Celebrating that winning feeling again!

, ,

Former BTCC race winner Gareth Howell celebrated that winning feeling again, as he shared a Geoff Steel Racing BMW GTR with Richard Marsh to clinch GTA honours at this last weekend’s GT Cup event @ Brands Hatch.

As #8 Gareth Howell said:
“It’s been great, as we’ve really been trying to get out there with a car that Richard has been building. We’re out there with Geoff [Steel], and I was pleased that we could come and take part as they know everything about that car. I really needed to get Richard out there for some laps as I’ve been helping him work on his technique, and the team have been brilliant. To come back from that shows what club racing is like – they don’t stop at all.”

And #8 Richard Marsh added:
“This is my first win at any level, let alone club level. My school days would have been the first time I won something and hadn’t won since! It’s been so hard; we’ve been working on the car and battling problems, because there’s no normal day in motorsport is there? It’s negative or absolutely epic, and we’ve had it negative for too long, so to finish this way is epic.”

Onwards and forwards chaps; the next GT Cup Championship action takes place at Donington Park over the weekend of 21/22 September and we’ll be there!!

Manic Months of April & May

, ,

Phew – finally got a weekend off this coming weekend after a few mad mad weeks that has taken us as far and wide as Brands Hatch, Donington Park, and Spa-Francorchamps as well as everywhere in between.

Mixed results throughout the various Championships …

First Britcar Endurance: a fab move from Sam Allpass as Class 4 at Silverstone in late April  and the first race which could have/should have/would have gone to Team Abba, but the understated stealth of Sam, in the Geoff Steel-run BMW M3 secured the win … only for him to crash out at Brands last time out.

And then there is the GT Cup with Del Shelton and Dave Shelton: a mental weekend at Snetterton! Problems with the car on Saturday 11th,  made for a very long day/nights work to get her ready for the Sunday. Thanks to the drivers for understanding that cars are mechanical things and can have issues (many drivers don’t!!), and big thanks to the Geoff Steel ‘support’ teamfor going into work on days off to sort the parts we needed, and a for the “relay race” to get the parts to us in the deepest depths of Norfolk, and to everyone for being there of us over the weekend and grafting their arses off!  All in all a trying weekend which gave us two 2nds in class which isn’t normally an achievement in our eyes but very welcome after such a bad Saturday.  Last of all a thanks to Hannah James (Wilson) and all at GT Cup for giving us The Team of the Weekend Trophy to reward our efforts – muchly appreciated!!!!

But what about Spa-Francorchamps this last weekend?  Wet & dismal – while you all had sunny weather in the UK – not fair! And as for the first race – who the hell starts a 1 hour race at 10.35pm on Saturday night??? Oh yea … us 😂 started dry, rained after 30 mins so a standard Spa pit stop for wets. Started 42, finished 18th!!! Not too shabby at all!

So roll on the June which sees us heading to Donington with Sam Allpass and Britcar Endurance, then onto Croft with the 750 Motorclub Enduro teams and then finishing up at Oulton Interntional, again with Sam and the Britcar guys.

Geoff Steel Racing never give up and it’s a great team effort!!!

(and now a few photos to take a look at!)

 

 

 

Britcar Dunlop Endurance Championship @ Silverstone International 30/3/19 – Race Report

Race 1 … Class 4 was the most numerous, and whilst the Invitation-entry Mercedes of Mark Murfitt and Michael Broadhurst took the win, some fraught racing culminated in a close finish for the points-paying places; lone-driver Sam Allpass, in the Geoff Steel-run BMW M3, after taking an early stop under the Safety Car, and despite a momentary lapse, was looking good to take the honours, but the Maximum Motorsport SEAT had been assertive all through the race, and Stewart Lines, having taken over from Ollie Jackson, wasn’t seeing failure as an option.  It happened on the very last lap, and under as a second separated the green and white SEAT and the works-liveried BMW  at the flag.

Marcus Fothergill and Dave Benett, more comfortable in their new class, brought the Bespoke Racing Porsche home next up, ahead of Tim Docker’s Golf, Guy Colclough’s SEAT and Ash Woodman’s similar car, Woodman’s late-race charge causing Colclough to respond. Piers Reid was fifth in his Butler Motorsport-run BMW M3, while stable mate Jasver Sapra was eighth in his “filing cabinet grey” liveried M3, the pair being split by the penalised Bentley/Clonis SEAT and the Team BRIT Aston Martin of Martyn Compton and Warren McKinlay, whilst teenage newcomer Moh Ritson was finding his feet in the senior league, expertly coached by Sarah Moore in the Tockwith Motorsport Ginetta G50 …

 

And Race 2 … The Invitation-entry Fox Motorsport Mercedes AMG of Mark Murfitt and Michael Broadhurst capitalised on a good starting position and kept out of the mayhem to take the Class 4 win again, but this time the points-scoring places were a little different – a strong opening stint by Sam Neary was complemented by a short but take-no-prisoners finisher by dad Richard, earned them the top class points, with lone drivers Tim Docker (VW Golf) and Sam Allpass  (BMW M3) next up.

It’s competitive in Class 4 now – Guy Colclough and Max Coates followed in the DAT Racing SEAT , with Sarah Moore/Moh Ritson’s Ginetta G50, the SEATs of Lines/Taylor and Woodman/Byford, and the Porsche 911  of Dave Benett and Marcus Fothergill all scrabbling for a result, and the valiant Team BRIT squad of Martyn Compton and Warren McKinlay making the finish despite early gear selection problems in the Aston Martin …

 

Altogether this meeting had signified a new dawn for Britcar; new format, new competitors, new winners, and for all concerned, new challenges. We reconvene back at Silverstone in four weeks’ time.

 

(COURTESY OF STEVE WOOD)

 

Click on the attached to see the Current Standings as at 5th April 2019:

2019 Dunlop Endurance Championship 2019 after Round 1 – POINTS BY CLASS as at 050419

 

2019 Dunlop Endurance Championship 2019 after Round 1 – POINTS OVERALL as at 050419

 

 

Busy Month ahead!!

Looks like we have a busy month ahead of us at Geoff Steel Racing:

Friday 5th April:                       First drive of “Tango” for new GSR driver Richard Bacon at Donington Park

Thursday 11th April:               Test day for Del Shelton at Donington ahead of the first GT Cup race weekend

Sat/Sun 13/14th April:           GT Cup at Donington with Del Shelton in the BMW E36 Supertourer-white 4 door

Monday 22nd April:                Club Enduro at Donington Park with:

  • Julian McBride BMW E46 M3
  • Nik Grove/Carlo Turner BMW 1 series “Storming Camel”
  • Richard Bacon BMW E36 M3 “Tango” (subject to availability-on reserve list)

 

 

Silverstone International; Britcar – March 2019

Britcar Round 1 @ Silverstone International; 2x 1 hour races with Sam Allpass driving ‘Pearl’

After qualifying 11th in class it wasn’t a great start to the day, but an early safety car in race 1 played right into our hands – this allowed us to complete the mandatory stop without losing a lap!! After everyone else completed their pit stops we were in the lead!! A slight mishap saw our car collide with another breaking the left front suspension which hindered Sam’s lap times but he managed to get to the end of the race, although being caught on the last corner of the last lap and finishing 2nd by 8 tenths of a second.

Race 2 saw us line up 2nd in class but we couldn’t hold off the Neary V8 GTR which ploughed through the field took the class win, leaving us to finish 3rd. The car ran faultlessly in both 1 hour races and we look forward to returning to Silverstone on 27th April to attack the full GP circuit!!

Fabulous Charity Track Day Raises Over £800 for Team Verrico!

A fantastic day of fund raising at Cadwell Park on Saturday with more than £800 being raised – thank you to everyone that bid, huge smiles all aroun!

Geoff and Will did an incredible job getting everyone on the circuit AND the sun shone down all day!

Humbled at the generosity of our bidders and the greatness of Team Verrico!

Huge success all round 💗

Bid to take part in an amazing Geoff Steel Charity Track Day

Bid to take part in an amazing day with Geoff Steel taking you on an unforgettable track ride, all in support of our favourite local Cancer charity ‘Team Verrico’ on the 23rd of March 2019.

Geoff Steel Racing will bring out their iconic BMW E30 M3, which won many titles including the ‘Modified Saloon Car Championship’.

It will be driven by Geoff Steel himself, so you can experience the exhilaration of the track with a master behind the wheel.

Read full details at classicclassics.co.uk