In the pipeline - Pirtek

Quarter 4 2009
In the pipeline
Pirtek
Record
Breaker
The fastest emergency hose replacement service there is

Green Shoots
of Recovery
It would be naive to suggest that the
past 12 months have been anything but
tough for UK industry as a whole. The
banking collapse, the resulting credit
crunch, and an almost universal loss of
consumer confidence created an
economic perfect storm that wrought
havoc across the world’s financial
markets.
But in much the same way that the
media helped talk us into recession,
there are sure signs that they’re now
doing their best to talk us back out
again. Recent press reports suggest
that China, France and Germany are now
officially back in the black. And while
statisticians bicker over financial
semantics, it appears that we in the UK
are just a few calculator strokes away
from joining them.
Thankfully, the Pirtek business is one
that, while not recession-proof, is
equally vital almost regardless of
economic cycles. In periods of
downturn and recession, an increasing
number of companies use us to cut their
costs, outsourcing many of their repair
and maintenance functions to a
company they know they can trust. And
when confidence returns and
businesses start to invest again, they
look to us to take care of their new
capital equipment.
Similarly upbeat are the prospects for
the Pirtek-sponsored VXRacing team’s
bid for British Touring Car
Championship glory. The team has
suffered more than its fair share of bad
luck in recent races but the latest round
at Rockingham saw Andrew Jordan
clinch a well-deserved podium finish in
the final race of the day, while another
superlative display of competitive
driving saw Fabrizio Giovanardi keep
alive his hopes of retaining his
championship title.
Although, if he’d been driving the
record-breaking, steam-powered and
Pirtek-supported car featured on
Page 7, the BTCC season would be well
and truly over already!
Best regards
Kelvin Roberts
Chairman, Pirtek Europe
Contents
Datatag 3
Centre News 4
Total Hose Management 6
Record Breaker 7
Happy Birthday Oldbury 8
Redditch Relaunched 9
Mutually Assured Expansion 10
Competition 11
To the Wire 12
Published by Pirtek (UK) Limited
35 Acton Park Estate,
The Vale, Acton,
London W3 7QE
Tel 020 8749 8444 Fax 020 8749 8333
E-mail info@pirtek.co.uk
According to a recent study within the consumer market, twice as many people would prefer to
buy from a franchise business than from a non-franchised business. However, it’s not always
easy to identify which companies actually are part of a franchise network.
Which is why Pirtek is actively supporting the Proud to Franchise initiative from the British
Franchise Association. “Pirtek has operated on a franchise basis since the company was
launched in the UK almost 21 years ago. And we firmly believe that franchising has been key
to our ongoing success,” explains business development director Alistair Wiggins. “Each of
our Centres operates independently, a fact that encourages an exceptionally high level of
customer service. But they’re also backed by the bulk-buying power of a major national and
international company, so they can offer customers a unique combination of customer care
and exceptional value.”
Anyone wishing to learn more about the Pirtek franchise opportunity can visit:
www.pirtek.co.uk/franchise-opportunities.aspx. Further details of the Proud to
Franchise campaign can be found at www.proudtofranchise.com

In the pipeline 3
Jovic and
Pirtek
Tackle the
Thieves
Faced with an escalating
rate of plant theft, Pirtek
might not be the first name
you think of to provide a
deterrent. But for
Basildon-based equipment
hirer Jovic Plant, a call to
its local Pirtek Centre was
to provide a timely solution
to a costly problem.
Formed in 1980, Jovic Plant offers
a comprehensive range of plant
equipment with over 80 excavators
ranging from 800 kg micro
machines to 14 tonne models, all
available on a self-drive or
operated basis. The company’s
fleet also includes site dumpers
with capacities from 1.0 to 10
tonnes, telescopic handlers, rough
terrain forklifts, compaction
equipment and traffic lights and
lighting towers.
Jovic Plant’s first exposure to the
benefits of the CESAR system,
including Datatag technologies,
came when one its clients, a
contractor working on the
prestigious London 2012 Olympics
site, insisted that his hire
equipment was fitted with a theft
prevention system. Director Peter
Goudie reports that Jovic Plant
responded by placing a call to
Pirtek Basildon with an order to
CESAR register its entire machine
fleet. “Plant theft has always been
a big problem for us, but our
customer really prompted us into
action,” Goudie says. “Thankfully,
Pirtek Basildon had an ideal
solution. We like the fact that
CESAR acts as a visual deterrent as
well as an effective means of
recovery. As soon as a potential
thief spots the warning signs, he
knows the machine can be tracked
and the culprit will always be
prosecuted by CESAR.”
For a busy plant hire company,
speed of installation was also a key
concern, according to Goudie. “The
great thing about CESAR is that it
can be installed in a matter of
minutes,” he says. “With one phone
MSST Jon Bell,
based at
Basildon, busy
fitting another
new Jovic
machine with
the CESAER
system
call, we can get a Pirtek Mobile
Sales and Service Technician in
during a lunch break and have two
machines tagged before the
operators go back to work.”
Peter Goudie says that he’ll
probably never know just how
successful the CESAR system has
been “in the field” because it’s
impossible to know just how many
thieves have been deterred from
stealing Jovic’s tagged equipment.
But, he says, his company is now
enjoying an unexpected side
benefit of the CESAR system –
reduced insurance premiums. “The
system pays for itself in the first
year simply because the insurance
is lowered, so every subsequent
premium is a bonus,” he concludes.
“And thanks to the accurate
records produced by Pirtek
Basildon and held by CESAR, the
police are much more aware of what
to look for should we ever
lose a machine.”
Quarter 4 2009

Return
Ticket for
MSST
Reach for
the Skies
Pirtek Coventry’s senior Mobile Sales
and Service Technician (MSST)
Bernard Slack must surely be
suffering from déjà vu at the moment.
Having started his working life on the
railways, he now spends a significant
part of his working week at the Rugby
depot of Colas Rail where he helps
maintain the hydraulic systems of the
company’s overhead wire maintenance
vehicles and tampers
Such is the trust that Colas Rail has
put in Bernard over the past five years,
Bernard has been entrusted to inspect
a machine on one of their three, six or
12 month maintenance programmes
and told to inspect, repair or replace
any defective hydraulic hoses,
couplings or fixtures he finds after
consultation with the maintenance
team leader and then identifies each
pipe he has changed so it can be
entered onto a data base.
“Originally we had our own team
handling hydraulic hose replacements
and we only tried Pirtek as an exercise.
But we quickly realised that they could
replace the hoses more efficiently
than our own workshop, freeing up our
own workforce to do more dedicated
and specialised repair work,” says
Colas Rail’s Rugby maintenance
manager Adrian Watson. “We have
since analysed Pirtek’s repairs and
were staggered to find our leak rate
had fallen by 70 percent.”
Adrian is full of praise for Pirtek
Coventry in general and for Bernard
Slack in particular. “We have
complete faith in Pirtek. We book
them in for our scheduled maintenance
work but they also run a parallel
preventative maintenance programme
to ensure that any hoses that show
signs of wear are replaced before they
fail in the field,” he concludes. “In
addition to our regular work, we know
we can phone Pirtek up and say we
have a problem to be sorted but the
machine has to go out in a hour, and
know they will respond instantly to
help. I have nothing but praise for
Bernard Slack. He’s a top man.”
(Above)
Bernard and
the myriad
of hoses to
be checked
There can be few industry sectors more exacting
than the aerospace business. So the fact that
Pirtek Cambridge has been working alongside
nearby Marshall Aerospace for almost a decade
speaks volumes for the quality of their work and
their attention to detail.
The ongoing success of this partnership owes
much to the knowledge and experience of Mobile
Sales and Service Technician (MSST) Ade Daines,
and engineer for 30 years and provider of
hydraulic services to Marshall Aerospace for the
past 10 years.
Working alongside Marshalls’ test engineer Dan
Sizer, Daines recently completed the total
refitting of the hydraulic system for a 10 metre
tall landing gear testing rig that involved over 140
flexi-hoses and which was completed inside 4 days.
He is currently installing a three-pipe hydraulic oil
supply to a wing testing rig at the Marshall facility.
“Pirtek Cambridge supplies the majority of our
hydraulic needs on site,” Dan Sizer says. “Ade
knows our operation inside-out and seems to
thrive on the challenge of fitting the test rigs.”
This understanding of the specific needs of the
aerospace industry has also resulted in Daines
being on permanent call to the United States Air
Force bases at Mildenhall and
Lakenheath where he services
everything from on site plant,
forklifts, plane tugs and bomb
loading gear.
“It’s a pleasure working with
Ade and with Pirtek,” Dan Sizer
concludes. “They know and
understand our business and
provide an extremely reliable
and professional service.”
www.pirtek-europe.com

In the pipeline
5
Festival MEWP
Rescue
Hot Stuff
With festival goers already on site,
the stage crew were putting the
finishing touches to the sound
system and stage lighting for the
9th Global Gathering Music
Festival when a mobile elevating
work platform (MEWP) being used
to hoist the lighting into place
experienced a total hydraulic
system failure. The loss of this
vital piece of equipment not only
put the punctual completion of the
sound stage in jeopardy; it also
stranded the engineer more than
10 metres in the air.
Realising they had a serious H&S
issue as well as a potential delay to
the Festival, MEWP supplier Angel
Rental sent out an urgent call to
Pirtek Redditch who dispatched
Mobile Sales and Service
Technician (MSST) Pete Blackwell
to the rescue. Blackwell said
obviously his first task was to get
the operator safely to the ground
using the emergency valve release
handle. The MSST then spent the
next two hours replacing the boom
and mast hoses to give the
engineer a realistic chance of
completing the work in time.
Although he completed the repair
with plenty of time to spare, there
was a final twist to the hose
replacement, as Pete Blackwell
Redditch MSST Pete Blackwell who
rescued not only the Global
Gathering Music Festival but the
sound engineer as well
explains. “We had a very happy
customer at the end of the job, but
the experience must have
unnerved the sound engineer as he
refused to get back in the MEWP
until I’d personally tested it at full
working height,” he concludes. “Of
course it worked perfectly, and the
festival preparations were
completed on time. It was nice
that Pirtek could be a part of it.”
When Pirtek Watford had a call from
a regular customer who said they
needed some replacement hoses for
a mobile crushing plant, they were
soon on the case. However, as Centre Manager Gary
Samroo soon discovered, the problem was just a bit
more severe than he expected.
“When our Mobile Sales and Service Technician (MSST)
Rob Portsmouth arrived on the scene, he was told there
had been an electrical fire on the crusher. This meant
he would have to replace 20 hydraulic hoses and a giant
air hose,” Samroo says. “Just to make the job more
complicated, he had to work around an electrician who
was frantically trying to get the machine operational
again. And just to test his skills still further, he was
given just a working week to sort out the hoses.”
Samroo reports that Pirtek Watford customer and
leading aggregates supplier Lafarge had been using the
crusher at a processing site in Radlett where it was
producing about 400 tonnes of material an hour.
“Our MSST spent the initial visit carefully removing all
the old fire-damaged hydraulic hoses and returning
them to the Centre. We then identified every element
and spent the next day manufacturing new hoses. On
the third day he returned to the site and fitted
everything back on the repaired crusher,” Samroo
concludes. “The team at Lafarge was really happy with
our work and were suitably impressed that we had
taken just three days to complete the job, two days
inside schedule. But we had to impress them.
The crusher is an integral part of their processing
operation and this is a customer who is
really hot on time keeping.”
Quarter 4 2009

Total Hose Management
As businesses seek to reduce operating costs
by outsourcing non-core activities, Pirtek’s
Total Hose Management solution is becoming
UK industry’s preferred service option,
according to the company’s Alistair Wiggins.
Companies have long recognised the
benefits of concentrating on their
main business activities whilst using
specialist suppliers to take over non
core services. A good example of this
is the supply of hoses for industry.
Should a hose failure shut the
production line in a chemical plant,
the downtime costs and lost
production can run into thousands of
pounds.
More and more companies are taking
advantage of the Pirtek Total Hose
Management programme for
outsourcing their wide range of hoses
and assemblies. Some of the key
benefits are
• Reduction in stockholding and
improve cashflow
• Pro active hose maintenance
programme
• Better use of human resources
The Pirtek Outsourcing Program
enables participating companies to
make significant reductions in
inventory and their administration
costs, therefore benefiting the cash
flow. Customers can reduce their
stock holdings by sourcing their
entire fluid power, industrial and
specialist hoses, fittings and
accessories from their Pirtek centre
and have them supplied ‘on-site’
Companies will also see
improvements in their cashflow
because they will only be paying for
hoses when they are needed and not
when they are put into stock. In
addition with Pirtek’s broad product
mix allows companies to source from
one supplier instead of several, which
reduces administration costs. There
is also a centralised billing function
for multi-branch operators.
A significant change in plant
productivity and efficiency can be
generated through effective
maintenance. Pirtek has pioneered
innovative products and services that
present opportunities for
preventative maintenance of hoses
and assemblies for the first time:
Tagging System
Worn hoses often do not show
external damage which makes prefailure
changeout difficult. Hoses
that reach the end of their productive
lives simply blow-out causing
unwanted downtime and often,
environmentally damaging spills.
The unique Pirtek tagging system
facilitates pro-active hose
maintenance and is the first national
identification system employed
within the hydraulic hose industry.
Brightly coloured tags, applied when
Pirtek hoses are assembled,
record the hose age,
components used and the
contact number of the original
Pirtek centre. Therefore,
when a hose is installed, its
productive life can often be
assessed and scheduled for
replacement before failure
occurs.
The Pirtek Hoseclean
System
In- line contamination is a major
contributing cause of reduced
efficiency and even machinery
failure.
A new generation of hose cleaning
technology has been developed by
Pirtek to ensure protection against
contamination and help prevent
costly breakdowns and downtime.
Mobile Service Units
Each Pirtek Centre is equipped to
provide rapid response site service
to each of its customers in the field.
Mobile units are workshops with
equipment and stocks to cater for
the breakdown demands of the
customer. The Mobile Units operate
24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Where customer volumes are
significant Pirtek may “dedicate”
one or more mobile units to the
specific plant.
Human Resources
The Pirtek Outsourcing Programme
allows companies to release
essential personnel for other
duties.
Pirtek is committed
to its training
programme and holds
the INVESTOR IN
PEOPLE award. All
technicians employed
by Pirtek Centres are
City and Guild trained
and their role often
expands beyond hose
making to involve
system plumbing,
tube bending and
installation work.
www.pirtek-europe.com

In the pipeline 7
Pirtek Helps Break Oldest
Land Speed Record
handle beautifully. The team has
worked extremely hard over the
last 10 years and overcome
numerous problems. It is a
privilege to be involved with such a
talented crew, what we have
achieved today is a true testament
to British engineering, good
teamwork and perseverance,” said
Charles Burnett III.
On Tuesday 25 August, Charles
Burnett III smashed the land speed
record for a steam powered car –
which has stood for more than 100
years – achieving an average speed
of 139.843 mph on two runs over a
measured mile at the Edwards Air
Force Base in California. And it
was Pirtek hoses and assemblies
that propelled the three tonne car
into the record books.
Burnett piloted the car for both
runs reaching a peak speed of
136.103 mph on the first run and
151.085 mph on the second. The
new international record, which is
subject to official confirmation by
the FIA, breaks the previous
official FIA record of 127mph set
in 1906 by American, Fred
Marriott, driving a Stanley steamer
at Daytona Beach. The sleek 7.6
metre long British Steam Car is
made from a mixture of
lightweight carbon-fibre
composite and aluminium wrapped
around a steel space frame
chassis. It is fitted with 12 boilers
containing nearly two miles of
tubing. Demineralised water is
pumped into the boilers at up to 50
litres a minute and the burners
produce three megawatts of heat.
Steam is superheated to 400
degrees Celsius which is injected
into the turbine at more than twice
the speed of sound.
“Almost every major component on
the steam power side including the
bulk liquid LPG supply in and gas
out, water cooling, condensate and
HP Air was connected to or
controlled by items supplied by
Pirtek Southampton. The braking
system, air control and air jacking
was also supplied by Pirtek says
Pirtek Southampton’s Nigel Day.
“All auxiliary power packs were
also completed with Pirtek
products throughout, as were the
hydraulic trailers and launch unit.
Pirtek Southampton also provided
technical expertise and advice on
component choice during the
development and build phases.”
"It was absolutely fantastic I
enjoyed every moment of it. We
reached nearly 140 mph on the
first run before I applied the
parachute. All systems worked
perfectly, it was a really good run.
The second run went even better
and we clocked a speed in excess
of 150 mph. The car really did
Quarter 4 2009

Two Decades of Change
Pirtek Oldbury is among a number of Hose Centres to be
celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. And like many of
their peers, the team at Oldbury has witnessed some
staggering changes in the past two decades.
The year is 1989. Margaret Thatcher
still reigns supreme as UK prime
minister. More than 100,000 students
have taken to the streets in China for
what will forever be known as the
Tiananmen Square protests. And
Michael Jackson is top of the charts with
“Smooth Criminal”. Meanwhile in
Oldbury in the Black Country, a fledgling
company, the second Pirtek franchise in
the UK, is about to open its doors for the
first time. “As one of the first Pirtek
Centres, the founders effectively had
the choice of where to locate their new
business,” says Rob Greasley, owner for
the past 9 years. “So obviously, they
located it right next to the area’s largest
concentration of foundries and
automotive companies that would form
the prime customer base throughout
our formative years.”
But in the past two decades, it’s not
just the politics and music that has
changed. Indeed, the industrial
landscape of the Black Country and
surrounding areas today are
barely recognisable from the heavy
engineering hotbed of 20 years ago.
“Virtually all of the automotive works
have downsized or closed altogether
and there are just two or three
operational foundries remaining,”
Rob says. “ Thankfully, however, as the
business landscape in Oldbury has
changed, so has the product and
services offered from the area’s
premier supplier of Fluid Transfer
Solutions. “When Pirtek Oldbury first
started, they were known purely for
hoses and on-site hose replacements
which made up the lion’s share of the
business. The vans were constantly on
the road heading for a factory, foundry
or construction site,” Rob says.
“But while the vans were busy, our
Trade Counter also became
increasingly busy with customers
calling in to collect a huge variety of
parts they need themselves. Being
located so close to the M5 and M6
Left Owner
Rob
Greasley
with Sales
manager
Phil Pace
The three
longest
serving
members of
Pirtek
Oldbury,
with 43
years of
service
between
them, (left
to right)
Rob
Greasley
with Lisa
Brain,
accounts
manager
and Aidan
Timmins,
supervisor
makes us an ideal stopping off point.”
Rob also says that Pirtek Oldbury
has witnessed the birth of several new
industries that didn’t even exist in 1989.
“There has always been scrap yards in
this area but with the move towards
ever greater levels of recycling and
sustainability, these have become more
complex and more demanding for hoses
and assemblies,” he explains. “And the
green revolution has also created a
totally new market for recycling items
like construction and demolition rubble.
All of these operations use heavy
mobile equipment, crushers and
screeners and, in turn, all of these use
hydraulic hoses.”
Rob also points out that this
growing environmental awareness
among its customer base has led to
an upturn in demand for some of
Pirtek’s less well known products.
“All our customers are now conscious
of the environmental impact of their
businesses,” he continues. “As a
result, we have seen a significant
increase in demand for items such as
our oil spill products.”
More recently, the company has
supplied a huge range of products to
a local company as part of a
Government-funded electrical power
generation project in Nigeria of all
places. “We were really excited by
this project, not just because of its
high value but also because we
effectively acted as consultants and
they trusted our input as experts in
our field,” Rob says proudly.
“That’s something we never could
have done 20 years ago.”
www.pirtek-europe.com

In the pipeline
9
Redditch Relaunch
Customers old and new gathered at
Pirtek Redditch recently for an open
day to mark the relaunch of this busy
Hose Centre. The Centre, located at
South Moons Moat Industrial Estate
close to the Marubeni-Komatsu head
office, was taken over earlier this year.
And the open day was designed to
provide customers with an opportunity
to meet the new team.
Visitors were treated to a tour of the
depot as well as being given the chance
to meet Andrew Jordan, the fastestrising
star in the British Touring Car
Championships and an integral part of
the Pirtek-sponsored VXRacing team
that is currently vying for the BTCC title.
New Pirtek Redditch Licensee Andy
Connell has more than 10 years
experience in the industry and is
certainly no stranger to Redditch.
“When I started working for Pirtek as an
MSST in 1997, Redditch was part of the
patch I covered,” he recalls. “I know the
area and many of the customers, and I
am delighted to have this opportunity to
bring a fresh approach to the Centre.”
Connell is also hopeful that the open day
will help quash rumours circulating
earlier this year that suggested that
Pirtek Redditch had closed down.
“Pirtek Redditch is alive and well. We
have a committed management team
that is determined to make this
franchise a success and provide an
excellent service to the businesses in
our area,” he asserts. “We operate 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 365
days a year – we are always on hand to
provide assistance to our customers.”
Left, Morton Connell, Sales Manager
with Andy Jordan, who also tried his
hand at the co-ordination game. Below
(l-r) the Redditch team, Forklift truck
builder Translift Bendi receiving a
replacement autographed cap from
Lyndsey Connell. Below Paul Perry from
Allelys Heavy Haulage, being reassured
that there was still food, and the
barbeque was over there. Bottom, the
two Andys posing for the press
A Little Light Reading
The Pirtek Fluid Transfer Solution catalogue runs to well over 800 pages,
and contains more than 18,000 individual items. Almost a year in the
making, it is a publication of which we’re all tremendously proud.
But we’re also aware that, with a look akin to War and Peace and a weight
that is on a par with Simon Cowell’s wallet, it is not always the most
convenient way to find the Pirtek product or service you require,
particularly if you’re on the move.
Which is why we’re about to launch a new, condensed version, a mini-me
catalogue that is Kate Moss slim and which boasts a weight to match.
To reserve your own Pirtek Fluid Transfer Solutions mini catalogue, please
visit your local Pirtek Hose Centre.
Quarter 4 2009

Mutually-Assured Expansion
Born within the sound of Bow Bells
in London’s East End by joint
managing directors Tony Martin and
Brian Day, Fiveways Municipal
Vehicle Hire has expanded way
beyond its Cockney roots. With a
fleet of over 200 vehicles including
rear and front-end loaders, refuse
collection vehicles, hook and skip
lifts that are offered for short term
or contract hire on a national base,
the company quickly outgrew its
original base and subsequently
moved to a new 0.8 hectare facility
in Basildon that’s still growing.
In addition to providing Fiveways
with much-needed additional space,
the relocation also brought them
closer to their preferred hydraulic
hose replacement service provider
from the outset, Pirtek Basildon.
Fiveways employs five of its own
field service engineers to provide
response and repair times that are
unrivalled in the municipal hire
industry, with an average response
for a road breakdown mirroring
Pirtek’s “Anytime, Anywhere, ETA
One hour” service promise. This is
backed by a hydraulic hose
replacement service provided by
Pirtek’s nationwide network of 90+
dedicated Hose Centres and coordinated
through Pirtek Basildon.
“Originally we were just given the
defective hoses to replace, but as
trust in Pirtek has grown, we can
now arrive at the depot and be
simply instructed to examine and
replace any defective component,”
says Pirtek Basildon Mobile Sales
and Service Technician Jon Bell.
“That could be fouled hoses, worn
PTO components or defective bin
The
Fiveways
MOT bay and
the newly
fitted John
Guest
pneumatic
system
lifts and it often means getting into
the vehicle – not the most hygienic
job we do! As well as the regular
service jobs, we do a lot of
preventative maintenance work
including the re-routing of hoses to
prevent wear.”
As a long time supplier, Pirtek
Basildon was recently given the
chance to pitch for the installation
of a new workshop pneumatic air
hose system. Pirtek Basildon not
only proposed the most flexible
installation but beat their three
tender rivals on both price and
installation time. Fiveways’ general
manager Barry Abbott is clearly
delighted with the new installation.
“The John Guest system they
designed and installed operates at
700 kPa (7 bar), which is perfect for
all our air tools, jacks and the MOT
test equipment. It means that all
the working air hoses are reduced to
just six metres, eliminating any
potential safety hazards caused by
trailing hoses,” he concludes. “We
have built up a great working
relationship with Pirtek Basildon.
They are fast, efficient and totally
reliable. They wouldn’t be working
for Fiveways if they weren’t.”
Left Centre
manager
Colin May,
MSST Jon Bell
and Fiveways
general
manager
Barry Abbott
Right
Jon Bell
about to get
into a
Fiveways
vehicle for
some routine
maintenance
www.pirtek-europe.com

In the pipeline
11
CUSTOMER
SERVICES
Feedback
I work for "the water company" in Ipswich and today I needed various fittings
quite urgently. I was working on the other side of town and called in to THREE
other pipe fitting suppliers, two of which were very rude and the other either
did not want to know and was no help at all. These companies are all around
the Sproughton Road area.
I then made my way to your depot on Wherstead Road (Ipswich) and what a
difference. The young chap that served me, wish I had taken his name but I
think he was the youngest person there was absolutely brilliant. He
understood what I was trying to achieve and briefly dissapeared behind the
maze of racking and produced with a smile exactly what I needed (several
fittings actually). The other hose and fitting companies could really learn a lot
from this young bloke, customer service 10/10.
I have always had good service from Pirtek but this was really good and
helped me through my day.
Please pass on a big thank you.
Thank You Very Much
Pete Abbott
The Kiwis are
Coming
Competition
Congratulations to Mark White of Dresser-Rand,
winner of the competition from our last edition
of In the Pipeline.
Mark correctly deduced that VXRacing team
member and current British Touring Car
Championship title holder Fabrizio Giovanardi,
is indeed Italian. Mark received a full set of
Pirtek/VXRacing clothing including a racing
jacket, race shirt and baseball cap from John
Hector of Pirtek Peterborough .
This time around, we’re offering one lucky reader
the chance to secure a coveted framed VXRacing
race shirt signed by BTCC stars Fabrizio
Giovanardi, Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan,
together with a VXRacing baseball cap for the
first five runners-up to correctly answer the
following question: On the Pirtek UK website’s
homepage, there is a photo of Licensee Kieron
Sullivan. But which Pirtek Centre does he run?
To enter, please email your answer to
info@pirtek.co.uk. The winners will be drawn
from the correct entries received. Closing date is
11.12.09. For further information, go to
www.pirtek.co.uk or www.pirtek.ie.
The Gillette Four Nations rugby
league tournament is just a few
weeks away, and the world-cup
winning and Pirtek-sponsored
Kiwis are coming to town.
Running for almost a month, the
Four Nations championships will be
covered by both the BBC and by
Sky Sports, so there’s no excuse
for not seeing the mighty Kiwis,
England, France and Australia in
action.
The event kicks off on 23 October at
the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster
with an opening match between
England and France. The following
day, the Kiwis get their campaign
underway at The Stoop in
Twickenham against long-time
adversaries, Australia.
Full details of fixtures, teams and
tickets can be found at the official
Gillette Four Nations website:
www.gillette4nations.co.uk
Congratulations, John Hector of Pirtek Peterborough,
presenting Mark White with his prize
SED
Prizewinner Ian
Canover from
L Lynch (right)
returned to
Rockingham for
the BTCC with
his guest Simon
Hodges
Quarter 4 2009

In the pipeline
It's going to the wire...
It has been a dramatic
second half to the 2010
racing season for the
Pirtek-backed cars in the
HiQ MSA British Touring
Car Championship. Andrew
Jordan swept back to the
top of the pack with a
superb second place at
Rockingham, while Fabrizio
Giovanardi goes into the
final three races fighting
for the overall title.
After a seven-week mid-season
break, the action resumed at
Snetterton on 1/2 August for the
start of a daunting month. Through
August, three race weekends and
nine races kept everyone working flat
out and it was a challenging time for
the cars from VX Racing.
"It's been a very hard second half to
the season," said Andrew, as all the
Vauxhalls struggled to match the
speed of the Chevrolets and BMWs.
"Our qualifying pace was very good at
Snetterton, but it all slowed down a
bit after that," he said. A fourth place
in the final race at Snetterton was a
decent result, but he was
disappointed to leave Knockhill a
fortnight later with only two seventh
places.
Then, at Silverstone, it was only
Andrew's uncanny car control on a
slippery track that earned him a sixth
place on a weekend when all the
Vauxhalls lacked straight-line speed.
Giovanardi and Matt Neal had a tough
time, just like Andrew, and in the dry
they were not able to challenge for
the podium.
"Knockhill and Silverstone were
tough weekends but I've learnt a lot,"
said Andrew. "Fabrizio and Matt have
been struggling as well and it has
been a good learning experience to
see how they react to it. They don’t
let it get them down, because they
know they are good. I've watched how
Fabrizio can drive through a bad car
and still get the results. The car is
quite hard on its front tyres and it has
been about tyre management in the
races."
However, at Rockingham in the most
recent races, Andrew was able to
lead the race and challenge for his
debut BTCC win before finishing
second in the third race of the day.
"The car was the best it had been all
day in the last race," said Andrew.
"When I got past the Ford Focus of
Tom Chilton to take the lead I built up
a nice gap, but then I saw Stephen
Jelley in the BMW get through to
second and I knew it was going to be
hard. He did a good move on me at
Deene. I was having trouble getting
the car stopped and he just pushed
me out wide. Then I had to defend
second from Colin Turkington in the
other BMW. I'm a bit disappointed
with second place in the last race,
because I thought I could have won it.
But it was a good race and it was
great to be back on the overall BTCC
podium." Having led for several laps,
it was also great television coverage
for the Pirtek-backed Vauxhall
Vectra.
While Neal has had a fairly tough time
this season, Giovanardi has used all
his touring car experience to great
effect to keep himself in the running
for a second BTCC crown. Now, with
just Brands Hatch (3/4 October) left
to come, the Italian ace is just 13
points down on BMW racer Colin
Turkington heading into what could
be his final BTCC weekend – for the
time being, at least.
Andrew meanwhile, would love to
wrap up his season with a win on the
daunting Grand Prix circuit at Brands
Hatch, but he also accepts that he
will need to play a supporting role to
Giovanardi's title bid if the situation
dictates.
"I'd hoped to have had a couple of
wins by now, and I'd love to get a win
at Brands. But the Chevrolets and
BMWs have picked their pace up a
lot," said Andrew. "We've not had the
results I wanted, but I've proved that
I can match the pace of Fabrizio and
Matt and I've learnt a huge amount of
race craft. From that point of view,
it’s been a good year but I wanted
more in terms of race results. I've
gained a lot of confidence from
knowing that I can run on their pace."
Already, Andrew is thinking about
next season and is determined to put
this year's experience to good use.
"What I really want to do is build on
the experience I've gained this year
and go into 2010 and win races."
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www.pirtek-europe.com