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Racing Driver Harry Webb appointed Walero Base Layers Ambassador

Harry Webb (GB) has been named as a new Walero Base Layers Brand Ambassador. In this role, the Walero branded Sang Yong Racing driver will not only represent the brand by competing in the Ssang Yong Musso Pick Up Racing Challenge but will also continue his driver development programme and contest selected karting events in Europe and the UK.

 

One of motorsport’s premier young kart racers, the British driver, has a glittering CV with highlights including the Rotax Euro Challenge Senior Champion in 2015, Rotax Max Challenge Grand Final Junior Champion, Rotax Max European and Winter Champion.

 

Said Harry Webb; “I am delighted to be appointed as a Brand Ambassador for this superb range of base Layer products. I was lucky enough to sample them during my test and they were incredibly comfortable. I am looking forward with great excitement to the start of the SsangYong Musso Pick Up Racing Challenge.”

 

Season one of the Ssang Yong Musso Pick-Up Racing Challenge gets underway at Snetterton in Norfolk on Saturday, 13th May 2017.

 

 

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Walero is pleased to announce a new partnership with racing driver and ‘Dare to be Different’ ambassador Nathalie McGloin

Nathalie, who is the first woman with a severe spinal injury to obtain a racing licence in 2015, is a woman on a mission. Since breaking her neck in a car crash as a passenger when she was just 16 years old, Nathalie has continued to pursue various sporting challenges on and off the track. While at university she began playing wheelchair rugby gaining a place on the GB national squad but it was the introduction to motorsport during a track day that ignited her fire.

 

2017 will see Nathalie committed to her duties as a ‘Dare to be Different’ ambassador and she will be contesting the Porsche Club Championship in the UK and selected sports car endurance events. Also, she has signed to take part in the extremely challenging 2017 London Marathon Wheelchair Race in April.

 

Nathalie McGloin commented: “A high quality fireproof is essential to get the best results in motorsport. When I’m in the car, my sole focus has to be my driving. As a driver with a spinal injury, I struggle to regulate my body temperature. I wear my Walero products for my sports training as well. Whether I’m racing or playing sports, Walero takes care of my comfort and temperature regulation leaving me to focus on my performance.”

 

Added Fiona James, Managing Director, Walero Ltd: “We are excited to be working with Nathalie; she is one of the most positive, vibrant and determined people we’ve met and she will be a great asset to Team Walero. Our products should really help her achieve her goals both on and off the track.”

 

Walero products were developed by NASA for off-world applications to regulate body temperature in any conditions. The thermo-regulating know-how has been proven to actually reduce perspiration by up to 33%.

 

 

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Season Review: In Conversation with Fiona James

Walero caught up with founder Fiona James to see how her racing season in the 2016 Supercar Challenge went and how she feels her skills have developed since she joined the Dutch-based Blueberry Racing team.

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Q: What preparation did you do ahead of the season?

A: “My planned schedule for pre-season testing was cancelled after the Brussels bomb attacks shut down European travel for a few days earlier this year. As I only had limited time my best option was to get some coaching in the simulator at iZone (Silverstone) with John Pratt, which I continued all season. I also worked hard on my fitness, as there are no luxuries such as power steering in the Praga race car and it’s a high G-force car.”

Q: What were the challenges you faced?

A: “The lack of testing was an issue and a setback. It took a bit of time getting the seating sorted out, and I ended up having to learn to left foot brake on a race weekend, which was not ideal. Having come from GT cars where you stand on the brakes as hard as you can, this is the opposite and just takes a bit of time to understand. Zolder has never been my best circuit as I get car sick at that circuit (though I have managed a few podiums, so it’s obviously not as bad as I think!). Coupled with that the extreme noise and vibrations from the car can unsettle you and my ears were ringing for some time after the 60-minute race.”

Q: How would you describe your season?

A: “I really enjoyed it – it was great to get back to basics and not have any driver aids. It was a big learning curve, and I would like to do another year in Europe as I think it helped my driving skills. The season was a bit mixed, as the car was very underpowered on the straights so at places like Snetterton and Assen I struggled. The GT cars were flying past me on the straights, but at Oschersleben, I had a great race and came from the back of the grid into third place.”

Q: Your best result?

A: “I had a few second places, but Oschersleben was my most satisfying podium, as I had a real fight on my hands after poor qualifying but managed to get up to third.”

 

Q: How important was the support from the race team?

A: “Blueberry were great to work with. Despite the language barrier, we had some fun and everyone worked really hard. I felt terrible when I had to pull out of the race at Zolder after I became ill. They have given me my racing bug back after a tough 2015 and I’m hoping that I can contest the Dutch Supercar Challenge in the same car next year. We did a lot of set-up work and made tremendous progress at Spa at the end of the season, which has given me the confidence to challenge for race wins.”

Q: Where did you end up in the championship standings?

A: “Second. I collected points and had several podiums, so I am happy with my performance this year. Having said that, I intend to push myself more in 2017 and capitalise on this year’s experience and results.”

 

 

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Steep Learning Curve for Gulf Racing in WEC

Our ambassador Gulf Racing ended the 2016 World Endurance Championship satisfied in the knowledge that they had the pace, commitment and determination to secure points scoring finishes against some of the best GT race teams on an International platform.

 

The season drew to a close on Sunday (20th November) in Bahrain and Gulf Racing left the middle east with a superb fourth place finish after six hours of hard racing.

 

The weekend got off to a great start after the team showed good pace throughout practice and qualifying with their exciting driver line-up of Adam Carrol, Ben Barker and Mike Wainwright.

 

Said Matt Beers, Team Manager: “Bahrain was our last chance to get on the podium and we showed we had the pace to get a result straight out of the blocks with Ben Barker storming through to second in class after the first hour. Although we had a good run on from there, a puncture in Mike’s first stint and some very strong performances from other competitors meant that we just missed out again. The WEC is a fantastic championship, and it has been a privilege to compete in such a challenging environment.”

 

It has been steep learning curve for the Milton Keynes based team who will now take a well-deserved break to evaluate plans for 2017.

 

Photography: ‘Created with Permission. Gulf Oil International’

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Challenging Rookie Year for Walero ambassador Lewis Plato in Porsche Carrera Cup GB

2016 presented a brand new challenge for Lewis after he signed to compete in the highly competitive Porsche Carrera Cup GB with the front running Redline Racing team and capped the year off superbly by securing the runner-up Rookie classification.

 

His first taste of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car was during a three-day test in Guadix, Spain. It proved to be a productive test despite limited running owing to the changeable weather conditions. Lewis Plato added: “I started off the year testing in Spain. We had expected the weather to be reasonable in January, but it was freezing and changeable, so we only had limited running in the end. It proved to be a useful test though and I was able to start understanding the car more.

 

The season proper kicked off in April, and it was to be a learning curve year for Lewis. Despite running consistently within the top six and taking his best result of the year at Knockhill, where he posted the fastest time in free practice on his first visit to the Scottish circuit

“There were some great moments and some frustrating times as well,” said the British driver who had to settle for the runner-up Rookie spot in the championship standings when the season ended at Brands Hatch in October.

 

Said Lewis: “After such a promising start I was very disappointed that I was unable to come away without a podium finish this year. We begun the season pretty well considering this was my first time behind the wheel of a Porsche GT3 car. I managed to keep out of trouble for the most part and brought the car home regularly. Qualifying was an area where I struggled initially, however towards the end of the year I was certainly getting more out of the car on slick tyres than I had at the beginning of the season. Each circuit had a different challenge so despite being disappointed I know that I have made a huge amount of progress. To be racing with some of the best professional drivers in the UK is quite an achievement and I am now preparing for 2017. I will for sure use all of my experience and knowledge and cannot wait to see what next season has to offer.”

 

Lewis would like to thank his partners: Juniper, BML, telent, Brookvex, Corbeau Seats and Walero Base Layers for their continued commitment and support.

 

 

 

 

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2016 Walero Ambassador Emily Glanvill on her Racing Debut

17- year old Emily from Midlothian in Scotland has always had a passion for motorsport. She began sampling Karts at just 13 years of age. Since then she has gone on to compete in the Elite Karting League and British Schools Karting Championship before starting up a go-karting club at her school.

 

A move into car racing was something that Emily had to work hard for. Lack of budget meant that her outings were ‘handpicked’. Not to be outdone and eager to get behind the wheel as quickly as possible, Emily competed in Class One Autograss Racing League with a Toyota Yaris under a male racing license, as this was her only way of competing in the most competitive Autograss class. It was a move that was to pay dividends as Emily went on to be crowned the Scottish Men’s Class One Vice Champion in 2015 and youngest ever female competitor to achieve this result in Scotland.

 

2016 saw the result of the dedication Emily has put into her endeavours, and she became the first ever Teenage Cancer Trust Scholarship winner with a funded drive in the JSCC series this year.

 

Said Emily: “It has been an honour to work with Walero this season and to be an ambassador for the base layer product. To have one less thing to worry about has been a huge benefit. The product is so comfortable under my race suit and regulates my body temperature allowing me to focus my attention on the demands of the weekend with ease. I made my circuit racing debut in the Teenage Cancer Trust Scholarship car this year, and it has been the perfect introduction to circuit racing. I have met so many wonderful people as a result of working with the Dare to be the Different campaign; I’ve had VIP access to the Knockhill British Touring Car weekend, visited iZone at Silverstone for simulator training and much more. Add this to the opportunity I’ve had to race at some of the UK’s most famous circuits – it has been simply amazing. Most importantly I have learnt and experienced a huge amount this year. Becoming a racing driver has been an immense challenge, both mentally and physically, and there have been some ups and downs. However, I have learnt how to take the positives from these tough times and use them to further enhance my performance – another important skill I have acquired this year. It is surreal to have completed my dream to become a racing driver – I now look forward to new challenges in 2017.”

 

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