SVG Motor Sport News

  • Mark Hills
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Ginetta Racing – Oulton Park
Ginetta Racing – Oulton Park 960 637 Mark Hills

The SVG Motorsport team finally got their Ginetta campaign under way last weekend at Oulton Park and are fielding six cars this year. Rory McKean is in GT5,Owen Hizzey in G40 Cup,Neil Wallace in G40 Chairman’s Cup,Mark Lee in G40 Chairman’s Cup,Stephen Moore in GRDC and Graeme Bishopp in GRDC. With Rory taking part in his first ever car races he was always going to be on the back foot, but showed he is one to watch in gt5 finishing in the top ten, and in the third race was constantly with the leading pack finishing the last race in a fantastic seventh. Owen has made the step up to senior racing and showed his potential in qualifying by securing fourth and third for his races. Unfortunately bad luck struck but as this is a big jump and we are sure a podium will be along soon. Neil and Mark both had visits to the podium over the weekend with a third and second place. Graeme finished twice on the podium and Stephen just missed out with three fourth places. On the Sunday we had one car taking part in the Britcar championship at Brands Hatch. The two drivers were Peter Spano and Andrew Bentley, Peter taking part in only his second ever race. The pair had what can only described as a dream start with a third and first in class.

Alistair Barclay on his way to Ginetta hat-trick
  • Steve SVG
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SVG’s Ginetta G40 Cup Hat-Trick
SVG’s Ginetta G40 Cup Hat-Trick 750 500 Steve SVG

SVG Motor Sport’s Alistair Barclay kicked off our 2019 Ginetta G40 Cup in perfect style with a clean sweep of race victories. The opening round was at Oulton Park in Cheshire (20-22 April).

The weather was superb and so was Alistair who took the first pole positions of the season. Then, in a faultless performance in the opening race, he led from lights to flag adding to his breakthrough win last season.

In was a similar story in the next race. From pole, Alistair led throughout to make it two wins from two races. And just to prove his dominance he went on to win the third and final race of the weekend by a huge six-second margin. In the process, he had led every lap across all three races.

The 2019 Ginetta G40 Cup is next in action at Snetterton in Norfolk next month (18/19 May).

Dimitri Sedashev
  • Steve SVG
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SVG Ginetta Racing in 2018
SVG Ginetta Racing in 2018 1275 777 Steve SVG

In 2018 SVG continues its participation in Ginetta racing with four cars, all entered in the GT40 Cup Series (formally called the GRDC+). We are looking forward to working with our drivers Dimitri Sedashev, Guy Redwood, Robert Pugsley and Stephen Moore.

This series is aimed at drivers who have progressed beyond novice. The cars are road legal Ginetta G40 Cup cars competing in an 18 round championship over six weekends as part of the British GT calendar. The package includes optional testing on the Friday with qualifying and one race on Saturday and two races on Sunday. The package also includes hospitality at all events, parts and technical support, TV coverage and race reports in the motorsport press.

The cars have a top speed of 125mph using a 1.8Lt Ford Zetec engine with 135bhp. The cars only weigh 840kg, run on semi-slick tyres and have uprated, adjustable suspension.

SVL will be providing a full race services including transporting the cars to the circuits, conducting testing and car set-up. Our drivers and their cars are fully supported throughout the weekend and we undertake any maintenance and repairs require.

Jaguar Mk2 Sprint and Hillclimb car
  • Steve SVG
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Jaguar Mk2 Competition Car – Part 2
Jaguar Mk2 Competition Car – Part 2 800 533 Steve SVG

Charles Evans’ Mk2 Jaguar has been back to the SVG workshop for some further modifications. Completed already during this visit is the fitting of a front anti-roll bar. Although this was a product meant for this car SVG found it snagged on the suspension when under lock so it has been relocated.

The handbrake, usually located to the right of the driver’s seat, had always been a problem on this car. Constant adjustment of the rear brakes was required to keep it working but the fitment of a hydraulic handbrake has cured this problem. The handbrake is now positioned to the more usual position in the centre of the car.

A racing pedal box has also been fitted to the car. It was a fairly complicated procedure as space for the pedals is very limited. The brakes will now be fully adjustable allowing bais to be moved between the front and rear brakes. This will help the cars handling by being able to dial in or out over-steer or under-steer to suit the driver or circuit.

Modifications still to do during this visit are to extend the rear roll cage to the front, which will sadly mean cutting into the lovely wooden dashboard. The engines head is to be removed and sent off for some performance modifications.

An update on the Jaguars modifications and how it performs on track will be added during the season. Click here to read the first post.

Jaguar Mk2 racing pedal box

The Jags new racing pedal box was a tight fit

Jaguar Mk2 hydraulic handbrake

The new hydraulic handbrake

Jaguar Mk2 front anti-roll bar

Repositioned front anti-roll bar

Jaguar Mk2 engine

The Jaguars soon to be modified engine

AC Cobra Kit Car
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Cobra Kit Car with Handling Problems
Cobra Kit Car with Handling Problems 800 533 Steve SVG

This stunning Cobra kit car was bought at auction. Beautifully presented and with a v12 Jaguar engine under the bonnet, it’s easy to see why the owner had snapped this one up. On the road, however, it was clear was something seriously wrong with the car’s handling. On quick examination, the camber on the front wheels wasn’t the same.

On the road, anything above 50mph and things started to get worrying. Coming out of a bend the car would either want to carry on turning or start turning the other way as the front wheels weren’t always pointing in the same direction. On closer inspection, the front suspension on the drivers’ side was completely out of alignment with some bent components.

In addition, the springs and dampers were found to be so warn that it was no longer possible to adjust them. SVG replaced the springs and dampers and realigned the suspension and now the car handles as good as it looks and sounds.

Cobra Kit Car v12 Jaguar EngineAC Cobra 427AC Cobra Kit Car AC Cobra Kit Car Cobra Kit Car Interior

Escort repaired bulkhead
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MkII Escort Restoration – Part 2
MkII Escort Restoration – Part 2 700 467 Steve SVG

You may remember from a post back in November that SVG had taken on the restoration of this Mk2 Ford Escort. The car was imported from South Africa and was to be dismantled and stripped, by the owner, to bare metal before coming back to the SVG workshops for restoration.

In that post, we sounded a cautious note that you never know what you will get back from the stripping process. It can reveal a multitude of sins.

When the car first arrived, SVG and the car’s owner were very happy with how good it looked. Convinced the car was a good one, the restoration was expected to be light and quick. We didn’t expect this! Underneath the tidy exterior lurked something very different. This car had a history of dodgy repairs and rust – lots of rust.

The pictures tell the story so far. The battery had leaked and there was a repair needed, but below that, the front chassis rail barely exists in places. Replacement chassis rails have been bought and will be welded in. The bulkhead has now had a huge hole filled and the front floor pans on both sides have been replaced. A door pillar on one side which was largely full of filler is about to be replaced.

Part 3 of this project will be added to the site later in the year.

Ford RS1600 Restoration

The Escort looked good when it first arrived

Escort chassis repair

Stripping revealed previous repairs

Escort rust hole in transmission tunnel.

Rust hole in the transmission tunnel.

Escort rusted front chassis rail

Very rusty front chassis rail.

Escort replacement chassis rail

Replacement chassis rail

Escort new door pillar.

New door pillar being prepped for welding

Escort damaged and rusty wheelarch

Wheelarch showing damage and poor rust repairs

JSCC Citroen Saxo being built for Frankie Taylor
  • Steve SVG
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SVG Run Frankie Taylor in JSCC
SVG Run Frankie Taylor in JSCC 700 467 Steve SVG

SVG has joined forces with Frankie Taylor to run a Citroen Saxo in the 2018 Junior Saloon Car Championship (JSCC). Frankie has been successfully racing carts for the last few seasons and proved himself to be a winner. Having turned 14 in December 2017 he is now eligible for the JSCC, an excellent platform on which to launch his car racing career. Frankie’s aim is to run in the JSCC for a couple of seasons to learn his craft and gain experience. From here with the help of his main sponsor, Metro Deconstruction Ltd, he will progress to the Clio Cup or the Ginetta G40 Cup championship.

SVG has sourced an excellent Saxo on which to build Frankie’s car. SVG will work with Frankie throughout the season, transporting and setting up the car for each circuit and maintaining the car throughout and between events.

Frankie Taylor Racing LogoWe will add more news on Frankie and the SVG run Saxo as he tackles the 2018 JSCC. He has promised the car’s livery will be the best on the grid, watch this space as we add more photos as the car is readied for action.

JSCC Citroen Saxo new engine installation

The Saxo’s new engine has been installed

JSCC Citroen Saxo interior stripped ready for new seats

Interior stripped ready for the roll cage to be installed

Frankie Taylor Go Karting
Ford Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage build
  • Steve SVG
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Bespoke Roll Cage for Tall Driver
Bespoke Roll Cage for Tall Driver 700 394 Steve SVG

Super Touring Ford Mondeo Roll Cage

SVG Motor Sport has lots of requests to build and fit roll cages in all sorts of race cars. Some are pre-made and SVG install them but many are bespoke roll cages that SVG design, make and fit meeting all the appropriate regulatory and safety standards.

A slightly unusual request came from the owner of this BTCC Super Touring Ford Mondeo replica. He had contacted several car preparation businesses who were only able to fit pre-made roll cages, a solution that would normally have been adequate for this car but for one problem – the driver is very, very tall. More basketball player than race driver in stature a standard roll cage would make access to the car almost impossible and he would hit his head on the top bar.

The only solution was to build this bespoke roll cage. This car is not a race car although the roll cage is built to FIA standards and would meet the sporting regulations if it were raced. The car is shown at Ford car shows all over the country and is a replica of the BTCC Super Touring cars driven by Alain Menu, Anthony Reid, and Rickard Rydell. Alain Menu won his second Super Touring championship in one and Ford the BTCC manufacturer’s championship and it is a very popular car at the shows.

The driver’s seat was positioned as low and as far back as possible and SVG designed the roll cage that had the center, top bar further back than normal. The door bars are also lower than standard to enable access to the cabin, but all the modifications are within the regulations. Once installed the roll cage was painted in situ, a complicated job when there can not be any overspray.

 

Ford Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage buildFord Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage buildFord Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage buildFord Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage buildFord Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage build Ford Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage build Ford Mondeo BTCC Super Touring roll cage build

BMW E46 Track Day Car Rollcage
  • Steve SVG
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BMW Track Day Car Roll Cage
BMW Track Day Car Roll Cage 700 700 Steve SVG

This BMW E46 is a Track Day car. It came to SVG Motor Sport for this very flashy roll cage. Neatly fitted into the BMWs dashboard the cage was designed, built and painted by us before we installed into the car. While we had the car we also swapped over the controls from the cars original steering wheel to the new wheel which was re-trimmed in Alcantara.
The car left the garage and headed straight to Europe for track days at the Spa Francorchamps and Nürburgring circuits.

BMW E46 Track Day Car Rollcage BMW E46 Track Day Car Rollcage BMW E46 Track Day Car Rollcage

Rob Morgan's Ginetta at Zandvoort
  • Steve SVG
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Ginetta Update
Ginetta Update 800 533 Steve SVG

The stable of SVG Motor Sport run Ginettas continues to grow with the addition of a fifth car. All running in either the GRDC or GRDC+ championships we are also looking at running some of the cars at other events they are eligible to enter.

SVG recently made the trip to Zandvoort in the Netherlands with the GRDC+ car of Rob Morgan. This was the Ginetta Championships annual overseas trip and included three races over the course of the weekend.

It proved to be a challenging weekend for both Rob and SVG as they experienced a gearbox problem during one of the races. The Ginetta package includes a supply of spares at race meetings so a replacement gearbox was available. A quick change between races meant they could complete the weekend and score points in all three rounds.

Back in the SVG workshop, the Ginetta gearbox is now out and ready to be returned, and a new gearbox is being prepared for Rob’s car.

The championship now heads to Brands Hatch and then Donington Park, both events using the full GP circuits.

Ginetta GRDC+ repairs
Ginetta gearbox
New Ginetta clutch
Ginetta GRDC+ repairs
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