NEWS

Private Car Control Course available TOMORROW!

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:04:10 +0100

Due to a late cancellation, we have a one of our private Car Control courses at Silverstone (using large paddock/car park area) available TOMORROW, Tues 28th Sept.

We will provide an immaculately prepared, and specially set-up, Caterham Superlight for the purpose and your own private instructor who will create a wide variety of challenging corners and courses using cones. For those who have not experienced it before, you can expect to learn all about oversteer, understeer, drifting etc and will be encouraged to push the car up to (and beyond!) the absolute limit of grip, safe in the knowledge that the extensive run-off areas will provide an enormous safety cushion.

This is ONE-to-ONE private training so you will have exclusive use of the car, the venue and a dedicated instructor.

Price:
Half Day (AM or PM) - £1,353.50+vat
Full Day - £ 2,707.00+vat

We expect this to be snapped up pretty quickly, so if you would like to like to reserve the place, please contact our Group Coordinator, Niky Conboy, without delay:

niky@teamjota.co.uk
+44 (0)1892 752 701

Spa 24 Hour victory for three Drivers Club members on GT4 debut

Tue, 3 Aug 2010 10:35:56 +0100

AMR Jota Sport secured GT4 class honours in the Spa 24 Hours this weekend, with three of the four drivers coming from Jota’s in-house private driver training service, The Drivers Club.

Despite a recurring electrical glitch the four-man crew of factory Aston Martin driver (and Drivers Club founder) Sam Hancock, alongside Simon Dolan, Joe Twyman and Roger Wills - all three being members of 'The Drivers Club' - led the class for much of the prestigious twice-around-the-clock enduro and finished a massive 38 laps clear of the next-best GT4 car as the chequered flag flew at 4pm local time on Sunday afternoon.

However, the win didn’t come without its dramas as the electrical problem which had prevented Hancock from fighting for pole position during the best of the conditions in qualifying, returned on the very first lap of the race and caused intermittent trouble throughout the 24 hours. On several occasions the car lost power or shut down completely, posing considerable challenges to both drivers and team as they fought to keep the car in the race.

Changeable weather conditions, typical of the Belgian grand Prix venue, also plagued the race but the drivers, three of which had no modern-day GT racing experience, coped well with everything thrown at them, including racing in damp conditions on slick tyres in the dead of night, while the team were faultless throughout.

The result marks a superb start to Jota's partnership with Aston Martin Racing and a resounding success for ‘The Drivers Club’ as three of its members take home enormous winners’ trophies from one of motorsport’s toughest events.

Sam Hignett, Team Principal AMR Jota Sport: “All four drivers did an absolutely fantastic job to contend with the conditions and manage the electrical problem. This was the biggest modern day race that Simon, Joe and Roger have ever done and they were very professional and articulate with their feedback. I’d also like to say a massive thank you to the guys from Aston Martin Racing who worked tirelessly alongside us in the pit throughout the night. Dan Sayers (AMR’s GT4 project leader) was also back in the UK fielding telephone calls at 3am in the morning and the level of support they provided was first class.”

Sam Hancock: “I'm so proud of our team this weekend. While some of the boys have considerable 24 Hour experience, for others it was the first time and they were all amazing. If you put the electrical glitch to one side, there was not a single mechanical problem or mistake during the pit stops. They’ve worked every hour that god has sent since we took delivery of the car a few weeks ago and I hope that this win has made it all worthwhile. Every single person on the team from the mechanics and crew at the track, the girls in the office back at base, Pete our great physio, the catering staff and of course my co-drivers all deserve credit for the role they have played in this brilliant result. What a great start to our new chapter with Aston Martin Racing and a great showcase for The Drivers Club!"

ENDS.

Victory for Dolan & Hancock in Snetterton sunshine

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:31:15 +0100

A fantastic team performance helped The Drivers Club - Jota’s private driver coaching arm - earn a hard-fought fourth round SPEED Series victory at Snetterton last weekend.  Drivers Club pupil, Simon Dolan, along with his private coach and co-driver Sam Hancock, steered their Ligier JS49 to a commanding victory at the Norfolk venue after a race-long battle with WFR’s Warren Hughes and Jody Firth.  The pair were still chasing set-up in qualifying after electrical gremlins stymied much of Friday’s free-practice, but after Hancock’s time was disallowed, Dolan’s best impressively secured third on the grid nevertheless.  Under sunny skies Dolan was installed for the opening stint of the 3-hour enduro and leapt to second place on the opening lap before settling into an excellent race-pace behind the more experienced Firth.  After 90 minutes, Dolan was just 20 seconds behind the leaders as both cars pitted to hand over to their respective team mates. After an astonishing pit-stop from the Jota Sport crew to usurp the leading car, Sam rejoined the race with a commanding lead.  As Hancock struggled with the balance of his Ligier, Hughes resolutely reeled in the Aston Martin Racing Le Mans driver until, with 20 minutes remaining, the pair ran nose-to-tail for a couple of laps before Hughes tried to pass around the outside at the Esses. Following some light contact, his WFR machine immediately slowed.  “The car slid slightly under braking and we made contact,” said Sam. “I didn’t think it was enough to cause either of us a problem but when I saw him slow, I felt bad for potentially ruining their race as I didn’t want to win like that, especially after such a great fight. It wasn’t until after the race that Warren told me that in fact he’d had an electrical problem that was totally unrelated!”  While Hughes limped back to the pits and eventual retirement, Hancock routinely ticked off the remaining time to take a comfortable victory.  “I’ve got to pay tribute to the team who have been excellent all weekend,” he said. “They worked late on Friday to replace the wiring loom and won us the race with that pit stop. They’ve got to be the fastest mechanics in the championship. Simon’s progress is also very encouraging and his race craft has also improved no end. He just didn’t put a wheel wrong.”   “I’ve definitely made a big improvement over last year because my average lap time has come way down,” concurred Simon. “I think I’ve just jumped up to a new level this season, and certainly at Aragon a few weeks ago started feeling a lot more confident with the car, and that continued through to Snett.”  Victory sees The Drivers Club move two points clear of WFR at the top of the SPEED Series standings ahead of round five at Oulton Park on July 24.  Notes for editors: The Drivers Club, run by world-class Aston Martin Racing Official Partner Team, Jota Sport, offers private, high performance driver training and exclusive driving events to discerning individuals who demand the best of the best. For more information, please visit www.thedriversclub.co.uk

Caterham Superlight chosen for Car Control Training programme

Tue, 25 May 2010 13:48:24 +0100

The Drivers Club is pleased to announce a new addition to its stable of training vehicles; the Caterham Superlight.

Originally developed by Lotus’ legendary F1 designer Colin Chapman in the late 1960s, the lightweight sportscar’s successors have become the trackday enthusiast’s weapon of choice thanks to their mix of nimble handling and ferocious horsepower.

The company’s modern flagship model – the Superlight – has been carefully selected to help Drivers Club pupils learn the tricky art of car control in a safe and controlled environment.

Many of the club’s pupils have little or no experience of racing high-performance machinery which makes learning the basics, especially in a car utterly suited to such a task, all the more imperative if they are to unlock their full potential.

Whether it’s intended to fine tune a particular area of ability or included in a bespoke racing driver training programme, the aim is simple: to make the transition from conscious input to instinctive reaction.

Car control training days are held on open areas of tarmac around specifically designed courses marked out by cones. Such spacious surroundings allow both pupil and instructor to find the limit of the car and even over step it in complete comfort. As always, a Drivers Club support vehicle will be on site, offering a relaxed environment for tuition before setting off in pursuit of the next power slide.

Drivers Club founder Sam Hancock said: “There’s nothing better than a Caterham to begin your car control training in. If a driver is ever to maximise their full potential then they must have the ingrained ability to control their car. The longer the car is out of control, the more time they’re going to lose. Equally though, it’s imperative that the car is on the edge of its ability which means the driver must have the necessary skills to take it there and beyond safely. The Drivers Club’s Car Control Training will teach them just that.”

Tech Spec: Caterham Seven Superlight R300 Weight: 515kg Max Power: 175bhp
Power-to-weight: 339bhp-per-tonne
0-60mph: 4.5 Seconds Top Speed: 140mph

Sam Hancock becomes official factory driver for Aston Martin Racing

Fri, 21 May 2010 13:24:37 +0100

British racing driver and founder of The Drivers Club, Sam Hancock, will join the list of esteemed names to compete for Aston Martin Racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours this June (12/13) after being announced as an Official AMR Factory Driver.

Following a successful test at Motorland Aragon last week, the 30-year-old sportscar ace was selected as one of three drivers for the works squad’s #009 LMP1 coupe at La Sarthe, where he will partner fellow new recruit Juan Barazi and existing AMR Factory Driver Darren Turner. Sam’s programme will also include the Le Mans Series season finale, the Silverstone 1000kms, in mid-September.

The former Le Mans Series LMP2 champion is no stranger to the unique challenge of Le Mans having raced there four times already in his career. His last appearance, in 2006, was as a factory Courage Competition driver when he ran as high as fifth overall in the team’s LC70 LMP1 entry before engine failure in the 15th hour.

Since then Hancock has turned his hand to the prestigious Porsche Carrera Cup GB in which he was a multiple winner, while also founding The Drivers Club, a highly successful and exclusive private driver coaching service.

Sam Hancock: “Becoming an official Aston Martin Racing Factory Driver represents the pinnacle of my career so far and a tremendous opportunity to return to top line endurance racing. It will be a real honour to pull on the Aston Martin overalls and follow in the footsteps of names like Shelby and Salvadori. It will be a challenge to emulate their Le Mans 24 Hours victory of 1959 against the diesel contingent but we’ll certainly be giving it our best shot and we’ll also be gunning for the honour of best-placed petrol car. This is amazingly exciting for me and I’ll be working very hard to repay the team’s faith in me.”

Aston Martin Racing made their successful return to prototype racing last season after a 20-year hiatus, winning the Le Mans Series title at the first time of asking. The team also finished fourth behind a trio of diesels at Le Mans, beating the next highest placed petrol car by three laps.

ENDS

Hancock's month of all things GP3

Sat, 15 May 2010 12:07:26 +0100

Drivers Club founder Sam Hancock has become the new GP3 Series’ resident expert after testing the single seater at Paul Ricard for Autosport magazine and becoming the championship’s co-commentator.

Following other track-test and feature writing assignments for the world’s weekly motorsport authority, including the current generation GP2 car, Sam was invited to southern France as part of the new Series’ media day where he got his hands on the 280bhp “office” of tomorrow’s F1 drivers.

Sam’s four-page, self-penned colour feature was published in Autosport’s May 6 edition, in which he described the Dallara-built, Renault-powered car as “so well set up, so immeasurably aided by a remarkable level of downforce, that it is virtually effortless to drive.”

With his newly acquired firsthand knowledge to rely on, Sam swapped cockpit for commentary box at the championship’s opening round in Barcelona last weekend alongside Martin Haven for Eurosport’s live GP3 coverage.

Despite having not described a race in nearly a decade, when he worked as part of Sky Sports’ Indycar and Champ Car coverage, it wasn’t long before Sam was back up to speed offering expert analysis.

“Driving the new GP3 car was a great experience,” said Sam. “I haven’t been in a proper single seater for a couple of years so it was good to get back behind the wheel of a contemporary slicks and wings racer. Commentating has always been something I’ve enjoyed too and hopefully, thanks to my experience of the car, I was able to offer the sort of intimate insight a regular pundit couldn’t.”

Sam will continue to commentate on Eurosport’s GP3 coverage for the remainder of the season, as well as racing in the SPEED and VdeV Series alongside Drivers Club pupil Simon Dolan.

The Drivers Club win again at Silverstone

Sun, 4 Apr 2010 12:34:22 +0100

Two weeks after winning their first race of the season in the opening round of the European VdeV Championship at Jarama, Drivers Club ‘pupil’ Simon Dolan and his coach and club founder Sam Hancock were victorious again at Silverstone, and scored a first pole position of the year, as the UK-based SPEED Series got its 2010 season underway.

While both drivers admitted that their win in the weekend’s second race was slightly fortuitous, it made amends for some misfortune in the opening event when a broken oil line robbed them of the chance to fight for a podium.

Hancock put The Drivers Club Ligier JS49 on pole position by 2.7secs in a tricky damp qualifying session and Dolan led the field away at the start of the one hour 20 minute race. He held off former Le Mans 24 Hours class winner Warren Hughes in the early stages, before settling into a comfortable second place, consistently pulling away from the cars behind. Unfortunately, a small mistake soon after saw him run wide and break an oil line underneath the car, causing an engine shutdown which ended the team’s hopes of victory.

In race 2, Dolan was determined to make amends and made rapid progress through the field after starting from the back of the grid. He was up to fourth place by the end of the second lap and drove a fault-free stint before handing over to Hancock.

Sam then posted a succession of quick lap times and was running in third position when the leading Team WFR Ligier that Hughes was sharing with Jody Firth had to pit with a rear wing failure and the RLR Motorsport car of Barry Gates and Rob Garofall spun off, handing The Drivers Club victory.

Sam Hancock: “We definitely had some good luck to get that win but it makes amends for the misfortune we suffered in the previous day’s race. I was pleased with pole position, as the conditions were very tricky, but we must continue to up our game throughout the season as we’d like to challenge for one or both of the VdeV and SPEED championships.”

Simon Dolan: “I have learned a lot this weekend and to end up with a victory is a great way to finish. Before my mistake, I was pleased with the way I drove in Friday’s race as I was a lot quicker than everybody other than Warren Hughes. Two wins from two race meetings is an excellent way for us to start the season.”

ENDS

Victory for The Drivers Club in Jarama!

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:15:04 +0000

Drivers Club ‘pupil’ Simon Dolan and his coach and club founder, Sam Hancock, scored the team’s first VdeV series victory with a fine against-the-odds performance in a nail biting race in the opening round of the 2010 season, the 4 Hours of Jarama, at the weekend.

Dolan and Hancock, entering their second season together in the pan-European prototype endurance racing series, took the win despite only qualifying 14th on the grid in their Ligier JS49, which was strangely down on power all weekend.

The win was testimony to a superb team display, as several strategy calls paid off handsomely. First, as drizzle fell before the start of the race, the squad opted to switch to wet tyres but leave dry settings, while several other teams decided to change setup and start the race from the pitlane.

That call immediately gained Dolan, a long-term member of The Drivers Club - Jota Sport’s exclusive private driver training programme, a number of places and he then produced an impressive performance in treacherous conditions at the Madrid-based circuit, handing the car over to Hancock in eighth position at the end of his one hour 45 minute stint.

A second timely strategic decision came during the driver change as, with the track beginning to dry, the team chose to bolt on dry tyres for Hancock’s stint. While the surface was still slippery, the former Le Mans Series LMP2 champion was immediately the fastest man in the race and quickly dispatched those ahead to take the lead and pull out a 40-second advantage.

Needing a late splash-and-dash fuel stop to finish the race, Hancock surrendered his lead with 50 minutes to go when he pitted under Safety Car conditions. He rejoined in third place, immediately inheriting second when the car ahead received a drive-through penalty, and proceeded to chase down the leader.

In the closing stages Hancock fought hard with the Norma of Philippe Mondolot and, after eventually forcing an error from the Frenchman, he was able to make his way past, holding his advantage to the line to take a seven-second victory.

Sam Hancock: “We’re very, very happy with that performance. Our car has strangely struggled for pace this weekend so to pull off our first win despite that is testament to fantastic team work. The strategy, pit stops, driver changes, refuelling and reliability, as well as the performance of Simon, were absolutely spot on. We were the best prepared team on the day and every single person performed their role brilliantly.”