Led by Christian Horner, the team has overcome reliability and occasional relationship issues to again underline the fact that the British motorsport industry continues to deliver at the highest levels. And in these economically-fragile times, it is heartening to see well publicised examples of how the sector leads the world, both in terms of innovation, technological endeavour and dogged determination.

Across the UK, motorsport organisations continue to deliver, away from the spotlight that the Red Bull team has been under since the success of Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Component suppliers, race teams, logistics firms and professional services organisations – all contribute to a great wealth of technical capability, initiative and creativity. Indeed, we should not forget that the industry employs up to 50,000 people in the UK and is an extremely significant contributor to our Gross National Product (GNP) figures.

Here at Leafield, we’ve also had an extremely successful 2010, notching up over 80,000 kilometres with our fleet of V12 Superleague engines. But we will not rest on our laurels – we continue to look to the future, offering world-leading machining and manufacturing capabilities, as well as delivering total engine programmes, from design to track, or production line!

So, well done to everyone at Milton Keynes. However, we should also salute a complete industry and supply chain that we should all, briefly, be rightly proud of…

Ends.

Rigon had finished second in the first race and was therefore at the back of the pack for the second encounter. In his push up through the field, he was forced off the track at turn one and ended up with a stalled engine. At this point, it would be fair to say that most drivers would have detached the steering wheel, climbed out and gone in search of the nearest bar. But not Signor Rigon from Thiene….

Rolling backwards, with a stalled V12 engine and a gearbox in auto shift mode, he had the presence of mind to select the manual gearbox mode, shift down through the gearbox to select reverse, and then bump start the engine. And with just enough momentum and backwards speed, the MCT engine fired into life. From this moment, he recovered to finish 11^th and score vital championship points.

If one looks at the data, with the left hand numbers being seconds elapsed, the sequence of events is not only complex but extraordinary in terms of the sheer speed of thought needed. Indeed, in just over eight seconds, Rigon turns his day  - and his championship assault – around. So, for those number crunchers amongst you, here’s the sequence of events, as translated by our data guru Glenn Barber:

0.0                   Collision with Beijing car – driver lifts off the throttle and starts to brake

0.5                   Driver brakes heavily – engine stalls

1.385               Zero road speed displayed, wheels are locked

1.925               Brakes released – car is now rolling backwards

2.050              Wheel speed displays 39 kph backwards – the system cannot differentiate between  forwards and reverse

2.925               Steering lock applied – wheel speed displays 24 kph (backwards)

3.615               Clutch depressed, engine speed = zero, wheel speed displays 20 kph (backwards)

4.105               Full steering lock applied

5.305               Steering lock reduced – wheel speed displays 16 kph (backwards)

6.245               Manual gearbox mode selected (auto mode will not shift whilst the engine is  not running and will not select reverse in any event) – wheel  speed displays 15 kph (backwards)

6.415               2^nd gear selected – wheel speed displays 14 kph (backwards)

6.875               1^st gear selected – wheel speed displays 14 kph (backwards)

7.165               Neutral selected – wheel speed displays 13 kph (backwards)

7.535               Reverse selected – wheel speed displays 12 kph (backwards)

8.03                 Throttle applied – wheel speed displays 11 kph (backwards)

8.07                 Clutch released, engine rotates – wheel speed displays 11 kph (backwards)

8.235               Engine fires, 683 rpm – wheel speed displays 9 kph (backwards)

8.360               Engine starts to run, 1228 rpm – wheel speed displays 8 kph (backwards)

8.710               Engine speed rises to 7872 rpm – the chase begins…

Following his eleventh place in the second race, Rigon went on to claim fourth spot in the Superfinal, bringing home the championship for Anderlecht – and the not so small matter of a cheque for a million euros.

Rigon noted: “I’m thrilled. It’s been a tough season but with the help of everyone at Azerti and with the support of Anderlecht, we have delivered – and a bit of quick thinking in race two certainly helped to bring the championship home. Big thanks to Superleague and MCT for a great season.”

Superleague, with the support of MCT, has had a fabulous season and we’re proud to have been involved in such fantastic racing. In addition, the series is also unearthing some extremely strong talent and none more so than Davide Rigon. We’re extremely impressed and think he might just go far…

MCT, one of the world’s leading motorsport engine manufacturers and service providers, is celebrating this week, after coming to the end of a Superleague season that saw its V12 engines cover over 80,000 kilometres without any significant failures. That figure includes over 6,000 kilometres covered at the final round in Spain, at Navarra.

With trucks and personnel now back at base in Leafield, the Oxfordshire-based organisation’s statistics show that 17 different engines won the 24 point scoring races, showing great consistence across all of the V12 units. Davide Rigon and the RSC Anderlecht / Azerti equipe walked away from last weekend with a cheque for one million euros, having beaten off the combined challenge of Craig Dolby and Tottenham Hotspur in a dramatic last act to the 2010 Superleague plot.

Kevin Lee, managing director of MCT, noted: “We’re thrilled by the season we’ve had. It’s been a long, hard calendar, with the first Superleague flyaway races having taken place in China. However, it’s been an exciting season for Superleague and we’re delighted to have played a role in making that happen.”

He continued:” I have been in motorsport since the late seventies and the Superleague series has offered up some of the most closely fought racing I’ve seen. In addition, the championship has showcased some cracking talent, including the likes of Davide Rigon, Chris van der Drift and Craig Dolby.”

“We are delighted to have played our part in a series that has delivered equality of performance to drivers, throughout the season. Engines are not signed off from our dynamometer unless they meet the extremely strict criteria from a parity of performance perspective and it is that attention to detail that has enabled such a wide field of teams and drivers to claim the top step of the podium.”

Robin Webb, competition manager at Superleague Formula, noted: “It’s been a wonderful Superleague season – and MCT has played an extremely significant role in the quality of the racing package. Next year looks set to be even more exciting and we look forward to building on our partnership with the MCT team at Leafield.”

Ends

It will fall to the Marco Martinez-piloted Sevilla car to bring further spoils of victory to Spain this weekend, when the Superleague circus decamps to Navarra. The circuit itself is new, having only been completed in June and initial reports from drivers who have managed to spend some time at the 2.44 mile, 15 turn track, have been extremely favourable.

As well as Spanish pride, the bigger picture of the championship is also at stake. Indeed, five drivers – Davide Rigon (RSC Anderlecht), Max Wissel (FC Basel), Craig Dolby (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben Hanley (Olympiacos) and Yelmer Buurman (AC Milan) – go into the last round with a chance of taking the title. With such a plethora of talent dreaming of glory, this weekend’s action will be unmissable for those with a motorsport passion for close racing and overtaking.

The race comes shortly after the series’ return from its dual Chinese races at Ordos and Beijing and it’s been a quick turnaround for those MCT boys who ventured East. A totally different culture awaits on the plains of Spain, but the challenge will be as exacting as ever for our guys. The MCT team will arrive on Thursday, but the truck has already departed by ferry and will be at Santander tomorrow (Wednesday), ready for the road trip across to Navarra.

With the MCT V12 engines providing the backbone of the series, the Leafield team will be working flat out, as usual this weekend, to make sure that every driver has an equal shot at the goal, from a power perspective.

Ends.

Victory in the second race went to Alvaro Parente in the FC Porto car after the red flag was brought out to bring the race to a premature finish due to the deteriorating weather conditions. It marked a chaotic finish for the Superleague Formula’s first journey outside of Europe but one that has opened the eyes of those involved with the championship to the growth of motor sport in China.

The MCT team was pleasantly surprised by the passion for the sport shown by all who we met in China. Our Chinese hosts really embraced the ethos of the Superleague series and provided two very different venues to showcase the series to the 65,000 fans that came out to watch the events. We look forward to hopefully returning in 2011.

From an MCT perspective, the event in Beijing went well, with the engines clocking up further track time without major incident, taking the combined season total to over 75,000 kilometres. Our focus now turns to the final round of the year at the Circuito de Navarra in Spain and the battle for championship honours.

The final round of the season is set to play host to the four-way battle for the title with RSC Anderlecht (Davide Rigon), FC Basel (Max Wissel), Tottenham Hotspur (Craig Dolby) and Olympiacos (Ben Hanley) all still in the shout for the championship. It is a testament to the Superleague Formula format that the title battle has remained so close all season and no one team or driver has run away with the championship.

MCT has worked hard all season to maintain the parity of all of the engines to ensure a close and fair battle for the title, and the current championship points reflect this effort. The MCT team looks forward with  anticipation for the final showdown in Spain to find out who will be crowned the 2010 Superleague Formula champion.

The MCT team arrived at the Beijing venue on Wednesday and has been busy preparing engines for the weekend. Due to a lower atmospheric pressure at Ordos, the MCT engineers remapped all the engines, but they are now back to normal – and many have commented that they are all sounding even sweeter than usual! In addition, the Ordos experience had been a very dusty one, so all intakes have received an extremely comprehensive clean-up, as well as new air filters all round. With preparations all done, 19 cars will head out to practice tomorrow.

The MCT pool of engines has had an extremely busy season, having now covered in excess of 70,000 kilometres. Perhaps more importantly, 17 different engines have won the 27 races, which paints a vivid picture of the performance parity that exists across the Superleague engines, as well as being a testament to the skills of the MCT team.

There are a couple of changes on the driver front, with former Superleague winner Paul Meijer taking over the reins of the Atletico Madrid car, after Bruno Mendez injured his thumb at Ordos. Elsewhere, Portugese prodigy Alvaro Parente returns to the FC Porto car, with Earl Bamber moving across to the PSV Eindhoven team. And with two forty minute races and the usual Super Final, a huge challenge awaits all the drivers on the streets of Beijing for this non championship encounter.

Not too much more is known about the track, but we do understand that it hosted a round of the China Touring Car Championship earlier this year – and has been funded in part by central and regional government, so we’re expecting a high standard of venue. Indeed, everyone back at Leafield will be extremely interested to hear more about the circuit, its surroundings – and the cultural mix of Mongolia and Western European race teams!

Down the pit lane, Adrian Valles returns to the series, having signed for the Sporting Lisbon equipe to drive for them in the final races of the season. The car will be tended by De Villota Motorsport and the combination should see the team challenging for podiums over the course of the weekend, following Valles’ championship success in 2009 with Liverpool.

Elsewhere, Ben Hanley rejoins the fray, taking the Olympiacos reins again, while Chris van der Drift is sitting on the sidelines. Mancunian hotshot Hanley also stood in for van der Drift at Adria, where he netted the Olympiacos team a couple of third places, so expect more from the ex-karting ace. From China, the Superleague series will head to Navarra for the final round on the 24^th October, bringing to a conclusion an extremely successful season for the championship.

Steve Farrell, technical director of Superleague Formula, said: “It is great for us to have technical partners of the calibre of MCT. To see so many different winners is testament to the levels of parity across the engine supply, and is one of the key reasons behind the extremely competitive racing that we are able to deliver to the spectator.”

Kevin Lee, managing director of MCT, is delighted with the figures and noted: “It’s fabulous to see so many different winners over the course of the first eight events of the 2010 season.

“Reliability and equality of performance, along with a distinctive engine note, were the pre-requisites of our agreement with Superleague, and we believe we are more than delivering on all of these. The series continues to go from strength to strength and it is a privilege to be a part of its continued growth.”

Following the Adria weekend, Craig Dolby and the Tottenham Hotspur team have regained the lead of the championship, following a runner-up spot in the second race of the weekend. Meanwhile, Dutchman Yelmer Buurman moves back to second, while Super Final victor, Davide Rigon, climbs up to third place in the standings. 18^th and 19^th September sees the next round of the championship at Portimao, where local hero Alvaro Parente, driving for FC Porto, will be hoping for a home win.

With the heady mixture of football and motor racing on offer, the Italian ‘tifosi’ will be out in force to see one of the most entertaining single-seater series in the world take on the 1.7 mile twists and turns of the Venetian circuit – and to listen to the majestic sound of the MCT V12! Italian fans will be able to cheer on AC Milan’s Yelamr Buurman, who now leads the points standings, albeit by a slender two point advantage.

Right behind him is Britain’s Craig Dolby, currently sitting in second place for White Hart Lane’s very own Tottenham Hotspur. Both he and ADR team mate John Martin will be hoping to take the fight to Buurman this weekend, fresh from the summer break.

Unfortunately, Chris van der Drift is not quite well enough to return to the cockpit following his enormous accident at Brands Hatch last month. However, his Olympiacos seat will be filled by up and coming Brit, Ben Hanley, a previous front runner in the Formula Renault 3.5 series, following a spectacularly successful karting career.

Adria is the first stop on a massive two month global tour for the MCT support team. From Europe the series heads to China, where MCT’s team of engineers will be on hand to keep the fleet of V12 engines on top form.

MCT personnel were there in force to keep a watching brief on the championship’s V12 engines and it was another good weekend for us, with very few issues over the three days. We were also able to welcome Rob from Motorsport News on the Friday, in order to give him an insight into our role with Superleague.

However, the upbeat mood of the paddock was put on hold on Sunday due to the extremely violent accident that befell Chris van der Drift of Olympiacos. Van der Drift had been challenging for fifth place in the second race at the time and was taken to Dartford Hospital after the accident, where he was treated for a broken ankle and injured shoulder.

Despite the severity of the accident, the chassis stood up well to the force of the impact and it is a testament to the safety features of the car that van der Drift will hopefully be back in a racing car soon. Everyone at MCT passes on their best wishes to Chris for a speedy recovery and return to the Superleague paddock.