NEWS: Spa Pick RSR as 2012 Driver School

Look what our pals at RSR Nurburg have sorted for 2012 – becoming le Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps authorized driver’s school. Bravo Ron and team! This partnership opens up new opportunities to drive this awesome world renowned track – in a well-prepared Lotus, Porsche GT3 or more – to practically anyone from around the globe, almost every day of the week, throughout the season. Great news for track fans! RSRNurburg, Ron Simons Racing Nurburg, have built a reputation of excellence over the past 15 years at the famous Nűrburgring for driver training, instruction, track car rentals, corporate events and tour rallies – and we've sampled their ace brand at the Green Hell and Spa, in a variety of cars, and loved the slick branded experience. And Ron's unique tuition style. Now, they are expanding their business – over the border into Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Pierre Alain Thibaut, General Managing Director at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, said: "Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is in general working on bundling products and services to be able to open up the racetrack to the general public for more days a year and for every budget. This partnership where the circuit brings in the facilities and RSRSpa brings in the cars to drive it, is the most important in a series of improvements and extensions on and around Spa Francorchamps. The goal is to extend the number of available driving sessions for the recreational and non-racing customer. This will result in the track being available for this for a few days a week throughout the season. We are pleased to have RSR Nűrburg on board with us. RSR are a professional company that has built a successful business on a reputation of excellence that is known and respected worldwide. Bringing their cars, expertise, various driving & instruction packages and programs to Spa will open up new opportunities for customers from around the world and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with them."
RSRNűrburg and now RSRSpa boss, Ron Simons said: "We are very excited to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to drive at two of the very best tracks in the World. It is a very logical step since we have been increasing our presence at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps with our tour rallies, track instruction, car rentals and corporate events gradually over the past few years. Drawing on the knowledge & expertise that we have built up at the Ring we will be able to tailor-make new programs for Spa. The excellent facilities at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps are within easy reach, just over an hours’ drive away along some fantastic roads through the beautiful Eifel and Ardennes countryside. Not only will this expansion of our business give our existing customer base an extended range of options to choose from but what this partnership really means is that virtually anyone will be able to book a an ‘arrive & drive’ package to sample the fantastic track that is Spa Francorchamps."

There will be considerable investment in the RSRSpa presence at Spa with new facilities, staff and additions to the fleet of currently around 60 cars for the new season in 2012.

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of the oldest and most respected tracks in the world. Its history dates back from 1898 and therefore truly exceeds 100 years of motorsport. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is celebrated as one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its fast, hilly and twisty nature. Corners like Eau Rouge and Blanchimont are considered the best corners in the world and so it’s no wonder Spa is considered to be THE favourite circuit of many racing drivers and fans alike. More info can be found under www.spa-francorchamps.be or by contacting Chantal Bantz on Tel; +32 8729 3710 or by email at Chantal.bantz@spa-francorchamps.be

RSRNurburg driver training, car rentals & trackdays is the oldest and most established business in this field at the Nurburgring. RSRNurburg has made a name for itself with 10 years of operation. Their extensive knowledge of tracks like the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Nurburgring GP Circuit and Spa Francorchamps is second to none. A fleet of over 60 cars from Renault Clio Cup’s, Lotus Exige’s, Porsche GT3’s up to LMP2 cars and everything in between is available. Over the last 10 years RSRNurburg served well over 10 000 customers among them many out of the automotive industry as well as a selection of well-known racing drivers. Operating from both circuits now allows customers to drive the best 2 tracks in the world back to back now and as such, new products and programs of activity for corporate and individual customers will be announced shortly. Further information on RSR can be found here: www.RSRNurburg.com and www.RSRSpa.com or by Antony Ashley on Tel; +49 2691 931952 or by email at sales@rsrspa.com

VIDEO: Rally Canarias 2012 Andreas Mikkelsen S2000

And here's a brilliant Skoda Motorsport video of the present and future of Skoda rallying, with the fantastic, dominant Andreas Mikkelsen in the Fabia S2000 in action on the Rally Canarias, round two of the IRC (http://www.ircseries.com), on tarmac. The event was going spot on for Andreas – hunting out a win on asphalt – until a few issues hit the team, sadly. Still, Andreas is blitzing the 2012 IRC and we wish him well for the rest of the season. Check out the story and some amazing images of the S2000 in the latest issue of Road Magazine: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_26_small/1

VIDEO: Colin McRae Scares Robbie Head in Skoda Fabia WRC.

A blast from Skoda's WRC past here – as Road friend, Colin McRae (who we co-drove for!) takes fellow rally driver and TV commentator, Robbie Head for a gravel blast to remember in the fabulous Fabia WRC... a car which paved the way for the rampant success of the new Fabia Super 2000 which Andreas Mikkelsen is dominating IRC with. Check out the cornering speed of the legend in action! And if you like that, you'll enjoy our Skoda special of Road Magazine: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_26_small/1 

Latest FREE Issue of Road Magazine: Skoda Special

Open publication - Free publishing - More car magazine

Welcome to the latest FREE issue of Road Magazine – a Skoda special. If ever there was one automotive brand that has re-invented itself successfully, it’s Skoda. Once the butt of jokes like: How do you double the price of a skoda? Fill up the tank. Why do skodas have heated rear windscreens? To keep your hands warm while your pushing it. And the classic: What do you call a Skoda with a sun roof? A skip. Now... the joke is on other car makers. Skoda is a winning formula. In the first quarter in 2012, UK sales alone hit 14,000, following the success of 2011, when 45,000 were sold. They also received 18 major awards in 2011, and continue to do so in 2012... including topping the influential JD Power survey for the past 19 years! Add to that, Skoda Motorsport repeated its double win in 2011 as IRC Drivers’ & Manufacturers’ Champions, with Andreas Mikkelsen bringing home the IRC Drivers’ title for Skoda UK Motorsport. You can read about that inside this issue. Also in this Skoda special are: The new (diesel) Octavia vRS –can it live up to its hot petrol sibling? We also look at a 200mph Octavia vRS. Then we have the Superb Greenline II, which really lives up to its name. And there’s the funky, amazing Yeti 4x4 SUV and the fun-packed Fabia Monte Carlo special edition. Oh, and our columnist, TV star Neil Cole talks Skoda rally tales too. Enjoy! Thanks for reading! Please do share it on Facebook, on Twitter and with your friends and family, thanks, Road Editor, Phil Royle and Art Editor, Bonnie Coupland.

VIDEO: Castle Combe Circuit Action Days 2012

Our good pals at the super-fast, super historic race circuit, Castle Combe in beautiful Wiltshire are gearing up for another great year of Action Days – the paddock display and circuit action events which have now been going 30 years! The first is their Spring Performance Car Action Day, this weekend, on April 28th, followed by the Classic and Sports Car AD on June 30th, the Forge Motorsport AD on September 8th and finally, MiniWorld AD on September 29th. The Action Days are really great events, as car shows should be with plenty to see and do in the paddock and on the speedy track, at the UK's friendly circuit. Get involved! More details at: http://www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk and http://www.facebook.com/CastleCombeCircuit

VIDEO: Walter Röhrl 911 2.5 ST Rally Köln-Ahrweiler

The old Porsche master at work, in one of the best sounding 911's ever: Walter Röhrl in a 300bhp, 970KG 911 2.5 ST, dancing his way around the Rally Köln-Ahrweiler, including some footage off the Nordschleife. AWESOME!!

NEWS: Chris Harris PPG 911 Dog Gearbox Rave Review

Our Road Magazine & Blog PR gurus, Royle Media (http://www.facebook.com/roylemedia) just released this press release on Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes Porsche 911 five-speed dog gear set geting a rave review by Drive TV and Pistonheads car hack demi-God and fellow rally fan, Chris Harris:
Esteemed British motoring journalist of Drive TV and www.pistonheads.com, Chris Harris, has proclaimed the Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes (PPG) five-speed, straight cut dog gearbox in the Tuthill Porsche 911 as “sensational… a thing of joy.” Chris Harris was testing the Francis Tuthill Porsche 911 rally car at the Prodrive Test Facility, Warwickshire for Drive TV and said: “The (PPG) dog gearbox is sensational. The gearbox is a thing of joy.” Talking about the drive, Chris added: “It’s just a collection of great noises, like the dog gearbox whine… this is where it is at… this is my kind of driving.”
The incredible 350bhp, 3.5-litre flat-six, 1,000Kg, historic rally Tuthill Porsche 911 uses a Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes straight cut, five speed, dog tooth gear set, using billet selectors and PPG’s “Heavy Duty” gears made with the world-renowned PPG “Bulletproof” design.
The wide arch 911 was built by Richard Tuthill of Tuthill Porsche (http://www.francistuthill.co.uk/, who are agents for the 911 gear set and supplied testing and development of the gear set), to rally in the Belgian Historic Rally Championship (BRC-H) and was described by Chris Harris as “a ridiculous bit of kit!” Richard Tuthill said: “The Belgian stages are very unique. There’s a lot of very square junctions… so you need to brake late into them and get out of them quick. This 911 does that beautifully and we can beat the Belgians with this car easily.” And a lot of that speed – and the car’s podiums already – is down to the incredibly efficient, fast, tough and reliable PPG dog gearbox – perfect for the Tuthill 911, and Chris Harris.
Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes are a global company, with markets in USA, Europe, Asia, Japan and Australia. PPG make championship-winning products for some of the world’s fastest competition cars:
• Seven times FIA APRC Rally Championship Winners.
• Three times Rally Japan Champions.
• World’s fastest Nissan R35 GTR, Nissan GTi-R, N/A Honda, Honda S2000 & 4WD 4-cylinder, Evo I-III & IV-IX drag cars.
• Double Pro Class Super Lap World Champion 2010-2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
• Five times Australian Commodore Cup Champion.
• Double Australian Sports Sedan Champion.
The five-speed, straight cut dog gear set for the Porsche 911 rally car is available to purchase from Francis Tuthill Porsche, and is just one of many competition gearboxes available for rally, racing, drag racing and all forms of motorsport, built by Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes. Find out more about Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes “bullet proof” products for the 911 and much more on the website at: http://www.ppgearbox.com.au/. Or like the new Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pfitzner-Performance-Gearbox-PPG/109155729151149
And watch the Drive Chris Harris test on the Tuthill Porsche 911 rally car at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOAXHR3grlY 

Nice work... if you can get it! 

VIDEO: Spa-Francorchamps Hot Taxi Lap: RSR Lotus 2-11

Our man at der Ring, Ron Simons, of RSR Nurburg also knows his onions at Spa-Francorchamps, as he shows here, in the RSR Lotus 2Eleven – rocking a 2:47 lap. Go Ron! See the perfect dry lines here, with telemetry, circuit map and timing. And if you fancy a hot lap like this, visit www.rsrspa.com. Highly recommended.

NEWS: Road Magazine Classified Ads?

Opinion time... would you like us to run you a separate page on this Road blog (backed up by our social media) running classified car ads, with images and video? Tapping into an audience of 75,000 people? If you would, say so... and we'll do it. There will be a small charge for the service, which will look similar to the image layout above (thanks to RSR Nurburg for this!). Thanks.

VIDEO: Ace Al Clark Drift Film @ AwesomeFest

Ace Al Clark drifting film raw footage, from the incredible www.Driftworks.com AwesomeFest 2011 event. The film is shot using a Chasecam off the front of Al Clark's E46 BMW M3 chase car. He spent the whole weekend ripping around getting nailed with stones and rubber, in the name of art and drifting. Top man! Watch out for Remmo's massively near miss just at the end! Enjoy drift fans. LOVE it!

VIDEO: The World's Fastest Lotus? 680bhp ATW Twin-Charged

USA TV show, Drive take crazy home brew Californian Lotus engineer, Frank Profera's mega horsepower, superlight Lotus for a spin, and get the full story. Drive say: "Frank spent six years making his Lotus go faster, stop shorter, and corner harder. Though it only has to move around 2,150 lbs, Frank's Lotus makes 680 wheel horsepower with a twin-charged (turbo and supercharged) 1.8L engine; giving it a better power-to-weight ratio than Mario Andretti's Formula One Lotus. It's an ongoing project that may never be finished, because of Frank's never-ending obsession with speed." Mad, bad and dangerous modified machine... as you can see here.

VIDEO: Ten Of The Best 2012: The UK's Best Tuned Car Event

Check out and share this slick, freshly produced promo film for this year's incredible Ten Of The Best two-day event – http://www.totb.co.uk, July 28th and 29th 2012. Now in its 11th year, this annual, multi-discipline event – quarter mile, top speed and handling circuit – attracts some of the best tuned cars, tuning companies and drivers in the UK, competing individually in 4WD, RWD and FWD classes, and in teams. It's Britain's leading tuned car event, attracting some 10,000 people and 100+ phenomenally fast cars, from well known companies and small home-brew tuners alike. The event is held at Elvington Airfield, near York in North Yorkshire and is run by expert timing gear and event crews, www.straightliners-events.co.uk. If you've never been before, GO! It's epic. And if you think you've got a quick car and can beat the best, ENTER! It's such a great event, full of amazing cars and people. Alternatively, maybe your company would like to reach a massive audience of c10,000 petrol heads? Well, you can sponsor the two-day event, have a stand in the massive retail village, banner-up the drag lanes or handling circuits... the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship packages are amazing, affordable and perfectly targeted to the huge TOTB audience. Our PR pals, www.roylemedia.co.uk are helping with this, so mail them for more details or call Phil on +44(0)7946-610193. Be the best... be part of Ten Of The Best...

NEWS: Road Magazine Back Issues & Social Media Update

Did you lovely Road blog readers know we also have a FREE monthly car magazine? You can read through 100's of great articles in over 30 easy to read magazines, on your computer, iPhone, iPad, smart phone or tablet here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine. Or here, on our smart website: www.roadmagazine.co.uk.
There's something for everyone, so get onboard & like us on Facebook too at:  http://www.facebook.com/roadmagblog or follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/#!/roadmagazine. Thanks, Editor, Phil Royle

VIDEO: How to Drive Donington Park National Circuit

Our very good track day organising pals, RMA (http://www.rmatrackdays.com/), run by "Track Day King," Graham Clarke sent us this video of his son, racer and ARDS/RMA Chief instructor, Leyton Clarke (http://www.leytonclarke.co.uk/) showing off the right (wet) lines around Donington Park National Circuit, with commentary, in a Porsche Carrera GTS. So, there's no excuse for bottling it at Cranner now! Seen Leyton go a lot quicker here, but that's not the point. Watch and learn track day hounds...

VIDEO: Happy 50th Birthday "King Carlos" Sainz

Road Magazine wishes Spanish rally God, King Carlos Sainz a very happy 50th birthday. A true legend of the sport, two times WRC champion (1990 & 1992) and with 26 wins and more podiums that you can imagine, on all surfaces, Carlos is a true rally legend – driving for factory rally giants Toyota, Subaru, Lancia, Ford and more in his days in WRC. His super aggressive, yet smooth and seriously quick style and his wonderful passion and personality made him a worldwide rally star. And a look at this ace highlights video shows why. We met him racing at the Nurburgring 24-Hour in a VW Scirocco R (which he loved, describing the Green Hell as "a long, very smooth tarmac rally stage") and now he's back in WRC, with the development of the VW Polo R WRC. So, expect it's successes to be down to him. What a top guy and personal hero to many. We love you King Carlos!

Road Editor, Phil Royle natters with King Carlos at the Nurburgring. They say "never meet your heroes" but Phil disagrees.

NEWS: Manthey Motors Nürburgring-Nordschleife Track Day

Our good friends at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, Manthey Motors are having their annual Green Hell track day on Monday 27th August – a must-do event for any Porsche fan. The “Speed & Fun” track day opens at 8am, with the track closing at 5pm and is limited to just 80 cars – giving fabulous access to the monster circuit. The noise limit is set at 103Db. Manthey racers and test drivers will be on hand to give training, as will Manthey technical service, Michelin tyre service and both KW Suspensions and the local Porsche center Koblenz will have stands. The cost is 795 € plus 19% German VAT per car and 1st driver, 395 € plus 19% German VAT per 2nd driver, 395 € plus 19% German VAT per each additional car and 171 € plus 19% German VAT per guest/co-driver. For more information, help with hotels and to book the dinner after the event etc. contact Manthey via: www.manthey-motors.de or www.manthey-racing.de. Definitely a must-do for any Porsche fan, Nordschleife life addict and one of the best open pit track days of the Green Hell calendar. Do it!!!

NEWS: Manthey Motors Lightweight 19-inch Rim 997 911

We've been lucky enough at Road to work a lot with the Green Hell giants, Manthey Racing & their road tuning brand, Manthey Motors over the years. We've had a personal factory tour by boss Olaf Manthey, followed race aces Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard and all to victory in the epic 24-Hour (http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/roadissue9), been on their outstanding Nordschleife track day (see post above) and test driven/had hot Ring laps in a number of their race, fast road and track 911's. They are an incredible outfit. What they don't know about optimising the 911 brand for race or road use is not worth knowing. Olaf is a genius.
So, when they release a new lightweight wheel, it's worth paying attention. These new, three times forged, centre locked 19-inch alloy rims are not just for show on a 997 911. They are so light – saving 9.2Kg per set unsprung and turning weight – they reduce inertia enormously, having a profound effect on handling ability, grip, turn-in and braking. Trust me... I've tested their old set on a 911, and they felt amazing. And these new ones are even lighter. Manthey say: "This is the lightest sports rim worldwide for Porsche 911 in 19 inch with full TÜV approval. It will be available for Porsche 997 GT2, GT2 RS, Turbo, GT3 RS from April."
Here are the hard facts:
- 9.2. kg weight savings per set (unsprung and turning weight!) compared with a GT3 RS OEM rim
- 9x19 and 12x19
- Silver or black
- MM exclusive product
- Three times forged
- TÜV and Nürburgring approved
- Less expensive than the original factory 19" rim(s) although more advanced
The official sale price shall be € 1.350,00 net ex stock, and you can order them via http://www.manthey-motors.de/.

INSANE VIDEO: Hill Climb in Le Mans Series Norma M20

This has got to be one of the most insane hill climbs runs ever – in a Le Mans Series Norma M20, perhaps the most inappropriately named car in history! Sounds like a car your gran would drive, but goes like it's being chased by the devil! A-M-A-ZING! Check it out, now!

NEWS: Britax Launches Trifix "Our Safest Ever Car Seat"

Not our usual subject matter, but of paramount importance none the less – the safety of our kids in our cars. Britax, market leader in car seat safety, has launched their latest and "safest ever" Group 1 car seat, the Britax 'Trifix.' They say: "In a league of its own, the new sleekly designed Trifix seat is universally approved for use in any car with ISOFIX and Top Tether anchorage points. Trifix is the first seat to feature a revolutionary ISOFIX + installation system – providing complete and unrivalled protection for your little one." The new seat design dramatically reduces forward and rotational movement by combining three unique Britax technologies:

· The patented and proven pivot link ISOFIX system reduces the seats forward rotation
· V-Tether controls and absorbs frontal forces by adding a third anchorage point
· New, wider, ISOFIX fixings further improve side impact protection
The original ISOFIX (which connects child car seats rigidly to the vehicle chassis) – now an international standard for child seats in vehicles – was born by Britax in co-operation with VW in 1997 to combat the problems of poorly fitted car seats and improve child safety. Research shows that only 30% of car seats installed using an adult seat belt are installed correctly, compared to 96% when using the ISOFIX system – which obviously has serious implications in the event of a crash. Now, with the advent of ISOFIX + technologies used in the Trifix seat, parents can have the ultimate peace of mind knowing their child could not be any safer.
The seat has deep, softly padded side wings, which are incorporated with uniquely, designed SI-PADS, which are made of energy absorbing material protecting precious cargo from any side impact collisions by moving them away from the accident. The performance chest pads and the five-point safety harness absorb forces felt by the child and further reduce forward movement by the child.
Britax add: "As well as being Britax’s safest child car seat for this age category, Trifix is simple to use. The ISOFIX system anchors the seat directly to the car’s ISOFIX connection points, while the V-Tether clicks into the third anchorage point in the rear of the car. Special indicators show parents that the ISOFIX catch arm hooks are properly engaged and that the V-Tether is pulled tight. In addition to this, there are some more practical, parent friendly enhancements; the seat cover is quick and easy to remove and wash, the buckle stays in the forward position so it is easy to sit your child in the seat, there are multiple recline positions for when your little one is sleeping and the ISOFIX arms retract neatly for easy storage." Mark Bennett, Britax’s Car Seat Safety expert added: "We are incredibly proud to be launching our safest Group 1 car seat. The advanced safety technologies form part of what Britax call 360 degrees protection – our commitment to keeping children safe from every possible angle of impact. We will continue to strive to develop and enhance all our seats to ensure peace of mind for all parents who choose Britax and optimal safety for their children."
The Trifix seat is suitable from 9 months to 4 years (or 9-18kgs) and retails at £319.99. It is available in a number of vibrant fabric designs. Not cheap... but can you put a price on your kid's safety? 

NEWS: RSR Nurburg 2012: Prosport Ring Laps. VLN. Spa.

The RSR Prosport is having its covers removed and is being dusted off for Ring laps, with our good pals at the Green Hell, Ron Simons' RSR Nurburg: http://www.rsrnurburg.com. This 400bhp Cosowrth V6 sequential beast of a downforce racer is available for three serious hot laps this season for 299 Euros – an experience to behold, but take your brave pills first!
Also at RSR this year, is their Gran Turismo event at  the epic Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in Belgium on the 12th and 13th of April, book now. But perhaps best of all is the chance to drive the two best circuits in the world in just one track day! Ron says: "There are very few private track days on the Nordschleife this year... and our next track day on the Nordschleife takes place on the 18th of June from 8am to 1pm. We are then running a special deal for this day whereby you can drive the Nordschleife followed by a Historic Lotus Tour Rallye to Spa from 2pm till 5pm and then from 6pm till 8pm, an exclusive Lotus Racing School on the Spa F1 track. This proves to be another exciting drive at the 2 best tracks in the world in just one day!" That'll be a grand day out. May also sees yet more Track Days at Spa with the Premium RSR Track Day on the 24th!
Finally, RSR are offering another package for racing and track enthusiasts alike – the RSR Nurburg VLN Racing "Weekender Plus" – a program catered towards groups of six or more who want to enjoy the ultimate experience of the Nurburgring in just one weekend. Ron says: "Friday watch the VLN practice during the day, then jump into the passenger seat for the ride of your life alongside a Professional racing driver for a Hot Taxi Lap around the Nordschleife. Dinner is on us at the famous Pistenklause Restaurant amongst the race drivers, teams and hardcore fans. Saturday morning experience the real Nurburgring on a race day with thousands of fans everywhere while driving in a Lotus Exige in our Nurburg Tour Rallye. Here you will see the track, hear the history, find the best lines and watch live racing all over this enormous track. Afterwards you head to the GP circuit straight to pits to get up close and personal with your favourite teams, cars and drivers. Then we head to the VIP Hospitality Suite for the afternoon to watch the race! Finally, on Sunday, the track is open the whole day for tourist driving so it's your chance to get out there and drive the notorious 'Ring yourself in one of many RSR cars to choose from. Selected Hotels are included with complimentary breakfasts. Weekends don't come any better than this!" Book these VLN Race Dates for 2012 on the 14th & 28th of April, 23rd June, 7th & 21st of July, 4th & 28th of August, 29th of September, 27th of October. Pricing starts at Euro 949 per person for the whole weekend...T&C's apply, Simply enquire for more details. A great mix of events for 2012, thanks to Ron and RSR. Get involved. Bravo Ron. Great work.

NEWS: Silverstone Motorsport UK 2012

Road Magazine & Blog have tied up as media partners with the Motorsport UK show – now re-located to "the home of Britsh motorsport," Silverstone and renamed Silverstone Motorsport UK. The show, which launched last year aims to promote all categories of national motorsport and has signed a long term agreement with Silverstone Circuits Limited to become the new venue for its events. the 2012 event is set to take place on the 3rd & 4th November at the Northamptonshire circuit. The Silverstone Motorsport UK 2012 event will feature:
* The Silverstone LIVE experience – allowing visitors to sample the Silverstone Stowe circuit with a trained instructor.
* The Kit Car Pavilion in association with Kit Car Magazine and Total Kit Car magazine which will showcase some of the UK’s top kit car and specialist car manufacturers.
* The Track Driver Hot Laps experience – providing visitors the opportunity to experience “Hot Laps” whilst been test driven round the Stowe Circuit in exhibitors’ cars that they are interested in purchasing or joining their team.
* The Go Motorsport - Motorsport UK Kart Challenge - allowing visitors the opportunity to race against friends and other visitors in a series of rounds for the title of the Go Motorsport - Motorsport UK crown and a selection of prizes.
* The Checkered Flag fans forum & Motors TV main stage hosted by TV presenter & Road Magazine writer, Gemma Scott – who will be interviewing drivers, race team bosses and key figures from the industry on their top tips in getting into Motorsport.
* The Motorsport UK Main Arena – a 5,000sq.ft exhibition hall with more than 100 exhibitors from the national Motorsport arena – including car manufacturers, national racing series, racing clubs, suppliers and industry associations.
Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, said: "We are delighted to welcome Motorsport UK and Kart Mania to Silverstone. We have been extremely impressed with the two events and we look forward to working with partners in making these events a success and a not-to-miss fixture on the UK Motorsport calendar."
Martin Capenhurst organiser of Motorsport UK said: "We are thrilled to be teaming up with Silverstone and there is no doubt that the Silverstone Motorsport UK 2012 is going to be a very special event, and will certainly be something for all of the family. For youngsters and adults looking to make a start into motorsport we have a number of new live elements providing visitors with the chance to get behind the wheel of one of SIlvertsone’s cars and learn the ropes with a qualified instructor, to the Go Motorsport kart challenge providing visitors the chance to compete and win sponsorship for their 2012 season to individuals having the chance to sample hot laps of cars that they are looking to purchase on the Silverstone Stowe circuit."
Adult tickets are £15.00 or £35.00 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children), which includes free parking and free event programme. Under 16’s and concessions are just £7.50 and MSA license holders are £10.00 if tickets are purchased in advanced. For more information on Silverstone Motorsport UK visit www.motorsportshow.co.uk. And you can hear all about the show via Road Magazine & Blog.

BLOG: Ashley Van Dyke: Formula Drift @ Long Beach

Another first rate blog feature by our USA corespondent, www.ashleyvandyke.com – this time from the Formula Drift event at Toyota Long Beach in California, following our pal, Conrad Grunewald and his animal 730bhp Chevrolet Camaro (as seen in Road Magazine Issue 15, here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_15/1).
Ashley says: "It’s been a long off season for driver and team owner Conrad Grunewald. As many competitors in Formula DRIFT have worked with changes to their programs during the Winter, Grunewald had a lot on his hands too. He balances the weight of making all the decisions for the car’s set-up with his focus to drive the Chevrolet Camaro at its top ability (as above, inches from the wall at full tilt, Ed). One change to the car came with the addition of a partnership with Holley. The products and services that Holley offers with the EFI seems a good fit for the car, and the team is excited about the benefits of going in this direction. Holley supports a number of drivers in Formula DRIFT and they are great with providing support and being available to help.
"At the end of the 2011 Formula DRIFT season, Conrad brought the Camaro home for an 8th place finish in the official points standings. Adding up the points, this was a 30% increase in performance results from the previous season. Grunewald enjoyed an event win at New Jersey and was had the best overall qualifying average.
"The weather was picture perfect in Long Beach this weekend for Round 1 and Grunewald was ready to battle the largest field of cars ever entered in Formula DRIFT. The entry list had over 75 cars when I arrived to the circuit on Friday. Over half of them would be sent home as qualifications came later that day, and only the top 32 would stick around for competition on Saturday. Conrad Grunewald put the Hankook/Top 1 Oil Chevrolet Camaro 8th on the starting grid for the top 32 elimination rounds. He was able to make it through the first round taking out Robbie Nishida in his 180SX with a Nissan 350Z. It was a hard fought battle for Grunewald in the top 16. He wasn’t able to advance though, and Kenny Moen eliminated him running Tanner Foust’s old Nissan 350Z."
"The weekend went really well for us," said Conrad. "Long Beach is not our team’s strongest event historically, but given the circumstances we finished great. I’m looking forward to the east coast events coming up and I really want to thank all of our partners who are on board with us this year."
The next stop on the Formula DRIFT calendar is Road Atlanta, May 11th and 12th. Between now and then you can keep tabs on Conrad Grunewald Racing by following his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Conrad-Grunewald/240081099387013.

Thanks to Ashley Van Dyke for this brilliant blog feature and Andrew Bohan for the fabulous image, and all at Toyota Long Beach in California.

BLOG: Ashley Van Dyke: Long Beach Toyota GP Fun In Sun

Thanks to our lovely, glam Road Magazine USA correspondent www.ashleyvandyke.com for this ace blog report from Long Beach. Enjoy! Ashley (pictured, by John Grafman) says: "What started as your usual festivities for the Toyota Grand Prix at Long Beach was a beautiful morning at the street circuit and shiny race cars ready to play for the press. The teams loaded in and were set-up to give media ride-alongs and the Toyota Celebrities were on hand to get practice laps in their Scions before next weekend’s big race. I was onsite supporting Conrad Grunewald, Formula D driver and Road Magazine star (see: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_15/1). The bionic Camaro looked fabulous and Conrad was laying down some of the best drift runs of the day, getting closer to the first turn wall than anyone else. In drifting, it’s big bragging rights if you can kiss the wall, leaving only the smallest evidence on the paint. Job done Conrad! Awesome!
"About midway through the morning, I began to wonder why a gorgeous exotic sports car was just sitting in the paddock, untouched!? A 2012 Lotus Evora S was parked directly next to Conrad’s Hankook pit trailer. I had to get the skinny on this… so I called up Lotus Cars USA and it turns out the car was at the track just begging for someone to take it for a few hot laps! Done...
"It was the best media day in the history of my Toyota Long Beach events. I honestly couldn’t have planned this to go any better. I had an amazing time putting the power down in the Lotus, on a street course that is one of the most desirable circuits to drive in North America. The car was wicked fun to handle and I was passing Camry pace cars left and right during the session! Had to watch out for ALMS GT traffic, which was interesting! I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a World Challenge Porsche chasing me down!!...don’t worry, I moved over and pointed them by. ;)
"It was even more good fun as Conrad Grunewald took the wheel in the Lotus Evora S and gave some media hot laps for our friends Ann Profit, Rutledge Wood and the crew from Motorator. It was a crazy afternoon and I kept busy running around coordinating all of the exciting PR opportunities that were unfolding.
"The Hankook Chevrolet Camaro was a big hit with the Formula D experience and Conrad had a chance to get some of the kinks worked out in the race car. Big racing weekend ahead as Conrad Grunewald Racing heads to round one on the 2012 Formula Drift schedule."
More from our Ashley Van Dyke Formula D next week... have fun in the sun Ashley. Thank you from Team Road and Road readers.
IMAGE: John Grafman

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