Posted on 6th October 2016 by Track Group

Two Cars for Creventic 24 Hours of Dubai

track-club – the motorsport division of track-group have confirmed their first multiple car attempt on the Dubai 24 Hours in January 2017. Experienced GT Professional Jamie Stanley will lead the attack on the SP3 Class in the track-club Lotus Evora GT4 which has been modified to suit the demands of both Endurance racing and the SP3 Class Regulations – joining Jamie will be three other experienced Lotus racers – Glenn Sherwood, former Lotus Cup Champion Adam Knight and Lotus Cup and Caterham race winner Adam Balon.

The Cambridgeshire based team are also running an A3 class Seat Leon Supercopa also with an experienced line up comprising of Simon Atkinson, Bob Drummond, Stuart Ratcliff and Marcus Jewell. The Seat finished 5th in the Silverstone 24 Hours and the team whilst light on 24 hour experience have their sights set on a podium.

The Supercopa on the way to a 5th place finish in the 2016 Silverstone 24 Hours

track-club Team Principal Stephen Docherty reflected that endurance racing whilst expensive offers drivers better value in terms of seat time and means that drivers need to bring more than just pace; Stephen said “good club and semi professional drivers now want more than just a few 20 minute races spread over a weekend and they also recognise that they can contribute fully to a team not just through sheer pace but through consistency, teamwork and being able to focus on the bigger picture – I don’t want 4 young hot shots for a 24 hour race if they all want to compete with each other for bragging rights – I want 4 level headed consistent drivers that wont make mistakes!”

“track-club took the chequered flag in Dubai in 2016 but were outpaced by the Ginetta Supercup cars, the Evora has been upgraded since then and we’re going for the win in 2017” added Jamie Stanley

The track-club Endurance team in Barcelona

The team is planning a full campaign in the Creventic run 24H series in 2017 and will have options in the Lotus Evora and also in the TCR Class while the team are also evaluating a Porsche 991 Carrera Cup Car in Endurance spec.

Interested drivers should contact Stephen@track-group.com to discuss options for the 2017 season including a 24 Hour race at the Circuit of the Americas, the US Grand Prix Venue.

Posted on 6th October 20166th October 2016 by Track Group

track-group to offer finance options on motorsport components

track-group Ltd has successfully achieved FCA compliance and teamed up with Pay4Later and Close Brothers to be able to offer retail finance on its range of motorsport parts. We believe this is the first time that customers will be able to spread the cost of the race engine over the course of a season or even longer.

Engines, electronics and safety equipment are getting ever more expensive even at club level and with high end video and data systems, engine control and other electronics representing a significant investment for competitors over several years of racing we think that this will be a significant benefit to customers who want to invest in quality. Virtually all products ont he track-group website including engines and high end race electronics are now available on low or zero rate interest over 12 – 36 months.

track-group see many customers who understand that putting the right quality component on a car can have significant benefits in terms of both performance and reliability but often drivers are forced to compromise due to budget restrictions which in turn compromises performance an d reliability. If we can help spread the costs of these items and low or sometimes non existent interest rates it will allow drivers with more modest budgets to compete on a more level playing field with the big spenders in a series.

track-group represent a number of premium motorsport brands and we focus on only supplying what we use on our own vehicles – these premium brands can be a difficult to justify luxury for some customers who compromise their reliability and performance according to budget. track-group can help avoid those compromises.

As well as premium brands like Racelogic and ATL track-group will also offer their own engine and gearbox build services and even bespoke wiring loom and electronic systems design.

Premium motorsport brands looking for quality and pro-active dealer support can also contact track-group MD Stephen Docherty via Stephen@track-group.com if they think their brand can benefit from an association with track-group.

www.track-group.com

Posted on 9th November 2015 by Track Group

Race of Remembrance 1000km – track-club Victory and Class 1-2

In pretty shocking conditions at Anglesey even by Novembers usually fairly harsh standards the track-club run Lotus Exige V6 Cup R of Bob Drummond, Rob Myers and Adam McKay took a convincing victory in the 9 hour endurance race that is set to become one of the club calendars classic races.

With a full 45 car grid on the Anglesey International Circuit and a 3 hour night race into parc ferme followed by a 9am restart and the unique pause for the moving Remembrance Sunday service this really was a special race.

track-club ran in class F, the top class for professional and semi professional entries which was evident with the presence of some high level professional drivers including ex Touring Car ace Tom Onslow-Cole in the KPM Golf which won last year and current Touring car ace Jack Goff in the SW Lotus run Exige.

With two Exige V6 Cup R entries and the quick Lotus 2-Eleven being handed over from father to son (Ken Savage bowed out of Lotus Cup UK this year and the car will be raced by son Ryan in 2016) there was always likely to be a track-club car on the podium and this years stand out Lotus Cup UK Discover Alex Reed soon put the marker down with a dominant pole position.

Sadly, this wasn’t to be his race and a flawless 2015 run with zero retirements and a trophy at every round came to a halt courtesy of the worlds slowest fire service with a drive belt failing and taking out an oil line causing a fire just 100 yards from the pit entry.

Snapping on his heels in any case were the Golf, the Honda factory run Civic and the SW Lotus not to mention subsequent star of the race Scottish Formula Ford Champion Adam McKay.

McKay was in the other track-club V6 Cup R alongside new driver Bob Drummond competing in only his second race and former Elise Trophy driver Rob Myers.

Left right -Rob Myers, Bob Drummond, Adam McKay. Behind the stunning navy blue number 63 Lotus Exige V6 Cup R

Despite a strong challenge from the Savage 2-Eleven and the other class F entries the pace advantage of the V6 was able to overcome the fuel disadvantage that the car had by making clever use of the safety car periods to minimise the downside of the thirsty V6 engine and the normal 55 minute running time was stretched by the wet weather conditions that at times were horrific and ultimately led to the race being declared run around 45 minutes before it should have ended by which time the number 63 Exige had built a 3 lap lead. All three drivers played their part with strong stints from each in the dark and a stunning group of laps from Adam when the race restarted to reel in the 2-Eleven and take the overall lead which the team then never lost.

Ken and Ryan Savage finished 4th overall and 2nd in the Lotus Cup Class which was a great achievement for Ryan who was racing his 2016 mount for the Lotus Cup UK Championship. In shocking conditions and managing a supercharger issue for the last three hours Ryan put in a near 2 hour stint in horrific conditions in the open top Lotus.

We should not forget the reason behind this race and why we were all there please take a moment to visit these sites and find a way to support the racing and reason behind the racing. Yes, we won the race, one of our cars paid a fairly high price for trying but it’s nothing like the price that some of the guys on the grid paid doing their job for their country. It was an honour to be with them for this weekend.

http://www.missionmotorsport.org

http://raceofremembrance.com/index.html

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them………………

Posted on 15th September 2015 by Track Group

Alex Reed Wins at Silverstone – heads a track-club 1-2-3

Alex Reed took victory in the 7th round of Lotus Cup UK on the Silverstone GP Circuit on Saturday 12th September. He converted his third consecutive pole position in the track-club run Lotus Exige V6 Cup R to a dominant victory surviving a first corner drama all around him and taking fastest lap along the way.

Left to right - runner up Adam Knight, winner Alex Reed and third place Marcus Jewell - track-club 1-2-3 — Left to right – runner up Adam Knight, winner Alex Reed and third place Marcus Jewell – track-club 1-2-3

Reed won from Adam Knight also in an Exige V6 and Marcus Jewell in the Lotus 2-Eleven completing a track-club 1-2-3.

Championship leader Ken Savage was 4th surviving initial contact with Adam Gore and Adam Knight and doing a solid job with a compromised car suffering side panel damage and restricted air flow.

Reed who is hoping to graduate to GT racing in 2016 dominated the weekend timing his pole run in changing conditions perfectly and managing a tyre issue towards the end of the race. He was delighted with his result. track-club’s Stephen Docherty commented “Alex seems to be driving better every time he gets in a car at the moment. He’s very focused, takes his driving seriously and is probably now the quickest driver on the grid. This is his first season full seasons racing and there’s a lot more to come from him”.

The series now moves on to the final round at Snetterton in October where the championship title will be decided.

Posted on 27th July 2015 by Track Group

track-group Lead 2015 Lotus Cup UK Championships

Ken Savage runs a track-club built & run Lotus 2-Eleven and currently leads the Lotus Cup UK Championship.

track-club drivers are currently leading both the Lotus Cup UK Supersport Championship and Lotus Cup UK Production Championship in a strong year for the team. track-club drivers have won the overall title twice with Steve Train in 2012 and Adam Knight in 2014 – the team aren’t taking anything for granted however and whilst they lead the championship in 2015 there are three races remaining and every championship to date has gone down to the last race – often the last few laps of the last race!!

After a stunning 1-2-3-4 at Spa Francorchamps headed by a race win for the 2014 Champion Adam Knight the championship lead remains with Ken Savage in the newly built for 2015 Lotus 2-eleven. Knights victory is thesecond overall win for track-club drivers this year following the Donington victory for championship rival Alex Reed.

Adam Knights Lotus Exige V6 Cup R - the 2014 Champion — Adam Knights Lotus Exige V6 Cup R – the 2014 Champion

In the Production Championship track-clubs Stuart Ratcliff in his third season with the team leads along with co-driver Anthony Dunn in their Lotus Elise 111R.

Ratcliff & Dunn have had to fight hard for their points with a start from the pit lane enforced at Oulton Park and a fight through the field after contact early on at Spa where they were also compromised by the timing of the safety car.

Elise 111R of Stuart Ratcliff and Anthony Dunn

With three 60 minute races remaining and a dropped score to be taken into account both championships are very tight. The next round is at Brands Hatch on the Grand Prix circuit as part of the Lotus Festival on the 15th & 16th July. Given that there is a British GT4 test for the Supersport Winner and a Lotus Cup Supersport Test for the Production winner all the competitors are highly motivated to maintain reliability and results.

Posted on 2nd November 2012 by Track Group

track-club win the 2012 Lotus Cup UK Supersport Championship

Steve Train running a track-club motorsport prepared and run Lotus 2-Eleven took the Overall Lotus Cup UK Championship with a stunning drive at Snetterton overcoming being pushed off the track and into the wall by another driver. At one point Steve was last on the road after being pushed off but a determined (and perhaps a little angry) drive combined with excellent pit work saw him fight back into the class lead.

The race topped of an outstanding season where Steve was one of only two drivers who’s car completed every race but the dropped score championship rules meant that whilst other drivers dropped zero scores Steve would have to ‘throw away’ 21 points.

Championship rival Simon Deacon retired with gearbox failure early in the race leaving the title straight fight between Steve, Tom Chatterway and Glen Sherwood.

Steve’s race engineer Simon Wilkins kept the championship positions from Steve during the race and gave him minimal information over the radio despite the team knowing the actual positions as the race unfolded. In very slippery conditions Steve lapped consistently faster than the other 2-Elevens benefiting from a set up day the week prior to the championship decider.

track-group Director Stephen Docherty said that “Steve deserved the title, he’s worked hard on his driving both on and off track, Simon has done a great job making sure the car was competitive and reliable and the team have been fantastic all season.”

Steve himself thanked all of the track-club team acknowledging that it was a real team effort to take the title and emphasised that he will be back to defend his title in 2013.

Posted on 9th August 2012 by Track Group

August 2012 – ATL Dry Break Refuelling for Lotus

track-group release new ATL Dry break refuelling systems for Lotus Elise, Exige and Lotus 2-Eleven.

In conjunction with Aero Tec Laboratories Ltd (ATL) track-group have developed a bespoke ‘plug & play’ system that is an easy fit for the popular Lotus track day and race cars. ATL’s record speaks for itself being a supplier of safety fuel bladder tanks to the motorsport market for over 40 years. Having exclusively supplied the entire Formula One grid for nearly two decades, ATL is now firmly established as the market leader and their systems are on every Formula 1, DTM and BTCC race cars.

The Lotus system is modular and can include a complete system comprising of ATL 70 litre safety cell, car mounted female dry break fitting and Staubli vent valve and a 28 litre refuelling bottle capable of dropping fuel into the car at over 4 litres per second.

The system can be used in conjunction with a normal filler system as well for those who want to refuel normally on some occasions.

This race proven system has already helped a number of drivers to impressive results in Lotus Cup UK including victories in the Lotus 2-Eleven class for Marcus Jewell and Steve Train.

The 2-Eleven system comprises of the same Staubli vent system with a bespoke aluminium panel supporting a 2” female dry break valve replacing the standard filler next with a one piece specially manufactured fluorosilicone lined hose.

Systems start from just £895 and they are available from track-group Ltd and Eliseparts.com.

track-group are the leading track and race car hire organisation in the UK, their track-club motorsport arm and track-powertrain engine division bringing professional motorsport capability to the club and semi-professional race market. track-group specialise in Lotus and Aston Martin track and race preparation and they are proven race winners in every category of racing they have entered. track-group also represent a number of key motorsport brands including Performance Friction, Motul Oils, ATL refuelling equipment and HKS Performance parts as well as proving engine build and test services to the highest levels of motorsport. For information on track day or race car hire, engine and engine electronics services or track and race preparation and support visit www.track-group.com or e-mail your enquiry to info@track-group.com

Posted on 30th July 2012 by Track Group

July 2012 – First Aston Martin GT4 win for track-club at Brands Hatch

Bolaji Odunsi took a great if unexpected victory in the track-club run Aston martin Vantage GT4 at a very wet Brands Hatch GP Circuit. A great qualifying performance in the dry put Bolaji P3 on the grid and looking forward to the 60 minute race the following day.

By the time the race came around the day had been mainly wet and despite a drying line in the preceding Formula 3 race the team opted to play safe and stick to wets for the start of the race with the knowledge that the pit window opened after 15 minutes.

This decision was justified by a downpour on the green flag lap and as the race started Bolaji slipped to P4 behind a car that he was clearly able to lap faster than but just couldn’t find a way past. This allowed the leader to open up a significant gap and Olivier Bouche in the lead #22 car did just that.

With Bolaji losing time to the leaders the team elected for an earlier stop that scheduled in the race plan which with the benefit of a timely safety car and problems for the second place car allowed Bolaji out into clear track just in front of the #7 car that he had previously been stuck behind. Now with a clear track Bolaji eased away and set about catching the not quick so quick Mantello who had taken over from Olivier Bouche in the Stratton #22 machine.

In a nail-biting race to the end Bolaji got within 0.5s of Mantello at the chequered flag but the Stratton Motorsport driver was cruelly stripped of the win by the stewards for an infringement when he made contact with another car when re-joining the track after a spin resulting in the race being awarded to Bolaji – not the way he wanted to win his first Aston Martin race but well deserved after an excellent drive!

Posted on 18th August 2011 by Track Group

Donington Park – Savage Maintains Lead in Lotus Cup UK Championship

Ken Savage drove an excellent race at Donington holding off spirited opposition from a number of drivers and capitalising on a smooth well timed pit stop to maintain his lead in the UK based series for Lotus cars.

Steve Quicks Toyota powered S2 was always likely to have the advantage on the fast flowing Donington circuit and this proved to be the case with the Norwich driver not putting a foot wrong in the 60 minutes on circuit.

Savage was told over the radio to hold second place and not to risk the car or a points finish and he drove well holding off Andy Napier and John Lamaster to take a podium and hold on to the championship lead.

Notes:
Ken Savage runs a track-powertrain build Rover k Series to Elise Trophy regulations with Performance Friction brakes and Quantum dampers. For more information on racing the Elise Trophy series, Lotus Cup UK or Europe or simply trying out an Elise Trophy car please contact Stephen at track-group via info@track-group.com or call 01480 860 707.

Posted on 18th August 2011 by Track Group

track-club driver wins Lotus Cup UK at Brands Hatch

track-club race team member Ken Savage extended his lead in the Lotus Cup UK Championship with a dominant victory in the Brands Hatch GP event in July. After a disappointing end to the Lotus Elise Trophy race where he was “punted” out of the lead with a few laps to go Ken drover superbly in the feature race to extend his lead in the championship.

Two other track-club drivers made up the podium with Dan Plant taking a well deserved second followed by Nigel Ayres taking the final podium slot.

Notes:
Ken Savage runs a track-powertrain build Rover k Series to Elise Trophy regulations with Performance Friction brakes and Quantum dampers. For more information on racing the Elise Trophy series, Lotus Cup UK or Europe or simply trying out an Elise Trophy car please contact Stephen at track-group via info@track-group.com or call 01480 860 707.