Latest News
Fortis Swiss Watches 2010.

I am delighted to say that Fortis Swiss watches are to be the main sponsor for my BRISCA F1 2010 season, I have with the help of a good friend in Harrogate been able to secure Fortis as a 2010 sponsor. We will have the car at as many BRISCA F1 races as I can attend in 2010 as well as some functions to be arranged by the Fortis Uk promotions team, The car has been finished with lots of help from Ray,Brian,Puddy and Matt, I hope I can drive it as good as it looks.

Down but not out Yet ?


This is a very difficult time for me both racing and personally as my attempts at being a Brisca F1 driver are so far "shocking" to say the least, and to cap it all of just yesterday the 12th April I found out that a project I had so much hope for, running a Lotus in British GT racing has been cancelled, not only cancelled by the man I was putting at all together for but he now seems to be avoiding me like the Plague as he owes me money.
As for the racing I have certainly let myself and many others down, I have lent Frankie the car to do his important shale meetings in and I have also taken the decision that I will not race the car for a while so that I can do some testing and try to learn to drive it as it should be driven, also with the Lotus news I need to find a job ASAP as I need money for the family as well as my racing.
I thought that the problem may have been the steering on the car as it seemed to spit me off the track at will, but since Northampton which is a Tarmac track and the fact I had my HD camera on the car I can see that the main problem is me the driver, it seems that I can not control the power of the car, I was convinced that I was being smooth with the throttle out of the bends and that the car was just steering me into speed wobbles, but I can see from the film that it starts when I boot it to much.
I have spoken with Puddy and we will try a different throttle position to try and lessen the big sudden toque curve of the engine to see if that helps me, You see Frankie is a very very talented driver who can cope with a sudden 650BHP explosion of power, I have only every raced in formulas with much much less, that coupled with the fact I am a boot it merchant and you can see my problem.
The last few meetings where I have been involved with Frankie an Matt Newson has reaffirmed my belief that they are a very special breed of driver, when you look at the youngsters who are coming into F1 like Josh Smith and Lee Fairhirst who can just get hold of these cars and get on with it, I'm amazed at the talent in BRISCA F1 and F2's. below is a very nice picture of the closest I will get to Josh in 2010.
Thanks for the continued support of you all my new found friends.















Kings Lynn 27th March

It is probably best to start this news with an apology to all the people who have supported me as helpers suppliers friends and fans, by saying I apologise to all of you for being such a total let down last night at Kings Lynn, I in no way want to blame the car and take full responsibility for my useless attempt to be a Brisca F1 driver, I was way outside my comfort zone and totally fazed out by what was happening, I hope that I will find Tarmac a bit more like what I am used to, but I need to learn an awful lot about how to drive on shale.
The car has gone back to Silsden and Frankie is going to use her at Coventry  as  I will have to miss more meetings in the F1 but it may be a good thing as I need to get some serious practice, to be less of a danger to myself and a mobile chicane to the rest.
It will be nice to see the car being driven how it should, and with Frank at the wheel it should get towards the front.
Thanks again for all the support, but at the moment I don't think I deserve any of it.














My Paint Shop !!!!!

I have had to do the final lacquer coat myself due to another bomb shell to the project, unfortunately One Stop paint shop is no more, the lads have had to call it a day, which has left me in the s..t "some what" as I had no more money to pay to get the car finished.
So in true Jonny fashion I decided to do the job myself, I used to spray cars way back in the 80's so I thought why not ??.
I built a simple spray both in my garage using plastic sheet and then put 3 fan heaters in the plastic cell and opened one velux window in the roof for ventilation, not very Health and safety but needs must.
Once the car was done Ray and I built my race awning in my drive and we put the car out there until the rest of the parts are done, my neighbours will be wondering what I am up to now haha.
If I say so myself I have done a pretty dam good job, once the wings are finished by Ray then I will do them and get the car complete outside and get some pictures for the new sponsor and you all to see, Hopefully by next week it will be ready to go and do some Tarmac testing. Then if my leg is better we will do the test day at Coventry in March.
Look out for the official launch of the 357 main sponsor very soon.

30 January

26 January

The Legend Mr Puddy Pullan


Nice welding ??


Looking good


24th January

The car is back from OSPS and we have been busy getting it into Tarmac spec and ready so that Brian Evans can do his work, I will post lots of pictures of Brian doing his work as it is something that fascinates me the skill that the man has and to see how the car will transform from the plain Orange that it is at the moment, Ray and I have been busy re working the final design of the car so we hope to have something that looks MEGA.
We have been sorting out the new Mark Taylor double plane front wing and Puddy Pullan who is Senna's, and Buttons ex mechanic is making some fancy bracketing to have it on the front and adjustable so when we go testing we can try and dial it in.
Also the final design will be decide on the morning Brian starts as i find out on Friday next if I have landed a sponsor for the main sides of the car, Fingers Crossed. see below for latest shots of the car, including the new Radtec Alloy radiator that we got from the NEC show.
Also I got my finished Arai crash helmets back from Darren at AirFX and I have to say I think he has done a fantastic job.

14th January

12 January 2010.

Barty aka A/J Lewis give the car her approval




Kings Lynn Christmas meeting
See below just how muddy it was

My first shale meeting was a bit like my first Tarmac meeting in that it was not the normal way I have seen the tracks this year.

The team at Kings Lynn did a tremendous job in the way they got the track race worthy as with the snow we have had here in Norfolk over the last few days I was sure they would call the meeting off.

Ray myself and Puddy had worked very hard on the car since it had come back from the One Stop Paint Shop in Attleborough, we had striped and cleaned most of the car, I had fitted a new battery and a jump plug system like we had used on our circuit racers in the past.

We had the car ready to start fitting the stickers, I am very lucky because my Waterman Ray is also the boss of RGS signs my sticker sponsor.

We got the rest of the panels back the day before the race so Ray and I were up against it from the off.

To make things worse the panels and the chassis did not match!! As there was more pearl paint on the chassis and not on the panels, Lee from OSPS said he will sort this next week, so we had to sticker the car fast as it was!!.

By 9am on the morning of the race she was looking very good and the 3 of us set about loading her on to the truck, only for the winch to stop working, Puddy set to and fixed it as I did not fancy waking my Neighbours up at 9am on an Christmas bank holiday with a 600 bhp alarm call.

We arrived at KL good and early so we could get used to what we needed to do, as at this race we were on our own without Frankie and the boys to tell us what to do.

Matt Newson was very helpful and he lent me a 6000 rpm chip for the car as it still had a 7000 one in from the small block that Frankie had used while my engine was rebuilt. And Matts Mum fed Ray and Puddy, not knowing the fat sods had just had 2 breakfasts each in Macdonald’s 20 mins earlier, !!

I was happy with the reaction to the car as most people asked if it was a new car, so all the hard work was worth it.

Then I saw just how muddy/slurry like the track was! I went from the back in the Stars-of Tomorrow race and I was going OK until I was hit and she came out of gear, by the time I had her in gear I was a lap down, but I got going and started to get the hang of how to drive on very wet Shale, finishing last but in 10^th, I was happy if not covered in Shit !!

Also the car was very good and the new Ian Whitworth engine felt very good so all in all I was happy with how she felt.

I went from the front in the first heat for the first time ever, to lead the cars around is daunting to say the least as I was not sure when to go, I was in second and running well when I was hit hard from behind putting me wide into the turn, the shale was so deep and wet it just pulled me into the outside wall and out.

Heat 2 was better as I was leading for 3 laps until I took a big hit from a local car to me and I was sent very hard into the outside wall again, but this time my eyes were wobbling in my head and the car was not very well, so I pulled to the inside, after the race I saw that the radiator was cracked down the side and the rear was very bent, so that was that meeting over, but I had enjoyed it and learned a lot.

To say I was in at the deep end is about right; it was so wet I would have been better with one of my old racing boats lol.

I arrived just as the havens opened over Birmingham and I could see that this was set in for the duration, Frankie Jnr was just backing my car out of the truck and my bottom was beginning to twitch, this was it !! No more talking I was going to race a F1 after 37 years of wanting to. Frank and all his team were so supportive and gave ma all the advice you could wish for, Ray set to and put my numbers on the car while I went to sign on.

The rain was getting silly by now and we were all soaked and feeling a bit sorry for our self’s, not me I was so excited that I did not feel cold until on the way home at 11pm that night.

I was told to go to the gate and do my 5 special needs laps which I did and this was it I was driving my own F1 car at a race meeting, it can only be described as having sex with the wife and calling her by your ex's name as all the car wanted to do was spit me off the track as much as I did not want it to.

An F1 in that type of situation is not much fun!! And the fact that it was the first time I had worn my neck brace defender device, so I could hardly move my head, I was trying to catch a slide when it comes, and look like I could handle the car so that the Boss would pass me, then the fact that the car will pull to the outside as soon as you give it any Gas just makes it that bit harder in the wet.

Anyways I passed the practical now I had to do the theory test and get scrutinized, this was where it all started to go a bit wrong, I was asked my questions which I got right (it helps reading while on the Loo most mornings) passed Scutineering then the car would not start, it turned out to be the starter and ring gear were shot, so now I had the added fun of push starts and if I spun or stalled I was a sitting DUCK.

Frankie Snr came and gave me some good advise that from him is like a message from God so I was to start at the back and not try any thing silly, OK MR Wainman that’s what I will do.

The First heat was just amazing to line up behind Frankie and John Lund people who I have been in awe of for so long can only be described as like racing with Royalty, the start was given and this was it we were rolling, the feeling was just amazing the cars all pushing each other and there was me trying to keep on the track never mind passing any one, the other rookies at the back with me were having as much fun as me, with Frankie Snr advice fresh in my mind I decided to play it cool and just race the other newcomers, just as well as no sooner had I passed one then it came my first hit from behind, I had been so busy trying to have a bit of a race and keep a 500bhp monster that has one 12 inch fat tyre on one side and a bicycle rally tyre on the other that I had forgotten  about the main race at the front and it was now on my bumper and quite rightly wanted me out of the way.

How can you tell people what its like to be hit by a steel 1400 kilo car at say 50mph “You cant “ it was teeth shattering, I bit my lip and went towards the fence, luckily for me there was a slower car on the outside and we touched side bars and I was still in the race. So now I had to go forward and look behind in my mirror, I managed to get to the end and I passed a few people so I was very happy, at the end of the heat I had a smile a mile wide.

The nice part was most of the drivers I respect gave me the thumbs up, maybe because I got out of there way? But it still means a lot to a rookie to have the friendship that makes this sport so cool.

After the first heat we turned up the tick over to help me and the car not keep staling and need pushing all the time, this turned out to be a big mistake!! As in my second heat I struggled big time with chronic under steer and finished dead last, she just had so much push that all I could do was go wide, in hindsight I forgot the diff is locked and maybe should have called it a day after heat one?

I was back at the FWR transporter ready to change and go and watch the final when Danny said come on get in you can do the final its an all comers race, so in I got without any time to turn the tick over back down,

The final was something, all the stars were there in front of me, it was a close class start and we were away, I think I had got a bit to eager to stay with the big boys and I was finding the car a real handful, so much so that I was getting massive tank slappers, my right foot had got to brave, and sure enough a few laps in and I was spinning like a top down the back straight and into the inside bank and retirement.

I watched the rest of the final from the car, then got a push from the tractor and back to the truck, was I down? “Was I hell”, I have massive mountains to climb but I really enjoyed it and the friendship of the team, drivers, and the spectators, made my first ever stock car race one I will remember forever.

A big thanks to all at Birmingham wheels from the officials to all the marshals and helpers, with such a crappy night with the whether and not once did anyone complain and everyone I came across were so kind to an old tosspot who wants to be a stock car race driver. I am looking forward to Kings Lynn Christmas meeting and my first go on shale, Christmas cant come fast enough for ME.

Thanks to all