Monday, 17 October 2011

Dan Wheldon. RIP

Tragic news this morning of the death of Dan Wheldon in a horrendous 15 car crash at the Las Vegas 300 Indy Car race.

The young Brit had chosen to pursue a career in the USA in Indy Cars and had won the prestigious Indy 500 twice, including this year.

He came to Goodwood Festival of Speed this year and charmed everyone who met him, a very likeable young man and a supremely talented racer, all in motor sport will miss him.

Our thoughts are with his family at this sorrowful time.

Graham Benge

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

National MicroCar Rally 2011 Gallery

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Thanks to Phil Bradfield for the photos... You obviously had a really good day!

For more details of the rally, visit http://www.national-microcar-rally.co.uk/

Goodwood Revival 2011 Gallery

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Thanks to First Take Media's Staff Photographer Mike Jones for his efforts.

Sunday, 18 September 2011

Spitfires in the skies of Goodwood....

Much awaited Spitfire display sends shivers down the spines of our team.... :-)


More from the Revival...








Friday, 16 September 2011

End of Friday at the Goodwood Revival


A few snaps from the Revival...



Good Morning From Goodwood!

Well, the weather gods are certainly smiling on us here at Goodwood this morning... Bright sunny weather currently gracing the circuit...

Our day has already begun with our first live radio pieces broadcast and several coffees drunk!

For those here early enough, there has already been a motocross parade and MG parade, and preparations are currently being made for the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy's "free practice"... 25 minutes of noise!!

Friday, 9 September 2011

Coverage of Goodwood Revival 2011

UKMotorTalk's coverage of the Goodwood Revival 2011 can be found right here over the long weekend of 16th - 18th September 2011.

Join us for some of the sights and sounds of this truly spectacular event... Over 100,000 people will attend over the three days, many dressing in the style of the era the event is based... The 1940s, 50s and 60s...

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UKMotorTalk and the team from First Take Media will be on site from the early hours of Friday morning, until the sun goes down on Sunday evening.... providing radio coverage and bringing you closer to all the action...

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For further information about coverage for YOUR radio station or website: contact@firsttakemedia.co.uk

Thursday, 18 August 2011

The Next Generation Award

Are you a student in the UK...? Enjoying your nice long summer break..?

Perhaps your thoughts are turning to the end of your University education and the world of careers....? You know you've always fantasized about working in F1...!

Well perhaps now you can and with no less than the very best, McLaren F1.

But hurry there's only 10 more days!!!

McLaren are encouraging the next generation of F1 and automotive engineers by offering as a competition prize a period of work experience at their HQ.

McLaren Automotive is encouraging students to enter this "money can’t buy" competition and get their hands on priceless work experience within the car industry, as well as a £7,500 cash prize. The Next Generation Award is run and managed by Autocar and Courland Automotive Practice and McLaren Automotive has offered the unique opportunity for the winner to spend an exciting month at McLaren working with designers and engineers.

Dick Glover, McLaren Automotive’s Research Director, and previously Technical Director for the groundbreaking new high performance sports car the MP4-12C, will be sitting on the judging panel and said: “I’m really looking forward to judging the awards and am interested in seeing how students with a desire to work in the car industry adapt the brief to best suit their area of expertise. McLaren is a technologically advanced company so I will be looking for applicants who really think about pushing the boundaries of the automotive business. Manufacturing is key to the economic structure in the UK, and I am proud that McLaren is supporting this award.”

The Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award is a national competition to identify, support and develop top automotive talent of the future. Entrants from UK universities are invited to answer in 500 words a brief set by Autocar's Editor-in-chief, Steve Cropley, who commented: “We are delighted that McLaren is involved in the Autocar Courland Next Generation Award this year. Our lucky winner will have an amazing experience as part of the world of McLaren; it’s the stuff of dreams. For students, work experience is nowadays a vital step in the process of building a career. The McLaren opportunity will undoubtedly widen our winner's horizons."

Martin Bohling, Global Managing Partner, Courland Automotive Practice said: “We are encouraging all students from numerous courses to look to the automotive industry for their first step into the world of employment. The industry offers numerous and wide ranging opportunities for enthusiastic graduates – it’s innovative, inspiring and challenging. The industry is most definitely not just for the petrol head.”

The Brief: Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award entries should be no more than 500 words long and written in English. They should also include images or illustrations, if relevant, to answer the following brief:

"Using your area of expertise, write a 500-word proposal suggesting some improvement (be it an invention, a legislative change, a change to corporate policy or the adoption of a new convention) which you believe would be a worthwhile benefit to the automotive business, on a small or large scale."

Applicants ideas will be assessed on the following criteria:

The concept presented must be an original idea. We are ideally looking for something that is new or that builds on existing ideas. The concept might demonstrate lateral thinking, creativity and "thinking outside the box", bringing new approaches to old problems.

The winner will be able to communicate their idea in a clear manner, both verbally and via their written application (use of diagrams is encouraged). We are looking for individuals who are able to simplify complex problems, who can be concise and who are able to inspire their audience. Accuracy and clarity are key.

Each of 12 candidates who make the 'longlist' will be given the opportunity to attend one of three assessment days before the shortlist is produced. This stage is considered as part of the assessment process and allows each candidate to present their idea in person to a panel of assessment day judges - providing valuable interview experience and feedback.

No entries will be accepted after midnight on the 28th August 2011.

For further information on the Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award 2011 please visit http://nextgen.autocar.co.uk

Good Luck.

Sunday, 31 July 2011

Arm-wrestling with Bernie














The truth is we'll never know the truth.

In the same way as we'll never know the complete hacking story we'll only ever hear part of why (and how) the Beeb lost/pulled out of/gave up F1, either fully or partly to share with Marvellous Murdoch's media empire, BSkyB.

I suspect the BBC decided that a cost cutting spectacular was needed to deflect attention from other more sensitive cuts taking place, reasoning that they were spending a lot of money on a small and predominantly male sport, they tried to get out of the contract 2 years early and then the wrath of Bernie fell upon them, prompting a plague of threatened litigation for breach of contract, and just when it seemed to the Beeb that they had more excrement colliding with more fans than anyone could ever want, Bernie threw them a lifeline - a compromise, a face-saver, and, throwing principles and good sense away they jumped at it..

As ever the losers are the fans, many - or indeed most of us - do not have, nay do not want Sky and all of its offerings.

Perhaps we should ask for a licence fee refund for a lesser service!

I guess the compromise reduces costs by covering the European races only and thus gives Sky time to gear up for a full takeover and cut us all out of F1 coverage.

Following the old adage, would you buy a used car from this man?

Here's a tip: never try arm wrestling with Bernie - you'll always lose (and probably your arm too).


Graham Benge

Thursday, 21 July 2011

Notwork Rail.


If you caught the most recent episode of The Nation's Favourite Motoring Programme, you'll have seen Clarkson, Hammond & May attempt to re-write the rules of rail travel with their own..unique approach to public transport.

Richard & James' approach was to string together a collection of caravans (what else?) as a bijou set of carriages towed behind an ageing Audi S8 'loco' shod with rail wheels.

Jeremy on the other hand - and somewhat predictably - set off down the high-speed route by hitching a cutdown caravan body to a V12-engined Jaaaag XJS and treating Rail Express' Editor Murray Brown to a rail journey he's probably unlikely to forget in a hurry in the somewhat-optimistically named TGV12, the poor sod..

Anyway, we're based not a million miles away from the Top Gear track & occasionally we'll spot cars from the show being filmed around the locale or the production crew enjoying lunch in one of the awfully pleasant local boozers near Dunsfold, Surrey; and this morning, as we blearily trundled through the village of Compton on the way to the A3, we found ourselves behind a low-loader sporting a rather familiar red XJS convertible & a somewhat-modified & equally red caravan..





With a big spoiler on the back..

Whilst we'll never make the ranks of Hans Lehmann & his prototype-bagging cohorts we did manage to grab this snap as the latest addition to the TG range of glorious failures headed off to parts unknown, although judging from the direction it was heading it could be on its way to the Top Gear exhibition at Beaulieu, so keep your eyes peeled if you're planning a visit to the excellent National Motor Museum during the Summer holidays.

If you're in the UK (or can spoof IP addresses), you can still catch the latest edition of Top Gear on the BBC's iPlayer until the weekend, but be warned, it'll probably put you off rail travel for the foreseeable future..


Dave Wakefield

Monday, 18 July 2011

Photos of Goodwood Festival of Speed


A small selection of the photographs captured by Mike Jones and Gary Ledden at the Goodwood Festival of Speed has been added to our flickr photostream...

Quite a bit of naming to be done, but feel free to add your own comments!

Goodwood from the air added as a taster.. ;-)

Friday, 10 June 2011

FREE Le Mans Guide from Michelin


With Le Mans 24 hour race coming up this weekend, there are some of us who can go, and some of us who can't! However, a FREE guide to the spectacle from tyre manufacturer Michelin is available to ALL...

With interesting facts and figures, a handy track guide and historic highlights of the event, as well as some really great tips for both first timers and seasoned Le Mans visitors alike, I have just spent far too long flicking through its pages!!

To download the guide go to www.michelin.co.uk/lemansguide