Martyn Bell
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| Martyn Bell | |
|---|---|
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| 2008 BTCC driver | |
| Nationality |  |
| Nickname | - |
| Car # | 15 |
| Team | Arkas Racing |
| Car | Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podium finishes | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Debut season | 2006 |
| Best championship result | 18th in 2006 |
| 2008 position | 23rd (0 points) |
Martyn Bell is an auto racing driver synonymous with racing BMW rear-wheel-drive cars in his native Britain. For 2006 hecompeted in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in a 320i, in a team owned and run by Geoff Steel, himself a one-time BTCC racer. With only 16 employees the team is smaller than many rivals.
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[edit] Personal
Martyn is primarily a family man, married with two children and the Proprietor of Martyn Bell Motor Engineers Limited in Barrow upon Humber, some 15 miles (24 km) from Grimsby in North Lincolnshire. His Motor Racing career can be seen in detail in his own words at History but over the last 9 years MBR have won 3 Class Championship’s in BMW’s and one overall title. All in cars built and developed by MBR and Geoff Steel Racing.
Martyn is a popular figure who always has time for his fan. He works hard for his Sponsors, taking the BMW to events and exhibitions all over the UK and Europe. When not racing he is involved in his local community supporting many local events. Martyn has trained as a Motor Sport Marshall and can sometimes be found at Cadwell Park Circuit putting something back into the Sport. He is an accomplished public speaker.
[edit] Racing History
2008: BTCC. Arkas Racing (Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch)
2007: BTCC. Team Allaboutproperty.com/Geoff Steel Racing/Martyn Bell Racing. (BMW 320i E46)
2006: BTCC. Geoff Steel Racing/Martyn Bell Racing. (BMW 320i E46)
2005: Kumho BMW Championship - 2nd in class, 4th overall (BMW M3 E46).
2004: Kumho BMW class and overall Champion (BMW M3 E46).
2003: Kumho BMW Championship - 3rd in class and 7th overall (BMW M3 E46)
2002: BMW Championship - 2nd in class and 2nd overall (BMW M3 E36).
1999-01: BMW Championship - triple class Champion (BMW M3 E36 and BMW 325i Sport E30).
1998: BMW Championship (BMW 325i Sport E30).
1997: BMW Championship - 4th in class (BMW 325i Sport E30).
Pre-1996: Motocross
[edit] In Martyn's words
"I started my racing career on 4 wheels in 1996, after 15 years at the sharp end of Moto Cross.
I had to quit moto cross after my doctor told me one more operation on my right knee and I’d probably never walk unaided again and I had to resigned myself to a life of swing ball and lemonade at the weekends instead of racing bikes up and down the country.
But for me life without racing was just not an option so I took myself off to the Willinghams Scrap Yard in Hull and bought a wrecked E30 325 sport BMW. I spent all my spare time converting and rebuilding it and eventually I managed to get 1 race in the BMW Plus Four series at Silverstone. I actually qualified quite well in the wet but was punted off mid race at Coppice, but that was it for me, I was off and running.
In 1997 I finished 4th in Class C, which for my first full season wasn’t too bad. I fought my way to 2nd Place in Class C’ in 1998 but had my first class win in 1999. Along with racing in 1999 my team and I built our first E36 which we raced to win class A’ in 2000 and with quite a few modifications, also won Class A’ in 2001.
Looking for a new challenge on the engineering side of things, my team decided to build an M3 E46 race car, at the time there were, to best of my knowledge, no other racing E46’s anywhere in the UK or Europe.
We finally managed to track down the right shell and after a tough season on the track in the E36 (finished 2nd in Class A’) we started testing the E46, and it was a pig. It would go round corners like the E36 but wouldn’t accelerate out of the bends, I just couldn’t do a thing with it, and 2003 was a wash out.
We were nowhere, until we found the problem, which was to unfold. Firstly the ECU had to have some major changes, which was done by BMW, and I had to alter my driving style, helped by Geoff Steel. We won the final 3 races of the season and scraped our way to 4th overall.
But 2004 was a different story. We only tested once before the start of the season which was enough, I knew the car was on it. We scored maximum points in 11 out the 13 rounds and won the overall championship in what was now the Kumho BMW series. That was, I have to say, a fantastic year, and the team were just brilliant, which as a driver is so important. But as with everything in racing the high’s of 2004 had to be followed by the low’s of 2005.
If it could go wrong it did. In 2005 I had more shunts & knocks than in the previous 8 years combined. We did however manage 4 wins from the season and a second place in class, and now we are in the BTCC and what a challenge this is going to be, but with the help of Geoff Steel Racing we might surprise a few people here and there. In motor racing you just never know what is possible. "
[edit] Car Specification
2005 BMW E46 2.0i S2000 TOURING CAR (ex-Schnitzer Motorsport)
280 bhp (restricted)
250 lb (110 kg) TORQUE
TOP SPEED 162 mph (261 km/h)
6 SPEED SEQUENTIAL GEARBOX
13" CROSS DRILLED FRONT DISCS
11" CROSS DRILLED REAR DISCS
DULLY ADJUSTABLE MOTOR SUSPENSION
FULL 2D DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING
17" ALLOY WHEELS
DUNLOP CONTROL TYRES
Race Weight: 1031 kg
[edit] The Team
GSR - For 30 years Geoff Steel, as Geoff Steel Racing and G.G. Steel, have built, prepared and provided trackside support for many race, track and rally cars.
Currently concentrating on BTCC, EERC and Dutch Supercup they can also offer track days using many of their current race cars.
MBR - Martyn Bell Racing started in 1996, working out of a small garage in Barrow-Upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire. Over the last 9 years MBR have won 3 Class Championship’s in BMW’s and one over all title. All in cars built and developed by MBR and Geoff Steel Racing.
2007 Team:
- In Charge
Rachael Bell - MBR Team Manager Geoff Steel Race - Team Principal Mick Wilkinson - MBR Team Principal
- The Driver
Martyn Bell
- Truckie
John Pople
- The Garage
David Brocklesby Jim Espin Will Fields Steve Skipworth Rob Steel
- Pit Wall
Lynne Brocklesby Rachael Bell Geoff Steel
- Car Presentation
Paul Weatherhead
- Hospitality and PR
Lynne Brocklesby Becky Espin Tammy Lawson Claire (Harriet) Weatherhead
- The IT Suite
Chris Upton Mike Upton
- Associates of the Martyn Bell Racing Team
Derek Binsted - Official Team Photographer Matt Salisbury - Press and Media
[edit] Trivia
The team is not the first to use a BMW E46 320i in the BTCC, as Edenbridge Racing unsuccessfully attempted to run one for Justin Keen in 2004.
The car Martyn uses is the same one as used by Dirk Muller at Macau's WTCC round at the end of 2005, and has become a hugely successful car in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).
Although Bell was the only BMW driver in the BTCC in 2006, many more joined for 2007 and 2008. Colin Turkington, Tom Onslow-Cole and Mat Jackson have won races with more conventional petrol-engined BMWs.
[edit] Eelated links
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