News: Gala Tent is marquee signing for Yorkshire race team

Rotherham-based Gala Tent and Gala Graphics are on the fast lane to export growth and have signed a deal with Yorkshire's United Motorsport to help build the brand on an international basis.

Gala Tent Ltd is the UK's leading distributor of marquees and gazebos and has grown from a table top operation in Grimethorpe to a company with a turnover of £10m having moved into new 53,000 sq ft headquarters at Fairfield Park in Manvers in 2011.

Along with branded marquees and gazebos, their sister company Gala Graphics offer vast printing capabilities, providing anything from a business card to banner flags, full branding packages and bespoke printing orders as well as a variety of accessories.

United Autosports is a well-known GT and sports car team, based in Leeds and was founded in 2009 by businessman, Zak Brown and racing driver, Richard Dean. This year, the team will be making their debut in the European Le Mans Series with a pair of Ligier JS P3 cars.

Joining the team's 2016 programme, Gala Tent will be entering the sporting arena with a motorsport focused product range.

Zak Brown, team owner and chairman of United Autosports, said: "I'm thrilled to welcome Gala Tent and Gala Graphics to the team. The product range is top quality and ideally suited to United Autosports and motorsports in general. The LMP3 grid is so vast this year and I am sure we will generate excellent exposure for their products and brand."

Jason Mace, founder and managing director of Gala Tent, added: "This partnership agreement ticks all the boxes as we get to support a Yorkshire based team in United Autosports, whilst building the Gala brand on an international basis. Both Zak and Richard are widely respected in this industry and there is a definite need for the quality of product and price point that both Gala Tent and Gala Graphics can provide."

Ambitious Gala Tent announced that it had secured £3.6m of funding from HSBC at the start of the year. It will enable them to expand into 22,000 sq ft warehouse and office space as it continues to develop the export side of the business. A set of websites were created by the Gala team and taken on by overseas distributors with their own warehouse space who could then translate them and do the selling in return for exclusivity.

Eleven distributors are in place in the EU, along with one in Iceland.

Mark Thompson, managing director at Gala Tent: "I'm really excited at the opportunity of getting involved with United Autosports. Motorsport has always been a great interest of mine so this is a perfect fit. The partnership will be a great opportunity for Gala Tent to get noticed in the motorsport industry for our products and printing service which are ideally suited to this market."

The Gala Tent Ligier will be driven by Alex Brundle, son of Martin Brundle, American businessman Mike Guasch and Yorkshire racing driver, Christian England. It is in the LMP3 class, the first step on the ladder before moving up to the LMP2 and LMP1 classes. This season, Manor Endurance Racing Limited, a team with links to Rotherham, is set to race in the LMP2 class.

Gala Tent website
United Autosports website

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News: Manor reborn as Booth targets Le Mans

The white rose of Yorkshire is set to speed around the historic circuit at Le Mans as Manor confirms that it will compete a full season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) - which includes the famous 24 hour race.

Twenty‐six years after entering its first season of competition, a new subsidiary, Manor Endurance Racing Limited, has been established by Rotherham-born John Booth and sporting director Graeme Lowdon. The team will initially enter one car into the LMP2 class of the championship, which is considered to be one of the highest calibres available to independent teams.

Since 1990, Manor has won over 190 races and 19 national or international championships or invitation events. With a base at Dinnington in Rotherham, Booth's Manor Motorsport is one of the most respected names in national and international motor racing. The operation achieved great success in Formula 3 and Formula Renault and played a major role in the development of several of today's greatest motor racing talents. Formula 1 world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both graduated from the John Booth school of excellence.

John Booth, team principal at Manor (pictured), said: "We are delighted to be joining the World Endurance Championship. It is a fantastic series that visits iconic tracks all over the world. The level of competition is very high and we are really looking forward to racing again.

"The LMP2 class is specifically designed for teams independent of manufacturers and/or engine suppliers which places the focus firmly on how the team performs.

"I can't wait to see the car running now. We have lots to do but we have a great team of people to get it all done."

Graeme Lowdon, sporting director at Manor, added: "It's really great to be racing again and the FIA World Endurance Championship provides a fantastic challenge for us.

"Pre‐season testing starts soon and there is a lot to do but we have never been afraid of a bit of hard work.

"There is a real buzz within the team at the moment, we have enjoyed great support from the fans over the last few months and we are very keen for them to get fully involved in what we are doing. We all have a great passion for motorsport and we are keen to share that passion."

Manor Grand Prix was an unlikely name to make it onto the F1 grid in 2009. Having secured financial backing from LDC, it became Virgin Racing when they announced a link up with Richard Branson. Russian company, Marussia Motors acquired a significant shareholding in 2010 and the team became Marussia Virgin Racing.

FRP Advisory LLP were appointed joint administrators to Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as the Marussia F1 Team. Without financial backing the company ceased trading in 2014 resulting in 200 redundancies.

Then in 2015, a formal agreement was reached with Manor's creditors through a CVA in order to allow the team to come out of administration, following new investment from businessman Stephen Fitzpatrick. Manor F1 took their place on the grid for the 2015 season.

The new Manor WEC team has no connection to the current F1 outfit. Both Booth (team principal) and Lowdon (CEO) left their roles at the end of last season.

The team will have the option of utilising the mothballed Dinnington site which has been empty since F1 operations moved from Rotherham to Banbury in Oxfordshire to be closer to McLaren, their technical partners for the 2012 season. Another move down south is likely to be on the cards.

Manor has chosen the ORECA LM P2 05 chassis which is set to be powered by a Nissan engine. Thailand's Tor Graves will rejoin the team as a named driver. The 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship Runner Up (LMP2) drove for Manor in 1998, 2003 and also during the team's successful 1999 British Formula 3 campaign.

The first race of the WEC season takes place at Silverstone in April.

Manor WEC website

Images: Manor Endurance Racing Limited / Marussia Manor F1

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News: Marussia F1 cars up for sale

Formula One cars developed by the team that can trace its roots back to Rotherham are being put up for sale.

Four cars are being made available for sale by a private collector. The grid cars are from the Virgin Marussia Formula Team and form part of a collection spanning the 2010 to 2013 F1 Grand Prix seasons.

The Marussia F1 team began life as Manor Grand Prix in Dinnington, Rotherham. Having secured financial backing from LDC, it became Virgin Racing when they announced a link up with Richard Branson in December 2009. Russian company, Marussia Motors acquired a significant shareholding in 2010 and the team became Marussia Virgin Racing. For the 2012 season, the team became Marussia F1 and operations moved from Rotherham to Banbury in Oxfordshire to be closer to McLaren, their technical partners for the 2012 season.

FRP Advisory LLP were appointed joint administrators to Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as the Marussia F1 Team. Without financial backing the company ceased trading in 2014 resulting in 200 redundancies.

Then in 2015, formal agreement was reached with Manor's creditors through a CVA in order to allow the team to come out of administration, following new investment from businessman Stephen Fitzpatrick. Manor F1 took their place on the grid for the 2015 season.

The cars available for sale include the 2010 VR-01 from Virgin Racing, the 2011 MVR-02 from Marussia Virgin Racing and the 2012 MR01 and 2013 MR02 from the Marussia F1 Team. The MR02 was designed under the leadership of Marussia's technical director Pat Symonds. It was driven by tragic star driver Jules Bianchi.

The vehicles are the latest models on the open market to feature the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) introduced in 2009 and the drag resistance system (DRS) introduced in 2011. The cars are available for sale by private negotiation as a collection of four or as individual assets.

The brochure states: "John Pye Luxury Assets are proud to present a unique opportunity to acquire a quartet of Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix Grid competition cars, upon instruction from a private collector and now available for sale by private treaty.

"All with F1 competition provenance from the Virgin Marussia Formula 1 teams, these four cars form part of an impressive collection spanning the 2010 to 2013 F1 Grand Prix seasons."

Rotherham-born John Booth, a former butcher and single-seater champion, has been team principal since the inception of the team. The Rotherham connection has all but ended with the team confirming in November that Booth would leave the team at the end of last season. Booth said that he was "bidding the F1 paddock farewell for now."

Booth's Manor Motorsport is one of the most respected names in national and international motor racing. His Dinnington operation achieved great success in Formula 3 and Formula Renault and played a major role in the development of several of today's greatest motor racing talents. Formula 1 world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both graduated from the John Booth school of excellence.

Manor F1 team website
John Pye website

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News: Investors confirmed as Manor heads to first race

Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as the Marussia F1 Team, has exited administration and is gearing up to take its place on the grid for the first race of the Formula 1 season in Melbourne later this month.

FRP Advisory LLP were appointed joint administrators at the end of October to the F1 team that began life as Manor Grand Prix in Dinnington, Rotherham, after it was unable to bring new investment to secure its long term future.

Formal agreement was reached with Manor's creditors through a CVA in order to allow the team to come out of administration, following new investment from businessman Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Belfast-born Fitzpatrick established Ovo Energy in 2009 with the mission is to become the UK's most trusted energy supplier by 2020. Taking on the so-called "big six" energy firms is a challenge matched only by Manor taking on Mercedes, Ferrari and McClaren.

Manor's president and sporting director will be Graeme Lowdon, who was sporting director at Marussia F1, with former Sainsbury's CEO Justin King taking over as the team's interim chairman.

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Rotherham-born John Booth (pictured), a former butcher and single-seater champion, has remained as the team principal throughout. The team was established in 2009 to compete in Formula 1 when the FIA, the sport's governing body, decided to address the current levels of spend and introduced cost-cutting measures.

Since the new investment was mooted, the team has been back at its original Dinnington HQ, having given up its Banbury base on entering administration. The team has been preparing the cars with which it will begin the 2015 season and which comply fully with the 2015 regulations. Later in the season it will introduce a new 2015 specification car as per the designs initiated last year.

Will Stevens will be an official 2015 Manor race driver with the second seat still to be announced.

Graeme Lowdon, president and sporting director at Manor Marussia F1, said: "I want to thank all of the teams, the FIA, Formula One Management, our suppliers and staff and of course all of the fans for the support we've received over the past six months. It has been a challenging period for all of us but we've come through it and now we just want to go racing again.

"With formidable new business leadership in Stephen Fitzpatrick and the board presence of Justin King we are now in a great place ahead of the new season. This is a fantastic and very rewarding moment for all those involved with the team."

Justin King, interim chairman, added: "It's a real pleasure for me to be involved in Manor. I know from the years I spent at Sainsbury's that with the right people, the right values, and sheer hard work, you can turn any business around. In Graeme and team principal John Booth we have all three and I'm fully confident that we can help Manor be competitive at the highest level of racing."

Stephen Fitzpatrick, added: "We've all worked incredibly hard to get the car ready for Melbourne and the season ahead. Our fans have given the team amazing support for many years and we want to restore Manor to the very best of racing in the future. I have a lifelong passion for Formula One and can't wait for the season ahead, with Manor and the team."

Booth's Manor Motorsport is one of the most respected names in national and international motor racing. His Dinnington operation achieved great success in Formula 3 and Formula Renault and played a major role in the development of several of today's greatest motor racing talents. Formula 1 world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both graduated from the John Booth school of excellence.

Manor F1 website

Images: Manor Marussia

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News: CVA agreed at Manor F1

Creditors of the Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as the Marussia F1 Team, have agreed to enter into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) that would enable the company to exit administration and secure investment.

FRP Advisory LLP were appointed joint administrators at the end of October to the F1 team that began life as Manor Grand Prix in Dinnington, Rotherham, after it was unable to bring new investment to secure its long term future.

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Without further financial backing from Marussia's owner, the company ceased trading in October, resulting in 200 redundancies. The remnants of the team have been working hard to get the team going again, having secured a spot on the provisional entry list for the 2015 championship and still harbouring the potential £30m in prize money due to its progress on the track last season.

The main creditors of Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited are Lloyd's, who invested in the fledgling team, and Ferrari, the team's supplier in 2014.

Geoff Rowley, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory, said: "We are pleased that the financial restructuring of the Company has been progressed after creditor approval of the CVA.

"With new investment and a continuity of the respected management, the business has the ideal platform from which it can accelerate the operational rebuilding already underway to get a team back racing.

"It has been a long process and we would like to thank everyone involved to reach this milestone.

"We shall complete our statutory duties as administrators with the necessary filings needed in order to formally exit the Company from administration over the next few days."

Pre-season testing means that plenty of rumours and reports are flying around the F1 paddock. This includes reports that former Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King is set to invest in the team. King's son, Jordan recently secured a seat in GP2 with Spanish team Racing Engineering.

Other reports are that Ferrari, owed £13m from the collapse of the previous team, have verbally agreed to supply engines for the new incarnation. Other rumours include Manor becoming a "second" team to one of the sport's big boys and it is also being reported that teams are supportive of Manor F1 returning to the sport. Positive comments have come from the likes of Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull, but Force India's Bob Fernley was reportedly critical of the team's attempts to make the grid.

Manor F1 Team website

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News: Manor F1 Team: "We just want to go racing"

The F1 team that began life as Manor Grand Prix in Dinnington, Rotherham, is pushing hard to make it onto the grid in 2015, despite being in administration, for now.


FRP Advisory LLP were appointed joint administrators at the end of October to Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as the Marussia F1 Team, who were unable to bring new investment to the team to secure its long term future.

An unlikely name in the Formula One World Championship, Manor Grand Prix secured financial backing from LDC and became Virgin Racing when they announced a link up with Richard Branson in December 2009. Russian company, Marussia Motors acquired a significant shareholding in 2010 and the team became Marussia Virgin Racing. For the 2012 season, the team became Marussia F1 and operations moved from Rotherham to Banbury in Oxfordshire to be closer to McLaren, its technical partners for the 2012 season.

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Without further financial backing from Marussia's owner, the company ceased trading in October, resulting in 200 redundancies. The remnants of the team have been working hard to get the team going again, having secured a spot on the provisional entry list for the 2015 championship and still harbouring the potential £30m in prize money due to its progress on the track last season.

After earlier investment deals fell through, the administrators recently initiated a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) process which could see the company exit administration next week. A CVA is often used by insolvent companies to negotiate new payment terms or periods with its creditors. The main creditors of Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited are Lloyd's, who invested in the fledgling team, and Ferrari, the team's supplier in 2014.

Geoff Rowley, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory, said: "Since the appointment of administrators, negotiations have taken place with a number of parties to try and secure a long-term solution for the team.

"We can confirm that negotiations continue towards a longer term viable solution for the business and participation of a team in the 2015 season.

"It is envisaged that, prior to the commencement of the first race of the 2015 season [in March], investment into the business will be made upon the company exiting from administration via a Company Voluntary Arrangement, which is planned for 19 February 2015."

The investors remain confidential but have either met with or spoken to the key F1 bodies.

With money ready to be invested in the operation, one thing that could throw a spanner in the works is the politics of the sport. The Manor F1 team now has to gain the unanimous consent from all teams that it can race a 2014 car in the 2015 championship.

The team has been busy preparing its 2014 cars such that they comply with the stipulations of the sport's influential Strategy Group and at the same time it is pressing on with the development of its 2015 car to ensure it can supersede the 2014 car as soon as possible.

Graeme Lowdon, former sporting director at Marussia F1 and a representative of the Manor F1 team, said: "It has been a very good step to finally get the CVA process underway this week. This is the first external sign that we have been able to make of all the hard work that has taken place privately over the past four months to get us to our current position.

"We are proceeding with our clear process regarding compliance and building our operation. We are doing everything possible to adhere to the process set out for us to return to the 2015 grid. This is a fantastic good news story for the whole sport and we just want to go racing."

Rotherham-born John Booth (pictured), a former butcher and single-seater champion, has remained as the team principal throughout. The team was established to compete in Formula 1 when the FIA, the sport's governing body, decided to address the current levels of spend and introduced cost-cutting measures.

Booth's Manor Motorsport is one of the most respected names in national and international motor racing. His Dinnington operation achieved great success in Formula 3 and Formula Renault and played a major role in the development of several of today's greatest motor racing talents. Former Formula 1 champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both graduated from the John Booth school of excellence.

The administrators stated that the operations at Banbury were to be discontinued and the site was due to be vacated in January. Could a revived Manor F1 Team be based back in Rotherham where Manor's Todwick Road site remains mothballed?

Manor F1 website

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News: End of the road for Marussia

The Marussia F1 team that began life as Manor Grand Prix in Dinnington, Rotherham, has ceased trading after going into administration.

FRP Advisory LLP were appointed joint administrators at the end of October to Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as the Marussia F1 Team, who were unable to bring new investment to the team to secure its long term future.

Manor Grand Prix secured financial backing from LDC and became Virgin Racing when they announced a link up with Richard Branson in December 2009. Russian company, Marussia Motors acquired a significant shareholding in 2010 and the team became Marussia Virgin Racing. For the 2012 season, the team became Marussia F1 and operations moved from Rotherham to Banbury in Oxfordshire to be closer to McLaren, their technical partners for the 2012 season. Marussia Motors closed its doors in April this year.

Without financial backing the company has ceased trading resulting in 200 redundancies.

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Geoff Rowley and Geoff Carton-Kelly, partners of FRP Advisory LLP, said: "It goes without saying that it is deeply regrettable that a business with such a great following in British and world motorsport has had to cease trading and close its doors.

"Whilst the team made significant progress during its relatively short period of operation, operating a F1 team requires significant ongoing investment. The Group was put into administration last month following a shortfall in on-going funding and the administration process provided a moratorium to allow for attempts to secure a long term viable solution for the Company within in a very limited time-frame.

"As joint administrators our immediate focus will be to assist staff who have lost their jobs and provide them with the necessary support to submit timely claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.

"The team will not be participating in the two further rounds of the 2014 championship remaining, in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi. The joint administrators will continue with their statutory duties to realise the assets of the business in the best interests of all the creditors."

Rotherham-born John Booth, a former butcher and single-seater champion, has remained as the team principal throughout. The team was established to compete in Formula 1 when the FIA, the sport's governing body, decided to address the current levels of spend and introduced cost-cutting measures. However, plans for a proposed budget cap set for 2015 don't look like being implemented.

As the search for funding went on, Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited was named on the provisional entry list for next year's F1 World Championship. The team were due around £30m in prize money due to its progress on the track this season.

Marussia F1 website

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News: Marussia F1 off the grid

The Marussia F1 Team, which shocked the motorsport world when it gained entry into the 2010 F1 season from its base at Dinnington in Rotherham, has called in the administrators.

Geoff Rowley and Geoff Carton-Kelly, partners of FRP Advisory LLP, have been appointed joint administrators to Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as the Marussia F1 Team, who have been unable to bring new investment to the team to secure its long term future.

Manor Grand Prix secured financial backing from LDC and became Virgin Racing when they announced a link up with Richard Branson in December 2009. Russian company, Marussia Motors acquired a significant shareholding in 2010 and the team became Marussia Virgin Racing. For the 2012 season, the team became Marussia F1 and operations moved from Rotherham to Banbury in Oxfordshire to be closer to McLaren, their technical partners for the 2012 season. Marussia Motors closed its doors in April this year.

Rotherham-born John Booth, a former butcher and single-seater champion, has remained as the team principal throughout. The team was established to compete in Formula 1 when the FIA, the sport's governing body, decided to address the current levels of spend and introduced cost-cutting measures. However, plans for a proposed budget cap set for 2015 don't look like being implemented.

Marussia also operates a driver development programme with a team in GP3, the series that follows the Formula 1 European calendar and the emphasis is on developing driver skills.

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Despite making progress, including picking up its first championship points in May after four seasons and six races, the team has been rocked by the death of former test driver, Maria de Villota, and the serious crash involving leading driver, Jules Bianchi, which left him critically ill in hospital.

Geoff Rowley, joint administrator, and partner at FRP Advisory, said: "Whilst the team has made significant progress during its relatively short period of operation, the highlight of which included securing two constructors championship points in the current F1 season, the position remains that operating a F1 team requires significant ongoing investment.

"With the existing shareholder unable to provide the required level of funding, the senior management team has worked tirelessly to bring new investment to the team to secure its long term future, but regrettably has been unable to do so within the time available. Therefore, they have been left with no alternative but to place the Company into administration.

"The Company will continue to operate while the joint administrators assess the longer term viability of the Company in its present form. No redundancies have been made following the Company's entering into administration and all staff have been paid in full to the end of October. The ongoing staff position will however be dependent on whether the Company can secure new investment in the limited time available.

"We remain highly focused on engaging with interested parties."

Given the current financial circumstances of the Group, which employs 200 staff, the F1 team has pulled out of the US Grand Prix in Austin this weekend. Earlier this month, the GP3 team withdrew from the race in Sochi, Russia for commercial reasons.

Booth's Manor Motorsport is one of the most respected names in national and international motor racing. His Dinnington operation achieved great success in Formula 3 and Formula Renault and played a major role in the development of several of today's greatest motor racing talents. Former Formula 1 champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both graduated from the John Booth school of excellence.

Marussia F1 website

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News: Marussia Manor Racing reveal new GP3 driver line-up

Whilst the Banbury-based big boys began the F1 season in Australia last weekend, Marussia's GP3 team is gearing up for the start of the new season.

Rotherham's Manor Grand Prix was an unlikely name on the line up for the 2010 F1 season. The Rotherham team became Virgin Racing when they announced a link up with Richard Branson in December 2009. Russian company Marussia Motors acquired a significant shareholding in 2010 and the team became Marussia Virgin Racing. For the 2012 season, the team became Marussia F1.

The Marussia F1 team moved from Rotherham to Banbury in Oxfordshire to be closer to McLaren, their technical partners for the 2012 season. Rotherham-born John Booth remains as the team principal and the team's former headquarters at Dinnington is now home to the Marussia Manor GP3 team.

The GP3 series follows the Formula One European calendar and the emphasis is on developing driver skills, with all teams using the same chassis, engine and tyre suppliers.

The GP3 team, which is the primary vehicle for the Marussia F1 Team's Driver Development Programme, is now in its fifth season of competition. Having won races last season, the team is targeting the Championship title in 2014.

Ryan Cullen, 22 years old and from Ireland, remains with the team for a second season and will be joined by Finnish youngster, 17 year old Patrick Kujala and British ace, 23 year old Dean Stoneman.

The Marussia F1 Team will again offer the most successful Marussia Manor Racing driver of the GP3 season the opportunity to test its Formula 1 car. Tio Ellinas benefited from a day in the F1 car at last season's Young Driver Test and will again return to test in 2014 as the top placed driver in 2013.

The team has achieved great success in Formula 3 and Formula Renault. Former F1 champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both graduated from the John Booth "school of excellence."

Pete Sliwinski, team principal at Marussia Manor Racing, said: "Once again we head into the GP3 season with great optimism. This series is the best place for a young driver to prove themselves; highly competitive, with a great car and engine package and running alongside the F1 schedule, which certainly puts their talent in the spotlight."

Marussia F1 website

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News: Marussia Virgin Racing could drive away from Rotherham

Marussia Virgin Racing, the Formula One team with their headquarters in Rotherham, have entered into a technical partnership with McLaren and purchased a new technical base.

The announcement signals the seriousness of the team's intent to become a real contender in the world's premier form of motorsport, but it could result in the team moving out of Rotherham as they also announced ambitions to bring operations together under one roof.

Marussia Virgin Racing has concluded a long-term technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies which will see the team benefit from access to McLaren facilities, knowledge and capabilities, for example their test rigs and driver-in-the-loop simulator, supply chain experience and CFD and CAE techniques including race strategy tools.

Importantly, this includes access to the McLaren wind tunnel.

The Dinnington team, also announced that it has acquired the Formula One business of WRT, its former technical partner, including WRT's leading-edge technical centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK.

It is not yet clear what effect this will have on the expanded premises on the Dinnington Business Park which are currently used as the international centre for the preparation, assembly, maintenance and development of their cars.

The announcement stated that: "The Banbury premises will continue to be utilised by Marussia Virgin Racing for the next two years, during which time the team will progress its plans to develop a tailor-made new facility more suited to the team's long-term tenure within the sport and allowing the team to come together under the same roof."

Andy Webb, CEO at marussia Virgin Racing, said: "When we undertook our detailed review of the team in the first half of 2011, it was clear that our bold ambitions for the future would need to be matched with some equally bold steps towards achieving them.

"I am delighted that in a relatively short space of time we are now in the fantastic position of being able to make these two very important announcements, which will enable us to make some dramatic strides forward with immediate effect.

"Our technical partnership with McLaren is very exciting indeed. McLaren is one of the most prestigious and successful marques in Grand Prix racing history, with an enviable record of success over many years. We can benefit enormously from McLaren's far-reaching techniques and capabilities and I have no doubt that this Partnership will see us take the technical steps necessary to make a significant leap forwards.

"In addition, our acquisition of the WRT Formula One business ensures continuity of technical infrastructure for the period ahead, which means that the transition to working with our new technical partner can begin immediately and is not frustrated by logistical considerations. Our three-centre operation has served us well in our formative years but our ambitions for the future will rely on the full might of the team coming together under one roof."

Marussia Virgin Racing website

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News: Marussia Virgin Racing make the news with CNBC

Marussia Virgin Racing, the Formula One team with their headquarters in Rotherham, has announced an exclusive global partnership that sees CNBC becoming the team's official "Business Media Partner" for the 2011 season, which gets underway on March 27 in Melbourne, Australia.

The partnership gives CNBC branding on various Marussia Virgin Racing assets including its new Formula One car and driver's racesuits, and in the paddock, as well as hospitality. Alongside this, the partnership provides business-to-business opportunities for existing and new commercial partners of the Marussia Virgin Racing Team through the reach of CNBC's worldwide TV network and CNBC.com.

Andy Webb, CEO, Marussia Virgin Racing said: "It goes without saying that we are delighted to welcome CNBC to Marussia Virgin Racing as our Business Media Partner. This is a very exciting partnership which underlines the strategic, targeted and intricate nature of our offering and its appeal to our rapidly expanding portfolio of commercial partners.

"CNBC needs no introduction as an oracle of international business and financial news and this multi-faceted relationship provides the team and its partners with an enviable business development opportunity.

"Following a period of investment and restructure, the team now has all the right resources and people to step up the pursuit of its racing ambitions. This is a fascinating partnership for both parties and it will be exciting to see it develop as the year progresses. We now look forward to getting the season underway in Melbourne in a little under two weeks time."

Mick Buckley, President and CEO, EMEA, CNBC added: "CNBC is extremely excited to be joining forces with Marussia Virgin Racing at this significant stage in the team's development. Our audiences are complementary and this is an exceptional way to put CNBC in front of a massive global audience."

Marussia Virgin Racing website

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News: Marussia invests in Virgin Racing

Russian company Marussia Motors has announced that it has acquired a significant shareholding in the Rotherham-based Formula One team, Virgin Racing in a deal brokered by private equity firm LDC.

Marussia Motors is the manufacturer of the first Russian supercar and has been a partner of Virgin Racing since the F1 Team was launched in December 2009. From the 2011 season the team will be known as Marussia Virgin Racing. The team will compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship by that name including racing at the new venue in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

The team was formed when Rotherham's Manor Grand Prix in Dinnington teamed up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin brand. LDC, a subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group added Manor to their investment portfolio in 2009.

The transaction, led by head of LDC Director Carl Wormald and supported by investment director Jonathan Bell, provides an attractive return on LDC's initial investment and will see them retain a shareholding alongside the existing Virgin Racing management team.

The decision of the Russian company to be involved more deeply in the life of the racing team was welcomed by the Management Team..

Graeme Lowdon, Chief Executive of Virgin Racing said that the investment by Marussia Motors will enable the team to plan more ambitiously for the longer term.

It has been announced that there will be no significant change to the team's organisational structure as it prepares for its second season in F1.

The team also reassured fans via Twitter that the team will remain based in Dinnington.

Carl Wormald, Director at LDC, said the partnership with Marussia was in line with the long term strategy to establish Virgin Racing as a competitive racing team and a successful commercial business.

He said: "This is excellent news for all stakeholders in Virgin Racing. The team has made tremendous progress over the past twelve months and this is testimony to the commitment and skill of the Virgin Racing personnel.

"LDC is delighted to remain a significant shareholder and is looking forward to working with Marussia to support the future development of the team."

Marussia Motors is also confident of success of the Company. Marussia's president and chief executive Nikolai Fomenko said: "This is the realisation of a dream for us.

"While manufacturing, launching and marketing the Marussia B1, B2 and other concepts in Europe, we will have a Formula One team to promote these activities and demonstrate to the world that a new car manufacturer has arrived from Russia with truly international ambitions."

Virgin Racing Team Principal, John Booth added: "I am extremely proud of what we have achieved with Virgin Racing in what is really only 16 months since the team was founded. I am delighted that the significant efforts of the team have been recognised and have attracted the commitment of Marussia Motors, which will enable us to move forward and deliver against our five year target for success."

Virgin Racing has also announced a new long term partnership with International Direct Selling Company, QNet.

Virgin Racing website
Marussia website

Images: marussiamotors.ru

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News: Virgin Racing launch F1 car

The new Virgin Racing Formula One team has proudly unveiled its debut race car - the VR-01.

The team was created last year when Rotherham's Manor Grand Prix teamed up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin brand to embark on an exciting F1 adventure.

The VR-01 is the first of a new breed of race car designed entirely in the digital domain using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). It is the brainchild of Virgin Racing's Technical Director, Nick Wirth, who has gained an international reputation for pioneering a purely CFD approach to car development, wholly designing, building and testing race cars in computer simulation without the need for expensive, resource-heavy scale-model wind tunnel testing.

In theory, the team's pre-season testing programme began several months ago - in the virtual sense - courtesy of what is widely regarded as amongst the most progressive real-time simulator technology in motor sport. When race drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi begin testing in anger next week, the VR-01 should feel very similar to the car they "drove" on the Wirth Research simulator.

Virgin Racing Technical Director, Nick Wirth said: "Today is a very proud day for everyone involved with Virgin Racing, however on this occasion, where the car is the star, I want to pay tribute to all the amazing people at Wirth Research who deserve so much of the credit for the VR-01. Putting together an F1 team, assembling an engineering group and designing a new car from scratch is an epic task in the timeframe we have been working to.

"We have assembled a fantastic design and engineering group, the calibre of which I could only have dreamed of attracting when we first started out on this journey."

Virgin Racing Team Principal, John Booth added: "Today is the culmination of a very emotional journey which really began in June last year when we celebrated the fantastic news that our entry into Formula One had been accepted. The celebrations were necessarily brief however, because we were already in a race against time to design and develop a race car at the same time as building a new team of people and premises.

"I would like to congratulate our new race team - a great bunch of guys working together for the very first time in the pressure-cooker environment of a demanding car build schedule. Logistically it hasn't been easy, since the initial build of the two race cars is taking place in Bicester, rather than our operational base in Dinnington. Their commitment and professionalism has been exemplary and they have set their own very high bar in terms of trackside performance this season.

"Finally, not only do we have a great bunch of people at Virgin Racing, we also have a great-looking car. We are delighted with our fantastic new livery which provides a fitting integration of our racing brand with our important commercial partnerships.

"All in all, we have a lot to look forward to as we progress towards our racing debut in Bahrain next month."

Virgin Racing website
Rotherham

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News: Rotherham's Manor Grand Prix teams up with Virgin

The Virgin Racing Formula 1 team has been officially launched in London, where it was confirmed that Rotherham's Manor Grand Prix has teamed up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin brand to embark on an exciting F1 adventure.

Richard Branson and the Virgin Racing management team of Nick Wirth, John Booth and Alex Tai outlined the vision for their team and revealed the driver line-up.

Alongside Timo Glock were two new additions - Brazilian Lucas di Grassi and GP2's Portuguese revelation Alvaro Parente.

Virgin Racing also welcomed nine new partners to the team including Bridgestone, FXPro, Kappa and green companies Oxigen and Carbon Green.

Etienne De Villiers, a top media executive who has worked at Disney, BBC Worldwide and the ATP Tour will become the new Chairman.

Team principal Alex Tai said: "Virgin Racing is a real racing team founded by real racers and which has a very clearly defined path towards achieving success. This will be our core focus, but at the same time we intend to be a team which has great spirit. We are looking to make a big contribution to the sport and its fans. I am full of excitement and optimism about what we can achieve together."

Technical director Nick Wirth said: "The past year has been a rollercoaster ride as we first conceived the idea of entering Formula 1 and then navigated the route to launch in 12 very busy but rewarding months. I am immensely proud to be part of a team that isn't simply "making it to the grid" but which has surpassed even our wildest expectations technically, in our racing operation and also commercially."

The Manor team based in Dinnington was named on the entry list for the 2010 championship earlier this year and Manor's owner and the new sporting director of Virgin Racing, John Booth has been busily expanding both premises and people.

Booth is to lead a team of 45 staff at the Rotherham base which will be where the race team and cars will be equipped, based and resourced.

John Booth said: "I've never had any ambitions to be in Formula 1, purely because it was so out of reach. The FIA in their wisdom quite rightly decided to introduce some sort of cost restriction. At the same time as making Formula 1 more affordable for its current competitors, it opened up our own horizons and that of other teams.

"I think Nick is a design genius and I have absolute faith in his ability to design a fantastic car. In turn he has the belief in our ability to run it. There is already a great chemistry within the team and this is inspiring a lot of confidence."

Earlier this month, LDC, a subsidary of the Lloyds Banking Group added Manor to their investment portfolio.

Darryl Eales, CEO of LDC, said: "Manor represents the combination of a great management, racing pedigree and world class engineering and design; in a unique market segment and in one of the world's most popular sports."

Richard Branson said: "I believe that with the right bunch of people you can achieve anything. It might take a while to get there, but I believe with this team of people on board, Virgin Racing can go all the way."

Virgin Racing website
Rotherham

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News: Manor Grand Prix submit expansion plans as they gear up for F1

Manor Grand Prix has submitted plans to expand their headquarters in Dinnington, Rotherham.

The 540 sq m facility is bigger than the already approved expansion and will become the home of the team set to enter Formula One in 2010.

The application states that: "Formula One requires a new, larger, purpose built headquarters. The building will become the international centre for the preparation, assembly, maintenance and development of race cars.

Race teams and cars will be equipped, based and resourced here. Teams will be organised and coordinated here."

The plans were drawn up by local firm, Dexter Pollard and go on to state: "This is an opportunity to use the fine engineering skills present in the Sheffield and Rotherham area.

"This is an opportunity to draw upon and support the tradition of high calibre materials technology in our region and to show not just the rest of Britain but the whole world what can be achieved here."

It is thought that the development could create up to 50 jobs for the region.

Manor Grand Prix websiteRotherham

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News: Rotherham's Manor Motorsport to line up in F1

Rotherham is set for a place on the Formula One grid next season with Manor Motorsport.

The Dinnington based team has been named on the entry list for the 2010 championship by the sport's governing body, the FIA.

The Manor name came into racing in 1990 when former single-seater champion John Booth decided to establish his own team. Since that time, Manor's record of success includes some 171 Race Wins and 19 Championship Titles in championships such as Formula Renault and Formula Three Euroseries.

John told the Rotherham Advertiser: "It's got to be a plus for the regional economy. "I don't think F1 is going to be an organisation where each team employs nearly 1,000 people any more, but we are planning to create 50 or so jobs for people in South Yorkshire and we will, of course, be working with local suppliers."

Oxford based Wirth Research announced a long term agreement to exclusively design, develop and supply the all-new Manor Formula One car, as well as providing wide-ranging engineering support for the project.

John added: "Having competed successfully in other categories we now look forward to the challenges and opportunities presented in motor racing's premier category. Nick Wirth brings the technical experience and flair that is required to be a serious contender in Formula One."

Nick Wirth, Technical Director said: "We see this project as a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the quality of our work, increase our range of technology and engineering capacity to the benefit of all our existing and potential clients beyond Formula 1."

As part of its application to compete in the 2010 World Championship, Manor has agreed an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

The news has been overshadowed by the row between the FIA and the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) over proposed budget caps.

Manor Motorsport website
Rotherham Advertiser article
Rotherham

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News: Dinnington team developing the next Lewis Hamilton

Manor Motorsport, based in Dinnington, Rotherham has signed off the 2008 Formula 3 Euroseries by finishing fifth on 76.5 points in the teams’ championship. Newly crowned Formula 1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton honed his skills with the team during three successful years up to 2004, before stepping up a gear to join the F1 series. Japanese star Koudai Tsukakoshi has been Manor’s most successful driver of the 2008 campaign. The Honda protege finished in equal sixth place on 36 points. British sensation, Sam Bird, finished his maiden season in F3 Euroseries 11th overall on 23 points. This month, Yorkshireman Jon Lancaster will join Manor’s regular F3 drivers Sam Bird and Kazuya Oshima as part of the team’s three car assault on the 55th Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix.

Manor Motorsport website
Rotherham

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News: Rotherham motorsport team announce new drivers

Dinnington based Manor Motorsport have high hopes of winning the Formula 3 Euroseries after announcing their new lineup. Sam Bird and Niall Breen, both stepping up from the ranks of British Formula 3, will be joined at the by All-Japan Formula 3 racers Kazuya Oshima and Koudai Tsukakoshi. Formula One sensation Lewis Hamilton honed his skills with the team during three successful years up to 2004, before stepping up a gear to join the F1 series.

Manor Motorsport website

The Star article

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