Bentley continues to finish in the points in the latest round of the Blancpain Endurance Series championship.

• Continental GT3 #7 finishes P2 after tense final hour
• Second Bentley comes home P12 overall, P8 in class
• Bentley Team M-Sport now top of Teams Championship

Bentley’s challenge for the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series championship intensified this weekend with a hard-fought podium finish at the Paul Ricard 1000 km, the third round of the series. 

The #7 Continental GT3 of British trio Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick and Steven Kane finished P2 after an exciting six hours of racing, culminating in Steven closing to within 1.6 seconds of the leader in the final stages.

Overall points from the race mean that Bentley Team M-Sport now sits atop the Teams Championships for the first time this year, with the drivers of car #7 now second in the Drivers Championship by one point.

The second Bentley Continental GT3, the #8 car of Andy Soucek, Maxi Buhk and Maxime Soulet endured a more challenging race, after contact for Maxime in the opening lap put him to the back of field. 

The team recovered well after the incident, only for progress to be disrupted by a pair of stop-and-go penalties later in the race. However, strong pace and a determined attitude saw the #8 car finish P12 overall and P8 in class, which was rewarded with championship points.

Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, said after the race:

“After some bad luck in the previous rounds, the whole team is ecstatic with the result here. It wasn’t an easy race, but we got the setup of our cars right and came so close to repeating our victory here last year. 

The last few laps were extremely tense for everyone in the garage, but Steven did what he does best and got the podium. I’m disappointed that car #8 couldn’t join car #7 in the top three, but we’ll review and come back stronger.

Our championship challenge is back on-track, and this is a real confidence boost ahead of the most important race of the season at Spa next month. We’re heading from here to the official test session this week to start our preparations, but until then we’ll reflect on what’s been a great race weekend for us.”

The two Bentleys started P4 (#7) and P10 (#8) respectively. After an aborted start that saw both cars in to the top five, the restart saw Guy Smith move the #7 car to P2, but an unfortunate misjudgement by Maxime Soulet in #8 saw him collide with two competitors. 

A pit stop to check for damage dropped Maxime to P61, reinforced by a stop-and-go penalty, but he rebuilt from there to P35. After a stint from Andy Soucek and a second stint from Maxime, the #8 car was up to P14. 

The drivers of the #7 car all double-stinted, with Andy Meyrick taking the car from Guy in P4 after two hours, and finished his stint in P3, handing to Steven Kane thanks to an extremely efficient pit stop from the Bentley Team M-Sport crew, Steven moved up to P2 and immediately started his challenge for the lead, closing a 16-second gap to just 1.6 seconds before running slightly wide and spinning. Steven recovered from the spin to secure P2 at the chequered flag. 

Meanwhile, after a stop-and-go penalty for pushing, Maxi Buhk in car #8 was able to climb from P30 to P13 before Andy Soucek drove the final stint of the race, coming home P12 overall and P8 in class.

A third Continental GT3 entered by Bentley’s European customer team, Bentley Team HTP, also raced Paul Ricard, finishing P36 overall, P17 in class.

The next race for Bentley Team M-Sport will be the TOTAL 24 Hours of Spa, over the weekend of 25^th-26^thJuly.

Driver Quotes

Guy Smith, car #7: “With the race being over six hours, the most important thing for me was to stay out of trouble, especially at the start, and then try and gain a place or two – which is always hardest at the front! I was pleased with my run and had a great battle with the Bentley Team HTP car – it’s great for us to be fighting them fairly on-track. I finished my stint P4 which set us up really well for the rest of the race.”

Andy Meyrick, car #7: “The car was consistent and easy to drive. It was just as good at the end of the stint as it was at the start, so we got the setup right. I enjoyed some really close racing with a BMW, and we stayed in touch with the leaders from the start which meant Steven could fight for a great finish.”

Steven Kane, car #7: “My stint was pretty exciting to say the least! The car was excellent, so I’d like to thank the team for a job well done. Andy and Guy drove brilliant stints which allowed me to get very close to the leaders. I made a mistake in the closing laps which meant I ultimately couldn’t fight for the win, but we’ve had some bad luck in the last couple of races and P2 here feels really good. It’s kick-started our season and we’re really looking forward to the 24 Hours at Spa.”

Maxime Soulet, car #8: “The start was very difficult. I was focused on a car behind me that was making a move, and I misjudged my braking and hit a Ferrari, which ruined our race straight away. We started a fight-back immediately and fought up the order, and at the end of my second stint I was in to the top 20 having been right at the back. It wasn’t our day today but we’ll start focusing on Spa straight away.”

Andy Soucek, car #8: “I’m very pleased with my two stints. My pace was good in both and I wasn’t overtaken by a single car. I got the second fastest lap of the race, which is also very satisfying, and the car felt great and had consistent pace. Without the incident at the start I think we would’ve been able to fight for the win the same way that car #7 did.”

Maxi Buhk, car #8: “I drove a double stint, and the first half was very good. I made great progress through the field and I was happy with the car. The low sun made visibility very tricky, but once it had gone down the second half of my stint got easier. The track changed as it cooled down but the car is so good on its tyres that it wasn’t difficult to manage. The penalties are a big shame because we had the pace, like we did at Silverstone.”

MG takes Manufacturers title at the 2014 British Touring Car Championships.

• MG wins first manufacturer title in British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)
• MG driver Jason Plato finishes second in drivers championship as most successful BTCC driver ever
• British brand ends Honda’s four year reign as champions in dramatic season climax at Brands Hatch
• MG also celebrating fastest growing manufacturer and 90^th anniversary in 2014

MG fans worldwide are celebrating today as the iconic British brand celebrated its maiden manufacturer’s title in the prestigious Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in the season finale at Brands Hatch. The victory was an incredible result for MG, following the brands race to the grid after the rapid formation of the team in 2012 and ending the four year dominance of Honda in the Championship.

MG Sales and Marketing Director Guy Jones said “Everyone at MG is delighted with this victory and the team’s success in placing the iconic MG brand, with its rich history of motorsport, back at the top of such a prestigious, exciting and challenging championship as BTCC.  I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this a success both on and off the track.  The team here at MG, Ian Harrison and the team and Triple Eight, the drivers Jason Plato, Sam Tordoff, Tesco, Castrol and all our other sponsor partners.” 

This programme has been a key part in re-establishing the MG brand in the UK and also globally.  It has raised awareness of the brand with TV, online and press coverage that is not only followed in the UK but also across the world. The MG6 GT race car was designed to resemble the road car as closely as possible and in addition to the on-track programme, we have also operated a very successful mobile showroom next to the track, so BTCC fans can see and touch the latest MG6 and MG3 products.

MG literally raced to the grid in 2012 where the MG6 GTs turned their wheels in anger for the first time in the opening race and yet the team was winning races from that initial weekend. The goal was to win the manufacturers championship but to do this meant defeating the established and highly successful Honda team, reigning champions for the past four years.  It is therefore a great achievement and credit to all at Triple Eight to achieve this in just three seasons.

The news of MGs maiden victory was announced during a dramatic action packed weekend at the final weekend of the championship at Brands Hatch that saw MG drivers Jason Plato and Sam Tordoff start the weekend by taking pole and P2 in qualifying to lock out the front row of the grid in race one. 

The opening lap of the first race saw Sam pass Jason off the start line before a huge multi-car accident on the first lap.  The MG duo showed their class in the first race delivering an impressive one-two. 

Race two secured the manufacturers championship for MG before a rain soaked race three in near zero visibility conditions, where Sam finished an impressive fourth and Jason an amazing seventh after starting from the back in the pit-lane.  Jason finished second in the driver’s championship and remains the most successful driver in the history of BTCC.

MG is currently the fastest growing automotive brand in the UK with sales up 573 percent year to date (SMMT data) due to outstanding value of the latest products, which are designed and assembled in the UK and the major expansion of the national dealer network.  The MG3 supermini offers top of the range specifications including DAB audio and Bluetooth, finished off with diamond cut alloy wheels all for under £10,000. With a range of over one million exterior and interior personalisation options and group 4E insurance it is designed attract a whole new younger generation to the brand, in addition to appealing to loyal MG fans. 

The MG6 is already a favourite with MG owners for its drivability, affordability and exceptionally high levels of standard equipment included and was also voted by owners to be the Best Handling and sixth overall Best Car to Own in the 2014 Auto Express Driver Power Awards. The appeal of the MG6 product range has been further increased with the addition of the new 350Nm, 129g CO₂ performance diesel and new business lease rates starting from just £149 per month plus VAT.

MG is also celebrating the 90^th anniversary of the brand in 2014 with exclusive 90^th Limited edition models of both MG6 and MG3 now available.

Ginetta Juniors Race one Oulton Park 2014 - 2nd For James Kellett.

2014 Ginetta Junior Championship
QUALIFYING - ROUND 7 - CLASSIFICATION

1 19 Jack MITCHELL GBR JHR Developments 2:09.396
2 55 Jamie CHADWICK GBR JHR Developments 2:09.541
3 13 James KELLETT GBR HHC Motorsport 2:09.628
4 27 Alex SEDGWICK (R) GBR JHR Developments 2:09
5 44 Ryan HADFIELD GBR R&J Motorsport 2:10.007
6 11 Lando NORRIS (R) GBR HHC Motorsport 2:10.288
7 66 Senna PROCTOR (R) GBR JHR Developments 2:10.422
8 42 Jonathan HADFIELD (R) GBR R&J Motorsport 2:10.487
9 46 Jack RAWLES GBR Tollbar Racing 2:10.535
10 21 William TAYLFORTH (R) GBR HHC Motorsport 2:10.80
12 17 Matt CHAPMAN (R) GBR TCR 2:11.207
13 39 Lewis BROWN (R) GBR Privateer 2:11.227
14 23 Billy MONGER (R) GBR Privateer 2:11.371
15 8 Ben PEARSON GBR R&J Motorsport 2:12.407
16 38 Jamie CAROLINE (R) GBR TCR 2:12.902
17 24 Harry MAILER (R) GBR Hillspeed 2:13.422
18 43 Pedro CARDOSO (R) * GBR Hillspeed 2:14.242
19 25 Flashman FINNERAN (R) GBR Privateer 2:16.059
20 33 Tom BROWN (R) GBR TollBar Racing 2:17.124
Car 43 - times disallowed - track limits

Oulton Park is the venue for round 7 and 8 of the 2014 Ginetta Juniors championship, and after the early summer break, the drivers are back and ready to fight to get control of the championship, Jack Mitchell continues to dominate taking pole in both round 7 & 8, With Jamie Chadwick taking 2nd in qualifying one and Ryan Hadfield 2nd for race two

Jamie Caroline failed to build on his race win at Thruxton with a spin that hindered James Kellet, yet Kellet was able to continue and take third position for both races at Oulton Park, whereas Caroline struggled to get back to the pits and that is where he stayed until the end of the session.

Racing for all his worth Alex Sedgwick produced a great lap taking fourth in Q1 and 7th in Q2, the 4th position meant JHR has three cars in the top four, with James Kellett spoiling a one-two-three first race start, Ryan Hadfield has a commendable 5th for Q1, followed by Lando Norris, 

For Round Eight, Jack Mitchell is on pole, with Hadfield an improved second, James Kellett will line-up third again, with Chadwick fourth followed by Rawles & Jonathan Hadfield. Sedgewick, Norris, Taylforth and Matt Chapman round out the top ten.

-------------------------

The cars are lining up on a warm track and humid condition's, with the crowd still on a high from a brilliant first round of BTCC which saw Collin Turkington start and finish in first place, followed by team mate Rob Collard and Jason Plato drops from 2nd on the grid to third at the finish.

The drivers for the Ginetta Juniors are all lined up and just waiting for the green light, and off they go , Mitchell gets nudged and Kellett gets up to second, as Sedgewick shoots off into the sand, the top three are starting to pull ahead, as Chadwick take a long line and Nealy lost third, but as the come to the chicane another push from behind does not lose a place, first and second are now pulling away from third, an they finish the first lap, 

over the line and a bonnet starts flapping or a black flag will get waved, off down the hill and a large incident with bots and cars flying in all directions, but the does not hinder first and second, No, a large incident means a safety car, Brown gets punted due to a car malfunction, and two other cars all plough into the siding, Chadwick remains in third, with James still second, but the lead they have on the others will now be lost due to the safety car.

There will be a long delay as the Marshall's attempt to remove the three cars, and all the bits laying around and then rebuild some of the tyres, as the safety car continues Flasherman Finneran (what a great name) pulls off, and another car, #25,  with significant damage drives around, to the pits, the cars are all now bunched up behind the safety car, as the Marshall's continue to get the cars and safety wall sorted as quickly as possible.

The lights are off on the safety car and now onto lap 4, with Johnny Hadfield goes off, immediately, and NO, the safety car has stopped on track, with another car, pulling in front of the others just missing a huge accident, James is still second, and the racers are just ignoring the others and going for it, the race has been extended to nine laps, and back to the race leaders, with the top two now pulling away,a with the safety car just pulling on the side of the track, this will need to be investigated, the guys are really racing hard now, with Caroline's bonnet flapping well, into lap six and the cars are all starting to spread out a bit, hopefully there wont be anymore issues.

James is still right up close to Mitchel, but James is not giving anything away to him, third place is between three drivers, and they are banging each other to get past as Chadwick remains in third, great racing between these youngsters,, as they come to "Shell oils" James is getting closer, and a lunge will be on the cards, maybe at Lodge or Kinckerbrook, James is looking, and is closer than ever, the final lap in nearly over, and James is getting ready to go for a pass, but a small error means James stays too far back to get , with Mitchell 1st, James 2nd and Jamie Caroline 3rd, with James taking fastest lap too, what a great race, and a testament to the guts these youngster have.

Race two will be at the end of the day after the final BTCC race, unfortunately I will be unable to report that.

Subaru excels at Auto Express Driver Power survey

• Subaru dealer network ranked second out of 31 for overall customer satisfaction
• Focus on customer service results in a six-place improvement
• Subaru dealers ranked highly for helpfulness, quality of work and technical knowledge

Subaru UK’s dealer network has again scored highly in the 2013 Auto Express Driver Power survey, further improving its ranking in the influential annual survey of 46,000 UK motorists’ satisfaction in their cars and dealerships.

The results were published in the July 31 issue of the popular weekly motoring magazine.

The 50-strong Subaru dealer network rose from an already creditable eighth place in 2012, up to second in 2013, beating all of its nearest rivals for motorists’ trust in their dealers, and only losing out on the top-spot to luxury car brand Lexus.

Motorists taking part in the survey rated Subaru dealers in particular for ‘helpfulness and attitude’, ‘standard of workmanship’, ‘value for money’ and ‘technical knowledge’.

Overall, 89.28 per cent of Subaru owners were satisfied in their dealer, with one reader explaining that their local dealer was “very courteous, always helpful and keenly priced.”  In Driver Power survey results published earlier in the year, Auto Express listed both the Subaru Legacy and Subaru Forester  in the top 100 most satisfying cars to own according to British motorists.

Steve Fowler, Editor-in-chief of Auto Express commented:  “When it comes to keeping customers satisfied, Subaru dealers certainly know what’s important. They may not have the flashy premises of some rivals, but it’s relationships that matter and Subaru customers really value theirs with their dealers.”

Paul Tunnicliffe, Managing Director of Subaru UK, said of the result: “This result – our highest ever in the Driver Power survey – is testament to the considerable time we've invested on assessing the performance of dealers in after sales care.  We survey every service customer in real time, and so are able to jump on problems before they become an issue.  This result proves the effectiveness of this programme.

“In addition we don’t focus on having expensive, fancy premises to enhance the customer experience; for us its about good technical knowledge and developing relationships with our customers.  A second-place ranking puts our dealers well ahead of many of the prestige car makers and all of the mainstream ones and is proof that the brand holds customer satisfaction close to its heart.”

Every Subaru model is sold with a five-year, 100,000-mile warranty and a 12-year manufacturer anti-corrosion warranty as standard, while all vehicles come equipped with a choice of efficient petrol and diesel Boxer engines and benefit from Subaru’s enviable record for build quality and durability.