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.”

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.

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.”

• 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.