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Staying Sharp – Tom Tops Ginetta

Tom Sharp Rockingham

A trio of brave driving performances at rain-soaked Rockingham has ensured VCARS.co.uk driver Tom Sharp has retained his lead at the top of the 2012 Ginetta GT SuperCup Standings.

The Ginetta GT SuperCup descended on Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northants at the weekend for Round Eight (Races 20, 21 and 22) of the current campaign.

In Race 20, Sharp earned a perfectly respectable fifth-placed finish before conditions got the better of his car and he was unable to complete Race 21. In Race 22, despite starting from 14th on the grid, Sharp battled his way through the field to record an incredible sixth place. Sharp tore through the field before forcing his way past the talented trio of Colin White, Andrew Richardson and Fergus Walkinshaw.

Sharpe takes a 15 point lead into the final two rounds. Round Nine (Races 22, 23 and 24) take place on October 6th at Silverstone and Round Ten (Races 25, 26 and 27) take place at Brand Hatch on 20th October.

The Ginetta GT SuperCup standings after Round Eight

  1. Tom SHARP (605)
  2. Carl BREEZE (590)
  3. Tom INGRAM (545)
  4. Andrew RICHARDSON (357)
  5. Colin WHITE (338)
  6. Hunter ABBOTT (316)
  7. Jake HILL (261)
  8. Jamie ORTON (259)
  9. Fergus WALKINSHAW (243)
  10. Josh WAKEFIELD (240)

Button relying on Honda

British Formula One ace Jenson Button’s future in the sport still lies in the balance after Toro Rosso confirmed its drivers for this season’s championship.

Button had been tipped to take a seat in the Italian team amid continued speculation over the future of his Honda team, which had said it was quitting Formula one altogether.

Toro Rosso had been slow to finalise its drivers for the 2009 championship, with some speculating that Button could be set to leave the uncertainty of Honda and head to the Italian company.

But Toro Rosso has now confirmed that Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais will partner rookie Sebastian Buemi – meaning Button’s options should the Honda team fail to put a car on the grid come March will be extremely limited.

Honda said last week it remained committed to Formula One and was preparing for the 2009 season as normal.

A spokesman said the company was "optimistic" for the coming season, which will see McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton kick off his bid to retain his world title in Australia on March 29th.

Written by Paul Jarvis

McLaren-Mercedes driver Hamilton tipped to retain title

McLaren-Mercedes’ championship winning driver Lewis Hamilton has been tipped to remain at the top of the Formula One tree again this year by one of the most knowledgeable people in the sport.

Max Mosley, president of motorsport’s governing body the FIA, said if he was given money to bet on a driver for this year’s title, he wouldn’t look far beyond reigning champion Hamilton.

The British ace’s McLaren-Mercedes car will wear the prestigious number one on its nose when the cars line up on the grid this year after Hamilton pipped Brazilian Felipe Massa to the title by a single point in last year’s championship – not clinching the title until the last corner of the last race.

And that grit and determination – together with the fact he only lost out on the title by a single point in 2007, his rookie year in Formula One – means Mosley thinks it will be tough for anyone to catch the Briton.

But Mosley also pointed out there are plenty of other good drivers who will be competing for the title.

"It might be someone unexpected like [BMW Sauber driver Robert] Kubica or [Renault's Fernando] Alonso," he added.

Last month, Formula One commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone said he was hoping Ferrari’s Massa could come back from last year’s final day disappointment and claim the crown this season.

Written by Paul Jarvis

Mercedes ‘still committed’ to Formula One

Mercedes has insisted it remains committed to staying in Formula One with its UK partner McLaren, after reports had suggested the firm was looking to get out of the sport.

According to a recent story in German magazine Focus, Mercedes’ parent company Daimler had been mulling the possibility of quitting Formula One, but the company insisted that a supposed vote of the Daimler board had never taken place.

Mercedes provides the engines for the McLaren Formula One team, which powered British ace Lewis Hamilton to the title last year.

The champion is preparing to launch the defence of his title when the season gets underway in March this year and McLaren has already unveiled the new model that will take part in the campaign.

Concerns over the future of a number of Formula One teams have grown in recent months after Honda announced in December that it was planning to pull out of the sport.

The credit crunch has hit several of the companies that compete in Formula One and the sport’s governing body has called for teams to slash costs to make the sport more affordable.

Written by Paul Jarvis

Honda remain optimistic on Formula One

Jenson Button may still have a car for the upcoming Formula One season, after Honda said it was hopeful of putting a team together.

The company was set to pull out of Formula One altogether as money troubles beleaguered the team, but it remains optimistic it will have two cars on the starting grid for the first Grand Prix of the new season in Australia this March.

"Work on our race car is progressing well," insisted a spokeswoman for the firm.

"We’re optimistic but may not be able to say more for some time."

With Honda originally thought to be pulling out of Formula One altogether, it had left the Formula One season with only 18 cars on the grid and British driver Jenson Button potentially without a car to drive this year.

Last week, Honda sought to access some of the funding from the government’s £2.3 billion bailout of the automotive industry.

If the firm does manage to secure funding from the government, it would ensure the Japanese firm has a future in the sport for this season at least – but there remain no guarantees about the longer term.

Written by Paul Jarvis