Ben Evans Racing

In 2007 nothing in my motorsport world went right, if something could go wrong or if there was bad luck going round, I got it.

This year it has been the opposite, in the past couple of weeks I have had two great opportunities and experiences come my way.

Firstly there was the trip to Varano for rounds 5 &6 of the Formel V Championship. After testing and first qualifying on the Friday I hated the place. I was down in 8th position and miles off the pace, the circuit was slow and boring. Qualifying on Saturday morning was wet, but the car felt very good and I was confident if the race was wet or damp.

Saturday’s race was sunny but I made a good start and was soon in the battle for 3rd. With overtaking difficult, I was delighted to have fought my way up onto the podium, only to miss a gear and have to do it all over again. Eventually I made it back to 3rd and held my position to the line, for my 4th 3rd position in a row.

Sunday was wet, but by the time of the race the track was drying out nicely, but we had no choice but to start on wets. I made a rubbish start and stalled setting off 10s behind the field. However by the middle of the first lap I could feel that there was lots of grip available and set about charging through the field. By lap 3 I was in 3rd and but midway through the race I was in the lead. However my tyres were overheating and I had no option but to fall back into 2nd. On the last lap it was 3 for the lead and into the last corner I found a gap and took the win. I was absolutely delighted and it was a great feeling to get my second ever win under my belt.

This now puts me 2nd in the Championship ahead of Hockenheim next weekend where I will be hoping for another two podiums.

The commentary has also been going amazingly. A call to do the MSVR Supercar Sunday meeting at Anglesey led to a quite unbelievable chain of events which means that I am now the official UK TV Commentator for the World Series by Renault. The first two programmes have gone out on Setanta and BT Vision and the rest will appear the Thursday after each meeting. I also did the world TV feed commentary at the Silverstone meeting and this went very well, meaning that it is quite likely that I will fly out to the remaining meetings to the on-site TV commentary. This is an incredible opportunity and one that I am seizing with both hands and a huge thanks to everyone who has helped facilitate my first steps into TV.

Its been ages since I last posted here, largely because I haven’t had a moment to sit down and write.

The start to the 2008 season has been my best yet in motorsport, the racing is going well and the commentary is growing and growing.

The European season got off the best possible sport, when we had a title sponsor - Spring Group (www.spring.com) sign on for the year, which is fantastic. Already we have a great relationship and it is working out very well.

On track it has been even better. The first meeting of the year at Dijon was mixed as I was learning both the car and track, whilst trying to shake out the winter cobwebs. The first race was a bit of a disaster when I managed to both jump the start and get taken off in a first lap incident. Luckily I recovered without damage and eventually with the penalty time added finished 9th. The following day I made amends in the second race to take 3rd position in arctic conditions where I was under pressure from a gaggle of cars for the whole race.

On to Most in the Czech Republic for another good weekend. Throughout the meeting I never had truly competitive pace over a single lap and qualified down in 6th. The Most circuit was flowing with a lot of high speed entries into slow corners and not unlike Croft in characteristic. The first chicane in particular was devilishly tight!

Having watched some of the other races I knew to expect carnage at the first corner. Sure enough, following a poor start I held back into turn one and watched everyone else fall off, leaving me 6th once again. From then on the remainder of the race was about picking the cars in front off to claim another podium with 3rd position. Needless to say I was delighted, especially as racing at Most we got grid girls, garlands and champagne all for the same entry fee as a UK meeting.

The plan for race 2 was to repeat the exercise and that’s exactly what I did, this time making a good start, and following a good dice with Joe Wezel for 4th place I was out on my own promoted to 3rd when James Birch’s engine failed mid race. So another strong podium, leaving me 3rd in the Championship after 4 races.

Out of the cockpit things have been going equally well, as my first couple of commentary dates have led to a lot of successive work and very positive feedback including several e-mails from spectators which is very pleasing. Having attended a number of meetings as a spectator and as a race, my aim is to combine being entertaining and informative and so far it’s working. My first TV show will be airing some time in June and I’ll be posting the date up on this site as soon as I know it

Anyone following Formula Vee this winter will know that all is not well in the Formula. At the instigation of 12 individuals (and allegedly one team), 750mc decided to introduce a class B for the 2008 Championship. Due to the fact that the consultation period was negligable and that the rules exclude the very cars they were supposed to support, it is no surprise that Class B has been met with stiff opposition from most competitors.

Throughout 2007 it was clear that something would have to be done to curb costs and development in FVee. With top-10 budgets frequently in excess of £30k and special engines reving to 9,000rpm and being rebuilt after 20 minutes running, there was no way the garden shed competitor could even hope to get a look in. During the season there was some discussion about the introduction of Class B, but at Snetterton at the final round a definitive ‘no’ came from 750mc.

It was with some surprise then that Class B was included in the 2008 technical regs, following some off-season petitioning, largely I’m led to believe from AHS. Certainly AHS were best placed when the rules came out with a Class B car ready to go into the wind tunnel. Due to the success of the Challengers in recent years, there are some who would unkindly suggest that the only way they would win a race is if a class was created for them.

I went along to the AFD last sunday largely because most boxing is pay-per-view and this promised to be a free of charge punch-up. It was grim stuff. In the face of both facts and logic Keith Messer seemed determined not to give any ground to the competitors, of whom there was a large contingent. If the vast majority of the competitors, who lets not forget keep the club in business, don’t want class B imposed then arguably it is a good idea to scrap the whole thing. Not least because 750mc needs to be smart in picking its battles - ie water cooled engines, 107% qualifying rule on some circuits.

Throughout I was hugely impressed with Steve Glasswell, who amidst a cold shoulder from the club, and a potential coup from the competitors took the moral high ground, and stayed calm and coherent amidst what was a fierce debate.

So where does all this leave us. Well its not pretty. The Vee Centre forum is censoring posts (yes I noticed Gethin’s post disappeared, even though it told the facts as I understood them), the club is determined to show who’s boss, and Class B has as far as I understand three legal chassis’ - Spyders, Leastones and modified AHS Challengers. Pete Belsey, Gethin Jones and Tim Hill should be fighting for Class B honours then.

Formula Vee has a huge amount going for it - the consistently best single seater racing in the uk, the best value single seater racing in the UK, a strong competitor and spectator following. So why do the 750mc seem intent on driving a wedge into a formula that works and those within in seek to deepen the wounds.

The paddock at Mallory Park in two weeks time will be a fascinating place. As I’m not racing in the UK this year, I will be at as many races as possible with the aim of reporting the action, news, gossip and scandal on this site

It’s been a long time since I have written anything for this website, that for a number of reasons, firstly the 2007 season petered out so disappointingly that I couldn’t face writing anything and secondly I have been busy putting in place my plans for 2008.

In 2008 I will be competing in the European/German Formula Vee Championship racing in the ex-Patrick Sherrington Scarab, run by Martyn Donn and Andy Storer. I cannot wait for the season to get underway as I think that we have a very good chance to challenge for the title overall and a number of wins along the way. In 2007 my car wasn’t at the cutting edge of the field, in 2008 it definitely will be.

Although the calendar is not 100% confirmed, it looks like there will be races at Dijon, Most, Spa, Hockenheim, Magny Cours and Monza - in other words a dream calendar. Quite simply I cannot wait to get stuck in. I’m currently searching for sponsors, so if you are intersted please get in touch (benfrombristol@hotmail.com) and I will send you a proposal.

However my plans for 2008 are not just confined to driving. Towards the end of 2007 I began to pick up the commentators microphone and thanks to the incredibly generous support of Brian Jones and David Addison had the opportunity to commentate at several high-profile end of season events including the Formula Ford Festival and Formula Palmenr Audi Shootout.

My commentary schedule for 2008 is not yet finalised, however I will be commentating in at least 4 weekends during the season and hopefully more - if you know of any potential commentary opportunities please get in touch.

All told 2008 looks like being a cracking year of racing and commentating coming up, and quite simply, I cannot wait for the season to get underway

Anyone who knows me will be well aware of the fact that Pembrey is far from my favourite place, in fact it is only kept off the bottom of the list by Swansea. As a result my expectations for the weekend were roughly those of Tim Henman going into Wimbledon. Consequently it was a great feeling to come away from the weekend with a hard fought 7th and a very hard fought 5th.

Qualifying has never been my strongest suit, so I was delighted to end Saturday’s session 8th and 9th respectively which meant I would actually get to watch the heats.  After a seemingly endless wait Saturday’s final was a cracker, following a good start I was up into 5th place, before Ryan Lindsay used James Birch as a brake bringing out the reds. The restart saw me make another good start and I was again in 5th dicing with Martin Farmer, Ian Buxton and Simon Robinson. Ian and Martin were able to break away leaving me dicing with Simon for 6th. Coming into the hairpin on the last lap Simon grabbed the place and as I tried to take the place back on the twisty bits we touched, both of us spinning scattering the cars behind. Amazingly I wasn’t damaged and recovered to 7th, which is where I had been anyway. Apparently it was quite a spectacualr accident and from where I was sitting seeing bits of cars through the tyre smoke was not fun. On balance it was probably my fault, as the move was optimistic, but at the same time Simon did turn across me at a point where I was 80% alongside and on the inside.

After all that excitement as I was amazed when Sunday was even more spectacular. Spending the whole race dicing with Ian and Simon was by turns exhilerating and terrifying, as few come harder. I eventually found my way past Ian with a do or die move at the Crossing and then held Simon off by 0.03s on the line, after some scary moments with backmarkers - not their fault, but rather that of the marshals whose use of any flag, let alone a blue one was sporadic and random. Given the speed differentials in Vee at the moment, safe and correct use of the blue flag is essential or there will be a very serious accident.

Coming into the weekend with such low expectations, to come away with two solid points finishes was all I could have hoped for and leaves me well poised heading into my favourite tracks Cadwell and Brands.

Finally a note on the circuit staff and officials from Pembrey who for the 3rd year in a row I found to be nothing but impolite and unhelpful.

So far this season has been a strange one for me. In the last 3 races I’ve been in strong podium positions in each, yet have only converted one to a meaningful points finish.

Lydden Hill was a probably my strongest meeting in Vee so far. Saturday’s race should have been mine. I had just taken the lead when the reds came out, following a strong drive up from 5th on the grid picking off the cars ahead one by one. The Scarab was working perfectly so I could really push it through the corners carrying massive corner speed.

The restart of Sunday’s race was a debacle (should it have been restarted at all having gone well beyond 50%?), with the Union flag dropped the instant the lights failed, and not following another warm up lap as are the MSA rules. When the flag dropped I wasn’t in gear so lost a huge number of positions and lost my nose and spun out trying to make up ground.

Needless to say I had quite an interesting conversation with the Clerks of the Course after the race. The gist of their argument was that it had been a long hot day, and that this isn’t professional motorsport. Fair enough except that a lot of the drivers weren’t really ready for the restart, and that having seen the footage it was a miracle there wasn’t an accident. Suffice to say had there been a startline accident then those involved could have been looking at professional motorsport sized injuries and bills.

Sunday’s race was more uneventful, I waited for Tim Probert  and Daniel Hands to get tangled up and moved on through to take 3rd place scoring my first podium. I was delighted, but still disappointed from the preceeding day.

Castle Combe was another mixed weekend. The start of testing was delayed by a muppet of a noise tester who took it upon himself to scruitineer every car before issuing a noise certificate, his probing of the car so vigorous that he managed to break a rose joint. Cheers.

Qualifying was so wet I was amazed we were allowed out. In the circumstances 6th on the grid was pleasing as there was no grip or feel for what the car was doing at all. Following a good start where I had moved up to 4th by Quarry my race was effectively over at Bobbies when Martin Farmer drove into me. I saw him in my mirrors but he was so far back I had no issues about turning into the corner. Given that Castle Combe is my local track I was absolutely devastated as I think I would have finished 3rd had I continued. I did restart come through the field and finish 11th, but when a podium is on the cards it was gutting.

 After the race it was off to the Clerk of the Course for another bizarre conversation - as I was accused amongst other things of contact with a phantom car. Needless to say I found it very hard to take seriously a bollocking for contact with a car that didn’t exist. The Clerk said that because contact was noted it didn’t matter which car it was - my argument that if the observer got one number wrong there was a balance of evidence that they’d misnoted my car was summarily ignored. Not to mention that it is very hard to hit something that doesn’t exist. I can only pass on my condelences to the Stock Hatch driver whose licence was endorsed for pushing Casper the Friendly Ghost onto the grass.

Next up its a trip to that little piece of North Korea in West Wales known as Pembrey where hopefully this time around I’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep without people breaking into my hotel room fighting.

Mallory Park last Sunday was as good a start to the season as I could realistically have hoped for with 4th place matching my best finish of 2006.

Qualifying was good in that I made it straight through to the final, but frustrating in that I only qualified 10th, having traded tows with Jake O for the whole session. Also given the obvious pace of some of the other cars I was concerned about how much progress I would be able to make in the race.

At the start I made the perfect getaway to be 4th into the first corner carving through and around the six cars in front of me. At the red flag I was placed 4th, and fortunately the race had been underway long enough for me to take the restart from the second row. This time I was 2nd into the first corner, but unfortunately lost the tow of the leaders coming out of the hairpin for the second time (a late gear change), which meant that the onus was on me to defend 4th for the remaining laps.

The rest of the race is a blur of side by side action and late braking and I was extremely glad to see the chequered flag. However the race was extremely clean and enjoyable, although I think I went through Gerrards two abreast too many times for comfort.

 4th place is a strong springboard for the remainder of the year and I’m confident that the next two meetings Lydden Hill and Castle Combe will play to the car’s strengths. At Lydden the premium is on handling and corner speed, something the Scarab excells in, whilst the high speeds of Castle Combe suit the car superbly (see Thruxton and Silverstone from last year).

It was also great to see a large (for 750mc anyway) crowd at Mallory, and hopefully some of the other circuits we visit this year will similarly promote the meetings. £12 for all the action on Sunday was a bargain and proves once again that 750mc continues to provide the most exciting and best value racing for spectators and competitors alike.

Paradoxically after what seems like an endless winter break Mallory Park has arrived very quickly. It’s hard to belive that the first race of 2007 is less than a week away, and I can’t wait.

Pre-season testing kicked off last Tuesday with a very positive test in the wet at Snetterton and the car is working better than ever. By maintaining the exact same support set-up and car for this year (with the usual RSS tweaks) I’m confident of a very strong season. Whereas in 2006 I was coming to each track blind and still learning my way around the car, in 2007 we’ll have done all that legwork and can build on the outright pace we showed throughout 2006. More personally pleasing was the fact that my race suit still fits and that my seatbelt settings are as they were at Oulton Park - clearly the offseason beer has been offset by the offseason running.

 Sunday won’t actually be my first race at a racing circuit in 2007 as a couple of weeks ago I finished 8th in the Brand Hatch 5k around the Grand Prix circuit - a result I was delighted with. That said I can’t wait for the engine to start doing the hard work once again.

Overall 2007 promises to be a great one for Vee - all of last year’s big names are back, it’s the fortieth anniversary and the series profile is ever rising. However there are a couple of points for concern. Firstly the calendar this year is not special - the double header at Lydden springs to mind and secondly I hope that budgets are kept under control - Vee is fabulous for not having a directly proportional spend to speed ratio and I hope it stays that way.

Well this week its going to be non-stop yoga and protein drinks (translation - Chinese and Beer) ahead of the first race, and it will be great to see everyone again, at what will undoubtedly be a cold, wet and windy Mallory Park on the 11th.

After making my way to the Autosport Internation on Thursday I’m beginning to really feel the build up to the 2007. That it is less than two months until Mallory Park is only serving to ramp up that anticipation. Admittedly the calendar is not what I would have hoped for. No Donington, double headers at both Pembrey and Lydden, but it is better spaced through the year that in 2006 and that is something to be glad about. However I’m still confident of a very strong year and hope to be both winning races and challenging for the Championship.

The Autosport International show was itself something of a mixed bag. On one hand it was great to see some Vee people again, and even better to see my photo in the Vee Centre brochure (I’m assuming the royalty cheque is in the post). I thought the 750mc stand was excellent, and it certainly stood out as a beacon of accessible motorsport at a show where most ‘low cost’ formula were touting £60,000 minimum budgets. However if I had been attending as a regular fan I would have felt a bit ripped off as there wasn’t a great deal to see or do (relative to what there could be), especially in relation to the £30 entry fee and scandalous £7 parking fee.

Hopefully the 750mc racing year will provide action and accessibility on a par with 2006. However it would be great to see some meetings really well promoted bringing more spectators than usual to meetings and showing how exciting club racing can be.

Despite it being the close season it has been a busy couple of weeks for the Vee fraternity. Last week’s Vee Centre party was a great do, and thanks to everyone who was involved in organising it. It was great to get to meet everyone away from the stress of a race weekend, even if, much to my Mum’s disappointment, do nothing but talk racing. However, I’m not sure what was more fun, the party, or trying to equate number of pints to obvious size of hangover at breakfast the following morning

On a more serious note the hot topic of discussion has been around the 40th anniversary race next year, which I have volunteered to help out with (as i feel it’s important to give something back following a great UK season and an awesome time in germany). At present it looks like we’ll be at Brands in July which will be awesome as I love Brands, its near my house, and it always produces great racing. Furthermore with some good promotion and an innovative meeting we should manage to have a large entry, and a big crowd. Also having spent last Saturday afternoon walking round Northampton (main activity for the locals? looking menacing in the shopping centre), I have to say London is probably far more attractive for the foreign drivers.

Unfortunately all this is no substitute for driving, and already I cannot wait for the first test of 2007. In the meantime the only driving I get to do is on the A1, which is unfortunately as far removed from a Vee race as you can get (even if I do involuntarily shake with fear every time I pass a vehicle with WG Tankers on the side ). To console myself I did get out to watch the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, and I have to say Vee is so much better. Whilst the Formula Ford will almost be my first love and remains a cracking spectator sport, from a competitors point of view Vee is easily the better option. The Festival was littered with unncessary accidents (even by the standards of some Vee drivers) and extremely questionable driving standards. Peter Dempsey and Nick Tandy are both extremely quick drivers, but both would still succeed without their obvious desperation to win regardless of consequences. Even the 1600 Kent Class occasionally resembled a destruction derby, with a couple of avoidable accidents that in a 750mc meeting would have seen a licence endorsement. Even so the Festival remains my favourite day’s racing of the year (execept for the one’s where I’m driving) and it would be great to see Vee as one of the support races one year.