Tuesday 14 February 2012

Watch the Sebring 12hr at Aston Martin

Having had "one of those" discussions with a friend on Twitter (Me) a couple of weeks ago and inspired by the Audi quattro Rooms (small "q" Hindy!) showing of Truth in 24, I would like open up the invitation to you to join us at the Aston Martin Showroom here in Derby, where I will be holding a private, ticket only, screening of the entire race coverage of the opening round of the WEC from Sebring, Florida on Saturday 17th March 2012.

With the assistance of Brand Partners Bang & Olufsen, we will show the race feed on the big screen, from early afternoon on Saturday and on into the wee small hours (I know Sportscar fans are made of resilient stuff). Aston Martin are happy to supply one of their new Vantage Race Cars for you to have a poke around, Mrs Dunkie and I will feed you (Pea Soup, Chilli or similar) and I will speak nicely to the Spotter Guides people so that we can have a sweep for the winners in each class - Bottle of Bubbly so that you can celebrate with the winning teams if you so wish.

Your parking will be on site and covered by security at all times. As you will understand, I am not in a position to supply any alcohol during the evening, but if guests wish to bring their own "lubrication" then that is fine but must be within reason.

There are some other nice little things that I am working on with John, Eve and the Team to make the evening even more exciting, so watch this space.

Tickets are strictly limited to 50 places and will cost the princely sum of £15.00 per head, paid in advance only as guest names will need to be on list for my Security Man to let you in.

I thought this might be an opportunity for a bit of a night out in a nice environment, bearing in mind it is also St. Patricks Day, a bit of racing, a bit of food and more importantly some friendly banter with like-minded Sportscar fans for what promises to be a fantastic spectacle with 60+ cars on the grid for the first race of the season.

Please email me on paul.dunk@stratstone.com or Direct Message on Twitter @Dunkie5150 to reserve your place. Once added to the list I will need to take your payment, full contact information to send your tickets to. Tickets will be on a first come, first served basis hence the reason I am posting this on here first.

Hope you can join us!

Regards,

Dunkie.

Please respond to Paul's email or i can forward your info on. However remember it's a first come first served basis, so do not waste anytime and I will see you there.

I just want to thank Paul for taking this upon himself to organize, he has truly has surpassed anything I could of done.

See you all there.

Sunday 5 February 2012

What to look out for in 2012

WEC
2012 is going to be all about the Hybrid. With the formation of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the entry of Toyota it will once again be between 2 giants of the motoring world.

After the news that Peugeot had pulled the plug on their endurance program the competition was looking slim within the new WEC but Toyata took the bate and stepped up, confirming a double entry in the season highlight at Le Mans but taking on 4 Audi’s will be tough but fascinating for us fans.

A third Manufacturer will also be making an appearance, Mazda being run by Dyson Racing have been accepted by the ACO for the 24hrs of Le Mans. It remains how much the Mazda factory are involved within the development of the Lola.

Expect the unexpected.

The LMP2 category's surprisingly has a strong entry for 2012 WEC with 9 teams competing throughout the season, being doubled for Le Mans. Even though this is the second tier within the WEC do not discount it, I believe LMP2 will provide some of the best racing as long as the fragile nature of the cars can be sorted.

All 9 WEC entries have a tie up with a manufacturer Honda, Nissan cover most entrants with Morgan and Lotus joining the Japanese firms.

DTM
This could be the best year for DTM for a while, BMW have entered this years championship and the full might and resources being thrown into the V8 touring car series.

Audi and Mercedes the longer established teams within DTM could be in for a surprise. Two further reasons to watch will include Andy Priaulx and the fact the cars themselves are stunning.

MOTOGP
I say this because I can see a resurgence from Ducati and the reemergence of Valentiono Rossi and that is always great for the sport. Stoner will be on a strong Honda, Lorenzo returning from injury and appearing back on the Yamaha all signs are good for a great season.

Also the top bikes will be built to the latest rules moving on from 800cc machines to 1000cc! That alone must be worth a look.


INDYCAR
After the tragic events at Las Vegas in the final 2011 round of the which saw the passing of Dan Wheldon, 2012 will debut the car Dan helped to develop, the DW12.

An up and down season last year as regards driving standards and officals 2012 will be a step forward in all respects. Changes have been made throughout the series and I see a great year ahead.

New engines from Honda, Chevrolet and Lotus split throughout the grid will provide another element to mix up the season. The new car is new to everyone and I can see a a lower ranked team competing with the likes of Ganassi. Returning drivers and new drivers will also add another exciting mix.

SKYSPORTSF1
Regardless of the politics which have lead to sky showing F1 in the UK and fact we must pay for it. I can see Sky stepping up the level of coverage available to fans for 2012 and setting a new standard.

With the launch of their stand alone channel in March, I wait with bated breath to see what Sky are bringing to F1.

Keep your eye out for all of the above, I will be watching and commenting throughout the season on twitter and via my blogs.