FR EE !
dancing on ice Road goes ice driving with Juha Kankkunen
SEMA Report › VW Scirocco R-Cup › Gucci Fiat 500
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e’ve got a lot going on at Road HQ – offering you even more great FREE auto goodness to enjoy! So, share us with your mates! Firstly, we have a new media partner, www.greencardesign.com, who we are now sharing content with. And you can enjoy the first of many high design pieces here in this issue of Road Magazine, with a stunning shoot and test on the Fiat 500 Gucci. And do check out Green Car Design’s slick, sexy, sleek website for yourself. It’s ace! Welcome Hannah & co. We’ve also got an amazing, exclusive Road offer for you, courtesy of www.ultimate-gt.com – a chance to get 10% off their incredible supercar ice driving courses, run by ex-WRC champion and legend, Juha Kankkunen. See the advert off the back of a great piece about the courses on P15. There’s also a fabulous Winter tyre guide from Michelin attached. More? You bet! TV presenter, Gemma Scott – www.gemmascott.co.uk – will soon be testing eco cars for us in Road Magazine. And you can meet her in our review of the first Motorsport UK Show in this issue. Her fellow TV presenter, Neil Cole (ex-Dave WRC dude), will also be writing a motorsport column for us soon too, so stay tuned, as stars grace us with their presence, wisdom and wit. Meanwhile, the lovely Road USA correspondent, Ashley Van Dyke continues to write her fab pieces for us: This month, all the way from Shanghai, at the thrilling VW Scirocco R-Cup. And, also from across the pond, in Las Vegas, we have a SEMA 2011 review, from Road buddy, Andy Robinson. Finally, we have a brand new Road Facebook page with lots of extras to like, so do please! And follow us on Twitter, for all the latest news, special offers, must-see videos and more. And don’t forget our ace, daily updated blog. It’s all 100% FREE! Click on link bubbles above, to go straight to these Road Magazine extra goodies. Thanks, Road Editor, Phil Royle.
WORDS: PHIL ROYLE PICS: WWW.ULTIMATE-GT.COM
died and gone to heaven
Have you ever wondered what heaven would be like? Well, here’s a glimpse... ice driving, in supercars, with Juha Kankkunen, with www.ultimate-gt.com
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ver wondered why the Finns are so successful at rallying and motor racing? Now you can find out for yourself with professional instructors of the ilk of four-times WRC champion and two-time ice driving world record holder, Juha Kankkunen showing you the ropes, on ice, in supercars, courtesy of Ultimate GT Supercar Driving Holidays... heaven on earth! Picture the scene: You’re in Lapland, Finland, on a frozen lake, a collection of top class, snow-laden supercars with studded tyres in front of you and rallying legend Juha Kankkunen is about to teach you 1-2-1 how to control that supercar, at high speeds and how to negotiate a hairpin bend drifting it with perfect control. Hell, he’ll even throw in
a full chat passenger ride. Does life get any better? Well, yes actually, because Road Magazine and Ultimate GT have teamed up to offer you lucky readers a chance to get 10% off regular prices for the 2012 courses (booked by December 31st). All you have to do is visit and like the new Road Facebook page (www. facebook.com/roadmagblog) and contact Daniel at Ultimate GT, quoting ‘Road Magazine offer’ and you’re off. See the advert at the end of this feature for more. These courses are seriously special, memory-making events. WRC level, famous Finnish rally drivers will be coaching you their skills at all times – teaching you all the tricks, like the Scandinavian flick and finding the clean racing lines in ice and
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snow. And, for more advanced drivers – even up to pro rally drivers – there are advanced special stages to practice on, with guidance from our top tutors. During the expert training, driving skills advance rapidly and so will the level of cars you drive right up to a Lamborghini Gallardo. Sweet! The Ultimate GT ice driving courses focus on: Q Advanced driving skills with powerful cars. Q Car handling and braking techniques. Q Car control in Arctic/Winter conditions. Q Rally driving skills. Q Track lines “finding the racing lines.” Q Balanced car control. Q 4 wheel (4x4) drifting techniques. Q The Scandinavian flick. Following the tuition sessions in the amazing cars, sitting around a log fire, you are treated to chatting about cars with Juha Kankkunen and other world class rally drivers. It is an up close and personal experience you will remember forever. And, to benchmark your speed, Juha will take you for a spin in his Subaru
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rally car down small Finnish country roads at mind blowing speed! This is an experience you can’t prepare for, and will be with you forever. Jaw dropping stuff! At the snow circuit, the Ultimate GT crew have a fleet of Golf R2’s, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Porsche Carrera 4, Audi RS4 and Lamborghini Gallardo train-
ing cars on tap. And, for those who want to drive their personal rally car or track day toy on ice, the team will organize collecting your car and preparing it for ice driving. Driving high powered supercars on ice requires extra grip, so all cars are fitted with rally specification tyres with 500 large studs
per tyre. These tyres are not standard, so require a lot of labour to make and are hand made individually for each car. The team mechanics are prepared for almost any kind of supercar and will have your car ready and waiting when you arrive in Lapland for the three or four day courses. The itinerary contains a
LOT of driving, from 9am to 5pm. But you can tailor your visit as much as you want. If you are mad, and should get bored, you can explore the beautiful Winter Wonderland scenery on a skidoo safari for instance, taking you through snowy forests and over frozen lakes to a nearby mountain on the Russian border, where a hot
lunch and reindeer skins keep you warm in a traditional Laplander hut. Any ice driving course is a mind-blowing, fun, lifeenhancing experience, but, with Juha, in supercars, these have got to be the very best. To find out more, contact Mr. Daniel Eden. daniel@ultimate-gt.com, or Tel: +44 789 270 3513.
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JUHA’S TOP 10 ICE DRIVING TIPS 1/ Use tyres that are suitable for the condition you are driving in, road or rally. Good tyres are the best life insurance you can buy. 2/ Winter tyres need higher tyre pressures as they don’t heat up the same way as summer tyres. 3/ Increase the distance between cars. If you are driving on public roads a safe of these situations. Do not driver leaves a good gap. over correct. 4/ Get your braking done on 8/ Learn to use weight the straights with one hard transfer to correctly place braking before turn in. the car for the corner. 5/ Cornering speed. Learn throttle balance in mid-cor- 9/ Always think ahead. The corner you are entering ner to adjust your exit. “now” will determine your 6/ Controlled steering inputs entry and exit for the next are the key to smoothness. corner. 10/ Judge your speed into 7/ On public roads be precorners. Too slow is better pared for understeer and oversteer. Learn to steer out than too fast.
D1 Ultimate-GT Tutor & WRC God, Juha Kankkunen
THERE’S NO NEED TO FEAR WINTER CONDITIONS WITH MICHELIN COLD WEATHER TYRES
TIPS TO TACKLE THE COLD WEATHER SHoulD you FIT 2 oR 4 ColD wEATHER TyRES? Just fitting Cold Weather tyres to the driven wheels alone may improve traction, but without similar levels of grip on each corner of the vehicle, it may become unstable.
Cold weather tyre position Drive axle only Complete vehicle set
Traction
Grip in corners
Braking stability
Braking efficiency
++ ++
– ++
– ++
+– ++
• Front wheel drive vehicles with Cold Weather tyres fitted to just the front wheels may become unstable on slippery surfaces increasing the risk of a spin. • Rear wheel drive vehicles with Cold Weather tyres fitted to just the rear wheels may have a tendency to carry straight on at slippery bends (understeer). Michelin recommends fitting a full set of Cold Weather tyres for safety and optimum control.
MICHELIN Cold weather tyre range 2011-2012
For further cold weather driving advice, go to: www.michelin.co.uk
WHY CHANGE FROM YOUR STANDARD TYRES TO MICHELIN COLD WEATHER TYRES? BETTER BRAKING Fitting MICHELIN Cold Weather tyres can allow you to reduce your braking distances.*
wHy CHooSE mICHElIN?
THE RIGHT TyRE CHANGES EVERyTHING
N° 1 in consumer safety. MICHELIN is the most widely recognised tyre brand by European consumers* for: - Safety on wet roads - Contribution to road safety. *2009 TNS Sofres survey conducted in the six main European markets.
N°1 for longevity* *Compared to Michelin’s main European competitors. Declared by consumers: 2009 TNS Sofres survey conducted in the six main European markets. Confirmed by tests carried out by the DEKRA Test Centre in 2009 and 2010 on the best selling MICHELIN ranges in each segment, with tyres available on the market at the time.
N° 1 for fuel economy* *Compared to Michelin’s main European competitors. Calculated on the basis of rolling resistance tests carried out by TÜV SÜD Automotive in 2009 and 2010 on the best selling MICHELIN ranges in each segment, with tyres available on the market at the time.
24 metres Cold Weather tyres 48 metres Standard tyres * Braking distance on snow from 31mph to 0. Test carried out in 2007 by an independent body using 195/65 R 15.
BETTER moBIlITy The sipes (thin slits) in the tread pattern of Cold Weather tyres act as claws on snow and on slippery road surfaces to improve traction and mobility.
DID you KNow? Today’s MICHELIN Cold Weather tyres can improve performance at temperatures below 7º C without compromising on wear performance. This makes it feasible to fit them to your vehicle fairly early in the winter season, so as not to be taken by surprise by wintry driving conditions.
IMAGES by Olgun Kordal
Ultimate fashion accessory?
In the first of many cool, high design eco car features from new media partners, Green Car Design, editor Hannah Macmurray checks out the new Fiat 500 by Gucci Special Edition. Is it all style over substance? Or la dolce vita?
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had been waiting to get my hands on this car for a while. As a woman, you can understand that the girlie side of me really wanted to touch and feel the real thing… and the Fiat press office were nice enough to let me test drive it for a week! My designer and journalist side were also eager to verify first hand if the quality and glamour of the uber brand that is Gucci could live on an equal par with the Fiat brand, which, although uber in its own right is not realistically renowned for luxury, more utility. To my delight the ‘Made In Italy’ legends married beautifully! Let me tell you why… The Fiat 500, originally launched in 1957 was, like the VW Beetle and the Mini, a practical town car that quickly became an icon for many generations - even immortalised in films such as The Big Blue and Cars. In 2007, the original design was re-penned by Roberto Giolito, Fiat’s Styling Director, based on the same designer’s concept Fiat Trepiùno (3+1) introduced at the 74th Geneva Motorshow in 2004. Since then, the little titan has been winning award after award from Euro Car Body 2007 award to the Compasso d’Oro 2011 design award. However, it is its new radical TwinAir petrol engine that has changed the name of the game in terms of ecological performance and accolades. Getting a combined result of 68.9 mpg and CO2 emissions of just 95 g/km is not easily done without having to sacrifice something. But Fiat’s TwinAir engine gives very little away with its gentle StopStart
“to my delight, the ‘made in italy’ legends married beautifully...” transitions and torque led performance. Press the ‘Eco’ button on the centre console and you get even more economy from the 500. In fact, its only let down is shifting from first to second gear, where it rattles and leaves the diver wanting: Not a big deal though and something you happily work around. There is so much more going on for the Fiat 500 that such niggles become a negligible compromise. Eco drive test passed it was on to scrutinising details – mainly quality, and design. The Fiat 500 comes in many versions, Naked, Abarth, Ferrari, Barbie, but this year at the Geneva Motor Show 2011 Fiat debuted its 500 by Gucci concept! Designed by Gucci’s Creative Director, Frida Giannini in collaboration with Fiat’s Centro Stile, Turin.
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Although I was driving the sunroof-fitted Fiat by Gucci, I test drove the fully convertible Fiat 500 last year and loved the top as it folds all the way back down behind the rear seat passengers screaming ‘al fresco.’ The Gucci edition also comes in two styles, fully convertible or hatchback with optional electronic sunroof (an extra £575) and although the Gucci red and green belt is undoubtedly stylish, the same colours down the centre of the soft top make the convertible extra chic. Every little detail has been meticulously designed in the 500 by Gucci, from the double stitched leather steering wheel to the traditional GG central motif on the gearshift. Ever paid attention to the texture or material of your seatbelt? You will
in this car! It’s Gucci’s very own green and red web print, that is echoed on the ‘belt’ around the car and on the seats of the finely logo embossed trim. I was driving the soft and sophisticated Lux White with Glitter (you can actually see the specs!) edition with primarily black on white seats and white on black dash. The Black with Glitter edition feels sportier and more bling with black as the main colour inside and out, except from white central trim on the seats, accentuated by chrome detailing. Just when I looked closely at the centre console thinking that it felt as if it had been treated with a soft touch finish, I realised that even the foot mats were luxuriously plush accentuated with another red and green tab. The kick plates as you access the car and the diamond rims have even been embossed with the retro GG logo, now only used on vintage or retro Gucci pieces as a reminder of the founding family values. Naturally the Italian flag colours play in nicely with the red, green, and white palette, but what seals the car’s deluxe pedigree is that even the sound of the closing the door is quiet and considered. Gucci celebrated 90 years this year, and this is where the inspiration came to create such a unique product. For the cost of a few Gucci bags on top of the regular price of the Fiat 500 you drive away with a piece of automotive history, a fashion icon, a time to remember. I have to confess that memories of going to the Gucci factory when I was studying Italian Design as a teenager fled back in this retro car. It reminded me roadmagazine.co.uk
“much like a veteran diva, the fiat 500 will look good in anything...”
of the seemingly innate ability that Italians have to effortlessly create design with meaning, value, and culture… ultimately making this Fiat 500 quintessentially Gucci. Does Fiat loose its brand identity by lending its most iconic vehicle as a blank canvas for other brands to cloth? I don’t think so. On the contrary, I think much like a veteran Diva, the Fiat 500 will look good in anything. The fact that it is powered by the most fun and eco petrol engine on the market and that owners will want to keep this car as a collectible and thus not dispose of it prematurely like so many other cars adds bags of ecological value. With a base OTR price tag of £16,000 you couldn’t find a better city slicker deal in town. Oh and did I mention it has Fiat’s new eco:Drive software and Blue&Me voice recognition? More on that here soon!
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WORDS & PICTURES: ASHLEY VAN DYKE
P U C R O C C O SCIR NGHAI A H S IN
ina, h C o t f ets of j , e k y an D e VW V v i y t e i l t h e omp ircuit nt, As c C e y d l g n e n i o c e fier ational Rac rresp h o t c n A i S g Road U David Chen nghai Intern ch t Sha a p to wat u C co Rc o r i c S
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special Road Magazine assignment – to cover up-and-coming race ace, David Cheng in his Scirocco R-Cup China race. Yes please! Born and bred on Nascar, this was a great big taste of international motorsport for me. The destination was the Shanghai International Racing Circuit in China – the world famous Formula 1 track, where the most popular Chinese Grand Prix takes place. With over ten thousand fans in the grandstands and the paddock full with every garage in use, the venue had a real buzz and super busy feel to it. Hospitality, like most things in China, was done with variety of options – one of which was more European, with no meat to eat for veggie me! In the ten years I’ve been a vegetarian, I’ve been able to survive at race tracks. I believe this training helped me survive in China,
where finding anything without meat to eat was a real challenge! The track was amazing. Aside from the epic scale infrastructure, there were dozens of TV screens streaming the race, promotional videos and stats, pit lane models galore and they even had video game simulators. I had to try out the ace VW Scirocco-R, at least digitally while I was here! There was genuine curiosity amongst the locals and spectators at the race track for this VW race. They are very interested in the drivers of the race cars – treating them like rock stars. I guess driving a race car is the ultimate dream job here in China too. The media and local news crews go nuts for it all! Mainstream news cameras from local and national networks were interviewing and shooting the Scirocco R cars and drivers all day for two full days solid. The weekend at the circuit
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was action packed – including various supporting series racing throughout the weekend: The Scirocco R-Cup China was joined by the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Asian GT, Formula Renault, and a Ford Celebrity race. The celebrity race brought special guest Jet Lee to the starting grid, with a ride in the pace car. The fans loved it and went wild!
I was most impressed with the racing I saw in the Scirocco R-Cup Rounds. There was strong contention for every position in the field. It was really good to see exciting battles going on among the top eight positions. At one point you had the top three cars going door-to-door, three wide across the start-finish line, at full tilt. There was contact
being made from early on and seriously aggressive passing. The back and forth fight for sixth and seventh position was hard fought by No.10 iSkin/Our World Live car, driven by David Cheng. It was really tight racing and the battle was so exciting! Since the January issue of Road, when we covered Cheng’s Rolex 24 story, we’ve been following his in-
“there was contact... and seriously aggressive passing” plishment for the team. Cheng has had a successful run this season, sweeping four wins in a row to complete his season in the F2000 series. Finding a second place in the points battle overall, Cheng showed progression and developed positively all season. It sure looks like he is set to do the same in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup series China, based on what I saw. tense racing schedule both At the end of the race in China and in the USA. weekend, David Cheng The Scirocco R-Cup series ended up finishing 8th in was most recently held in the standings from both Malaysia, where they batRounds 11 and 12 at the tled for a twelve hour endur- Shanghai International Cirance race. cuit. One of Cheng’s comDavid Cheng and his two petitors in the series, and co-drivers, Aleks Altberg new business partner, had and Miles Maroney placed the following to say… second in the end, just “Racing in the Scirocco twelve seconds off the lead- R-Cup China 2011 at the er. This was a great accom- Shanghai stop is just great,”
says driver William Lok.” I enjoy racing with David over here. He is a sincere person with a big heart. This was our first “teamed-up” race and the experience was not only exciting, but also brought us together. We both didn’t do as well as we should during qualifying session: The biggest factor was that we both didn’t know the circuit well, practice time was only 45 minutes long and then we had to qualify within two hours. David was consistent in race one and got his spot on the pole for race two. I had a gear problem during the last lap after turn eight and lost 10 seconds with four positions.” I was excited for Race two because it was an exciting grid experience. The infrastructure is so massive and roadmagazine.co.uk
different. I was impressed to see the attention to detail that is put on the entertainment. Each driver was provided a flag girl and an umbrella girl, and oh yes, cheer leader as well! The mascots are pretty cute and the atmosphere is festive. The energy is well played by the announcers and it translates into great excitement. The standing starts are awesome, up close. David was nudged hard from behind, which knocked the toe out in the right rear, and slowed him down, finishing P6, a bit of a letdown after straight podium finishes. “It was a hard fought weekend,” said David Cheng. “We had to battle for position and that went back and forth for a long time. Then, the damage in race two made it impossible to be competitive with the car. We dealt with this the entire race and it was a fight to hold on and get what we could from it. Thanks to iSkin for coming to this event and showing support for me this weekend. I look forward to the final rounds coming up.” You can find more information at http://www. sciroccocupchina.com or follow along with driver David Cheng at http://www. dchengracing.com.
WORDS & PICTURES: ANDY ROBINSON
THE SEMA VIRGIN
Road buddy and drag racing fanatic, Andy Robinson takes a trip to the crazy city of Las Vegas, to attend the epic SEMA 2011 Show, as a SEMA virgin. Cue jaw on floor and sore feet.
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ver heard anyone say ‘everything’s bigger in America?!’ Well, after my recent trip to SEMA (Speciality Equipment Market Association), I can confirm that this is certainly true of this show. Before I get started, let me rewind a couple of weeks. Looking for new and innovative performance parts in the UK for a new performance parts venture (www. partsmeister.net) was proving hard to say the least, so
a friend and I decided there was only one place to go to find new tech in the tuning world: The world’s largest aftermarket car show on the planet... SEMA, in crazy Las Vegas, Nevada. Getting out of the airport taxi, you are immediately met with what’s called the SEMA ‘cruise.’ This is a static display of about 1,000 cars from mild to wild, baha jeeps to low riding dubs. You could have spent a whole day just admiring the
cars here. But, excited, into the show halls we went. To give you an idea of the sheer scale of this event, it is split into four gigantic halls and 12 sections – totalling over two million square foot of exhibitor space. That’s 26 football pitches in total! The event regularly attracts over 100,000 trade visitors. We had planned two full days to attend the show, meet contacts, look at products and gain an in-
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sight into the future of tuning and modifying. As it turned out, that was nowhere near enough. You need three or possibly four days to get round this show and take in the action all around you. The awesome stands are never ending, but to try and make things less monotonous the sight of the SEMA ladies at various stands is always welcome ;-) One area SEMA prides itself is the ‘Ideas Alive’ and
first time exhibitor’s hall, which showcases some the latest tech and new manufacturer’s offerings. We found a lot of inspiration for the new business here. It was a very nice touch to the show, as sometimes you can get lost in the ‘big money, big stands.’ This area allowed some of the smaller companies time and space to display. After two full days of walking round the show, talking and taking lots of pictures
(of course), we were shattered! We were in need of a serious foot massage and ice cold liquid refreshment – both extremely easy to find in Las Vegas! If you are in the motor trade and you’ve ever thought you like to go, DO IT! But, a couple of things to remember as a virgin: 1) Take the most comfortable pair of shoes you own! 2) Allow three days to get round and enjoy the show... you’ll need it! It’s incredible!
WORDS: PHIL ROYLE IMAGES: JUICE PHOTOGRAPHY
MOTORSPORT UK IS GREEN 4 GO!
The innagural Motorsport UK show breaks cover in Coventry, aiming to boost British businesses
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otorSport UK, the motorsport show that promotes all categories and types of national racing in association, took place November 5th and 6th in the Jaguar Exhibition Hall, Ricoh Arena in Coventry. MotorSport UK always claimed it wanted to break down the barriers and attract new people into motorsport. And despite a lower than expected turn out (come next year Roadies!) there is no doubt that MotorSport UK achieved its aim of producing a show promoting national motorsport in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Martin Capenhurst or-
ganiser of MotorSport UK enthuses: “I am absolutely delighted to have succeeded in hosting our first MotorSport UK event. The high degree of positive feedback we have had has been quite overwhelming and we have had some wonderful ideas for next year’s show. But, most importantly we are encouraging feedback from our exhibitors and visitors, as MotorSport UK is their show.” So get in touch! Martin adds: “Many exhibitors have commented on how much networking they did with one another, and we are seriously looking at creating an exhibitors’ networking event at next year’s show to enable exhibitors
discuss collaboration opportunities.” As the pinnacle of UK motorsport, the BTCC was well represented at the show, with Alex MacDowall, John Thorney and Chris James all on hand to discuss their 2011 exploits and exciting plans for 2012. The Speedworks NGTC Toyota Avensis, Thorney Motorsport NGTC Vauxhall Insignia and Team ES Racing’s S2000 Chevrolet Lacetti were all on display at the show. That said it was not just the BTCC cars stealing the limelight: it was the diversity of affordable motorsport available to newcomers and established club racers, made possible through the support of Go Motorsport and the efforts of the variety of clubs and event organisers who exhibited. For those already holding a UK driving licence and wanting to take up motor sport, the options are multitudinous; hill-climbing, sprinting, single-seaters, karts and, of course, historic rallying (currently more popular than modern rallying), both on road and stage events. And for those who
would rather be on the sidelines but still make a contribution, there is the British Motorsport Marshals Club. Road Magazine and www. roylemedia.co.uk both attended the show, meeting some great old friends and fresh contacts – including Motors TV presenters, Gemma Scott (see overleaf) and Neil Cole, who will both soon be contributing to Road Magazine. They were busy doing a report for Motors TV: www.motorstv.com, so check it out for yourself.
It was a big of a shame more folk didn’t attend, as there was plenty to see and lots of folk to chat with. But, given the short time the organisers had to put it on, it was a success. Let’s just hope more folk come next year, as it’s a great event with a fabulous aim – promoting British motorsport. Get involved! For more information on opportunities at the 2012 MotorSport UK event please visit www.motorsportshow.co.uk.
Gemma Scott: hot property
Glamorous, talented, funny and lovely... it’s not hard to see why TV presenter, Gemma Scott is hot property
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any of you will already be aware of Gemma Scott we are sure. But for those readers who aren’t already genned-up on this gorgeous, talented, motorsport and car-mad TV star, we met up with her for a chat at the recent MotorSport UK show, where she was hosting and doing live interviews for Motors TV on the main stage. Gemma, degree holder, mother of two and once a National & World Sailing Champion (Enterprise Class), is a woman in serious media demand. She made her TV debut back in 2005 and has since risen the ranks of presenting to work in her chosen field of motoring for some of the best channels, including Sky Sports, BSKYB, ESPN, Eurosport and Motors TV.
She’s covered Autosport International, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Formula Two World Championship, the Renault World Series, the Lotus Cup Europe (in English & French, which she also speaks), and now currently works mainly for Motors TV. “It’s amazing,” says Gemma, “I’ve got to the point where I’m really starting to achieve my dreams, and I’m loving it. “I guess my ultimate goal hasn’t changed – I’d still really like to be presenting Formula 1 with Jake Humphrey. But I really enjoy the diversity of what I do, from the Renault World Series races, to power boat racing, bike racing and of course, Goodwood, which I love.” Gemma’s most recent achievement has been obtaining her ARDS race li-
cence. She recently had a dose of circuit training with Road friend, racer ace and journalist, Mark Hales, in a Mazda MX-5 at Silverstone. “Mark was a real gentleman,” says Gemma. “He taught me a lot, out on the track, and the theory behind track driving off the circuit too. It was a lot of fun for me and I’m now totally hooked – I find myself trying to hit apexes on the road,
I’m that addicted! It’s my aim to get racing soon too, and see how I get on.” Another new thing Gemma is about to embark on is for us at little old www.roadmagazine.co.uk! We are truly honoured! She’s about to become our regular eco and green car road tester in the monthly magazine and we’ve just lined her up with a Lexus RX450h hybrid and Fiat 500
Twin Air to get her started, with a whole host of others in the pipeline. These eco tests will be in www.roadmagazine.co.uk and via the blog at www.roadmagazine. blogspot.com in the new year. So, you’ll be seeing a lot more of Gemma here, which we’re thrilled about! So, if you are looking for a compelling, dynamic, enthusiastic and passionate individual to: Host or present
your TV show. Host or compare live events. Commentate or provide voiceovers. Or, represent your brand positively... you’d struggle to find a better, more likeable, relaxed, confident and lovely professional than Gemma Scott. Find out more about Gemma and keep up to date with her news and latest ventures at: www.gemmascott.co.uk