Coates earns rising star honour

Renault UK Clio Cup race winner and current Graduate Cup championship leader Max Coates, from Scorton, has been awarded a place on the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) Rising Stars Scheme.

Founded in 1928, the BRDC owns and operates Silverstone Circuit and as arguably the most exclusive club in motor racing, membership of the BRDC is highly sought after and extremely difficult to achieve.

The BRDC Rising Stars Scheme is for drivers aged 24 and under, who are in effect, junior members of the BRDC, all aiming for a professional career within the sport. From all four-wheel racing disciplines, the Rising Stars represent the BRDC in national championships, and from the races contested while wearing the scheme's unique blue roundel it is hoped the Rising Stars will graduate to the ranks of full membership.

This season has seen Max join the Ciceley Motorsports team in the Renault UK Clio Cup. He took pole position for round three at Donington Park, took his first podium in round seven at Oulton Park and then took his first overall win in round ten at his home event at Croft in June.

On top of that Max has also had two more second places at Croft and Snetterton as well as two fastest laps and nine Graduate Cup wins for new drivers to the championship under the age of 23. Going into the final three rounds of the season, starting this weekend at Rockingham, Max lies third in the championship overall and at the top of the Graduate Cup.

Max said: “It is an honour to have been asked to become a BRDC Rising Star. I am delighted that the best of British racing drivers have recognised my potential and want to help me turn my passion into a profession. The Renault UK Clio Cup is allowing me to start on that ladder to success and I couldn’t be doing it without the support of Primex Plastics Limited, PLASgran Recycling Limited and the Ciceley Motorsport team. This season has already been fantastic and this accolade is something very special.”

INGRAM ON FORM IN SCOTLAND

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship headed north of the border to Knockhill and saw mixed fortunes for the region’s drivers who were contesting the various support races.

Leading the way with a class victory in the Michelin Ginetta GT4 SuperCup was Bedale’s Chris Ingram who followed that up with a hat-trick of runners-up placings in the Amateur class in his Douglas Motorsport car, taking a best result of sixth overall in the four races.

In the same class, Brompton-on-Swale driver Fraser Robertson retired from Saturday’s first race but bounced back with an 11th overall and fifth in class before another retirement beckoned on Sunday. However, the Rob Boston Racing teamster claimed his best result in the final race to come home in ninth place, claiming fourth in class in the process.

It was a weekend to forget for Mike Newbould whereby the Kirkbymoorside driver retired in three out of the four races, salvaging a 10th overall and fourth in class for his efforts in the Douglas Motorsport Ginetta. Ingram now holds second place in class with Robertson in fourth and Newbould in sixth as a result of the weekend’s quadruple header.

In the Porsche Carrera Cup GB class, Stokesley’s John McCullagh was again in action in his Redline Racing GT3 and came away with a best result of 13th overall and fourth in class to maintain his second place in the Pro-Am 2 standings. Durham teenager Charlie Fagg struggled by his standards with 12th and 14th places in his HHC Motorsport Ginetta in the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship before claiming seventh in the final race to hold eighth place in the table going into this weekend’s round at Rockingham.

CROFT HOSTS BATTLE OF BRITAIN RACE MEETING

Following the successful Nostalgia Festival earlier this month, the retro theme is again in evidence this weekend when Croft Circuit hosts the popular Battle of Britain Race Meeting.

Resurrected last year after a three-decade hiatus, the inaugural event was staged at the North Yorkshire venue as Croft Autodrome back in 1964, the Darlington and District Motor Club-organised event was unique in its appeal as it showcased both car and bike racing. Held in deference to Croft’s aerodrome roots and its role as the most northerly Bomber Base in the UK during the Second World War, under the command of the Royal Canadian Air Force, notably, a number of DDMC members had actively served in the conflict.

A traditional August Bank Holiday highlight, the Battle of Britain Race Meeting regularly drew crowds of up to 30,000 who were wowed by a blend of two, three and four-wheeled on-track thrills whereby the event raised substantial funds for charity and local heroes always featured prominently, including motorcycling ace Ken Redfern, car racing front-runners Andy Barton and Ron Harper and sidecar stars Matt Hobson and Colin Appleyard.

What’s more, the Battle of Britain Race Meeting became so well-established on the annual motorsport calendar that by the 1970s it was attracting drivers of the calibre of legendary world champions James Hunt and Barry Sheene and multiple grand prix-winner Patrick Tambay to perform demonstration runs and present trophies. Since re-opening in 1995, Croft has gone from strength-to-strength, and the re-introduction of one of the most illustrious dates on its schedule last year was one of the season’s highlights.

The packed programme will include solo motorcycles, a round of the British F2 Sidecar Championship, the Northern Saloon & Sports Car Championship, the Porsche Club Great Britain Championship and the MG Cockshoot Cup whereby a coveted Battle of Britain Trophy will be awarded to the overall winner.

Tickets are still available at just £13 for either tomorrow or Sunday on the gate. Accompanied children aged 15 and under will be admitted to the circuit free of charge. For further information, please visit www.croftcircuit.co.uk or call 01325 721815.

REDCAR SG PETCH BEARS 44 – 45 NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS

Redcar SG Petch Bears speedway team came very close to continuing their run of home victories against local rivals Newcastle Diamonds in the Premier League last week but ended up losing the match by a single point.

With the biggest crowd of the season at the Media Prime Arena, heat one saw Bears’ captain David Bellego retire with a mechanical problem but his German team-mate Tobias Busch won with Diamonds pair Lewis Rose second and Robert Lambert, who recently rode for Team GB in the World Cup, third.

Rose was out again in the next heat and won ahead of Middlesbrough-born Danny Phillips in second before heat three saw Bears’ Hugh Skidmore take the win after a race long battle with ex Bears Matej Kus and Stuart Robson to leave the scoreline at 11-7 in favour of the Diamonds.

Steve Worrall won heat 4 for the Diamonds with Bears Lasse Bjerre second and Lee Payne third to split the points before Lambert got the gate to win the next heat, in the fastest time of the season, with Rose second and Bears’ Jonas B Andersen third to make it a 5-1 to the Diamonds. In heat six Worrall jumped the gate and in the re-run had to start from the 15-metre penalty grid but some brilliant team riding from Bears pair Busch and Bellego saw them score a 5-1 for the home side.

The next heat was a 5-0 to the Bears, following a re-run, after Kus was excluded for bringing down Bjerre and Robson which allowed the Bears to lead 21-20. The points were split in the next two heats with wins for Bears rider Busch and Diamonds’ Worrall before Diamonds’ Kus and Robson scored a 5-1 for the visitors with Bellego third to give the Diamonds a three-point advantage.

Lambert took his second win in the next heat, with Bjerre in second and Rose third before heat 12 saw Rose’s second win of the match with Skidmore second and Kus third to extend the Diamonds advantage to seven points. The gap was again reduced to three points in the following heat with a win for Bjerre closely followed by team mate Bellego with Lambert third before Andersen scored his only win of the match in heat 14 to split the points with Diamonds’ Robson second Rose third.

Going into the final heat the Diamonds led 43-40, which meant the Bears required a 5-1 to win the match. On the first lap there was spectacular crash when Diamonds’ Worrall took out Bears rider Busch, whose bike bounced several times and landed on top of the air fence. Worrall was disqualified from the re-run and after a medical examination Busch was allowed to ride, on his spare bike. Bellego got the gate and lead from the start but despite a determined effort from Busch, he could not find a way past Lambert for the all-important second place leaving the final score of 44-45 in favour of the Diamonds.