The Bill Richards Racing team returned to the Brands Hatch circuit for the latest rounds of the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship. This would be the teams first appearance at Brands Hatch since the Clubman was destroyed in an accident at the circuit in April.

Qualifying

The overnight rain had cleared by the time the Clubman headed out for the qualifying session, the team was anxious to get a good number of laps under their belt in the Clubmans return to Brands Hatch to lay any demons to rest ahead of the two races. After scrubbing in the new Avon slicks the Clubman began its qualifying session in earnest.

It soon became clear however that all was not well with the Clubman as the lap times weren’t approaching those expected, the Clubman ducked into the pitlane for the team to assess the situation. The problem was diagnosed as a leaking oil seal that resulted in the clutch slipping and therefore the car was not able to transfer power effectively to the wheels. The Clubman returned to the paddock so that the team could rectify the problem before the first race of the day.

Race 1

Between qualifying and the race the team replaced the defective oil seal and the Clubman was sent out to race with a clean bill of health. The compromised qualifying session would see the Clubman starting from a lowly 19th position. From the rolling start the Clubman immediately set about making progress through the field swiftly dispatching a Peugeot 205 and Renault Megane on the first lap. The second lap was equally impressive with an Integra and Nova falling victim to the rampaging Clubman.

The Clubmans charge through the field continued as the rejuvenated machine reeled in its rivals, next to fall was an Escort and shortly afterwards the Clubman scythed passed a Fiesta to take the class lead. Before the end of the race the Clubman had time to pass a turbo charged Golf, Impreza and Sierra Cosworth. Taking the chequered flag in 9th position overall the Clubman had staged a remarkable comeback with a scintillating performance.

Race 2

Following the Race 1 heroics the Clubman would start the second race of the day from 9th position – directly behind its usual sparring partner – a red Peugeot 205. As the race got underway the Clubman latched onto the bootlid of the French machine and sought a way past. The two cars circulated separated by inches and quickly closed the gap to the Peugeot 306 ahead, the two cars driven on by the intensity of their duel. The 306 was caught and passed as the Clubman remained stuck to the bootlid of the 205.

Only the intervention of the safety car interrupted the dogfight between the two cars, the introduction of the safety car causing some confusion as it picked up the wrong car when it joined the circuit. After several laps behind the safety car and some re-shuffling of the field to position the race leader directly behind the safety car the race got underway once more.

From the restart all the way to the chequered flag the Clubman continually harassed the 205 but was unable to find a way past as the red machine took a defensive line through the corners. The Clubman took the flag in 7th place overall and 1st in class to round off a successful weekend.

Whilst the qualifying session didn’t go as planned the team worked hard to ensure that the Clubman was ready for the races and it delivered in style with two class wins and the fastest lap in class in both races (also setting a new personal best lap time). In addition Bill received the “Driver of the day” award for his performances during the two races. The team will now begin preparations for the next race meeting.

The Bill Richards Racing team headed to Lydden Hill for the latest round of the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship. This meeting marked the teams return to the championship having missed the previous rounds following the accident at Brands Hatch in April. Thanks to the generosity of the teams Sponsors and assistance from various friends of the team the new Clubman had been completed in short order and was ready for action.

Final fettling of the car took place at the circuit and the untried car went through the scrutineering process with no problems. After undergoing a final checkover the team was satisfied that the new Clubman was ready for action although given that the car had yet to turn a wheel expectations were naturally kept in check.

Qualifying

The sight of the Clubman heading out onto the sun bathed circuit for qualifying was a satisfying sight for the team and marked a welcome return to action. As the Clubman had not been tested prior to qualifying the early laps of the session were used for basic checks and to give the car a brief shakedown to ensure everything was working as expected. As the session progressed the Clubman picked up the pace and began to post some representative lap times. Finding clear air on the circuit the times were fast and consistent with the new car performing well. The Clubman ended the session 5th overall on the grid only 5 thousandths of a second behind the car ahead (in fact a group of 4 cars including the Clubman was covered by less than 2 tenths of a second). The team was ecstatic with the performance of the Clubman – the untested car had turned in a superb performance and set about making some minor set up changes ahead of the first race.

Race 1

A non-starting car promoted the Clubman to 4th position before the first race got underway but from the rolling start the Clubman was beaten into the first corner by a fast starting Renault Megane. Slotting in behind the French machine the Clubman sought to regain the lost position and immediately set about trying to pass. For a number of laps the Clubman harried the Megane and several times drew alongside but the Megane was well positioned on the circuit and resisted the Clubmans attacks. Finally the Clubman was able to make a move on the Megane going into Chessons and once ahead pulled away from the now ailing Megane.

Having dispensed with the Renault the Clubman quickly closed the gap to its familiar adversary in the shape of a Peugeot 205. The two cars circulated nose to tail with the Clubman applying unrelenting pressure to the 205 as the duelling pair spurred each other on and closed the gap to the leaders. Getting a good exit from the Devils Elbow the Clubman was able to make a successful pass and snatch 3rd place away from the Peugeot. Initially the Peugeot fought back and attempted to regain the lost position but as the race continued both the 205 and Clubman eased off to save the cars for the second race – the hot ambient temperatures had already taken their toll on other competitors. At the chequered flag the Clubman was 3rd on the road and 1st in class – a superb result for its first race outing.

Race 2

Starting from 3rd on the grid for the second race the Clubman was setting its sights firmly on taking 2nd position from the Subaru Impreza ahead. A good start saw the Clubman immediately on the offensive and latching onto the bootlid of the Impreza. The turbo charged machine held the initial advantage but soon had its mirrors full of Clubman as the smaller machine snapped away at its heels.

Each car sought to play to their strengths and time and again the Clubman was able to get alongside the Impreza but couldn’t make the move stick. As the race wore on the battle continued unabated, the Clubman allowing the Impreza no respite with the cars separated by inches. Finally the Clubmans persistence paid off as it got a better exit from Paddock and passed the Impreza as the cars ran down towards Chessons. Once ahead the Clubman sought to fend off the Impreza as the roles were reversed for the final part of the race. The Clubman stayed ahead of the Impreza to take the chequered flag 2nd overall and 1st in class after another superb race performance.

The team can be rightly proud of their days work, the new car ran faultlessly throughout the day in demanding conditions – a testimony to the teams workmanship and build quality of the new machine. To qualify first in class, take two class wins, two fastest laps and a second and third place overall is a superb result and a deserved reward for the effort that has gone into getting the new car onto the circuit for this meeting. Both races also showed once again that the Clubman can compete with more powerful cars and that races involving the Clubman are never dull with clean hard fought action throughout.

The team would once again like thank all their sponsors and supporters for all their help in getting the new car on track so soon after the accident at Brands Hatch. Without their generous support this result would not have been possible. A big thank you must also go to everyone that came over to see the team in the paddock – it’s good to be back!

Work on the new Clubman is continuing apace, the team is still aiming to have the car ready for the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship races at Lydden Hill this coming weekend. Keep checking back to see if the team can can get the car ready in time!

The build of the new Clubman is progressing well, the shell from Minispares has now had the Rollcentre rollcage fitted and been sprayed in the familiar light blue colour scheme by long time Bill Richards Racing sponsor MC Motors. Work has now begun on fitting out the shell and the team is hoping the car will be ready in time for the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship meeting at Lydden Hill on the 26th and 27th of June. The team would like to thank all their sponsors for their generous support of the new build.

Bill was caught up in a multiple car accident during the second Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship race at Brands Hatch on Sunday. Bill was kept in hospital overnight for observation, he has 3 broken ribs and some cuts and bruises but is in good spirits – he is now home.

The team would like to thank all marshals, members of the rescue units/first aid centre, officials and competitors for their help and kind words, it is much appreciated by Bill and the whole team.

This site will be updated with more news as it becomes available.

Roadrunners (Kent) Ltd. the Ashford based tyre specialists are providing Bill Richards Racing with all their tyre maintenance needs. Roadrunners provide invaluable services including fitting the teams racing tyres onto wheels often at very short notice as well as handling Bill Richards Racings day to day tyre requirements. Roadrunners can be contacted on 01233 661771

Bill Richards Racing is delighted to announce that Millers Oils will be joining the team as a sponsor for the 2010 racing season. Millers Oils will be providing the Bill Richards Racing team with oil and lubricant for the teams cars throughout the season. The Millers Oils graphics will be on the teams cars from the first meeting of the season at Brands Hatch on the 28th March.

The full range of Millers Oils products can be seen here.

Please visit the Bill Richards Racing sponsors page to view all the companies supporting the Bill Richards Racing team in 2010.

The 2010 season promises to be a busy one for the Bill Richards Racing team with the Clubman and Metro both in competitive action. The Clubman will once again be running in the BARC Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship where it will face its biggest challenge to date. Rule changes for the new season see the Clubman move up a class whilst many of its direct competitors from the previous year move down a class! (The Clubman being the only car in the 2009 field to fall foul of one particular rule change regarding non-standard heads fitted to engines.) The change puts the diminutive clubman up against much larger capacity cars and it will be at a considerable disadvantage as a result.

The team considered a number of options including running a reduced capacity engine (and therefore effectively running in the same class as 2009) or returning to using the multiple championship winning BRR 8 Port engine. However these options would result in slower lap times and the team rejected this as they focus on wringing ever more speed from the current chassis and engine combination. The coming season may not provide the Clubman with as many class wins but Mini lap records are firmly in its sights for the upcoming year and on the shorter circuits the Clubman will be sure to give the front runners a wake up call!

In addition to the main focus of the DMN Championship the Clubman will make selected appearances at SEMSEC meetings where the Metro will also make appearances. The BARC Intermarque series will also see the Metro in action at selected rounds. In addition to a full seasons racing programme Bill will be continuing in his role as the MSA approved instructor at Lydden Hill circuit where he will pass on some of his unmatched knowledge of the circuit to those on track days at the Kent circuit.

The calendar for the 2010 BARC Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship is as follows:

28th March – Brands Hatch
17th/18th April – Brands Hatch
16th May – Mallory Park
22nd/23rd May - Brands Hatch GP
26th/27th June – Lydden Hill
31st July/ 1st August – Snetterton
14th/15th August – Brands Hatch
2nd October – Snetterton
30th/31st October – Brands Hatch

The 2010 BARC Intermarque series calendar is as follows:

27th March – Brands Hatch
10th April – Cadwell Park
16th May – Mallory Park
29th May – Snetterton
12th/13th June – Brands Hatch
26th June – Lydden Hill
17th/18th July – Lydden Hill
2nd October – Castle Combe
7th November – Brands Hatch

Where there are date clashes with other championships the DMN championship will initially take precedence.

The provisional calendar for the 2010 SEMSEC season is as follows:

28th March – Brands Hatch
10th April – Lydden Hill
8th/9th May – Brands Hatch (tbc)
5th June – Lydden Hill
10th July – Lydden Hill
12th September – Brands Hatch
2nd/3rd October – Lydden Hill (tbc)
23rd October – Lydden Hill