Forthcoming UK Events

DateEventLocation
06-08.07.2012Formula 1 British Grand PrixSilverstone (Arena GP)
01-03.06.2012British Drift ChampionshipNorfolk Arena
23-24.06.2012MG Live 2012Silverstone
25-26.08.2012FIA World Endurance ChampionshipSilverstone

The 2012 Season Starts Here

2012-03-new-season-media-passThe 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.

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Bloodhound Rockets Ahead to Pistonheads

A full-scale model of the remarkable eight-metre long Bloodhound SSC will be on-show in the new Stuff Zone at The PistonHeads Performance Car Show, held at the NEC in Birmingham on 14-17 January 2010. This newly-formed area will showcase some of the leading and latest technological innovations.

Thrust SSC set the current land speed record in 1997, at a supersonic 763mph. Now Noble is chasing the 1,000mph barrier with the Bloodhound SSC, with Thrust SSC driver Andy Green once again at the wheel.

To reach this speed, the Bloodhound SSC will use both rocket and jet propulsion.

The first round of testing on the project, which will cost £6.5m, began last month, with a successful static evaluation of the thrust chamber. The car will be powered by a Eurojet EJ2000 from the Eurofighter Typhoon, as well as a Falcon Rocket, with an 800bhp V12 race engine used to provide hydraulic power. It will be tested for the first time in June 2011.

Project Director, Richard Noble, said: "I wasn't quite sure what would happen when we attended Autosport International in 2009, because the Land Speed Record is often viewed as a non-mainstream activity. In fact, the Bloodhound team was overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion with the public's enthusiasm and support. Now that we are able to progress to the huge Bloodhound build programme, I am looking forward to a great experience as we bring everyone up-to-date in January."

"As the show aims to be 'at the cutting-edge of technology', it is fitting that we are there with the world's most technically-advanced record car design," said pilot Andy Green.

"The whole aim of Bloodhound is to get the public interested in technology and the show provides the perfect platform to get them involved. This is a great opportunity for us to show visitors of all ages just how exciting science and engineering can be!"

PistonHeads Show Director, Ian France said: "The Bloodhound project demonstrates the wider opportunities available to motorsport through aerospace and advanced engineering, as well as inspiring a new generation of young engineers. We are delighted that this very exciting project will be on display at the show."

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