So who's the Arena sponsor?

A week or so back a 10/10ths poster suggested AA would be the main sponsor for the Arena Focus project. Well, courtesy of Mike Hoyer's excellent photos over at Talk Photography Chilton did indeed sport an AA logo on his helmet at the first test the other day (photo 4); but that's most likely a hangover from the AA sponsorship of Dynamics last year. Plus that AA yellow would clash horrifically with Andyb's fantastic livery.

Photo 5, however, shows TCs racesuit; and the only logo (aside from Sparco and Arena) visible is..... Benfield, the insurance group previously part-owned by TC's dad Graeme Chilton. Benfield was sold to Aon, one of the world's biggest insurance brokers, in August last year netting Chilton Sr a cool £77m, and the resulting deal means he gets to be VC of Aon itself.

Reid back in touring cars

Well, kinda. He'll be doing a mix of British GT, FIA GT and Britcar in an Aston for Nicholas Mee Racing (NMR). According to the Daily Record:

The 51-year-old Glaswegian completed only four races last year with A Tech due to the worldwide financial crisis.

A shame indeed. Hopefully in 2009 he's got a team behind him that are financially secure and won't be affected by such economic problems? In Reid's words:

Unfortunately [in 2008] the credit crunch hit and it we ended up only doing a small part of the season. NMR have stepped in and they are owned by people who work in the City.

Ah...

Susie Stoddard photoshoot

The article won't tell fans much they don't know, but Susie certainly looks good in those pics for the Mail on Sunday. She'll have a way to go in order to match Danica Patrick in her two Sports Illustrated spreads though.

New Focus hits the track

And very good looking it is too.

eBay watch

• Scalextric Team RAC BMW of Colin Turkington
  
• Fantastic looking Motorbase Steven Kane 1:43 model (and it's signed)
  
• A 1:43 model of Charlie Cox's '95 Mondeo. Replicating his Thruxton crash with it will probably depreciate its value somewhat.
  

See the new Focus

Circle March 2nd in your diaries now... no it's not because it's the first unveiling of the new FPA-clone-series-for-Formula-Master-rejects-and-sons-of-fairly-well-known-racing-drivers-with-questionable-talent* Formula Two car, but Tom Chilton will be giving some demonstration laps at Brands Hatch in the new Arena Focus as part of MSV's launch day for the circuit. Priaulx will be putting his 320si through its paces as well.

* In attendance representing F2:

• Toro Rosso's Seb Buemi's cousin and one time A1GP rookie Natacha Gachnang
  
• 2008 FPA champ Jason Moore
  
• Son of the boss Jolyon Palmer, and
  
• possibly the best driver Lithuania has ever produced, Kazim Vasiliauskas

How a works team works

Form Northern South Ltd's annual accounts, for the year ended 31/3/08:

Northern South has entered into an agreement with SEAT (UK) whereby it runs the race programme in addition to the preparatory work on the cars. The basis of these arrangements is that Northern South Ltd are entitled to receive commission after each race event providing that the cars' performance in those races meet certain criteria. In addition to this a management charge becomes payable on each anniversary of the agreement, effectively reimbursing Northern South Ltd for workshop costs incurred on its own account.

Interesting that a commission payment was receivable by NSL specifically dependent on race performance. However, as the NSL/SEAT (UK) venture had its own bank account, any figures specifically relating to the actual cost of running those Leons in 2007 remains absent from Northern South's accounts:

As these costs and surplus funds are not the responsibility or property or Northern South Ltd these financial statements exclude any payments so made, and also the income derived from this activity. [...] the proceeds from invoices raised, and costs borne by Seat Sport (UK) are excluded since it is SEAT (UK) Ltd that bears the responsibility for approval of transactions and becomes entitled to surplus funds remaining after the payment of Norther South Ltd's commission"

Hmm. Strictly speaking NSL should be showing these costs in their books (as they paid them!), even if they are just recharges to SEAT UK. However, NSL qualify as a "small" company and therefore are not required to have its books externally audited...

AMD Touring Car Survey

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Arena

Forum rumours have it that Arena will be out testing their new Focus this Thursday at Snetterton. However, MSV's testing days page indicates that Wednesday and Thursday at the Norfolk track are for single-seaters only. Judging from this week's Autosport interview all appears on track, although going by Mike Earle's comments any second driver is likely to be signed on a race-by-race basis at best.