With only half a second covering the top nine in qualification Silverstone was always going to be an interesting meeting. Only 2 races and no reverse grid meant that a good race one was imperative to have a successful weekend. With Century drivers on grids 4, 6, and 9 it was going to be tough. A good start by Benji and Phil into 3rd and 5th respectively was the only move of the race and they both finished in those positions.

Race 2 started in the race one finishing positions, and an eventful start, with cars all over the place on lap one, saw Benji take the lead with Phil in a close second, racing together for the rest of the race Benji achieved his first car win and Century’s first G50 Cup win of 2010. Phil completed the Century 1 - 2 and a perfect race for the team with Freddie finishing 6th.

The win now moves Benji into serious contention to regain the 3rd place in the championship at Knockhill in 2 weeks time.

Century Motorsport moved from sprint racing to endurance racing on the Silverstone GP circuit and in addition to the car driven by Team Principle Nathan Freke and Vibe Smed, the Hetherington brothers were making thier debut in British GT. The 2 hour race at Silverstone attracted the biggest grid so far with 10 G4 cars on the grid. Testing went very well with both cars being amongst the fastest in open practice. Qualifying saw both cars as quickest Ginetta’s only being headed by the KTM Xbow. Nathan and Vibe quickest by 0.014 from Freddie and Benji. In the 2 hour race the driver change would also include refueling, which would add interest to the proceedings. At the start Freddie Hetherington jumped into 2nd place demoting Vibe down the order, for the first 50 minutes Freddie held off the attentions of the Ginetta of the Bell brothers, whilst Vibe was battling to give Nathan the smallest deficit possible in their quest for another podium. Vibe pitted first and all went well until about 10 laps into Nathan’s stint when a gearbox seal problem forced the car into retirement. The team then pitted Freddie and with Benji in the car things were looking good as their lead over the Bell Ginetta grew to 36 seconds, unfortunately a supposed refueling infringement meant that the car had to serve a 10 second stop go. Serving the penalty still had the car into the lead as by now the KTM had retired, when the team were forced to bring the car in again for a mistaken case of pit lane speeding. The car crossed the finish line in the pit lane to win the race but was excluded in the confusion caused by the officials - and Benji and Freddie were robbed of their first GT win. Despite protestations of the team the result stood and one pair of angry drivers and team members were left rueing the error made by the official in the stop go count which was 4 seconds short. Howver having both the fastest Ginettas on track and crossing the line well in front of the rest still proves that Century is now the team to beat in G4 as well as G50 Cup.

Century Motorsport moved to Snetterton for the first race after the mid season break with high hopes after testing went well prior to the meeting. Back with 3 cars, Friday testing went well and even better in qualifying with Benji Hetherington on P2, Phil Broad on P5, and Freddie Hetherington on P6. The race however panned out differently with Benji being tipped off the track on the first lap and the safety car coming out for 7 laps after another first lap crash. Following the restart Phil Broad in 3rd and Freddie Hetherington 4th drove superbly to record their best finishes of the season so far.

Race 2 and good starts from Freddi and Phil loooked as though a repeat of race one was on the cards until Phil Broads car suddenly stopped leaving Freddie to carry the team honours with a 5th place. Benji Hetherington finished 11th after starting last after the first race crash.

Race 3 is the reverse grid and five was pulled out of the hat which put Freddie on pole for the first time in his career to date. Phil would start near the back and Benji on grid 11. An excellent start from Freddie into the lead which he holds for the first lap before being pulled in by Frank Wrathall, Running comfortably in 2nd until lap 9 when after a lot of trying car 3 eventually gets by leaving Freddie to pick up his first podium after the race was stopped for yet another crash. Sadly Phil Broad is involved in a crash as is Benji Hetherington. Whilst not quite what was expected all 3 cars were quick and Freddie had his best ever weekend.

Century Motorsport’s activities in the 3 series competed in had a mixed first half of the season.  In the TOCA supporting Ginetta G50 Cup their 4, soon to be 3, drivers had the pace but not the rub of the green. At Thruxton a lack of experience of the circuit meant that the team came away dissapointed without really pushing for a podium place that they had hoped for. Rockingham was a different matter and Benji Hetherington built on his success in 2009 with two third places, brother Freddie also scoring well. Brands GP and things improved with Benji taking three podiums, a second and two 3rd places, to be top points scorer of the meeting. Brother Freddie was also showing improvement all the time, sadly Aaron Williamson was pushed off the track under the safety car when a podium looked probable. When Century arrived at Oulton Park the team were still looking for their first win of the season, but it was not to be. First a massive crash for Aaron Williamson which resulted in a hospital visit in the first test session, was to end his involvement with the team. The other 3 drivers although on the pace could not translate it into podium places and ultimately a disappointing weekend. Off to Croft with only 2 cars making the trip, once again quick enough, but whilst good points were scored the first win of the season was still eluding the drivers.

In British G4 the pairing of Nathan Freke and Vibe Smed were finding their feet but Vibe’s lack of testing was making life difficult for the pair. The first round at Oulton was interesting as Nathan’s commitments with the G50 Cup team meant that he could not test and had to forego qualifying. A fifth place finsh in the first race was followed by a gearbox failure in the second race. On to Knockhill a track Nathan knew well and Vibe han never driver - so 2 podiums places was a good result. Clashes with the TOCA package meant that they would miss Spa, so the next round would be at Rockingham - result another pair of podiums. Sadly the lack of entries meant only half points were awarded - making it virtually impossible to progress in the championship.

Following Century Motorsport’s link up with sports car manufacturer Juno to run their works Formula Ford, both are pleased to announce the signing of Midlands racer Jake Green for their assault on the Championship. Jake had limited running in the series in 2009 with different teams and both organisations believe that with the right environment he will be able to take the Juno to the front of the grid. Jake and the team will now conduct a test program in the limited time left until the start of the series.

Nathan Freke, Century team principal commented, ‘Following the media day at Oulton Park everyone was happy with Jake in the car. He fits well with the team and shares the same passion to win. The team is totally focused on putting the car at the front of the grid and with our experience and the input from Juno I really think we can fight for wins before the year is out.’ 

Jake said after the test, “The car is great, with all the other Ford teams there, the car felt very promising, any setup changes that were made gave a good response from the car, which in turn made me feel more positive about the car and gave me confidence for the year ahead”.

“I think the team will be very good for me, the amount of experience, knowledge and talent in the team is great, I have very good people around me and there is the positive attitude from us all to succeed. The team has a very good structure which i think is vital to our success, I do believe we will be fighting for wins”

“I want to reiterate my thanks to Juno and Century Motorsport for the faith they have shown in me, it goes without saying how much I appreciate this chance, and realise the opportunity i have been given for some-one who hasn’t got a huge amount of experience.

Century Motorsport’s quartet of G50 drivers have been conducting pre season testing over the last 2 weeks with excellent results. 3 drivers tested at Oulton Park as a shakedown before moving to Silverstone for some wet testing and then all 4 drivers went to Thruxton for the only test day available before the first meeting in April. None of the drivers had driven Thruxton in a G50 and 2 of them had not seen the circuit at all before the day. Times during the day were comparable with any of the other G50’s on show and better than most, with Aaron Williamson and Benji Hetherington trading fast laps with each other. Phil Broad was getting used to the car and the circuit and his times came down all day, sadly Freddie Hetherington was beset with gremlins during the day and was restricted in the amount of running time.

3 of the cars then went onto Silverstone on the 8th March and had a stunning day with both Hetherington brothers and Aaron Williamson lapping within 7 tenths of Nathan Freke’s pole time at last years TOCA meeting - on used tyres. Commented Nathan afterwards, ‘All of our drivers have enjoyed the testing over the laast 2 weeks, and the results have been very satisfying for the team and the Silverstone times were particularly gratifying. The season ahead should be really exciting for all of the drivers and Century’.

The team will be out next at the Ginetta Media day once again at Silverstone on the 15th March.

Century Motorsport have linked up with Sports Car manufacturer Juno to run their Duratec Formula Ford car. Under the guidance of 2006 British Formula Champion and Century Team Principal, Nathan Freke, the Juno JA 2010 will receive full works support from the factory in terms of development for the car and any engineering support required. Century will take delivery of the car in the next 2 weeks and will start a testing program to evaluate the juno, whilst seeking enquiries from interested drivers for the semi works seat.

“The car had had some good results in its limited 2009 running, with the right driver and some development I am confident that it can run right at the front of the British series. We are seeking a driver who can do the job and can bring some budget to the party” commented Nathan. “This opportunity will dovetail nicely with our sports car, and performance tuning programs, we will be able to offer drivers seats in the 2 major British racing pacakges.”

Drivers who are interesed in testing the car should contact Century on 07947 883103 or formulaford@centurymotorsport.com

Century Motorsport are pleased to announce the addition of a 4th car to their 2010 G50 team. Multiple Caterham Champion Phil Broad will contest 6 of the 10 rounds in a Century prepared car. Unfortunately work commitments in the F2 series will prevent Phil from competing in the whole Championship. Phil Broad won the Caterham Academy Group 2 Series in 2007 and added the Caterham Roadsports A series in 2008.

“I am aiming to be at the sharp end of the G50 grid, I’m looking forward to getting out in the car again and working with Century Motorsport to achieve our goals; for now though it is a case of preparing and getting ready for the year ahead.”

“We are really pleased to have signed a driver of Phil’s calibre and a proven winner, he will be a valuable asset to the team and I believe will interact well with our 3 younger drivers”, commented team owner Nathan Freke.

We will be looking to fill the other 4 races in the season with drivers who would like to try the G50 series, but do not want to commit to a full season.           

After a standout campaign in his Rookie year in car racing, Benji Hetherington will continue with the team and will be building on his success in 2009 where he achieved 3 podiums and lap record at the Rockingham meeting. “I am looking forward to my first full season of car racing, my plan is to continue to improve as a driver and I believe I have the raw pace to succeed in the G50 Cup. My lack of experience compared to the other leading drivers will be a factor but if I can improve as the season progresses I hope to be a championship contender.”

Joining his brother in the team will be Freddie Hetherington, fresh from a campaign in the Ginetta G20 series. Freddie has been conducting winter testing under the tuition of team Principal Nathan Freke – “I am looking forward to moving on from G20 into the bigger car. I am aiming for podiums throughout the year right from the off, and I am looking forward to working with a new team and getting the most out of myself and the car. Having the 2009 Champion helping me will bring good results early on!”

The third driver in the line up is Aaron Williamson who finished 3rd in the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship. 2010 is looking to be an exciting year for the Spalding (Lincs) based teenager. A new G50 and signing to the, 2009 championship winner, Nathan Freke’s, Century Motorsport team. Seventeen year old Aaron is undersandably delighted at the prospect, ’This really is a great opportunity for me, it’s a huge step from the Junior Ginetta, but I feel confident, Nathan and the Century team will get the best out of me and the car.’ 

Nathan added ‘It’s great to sign Aaron, and the Hetherington brothers, we will have a very young, but strong team. This combination of drivers will, I’m sure make for good racing, good competition within the team, and potentially a 2010 championship winner for the Century Team.

In addition Century is hoping to announce the entry of a 4^th car in the next week.

Century Motorsport won the Ginetta G50 Cup Championship at Brands Hatch with team principle Nathan Freke taking all 3 Pole Positions, 3 wins and 2 fastest laps to clinch the title by 125 points from his nearest rival. Both Nathan and team mate Benji Hetherington were quick in open testing, and Benji qualified 5th for all three races having not seen the track before Friday testing. Following early lap racing in all 3 races Benji eventually settled down to record a 4th and 2 5th place results, and secure 9th place in the series after only competing in half the races - a contender in 2010 for the title. In addition Century Motorsport also had a hand in the Chairmans Cup Title by supporting Colin White with setup and data information.

Century Motorsport are now actively seeking drivers with ambition and budget to contest both the G50 series and the new Ginetta Junior series using the new G40 car in 2010. Century have proved to have the best prepared cars in the paddock and their reliabilty is proven by the fact that both cars finished every race they entered- the ONLY team to achieve this in 2009. In addition the performance of the cars has been outstanding in the hands of both experienced and inexperienced pilots - data interpretation and car setup giving all drivers the edge needed to be a winner. Drivers who want to race with the best should mail ginetta@centurymotorsport.com for more information and to arrange a test.