october 23, 2009 06:27pm

Locals Set To Challenge For Rally Cross Superprix Honours

One of the country's biggest Rallycross meetings of the season takes place next weekend (October 31st/November 1st) when the Get Connected! SG Petch Rallycross Superprix roars into action at Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire.

Featuring some of the very best drivers from Europe taking on their British counterparts, well over 100 drivers will converge on the super-fast circuit over the two-day meeting which also includes the final round of the Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship.

Hot favourite to land his first Superprix title is local ace Kevin Procter, who has finished runner-up on a couple of occasions, and the popular Bedale driver is likely to have the huge and partisan local crowd behind him in his ex Jos Kuypers Division 1 Ford Focus.

However, Procter knows not only will he have stiff competition from the usual British opposition, but he faces a tough Scandinavian challenge too as part of an 18-car grid for the 4WD Superprix, as well as a driver making his rallycross debut.

Barnard Castle's 'Mad' Mark Watson will be looking to avenge a disastrous season in his Citroen Xsara and Newcastle's David Binks has shown good end of season form in his Mitsubishi Lancer whereas another local ace who can't be discounted is Tony Bardy, from nearby Scotch Corner, who will be at the wheel of double Superprix winner Christopher Evans' Opel Astra.
Norwegian Division 1 driver Camilla Antonsen becomes the first lady to race in the Superprix class and will be a threat in her Division 1 Ford Focus, as will Finland's Silvo Vitanen who impressed in his similar car last year.

But the driver who could spring an upset is Charlie Payne who has hired the Division 1 specification Jean Luc Pailler Peugeot 207 for his rallycross debut but the successful rally driver from Ripon will soon learn the ropes and is not scared to get involved!

The ROC title will be decided on Saturday between Andy Grant (Ford RS2000), Mike Manning (Ford Puma) and Steve Mundy (Ford Focus) before they do battle again on Sunday and throw in the likes of Andy Scott in the venerable Peugeot 306, Chris Langley (Ford RS2000) and Kyle Orr's Ford Focus, the scene is set for some scintillating action.

In the cracking 2WD Superprix, it really is anyone's game as the British contingent mix it up with a very strong continental challenge.

The fearsome Volvo S40s of Norwegians Stein Egil Jenssen and Ola Froshaug return to Croft looking for victory but there are a host of top UK drivers aiming to stop the crown returning back across the North Sea. SuperNational Champion, Jamie Lea will be in the mix in his Toyota MR2, as will the Lotus Exige of Ashley Simpson and it could well be the Volvo S40 of Ulsterman Don Shannon who tops the podium. Other notable names include Czech Republic competitor, Jiri Galuska in his Ford Fiesta, Belgian Filip Baelus (Volvo 242 Evo) as well as fellow countrymen Jef Mertens and Jelle Blockx at the wheel of their Opel Astras.

Polish drivers, Piotr Starobrat, Witold Starobrat and Lukasz Kabacinski will form a three car attack with their 2.5 litre BMW E36s but the likes of Brits Conor Flynn and Jonny Bean will have desires on finishing top 'Bee-Emm'. Tina Scott (Citroen C2) and Shelley Wakeling (Honda Civic) will hope to upstage the men but drivers like Stuart Emery and Dave Baines (Peugeot 306s), Bruce Bamber (Honda Civic) and Richard Moore (Ford Fiesta) will make it hard.

There is a full contingent of Minicross cars, including Ferryhill's David Bell, no less than twenty Stockhatch cars and a strong entry in the Revivals, Juniors and RX150 classes. Also making a welcome return to Croft is the unique Cartersport Rally Car Challenge with such drivers as Dave Craven and David Hughes (Mitsubishi) up against a dozen drivers, which include former rallycrossers Steve Heppenstall (Peugeot 205) and the Ford Escort Mk 2 of Dean Jones.

Most of the competitors will also race in the final round of the 2009 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship which takes place on the Saturday of the event, which also sees the opening heats for the Rallycross Superprix, in preparation for Sunday's action which is set to once again attract a bumper crowd.

The action commences at 9.30am on Saturday before the first heats at 11.00am and on Sunday, the first heats commence at 9.30am before the pit lane walk at 11.00am and racing recommencing from 12.30pm.

Ticket prices for the event are as follows: Saturday £10, Sunday £15 (£13 in advance), Weekend £20, Grandstand (Sunday only) £5. Prices are per adult and accompanied children 15 or under are admitted FREE and there is FREE car parking and FREE paddock access.

More information is available from Croft Circuit on 01325 721815 or www.croftcircuit.co.uk whereby advance tickets are available for a limited time only.

Further official information, timetables and entry lists etc are available at the official website www.rallycrosssuperprix.co.uk

The organisers are holding a media day ahead of the Superprix on Thursday October 29th between 1pm and 3pm at Croft Circuit whereby a total of five cars and drivers will be in attendance. So far, these include 'Mad' Mark Watson (Citroen Xsara), Charlie Payne (Peugeot 207) and Kevin Procter (Ford Focus). There will be opportunities for interviews, television footage and pictures and for further information, please contact Peter Stott on 07791 900770.

Picture attached (courtesy of Ian Hardy) 2008 Superprix runner-up Kevin Procter who will be one of the eighteen 4WD,500bhp plus Supercars in action at Croft's Rallycross Superprix next weekend.

october 21, 2009 03:50am

Mondial Assistance Wins Lamborghini Contract

Mondial Assistance has won a new roadside assistance contract with Automobili Lamborghini SpA. Mondial Assistance will be providing roadside assistance in a pan-European deal covering 38 countries.

The new agreement will see Mondial Assistance provide roadside assistance across all Lamborghini models. Technicians will be fully manufacturer-trained, ensuring Lamborghini owners benefit from the highest level of breakdown service.

Alessandro Farmeschi, Product Support and Market Manager for Automobili Lamborghini commented, "We are delighted to be working with Mondial Assistance as it shares our focus on providing a premium level of service. Its proven reputation and focus on quality was an essential element in forming our partnership, which means we will be able to deliver the quality of care at the roadside, that our customers have come to expect from the Lamborghini brand."

Lee Taylor, Sales Director - Automotive for Mondial Assistance, concludes, "This is an important and valuable win for Mondial Assistance and Lamborghini is the latest premium motor brand to join an already strong portfolio. Our longstanding reputation, combined with an ongoing focus on service quality means we are in the perfect position to help prestige brands offer their customers peace of mind across Europe and the UK. We look forward to working with Lamborghini to deliver a roadside assistance programme that adds value to the customer experience."

Mondial also provides roadside assistance contracts for other prestige brands including Maybach and Rolls-Royce.

october 20, 2009 06:07am

Haynes To Publish Full Story Of Brawn GP And Jenson Button

Haynes Publishing has announced today the planned publication of biographies of Formula 1 Champion Jenson Button and The Brawn Story - The man and the team that turned Formula 1 upside-down.

Both books will be rush released in hardback week commencing 19th November 2009.

For a team which was formed less than a year ago, Brawn GP has made the greatest impact on the world of Formula One of any team in the history of the championship. These remarkable stories of their meteoric rise to success are captured superbly in Jenson Button The World Champion's Story and The Brawn Story.

One of the most incredible stories in Formula One reached its climax on Sunday when Jenson Button and Brawn GP secured both the 2009 FIA Formula One Drivers and Constructors' title at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Racing driver Jenson Button has been driving in Formula 1 since his debut in 2000 with the Williams team. After 113 attempts he finally secured his first Grand Prix for Honda at the 2006 Hungary GP. But when Honda withdrew from the sport in December 2008, Button was left without a drive for the 2009 season.

The team faced oblivion, but their master on-track strategist, Ross Brawn, used all his tactical skills to put together a management buy-out and Honda became Brawn GP. The team worked feverishly to fit Mercedes engines into the car and, with very little time to test it, took it to the season's opener in Australia - and Jenson Button, their driver who'd waited a decade for a real chance, won like a champion. Button won five of the next six races too, and he and Brawn bestrode Formula 1 in a way never seen before.

october 18, 2009 01:29pm

The Car Shop Shifts Stock The Easy Way

The Car Shop, the UK's leading car supermarket, is the latest motor retailer to sign up to HPI's Driveaway product, providing its customers with the quickest and easiest buying experience. Driveaway offers customers free 7 day insurance cover, so they get behind the wheel as soon as possible and dealers gain a speedy sales process.

Jonathan Dunkley, Group Operation Director for The Car Shop, explains why Driveaway is such an integral part of their sales process, "The current climate means we have to pull out all the stops to maximise sales opportunities and bring added value to our customer's experience. Driveaway is helping our dealers do just that. After a customer has chosen a vehicle, they obviously want to take their vehicle home on the same day and Driveaway enables customers to take their vehicle home within an hour.

"Approximately 48% of our customers take up Driveaway, which is a clear indication of the positive results this product brings us. From a customer service point of view, it makes the collection process simpler as people are able to drive their vehicle home on the day of purchase. We secure deals and boost customer satisfaction, which has a direct impact on our profits. Our sales executives, collections agents and business managers all find Driveaway an invaluable asset, but most importantly our customers are thrilled to be able to drive their vehicle home on the day of purchase."

Once the purchase of a vehicle has been agreed, dealers simply provide customers with an offer leaflet showing them how to take up the seven days free insurance. The customer then rings the dedicated call centre to initiate cover. Dealers receive a cover note via email, allowing them to tax the vehicle. When the customer comes to collect the vehicle, dealers give them the cover note so they can drive off knowing they are fully covered.

Daniel Burgess, Director of Automotive at HPI, comments, "Driveaway makes the sales process quicker for dealers and customers alike, with no extra forms to fill out and no extra costs. The Car Shop has seen clear results from Driveaway, enhancing customer service and streamlining sales to help them seal that all-important deal.

"When times are tough, it's more important than ever to focus on the improving the customer experience and look at new ways to boost sales. Driveaway has been created to do just that, with more and more motor retailers like The Car Shop reaping the benefits."

october 09, 2009 11:17am

Pinewood Offers Online Licence Checking To Dealers With Launch Of Licence Link

Dealers can automatically check employee driving licences and manage resulting driver risk online thanks to a new product being offered by dealer management systems specialist Pinewood.

Licence Link was developed by Pinewood's sister company CFC Solutions for the fleet sector where it has proven to be a major success since its launch at the start of 2009.

Pinewood is now making it available because the risk management issues facing fleets also apply to dealers, with a legal onus on employees to regularly check licence validity.

Licence Link is designed to make this task as simple as possible. Once basic driving licence information is entered onto the system, dealer managers can choose how often automatic checks are made with the DVLA database - for example, annually for low mileage, low risk drivers or more frequently for high mileage, high risk employees.

Risk summary reports will automatically group drivers into different levels of risk group - for example, those with 1-3, 4-7, 8-12 and 12 plus points, and Licence Link can be set up so that those with higher numbers of points are checked more often.

Automatic alerts are sent to the dealer manager if the DVLA checks show changes to endorsements, the categories of vehicle that an employee is allowed to drive or if there are events such as disqualification or a photo card expiring.

The data sent to the DVLA is encrypted for security reasons. Pinewood recently attained the ISO27001 international data security accreditation, providing customers with a high degree of reassurance that all data it handles is as safe as possible.

Pinewood managing director Neville Briggs said: "Recent changes in corporate risk management, especially the arrival of the Corporate Manslaughter Act, have made the checking of licences an essential task for dealer managers but it remains one that can be onerous and difficult to manage, especially using a paper based system or spreadsheet.

"Licence Link provides a live, easy and cost effective way for dealer managers to automate the whole process, identifying drivers who represent a higher risk and, crucially, supporting dealers with an auditable trail of the checks made."

Further features in Licence Link include the ability to upload and store document scans against each driver record, such as an image of each driver's licence and driver declarations. These files are held online and encrypted securely.

Access to Licence Link is via a credit payment scheme. To run checks, a dealer buys credits in advance and as each licence check is made, the system displays the credits remaining, providing a constant balance reminder for the dealer manager.