UK FORMULA ONE SUPPORTS NATIONAL MOTORSPORT WEEK

25 June to 3 July 2011

It was confirmed today (Thursday 9 June) that all eight UK-based Formula One teams will be opening their doors to the public to promote National Motorsport Week, which takes place from 25 June to 3 July 2011.

Backed by the Motor Sports Association (MSA), the UK’s governing body of motorsport, and the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), National Motorsport Week exists both to highlight the UK’s on-going world-leading role in all areas of international motor sport as well as to showcase the wide range of opportunities open to enthusiasts at grass roots level throughout the country.

Over the course of National Motorsport Week, all manner of activities from promotions to open days and taster days will be taking place up and down the country, hosted by motor clubs, businesses, venues and teams to help drive awareness of, and engagement in motorsport.

As the prominent element of this week of activity, all eight UK-based Formula One outfits will be opening their doors to the public through a series of promotions intended to provide a unique insight into the behind-the-scenes operations of a grand prix team.

The initiative illustrates not only the fact that the vast majority of F1 teams are located in Britain but also the successes for British drivers at the pinnacle of the sport. Since the formation of the FIA Formula One World Championship, UK teams have notched up an unrivalled tally of 34 Constructors’ Championships (next best is Italy with 16 titles) while Britain also has produced more F1 World Champions than any other nation with ten title winners; Brazil and Finland are next up with three each.

Emphasising this global superiority during the course of National Motorsport Week, a series of factory tours to Red Bull Racing (Milton Keynes), Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (Woking), Lotus Renault GP (Enstone), MERCEDES GP PETRONAS (Brackley), Force India (Silverstone), AT&T Williams (Wantage), Team Lotus (Hingham) & Marussia Virgin Racing (Sheffield) will be on offer via the www.gomotorsport.net website.

Colin Hilton, Chief Executive of the MSA, said: “We are delighted that the eight UK-based F1 teams are leading National Motorsport Week from the front by opening their doors to the public, particularly at the height of their busiest period around the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the British Grand Prix.

“While their participation helps to underline the UK’s leadership in international motor sport, National Motorsport Week is about much more than Formula One; it’s about people getting out there and getting involved in motor sport for the first time.”

Similar plans involving the UK’s premier rally teams and other prominent motor sport teams, companies and operators will be announced shortly.

National Motorsport Week at www.gomotorsport.net

Amongst a range of other promotions and opportunities during National Motorsport Week, UK-based Formula One teams will be offering the chance to get behind the scenes with factory tours via the MSA’s www.GoMotorsport.net website on the following dates:-

Motorsport & the UK

Our Competitors

• Britain has produced more F1 World Champions than any other nation with ten title winners; Brazil and Finland are next up with three each.
• Two of the last three F1 World Champions are British – Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
• More British drivers (31) have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans than those representing any other nation, including France (26). 
• Guernseyman Andy Priaulx MBE is the only driver to have won three World Touring Car Championship titles.
• The reigning IndyCar Series  champion is Dario Franchitti from Edinburgh . The reigning Indianapolis 500 champion is Dan Wheldon from Emberton.
• UK karters currently hold six of the 19 International karting titles awarded by the CIK-FIA.
• The UK is one of only two countries to host rounds of all four major FIA World Championships: FIA Formula 1 World Championship, FIA World Rally Championship, FIA GT1 World Championship and FIA World Touring Car Championship.
• There are more than 30,000 MSA Competition Licence holders in the UK.
• The UK hosts almost 5,000 MSA sanctioned motor sport events every year including: autocross, autotest, circuit racing, cross-country, drag racing, hillclimbing, karting, rallycross, rallying, sprinting, time attack and trials.

Our Industry

• British-based constructors have won no fewer than 34 F1 Constructors’ Championship well ahead of Italian (16) and French (3) based teams.
• Eight of the 12 current F1 teams are based in the UK.
• Two of the three premier World Rally Championship teams are based in the UK.
• The FIA World Touring Car Championship winning team is based in the UK.
• UK companies dominate the design and manufacture of components used in the majority of the world’s competition categories.
• More than 4,000 UK companies are involved in the technology driven world of UK Motorsport and Performance Engineering Industry with an annual turn-over of £6 billion – of which £3.6 billion is exported.
• These innovative businesses invest more than 30 per cent of their sales into R&D when the UK pharmaceutical industry invests 15 per cent.
• Motorsport supports nearly 40,000 full and part-time jobs of which 25,000 are qualified engineers.

For more information, please visit:-
www.gomotorsport.net
www.nationalmotorsportweek.co.uk