Club Arnage

Oh sh*****, we've lost our Cologne-based home team to cheer for :( :( :( :(

About 4 weeks ago it was published that Team Manger Kai Kruse and Team Owner Ian Mitchell got "divorced" and this is what www.krusemotorsport.com published today:

Following the disastrous fire prior to the Silverstone LMS race in 2007 in
which the teams Pescarolo prototype was destroyed together with a substantial
amount of equipment, International Motorsports Ltd has made substantial changes
to the team.

Kai Kruse has left the team to pursue other interests and with his departure
International Motorsports Ltd has appointed Graham Nash as Team Director and
Manager.  Graham has been involved with motorsport since 1976 and brings many
years of experience at this level of motorsport to the team.   His team, Graham
Nash Motorsport, competed at Le Mans in 2002 as a joint entry with RML and 2003
as its own program with a Saleen GT1 and in 2004 and 2005 in the LMS series.

Team Principle Ian Mitchell previously worked with Graham when his team ran
Ian’s car in the Tuscan Challenge Series back in the early 90’s.

The team is acquiring a new Radical AER to continue its campaign in the LMS
series.  Hong Kong company IMS has contracted to fund the new ‘Racing for
Thailand’ team dropping the name Kruse Motorsport.  The team has featured Thai
businesses since first promoting Phuket in 2005 to help rebuild tourism after
the tsunami hit the holiday destination.

Ian Mitchell, who has lived and worked in Thailand for the last 8 years, has
now decided to go one step further and promote Thailand and Thai businesses
exclusively.  “There is great interest in motorsport in Thailand” said Ian
Mitchell, “and now we have the opportunity of bringing the attention of the
world to help get the message across that Thailand is open for business.  Its
association with the advanced technology of a modern race team in the greatest
endurance series in the world will promote Thailand’s ability to compete with
the best.  We are excited that we may have the opportunity to represent
Thailand for the first time ever in the world’s greatest motor race the 24 Hrs
of Le Mans.”

The Teams plans include the promotion of endurance racing in Thailand and talks
are at an early stage to promote an international endurance street race in
Bangkok as early as 2009.

The new Radical LMP2 prototype and the teams BMW Z4 GTR will both run as Thai
entrants in 2008. The Z4 will compete in the VLN and Britcar series, including
the Nurburgring 24hrs and Silverstone 24hrs.

What an original name! :D


To bad about Kruse Motorsport though, sorry Werner...

Although it's sad news for Kruse, the idea of having an endurance street race in Bangkok is fantastic! If they succeed, I'm afraid I must be there.

LMMAS, Pieter? Le Mans Middle Asia Series ;D

Whatever the layout of a street circuit in Bkk is, or would be, they would need to resurface the whole lot - the surfaces are truly awful. Raised ironwork and BIG holes all over the place. More suited to tuk tuks than racers.

The concept sounds superb though!

It would make for a great long weekend.

Well, converting Sukhumvit Road to a start-finsih-straight and may be Patpong or Soi Cowboy as the pit lane - could be an interesting race ;D ;D

I've been to Bangkok, but I couldn't see the road because it had cars on them. Everywhere.

Go to Patpong. There you will also not see the road because it has girls on them . Everywhere 8)

Pit bloke babes shurely? ;)

Girls formerly known as boys though.

What a record-breaking thread - Just 11 replies and we are already completely off topic - but what a topic, men, what a topic ;D

Can't say that this means anything to me. Care to elaborate?

I had the first week of my stag do in Bangkok. I think I managed to see most of the sights! I ended up starkers, handcuffed to a gogo dancing pole on the bar in Patpong.

"Bubbles" conjurs up some marvellous images. Many of the bars have their own USP's. They ranged from huge glass fish tanks, with the girls swimming in, diving in to retrieve coins thrown in by punters. Massive champagne glasses (maybe the bubble connection), again with the girls in. Another had fishing rods, where you would sit in an upstairs gallery, dangling a note on a fishing line over the dance floor below. The girls would jump and scrap with one another to get to the note first.

All very un PC, but a good laugh all the same.

Have been back a few times since, sometimes with the family, I hasten to add.

Have you got any addresses Nigel?  Mrs U is off to Bangkok for a 2 week business trip on Friday. I wouldn't like the thought of  her passing on the chance of making a few extra quid at weekend

Back on topic......

I hazard a guess that history is not "Racing for Thailand's" strong point, given that one of the great and well-known pre/post-war racers was from Siam, which became Thailand in 1939 - Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh (or Prince Bira for short).  He drove for his cousin, Prince Chula, in the White Mouse Racing Team in Europe, competing successfully in an ERA pre-war, and post-war raced a succession of HWM, Gordini, OSCA and Maserati cars in the Thai national racing colours of a distinctive pale blue with a yellow stripe and yellow wheels.  

His final racing season was in 1954, in which year he competed at Le Mans in an Aston Martin DBS3 Coupe (No 20) which was entered by David Brown, paired up with Peter Collins, and became a DNF after an accident at 137 laps.  So will we see Racing for Thailand's car in those distinctive colours?  

MG Mark

Bob,

just tell her, if she ends up in the Eden Bar, don't cross the yellow line!

Murrey Head, Chess The Musical, 198?.

I'll get my anorak. :)

Found some details about the first Thai driver at Le Mans

http://www.soravij.com/bira.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Bira
http://www.autocoursegpa.com/driver.asp?driver_id=11608

And straying away from the inside out penises etc.

I was wondering only last week what had happened to Kruse after the fire.

Thanks for letting us know Werner.

He was the first winner of the Dutch F1 GP also!  ;D

Pleased to see that Prince Bira and his ERA haven't been forgotten.

Those ERAs are still quick, but the preselector box is a handfull

So, in which part of Brackley will "Racing for Thailand" be based