Forthcoming UK Events
| Date | Event | Location |
| 06-08.07.2012 | Formula 1 British Grand Prix | Silverstone (Arena GP) |
| 01-03.06.2012 | British Drift Championship | Norfolk Arena |
| 23-24.06.2012 | MG Live 2012 | Silverstone |
| 25-26.08.2012 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Silverstone |
The 2012 Season Starts Here
The last week has seen a flurry of activity as championships big and small held their annual media days and opening tests, with some already even getting down to racing proper. The British Touring Car Championship heads strongly into a new all-turbo generation and this year boasts 10 models from nine different marques on its 24-car grid, including the technicolour liveried return of the MG name.
The BTCC season opener hits Brands Hatch on 1st April, followed a week later by the first rounds of the British GT Championship and the British F3 International Series at Oulton Park. While some single-seater formulae have struggled in recent times - Formula Renault postponing its UK series due to poor entries - British F3 continues to attract young talent. With recent champions including the Scuderia Toro Rosso pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, its status as a stepping-stone to Formula 1 is hard to dispute.
Read more...Mason Back for Fourth Season of VW Cup
- Details
- Category: VW Racing Cup
- Sunday, 22 January 2012
Aaron Mason, a third-place finisher in the APR Volkswagen Racing Cup twice in the last three years, is to return to the championship in 2012 with a three-car assault on the title.
The 32-year-old from Doncaster expects to start the season at the wheel of an AWM Motor Sport Golf GTI similar to that which netted him four race victories in 2011, but says he could switch to a Scirocco.
“There are a few options open to us,” says building company MD Mason, “and one of them is to build a completely new car. There are a number of Sciroccos coming in and it may prove to be the car to beat.
“I am certainly going to go for another shot at the championship and I am hoping that it’s going to be a good, close and competitive season - it would be nice to win it after a good battle with some strong competitors.”
Mason came into the series as a racing rookie in 2009 and enjoyed immediate success, taking championship third. He claimed his first race wins in 2010, and won at Snetterton, Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Silverstone last season on his way to third in the title race once again.
“What cost me the championship last year was a sticking rear brake at Oulton Park, and then another brake problem at Zandvoort, which caused me to go off.” Despite these mishaps Mason finished and scored in every round, but the greater consistency of Steve Chaplin and James Walker helped them out-point the Yorkshireman.
Mason’s team-mates in the AWM squad will be motorsport newcomer Simon Tomlinson and experienced saloons racer Stewart Lines, who has Clio Cup, SEAT Challenge and Mini Challenge experience and who took part in the final two meetings of the 2011 Volkswagen Racing Cup season; both will drive Golf GTIs. Mason says AWM may yet field a fourth car.
The APR Volkswagen Racing Cup grid is shaping up to be as large and competitive as ever. KPM Racing has announced plans to field a six-car team, including Sciroccos for James Walker and Craig Milner, while 2011’s top rookie, Tom Wilson, is set to return in a two-car team with his father, Jonathan, at the wheel of a Scirocco.
The APR Volkswagen Racing Cup was established in the UK in 2000 and is entering its 13th season as the sole saloon-racing supporting event to British GT and British F3. This year the championship will also race at Brands Hatch alongside the German touring car championship and at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium as a supporting event to the 25-hour Fun Cup.
