The day started with a trip to the scruteneers bay where cars were checked for eligibility to the 2012 championship regulations issued by the 750 Motor Club, all passed with out comment and we were soon on track for the untimed test session. As none of the drivers had so far driven the 300 circuit it was a level playing field, and went with out incident.

Three quarters of an hour later timed, qualification took place which resulted in Paul Smith in his AHS Autojet Dominator pole by over 5 seconds. Both of our other drivers faired well too, Reece Bennet and Steve Bailey both qualified on there first ever race.

Race one saw Reece pushed into the pit lane as the race was about to start due to a starter motor malfunction, a push start by the team soon had him on his way. However it was not to be Reeces day the car got away from him early in the race and had a meeting with the barriers which was the end of the day for Reece. Steve Bailey went on to finish and Paul Smith won by a country mile, setting the first Vee lap record for the 300 circuit  Ian Jordan in his brand new Sheane came in a credible second.

Very quickly we were off again for the second race we had only 2 cars this time, Paul Smith made a blistering start and was 5 seconds ahead on lap one. By lap 3 he was out of sight by the time the 2nd and 3rd drivers entered the start and finish straight. Another race win for Paul another lap record now standing at 2.07 84, Steve Bailey stormed across the line in 6th place.

All in all a real good day for all and well worth the visit.

Silverstone awaits

“It’s taken a while to get there, but Alan Harding’s newest design finally found success in 2011.

Paul Smith who won six out of eight starts and would likely have blitzed the Formula Vee title race had he contested the full season.”

The Top 10.

10: Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

9: Mercedes C11

8: Mazda MX-5

7: Jeff Wilson’s Lotus-Jade

6: Swift Cooper SC10

5: Tatuus FR2000

4: AHS Dominator

3: Mygale SJ11

2: Jaguar E-Type

1: Ferrari 458 Italia

The Formula Vee CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 will be contested over the following rounds:

Date / Circuit / Round(s)

Mar 31 & Apr 1 Silverstone 2

Apr 28 & 29 Brands 2

May 26 & 27 Cadwell 2

Jun 23 & 24 Donington 2

Aug 4 & 5 Anglesey 2

Sep 1 & 2 Donington 2

Oct 14 Mallory 2

As usual, Formula Vee was one of the headline acts, with Paul Smith’s AHS Dominator overhauling long-time leader Martin Farmer on the penultimate lap to grab victory in their opening event.

Having looked in control for much of the race, Farmer has his pace blunted when a section of his GAC’s front bodywork fell off. “I lost a lot of speed and got a big vibration” he explained.

While Farmer struggled, Smith remorselessly closed, slipstreaming ahead on Bentley (formerly Revett) Straight after a backmarker slowed Farmer’s momentum to secure the Dominator’s maiden win.

For more information on the AHS Dominator, click here.

This is regarded as a major deal for the Club as it enables our members to benefit from the Shell Racing Solutions products at competitive prices and also to have access to the technical support services available from 1 Fuel.

Alan Harding, a director of the 750 Club, will lead the relationship between 1 Fuel and the Club. He commented that his experience of the Shell racing products in 2010 had encouraged him to promote their wider use by our members, he added that during last year we were delighted with the products, we believe that they contributed to improved engine reliability for competitors using the 1 Fuel supplied Shell Racing Products.

Dean Richards, Operations Director at 1 Fuel, said that he was very pleased to have an opportunity of working with grass roots motorsport in the UK. 1 Fuel are committed to developing the relationship through seminars and technical articles in the 750 Motor Club monthly magazine, leading to increased use of the Shell racing products supplied by 1 Fuel.

This association will benefit 750 Motor Club members, particularly the access to technical data about fuels and lubricants, plus of course it is in the tradition of the Club to develop shared knowledge about racing products.

AHS will deliver fuel to 750 MC race meetings the cost is £105 inclusive of VAT for a 25L drum

To order email or tel me (Alan Harding) on 01455 553052

The day went quite well with Autosports Ben Anderson at the wheel, we worked on tyres and general set up, the car responded to any setting we tried which is very encouraging.

The lap time Ben achieved was very respectable and as time goes on I will start to feedback this information.

Unfortunately the head gasket went and the day finished a little earlier than planed.

The good news is that Ben has agreed to be the development driver for this season and with the 750 Motor Clubs backing will be entering 5 rounds.

I am delighted to be able to welcome Ben into the AHS team, It is our goal to significantly improve the car each time Ben takes to the track.

There is a minimal sign on fee of £75 which is refundable if you take up the series.

This is a regarded as major deal for the club as it enables our members to benefit from the Shell Racing Solutions products at competitive prices and also to have access to the technical support services available from 1 Fuel

Alan Harding a director of the 750 Club will lead the relationship between 1 Fuel and the club, he commented that his experience of the Shell racing products in 2010 had encouraged him to promote their wider use by our members, he added that during last year we were delighted with the products, we believe that they contributed to improved engine reliability for competitors using the 1 Fuel supplied Shell Racing Products.

Dean Richards, Operations Director at 1 Fuel said that he was very pleased to have an opportunity of working with grass roots motorsport in the UK, 1 Fuel are committed to developing the relationship through seminars and technical articles in the 750 Motor Club monthly magazine, leading to increased use of the Shell racing products supplied by 1 Fuel.

This association will benefit 750 Motor Club members, particularly the access to technical data about fuels and lubricants, plus of course it is in the tradition of the club to develop shared knowledge about racing products.

Editors notes:

The 750 Motor Club was formed in 1939 to promote the competition use of 750 cc powered cars, mainly Austin 7’s at the beginning, from this foundation the club has grown and developed and now offers ‘Low Cost Motorsport’ in more than 12 different Championships and race series.

1 Fuel is a company set up to provide a sales and technical channel to market for Shell Racing Fuel and Oil products.

The world of motorsport is about to descend on Birmingham as the world’s greatest motorsport show, Autosport International, comes to town.  Held from 13-16 January 2011 at the NEC, this definitive show is the start of the motorsport season.

With a huge range of motorsport disciplines covered, alongside fantastic road cars, Autosport International really does have something for fans of anything with four wheels and an engine!

Tickets are now on sale for the public show, which is held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, on 15-16 January.  Adult tickets cost £30 per day, with children’s tickets priced at £19.50.  Group tickets are also available.  A reserved seat in the Fifth Gear Live Action Arena, home of thrilling racing and awe-inspiring stunts will provide entertainment for the whole family, is included with every show ticket.

Tickets are available from www.autosportinternational.com priced £30 (standard), £37 (paddock pass) and £100 for a platinum pass (plus £2 booking fee).  Call The Ticket Factory hotline now on 0844 338 8000.

As usual, a host of motorsport stars will be making the trip to Birmingham for the show.  Commentating legend Murray Walker will be joined by the current faces of Formula One for the BBC, Jake Humphrey and Martin Brundle, as well as eight-times Le Mans 24hr winner Tom Kristensen, F1 test driver Gary Paffet, ex-F1 driver  Anthony Davidson, triple FIA World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx and Chevrolet WTCC star Rob Huff.

One of the key attractions at this year’s show will be the McLaren Racing Display, a phenomenal collection of racing cars from the company’s illustrious motorsport history with McLaren’s sensational new road car, the MP4-12C as its centrepiece.   This display will be a rare chance to see cars that are normally kept locked up in McLaren’s secret archive including Ayrton Senna’s MP4/4, which won 15 out of 16 races in the 1988 Formula One season, Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning MP4-23 and much more.

Formula One fans will also want to head over to the F1 Racing Grid, which will feature many of the challengers from the 2010 season including the double championship-winning Red Bull RB6 and the car that brought Michael Schumacher back to the pinnacle of motorsport, the Mercedes GP Petronas MGP-01.  The show will also mark the public debut of the new Lotus Renault racer, featuring a re-interpretation of the famous black and gold JPS livery, which will be unveiled on the Lotus stand in Hall 20.

Road car fans will have plenty to get excited about too: as well as the MP4-12C, BMW will show the much-anticipated 1 Series M Coupé for the first time in Europe while Caterham, Radical and Ginetta will all be unveiling brand new cars.  On display in PistonHeads;  The Performance Car Show will be Nissan’s heavily revised 2011 GT-R supercar and Ariel’s monstrous 500bhp, V8-powered Ariel Atom.

The Fifth Gear Live Action Arena is hosted on Saturday and Sunday by Fifth Gear TV stars Jason Plato and Tiff Needell, visitors will be guided through some mesmerising action and stunts, as well as get to see some of the show’s top racing personalities interviewed. This year’s show will feature cars from the European Drift Championship, Class 3, Class 4 and Junior Autograss racers, rally cars, BriSCA F1 Stock Cars and rally cars from the European and British Rallycross Championships, including Liam Doran’s 600bhp+ Citroen C4. They’ll be flat out, they’ll be sideways, and they’ll be on the limit.

For fans of times-gone-by, Autosport International will play host to a display of cars from rallying’s spectacular Group B era while auction house Coys is holding two auctions during the weekend, one for automobilia (automotive collectables) and a second for cars. Highlights from the list of cars to be offered for sale include an RS200 EVO, an ex-Colin McRae Ford Focus WRC, a 1975 De Tomaso Pantera Le Mans racer, an ex-Juha Kankkunen Delta HF Integrale Group A rally car and an ex-John Surtees Lotus 18.

It’s not just fans that Autosport International caters for though. The two days that precede the public show host Europe’s largest motorsport trade show, Autosport Engineering. This is the venue of choice for the world’s leading specialist engineering companies to put in place deals for the following season and make and develop contacts within the industry. To help with the process of doing business at the show, the organisers have put facilities in place to provide a business-like environment. The TT Bar offers a relaxed environment for a meeting over a drink and a place to check emails thanks to free WiFi access, while the MIA International Business Lounge is a more formal area, with free meeting rooms available subject to availability and booking.

2011 also marks the first year of International Motorsport Business Week, which brings together a series of events held during the same week as Autosport International in association with the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), Autosport, Race Tech and Racecar Engineering magazines and UK Trade and Industry. It is designed to offer a focal point for the motorsport industry and a forum in which to discuss new ideas and meet new contacts within the sector. For further details, visit www.internationalmotorsportbusinessweek.com.

Trade tickets for Autosport International are on sale and start at £25, with group booking options available. To register as a trade buyer please visit www.autosportinternational.com or call +44 (0)845 218 6012. For stand enquiries, please call +44 (0)20 8267 8301.

The deal was agreed in principal today, 10^th January 2011 and includes a prize of Teng Tool kits for the top three finalists in Class A & B of the Championship, this will be supported with a range of advertising and promotional opportunities for Teng and the 750 Motor Club members.