Arrive and Drive?
If anyone fancies an ‘Arrive and Drive’ approach to the Power Trophy this season, Caged Steel Motorsport of Leeds are offering just such an opportunity in a 2.5 V6 Alfa 155. If you are interested, contact Rich Lyons at Caged Steel. Contact details are: [email protected] or on 07999 061901.
Spring Alfa Day and National Alfa Day
Spring Alfa Day is at Beaulieu this year on Sunday 14th April and National Alfa Day is on Sunday 30th June at Bicester Heritage. Our good friends at the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club have once again invited us to put on a display of our race cars at these events. Bianco will be taking a race car to Spring Alfa Day and Andrew Fulcher will also be taking his iconic 147. At National Alfa Day Dave Messenger has kindly agreed to take his new Power Trophy 156 GTA. However, we would like one or two more cars at each event if possible. If you are able to attend with your racer please let me know asap so I can finalise arrangements with AROC.
Pre-season Allcomers’ Race
All race cars need a shakedown before they begin their charge for the championship, and one way of doing it is with a pre-season all-comers race. The BRSCC is putting one on at the Silverstone National circuit on Saturday March 16th at the Caterham Motorsport Team Enduro meeting. Before the Caterham Enduro gets underway they will be running the BRSCC Saloon Car Trophy, which will consist of a 15 minute qualifying session then two 15 minute races. The second saloon car race is scheduled to finish by 12.30. The entry fee is just £250 and you can enter online.
Tyres
The Yokohama tyre supply contract for the Twin Spark Cup has now arrived for signature and the price of the A048 control tyre is confirmed at £81 + VAT, the same as last year, to be purchased from Black ‘n’ Rounds. Modified and Power Trophy Class runners have a free choice of tyre but are reminded of Black ‘n’ Rounds’ offer to try and match or beat any Yokohama tyre prices drivers are able to achieve elsewhere.
Registrations
We have had a fair number of new registrations in already for this season including 6 new drivers, which is very encouraging. May I once again appeal to those who haven’t registered yet to do so as soon as possible.
What’s App group for Modified Car drivers
The group is now set up so that drivers of Modified racers can keep in touch with each other regarding their racing plans. The group has 6 members now but the more the merrier! If anyone would like to join please contact either Barry McMahon or me and we will add you to the group straight away.
New Cars and Drivers
Some cars have changed hands over the winter and we have some new drivers registered.
Ben Sharich will be driving the new MiTO being prepared by Davie Peddie up in Fife for David Faithful’s MiTO project. Ben is an experienced racer, mainly in Endurance racing, including the Fun Cup and Britcar, and it will be fascinating to see how car and driver progress as the season unfolds. A second MiTO is being prepared by Jamie Porter at Alfa Workshop for either the Modified or the Power Trophy class; driver not confirmed as yet. Jamie Thwaites has registered to drive a newly built Alfa 155 3.0 in the Power Trophy. Jamie is the son of successful 1960s and 70s Sportscar racer Richard Thwaites and is MD of Caged Steel Motorsport in Dewsbury. He made the Motorsport press last June when he acquired the ex-John Foulston McLaren M8F from JCB and it seems he is looking to settle into racing again in the 155 after a 20-year gap before potentially tacking the mighty 8-litre McLaren. Wow…
While we’re on the subject of mighty beasts, Roger Evans’ amazing 8-C engined Giulietta is now making rapid progress and recent photos on Facebook caused jaws to drop pretty well everywhere. Its space frame construction will put it in the Invitation Class but when it appears it will be a real magnet for the crowds and no doubt extremely rapid! As if that wasn’t enough, Riccardo Losselli’s 4C is also progressing and is attracting widespread attention in the media. Getting the construction of the car approved has entailed FIA personnel travelling over from Europe to analyse and approve the methods being applied. We’re still not 100% certain which class it will feature in but whichever it is it will be a huge draw for our Championship.
Martin Jones (a different Martin Jones to the one who campaigned a 145 in the Championship for a number of years) has acquired the ex-James Browning 147 after a successful test in the Motorsport Days Live event at Silverstone last year, and 2017 Champion Andrew Bourke will be back in the Twin Spark Cup in the ex-Chris Healey/Mel Freeman 156.
Steve O’Brien has acquired the ex-Jon Billingsley 147 and will also be bringing some welcome sponsorship to the Championship via his Digital Marketing Company Woya.
Another new car will be Gary Miller’s Abarth Punto. Gary is the son of Mervyn Miller who has also registered his Modified 156 for the Championship. It must be a while since we had a father and son racing in the Championship at the same time – fabulous. We look forward to a third Abarth joining the dicing McFie brothers, although the latter haven’t registered yet – come on guys!
Returning drivers who have registered to date include Barry McMahon, Paul Webster, Andrew Fulcher, Richard Ford, Simon Cresswell, and Mike Tydeman. We are also expecting registrations from reigning Champion Tom Hill, Cip Nistorica, James Ford, Scott Austin, Daniel Wood (Big Yella), Kevin Gallagher (in a newly built 156), Stacey Dennis and Dave Lambourn.
I’m sure there will be more – come one, come all! – but I don’t have confirmation of these yet, so if I haven’t mentioned you please get in touch and give me an update.
Nick Anderson
Last but certainly not least I must give a mention to Nick Anderson. Due to having a pacemaker fitted with a defibrillator attached Nick has decided it’s time to hang up his helmet after a long racing career. Hopefully he will still visit us at some race weekends and will always be warmly welcomed. His distinctive yellow Twin Spark Spider and his 33 he tells me will be put up for sale hopefully to be bought by people who will race them with us.
