News

NewsFlash!!

By Nancy Newswire (Disclaimer: Nancy was at various times a paid "Entertainment Consultant" at Antares racing)

One can hardly believe it. After another glorious team win for the powerhouse Antares racing everything looks to be at an end. It started yesterday when reports of yelling were heard coming from the Antares racing facility in beautiful eastern Stafford County, Virginia (USA). Reliable information surfaced that current manager figurehead Doug Baggett had been betting well over a 100 million dollars from the Antares development fund in sports betting...on GMWC results. 

The evidence is sketchy at this point, but after coming out of the pits and over the white line into the path of the Evil Rusyn driver AJ Weber and being crashed off of the track new information has come to light. Rumor has it that the Antares manager/driver PURPOSELY break checked Weber after placing a 50 million dollar bet that Weber would lose the driver championship at Suzuka by crashing into Baggett....on the straight. Bookies were astounded that Baggett would make such a bold prediction. 

A GMWC investigation has been initiated. All winnings of the bet have been frozen along with assets used to back the wager. Given that Antares racing money was involved, the Stafford racing giant is technically out of money. As of this morning reports were that Mr. Baggett had the Antares financial accountant (with ledger in hand) by the shirt collar and was pleading for more money. Moving vans from various banks were seen outside the gates. It's assumed repossession is the reason. 

The last words heard from Mr. Baggett..running back into the facility and as the vans were let on the compound were....

"The leather chair is mine..mine..MINE...muhahahahahaha!"

Engines

All three engines and all three inductions were used, so we still have wide variety in the power department.  However, Ottodyn has displaced GRID as the preferred engine in number of designs.  But this is not the whole story.  The huge growth of SDL combined with the still strong RAC, both using Velocotech, it is likely more Velocotech engines will see use than any other engine.  This is all interesting because it was in fact the GRID engine that won both the TC and DC.

Wing Analysis

Looking at the choices of wing is an interesting clue into each chassis' design philosophy.  An A/A (front/rear) choice indicates the thinking that the car needs more efficiency at high downforce, which indicates the team is thinking they lean more towards higher downforce setups.  A B/B choice indicates the opposite.  An A/B choice indicates a thinking that setups will often be medium downforce with the front wing set higher than the rear.  A B/A choice indicates that setups will also be in the middle, but the rear wing will often be higher than the front.

MP-10C (M-Sport) -- Evolution

The DC championship car for 2010B seems to have only gone through minor changes to adapt to the new formula.  This is probably wise.  Why fix it if it ain't broke.  The result is a car that a balanced choice.

Given that, there is not a whole lot to say about this car, as it is pretty much a known.  It even took the most common wing configuration, which is B/B, which is a lean towards lower downforce setups.

CJ10C-A (RAC) -- "6"

Six speeds.  This is the only design to try it, and is wisely matched with somewhat peaky by powerful velocotech engine with airbox.  This is a relatively high bling car, inclucing nanotech brakes, high pit tech, and the highest mass mobility of any car.  Like a lot of other cars, it is a B/B wing car.  It also sports one of the lower CGs.

So what does all this bling cost?  Well, as it turns out, both mass and drag.  Even though the CJ10C-A has a low CG, it has a little extra ballast bolted on to enhance the mass mobility.  It is the highest drag car, being 7% higher in base drag than average.

MRDC10C (MRDC) -- Only 4 pit guys

In the tradition of the team charter, this car favors fun and drivability over raw time.  In this case basically no resources were invested in pit technology, and everything was dumped into the car.  The only other cars with this primitive pit technology are the customer cars, which is the default car and from that, the Redman car.

So where does it rock then, with all of those tech points saved?  Everywhere, just a little.  They spread the benefit across the whole car.  It has low drag, but not the lowest (it is 2nd).  It has low CG, but not the lowest (it is 2nd).  It has good mass mobility (3rd).  And it has some bling, such as a medium diffusor and nanotech brakes.

The only item that is any sort of on-track compromise at all is the lack of seamless shifting, as the RB5 gearbox was selected.

rusyn-10c (Rusyn) -- Spring, Spring, Spring

One again, the trademark of the Rusyn entry is the inclusion of the third spring.  However, this season, the Rusyn is the only team car to include it.  While not the most extreme car, the Rusyn does have the lowest CG by a small margin and therefore has good mass mobility.  It is also the only car to choose the A/B wing combination, indicating a preference to use more front rear than rear at medium downforce levels.

The main weakness of the Rusyn is that it is one of the higher drag cars, with 4% more drag than average, and does not have one of the high peak power engines to compensate.  Instead, it is the only car to use scoop induction to maybe stop the bleeding.

Hyundai10C (Litchfield) -- Back to the Front

The Hyundai10C is a mostly moderate and reserved design, with the exception that it has moved the mass more forward than any other car.  The Litchfield also appears to be designed for downforce, according to its A/A wing configuration.  So while in the big picture the Litchfield car seems moderate, for this team this is a dramatic change from their roots.  Historically, Litchfield setups have been very low drag and their cars have had mass placed more aft than most.

The basics of this car are reliable choices: nanotech brakes, medium diffusor, and mid level pit tech.  One spot where the Hyundai cut a corner to keep the price down is the gearbox, where the seamless shift was dropped in the form of the RB5.

Another interesting note about the Hyundai, which is a trait from past Litchfield cars, is that it has a wider track than average.  Although this season it does not even come close to the having the widest track.

Jezebel (SDL) -- Drag King

This car is probably the boldest design of the lot, as it is the most extreme in many categories, and is done so in a way that makes a lot of sense.

The SDL entry is the other car besides the Litchfield designed for downforce, using the A/A wing configuration, but gives this a double punch by also having the lowest drag at only 94% of the average.  The Jezebel also sports the best pit tech fielded, along with several other designs.  This entry does not cut corners on the gearbox either, and uses the popular RS5.

None of this is free, and where the Jezebel pays the price is in mass.  It is the heaviest team designed car.  Only the default car is heavier, by  4kg.  And it has all this mass sitting up high at 240mm, leaving no flexibility to adjust mass.  This is combined with the furthest back CG at 0.59.  But this car seems designed for that --  the Jezebel has the widest footprint as well, maxing out at 1800mm, so in spite of the high CG, the Jezebel will likely also have some of the most even tire wear and nimble handling.  Of course the price of this could be longitudinal stability.  We'll see.

default-10c (GMWC Default) -- MRDC with bling

The default car is B/A just to reuse the skin, so that doesn't really show anything philosophy-wise.  Other than that, the default car is the MRDC car with a third spring and brake bias control added.  Since the MRDC was already heavy due to some ballast enhancement, this makes the default car the heaviest car of all, although not uncompetitively so.  It is still one of the lower drag cars, and due to supply issues uses the GRID engine, so in a long straight line is probably faster than its parent, the MRDC.

Ant3333 (indie -- Anthony) -- Gamepad Optimized

The Ant3333 is the only car sitting on B/A by design, which guess what...makes sense.  This car is a custom gamepad indie, and gamepads need as much front end twitch forgiveness as they can get.  I am not a gamepad driver, so I'm not sure what else to say about the mostly balanced design of this car, other than to say it was designed overall by a fast gamepadder.

The one interesting note is that this is the first car by design, for racing, to mate an airbox with the Ottodyn engine.  This is probably a style thing, since Anthony tends to run fewer gears than most, but likes high top speed, so he took the fat power curve and made it as fast as he could.  I'm actually a little surprised he didn't choose a 4 speed, but that could simply be because he still wants good starts off the grid.

Redman10C (indie -- Mike) -- MRDC in Antares clothing

This is another MRDC lineage car, mainly with wing and bodywork changes to reuse Mike's skin.  His main use is to use it to preview tracks, although he may race it, so from a design point of view, it is basically a MRDC.

fter another eventful season in the GMWC, and yet again another eventful season finale, RAC have now turned their attention to the up and coming 10C season....

10B season finale, held at Paul Ricard race circuit at Le Castellet, near Marseille, France, saw only two RAC drivers attend. Both Chris Jones (team owner) and Ian Cumming were fairly evenly matched during the event's sprint race's, and saw some good battle's between one and other. The Feature race however, turned out not so favourably for Ian, only managing 10th at best, Chris on the other hand was set for a commendable 5th place, only to find in the dying laps that both AJ Weber and Anthony Cochrane had under fuelled their cars for the final race, and was able to snatch 3rd by the skin of his teeth. 

And. at season end, Chris Jones finished a well deserved 4th, just 16 points behind title winner Matt Lewis. Ian Cumming was the next closest RAC Driver finishing the season 9th overall with 20 points, followed by Carl in 16th, Shaun in 18th and Brandon rounding up the team in 19th. And in the team constructors, RAC managed to grab hold of the bronze trophy finishing 3rd, just 20 points ahead of MRDC.

So now, days after the final race of 10B, RAC unveiled their new 10C competitor at Paul Ricard. And at a glance, the car seem's more visually dynamic, athletic and in general, a car that seem's to be travelling fast when it's standing still. The car's general appearance has not changed a great deal from 10B, the only difference being the new rear wing, opting to go with the lower wing of the 2 available. And as for the car's mechanical bits, the 10C car resemble's the 10B car with regards to brakes, engine and suspension, the newest feature's of the car will shortly be published by the admin of GMWC in due course.

"Testing time was limited for the team during the design process of the new car, and it has been rushed a little to get it finished in time for the submission to the league" Explains team owner Chris Jones, "Most of the car's feature's as identical to the 10B car, as we found these items beneficial to the team and drivers alike" When asked what bits of the 10C car are new, the reply "The rear wing is the most obvious new addition to the car, but the other new items on the car will be disclosed shortly by GMWC"

Here Is the car of the team owner Chris Jones taken just days after the season finale at Paul Ricard. 

AutoBollocks

Litchfield Dynamics have unveiled their "new" design, a day after final submissions were taken in by the GMWC. While some items are new for the 2010C season, the car could be more thought of as a upgrade from the current 2010B car. It retains many aspects that made the car a favorite of lead drivers Zack Litchfield and Emmanuel Baako, while changing a few things up.

Team Owner, Zack Litchfield, addressed some of the changes to the car and the ideas behind the design. "With the new mass and drag regulations for 10C, we decided to push the car towards the lowest drag possible, while retaining the minimum weight of 605kg." Other changes were noticed during testing at Monza, including increased braking performance, one of the often cited complaints by LD drivers.

One of the more notable changes, aren't associated with the performance of the cars, but rather the look. The team dropped the more boxy sidepods, opting for something more streamlined to reduce drag. The liveries have also undergone drastic change, dropping the customary White/Blue color combination, for a bolder Yellow/Black combination. Sponsorship has been reduced to just primary sponsor Yuengling, and secondary sponsors Craftsman and Wal-Mart. Special consideration was given to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, with the not-for-profit given space on the front wings of the car. "We decided to help a special cause, and with my personal experiences with the CFF, felt they were a great addition to the car", said Litchfield.

Hopes are again high for the 2010C season. A top ten DC finish for Zack Litchfield last season, even with the loss of four points from Bahrain due to space-time issues (dropped connection), brings even higher hopes for 2010C. Emmanuel Baako is expected to return in full force for most of 2010C, and promising results from early in 2010B boosts hopes of a couple points finishes in 10C. LD looks to be hoping the golden car brings some golden results.

Special Note: If you would like to know more about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and all they do, please visit www.cff.org. Thank You.

Club members will be pleased  to know that after the crowds had left Suzuka this weekend, Argentinian playboy and retired race ace, Juan-Manual Fandango steered the brand new MRDC10C out of the garage for its final testing. Club Engineer Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson had earlier pronounced the car to be the "Simplest, Fastest, Beautifulest" he'd ever designed and while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, members are invited to visit the garage at their leisure later this week to see for themselves just what can be achieved once desperation sets in.

Sadly, there wasn't time to include any ABS capability on Club President Andy Jones' car, so he will have to rely on his own delicate skills when it comes to arresting progress. As that means this is probably the last time the car will be seen not wreathed in a cloud of blue smoke, we've included the shot to the right, so that you can remember what it looks like.

Also expressing an interest in taking Sporting Membership for 2010C, the third GMWC season for the MRDC, have been Scott Farm, Todd Thorne and Ben Montet and their cars are also ready for inspection now. together with the standard club livery that will be on the spare cars provided for any latecomers.

With each passing season, the MRDC has gone from strength to strength. But increasing competition expected from SDL and RAC in the coming season, expect some highly suspect team radio messages to ensure that the points haul is maximised. And if the Club President announces that his long lost twin brother from Australia will be taking his place for alternate races, ask for identification.

For immediate release

Seattle WA, July 15. 2010 - The recent return of SDL driver, Cordell "C" Cahill, seems to have breathed new life into the languishing team. While Mr. Loyer still appears to be a mostly absentee owner - he only made one race so far this season, Cordell seems to have taken on a more prominent role within the team than he has in the past. With his recent reappearance, along with two, rather large, associates by his side, activity within the SDL compound has increased considerably. While the activity level is certainly not up to the level seen during their 08C championship season, the lights are staying on in the vehicle design offices late into the night. Could this mean another run at the championship? We sent field reporter, Johnny Johnson, to ask Mr. Cahill's new associates for more information. Sadly Mr. Johnson has since disappeared, but his recording equipment was recently found, and while the majority of his interview has been lost, we did manage to recover a small portion. We've included a transcript of the recovered conversation between Mr. Johnson and two individuals, identified as Jamie, "The Wishbone", Calzatori, and his brother "Big Mike" Calzatori, below:

J. Johnson: "First of all, could you introduce yourselves to our readers and tell us how you came to be a part of Scuderia DeLoyer.

J. Calzatori: "Yeah, my name's Jamie Calzatori, and my partner here is my little brother, Mike Calzatori. They call him "Big Mike", but on account of the fact that he don't say too much, I'll do all the talkin'. We met the boss in the federal pen...err at the spa, yeah, at the spa. He said he was lookin' for some muscle to help out wit' dis here racin' team, and we jumped aboard. Right Mike?"

M. Calzatori: "Yep."

["Big Mike" is only 5'7" or so, but appears to be about 300lbs of pure muscle - Ed]

J. Johnson: "And what are your roles here at SDL? Are you engineers helping design a winning car for next season?"

J. Calzatori: "Heh, that's funny! Isn't that funny Mike?

M. Calzatori: "Yep."

J. Calzatori: "You're a real funny reporter Mister. But no, we aint no egg-head engineer types. We're take more of a...hands on approach to our job. I'm in charge of public relations. Making sure you reporters tell the story like it is...know what I mean? And Mike here, well, he's in charge of recruitin' new personnel. New drivers and engineers and the like, as well our protection rack...err...drummin' up new sponsorship and such. He's really good at that. I hear tell this team has had problems with a Russian mob...or a mob of Russians? Or somethin' like that. So Mike here will be recruitin' personnel to help specifically in that area as well. We know some guys that will be getting outa da joint...err...coming home from the spa pretty soon, and they're gonna be lookin' for a job. This here might be a good fit for dem guys. Right Mike?

M. Calzatori: "Yep."

J. Johnson: "So you're courting new sponsorship? Can you give us a hint on who's logos we might be seeing next season?"

J. Calzatori: "Well, you'd have to ask my brother that, but like I said, he don't say much, so it's probably best you not waist your time. I can tell you the Don...err...Mr. Loyer aint gonna have no sponsorship on his car. Never does if he can help it. He had to this season, just to pay the bills, but with Me and Mike here, payin' the bills aint a problem no more, right Mike?"

M. Calzatori: "Yep."

J. Johnson: "What can you tell us about next season's car?"

J. Calzatori: "Not a hell of a lot. Like I said, I aint no egg-head engineer, but I can tell you that once the boss showed up again, them braniacs got to work right quick! He only had to whack...err..fire one of the old engineers before the others got the message, know what I mean? Anyways we gots ta go now. We got a sit-down with a couple of folks here soon. We're tryin' to recruit some more drivers. Right Mike?

M. Calzatori: "Yep."

J. Johnson: "Do you have anything to add to that Mike?"

M. Calzatori: "Yeah...that's a nice microphone youz got there...be a shame if somethin' were ta happen to it...."

- Transcription end -

FSN is offering a reward for information pertaining to the disappearance of it's reporter, Johnny Johnson. Last seen near the Scuderia DeLoyer team headquarters. Anyone with information is asked to call (800) 555-2121.

Susan Sweets - Foxy Sports News

Wednesday the 19th of May saw RAC's Cargo division preparing for the return flight to the US after a dismal turnout at Essington. Team owner Chris Jones was struck with illness, RAC's 2nd cargo aircraft had been grounded due to a engine failure preventing both Ian Cumming and Brandon Longworth's cars from even getting anywhere near the track, and technical gremlins stopped Carl Dixon and Shaun McLean's cars from racing. "We, as a team are very disappointed we were not available to participate due to the many issues that we encountered this week, and with a late departure for the US for the upcoming Laguna race, testing is going to be limited," explains team CEO Chris Jones.  "Our aircraft only returned Tuesday afternoon after sending out a spare engine for our downed 2nd aircraft."

So three races in, RAC have now been relegated to 3rd in the team championship standings, and Chris Jones has now moved down to 4th in the Driver's Championship table with Ian Cumming not too far behind in 7th.  "Again, we were disappointed we didn't score any points this weekend, so this coming weekend, we will have to come out with all guns blazing.  We have a strong team, very able cars and the motivation to win, and finger's crossed no more technical gremlins prevent the drivers from racing."

Shown are some pictures of a rather bare looking RAC cargo aircraft having had all its previous colours removed, seen shortly after it completed loading the team cars, and an hour later it was seen taking off from London Gatwick.

Club members will be pleased to know that a free drink in the club bar awaits them, to celebrate Club President Andy Jones' strong showing in early practice for the Essington GP this week.

Uniquely, the usually glacially slow ageing wannabe is showing all purple sectors at the top of the timesheet. No doubt, normality will be resumed once the big boys show up in the playground, but in the meantime, we asked Club Engineer, Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson what the techno-whizz had done to achieve this amazing turn of pace.

"I was watching the telly last week, and they were talking about this F-Duct thing. Suddenly I had a flash of inspiration and realised how I could do the same only much better. I just needed to create an Antidrag Aperture, or A-Hole, the only problem was finding the space for it in the chassis. But lateral thinking came to my aid. I just found the biggest A-Hole I could and stuck it in the driver's seat. Works a treat."

GMWC will see a long awaited return to the principality on May 8th when the GTCC rolls into Monaco for round two.

The second round will use the ever popular Class C Skodas on the most challenging street circuit of them all.  GTCC organisers stated "Drivers have petitioned for a return to the streets of Monaco for some time but the GP cars just won't provide a rewarding event.  Continuing our trend of providing alternate race locations, Monaco sees its first GTCC outing and with the Skodas we hope we have the ideal car to provide close and competitive racing on these tricky streets."

Round one saw three different winners from three races, demonstrating the competitive nature of the series.  Whether you're a serious championship challenger or just wanting a fun raceday away from the GPs then come and join GTCC at one of motorsport's most famous circuits.

Desert-dwelling grimms living in the area of the Bahrain venue have succeeded in having the upcoming Bahrain GMWC event changed to a full daylight race.  Ironically, most of these same grimms are race fans, and are now ticket holders for the race itself.  They just like to sleep when they like to sleep.

This Saturday will see the start of the new GTCC season which enjoyed a good response last season whilst various formats were tested. The 2010B season develops on from that and is once again set to form an alternate championship to the GP season.

Carrying on from last seasons success, each round will feature single class racing with a 50/50 split useage of the B (Sports) and C (Touring) class cars. Events will follow a standard 3 x 30 min race format.

The season will also host a finale round with a single 15 minute sprint race leading to a double points scoring 1.5 hour enduro.

With the reduction to single class running at each round, the championship points table should be easier to follow over the course of the season.

Provsional GTCC Schedule (subject to confirmation of GP schedule)

17th April   - Lime Rock Park , B (sports) class

8th May     - Monaco , C (touring) class

29th May   - Oulton Park , C (touring) class

19th June  - Mid Ohio , B (Sports) class

3rd July    - Norisring , C (touring) class

17th July   - Enduro finale -Essington (TBC) , B (Sports) class

M-sport returned home today victorious with both drivers and team championship titles setting GMWC history by being the first UK team to win either title.

One week after securing the Driver Championship thanks to Anthony Cochrane, M-sport drivers kept the Antares challange at bay to end thier domination of the Team title which they have held since SDL last fielded a strong team in 08.  Team boss Matt Lewis commented, "I'm over the moon that the team achieved exactly what it set out to do this season.  The boys did a superb job, especially as not everyone in the squad got the most out of the MP010A. It has been a tough season for some of us, but the guys rallied and put in sound results whilst Anthony took the challenge to the front.  We might not have had his pace but it was a great showing from everyone."

The team has also today provided first details of its new look and images of its new challenger for 2010B. Featuring a revised livery, the team's designers have hinted that the car handles much like the 08C/09A challenger with a promise of it being more accessible to all the team drivers compared to 10A.  Limited testing and software problems with updates in the design department have hampered the new car's development.  How competitive will the new car be?  Only time will tell.

If 10A was a "reasonable" season for RAC, then they sure made it a breath taking race finale at Paul Ricard. Six laps into the feature race, team owner Chris Jones was in hot pursuit of fellow team driver Ian Cumming, with M-Sport's Anthony Cochrane trailing the pair, entering turn 3 at speeds well over 150 mph. M-Sport driver Alex Du Plessis found himself out of control on the exit of this turn and saw him facing side on to the approaching trio, and splitting both RAC drivers without either of them lifting to slow for the spinning car.

And so, after this breathtaking moment, the race died down into a calm, sobering affair eventually seeing the team owner take 5th from Ian, due to a driver error several laps later at turn 4.  RAC drivers finished 5th, 6th, and 7th, with Brandon Longworth rounding up the team in 14th.

So, looking forward to 10B, RAC have an all new car, new look and a new approach. And yet again, Ian Cumming was the highest finishing driver at RAC finishing 7th overall in the DC.  The team earned a credible 4th in the TC ahead of newcomers MRDC by 11 points.

The GMWC technical board today released some data from the homologation process.  This data includes the as of yet incomplete submission from inTech.

• Engines: 5 GRID, 3 ottodyn, 3 velocotech
• Inductions: 6 airbox, 4 standard, 1 scoop
• Brakes: 5 mk2, 5 nanotech, 1 mk3
• Gauges: 6 digital yokes, 2 analog dashes, 1 motec, 1 mkII, 1 mkI
• Front wings: 8 flex, 3 rigid
• Diffusors: 6 narrow, 4 medium, 1 wide
• Suspensions: 6 kpi, 5 gp
• Suspension Materials: 5 steel, 3 carbonfiber, 3 polymer
• Pit levels: 4 gp_4, 3 gp_3, 4 gp_2
• Third Springs: 7 w/o, 4 with
• CG Heights: 3@232, 2@228, 3@224, 3@220
• Brake Bias: 9 w/o, 2 with
• CG ranges: 4@0.02, 3@0.01, 4@0.00

RAC have in the last couple of days, unveiled two new car for the up and coming 10B season. The original plan for these cars was to launch them at the start of 10C, but strong motivation by the team has pushed the team to get them ready in time for 10B.

So up first, RAC's new Porsche, entering primarily into the Grid-Touring-B class, it's plain looks and colours emulate that of the GP cars. Testing was carried out at Montreal where the current GP cars are due to take part in their last but one race of the 10A season.

And onto the new Skoda, ok, it may not be as new as the Porsche, but it is a revamped 10A livery, this time doing away with the orange in place of the new team colours, Black, White and Red. Team owner Chris Jones was seen testing this car just a couple of days ago at Silverstone using the Sports Car layout, no other modifications have been made to the car other than the change in sponsor logo's etc....

So thats it, the 10B GP cars are at the ready, and now the Class B and C touring cars have appeared just in time. 2010B is looking to be a promising season for the struggling team.

Observers are not quite sure what to make of this, but what was clearly a 2010B developmental car was seen doing shake down laps at Fuji.  Rumors are that this is some sort of light kit for GP cars.

Following the debut of GMWC's first female driver, Amanda Yates, Litchfield Dyanmics has unveiled their new prototype car sporting new corporate sponsorship. The car has taken on a distinct look, mixing both a modern nose with the boxier sides and uncovered engine of more classic cars. The white and blue car has a fresh clean look, accented by the new sponsorship from companies such as Craftsman, AAA, Mobil, AT&T, Chik-fil-A, Wal-Mart and Florida company, Publix. These join previous primary sponsors, Sony and Yuengling. It is expected that the cars will receive some personalization from the current roster of drivers, and these liveries will be unveiled at a later date.

When talking with team owner Zack Litchfield, he let on that the car design was a more conservative take than in previous years. "We have ditched the wider rear end, and have taken a more conservative approach to our diffuser and weight design than in 09C. We have retained the low COG, however." According to Mr. Litchfield, the team is still planning on testing the three engines, with #2 driver Emmanuel Baako taking the lead in that department. The team is fully expected to retain the standard induction as shown in our photo here, by passing the up and downsides of the other two inductions.

With the addition of new driver Amanda Yates, the Litchfield Dynamics team has grown to three drivers. With the skills of team owner Zack Litchfield, and #2 Emmanuel Baako growing with each race, and the prospects of a more stable car, expectations are high in the LD garages. While a majority of the team's points have come from the 4th place finish of Zack Litchfield at Silverstone, Emmanuel has racked up finishes in 3 cups and Amanda earned a point in her first race. Rumors abound that the team is searching for a fourth driver, both from within the current GMWC roster and outside it, however, their progress towards this goal is unknown. A 4th driver could allow Litchfield Dynamics to take a run at beating MRDC or RAC in the team championship next season.

RAC have finally unveiled their new and much improved (looks wise :ED) 2010B contender, the car has received a radical overhaul at the team's factory in South Wales, and for the first time, see's the team arc away from the so familiar orange colour scheme. Team owner, Chris Jones states "the car, the team and myself all needed a fresh start, so ditching the familiar orange, black and white colours of the current 10A car was the just the tip of the iceberg" 

10B will see the car return to a wider front and rear wheel track, while the majority of the design of the car remains the same, flexible front wing, low CofG are to name a few. "The car is not quite a remake of the 09C car, though some of the error's that were made on that chassis will not be replicated on the 10B chassis. Engine wise, not a great deal of testing has been done with the three engine choice's we have available to us, to be honest, the car hasn't even done any testing." 

So with the team's testing schedule due to start early Friday afternoon, the only driver available to test at present is Chris Jones, while Ian Cumming is having technical difficulties with his car, which is delaying his testing schedule. Brandon Longworth is currently not confirmed but is expected to make a test session over the weekend.

Other news at team RAC Racing is the return of two former team drivers, Carl Dixon and Shaun Mclean, taking RAC's driver tally back up to 5, "Carl approached me mid season asking me for permission for him to return to the team, and Shaun Mclean did the same only last week." 10B also see's the return of Brandon Longworth, having taken a sabbatical for several months, he now feel's he's in fit enough shape to return to his No 2 seat.

So, what will 10B bring the team? The team are currently 4th in the team constructors, and only 4 points ahead of MRDC, so a strong turn out and a good result in the coming races should secure that position, "The team's goal for 10B is to be a little more consistent, and faster that the previous two season's" explains Chris Jones "M-sport will be taking the honours in becoming the first British team to win the DC and TC in the same season, so our goal is to just improve." 

Autobollocks.

Members will be pleased t know that the prototype MRDC10B has advanced rapidly, just as predicted and has now been spotted in 3 exciting colourways.

Club President Andy Jones led the team in a first parade lap of the aerodrome perimeter road, revealing a brighter aspect to the team's livery for the 2010B season.

More news will follow soon on the technical characteristics that lie beneath the elegant and manicured exterior as soon as we can work out what "Two Sheds" is trying to tell us.

MRDC10B - Now in Colour !

Members will be pleased to hear that across the misty expanse of the Midpack Aerodrome this morning,was heard the throaty roar of a GP engine.  Yes, indeed, Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson and Juan-Manuel Fandango are there again, demonstrating just what can be achieved with a little ingenuity and a tin of WD-40 as the first prototype of the MRDC10B came to life.

No technical details, livery details, performance details, driver details, in-car entertainment details or preferred pastry snack details are available yet, but with the level of industry we're seeing in the club garage, it won't be long before all is revealed.

In the meantime, members can check the noticeboard for the latest work in progress.