Greg Mansell joins USR
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Greg Mansell joins Ultimate Signatures Renault World Series 2009 team.
Archive for March, 2009
Video - Croix 2008
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Steve Plater 2009
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Aussie Assault On 2009
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Australian stars Glen Richards and Josh Brookes will race in HM Plant Honda colours in the British Superbike Championship next season.
Peter Molloy - 2008
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Peter Molloy
Peter takes new racing honourMilton Keynes race star Peter Molloy has crowned yet another successful season by being named the British Motorcycle Racing Club’s (BMCRC) Rider of the Year. Peter, who is sponsored by Milton Keynes legal firm Franklins Solicitors LLP, has already won back-to-back motorcycle championships in his first two seasons. But there was yet another prize waiting when he arrived at the BMCRC’s annual awards ceremony to collect his Championship trophy and the club’s ‘one make series’ award. Said Peter: “My first two years in the sport have been fantastic but, to find out I had won the BMCRC’s Rider of the Year accolade was something very special, and the magnificent trophy reflects that.” In fact, The Sir Algernon Guinness Memorial Trophy he received was previously awarded to the world land speed record holder, but was donated to the BMCRC in the mid 1960s. For the next year it will join Peter’s growing trophy haul which started after his winning debut season in the UK MiniTwin Championship. For 2008, the 30-year-old chartered surveyor stepped up to the more competitive Full MiniTwin series, but with equally successful results, taking the championship at Snetterton with one round of the season in hand. Next year Peter will be racing a Suzuki GSXR600 in the MRO Supersport 600 Championship with Team Steve Jordan Motorcycles. The machine has a top speed of over 180mph and can hit 60mph from a standstill in under three seconds. In addition to eight rounds of this new championship, he will also be competing in selected rounds of the British Superbike Championship in the Supersport class, every race is televised and some 50,000 people attend each event. Michael Franklin, Managing Partner of Franklins Solicitors, added: “It’s every sponsor’s dream to back a winner and Peter is just that. We’re delighted that the club in which he competes has now added its congratulations by voting him its Rider of the Year.”
Xpress Coffee Uk’s Peter Molloy Wins Championship
Xpress Coffee’s Peter Molloy has won his debut season in the MRO mini twins with a convincing performance in the penultimate round at Snetterton. With the added pressure of the whole event being televised on Motors TV Peter managed to clinch the title. After a difficult start to the season including a nasty accident in practice at Silverstone resulting in Peter fracturing his ankle Peter still went on to continue the weekends races and then fight for the championship. Xpress Coffee Uk will be continuing our support of Peter into the 2009 season when he looks to move up into the 600 Supersport Class with Steve Jordan Suzuki.
19/07/2008
Xpress Coffee spent the day at Brands Hatch with our Xpress Coffee Mini Twins racer Peter Molloy celebrating his 30th birthday.
With his family and friends watching as well he certainly didnt let us all down to put on one of his best performances of the season. On pole position for race one Peter was soon in second place until colliding with two others coming out of Druids. Peter managed to stay on but dropped to 4th place.
With only 4 laps to go Peter worked his way back through to the front and lead until the last lap when a nasty crash had the race red flagged stopped to give Peter the first win of the day.
Race Two - saw Peter fighting against Glen Davies in another exciting race which he came through to win in fantastic style. This has left Peter Clear at the top of the table but still with a fair way to go until we all return to Brands Hatch for the seasons finale at the end of September.
June 2008
After his fractured ankle at Silverstone Peter Molloy bounced back with a fantastic week end at Croix en ternoise in France. With a 2nd and then a first on the Saturday including breaking the track recorded. After going into the week end 61 points behind of the Championship leader Peter has now come back to the Uk on top with a lead of 13 points.
May 2008
Xpress Coffee’s Peter Molloy showed the most amazing grit and determination in last weekend’s MRO mini twins at Silverstone.
After a nasty crash in practice on his Xpress Coffee Suzuki 650cc on the Friday leaving Peter with a fractured right ankle he continued in extreme agony to get a 4th and a 3rd place in Saturday’s two races.
With the weather against him on Sunday and his lower leg purple he got back on to get two first places in the rain in one of the most exciting races so far this season which keeps him hot on the tail of Championship leader Glen Davies.
24/03/2008
Xpress Coffee Sponsors Milton Keynes based rider Peter Molloy and his Jordan Suzuki. Peter started racing on four wheels in junior kart racing at 13 years of age, moving to seniors at 16 until the age of 20 when university and a career took over until 2006 when Peter wanted to get back into motorsport. Competing at British championship level, some of Peter’s rivals included Jenson Button, Justin Wilson and Daniel Wheldon. A new kid was coming through the junior ranks called Lewis Hamilton.
Peters first race on two wheels was at the end of 2006 on a hired SV650 in the final round of the BMCRC MiniTwin series. This a class which is designed for small capacity v twin bikes, with the machine of choice being the Suzuki SV650. Strict tuning regulations apply to this series with a capped horsepower limit of 72bhp. This makes for very close and competitive racing. 2007 saw Peter’s first full year on his own machine, resulting in a superb championship win in the BMCRC clubman class whilst still being a rookie. 2008 will be Peter’s second full season in MiniTwins and he will be representing our team. In the 07/08 off season, Steve Jordan has applied his many years experience of preparing MiniTwin race machines by making small but significant suspension, engine management and chassis tweaks.
Season 2008
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
GUERRIERI CLAIMS FIRST WIN IN BARCELONA
A closely-fought season of the World Series by Renault has ended up with a win for Esteban Guerrieri in the final race, whilst Ultimate Signature finishes second overall in the team’s championship and Fabio Carbone ends up third in the drivers’ rankings. With podium places in both the drivers’ and teams’ standings at the end of its debut year, this has been a remarkable season for the Anglo-French Ultimate Signature squad.
The last round of the year was held at the Circuit de Catalunya, just outside the northern Spanish city of Barcelona. In contrast to a rain-affected qualifying session on Saturday, race two on Sunday was held in dry and warm conditions.
“It’s been a really amazing way to win my first World Series by Renault race,” said Esteban. “Right from the start of the weekend, I knew that we had the pace to do it. We got away cleanly from pole, but then I saw we were not going to have everything our own way as the guy behind me was really quick too. It was the sort of race where we were pushing like crazy from the start to the finish. I came out from the pit stops in second, but there was no way I was giving up. On the last lap I saw an opportunity, so I just went for it!”
Fabio, a three-time winner this season, was affected by severe food poisoning throughout the weekend so found himself unable to put in his usual front-running performance. Nonetheless he qualified for the superpole session yesterday, which was eventually cancelled due to torrential rain. With only the times from the initial morning session now counting, the Brazilian was forced to start from 12th on the grid today. He did his usual great job to make up two places and end the race 10th, securing third place in this year’s’ World Series by Renault drivers’ championship.
Barry Walsh, Ultimate Signature’s joint team principal, said: “It’s been an amazing season that has just got better as the year went on, and a win in the last race is the best possible way in which to end it. I’d like to thank the entire Ultimate Signature team for an absolutely super job throughout the year: nobody has spared any efforts right from the beginning. Congratulations to Esteban for a brilliant win, which gave all of us something to remember, and congratulations also to Fabio for an amazing season. On a personal note, I’d also like to thank Renault for putting on such a great and competitive show this year. This has been a fantastic adventure for all of us, and now we look forward to more new challenges in the future.”
Successful test day for Ultimate at Snetterton
Greg Mansell - the son of the 1992 Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell - and Ricardo Teixiera have had their first taste of the 500-horsepower World Series by Renault car in a test conducted by Ultimate at the Snetterton circuit in England. Both drivers completed several laps of running and set some impressive times, despite intermittent wet and dry weather. The rapid Snetterton circuit was well-suited to the powerful World Series by Renault, enabling Greg and Ricardo to exploit its well-known capabilities to the maximum. The test was also a showcase for Ultimate’s newly-formed Academy, backed by the African state of Angola. Every rank of motorsport - from karting to Formula 3 to World Series - was represented in a series of on-track displays at Snetterton, designed to highlight the Ultimate Academy’s staircase of talent that will take drivers from the grass roots of motorsport all the way to the very top. Amongst the invited guests were Nigel Mansell and Dr Ana Carreira, the Ambassador of Angola to Great Britain.
Another win for Carbone!
Ultimate Signature driver Fabio Carbone has racked up his third win of this year’s World Series by Renault with a stunning display at Estoril in Portugal. The Brazilian has now kept the drivers’ title race open, while Ultimate Signature is also in a strong position to challenge for the teams’ championship.It was an equally impressive display from Carbone’s young Argentinean team mate, Esteban Guerrieri, who finished fifth overall in Portugal: just seven seconds behind Carbone.The fast and technical Estoril circuit was formerly the home of the Portuguese Grand Prix for several years, and it provided all the World Series by Renault drivers with a formidable challenge. As the track contains quite a wide variety of speeds and corners, not to mention some notorious crosswinds, it is vital for teams to find a flexible set-up that can cope with all the different conditions. Ultimate Signature clearly got it exactly right, as Carbone comfortably went through to the superpole session earlier in the day, which sees the top eight fastest drivers go head-to-head for pole position. Having secured fourth place on the grid for race one he got off to an excellent start, passing two cars in the early stages. He then got past Marcos Martinez on lap nine out of 27, before driving to an assured victory in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
Xpress Coffee Uk’s Carbone
claims stunning victory at Nurburgring Xpress Coffee Uk’s Renault World Series Team - Ultimate Signature team driver Fabio Carbone has claimed victory in race one at the Nurburgring in Germany, round six of this year’s World Series by Renault. His team mate Esteban Guerrieri finished just off the podium in fourth place after a stunning drive through the field, but was subsequently excluded for cutting a chicane.
claims stunning victory at Nurburgring Xpress Coffee Uk’s Renault World Series Team - Ultimate Signature team driver Fabio Carbone has claimed victory in race one at the Nurburgring in Germany, round six of this year’s World Series by Renault. His team mate Esteban Guerrieri finished just off the podium in fourth place after a stunning drive through the field, but was subsequently excluded for cutting a chicane.
Fabio started second on the grid after going through to the super pole session in the morning, in which the top qualifiers battle it out for pole position. The Brazilian did not feel that the set-up of his car was ideal for the highly-technical Nurburgring circuit, but he was still in the thick of the hunt for pole position.When the lights went to green for race one, Fabio made an excellent start. He took the lead at the first corner and then managed to control his advantage to the end, in order to rack up his second race victory of the season.
The 27 year-old had to hold his nerve throughout two safety car periods that punctuated a lively race, but nonetheless finished around nine seconds ahead of the second-placed man and also claimed fastest lap.
As a result, Fabio is now third in the championship and has a strong chance of moving up to second after race two tomorrow if things go his way.
Podium for Carbone at Le Mans!
Ultimate Signature has come away from the first race at the World Series by Renault round in Le Mans with a podium finish thanks to Fabio Carbone.
The Brazilian started the race from fifth place on the grid and made some solid overtaking manoeuvres to make his way quickly up to third place.
Although he was faster than the second-placed man, he was unable to make up further places and concentrated on consolidating another podium place, in what has been a remarkable season to date for the 27 year-old. He had no problems at all throughout the race, striking exactly the right balance between speed and safety.
“We’re looking in good shape for tomorrow,” said Ultimate Signature team manager Colin Morgan. “We’d obviously like to aim for another win, but the nature of racing is always unpredictable. Our drivers have done a fantastic job today, and we look forward to more of the same tomorrow.”
First Podium For Xpress Coffee World Series
Carbone Claims Ultimate Signature’s First Podium In Race 1 And His First Win In Race Two
Brazilian star Fabio Carbone has completed a perfect weekend for the Xpress Coffee & Ultimate Signature team in Hungary, claiming a pole position, race win, and fastest lap in race two at the fifth World Series by Renault meeting of the year.
In race one yesterday, Fabio finished on the podium by claiming third place in race one. Consequently, Fabio has charged up to third in the drivers’ championship, while Ultimate Signature is fourth in the teams’ standings.
Fabio had a flawless race from start to finish, backed up by some supremely slick pitwork from the Ultimate Signature team. He started the race in the lead after a perfect getaway, and finished it with more than three seconds in hand over his closest rival.
Fabio had to do without the pit to car radio, which malfunctioned during the race, and he also had to battle high temperatures of nearly 30 degrees Centigrade. Nonetheless, he didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the 25 lap race to record Ultimate Signature’s first World Series by Renault victory.
“It was just a question of keeping concentration, but with this result I think we’ve really turned a corner,” added Fabio. “We’re third in the championship now and our season really starts here.”
Barry Walsh, the co-owner of Ultimate Signature with Philippe Sinault, commented: “Fabio and the entire team did an outstanding job to once more make history for us. His win, along with pole position and fastest lap, was pure class from start to finish. Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without all the hard work that everyone has put in from the very start. This has been a truly memorable weekend, and we look forward to building on this great achievement now for the future.”
Xpress Coffee Sponsors Ultimate Signature Sonangol
in the Renault World Series
Xpress Coffee Uk are proud to announce our new partnership with the Ultimate Motorsport Group. Xpress Coffee have become the Offical Coffee Supplier and a Team Sponsor of Ulitmate Signature Racing’s Sonangol World Series team.
After a fantastic start in their first World Series Season and Three Top Five Finishes at Silverstone in May USR and Sonangol have gone from strength to Strength.
Keep checking our latest news and our new dedicated Sponsors page for more news and results as they come in or see the following links:
Season 2008
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
06/07/2008
Jota Sport’s second-ever appearance in the Grand Prix-supporting Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup saw 28-year old Sam Hancock charge from 23rd on the grid to take seventh in a torrential downpour at a sodden Silverstone.
After a dry qualifying session in which 2.5 seconds covered the top 27 drivers, the heavens opened on Sunday morning to ensure a wet race would take place in dreadful conditions.
In front of the 100,000 spectators gathered to cheer Lewis Hamilton on in the afternoon’s Formula One race, Hancock produced a fine drive, climbing 16 places in the 14 lap event, three of which were behind the Safety Car.
12 of those positions were taken on the first lap alone, as the London-based driver carved through the field by utilising the improved grip and visibility off the traditional racing line. After ending the first lap in 11th, Sam’s progress was halted when the Safety Car was scrambled to remove debris from the circuit following an accident in the midfield, but when the green flag flew he made several more passing manoeuvres to claim seventh at the chequered flag, right on the tail of the two cars ahead.
Hancock: “I’ve been watching some videos lately of recent races here and also payed close attention to the Formula BMW and GP2 race this morning, so I had a pretty good idea where the grip was and what parts of the circuit were best for overtaking in these conditions. It wasn’t easy though and I don’t think I have ever done a race where visibility was so bad. It was like staring at a blank grey wall and I think we could have gone at least three seconds a lap quicker if I could have seen more and probably got up to fifth.
“But this is a very pleasing result for the team who have done a superb job both here and at Magny-Cours. When you consider that this is Jota Sport’s first year running these cars, I think to have a top-ten finish among the best and most experienced Porsche racing teams in the business is an exceptional achievement. We’ve learned a lot from our two Supercup races and it’s been a very worthwhile exercise ahead of our planned graduation in 2009.”
29/06/2008
Sam Hancock took 16th place on his Porsche Supercup debut at Magny-Cours at the weekend, stepping up from the Carrera Cup Great Britain to the prestigious grand-prix support series.
The London-based driver, whose Jota Sport team entered the race in association with the ToLimit team, faced a steep learning curve in the ultra-competitive championship, Hancock qualifying 22nd, just over a second shy of the pole time.
A strong first half of the race saw the twenty-eight year old climb to 13th overall by mid distance, until a tag from behind dramatically dislodged his Porsche 997’s rear bumper, leaving it flapping behind the car, compromising both handling and straight-line speed. For the final seven laps Hancock defended from the chasing pack as best he could and ultimately reached the chequered flag in 16th position.
Launch of Drivers Club
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Season 2008
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Jota Sport end debut season with podium and second in championship
Wet Day At Silverstone
Two pole positions, four podiums and one fastest lap for Jota Sport
Jota Sport bagged a pair of double podiums at Silverstone this weekend as they maintained their recent run of good form in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship. The team took their third and fourth successive pole positions through Phil Quaife who followed that up with a second and third, while a pair of podiums from Sam Hancock saw him jump one place to third in the drivers’ championship.
07/08/2008
Jota Sport had a challenging weekend after a strong qualifying session but both drivers brought home valuable points for the Kent-based team, solidifying their second position in the teams’ championship.
After being on provisional pole position for both races for most of qualifying, London-based Sam Hancock ended up starting third and second after two quicker times were set by rivals Michael Caine and Tim Bridgman in the last five minutes of the session. Hancock made a cautious start after he suffered gearbox problems on the formation lap.
Sam Hancock: “A fourth and a DNF don’t show our potential. The car was handling well all weekend, so despite our problems I am very happy with our inherent pace.”
Phil Quaife: “This has been a difficult week, possibly contributed to by some damper problems which we discovered after the first race. At least we managed to secure some points toward the championship. I am looking forward to catching up the lost ground at the next race.”
2008 Carrera Cup GB
Standings
|
Position |
# |
Name |
Team |
Points |
|
|
||||
|
1 |
44 |
Michael Caine |
Team Parker Racing |
170 |
|
2 |
2 |
Tim Harvey |
Red Line Racing |
157 |
|
3 |
8 |
Tim Bridgman |
Team Parker Racing |
152 |
|
4 |
5 |
Jota Sport |
134 |
|
|
5 |
6 |
Jota Sport |
127 |
|
|
6 |
7 |
Charles Bateman |
Team Parker Racing |
104 |
Double Podium For Xpress Coffee & Jota-Porsche
Jota Sport claimed two podiums in the Porsche Carrera Cup’s visit to Croft despite a tough weekend in changeable conditions at the North Yorkshire circuit. Both drivers stood on the third step of the rostrum, Sam Hancock in race 1 and Phil Quaife in race 2, securing vital championship points for both team and driver standings.
Race 1
With just half a second covering the top six in qualifying, Quaife lined up fourth on the grid with Hancock, who sacrificed an outright qualifying attempt to save his tyres for the race, in fifth. Too much wheel spin at the start cost Quaife two places off the line, but benefitted Hancock who jumped ahead. He matched the pace of the front three in the opening stages, but couldn’t close the gap significantly enough to make a challenge, ultimately settling for what was fourth on the road, but in actuality a podium finish due to second place man, Stefan Hodgetts, being a non-scoring invitational driver. Quaife meanwhile dropped to sixth at the start as Hancock and Michael Caine got past and drove a lonely race for much of the 15 laps. He closed the gap to Caine in the early stages, but had to settle for sixth at the chequered flag.
Race 2
Sunday’s race two proved to be a chaotic affair. Torrential rain all day meant the entire field took to the warm up lap on wets, but with a dry line forming, several cars dived into the pit lane before the start to bolt on slicks. Hancock, who qualified third, and front row starter Tim Bridgman were two cars who opted to remain on wets, but soon regretted their decisions. Running second in the early stages, Sam was quickly loosing 10 seconds per lap to the slick-shod drivers and took the difficult decision to make a mid-race tyre change to avoid losing more time. Rejoining last, he fought his way back to eighth at the finish. Quaife however, made the right call to take slicks after the formation lap and saw his decision pay off. Starting from the pit lane, he passed six cars during the race to take a well earned fourth on the road, which was again a podium due to Hodgett’s invitational status.
19/05/2008
Double Victory For Xpress Coffee & Jota-Porsche
Xpress Coffee are the Offical Coffee Suppliers for Jota Sport in this season Porsche Carrera Cup.
In only their fourth ever Porsche Carrera Cup GB meeting, Jota Sport secured a memorable double-victory at Thruxton to truly announce their arrival as championship contenders in the UK’s leading one make series.
Having been denied a maiden win at Donington Park two weeks earlier when Phil Quaife was handed a controversial penalty, team-mate Sam Hancock made amends at the notoriously challenging Hampshire circuit by winning both races in fine style. Quaife meanwhile took another solid points haul for his championship challenge with a fourth place in race 1 and superb recovery drive to claim fifth in Sunday’s second race. To complete a perfect meeting, Jota Sport collected the ‘Team of the Weekend’ award while Hancock was named ‘Driver of the Weekend’.
The Porsche Carrera Cup is the fastest, most-prestigious one-make racing series in the UK and is held over ten ‘double-header’ weekends at the country’s premier motor racing circuits. All competitors drive identical Porsche 997 GT3 Cup cars prepared by professional racing teams.
30/03/2008
Xpress Coffee have become the Offical Coffee Suppliers for Jota Sport in this season Porsche Carrera Cup.
With time against them as the first races of the season started at Brands Hatch this weekend, Xpress Coffee had a Taylor made Jura X7-S machine asembled by Jura Uk just in time for Xpress Coffee to have it installed in the VIP tent in time for the first race.
Phil Quaife marked his Porsche Carrera Cup GB return with 4th place in the season opener at Brands Hatch on Saturday as Jota Sport made their debut in the UK’s fastest one make series. However there was misfortune for team-mate Sam Hancock whose race ended in the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend.
On a damp track, with a threat of further rain, Hancock opted to start the race on wet tyres, with Quaife going for slicks and the rest of the field split 50/50 in their choice of Michelins.
Hancock made a brilliant start from 5th on the grid and looked set to lead into the first corner. However disaster struck when he was taken out by spinning poleman Tim Bridgman, an incident which left both cars stranded in the Paddock Hill Bend gravel and out of the race.
Following a safety car period to remove the pair’s stricken cars, Michael Caine led the race from Tim Harvey and Andy Britnell. Quaife meanwhile was making strong progress through the field despite the far from ideal conditions as the drizzle continued to fall.
A second SC period, after Nigel Rice spun out of fourth place, halted Quaife’s progress, but in the dying laps he won a closely fought battle with Steve Rance to claim a hard-earned fourth overall and third in class finish.
Team Monaco - 2008-2009
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Xpress Coffee Becomes Team Monaco’s Official Coffee Partner
Xpress Coffee Uk is proud to announce it partnership with Team Monaco for this seasons A1-GP as their Official Coffee Supplier.
Providing the Team and their VIP guests with our usual bespoke Jura Coffee Machine and our own blend of freshly roasted Xpress Coffee.
The Principality of Monaco is famous worldwide for its racing heritage, so A1GP World Cup of Motorsport is delighted to announce A1 Team Monaco will be competing in the series in Season Four.
Not only will the red and white colours of the Monaco flag adorn the car, but the venture also has the personal blessing of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco who we understand enjoys his Motor Racing and his Coffee.
Providing the Team and their VIP guests with our usual bespoke Jura Coffee Machine and our own blend of freshly roasted Xpress Coffee.
The Principality of Monaco is famous worldwide for its racing heritage, so A1GP World Cup of Motorsport is delighted to announce A1 Team Monaco will be competing in the series in Season Four.
Not only will the red and white colours of the Monaco flag adorn the car, but the venture also has the personal blessing of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco who we understand enjoys his Motor Racing and his Coffee.