In a repeat of the bad luck he suffered at Donington Park last season, Andrew Richardson failed to score in the G55 class after he ran into a series of issues while sister Louise also encountered problems as she came away from the weekend with just a single fourth place in the G50 class. However, Huddersfield-racer Mark Davies maintained his solid start to the season by finishing on the G50 podium in all three races to extend his advantage at the head of the class standings.

Going into the weekend, Andrew had been buoyed by an impressive performance in pre-event testing but could only qualify fifth on the grid with his car seemingly down on power. Despite that, he battled hard with Carl Breeze and Tom Ingram for second place until the eighth lap of Saturday’s opening race when the engine on his car failed; putting him into retirement on the spot.

A huge effort from the team overnight to replace the engine allowed Andrew to line up on the grid for the second race on Sunday, although his race didn’t start well when he didn’t get away when the lights went out. Loose bodywork then forced him to pit at the end of the second lap and he would end the race unclassified in the results.

A storming start to race three saw Andrew climb up to eighth on the opening lap alone and the forward progress continued as he worked his way into the top six. His wretched luck would soon return as an ECU issue forced him back into the pits and although he was eventually able to rejoin, he was again unclassified, leaving him a hugely unrepresentative tenth in the G55 standings.

“There isn’t really a lot I can say,” he reflected. “We had good pace in testing on Thursday to be only a tenth off [points leader] Tom Sharp but then when we got into the race weekend we’ve been hit with a number of problems and none of them were our fault. There was nothing we could have done and it’s hard on the team who worked so hard on the car to get us back out after the engine let go. We’ve just got to look forward.”

Andrew’s problems meant it was down to the G50 class cars to uphold Richardson Racing honours, with Mark building on the results he secured in his first race meeting for the team at Brands Hatch. Qualifying third in class, he held his place early on in race one before working his way to second in class behind Max Coates; a result he would then repeat in the second race of the weekend on Sunday morning.

In race three, Mark stormed away at the front of the G50 field to build a commanding advantage before contact from the G55 of Fergus Walkinshaw saw him run wide at the Old Hairpin. The loss of momentum allowed Coates to get ahead of Mark to secure the class victory again, although Mark heads away from the weekend having extended his championship lead over closest rival Rob Gaffney.

“It’s good to extend my lead but Max had a good weekend and will have got more confidence from it,” he said. “To be honest, Brands Hatch and Donington were the circuits I wanted to get out of the way as it’s the longer circuits that I’m looking forward to, but it was a good weekend points wise. You always want to win and it’s a shame that a G55 driver cost me the chance to get a victory in race three, but overall it’s been okay and I can now look forward to some circuits where I think I’ll be strong.”

Louise’s weekend started well when she secured the G50 class pole but she was then baulked at the start by another car and slipped back to fourth in class. Before she had chance to make up positions, a fuel pump failure caused her to park her car at the top of the Craner Curves, leaving work to do on Sunday.

From the back of the field, Louise worked her way forwards to fourth in class but again saw any hope of a podium finish ended through no fault of her own when Hunter Abbott – trying to recover from an earlier spin in his G55 – tried an overambitious lunge into the final corner and put Louise into the gravel.

Quickly establishing herself as the quickest G50 car on track in the final race of the weekend, Louise was battling hard for the podium positions when her car developed an issue in the closing stages, which meant she had to settle for fourth place – leaving her fifth in the class standings.

“The car has been fast all weekend but I’ve not had the chance to show it in the results, after the failure in race one and then the fact that I was taken out by a G55 in race two,” she said. “Hunter got points for it, but it won’t give me back my result.

“The car wasn’t handling quite right in the final race so I had to take it a bit easier than normal down the Craner Curves, but I still had a lot of pace and managed to catch the top three. I think we could have been on for a win until the car developed a problem late on. I think the clutch was starting to go and it meant I couldn’t really push them, so I had to settle for fourth instead. It’s a shame that the results don’t reflect the pace I’ve had.”

Further information on sponsorship opportunities with the Richardson Racing team are available by e-mailing info@richardsonracing.co.uk

Dynojet Racing driver Frank Wrathall came away from Donington having scored in all three races, while rookie Adam Morgan bounced back from a tough start to life in the series at Brands Hatch earlier this month with a brace of points finishes. Morgan’s Speedworks Motorsport team-mate Tony Hughes claimed a point also, in the third race of the day.

Frank was the quickest Toyota man during qualifying, setting 11th quickest time, and made the most of the pace of his Avensis to climb up to ninth in the first race of the day. Wrathall looked well placed to improve on that in the second race before a clash with the Ford of Aron Smith at the Old Hairpin saw him spin and drop down the order, although he recovered to 14th to add more points to his tally.

The final race saw the Lancashire driver battle his way forward through the field and, despite a small mistake at the chicane which cost him places, he ended the day with seventh and his Avensis performing better than ever.

“The Toyota felt good and we’re making progress with it all the time,” he said. “It was a shame that we had the clash in race two and we should really have been fourth or fifth in the final race, but then I made a mistake at the chicane which cost me places. It was good to be in the mix and race three was my best of the year so far. I enjoyed it.”

Adam Morgan was hoping for more luck after his problematic debut at Brands Hatch but had to start from 20th on the grid after an off in qualifying. Solid drives in the first two races saw him score his first championship points with 15th and then 13th – which was also the best finish so far for his Speedworks team. Unfortunately his weekend ended with a retirement in race three due to a braking issue, although he was still pleased with the way things had panned out.

“I’ve learned a lot this weekend and I’m pleased to have points on the board,” said the Ciceley Racing driver. “I have a lot more confidence and it feels great to have been out there competing against some of the top drivers in the field.”

Team-mate Hughes meanwhile was forced to retire from the opening race after a clash at the chicane damaged his suspension, but two solid drives – despite the fact he was struggling to get heat into his tyres in the cold conditions – meant Tony picked up 16th and 15th places in races two and three.

“The track was so cold it was taking more time to get the tyres up to temperature,” said Cheshire-based Tony. “It left me on the back foot a bit as I was struggling to get the heat into the tyres all day.”

Toyota’s independents hit the BTCC trail again in a fortnight’s time (29 April) at Thruxton in Hampshire.

The West Thurrock-based outfit had headed into the weekend buoyed by a double points finish in the season opener at Brands Hatch, with Attleborough-based driver Ollie Jackson eager to build on the pace he had shown on his first outing in the team’s turbo-powered Volkswagen Golf.

Unfortunately, the weekend didn’t start well when an alternator issue meant Ollie was forced to return to the pits without setting a timed lap in the opening practice session, while an issue with the brakes on the car then meaning he had to settle for 20th in the second 40 minute session.

Despite that, hopes were high of a solid run in qualifying but with an engine not performing at its best, Ollie had to settle for the 19th quickest time.

Having decided to change the engine in the car overnight, Ollie lined up on the grid for the opening race of the weekend but with the mapping on the engine incorrect, he found himself off the pace and wasn’t classified at the finish after a number of pit visits.

Evaluating the situation, the team took the decision to withdraw from the remainder of race day in order to avoid causing damage to the engine and will now regroup ahead of the third round of the campaign at Thruxton in a fortnight.

“We just haven’t had a chance to show what we can do this weekend,” Ollie reflected. “We’d had our issues on Saturday but the braking issue was sorted for race day and the car was handling really well; we were just down on speed because of the mapping issue.

“We didn’t expect the mapping to be out like it was and it was the right decision not to compete in the other races as we would have risked blowing the engine up and that would have put us in a difficult position ahead of Thruxton. It’s been tough, but we’ll fight back from it.”

Team boss Shaun Hollamby shared in Ollie’s disappointment at the way in which the weekend had unfolded, especially as Donington had previously been one of the strongest circuits for the Golf.

“It’s a shame as we showed good pace at Brands Hatch and we should have gone even better here,” he said. “However, it wasn’t to be. We’ve now got to sort the problems out and make sure we are up to speed at Thruxton so Ollie has a car that he can challenge with and we will go there aiming to show the kind of speed we showed last year.

“Before the season started, we had an issue with our new engine in testing which meant we were running an old one for these first two rounds and that has really led to our problems this weekend – it left us on the back foot. Having said that, we didn’t think the mapping would be so different on the replacement engine compared to the old one, so we’ll now get the car onto the rolling road and sort the mapping out so that we are ready to go in a fortnight.”

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During the rain-affected session at what is ‘home circuit’ for his Avensis, Dynojet Racing driver Frank posted the 11th quickest time, only a second away from pole position. Unfortunately for Frank, the light rain that fell during the session, a red flag and a slight technical issue towards the end of the 40 minutes of running hampered his hopes of lining up inside the top ten.

“It’s a bit disappointing as we had a decent first run in the session and we improved the car, but then the red flag came out when I’d set my quickest time in the first sector,” he said. “I had to bide my time when the circuit was damp and then when the circuit dried and I was on my fastest lap, we had a slight problem which meant I couldn’t show our maximum potential. I think we would have been three or four places higher up the grid.

“The car feels good and I’m confident for tomorrow as I think we will have strong race pace.”

Rookie Adam Morgan and his Speedworks Motorsport team-mate Tony Hughes endured a more troubled session and will line up respectively 20th and 21st on the grid.

Adam had hoped to join Frank in challenging towards the top 10 but saw his session come to a premature end with a spin into the gravel at Redgate, bringing out the red flags in the process. Although he returned to the pits, the incident saw his qualifying run ended after just eight laps.

“We’ve struggled a bit with rear-end grip on Adam’s car today, and I think a combination of that and cold tyres caught him out a little bit,” team boss Christian Dick said. “It’s all part of the learning experience and although it’s not been the easiest start to the season, we know we have a quick car and know Adam is a quick driver and it’ll come good.”

Tony will line up just behind Adam on the grid having admitted he just needed more time in the car.

“I scrubbed in some tyres on my first run and then I’d put some new tyres on after the red flag but the circuit was damp and when I came in to change them around, we decided to leave it as the track was quite slippery by that point,” he said. “We might have missed it a bit when it then dried towards the end, but I think I just needed some more time in the car.”

Rounds four, five and six of the BTCC are on Sunday at Donington Park and will be screened live on ITV4.

Will, originally from Scarva but now based in Northamptonshire, will take up a fresh challenge after two seasons competing in the British F3 International Series, where he secured three victories and two pole positions last season en-route to fourth in the championship standings.

Will has signed to drive with leading single-seater team Carlin, who will enter him in both the new FIA European F3 Championship and in the Formula One support series, GP3.

Will’s programme in 2012 will actually see him fight for three titles: GP3, the F3 Euroseries and the FIA European F3 Championship. All eight rounds of the F3 Euroseries will count towards the FIA European F3 Championship with the British F3 events at Pau and Spa making up the ten race schedule.

“We held back to look at the options available for 2012,” Will explains. “GP3 with Carlin was very attractive to us and also Volkswagen were very keen to have me in the Euroseries, so I am very happy that the deal with Volkswagen and Carlin came together, even if it is a bit late in the day.

“As a driver it was difficult to wait for everything to get sorted, but I’m delighted to be signed with Carlin as they are one of the best teams there is, as their record of championships shows.

“I believe the new FIA European F3 Championship will be a major series in the coming years and I really want to try and win it this season. There is a lot of effort going into the programme and its great to be able to count on the support of Carlin, Volkswagen and all my sponsors.”

The GP3 deal meanwhile will see Will compete on the F1 bill at a minimum of six European F1 races, including the famous Monaco Grand Prix at the end of May and his home Grand Prix at Silverstone in early July.

“I’ve tested the GP3 car a few times over the winter with Carlin and it’s gone very well,” he says. “GP3 is now an established series with great racing, plus it has a lot of commercial and sporting benefits for me as I develop my career. Live TV on the new Sky Sports F1 channel will be good for my sponsors and the opportunity to show the F1 teams what I can do again is a major plus point for me as a driver.

“I know most of the tracks from Formula BMW, but I am going to gain even more experience of competing on a number of Formula 1 circuits, which will help me as I move forwards in my career.”

The team secured podium finishes in both the G55 and G50 classes in the season opener and will now hope for more silverware in what will be something of a home event for the team, which is at full-strength for the weekend with all three cars in action.

In the G55 class, Andrew Richardson will hope to challenge for his first victory of the season having shown front-running pace throughout the weekend at Brands Hatch, where he broke the lap record in race one and then came from the back of the field in the final race to secure third place.

Unfortunately, a dragging clutch at the start of the opening race and resultant drive-through for jumping the start, and a retirement in race two after he was collected by a spinning rival, mean he arrives at Donington in an unrepresentative sixth place in the championship standings but with confidence high about challenging for victory.

“Although Brands Hatch was a weekend of mixed emotions, I came away from the track having gained a lot of respect for the speed I showed which is a big confidence boost heading to Donington for myself and the team,” he said. “It’s a circuit I like and the racing can be very close so we need to see how things go when we get out on track. However, I’m confident that we can build on the pace we displayed at Brands Hatch and I see no reason why we can’t challenge for our first victory.”

In the G50 class, Huddersfield-racer Mark Davies heads to Donington Park as the man to beat in the championship standings with a win and second in class at Brands Hatch giving him the early lead in the title race.

Mark won at Donington Park last year en-route to the Ginetta Challenge title and tested his G50 at the East Midlands circuit over the off-season, leaving him in confident mood about the weekend ahead.

“The testing we did at Donington before the season started could be really important as we don’t have much running on track before qualifying,” he said. “Confidence is high after the results at Brands Hatch and the fact we are leading the championship, and I’m hoping I can add some more victories to my tally this weekend.

“Donington is almost my local circuit and it looks like we could be in for some mixed weather conditions, which is something that I feel would be good for me as they are conditions I enjoy racing in.”

Louise Richardson will also be in action again at Donington Park in the second G50 after a deal was struck to continue her championship challenge, which is currently going ahead on a race-by-race basis as she seeks additional backing for the remainder of the campaign.

Louise heads to Donington Park – where she took two podium finishes last season – sitting fourth in the G50 standings after three top-five finishes at Brands Hatch, which included a second place in the opening race of the year.

Like Mark, Louise goes into the weekend confident of challenging for what would be her maiden victory in the series.

“We’ve managed to put the money together for this weekend and I’m really pleased that I’ll be racing again,” she said. “I really want to try and get some strong results to help find the sponsors I need to keep my season going, but I went well at Donington last year and am confident I can be at the front again.

“My aim for the weekend is to try and get a win. I’ve been on the podium a few times but it would mean so much to get that first victory; for me, the team and for my parents for the support they have shown. Hopefully I can do it this weekend.”

Further information on sponsorship opportunities with the Richardson Racing team are available by e-mailing info@richardsonracing.co.uk

The West Thurrock-based team has fond memories of the East Midlands circuit having picked up its maiden BTCC top ten finish at the venue last year, with its turbo-powered VW Golf taking its best result to date with seventh place in the second race of the weekend.

Already this season, the team has secured two points finishes in three races, with Attleborough-based driver Ollie Jackson having taken 13th and eighth place finishes at Brands Hatch before he was caught out by oil on the circuit in the final race and was forced to retire from while running inside the top six.

Ollie goes into the weekend sitting just two points away from a place inside the top ten in the championship standings and having impressed throughout his first weekend at the wheel of the AmDtuning.com Volkswagen, he will now hope to fight towards the top ten again in his second outing with the team.

“We had a test at Donington Park before the season started which went well, and I’m feeling good about the weekend,” he said. “I think we showed a good level of performance at Brands Hatch even though I feel I could have done better in qualifying, and the aim is to be pushing towards the top ten again.

“I don’t feel the same amount of pressure as I did going to Brands Hatch and am more at ease with the car now I have a race meeting under my belt; I just need to be consistent throughout the weekend and make sure I qualify better so we can push on for points. The Golf showed good pace at Donington last year and having found more grip and improved the high-speed handling since then, I think we’re on for a good weekend.”

The accident in the final race at Brands Hatch, which saw the Golf hit by a number of other cars that had also gone off on the oil dropped by Mat Jackson’s Ford Focus, has led to plenty of work back at the AmDtuning.com base over the past week.

With the car now fully repaired, team boss Shaun Hollamby said he was optimistic that the level of performance shown at Brands Hatch can be maintained this weekend despite the differing nature of the circuit.

“The car was more heavily damaged than we thought after the accident but its been on the jig and the guys at Legend Vehicle Solutions managed to turn the bodywork round quickly for us before the Easter weekend, so we’re more of less ready and raring to go for Donington,” he said. “Brands Hatch was a good start for us and the race pace in particular was good. Ollie did a good job and without the accident in race three, I genuinely think we’d have been on for a top six finish.

“Now we have to try and more forwards from where we were at Brands Hatch and Donington is a circuit where we have gone well for the past two seasons. It’s a circuit where people say it is all about power, but you also need a car that handles well and that is one of the strengths of the Golf. Having worked on both the chassis and the engine to get more speed out of the car, which we showed at Brands Hatch, I feel top ten finishes are achievable this weekend and I have a good feeling about our chances.”

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In the G55 class, Andrew Richardson showed front-running speed throughout the weekend, clinching a best finish of third and breaking the lap record on his first weekend in the premier category. In the G50 class, Huddersfield-racer Mark Davies celebrated his first meeting with the team by taking a win and second place away from the weekend, while Louise Richardson also picked up a podium on her first outing in the Ginetta since the 2011 season finale at Silverstone.

Andrew qualified an impressive second on the grid for his first race in the G55 having been pipped to pole position by Tom Sharp, and held his position off the line when the lights went out. Unfortunately, he was then handed a drive-through penalty for a jump-start caused by a dragging clutch, which dropped him to the rear of the field. From there, he launched an impressive recovery drive to storm back through the pack to eighth place and, showing his pace, Andrew also broke the lap record on the final lap, going two-tenths of a second quicker than any of his rivals.

From eighth on the grid for race two, Andy quickly made up places on the opening lap to sit in fifth place and soon moved up to fourth when Fergus Walkinshaw ran wide at Paddock Hill Bend on lap four. However, on the following lap, Andy tried to make a move around the outside of Tom Ingram into the same corner only for Ingram to put a wheel onto the kerb on the inside. Unsettling his car, Ingram went into a spin and collected Andy as he came back across the track – putting both out on the spot.

With heavy damage to the rear of his car, the team worked hard to repair Andy’s car for the final race and despite an ill-handling car caused by the need to fit old tyres to the rear, he produced a fine performance to come through from 15th on the grid to secure third place and his first podium of the year. Andrew ends the weekend sitting sixth in the G55 standings.

“It’s been a real rollercoaster of a weekend,” he said. “The penalty in race one cost me a good result there but I showed my speed with the lap record and then in race two, I made a good move round the outside of Ingram and couldn’t do anything when he spun. For race three, we just got the car back together in time so the handling wasn’t great and we were on old tyres on the rear as the incident in race two had ruined the tyres I had on. It was a bit of struggle and I know we could have been quicker but it was good to get onto the podium.

“I’m pleased for myself and for the team that we have shown we have the pace to be right at the front, now we just need to get the results. We’ve come away from the weekend with a fastest lap and a podium, and the first win will come soon.”

Mark had qualified on the G50 class pole for his first race weekend in Richardson Racing colours, and the reigning Ginetta Challenge champion was able to build on the encouraging pace shown in pre-season testing as he dominated the opening race, moving ahead of a number of the quicker G55 cars to take the chequered flag first in class and eighth overall.

A repeat in race two looked likely when Mark again ran at the head of the G50 class, climbing as high as fifth overall before a mistake going through Surtees saw him lock a brake and run wide. Dropping down to sixth in class as a result, Mark drove well through the closing laps to climb back to fourth in class and ninth overall at the finish.

At the start of the final race, Mark made up one place off the line to lie third in class and tenth overall before a shunt ahead allowed him to move to eighth overall on the third lap. After a Safety Car period to remove damaged cars from the circuit, Mark continued to run third in class with a number of G55 cars becoming involved in the fight for overall position – hampering his chances of climbing further up the class order.

Although he crossed the line third in class and eighth overall, a time penalty for rival Ian Parsons for exceeding track limits meant Mark was promoted to second place, while he also ended the weekend with the fastest G50 lap in two of the three races. Mark leads the G50 standings after the opening three races of the year.

“We’ve had a good weekend,” Mark said. “We’ve been able to see what the others are capable of and have also learned more about the car which will help us moving forwards. I knew it would be close here and it could be the same at Donington Park, then we’ll go to the bigger circuits that I prefer. Winning the first race was great and it was a shame that I made a mistake in race two and lost the chance to win again.

“I was still on the inside of the grid for the final race and made up a place before the start when Max Coates pulled off and to be honest, I don’t think we could have done much more in the final race. I picked up an extra place when someone else got a penalty but it was all about picking up the points in race three as that is what helps you win championships.”

Having qualified second in the G50 class, Louise also enjoyed a solid start to the race weekend as she too ran untroubled through the first 16 lap encounter, following Mark home to take second place in class and tenth overall.

Maintaining her place when race two got underway, Louise looked well placed to challenge for at least a podium finish again in the second race of the weekend before she started to suffer from a loss of power that hampered her challenge on track. Despite that, she was able to take the flag fifth in class and twelfth overall.

For the final race, Louise lined up in tenth on the grid and although she lost an overall position on the opening lap, she was able to climb to third amongst the G50s. However, at the end of the second lap, she was caught up in a multi-car accident triggered by contact between the G55s of Walkinshaw and Tom Sharp ahead. Slowing with the rest of the field to avoid spinning cars ahead, Louise was hit in the rear by Reece Somerfield and tipped into a spin, although she was able to keep her car out of the barriers.

Despite flat-spotting her tyres and with damage to the rear of the car, Louise battled on to the finish to secure fourth place in class and ninth place overall. At the end of the weekend, she sits fourth in the G50 class standings.

“It was a big ask to get up to speed when I hadn’t been in the car since Silverstone last year and then I had some issues in testing on Friday so qualifying second was great,” she said. “The first race was fantastic to get a 1-2 finish with Mark but then I lost power in race two and there wasn’t much I could do there. I was confident for race three but then there was the accident ahead and when I slowed with the cars in front, the guy behind was too close to have time to react and so hit me in the rear. Luckily I managed to avoid the other cars and kept it out of the barriers and could rejoin but the tyres were flat-spotted and the damage to the car meant it was difficult to drive.

“Overall, I’d say it’s been a good weekend and the team did a great job. Hopefully we can now find the backing for me to do more rounds and build on the results we picked up this weekend.”

The West Thurrock-based team went into the season-opener keen to build on the encouraging performance shown during pre-season testing with its turbo-powered Volkswagen Golf with newly-signed driver – Attleborough-based Ollie Jackson – looking to finish inside the BTCC points for the first time.

Having performed solidly in Saturday’s two practice sessions, Ollie qualified 16th on the grid, just 1.1 seconds away from pole position around the tight and twisty 1.2 mile circuit. Making forward progress when the opening race got underway, he crossed the line in 13th place having set a best lap time just 0.6 seconds down on race winner Rob Collard.

Under the revised scoring system in place in the BTCC this season, Ollie also scored his first points in the series in the process.

Race two saw another impressive performance from the AmDtuning.com Golf as Ollie worked his way into the top ten to secure a fine eighth place finish; which then resulted in him being drawn on pole for the final race of the weekend.

Aware of the need to stay out of trouble at the start, Ollie slipped back to fourth on the opening lap but was keeping pace with the cars ahead until the Ford of Mat Jackson dropped fluid on the run-up to Druids on lap three.

Unable to stop the car when he hit the brakes, Ollie slid off into the gravel and although he managed to keep the car out of the barriers, he was then collected by two of his rivals who went off at the same time. The resultant damage prevented him from taking the restart after the race was red-flagged.

Despite that, Ollie ends the weekend twelfth in the championship standings and tenth amongst the independent drivers.

“It’s a bit gutting it ended as it did, but overall it was a good weekend,” he said. “We should really have been in the top ten in qualifying but I just didn’t get the lap in. I made progress in race one and to then get my first top ten finish in race two was a great result.

“From pole, I didn’t expect to stay at the front in race three but I felt we could have finished in the top five or six. I was keeping pace with the guys ahead but then when I touched the brakes on the way up to Druids, I was a complete passenger. I kept it out of the barriers and could have taken the restart but other cars followed me into the gravel and that was what did the damage.

“We’ve scored points in two of the races and shown what the car can do, so now we have to just push for more at Donington Park.”

Although sharing the disappointment of race three, team boss Shaun Hollamby was also pleased with a weekend that ends with AmDtuning.com sitting ninth in the HiQ Teams’ Championship and eighth in the Independents’ Team Trophy.

“We’ve ended the weekend with a lot of damage but overall we can be happy with the performance we have shown,” he said. “We’ve had good pace in the car and there is still a load more to come. We’ve scored points and picked up a top ten finish, and the accident in race three is just one of those things that unfortunately happens. We’ve got two weeks to repair the damage and come back fighting next time out.

“The whole team has been buzzing this weekend, and Chris Tweed and the boys have done a fantastic job on improving the Golf over the winter. We wanted more reliability and more straight-line speed and have shown both, so I think we can hope for plenty more points from this little Golf as the season goes on.”

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The famous circuit in Kent will play host to the first three races of the 2012 campaign, with Richardson Racing aiming to fight for championship honours in both classes of the hotly-contested series.

Spearheading the team’s challenge will be Andrew Richardson, who moves up to the premier G55 class on the back of a G50 campaign last year where he won on four occasions and marked himself out as a real rising star.

Having taken a double podium on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit last year, including his maiden G50 win, Andrew goes into the weekend in confident mood having quickly got up to speed in his new car during pre-season testing.

“We had a bit of an electrical fault when we tested the car for the first time at Donington, but then we went to Brands Hatch and were right on the pace,” Andrew said, “so I’m going into this weekend confident that I will be able to challenge for victory. The car has more grip and better brakes than the G50 and it just feels a bit more ‘racy’ when you are behind the wheel.

“My pace during testing was consistently quick, and I was faster than the other cars present even when I feel there is more to come. I won in the G50 at Brands Hatch last year and hopefully I’ll do it again this time around.”

In the G50 class, Huddersfield-racer Mark Davies will kick-start his title challenge aiming to maintain the kind of form that saw him crowned Ginetta Challenge champion last season.

Mark secured a win and third place on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit last year en-route to the Challenge title and he too is keen to try and make a winning start to his championship challenge.

“I’m not too sure what to expect until testing on Friday as it will be the first chance we have to see what the other G50 drivers can do,” he said. “However, even though we haven’t really been on track with the other G50s, I’m going into the weekend very confident about my chances. I’ve settled in well with the team during pre-season testing and they’ve provided a good car. I’m looking forward to it.”

The team’s second car in the G50 class will also be in action, with a late sponsorship deal having been signed to allow Louise Richardson to take part in the opening rounds of the season.

Louise’s deal is currently on a race-by-race basis, with the team seeking additional sponsorship to ensure she is able to join Mark in fighting for the G50 class title.

“I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to be on the grid but then we got a call on Tuesday night that means I’ll be racing. Although I’ve done testing in a Formula Renault BARC car over the winter, I haven’t driven the Ginetta since Silverstone last season but I don’t think it will take me too long to get back into the swing of things. Despite the lack of track time, I think I can get at least a podium finish from the weekend.”

The opening 16 lap race of the weekend will take place on Saturday at 14.20, with two further races of 24 laps on Sunday at 10.20 and 15.40 (subject to change).

Live coverage of Sunday’s action from Brands Hatch will air on ITV4, ITV4 HD and via ITV.com.

Anyone interested in sponsorship can contact the team by e-mailing info@richardsonracing.co.uk