Rounds 5 & 6 – British Superkart Championship – 

Darley Moor Circuit

RG RACING FIGHT AT THE FRONT AT DARLEY

The RG Racing duo of Gary James and Ben Willshire arrived at Darley Moor last weekend for rounds 5&6 of the British Championship. With soaring temperatures and a team member down (Get Well soon Doug!) the team were expecting a tough and manic day but all seemed to fall into place as practice began.

The 125 Open category, in which both James and Willshire compete, would be contested over 1 timed practice session followed by two 10 lap races around the fast Darley Moor circuit.  Timed practice would determine grid positions for race 1 and the race 2 grid would be determined by the race one results so consistency on the day would be critical if James and Willshire were to score valuable championship points.

Willshire appeared to be straight on the pace in qualifying, remaining 2^nd for most of the session behind championship leader Danny Edwards, until local driver Danny Butler pipped him to 3^rd in the closing stages of the 15min timed session.  James struggled for pace as his ongoing clutch problem returned but nonetheless he qualified 8^th on the grid for Race 1.

So, Race 1 would see Edwards, Butler and Willshire line up on Row 1 with Ian Reid and joint championship leader, Lee Morgan, starting on Row 2. Louise Colin, also a joint championship leader, suffered engine problems and would start from the rear of the grid.

As Edwards rounded the warm up lap and the flag dropped Willshire’s kart struggled to get off the line with an attempt at starting in 2nd gear (rolling start). Willshire was down to 6^th position at the end of lap one with James following in 8^th. It soon became apparent that Willshire had the pace to fight back and did so with a convincing out braking manoeuvre at Turn 2 on Irishman, Ian Gilpin. Later that lap Willshire got a clean exit from the 1^st gear hairpin and tucked into the slip stream of Morgan down the 120mph back straight. The two drivers were side by side into the last turn but Willshire took the inside line under braking and was back into a comfortable 4^th position and catching the leaders.  James had also made progress comfortably pulling a gap on John Hutton to take 8^th place, despite his clutch problems  also causing him to make a poor start. 

Lee Morgan # 0, Ben Willshire # 5 & Louise Colin # 4

Race 2 would see Willshire start on row 2 in 4^th position and James in 8^th. Willshire had learnt from his race 1 start and made an excellent getaway from the line, propelling himself into 3^rd and chasing Butler and Edwards to Turn 2. As the pack rounded lap 1 local driver, Ian Reid, made a late but clean overtaking move on Willshire to regain 3^rd place. This caused Willshire to be slightly slower out of the hairpin and onto the straight and allowed Morgan to capitalise on Willshire’s lost momentum.  Meanwhile James had a scary moment on lap two, with a lock up into the 110mph approach to the hairpin but managed to recover and began pulling a constant gap on Hutton to secure 9^th position at the line. Willshire continued to keep with the pace of the leaders was part of an exciting race, with the top 5 separated by 6 seconds .  Edwards took the win over Morgan by 0.006 seconds with Reid 2.7 seconds behind in 3^rd. Butler and Willshire had a close dice on the last two laps, with Willshire attempting to pass on the final turn of the final lap but it was not to be; Willshire had to settle for 5^th crossing the line 0.3 seconds behind Butler.

It should be noted that the top 5 drivers were all lapping in the 1min 2 second lap times throughout the race. Last year at this event only one driver achieved these lap times and that was from 3 times British champion, Paul Platt. RG Racing congratulates Edwards, Morgan, Reid, Bulter, Willshire and Colin on making such progress since last year and providing an excellent Race 2 for all of the spectators.

RG Racing now head to Cadwell Park for the biggest Karting event of the year; the British Kart GP. Here they will fight for more championship points and the famous GP prize on the weekend of July 18^th and 19th.  Willshire heads to Cadwell lying 4^th in the British Championships with James just shy of the top 10 in 12^th place.

Rounds 3 & 4, Snetterton, May 25th 2009.

Ben Willshire was looking to capitalise on his two third place finishes at Anglesey and gain some more valuable championship points as the RG Racing team travelled to Snetterton, Norfolk for Round 2 of the British Championship.

Qualifying was tough with Willshire having to learn the circuit whilst pushing for a fast lap time. He eventually qualified in 7th position with a 1min 18.15 lap time (89mph average speed). With championship rivals ahead, Willshire knew he would have to push hard in Race 1 to try and regain some places.

When the lights went out for Race 1 Willshire made a good get away from the line following the former Isle of Man GP winner, Jason Kitchen through the fast right hander of Ritchies corner. Towards the end of lap1 Danny Butler took an unexpected visit to the grass as the field rounded Corum Curve for the first time, showing that the hot weather and motorcycle rubber was having a detrimental effect on grip for the Superkart drivers. Willshire was now up to 6th. The 125ICC outfits of Lloyd Skrivens and Gary Needham were now following in close pursuit, taking a ‘tow’ from Willshire on the long straights of the Snetterton circuit, affecting the aerodynamics of Willshire’s kart and loosing him valuable time. But it was not all over as at ¾ distance Kitchen’s kart slowed at the end of Revvet straight, allowing Willshire through to 5th with Kitchen left to watch from the sidelines. The race leaders were now in sight but too far for Willshire to catch, with him eventually crossing the line in 5th place, 3 seconds shy of number 3 outfit, Danny Edwards.

Willshire would start race 2 from 5th spot and made a clean getaway, surrounded by plenty of ICC karts fighting for the coveted UK Cup ‘O’ plate.

As Willshire approached turn 2, Sears corner, the field bunched with some karts making contact. Willshire had to take evasive action and as a result lost critical momentum onto the following 700m Revvet straight. This allowed Danny Butler to take advantage and Willshire was down to 6th but still on the tail of the leading pack. As the race progressed Willshire hung onto the tail end of the leading pack but Jason Kitchen was on a charge, fighting from the back of the grid, eventually demoting Willshire to 7th at the line as Kitchen stormed through to 3rd place.

Willshire leaves Snetterton upbeat and takes away more valuable championship points. (final standings' yet to be released). This seasons 125 championship is looking as open as ever after 4 rounds, with the top 6 driver's barely separable. Only a brave man would bet on the winner at Rounds 5 and 6 at Darley Moor in June.

RG Racing began their British Superkart Championship campaign this weekend on the Anglesey Coastal Circuit in North Wales. Basingstoke based driver, Ben Willshire, represented the team in his Anderson/SGM outfit, looking to improve on last seasons 5th place finish in the series.

It soon became evident that Willshire had the pace to contend at the front when he posted a time of 1min 11.87s, to take 3rd spot on the grid behind Louise Colin and former British ICC champion, Danny Edwards. Incidentally this time would have qualified Willshire in 9th position in the 250cc race from a 23 kart field! 

A heavy down poor just before Race 1 meant the grid would be starting on wet tyres but the track was soon starting to dry thanks to the coastal breeze over the undulating Anglesey circuit. Willshire made a good start, taking to the outside of Turn 1 and manoeuvring his way into 2nd by at the Turn 2 hairpin but it was not to last long as Danny Edwards regained his position coming out of the banked hairpin and onto the fast section of circuit leading to Church corner. Edwards and Colin then began to pull a gap on Willshire as the whole field began to struggle for grip from the wet weather tyres on a now completely dry circuit. Willshire eventually crossed the line in a solid 3rd place some 14 seconds behind Edwards and Colin but with a comfortable 4 second lead over Lee Morgan in 4th.

Race 2 didn't offer any confusion over tyre choice. The track had now dried completely but Willshire's start was not the best. He dived for a gap between Colin and Edwards off the line but was squeezed and had to ease off the throttle allowing several drivers to take advantage. Willshire now found himself in 10th position with some work to do. By the end of lap 2 Willshire had disposed of Martyn Turner to take 9th and was on a charge to regain his lost positions. Chris Needham was next on Willshire's list and by lap 4 he was up into 8th and following closely behind Ian Ried, Jason Kitchen and Daniel Butler. With Kitchen running wide at Rocket hairpin, Willshire was soon in 7th and as they rounded Peel corner for the 5th time Willshire saw his chance to pass Butler and got a run on him through the fast downhill section of circuit. Willshire was able to find the confidence and grip to make the move stick and took to the outside of Butler into the corkscrew to take 6th position. With James Irvine having mechanical problems and Ian Ried disposed of, Willshire was now in 4th and closing in on Race 1 winner Danny Edwards who he managed to pass on the start of the last lap and take home a well deserved 3rd place finish. 

New partners for 2009

The team has two new partners that are assisting the team in 2009.

System Store Solutions 

System Store Solutions specialists in the total design, layout and installation of race and rally workshops and road transporters, as well as providing a range of innovative storage products designed specifically for the motor racing fraternity.

The company is the exclusive UK distributor of the Fami storage, workshop and transportation systems product range.

Its success is founded on the expertise of its consultants and based on project management, consultation and technical advice. www.system-store.co.uk 

Weatherweave Awnings

Weatherweave, manufacturers of specialist awnings and trailer covers has grown to become one of the biggest and most helpful companies.

We produce all sizes of awning used on any vehicle from vans, trucks, motorhomes, artic trucks and even car transporter trailers.  http://www.weatherweave.co.uk/body.html 

First Win of 2009

RG Racing has started the season on a high. The team were racing at Mallory Park on 22nd March. The meeting was a championship round for one of the other classes (125 masters challenge) . The team used the event as a shake down.

In qualifying Ben Willshire was 5th quickest. He was up against 250 cc 210cc and other 125 Superkart's.  Only 4 top 250 drivers were in front with several more 250's behind. 

Race 1 - Ben elected to start at position 8 (the back of the masters class) so not to upset the championship. At the start Ben made some ground and by the end of the first lap he was working his was through the pack. By the end of the race Ben was in second over the line. The team made some changes to his Superkart to ensure he could improve on his lap times.

Race 2 - At the start Ben again started at the back of the Masters Challenge grid. As the light when to green the pack set of. In the next 3 laps it was very close but eventually broke the pack and started to pull away. By the end of the race Ben had managed to finish in 2nd again. 

The final points from both races gave him a win. This was good for the team moral and a sign we had gone in the right direction with the changes to the engine, exhaust and chassis. Our team tuner was please with the result.  

Winter Update

The team have been busy over the winter with appearances at:

• The Race Car Live show held at Brands Hatch. This was Televised and the team equipment was shown on Motors TV in December.

• Autosport International which was held at the NEC in January. The Team and one of its Superkart's was on the British Superkart Association Stand. The team were also able to meet some of the sponsors who also attend the show. Both NGK and Ferodo had large stands.

• National Schools Kart Championship. The team gave 2 demonstration runs to the school teams at the Blackbush circuit. It also give the team a change to run in the engine and try the new PFP exhaust.

SEASON FINALE IN SCOTLAND

Knockhill - Fife

18^th / 19^th OCTOBER 2008

The sixth, and last round, of the British Superkart Championship 2008 was held at Scotland ’s Knockhill circuit on October 18-19^th. RG Racing made the 8 hour journey to the event, where the Superkarts were in support of the Scottish Formula Ford Championship, the Mini Challenge, Legends Cup and Scottish Sports Car club. All races formed part of the regular Scottish Motorsport activities and the British Superkarts received a warm welcome along with coverage from Sky Television channel, Motors TV.

Heading to Knockhill, and with a successful last round at Darley Moor under his belt,  Ben Willshire of RG Racing was lying 7^th in the British championship standings but with plenty of points up for grabs in this triple header finale, Willshire was looking to capitalise on the opportunity of ending the season on a high. The driver’s standings were so close that Ben could leave Knockhill with a championship position of anywhere between 3^rd and 10^th ….and who said F1 was close!

Saturday was spent testing at the circuit and after 2 sessions Willshire was confident with the kart set up on the pace set by competitors. The team tested various tyre compounds and prepared a wet chassis set up for the ever predictable rainy conditions that would lie ahead.

As a surprise to all of the drivers and teams, the paddock awoke to dry weather on the morning of Race Day. The British Superkarts were first to take to the circuit for qualifying and after 7 consistent laps, Willshire set a time which would see him start Race 1 in 4^th position.

Race 1, fortunately, also remained dry which would provide an opportunity for some close, fast and exciting racing. That certainly was the case. A reasonable start from Ben saw him exit the 5^th gear,  downhill section of Seat Curve in 4^th place and settle into the race chasing leaders James Irvine, Danny Edwards and Louise Colin s. Former British Champion, Paul Platt , was making his charge from the rear of the grid having suffered mechanical problems in qualifying and was soon able to make a pass on Willshire but with James Irvine exiting the race early Ben still held onto his 4^th place. A 3 way battle then commenced for 4^th, 5^th and 6^th position between Willshire, Noel Lindsay and Martyn Turner . Lindsay eventually got the better of Willshire as the karts made the long climb up and over the start finish line to complete another lap but Ben managed to fend off a last lap attack from Martyn Turner to cross the line in 5^th position whilst also managing to dice with some of the 250cc karts in the process!  Paul Platt took the race one win and now had to win the remaining two races of the day to be crowned British Champion for the 3^rd time.

By the time Race 2 came the weather mans predictions had come true. 60mph winds and heavy rain were to make for an interesting race. Ben knew that to secure a good result for the season two race finishes were needed so having managed to get a good start, despite visibility being extremely poor, he settled into the race in 5^th position, following the 250 outfit of Tony Long. Willshire was lapping two seconds quicker than Lindsay and Turner who were following him, meaning Ben didn’t have to take any unnecessary risks. The Red flags were bought out after 80% race distance since the conditions were so poor, giving Willshire 4^th position after Louise Collins span out. Paul Platt took his second race win of the day and was getting closer to grabbing the title lead from James Irvine.

Race 3 saw similar conditions for the Superkarts. With Willshire starting in 4^th place ahead of Lindsay and Turner, he knew a solid finish was what was required of him. A good start saw Ben maintain his 4^th place position into Turn 1 but Colins made a good move on Willshire and Irvine into turn 2 to take 3^rd, leaving Ben in 5^th place, closely following James Irvine for several laps. Irvine and Willshire continued to set a good pace in poor conditions, stretching out 5 seconds per lap on 6^th and 7^th place drivers. Again, the red flags would mark the end of the race at 80% race distance following an incident which saw a 250cc kart collide with the pit wall on the main straight, after aquaplaning across the circuit. Willshire was classified 5^th at the end of the race which gave him 3^rd Overall on the day, with Paul Platt taking the win.

The season has been mixed for the RG Racing outfit of Ben Willshire with highs and lows but having looked back on the season Willshire had racked up 2 British championship podium finishes, 4^th in the coveted UK Cup and would leave Knockhill ranked 5^th in the British Championship.  “We have been making steady progress throughout the year with engine development work and we are now happy that we have the performance that we need to compete at the front. We’ve proven this in Ireland this year and today at Knockhill in the worst of conditions. Next year we will be starting from a good base and hope to continue our progress of success” concluded Ben Willshire.

RG Racing would like to thanks its partners for all their help during 2008 and look forward to working with them in 2009.  These include Apex Circuit Design Ltd, Castrol, Trimedia, Arco, Interactive Marketing, NGK, Ferodo and Demon Tweeks.

RG Racing will also continue to raise awareness for Naomi House and making donations throughout 2009.

Darley Moor Crash Bang

Rounds 9 & 10 British Superkart Championships - 

Darley Moor, 25th August 2008

The RG Racing outfits of Ben Willshire and Gary James were out competing in rounds 9 and 10 of the 125cc British Superkart Championships at Darley Moor, Derbyshire over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The event would see the British Superkart series support rounds of the Darley Moor motorcycle championships with a variety of motorcycles and sidecars in attendance.

Heading to Darley Moor for the first time, Willshire was placed 7th in the British championship and looking for a solid points finish to maintain or improve on his championship position. James was out to pick up some more championship points having missed the first six rounds of the championship and lying in only 16th place in the series.  The weather at Darley Moor is known to be unpredictable, so bearing in mind that it was an August Bank holiday, the team were prepared for the worst of the weather, and thankfully it did not come. The track stayed dry and qualifying on the 1.5.mile circuit was underway.

Timed practice resulted in Willshire qualifying 8th and Gary James , in 9th position for race 1. Both drivers reported potential areas for improvement on set up for the first race and the team worked on these with the assistance of Phil Featherstone of PFP Services and Bob Clowes of MOTIV to ensure the karts were ready.

The start of race 1 saw a clean getaway from the whole grid with the drivers managing to navigate their way through clouds of cement dust placed on the track surface to dry an oil spillage from an earlier motorcycle race. As the drivers exited the first corner (a fast sequence of S-bends) they headed into the first big braking zone where Willshire took a defensive inside line to maintain his position. He found himself exiting onto the back straight in 8th position which he maintained for the rest of the race despite suffering with minor engine problems. Gary James ran behind Willshire and put in some consistent lap times to bring the kart home in 9th place. A solid finish for both drivers but with plenty more speed still to come.

Race 2 saw plenty of action at the start of the race. As the drivers entered the first sequence of S-bends on lap 1 there was contact between several karts resulting in Noel Lindsay spinning in the middle of the circuit. Several drivers took evasive action and were lucky to narrowly miss the Irishman's kart but Ben Willshire had nowhere to turn and collided heavily with the stationary kart. Martyn Turner and Gary James were also caught up in the incident but fortunately all drivers escaped injury. The race was red flagged but unfortunately Lindsay and Turner were unable to take the re-start due to damage caused to their machines. Willshire was fortunate to sustain only a damaged side-pod and took the re-start in 8th place with James behind sporting tyre marks on the nosecone following earlier contact.

On the re-start of race 2 the pack were all safely through lap 1 and Willshire found himself lying in 7th position, with James running in 8th. Willshire's earlier engine misfire had been resolved and he was now putting in some quick lap times and started to gain on Ian Reid in 5th place and Louise Colin in 6th. On lap 6 Willshire was able to get a clean exit from the final corner and drive alongside Louise Colin and take the quicker inside line into the next sequence of corners, allowing him to safely take 6th place. Willshire managed to pull out a comfortable gap to hold 6th place until the finish with Gary James taking 8th .

Superkart GP Report

RG Racing were competing at the British Superkart Grand Prix over the weekend of the 19^th / 20^th of July. Both drivers Ben Willshire and Gary James were competing in the 125 Open class and hoping to continue the run of recent success.

Friday testing proved to be difficult with inconsistent weather conditions preventing the team from finding a basis for chassis and engine set up but valuable track time was gained with Ben Willshire running his new PFP tuned SGM engine.

Saturday morning saw the 125 open’s compete for grid positions in a very wet qualifying session. Gary James struggled with kart set up and as a result would start the heat races from 17^th on the grid but confident of making good progress from the rear of the pack. Willshire qualified in 8^th position with a time of 1min 48, closely behind Danny Edwards and Louise Collins.

The races contested on the Saturday were run as rounds 7 & 8 of the British Superkart Championship as well as qualifying races for the Sundays MSA British Kart GP. Race one saw bad luck strike for Willshire as he suffered mechanical problems on lap 1 of the race, resulting in a retirement from the race. Gary James , however, made good progress in the dry weather and fought to from the rear of the grid to take 11^th position. Race 2 saw opposing results with a retirement from Gary James and a 10^th place finish for Ben Willshire . The results from Saturday would see the RG racing drivers pair up side by side on the grid for the MSA British GP Pre-Final the next day with Willshire starting 13^th and James lining up 14^th.

With engine failure during the Sunday morning free practice, RG Racing’s engineer, Doug Mercer , had his work cut out but did a fantastic job to ensure James could line up for the pre-final grid. The RG racing driver’s rewarded the team’s efforts, with both drivers bringing their karts home safely. Willshire, after a close battle with Jason kitchen finished the race, and qualified for the GP final, in 11^th with Gary James in 12^th.

So, Sunday afternoon saw the start of a dry MSA British Superkart GP with the RG racing drivers lining up side by side, again. Willshire dropped a few places away from the line and after lap one was fighting for 13^th position with Gary James also bunched in the mid pack.

Willshire continued to battle with the pack and after an immensely close race, swapping positions lap after lap, with Lee Smith and Mark Hinchcliffe he crossed the line on lap 12 in 10^th position, with less than 0.2 seconds separating himself and Lee Smith, who snatched 9th place exiting Barn corner on the last lap! Gary James drove a quieter race but managed to put in some consistent laps early on in the race and found himself in a comfortable 13^th place at the end of the race.

Despite Willshire loosing valuable championship points during the Saturday championship races he sees himself lying 7^th overall in the British Championship with 4 rounds remaining.

James took a solid result from the GP and continues to move forward with the set up and performance of his new Pavesi powered machine this season. 

The team drivers will next be competing at rounds 9 & 10 of the British Superkart Championship at Darley Moor on the bank holiday weekend of August 25^th/26^th.

RG Racing would like to thank its team sponsors: Apex Circuit Design Ltd, ARCO, Trimedia, Ferodo, Demon Tweeks, NGK Spark Plugs, and Sign-Rite of Basingstoke.

Luck of the Irish brings RG Racing a podium finish  

Round 5 & 6 – British Long Circuit Kart Championship & UK Cup. Bishopscourt , Northern Ireland .

With sunshine ordered for the weekend the English racers of the British Superkart Championship travelled to Bishopscourt, Northern Ireland to challenge plenty of local Irish drivers for the coveted UK Cup ‘0’ plate and rounds 5 and 6 of the British Superkart Championships. RG Racing arrived with driver Ben Willshire to compete in the 125 Open category, with much needed points at stake after a disappointing start to the season.

Untimed practice on Friday afternoon saw Ben well on the pace of the field but small mechanical problems limited his track time on the very fast and bumpy circuit. However, qualifying on Saturday morning saw Ben put in some consistently quick lap times to place himself 5^th on the grid for Race 1 with a lap time of 1:15.8s

A quick move off the start line in Race 1 enabled Willshire to maintain his 5^th place into the 115mph turn 1. Local driver, Justin Doherty, suffered a spectacular engine failure into Turn 2 causing his kart to spin across the circuit. Fortunately, all the drivers managed to avoid Doherty’s spinning kart and Willshire managed to emerge after lap 1 in 4^th place. As the race unfolded Irishman, James Irvine, disappeared to take a convincing victory with Willshire taking 3^rd place, 4 seconds behind last year’s British 125 ICC champion and fellow Englishman, Danny Edwards. 

Race 2 saw Willshire start from 3^rd on the grid but a poor run to turn 1 dropped him into 5^th position after lap one and battling with Noel Lindsay and Damian Sleep. After some changing of positions and with a brave move Ben found himself back in 3^rd position and pulled out a gap of 14 seconds from 4^th place to take a comfortable podium position and 3^rd place overall for the British Championship meeting.

With the points races out of the way for the weekend the drivers were left to battle it out one more time for the UK Cup trophy. The winner of this race would be presented with the sought after ‘0’ plate to carry on their kart for the next 12 months....it’s the one all drivers want to win.

Ben had qualified 3^rd and a solid start saw him maintain this position for the first few laps of the race, following the two local Irish drivers James Irvine and Justin Doherty. On lap 5 of 10, Willshire missed an up shift in gears exiting the first chicane and allowed Louise Collins alongside and through to take 3^rd.  With Danny Edwards now hot on Ben’s heels, the remainder of the race saw Willshire and Edwards battle it out for the remaining 5 laps. The English pair demonstrated some superbly clean and close racing, with only 0.2 seconds separating them across the line and 0.06 seconds separating their quickest laps. With Irvine taking his third win of the day and the ‘0’ plate title, Willshire managed to take 4^th spot behind Collins and Doherty with Edwards finishing 5^th. Wilshire’s strong finishes in Ireland will see him jump up the championship table with what appears to be a turning point in the 2008 season for the Hampshire based driver. (official points are yet to be released)

The team travel to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire on 19^th/20^th July to compete in the British Superkart Grand Prix and rounds 6/7 of the championship.

RG Racing would like to thank its team sponsors: Apex Circuit Design Ltd, ARCO, Trimedia, Ferodo, Demon Tweeks, NGK Spark Plugs, and Sign-Rite of Basingstoke and Tony of Interactive Marketing for his advice. The team are still looking for sponsors to assist with running costs for Team. 

Lightening strikes twice

Press Release 12/5/2008 - RG Racing – Ty Croes, Anglesey 11^th May

Round 3 & 4 of the British Superkart Championships

RG Racing made a 575 mile round trip to the Ty-Croes circuit on Anglesey; the circuit used for filming the 5^th gear television programme. The 1.55mile revamped coastal circuit was new to all drivers and teams so testing on Saturday would prove vital. Ben Willshire was looking forward to the challenge, on a circuit that included a variety of overtaking opportunities, banked corners, crests, fast straights and slow technical sections. However, when it was time to face the circuit a small component caused a clutch failure after 2 laps forcing Willshire to retire early from the testing session.

The team managed to resolve the clutch problems and Ben’s first timed session on Sunday morning provided some valuable data. Ben qualified 14^th fastest and reported back some changes to be made to the kart after completing seven laps of qualifying and looked forward to the start of Race 1.

Race 1 saw a good start. Ben managed to gain several places in the first corner and first few laps, working his way up to 9^th spot. The nature of the circuit and the RG Racing set up was now working well however Ben reported back that further changes could be made to decrease under steer and improve speed in the next race. Ben finished the race in 9^th place. With 2 hours to the next race the team changed the set up and were ready to score some more valuable British championship points.

In Race 2 Ben started 9^th and after a clean start was positioned nicely in the pack, lying 6^th. For the next 8 laps Ben was dicing with several karts and with half a lap remaining Ben was lying in a comfortable 9^th place until he began to slow with engine problems, costing him a solid points finish. Despite his best efforts, Ben was unable to take the chequered flag and was classified as a non-finisher in Race 2. Understandably the team were disappointed but remain positive for the next championship round. See details below.

The next 2 rounds in the British Championships are at Bishopscourt in Northern Ireland on the weekend of 6^th and 7^th of June. The meeting also incorporates the prestigious UK Cup and Irish Kart GP event. The team will be running a new engine for this meeting thanks to Clive Bowen of Apex Circuit Design Ltd.  

2nd Place for Gary

Gary Grabs Second at Season Opener

RG Racing team driver, Gary James, secured 2^nd place in class at his first meeting of the season at Darley Moor on 5^th May.

After Gary had purchased a 4 year old F1 chassis during the winter months, Chief Engineer Doug Mercer set to work stripping and completely rebuilding the kart with new components. ‘There was quite a lot to do to get the kart ready after our initial inspection. We were hoping to be ready for Easter, but a delay in the delivery of some key parts put us behind schedule so Darley Moor was the first opportunity to give the new kart a season opening shakedown.’

Unfortunately practice at Darley Moor was wet so the session was spent getting used to the new chassis without pushing things too much. Nevertheless, Gary was able to start in 12^th place on the grid out of 22 with a large contingent of 250cc karts behind him. ‘The 125cc Pavesi engine was running well in practice and didn’t need a lot of changes done after the session.’

Rain had been constant for most of the morning but had stopped before the first race. We decided to stay on the wet tyres but didn’t realise how quickly the track had dried out. Fortunately half the field thought the same so there were only a brave few that gambled on slicks on a drying track.

After trying to nurse his wet tyres on a dry track Gary managed to finish 14^th on the road and second in class and was looking forward to a dry race with the right tyres later in the day.

The second race was as expected and with temperatures moving up from an earlier 17C to 23C, hopes were high to get some decent mileage with the new kart. A fantastic start saw Gary sweep past a couple of 250cc karts before the first chicane and he was able to hold them at bay for the next three laps. Unfortunately the more powerful 250cc karts found a way past down the main straight, but Gary was still hassling them through the corners. The lap times were also looking respectable and Gary was comfortably lapping inside his lap times from last year. A couple of fluffed gear changes lost vital ground during the closing laps but Gary finished 13^th on the road and second in class again to collect his first trophy of the season. ‘That was great fun and I am pleased with the way new kart handled.  We know where we can improve on the lap times so I am looking forward to the next meeting here in a months’ time on June 15^th. Without all the hard work put in by my Chief Engineer Doug Mercer during the winter this result wouldn’t have been possible.’

Crunch Time

Press Release 13/4/2008 - RG Racing – Mallory Park 13^th April

Round 1 & 2 of the British Superkart Championships

RG Racing traveled to Mallory Park, Leicestershire for Round 1 and 2 of the British Superkart championships. Having finished 9^th in last years championship with Ben Willshire, the team are keen to make vast improvements this season and arrived to compete in the 125 Open class with a new, lighter Anderson chassis and a PFP tuned SGM engine.

Bens first session out in the new kart was positive. After 13 laps, Ben put in some competitive times to set 9^th fastest time with a lap time of 55.95 seconds. Ben reported back positively on the new chassis but felt some setup changes could find some more time around the Mallory Park circuit.

Race 1 saw a good start. Ben managed to gain 3 places in the first few laps, working his way to a comfortable 6^th place.  After an incident that saw Damian Sleep exit the circuit at Gerrards Corner, the yellow flags were out for several laps of the race on the entry to this corner. However, on lap 6, and still under yellow flag conditions (no overtaking at that point), Ben was overtaken by 2 Superkarts leaving him to finish the race in a frustrating 8^th place. With plenty of karts on the circuit, the organisers claimed the passing under yellows was not reported by the Marshals so 8^th place was the final classification.

In Race 2 Ben started 8^th. He had a clean start and was positioned nicely in the pack, lying 5^th after a brave move into Edwina’s chicane on lap 1. On lap 4 the race was stopped due to an incident at the hairpin, which left Isle of Man competitor, Jason Kitchens, Superkart blocking the circuit. With 9 laps remaining, the karts restarted the race in single file and the pace was fast, despite drops of rain starting to appear on the circuit. After a sluggish start Ben dropped a place but 2 laps later managed to gain it back with a move on the exit to Gerrards. With only 6 laps to go, Ben was hit by another kart on entry to the 1^st gear hairpin and sent off the circuit. Unfortunately this meant the race was over for Ben, with a DNF classification.

Despite a low point scoring opening round the team left Mallory knowing that the pace is underneath them for the season, with more improvements still yet to come. The hard work over the winter had paid off and the team now look forward to travelling to the Ty-Croes circuit in Anglesey on the 10/11^th of May for round 3 and 4. The 5th Gear TV program uses the Anglesey circuit for its filming.

Press Release in PDF

Pre Season Sponsor Day

Press Release 6/4/2008

RG Racing – Supporting the Local Community

RG Racing were invited to attend the opening of the new ARCO store in Fratton Park, Portsmouth at the beginning of April. The store was opened by guest celebrity Billy Byrne of popular TV Show, DIY-SOS, and RG Racing were on hand to support the day with their 125cc Superkart on display.

The aim of the day was to raise the profile of Naomi House Children’s Hospice and ARCO. RG Racing donated raffle prizes for customers; 2 x 2 day passes and paddock transfers for the British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton on May 17^th / 18^th. All of the proceeds from the Raffle will be donated to Naomi House children’s hospice and the final amount raised will be counted on April 14^th.

Below, Store Manager Neal Bonner tries the RG Racing Superkart for size with Rob Willshire (Left) team partner and Ben Willshire driver (right).

RG Racing begin their season at the first round of the British Superkart Championships at Mallory Park on April 13th. The grid will contain current European and British champions plus an ex World Champion so Ben is under no pressure to perform!!!

RG Racing would like to thank its team sponsors: Apex Circuit Design Ltd, ARCO, Trimedia, Ferodo, Demon Tweeks, NGK Spark Plugs, and Sign-Rite of Basingstoke.

Press Release in PDF

Ferodo have agreed to RG Racing with technical support in 2008.  RG Racing and Ferodo have been partner now for several years. 

Ben Willshire commented " Its good to have Ferodo behind us. The friction materials they produce are second to none. It gives me confidence when I am on the circuit knowing that we can rely in there components."

PODIUM FINISHES

RG Racing drivers took podium places at Cadwell Park on the 16th Sept.  

Ben and Michael took podium places in there classes on the Sunday race meeting. 

Gary James - Top 5.

Gary James's first meeting of the season with a new Phil Featherstone pipe, new Motiv seat, new rear disc, new Motiv air box, new Fuel tank, new Bell crash helmet .

Practice damp, trying to relearn the circuit after a gap of 4 years, misting

visor and spray. No other problems

Race 1 . Track wet but it had stopped raining. Started on the 4th row of the

grid (9th) out of 24 starters of a mixed grid of 250's and 125's. Finished 7th on track and 3rd in 125 class after avoiding a first lap shunt and a slowing moving kart at the chicane on two occasions. Excellent out braking manoeuvre at the final corner to snatch 7th spot leading home one 250 kart and two 125's by 3/10ths of a second. Great fun.

Race 2. Track dry. Started on middle of 3rd row, finished 13th on the road

and 5th in class. Two much rear end grip so kart was hopping around the

hairpin and the final corner. Losing valuable time. Couldn't keep up with

the 250's in the dry but still had an enjoyable race.

Easter Weekend Outings

Press Release 11/4/2007 14:00

by RG Racing - Baptism of Fire for Basingstoke Racer

Ben Willshire from Basingstoke had a baptism of fire when RG Racing entered him for the shake down event for the MSA British Long Circuit Kart Championship. Michael Groves was also out in the 125 class.

Ben has been racing a Rotax Max for the passed few years at Blackbush and Barton Stacey decided to take on the big boys. The RG Racing team have invested a long circuit kart for the coming season. Michael had done a few long circuit race and was looking forward to a good meeting.

The test day on the Friday was planned to just learn the circuit and set the kart up for the Saturday race meeting. Due to a technical problem the team lost some valuable time to prepare the Superkart for Ben.

The photo shows Ben Willshire followed very closely by Michael Groves.

Race 1 saw Ben start from the back of the grid as he is a novice. Michael had qulified quite will have made a good start. Ben manage to make progress and his lap times improved with each lap. As Ben was learning the equipment the team were just looking for a finish and to bring the kart home in one piece. Ben managed to finish 10th in class. He gave us some good feedback and changes were made for the second race. Michael battled through and finished 2nd in class.

Race 2 saw some changes to Ben's set up by the team. The changes allowed Ben to get a good start and keep in with the pack. He managed to progress and race against some experienced drivers finishing in front of some and ending up with 10th in class. Michael once again was using his experience from last year. He pushed hard and finished 2nd in class.

The field contained current European and British champions plus an ex World Champion so Ben was under pressure to perform and he coped well. Ben's sponsors are NGK Spark Plugs, Castrol with RG Racing and Sign-Rite of Basingstoke.

Next event is at Mallory Park near Leicester on 19th / 20th May. This will be round 1 of the MSA Long Circuit Kart British Championship.

Ollie Howell - Ollie was racing at Kimbolton in the BRDC Stars of Tomorrow Championships. He had a fraught weekend but managed to improve his grid places by the end of each race and final.

The team are looking for sponsors to assist with running cost for Ben, Michael and Ollie all young drivers with great potential. They can be contacted via their web site www.rgracing.co.uk or on 07770 280 375. The team have a portfolio available for any potential sponsor.

Ben Willshire Tests the RGR SGM

Ben did his first test in the RGR 125 SGM long circuit kart at FEKC. The session were interesting. The first was on old tiers to allow Ben just to get use to the gear changing. The second session the team changes the gearing and jetting. The made the kart easer to drive and more completive for Ben. The RGR kart was keeping with the 250cc karts on the straights which is very good.. We also had the more nimble ICC karts in the session. With the difference with chassis we noticed we were not making headway on the ICC's, but in the faster parts of the circuit it was clear Ben was up to speed and holding his own.

The team were delighted with his first outing in a gearbox kart.

Ben Willshire takes another win.

Ben took a win in the CKC winter series on Saturday 23rd of December. The team are using the winter to keep the team in tune for next season. Ben will be racing in the 2 remaining rounds. 

The 2007 season will see the Willshire name return to the Long Circuit's. Ben will be racing in the 125 Open Superkart class with some Rotax Max races used to sharpen the reactions.

Top 10 Finish

RG Racing's team driver Gary James finished 10th in the 125 class at the British Kart GP held at Cadwell Park. Gary faced some strange weather conditions over the weekend.

Ben Willshire BSC (Hons)

RG Racing's team driver Ben Willshire passed his degree with 1st Class Honors in Motorsport Technology and Management. Ben spent his last year studying hard while racing hard. The teams decision to not let Ben's racing take over in favor of his future has proven to the correct one. His year in industry was with 4th Dimension.  Well done from the team and the family. Ben is now working as a Track designer for Clive Bowen (Apex Circuit Design).

Ben takes a Win

Ben took a win at Blackbush on Saturday 27/8/05. Ben who has only race 3 times this year due to university commitments took a the win in the final after starting 2nd on the grid.  He also took a heat win earlier in the day. 

Lovely Bubbly

RG Racing provides bubbly to the first three in this years British Superkart Association Formula 125 Open Championship at the final round that took place at Snetterton on August 29th (Bank Holiday Monday)

1st Paul Platt

2nd Jeremy Bates

3rd Barry Armstrong

BTCC Driver Rob Collard 

Presents the trophies at the CKC Dinner Dance.

RG Racing drivers Steven Wands and Ben Willshire received there trophies from Rob Collard.

RG Racing takes 1st and 2nd in CKC Championship

The Team Drivers take 1st and 2nd in there respective classes. 

Ben Willshire finished the championship 1st in Class (Rotax Max Snr) and Steven 2nd in his class (Mini Max).

Steven Wands and Ben Willshire interviewed by Basingstoke Gazette

Both drivers were interviewed by the local newspaper with full back page coverage.

The coverage covered local circuits, sponsors, how to start.

Ben Willshire Wins Novice Trophy and with a P3 Finish.

RG Racing's Ben Willshire was awarded the novice trophy at the Camberely Kart Club June meeting in Rotax Max Snr. This puts him top of the CKC Championships. With good finishes in the heats he started the rain soaked final 5th on the grid. By the end of the first lap Ben jumped in to the lead of the 15 lap final. With 2 laps from the finish the circuit was drying with the other drivers hunting him down. Over the last 2 laps Ben was passed by 2 national experts. The novice trophy in karting is the hardest trophy to win. With 6 chances before moving off of the novice plates the Team were ecstatic.

Ben Clucas who the team assisted in the past has been signed to the Toyota F1 Drivers Academy (TDA). He is currently racing in the Italian Formula Renault championship. If you want to keep  up with this fantastic young driver then go to www.benclucas.co.uk. 

Ben Clucas - FORMULA RENAULT ITALIA

The team progresses with the Rotax Max class on short circuit. Ben has completed 2 meetings so far. 

The first meeting had some ups and downs. In the first race Ben was lying 5th in his first Max race when the starter switch failed causing a retirement. The remainder of the meeting was a successes.

The second meeting was a disappointment as there were only 5 in the class - This is not real racing. Hopefully then next meeting will have a good grid.

Ben Willshire tested the Teams Rotax Max at Blackbush kart circuit on the 28th of Feb. The times (early 25 second laps) were good for only his second time in a kart. We tested the latest XR77 oil from Castrol with some good results.

Members of The University of Herts (BSC Motorsport Tech Engineering) assisting RG Racing in the set-up at Blackbush. Ben is due to do his first race on the 27th of March at Blackbush.

Ben Willshire of RG Racing has been assisting Team Fluery in the World Sidecar Championships. Ben is assisting with normal team duties. Pit board, Tyres etc. He was rewarded by 3 laps of the Oshisleben Circuit in the "Chair" at the German round of the World Superbike Championship. Both Rob and Ben have been given a passengers eye view. Ben did 3 laps at Oscheslaben in Germany & Rob 3 laps at Silverstone.

Ben Clucas gets some support from RG Racing

The team will be supporting Ben (18) up the ladder to F1. Ben who started in Karts has spent 2 seasons in Junior Formula Ford. The 2002 season brought success by wrapping up the Avon Junior Formula Ford Championship. The next step was the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. Ben managed to win the semi final in a year old car. In the final he had an incident while leading resulting in damage to the car. The result was a 5th place. No bad for a first attempt. 

The team are trying to introduce Ben to the correct people.

The Honda Challenge has received some support again from the Team in the way of product support. Prize giving was at BAR with Anthony Davidson handing out the silver ware and CASTROL goodies.

Off to Kabul with UNICEF

Team partner Rob Willshire who's normal job is in the logistics industry is off to help UNICEF in Kabul (Afghanistan). Rob will be responsible for the Kabul zone covering 10 provinces and 48% of the children needing education materials. 

Rob will be Logistics Officer on the Back to School Programme. It's UNICEF's largest logistical programme ever.

RG Racing win MSA Draw.

RG Racing won the MSA Draw at the Night of the Champions. The prize consists of the following:- 1 Rotax Max / Tony Kart  (JAG), 1 Race Suit (Demon Tweeks), 1 Helmet, Pr Boots, Pr Gloves (ZIP), ARKS Pack (MSA) ARKS Course (Protrain), Driver Training SRS Stuart Zemillis)

Rob Willshire has decided to give the prize to his some Ben to start kart racing and stop downhill mountain bike racing (Trees Hurt). This was on the understanding the kart could be used to teach students from Brooklands College Superkart Project.

Below is the presentation of the Rotax Max to Ben and Rob by the MSA at Brooklands College.

Left to Right.

Alan Phillips (Student) Peter Moore (Head of Eng Brooklands College) Rob Willshire, Ben Willshire, Paul Gladstone (MSA),  Derek Tye (MSA), Adam Walker (Student)

International Autosport Show

As Normal RG Racing will man the Chequered Flag Awnings stand. The team who use the Awnings supplied by CFA will be on hand to give worth while experience to potential customers.

Recent Media Coverage of RG Racing

• Karting Magazine - RG Racing Attend the Kart Control Board initiative
• Motoring News - RG Racing Win MSA Grand Draw.
• Karting Magazine - RG Racing Win Star Prize.
• Karting Magazine - RG Racing at International Kart Show
• Basingstoke Hospital Radio - Gives the Hospital Raffle Support
• Basingstoke Gazette - RG Racing Supports Hospital Radio at Motor Show - 28/7/00
• Basingstoke Gazette - RG Racing supports local Motor Show in Basingstoke - 16/7/00