The incessant downpour which started as the race began, led to the race being started behind the pace car for two sighting laps, after which the United Autosports Audi R8 accelerated away from Andrew Howard’s Beechdean Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Alasdair McCaig’s BMW Z4 and the RJN Motorsport Nissan GT-R of Jan Mardenborough.

Phil Burton in the Predator Ferrari 430 Scuderia was the biggest mover in the opening lap, overtaking the entire GT4 and GTC field before entering Cascades.

Kevin Mc Glone – Red Square Images

When you view these atmospheric images from last weekend’s British GT event, spare a thought for the man behind the lens.

If you spend any time following motorsport in the UK, then you’ll know the importance of weather-proofing yourself from the elements. But as a motorsport photographer, personal comfort is very much a secondary issue for Kevin Mc Glone.

Capturing a great image is all about location – which usually means mud, rain, ice or snow with a side-helping of wind for good order. If you’re lucky it might be warm and sunny, in which case you’ve now got to lug around 50kg of camera equipment heading away from any trackside refreshments.

The end result, are images such as these, which put you at the heart of the action. So, to support Kevin in his pursuit of such special ‘kodak’ moments, take a look at his personal site – redsquareimages.com – and consider buying a few images for yourself.

By the end of the third lap the United Autosports R8 had built a comfortable 3.4 second lead, with Howard’s Aston having slipped into the clutches of the five cars behind him; McCaig, Mardenborough, Duncan Cameron (MTECH Ferrari 458), David Jones (Preci-Spark Mercedes AMG SLS) and David Ashburn (Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R) leaving third place open to any one of the five.

Needless to say it was a hard fought battle and it wasn’t long before Jones and Ashburn soon caught Cameron, who was himself catching the Nissan of GT Academy graduate, Mardenborough, having set a fastest lap early on.

Burton in the 430 Scuderia was flagged by the stewards and told to pit having fouled his diffuser in the battle. As the lead pack entered Hislop’s chicane, Howard slipped up and went straight on down the escape road, thus conceding several places. By now, David Ashburn in the Trackspeed 997 GT3 R was now finding his feet, and the 2010 Champion put in the first sub 1:50 second lap of the day, with a time of 1:49.926.

Novice GT Academy driver Jan Mardenborough was, by now, catching McCaig’s Z4, and things were very close at the front of the field.

Further back, Jon Minshaw in his Trackspeed Porsche had been zeroed in on by Hector Lester’s Rosso Verde Ferrari 458, and on approach to Hislop’s Minshaw appeared to buckle under pressure of the chasing car and went straight on, gifting Lester the position. Hislop’s would be the scene of many an error; Ginetta racer George Murrells also visited the escape road on the same lap.

Continuing with the list of errors in the now near zero visibility, Ron Johnson’s Speedworks prepared Corvette Z06R slipped up at Druids resulting in the safety car being deployed, and eroding Bateman’s now generous seven second lead.

Further back in GT4, leader Fannin gained from this; his nearest rival, Century’s Zoe Wenham (Ginetta G50) was in the lead pack of cars behind the Safety Car and this allowed Fannin to extend his lead significantly.

Despite the teams now being eager to take advantage of the course yellows and pit, there was still five minutes to run before the pit window opened, the cars circling the 2.69 mile circuit impatiently.

By the beginning of lap 12 the race had resumed and Bateman once again pulled away, leaving McCaig, Mardenborough and Cameron to make their way past the collection of GT4 cars that lay ahead of them on the restart. Johnson’s Corvette made its way to the pits unassisted and Minshaw snatched back his position with a bold overtake on Lester. By now Bateman had a lead of over four seconds, benefitting from the clear track ahead of him.

When the pit lane finally opened, cars poured in; Cameron and Ashburn leading a further thirteen cars into the pits.

The Jones’ Mercedes joined Bateman in remaining out on track leaving the audience to revel in the aural delight the SLS’ 6.2 litre V8 engine. Meanwhile once back on track the Audi R8 of Bateman posted a succession of quick laps before pitting on lap seventeen with a twelve second lead.

Charles Bateman leads during Round 1 of the British GT championship at Oulton Park. (©Red Square Images)

At this point, the blue and silver liveried Ecurie Ecosse BMW, now in the hands of Bryant, managed to slip past the No.35 RJN Motorsport GT-R of Alex Buncombe and both returned to the track ahead of Griffin’s MTECH Ferrari. With Richard Westbrook now steering the No.31 Trackspeed Porsche the sector times began to fall leading to him eventually completing a lap of 1:49.223 marking a new fastest lap until he later added a lap of 1:48.561.

The Jones brothers got out in third, just ahead of Buncombe and Griffin, with the charging Westbrook not far behind and the battle between the foursome would provide plenty of entertainment during the remaining laps.

By now the drivers were more accustomed to the wet conditions, and with this, changes in position were being made across the board.

Danish Ferrari ace, Allan Simonsen got past Richard Westbrook and Matt Griffin in a single audacious manoeuvre, and soon took Buncombe’s Nissan GT-R. Griffin followed his fellow Ferrari driver through, but Simonsen had already passed Godfrey Jones’ Mercedes AMG SLS and was after Lester’s Ferrari.

During lap 23, Griffin had a run at Jones, but the pair made contact whilst leaving Lodge corner. Jones spun at the exit of Old Hall and managed to re-join in eighth, which would later become seventh following the Audi’s retirement.

Richard Westbrook and David Ashburn deliver a comprehensive lights to flag victory in the No.31 Trackspeed Porsche 911 GT3 R. (©Red Square Images)

Out in front, Bell was now leading by six seconds, having delicately made his way through backmarkers as Westbrook and Griffin were engaged in a battle for position that would only relent at the chequered flag. The pair eventually finished third and fourth, 1.3 seconds behind second-placed Simonsen.

Beginning the last lap it looked like Bell would deliver a comprehensive lights-to-flag victory for the United Autosports team, only the team’s second victory in British GT since joining in 2010. However, the young pairing were not to be victors, a fuel supply issue on the Audi robbing the pair on Clay Hill, a little over a kilometre short of the flag.

The second place Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4, went on to take the chequered flag – Alasdair McCaig later commenting, “We were hoping to get a podium, but to get a win is just unbelievable. I’m a bit lost for words.”

Oli Bryant added that he “…..thought maybe he’d (Bell in the United Autosports R8) taken the flag the lap before and I’d got it wrong, but I carried on past him, discovering thankfully there was another lap. Not great for them (United Autosports) having led from the start, but good for us. Really looking forward to race two, mixing it with the other guys and dealing with the spray.”

* * *

Race Two

The second race of the day would see Richard Westbrook and David Ashburn deliver a comprehensive lights to flag victory in the No.31 Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R in appalling conditions. Starting from pole, Westbrook crossed the line, and managed to lose Jonny Adam in the Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin V12 Vantage and the rest of the twenty-five strong pack as he headed into Old Hall.

With heavier rain than the 1st race, Westbrook made the most of the lack of spray ahead of him and drove off into the distance. Adam slipped up on lap two, resulting in the Ferrari pair of Allan Simonsen (Rosso Verde) and Matt Griffin (MTECH) getting past the Aston driver.

Nick Tandy in the Motorbase car started from the back of the grid after suffering a broken radiator, therefore preventing him from qualifying on Saturday. He made a mesmerising start, and by the start of lap three was up to fifteenth place.

The No.33 Trackspeed Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Jon Minshaw. (©Red Square Images)

A spin for Jake Rattenbury at Brittens’ compounded a poor weekend for him and his Stark Racing by Hepworth colleague, Ian Stinton. Westbrook was still flying, and a lap of 1:50.376 saw the Porsche driver further extend his lead.

Benji Hetherington (JMH Nissan GT-R) manage to pass Tandy for fourteenth, with the Nissan driver experiencing better fortunes than Alex Buncombe driving the RJN managed No.35 GT-R – who pitted due to a wheel issue.

Adam Wilcox in the Predator CCTV Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Matt Bell in the United Autosports Audi R8 LMS both managed come through the pack, working together to overtake those ahead of them.

Behind the squabbling Griffin and Simonsen, Joe Osborne in the No.32 Trackspeed Porsche was pushing Adam into Old Hall, eventually getting past the Aston Martin down Cascades, leaving Adam to deal with Scuderia Vittoria’s Aaron Scott and race one winner, Oliver Bryant.

Despite the persistently awful conditions, overtaking was definitely the order of the day as Simonsen passed Griffin, whilst Hetherington passed Bryant before moving on Scott in the Scuderia Vittoria car.

Alex Buncombe/Jan Mardenborough lead the field at Oulton Park in their Nissan GT-R. (©Red Square Images)

Tandy lost three seconds to Wilcox, and Westbrook, now over six seconds ahead of Simonsen, who bettered his earlier fastest lap with a 1:50.136.

The opening of the pits resulted in unsurprisingly little action, race leader Westbrook opting to stay out with a clear track ahead. The Trackspeed Porsche driver put in a lap of 1:49.672, before Simonsen shaved Westbrook’s effort with a 1:49.568, and thus the fastest lap of the race.

Soon enough Westbrook hit traffic reducing his lead to less than five seconds, whereupon Trackspeed brought him in to handover the car to David Ashburn. Simonsen and Griffin both followed into the pits, and once they’d handed over to Lester and Cameron, the order remained the same.

Poor out-laps from the two Ferrari drivers saw Ashburn take a 27 second lead over Hector Lester, which would soon increase beyond 30 seconds with Jon Minshaw in the No.33 Trackspeed Porsche bringing up the rear.

A brief off for McCaig in the BMW (and McCaig’s third ever wet race) saw John Dhillon (Scuderia Vittoria) and David Jones (Preci-Spark) get past, Jones soon passed Dhillon and further back in eighth place Osborne’s driving partner Steve Tandy was being reeled in by Steve Parish’s No.10 Motorbase Porsche.

Cars enter the spray at Round 1 of the British GT championship at Oulton Park. (©Red Square Images)

Cameron was growing impatient with the defensive work of Lester and made a move on the Rosso Verde Ferrari at Hislop’s chicane. Lester mounted a successful defence until the start of the next lap, where Cameron seeing a gap, went for the inside at Old Hall and the pair clashed. Lester spun off and took over a minute to recover, following some assistance from the trackside marshals.

Elsewhere, Parish took Tandy who was struggling with a lack of traction, and then beat Freddie Hetherington (JMH Automotive) to finish sixth at the flag – the second points finish achieved by the Hetherington brothers in a car they’d only driven a handful of laps in since the previous Thursday.

The Jones brothers recovered well from their spins, finishing in ninth, whilst race one victors, Oliver Bryant and Alasdair McCaig finished tenth to take the final points for Ecurie Ecosse.

Having taken third after Lester’s demise, Minshaw held a five second gap to Danielle Perfetti’s Motorbase Porsche, clinching a convincing podium position in only his second race in the championship.

Duncan Cameron in the Ferrari 458, gave MTECH their second podium of the day, albeit some 27 seconds behind Ashburn and Westbrook’s Porsche.

Next Round: 17th May, 2012 – Nurburgring, Germany.

Kia’s California design centre team enthusiastically took on the project, led by Chief Designer Tom Kearns. “Concept cars are icing on the cake,” said Kearns. “They allow KMA’s design team to dream about what could be. Whether that dream becomes a reality or not is a separate question.”

That’s a shame because it would finally move Kia into the category of ‘serious car maker’, at least for us Europeans who place so much emphasis on brand’s motorsport pedigree.

“The idea was to make the Track’ster tough looking, like a bulldog,” said Kearns. “But the car had to be approachable as well. We wanted to base the car in reality so people instantly knew it was a Soul, but with a lot of attitude. It had to be a bold interpretation that would change people’s conceptions of what a sporty Kia could be.”

Flanked by over-sized LED driving lights with billet aluminium surrounds, the Track’ster’s lower intake grille scoops in plenty of air to keep the engine running cool even under the most gruelling conditions. The lower valance, trimmed in carbon fibre and accented with Inferno Orange, rides just inches off the ground and lends to the car’s menacing stance.

The Track’ster ‘rolls’ on custom HRE-K1 monoblock billet performance wheels that were a joint effort between Kia’s California design team and HRE. The wheels are wrapped in 245/40 x 19″ Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tyres at the front and 285/35 x 19″ at the rear.

A 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line-four cylinder engine powers the Track’ster, putting its 246 bhp to the road via an electronically controlled four-wheel-drive system. With a short-throw six-speed manual transmission and a lowered sport suspension, Kia are confident their new concept will “make car enthusiasts salivate”. Really?

There’s frequent mention within Kia’s press release of the Track’ster Concept’s Inferno Orange colour scheme, which is apparently synonymous with racing.

Blimey, somebody better tell Adrian Newey that he’s been handicapping young Vettel with the ‘wrong’ colour car..

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When she says, “..take me for a ride”, maybe she actually means ‘to the shops’ rather than around a race track.

You will probably have already seen the first of these videos from 2008 showing ex-F1 driver Riccardo Patrese and his wife in a Honda Civic Type-R around Jerez circuit, Spain.

There are several priceless moments, including the hand signal from Italian-speaking Mrs P that needs no translation.

At last weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours the wife of Portuguese racing driver, João Barbosa, made the same mistake of trusting her dignity to a husband with a wicked sense of humour.

Strapped into a 2-seater Prototype, the 2010 Rolex 24 Daytona champion takes his wife on a 185 mph ride around the International Speedway, with inevitable consequences.

Assuming their relationship survived beyond the journey back home, perhaps the lesson to be learned is to wait until there’s a ring on her finger before subjecting your loved one to such a test. Especially if you then intend to post the evidence of her distress on YouTube for all her closest friends to see..

This week I’ll explore the subject a little further, using the latest Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Caption Competition as the case in point.

The competition is built around the team’s F1 world champions, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, and encourages participants to have fun writing captions for a gallery of behind-the-scenes photographs of the lads and their engineers at work. To provide some creative inspiration a series of viral videos have been produced, which you can take a look at below.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – Cap Signing. Ever wonder what Jenson gets up to when he’s not racing?

Hosted on the Vodafone Racing Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/vodafoneracing, fans are invited to choose a photo then add a witty caption, after which they can vote on other captions from the 800 or so already added.

Some of my favourites include a picture of Lewis saying, “I left Massa this much room and he still hit me..”, or one where Jenson is looking at a magazine with his engineer and says ‘..at least I’m sexier than Vettel in the latest Pirelli photo shoot..”. You get the idea.

The App can prove quite an addictive experience, especially once you realise there are prizes on offer. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes merchandise (including caps and t-shirts signed by either Lewis or Jenson) will be given to the highest points scorer each week, but the grand prize is a meet and greet for the main winner (and a friend) to visit either Lewis or Jenson at the McLaren Technical Centre in Woking, tour the facilities and pick up a signed copy of their winning caption. The team will even lay on flights and accommodation if the winner lives outside the UK.

The campaign which has been running since late July, has earned Vodafone over 500,000 views on YouTube (300,000 of those in the past month) but perhaps more importantly has fed plenty of positive social conversation about the playful side of the team and its drivers.

Now you might be thinking it’s easy for Vodafone, with access to two F1 world champions and a marketing budget equivalent to the gross domestic product of a third-world country, but there are in fact several lessons that can be applied to every campaign.

Gamification

A few years ago we ran a campaign with Volkswagen & Tribal DDB, called GTI Project, a Scaletrix-themed driving game with its own microsite supported by a series of cryptic display ads. You can still play the game today (http://www.gtiproject.com/), but make sure you’ve got plenty of spare time available – it’s thoroughly addictive.

I remember measuring yield figures 60 times that of other campaigns and it went on to win several well-deserved awards.

The lesson learned was that a successful social campaign should focus on the viewer’s needs more so than the brand, and that play (just as it was for all of us at one time) is the best tool for learning.

An article published on Mashable earlier this year – Gamification: How Competition Is Reinventing Business, Marketing & Everyday Life – provides a more in-depth look at the mechanics of the approach, but in simple terms the use of gameplay for non-gaming applications plays on our intrinsic desire for reward and recognition amongst our peers.

From a behavioural standpoint it also lowers our guard, sustains participation over a much longer period and builds a shared experience, which as anyone involved in team building will know is crucial to the success of relationships in a group.

And of course groups of supporters and advocates are the goal of nearly every social campaign, so it makes sense for companies to start a campaign considering how they can facilitate the growth of these social groups using their brand as the catalyst. Gameplay is by far the best way to achieve this.

Content

Success in all of our relationships, hinges on the conversations we participate in and this is never more obvious than in the relationship between a brand and its customers online.

The problem as many brands have discovered, is without a constant flow of engaging content, audiences will swiftly move off topic, or worse, start talking about the brand negatively. Facebook pages become customer complaint forums and suddenly all those ‘fans’ turn from being an asset into a liability.

This is where content marketing comes into play. If gameplay is the mechanism, then content is the raw material which feeds it. Content won’t cover up a PR or customer service blunder, but it will provide the means to build a positive relationship with an audience and in many ways this is the main benefit of campaigns such as Vodafone’s Caption Competition.

It’s fun, it’s inclusive and brings us a little closer to the team which Vodafone are helping to sponsor.

There are plenty more examples in this sector which show how gamification can be used to great effect, including:

- MINI’s Getaway Stockholm challenge – where the City of Stockholm provided the backdrop for the world’s largest reality board game. [Link]

- Volkswagen’s The Fun Theory (The Speed Camera Lottery) – which tested the hypothesis, “Can we get more people to obey the speed limit by making it fun to do?” [Link]

- Ford Focus Rally – an interactive pan-American cross-country road rally with the grand prize of $100,000 and a brand new 2012 Ford Focus. [Link]

- Citroën DS4SEEKERS Competition – an online and mobile competition in a multi-player game of hide and seek for a chance to win a New Citroën DS4. [Link]

If you haven’t already scrolled past all the marketing speak, then take a look at the remaining viral clips featuring Lewis and Jenson overdubbed with the voice of an actor. They might just inspire you to create the perfect caption that wins you a visit to the most impressive F1 facility on the planet.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – Hands Up

Just how hot does Jenson look in his new uniform?

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – Coin

What does Jenson keep in his pockets when he’s driving?

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – Jenson Excited

Ever wondered what goes through Jenson’s mind when he’s driving?

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – Lewis Solo

Ever wondered what Lewis and Jenson chat about on the phone?

Disclosure: This article is sponsored in part by Vodafone, however all views expressed within are entirely our own. We’ve used it to illustrate our wider feature on digital marketing within automotive and motorsport. Sponsored articles are accepted at our own discretion and only where we believe such additional focus or analysis will benefit our readers. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this article further, then get in touch via email or using the contact tab on this page.

Following a 12 year stint in F1 from 1989 to 2001, Alesi moved onto DTM racing and then last year made his most recent competitive race appearance in the Le Mans Series. In January 2011 he joined Group Lotus as a brand ambassador and development consultant on the F1 customer race car, the T125. Although never straying far from the race track, the Indy 500 and oval racing represent completely new challenges for Jean.

Commenting on the announcement Jean Alesi said: “I’m thrilled that Lotus has given me the opportunity to compete in such a world famous race. It’s going to be a very special experience for me but I also know that I have a lot of hard work ahead. I’m very focused on the task I’m facing – I’m taking my training very seriously, I have some amazing support on this front from a ‘comeback’ expert and of course I will be testing extensively. I’m really excited about the race.”

Jean’s development role with Group Lotus will stand him in good stead as he prepares for his new challenge as he will be competing in a Lotus powered by the new Lotus IndyCar engine. Development of the 2.2-litre twin turbocharged V6 is going to schedule with the first engine fire-up set for mid October and track testing planned to commence in December.

Group Lotus Director of Corporate Operations Gino Rosato said: “IndyCar racing represents a really important element of our overall motorsport program. The Indy 500 is the highlight of the race calendar, the atmosphere is always incredible and having Jean racing for us there will make it extra special.”

With the 9th generation Civic soon to be revealed at Frankfurt, Northampton-based MUGEN Euro have worked their magic again, producing a final version of the MUGEN Type R with even more power and torque.

The cylinder bore and stroke have been increased to create an overall capacity of 2,156cc, so the car has been christened the Honda Civic Type R MUGEN 2.2.

The result of the change is a boost in engine output from 237 to 256 bhp, and additional torque throughout the rev range. Peak torque is now 240Nm at 6,000rpm and compared to a standard Honda Civic Type R, both power and torque are up 30 per cent.

When coupled to the host of motorsport-derived components created exclusively by MUGEN – including sports suspension, uprated brakes and a stunning performance bodykit the Type R MUGEN 2.2. is the most extreme expression of the Honda Civic Type R philosophy.

As well as marking a swansong for the 8th generation Civic, it has also been created as a fitting tribute to the highly successful Honda K20 2.0-litre petrol engine, which has ceased production in Japan. Homologated by MUGEN as an FIA Group N race series engine, the K20 has become one of the most admired naturally aspirated performance engines and has provided the basis for almost 400 race and rally competitors around the world.

Hiro Toyoda, vice-president of MUGEN Euro, commented: “Environmental pressures mean naturally aspirated engines are rapidly being superseded by other engine architectures and technologies. We may never see the like of the K20 in a mainstream production car again, so felt it only fitting we mark the occasion with this special 2.2 version of the Honda Civic Type R”.

Unusually, plans for the 2.2 car have yet to be finalised. MUGEN Euro may invite buyers of the original 2.0 MUGEN Type R to return their cars for an upgrade, or offer the new 2.2-litre package within the four remaining cars from the original production run.

At the £38,599 price charged for the original version, we’re not surprised only 16 cars found a home, but perhaps this final edition might tempt a few more of you.

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A decision on these two proposals is expected shortly.

The power increase of the rear-mounted, 4-litre flat six engine was achieved through optimisation of the intake system. The gearing of the sequential six-speed dog-type gearbox was adapted to the increased power. In order to improve traction, the 911 GT3 R has featured a sophisticated ex-works traction control system since the 2010 model year.

If you’re confused about the hierarchy of Porsche’s customer racing vehicles, the 911 GT3 R represents the ‘mid-range’ model. The 911 GT3 Cup, as used in the many Porsche Carrera Cup series around the world is the ‘entry level model. Then ranking above the 911 GT3 R is the 911 GT3 RSR, built for GT2 racing, which competes in series like the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series and at the Le Mans 24 hour race.

The new Porsche 911 GT3 R will be delivered to teams from November 2011 and will cost 304,500 Euro plus the value added tax of respective countries. The Porsche 911 GT3 R from the 2010 and 2011 model years can be upgraded to the 2012-spec and an upgrade kit is available from Porsche Motorsport for 43,100 Euro.

David Coulthard, a 13-time Grand Prix winner and former Red Bull Racing driver, served as Cruise’s instructor for the day with support from a 12-person crew, who flew in from the team’s base in the UK.

Before the event Coulthard said, “We’ve come to America to help promote Grand Prix racing coming back and it will be in Austin, Texas next year. We had the chance to bring the car here and to do some laps with Tom Cruise. Anyone who follows the movies will know that he’s got a lot of track experience and it was an opportunity for him really to just find out what a Formula One car can do.”

Cruise was a good student and impressed DC with his eagerness to listen. Coulthard’s advice was simple, “The only thing that’s different from normal performance cars is having the clutch on the wheel but it literally is just like a motorbike. Release the clutch gently like you would on a motorbike.”

When Cruise asked how much throttle to give it, DC told him to just “..cover the throttle. The idle of the engine is about 6000 rpm, so you literally need to just add a millimetre of throttle to move forwards.” Sounds easy eh?

After just a few laps Cruise was able to bury the throttle and reached a top speed of 181 mph (291 km/h) around the 2.5 (4km) mile circuit – just 4 mph off the top speed of his instructor.

DC said, “For someone who is so skilled in his main career he is able to take in information very quickly and then go and replay that on the racetrack. He’s been to a lot of tracks and done a lot of laps so he’s got the visual, he understands about how you take a car around a racetrack.”

At the end of the session Coulthard was full of praise for his illustrious student, “For the amount of laps he actually did it was remarkable how quickly he got up to speed. Yeah I’ve got no doubt and I’m not being kind here, I have no doubt that if he wanted to put some serious time in to driving most types of cars, you know with a few days of proper running, he could be running some really good times.”

It wasn’t all plain sailing though, at one point Cruise pushed a little too hard and left the circuit but still had time to make a humourous quip, “It’s not as good off-road as it is on the track.” The adrenaline fuelled actor had this to say after getting out of the car, “It’s so smooth that thing is unreal. I was just really getting a feel for the braking a little bit, I was like alright. That was so much fun.”

After his impressive turn behind the wheel, Cruise jumped into the Red Bull aerobatic helicopter with ace pilot Chuck Aaron for a few more thrills, performing loops and rolls above the circuit.

The Red Bull F1 car has been appearing across the U.S. recently to mark the stateside return of Formula 1 racing in 2012 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Images: Red Bull

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The first documentary, produced by leading short film label, Future Shorts, will be released in late August, ahead of Rounds 19-21 of the BTCC at Knockhill.

To give you an idea of what to expect, we’ve got hold of a trailer for the series of shorts..

The team is heading to Snetterton this weekend (6/7 August) for Rounds 16-18 of the championship with its driver pairing, Matt Neal and Gordon ‘Flash’ Shedden, currently in first and third position in the drivers’ points.

At the halfway point of the year the team are looking to extend their championship lead over the remaining 15 rounds.

Neal explains: “Our Civic is one of the best handling cars on the grid, but you can always keep refining things and that is what we did at the test. We were chipping away at the suspension settings trying to find an extra edge. Although there has been a seven-week break in the championship, our team never stands still in the quest to make the Civic even stronger.”

A rule change from the championship bosses will peg back Neal’s and Shedden’s cars and force them to run with less turbo boost pressure this weekend but Neal says that the homework done by the team should keep the car at the front.

Snetterton – a new track for the BTCC

The Snetterton circuit has been completely remodelled since last season and now features a new three-mile configuration with a demanding infield section. ‘Flash’ Gordon says that the challenge will be ramped up for everyone.

“It is like going to a totally new track,” says Flash. “It has new sections that are twisty, but there are still the long straights and they will play into our hands.”

“My prime target is to cut the gap to Matt at the top of the points standings. The championship has been so tight and competitive this season and we have already seen that it can alter dramatically over the course of any given weekend. If I can leave Snetterton having narrowed the gap to Matt and made Honda one-two in the drivers’ points, then I will be happy.”

The first of the weekend’s three races kicks off at 12.10am on Sunday and the entire day’s action will be shown live on ITV4.

Six customer teams will be lining up on the North Loop with the racing version of Mercedes’ gull-wing model, including 3 cars from Black Falcon while Mamerow Racing, Heico Motorsport, Horn Motorsport, ROWE RACING and Race & Events GmbH will be at the starting line with one SLS AMG GT3 each.

Besides the performance of Mercedes gull-wing supercar, development has focused strongly on meeting the stringent safety standards of the championship as well as using the SLS AMG GT3 as a test bed to improve the already high standard of Mercedes race cars.

One prominent feature in the interior of the SLS AMG GT3 is the bucket seat, which is positioned within a safety cell of high-strength CFRP (carbon-fibre reinforced plastic) as in Mercedes’ DTM cars. And thanks to its special shape within the safety cell, which is bolted to the rollover cage and the aluminium space-frame, it provides considerably higher protection for the driver’s shoulders, hips and legs together with the HANS system (Head and Neck Support).

You may be surprised to hear that the racing GT3 model retains the gull-wing doors of its road going sibling. Like the production SLS AMG, the GT3 version is equipped with four pyrotechnical elements on the hinges of the gull-wing doors. These allow a rapid exit for the driver, or fast access by emergency personnel, should the vehicle be lying on its roof after an accident.

They are activated by the driver, using a switch on the centre console. Should he be incapable of doing this himself, the emergency personnel are able to pull on a ring easily located on the lower edge of the windscreen and marked “Emergency Exit”. The four pyrotechnical elements are then triggered, and release two roof hinges retaining each of the two gull-wing doors.

In addition the SLS AMG GT3 has polycarbonate side windows which can be easily removed by the driver or emergency personnel after an accident. The crash-protected location of the battery next to the centre tunnel, as well as the interior and exterior switches cutting off the power circuit, further demonstrate the efforts made for the greatest possible protection of the SLS AMG GT3′s driver.

VLN races at a glance:

• 2 April 2011: 58th ADAC Westphalia race
• 30 April 2011: 36th DMV 4-hour race
• 14 May 2011: 42nd Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy
• 28 May 2011: 53rd ADAC ACAS H&R Cup
• 11 June 2011: 51st ADAC Reinoldus endurance race
• 30 July 2011: 34th RCM DMV Grenzland race
• 27 August 2011: ADAC Ruhr Trophy six-hour race
• 24 September 2011: 43rd ADAC Barbarossa Prize
• 15 October 2011: 35th DMV 250-mile race
• 29 October 2011: 36th DMV Münsterland Trophy
• 10 December 2011: VLN annual prizegiving

Gallery