NATHAN TAKES 3rd AT WHAT WAS SURELY THE BEST FF1600 MEETING FOR MANY YEARS – 07/11/05

NewNet sponsored Nathan Freke was the star of the Walter Hayes Trophy Meeting recently held at Briatin's premier motor racing circuit Silverstone.

With over 150 entrants, the biggest Formula Ford 1600 meeting in the UK for years was held over 3 days in a knockout format on the Silverstone National Circuit.

After his recent woes at the Brands Festival, Nathan was looking forward to a better weekend, unfortunately it started badly after the engine was dropped by the carrier upon return from its rebuild – however after a check over it was installed and run in, ready for the meeting. Friday testing did not go particularly well with minor niggles restricting Nathan to only 20 laps, and a bit of the pace off the front runners. Qualifying on Saturday was in dry bright conditions and Nathan was in the strongest of the 5 sessions, eventually ending up 4th for the heat. Changes were made to the NewNet / Century / Jamun racecar for the afternoon heat to try and gain the lacking straight line speed. A good result in the heat was imperative to gain a premium grid slot for the Sunday semi final, in dry conditions the lights go out and Nathan is slow away and in 6th place by the end of the first lap. As the leading 4 draw away, Nathan becomes embroiled in the battle for 5th place, which he finally wins on the last lap to earn overall grid position 11 for the semi final on Sunday.

Sunday arrives complete with lashing rain and howling winds, a big leveller, and with Nathan’s ability in the rain, assuming he can avoid any other cars in the atrocious conditions, hopes were high for a good result. As the rain continued to fall the organisers started to cancel races as cars started to aquaplane off the circuit on the parade laps. Finally the gloom begins to lift and the 1st semi final is called to the track, but with standing water all over the track, the potential for an accident is high. The lights go out and Nathan gets away well and is in 7th place by the end of lap 1, but with terrible spray it is very difficult to judge overtaking manoeuvres and avoid slower cars struggling with the wet conditions. However using all of his experience he eventually makes his way up to 4th place and is closing in on 3rd when a major accident brings out the red flag to stop the race and the result is taken from a lap earlier when Nathan was 5th. Commented Nathan afterwards ‘ it was almost impossible to see anything, the first time you knew there was a car in front of you was just before you were about to hit it, the standing water made the car aquaplane in a straight line as soon as the brakes were applied, it was one of the most difficult races I have driven in, even more frustrating was being put back to 5th after the stoppage’. Nathan would now start on grid position 10 for the Grand Final, and to have any chance of a podium a good start was essential.

By now the rain had eased and the standing water had dispersed, as the cars came out for the race. After 2 sighting laps the cars took position on the grid and the race got under way. Nathan made a superb start and was up to 5th place, only to be forced onto the grass by a spinning car directly in front of him, dropping him back to 7th by the end of the first lap. Driving with outstanding skill and constantly lapping faster than any other driver in the race he proceeded to pick off the other competitors up to 3rd, which just left the top 3 FF1600 racers in Britain in front of him. The leader was too far away to catch, as was the 2nd place man, but over the next 3 laps Nathan had a ding dong battle with the recent Festival Winner until he pulled off the move of the race to take 3rd place on the last lap and a place on the podium, undoubtedly his best FF1600 result ever, and the fastest lap of the race to go with it.

To finish 3rd in a field of 150 drivers of absolute top quality confirms Nathan as one of the best racing drivers in the UK and NewNet looks forward to continuing their Nathan's support for Nathan in 2006.

The Walter Hayes Trophy Meeting will be televised on Sky on the 16th November 22.00 Sky Sports 2, 23.00 on Sky Sports 3, and repeated on 17th November 10.00 Sky Sport 3 and 14.30 Sky Sports 2.

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NATHAN TAKES 2nd PLACE AND BEST DRIVER AWARD – 08/10/05

NewNet sponsored, Nathan Freke had his best result of 2005 at the end of season Formula Ford Carnival at Castle Combe on Saturday 8th October.
Driving the Newnet sponsored Century Motorsport Jamun T25 race car in qualifying, Nathan was beset with mechanical problems and could only manage the 7th best time nearly 2 seconds off the pole time in a session shortened to 5 minutes after a red flag incident.

Team NewNet engineers raced against time to change the carburettor, plug the oil leak and change the starter motor in time for the first heat. With the repairs completed, Nathan took his place in grid position 7 and knew that a good start was vital, as was the need to avoid any first corner incidents, the lights go out and Nathan holds his place ending first lap in 7th place, but closing in on the car in front. Quickly disposing of the 6th place car he then chases down and catches the 5th place car on lap 4 and overtakes the other driver with a clever manoeuvre. A battle then ensues between Nathan and the 4th placed driver and the car now in 6th place behind him, but despite pressure from behind and a last corner move to take 4th he ends the heat in 5th and a guaranteed place in grid 10 in the final.

During the last chance race for the drivers who did not make the final by right, the heavens opened, and heavy rain made the rest of the meeting very wet. Providing that there were no incidents in the first lap of the final the NewNet team knew that the conditions would play into Nathan's hands as the wet shows up driving skills and levels the playing field in terms of engine power. The only small drawback was that Nathan had only driven this car for 20 laps in the wet, on a practice day.

With the weather becoming gloomier by the minute the drivers for this prestigious race took their positions and with 9 cars in front it would be difficult to see, let alone overtake. Nathan using all of his kart racing experience and knowledge knew that if he could get over onto the non racing lines where there was no rubber he would be able to brake later and gain more grip than driving on the normal racing line. From the start he immediately moved onto the grippier part of the track and overtook 3 cars before the first corner and another on the exit. Driving with all his available skill he then moved into 5th at the end of the first lap, and driving different lines to most of the other racers chased down and passed the next 3 cars over the ensuing 4 laps, including taking 2nd place by driving round the outside on the fastest point on the track. By now the leader who started the race on pole had a substantial lead and was circulating almost as quickly as Nathan, so with little chance of eating into the gap he settled into putting as much distance as possible between himself and any chasing cars. By now the leading cars were lapping back markers and having to pay attention to yellow flags and by the end of the race Nathan had cut the leaders gap in half, but 2nd place in this, the biggest FF1600 meeting of the year so far was an excellent result being beaten only by the far more experienced driver.

In addition to his second place he also won the Motorsport News 'Best Driver' award at the evening presentation.

Nathan is now preparing for the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone, where he will be hoping to go one better.

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NATHAN FREKE DOUBLE PODIUM FINISH – 21/08/05

This was the first time that Castle Combe star Nathan Freke (Newnet/Century Motorsport Jamun T25) had attacked Brands since his Superkart days, but he was instantly at home and in the top five mix throughout qualifying. He eventually settled in fourth place on the grid for the start of both race 1 and 2.

In race 1 and pulling off in fourth place Freke was first to make a move, and sneaked inside 3rd position Dave Collier at Clearways, he stayed wheel to wheel with the Irishman on the run past the pits, and then took possession of third place at Paddock Hill Bend. Wanting more Nathan began climbing all over the back of 2nd position Nick Lay. Finally, he successfully reprised his earlier move and got alongside Nick at Clearways. As the pair charged across the line side by side, the closely following Dave Collier tucked in right behind Freke, eager to benefit from Lay being held out wide at Paddock. Nick tried to squeeze Freke a little (but not excessively) under braking, but the Jamun drew clearly ahead and took 2nd place with Collier following through.
Collier piled the pressure on Freke in the second half of the race and eventually snatched second by feigning an outside line move at Paddock and then diving to the inside for Druids as Freke tried to defend. There was never quite enough space for Freke to re-pass and so an impressive debut at Brands saw Nathan take third.

In race 2 the podium battle saw Nathan take the inside line of Nick Lay to claim 3rd.
Unfortunately the two second gap between Nathan and 2nd place Morgan Dempsey meant that Freke’s third place was a relatively lonely and uneventful one, but it was still another podium in his first Brands meeting. On this sort of form, Nathan could spring some surprises in the end of season trophy races.

In summary Nathan Freke finished third overall in the double MotorSport Vision FF1600 race at Brands Hatch on 21st August and took first place in his class for both races.

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NEWNET EMERGES AS A GENUINE CONTENDER FOR RACE WINS - 30/5/2005

Nathan Freke (Newnet/Century Motorsport Jamun T25) started 9th on the grid. An engine rebuild had led to a much improved performance in pre-race testing but the effect of new tyres in practice cancelled this out.

With 33 entries, 30th May became the biggest Combe entry of the year to date and Nathan Freke was enjoying his most competitive run yet. Nathan moved straight up into fourth place by the first right-hander but his jump start caught the attention of the judges and he was quickly admonished via a 10s penalty.

Team NewNet protested against Nathan's 10s penalty but the appeal proved unsuccessful and Freke was classified seventh, instead of the fine third place he got on the road. But at least Nathan had found his pace again - "we put the old tyres back on the car and that was it, the car was quicker immediately" - 30th May has seen Nathan emerge as a genuine contender for race wins.

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FREKE WAS ON COURSE FOR A PODIUM AFTER TAKING HIS BEST GRID POSITION YET – 26/06/05

Qualifying for round six of the Combe FF1600 series was a real thriller on the timing screen.

With a superb effort from Nathan Freke (Newnet/Century Motorsport Jamun T25), he finally had the chance to show his true potential in the qualifying session, achieving fourth position on the starting grid.

Widely tipped as a dark horse for victory before the weekend, Freke was in a great position to secure his first overall podium at least.

Nathan Freke’s plan for the race was beautifully simple: hold position and challenge for the lead.

All 31 drivers deserve praise for making it around the first lap intact, for the preceding VW Cup race had been (like almost everything else on the programme) a very bruising affair. Huge patches of cement dust and leftover oil coated the track at Quarry and Tower, and as the FFord field poured through the corners everyone from Freke back appeared to vanish in a vast cloud of white dust. Adhesion was as lacking as visibility, yet the whole grid made it around the first lap without a hitch.

Nathan Freke may well have given the leading three some grief, but unfortunately the Newnet Jamun pulled into the pits and retired with a puncture after brushing wheels with another car early on.  Having qualified so impressively, Nathan deserved a chance to fight for a podium, and perhaps a victory, unfortunately he will have to wait until August 29th to do so.

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NEWNET EMERGES AS A GENUINE CONTENDER FOR RACE WINS - 30/5/2005

Nathan Freke (Newnet/Century Motorsport Jamun T25) started 9th on the grid. An engine rebuild had led to a much improved performance in pre-race testing but the effect of new tyres in practice cancelled this out.

With 33 entries, 30th May became the biggest Combe entry of the year to date and Nathan Freke was enjoying his most competitive run yet. Nathan moved straight up into fourth place by the first right-hander but his jump start caught the attention of the judges and he was quickly admonished via a 10s penalty.

Team NewNet protested against Nathan's 10s penalty but the appeal proved unsuccessful and Freke was classified seventh, instead of the fine third place he got on the road. But at least Nathan had found his pace again - "we put the old tyres back on the car and that was it, the car was quicker immediately" - 30th May has seen Nathan emerge as a genuine contender for race wins.

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NATHAN WINS HIS CLASS AT CASTLE COMBE - 2/5/2005

Monday 2nd May saw Nathan Freke claim his best Combe result yet, winning his class, and winning a tremendous battle for fifth place.

Nathan Freke switched cars and classes for his third race, and immediately made strides up the order.

The newnet.co.uk backed driver has switched to a 2001 model Jamun T25 from the M89 that he has campaigned on and off over the past few seasons - and he won Class A and took fifth overall first time out.

"We had a problem with the engine on Thursday - within four laps it was spewing oil - so we've only had 20 laps in the new car," Nathan said. The engine from the old car was switched into the newer chassis, and Freke reckoned that gave him a good benchmark.

"The new car just handles so much better than the other one, and also with it being the same engine the 20 kilos lighter that it is made such a difference. It is just so much nicer to drive and it has boosted my confidence right up." - Interview taken from ff1600 website.

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NATHAN NAMED KART DRIVER OF THE YEAR - 11/4/2005

Kidderminster Racing Driver has just picked up yet another major award. In the inaugural Karting Year Book 2005 Nathan has been named as Kart Driver of the Year. The new publication contains details of all the major karting moments and championship details of 2004.

Nathan received the title in response to his performances in 2004, which included the European Championship race win at Donington Park together with his ability to transfer his performance between 3 other classes of kart and 2 classes of car racing.

The editorial compares Nathan's talents with that of the ledgendary John Surtees who also demonstrated the adaptability to move successfully between different classes of motorsport at the top level. 'Nathan commented that it was an immense honour to be named Driver of the Year against the high level of competition in the UK, I look forward to continuing the success in 2005.'

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NATHAN, TOMMY, AND AJ ALLMENDINGER - 13/1/2005
Nathan Freke partners ex F3 star and American Champ Car star to victory in the Autosport Charity Race.

Despite being ignored by the organisers for the Autosport Charity race, karting star Nathan Freke was invited at the last minute to race with ex F3 Swedish star Tommy Johanson, and American Champ car AJ Allmendinger, the first American winner of the Autosport `Rookie of the Year` award. The trio proved to be the dream team resulting in a resounding win for the team. In a robust race all three drivers stood out and ran out winners by 3 laps over the 1 hour endurance. This high profile race gave Nathan the winning start to the year he needed and will at some stage be meeting up with AJ in the USA as he considers a move into oval racing in 2006.


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GRAVEL TRAPS NATHAN AT WALTER HAYES TROPHY - 10/11/2004
Walter Hayes Trophy FF1600 meeting

Kidderminster Kart Racing star Nathan Freke was in action last weekend at Silverstone at the Walter Hayes Trophy Meeting, named to commemorate the man who invented Formula Ford. Nathan was campaigning the Century Motorsport Jamun M89 car, which was resplendent in Nathan`s new sponsors, Newnet PLC`s, colour scheme. The meeting last year attracted 45 cars and this year there were over 90 competitors. The meeting was divided up into 4 heats, last chance race, semi finals, and final. This years entry included all of the top FF1600 drivers, some drivers from the more powerful Formula Ford Zetec cars, and 2 current Formula 3 drivers, all of whom race cars regularly. This would be Nathan`s first outing since the same meeting last year in a single seater.

Timed qualifying saw Nathan 8th quickest in his heat of 24 drivers, a good result since it became obvious that the newer cars were far quicker that the older cars. After being baulked at the start of his heat, Nathan was soon back up to 8th and remained there safely until the flag, booking his birth in the first semi final. To try and improve his chances of making the final, changes were made to the suspension and gearbox on the car to increase stability in the corners and gain more drive out of the corners.

Sunday morning and starting on grid 16 for the first semi final in the rain it was important to get a good start as only the top 17 would make the final. The lights go green and a good start by Nathan up to 13th, and by the end of the second lap he is 11th and dicing for 10th. Then disaster the car does not appear the next time round, whilst trying to overtake a the 10th place man into Brooklands corner, the rear of the car looses grip and Nathan spins into the gravel trap, not normally a problem, but there was already a car off the track and the resulting collision meant no further participation in the meeting.


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MAJOR SPONSORHIP DEAL FOR 2005 - 9/11/2004
UK’s FASTEST ISP, NEWNET plc RAISES ITS PROFILE WITH RACING CAR DRIVER SPONSORSHIP

NewNet plc, the UK`s fastest ISP, has signed a deal to sponsor twenty-one year old racing driver Nathan Freke of Kidderminster, one of the UK’s most promising up and coming young motor racing stars. This year Nathan was third in the European Superkart Championships, having won the British round of the championship at Donnington Park, and having the distinction of achieving a seeding number in every class in Karting. As if this wasn’t enough, Nathan also competed in the TVR Tuscan challenge championship in the UK.

The 2003 racing season saw Nathan win the 125 Superkart British Championship with an impressive 4 meeting wins and two second places in the other rounds, to take the title. Nathan also won the 125 Superkart British Open Championship crown as well. Whilst in 2003 he set the record by being the youngest driver to compete in the European Division 2 – 250cc Superkart championship Nathan is not resting on his laurels with his sights set on a more ambitious career as a professional motor racing driver. Last year, in the Formula Ford 1600 British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) Walter Hayes Trophy meeting, Nathan was placed 8th out of 45 drivers in the final - his first major single seater car race. On his way to the final he won the last chance race and was a class winner in the semi-final.

“Nathan Freke is a young driver with a promising racing career ahead of him. Lack of funding and sponsorship has meant that his car has not been as quick and competitive in 2004 as he needs it to be,” said NewNet MD Peter Coates-Buglear. “He failed to finish in this year’s semi final of the British Racing Drivers Club Walter Hayes Trophy meeting when he spun out into the gravel trap through trying too hard to keep up with the leaders. The NewNet sponsorship deal my company has signed for 2005 will enable local boy Nathan to obtain a newer more competitive car for 2005. I am certain that we can expect great things from him as a new car will allow him to show us just what he really can accomplish with a competitive car.”

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