Tyre Experts Blog

The Autosport 1000 Km endurance race that is the final round of the 2010 Le Mans Series, will be held at Silverstone next weekend, 10-12th September 2010.

Upton born former Formula 1 World Champion, Nigel Mansell will again be competing in the top category; LMP1 class. This fact could break all attendance records for Silverstone Circuit in this series.

The Mansell family, with sons Greg and Leo as the team co-drivers, celebrated a class victory last time out in Hungary despite finishing off the podium overall. It was a first class win for the Beechdean Mansell Ginetta Zytek team as Nigel Mansell continues his comeback after an injury sustained in the 24 Hour Le Mans Race.

The news that the Le Mans Intercontinental Cup will be the inaugural race at Silverstone (Petit Le Mans and China will host the other rounds) has seen three major manufacturers submit entries.

Two Audi R15 TDIs; successful in this year’s marathon at the Sarthe Circuit, have been entered with Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen paired to drive one car and Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard teamed with Dindo Capello.

Team Peugeot Total have entered just one car, the popular Nick Minassian will partner Anthony Davidson and the Aston Martin Racing Team have a pair of Lola’s at their disposal to add to the excitement of this year’s event.

This year’s event will also be the final time that spectators will be able to view the GT1 class entries as the Saleen will make its final bow at the Northamptonshire circuit.

History was made at the Hungaroring in the last round of the series with Strakka Racing taking the overall victory, the first time an LMP2 category car had won a round of the series.

Danny Watts, fast becoming a respected driver in this type of racing with his teammates, Nick Leventis and Jonny Kane will be keen to add to this success although they will face stiff opposition from current LMP2 Le Mans Series Champions Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla.

In GT2 the Felbermayr Porsche of Lietz and Lieb have taken three victories this season with the team’s championship already secured. The win in Hungary extended the drivers lead in the championship and with former Grand Prix drivers Jean Alesi, Giancarlo Fisichella and ‘Jimmy’ Bruni all driving Ferraris as well as the CRS Racing pairing of Tim Mullen and Andrew Kircaldy and the Aston Martin Vantage of Rob Bell and Darren Turner all racing, the GT2 class is sure to whet the appetite of all the spectators.

So if you want an entertaining weekend at the UK’s number one racing facility, a chance to see some of the best sports prototype cars being put through their paces and of course the opportunity to see Nigel Mansell driving a highly tuned prototype as only Mansell can, get down to Silverstone on the 10th, 11th and race day on the 12th September 2010.

Team Aon took a clean sweep at Silverstone, with pole position, three race wins and three fastest laps. Tom Chilton won the first two races, with a bit of help from his teammate, before Tom Onslow-Cole got in on the act himself with victory in race three. Jason Plato continues to lead the championship with nine races remaining.

Tom Chilton won round 19 of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, after passing his teammate Tom Onslow-Cole, who led the early stages of the first race at Silverstone.

The two Fords were running with additional restrictions on their LPG-turbo engines for the first time, but that was not enough to stop them winning comfortably in Sunday’s first race.

Onslow-Cole started from pole position and led away from the line, with Chilton close behind. The pair opened up a gap back to Jason Plato in third, who was under pressure from his teammate Alex MacDowall.

Chilton trailed Onslow-Cole without looking like making a serious bid for the lead, until lap 11. Onslow-Cole slowed at the end of the start-finish straight – which he later explained was due to missing a gear – and that was enough to let Chilton through into the lead and the race victory.

Tom Chilton made it two wins in a row at Silverstone in round 20 of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, but only after he was gifted victory by teammate Tom Onslow-Cole for the second time today.

Chilton started from pole position, but it was Onslow-Cole who made the better start and led through the first corner. The two Fords were trailed by Andrew Jordan and Rob Collard, who both jumped Alex MacDowall and Jason Plato off the line.

Onslow-Cole appeared comfortable at the front and Chilton, carrying 45kg of ballast to Onslow-Cole’s 36kg, was unable to match his teammate. In race one, Onslow-Cole ceded the lead to Chilton after ‘missing a gear’. This time, he slowed along the straight as he started lap 17 and allowed Chilton through as they entered the first corner.

Unfortunately for Onslow-Cole, by slowing down for Chilton, who trailed him in the championship by 22 points heading into the race, the WSR BMW of Rob Collard was soon right on the tail of the now second-placed Focus.

As Chilton cruised to his second win of the day, Onslow-Cole was forced to defend as Collard sensed the chance to equal his best results of the year. Sure enough, after a couple of attempts, Collard was through and Onslow-Cole had to settle for third at the chequered flag.

Round 21 finally saw Onslow–Cole record a race victory, Paul O’Neill’s Honda and Matt Jackson’s BMW filling the podium positions in an eagerly contested race that saw Martin Depper crash out spectacularly at the start of the race as he struck the back of Alex MacDowell’s Chevrolet. MacDowell was able to continue with re-arranged bodywork and finished a creditable 10th only 19 seconds down on the race winner.