98 GTE Am pairing of Paul Dalla Lana (CA) and Pedro Lamy (PT) were capable of pulling together two strong lap times, clinching pole position for tomorrow’s race with an average of 1m58.659.

Legendary racing driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andy Wallace relived his 1988 victory by taking to the Silverstone circuit to drive the Jaguar XJR9-LM during day and night back-to-back with the new 550PS, 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 Jaguar XJR. Wallace discusses his experiences in the XJR9-LM and the new XJR in an exciting new film. Driving at night on the Silverstone circuit gave Wallace the opportunity to test the new LED headlights on the new XJ, which are a first for Jaguar.  “Driving at Le Mans back in 1988, it was so hard to see at night,” said Wallace. “We were travelling at around 240mph and it was too fast to see the road ahead. We used the lights more to catch glimpses of landmarks as they whizzed past, so we knew where we were.