28/09/2016
Issue 10
Rosberg Takes Three Wins On The Bounce Pages 23 - 28
Also in this issue Latest NASCAR action Pages 11 - 18
NEW: Honda Civic Page 39
2007 & 2008 GP2 Champions. Where Are They Now? Page 21
8 Drivers In The Hunt For The 2016 BTCC Title Pages 5 - 8 Page | 1
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BTCC: Rockingham Review @goughieee6 Images: BTCC Media
The BTCC circus rolled into town at Rockingham in Northamptonshire for rounds 22,23 and 24 of the championship. Qualifying was a complete washout. Motorbase’ Mat Jackson and reigning champion Gordon Shedden set the early pace before the torrential rain came down to halt the session. When the session resumed, Shedden reclaimed the top spot from Jackson and remained there till the end to claim pole for only the second time this season. Jackson held onto second place with the MG of Josh Cook in third and BMR’s Jason Plato and Colin Turkington rounding out the top five. Thankfully, race day was a much better day for weather as a completely dry track greeted the drivers for the first encounter. The Honda of Shedden made a good getaway but still had to defend from Mat Jackson around the outside. Once the scot had dealt with Jackson, he could make a charge and create a gap as Jackson gradually fell into the clutches of the two Subaru’s as they launched past Josh Cook’s MG off the line. There a few minor incidents on the opening laps which led to a brief safety car period, but Gordon Shedden held his nerve to make a great restart, getaway from the chasing pack and eventually come home to take the first win of the day. Despite being within striking range of the Subaru’s, the Motorbase Ford Focus of Mat Jackson produced another defensive masterclass to come home in second with Plato in third. Turkington and Josh Cook followed Plato over the line with Cook’s team mate Ash Sutton not far behind. Andrew Jordan surged through from 14th on the grid to collect 7th place meanwhile Matt Neal in the sister Honda, fought hard for 8th with championship returnee Dave Newsham behind and a great recovery drive from Sam Tordoff completing the top 10. In Race two, it was Sam Tordoff who drove a champions drive to come through from tenth place to win. Early Drama in the opening lap led to Jason Plato and Josh Cook both retiring their cars after contact at the first corner. Sam Tordoff made a great start and by mid distance, was already running in third spot. The Honda of Shedden fell away as tyre life and maximum ballast put to bed any challenge for a podium.1 Page | 5
It was Mat Jackson who was out in front with team mate Andrew Jordan behind him. Tordoff disposed of Jordan’s Ford Focus and then repeated the same move on leader Jackson by lap nine. In the closing stages, the ballast-laden Ford of Jackson couldn't keep team mate Jordan at bay as he got past with a few laps to go and was soon followed by the second BMW of Rob Collard. Ash Sutton in the remaining MG took another top five finish meanwhile Matt Neal maintained his consistency with a sixth place finish ahead of the BKR VW of Aron Smith, who was enjoying his most competitive weekend since the early parts of the season. The two Merc’s of Adam Morgan and Aiden Moffat battled for eighth spot, with Adam Morgan coming out on top. Race one winner Shedden came home in tenth. The final encounter of the day saw BKR’s Aron Smith getting the reverse grid draw and starting on pole. It proved to be a real test for smith as after a solid start, he had to contend with three safety car periods for different incidents throughout the race. Matt Neal and Mat Jackson gave Smith the initial pressure from the start but the pair would soon fade away as Smith held firm. Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington were both on a charge and they soon both got past Neal and Jackson and found themselves in a battle for the lead with Smith. However, luckily for Smith, the pair would squabble over the final podium spots which gave him enough space to bring the car home to win. Shedden getting the better of Turkington for second and third and Matt Neal finishing in fourth with Mat Jackson just behind in fifth. Meanwhile, Rob Collard had to settle for sixth, Adam Morgan and Aiden Moffat again finishing inside the top ten with an impressive Jake Hill splitting the pair of them. Jason Plato rounded out the top ten. Tordoff still lead the championship with the Honda pair of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden close behind. Page | 6
BTCC: Silverstone Review @goughieee6
The home of British motorsport was the host for the penultimate weekend in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Ash Sutton in the MG put in a last gasp flying lap in qualifying to claim his second pole of the season, with Speedworks Toyota of Tom Ingram completing the front row. The collection of impressive qualifiers continued as Josh Cook in the other MG lined up in third, Andrew Jordan impressing in fourth and Adam Morgan in fifth. Rob Austin, Matt Neal, Hunter Abbott, Aron Smith and Gordon Shedden rounded out the top ten. The first race of the day was an interesting one, with many of the title protagonists lower down the order. Tom Ingram made the better start out of the front two and immediately took the lead into the first corner. Neither MG got away well as Cook was also displaced by the Pirtek Focus of Jordan. Adam Morgan and Rob Austin traded places throughout the early stages as there was battles all the way down the order. Sam Tordoff, Rob Collard and Mat Jackson were paint swapping further down the order trying to make amends for a poor qualifying. Jordan was then put back into fourth after he and the MG of Cook made small contact going into the complex on lap four and the MG man set about chasing after the front two of Ingram and Sutton. On lap eight, Sutton got past Ingram and Cook four laps later made the move past the Toyota with a rather robust move. The MG’s eventually crossed the line to take the team’s first 1-2 for 3 years, or was it? They were both disqualified for technical infringements due to their rear wings being outside the allowed measurements. So it was Ingram who took the win instead, ahead of Andrew Jordan and a valiant Rob Austin. Adam Morgan had to settle for fourth. Another impressive performance from Jake Hill in the Team HARD Toyota as he crossed the line in fifth. Aron Smith, Rob Collard, Colin Turkington, Aiden Moffat and Jason Plato completed the top 10. Disaster for both Honda men Neal and Shedden as both drivers had punctures and Neal failed to finish. Page | 7
In the second encounter, it was the Pirtek Ford Focus of Andrew Jordan who kept his championship hopes alive with victory. After starting on the front row, Jordan hounded the Toyota of Tom Ingram for the lead, before getting past him on lap 7. Ingram eventually succumbed to the Mercedes of Adam Morgan as his pace on the soft tyre was fading along with a heavily ballasted car. Jordan became untroubled for the victory and Adam Morgan came home in a comfortable second. Ingram held on to the final podium spot despite a late charge from the Subaru pairing of Colin Turkington and Jason Plato. Mat Jackson was the biggest surprise finishing in sixth after a mammoth effort starting in 17th. Another late charger was the WSR BMW of Rob Collard who came home in 7th using the softer tyres to good effect. Rob Austin, who was enjoying another good race inside the top 6, was struck with a puncture which put to bed any good chances of a high finish. A recovering Shedden, Aiden Moffat and Hunter Abbott completed the top 10. Championship leader Tordoff recovered well in 11th meanwhile Matt Neal fought his way back to 15th. For the final race of the day, it was Gordon Shedden who grabbed the reverse grid draw and was put on pole. Rob Collard blasted past the Honda off the line and Shedden found himself in a squabble for third with Mat Jackson pulling up alongside and briefly getting ahead of the Honda. In the next two laps it would be the scotsman who would have the last laugh as he regained second from Jackson and then made a stunning move past Collard to take the lead. Shedden would then create a gap big enough to be unchallenged at the front. Mat Jackson then relegated the BMW of Collard further when he got past on lap 3. Collard would then hold on to the final podium place for the remainder of the race. The Subaru’s of Turkington and Plato got the better of Tom Ingram, although Plato suffered late heartache to limp home in 12th with a puncture. Neal followed Turkington home in 5th with Sam Tordoff finishing well in 6th. Cook, Jordan, Moffat and Sutton rounded out the top 10. Page | 8
Porsche Supercup Rounds 7 & 8 – Jaminet Takes Overdue Win As Cairoli Slashes Müllers Lead @jackwi_ Images: porschenewsroom
Round 7 – Spa – After the long summer break, the Porsche Supercup headed to the famous Spa for Round 7 of the championship. Sven Müller led the championship but an inform Matteo Cairoli had obliterated what was a sizeable lead for the German to just a handful of points. Cairoli continued his fine form with a formidable display in qualifying, over four tenths quicker than second placed driver Sven Müller. However, controversy was to come, when Cairoli was handed a three-place grid penalty for ignoring yellow-flags in Friday Free Practice. This promoted championship rival Müller into first position, followed by the impressive rookie Mathieu Jaminet. The lights went out and Müller aced his start to maintain the lead. Patrick Eissman and Philipp Frommenwiler collided at the start. This triggered an early Safety-Car to be deployed. Müller confidently led from the restart but a hard charging Jaminet was determined to pass the German. He did just that, after Müller made a clumsy mistake by running wide, Jaminet took the opportunity with both hands and gained a gifted lead. Müller kept up with Jaminet for the remainder of the race but never had a realistic chance to pass the Frenchman. Jaminet then took a much overdue victory in the Belgium forest, much to his delight. Christian Engelhart and Matteo Cairoli had a race-long battle for the remaining podium spot. Cairoli had attempted numerous moves on Engelhart to no prevail. As the race neared its conclusion, Cairoli attempted the unthinkable at Eau-Rouge and drove straight round the outside to claim third. Cairoli’s joy was short lived, an after race investigation concluded that the Italian had passed Engelhart off the racetrack, Cairoli received a one second penalty which demoted him to fourth. Page | 9
Round 8 – Monza – Matteo Cairoli was looking to triumph in front of his home crowd as he looked to obtain the championship lead at Monza. The Italian started perfectly, comfortably fastest in Free Practice by almost half a second. Cairoli continued this over on Saturday to put himself on pole in front of the Tifosi. In contrast, championship leader Müller was struggling. Over five tenths slower than his Italian rival, Müller could only manage third with an impressive guest star performance by Mattia Drudi in fourth. Michael Ammermüller lined up alongside Cairoli on the front row. In a race full of action from start to finish, Christian Engelhart, who qualified an impressive fifth, pulled off immediately when the formation lap began. Cairoli aced his start to maintain his lead. The getaway resulted in a relatively unchanged order, with only Frenchman Jaminet dropping from fifth to sixth. As drivers duelled for position, Chris Bauer was pushing to propel up the order, the German however pushed too hard and spun at Parabolica causing an almighty accident. Bauer collected Pablo Sanchez Lopez and fellow countryman Patrick Eisemann, who was sent into a serious of violent rolls. The Safety Car was deployed and it took until lap 5 for the debris to be cleared and for the field to go racing once more. More drama was to come shortly after the restart when a clumsy Dylan Pereira ran wide at the Roggia chicane and collected the innocent Ryan Cullen. Just like Eisemann earlier, Cullen was sent into a series of vicious rolls, this again brought out the safety car. The safety car dived into the pit lane at the end of lap 7 as Cairoli bolted from the restart. Sven Müller, running in third had a great run on teammate Michael Ammermüller heading to turn 1. Müller passed his teammate but had so much momentum he also attempted to pass race leader Cairoli. The German failed to pass the Italian as he failed to stop his car and missed the chicane. Müller was down to fifth after his desperation from the restart but quickly distributed fourth place Robert Lukas with ease. Jaminet was not on the pace of his championship rivals and was regularly defending his position to keep crucial points in his championship bid. The last five laps were poised beautifully; Cairoli, Ammermüller, Drudi and Müller were all bunched in a 4-way battle for the win. Cairoli’s urge to win on home soil was clear, repeatedly running wide and even dipping a wheel in the unforgiving gravel trap. Cairoli handled the pressure of the three cars behind and took an emotional home victory. Ammermüller didn’t have an answer for Cairoli and finished second. Guest Mattia Drudi finished third in an incredible weekend all round for the young Italian. Müller limited the damage to Cairoli by finishing fourth and retaining a slender lead to Page | 10 the Italian, just two points separate the duo as they head to the final double header in Austin.
Harvick Waits For The Weather At Bristol @JR24GP Image - Nascar
Kevin Harvick came from a lowly grid position of 24th to comfortably win the Bass Pro Shops NRA 500 at the half mile Bristol Motor Speedway. The race had been delayed overnight after 48 laps following heavy rain showers at a track significantly modified during the summer to attract better racing on the bottom groove, an experiment which worked to some extent, especially in the early laps. The dominant car in the early stages, and the most likely challenger to Kevin Harvick for victory, Kyle Busch, led over 250 laps before a rear suspension failure took him out of the race, leaving the Joe Gibbs Racing driver throwing his helmet at his car in frustration. The biggest story of the race however was the implications a multi-car wreck, triggered by a spin for then leader Kurt Busch on lap 371, would have on the Chase standings. As Busch went sideways across the racetrack, Chase Elliott (12th in points) got into the back of Matt Kenseth, who spun into the path of Ryan Blaney (18th in points), whilst another Chase contender Kyle Larson (15th in points), also sustained heavy damage. The crash allowed 2016 race winner Chris Buescher to drive a clean race to 5th, thus picking up the points he needs to move into the top 30 in the standings to automatically qualify for the Chase. This means that Ryan Newman, who also had problems during the race, finishing in 28th, is now on the Chase bubble, with Kasey Kahne and Larson behind him needing to make up over 30 points in the next couple of races to take his spot away. A win now seems the more likely scenario for drivers behind Newman to steal a Chase place. It was a notable race for Ricky Stenhouse Jr, who took a joint career best 2nd behind Harvick, frustratingly close to a 1st win which would have sealed a Chase place. Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon also finished in the top 5, an important result for Dillon, all but confirming his Chase place. Jamie McMurray also gave his Chase hopes a huge boost in a run to 8th, putting the Chip Ganassi Racing driver 42 points clear of the cut line. With only 3 races left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, drivers and teams will look to start to build some Championship momentum starting at the high-speed Michigan International Speedway next weekend. Page | 11
Martin Truex Jr surged late in the Southern 500 at Darlington to pick up his first win at the iconic speedway, and his 2nd win of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. On Labor Day weekend, many of the cars ran throwback liveries to commemorate some of NASCAR’s legends for one of the biggest races on the schedule. The dominant car for the entire day was, as so often is the case in recent years, Kevin Harvick and his Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet. Harvick led 214 out of 367 laps, but was furious to let the race slip away after giving up a total of 17 places on pit road during the course of the evening, eventually rallying back to finish 2nd. After the race, Harvick shared his anger with his pit crew to the media. "The guys in the garage and at the shop continue to do a great job, and we continue to give it away on pit road. Pretty much summed up the night. Just the dominant car, and just three bad stops on pit road…I'm over being a cheerleader. Those guys get paid a lot of money to perform on pit road, and cheerleading hasn't really been working. You've got to get after it on pit road and do your job." The rest of the top 5 were made up by Kyle Larson, who continued to build momentum following his maiden win last time out at Michigan, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Matt Kenseth came home 6th, whilst Kasey Kahne had a rare strong day, finishing highest of all Hendrick cars in 7th. Ryan Newman closed the gap to Jamie McMurray in the Chase battle with an 8th place finish, whilst rounding out the top 10 were Brad Keselowski, and Chase Elliott, who has now almost guaranteed his Chase place, barring a DNF at Richmond. McMurray’s 15th place finish was the lowest of the 4 remaining Chase contenders (Elliott, Dillon, McMurray and Newman) fighting for 3 Chase places, meaning that his lead over Ryan Newman is now just 7 points. A race of a similar nature in Richmond could allow Newman to overtake McMurray in points, and therefore steal the 16th and final place on the Chase Grid. Page | 12
One of the biggest talking points of the evening was the incident between 3-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart, and rookie Brian Scott. On lap 204, Scott, who was already 4 laps down at this time, attempted to let Stewart past to lap him. Coming off turn 2, the two cars touched sending Stewart loose. Then, in what looked to be a retaliation move, Stewart turned his car into Scott, sending the Richard Petty Motorsports Ford spinning into the wall and out of the race. Stewart was called to the NASCAR hauler after the race where he was warned for his dangerous driving after yet another controversial moment for the veteran driver. For Martin Truex Jr however, an unexpected victory shows a change of fortune for him and his Furniture Row Racing team. It is Truex’s first multiple win season of his career, and incredibly only his 5th ever Sprint Cup win, despite having led over 1000 laps this season alone. Truex, unlike Harvick, was quick to praise the efforts of his pit crew in victory lane whilst celebrating the win. “The pit crew was flawless tonight -- they won us the race. They took a lot of heat for what happened last week ... I knew the bad luck would stop coming, and we'd start racking 'em off ... The pit crew's done a great job, but they did stumble last week, and this was a great way to make it up." The 36-year-old has come within one hundredth of a second of winning the three biggest races of the season, following a victory in the Coke 600 and a narrow defeat in the Daytona 500. Truex will have ambitions of making the final 4 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second season in a row, although will be looking to go better than the 4th place finish he achieved in 2015. Next up in Richmond is the conclusion of the regular season, where all eyes will be on the Chase contenders to see who can book their place in the round of 16. Carl Edwards will be looking to sweep after a dramatic last corner pass on Kyle Busch to win in the Spring. Page | 13
Larson Finally Breaks His Sprint Cup Duck @JR24GP Images - nascar
Kyle Larson had been known since his superb rookie year in 2014 as the NASCAR Sprint Cup ‘nearly man’. 4 2nd place finishes, 5 3rd place finishes, and several other near misses had cursed the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, but finally in the Pure Michigan 400, Kyle Larson won his first Sprint Cup race. For much of the day, Larson battled with another young star, rookie Chase Elliott. On the final restart, both drivers spun their tires, but Larson got just enough momentum to take the lead, and from there drove perfectly to break a 99 race winless streak for his team, and seal his place in the 2016 Chase. Elliott did look like the driver to beat for much of the second half of the race, and at one stage led the race by nearly 10 seconds. Despite that, he would rue his mistakes on the final green flag run that led to another second place finish at Michigan. “That's a couple races in a row in just a few short months here at this place we had a really good car, had an opportunity,” Elliott said. “That's one thing I try really hard to do is make the most of opportunities when they're presented. Obviously, I didn't do a very good job of that here both trips. Behind Larson and Elliott, Brad Keselowski drove a strong race to finish 3rd and continue his excellent season. Ryan Blaney was another rookie to impress, finishing in 4th, whilst Kevin Harvick came home 5th after making a late stop on the final caution in a bid to win. Jimmie Johnson drove well throughout the day, recovering from a flat tire after leading the race earlier in the day to finish in 6th. Carl Edwards finished 7th, Jamie McMurray had another solid race for his Chase hopes in 8th, whilst rounding out the top 10 were Denny Hamlin and polesitter Joey Logano. Larson’s victory has huge implications on the rest of the Chase grid. Ryan Newman now moves provisionally outside of the Chase, with Jamie McMurray on the bubble 15 points ahead of him. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon are also not safe yet, both being less than 30 points clear of the cut-off line. Page | 14
This could all change again however should Chris Buescher fall out of the top 30 in points. A difficult run for him in 35th means that rival David Ragan is just 7 points behind the rookie, after finishing in 29th. Should this gap be overhauled, Ryan Newman would be back in a strong position to make the final 16, with Kasey Kahne now 37 points behind him. Kyle Larson meanwhile dedicated his victory to the late Bryan Clauson, the former NASCAR Xfinity driver who died three weeks ago from injuries caused by a horrific midget car crash. “I was teared-up that whole last few laps because I could just feel it. It was finally going to be it. This one is for the Clauson family. We really miss Bryan. We love you guys. We’re going to miss him. We parked it for him, so that’s really cool.” Chip Ganassi himself, a legend of American motorsport, was emotional after the race, after a difficult couple of years for him and his Sprint Cup team. “I’m kind of speechless to tell you the truth. All these people work so damn hard and if you go winless for so long, it’s really, really difficult. Only one person wins in this sport. It’s like golf – there’s just one winner. We’re just really proud to be here in Victory Lane right now." Larson, Elliott and Blaney all finishing within the top 4 whilst using the ultra-low downforce, and therefore difficult to drive, aero package, is further evidence that the next generation of Sprint Cup talent are on the verge of taking over. All 3 drivers have shown this year that they have the potential to dominate the NASCAR scene for years to come, and already are amongst the most popular drivers with the fans in America and across the world. With just 2 races to go before the Chase gets underway, next weekend’s throwback race at Darlington should be something special, especially with the drivers running classic liveries to commemorate the legends of the past. The Southern 500 is one of the most prestigious races on the calendar, with Carl Edwards looking to repeat his success of 2015. Page | 15
Hamlin Wins Caution-Filled Race At Richmond @JR24GP Images - nascar
In an event featuring a Richmond record 16 cautions and a red flag, Denny Hamlin avoided the carnage and built some momentum ahead of the Chase in the final regular season race of the year by winning the Federated Auto Parts 400. Polesitter Hamlin, and Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr dominated most of the race, leading 189 and 193 laps respectively, but a slow pitstop and speeding penalty for Truex gave the advantage to Hamlin, who held off the in-form Kyle Larson to secure his 3rd win of the 2016 season. Truex Jr did recover to finish 3rd, whilst the top 5 was rounded off by two of the favourites for the Chase, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick. Kasey Kahne’s 6th place finish wasn’t enough for him to make the Chase, however Jamie McMurray’s 7th place was. The two Busch brothers were 8th and 9th, Kurt ahead of Kyle, whilst Joey Logano rounded out the top 10. The final Chase Grid was also decided during the wild evening. When Ryan Newman was caught up in a late race wreck which brought out the red flag, initiated by Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, his hopes effectively ended, ensuring McMurray, Dillon and Elliott all qualified. A lead-lap finish for Chris Buescher was also enough to ensure he finished in the top 30 in points, meaning his Pocono victory does secure his place in the 2016 Chase alongside the 12 other drivers who won a race this season. Elliott had put his Chase hopes in danger when he was collected up in an incident between teammate Jeff Gordon and Chase rival Ryan Newman on lap 92, forcing him to pit for repairs. From there, Elliott battled his wounded car to 19th, enough to ensure that him and Buescher are the first rookies to make the Chase since Denny Hamlin in 2006. The Chase gets underway next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. In the next 3 races, the field of 16 is cut to 12, with places in the next round made up of drivers who won one of those races, and those with the most points in that time. Drivers also get 3 bonus points for every race they won during the regular season, giving Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski a 12-point advantage over winless drivers including Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon. Page | 16
Truex Jr Starts The Chase In Style @JR24GP Images - nascar
Martin Truex Jr took advantage of a great final pit stop to steal the first race of the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup away from rookie Chase Elliott at Chicagoland Speedway. Elliott, and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson dominated for most of the race, and Elliott looked for much of the final 100 laps as if he was going to break his duck, particularly when Johnson fell back with a speeding penalty. However, Truex Jr had led the early laps, and after a flat tire put him a lap down, he battled back to move up to 2nd. A final caution with just a few laps to go gave him the chance to get the great pit stop and final restart required to leapfrog Elliott and clinch his place in the second round of the Chase. Three drivers stayed out on that final restart, making the final two laps chaotic for the faster cars to negotiate. Joey Logano came through to finish 2nd ahead of Elliott, whilst Ryan Blaney’s gamble to stay out paid off as he finished 4th. Rounding out the top 5 was Logano’s Penske teammate Brad Keselowski. There were three Joe Gibbs Racing cars in the top 10, with Denny Hamlin in 6th, defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch in 8th, and Matt Kenseth in 9th, whilst completing the top 10 were two further Hendrick cars. Kasey Kahne picked up his third top 10 in a row in 7th, whilst Alex Bowman impressed substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr, running near the front for much of the day before eventually finishing 10th. For Martin Truex Jr however, he is starting to show the form of a championship winner. His 3rd win of the season, and his 2nd in 3 races, continues what has surely been the best season of his NASCAR career so far. Truex appeared to agree with this in his post-race interviews, saying, “I've never been in a position where I feel like we can go anywhere and win. Right now I feel like any race track, any weekend, anywhere in the country we can win." Page | 17
Chase Elliott meanwhile was understandably gutted to fall just short of victory yet again, but did look on the positives of an 8th top 5 finish of an impressive rookie season. “I felt like we did a good job as a team today trying to control the things that we could control. And you can't control when a caution is going to come out…We were fast and I think that is something to be happy about and we can move forward to Loudon with some motivation.” After the first 3 races of the Chase, the bottom 4 drivers are eliminated. It was therefore a bad day for underdog Chris Buescher in 28th, whilst Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick will be disappointed with 18th and 20th place finishes respectively. Both Larson and Harvick had strong pace, but ran into problems at crucial moments in the race. Harvick fell a lap down early due to an ill-timed caution, and was never able to get that lap back, whilst Larson looked good for a top 10 finish before a flat tire forced him into a late unscheduled pit stop. Both drivers will be looking for a recovery next time out at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a race dominated by Joe Gibbs Racing in recent years, winning 3 of the last 4 September events. After the race, there was some controversy when both race winner Martin Truex Jr, and fellow Chaser Jimmie Johnson failed post-race inspection. Before the Chase, NASCAR had released a statement saying any driver who wins but fails inspection will lose their automatic advancement into the next round. However, as Truex and Johnson were deemed to have failed the laser inspection by the lowest possible margin, the victory was not considered to be invalid, and Truex does advance to the round of 12. It is likely instead that both drivers will a fine of 10 owner and driver points for each team and a small fine of $15,000 for their respective crew chiefs. This penalty could well be a blow to Johnson’s chances of progressing, as it would leave him on the bubble of not progressing to the next round, tied for 12th place with Austin Dillon. As it stands currently though, it would be Dillon, Harvick, Larson and Buescher who would be knocked out after the next two races. Page | 18
Solaris Motorsport Competitive But Unlucky In Vallelunga Images – FotoSpeedy
Vallelunga, Italy - It was a bittersweet weekend for Solaris Motorsport at Vallelunga in the fifth round of the Italian GT Championship. In front of a large crowd, the Aston Martin driven by Sini and Muselli brought home a fifth place in Race 1 after an huge comeback on the track near Rome, ending up just two seconds far from the podium. The Vantage GT3 showed a good pace, close to the best competitors. The Sunday Race was marred by an accident at the Curvone, in which another car hit that severely damaged the English coupĂŠ. Sini-Muselli were forced to bit the bullet and aim to finish the race, bringing home a ninth place in SuperGT3 class. The Vallelunga weekend began with the 6th and the 7th times in the two free practices sessions and a record split in the first sector, testifying the competitiveness of the English coupĂŠ. Qualifying was held on Saturday morning with low temperature and a cloudy sky and the Vantage GT3 was not in its best shape, facing some grip trouble in sector 3. Moreover Max Mugelli was slowed by yellow flags in his best flying lap and ended up on the fifth row on the Race 1 grid, while Francesco Sini, despite a lot of oversteering, was in fourth row. With a good start in Race 1, Mugelli climbed two positions early and was 8th at the Cimini bend, just behind Eddie Cheever's Ferrari, maintaining a good pace. The race continued with no changes until lap 12, when the pit stop window opened. Thanks to a smart strategy, Sini exited the pits in P4, just in front of Mapelli's Audi. They immediately started battling for position and on lap 19 the Audi had the better hand on the Aston Martin. During the final laps, Sini and Mapelli closed the gap on the Venturi-Gai Ferrari in P3, looking for a way to overtake. The Vantage GT3 ended its comeback in fifth, just 2 seconds far from the podium under the checkered flag. With the good premises of Race 1, the Sunday Race should have been good to the #007 Vantage, thanks to a better starting position and the good race pace showed the day before. But bad luck struck just few meters after the start, when Bortolotti's Lamborghini went spinning at the Curvone, causing chaos in the pack coming at full speed. Sini was able to pass through tyres' smoke and gravel avoiding any trouble but he could do nothing when the Aston was hit hard by the Leo's Ferrari. The contact badly damaged the right side of the Vantage GT3 and forced Sini to race the first part of the race with a broken wheel rim, which was substituted during the drivers change. Sini and Mugelli never gave up and brought home a P9 in the SuperGT3 class, gaining two important points for the championship. Page | 19
"The Sunday Race was good, we made a good comeback and we finished very close to the podium. The team did a great job and put together an outstanding strategy, giving me the chance to take the track at the front. But the most important thing is to have constantly lapped with the same pace of the top competitors. It means we are working the right way," commented Francesco Sini. "We need to improve something in the setup and find the last tenths in qualifying, we need to start from a better position. I am very disappointed about Race 2, I was able to avoid everything and when I was sure to be safe we were hit on the right side. I could do nothing. The car was undrivable, we only wanted to take the checkered flag and bring home the maximum possible points." "P5 two seconds far from the podium is a very good result, even more so if we think we started from P10 on the grid. I did a good start and the car was good, then Francesco and the team did the rest," said Max Mugelli about Race 1. "After the accident the car was totally undriveable in Race 2, with a broken shock absorber, two ruined wheel rims and a lot of vibrations. We really could do nothing. But in bad luck, we were lucky: we didn't damaged the car too much and we reached the finish!" "We leave Vallelunga a bit disappointed because we know we could bring home a good result, especially on Sunday, when we could capitalize on the potential shown on Saturday. During Race 1 we had the pace of the best competitors, we were very fast and we could aim to the podium. Surely we need to improve all the car-tyre-drivers package. The Sunday Race was over before it started, it is a pity but it can happen," commented Roberto Sini. The Solaris Motorsport Team Principal is confident about the next round of the Italian GT Championship, scheduled for September 24th and 25th. "We are all focused on Imola now, in May we have conquered the first ever podium for the Vantage GT3 in an Italian series. We are very confident but, as we saw, the Aci Sport promoted series is very competitive, it will not be easy to repeat that performance. But, this time we will have some data to base on before the race." Page | 20
GP2 Champions: Where Are They Now – 2007 and 2008 Megan Mallory Image: Charles Coates
2007 saw Timo Glock become the GP2 Champion following on from Lewis Hamilton. This was Glock’s second year in the series. In 2006 he raced in the midfield team BCN competicion but midseason he decided to switch to front running team iSport with improving results he managed to finish 4th in the 2006 standings. This team switch led to Glock winning GP2’s “most improved driver” award in 2006. Glock ended the year testing for BMW Sauber which led to him being signed as a second test driver for 2007. Glock stayed in GP2 with iSport for 2007 einning 5 races and 15 podiums on his way to the championship. When Sebastian Vettel took over Robert Kubica’s seat at BMW Sauber leading to Vettel’s drive at Toro Rosso in 2008. With Vettel gone from Sauber, Glock was promoted to main test driver for the remainder of 2007. In 2008 Timo Glock secured his first permanent race seat in Formula 1 with a three-year contract for Toyota F1 after his previous experience in 2004 with Jordan F1. In his F1 career Glock scored 4 podiums before switching to DTM in 2013 where he races with BMW so far scoring himself 3 wins. Giorgio Pantano signed for the Gp2 team FMS in 2006 after leaving the series the year before. Unlike most drivers Pantano had raced in Formula 1 before but was unsuccessful. He ended his 2006 GP2 season with 3 wins choosing to sign for ex-formula one driver Adrian Campos’ team in 2007. He had a successful season claiming the teams maiden win in France. In 2008 Pantano one again changed teams, this time to Spanish Team Racing Engineering. He started the season well taking 4th and 3rd positions in the Spanish races. Pantano held the championship lead until he had a double retirement in Monaco letting Bruno Senna take over. However, by the next race in France Pantano had regained the championship lead. At the Silverstone race that year Pantano became the most successful feeder series driver with 14 wins. Pantano failed to find a Formula 1 drive for the 2009 season and being unable to return to GP2, He decided to race in the Superleague Formula for the AC Milan entry winning one race. After a brief spell in IndyCar, Pantano moved to the Blancpain GT series for 2014 finishing 14th overall
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The Future Of The 2016 GP2 Field @olliebluebirds Image: GP2 Series Media Service
As we head to the penultimate race of 2016, it is the time of the year where drivers are considering their options for 2017. Here are four drivers who might move away from GP2. Pierre Gasly: After the horror season Daniil Kvyat has had with Red Bull and Torro Rosso, it looks like that he could be leaving Torro Rosso as Pierre Gasly is leading the GP2 championship. It would make sense if Gasly gets promoted to Torro Rosso if he wins the championship because if you win the title, you cannot return to GP2 which leaves Gasly with not much choice but F1. If he doesn’t get the seat, then he will probably have to wait for his chance like Stoffel Vandoorne had to do with McLaren but hopefully it will pay off. Mitch Evans: One of the confirmed moves for 2017 is that Mitch Evans is heading to Formula E driving with Panasonic Jaguar Racing Alongside Northern Irishman Adam Carroll. This is a brave move for Mitch Evans as he clearly has the talent to be in F1 but has tested in other series such as WEC for Porsche but now he will want to prove himself in the ever growing Formula E. Alex Lynn: A man who was fighting Mitch Evans for the Jaguar seat was Alex Lynn as he had ruled himself out for another season in GP2 after a pretty poor season so far for Lynn. He was testing for Jaguar in Donnington but it looks like Lynn’s main ambition is to be in that Williams seat alongside Valterri Bottas after Felipe Massa announced his retirement from the sport. However, Lynn has a lot of competition for that Williams seat including Felipe Nasr, Lance Stroll and Pascal Wherlein. Jordan King: If Pascal Wherlein leaves Manor, then a man who will be one of the favourites is Jordan King. This is because he is Manor’s reserve driver and has impressed a lot of people this season in GP2 as he lies 5th in the championship 5 points ahead of teammate Norman Nato. If there is one thing that could be in the way of Jordan King and a Manor seat, it probably would be funding as there are many drivers out there with a lot of big name sponsors that would help Manor which Jordan King might not have. Page | 22
Rosberg Restarts Season with Victory @Alice_Holloway_ Images: XPB Images
After the four-week summer break, Nico Rosberg has started his challenge on Lewis Hamilton’s Championship lead by winning at Spa-Francorchamps. Hamilton took the opportunity of this race to take some engine penalties so that he could add to the amount of engines he had in his pool, avoiding further penalization in later races. He managed to get his Mercedes up to third after starting from the back, with Daniel Ricciardo splitting the Mercedes for second. Qualifying was an all-Rosberg show as, with his 55 grid penalties for taking on new parts, Hamilton did not even try to get out of Q1. Fernando Alonso was another to be hit with a massive grid penalty, as he had to change his Honda engine a few times over the weekend due to issues with the unit. With Hamilton down the grid, it gave Ferrari and Red Bull the chance to fight for a front row start. The Red Bulls had a better pace that the Ferraris for the Belgian race, with Max Verstappen taking second and the Ferraris line up behind him. Ricciardo started fifth, not able to put together the lap like his teammate could. Off the start, Rosberg disappeared into the distance, leaving the first corner drama behind him. The Ferraris got the better start on Verstappen but the Dutchman was not to be dissuaded. He aimed to dive up the inside of Kimi Räikkönen, but the gap closed before he got to it. He forced the Finn out to avoid contact, leading to Räikkönen tagging teammate Sebastian Vettel and spinning him round. The Finn and the Dutchman suffered damage that sent the back down the grid as they had to pit for repairs, with Vettel’s race immediately turning into a recovery race. The first lap also saw the loss of Jenson Button and Pascal Wehrlein as the Manor driver hit the back of Button’s car, damaging his rear wing. Within the first three laps a further two drivers had been lost from the race. Carlos Sainz Jr picked up a puncture that tore the floor of the wheel off his Toro Rosso. He tried to get the car back to the pits in the hope of continuing but there was too much damage, with the rear wing having been broken as the tyre blew out. The Spaniard lost control of the car, spinning out before finally pulling it off the track and retiring. Marcus Ericsson also retired due to a gearbox failure.
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The drama-filled first few laps paid off well for Hamilton and Alonso as they found themselves up to P10/P11 respectively by lap six. However, the drama was far from over as a heavy crash for Kevin Magnussen brought out the red flag. The Renault driver was powering up Eau Rouge when it appeared he took too much kerb on exit, spinning the Dane across the track and heavily into the tyre barrier. The headrest on the car spring off in the high-speed incident. Magnussen escaped the crash with only a cut to his ankle; a very lucky escape considering the speed of the crash. This, again, worked to Hamilton and Alonso’s advantage as, during the first two laps under yellows, a lot of drivers pitted. Hamilton and Alonso did not need to, bringing them both up to fourth and fifth respectively. Once the race was restarted, Räikkönen and Verstappen had another run in, with the Dutchman appearing to block too defensively and brake-test the Ferrari down the Kemmel Straight. The Dutchman was not penalized for this move, much to Räikkönen’s frustration. Nico Hulkenberg looked to be in for his first Formula One podium as he restarted the race in third position, but Hamilton’s pace was too much to be suppressed. He finished fourth ahead of teammate Sergio Perez in fifth. The recovering Vettel and Alonso did well to finish sixth and seventh, with Valtteri Bottas, Räikkönen and Felipe Massa finishing off the top ten. Verstappen was the big loser out of the first corner incident. He tried a different strategy to climb back up the gird but he could not get any higher than eleventh, finishing six seconds off the back of Massa. With only 17 drivers finishing the race, Esteban Ocon made sure he was not last as he held off Felipe Nasr for 16th. He drove fairly well on debut, hoping that his performance in the last part of the season can hopefully gain him a Renault works seat for the 2017 season. Page | 24
Rosberg Wins for First Time at Monza @Alice_Holloway_ Images: Pireli and XPB Images
Nico Rosberg took victory at Monza, fifteen seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. The podium was finished off by crowdfavourite Sebastian Vettel. Going into this race, Hamilton had a 9-point lead over his teammate, but they head out of the European period of the season with the deficit now only 2 points. Qualifying was a Hamilton-dominated day as he charged to take pole position by an impressive half a second over Rosberg. The advantage he had over his teammate gave the impression that Hamilton would be an unstoppable force when it came to race day. Ferrari tried their best to close the gap down with a new engine upgrade, and it did bring them closer to Mercedes in qualifying. Sadly, it was not enough to beat them and Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen had to settle for the second row on the grid. Esteban Gutierrez made Haas’ first Q3 performance, knocking Felipe Massa out of the top ten. He was unable to go any higher than P10 but it showed that even Haas was benefiting from Ferrari’s upgrades. Hamilton had a horrible start to the race, dropping down to 6th and conceiting the lead to Rosberg. Vettel looked to be in for a chance at making a pass around Rosberg into Turn 1 but his fellow countryman had the move covered. This was the closest anyone got to challenging Rosberg for the lead of the race as he sailed home for a comfortable win to take his 50th career podium. After his poor start, Hamilton started his challenge back up the field. Having qualified fastest on the soft tyres in Q2 yesterday, this gave Hamilton the edge as he passed through those who had got passed him at the start. Hamilton managed to get back passed Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas but he inherited second place as the Ferraris pitted. In an odd strategy choice, both Ferraris pitted for a second set of the super-soft tyres, meaning they would have to complete a two-stop strategy so that they ran two different compounds of tyre. This gave Mercedes some breathing room as they were on a one-stop strategy and knew they would inherit the positions of the Ferraris when they stopped again.
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Hamilton and Rosberg both pitted within a lap for the medium compound of tyre. Hamilton had been making gains on Rosberg but he could not get the gap down below ten seconds. After the stops, Hamilton returned back out behind the two Ferraris in fourth. He did not push too hard to pass them as he knew he would get up to second when the red duo pitted for their second stops. Mark Thompson/Getty Images Sport Kimi Raikkonen just missed out on the podium, giving Ferrari a 3-4 finish. This could be an indication that the updates the Scuderia have brought to their engines could have been a big step in the right direction – maybe putting them back ahead of Red Bull. With an impressive move into the first chicane, Ricciardo took fifth position off of Bottas. The Australian used DRS to close the gap to Bottas coming down the start/finish straight and broke extremely late to get the inside line into the chicane. It was some respectful racing from Bottas that saw them both get through the chicane cleanly and although it was tight at the exit Ricciardo managed to hold onto the position. After a poor start that dropped him to twelfth, Max Verstappen drove well to recover to seventh, ahead of Sergio Perez. Felipe Massa and Nico Hulkenberg rounded off the top ten. With the two Williams outscoring the two Force Indias this puts Williams back up ahead of Force India in the Constructor’s Championship. The race was very incident free, with only one collision happening in the processional race. Jolyon Palmer and Felipe Nasr collided on Turn 1 of lap 2 when the Sauber driver, on the inside, appeared to squeeze Palmer off the track. The Brit’s front wing made contact with Nasr’s rear tyre and sent the Sauber spinning around, nearly taking out Kevin Magnussen. Both cars were forced to retire with Nasr being blamed by the stewards and handed a ten-second time penalty. Nasr completed two very slow laps so he could serve the time penalty so no repercussions of the incident followed him to Singapore. The only other retirees were Daniil Kvyat and Pascal Page | 26 Wehrlein.
Another Hat Trick For Rosberg As He Retakes Championship Lead @Alice_Holloway_ Images: f1weekends and XPB Images
Nico Rosberg won his first Singapore Grand Prix around Marina Bay street circuit and took back the lead of the Championship. In just three races, Rosberg has brought down the 19-point deficit to an 8-point advantage by winning the first three races back after the four-week holiday. He led Daniel Ricciardo to the chequered flag, whist Hamilton had to settle for third. Rosberg dominated the weekend from Friday afternoon, taking a competitive pole position over Red Bull’s Ricciardo. He was seven tenths up on teammate Hamilton, who had been struggling for set up all weekend. Max Verstappen made it a Mercedes-Red Bull-Mercedes-Red Bull front two rows, with the Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen finishing off the top five. Sebastian Vettel had a poor qualifying; damage on his car meaning he could not set a competitive time to make it out of Q1. Romain Grosjean had a crash at the end of Q2 meaning a lot of drivers could not improve their times to get into Q3. Sergio Perez picked up a penalty for overtaking a car in a yellow flag area and dropped out of his top ten qualifying spot. Grosjean was unable to take the start grid and became the first retiree, before the grid had even formed. Rosberg had a perfect start to the race, holding onto his lead into the first corner. Ricciardo and Hamilton followed behind as Verstappen had a poor start that let Räikkönen up into fourth. This caused chaos behind as the two Toro Rossos were forced to drive around him. Nico Hulkenberg, who had a terrific start, got sandwiched by the teammates and was shot across the track, spinning into the wall and crashing out of the race. Jenson Button and Valtteri Bottas also tagged each other to avoid the incident, breaking Button’s front wing and puncturing Bottas’ rear tyre. The incident kept up Singapore’s 100% record of having a Safety Car in the race.
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After the restart the race fell into a processional race, with only the pits stops giving any sort of action. Brake management seemed to be all the teams were talking about, with Mercedes being extra careful to care for theirs after their disastrous 2015 Singapore Grand Prix. With Hamilton focused on brake management, Räikkönen optimised on his mistake and got passed the Brit, demoting him off the podium. Daniil Kvyat showed he still has what it takes by defending off Verstappen, much to the spectator’s amusement. With around 20 laps left, Mercedes decided to take a risk. Hamilton had enough of a gap to fifth place to make a pit stop and still come out in fourth. In a bid to regain the bottom step of the podium, Hamilton pitted for a new set of super soft tyres, hoping to rein Räikkönen in on the slower soft compound. Ferrari made this very easy for Hamilton when the pitted Räikkönen on the next lap for new ultra softs. Hamilton managed to make the undercut work and took third from the Finn. However, with the Ferrari pitting, this opened up the change for Ricciardo, in second, to do the same. Rosberg was going to pit the lap after Ricciardo, still having enough of a gap to retain the lead, but traffic on his in lap meant that if he pitted he would have come out behind Ricciardo. Rosberg had no option but to stay out and risk it. Ricciardo got close on his new super soft tyres, but traffic and the overall pace of the Mercedes left him four tenths and a few laps short on challenging properly for the win. Behind Räikkönen in fourth, Vettel had a fantastic recovery drive to get from last to fifth before the chequered flag. Verstappen was sixth, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Perez – the only two drivers in the top ten to stick with the soft compound for the last 30 laps of the race. Kvyat and Kevin Magnussen rounded off the top ten. Button and Bottas were the only other retirees of the race, with Button dropping out due to brake issues. Bottas retired the car a lap after his seatbelts had come undone. He took an unscheduled, long pit stop so they could be done back up but this brought him out last and so far off the back of the field it was not worth him continuing to run. Williams retired the car to save the engine.
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Felipe Massa: Ferrari’s reluctant legend @BenIssatt Images: Wikimedia
In the run-up to the Italian Grand Prix, at the start of this month, Felipe Massa announced he would be retiring from Formula One at the end of the year. It will see the end of a career that was on the verge of greatness before cruel twists of fate intervened. Here was a driver simply expected to be a good ‘number two’ alongside Ferrari greats, but instead the Brazilian had other ideas and became the unlikeliest of legends himself. Whether it was Michael Schumacher or Kimi Raikkonen, Massa was unfazed by the guy in the next garage and got the job done. Istanbul became his specialty, taking three wins from 2006-2008, as did his home race at Interlagos with two wins, including THAT tearful, heartfelt podium in the pouring rain. It was as if Ferrari didn’t know just how good he was. Schumacher certainly did as it was he who elected to retire, fully aware that Raikkonen was set to join for 2007. A total of 11 wins over those first three years with the team, tied fourth in the list of drivers with the most victories for the Scuderia, tell you everything you need to know about Felipe Massa, but ultimately, it should have been so much more. After just missing out on the ultimate prize in Brazil in 2008, Ferrari wouldn’t have been blamed for building the team around Felipe. OK, Raikkonen was still around and perhaps still their ‘number one’, but Massa was the man, he was at the peak of his career and if anyone was going to take on McLaren and any new competition from 2009 it should have been him. Instead, history reads very differently as Ferrari’s current slump really began in 2009 and the horrific incident in Hungary forced the team to change focus. But then again maybe it didn’t. Fernando Alonso was drafted in for 2010 with the expectation of a new era at Ferrari, so maybe he was going to be their chosen one regardless of Felipe?
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In fact that view was vindicated by the events at Hockenheim that year; the infamous ‘Fernando is faster than you’ radio call is all every F1 fan need remember about Massa’s post-2009 career with Ferrari. Perhaps his crash had had an impact on his driving, but then again two podiums in his first two races back juxtapose that thought. Indeed, looking back, the evidence stacks up that the only reason Massa never reached his full career potential was Ferrari politics. The relief from everyone not just Massa, when he turned up in white overalls in Australia two years ago, highlighted the sense of freedom that finally his Ferrari nightmare was over. It was almost the shock of that freedom that caused him to take a few races to get going at Williams. But now here we are just seven races away from him hanging up his helmet, and Felipe Massa is considered one of the most consistent performers on the grid. He has been able to regain that 2008 form and it has seen him outshine a driver many saw as a future world champion in Valtteri Bottas. The fact he gets to end his career on a high is only what Massa deserves. To give up after 2013 wouldn’t have been fair, even if he has admitted to considering it. What he accomplished in those first three years at Maranello is more than anyone could have ever imagined, and was certainly not worthy of the treatment he would later receive. Yet despite it all he remained loyal, he remained respectful and much like Jenson Button, who also calls it a day (at least for now) at the end of the year, will be remembered as one of the last true gentlemen from one of the greatest generations in F1 history. Felipe Massa, Ferrari legend and a world champion in many a fans heart, even if he only had the right to called such for about 25 seconds. Page | 30
Why F1 Will Always Need Its European Classics @BenIssatt Image: wikimedia
Formula One had been on something of a history tour since the Austrian Grand Prix back in June. The scenery of Spielberg, the sweeps of Silverstone, the heat of Hungary, the heritage of Hockenheim, the sights of Spa and finally the might of Monza. Six venues that over the years have gone a long way towards making the sport we love what it is. Not all of them have been mainstays on the schedule but when you watch an F1 car power round their iconic turns you wonder what we would do without them. This has been a problem that many modern circuits have had. Sure, they look very grand with impressive facilities but most of them follow the same Hermann Tilke formula, a few medium-speed corners here, a 1km straight there and a hairpin just because why not. Large amounts of run-off probably don’t help either and, as a result, many of the new generation of circuits have little character and instead are simply just a place to race cars. Some have managed to work their way into our hearts. Sepang’s canopy grandstands are instantly recognisable, Yas Marina, while far from the greatest layout, is one of the best settings on the calendar. The most successful example is Singapore, where, after eight years, it manages to do something many thought would be impossible for a street circuit, offer a worthy alternative to Monaco. It’s a race you have to physically be at to appreciate but that is something that the European classics have done for years. You have to stand and get wet at Silverstone, you have to have stare Eau Rouge in the face and who knows what 220mph looks like until you watch them flash by at Monza. The races themselves don’t even have to be that exciting to enjoy them. During the recent events at Spa and Monza, DRS was annoying, the tyre situation was annoying but just watching F1 cars drive around these iconic venues put a smile on my face. The other thing about the European races was that people were actually there! Baku was the perfect example of a country that wanted an F1 race purely for the bragging rights, but to see enthusiastic racing fans fill the grandstands at Silverstone and the Dutch cramming the hills at Spa, THAT is what the sport is all about. For new owners Liberty Media to emphasise the importance of Europe to F1, proves that where ever the sport goes in the future, the venues that made F1 what it is in the first place will always be where it feels the most special. Page | 31
Alex Booth’s Featured Driver: Alex Zanardi @Alex_booth_93 Images: alexzanardi
September 15th, 2001. Motorsport, like the rest of the world, was mourning those who died in the terrorist attacks in the United States four days earlier. Indeed, American racing carried on as the CART series just made it to Germany for its first venture in Europe. An already sombre weekend would get worse, and the thoughts of everyone would be with an immensely popular former F1 driver who was on the verge of losing his life. Alessandro Zanardi was born in Bologna in 1966. He began his racing career in karts at the age of 13 and in 1988 graduated to the Italian Formula Three Championship. In 1991 he made his debut in Formula 3000 and won his first race. He would finish second in the title race to Christian Fittipaldi. Despite missing out on the F3000 title, Zanardi made his Formula 1 debut in 1991. After testing with Footwork he was given the Jordan drive vacated by Roberto Moreno for the final three races of the season. Zanardi later said that his second race, the Japanese Grand Prix was his best ever in F1. The young Italian had worked his way up to fourth place until the gearbox broke. Jordan were keen to keep Zanardi for 1992 but what they needed more than anything else was sponsorship and money, two things which Zanardi did not have. He lost out on a Tyrrell drive to Andrea de Cesaris again for sponsorship reasons. Instead he had to make do with a testing role for Benetton and three substitute appearances for the injured Christian Fittipaldi at Minardi. 1993 saw Zanardi return to a full time drive with Lotus. In Brazil the Italian finished sixth and scored what would unfortunately turn out to be the only point of his F1 career. The team were running the active suspension system but it proved problematic and Zanardi was lucky to survive a frightening crash at Spa which ended his season. He returned in 1994 but Lotus collapsed at the end of the year, stalling Zanardi’s F1 career. Page | 32
Zanardi headed to America with Chip Ganassi Racing. In his debut season he won the Rookie of the Year title with three victories, the last of which came in the finale at Laguna Seca after a breath-taking move on Bryan Herta at the Corkscrew. Over the next two seasons, Zanardi won more than a third of the races in which he started and breezed to the championship title twice. During his time in the States he became hugely popular, he cooked fresh pasta on David Letterman’s talk show, he appeared in amusing television adverts for his main sponsor Target Corporation and his post-victory donut celebration was a firm fan favourite. His success in America grabbed the attention of Frank Williams. For 1999 he returned to Formula One on a three-year contract. Sadly, the comeback was little short of disastrous. Having become so used to the handling of American Champ Cars, he found the modern narrow-bodied and grooved tyre F1 car difficult to grasp. Williams, still using customer engines after the departure of Renault and waiting for BMW power in 2000, did not have the best of cars and Zanardi had his fair share of reliability troubles, but also mistakes. His best race was at home in Monza, after qualifying fourth a great start saw him second. A loose floor cruelly robbed the Italian the chance of scoring points. At the end of the season Zanardi and Williams mutually agreed to separate. In 2001 Zanardi went back to race in America for the Mo Nunn team but with little success in the early part of the season. However, at the EuroSpeedway in Germany he was looking good again. With 13 laps to go he spun on the exit of the pit lane straight into the path of Alex Tagliani. It was one of the most catastrophic accidents ever seen in racing. Zanardi lost both his legs and so much blood he nearly died. Miraculously, the brave Italian hung on to life. Even more amazing was Zanardi’s refusal to let his disability end his racing career. Fitted with prosthetic limbs he drove a specially-modified car in the World Touring Car Championship, winning on four occasions and celebrating with his trademark donuts in the process. After retiring from Touring Cars he turned his attention to para-cycling, winning gold at London 2012 and again at Rio 2016. 15 years after his near-fatal accident, Alessandro Zanardi remains a true hero of motorsport. Page | 33
Red Bull To Focus Entirely On 2017 From Singapore @Joe96Clark Image: Sutton Images
Christian Horner has explained to journalists that the Red Bull factory has now turned its focus from the 2016 season to the 2017 season. How a year can make a difference, this time last year there was a huge standoff between Red Bull, and pretty much every other Formula One engine manufacturers. Stating they would be leaving the sport should they not be given a competitive engine for the 2016 season. A year on and they are now second in the Constructor Championship, substantially behind Mercedes understandably, but 1 point ahead of Ferrari and 189 points ahead of Williams in fourth place. Red Bull drivers since Verstappen’s promotion have been taking the fight to Ferrari for the tail end of the European season and even to the Mercedes during the Monaco Grand Prix when Ricciardo put his car on pole position. With small updates coming to the car for the Singapore Grand Prix, this is it for the RB12 development wise, with no big updates coming to the car for the remainder of the 2016 season. With the upheaval in the rules for the 2017 season, Red Bull with their high downforce car setup are expected to be really fighting with the Mercedes team next season and for them to make this a reality, Red Bull need to focus on the 2017 car as well as hoping Renault can provide another power boost. “We have a few little bits and pieces for Singapore, now the whole factory is focused on 2017. There are little bits and pieces for the RB12 but nothing major.” Christian explained. “We’re in a better position to where we were 12 months ago, but there is still some way to go to close that down.” The question on everyone’s lips currently is, can anyone actually beat Mercedes consistently? Not just three wins per season, but consistently knock the Mercedes off the top spot. Red Bull and Ferrari have proved in recent history that they are more than capable of winning a world championship, but they need to prove this again. 2017 regulations do not make huge changes to the power units so Mercedes are thought to still have the best engine next season, unless something drastic happens at Renault or Ferrari. Should Red Bull and Ferrari be able to make big gains on Mercedes for 2017, Formula One will become a very popular sport again. Page | 34
F1 vs Pokémon GO @Joe96Clark Image: eurosport
Unless you have been hiding under a rock, Formula One has found new ownership. New ownership from the Liberty Media Company. However, will changes that they make be able to improve the popularity and the appeal of motorsport’s top tier? Jenson Button, who announced that he will be leaving Formula One for at least one season, claims that Formula One must have the same appeal that recent gaming hit, Pokémon Go, has had. After claiming that the average age of Formula One fans is far too high, he stated in Singapore that the sport needs a lot of younger fans in order to become more appealing and fun for all ages. “I think the average age is 30s, maybe early 40s. So that needs to change, we need to target youngsters for regeneration,” Jenson explains. To prove to journalists that his point about Pokémon Go was true, he showed a video of a group of young people playing Pokemon Go in a shopping centre, stating that Formula One needs to create that kind of hype. Even before the latest rule change in Formula One with the introduction of the V6 hybrid era, Formula One is and always will be a very technological sport, unless something changes. Terms such as MGU-H, MGU-K and brake by wire confuse fans who are new to the sport or people who are slowly becoming interested in the sport, and could even deter people from becoming interested in the sport. In contrast to Pokemon Go, where simple is effective. Flick a poke-ball at a Pokemon to catch it and go for a walk. The McLaren driver, Button, thinks the 2017 regulations will take the sport in the right direction. Promoting overtakes, higher downforce and ultimately faster cars. “It’s great that is going to be going more physical next year. From what I’ve heard, Turn 3 at Barcelona should be 30km/h quicker. Copse (Silverstone) should be flat, easy. It’s not as much of a challenge anymore, but physically it’s a challenge to hold onto the car!” Jenson explained. Formula One has allegedly lost a third of its worldwide viewers since 2008 and this needs to change for the sport to continue. An average of just over 400 million viewers has dwindled to over 200 million viewers. With race tracks at risk of being taken off the calendar such as Monza and the two German tracks, viewing figures and attendances need to increase. Page | 35
IndyCar Drivers You Never Knew Drove An F1 Car @philmartingsy Image: esporte.uol
There are a small number of world class Indycar drivers who have tested Formula 1 cars in the past, but for one reason or another never actually got the chance to race. Here are my top 5: Gil De Ferran On the basis that De Ferran spent a lot of his junior career in Europe, it would have been expected that he would naturally progress into Formula 1. However despite winning British F3 in 1992, a race seat was not forthcoming despite testing for the mighty Williams team and Footwork in 1993. However De Ferran made the choice to transition to Indycar, and was champion in both 2000 and 2001 for the Penske team. He actually became Sporting Director for the BAR-Honda team in 2005, but left in 2007.
Paul Tracy Tracy was part of the all-conquering Penske line up in 1994,and was offer a test with the Benetton team at Estoril. Tracy impressed the team by showing some serious pace, however despite being offered a drive for 1995, he ultimately chose to remain in Indycar, linking up with the Newman Haas Racing team, although the season was ultimately disappointing, finishing 6th in the Championship. Tracy won the Indycar series in 2003. Dario Franchitti Everyone who follows all things Motorsport knows that Dario had truly wonderful career in Indycar, which unfortunately was curtailed by his huge accident in Houston in 2013. However in 2000, when Franchitti was really establishing himself as a force in America, an opportunity came up to test for the Jaguar Formula 1 team. The test did not go well however, as Dario didn't adapt in the two days he drove, and was outpaced by Luciano Burti, who took the full time drive in 2001. Scott Dixon A man who has immense talent, Dixon was handed a chance in 2004 to test for Williams, who needed a replacement for 2005 as Juan Pablo Montoya had already agreed a move to McLaren. Dixon did ok, however didn't really stand out, and as a result Williams paired Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber together in what turned out to be a poor season. Dixon continued his wonderful career in Indycar, still performing at a level making him one of the best around today. Al Unser Jr Another Indycar racer that tested for Williams, Unser Jr impressed in 1992, demonstrating great pace which was extremely comparable to Damon Hill, and quicker than Riccardo Patrese. Sadly for Under however, while Frank Wiiliams appeared extremely keen to strike a deal, Patrick ahead seemed less enthused and no deal was the result. Tom Walkinshaw expressed an interest in a Benetton seat, however as only half the pay packet he was earning in Indycar was offered, it was time for Unser to head home. Page | 36
@cptchris2010
Rally Deutschland is the first pure tarmac rally of the season sot the cars have bigger wheels’ brakes and are more hunkered to the ground but the surfaces are still unpredictable with each passing car. The first stage was going to be the the only day Jari-Matti Latvala was going to undertake on the Friday retiring with gearbox issues this left team mate Ogier and Mikkelsen fighting for the top position. Ogier over shooting a junction and loosing time handed the top position to Mikkelsen and dropping to 3rd with Neuville holding onto second for most of the competition. Ogier was so desperate to end his 6-month dry spot he pushed and pushed Mikkelsen to make mistakes, the Norwegian carrying too much speed into a corner forced him up the bank loosing time, this was good news for the French man as he was able to gain an advantage on the leading. Apart from the 2 vw’s Hyundai drivers was also in a fight of their own with mear seconds separating neuville and sordo in 3rd and 4th.Paddon was not liking the tarmac surface and can’t wait to get back to the gravel rounds in the autum. By the end of the second day there was only 2 manufactures in the top 5 , Ogier had a health lead over team mate Mikellsen. Day three starts with mikellsen loosing second position to sordo on the first stage of the day but Ogier holding onto the lead after losing nearly 10 seconds of his lead to the Spaniard. On the power stage Mikkelsen was pushing extremely hard to get back on the podium but it would be to no provable Ogier was to have his victory after 6 months of waiting taking the win home for Jost Capito’s final event in rally before joining McLaren F1 in September. The next event in china has been canceled due to a number of reasons so the next event for the sport will be in Corsica on the 2nd of October with 3 events in that month before heading over to Australia in November. Page | 37
Q&A With Sara Williams @cptchris2010
1) what got you interested in rally? My father has always been involved in motorsport and rallying. He has been racing and rallying for years and I went to every event with my parents since I was a baby. I co drove for him for a year when I was 16 and as soon as I turned 17 I started driving. 2) What is your favourite rally car of all time? The little Mini Coopers 3) who is your favourite rally driver of all time? Michelle Mouton and Dani Sordo! 4) what is it like with both you and Osian driving are you both competitive in everyday life ? No We are not competitive really... well maybe now and again! 5) will you be contesting the BRC or DDFT in the future? I would love to but as always its down to getting the right amount of sponsorship which is hard to come by at the moment. 6) what was it like navigating for your father ? It was great, we get on well so it was good fun to navigate for him, i would love to navigate again for him some time soon. 7) what is your goal for your future in the sport? To compete in Europe, WRC and continue to enjoy the sport. 8) What rally would you like to do in the current WRC calendar ? Monte Carlo or Australia 9) Have you always wanted to drive a rally car? Yes! Ever since I was young I have been interested in cars. As you can see in the photos I’ve been wearing a helmet since I was small! 10) what was it like being asked to be in the festival of speed? It has to be one of the big highlights in my motorsport carer so far, it was an honour to be asked to go, the whole experience was amazing and I would love to go again! Page | 38
NEW: Honda Civic @euancampbell3 Image: topgear
It doesn't seem that long ago since the current Honda Civic was launched Infact for me it felt like yesterday, but Honda have released the European version of the new Civic and it looks like it's been drawn up in the 1970s of what a car would look like in 50 years! The front is very nice with a low stance big side vents with huge LED headlights and a low overhang bonnet. You walk to the side and has rather cool propeller like alloys, but then you come to the back and it's like the pencil ran out of lead or they just couldn't be bothered finishing the rest and just looked at the first thing they saw and made it the exact same as that, was probably the behind of a duck with it’s legs up! It doesn’t get much better in the interior either, it looks rather confusing, with a central screen masked by the obnoxious air con dials, with a “floating” center console with a very high mounted gear stick it all looks a bit em why?? even the 3 split dials are bit unnecessary. The space however does look surprisingly good but now to the engines and more mechanical aspects of the car, does that show any promise? Well for starts its got lighter and more rigid and has a lower center of gravity and a brand new sophisticated suspension system to make what Honda say “more fun to drive”. The engines aren’t very spritely there’s an all new 1.0litre and 1.5litre VTEC Turbo making 127bhp and 179bhp and both can come with either a manual or CVT automatic gearboxes. The new suspension system is MacPherson struts at the front for high lateral rigidity and at the rear a multi-link suspension system to give superior comfort for everyone. Off course being a Honda it has a massive standard safety list that features blind sport monitoring, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and many many more! So that’s the new Honda Civic! If you are thinking of buying please consider all other options as the new Civic starts quite costly at around £19,000! That’s German hatchback territory there! Buy with extreme caution I say! Page | 39