Latest news with #BrandsHatch
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Allingham completes Superstock double at Brands
David Allingham completed a Superstock double at the British Superbike Championship round at Brands Ireland's Allingham beat championship leader Ilya Mikhalchik by just 0.594 seconds in the second race around the Grand Prix circuit in SMS BMW rider had dropped to second behind Tom Ward in the early stages but responded to take the lead on lap nine and he held off Mikhalchik on the final Saturday, the 30-year-old had beaten Mikhalchik to the chequered flag by just 0.3 seconds after starting the race from pole was a first two victories of the season for Allingham, who is now up to third in the standings and 47 points behind leader at Brands Hatch, Nikki Coates beat title rival Barry Burrell by just 0.062 seconds to extend his championship lead in the BMW Motorrad F 900 R the British Superbike Championship, Andrew Irwin finished 11th and seventh in the opening two races but he failed to finish the third Swann secured three points finishes with 14th and two 12th places.
Auto Car
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
The Caterham Seven now has literal Horse power... I was first to try the sports car firm's new engine
The Caterham Seven's future is now assured thanks to a new engine from a firm formed by Renault and Geely Open gallery Prior put the Caterham's Horse prototype through its paces around Brands Hatch Horse-engined sevens will not weigh more than today's Duratec ones Laishley (right) tells Prior: 'We've searched high and low' for the right engine Close Caterham has been at a set of figurative crossroads for some time, pondering what will replace the Ford Sigma and Duratec engines it has been using for yonks. Neither the Sigma, a 1.6-litre used in Caterham's Academy racing cars, nor the 2.0-litre Duratec, used in its road and fastest race cars, has been made for several years. Caterham bought a batch of Sigma blocks and has been assembling completed engines using those and spare parts, but they will shortly run out. It still has considerable stock of complete Duratec engines – 1200 of them – but it doesn't believe Ford has used the unit in over four years. Ultimately, both need replacing, but the Academy race car is a priority, so that's what's being addressed first. The Academy series, designed for new race drivers, results in 34-40 Caterhams being built and raced per year. Over the past 30 years, more than 1400 people have become racers through the programme. The cars are mostly home-finished and all have to be road-registered. At a literal crossroads, a Caterham isn't the world's most convenient vehicle: you sit a long way from its nose, low, and with iffy visibility. But in corporate terms, things are brighter. In Bob Laishley, the company has a CEO with decades of OEM experience and a vast contact book, although he modestly says that wasn't a necessity because it quickly became apparent that plenty of engine manufacturers would be happy to supply the company. Combustion engine production, even development, is in no danger of imminently ceasing. The conundrum has been finding an engine that fits, that's available, reliable and sufficiently light, and is priced correctly. Or, at least, correctly enough. 'We have searched high and low,' says Laishley, and the answer has come from Horse, a relatively new joint venture between Renault and Geely that 'is looking to sell engines'. Horse has the capacity to make more than three million engines a year and wants automotive customers. Caterham has settled on its lightly turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder, badged HR13DDT, made in Spain and already used in more than 20 models including the Renault Megane, Nissan Qashqai and Mercedes A-Class. So 'it has been used in a number of cars and Horse has guaranteed supply well into the next decade', says Laishley. In existing production cars, the HR13DDT unit has standard outputs as little as 115bhp and as much as 160bhp, higher still where it's already used in saloon car racing. It has 1332cc capacity, a 72.2mm by 81.3mm bore/stroke, an aluminium block and head, direct injection, twin overhead cams, a lifetime timing chain and mirror bore coating, in which cylinders receive approximately 0.2mm of friction-reducing coating rather than a cast-iron cylinder liner (the sort that has a circa 2mm wall thickness). It's tech the R35-generation Nissan GT-R received first and it gives 'a lot of weight-saving in the block', says Laishley. The upshot, I'm told, is that the HR13 engine weighs 35kg less than a Duratec motor (around 15-25kg less than a Sigma, by my estimates), although some of that will be undone by the need for an intercooler and associated pipework and ducting. Complete, it certainly won't weigh more than the Duratec, according to Laishley. The final advantage is that 'it fits', says Laishley, although these things are somewhat relative. Most of it fits. A fuel pump and rail sprouts from the top of the engine, which the Caterham bonnet will have to be sculpted to clear. It's a tiny piece of the engine but one of the most critical. Various teams have contemplated rejigging it, but that it pressurises petrol to 350 bar has inclined them to leave it as designed. I've come to Brands Hatch, where it's binning down with rain, to try the first Caterham Horse prototype, an SV (wide-body) chassis in left-hand drive. The wider chassis gives Caterham's team a bit more space to work with, and the exhaust and catalytic converter would foul the steering column on a right-hand-drive model, so they're using this left-hooker while redesigning the exhaust. A second prototype, an Academy race car, which has a narrow (Series 3) chassis in right-hand drive – and is thus representative of the first production versions – is in build at the factory. I've seen some CAD mock-ups of the bonnet and the finished version will look much sleeker than the strictly functional add-on you see pictured here. It will want some additional cooling vents too. Caterham's engineers say that beyond ensuring the engine fits, they have done precious little to it. It makes 130bhp at around 5750rpm and builds in very linear fashion from 2000rpm, with a very flat torque plateau of a little under 130lb ft from 2000rpm to 5500rpm (bhp and lb ft being equal at 5252rpm). The rev limit is 6500rpm but they say there's no need to take it there, because torque and power both ebb away after the peak. Caterham will use its own ECU (it's more reliable than using an OEM ECU that requires 'turning things off that don't want to be', says Laishley) and the base power might eventually go up or down a bit so that Academy race cars retain lap times as close as possible to those of today's Sigma-engined cars. In the meantime, there's plenty else to be getting on with. Not only will there be a new engine, but also a new gearbox and limited-slip differential. Gearboxes are becoming the latest six- rather than five-speed Mazda MX-5 units and there will be a bespoke Caterham-specced LSD in place of the BMW one used now. The gearbox is a bit heavier than the five-speed but the LSD is lighter, so overall weight is the same. Because of the new engine, gearbox and differential, the 2026 set of Academy cars won't be available to home-build: the procedures simply won't be finely honed enough, so Caterham will complete them all at the factory. As I write, pricing has still to be confirmed, but I'm told it will be a little – but not prohibitively or mick-takingly – more expensive than a Sigma-engined car. The bits just cost more. Those will be the first and, for the time being, only Horse-engined Caterhams. Historically, Academy cars typically become 'Roadsport Championship' race cars the year after they have competed in the Academy and then can be upgraded to 270 and 310 race cars thereafter: those championships, then, will have a mix of Horse and Sigma engines from 2028. Entry-level 170s will still use the small Suzuki engine. Other road-going Caterhams will continue with Duratec engines until stocks run out. You can speculate that, with its various power options and obvious tuning capability, the Horse engine will become the norm thereafter: Caterham clearly hasn't signed up a new engine maker to build just 34 cars a year. The other point to note is that if you want to have a naturally aspirated Seven, the time is now. Caterham would like the new engine to feel as naturally aspirated as is possible, though. So at Brands I sink into the driver's seat to receive a briefing, although there's not much to tell. There's a light to warn of the impending rev limiter, but unless I deliberately take it there, I'll have probably naturally felt the urge to shift up a gear by then. And while the sound is all authentic, there is a symposer (a tube and a vibrating membrane) to accentuate the induction noise. By today's standards, 100bhp per litre is modest and so is a redline in the mid-6000s. That redline and power output are figures an old 1.7-litre Ford Kent Crossflow would be familiar with. And if I told you that the Horse engine reminded me a bit of one of those, I wouldn't mean it as an insult. This is, I don't think it's unkind to say, a functional rather than spectacular sort of engine. It will pull at any revs because it has modern electronics but there's notable response from 2000rpm and it pulls very keenly from 3000-5000rpm. If there is turbo lag, and even at low boost pressures I suppose there must be some, you don't really notice it in a car as light as a Seven. Perhaps it would be more notable in the dry, but in the wet there's sufficient response to light up the rear tyres out of Druids hairpin easily, and even in higher-speed corners enough to straighten the car's line without feeling like you're waiting for the engine to do your bidding. It's just linear, progressive and responsive, and I think the symposer takes the edge off some gravelliness, to add some gruff induction 'bwoap'. It's geared for around 3000rpm at 60mph in sixth, and while it's hard to gauge how the large expanse of a race circuit totally matches the road, that and the ratios – with a gearshift every bit as tight and slick as the Mazda five-speed's – feels 'about right'. In truth the whole package does. Would it be nicer if it was a super-light, naturally aspirated 1.6-litre that revved to 9000rpm and made 160bhp while it was getting there? Perhaps, but people don't make engines like that which meet regulatory requirements any more. The Horse engine hits the right numbers. And, in its delivery, in its responses, and even in its aural appeal, it largely hits the mark too. I think Academy drivers are going to have as much fun as ever. The future supply is pleasingly secure. And if you must have a naturally aspirated Seven, you know who to call. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Caterham Seven 420 CUP S3 Next Prev In partnership with
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Clerk of the Course ‘absolutely delighted' with line-up for Armoy Road Races even though star duo set to be absent
Davey Todd is a huge fan of the Irish road race but is due to compete at the Brands Hatch round of the British Superbike Championship for the 8TEN Racing team, which he co-owns with Peter Hickman. Northern Ireland's Michael Dunlop has won the blue riband Race of Legends 10 times but ruled himself out of his home race following a dispute with the organisers, and looks set to miss out for the second year in a row. Aside from Dunlop and Todd, Ryan Farquhar is the only other rider to have won the Race of Legends Superbike event, with a new winner poised to be crowned at the weekend. Contenders include Yorkshireman Jamie Coward, who was the 2024 Man of the Meeting. Coward has recovered from injury following a crash at the North West 200 and will be among the favourites on his stable of KTS Racing BMW, Triumph and Kawasaki Supertwin machines. The line-up includes Paul Jordan from Magherafelt on the Jackson Racing machines, who won his first race at the North West in the Supertwin class in 2025. The Isle of Man's Conor Cummins returns for John Burrows' team on 1000cc BMW and Ducati Supersport machinery, while Michael Sweeney is in fine form after giving Dunlop a run for his money at June's Tandragee 100. Fellow Republic of Ireland rider Mike Browne could be the man to beat in the Supersport races on the BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha, while England's Phil Crowe has a strong record at Armoy and finished second in the Race of Legends 12 months previously behind Todd. William Munnis, Armoy Clerk of the Course, said a 'great weekend of road racing' was in store. 'We're absolutely delighted with the number and calibre of riders joining us this year. 'With returning favourites, newcomers and international teams set to take part, spectators can expect a great weekend of racing. 'We have over 20 newcomers this year with a third of them coming from the South, and there are a few races that are oversubscribed, but as a club, we are really keen to ensure that everyone gets some track time – we are probably going to have to run some B races, too. Friday will be interesting, it always is, but if we get it right, Saturday should take care of itself. 'As always, we've had tremendous support from each and every one of our sponsors, who give so generously to ensure that we can continue to host the Armoy Road Races. 'With their help and that of the fans, the local community and residents, we expect to have another good year's racing. 'The club, volunteers, the circuit – everything is set and ready to go for the riders to land in the paddock and for the fans and spectators to arrive on Friday – although I see a few people dotted around the course already in motorhomes and tents.' Dominic Herbertson is another leading Armoy protagonist who cannot be discounted in a high-class field. Wigan's Rob Hodson is a standout name among this year's newcomers along with Finland's Erno Kostamo, a regular at the NW200 and the winner of the 2022 Macau Grand Prix in China. Manx rider Joe Yeardsley and Offaly's Kevin Keyes will also tackle the undulating three-mile course for the first time. Roads close on Friday from 10.00am for practice, followed by two races for Supertwin and Supersport riders, time permitting. On Saturday, roads close at 9.00am and will reopen by 7:30pm.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Choose your most memorable British Grand Prix
With Formula 1 celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and the 2025 season arriving at Silverstone this week, BBC Sport is looking to answer the question: What is the most memorable British Grand Prix? We have put together a list of nine and all you have to do is choose your favourite. Advertisement Epic duel between Stewart and Rindt - 1969 [Getty Images] The 1960s were coming to an end and Jackie Stewart was the driver to beat in Formula 1. The Scot had won four of the first five races of the '69 season and was the favourite to take victory when round six landed in Britain. Austrian Jochen Rindt, driving for Lotus, took pole ahead of Stewart's Matra. As soon as the flag dropped, though, the two drivers began an epic duel that would see the lead of the race regularly change hands. In the closing stages, bodywork damage and a lack of fuel denied Rindt the chance of victory. Stewart triumphed, lapping the entire field, before toasting the win with his wife, Helen. Advertisement Hunt's win that he lost - 1976 [Getty Images] Brands Hatch was the host of the 1976 British Grand Prix for one of the most controversial races in F1 history. James Hunt secured victory that day in July, but it would be be taken away from the home driver two months later. Hunt was involved in a first-lap crash with the Ferrari of Clay Regazzoni, which resulted in a red flag. After he drove his damaged McLaren back to the pits via a shortcut, the stewards initially barred him from the restart. However, the partisan and sun-baked crowd were outraged, so the decision was reversed and Hunt was able to participate. Advertisement Following his win, Ferrari protested the result, arguing that Hunt had not completed the full race distance because of the shortcut. Hunt was officially disqualified in September, giving Lauda the race victory. Mansell mania takes over - 1987 [Getty Images] The year is 1987 and the moustachioed Nigel Mansell is starting in second place at Silverstone, as his Williams team-mate Nelson Piquet claimed the coveted pole position. On lap 35, Mansell was within two seconds of Piquet. But a wheel balance issue meant the team elected to pit the Briton for fresh tyres. Following a quick (for the time) 9.5-second stop, Mansell rejoined the action 28 seconds behind Brazilian Piquet with 29 laps left. Advertisement Hopes were fading for a British win, but Mansell relentlessly hauled in Piquet, eventually overtaking his rival into Stowe with only three laps remaining. The fans swarmed on to the track, delirious with joy. "And the British crowd break ranks - they're marvellous at this!" cried commentator Murray Walker. "I can think of no other crowd in the world that would do that." Senna hitches a ride with Mansell - 1991 [Getty Images] This weekend is not necessarily remembered for the victory, despite Mansell celebrating a dominant third win of his career on home soil, but more for the iconic, albeit slightly dangerous, piece of sportmanship. Advertisement Championship leader Ayrton Senna, who started next to Mansell in second, was classified in fourth place after his McLaren ran out of fuel on the final lap. As Mansell completed his cooldown lap, he noticed the Brazilian waiting for assistance, so he beckoned Senna over and gave him a lift back to the pits on the side of his car. Cue rapturous applause from the fans, but disapproving glances from the marshal Senna had brushed off in order to climb on the Williams. "On your way, Nigel, says Senna, with a tap on the helmet," said Walker in commentary. Schumacher and Hill end up in the gravel - 1995 [Getty Images] The Silverstone atmosphere amplifies when a British driver is involved in the title race, so as the 1990s reached the midway point, Damon Hill being only 11 points behind defending champion Michael Schumacher put the home crowd on a high. Advertisement Willimas' Hill was on pole with Schumacher second, but the German took the lead on a one-stop strategy. On lap 46, Hill in second was on fresher tyres when he made contact with Schumacher, trying to overtake the Benetton driver for the lead through the Priory corner, with the two cars ending up in the gravel. After the race, as fans clamoured for his autograph, Hill said the stewards felt there was "equal blame on both parts" for the collision. There was celebration for the home crowd, though, as Johnny Herbert - Schumacher's Benetton team-mate - took his first career win that day after 74 attempts. Advertisement Hamilton's wet-weather masterclass - 2008 [Getty Images] The great British summer was in full effect in 2008 as gloomy conditions and rain hampered round nine of the campaign. Lewis Hamilton was 23 years old and in his second year at McLaren when he wrote his name into British Grand Prix folklore. He had been under pressure coming into the race, after failing to score points in the previous two grands prix. Starting in fourth, Hamilton's natural wet-weather driving talent saw him pass team-mate and polesitter Heikki Kovalainen on lap five up the inside into Stowe - the same place Mansell had overtaken Piquet for the lead 11 years earlier. Advertisement The stunning victory - his maiden win in Britain - by more than a minute put Hamilton in a three-way tie for the championship lead with Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. Hamilton wins on three wheels - 2020 [EPA] Silverstone fell silent because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, with no fans present for back-to-back race weekends at the circuit in August. The first event, carrying the traditional 'British' title (the second was the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix), was a largely routine affair until the final moments, when leader Lewis Hamilton suffered a puncture on the last lap. Hamilton had watched on as Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas' race was ended two laps earlier by tyre issues. So when Max Verstappen, who was about 30 seconds behind, began to close in, it looked like a record seventh home victory was about to slip through Hamilton's fingers. Advertisement With his left-front tyre in dire straits, Hamilton managed to reach the line to take the chequered flag. "That was close," he said, his relief evident. Drama-filled title race - 2021 [Getty Images] Polesitter Max Verstappen was ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton by 32 points in a tense title race when the pair started alongside each other on the front row at Silverstone in 2021. It did not take long for the drama to unfold, as the opening lap took a dramatic twist into the 190mph Copse corner - one of the fastest in F1 - when the two rivals made contact at high speed, sending Red Bull's Verstappen spinning out of the grand prix. The Dutchman was taken to hospital for precautionary tests after the 51G impact. Advertisement Hamilton - who was given a 10-second penalty for causing the collision with Verstappen - had to pass Lando Norris and team-mate Valtteri Bottas before setting after race leader Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. He had 12 laps to close an eight-second gap and did so, getting past on lap 50 of 52 when Leclerc ran wide at the exit of Copse. Hamilton's victory, his eighth on home soil, cut Verstappen's lead at the top of the drivers' championship to eight points. Hamilton's first win in 945 days - 2024 [Getty Images] "I thought it was never going to happen again," said Hamilton after his truimph at Silverstone in 2024. His victory in his final year at Mercedes was his first win in an astonishing two years, seven months and two days - an unfathomable dry spell for one of the all-time F1 greats. Advertisement Hamilton won an intense race-long fight with Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris in wet-dry conditions in front of 164,000 people. The victory was his ninth at home to become the record-holder for wins at a single circuit. "I can't stop crying," he said straight after climbing out of his car. Later, he remarked: "That might be the most emotional ending to a race I think I have probably ever had."
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
How family tragedy drove unlikely Formula 1 star Damon Hill to victory... CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Hill
Murray Walker, the greatest of all commentators, was not often lost for words. But emotion got the better of him as Damon Hill claimed the F1 World Championship in 1996. 'And, I've got to stop,' Murray growled hoarsely, 'because I've got a lump in my throat.' His unmistakable voice, like the scream of a 500hp turbo- engine, seemed to have grit in the gearbox. Hill's victory was especially significant for the sport because he was the son of another Formula 1 world champion, the swashbuckling Graham Hill, who died in a plane crash along with five members of his team in 1975. Throughout the documentary Hill, charting Damon's career in motor-racing, his father's ebullient personality was ever-present as a sort of background roar, like the sound of a high-performance car. Snatches of home video were intercut with archive news footage. In one snippet, Bruce Forsyth chatted to Graham at Brands Hatch. The two men could have been -brothers - the same long nose and jutting chin, not to mention the pencil moustaches. An adolescent Damon lurked shyly beside his dad. 'Say something,' urged Brucie. 'Something,' whispered the boy. Snatches of home video are intercut with archive news footage and F1 racing scenes 'He's not like you, he can't chat as much!' chortled Bruce, elbowing Graham. That moment epitomised Damon's relationship with his father's memory. 'I didn't want to be pushed into the limelight,' he mused. 'If your dad is the star of the show, then who are you?' An introspective man - his wife, Georgie, calls him, 'one of the saddest people I'd ever come across in my life' - Hill Jnr insisted at the start of this affecting and melancholy film that he 'never wanted to become a racing driver'. But he also felt compelled to compete and win, in tribute to his father. Gradually, it became clear why Hill always seemed so unlike other drivers. A devoted father and husband, he couldn't have been more different from the roguish, womanising James Hunt - a man who once staggered into the paddock still half-drunk from a wild one-night stand, and proceeded to break lap records on his way to the podium. Damon had none of Michael Schumacher's arrogance, Alain Prost's confidence or Ayrton Senna's supernatural aura. Even his team bosses seemed to take his self-deprecating jokes at face value: they sacked him when he was leading the championship. But what emerged from this sensitive film, written and directed by Alex Holmes, was the portrait of a spiritual man who was deeply traumatised by loss. He was 15 when a TV bulletin broke the news of his father's death. He had to tell his mother, who collapsed. Financial ruin for the family followed. For F1 fans, the race footage was gripping, while the candid shots of drivers and mechanics behind the scenes were revealing.
