February 24, 2013

 

With just a few days until the start of the 2013 season; SimCraft Midnight Motorsport, CSG Racing and SimInk Motorsport hosted a joint event to launch their 2013 challengers at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.
Whilst the focus of the day's activities was undoubtedly the launch of the brand new Superleague, Supercup and Formula Challenge cars, the three teams took the opportunity to announce the launch of a joint venture along with the unveiling of the 2013 challengers.

The formation of the PGE Group sees the working relationship often noted throughout the 2012 season between the SimCraft Midnight Motorsport and CSG Racing teams made official, and expanded to include the SimInk Motorsport squad. The three teams will be working together on all aspects of their various 2013 campaigns to ensure that, with new series regulations designed to bring the series closer than ever; data, resources and feedback is pooled to guarantee that each outfit is fully prepared in all aspects heading to each event of the 2013 season.

The jewel in the crown of the PGE Group is of course the SimCraft Midnight Motorsport team who will be aiming to repeat dominance of the 2012 Superleague season and dual championship victories enjoyed by the team.

As was the case last year with Alex Cooper, the SimCraft Midnight Motorsport reserve driver will be competing in the Supercup series with partner CSG Racing - a role fulfilled this year by veteran racer Jamez Shepherd. The vastly experienced team will of course be looking to emulate the success of their partner team in their quest for championship glory.

CSG Racing in turn, will make use of the partnership with SimInk Motorsport by utilising Formula Challenge drivers Nadir Khan and Ryan Gilmore as Supercup reserve drivers, the two sharing the role on an alternating basis due to schedule constraints.

SimInk Motorsport may be new to the party, but they have already enjoyed great success in the 2012 GT series with both team and driver championship victories, competing in the Formula Challenge category, the team will strive to develop and nurture young drivers taking their first step on the path on the ladder to the Superleague through the PGE Young Driver program.

The program has already seen Alex Cooper graduate to a Superleague drive with SimCraft Midnight Motorsport for the 2013 season whilst new signings Roy Schroten and Nadir Khan will both be hoping to emulate the success of their young English counterpart as they progress through the ranks of the GPVWC.

Also announced was the creation of a brand new website - www.pgegroup.eu - the website will be utilised as a portal for every aspect of the three teams involved in the project. With team and driver information and stats, individual driver blogs following each event and all the latest news concerning any and all of the teams or drivers encompassed within the PGE Group.

Of course, we are also here to see the new cars for the 2013 season and so we will begin the unveiling of our new challengers with that of the brand new SimCraft Midnight Motorsport MM-03, powered by the Potentia engine and sponsored by our friends at SimCraft, ShootFirst and SimInk. As will have undoubtedly noticed, it is sporting a livery that is more than a little different to that of its predecessor with a clean new design created by Jamez Shepherd from our sponsor, SimInk.

With that, we hand over to SimCraft Midnight Motorsport Team Owner Nick Rowland for a few words.

"It is great to be able to share our new livery with the public for the very first time. A key feature that you will all notice is of course how the SimCraft brand is even more prominent on the car than last year. The comes as a consequence of the renewed partnership we recently announced with our friends at SimCraft that sees them acting as title sponsor for the Midnight Motorsport team throughout the 2013 season, this is something that we are exceptionally proud of and it is great to have them onboard as we look to the new season.

As you would expect, coming off the back of a championship year has led to an intense winter, there have been changes in the team not least in the drivers but also in terms of the structure within the team and so that has taken time to adapt to. As Melbourne draws closer however it feels like the cold, dark nights of the winter are finally behind us and we can't wait to get started with the new season.

We are fully aware that we now have a large target on our backs and that every other team and driver on the grid is now gunning for us but we have have had full faith in Lukas since day one and we remain steadfast in our belief that he will get the job done throughout the 2013 season.
Promoting Alex to a Superleague seat was never questioned, particularly once my decision to step back from racing was taken; Alex did an outstanding job in the Supercup series last year and very nearly came away with the title for his efforts, he has shown grit, determination and raw speed matched with an excellent temperament. We strongly believe that Alex has the potential to do very well in 2013 and of course, he will have our full support every step of the way.
Having Jamez re-join us for the 2013 season is of great relief and benefit to the team, his level of knowledge and skill level is truly extraordinary - if only we could have three race drivers.

The formation of the PGE Group in which SimCraft Midnight Motorsport is obviously heavily involved sees us once again working with CSG Racing with whom we enjoy a close relationship. Being able to assist them in their Supercup campaign will reap great benefits not only for them, but also for us as we are able to share critical and valuable data that can aid both teams. It is also a pleasure to welcome SimInk Motorsport to the fold and be able to work with them closely, as we do with CSG, throughout their debut Formula Challenge campaign.

The team is certainly very positive following the pre-season phase. The whole team is full of optimism and raring to get started in Melbourne. We are aware of just how hard it will be for us to retain our titles with the quality of this years Superleague field but I have never had more faith in a group as I do the SimCraft Midnight Motorsport team and I truly believe that we are set for a great 2013 season."


CSG Racing unveiled their iteration of the SC-013 Supercup chassis with a livery comprised of the now familiar CSG styling, the team once again sporting a black, white and neon green livery with the aggressively striped sidepods with which we have become familiar. The team also announced a raft of sponsors for the 2013 season that include SimInk, VirtualR and WhataDesigns, the latter being credited for the design of the vibrant livery courtesy of Shaun Stroud, co-founder of the CSG Racing team.

Again, we hand over to Team Owner, Dave Carr-Smith for a few words.

"We are all really pleased with the 'new' livery that adorns the 2013 car. Whilst it may look similar to the livery we ran throughout the 2012 campaign, it is in fact the first time that we have run a true CSG livery in the GPVWC. During the 2009 and 2010 campaigns we ran a somewhat interim livery, whilst last year we sported an interpretation of the original design courtesy of Ric Scott, so to finally have a true CSG design on one of our GPVWC cars is great.
Of course with the original design being back on our car, we also welcome back sponsors VirtualR and WhataDesigns, as well as new partners SimInk, Potentia and the PGE Group - it is a privilege to be able to showcase such organisations on our car and we will strive throughout this upcoming season to give both our partners and this great livery the results of which they are deserving.

Last year was great for the team with eight victories courtesy of Alex Cooper, but unfortunately we fell just shy of clinching the championships and that is something we aim to resolve this year.
Certainly, losing Alex is a blow to the team, he is a great talent and will be sorely missed but we wish him all the best for his inaugural Superleague season with our partners SimCraft Midnight Motorsport.

Nevertheless, we have a great line-up this year as we welcome Jamez back to the team on a full-time basis, as many of you will be aware, Jamez competed in three races with us last year in a bid to aid Alex's title challenge, taking a win, two podiums and two pole positions in that short time. Of course we also welcome Roy to the team this year, something, of which we are very proud. When we offered Roy the opportunity to join us for 2013 we were certainly unsure as to whether or not we would be able to secure his services and I am thrilled that we were able to do so. Roy proved time and time again last year that he is without doubt one of the most talented up and coming drivers in the league and we are very pleased to have him line up on the grid in Melbourne at the wheel of a CSG Racing car.
As for our reserve drivers for the upcoming season, I am pleased to announce that we have reached a deal through our ties with SimInk Motorsport that will see their drivers Ryan Gilmore and Nadir Khan alternating reserve driver duties throughout the season. Whilst we are not in a position to announce when and if each might receive an opportunity to participate in an official event, we are confident in their ability to deliver a strong performance if and when they are required to do so. Ryan is obviously well known to the team as a founding member back in 2009, whilst Nadir has shown a great deal of talent throughout his very short career thus far and promises to be one to watch for the future.

Having worked extensively with SimCraft Midnight Motorsport throughout the 2012 season we are obviously very pleased to be able to continue that strong relationship for the foreseeable future through the foundation of the PGE Group, which will also see us working closely with the SimInk Motorsport team founded of course by our very own Jamez Shepherd.
The data, feedback and general resources that we will be able to share with our partner teams, and the benefits this will provide for all involved will be truly invaluable and so it is with great anticipation that we embark upon the ambitious project that is the PGE Group along with SimCraft Midnight Motorsport and SimInk Motorsport.

The team has already conducted a number of private tests, as well as attending the scheduled pre-season event conducted at the Jerez circuit and the whole team is certainly in high spirits. We have seen some encouraging results and whilst we may be sporting a brand new lineup for the 2013 season, we certainly see no reason why we cannot continue the strong run of form with which we ended the 2012 season. I certainly have every confidence in Jamez and Roy and we can't wait to get to Melbourne for the first race of the season later this week."


Simink Motorsport also unveiled its 2013 livery this morning ahead of the 2013 season opening round at Melbourne in just a few days time. With two Simink SFC-01 cars being joined by the team's new driver line-up of Ryan Gilmore and Nadir Khan for the first time, and team principal Jamez Shepherd also present, it was an ideal opportunity for the team to unveil their first formula car livery.

The outlandish cyan, magenta, and yellow scheme from last seasons Endurance Series has been scrapped in favor of a new purple, black and yellow livery featuring the corporate identities of five sponsors and partners; primary sponsor Simink, official sponsors Cocoa, Shoot First, and of course the team's new partners Potentia and the PGE Group.

Team Owner Jamez Shepherd provided us with a brief statement.

"The vivid purple colour scheme makes Simink one of the most distinctive in the Formula Challenge series and I am delighted with the way the car looks.

It's always exciting to see the new livery for the first time and it is particularly important this year given the presence of the PGE Group alongside several long standing and loyal sponsors.

We have formed a very close working relationship with CSG Racing and Simcraft Midnight Motorsport over the past year, and we're delighted to enter the 2013 season as a founding partner team of the PGE Group. All three teams will benefit massively from such strong connections. Knowing we all share the same goals and are willing to help each other reach our targets gives the whole team a lot of confidence. Having the technical backing of the current Superleague champions, and the opportunities CSG offers in giving our drivers experience in the Supercup car as reserve drivers puts Simink Motorsport in a very unique position in the Formula Challenge this season.

With pre-season testing now over, and only a few days till the season opener in Australia it is still very difficult to read into our competitors and see how we're progressing but both drivers are very confident and excited to go racing again for the 2013 season."


The cars are primed, the management upbeat and the drivers raring to go - now we just have to wait and see how things turn out when the lights go out on the 2013 season later this week.

Remember, you can read the reactions, thoughts and comments from each of the drivers following the opening round of the season at the new PGE Group website located at www.pgegroup.eu