Jenson Button MBE

This years British F1 Grand Prix takes place on the weekend of 9-11 July at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire despite the 2009 Grand Prix being hailed as the last before moving the location to Donington Park for 2010.

Donington Park, having failed to raise the required funds for the event, returned the Formula 1 race back to the newly improved circuit of Silverstone.

With Jenson Button being awarded an MBE recently from Buckingham Palace will his winning streak continue at the British Grand Prix for the McLaren team or could it be his team-mate and fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton that stands on the top step of the podium?

Last years British Grand Prix was won by the Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel who dominated the race from start to finish after starting on pole position.

Vettel was followed across the line by his team-mate Mark Webber for a Red Bull 1-2 finish and without any of the problems faced at this seasons last round, when Vettel took Webber out while the Australian, who is currently the championship leader was out in front at Turkey.

The Silverstone circuit has recently had a make-over with many of the new grandstands now completed as part of the multi-million pound investment to modernise the circuit.

Silverstone Circuits Limited along with its owners the British Racing Drivers’ Club unveiled the new circuit with a major new section of the track, tested out by David Coulthard in a Red Bull F1 along with Damon Hill who had a special passenger in his two -seater, His Royal Highness the Duke of York.

Also on circuit were the motorcycling father and son combination  Ron and Leon Haslam representing the worlds of MotoGP and World Superbikes.

The circuits new Stowe Complex, a collection of customer focused test track facilities is based along with hospitality units and Pit garages, has also now been officially opened and work on the new Silverstone Pit and Paddock complex is now well underway.

The majority of the circuit has remained the same under the new designs but now drivers will turn right at Abbey before heading into the new Arena Complex, rejoining the existing track at Brooklands where previously the drivers would have headed into Farm Straight, Bridge and Priory.

Silverstone claims to have created three new overtaking opportunities with the new layout which got the approval of David Coulthard after his first test session who said,  “I’ve raced at Silverstone since 1989 so I’ve seen many different tracks, configurations and this one is one of the best they have come up with.”

The British F1 GP is an event not to be missed, where you can watch some of the greatest Formula One drivers of our time in an exhilarating battle of speed and determination as the teams and compete for the 2010 Championship titles.

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James Ellison - Airwaves Yamaha 2009

This weekend sees the final round of the British Superbike Championship of 2009 taking place at Oulton Park with crowned champion Leon Camier aiming for another victory.

This weekends triple-header consists of one race on the Saturday with two further races on the Sunday at the Cheshire circuit.

The second Airwaves Yamaha rider James Ellison, will be aiming for maximum points to become runner-up in the championship against rival Hydrex Honda rider Stuart Easton.  Ellison has a 51 point advantage over Easton but if he fails to finish in the points at this round Easton will take the second place.

Although the pressure has eased off slightly for Camier, he feels that this weekend will see his team-mate riding his socks off and also expects to be challenged by the HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes.

Camier said;

“These past couple of weeks have been pretty hectic so I’ve not had a chance to sit down and really let the Championship sink in. But it does feel as though the pressure is off to some extent. The motivation to win is as strong as ever, although I know it’s not going to be easy. My teammate James is going to be fast straight away, as will Josh Brookes. The GSE Racing team has been incredible all year, so I know they’ll give me the best possible package once again.”

Ellison said;

“I’m so excited about this weekend, but also disappointed it’s the final round. The past three race meetings have gone better and better for me. We’ve made small changes here and there, and now the Airwaves Yamaha is really working for me. It’s a shame we couldn’t have got to this point earlier, but the Championship now belongs to Leon and all I can do is go out there, top Practice, and try and win all three races.”

Not only is it the end of the BSB series this weekend but also the end of the five-year partnership between the GSE Racing team and sponsors Wrigley’s Airwaves

Alastair Seeley will be on a full Relentless Suzuki by TAS this weekend after making his British Superbike debut at the last round at Silverstone.  The machine he rode at the Northampton circuit however, was the Suzuki specified to the newly introduced ‘Evo’ regulations, to be used in 2010, whereas this time out he will be riding the same machine as ridden by Ian Lowry and Atsushi Watanabe this season.

On the final lap of race two, the Airwaves Yamaha of Camier began to smoke while he was leading the race and he was shown the black flag with an orange spot, meaning that he must leave the circuit immediately.  Camier believed the flag meant that he had to leave the circuit within one lap, seeing him stripped of his race win and the victory going to team-mate James Ellison instead.

At the Croft round of the championship in September, the British rider was given a quick lesson by the track marshal’s just to make certain that he knew what the flags meant, watch the clip below.

The Japanese Grand Prix 2009

The Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel, dominated the Japanese Grand Prix yesterday after qualifying in pole position.

Vettel lined-up on the grid ahead of the Toyota of Jarno Trulli and Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren, but as the lights changed it was Hamilton that moved into the second place spot, using his KERS to get ahead of Trulli. The German Red Bull driver had been fastest in all the qualifying sessions and has now kept his dream alive of being the 2009 World Champion.

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button, started in seventh place on the grid but after a terrible start was down in twelfth place behind the Ferrari of Giancarlo Fisichella.

Trulli managed to pass the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton in his final pit stop, taking a well deserved second position for the Toyota team.

In fourth place was Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari followed by the Williams of Nico Rosberg after Nick Heidfeld was held up in the pits when a wheel nut on his BMW Sauber stuck.

Rubens Barrichello crossed the line in seventh place for the Brawn GP team followed by his team-mate Jenson Button in eighth.

Just as the race looked to be a foregone conclusion, the Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari spun exiting the 130º right-hand corner on lap 44.  The safety car was deployed closing the gap as the cars bunched up behind until it came in on lap 49.

Robert Kubica took the ninth position in the second BMW Sauber followed by Fernando Alonso in the Renault in tenth place after starting in sixteenth place.

Sebastien Buemi was the only other retirement in the race after coming to a halt in his Toro Rosso on the starting grid and retiring shortly afterwards with a clutch problem.

Second Toyota driver Timo Glock did not start the race after a huge crash during the Saturday qualifying session left him with a 5cm cut on his lower leg which had been stitched at the local hospital.

Here are the results;

1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 53 laps 1hr 28m 20.443s
2. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +00m 04.8s
3. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 06.4s
4. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 07.9s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota +00m 08.7s
6. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber +00m 09.5s
7. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes +00m 10.6s
8. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes +00m 11.4s

all results unofficial

Relentless Suzuki by TAS 2009

After his impressive ride at the Silverstone British Superbike round last weekend, Alastair Seeley will be back on the Relentless Suzuki by TAS for the seasons finale at Oulton Park.

The 2009 National Supestock Champion, made his debut in the British Superbike series aboard the new Evo specification GSX-R1000 for the Relentless Suzuki by TAS. The specifically built 2010 machine featured a Superstock engine fitted into the full British Superbike spec. rolling chassis, with a Yoshimura EM Pro kit ECU.

Seeley retired from race one due to a bolt breaking on the rear shock absorber but scored a tenth place in race two on his first outing in BSB, with team owner Philip Neill saying;

“The job is done with the Evo bike,” team owner Philip Neill said. “Alastair proved a point that the new rules will work. Let’s park that now and see what he can do on the Superbike.”

The Irish man has now been offered the opportunity to impress the team boss on the same bike ridden by Ian Lowry and Atsushi Watanabe at the Northamptonshire circuit.

Leon Camier - British Superbike Champion 2009

After securing the British Superbike Championship last weekend for the Airwaves Yamaha team, Leon Camier is to take part in this weekends World Superbike Championship at Magny Cours, alongside Max Biaggi on the Aprilia RSV4.

The BSB Champion is being temporarily released from his contract with the GSE Racing team to take up the opportunity of a ride in the World Superbike series before once again returning to finish the BSB Championship at Oulton Park.

Camier previously took part in the British round of the World Superbikes series this year where he finished 13th in race one and secured a 6th place in race two, whilst riding as a wild-card.

Camier said;

“I would like to thank Aprilia for giving me such an amazing opportunity, and also GSE Racing for being so supportive. This year has been incredible. To follow my BSB Championship win with a ride on-board a proven race winning machine in World Superbikes, is awesome.

It’s going to be a tough challenge for sure. There’ll be no time for testing beforehand, and I’ve never ridden at Magny Cours, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Leon Camier - 2009 British Superbike Champion

The 23-year-old Airwaves Yamaha rider Leon Camier, claimed the British Superbike Championship title at Silverstone yesterday after taking the victory in race one.

Race One

After starting on pole position, Leon Camier dropped back to fifth position as the race got underway, behind Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda, Josh Brookes on the HM Plant Honda and his team-mate James Ellison.

By the end of the first lap, Ellison had passed both Easton and Brookes to take the lead, while Camier got on with the job in hand, taking first Brookes and then taking advantage of Easton as he ran wide on lap 4 before chasing Ellison, who was now 1.2 seconds ahead.

With 16 laps of the race still to go, the Airwaves Yamaha swapped the lead a couple of times before Camier took the lead on the penultimate lap, passing Ellison on the inside at the Priory left-hander.

Camier held the lead and took the championship by 0.244 seconds and was presented with a #1 for his bike on his return to the pits.

James Ellison finished in second place followed by Josh Brookes in third and Stuart Easton in fourth.  In fifth place was Tommy Hill on the second Hydrex Honda, John Laverty on the Buildbase Kawasaki was in sixth, Sylvain Guintoli on the Worx Crescent Suzuki in seventh, Ian Lowry on the Relentless by TAS Suzuki in eighth, Simon Andrews on MSS Colchester Kawasaki in ninth and his team-mate Julian Da Costa in tenth.

Michael Rutter on the Bathams Ducati was out of the race on lap 4 after developing technical problems with his machine while Karl Harris didn’t even make the start as a mechanical problem occurred before the race.

The British Superbike Cup winner was Tommy Bridewell on the NB Suzuki after finishing in twelfth place while Cup champion Gary Mason finished in fourteenth for the Quay Garage Honda team.

Here are the results;

1. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 20 laps
2. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 0.244sec
3. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 8.827sec
4. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 9.164sec
5. Tommy Hill GBR Hydrex Honda 18.278sec
6. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki 18.787sec
7. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Worx Crescent Suzuki 18.933sec
8. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 22.408sec
9. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki 22.921sec
10. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki 24.682sec
11. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 30.923sec
12. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki 31.473sec Cup
13. Glen Richards AUS HM Plant Honda 35.532sec
14. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda 37.551sec Cup
15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha 38.199sec Cup
16. Richard Cooper GBR Co-ordit Yamaha 38.780sec Cup
17. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 40.462sec Cup
18. Dan Linfoot GBR Rob Mac Racing Yamaha 56.937sec
19. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Relentless TAS Suzuki 1min 1.468sec
20. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders Racing Honda 1 lap Cup
21. Michael Howarth GBR STP-JHS MV Agusta 1 lap

DNF:
Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 18 laps Evo
Tristan Palmer GBR Buildbase Kawasaki 18 laps
Howie Mainwaring GBR Team Maxxis Yamaha 11 laps
David Haire GBR JX Fuelcard Kawasaki 10 lap Cup
Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 9 laps
David Johnson AUS Jentin Yamaha 7 laps
Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda 7 laps
Michael Rutter GBR Bathams Ducati 4 laps
Karl Harris GBR SMT Honda 0 laps

Race Two

In the second race of the day it was yet again an Airwaves Yamaha on the top step of the podium but this time it was the turn of James Ellison.

Race two was red flagged before the end of lap one after a huge oil spillage caused chaos for the mid-pack riders on the approach to Abbey corner.

At the restart, which reduced the race to 18 laps, it was once again Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda that led the pack, ahead of Josh Brookes, Ellison and Camier.

Camier made a move to pass Ellison as the pair headed to the Bridge/Priory turns, firing Ellison up and regaining his position at the final chicane.  Ellison then moved into second place after passing Brookes at Abbey on lap 2 as Camier followed a lap later.

Camier managed to get in front of his team-mate again on lap 3 before chasing down Easton.  This time however, as he tried to outbrake the Hydrex Honda rider entering Abbey, he went wide and was forced onto the grass, dropping him back to ninth place with 14 laps left to run.

Within two laps, Camier has muscled his way back to sixth place as Ellison snatched the lead from Easton through Maggots.  With 9 laps to go, Camier passed Tommy Hill to take fourth place, 2.1 seconds behind his team-mate and then hunted down Brookes to take third and then second as he passed Easton on lap 15.

Ellison took the lead, 1.2 seconds ahead of his team-mate and leaving him with a 51 point advantage of the runner-up spot in the championship over Easton.

Josh Brookes finished in third place followed by Stuart Easton in fourth, Tommy Hill in fifth, Julien Da Costa in sixth, Simon Andrews in seventh, Sylvain Guintoli in eighth, Ian Lowry in ninth and Alastair Seeley in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 18 laps
2. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 1.200sec
3. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 2.583sec
4. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 3.974sec
5. Tommy Hill GBR Hydrex Honda 9.774sec
6. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki 11.099sec
7. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki 14.340sec
8. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Worx Crescent Suzuki 16.148sec
9. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 21.434sec
10. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 23.963sec Evo
11. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 24.269sec
12. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki 24.362sec Cup
13. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha 27.693sec Cup
14. Karl Harris GBR SMT Honda 28.296sec
15. Michael Rutter GBR Bathams Ducati 32.883sec
16. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 45.709sec Cup
17. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders Racing Honda 55.170sec Cup
18. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda 1 lap
19. Michael Howarth GBR STP-JHS MV Agusta 1 lap

DNF:
John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki 13 laps
Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda 10 laps Cup
Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 10 laps
David Haire GBR JX Fuelcard Kawasaki 5 laps Cup
Dan Linfoot GBR Rob Mac Racing Yamaha 2 laps

Lewis Hamilton's Second Win Of 2009

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, crossed the line to take the chequered flag yesterday at the Singapore Grand Prix after dominating the race.

Timo Glock in the Toyota took the second step of the podium almost ten-seconds behind the McLaren followed by Fernando Alonso in the Renault for third.

As the race got underway, Hamilton kept his place from pole position as he led the drivers into the first corner, with Nico Rosberg in the Williams slotting into second ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull, while Timo Glock moved up to fourth place from sixth on the grid.

Rosberg stayed on the tail of Hamilton until his first pit stop on lap 19 but was given a penalty for his actions on exiting the pits when he slid across the white line.  A harsh decision by race control left the Williams driver with a drive-through-penalty for crossing the line, losing his chance of finishing in the top three.

Vettel then began to chase down the McLaren driver, however, as the Red Bull driver took his second scheduled stop he was found guilty of speeding in the pit lane and was also given a drive-through-penalty but still managed to finish the race in fourth position.

The two Brawn GP drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, finished in fifth and sixth place after a terrible qualifying session left Barrichello in fifth and Button down in twelfth.  Button managed to jump ahead of his team-mate in his final stop, despite suffering from a brake problem until the end of the race, which leaves him 15 points ahead in the championship standings as they head to the Japan round.

Romain Grosjean retired his Renault on lap 4 after suffering from brake problems since the qualifying session, and on lap 21  it was Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber who was out of the race after being clipped by a spinning Force India driven by Adrian Sutil.  The safety car was deployed as Sutil managed to rejoin the race and the marshalls attempted to clear the track of debris.

As the drivers headed to the pits while the safety car was on track, Jaime Alguersuari in the Toro Rosso, went to leave his pit garage with the fuel hose still attached, pulling over a couple of his team which were fortunately uninjured, but later retired from the race with gearbox failure.

Not a good day for Mark Webber in the second Red Bull after running wide and going off circuit on lap 1 and then later spinning across the track before retiring with front right brake failure.  A similar problem also put the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi out of race.

Here are the results;

1. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 61 laps 1hr 56m 06.337s
2. Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota +00m 09.6s
3. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +00m 16.6s
4. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault +00m 20.2s
5. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes +00m 30.0s
6. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes +00m 31.8s
7. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +00m 36.1s
8. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber +00m 55.0s

all results unofficial

Leon Camier - Airwaves Yamaha 2009

This weekend the riders and teams of the British Superbike Championship head to Silverstone for the penultimate round of the 2009 series.

The Airwaves Yamaha team rider Leon Camier, has a 99.5 point advantage over his team-mate James Ellison, meaning that if he finishes ahead of Ellison in the first race of the day the title is his.

Ellison will need to keep his eyes open for the Scottish rider Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda, who is only 32 points behind the Yamaha rider and could be a real threat for the runner-up spot in the championship especially since getting a taste of winning at the last round at Croft.

According to reports, the 2009 National Superstock champion Alastair Seeley, will be on board the new Evo specification GSX-R1000 for the Relentless Suzuki by TAS at the weekends meeting, making his BSB debut.

The specifically built 2010 machine has a Superstock engine fitted into the full British Superike spec rolling chassis, featuring a Yoshimura EM Pro kit ECU.  Last weekend Seeley not only raced the bike at the Anglesey round of the Irish National Superbike Championship, but claimed the victory as well as setting a lap record.

With the announcement that MotoGP will once again be returning to the Silverstone circuit, there is to be a host of GP legends at the event this weekend to meet fans and sign autographs.

Randy Mamola will be joining Steve Parish, Jeremy McWilliams, Niall MacKenzie and Rob McElnea for a question and answer session hosted by Toby Moody , along with current British 125cc MotoGP rider Bradley Smith.

Flavio Briatore

Today the Renault F1 team appeared at the FIA World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris to face charges concerning the deliberate crash of Nelson Piquet at the Singapore Grand Prix 2008.

The Renault team were given a two-year ban, suspended until 2011 with the statement from the FIA stating;

“The World Motor Sport Council considers Renault F1’s breaches relating to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to be of unparalleled severity.  Renault F1’s breaches not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself.  The World Motor Sport Council considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship.  However, having regard to the points in mitigation mentioned above and in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1’s disqualification until the end of the 2011 season. The World Motor Sport Council will only activate this disqualification if Renault F1 is found guilty of a comparable breach during that time.

In addition the World Motor Sport Council notes Renault F1’s apology and agrees that the team should pay the costs of the investigation. It also accepts the offer of a significant contribution to the FIA’s safety work”.

Flavio Briatore has been banned from the sport for an indefinite period;

“As regards Mr. Briatore, the World Motor Sport Council declares that, for an unlimited period, the FIA does not intend to sanction any International Event, Championship, Cup, Trophy, Challenge or Series involving Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever, or grant any license to any Team or other entity engaging Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever. It also hereby instructs all officials present at FIA-sanctioned events not to permit Mr. Briatore access to any areas under the FIA’s jurisdiction.  Furthermore, it does not intend to renew any Superlicence granted to any driver who is associated (through a management contract or otherwise) with Mr. Briatore, or any entity or individual associated with Mr. Briatore. In determining that such instructions should be applicable for an unlimited period, the World Motor Sport Council has had regard not only to the severity of the breach in which Mr. Briatore was complicit but also to his actions in continuing to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence”.

Pat Symonds, was given a five-year ban;

As regards Mr. Symonds, the World Motor Sport Council declares that, for a period of five years, the FIA does not intend to sanction any International Event, Championship, Cup, Trophy, Challenge or Series involving Mr. Symonds in any capacity whatsoever, or grant any license to any Team or other entity engaging Mr. Symonds in any capacity whatsoever. It hereby instructs, for a period of five years, all officials present at FIA-sanctioned events not to permit Mr. Symonds access to any areas under the FIA’s jurisdiction. In determining that such instructions should be effective for a period of five years the World Motor Sport Council has had regard: (i) to Mr. Symonds’ acceptance that he took part in the conspiracy; and (ii) to his communication to the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council that it was to his “eternal regret and shame” that he participated in the conspiracy.

Fernando Alonso attended the meeting today and was thanked for his cooperation in the enquiries by the World Motor Sport Council, who stated that the Spaniard was in no way involved in the Renault breach of regulations.

Nelson Piquet Jr. had been given immunity in relation to the incident for volunteering his evidence in the case.