2010 Trofeo Abarth 500 GB – Oulton Park

Easter weekend saw the Trofeo Abarth 500 GB spring into life at Oulton Park and the signs were very encouraging for the fledgling one make series with some great racing from not only drivers who have made their names in some of the UK’s top racing series’, but also from a new breed of stars, most notably Denmark’s Benny Simonsen, who was fantastic in his first ever outing in a car race. Race one pole sitter, 2008 Clio Cup champion Ben Winrow, didn’t come back over Hilltop on lap 1, which handed the lead to ex-BTCC race winner Gareth Howell, who pulled a decent lead from James Blyth and Charlie Butler-Henderson, the latter having taken over the car due to be driven by sister Vicky, of Fifth Gear fame, who was away on presenting duties. Simonsen had spun at Old Hall on lap one, and went about carving his way through the field with great effect as he eventually relieved Blyth of third place late on. CBH by that time had got up into second place which he held on to, despite a late charge from Simonsen, who recorded the fastest lap in the process. A great first day for the Trofeo, and also for Advent Racing, who ran four of the top five finishers.
With the grid for Race two determined by fastest lap classifications from the first race, Simonsen and Howell lined up on the front row, with Winrow right at the back, having not completed a lap in Race one. Howell took the lead at the first corner and pulled out a good gap to Simonsen in the early laps, before the flying Dane fought his way back and retook the lead at Lodge on lap 6. He managed to hold off Howell until he had a moment at Old Hall on lap 14, where he ran wide and ended up on two wheels, Bond style (watch it http://bit.ly/d3BFq3), allowing Howell to retake the place, the pair were followed home by Winrow, who had made a superb battling effort to get up to third.
The series organisers should be very pleased with the result of their efforts; in a time when one make racing is struggling to attract numbers (see last weekends Clio Cup), 14 entries at the first event, with more in the pipeline, has to be seen as a good result against such a tough economic backdrop. These boys, I feel, are here to stay. Howell will take a six point championship lead over Simonsen to Silverstone on the 17th-18th of April, where the Trofeo will be supporting the opening rounds of the FIA Formula 2 championship.
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2010 Trofeo Abarth 500 Great Britain Season Preview

Easter weekend at Oulton Park will see the inaugural race weekend of the new for 2010 Trofeo Abarth 500 Great Britain. The series has moved to the UK for this year having already established itself on the continent with its European and Italian championships.
When the European branch of the championship came to Brands Hatch last July, supporting the World Touring Car Championship, it was an instant success with the crowds, now they have their own championship to get worked up about. The championship will be fought over seven weekends, supporting some of the most prestigious series in Europe, culminating in a trip to Monza for the season finale.

3/5 April Oulton Park (British F3/ British GT)
17/18 April Silverstone GP (FIA Formula Two)
22/23 May Cadwell Park (British Superbikes)
26/27 June Snetterton (GT Cup Championship & Formula Palmer Audi)
24/25 July Silverstone GP (Silverstone Classic)
4/5 September Brands Hatch Indy (DTM / Trofeo Europe)
23/24 October Monza, Italy (Trofeo Europe / Italy / GB)

The attraction of the series, along with the calendar, is the cars. The model used for the series is the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse, incorporating a 1.4 litre turbocharged engine, producing 190bhp at 6,500 rpm. The series has managed to attract some pretty impressive teams to date, with Pulce Racing, Pyro Motorsport and one make regulars JHR, among the teams already confirmed, along with multi-car entries from the Tech 9 and Advent MTS squads. A touch of glamour is provided with the entry of Fifth Gear presenter Vicky Butler-Henderson as a driver in the series, along with ex-BTCC racer Fiona Leggate. BTCC race winner Gareth Howell has tested a Tech 9 Abarth and is rumoured to be considering an entry to the series.

It promises to be quite a spectacle around the circuits of the UK and Europe this season, and if it lives up to its billing, the championship could quite easily find itself challenging the Clio Cup as the feeder series of choice for aspiring BTCC runners.

For more information on the championship go to www.trofeoabarth500gb.com

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