APEC RACING.
Apec join the BTCC with Motorbase
Apec are delighted to join this year’s 2022 British Touring Car Championships as lead sponsors of
Motorbase Performance, forming Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan.
Ahead of what looks to be an exciting year for the Apec brand, following no less than 5 product
launches in the past 6 months, avid viewers can expect to see the iconic red logo hitting the circuit in
early April.
Jamie Hall, Commercial Director of Apec’s braking category, commented:
“Our strategy this year is to solidify our position as market leaders in quality, service and support.
Sponsoring the British Touring Car Championship marks a milestone in this journey, increasing brand
recognition at consumer level and further lead generation.”
With drivers Sam Osborne and Ollie Jackson already confirmed as the drivers for the 2022
championship, the Apec partnership is the final piece in the puzzle in what looks to be competitive
stable this season alongside NAPA Racing UK.
Pete Osborne, Team Principle, commented:
“Having a brand as highly regarded as Apec on board demonstrates the pull factor that BTCC has this
season. This is just the start of what we hope will be a fruitful partnership and we can’t wait to see
how the car looks when it hits the track”.
For more information on the Apec brand or to keep up to date with the latest racing updates, follow
the Apec LinkedIn channel or alternatively visit www.apecautomotive.co.uk.
FIRST 2022 POINT FOR APEC’S OSBORNE
Apec Racing’s Sam Osborne soars into the top 15 at BTCC Thruxton. Ollie Jackson battles engine woes.
Sam Osborne raced to his first outright championship point of the season for Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan in round nine. A hard-fought, competitive, and impressive drive sent him from 23rd on the grid into the top 15.
After being baulked in qualifying by a car slowly exiting the chicane, Osborne frustratingly missed out on a potential starting slot inside the top 15 for race one. He began round seven in 22nd position and finished in 19th place. In round eight, an unfortunate drive-through penalty limited Osborne to 24th position.
Teammate Ollie Jackson encountered a vexing weekend, starting with retirement from round seven due to power issues. With a required engine change for round eight, the Motorbase mechanics worked impressively and got Jackson’s Apec-branded Ford Focus ST into the second race with a handful of laps remaining — enabling him to bed the car in for round nine.
Starting the last race at the back of the grid in 28th place, Jackson produced a solidly impressive performance to gain no fewer than 10 positions and conclude the last encounter in 18th place, bringing a positive conclusion to the Thruxton event.
Sam Osborne (GBR) – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan Ford Focus ST
Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“What a weekend of highs and lows! Ollie and Sam both had a case of ‘could have been’ this weekend. Sam ended up being out of position on the grid because his qualifying efforts were ruined through no fault of his own, and Ollie suffered a bizarre issue [with his car] in race one which cost him a weekend of results. They’ll bounce back at Oulton I’m sure, the car was another step forward as we continue to develop and learn with the new Hybrid era.”
Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“It’s been another tough one for us, we made some progress in practice. But as soon as I had to retire from race one, it was game over for the weekend really. I have to say a huge thank you to the team for getting the engine changed between races one and two. It was a fantastic effort and we were able to run the car ahead of race three where, to be fair, we had a decent run. Hopefully at Oulton we can finally put the bad luck behind us.”
Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“We had a bit of a mission on our hands, we should’ve been P13 in qualifying if I hadn’t been blocked on my best lap coming out of the chicane — so we ended up starting race one in the danger zone! We were ringing everything out of the car we could, it was hard work out there, and although we went the wrong way for race three, I worked with the tools I had and it was good to finish in the points. It’s been a tough day in the office, but we are making steps in the right direction.”
There is only a fortnight to wait until the BTCC arrives at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire for the fourth event of the season, over the weekend 11th/12th June.
2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
20th Ollie Jackson, 6pts
23rd Sam Osborne, 1pt
2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
2nd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 222pts
2022 BTCC Teams Championship
12th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 10pts
2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 105pts
Stay tuned for more Apec Racing UK updates as the BTCC 2022 season unfolds!
Apec Racing at Oulton Park
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship team Motorbase Performance moved into the lead of the BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship at Oulton Park Island Circuit on Sunday, 12th June, despite unfortunate circumstances for Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan teammates Jackson and Osborne.
Osborne started off his weekend strongly. He only just missed his target top 15 in qualifying, and from 16th on the grid in round 10 he climbed into 14th — despite some robust action — before the early Safety Car period. Set for another outright points finish, contact on lap 13 led to a drop to 19th position where he concluded the race.
In round 11 Osborne made progress during the early exchanges, climbing into 18th position, but he ultimately finished in 21st place after more questionable driving from rivals — just pipping Ash Hand on the line after they traded paint out of Lodge for the final time. Round 12 had an even more vexing conclusion when his Ford was put into the barriers at the exit of Island on lap six, causing instant retirement.
Teammate Jackson shared similar fortunes to Osborne across the first two races. He started well from 18th on the grid in round 10 — only 0.8 seconds shy of pole in qualifying — and moved into the top 15 ahead of the Safety Car period. With the two Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan cars running together in the thick of the action, Jackson was then bundled down the order on lap 10 and finished 20th.
Putting together a great opening lap in race two, Jackson gained four places to move into 16th spot but things unravelled and he ended a tough contest in 24th place. After making some changes to the set-up, the car was much improved for round 12. Jackson delivered a fantastic drive from 24th on the grid into 14th position, revealing the car’s true potential and racing hard against the likes of title contenders Ash Sutton and Jake Hill.
Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“Leading Manufacturer/Constructor, leading the Teams Championship, third overall and we came away with the Teams’ trophy for the weekend – I would say that’s a pretty good weekend!
“Once again, I just don’t know what both Ollie and Sam need to do to catch a break, they both had the pace for some great results this weekend but for various reasons the potential wasn’t reflected in the results. It was great to see Ollie in the thick of the action in race three, it looked like he enjoyed that one!”
Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“We were fighting hard for the first two races, I made good starts and got some places, but the car wasn’t where we wanted it. We made a couple of changes to the car for race three and it was transformed, I could fight through and stay there. It was nice to be competing with a couple of quick people coming through as well and I think the changes we made will make a difference for Croft too, helping to improve the weight distribution in the car.”
Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“We’re making progress, the results don’t reflect what we achieved. The way we keep developing the car is amazing, the team is doing some incredible work. The raw pace in the car over one lap is there, we just have a bit more to do with the race set-up. I’m in that curse around the top 15 at the minute, there’s some pure desperation from some drivers and we ended up with very unnecessary contact this weekend. I’m looking forward to Croft now, hopefully we can do well like last year.”
Croft Circuit, near Darlington in North Yorkshire, will host rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the BTCC season just two weeks from now over the weekend 25th/26th June. With the car consistently improving, Croft will be one to watch!
2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
22nd Ollie Jackson, 8pts
24th Sam Osborne, 1pt
2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
1st Motorbase Performance/Ford, 301pts
2022 BTCC Teams Championship
13th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 12pts
2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 131pts
Apec at Knockhill
Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan travelled up to Knockhill Circuit in Scotland on the weekend of the 30th/31st July for the return of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) after the mid-season break, which took place in July.
Sam Osborne was close to points results in the first two races. Strong drives in each brought him 17th place in both encounters. Starting round 16 from 23rd on the grid, the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan driver made great progress during the first half of the race to move inside the top 20 and raced hard to take 17th position before the finish.
From the ninth row in round 17, Osborne broke into the top 15 on lap one before the Safety Car period. Although he slipped down to 19th place a few laps after the re-start, he fought his way back into 17th again before the flag on lap 26. Changes to his car’s set-up for round 18 didn’t work as desired, and so he had to settle for an unfortunate 23rd place.
Teammate Ollie Jackson, who was 26th in qualifying after an engine bay fire late in the session, didn’t get race day off to the start he wanted when contact on lap three undid his early progress. He worked his way back into 21st at the finish, but a five second penalty dropped him to 23rd.
Race two delivered an improved 21st place result. It was a strong recovery from Jackson after having to pit at the end of lap one following an enforced excursion across the grass and through some advertising hoarding. In round 18, he moved into 18th on lap one, but slipped back to 21st during the closing stages.
THE TEAM
Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“Not the weekend we hoped for after a part failure put paid to qualifying, which unfortunately set the tone for the weekend. We have definitely learnt more about the car since mid-season testing. Being my old local circuit, I look forward to going back to Snetterton in a couple of weeks to hopefully get back on track. Great work by the Motorbase team as always, and congratulations to [NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton] on a superb drive for the first win of the season for the team.”
Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“We just didn’t have the full-on pace in the car. We had the car — it was handling well and I could race with people — but just not the pace we needed. It’s been a bit of a gutting weekend really, the car felt pointy in the first race and we made some progress but when I realised we were 17th it was a bit disappointing. We regrouped for race two, same result, and so loosened the car up for race three but lost our way a little bit. I feel I drove the proverbial socks off it, a few airborne moments at Turn One which were spectacular for the pictures, but not so much for points and trophies!”
WHAT’S NEXT?
There is only a fortnight to wait until the BTCC resumes for rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the season, over the weekend 13th/14th August, at Snetterton 300 Circuit in Norfolk.
THE STANDINGS
2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
22nd Ollie Jackson, 9pts
25th Sam Osborne, 1pt
2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
3rd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 414pts
2022 BTCC Teams Championship
13th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 14pts
2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 205pts
Superb season-best P9 for Ollie Jackson
Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan claimed a much-needed morale boost at the sweltering Snetterton 300 Circuit, where drivers Jackson and Osborne took to the grid for Rounds 19, 20, and 21 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) on Sunday 14th August.
The sunshine at Snetterton certainly shone on Ollie Jackson, despite brake bias troubles limiting his results in qualifying. In round 19, he gained six places on an impressive opening lap, moving up from 25th on the grid into 19th place. Being edged back after an early Safety Car didn’t stop him from fighting back up to 18th.
The Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan driver served up another terrific start in round 20, storming into 10th in the first lap. He ultimately finished 13th and therefore only missed the top 12 ‘reverse grid’ draw for the third race of the day by one place.
Round 21 proved to be his time to bring the heat. After a strong performance in the preceding races, Jackson charged through from 13th on the grid to secure a fantastic season-best ninth place — and a double points finish to boot.
Teammate Sam Osborne was somewhat frustrated after qualifying, feeling he didn’t get the most out of the car that was available to him — but from mid-distance in round 19, he started to make some strong steps forward. A late battle with Josh Cook was the highlight and Osborne only just missed out on a top 20 finish after trading places with the Honda driver a couple of times.
From 21st on the grid in round 20, Osborne didn’t have the best first lap and slipped back three places. Recovering to 22nd before a mid-race Safety Car, he broke into 20th position with a few laps to go.
Starting on row 10 for round 21, he raced well into 17th place by lap six. On lap nine, tragically, he was put off the circuit twice in succession. He ultimately recovered to finish in 20th.
THE TEAM
Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“We’ve had some better luck this weekend. I’m a lot more used to the car now and the extra weight [from the Hybrid system] — I like how the car is handling. We had a bit of a problem with the brake balance in qualifying, and we then realised it had been a problem in practice as well, so it’s quite gratifying to turn up with a few tweaks and come through with three strong races. It’s great to take the first top 10 of the season; it’s where I feel I should be and hopefully we’ve turned a corner now. We’ve definitely got a much better understanding of the car.”
Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“I’m a bit disappointed really as we had some serious pace this weekend. The last race was looking pretty decent but then two of the rear-wheel drive cars decided to fire us off, which isn’t exactly what you need. We had some nice pace though, I was up alongside DanCam [Cammish] and [Gordon] Shedden, and well up for it battling with them. We had some good pace in qualifying as well but just didn’t make the most of it. Overall, we made a step in the right direction.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Thruxton Circuit will welcome the BTCC just a couple of weeks from now, over the weekend 27th/28th August, for the second visit of the season to the Hampshire speedbowl.
THE STANDINGS
2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
22nd Ollie Jackson, 19pts
25th Sam Osborne, 1pt
2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
3rd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 480pts
2022 BTCC Teams Championship
13th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 24pts
2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 240pts