Formula Virtual team Phoenix Motorsport have opened a facility for aspiring young racing drivers, next to their base in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in conjunction with Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The opening of the new development facility was a momentous occasion for both the team and Greater Manchester and a host of Virtual Motorsport figures were present, including; Will Taylor, Sergio Alvarez, Abel Osterhagen, and Yohan Dubois, as well as legendary Phoenix affiliates; James ‘JT’ Thompson, Dominic Hanson, and Callum Brandon. Phoenix Team Principal Alex Easton said when interviewed at the event, “It’s such an honour to be standing here today after opening The Hive, it really is. Greater Manchester finally has a facility which will allow aspiring young drivers in the area to try their hand at racing and hone their skills. We’ve had the karting track here for pretty much as long as I can remember. Back in the day, it was just a dirt track for quad biking and the like. Then, when we moved into the site, we upgraded it to a basic karting track for kids to come and race on. But now, with the investment from Royal Blondes and Wilson Oils as well as funding and cooperation from the GMCA, we’ve built something that should really alter the future for young drivers in the area. It will also help our cause at Phoenix, as we can now boast having an FVA grade four track on our doorstep, which will undoubtedly make our Young Driver Academy - also called The Hive - a more attractive prospect to young talents.” The name of the facility, The Hive, should be no surprise to anyone. The worker bee is a symbol that is synonymous with Manchester and has been an emblem for the city for over 150 years. The bee denotes Mancunians’ hard work ethic as well as the city being a hive of activity. It has also come to represent the sense of unity in Manchester in recent years, even more so following the tragic events of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. During Phoenix’s time in Virtual Motorsport, the team have occasionally adopted the nickname ‘The Worker Bees’ and have proudly presented The Manchester Worker Bee emblem on their Formula Virtual cars. The Hive, which sits just five miles to the North East of Manchester city centre, will act as a development facility for young drivers in the Greater Manchester area to hone their skills. As well as providing a challenging track experience, there is also a building with classroom facilities with the aim of providing theory education to the drivers, as well as young mechanics. The circuit itself features twenty corners, eight left and twelve right. The lap begins with a steady decline into turn one; Morton Pits, named after the old garage which used to sit just over the road. You then head over the river into Rex Curve, named after the old Rex Mill which used to occupy the land on which the Phoenix factory is now built. Then, head into turn four; Vita, named after British Vita, or Vitafoam – the foam company based next door who were the original reason for Phoenix’s iconic luminous yellow colour scheme. Up next is the off camber turn five; Don, named after the Don Mill which once sat roughly where turn five is. Then, a long, steady decent downhill through turn six and into turn seven leading onto the Irk View Straight which, unsurprisingly, is named so because the River Irk runs alongside the track here. A heavy braking zone into turn eight is sure to provide plenty of overtaking opportunities before climbing back uphill through the tricky crest of turn nine and into the sharp turn ten; Wilson, named after Phoenix’s saviour in 2019: Lucas Wilson. Heading uphill again through the Royal Sweep – after Phoenix’s title sponsor Royal Blondes who, along with Wilson Oils, made all this possible – then into a slower part of the track. These slower corners are aptly named Hanson and Brandon, after two of the Phoenix stalwarts whose careers have been intertwined with the Mancunian outfit over the years. It is then down the huge hill into the tight turn fifteen hairpin called JT which was originally supposed to have a crude name that was rejected and so ‘JT’ was settled for – himself being a crude example of a professional racing driver. Then, all the way back up the hill into turn sixteen then Scowcroft, which sits adjacent to Scowcroft Farm, before coming back down the long sloping straight into the banked Mallard bend. A final, extreme braking zone into the Old Cock Chicane – named after the pub a matter of metres away – finishes the lap.
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