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Thomas 4th Morgan 7th in Melbourne Red 5 Racing Return to the Superleague
Red 5 Racing are pleased to announce that they have bought out Marco Vandenbroeck and taken over the Computrac Motorsports team which competes in the Superleague in the GPVWC.
We caught up with Co-Owner, Manager and Driver Gavin Thomas to hear his thoughts on competing in the GPVWC's premier event for 2012.
"I am absolutely delighted to announce that the takeover of Computrac Motorsports has been completed and finally after 2 long years of working hard under difficult circumstances we can officially say, Red 5 Racing are back in the Superleague!"
Not much is known so far, of the intentions of Wayne Mullins, Co-Owner and founder of Red 5 Racing. Thomas stated " Wayne has always been an integeral part of this team, and we will apply to have his ban in the GPVWC annulled.
Thomas has already confirmed he will be racing next season and he is to manage the team after his impressive turn behind the turnaround in Computrac's fortunes in 2011, but he also says that the team are in discussions to bring on board the impressive Ben Morgan whose rookie season saw him score 8 points and impress GPVWC stallwarts. Only time will tell if it's 2nd time lucky for Red 5 Racing in the Superleague.
2012
Superleague
Supercup
Formula Challenge
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Red5Racing Unveil 2011 Supercup Challenger
Red 5 Racing today proudly revealed the R5R-003 which is hoped will give Chris Allen and Gavin Thomas the edge they need to be successful in the 2011 GPVWC Supercup.
It is a world away from the succesful R5R-002, boasting a whole new design concept and construction. It replaces the modestly successful 2010 Supercup entry, which managed to score 5 podiums in 2010.
Both Allen and Thomas were on stage to answer questions on their hopes for the season and to give their opinion on the engineering and design departments latest dream come to reality.
More to follow on this launch very soon!
Be sure to check out the Driver Profile for new interviews and bios for the Red5Racing Drivers.
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Page 2 - Thomas 4th Morgan 7th in Melbourne
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10/08/10 A Mixed Summer for Red5Racing
The summer months have seen some of the best and some of the worst results in the GPVWC careers of both Gavin Thomas and Wayne Mullins.
Scoring 4 points finishes in 5 races, Mullins might have thought that his luck had finally changed and he could be a consistent finisher in the points, however the last 4 races have seen him become involved in first lap incidents, which have either severally hampered his progress in challenging for points, or has put him out of the race completely. With a bit more luck and a healthy dose of higher quality driving by those around him, Mullins could easily be looking at 30+ points at this stage in the season.
Though not as unfortunate as his fellow countryman, Thomas has had his own fair share of bad luck, but has managed to keep things moving in the right direction in terms of improvement of overall pace and managed to reflect this by recording a career best 8th place in the Turkish Grand Prix.
Despite his inability to add to his haul of points since a 9th place finish after starting a lap down on everyone in Turkey due to a first corner double punt from behind, Mullins has none the less won over many within the pits with his barn storming drives from last. "It's a lot of fun driving hell for leather and coming through the field, but I've had more than my fair share of bad luck in the last few races and I can't wait for that to change. In Turkey and Canada I was the victim of amateurish driving which put me a lap down in both races due to people crashing into me. That combined with my engine exploding after 3 seconds in Mexico caused me to question my long term involvement in this sport. But after talking to my manager and the GPVWC bosses, I was convinced to carry on".
What awaits Mullins at the end of the season is still a mystery as no contract negotiations have yet to take place with current team boss Mike Phillis.
Thomas maintains the air of someone rather more happy with his situation however, as he continues his renewed apprenticeship in the difficult Oz car. Some good points scoring positions and a marked improvement in speed and form have moved Gavin steadily up the grid and with a bit more luck and concentration; he could very well see himself picking up some more points in the 6 remaining races.
"I'm quite pleased with the way this season has gone so far. Yes it's been difficult and moving from 3 teams in 1 season isn't ideal, but my driving and speed are so much better than they were last year. I honestly feel I've turned a corner and with a better car and a top team mate to help develop and share setup duties with, I think I can become a regular points scorer next year".
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16/05/10 Red 5 Racing Undergoes Rebranding
Due to the hostile and unpredictable nature of the current financial climate, Red 5 Racing has been forced to undergo extensive personnel and branding changes in 2010.
With immediate effect it was decided that the Red 5 Racing Superleague team was to be disbanded and wound up. Team Principal Wayne Mullins commented that "It is a sad day for us, but the main thing is to be competitive and have fun racing. Sadly with the financial situation the way it is we were forced with the harsh reality that we would be nowhere near competitive enough to compete even in the midfield of the current Superleague series. So both myself and Gavin felt it was best to purse drives elsewhere for the 2010 season. We both managed to get competitive drives in good teams and we felt that was a better option that spending the entire year struggling with a slow car. We are still undecided as to what we are going to do for 2011. We have lots of options on the table right now and were not going to rush into making the same mistakes as we did this year. Moving the factory to Wales and having to pay all the extra staff costs put a hole in our budget that we just couldnt fill."
Wayne Mullins contacted his fellow Welsh team boss Mike Phillis and managed to secure a seat in the converted Ferrari powered Draig racing car. Gavin Thomas also managed to secure a highly competitive drive in the Synergetic car alongside Liam Hatchell.
Rumours continue to circulate regarding the future of Mullins, Thomas and the Red 5 Racing group, but for now Mullins has restructured the outfit as a drivers stable. "We decided that if we couldnt get a car to race in the Superleague, we would continue with the Supercup series and only bring in the best, top, most skilled drivers. With this new remit in mind it was considered necessary to remove Christoph Lichtenstein from his seat in the Supercup series and bring in a new charger with more natural ability. We are of course deeply saddened to hear of Christoph's death, but we are confident that our sacking of him had nothing to do with his accidental suicide."
More info on Christophs death is available in the drivers info tab.
"One thing is for sure though, both myself and Gavin are committed to Red 5 Racing and the brand will continue to survive and thrive in one way or another. We have also dropped out of the corrupt and amaturish ERL run GP2 championship due to technical and legal issues which we feel will allow us to better focus on the Superleague series."
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21/02/10 A Week to Forget for Red 5 Racing
In an event packed week for the new team, Red 5 Racing competed in both the inaugural test for the 2010 GPVWC series in Spain and the second round of the ERL GP2 series in Brazil.
It was another case of what might have been in the GP2 series for Wayne Mullins. Having qualified a solid 3rd and opting to go for a 1 stop strategy over his rivals 2 stops, Mullins was on course for a guaranteed 2nd place or even a possible win before tangling with Gerry Lee only 15 laps from the end of the race. The damage sustained caused Mullins to have to make a second pit stop in order to replace a broken nose cone, in the process ruining his strategy and forcing him back to 7th place, where he would disappointingly finish. Though frustrated with the chance of a maiden win yet again taken away, Mullins was satisfied that at least Red 5 Racing had scored points in the series.
If Mullins thought he was having a bad weekend, it was nothing compared to how team-mate Thomas was fairing. Having taken a giant step backwards from his impressive display in Australia, Thomas found himself struggling at the back of the grid all weekend, eventually lining up 15th on the Interlagos track. As is so often the case when started so far back, Thomas found himself caught up in the accidents and crashes of his rival, damaging his car beyond repair early on in the race. Eager to leave Brazil and focus on Monaco Thomas said; "I never felt happy around this track. The pace was never there and for some reason I've been struggling to get the car to work. Role on Monaco".
As bad as they may have thought the Brazilian race was, it was to prove the highlight of the week compared to the disastrous time they spent at Jerez in Spain for the 2010 GPVWC test. Having taken the covers off the car for the first time in this test, the team were looking forward to an impressive display that was surely on the cards given the big steps forward they had taken in driver and engine development.
Things started badly for Mullins and only got worse. Unable to overcome a major technical issue, Mullins Red 5 Racing charge was stuck in the pits for 2 hours of the 2 hour, 45 minute testing session. Opting to send out reserve and number 2 drivers Lichtenstein and Thomas, it was decided by Mullins that all available data should be acquired by any means possible. Posting times some 5 seconds off the ultimate pace of Lee Morris, Thomas and Lichtenstein were only separated by 2 tenths of a second, with the young German test driver Lichtenstein coming out on top.
After much frustration and anger, Mullins eventually managed to get out on the track with only 45 minutes remaining. Having never driven on this track Mullins found himself up against it right from the start. "I didnt have a setup, I didnt know the track and people kept on ramming into me. It was a total nightmare. I shouldnt have really gone out with so little time left, but having finally got the car working I at least wanted to get some miles under my belt. That was probably a mistake as I ended up 7 seconds off the leaders pace and right at the back of the time sheets. That is not where I want to be and the only thing I managed to achieve in this test was to embarrass myself with that performance".
With the second GPVWC test in Italy scheduled for Thursday 25th February and the GP2 race at Monaco the week after, all drivers will be eager to put this nightmare week behind them and give better results and performances in the up coming events.
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16-02-10 Red 5 Racing Rev Up For First Test
With the new GPVWC mod now released, Wayne Mullins and Gavin Thomas eagerly look forward to the first official test of the season around the tricky Jerez Circuit in Spain. Eager to get the show on the road, both drivers have been anxiously waiting for the new season to start and get the R5R-01 out of the showroom and onto the track.
When chatting to the press Wayne Mullins commented; "It's been a long old winter and we have put a massive amount of work into our car and we are just itching to get it on the track for the first time and see how we measure up to our competitors. I'm a little more anxious than most to get on the track and compare speed and performance though due to my recent involvement in the ERL GP2 series. Due to the long layoff over the winter in the GPV, I joined a new league in order to keep my driving skills sharp and practice my setups. Things are going very well so far, in the first race I got pole and would have probably won if I hadn't crashed out. We are currently undergoing testing in Brazil for the second race and I'm half a second faster than my nearest competitor and a full second ahead of the rest of the top drivers. It's very early days yet, but there is some real talent in this league and to be so much faster than them and getting poles tells me that I have reached a new level and I look forward to going toe to toe with Joe, Janne and the boys in the GPVWC."
Equally positive was team-mate Gavin Thomas; "I've finally started implementing my hardware upgrades for 2010 and it has shown instant results. In Australia when racing in the GP2 Series I was as fast as Wayne and right at the sharp end of the field, somewhere that I have not been for quite some time. Once I get the new computer package upgrade, I hope to improve my performance even more. Like Wayne I'm really looking forward to the first official test on Thursday. We have worked long and hard over the winter on our driving and setup skills, so this is the first opportunity we will have to measure ourselves against a known quantity. Wayne has really gone up a gear in the last few weeks and I have followed close by. Right now we are really putting one over some top, top drivers in the ERL, drivers who have won countless races and know how to drive".
With the first official GPVWC test on Thursday and the ERL race on Sunday, this promises to be a busy week for Red5Racing and one that Wayne Mullins thinks could be a defining point in their history. "We've only really done 1 proper race under the Red 5 banner and we got a pole and probably should have won. Now in Brazil I'm aiming to get my first win since my comeback last year and the first win for my team. Winning is a habit and once you get the first, the others become so much easier."
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1/2/10 Red 5 Racing Clinch Renault Engine Deal
In a nervy and tension fraught process it has emerged that Red 5 Racing has managed to secure the highly sought after Renault engine for the 2010 season. With all bids made in secret and within a set budget, it required Team Managers to keep their heads and make the best overall deal for their team.
A relived Wayne Mullins commented immediately after the bids were announced: "Well this was a close one. It's fair to say that both myself and Gavin were pinning all our hopes on getting a really good engine deal to start the season with. The last thing we wanted to happen was to miss out on the first round of bidding and end up having to pay £35-40million for an Ilmore or Cosworth. We spent hours deliberating and budgeting which engine would be the best to go for and in the end it looks like all our hard work has paid off. We managed to get an engine with almost identical performance, power and reliability to the Mercedes engines, which was our main goal. To start the season on level terms with the Nordsjoen and Woods (2 teams who won the Mercedes engine) is fantastic news. This engine deal now gives us every opportunity to be competitive and mix it with the big boys, which is our main goal this season".
Co-owner of Red 5 Racing Gavin Thomas was equally enthusiastic regarding the deal: "To say Im happy with this is an understatement. The work and thought behind our bid was probably the difference between us and the many other teams that also bid for the Renault engine. Some big, big names have missed out on their first choice engine, so for us to secure our dream engine is a fantastic result. I believe that we have been very sensible with out budget and we will be able to develop and research our car as much, if not more than many of the other teams."
There was just one downside to the new deal however as Wayne Mullins pointed out that the cars will now have to be repainting following the collapse of the Mercedes engine deal. We had an agreement in place with Mercedes, but that fell through at the final hurdle. Its going to be a pain repainting the cars and updating the website, but Renault is one of the reasons why me and Gavin got into motor sport in the first place, so Im sure its going to be worth it. Plus Red 5 Renault has a nice ring to it".
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18-01-10 First Full Test in Australia for Red 5 Racing
After several days of off track technical problems, Red 5 Racing finally overcame the glitches in its server and completed a productive first test in Adelaide. Managing to get 3 cars on the track for the first time was an impressive sight and one that the management had worked long and hard over the winter to achieve.
Team Principle Wayne Mullins was very enthusiastic when analysing the performance of his cars on the Adelaide track.: "After too many problems to count trying to get all the cars here today, it is a relief to finally put everything else to one side and get on with the business of racing a car for a change. I know Gavin and Christoph had done some private testing here recently, but I didn't want to make the long trip out until everything was 100% with the technical side. But finally that is all sorted and we can now concentrate on getting our cars up to speed for the season opener in March".
Echoing Wayne's comments was co-owner and second driver of Red 5 Racing, Gavin Thomas. "Its great to have the full team here finally. I've done quite a bit of testing here recently, but until you have someone to compare yourself to, it doesn't really count for much".
Hoping to carry on from his impressive performance in Barcelona, test and reserve driver Christoph Lichtenstein hoped to once again top the time sheets. However, despite his marked improvement over the winter it was not to be for the industrious German, as he found himself at the bottom of the time sheets amongst the Red 5 racers. However he will have taken some satisfaction that he was only 0.2 seconds slower than Thomas, despite complaining of braking issues and having problems with the curbs.
Thomas came within 0.2 seconds of his personal best in the winter sun of Adelaide, but could not improve his lap despite being 0.5 seconds up on his time in the first and second splits; he was unable to keep that pace going for a full lap. With Christoph getting faster with ever testing session, this was an important time for Gavin to reassert himself above Christoph in the time sheets and the Welshman will be pleased with his overall performance and pace.
Making his bow in his first full test of the 2010 season, team leader Wayne Mullins spent the first half of the session working on his setup, being the only Red5Racing driver to arrive in Australia without previous testing and development work here. Once his basic setup was dialled in, Mullins quickly got to grips with the flowing road circuit and posted times that were around 1.5 seconds faster than his team mates. Reflecting on returning to the cock-pit Mullins commentated; "Its great to be back behind the wheel again. Im quite pleased with my time, especially in comparison to my team mates, but with a bit more setup work I think I can take another second or so out of my time. But so far, so good".
Official Times: Wayne Mullins: 1.25.244
Gavin Thomas: 1.26.524
C. Lichtenstein: 1.26.750
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13-1-10 Red 5 Racing Launches Dedicated Server
Further expanding its base of technological operations, Red 5 Racing have secured the rights to the exclusive use of a dedicated server for testing and development work.
All 3 drivers were in attendance during a shake down of the new server during a private test in Barcelona on Monday evening. While there are still some minor software issues to iron out, it has given the team its first taste of running under the Red 5 Racing name.
Team Principal Wayne Mullins commented on the launch of the teams new server: "This is a special day for us. Having our own server where we can test and develop the car in private is a big step forward. I would like to thank Gavin for working closely with the tech engineers to get this online. This server will offer us invaluable opportunities in the coming season."
Though just an informal shake down of the software, it is worth noting that test driver Lichtenstein topped the time sheets, 0.05 seconds ahead of Mullins and a full second ahead of Thomas.
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8/1/10 New Driver Interviews Available in the "Drivers" Page
Wayne, Gavin and Christoph take time out of their busy schedule to answer questions on the upcoming season in the "Drivers" section.
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7/1/10 Red5Racing Launch R5R-01 and Website
We at Red 5 Racing would like to welcome everyone to our new site as we prepare for the 2010 season ahead.
There is a lot of work to get through between now and March, but our team of Designers, Technicians, Factory Staff and Drivers are all working flat out to ensure that the R5R-01 is ready for the first race of the season.
We hope you like our new website and we look forward to sharing the coming seasons drama with you, be it good or bad.
Be sure to check out all the features on our new website, including exclusive photos, content and news relating to Red 5 Racing and the racing series we are involved in.
If you would like to contact Red 5 Racing then check out our "Contact Us" section where you can send the team messages and wish us luck for the coming season.
Be sure to join our fan-page on Facebook by going to Facebook and enter the below information and click "Join Group".
Facebook Groups: Red5Racing
Page 3 Red 5 Racing is a culmination of a vision that began 18 years ago, way back in 1992. Hooked on the exploits of Nigel Mansells all conquering performances in his World Championship winning Williams, a young lad named Wayne Mullins from the valleys of South Wales hoped to one day follow in his footsteps and take to the track in the pursuit of glory.
Acquiring a copy of the seminal simulator Geoff Crammonds Microprose Formula 1 Grand Prix, Wayne spent countless hours learning how to drive and setup a Formula 1 car, along with memorising every turn and bump of the tracks on the F1 calendar. At first the simulation was used on an Atari ST, before software and hardware upgrades allowed Wayne to practice on better computers with better controllers, ultimately leading him to race on a PC with steering wheel/pedals in the mid 90s.
Acquiring skills and knowledge while using the simulation wasnt the only thing Wayne picked up. He began nearly 20 years of hotly contested competition with both his brother Stephen Mullins and his friend Gavin Thomas. Both drivers had computer systems of their own and were just as passionate and driven to succeed and beat the competition as Wayne was.
During the 90s many classic battles took place between these drivers (occasionally joined by Ryan Parry), including Wayne and Stephen battling it out in the legendary battle of the Monaco fastest lap, the closest ever finish in a recorded race (also at Monaco) between Wayne and Gavin (0.005 seconds to Wayne), Stephens famous World Champions win over Wayne (largely due to Ryan crashing into Wayne on numerous occasions) and of course the infamous dark day for motor-sport, the Watkins Glen confrontation.
Moving onto the Rfactor series in 2004, it allowed for more detailed and modern approach to racing, however it also removed many aspects of competition between the old enemies. Racing intermittently for the next few years, it was not until the rise of online league racing that Wayne would decide the time was right to re-enter the world of sim-racing. Joining and then later buying out the struggling Gear Superleague outfit, Wayne saw this as the perfect opportunity to re-brand the team and launch it anew in the guise of the reason why he became interested in motor sport in the first place, and so Red 5 Racing was born.
Bringing his old advisory and friend out of retirement with him, Wayne has once again teamed up with Gavin Thomas to reform one of the most successful partnerships in motor sport history. The launch of the R5R-01 has seen the dreams of those 2 young boys from 1992 finally come true.
Only time will tell if they can achieve the success they crave in the 2010 season. But it wont be for lack of trying on their part.
