Bag of bolts...

[Reynard]

Once again, the Veloqx Motorsport / Team Maranello Concessionaires Ferrari 360 Maranello of Kelvin Burt and Darren Turner has retired from a race with gearbox failure - the third occurrence of the SAME problem in five races.

What a bag of bolts, and both Kel and Darren are in the mood to bash the thing to pieces with very large hammers... And I'd be inclined to join in too if they'd let me.

It is really doing my head in right now, particularly since Veloqx / TMC really talked themselves up at the beginning of the season and have seriously failed to deliver. Last year they were notorious for throwing money rather than brains at a problem and the same seems to be happening here.

Their reputation (or lack of it) is slipping rather rapidly in my estimation and it wasn't very high to start with.

You'd think that a team with the (reported) amount of money and resources as TMC could get their little brains onto the simple problem of reinforcing a gearshift linkage, but oh no... I mean, if it is the same thing that keeps on breaking, isn't that a good enough message that there is a problem that wants resolving?

OK, I'll get off my soap box and quit ranting now.

[Alan]

That was a fair old rant!!!

I take it the other car is having the same sort of problems.

Saw a short bit by Darren in Autosport and he certainly is not happy.

[Claire]

As far as I can see the other car seems to be doing fine, so what are Kelvin and Darren doing to their gearbox that the other driver's aren't doing!! I'm presuming that both cars are run using the same major parts, perhaps they should put the gearbox from the other car into theirs and see what happens!!

[MG-ZS EX260]

Please dont get me started on Velouqx, ol, u got me started!, f***in arses. Im sorry but i really cant stand them. I have no respect for them atall, they issued team orders in the Britsh GT championship and i think thats just rude, sticking two fingers up to british motorsport in my view, then all the bully boy tactics with the gentleman of GT racing martain short and the VERY talented simon pullan, i was really p***ed off with how they treated the Rollcentre TVR.

BUT may i say i like all there drivers, 3 inparticular, the main one who i think is AMAZING is Jamie Davies, such a nice bloke and a stunning driver, ill never forget snetterton 2002 when he spun 2 times and drove the ar*e of that 360 to win! Hes top bloke also Kelvin burt and the guest driver Guy smith, both top top drivers and top nice blokes

RANT OVER!

[Reynard]

MG-ZS: I think we are two of a kind as far as Veloqx is concerned, so as I've started, so shall I continue...

As a photographer who covers a certain amount of British GTs, I heard quite a bit of nasty stuff about the team last year, so was quite bemused when first Darren and then Kel signed for them.

I really do think it is about time that Veloqx learnt that their attitude towards their own drivers and to those of other teams is not acceptable. While they have kept to the LETTER of the law in terms of sporting regulations, I don't think that what they did last year was in the SPIRIT of the law. And the way that Kelvin and Darren have been mucked about this season is just deplorable.

Therefore, I cannot blame Darren for slagging the team off in Autosport - I am amazed he kept it that clean. And after Kel found he'd bitten off more than he could chew at TWR Volvo in 1996-7, I thought he'd be a bit more circumspect about Veloqx, but mind you, at least he had the good grace to agree with me when I said to him "I told you so..."

My personal view is that the less anyone has to do with Veloqx, the better. A team best avoided, methinks...

[Alan]

Slagging your own team off, clean or not, is not very professional though is it?

I don't see the other guys having these problems, they appear to be leading their championship!

I also don't think the internal politics of a team should be aired on this forum, or in Autosport for that matter.

[Reynard]

Originally posted by Alan
I also don't think the internal politics of a team should be aired on this forum, or in Autosport for that matter.

True, I agree - but please allow a woman to have a good old rant about the subject :) It does let off some steam after all.

In any case, my mouth remains tightly clamped on this matter as I have made my point.

*whew*

[MG-ZS EX260]

Reynard, ah! mate! someone who finally agrees with me. I really cant stand them, one thing aswell i think is sad aswell is the cordons they put round the cars in the paddock, they have made special little covers for them, and you just think, whats the ****** point, they should focus on getting the car sorted. A lot of people just think 'ah ferrari (kiss ass) and theyre sucessful, i'll support them' i cant stress enough how much i HATE them type of people. I will stick with a team in succes and failure, i no im a bit off topic now, but i flet i had to say it!!!!

[Reynard]

MG-ZS: Indeedy :)

I didn't think too much to them last year as a result of their tactics - though I didn't support anyone in particular in the British GT series.

But this year... Ah well, never mind.

Anyways, I had decent(ish) access of sorts to Kelvin and Darren at Donington, but nothing like what I had at RML last year - cars or drivers. Mind you, I think that was more because they knew me, though, more than anything else.

RML - now there's a good professional outfit if ever I saw one... I think teams like Veloqx (now I am talking in general terms) could do well to watch and learn from them.

[MG-ZS EX260]

i get the impression velouqx's (or however the f*** you spell it!) moto is 'throw as much money at it as you can'. I just get the impression they are very snobby, we need more FIA GT teams like roos optima racing, what a great team, they invited me and my viper mad friend into there hospitality tent, cups of coffe and chats with the drivers just for liking vipers so much, they even wrote an article about my friend on there website, truly great team, we need more of them.

[Alan]

Well despite Darren and Kelvin's bad luck (?) so far this year Veloqx Motorsport are clearly a very professional team. There is a very interesting article about them in this months Evo mag - gives a better impression of their whole operation.

I don't think it is realistic to expect to get the same access to drivers or team members at an FIA GT meeting as you do at an ASCAR meeting - there really is no comparison (but that does not mean the teams are any more or less professional).

Still no explanation why the other car is leading it's class? Or shouldn't I mention that?

[MG-ZS EX260]

Im sorry but, i do understand your point about FIA GT/ASCAR, and ascar being more sort of open to the fans. But Velouqx need to be more welcoming/hospitable and nice to there fans, rather than basically stick there fingers up at them. I have never and will never support them, i wont support a 'cold' and snobby team like theres. Again my example or roos optima, they are amazing, so hospitable, they let me sit in there viper, let us watch a video and the team spoke to me and my friend and were just all round a great bunch of people.