On the 13^th December 2011 James took part in an intense assessment day at Silverstone Circuit where he was assessed on not only his ability to drive but his character and professionalism in a corperate environment. He was pleased to receive confirmation a few days later that he had passed the assessment and now holds a National C ARDS Race Instructors licence. This licence allows James to work at Silverstone and other UK racing circuits as an instructor, but also recognises that he has the ability to coach drivers on a 1 to 1 basis or privately in groups. This allows James not only to expand his skill as a coach but to keep his driving sharp for any future racing opportunities that may arise.

James commented “I am really pleased to have passed the assessment day at Silverstone, it is by no means an easy thing to acquire an instructor’s licence and the day proved much tougher than I envisaged. Hopefully this opportunity will allow me to stay race sharp as well as using my skills to help others enjoy their motorsport. I am disappointed not to be racing this year after such a long career but I will stay focused incase of any openings along the line.”

James is available for driver coaching in anything from karts to single seaters and has vast experience over 12 years of racing. If anyone would like to contact him to enquire about driver coaching or anything else please do not hesitate to call on 07588 589125.

Fortec Motorsport will field a capacity four-car squad for the grand finale of the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship at Silverstone National Circuit next month, 15th/16th October, with the news the team has agreed a deal with multiple race winner James Theodore (Telford, Shropshire). The Daventry squad is delighted to bolster its presence in the category as Theodore makes his return to the series after a 6 month absence from racing.

Unable to acquire a full budget for the 2011 motor racing season, 19-year-old Theodore has been a frustrated spectator for the majority of the year. He did make an appearance in Formula Renault BARC back in May at Oulton Park, driving for MTech Lite, but since then the Oxford Brookes student has once more been on the sidelines.

Now though, with the funding in place for the high-profile season finale at Silverstone – where the series will run as support to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and therefore benefit from superb live television coverage on ITV4 and ITV4 HD – Theodore is aiming to remind everyone of the pace and ability which took him to three race wins and third in the championship in 2010.

He said: “We’ve had a lot of the teams getting in touch to see what we were planning to do but with Kieran concentrating on Porsche, and so his car coming available with Fortec, this is a really good opportunity for us. They’ve been at the top all season so I’ve got no worries or concerns the car will be good. I’ll have a test the Wednesday before the race weekend to blow the cobwebs off.

“It’ll be good to be back racing in the championship, I’ve really missed it and it has been quite a while since the Oulton Park run. I’ve stayed in touch with the teams and done some driver coaching to try and keep in the game – I can’t wait to get back out there on track though.”

Steve Lynch, team manager of Fortec’s Protyre Formula Renault BARC squad, added: “Obviously we’re really pleased to have James joining us for the last two rounds at Silverstone. He’s proved in the past he can win and run at the front consistently so we’re hopeful he’ll have a couple of good results and score some good points.

“It’s always nice to have someone in the car able to hit the ground running and we’re sure he’ll be able to do just that. With his experience, James should be able to help push our other drivers on a bit more too – it’ll be good for the whole team, we’re really happy to have him onboard.”

Theodore will join Fortec’s existing line-up of Webster, Archie Hamilton (Hook, Hampshire) and Spain’s Victor Jimenez. His signing, added to the recent confirmation of a series debut for Anton Spires (Buckingham) with KG Motorsport, brings the expected entry list for Silverstone up to 20 – confirming Formula Renault BARC’s position as the UK’s strongest junior single-seater category.

After securing a late deal with leading team M-Tech Lite, James had a busy week leading up to the meeting. On Tuesday he travelled up to leading GP2/GP3 team MW Arden to have a half day session on their state of the art simulator. The next day James had a seat fitting at M-Tech Lite’s base in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, also giving him a chance to get aquainted with the team. Having prepared for the meeting the team arrived on the morning of Friday, 27th May to a wet Oulton Park circuit, not ideal conditions to return to.

Having become aquainted with the new car James felt comfortable in the conditions, and after some setup changes began to post consistantly fast times. The track dried consistantly and with no more rain immiment the drivers were left with a dry track to look forward to after lunch. With limited track time the team pushed hard to find a setup that suited James’ driving style and by the end of the 3 afternoon sessions he felt more at ease with the car.  James said afterwards, “I’ve had a really encouraging first day with the team, it has been helpful to drive the car in both wet and dry conditions and I feel confident in both. Looking forward to putting together some solid performances tomorrow.”

Conditions were far more pleasing for qualifying on Saturday morning, with a dry track welcoming the drivers.  Having opted not to run a new set of slicks on Friday, it was the first time James had ran new tyres in 9 months. After a mixed session he lined up a respectable 6th place for the two afternoon races, although always the perfectionist he wasn’t satisfied. “We didn’t have a great session due to the lack of time I had yesterday to set the car up to my liking. With the new tyres we created too much understeer which meant we lost time at most corners and the harder I pushed the worse the problem got. It was by no means a catastrophic result and with the knowledge we now have I’m sure we can edit the setup and be really strong in the races.

This was exactly what happened and although lining up on the outside of the grid for round 5, James made a tremendous start to overtake 3 drivers around the outside into the first corner and put himself straight into the top 3. Going down towards the hairpin a light mist of rain began to fall, catching out the top 2 drivers of Josh Webster and Kourosh Khani. As they both went wide James lined himself up to take 2nd place when he was powerfully hit from behind, ending his race abruptly. “I didn’t really know what happened at the time, I just felt a large hit from behind and flew off the track with extensive damage. Im really gutted because I made a cracking start and was in contention for a big result. It looks like the driver that hit me was also hit from behind so he couldn’t do anything, we were both passengers in the incident. I just hope we can get the car sorted for race 2.”

The team worked nonstop to fix the car, replacing a full corner including components of the driveshaft and rear bodywork to get the car ready for race 2, and finished working  just as the cars were lining up for the grid. From grid 6 James was again looking to capitalise, and made a good start to be within the top 6 pack as they navigated the first lap. With the top 6 tightly bunched the race was red flagged after a large collision at Druids left 3 cars heavily damaged. Under resumption James started 7th after being overtaken just before the flag, but quickly found himself in 5th after another good start. Cold tyres dropped him to 6th at the end of lap 1 but he fought hard to retake 5th and catch the battle between the top 4 cars. With the top 5 tightly bunched James just caught the battle too late and finished 5th with 3rd fastest lap. Commenting on the weekend he said “It hasn’t been a fairytale weekend but it has been great to be back in a car and the guys at M-Tech have been brilliant in making me feel part of the team right from the beginning. We got quicker and quicker as the weekend progressed and proved we are still a top package with the ability to race at the front. Its a shame we didn’t have a testday before the meeting to get the car set up for me because then we could have started with a boost, but the progression in both the car and myself has been great and I look forward to being out again”.

James is confirmed for rounds 11/12 of the championship at Silverstone, also supporting the BTCC package with coverage on ITV. There are 2 meetings in between, with rounds 7/8 at Croft and rounds 9/10 at Thruxton in July and September respectively. Funding has not been secured for these meetings as of yet but the effort level has not decreasing and everyone involved with James is working non-stop to ensure that participation at these meetings is possible. With a bit of luck the next race report will be after Croft on the 23rd/24th July, where James claimed 2 stunning pole positions and a race victory last season.

The task is far from over though, and the search goes on to secure enough financial support to compete in all 4 remaining rounds available to James.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time and effort to guide and advise James on this very difficult process, and good luck to the many talented drivers who find themselves in a similar position.

There can be few families in the UK that have not been affected in some way from the effects of this disease, and if it wasn’t for the efforts of charities such as Cancer Research UK, many successful treatments could not have been carried out. However, it continues to be a disease of many guises and requires the dedication of Scientists, Doctors and the army of supporters that continue to battle this indiscriminate foe.

Cancer Research UK is overjoyed with James’ offer to keep the efforts of the charity at the front of everybodys’ mind, and to assist fund raising efforts at the venues he will be racing at. More news on this to follow shortly, after discussions with fund raising co-ordinators have taken place.

James said “It seems such little effort in some ways, but we all know someone who is suffering and if I can help out, why not give it a go. The charity has been around for many years now, and sometimes it’s easy to assume that ‘all is well’ and let efforts decrease, but this horrible disease doesn’t go away easily and there is still a long way to go before it’s beaten. I hope people get behind this initiative and support it as much as they can”

Championship leader Hale qualified his Fortec Motorsport run car on pole position for the first encounter after shading Theodore by just 0.065 seconds with championship returnee Dino Zamparelli (Bristol), who finished third overall in the 2009 title chase, third on the grid.

At the start, points leader Hale got away well from pole but part way through lap one Theodore had made his way to the front and then Reilly edged his Fortec team-mate back to third by passing for second at the chicane. Hale’s race then started to come seriously unstuck with a major lock-up at the chicane on lap two, dropping him to sixth position three places behind Powell.

Theodore set the fastest lap of the race on the third tour – 1m12.882 seconds (116.37mph) – to increase his lead over Reilly with Powell third and Wright in fourth place.

Then, the Safety Car was deployed at the beginning of lap five due to the stranded MTech car of Jake Rattenbury (Vale of Glamorgan) which came to grief at the chicane. Racing resumed on lap seven with the top eight reading: Theodore, Reilly, Powell, Wright, Hale, Zamparelli, Josh Webster (Stowmarket) and Privateer Cup Champion James Birch (Rickmansworth).

Theodore came under intense pressure with six laps to go and Reilly attempted to wrest first place away on the run through Brooklands and up Woodham Hill. Taking the inside, he attempted to get alongside Theodore but the latter defended and his rival had to put two wheels on the grass.

Yet more drama then followed on lap 11 when Hale, who was running in fifth at the time, was pitched into a spin at the mid-part of the complex following contact. Dropping Hale to 12^th, the incident would end up playing a major role in the outcome of the title but he recovered well into eighth at the finish to maintain a slim points advantage into round 12.

Reilly’s race also came unstuck on the penultimate lap at the chicane following a spin while dicing with Zamparelli over third place, the Antel Motorsport driver having deposed Wright for fourth two laps previously. As it stood, Powell had already got ahead of Reilly at the complex and so she ended up 3.7 seconds behind winner Theodore to set-up a mouth-watering title decider.

Wright took his fifth podium of the season in third place ahead of Webster, Privateer runner Birch – equalling his season’s best in fifth position – and Zamparelli. Newcomer James Thorp (Worcester) enjoyed a fine debut in seventh place ahead of Hale.

Both drivers secured lights-to-flag victories during the thrilling weekend at the 1.94-mile Northamptonshire track with Theodore leading the way in round nine and Reilly the victor in round 10. The two teenagers also picked up a further podium apiece with the 18-year-old Telford racer adding a third place to his tally while Reilly, also 18, collected second before his round 10 win.

SWB Motorsport’s Luke Wright (Dorset) and Fortec Motorsport’s Josh Webster (Suffolk) scooped up the remaining podium honours with Wright clinching third spot in round nine followed by Webster claiming second in round 10 behind Reilly to give Fortec Motorsport a one-two finish.

Despite not picking up any of the silverware during the weekend, Fortec Motorsport’s Mitchell Hale (Bristol) came away from the meeting as the championship leader and with it Renault Sport’s prize of a test in a Formula Renault 2.0 race car at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya later this year. The 16-year-old also now has one hand on the title crown going into the final two rounds of the series at Hampshire’s Thruxton circuit on 17^th October.

Reilly leads from the front…

A strong showing during Saturday’s qualifying session saw Reilly secure the pole position honours for the start of the 14-lap round 10. To his right sat round nine winner Theodore with Hale and championship rival Hillspeed’s Alice Powell (Chipping Norton) alongside him on row two.

As the lights went out, Reilly and Hale made the best starts with Theodore slow off the mark after over revving his engine. That meant when the field emerged from the tricky Deene Hairpin the three Fortec Motorsport cars were dominating the top three places with Reilly leading from Hale and Webster. Like her team-mate, Powell had also lost ground crossing the line at the end of lap one outside the top 10.

The Fortec trio didn’t last long though with Webster moving into second as Hale dropped down the order promoting Theodore into third and bringing fourth-placed Wright into podium contention. Meanwhile Powell was quickly making amends for her lost grid position and after just a handful of laps was back up to seventh. A few laps later the 17-year-old was all over the back of Brett Parris’ (Southampton) sixth-placed Antel Motorsport run car with Brett ‘coming out of retirement’ in place of series regular Kasper Krogh (Denamrk) who had been unable to compete. Powell never did find a way past Parris despite her best efforts but was finally able to show her true pace after suffering from a blocked catalytic converter in round nine.

Just behind Alice, a great three-way battle was taking place between RPD Motorsport’s Steven Durrant (Oxford), MTech’s Jake Rattenbury (Glamorgan) and Privateer Cup racer James Birch (Rickmansworth) with the trio often nose-to-tail.

Out in front the top three had begun to spread out with Reilly enjoying almost a three-second margin over Webster although the 16-year-old Suffolk racer was certainly on the pace having earlier set the fastest lap of the race. Webster was never going to be close enough to mount a challenge though leaving Reilly to secure his second win of the season. Webster completed the Fortec Motorsport one-two ahead of Theodore and Wright with Hale completing the top five and remaining as title leader with a 16-point advantage. Birch finished 10^th and the leading Privateer Cup driver.

Theodore takes second win…

Safety Car periods usually make races harder for the leader but in Theodore’s case it would lead him home for his second win of the year during Sunday’s round nine. After starting on pole, the teenager made a great start to lead the field comfortably into the Deene Hairpin, so much so that he was able to take his usual line rather than a defensive one. Wright, from third on the grid, had also got a lightning start to move into second as he braked for the tight left-hander costing Webster his second place. The opening lap also saw gains for Durrant and Triple Eight Racing’s Sazlan Sirajudin (MAL) while in contrast Hale was struggling just outside the top five.

Theodore was already developing a healthy lead after only a handful of laps while just behind Reilly was also on a charge getting by Webster to move into third and hot on the heels of second-place Wright. Webster then dropped a further place this time to Powell as the youngster struggled to find his rhythm on the dry circuit.

In the midfield, it was Parris and newcomer Tommaso Menchini (ITA), racing for MTech, who were battling hard with Durrant also adding his car to that scrap. Ahead, team-mates Webster and Hale were swapping places at Tarzan only for the two to swap back as Webster instantly regained his fifth place.

By lap seven the top three of Theodore, Wright and Reilly were now running nose-to-tail with Theodore dropping back with his car suffering from understeer. Reilly was also getting increasingly close to the back of Wright’s car and after a better exit out of the chicane he was able to slip by Wright to take his second place.

The three were set to battle it out for the remainder of the race until contact between Durrant and Menchini in the battle for seventh on the run-out of Turn 1caused the championship’s Safety Car to be deployed and the race to be neutralized.

As the marshals tended to the incident, Theodore led the pack behind the Safety Car waiting for the lights to go out and the race to restart. Sadly that moment never came as the race was forced to conclude under Safety Car conditions due to the marshals being unable to make the track safe in the permitted time.

Theodore therefore claimed the win, although perhaps not in the way he would have liked, after 13 laps with Reilly, who also secured the fastest lap of the race, in second and Wright in third. Powell and Webster rounded off the top five with Hale struggling by his high standards in sixth. Birch collected the Privateer Cup class win.

Commenting on his weekend Theodore said: “Overall it has been a good weekend for us although it’s frustrating knowing I’m no longer a championship contender. In round nine I got a fantastic start and pushed on straight away to build a lead. I then started to suffer from understeer which allowed Luke and Joseph to close so I was relieved to see the Safety Car but it’s never how you want to win a race. Round 10 was another good contest where we had the pace but my start let me down and my tyres began to fade a little.”

Commenting on his win and second place Reilly said: “It was pretty hectic at the start of round nine as we were all bunched up going into the Hairpin but I came out unscathed. I was then able to get the jump on Luke after a good run through the chicane but then the Safety Car came out and that was that. After a great start in round 10 I knew the key was just being consistent and picking off the laps one by one. It was great that Josh was able to follow me home too for a one-two finish for the team.”

Third-place in round nine Wright said: “I got a great start but I made a few mistakes which allowed Joseph to eventually get through. I think it was all set up for a good race between the three of us but the Safety Car put an end to that.”

Webster, who picked up the final podium in round 10, added: “The team made some changes before the race which certainly helped to give me good race pace and when I got into clean air the car certainly felt better and I could start to relax and enjoy the race.”

The final two rounds, 11 and 12, of the 2010 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship take place at Thruxton on 16^th October.

2010 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship provisional drivers’ standings – round 10:

1 Mitchell Hale                        GBR    Fortec Motorsport                                 260 pts

2 Alice Powell                         GBR    Hillspeed                                               244 pts

3 Joseph Reilly                       GBR    Fortec Motorsport                                 207 pts

4 Josh Webster                       GBR    Fortec Motorsport                                 204 pts

5 Luke Wright                          GBR    SWB Motorsport                                   193 pts

6 James Theodore                  GBR    Hillspeed                                               190 pts

Privateer Cup – round 10:

1 James Birch                         GBR                151 pts