Whether it’s joining police dog handlers on a busy shift or MPs in the Houses of Parliament, riding in the cab of a train or talking to Bomber Command veterans, our chosen careers have given us some wonderful insights over the years.

The Puretech Racing simulator in action

These days we’re more often or not a fixture behind a computer doing all those tasks you need to do to keep a company running, as well as looking after our clients and keeping our own websites up to speed.

Which makes the chances to get out with a notebook and pen all the more valuable.

So, when we were invited to drive down to Horley in Sussex for the launch of Puretech Racing’s new simulator centre, we only had to think about it for around 30 seconds before agreeing.

And 29 of them were spent wondering about the route.

We had a great day meeting the people behind the project, which aims to create a new fan-friendly sport allowing participants to race against each other, form teams and leagues, and generally get much more closely involved in motorsport than has hitherto been possible without a massive commitment of time and resources.

Also present were some of the racing drivers that use Puretech’s simulation technology to work on set-up, learn new tracks or hone specific skills. As well as chatting to them we tried the simulators for ourselves.

Although with considerably less effective results.

Give it time…

We covered the experience in some detail on our racing site Brits on Pole – you can find links to all our coverage here.

We hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as we enjoyed getting out of the office and reporting on it.

Duncan Tappy

Duncan is one of Britain’s most complete racing talents. Twice nominated for the country’s most prestigious racing prize, the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, he is a past winner of the Formula Ford Festival, the Formula Renault UK title and a former BRDC Rising Star and Superstar.

When he needed to update his website for the 2010 season, when he returns to Superleague Formula with the Brazilian club Flamengo and racing for a full season in the Auto GP series for DAMS, he worked with Onlineability to produce what we feel is one of our strongest designs to date.

The site is based on the WordPress platform which means it will be easy to update and upgrade and will perform well in search engines. And the content and design are managed separately which means that, when the time comes for a new look, it can be achieved with minimal disruption.

Duncan said: “In motorsport, image is everything, especially in regard to potential teams and sponsors. Drivers need a site that looks classy and professional and that is easy to keep updated.

“I’ve got a busy few months in front of me, with a full season racing in Auto GP plus appearances in Superleague Formula – so, most of all, I need it to work smoothly and be easy to access on the move. I’m confident it will do this.”

Onlineability director Andy Darley added: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Duncan. Not only does he have one of the best racing CVs around but he’s also a great ambassador for any company, with a mature and professional attitude. The benefits to us of partnering with him have been powerful.

The new site built for Duncan by Onlineability

“We were looking to create a site that was distinctive, contemporary and eye-catching, but also easy on the user, capable of providing all the information on Duncan’s career that fans, investors and the racing community could want in as accessible a way as possible. I am really pleased with the result we have achieved.

“Now, with Duncan embarking on his first full season of racing since his 2008 Superleague Formula season with Tottenham Hotspur, we want to make sure the site keeps working really hard for him in the future.”

• You can follow Duncan’s career as well as those of other exciting British motorsport talents by visiting our racing site BritsOnPole.com.

Onlineability is working with Sam Bird in 2010

Sam is one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in British motorsport, competing during 2010 in the GP2 series that supports Formula One.

Our brief on taking over management of Sam’s site on behalf of his management company CJ Motorsport was to provide an update to his existing design that reflected his needs for the 2010 season.

We did this with new photography and branding that recalls the livery of his new team, GP2 front-runners ART Grand Prix, as well as integrating a regular podcast feature.

The site, which also carries frequent image updates and reports of Sam’s race performances, should provide an essential resource for fans who want to keep up with his career.

Onlineability director Andy Darley said: “Sam’s site is one of the best designs for a racing driver out there and we are really delighted to be working on it with CJ Motorsport.

“The challenge of this project was to keep the elements that work so well already while making sure it still reflected the needs of Sam, his team, his sponsors and his fans.

“I’m pleased with what we’ve been able to do and hope that it will prove to be a must-visit destination for race fans this year.”

The Nurdler's new custom wordpress theme

We had several aims with this project. Firstly, we needed to reflect The Nurdler’s growing profile with a custom look that showcased our design skills better than its existing off-the-shelf look.

We also wanted to try our hand at a particular design style and reflect the fact that The Nurdler tries to be an authentic voice for cricket fans – that’s how we came up with design features like the scoresheet and pen.

We hope it will remind you a little bit of the pleasures of watching sport on a sunny summer day. And now The Nurdler is gearing up towards England’s next Ashes campaign (seems no time since the last one, does it?) we hope to have some equally good content for you too. Subscribe to The Nurdler’s RSS feed here.

Technically speaking, this is a custom WordPress theme – and it certainly proves that you can get a long way from the horizontal header image and white background that is associated with basic WordPress design.

We are always happy to create custom themes for clients so, if you are looking to commission expertise in this area, do get in touch and have a chat with us.

More than 50 female competitors, marshals, officials and volunteers gathered at Silverstone, home of British motor sport and the 2010 Santander Formula 1 British Grand Prix, to support the Motor Sports Association’s Women in Motorsport Group and to highlight women’s importance to motorsport.

Women in motorsport visit Silverstone for International Women's Day

According to the Motor Sports Association (MSA), the UK’s official governing body, motorsport is one of the few sporting activities in which men and women compete alongside each other on an equal footing.

Yet, as they make up only 8 per cent of registered licence holders, women are hugely under-represented among motorsport drivers.
 
There are nevertheless an estimated 50,000 women actively involved in British motorsport. Their roles include organising events, heading teams, running clubs and associations, timekeeping, marshalling and fulfilling a host of other support roles without which the sport itself could not continue.

As a director of Onlineability, Lisa is a supplier of web services to drivers and management companies, and a team sponsor through the company’s support of the YourRacingCar programme. She is also co-owner of the well-regarded Brits on Pole website, which reports on British drivers in open-wheel racing worldwide, and a supporter member of the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club (BWRDC).

Lisa at Silverstone

She said: “The most impressive thing about the day was the sheer range of women that attended. Racers in their 60s were lining up alongside teenagers. Every kind of car from karts to dragsters was represented.

“And it’s not only the women behind the wheel – it was inspiring to meet the marshals, officials and volunteers who keep the whole show on the road and give racing fans so many hours of enjoyment.

“I’m expecting the profile of women in motorsport to get dramatically higher over the next few years. Girls now take up karting before the age of ten, exactly as boys do, and are graduating in increasing numbers to junior open-wheel racing formulas – and many other kinds of racing.

“It should be an exciting time for motorsport and we are looking forward to reporting on these young women’s successful racing careers on Brits on Pole.”

Attending the event were Go Motorsport ambassador and ITV’s British Touring Car Championship presenter Louise Goodman, reigning Ginetta Junior Champion and 2009 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year long-list nominee Sarah Moore – the first female driver to win a major British motor racing championship – and Formula Renault UK competitor Alice Powell.

Goodman said: “It was a fabulous experience to come together with all these other women involved in the sport to show that motor sport is not just for the men. I really hope that this inspires more girls to consider the sport; one of them might just turn out to be the new Jenson Button!”

Sue Sanders, Chairman of the MSA Women in Motorsport Group, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the diverse range of roles that women undertake within the sport at all levels.

“We believe that motor sport is truly fair and equal but there is plenty of room for more women. We hope that this gathering will celebrate those already involved and stimulate others that may be interested in getting started.”

MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton said: “Motor sport still tends to be seen as a male-dominated activity, so we need to create female role models to inspire the next generation.

“We are seeing a substantial increase in female participation among the junior ranks, especially with the Let’s Go Karting initiative that gives young people a first experience of karting for just £5. Similarly, the Go Motorsport message that we are taking to schools across the county is aimed equally at girls and boys.”

• For more information on getting involved in motorsport, as a competitor, volunteer or spectator, visit the Go Motorsport website.

Sam Bird at Sakhir Circuit, Bahrain. Credit: Bridgestone

Onlineability, the Hertfordshire-based communications agency that powers the highly-regarded Brits on Pole motorsport site, will be working in 2010 to keep Sam’s website updated as he takes to tracks around Europe as part of the prestigious GP2 series. Visit the website here.

Sam’s early career saw him race in a number of well-regarded junior open-wheel series including Formula Renault UK and British F3 International with top team Carlin, as well as qualifying on the front row for the Macau Grand Prix, Formula Three’s all-star race.

In 2008-09 he graduated to Formula 3 Euro Series as well as testing with the Williams F1 team. He is now driving for reigning GP2 Series champions ART Grand Prix alongside Jules Bianchi, recently signed to Ferrari’s driver development programme.

One of a clutch of young Brits driving in GP2 after a spell during which little home-grown talent featured in the series, he is currently a bright prospect to follow drivers like Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Timo Glock and Nico Hulkenberg into Formula One.

The GP2 series was set up in 2005 to provide an affordable training ground for talented young drivers wanting to make a career in Formula One. So far four of its five champions and numerous runners-up have made the step up.

The series races at all the European grands prix giving its drivers a chance to show off their abilities in front of the sport’s movers and shakers on classic tracks such as Monaco, Silverstone, the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps.

Onlineability director Andy Darley said: “After two years of writing about motorsport and the careers of British drivers at BritsOnPole.com, it’s a trememdous thrill to be able to announce this partnership with Sam Bird.

“Talent is only half the battle for young drivers. To be able to market themselves to fans and potential sponsors is crucial, and this is where having an engaging and up-to-date website comes in.

“Sam already has one of the best-looking websites on the grid. Our aim, now we are responsible for its maintenance, is to ensure it’s similiarly on pole position for quality of content, speed of updating and ease of use.”

• For more information about how we can help you make the most of your web presence, contact us.

Brits on Pole reports mostly on the fortunes of British drivers competing in open-wheel racing around the globe. When we heard the YRC story we knew it was one we wanted to cover even though the team races touring cars and is therefore a little off our usual beat.

We were impressed by the story of team principal Hannah James, who decided just over a year ago to try funding a racing team through fan power. This means that, rather than relying on the fickle marketing budget of a large company, she sought many small contributions from fans instead.

Read Brits on Pole’s full interview with Hannah here, and our YRC news story here.

Hannah also runs sponsorship plans for small and medium-to-larger businesses that include a concrete return on their investment with services like networking and hospitality.

As a result the team was able to field an entry in the 2009 Ginetta G50 Cup, a support race to the ever-popular British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Driver Fulvio Mussi came fourth overall. In 2010 Fulvio and YRC will be tackling Renault’s Clio Cup, again as a support race for the BTCC.

Onlineability director Lisa Hutchins said: “Having interviewed Hannah, and been impressed with her creativity and professionalism, we realised that YRC would be the ideal way for Brits on Pole and Onlineability to take their first steps in motorsport sponsorship.

“We believe this is an incredibly worthwhile thing to do because of the importance of performance engineering to the British economy and because innovations developed for the racetrack so often mean your road car is both safer and greener.

“Hannah makes it easy for small businesses like ours and, as supporters of YRC’s Rockingham round to be held at the Northamptonshire racetrack on April 24-25, we’re very much looking forward to going along, meeting the team and enjoying the racing.”

YRC's Fulvio Mussi is interviewed by motorsports broadcaster Louise Goodman

Hannah said of the partnership: “Brits on Pole is another media portal that epitomises the very passion that drives (excuse the pun) people in motorsport. In an age where there are infinite motorsport resources to draw on to find out who’s doing what with whom, it’s incredibly refreshing to come across a site dedicated to the exploits of British racers and teams across the globe.

“It’s no surprise to discover that behind BritsonPole is a very accomplished web outfit. It’s no good just having a news portal, you’ve got to get people to it, keep it current and write stories that people want to read.

“So what is it that sets Brits on Pole apart from the others? These people actually write stories! They join an esteemed group which includes Crash.net and BTCCCrazy in this respect. They don’t regurgitate stylized press releases, opting instead to talk directly to the subject and find a unique angle.

“It’s for this and many other reasons that we’re proud to carry the branding of Brits on Pole and their mothership, Onlineability this season. They have embraced our story, reported it brilliantly and joined our Deals on Racing Wheels scheme.” Read her full take on the tie-in here.

• For more information on YourRacingCar.com and the packages available for individuals and companies, visit its website here.

• Click here for more information on this year’s BTCC schedule. To buy tickets to any round, and catch YRC in action, visit the website of the circuit hosting it – all accessible from the above page.

Already operating the highly successful open-wheel racing site Brits on Pole and the cricketing blog The Nurdler, our latest project aims to try to capture the wider experience of being a sports fan rather than concentrating solely on an individual discipline.

“It’s not the despair, Laura. I can stand the despair. It’s the hope” – These iconic words, spoken in the 1986 film Clockwise by hapless headmaster Brian Stimpson (played by John Cleese) to a pupil as his life disintegrates, sum up perfectly what it means to be a sports fan.

It’s the hope we can’t stand is a relatively new project that is still finding its feet. This blog is about the experience of getting swept up in the drama of the latest big tournament until you can talk about nothing else, or of taking an insane punt on a little-known outsider at silly odds.

It’s about the little spark of hope you can never quite extinguish – even when you know from endless experience that it’s all about to go horribly wrong. Again. No matter what your sport, you know that feeling, which is why we hope we can tempt you to join us and read along as we build this site into one as strong as Brits on Pole and The Nurdler.

Comments, suggestions and feedback are all welcome.

The Brits on Pole All-Star League compares the performances of 43 British drivers in 12 different championships world-wide by factoring in length of season, strength of opposition and finishing position.

This year’s standings included drivers from all around the UK, from fresh-faced rookies to grizzled veterans – of whom, all but five broke their All-Star duck by recording a point-scoring top-eight race finish.

The top positions were decided a few weeks ago with Scot Dario Franchitti’s victorious IndyCar season for Target Chip Ganassi Racing providing the highest-scoring 2009 performance.

F1 World Champion Jenson Button’s safety-first approach to the second half of the F1 season meant he kept a tight grip on the world championship for his Brawn GP team – but only scored enough top-eight finishes for the All-Star League runner-up spot.

A surprise third came in the form of 20-year-old Adam Christodoulou, the victor in this year’s Star Mazda junior formula in the US as well as a BRDC young driver finalist for the second year.

Christodoulou’s storming season put him ahead of outgoing F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton who nevertheless, with the much-improved second half to his year with McLaren, came fourth after a very rapid climb through the standings.

The final order was hanging on Superleague Formula’s Craig Dolby, in action last weekend in his final races of the season in the Tottenham Hotspur car, and in with a mathematical chance of grabbing fourth off Hamilton.

Craig put in a storming drive to post the best two-race performance of any Superleague driver that weekend – but he fell just short of the double podium he needed to overhaul the 2008 Formula One world champion.

Rounding out the top 10 were Alexander Sims, Richard Kent, Max Chilton, Oliver Turvey and Sam Bird. At the other end of the table Greg Mansell competed 16 times without a top eight finish and so propped up the standings.

Of the other US-based Britons, Star Mazda’s Kent took seventh place, IndyCar rivals Justin Wilson and Dan Wheldon were 13th and 14th, the Atlantic Championship’s James Winslow was 17th and IRL driver Mike Conway was 19th. The best finisher from Indy Lights was Martin Plowman in 20th.

* You can view the All-Star League here. For more information contact Brits on Pole at admin@britsonpole.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Brits on Pole is a news site covering British drivers in all major forms of open-wheel motor racing worldwide. We’re here to remember the legends and cheer on the Brits in F1, GP2, A1GP, IndyCar and many more series. Brits on Pole is powered by Onlineability and you can visit it here or on Twitter.

Comparing drivers in different series is difficult for a number of reasons – factors such as length of season, strength of opposition and how many points to award all had to be taken into account. Here’s what we did:

• Championships: We decided to include as many open-wheel, international championships as possible, so long as they were broadly summer-based, and pitted driver against driver. This excluded A1GP, since it was a winter team series.
• Points: These had to be equalised, as different series have different policies. One points system produces much the same outcome as any other over a full season, so we chose to apply the F1 system of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for top-eight finishes then nothing for 9th place and below.
• Season length: Season lengths vary wildly. And this means that some drivers have many more opportunities to pile up points than others. To address this we used a 17-race season as a base, since this is what both F1 and the IRL ran in 2009, and worked out a coefficient by which to multiply the points in other series so that, across a full season, everyone had the opportunity to earn the same number of points if they won every race.
• Competition: We grouped the series into three bands: the two senior championships of F1 and the IRL, the feeder series of GP2, Indy Lights, F2 and the Atlantics, and the development series. Senior points counted full, feeder series points counted at two-thirds value, and development championships counted half.
• Tiebreaks: We used the number of races competed in, working on the basis that it is a sign of a stronger performance to take fewer races than a rival to reach the same points score. Conversely, the more races run without scoring a point the worse the overall performance. Where this also results in a tie, we use dthe strength of the series in which the driver was competing.

We’re delighted to announce the launch of the new Onlineability website. As we’ve grown, and started to tackle bigger projects, it’s become clear that we need to make sure our own web presence is working hard for us.

As well as giving clear, straightforward information on our services and pricing, you can learn more about us, see some examples of our previous work and find out what our clients say about us.

You can keep up with us through social media like the microblogging site Twitter and the link-sharing service Delicious. And you can learn about some causes we support and our genuine links with the town of Hitchin.

We’ve designed the new site around the WordPress content management system, which we think is the best way to run the majority of websites. One of its great advantages is keeping the content and design completely separate, and we’ve recreated our popular red-and-white design as a WordPress theme.

So, if you’re thinking of commissioning an Onlineability website you can be sure that we use exactly the same web tools for our business as the ones we’ll deploy for you.

We hope that it’s easy to use and has all the information that prospective clients will need – and we’d love to hear your feedback. So drop us a line – using these contact details – and let us know what you think.