BKR Racing heads to the Clio Cup

Bubble & Kick Racing are team that historically could not be missed in the paddock, their distinctive black and yellow logo has graced a multitude of grids over the years including Britcar, Lotus Cup, Fiesta Championship, Compact cup, TrackDay and Team Trophy. 2015 however sees a new challenge for the Basildon team as they join the Clio Cup paddock hungry for success. The old colour scheme has gone for this years racer, replaced by a new BKR design…Paddock42 caught up with Nico Ferrari and the BKR team to find out how it all started.

P42: Big season ahead of you this year but how did you guys first get started in motorsport?

BKR:

Our Motorsport journey started with our grandfather, Jim Templeton. Jim ran race cars of all descriptions very successfully for many years, his wife Anne Templeton even had a spell in the BTCC in a 306. Spending weekends away from School at race circuits with Jim and his team is undoubtedly how we caught the bug! Eventually my brother and I saved up enough money to buy a Porsche 924 and enter into what was then Lodge Sports PDA Championship, that’s when things got serious!

P42: Those 924’s always put on a show – door handle to door handle stuff! We all know that racing can sometimes be a tough pastime but what have been the highs and lows so far?

BKR:

The highs are easy, I still reminisce back to the first two seasons my brother and I did in club motorsport, the 924 championship. When it was run by Ernie Cheetham, the comradery amongst the other drivers was unique and something I have yet to experience again. Every round was brutal and competitive, yet 30 mins after the chequered flag dropped and the dust had settled, everyone would shake hands and be mates again around a BBQ or in the paddock bar. This was real club racing at its finest and I’ll never forget those days nor the friends made during the process.

“Every round was brutal and competitive”

If I’m going to be honest, the lows have been the difficulty in balancing what is a hobby and passion for myself and my family into a successful business. A fine balance needs to be struck to allow you to enjoy the industry you spend your life devoted to! Sadly, during the 10 years we’ve now been running we’ve encountered some genuinely ghastly characters who set out to sabotage and bring despair whatever the consequences. I’ve been assured you find these ‘characters’ in every line of business by some extremely established businessmen in and out of motorsport. A thick skin and support from friends and family always overcomes these situations and we wont ever let it dampen our passion and success, if anything it gives us more determination and drive every single time!

P42: You have built a few, but what has been the favourite race car build to date?

BKR:

We’ve built dozens of race cars, some to incredibly high spec and some for more notable reasons. My favourite car is easily the Focus RS but my favourite build so far has been the Porsche 944 that we were given less than a 10 day deadline to complete. The car had to be race worthy, capable of passing scrutineering and even painted all for the purpose of David Coulthard to complete 2 laps of Brand Hatch GP circuit for a short BBC Television Programme. It meant we got to work alongside David who proved to be quite a character!

P42: There is a story there in its own right! 2015 season is fast approaching but how did last year shape up in the end? What were you running?

BKR:

Frustratingly 2014 was a quiet year in terms of race meetings, this was quite a contrast to 2013 where we attended over 30 meetings of different types! The Focus RS Endurance race car we built had a lengthy delay in the completion of a sequential gearbox upgrade. This meant it missed the entire season whilst the research and development of the gearbox was completed. It was our intentions to compete in Britcar and the Creventic 24hr races in 2014. Instead we focused on developing the RS to a higher spec and continued building our customers cars.

“We had 10 days to build a race Porsche 944 for David Coulthard…”

P42: We look forward to seeing the RS out at some point this year tackling some of the endurance meetings. So 2015, you head to the Clio Cup paddock, what made you choose this championship?

BKR:

Quite simply, we now feel we are ready and in a position to move to top flight motorsport and best yet be competitive.

You need to remember we are not a ‘fly by night’ team who have popped up backed by a huge company or investor. A decade of operating with great successes in club motorsport gives us the right and more importantly the knowledge needed to take on this prestigious championship. The team is genuinely honoured to take part in the Clio Cup and the lessons we have learnt from running race cars for now nearly 10 years are invaluable, money can’t buy the experience we have gained since 2005.

P42: Very true, experience is everything. Tell us about the Car?

The Clio was purchased in the winter from Mike Bushell, 2014 champion! We were thrilled to secure a deal to purchase the championship winning car. We’re well aware it’s no different from all the other Clio’s which come direct from the factory, it does have bragging rights though! Even better the car helped us secure an arrangement with Mike himself as our driver coach for 2015 and a technical advisor to the team! It arrived virtually ready to go, a bit of T-cut here and there to try to mask the battle scars from 2014, now in our colours and branding it looks superb!

P42: Ready to go is always a good start – how is the testing going? Challenges?

The car goes out for the first time with Mike this month (January). Once we have the ‘all clear’ from Mike that he’s happy with the car and its performing well we have a number of drivers keen to get in and test. The greatest challenge we’re up against is the strict rules and regs that we must adhere to. Being such a prestigious championship we have to be so careful not to break any rules. Everything from the fuel and type of oil we use is monitored meaning we have to think twice and check every time we go to do something. This will become easier as we become more used to the car, but right now we’re leaving nothing to chance!

P42: Tell us about the BKR team and the set up?

BKR:

Our team is unique in the sense that it’s a genuine family run team. My brother and I run the business with a third director I met whilst studying Motorsport Engineering at University. The other guys who work with us all share the same passion and desire to provide outstanding service to our drivers/customers and ultimately keep collecting silverware! The team operate from a workshop in Basildon, Essex which is equipped with some of the best machinery available. Day in, day out we’re building and developing race cars as well as high performance road cars. It’s our dedication and attention to detail that we feel sets us aside from any ‘competition’.

P42: We understand that drives are available in the Clio, anyone in line for the seat all season?

A few drivers are showing interest, the main factor being the budget. There are plenty who we’d love to have in the seat for the whole season, but as with anything in Motorsport, they need to find the budget!

There are plans to have a very exciting driver test the car late January. I can’t say who he is right now, but I can offer a Paddock42 exclusive once the time comes to announce! Watch this space…

P42: Let us know! Right, we are keen how much are you going to charge us?

As a guide line price we are telling drivers they need to find £85,000. This will cover them for virtually everything during the season, car rental, entry fees, insurance, tyres, brakes etc. The only thing this doesn’t cover is damage and being the Clio Cup, this is where it becomes hard to predict a price! Realistically, a driver needs around £125,000 as a safe budget to be competitive.

P42:

Thanks Nico we wish you guys all the luck and look forward to sharing your news this season!