Tony Gilham

Turner Lovell have been confirmed as weekend sponsors for Rounds 15 and 16 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB which is taking place at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit on September 4/5.

Turner Lovell are a national and international specialist recruitment company with a presence in the UK, Central Europe, Nordics and the Benelux and have a keen interest in motorsport; especially with their involvement in the automotive and manufacturing sectors.

Whilst Turner Lovell have committed their support to the Knockhill rounds, Tony is excited by the partnership and potential future involvement. He said: “This is another excellent sponsorship deal for us, so many thanks to Curtis from Turner Lovell for his interest and support in us.

“Having Turner Lovell come on board with our already dedicated and impressive sponsors’ is superb and gives us added confidence to the remainder of the season.”

Turner Lovell’s defined marketplace enables the London based company to provide a niche service offering to clients in the Manufacturing, Engineering, Energy and Construction industries. They excel in the search and selection of specialist Engineers, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing and Lean/Six Sigma experts. In addition, the Turner Lovell logo will be applied to the trademark colours of the pink and green 34 car for the weekend away in Scotland.

Managing Director of Turner Lovell, Curtis Thompson told tonygilham.com: “We are delighted to be able to offer our support to Tony and the Collins ReDesign Racing Team and wish them all the best at Knockhill this weekend.”

The home of British Motorsport, Silverstone Circuit was awash with pink on Sunday, as Dartford based Porsche Carrera Cup GB Collins ReDesign Racing Team completed their “pink day” in  support of Cancer Research UK.

The weekend at Silverstone was a huge success on and off the track.  The exclusive “pink day” event organised by Collins ReDesign Racing meant that all team members, sponsors, friends and family, plus a whole host of spectators on the day, arrived wearing something pink.  The support was overwhelming and the whole circuit was in awe of the team’s event, which managed to raise important Breast Cancer awareness, plus fundraising through the collection boxes which were made available in the team awning.

Team Designer, Dan Bream said: “We were all amazed by the support we were given for our ‘pink day’.  It was a huge success and we are really proud of the feedback and participation of every single person that either got involved through wearing something pink or through a donation.”

As well as the team wearing bright pink polo shirts, emblazoned with the Cancer Research UK “ribbon” logo on the front and “GILHAM 34″ on the back; courtesy of high street clothing retailer, Primark, the car and Tony’s race suit also featured the “ribbon” logo. Tony Gilham said: “The spectators were very supportive and our efforts were well received by all.  We’d like to thank Primark for supplying us with the shirts and Gary Drivers from The Kit Room Company in Crayford for helping out with the printing.

“Not only were we able to give awareness to such a great cause through the decorative team awning, but having the logos all over the car and on my race suit made it even more special.”

In terms of racing, an unfortunate qualifying session on Saturday meant that Tony would be starting 11th on the grid for Race 1 and 13th for Race 2.  Both these positions saw Tony start behind pro-am1 class rivals, Ollie Jackson and Jonas Gelzinis.  However, in typical fashion, Tony managed to claw his way back up to 8th in Race 1 which saw him claim 2nd in class; chalking up double figures for podium finishes this season.

Race 2 was a different story altogether though, despite a brave attempt to come back from the back of the pack after spinning out on the second lap.  Tony said: “We were able to climb a couple of places on the first lap from our 13th place start. This was short lived though, as contact between two cars in front of me spilt coolant and I was the first car on the scene spinning on the fluid.”

Battling through from 27th to 14th overall was no mean feat, on a circuit with limited overtaking places. “The lap times were surprisingly good and we were up to 14th and chasing down the next few cars in front,” Tony said, despite the disadvantage of a race which was full of drama, with at least seven crashes and the same number of retirements.  “A very near miss at 140mph saw me take to the grass squeezing between car and barrier to avoid a definite total write off of my car,” Tony concluded.

Up next in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB sees the team set off for Scotland (4/5 September) as Rounds 15 and 16 take place at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife, about 10 miles north of Dunfermline.

The Porsche Carrera Cup GB Collins ReDesign Racing Team will be undertaking a “pink day” at Silverstone in support of one of their favoured charities, Breast Cancer Research.

Earlier this season, Tony became the first Porsche Carrera Cup GB racing driver to support a charity and many other drivers have since followed suit.

It was decided at the start of the season that a superb way of raising awareness for Breast Cancer Research would be to utilise the charity’s colour, which coincides with the bright pink and green colours of the team and car.  With that in mind, a “pink day” event was scheduled, which will be taking place on Sunday 22nd August at Silverstone, during Rounds 13 and 14 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.

All of the Collins ReDesign Racing team members, sponsors and friends will all be donning pink clothing and the “34″ car will feature the Breast Cancer Research “ribbon” logo on its bonnet, whilst Tony also hopes to have this applied to his race suit.

Supporting this exclusive Porsche Carrera Cup GB event, alongside title sponsor Collins Contractors and newly appointed partners Morgan Forbes, is high street clothing retailer, Primark, who will be supplying pink polo shirts.  Primark Managing Director, Paul Marchant is delighted in being able to assist and said: “Primark are pleased to offer our support to Tony and the Collins ReDesign Racing team in their support of raising Breast Cancer awareness. Here’s wishing you all a successful day at Silverstone.”

Throughout the season, collection boxes have been available at the entrance of the team awning for all passing spectators to donate.  A greater emphasis will be shown during the “pink day” and it is hoped that spectators and other team members will dig deep into their pockets and donate.

If you are unable to make the day and would still like to donate, you can do so online via Just Giving – http://www.donatetobreastcancer.org/tonygilham

Tony Gilham said: “We are extremely proud to have connections with charities such as Breast Cancer Research, Starlight Foundation and the Kent Air Ambulance Trust.

“Team Designer, Dan Bream brought the ‘pink day’ idea to the table at the beginning of the season and we are pleased that the hard work by all involved has enabled us to make this a reality.

“We really hope people will show their support and hopefully we can raise a significant amount of money for Breast Cancer Research during the weekend.”

Paul Drinkall of ListaCabinets.co.uk has agreed to provide the Collins ReDesign racing Team with a set of their highly finished cabinets.

Lista is a market leading supplier originating in Switzerland. It is the only company in its market to operate both sides of the Atlantic. Collins ReDesign Racing have partnered with Lista distributor Paul Drinkall of ListaCabinets U.K.

Lista Cabinets provide products such as drawer cabinets, workshop cabinets, workstations, shelving and partitioning material, for sectors of motorsport (including F1, touring cars and rallying), military, manufacturing, healthcare, museums and electronics.  As a leading supplier of workshop equipment and storage systems, Lista Cabinets turn a space into a functional working area, as promised by their brand motto ‘Making Workspace Work’.

Lista Cabinets have supplied the team with a caddy toolbox unit with tools for the team awning plus another unit for the team transporter, which was first used at Snetterton.  Collins ReDesign Racing Head Mechanic, Keith Davis said: “We are extremely grateful for the support shown by Lista Cabinets in providing us with their high-grade and efficient workshop equipment.

“Myself and the rest of the mechanics found the organisation of the storage system and quality of tools to be a huge bonus to us, especially with the car requiring a lot of maintenance during the Snetterton weekend due to a change of setup and the spin-off during Race 1.”

With Lista Cabinets U.K already supplying products and services to the motorsport industry, Managing Director Paul Drinkall said: “We are extremely excited to have teamed up with Tony and the Collins ReDesign Racing Team.

“We already have a strong association in motorsport with Porsche and Historic Rallying, so welcome the opportunity to link up with the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.”

The partnership is set to run for the remainder of the current season and it all got underway in superb circumstances as Tony and the team picked up two 2nd class podiums during rounds 11 and 12 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Snetterton.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB racing driver, Tony Gilham endured a tough encounter during rounds 11 and 12 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB season to claim two 2nd place podium finishes in the pro-am1 class.

After a seven week summer break and with the Croft meeting during June a distant memory, the Collins ReDesign Racing Team were raring to go and a lot was set to take place during the weekend trip to Snetterton, Norfolk.

Not only had the team secured a significant partnership agreement with a leading investment company, Morgan Forbes, but they were arriving in style for the first time this season after acquiring a race transporter truck, which was fully equipped with a set of Lista Cabinets.

Firstly, the Morgan Forbes partnership ensured that Tony and the team were able to compete at Snetterton, when it seemed as though a lack of budget was going to curtail the season.  “Without their support our season was over,” said Tony Gilham. “We’d not be here without Morgan Forbes. We’ve all been working on sponsorship for the seven weeks since Croft.”

The investment company who are based in the city of Funchal, the capital of Madeira, joined the team for the whole weekend and got accustomed to the high-octane motor racing scene very quickly.  Managing Director of Morgan Forbes, Michael Nascimento has a keen interest in motorsport and believes that partnering with Tony is a fantastic investment for the company and is looking forward to many more years of working with the Carrera Cup.  Talking to tonygilham.com, Michael said: “Tony is a great driver and his past pedigree tells me that he has the potential to win.  Whether that’s this season or the next, we believe in his ability and the success that will bring him and Morgan Forbes.

Labelled as the “one man and his van”, after arriving at the previous five race weekends in a transit van and trailer, Tony and the team turned heads as he arrived in Norfolk with the new team transporter.  The 14 tonne truck was “wrapped” in the vibrant pink and green colouring and logos. Collins ReDesign Racing Team Designer, Dan Bream said: “Similar to the car, it is was a huge talking point when we arrived at the track.

“We wanted to utilise the vibrant colours and branding of the team to its maximum, hence we went full-on with the pink and green in the design we produced – stare at it too closely and it turns into one of those magic eye images!”

With a new sponsorship and truck, this all added to a highly charged team morale, which passed down to Tony, who was confident going into Saturday’s qualifying.  In a session run with rain threatening and interrupted by two red flags, Tony managed to claim 10th position on the grid for both races.  Tony said: “If it wasn’t for the red flags I would have been up there.  Lady luck was against us, because on both of my fastest laps I was hit by the red flag and had to stop early.”

Sunday’s races were a mixed bag.  Race 1, which took place early in the morning saw a highly contentious decision cost Tony first spot in his class.  From 10th place on the grid, Tony managed to get himself in a superb position behind pro-am1 rival Ollie Jackson who was leading pro-am1.   On the final corner, Tony attacked this lead, but with Jackson appearing to block off the overtaking manoeuvre it sent both cars spinning, but despite Tony going up on two wheels and crashing down on the grass verge, he managed to get across the line first. However, after the race, the track marshals applied a time penalty to Tony, which reversed the finishing order.

Race 2 was a standard affair, despite the car having to have a new radiator fitted and suspension re-aligned after the last-lap-crash in Race 1.  Even so, Tony made up two places to finish 8th overall and 2nd in class after pressurising pro-am1 rival Jonas Gelzinis for the whole 24 laps. “We had to guess the set-up after the incident in the first race,” said Tony. “I had understeer all race, but I managed to pressure Gelzinis into a mistake.”

Throughout the weekend the team received great coverage from the live ITV Sport cameras and commentary team and everyone was buoyed by the support shown by Morgan Forbes.  Gaining two 2nd place podium spots extends the tally to nine as we head into rounds 13 and 14 in a fortnights time.  The next race weekend is taking place at Silverstone, the home of British Motorsport, on the weekend of 21/22 August.

Managing Director of Morgan Forbes, Michael Nascimento concluded: “We were overwhelmed by the response that we were given and we are already looking forward to being at Silverstone in two weeks time.”

Whilst everyone in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship has been enjoying the seven week break, Tony Gilham has tirelessly put in a few million miles on over 100 track variations, such as the Nürburgring, Le Mans, Circuit de Catalunya, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Suzuka Grand Prix Circuit!

Not literally of course!  The unmissable design of the pink and green car has been added to Forza Motorsport 3, a racing game developed for Xbox 360 by Turn 10 Studios and Microsoft, with players all over the world having the opportunity to race the Collins ReDesign Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

Collins ReDesign Racing Team Designer, Dan Bream said: “We were contacted by Xbox 360 Forza enthusiasts, Ground Control Tuning, to let us know that they had replicated the car in the game.

“I was absolutely gobsmacked by the quality and realism of the design and to be exclusively selected out of the 28-car field in the Porsche Carrera Cup is a true honour.”

The car has been replicated from the special edition version which was used during the exclusive laps of the Brands Hatch GP circuit with local youngster Drew James.  Featuring all the sponsors logos from the day and black wheel rims, it is available for download via Ground Control Tuning’s Storefront found within the Forza 3 game.

In addition, an A and S class tune has also been created, which is holding top leader board times on the Nürburgring track within the game – something Head Mechanic, Keith Davis and Tony himself will be proud of!

Dan Bream concluded: “I think I’ll leave the driving to Tony, as I managed to prang the rear spoiler and front bumper on the first corner of the Silverstone track! – Luckily for me, I was able to just switch the TV off!”

Collins ReDesign Racing have announced a significant partnership agreement with Morgan Forbes, a leading investment company, which is to run for the remainder of the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season.

Gary Allen, the Collins ReDesign Racing Team Manager, said: “We are delighted to be entering such an important relationship with a company of the stature of Morgan Forbes.”

The investment company who are based in the city of Funchal, the capital of Madeira, has over 50 years experience in the property and leisure sectors and have linked up with Tony Gilham and the Collins ReDesign Racing Team.

The summer break in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB season, has enabled the team to focus all their efforts on preparing for the halfway point restart in August, which has included the important task of procuring such a partnership.

“We have taken full advantage of the summer break by completing some much needed work on the car after a few knocks at Oulton Park and Croft,” said Gary Allen.  “More importantly, the partnership agreement with such an illustrious company in Morgan Forbes has enabled us to be fully prepared for the second half of the season.”

Managing Director of Morgan Forbes, Michael Nascimento has a keen interest in motorsport and believes that partnering with Tony is a fantastic investment for the company and is looking forward to many more years of working with the Carrera Cup.  Talking to tonygilham.com, Michael said: “Tony is a great driver and his past pedigree tells me that he has the potential to win.

“Whether that’s this season or the next, we believe in his ability and the success that will bring him and Morgan Forbes.”

In addition to the Morgan Forbes brand being added to the pink and green colours of the 34 car, the partnership will also ensure that the company can take full advantage of the impressive TV coverage and circuit footfall, a factor that Head of Marketing, John Ward is relishing.  John said: “When we first met Gary and Tony we were instantly impressed by their commitment and dedication to the Porsche Carrera Cup and having an involvement fits well with our current business and marketing strategy, especially given the excellent TV coverage that the Championship provides.”

Tony Gilham said: “I’m overjoyed by the partnership with Morgan Forbes and would like to thank Michael and John for their support.

“We look forward to welcoming the guys into the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and I can’t wait for the season to restart again and really push for the pro-am1 Championship.”

The partnership will be officially unveiled at the Snetterton meeting, across the weekend of 7th/8th August.