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Horton Racing News - 2005News Archive - 2007 : 2006 : 2005 : 2004 Rallycross Superprix this weekend! - 05/11/05
Both of the Horton racing cars requires some body work repairs before this coming weekend's race after a physical final round of the BTRDA championship the weekend previous. Richards 205 requires a new front bumper, wings and bonnet, whilst Simon's metro requires a new front and rear bumpers plus the rear panels pulling straight after being hit heavy up the rear by a fellow competitor. Both drivers have commented that the cars will be fully repaired and ready to race by Sunday. For more information on the weekend's event, please view the following website.
BTRDA championship draws to a close - 02/11/05
“2005 has been a great year for both Richard and me” Commented Simon. “My only personal disappointment was not to collect any silverware this year but we have had some very good races this year with some excellent results and I feel very confident for the 2006 season. The new car has run superbly all year and is now at the sharp end of the grid after some progressive development throughout the year. I had a few nightmare races mid season with wrong setups on the metro which cost me dearly in the bigger picture, but its all part of the learning curve.” Both drivers are currently planning what the options are for 2006 and news will appear on the team's website when
Who are Luno????- 26/09/05
Luno provides the web hosting service for the successful www.hortonracing.co.uk website that the team is very proud of. When Simon first decided to start rallycross back in 2003, he noticed a lack of information on the web about the sport. Due to the fact that Simon works in the IT supply industry, he approached one of his customers to produce a website for him in exchange for advertisements on the car. As Richard joined younger cousin Simon in the sport, so the interest grew in the team and the demands for the site evolved into the site that exists today. There are plans to take the teams website one step further during the late stages of 2005 so keep checking back to see the new site. The main core of Luno’s business is to provide stable Email and web hosting services for lots of growing business’s and also offer a networking and security solutions to their clients too. www.luno.net
Boys going to Blyton - 13/09/05
“Because we have to drop our lowest point score of the year, I need to score some big points at Blyton to keep my chances of a top 5 finish alive in the last few events.” Commented Simon
15 Valve Engine! - 13/09/05
The faulty valve has now been replaced and the car is ready for the next round of competition. Image of the damaged valve below. Click the link - Here
Lydden hill race report - 13/09/05
The first 2 qualifying heats ran very well for both the car with Richard setting the forth quickest stock hatch time and Simon pulling out an exceptional drive in the metro in heat 2 to claim 3 rd quickest stock hatch. The 3 rd heat proved to be a disaster for both drivers with Richard been involved in some panel rubbing with other drivers whilst Simon failed to get the metro off the line with the rest of the pack and finally got the car going after about 10 seconds. However, both drivers managed to secure A final positions due to the morning results and where determined to go for the big points. With the grid for the A final made up of some of the fastest drivers in the class, it was certainly going to be a tricky race for all concerned. The pole sitter, Rodney Green, got off to a bad start and was swamped by the rest of the field as they left the grid. By the first corner, Simon was level with Green and was forced wide into the corner by a nudge from a spinning driver. Richard capitalised on both of these drivers losing position and also Rob Graves spinning on the exit of the first corner to claim 5 th position and hunting down on the pack behind. The leaders pulled away from the trailing pack with Richard and Simon eventually settling for 4 th and 6 th respectively.
Superprix entry announcement - 22/08/05
Green light for Lydden - 22/08/05
“Both myself and Richard require large points from this event to keep hold of our current positions in the championship. With the cancellation of wildtracks from the calendar, we now have only 1 other event we can drop, so every result counts.”
Post Pembury Repairs - 22/08/05
“ Anglesey and Pembury where quite hard events on the cars and with the 2 events been so close together, we didn’t get chance to do much maintenance of the cars.” Simon broke quite a few parts in the final race at Pembury including the sump and sump guard. Other repairs included replacing a slipping clutch, a new front bumper, plus straightening the door and sill after a racing incident with Steve Heppenstall. Richard had to replace both front wings, highlight guards, bumper and straightened the bonnet on his Peugeot 205. Both cars are now ready to race at Lydden Hill on bank holiday Monday.
Wet in Wales - 22/08/05
Simon made a very poor start of the line due to a failing clutch and was last to leave the start line, but with a brave move into the first corner managed to claim back 5 th position. Rodney Green and Michael Duke opened up a gap on the pack behind and left Simon, Richard and Steve to scrap over 3 rd positions, with the remaining A final competitors some distance behind. The positions swapped about a dozen times during the final and Richard Horton piped Steve over the line by a fraction of a second to claim a well earned 3 rd place.
Back to Blyton - 13/06/05
“I’m looking forward to Blyton and feeling very confident after the first few events” commented Simon. “There has been very little work to do to the car since Knockhill and I feel that the fast and flat conditions of Blyton will suit my car very well, so look out for some quick times during the events.”
13/06/05: Burning the midnight oil...
“The progress on the new car was slowed down due to the fact that we had to strip the old car after the accident and remove the donor parts first before we could move onto the new car again. The accident did some serious damage to some parts we needed for the new shell, so we have had to spend time sourcing replacements for the damaged components” commented Richard Images of the build are available in the following album which is regularly updated. Click Here to view
Tough outing at Knockhill - 13/06/05
The first practice in the morning revealed an instant problem with the car, it was far too low for the circuit. Simon had set the car low and stiff from memory last year, when the circuit was much smoother, and without the equipment to alter the suspension on the metro it was set to be a bumpy day. The 2 morning heats resulted in middle of the pack finishes as he failed to get away from the lights quickly and wrestled with the cars handling on the long loose section on the back section of the circuit. “It was impossible to set a quick time with the car hopping and skipping everywhere as it hit the bump stops on the gravel section. Every single lap I could close and pass the other competitors on the tarmac, but then throw it all away on the gravel. It was so frustrating!” The afternoon however so a change of fortune for Simon who was involved in a titanic scrap for the lead in heat 3 with Steve Heppenstall. Simon grabbed the lead from the moment the lights went out and stretched a small lead going into the first corner. Steve followed through the gap that had been created and chased simon into second position. With a clear track ahead, simon in his metro was able to pick the exact lines he wanted to avoid the largest bumps and hold onto the lead for almost the entire race. As the race entered its final lap, simon slid wide at the hairpin and left the door wide open, in the frustration of the moment simon grabbed first gear when going for third which allowed Steve to pass him as the car bounced off the rev limiter. The 2 drivers then went door to door through the final corners and Steve Heppenstall just piped Simon to the post to claim the win. With all the heats out of the way it was now time for the finals. With the poor runs from the morning counting against him, Simon only qualified of the second row of the “B” final. The metro launched quickly from the second row of the grid but was held up and unable to pass the pole sitter who had a bad start. This resulted in 5 cars trying to squeeze through the gap at the hairpin, which resulted in some contact between Brian Armstrong and one of the other competitors, just in front of simon. As all the finalists raced along the back gravel section, the metro was been covered in parts flying from the damaged Brian Armstrong Citroen Saxo. Simon unfortunately only managed to finish in forth position in the “B” final.
Another one bites the dust - 13/06/05
Richard went out early in the practice session to get a feel for the circuit and car, but came back into the pit’s complaining of gearbox problems and the car generally feeling flat. Nothing major was found to be wrong and without a spare gearbox at the track, Richard had no choice but to continue with the original unit. The first 2 heats saw Richard finishing in 2nd position in both races, but was struggling for pace down the long back straight and was having to make time up on the gravel. In heat 2 Richard also had a unfortunate coming together with the impressive Tony Lynch, which resulted in some fairly major work to pull the front of the Peugeot straight and left Tony with a creased boot floor pan. With the repairs completed, Heat 3 saw Richard get the perfect start from pole position and managed to hold onto the lead for the entire race, with team mate Brian Armstrong finishing close behind and Phil Chicken glued to the Saxo’s back bumper. In car video footage of this race can be seen by clicking the link below. Richard made the front row of the “A” final and was looking set to claim a podium position at the event. He made a good start and slotted into second position behind Tony Lynch and was keeping pace with the leader till the start of the 3rd lap. Just after the long sweeping gravel section which leads onto the back straight, Richard slid wide and collided with the steel barriers on the outside of the track. The impact broke the steering rack and badly damaged the passenger side of the car, which was enough to end Richards race and the car had to be recovered to the pits via a recovery vehicle. INCAR VIDEO: Download HERE
One last outing.. - 17/05/05
Photo's credited to Ian Hardy from http://www.ianhardy.net
Richard Horton announces new sponsor! - 7/05/05:
Adlington caravans weblink: http://www.adlingtoncaravans.co.uk Photo's credited to Ian Hardy from http://www.ianhardy.net
Metro test day for Simon - 17/05/05
“The metro runs on hydrogas dampers with adjustable front shock absorbers, so the choice of setting is far more flexible than a conventional McPherson strut layout. The car was diving heavily under braking before and was unsettled in high speed bends, so we have been working hard to fix this problem and should see a big improvement at knockhill.” Commented Simon During the day, Simon had a small incident which was captured by the in-car camera. Video clip is downloadable from : Here - Right click and save target as.
Simon gears up for knockhill - 10/05/05
Since the last meeting at Croft, Simon has been busy solving some cooling issues which has been affecting the Metro GTI’s performance by replacing the radiator, a leaking top hose and also adding additional venting to the front headlight covers. The car has also had some repairs to fix a small amount of body panel damage it received on the last outing, but is now ready to race again. Photo's credited to Ian Hardy from http://www.ianhardy.net
Winning weekend for Horton Racing - 10/05/05
The afternoon had a change of fortune for simon, who was involved in some very dusty scraps which resulted in a 2 midfield finishes in the resulting heats. Richard however managed to increase his pace and resulted in a qualification for the A final. Despite Simons slower afternoon races, he still qualified for the back row of the A final just behind Richard. The A final turned out to be a great race with Richard climbing up through the pack to claim second position behind Julian Godfrey and managing to hold off a firm challenge from Steve Heppenstall. Simon also managed to climb through the ranks from the back row and was in fifth position before loosing the car under braking into the first corner on lap three and throwing the metro into the gravel trap. The team would like to congratulate Richard Horton on claiming second position in the stock hatch class at the first RSS event held at Croft and winning the team’s first trophy. Photo's credited to Ian Hardy from http://www.ianhardy.net
Richard Horton added to the Croft line up - 26/04/05
Richard would also like to thank Ian from Adlington caravans for the short notice loan of a trailer. www.caravancarecompany.co.uk Both drivers will be racing in the stock hatch class. Additionally Simon will also be racing his stock hatch Metro GTI in the Division 1A class.
Simon Horton announces new sponsor for the rest of 2005 - 26/04/05
More details are set to follow. www.castlecement.co.uk Please view the new album in the gallery for the first photo’s of the new livery. This will be updated towards the end of the week with the full scheme.
Half of Hortonracing to compete at Croft - 08/04/05
“Since we completed the build of Simon’s new Metro GTI over the winter period, we have talked about building my replacement car. We has had to wait till after the first event in the BTRDA championship at Lydden hill to start working, but the new car will be ready for the Knockhill round of the BTRDA championship at the end of May.” Commented Richard. In addition, Richards new Peugeot 205 GTI will also be sporting a new colour scheme for the rest of 2005.
Late Lydden hill race report - 08/04/05
What an eventful race weekend it turned out to be for the team, and this time for all the right reasons. Both drivers commented that this was some of the very closes and certainly the most entertaining drives that they have competed in. All the right ingredients where there for what turned out to be a spectacular days racing. Take 2 rallycross championships, Mix some new and experienced drivers together with some exciting machinery and serve in front of a large enthusiastic crowd with a side order of good bank holiday weather! With both cars checked, it was time to take the cars out onto the circuit for the first time. Simon took the new Metro GTI our twice in the practice hour to try and learn about the handling and performance of the car, whilst Richard went out once to learn the circuit layout. The first of the morning qualifying heats was fairly uneventful and resulted in good finishing positions with both Simon and Richard finishing 3rd in their respective races. During the second heats, Simon decided to push the boundaries of the new car too early and end up in the grass infield twin after clipping the same curb too hard on both occasions. However Richard had a hard race with one of the new drivers in the class for this season, Rob graves in the ex-Sean Smith Peugeot 106xsi. Ric took the lead on the first lap and lead half way round the second lap till he got passed just before the 2 cars started climbing up the hill. Graves held the lead for one more lap till Richard passed him in exactly the same position that the move had happened on the previous lap. He held the lead till the finish line to claim his first heat win of the day. In the final qualifying heat of the day, Simon knew he had to pull out a great drive to claim a position in the A-final and started from the front row of the grid. As the lights went out, Simon took the lead from the start only to be chased closely by the rest of the pack. This turned out to be a great race for the spectators and drivers alike with Simon been put under enormous pressure at the front by Chris Langley & Rob graves. The resulting door to door action resulted in Simon been piped to the post by 0.01 of a second by Chris Langley, hard to believe that this was only a qualifying heat! During the final qualifying heat Richard he had to take the grid twice due to a restart. The restart was caused by an accident involving friend of the Horton racing team, Phil Chicken (hope the rib’s are ok Phil). The final heat season finally got underway and involved some very close and determined racing between Richard and Becky Holland, which resulted in a small amount of contact and a second place for the horton racing driver. With the qualifying finished it was now all down to the finals. Simon only made the front row of the B-final which he finished in second place again behind Becky Holland. Richard made the back row of the A-final and came through to claim forth after a fantastic drive which involved limited braking capabilities as a brake hose failed.
Green light for Lydden Hill - 21/03/05
Both drivers and cars are entered and are again looking for a good result from the opening race. This will be Richard’s first competitive trip to the Kent circuit and is looking forward to racing at what is known as the home of British rallycross. Richard and Simon have spent more time setting up there cars due to the cancellation of Croft and are determine to push hard this weekend. Richard would like to take thank Steve Heppenstall from Settle with the help of setting up the rear of his car, cheers Steve. As its Richard first trip to Lydden he has been studying the circuit very hard to see where he can make up some time with his trusty old Peugeot. Both Richard and Simon will again be racing each other and it will be good to see the difference between both the cars and the driving styles. “I would have preferred the new car to have its first race to at a more local circuit, but due to situations out of our hands we will have had to make its debut the Lydden event. I’m sure everything will be fine on the day, but there is always that small amount of worry when you introduce a new car, especially when the first race is so far away.” Commented Simon. “If the weather is good and I can get the metro off the line quickly, which is not always the easiest I can assure you, then I think it will be a tricky little car to catch and should certainly give the front runners something to think about.” The team would also like to wish Pete Griffith the best of look in his first event in one of the older Horton Racing Peugeot 205’s. There will be a news update after the Lydden hill race.
Gearing up for Croft on the 6th March - 25/02/05
A bit of last minute tinkering has been going on in the horton racing camp to ensure both the cars are in tip top condition for the new season. The new Rover Metro recently went for a shakedown at the santa pod raceway. “The trip to the pod was a valuable experience for me. It allowed me to get a general feel for the car and also allowed me to have some practice at getting the car off the line.” commented Simon. “There is still a few more changes to be made to the car before I am 100% happy with it, but with the timescale before the first event, these will have to wait” On the Peugeot side of the team, Richard has been busy playing with the suspension set up on his car. “We have lowered the rear beam which should help lower the centre of gravity and keep the car more stable thought the bends.” Both drivers are confident of getting a good result at Croft and get the season off to a great start.
MG X-power backs Simon’s Metro GTI for 2005 - 25/02/05
“Both parties are very happy with the car and the preparation for the coming season. Now we need to go and make a few changes to get the maximum from the package and then go and get the result to justify the backing” commented Simon. The car was recently taken down to the main MG X-power HQ for a inspection by the works race engineers and then a quick photo session.
Welcome to 2005! - 11/02/05 Welcome everyone to the 2005 season with www.hortonracing.co.uk. The team wishes to thank everyone that was involved with the creation of the website last year and everyone that supported the team in 2004. Another big thank you goes to all the visitors that viewed and commented on the site last year. The team has big plans for 2005 with a full calendar of events involving both drivers and cars, as well as helping grow the website to provide more information for fans of the team and sport. Simon & Richard Horton
Car update : 748 - Rover Metro Gti - 11/02/05
Please view the gallery for images of the preparation
Car update : 702 - Peugeot 205 GTI - 11/02/05
Before the first event for this year, a few small minor changes will be made to the car which mainly concentrate on the suspension. The front wishbones and anti-roll will be fitted with new polybushes to help the front suspension work more efficiently, in addition the rear beam has been lowered slightly to give the car a lower centre of gravity. Richard is also having the car set up on correctly on a rolling road to try and drag out a few more horse power from the engine. |
This coming weekend see the Croft circuit playing host to the 2005 Rallycross Superprix, and it promises to be a cracker! 
It's been a fantastic 2005 season for the Horton racing team, with both drivers finishing very highly in the BTRDA championship. Final positions have yet to be made official, but both drivers have definitely finished within the top 6 positions in the stock hatch class. 
Both Simon and Richard are entering for the next round of the BTRDA / MDA championship at the Blyton rallycross circuit on the 2 nd of October. With the season entering the last stages of the 2005 season, both drivers will be looking to score maximum points and hold there respective positions in the championship. 
The recent Lydden hill round of the BTRDA championship saw the first mechanical failure on the Metro GTI this year which almost cost Simon a large amount of championship points. “During the practise session the car felt perfect for the first 2 laps then I noticed a large loss in response and power on the 3 rd lap. As I pulled into the pits the car was only on 3 cylinders and sounded very rough.” Initial suspicions of a failed plug or HT lead where quickly dispelled when we did a compression test on the engine and found very little compression on cylinder number 3. The car was run though out the day on just 3 cylinders and finished in a respectable 6 th position in the A final despite the problem. With the cylinder head removed back home, the problem was very clear. A slightly bent valve that had just touched the piston and was not returning back into its seat correctly was the cause of the lack of compression. “I must have run the car for too long on the limiter on the gravel and bounced the valve during practise. Because the engine is 16 valves, having an exhaust valve stuck open was not a major problem like on an 8 valve engine, but it did compromise what could have been an impressive result for me.” Commented Simon. 
The superb Lydden hill race circuit played host to the August bank holiday rallycross meeting for the BTRDA championship, with both the Horton racing lads in confident mood, it promised to be an explosive days racing. The mornings practise unfortunately turned sour when the usually reliable Metro GTI bent an exhaust valve which meant the car was left to run with restrictive power for the rest of the days racing. 
After the cancellation of the BTRDA wildtracks event in early August, the next event on the calendar is the BRDA round at Lydden Hill in Kent. Both Richard and Simon are entered for this event, in a very large field of BTRDA stock hatches. 
After drying out the drivers and the cars from a very wet Pembury, work has started on repairing the damage sustained. 
The welsh home of motor sport, Pembury, played host to the 4 th round of the current BTRDA championship season. With the weather closing in rapidly on Saturday afternoon, the rain on Sunday was to be expected. The morning practise was very hard work for the drivers, who tip toed there way round the circuit which was looking more like a river. The first few heats produced some mixed results for the team with both drivers being called to race control after making contact with each other for the second event in a row. Simon and Richard both clinched heat victories in heat 3 with Simon setting the fastest stock hatch time in the heat. Due to some slower morning races, due to both the weather and been caught in midfield tussles, Richard was only able to made the B final. From the moment the lights change he grabbed the lead of the first final and never really looked in danger of loosing his position and took an easy victory to progress through to the back of the A final. Here he joined younger cousin Simon and fellow adlington caravan’s competitor, Steve Heppenstall in what would prove to be a titanic clash for 3 rd position. 
After the painful experiences of Blyton in 2004 and the recent loss of Richard Horton’s Peugeot 205, Simon is set to tackle the circuit for the first time this season at this coming weekend’s rallycross super series double header. This will be the forth outing for simon this year in his impressive Castle Cement sponsored rover metro gti, and is looking to set some more impressive times at Blyton. The RSS double header is a combination of 2 events in one weekend with the Saturday event been the 2 wheels drive trophy and the Sunday event been the midland masters.
Since Richard’s accident at Blyton in May, both Simon and Richard have spent many late nights in the garage preparing the new car for Anglesey in early July. The new Peugeot 205 is coming along very nicely now and should definitely be ready for the next event. Full details of the build will be uploaded to the site once the build is complete.
Simon made the trip to the Scotland in late May to compete in the Knockhill round of the BTRDA championship. The team setup alongside fellow local competitor Steve Heppenstall Motor sport to share each other the pit facilities.
After riding high on the success at Croft, Richard decided to run his trusty old Peugeot one last time at the MDA championship round at Blyton. With the recent announcement of sponsorship from Adlington caravans, Richard joined his new team mate Brian Armstrong on the grid, whilst Steve Heppenstall and Simon Horton sat on the sidelines with the race at Knockhill the week after in mind.
Richard Horton has straightened the panels on his old Peugeot 205 for one last outing before the car is retired due to the new car being built. His trusty 205 made its debut at Blyton one year ago and is hoping to repeat the success he made on the first race again. Due to the steady progress with the new car, Richard decided to compete in one last race before missing the Knockhill and the Blyton double header in June to complete the final stages of the new car, which will be ready for Anglesey in early July.
Adlington Caravans is proud to be announced as the new sponsor for Richard Horton for the 2005 Rallycross season. Richards new Peugeot 205 GTI, which is currently under construction, will carry the same yellow and green colour scheme as the other 3 current team members (Steve Heppenstall, Brian Armstrong and Dale Lambert). Iain Thane, owner of Adlington caravans, approached Richard with the sponsorship package at the recent croft event and sealed the deal two weeks later. “I would like to thank Iain for providing me with backing to compete in the rest of the season’s events and in return help to raise the profile of his business” commented Richard.
In the quest to find the extra tenth of a second required to help push the new metro GTI towards the front of the grid, Simon recently took the new car to a full days testing session at the Curborough sprint circuit in Staffordshire. The day was spent fine tuning the suspension set up to maximize the handling capabilities of the car.
Following the fantastic race weekend with the RSS at Croft earlier in May, attention now turns back to the BTRDA champion with the next race taking place at the Knockhill circuit in Scotland.
After a successful outing at the first round of the BTRDA championship at Lydden hill last month, Richard decided to put the building of his new car on hold whilst he competes in the first Rallycross Super series event of 2005. The race is taking place at the Croft circuit on May the 2nd (bank holiday Monday) and I the most local circuit to the Lancashire based team. “I couldn’t let just Simon go out and race, whilst I sat and just watched! We will both be looking for a win at Croft so expect some good racing from the team.” 
Simon Horton today received some great news, with the confirmation of a deal with Castle Cement to provide sponsorship for the rest of the 2005 season. Simon’s car will now be fully sign written with the Castle Cement Logo’s before the opening round of the rallycross super series at Croft this coming bank holiday Monday. Richard Horton is hopefully set to unveil his major new sponsor for the 2005 season soon.
“Apologies to all our regular viewers of the team’s website for the delay in issuing the latest race report from the Easter Monday race at Lydden hill.” Simon & Richard Horton
After the disappointment earlier in the month with the cancellation of the opening round of the BTRDA championship at Croft, all focus has shifted to the Lydden hill event on the Easter Monday, 28th of March. 
It’s been a long wait, but finally the new season is upon us.
Regular viewers to the website will be aware that Simon Horton has a brand new car for the 2005 season. The Rover metro GTI, which has been prepared over the last 2 month’s is now finished and ready to race. After a very busy winter in the garage, the metro was finally rolled out at the beginning of February. "The car was built with the target date of February 13th in mind as this was originally going to be the first race of the season at Blyton circuit. However due to the cancellation of this event, it will now make it’s debut at Croft on March the 6th." The car was run on the rolling road recently for a set up and came back with some very positive results. With the help of the experienced staff at the famous Mini-sport in Padiham, Lancashire, the car managed to develop 124bhp at the flywheel with 107lb of torque. "The power delivery is very smooth and the high revving engine should suit rally-cross conditions well" commented Simon. Download the RR graph 
Richard’s trusty old Peugeot 205 GTI will again be used for the first part of the season with a new car starting preparation very soon for later in the year. 