Byrne crowned in mixed conditions in Pirelli-backed British SuperbikesShane Byrne did enough in the mixed conditions of the MCE British Superbike season finale at Brands Hatch to claim his fifth title.
The first race began with all riders on Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike Slick tyres, but they had to switch to Rain tyres after several incidents and restarts. Peter Hickman took the win after JG Speedfit Kawasaki team-mate James Ellison went off. Leon Haslam also fell, allowing sixth-placed Byrne to stretch his advantage.
In race two, all riders took to a damp circuit on Slick tyres with Ellison this time picking up victory ahead of John Hopkins and Hickman. Byrne was again sixth but just one place behind rival Haslam.
Ellison was the winner over Hopkins again in the third and final race, with Ducati rider Byrne coming third to wrap up the title ahead of Kawasaki's Haslam.
Successful P1 Sport squad joins Pirelli-supplied BRDC British F3The BRDC British Formula 3 Championship has welcomed a new team in the form of P1 Sport, headed by successful team boss Roly Vincini.
Vincini already has a strong record in British F3 racing, starting out in 1992 under the P1 Racing banner and running Adam Carroll to five wins as P1 Motorsport in 2004. He then helped future Formula 1 racer Giedo van der Garde to the Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2008.
P1 Sport has purchased three BRDC British F3 cars from HHC Motorsport, which will focus on sportscar programmes in 2017, potentially in the Pirelli-equipped British GT.
"It is great to announce a return to front line motorsport and we think the BRDC British F3 Championship is the perfect category in which to do so,” said Vincini. “We've been extremely successful in single-seaters, most notably in Formula Renault 3.5, and we can't wait to get out on track and continue that form in the UK's leading single-seater series.”
F3 racer eyes more Prototype Cup with PirelliBRDC British F3 frontrunner Thomas Randle is set to continue competing in the Prototype Cup next season after contesting the inaugural race at Snetterton recently.
The 20-year-old Australian sampled the Pirelli-supplied LMP3 category with the same Douglas Motorsport team with which he won twice and finished fourth in the F3 standings this season. He now hopes to combine the ride alongside Mike Newbould with a drive in a bigger single-seater category in 2017.
“Driving it at Snetterton really won me over and, with a real ladder in prototype racing that potentially goes all the way to LMP1, it’s something I’d really consider,” Randle told Autosport. “Mike wants to do the full season with me and I’ll take him up on that.”
GP2 racer King gets F1 practice debut with Manor and PirelliBritish GP2 race-winner Jordan King will take part in a Formula 1 practice session for the first time at the United States Grand Prix this week.
King, who is fifth in the GP2 standings with one round remaining, will drive for Manor Racing, where he is a development driver. He made his debut with the team in the tyre test organised by Pirelli in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2015, and has since appeared in in-season tests this year.
“It’s another big step in the right direction for me, after two really positive tests in the MRT05 which paved the way for this opportunity,” said King, 22. “It’s a dream come true, but at the same time I have a job to do in the car on Friday and I want to make sure I give the team plenty of quality feedback and data to help with their USGP challenge.
“There’s quite a lot to cram into 90 minutes. I’ll be exploring the balance of the car and correlating that with the team’s simulation work. There’ll be some new components to evaluate, along with the tyre specifications for this event. I’ll also be learning the circuit and getting up to speed with the car, which has been developed quite a bit since I last drove it at Silverstone. I can’t wait!”
