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Keep up-to-date with what's happening in the sport in our news section. Full articles are shown below, for a summary of the news be sure to start at the main index page of KartKart. If you have any news, press releases or information you would like to contribute, e-mail us at news@kartkart.com
HEAVY RAIN CAUSES NO PROBLEMS FOR IMPRESSIVE METCALFE Credit; www.kartpix.net and / Chris Walker (08/03) A-LEVEL
COMMITMENTS LIMIT BRATT’S SNETTERTON
RUNNING (08/03) METCALFE UNDERLINES TITLE POTENTIAL
AT SILVERSTONE (03/03) COMPETITIVE MORNING KEEPS BRATT
SMILING AT ICY SILVERSTONE (03/03) VICTORY FOR MANDARINO IN RUSSELL ACTION
Canadian karter impresses in pre-season formula car outing
SONOMA, CA – Top Canadian kart racer Lorenzo Mandarino enjoyed a victorious outing at Infineon Raceway this past weekend (Feb. 11-12) during the opening rounds of the SCCA Formula Russell Championship. Focused on gaining more open-wheel experience for his eventual full-time graduation to car racing, the 19 year-old impressed the paddock with a new level of maturity and poise. Mandarino scored a win in the opening main of the weekend events and then took a steady third on Sunday in a less-than-stellar car.
“We accomplished almost everything we were after with two podiums and a more experience," offered Mandarino. "I'm focusing on my karting this year, but any seat time in cars is valuable and I really feel like I took a lot away from this weekend.”
After qualifying on pole for the opening race, Mandarino got a great jump at the green flag and steadily pulled away to the win. Sunday’s event was more of a challenge as he needed to coax more from his car, qualifying fourth before racing to third. A hard last-lap battle for the final podium position drew on Mandarino’s growing maturity. After losing the spot, he remained focused and took it back by capitalizing on his challenger’s error. The end result of the weekend was a pair of well-deserved podium appearances.
“When I ran the full series back in 2003 after winning the Graduate Runoffs, I was much younger and less poised. I pushed too hard and wanted to win by a big margin and this obviously didn't lead to the best results as I made too many mistakes.” admitted the maturing pilot. “I felt so much more focused this time around and was able to better adapt to my Sunday car and bring home another podium. That run was almost more satisfying than the win on Saturday, considering the circumstances. I can't wait to get back here for the next event.”
The Burnaby, BC pilot has a full schedule of karting events in North America and Europe planned for the upcoming season but, thanks to his win at last fall’s Superkarts! USA SuperNationals – the most prestigious kart race in the country, he was awarded a pair of race weekends in the Formula Russell program. Mandarino will be back for the second round of the series on March 11-12 to complete this particular program. The Canadian’s ’06 karting debut will take place on March 17-19 at the Stars of Karting Race of the Americas in Norman, (14/02) Marco Holzer Wins First Formula BMW World Final
The event, however, finished on a controversial note as it was Hülkenberg who was first on the road after leading the final from lap one to the finish. Following the race he was given a ten second penalty that dropped him down to third. This was due to an incident at the end of lap ten when the Safety Car pulled off the track. The Stewards ruled he was in breach of the regulation stating 'following the withdrawal of the Safety Car and prior to passing the green flag, the race leader will maintain the pace previously held by the Safety Car' by reducing his speed. The event also included a Nations Cup for the country whose drivers scored the most points in the final. This was won by the UK and Sam Bird as its highest placed driver overall went on the podium to receive this trophy. Final: Nicolas Hülkenberg made sure that when it counted he was in front of the pack although his subsequent penalty dropped caused him to be classified third. He had been beaten by fellow German Marco Holzer up to now, but he made sure he led the first lap of the race and stayed there. The race was interrupted by two Safety Car periods. The first was from laps four to ten to retrieve the cars of Jack Goldstraw and Salman Al Khalifa. Then just a lap later the Safety Car was deployed again as the cars of Stefano Colletti and Jonathan Summeton had collided on the start/finish line at the re-start due to the cars bunching up when the pace was slowed down. Racing got underway again at the end of lap 16 and the three out front - Hülkenberg, Holzer and Sebastien Buemi - were able to pull away. However, behind them the racing was fast and furious. Sam Bird and Edoardo Piscopo had a race long battle for fourth, with the British driver being just seventeen thousandths of a second in front as they passed the chequered flag. Then came a train of six cars all wanting to be sixth, although in the results it is fifth as until the FIA Appeal lodged by Piscopo's team is heard in Paris he will not appear in the results. This battle was won by Nathan Antunes, who started 18th on the grid, but just 1.2 seconds separated him from tenth placed James Davison as they crossed the line and in the closing laps at times this gap had been even smaller. While the Australian had moved up 13 places from his grid spot, the most improved driver was Robert Wickens, who had made a habit of coming from the back of the grid during the heats, as he was sixth from 27th. Pre-Final: Marco Holzer continued his perfect weekend in the 22 lap Pre-Final by getting the best start from pole and staying in front until the chequered flag. In fact it was the three drivers who crossed the line first at the end of lap one - Holzer, Nicolas Hülkenberg and João Urbano - who were still there in that order at the end. Urbano was briefly relegated to fourth on laps two and three by Sebastien Buemi, but by the end of lap four he was in front again. The gap between the first two was never more than a second all race and while they pulled away the gap between Urbano and fourth placed driver, Sebastien Buemi, was also never more than eight tenths of a second. Sam Bird admitted to a bad start, but still managed to hold on to fifth despite pressure in the early laps from Edoardo Piscopo. The event proved a disappointment for Robert Wickens who had done so much work by driving through the field in the heats to start seventh. A rear left puncture sent him into the pits at the end of lap three and the best he could get back to was 27th. Pre-Final Results and Grid
for World Final. Fastest Lap: Nicolas Hülkenberg - 1m 27.180s
Fastest Lap- Nicolas Hülkenberg - 1m 26.997s
This racing car has been seen on the grid since 2002 and has set standards particularly on the safety technology front. The single-seater is propelled by a 140 bhp BMW engine up to 230km/h and exceeds the FIA safety requirements for its class. BMW Motorsport has developed the FORS Formula Rescue Race Seat especially for Formula BMW. The HANS safety system is also mandatory. In 2005, Formula BMW was staged five times as part of the Formula One support programme. All the series offer a multifaceted Education and Coaching Programme as well as sponsorship for promising racing talents. The best-known alumni of this talent hothouse are Formula One drivers Ralf Schumacher, Christian Klien and Nico Rosberg. BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen:
"Formula BMW offers talented young drivers more than just a
car. In the Education and Coaching Programme we have designed specially
for them, they learn everything they need to know to hold their
own in the big wide world of motor racing. Formula BMW has shot
out of the blocks to become the top entry-level class for Formula
racing worldwide." WILL BRATT – 2005 SEASON REVIEW
Will Bratt embarked on his first full season of single-seater racing at the start of 2005 knowing he had selected one of the world’s most competitive junior classes, Formula Renault UK, but by the end of the recent Winter Championship he had underlined his arrival as a true front-runner. The 17-year-old driver from Adderbury, near Banbury, made his official Formula Renault UK debut last winter, having already secured a superb title victory in the BRSCC T-Car Championship with 14 wins from 18 race starts, together with six new lap records. But come the start of the 2005, Will’s first full year of Formula Renault UK action, both he and his Scorpio Motorsport team were realistic in their aim to progress steadily towards the sharp end of the grid by the end of the year – and this they achieved. The four-round Winter Championship set the scene for Will’s best ever qualifying performance and race result, fifth on the grid leading to fifth position at the chequered flag following a terrific performance and a highly competitive run. After such a glowing conclusion to his maiden year of Formula Renault UK racing, Will now has to focus on his continuing A-level studies at Bloxham School, near Banbury, before returning to the cockpit early next year in preparation for the 2006 season. “I want to be back out in the car as soon as possible”, said Will, “But I know school is just as important as my racing and I have to focus on my studies. It’s frustrating when you’re not on track, nothing can match the adrenalin and excitement of racing wheel-to-wheel.” His 2005 season started at Donington Park in Leicestershire, Will achieving a creditable 17th position on the grid for the first two races of the year and taking a best result of 14th place from the second of the weekend’s outings. Thruxton, the UK’s fastest circuit, was next on the calendar where Will matched his best finish of 14th place and then the series moved on to Brands Hatch in Kent before one of his most successful weekends of the year at Oulton Park in Cheshire. After qualifying in 16th position for round seven he went on to record a competitive 12th place finish at the chequered flag. Then, from 15th on the grid, he battled to a richly-deserved season-best 11th place in round eight. “The tyres really started to come in for me during the last third of the second race at Oulton Park and we were then one of the fastest cars on the track”, explained Will, “So if we’d had another couple of laps I really do think we could have finished even higher – Oulton was a high point of the season for sure.” Croft in North Yorkshire rounded off the first half of the season in July and, after a three-week break, the series resumed at Snetterton in Norfolk. The longest trip of the year then faced the majority of competitors with a visit to Knockhill in Scotland for rounds 13 and 14 – the championship’s annual visit north of the border. Conditions were atrocious, rain absolutely lashing
down and wind battering the Fife circuit for almost the entire weekend.
In the first race, Will achieved a top 13 finish but a similarly
pleasing result in round 14 was taken from his grasp after Matt
Shawyer forced the Scorpio ace into retirement as Will was attempting
to overtake the RSR driver. During testing, he had shown tremendous pace to run well inside the top six but qualifying was a near disaster when his suspension collapsed while travelling at 140mph. However, he fought hard to achieve a top 12 finish in the first race of the weekend having started in 18th position on the grid. Just a week later, rounds 17 and 18 took place at Silverstone National with Will equalling his best result of the season after taking 11th place from 17th position on the grid in the first of the weekend’s races. “Considering where we started on the grid, 11th position in the first Silverstone race was a great result”, commented Will. The final two races of the season saw the championship return to Brands Hatch, but this time on the challenging Grand Prix configuration. A heart-breaking retirement forced Will out of the running in round 19 but the final race of the season saw him cruelly robbed of a potential top eight finish after being forced into a spin by Patrick Hogan. Nonetheless, Will ended the season 15th overall in the driver standings and also secured the Vice-Champion’s position in the ‘Graduate Cup’ class for inexperienced drivers. After choosing to continue with Scorpio for the 2005 Winter Championship, Will shone instantly and achieved his best ever qualifying position of eighth on the grid for round two; for round one he would start in 11th place. A terrific drive in the opening race saw Will claim a richly deserved top six finish, some excellent passing dispelling the theory overtaking at the short Indy Circuit is almost impossible. Sadly, Will had to retire from round two after suffering damage to his car during an altercation at Graham Hill Bend. Croft was the venue for the winter series finale and after struggling for grip in round three qualifying, Will more than made amends in the race after battling up the order from 16th on the grid to seventh place. His remarkable performance, which featured yet more inspired overtaking, also saw Will given the Motorsport News ‘Star Drive’ accolade. Round four then saw Will record a career-best result of fifth position after a similarly good performance in qualifying, enabling him to move into joint-eighth position in the driver standings, a superb fillip ahead of the 2006 Formula Renault UK season. “That was a great race”, said Will, “I was a bit disappointed not to have been higher as I really wanted at least fourth place but we’ve got to be pleased with a top five result. My start was incredible, if I can do that every time we race from now on I’ll be happy. “Breaking into the top eight in the championship was great and we can build on this during winter testing, hopefully heading into next season with a lot of confidence and the opportunity of making a real impression on the established front-runners.” More information available at www.willbratt.com
(30/11) Duncan Tappy Wins!!!!
Duncan Tappy maintained a twelve-race winning run to take victory in the final of the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on Sunday (26/10)
Gary Paffett did what he needed to do at Hockenheim to become the first British driver to claim the DTM championship title. Paffett followed team-mates Bernd Schneider and Jamie Green home as Mercedes secured a podium lock-out to complete the season. Needing only to finish in the points to be crowned champion, Paffett produced an assured drive in tricky conditions to end the season with a comfortable margin of 15 points over outgoing champion Mattias Ekstrom who had to win and hope Paffett failed to score to defend his title. As it was, the Swede was never in contention for the victory having started the race from 15th on the grid and was involved in numerous incidents before he eventually trailed in seventh. "It was an incredible feeling when I crossed the line," the new champion admitted. "During the race, I had no time at all to think about what it would be like to be the champion. This has been a nearly perfect season with some minor mistakes – and with a fantastic result. The battle with Mattias was big fun. At the end of the day, the two final rounds turned out to be crucial. In these rounds, our team proved that it is able to deliver in superior style." Having greeted his driver with a 'DTM Champion' labelled bottle of beer in parc ferme after race, Mercedes Motorsport boss Norbert Haug was understandably pleased. "Congratulations to Gary for being the new champion and to Bernd for having won the race," he said. "It's perfect to end the season with a 1-2-3 victory. The C-Class ruled and it's a rare achievement that one manufacturer wins all three titles within one year. "We had to cope with difficult conditions but the team worked well and succeeded in tuning in to these conditions. Because of the competitive grid, we hadn't even dared to dream of a one-two-three. I'd like to thank the entire team for a perfect year. A thank you to our competitors for a tough but fair battle. Thank you for this season and a great year of DTM racing. Such a finale is better than any pay rise – it's a moment of joy you are working for."
QUAIFE
HOBBS TAKES TITLE WITH DOUBLE VICTORY
Formula Bmw
Seven drivers from the Formula BMW
USA take part in Bahrain.
The Formula BMW USA Championship was decided at Road Atlanta at the end of September and seven drivers have registered for the World Final: Third in Championship and Rookie points, Formula BMW USA Junior Robert Wickens and Matt Lee will line up with Team Autotecnica. Formula BMW USA Junior Reed Stevens, fourth in the Championship; sixth in the Overall points James Davison and 10th place finisher Race Johnson will be racing with Meritus. Fifth in the Championship points Edoardo Piscopo from Rome, Italy will compete with his team EuroInternational; and Formula BMW USA Junior Adrien Herberts will run with the Atlantic Racing Team.
Edoardo Piscopo, winner of three
races, says, "The World Final will be a unique opportunity
for both teams and drivers to show their real potential. After having
a great
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