Issue 2 the podium

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Issue Two

Sept to Nov 2012

Issue Two Sept 2012

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Nicolas Hamilton ‘Pure Inspiration’ Nicolas Hamilton talks exclusively to The Podium and takes centre stage for an interview not to be missed!

Plus the Latest News From;

Nicolas Hamilton Racing in the Clio Cup

Formula One IndyCar BTCC WTCC WRC DTM Nascar GP2 & GP3 Plus Much More Inside

What is in store for you this month?

This Issues Cover story Nic Hamilton an inspirational and genuine quality racer and talent.

We speak exclusively to him and give you an insight you’ll get nowhere else.

Remember this car!

For A chance to win CASH

Formula One Race Reports

This time it’s DRS? TECH IN PLAIN ENGLISH

‘Lucky innocent Alonso at Spa 2012'

2012 ‘The best season ever?’

What is DRS & Double DRS? How does it work?

Find out here in plain English.

NO jargon allowed

British Touring Car Special Edition Interviews with Tony Gilham and Robb Holland Tony Gilham at Snetterton

Photos courtesy of JD Sports Photography

IndyCar vs Formula One

Robb Holland, First American in BTCC for 30 Years

In Memorandum Sid Watkins

Dan Wheldon

You’re about to find out the difference They look similar but what are the key differences between the cars? In this issue we find out?

We’ll never forget. More inside

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What Is Nascar?

Gary Paffett Special feature

Introducing the history and present of the USA’s biggest motor sport

The History of Pirelli in Motor Sport

Part 2 of our special feature

Formula One’s missing legend?

Formula One Keeping you up to date with the news & what happened at Spa and Monza

World Rally Championship Sebastian Loeb “Should I stay or should I go now?”

Tomislav Stajduhar discusses that very question

AND SO MUCH MORE Don’t forget to mention

‘The Podium Magazine’

when you speak to our valuable sponsors and advertisers

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Supporting Motor Sport

All The way through from the very top and down the motor sport ladder 3

From the Editor Phil Woods Sad Days - Good Days It’s been an odd couple of months since we last spoke. We’ve had a mid season break, some great racing, however at the same time we’ve had the sad news that Sid Watkins passed away. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Sid, just think back a couple of weeks ago when Maldonado caused an accident at Spa, well to my mind Sid is the man we have to thank that Alonso and the rest of the drivers involved walked away safely.

Every since the legend Ayrton Senna died at Imola, Sid has worked tirelessly to make Formula One a safe sport, and what a success that has been. Sid Watkins is the saviour of so many peoples lives, he is a hero in motor sport circles, especially Formula One. Later on in this magazine, we’ll remember Sid in a little more detail. Keeping with the memories for a moment; Eric Hall, our IndyCar writer has also written a small piece about Dan Wheldon, a British racing driver tragically killed in that horrendous accident last season.

Now the Good News. Our first issue surprised the board of directors and everyone connected with the magazine, having such a high number of downloads made us one of the fastest growing sports e-magazines and that’s all thanks to you guys, the readers. Not only did you download the magazine, you spread the word to so many people. We would like to thank you sincerely for that and hope you enjoy this issue even more.

F1 Racing

It’s not often that a publication will send a message of congratulations 1996 to one of it’s rivals, but we are a little different. Since 1996 a magazine to called F1 Racing (a personal favourite I might add) has been publishing a monthly magazine. The issue that just dropped through my door is a Present very special issue as you’ll see to the right. They have managed to reach 200 Issues an amazing 200 issues. We are only on Issue Two, but we would like to extend our congratulations to everyone involved from 1996 to the present. Well done, I only hope that one day we can emulate your success. Finally, before I go and carry on writing more articles for you, I hope you enjoy Issue Two. Don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter @F1News2012 Speak next time!!

Caterham Cars Where else could you have so much fun?

www.caterhamracing.com

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Contents This Month in ‘The Podium’ we have some so much that you don’t want to miss. Here are the key pages you so that you can find the articles, features, Interviews, News and more; Page 4 - Editors Notes Page 6 - Exclusive Interview with Nicolas Hamilton Page 12 - Part 2 of ‘The History of Pirelli in Motor Sport’ Page 16 - Technology in Plain English Page 17 - An Introduction to NASCAR Page 20 - All Change at the Top at Caterham F1 Page 21 - World Touring Car Championships Page 24 - Special Feature on Team Hard Page 25 - Interview with Rob Holland Page 27 - Interview with Tony Gilham Page 29 - Feature on Gary Paffett (DTM Leader) Page 30 - Indycar vs Formula One Page 32 - Monza Race Report Page 35 - Spa Race Report Page 37 - Singapore Mini Report Page 39 - In Memory of Sid Watkins ‘the prof’ Page 40 - Touring Car Gallery by JD Sports Photography Page 44 - Remembering Dan Wheldon Page 46 - World Touring Cars Update Page 47 - GP2 Update Page 48 - World Rally Championships Page 49 - Competition Page 50 - 58 - Current Motor Sport Standings

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Nicolas Hamilton ‘Pure Inspiration’ Nic Hamilton spoke exclusively to the editor, Phil Woods, of 'The Podium' this week in what was supposed to be an interview but was more of a chat.

We did get round to the interview, but before I start, I'd like to say a few words. At the end of the call it felt like I had been speaking to a friend rather than a motor sport star, Nic turned out to be such a genuine, friendly person that it was an absolute pleasure speaking with him. Bearing all that in mind, I'd like to thank Oliver (his manager), Michelle (the families PA) and of course Nic himself for making what you are about to read a (hopefully you'll agree) great article and interview.

Nic Hamilton, is only 20 years old but has had a battle on his hands from day one in racing for a variety of reasons, of which we will talk about later, but first I'd like to bring to you, the reader, some awareness of those issues.

We all know that Nic comes from a racing family, his brother Lewis, a Formula One World Champion, a father who manages fellow Brit Paul Di Resta at Force India, hence the need for a family PA, Michelle. Nic however has a story that isn't so straight forward, there was no karting career, no Formula Ford or GP2 or Touring Cars. In fact as you'll find out in more detail later, an accident in his first ever attempt at karting put him off hands on racing for a while. Then there is the Cerebral Palsy, which has given him serious issues with his legs.

We have just witnessed a great Paralympic games in London with competitors suffering from Cerebral Palsy, showing just what can be achieved if you put your mind to something. Following the crash in karting, Nic could have given up and just took the easy option of following his brother around the world, but that is just not Nic. Again later you'll discover how he moved on with his life and career and the difficulties he faces week in, week out.

Nic currently races in the Clio Cup, a competition that essentially follows the British Touring Cars around the UK. He is in his 2nd season and is managing to compete with the established drivers and has high hopes for his 3rd season, and I for one believe he'll achieve those goals.

I was at Snetterton a number of weeks back, however, unfortunately Nic crashed out through no fault of his own. I was at his garage chatting to his manager when Nic arrived back, and quite honestly (and this is me speaking now, not Nic) was amazed and annoyed at the amount of people referring to him as Lewis's brother. This article and interview is to change that, no longer should he be referred to as just the brother of an F1 World Champion, he is 'NIC HAMILTON THE RACING DRIVER' in his own right. He has worked hard, competed with a disability and beaten able bodied people and has high aims of his own. I do hope that this article changes the views of people everywhere!

Before going into the interview itself, let me just tell you a bit about what Nic did following his karting accident. He choose to go into virtual racing and became a number one driver in that field himself, then his dad took him out in a BMW, and the real racing bug arrived.

What you are about to read is taken from an hour long chat with Nic, and quite honestly it has been a total pleasure. I can't wait to support him in the final Clio Cup race at Brands Hatch on 21st October, and if you're reading this now and go along, I'll be expecting to hear the cheers for Nic as he goes around Brands Hatch, over and above the noise of the cars. Believe me when you read this, you'll want to, but I'll leave you to make that decision yourselves.

Here is that interview; Phil Woods (PW) – Hi Nic, great to speak with you. I'm not going to talk about Lewis in this interview, despite the fact I do like him after a brief chat at with him at Silverstone, however this first question relates to the fact the so often I hear people refer to you as 'Lewis's brother' and not Nic Hamilton. If I can hear that, then you must be able to also. You have managed to get to this level yourself, does it frustrate you as much as it frustrates me to hear that being said so often, or perhaps does it make you proud?

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Nic Hamilton (NH) – To be honest I have two perspectives on that, we as a family pretty much worked as a family since I was 1 year old to help him get to where he is today. We've always pushed hard for him to make Formula One and that's how I grew up. We pretty much did everything we could to make sure Lewis got his opportunity as I grew up.

PW – Yesterday I watched the DVD of his championship year, once he won that championship the first person he comes running to is you, which was a beautiful moment. You've supported him and he's supported you which is great and yes you've grown up as a family, but at the end of the day you are yourself, you are Nic Hamilton.

NH – Yes, definitely, and that's something I want to get across now. Obviously I will always have that comparison, just because of how successful the name is in the sport now. However I want people to understand that I am me and Lewis is Lewis. th PW – Onto the 2011 Clio Cup season now, you're first season in the sport. You managed to finish 14 didn't you?

You even managed to finish in the top 10 in the last two races?

NH – Yes I did, in the last two races of the season.

PW – How did that make you feel?

NH – Well, obviously for me it was a massive achievement, it was my first season in motorsport, I'd never driven in motorsport until the start of last year, so I pretty much started from scratch. I then had to keep improving through the year and my aim was to make a top 10 result by the end of the season. We had so many glimpses of it but never actually finished in that position until those lat races. It was a relief but also a massive step forward.

PW – You're right, in a first season that is a huge achievement, and this seasons been similar hasn't it but you've had a bit of bad luck.

NH – Yes, for me this season has been pretty much disastrous.

PW – You have still been very close though despite that bad luck.

NH – I think the Clio Cup this year has been a lot stronger, I'd say P15 this year is probably equivalent to P10 last year, so it's been really tough to get into the top 10. But this year at Thruxton I managed to qualify 6th, not only that, I've been in the top 10 a lot this season but then I've just been taken out, which has been a bit frustrating because…..

PW – (naughty editor interrupts) …it's obvious you've got the ability and skill to achieve those positions. It's obvious, it's just bad luck.

NH – Definitely, but I've also learnt a lot from what has happened this year as well, being taken out and then having to come back, having to learn overtaking etc. because at the end of last year I hadn't overtaken anyone, so I never really knew how to do it. I think mainly down to not doing karting etc. but this year I'll be taken out mid pack and then have to make my way back through again, which is good because it's teaching me and learning my race craft.

PW – Just for a moment, let's touch on the karting, because from what I have read, you had a go at karting and had an accident straight away, is that true?

NH – That's right yes.

PW – Then you went into simulation racing, and very soon became the number one in the UK. Then you had a go in a BMW with your dad?

NH – Yes, basically we went to Palmer Sport's Bedford Autodrome track run by Jonathan Palmer, who is a good friend of ours, so we went to his track to try it, just to experience driving on a race track. I think for my dad he just wanted me to have fun and get it out of my system. He never thought I'd be capable of driving it properly or be fast, or to be competitive. However as soon as I got into it, I was just as quick as the instructors there.

PW – It's in your blood.

NH – Exactly, my dad was stuck for words and didn't really know what to say, so that pretty much started my career.

PW – You're 20 aren't you?

NH – Yes.

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PW – That means I'm getting old as you're half my age NH – (Cheeky laugh at my expense, but I don't mind).

PW – I only had my first go on a race track at 40, the only experience I had was on the PlayStation F1 game, always picking myself for Lotus (or Caterham as they are now) so I'm a back marker to see how far I can get up the field, far more exciting than starting at a top team…..

NH – I won the championship in a Force India on that (he had to add that one in didn't he, just to make me feel good) PW & NH (Have a bit of a chat and laugh about this and my age, however Nic says you're never too old to start, before getting back to the interview) NH - In all honesty, I'm pretty old to start my career, when people get to my age they've done at least 10 years of driving.

PW – They have but you can't account for how an accident affects you in your mind (referring to the karting accident at this point).

NH – Yes, absolutely.

PW – I've been in a car accident myself and I know how it can affect your state of mind. What you have to realise is that those drivers around you may well have been driving for ten years but you're beating a lot of them.

NH – Yes, you're right (PW - I sense a change in confidence at this stage in Nic) PW – You have to be proud of what you've achieved. You really have to be. Just moving on a little to next year, are you sticking with the Clio Cup, or is there something else on the horizon for 2013?

NH – To be honest, I'd like to do another season in the Clio Cup. This time though I'd like to be a lot more prepared and do a lot more testing. This year I think I've shown I've got the ability to be up there, however I think it's just a lack of experience that's cost me, with people taking me out etc. But if I'm better prepared, I'll be stronger out of the box. I plan to do one more year hopefully and then see what happens and hopefully move up.

PW – I'd tend to agree you're making the right decision to spend another year in the Clio Cup. What is on your mind as the next step for you, are you thinking perhaps the Ginetta series or something else?

NH – There's a lot of avenues to go down, I think I'd like to go up to Porsches or maybe British Touring Cars. I think my end aim would be to end up in DTM. PW – You've stolen my last question about your end aim (Nic laughes and apologises whilst I tell him I don't really care about the order of our chat). DTM is very competitive and very fast. I think it's all in the confidence in your own ability. You are obviously taking sensible steps by having another year in the Clio Cup. You now know you can overtake people, you now know you have the ability and speed. If you can achieve your goal of DTM, I'll be made up for you.

NH – Thank You. PW – You're already an inspiration to a lot of people, in fact I have a girl in the office who is a fan of yours.

PW & NH (we discuss names and school etc, a little irrelevant to you guys) PW – In the Clio Cup now you've had two years in it, can you pick out your favourite race and why?

NH – I think I'd have to say Donington, race two this year where I qualified 13th, I got up to 10th, I then made a mistake which meant I went back down to 15th on the straight. I then came back through to 9th. I got taken out near the end, but if we forget that, it was awesome to be able to overtake so many times.

PW – That's 9 overtakes, a brilliant drive by anyone's standards.

NH – It was great pulling off those overtakes; my mum said it was like watching Lewis when he was younger.

PW – Just out of interest, what is your favourite circuit?

NH – I don't know to be honest, I just enjoy places like Snetterton, Donington, Silverstone etc, I wouldn't really say I have a favourite. I have a favourite corner rather than circuit and that'd be Craner Corner at Donington.

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PW – Do you prefer faster or slower circuits? For example in F1, you've got fast circuits like Monza and slower ones like Monaco.

NH – (PW – this answer was a shock for someone in their second year after being put off by a crash in a kart) To be honest I prefer the tracks where if you make a mistake, you are in the wall. Mainly because I like to be able to use my head a lot, having to think about the right place to overtake, rather than these tracks with huge run off areas, where when you make a mistake you get let off and are back in the race. For me to learn, I think that is what I need.

PW – Would you like to have a go at Monaco one day?

NH – Oh, yes definitely.

PW – I think I'd be a little bit scared.

NH – But I tell you what, it'd be interesting because it's a quick track for how small it is.

PW – I've watched some of the best drivers in the world crash out at Monaco. To hear you say that you'd prefer a track like that, especially when you compare it to our earlier conversation about how a crash in karting put you off is amazing. Your mind-set has totally changed hasn't it?

NH – It has, I think after I had probably the worst possible accident you can have in the Clio Cup, in Thruxton last year, you kind of think it can't get any worse. Having had that, I now know that there's nothing worse that can happen and I think that pretty much changed my mind-set. In fact these days, my main concern is damaging the car, I don't really care about injuring myself at all. My main worry is the damage to the car and the cost of repairing it, as I'm going off towards a wall, that's what is going through my head, not whether I injure myself.

PW – No way, that's an amazing way of thinking. I just want to take a moment to talk about your cerebral palsy, not a lot of people understand this condition, and during the Olympics you'd hear people complain about getting a bronze medal instead of Gold, yet in the Paralympics it seemed that people with disabilities like yours are happy just to compete. Can I ask how your disability affects your daily routine of training and of course your racing?

NH – Well, Cerebral Palsy is a widely spread condition so it affects different people in different ways, for example you can look pretty much able bodied yet suffer from Cerebral Palsy, that's what I noticed a lot at the Paralympics.

For me I am obviously quite heavily affected below my hips and with my legs. For me the main problem is that my legs are forever stiff, so the muscles are always tight. When I was growing up my bones would be growing but my muscles and tendons wouldn't grow as fast, so it causes them to tighten up. So the main thing in a race for me is this issue. Earlier on we talked about my favourite race at Donnington, in that same race I popped a joint in my vertebrate at the same time.

PW – No way! (I'm shocked at this point at how brave Nic is) NH – (giggles) It affects the way I train, it affects the way I feel in the car, so I have to make sure I have Physio often.

PW & NH (We discuss the possibilities of sellotaping other drivers legs together to make it fairer and see if they'd cope, discussed in jest of course whilst laughing) NH – Joking aside, I've gone through life comparing myself to able bodied people, as that's where I want to be, competing against them at the same level.

PW – and you are.

NH – Definitely, and by next year, or maybe at the end of this year I'd like to be in the top 5 and I think it's 100% possible. I always say I've modified my car to make sure there is no disadvantage but I'm pretty sure there is.

PW – There is, there's no way you can get a car to compensate for driver skill. You've got that and that is you not the car. You'll always have this disadvantage but you still manage to keep up with them. When is you're last race of the season?

NH – It's Brands Hatch on 21st October?

PW – I'll come and watch you finish 5th. Only kidding no pressure but it is my birthday 5 days later NH – (laughs) I'll try

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PW – Taking your brother aside and the rest of your family, a couple of people who inspire you, and why?

NH – I'd say I've got two that inspire me. My main one would be Alex Zinardi (Former F1 racer who lost his legs in an accident and is now a double gold medallist in the Paralympics), he is absolutely incredible for what he has achieved in life since his accident. The second one would be Oscar Pistorius (Paralympic athlete who competed in able bodied Olympics in 2012) His determination is a great inspiration and I love watching him. That's how I see myself, a disabled person competing against able bodied people.

PW – Exactly, I can see the comparison.

NH – I can relate to what he has just done this year. I just think he is awesome. Obviously, my brother too, but outside the family it's those two.

PW – Please don't get me wrong when I take your family out of the equation for this interview. I've met Lewis and he's a great guy, but this interview is about you, Nic Hamilton.

NH – Yes I like that, because it doesn't matter how many times I sign autographs people always seem to ask for him and how he is and that's why I like this interview. I'd love it to be like Ralph and Michael Schumacher, both individuals despite being bothers.

PW – Going back to the missed years and your age, you are still only 20 and the world is still your oyster. We talked earlier about your ultimate aim of DTM, what is it that attracts you to that discipline?

NH – I instantly see it as the Formula One of Touring Cars, I believe it's the pinnacle of touring cars, and I grew up with DTM to, because when Lewis was in the Formula 3000 series, they followed the DTM Championship. I loved everything about it. That's my aim and if I made it to DTM then that's where I would retire my career from there. I think and believe that would be a fantastic goal achieved for myself.

PW – I couldn't agree more. After speaking with you, you strike me as the kind of guy who battles past your disability and regardless of what life throws at you, in your mind you see a way through it.

NH – I wouldn't ever be naïve and think I'm not disabled and I'll always do my best, but at the same time if I didn't have my disability, I wouldn't be the same person as I am today. I probably wouldn't be as determined and eager to do stuff.

PW – You could have chosen the easy option and travelled the world with your brother, instead you've created your own career path of which you should be very proud. Before we finish, is there anything you'd like to say to your true fans, those that follow Nic Hamilton the Clio Cup Racing Driver?

NH – I'd like to thank them for all the support they've shown me so far, it's early days yet. To be honest it's the fans who help me, especially when I'm having a down time, when things aren't going so great, especially this year, it's been tough. I've been in so many good positions and then get taken out, I rely on my fans to pick me up.

Having spoken to Nic for an hour, hence the lengthy interview, I have to say that it was a pleasure and the only way I can describe the interview is that it was like speaking with a friend. Then to be told that I'm different (in a good way) to other interviewees he’d spoken to was flattering. I have to say that Nic deserves support, he deserves to be treated as an individual and should be an inspiration to anybody, disabled or not. If Nic can achieve what he has done, the surely we should follow his lead.

I look forward to Brands Hatch, and everyone at 'The Podium' wishes Nic the best of luck in his career.

follow Nic on Twitter @nicolashamilton Nic being interviewed (not by me on this occasion)

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The History of Pirelli in Motor Sport - Part 2 History, people and anecdotes from a century of victories Ascari and Campari, handicap with bread and salami At the 1925 French Grand Prix, before a public which was decidedly hostile to red Italian cars, favoring the many but ... less competitive – local racing cars, one of the most incredible demonstrations of strength which has ever occurred in car racing was seen.

The official Alfa Romeo P2 cars of Antonio Ascari and Giuseppe Campari were so superior to the other competitors (Delage, Bugatti, etc.), that the team was persuaded to arrange for an ante litteram pit-stop for the drivers, and while the technicians polished the bodywork after filling the tank and checking the oil and water, the pilots had time for a snack of bread and salami. Having thus satisfied the purely gastronomic aspect, the Alfa Romeo drivers calmly went back to the race, winning with an embarrassing superiority and a rather worrying gap for the rivals.

Varzi beats Nuvolari, thanks to the rain tyres In the early 1930s, Italian racing enthusiasts were divided between Nuvolari fans and those who preferred Varzi. There were a great many epic battles between the Mantova and Novara drivers, such as in the case of the 1000 Miglia in which – with Nuvolari in the lead – Varzi received an order from the pits from his patron Enzo Ferrari, who invited him to change his tyres for “anchored” ones (the “rain” tyres of the day). It started to rain, and with the suitable Pirelli tyres, the valiant Achilles made up for much of the lost distance, going on to easily overtake Nuvolari – driving an official Alfa Romeo but in deep trouble with the tyres. Varzi thus got his own back for the “trick” that Nuvolari had played on him four years before, when Tazio recovered ground on the Apennines by switching off his headlights when he came down the hills so that his rival couldn't see him. That was how the Mantova driver had won hands down over Varzi, destroying all the latter's resistance in the last stretch towards the finishing line in Brescia.

Fangio's master exploit with the Maserati at Nürburgring One of the great drivers to make car racing history was certainly Juan-Manuel Fangio, the Argentine who dominated the F1 in the first decade of the world championship races. At the 1957 Grand Prix, Fangio was by then at the end of his career and about to win his fifth World Title – out of the eight which had so far been awarded … - with the Maserati 250F and Pirelli tyres. He was a driver who had Varzi's coolness together with Nuvolari's boldness, and in that G.P. “el chueco” (the bandy-legged) had to battle against Moss's Vanwall and, above all, against the Ferraris of Hawthorn and Collins, who were the real rivals of this champion. On the twelfth lap of the twenty-two on the program, Fangio stopped at the pits to change tyres and fill the tank. Changing the tyres took longer than expected because of a technical problem in replacing the nuts; so the two Ferraris went into the lead with a margin of no less than 46 seconds. Considering the fact that there were ten laps to go, the Argentine had to gain almost five seconds a lap on the two Englishmen who in the meantime were forcing the pace. It looked like an impossible feat, almost suicidal (since Nürburgring was already a dangerous track, even then) and in the first two laps after the pit stop he managed to gain only two seconds per lap on the Ferraris. But already after the sixteenth lap, the Maserati had recovered no less than seven seconds. And on the next lap the Argentine struck off another seven seconds from the gap. In the Maranello pits, everyone was getting nervous and Hawthorn and Collins were told to accelerate. Driving round the curves at 230 km/h but without raising his foot from the accelerator and cutting all the curves as much as absolutely possible without going off the track, Fangio got within sight of the two English drivers at three laps from the end. Seeing the Ferraris practically within reach galvanized Fangio even more, and he reached and overtook first Collins on the penultimate lap, and then Hawthorn's Ferrari, too, after a terrifying skid. The miracle, the feat which the Ferrari timing engineers had considered impossible, had been achieved.

From The Old to the New 12

History Continued Piquet's victory number 13 makes Pirelli happy…

It was 7 July 1985. To favor television viewing of the Tour de France, it was decided that the French Grand Prix, to take place at Le Castellet (and therefore a stone's throw from the sea of Tolone, Marseilles, Bandol and Saint Tropez), would start at 1:15pm, which would actually be just after midday considering daylight-saving time, and under a burning sun hot enough to crack the stones. One of the angriest people was Nelson Piquet, fifth in the classification with the Brabham-BMW fitted with Pirelli P7 tyres, who was rightly worried about the heat that drivers and cars would have to stand for more than an hour and a half, and when there was the lethal Signes straight where Marc Surer could drive his Arrows-BMW at 338.4 km/h (210 mph). And Piquet's worry was increased by the defect in the gears on the racing car, because of which he was forced to use the reserve car.

Without Mansell (Williams-Honda, in hospital after a dreadful accident), the G.P. was about to start with Rosberg (Williams-Honda) and Senna (Lotus-Renault) in the first line. At the start, the two drivers controlled the situation, in front of Alboreto in the Ferrari, but the one who set off best was none other than Piquet. In the first two laps he overtook the Italian driver and Prost (McLaren-Tag) who had both left in front of him. The Ferrari engine broke soon after, while Piquet (with a full tank) was driving faster than everyone else. Already after six laps, Nelson had overtaken Senna, and he then went into the lead overtaking Rosberg the following lap. The heat caused defects in Senna's gears, who started off again late, and Piquet left all his rivals behind, battling against each other. The Brabham in the lead continued to increase speed: the merit was also that of the Pirelli tyres which performed excellently on the rough, burning hot French track. The hard P7 tyres, developed during the winter in South Africa, allowed the Brazilian champion to carry off this exceptional exploit, and after 53 laps gave Pirelli its victory. For Nelson, who reached the finish exhausted but obviously happy, it was his 13th Grand Prix win.

Sainz and Pirelli overcome the Finns' invincibility at the “1000 Lakes" With a foot wounded, Carlos Sainz was not at all sure that he would be able to take part in the 1990 "1000 Lakes” race. With his Toyota Celica GT-Four fitted with Pirelli tyres, the Spanish driver had dominated most of the season (and had check-mated the Lancia-Martini team several times). In Finland, Carlos also had the chance to make a serious bid for the Drivers' Title. But the pain in his foot was intense, and the Spaniard had never won in Finland.

In any case Sainz decided to at least try to drive in the first special trials, to see whether the pain would be bearable and if he could still be competitive. In the first trials, it was Juha Kankkunen's Lancia Delta Integrale which dominated the scene, battling against Markku Alen's Subaru Legacy and the Mitsubishi Galants of Kenneth Eriksson and Ari Vatanen. Sainz trotted round behind the Scandinavians, also battling against Pentti Airikkala's debuting Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4 and Timo Salonen's Mazda 323 4wd-Gtx. Surrounded by the local aces, the Spaniard seemed lost, but as the pain in his foot began to calm down, his rhythm did quite the opposite.

Kankkunen had to raise the white flag for various problems and Vatanen (like Eriksson) was no longer able to check the Toyota's advance. After ten special stages out of the forty-two on the programme, Carlos took command and gave no respite until the end, marking up the best time in twenty-three timed stretches and destroying the resistance of the Mitsubishis and the Subaru. Only Vatanen could limit the damage, coming in second with a 19 second gap, while all the others arrived with margins which were, to say the least, enormous. And with Sainz, the Latins also conquered (at least, as regards rally driving) even Finland.

‘1990' 1000 Lakes Race

Winner Carlos Sainz

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History Continued Pirelli's tungsten tips are key to success in Sweden Tungsten is best known as the key ingredient to the filament in electric lightbulbs but it also played a key part in Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen's victory on Rally Sweden, round one of the World Rally Championship, on 14 February 2010. In order to generate grip on a surface that is almost impossible to stand on, the rally cars run on Pirelli Sottozero snow tyres equipped with nearly 400 tungsten-tipped studs, which are designed to bite through snow and ice into the firmer surface underneath. As suits the extreme environment of the World Rally Championship, tungsten is one of the toughest metals known to mankind. It's got the highest melting point of any element other than carbon (around 3422 degrees Centigrade) and a very high density: about 19 times heavier than water. This makes it ideally suited to propel rally cars through narrow and twisty snow-covered stages at average speeds that border on 120 kph. An even bigger challenge occurs when the cars pass through the stages a second time as the roads are often swept clean of snow, exposing loose gravel underneath. Then the studs have to resist direct contact with the ground, which can rip them out completely. Pirelli benefits from a patented process in which the studs are inserted into the tyre at the time that the tyres are actually made, ensuring that most of them remain in place however challenging the conditions. Although Swedish roads are so slippery that approximately 90 per cent of all new cars sold there come with some form of electronic stability programme, the Pirelli-equipped rally cars still manage to accelerate from 0-100 kph in less than four seconds and brake to zero again in even less time. This attention to detail and high performance is equally evident in Pirelli's road tyres, on which the competition tyres are based. The rally tyres also covered 1534 kilometres of road section throughout the three-day event, impressing Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen, who is using Pirelli rubber on his first season in the World Rally Championship with the Citroen Junior Team. Hirvonen's victory meant that his season got off to the best possible start, after the Finn suffered the heartbreak of losing out on the drivers' title by just one point last year. “The tyres were excellent,” said the Ford driver, who eventually won by 42.3 seconds from Citroen's six-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb. “Even when the stages were cutting up, we still enjoyed a good level of grip, which allowed us to take our first win on Rally Sweden.”

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Technology in Plain English

by Matthew Somerfield

Double DRS

DRS DRS (Drag Reduction System)

The Technical Working Group (TWG) were tasked with creating a rule set that helped to increase overtaking F1 before the new rules were applied for the 2009 season. The group realised that the largest problem faced was when for overtaking it was the aerodynamic effect created by the car in front. This is known in F1 circles as the wake, air that exits the rear of a car is turbulent due to the forces placed on it by the cars bodywork. The car following in this turbulent air will struggle to maintain the same efficiency it would if it were not following another car and will often be seen to struggle with understeer through the corners. Initially the 2009 rules allowed the driver to alter the front wing by 6 degrees twice per lap in order to counteract this effect. However due to the Double Decked Diffusers of this year the teams had a much larger percentage of downforce than the TWG/FIA had envisaged making the Front Wing adjustment redundant. For 2010 the Front Wing adjusters were scrapped but more importantly McLaren introduced their F Duct. The F Duct allowed the McLaren drivers to place their knee into a cockpit cavity which altered the airflow through the airbox which stalled the Rear Wing. This gave the team somewhere between 5-10kmh advantage on the straights but raised concerns on safety when other teams tried to copy McLarens designs and had drivers placing their hands over holes in the cockpit whilst travelling down the straight at 280KMH. In 2011 the TWG/FIA responded with DRS which enabled the driver a similar effect to the 2010 F Ducts but placed restrictions on it's usage. DRS usage is unlimited during Practice and Qualifying and so whomever can get DRS open the most should gain the largest advantage. During the race the FIA will mandate DRS detection and activation points on the circuit creating 'DRS Zones' in which the driver will be able to use the system to overtake.

The detection zone is the point at which a trailling driver needs to be within 1 second of the car in front. If they are within the 1 second window they will be able to deploy DRS in the activation zone. The zones are altered by the FIA for each circuit and can feature more than one 'Zone' in order to help overtaking.

When a driver deploys DRS by pressing a button, pulling a paddle on his steering wheel or pushing a button with his foot the top flap of the rear wing lifts toward the trailing edge presenting a slot between it and the main plane.

This gap will alter the aerodynamics of the rear wing by disturbing the airflow in that region in order to reduce drag and ultimately help the car to attain top speed quicker In 2012 Mercedes have gone one step further by introducing their DDRS (Double DRS) system which not only reduces drag on the rear wing but does the same on the front wing. This is done due to holes placed in the Rear Wing being exposed when the wing flap opens and then air is channelled through pipes placed the length of the car to cut drag on the Front Wing. This allows for the car to be tuned for a higher top speed. The teams have already principally worked together to outlaw secondary usages of DRS for 2013 however teams have been busy working on other means of reducing drag.....

In response to Mercedes DDRS system Lotus have been testing something they simply call the 'Device' since Hockenheim which is essentially a passive F Duct style system allowing drag to be reduced at a given speed threshold. Lotus have yet to race it but plan to re-introduce it at Suzuka. Mercedes have also trialled a similar device at the Magny Cours Young Drivers Test. Both myself and Craig Scarborough have termed these as DRD (Drag Reduction Device) and my full analysis of the Lotus and Mercedes DRD can be found here: http://somersf1.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/lotus-mercedes-drd-drag-reduction.html

16

What Is NASCAR?

by Daniel Woolley

Without any doubt NASCAR is the most popular motorsport in the United States of America, but where, how and why did it begin? These are the questions we ask as we try to discover what makes it so popular and answer that age old question, where does the sport originate?

MOONSHINE – Believe it or not NASCAR was never a sport to begin with. Way back in the early 1900's it was illegal to produce and transport moonshine (an alcoholic drink) in the south, however it was far too profitable for the makers just to take it on the chin and give up. So what did they do? Well, it was no good transporting it in the back of a standard pickup truck, which made it easy, for the police to find them and catch them, thus losing lots of money, so they started to modify cars. If a police car could reach 100mph then the moonshiners needed to build a car that went 110mph for example, therefore outrunning the police. As the police got faster, so did the moonshine runners. Thus began what we know today as NASCAR racing. Of course today there is no moonshine involved, they even make children's films about NASCAR (take Cars and Cars 2) for example.

NASCAR has always steered clear of being affiliated to anyone, it has remained a family business since it was officially founded in 1948 by Bill France Jnr. It's now run by his grandson Brian France. It has a fan base of around 75 million people, spending around $3 Billion a year on licensed products, making it one hell of a rich privately owned sport.

The season consists of 39 races (based on 2012) and starts in mid-February running through until mid-November.

For the fans that's 9 months of action. The action gets underway at the Daytona International Speedway and finishes in sunny Miami during November at Homestead.

NASCAR doesn't stop at the 'stock car' standard, they run truck races and many other types of races, this culminates in the company sanctioning over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 US States and over the border in Canada.

The first NASCAR races were during the 1940's, shortly after prohibition, people would race for pride and profit.

Most of the cars back then were simple street cars, lightened and reinforced. It was mainly focused on the Southern counties of the USA many in North Carolina, specifically thw Wilkes County.

Remember the film 'The Cannonball Run', well that was named in honour of Erwin 'cannonball' Baker. Following his death in the first commission of a NASCAR race took place and that was the transcontinental Cannonball Run. It was March 1938 and a collection of drivers got together to at Daytona Beach in Florida with all manner of cars, coupes, convertibles, hardtops with the simple idea to see who was the fastest. They were looking for drivers and cars, as they understood it took both to make it work.

The first Official NASCAR stock race was held at Charlotte Speedway back in 1949, a race won by Jim Roper, someone who is obviously now down in the history books.

Three years later, the first race outside the USA took place, this time it was Canada's turn to get a taste of the action. On July 1st 1952, Buddy Shuman won a 200 lap race on a dirt track just a stones throw from Niagara Falls.

17

What Is NASCAR? continued.............

Now you've had your little history lesson, let's bring you up to date.

The highest level in NASCAR is the Sprint Cup Series. It is therefore the most popular and consequently the most profitable of all the NASCAR series'. This season it consists of 36 races. By the time the next issue of 'The Podium' is released the season will be over as there are only 9 races left to go. Current leader Brad Keselowski has won 4 of the 27 races so far, this has made it a very close season and he still has plenty of work to do if he wants the title. The top six drivers are only separated by 15 points.

The attendance at NASCAR races ranges between 63,000 and 159,000 spectators (based on 2012 figures), making it comparable only to Formula One in motor sport.

In the next issue, we'll bring you a report on the winner and how the run in to the title went. Until then I am sure the people of America have plenty to look forward to, plus of course the 150 or so countries it is broadcast to.

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All Change at Caterham F1 It was announced today that current Deputy Manager of Renault Sport F1 Cyril Abiteboul is to join the Caterham F1 team as CEO. He will be responsible for both teams on and off the track. Abiteboul will continue to work for both Caterham and Renault until January 13. It is a brave move to leave leave Renault after 11 years with the team.

Jean-Franรงois Caubet, managing director of Renault Sport F1, spoke of his sadness at seeing Abiteboul leave: "While we are sad to see Cyril leave Renault Sport F1, we are delighted that he has such a fantastic career opportunity. Additionally, we are always eager to see our partner teams progress and - knowing the full extent of Cyril's capabilities, he will perform excellently in his new role to help Caterham F1 Team achieve their aims.

Meanwhile, Cyril will conclude ongoing projects in the remainder of his time with us to ensure a smooth transition process."

Abiteboul spoke of his obvious delight at joining the new team which is in it's infancy: "I am obviously really happy to join this team that is still only in its third year and I would like to thank Tony, Kamarudin and Riad for this fantastic opportunity. The vision, enthusiasm and appetite of the shareholders and the whole team will be very precious strengths to help us tackle the many challenges we have ahead as we continue to develop the F1 platform and hopefully make our way up through the grid. The multi-cultural character of the group of people in the team, together with the business and industrial project that the F1 activity serves under the Caterham Group umbrella made it an obvious choice for me after 11 great years with Renault to whom I can never be thankful enough for all I have been able to learn and experience throughout my time with them."

Speaking on behalf of Caterham Chairman Tony Fernandes said "Cyril's appointment is more good news for our Formula 1 team. As CEO he will lead our F1 operation and will work closely with Riad, who can now turn his full attention to the continuing growth of the wider Caterham Group which is already active in the automotive, aerospace and marine industries. Cyril will also strengthen the excellent relationship that we have with Renault, particularly as we work towards the introduction of the new engine regulations in 2014 when engines will play an even greater role in overall car performance."

Fellow CEO Raid Asmat who will be working closley with Abiteboul said"I am delighted that Cyril has accepted our offer to join us as CEO of Caterham F1 Team and I am sure his appointment will have an immediate positive effect on our continuing development and growth as a force in Formula 1. We have been looking for the right person to lead the F1 team for a considerable period and Cyril fits all the criteria we set out in identifying the right CEO for our team. He is a key part of our long-term development and will help us to build on the foundations we have created since we first entered the sport in September 2009."

20

World Touring Car Championship This weekend sees the re-start of the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). After the 8 week summer break and the last meet in Curitiba Brazil - Yvan Muller is 17 points in the lead. Close behind and with a lot of preparation under his belt is 32 year old Rob Huff from Red Lodge, who is hoping for a home win this Sunday when history will be made with the race being held for the first time in America on the 4KM track in Sonoma Raceway California.

Rob states “It's been great having eight weeks off. But I am really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of my Chevrolet.... it's always exciting when we visit a new track as there is so much pre race preparation” and in preparation Rob has been studying videos of the track and has sent out his engineer in order for him to relay as much information as possible to him before he attempts the circuit for the first time. All the drivers will be facing the same problem and this can only add to the excitement as none of the drivers will be familiar with shortcuts or tricks on this track. But after doing his homework Rob states “It's a very up and down circuit with a lot of steep climbs and banked corners, while at the same time having some very fast, flat out chicanes” Rob is only too aware that this will be a difficult challenge, but remains positive and clearly has winning is in his sights, “The last two races have seen me claw back points on Yvan Muller and I want that to continue this success on Sunday and give Chevrolet a home victory” He warmed up well in the St Mary's Trophy and won his race in the Goodwwod Revival meeting when he drove an A40 Austin, however he missed taking first place by just ten seconds when his race parnter Desmond Smail came third in the second race.

Another WTCC driver with high hopes is English driver Oliver Jarvis and his Belgian team mate Frank Stippler are hoping to move up a place and take a higher position on the podium in the FIA GTI world Championships in Germany. The second to last race is being highly contended but the Audi Club team WRT are in good running after Olivers won third place last time out at the Nurburgring in Moscow.

This Sunday's race in America should be an exciting one, as it is unchartered teritory for all involved. We will keep you informed on all the action from this race in next month's edition...

Will Yvan stay at the top?

21

Team Hard (More than just a BTCC team)

Here at Tony Gilham Limited, we strive to bring the best possible service at all times. A family run business that prides itself on our customer service and satisfaction; we offer a wide range of services for both domestic customers and business users.

With a dedicated, highly skilled team of professionals, with all the latest up to date garage equipment, our results speak for themselves. All of our technicians are fully trained to main dealer standards and can cater for all makes, models and sizes of vehicles for works including M.O.Ts, (groups 4, 5 and 7) servicing, repairs, tuning, detailing and diagnostics. We are also able to offer maintenance contracts for fleet vehicles including a collection and delivery service within a five mile radius and we undertake all warranty work which is guaranteed. This service is also available to domestic users. Our sponsors, partners and linked companies make it possible for us to provide a complete service at very competitive prices by using top names such as Milltek Exhausts, REVO tuning, Lucas Oil, PPC and Regal-Autosport to name but a few.

We are very proud of our vibrant reception area and spotlessly clean workshop which appeals to all of our customers and must be seen.

Near to Dartford and within easy reach of the M25, M20 and London, Tony Gilham Limited has long been involved in performance car servicing and maintenance and with our personal involvement with Porsche racing and the British Touring cars (BTCC) we feel very strongly about the servicing we provide to all the makes of car we see. With a strong connection with the racing world we bring our track knowledge to the road driver so you are guaranteed the best performance from your car.

Although Tony has been racing and building his brand for the past 7 years or so, Team HARD is only 6 months old, yet in such a relatively short period of time there have been 10 drivers who have stepped into and raced a team HARD car in 2012.

The team's distinctive pink & Green livery add a touch of colour to the BTCC paddock as well as their in-demand music videos which fans, officials and other teams want to be involved in.

There have been several highlights for the team during the season, which include VW cup race victories at Rockingham and Spa and an historic 3rd place podium and Independent victory at Donington in the British Touring Car Championship.

The team are currently building a Volkswagen Golf for 16 year old Henry Gilbert and will soon begin the development of 3 NGTC BTCC race cars at the teams Dartford headquarters in readiness for their assault on the 2013 BTCC season.

Team owner, Tony Gilham said “We have attracted a lot of interest this season. None more so than signing the first American to compete in the BTCC since 1975 when we signed Robb Holland. It is therefore, important that we continue the momentum and push the team on in order to compete at the highest level. The obvious move was for us to build our own NGTC race cars and with the backing of an investor and an agreement already in place with Robb for next season and on-going discussions with other drivers, we have made significant progress in our desire to be at the forefront of British racing in the future�.

However, none of what we have achieved would have been possible without the support of our loyal sponsors Collins Contractors, Kevin Doody Builders, Garage Equipment Group, Prestige Performance Centre and Right Choice Insurance Brokers.

24

Robb Holland Talks exclusively to ‘The Podium’ Outside of the media glare at Snetterton.

PW (Phil Woods) - First of all before I begin, let me just say what a nice guy, a perfect fit for 'Team Hard' alongside Tony Gilham. Having been there at your first Sunday, it wasn't a perfect start, being shoved onto the grass and then crashing out early on in the race. Totally, not your fault in my opinion. How disappointed did that make you feel? You've travelled thousands of miles, you get in the car and that happens, I know that's racing but surely you must have been pretty disappointed?

RH (Robb Holland) - Yeah I was pretty gutted. As a driver you obviously never want to crash but sometimes it just part of racing. But what was really disappointing to me was that I was especially trying to keep my nose clean my first race given the BTCC's reputation. The big worry for me though was that it was a big hit, as it was always going to be going off at Riches, and that originally the car looked to be in bad shape the way it was perched on the barriers. I was thinking that 2 laps in might be the end to my BTCC debut.

PW - When I saw the car come in, I thought, there is no chance for Race 2 (it takes my mechanic all day to sort a handbrake fault), but those mechanics where absolutely phenomenal, I watched on in amazement at the speed of their work and then the finished product allowed you to go out and race. What did you make of that?

RH - Dave, Ryan, Phil and all of the guys at Team HARD did an amazing job to get the car back out on track.

They literally pushed me out of the garage 30 seconds before the pit lane closed and I was able to take my spot on the starting grid. I remember sitting there just before race two and thinking that I had made the right choice of teams to run with for my debut. The amazing thing though was that the car was as good from race two as it had been all weekend allowing me to get past with Ollie Jackson and Tony Huges at the start and then have a great battle with Foster and Neate at the end of the race.

PW - Now we'll move away from this weekend (we'll come back to it later). How are you settling in to the UK? And most of all, how are you settling into 'Team Hard'?

RH - Settling in very well to both thank you. I've spent a bunch of time in London over the years and my sister lives out here and I've been staying with her, which makes things much easier on the transition. The guys on Team HARD are like a family (literally) and they've welcomed me in with open arms. I'm still working hard with Ryan and Dave on set up and data to get on the same page as far as what I want out of the car but that is progressing well and we should see a big leap in performance once we have a proper test day to work through things.

PW - There was a lot of media attention on you as the first American to race in BTCC for 30 years. Hence why I left it until after the event to interview you. Most drivers I know like to concentrate and rest before a race. Do you think that it was too much or were you happy to cope with it?

RH - Yeah there was far more interest than I thought there would be. It wasn't too bad as I've always been good in being able to get into the race car and put it all behind me. It does cut into a bit of the time you can spend with the engineers though and being on the steep learning curve that I'm on every little bit helps.

25

Robb Holland PW - Tell our readers a bit about your career in racing leading up to the move to BTCC? RH - I started racing relatively late in life as I had an entire career as a pro cyclist before I started into cars. I turned pro in 2005 and I've spent a majority of my career racing touring cars. Last year I drove for the factory rd Volvo program and finished 3 in the championships over in the U.S. PW - So far what have you found have been the key differences between your US career and racing in BTCC? And why choose BTCC. RH - It's funny everything is different yet everything's the same. At the end of the day it's still just racing cars but the way everything works is just slightly different enough that it requires thought on everything you do. After racing in the U.S. for so long things that you do as second nature now require your full attention. I definitely underestimated the amount of energy you expend having to think about everything that goes on during a race weekend requires.

I have followed the BTCC since the Super Touring days and have always been a fan. I think that the level of competition in the series is equal to any of that in the world and I think that the fans are the best anywhere. Plus with the chance at racing historic tracks such as Brands and Silverstone made the decision to race in the BTCC and easy one.

PW - Back to Sunday, in race 3, you must have spun early on, I have to admit we had a problem with the monitor in the garage at the start of the race so I didn't see it, but from a lap down you were closing in on the guy in front by at least 2 seconds a lap, showing the raw talent you have. When you saw the timing afterwards, did that race please you? You showed you have pace and will probably be a challenger in 2013.

RH - Yeah I got a big shove in the back from Chris James going into the first hairpin. That was really disappointing as I had hopes of fighting my way into the top ten by the end of the weekend. I was catching the guys in front at a pretty solid pace so that felt good but I was really looking forward to some more wheel-to-wheel racing. The overall pace was ok but there is still more time to find on track for me to be fighting for wins.

PW - How difficult is it to drive a BTCC car? Is there much difference to what you've done before?

RH - The S2000 spec car is completely different from any other touring car that I have driven before. It is really requiring me to relearn a lot of what I already thought I knew. The biggest difference that I have found is that the braking system is completely different and I have yet to sort it out. That is where I am losing a big chunk of time of the front guys on pace and obviously it makes the racing way more difficult if you can't pass someone under braking. Time and testing will sort that out I'm sure.

PW - What is your ultimate aim now you've arrived on the scene in the UK? Looking ahead five years perhaps, where do you see yourself?

RH - I'd like to still be racing in the championships then. My goal here wasn't to jump in for a few races for fun but to become a permanent fixture in the series. My sponsors HPD, Oakley and Optima Batteries have backed me in the U.S. for a number of years and I hope they'll continue to do so in the BTCC however the only way they'll do that is if I am competing for a championship, which has been the goal all along.

PW - Finally, now you are here, is there anything you want to say to the British fans about what style of driver we've now got? And how did you find the British fans?

RH - The drivers here are just like the drivers back in the U.S. the top guys are very talented and the not so good guys are ‌ not so good. My goal is to show that not only myself but U.S. drivers in general can come over and mix it with the front of the grid.

As far as the fans, well quite honestly they're amazing. The reception I've gotten so far over here has been far beyond anything I was expecting. Hopefully I'll be here for years to come to get to enjoy them.

26

Tony Gilham A deserved Podium at last for Tony. He speaks exclusively to ‘The Podium’ about success, hopes and his plans for the future of Team Hard in British Touring Cars

‘Tony proudly holds aloft his trophies on the Podium’ PW - It's common to hear of superbike riders wanting to move to 4 wheeled racing, but cage fighting? It's certainly an unusual swap of discipline. Can you give the readers a bit of an insight into first of all why the move? And then, secondly is there anything you have used from your time in the ring and bought it into the cars?

TG - I stopped in 2005. This was the year that my eldest son, Tommy was born and the year that I started racing in the Toyota MR2 championship. It was time to calm myself down and stop putting my boyish looks at risk anymore!

Controlled aggression is a similarity between cage and BTCC. The same principle applies in finding a gap in your opponent's guard as working your way past the car in front of you.

PW -You got used to winning fights when it was one on one. Now you're fighting (in a different way of course) a lot of quality drivers like Jason Plato etc. I read a comment that you are not there just to make up the numbers, you've proved that with your first podium recently (more on that later). How do you feel you've faired in the BTCC fight so far? I'm not thinking about results as such, more about how tough it's been?

TG - It was an honour and a massive achievement for me and the team to achieve our first podium. We feel that we would have achieved more of these if the car was complete from day one and we were able to concentrate on racing rather than development.Although we have fared ok, we would have loved the opportunity to show more consistency and more front running. But for a big sponsor drop out, we would have been right in the mix.It is always tough, but I believe in myself and the team and now cannot wait until next year.

PW - My readers should know why I have driven across to the other side of the country to interview Tony Gilham (being that I cover F1), when we are an international magazine. There are stars up and down the pit lane, it was, despite the hard man image etc. that you were the only driver to pay attention to my son who was, at the time just over 1 year old and at his first race. Your signed picture still hangs on his bedroom wall, and his push along car is adorned with the distinctive pink and green number 34 sticker. I wanted to do this interview myself. So to follow on from that, how important are the fans to you? And what is it about the children, I watched you during the pit walk and you spend time with them?

TG - The fans are so important to me that I will always find the time to give everything I can to making their BTCC experience as memorable as possible. The BTCC would be a fraction of what it is today without the fans and so are very special. I will always talk to anyone in pit lane that shows interest in BTCC and us as a team. We are building something very special and we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the fans. I love kids. I have 2 boys already and my fiancée, Sammi is keen to have another 4, so I will always do what I can to make their day special if at all possible.

27

Tony Gilham PW - The team have just taken on the first American driver in BTCC for 30 years. How is he settling into the team? And tell us a bit about how you found Robb Holland?

TG - Robb is an amazing person and one of the nicest men you could ever meet. It is like he is part of the family already and we really hit it off from day one. I met Robb or at least first spoke to him due to a suggestion that we may have a drive available in our team. Robb loves the BTCC and together we have made the dream possible and it is beneficial to us both with massively exciting times ahead.

PW - In preparation for the future, you've just taken on 16 year old Henry Gilbert to drive in the VW class for 'Team Hard'. You're team has grown so fast, is this the start of things to come, bringing in talented youngsters? And how big do you want to make the 'Team Hard' brand in racing?

TG - We are building a team that we want to be fan friendly, successful and a bit different from everyone else.

We are growing and it's still hard to remember sometimes that we are still in year one.

Henry is a very special talent and we're excited that he is driving for Team HARD. Definitely one to watch!

I'm confident that Team HARD will be the biggest team in the UK within the next few years. That is my passion, belief, desire and fighting spirit that will hopefully help us to achieve our ambitions.

PW - Not only do you race, run an academy and a team, you also have an online business, tell us a bit about that? And how the hell do you fit it all in? (after spending Sunday with you I know the answer to this but, tell the readers) TG - I also own my own garage business and have many tuning packages, parts and accessories available on my website and through our sponsors or partners. It is very busy at times but I've never been afraid of hard work and have a very supportive fiancĂŠe, family and friends, all supporting and helping me. I couldn't do it without them.

PW - What is next for Tony Gilham? Is this it now? BTCC and bringing up young talent? Or do you ever get the urge to try single seaters. Any chance, I'll be interviewing you after an F1 race one day?

TG - We will always look to grow and achieve more and more. We just need to be careful that it is at the right pace, controlled and in the right direction. I'm a little too big for single-seaters, but will always keep my options open for me, my team and any new drivers coming in.

PW - I'm off to Spa in a few weeks with F1, you went recently. Tell us how it felt driving round one of the most famous and fastest tracks in the world? And did you manage to go flat out on Eau Rouge?

TG - Spa was an amazing experience and one that I will remember forever. First time there and loved every second of it. Some very fast corners and very exciting racing. I was 100% flat through Eau Rouge in the VW and had a very successful weekend with a 2nd place, 1st place, 2 fastest laps and a lap record.

PW - For anyone wanting to get into racing, what is the key bit of advice that you would give to them?

TG - You need to believe in yourself, work hard, offer something that no one else can and always make time for the fans. It is a very tough sport and only the best and committed will make it.

PW - Well done one your first podium this season, I was personally chuffed to bits, it's well deserved for all the hard work you've put in, and things are obviously getting better and better for you. Tell us how it felt finally stepping onto the podium after all the hard work? nd

TG - It was a very unique feeling of achievement and excitement as it was for my own team in only our 2 weekend. I actually crossed the line in 4th, but was moved up to 3rd after another driver suffered a technical infringement. It was disappointing not to stand on the podium on the actual day, but amazing none the less and we have the trophies in our office to show our success. Plus we won the Independents trophy which made it even more special.

PW - Finally, team boss or driver? What is your preference? (I think I know the answer to this one too, but I'll let you tell the readers?

TG - Driver is always a preference, but I still enjoy being a team boss and sharing any success on track with my drivers. I always want the best for them and know what they would expect as a driver.

28

Gary Paffett The Missing F1 Star?

Gary Paffett, current leader of the DTM (German Touring Car Championships) is a undisputed talented driver, having flirted with F1 being test and/or reserve driver for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes since 2006 following his 2005 Championship win in DTM, driving a DaimlerChrysler Bank AMG Mercedes C-Class for HWA with 5 wins to his credit.

Only born in 1981, Gary has had racing in his blood since the age of 9, when his father bought him a Cadet Car for Christmas. His father, Jim himself competed in Club Racing. It didn't take Gary long to learn his trade and become exceptionally good, winning the British Junior Championship in Kart TKM in 1995, just 5 years after being bought his fist Kart. It was then perfectly obvious that Gary was a talent that would go places.

In Issue One of 'The Podium' we took you back to Karting with our special feature. Gary's talent didn't go unnoticed and his natural talent behind the wheel was spotted by multiple World Karting Champion Martin Hines.

Martin selected Gary for his Zip Young Guns team and so began Gary's career in motor sport.

From 1995 through to 2000, Gary was unbeatable, a dominant force in every class from Karting to Formula Vauxhall. Now when I say unbeatable, I don't just mean he did well every now and again, he dominated becoming champion every season regardless of what he was driving. This didn't go unnoticed by the professionals as he was awarded the BRDC McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year in 1999. th A minor blip in his unblemished career in 2001 saw him finish 6 in the German Formula 3 Championship, however the following year he showed in emphatic style that 2001 was just a year of learning as he won the same championship with an amazing 7 wins to his name.

That is when the big names started knocking on his door, as a move to DTM followed in 2003 when he was th snapped up by Team Rosberg, driving a completely different style of car and finishing in a respectable 11 place during his first season. In 2004, well, do I really need to say anything? Or have you already guessed? Moving to th HWA he shot up from a season finish of 11 to a Runners Up spot with 3 wins. Gary, had learnt his craft in just one season. Following that he went one better in 2005 winning the Championship with HWA, securing 5 wins in the process.

At this point his name was starting to be talked about up and down the Formula One paddock, but due to his relationship with Mercedes it was McLaren who snapped him up as their test driver for 2006. Since then Gary has split his time between DTM and Formula One. He has continued to be a test and/or reserve driver with McLaren.

In motorsport it is very difficult to hold down two jobs at once and be a success in both, however Gary has never finished outside the top 10 in the final DTM standings, he has in fact managed to finish Runner-Up in both 2009 and 2010 with the Salzgitter AMG Mercedes Team. If you aren't too familiar with motor sport and the difficulties in driving in two disciplines then let me tell you now, that is one hell of an achievement.

This brings us to 2012, still a reserve and test driver for McLaren, yet he is leading the DTM Championship for his team HWA with just 2 races remaining in Valencia and Hockenheimring. The season started at the Hockenheimring and this is a race Gary won.

Gary is British, he races in Germany and has an 11 point lead at the top of the championship with 25 points for a nd win. Of course any of the top 3 drivers can still win this championship but if Gary can just keep 2 place Canadian th Bruno Spengler and fellow Brit Jamie Green behind him for two more races, he will claim his 9 Career Championship.

It's now common knowledge that British F1 star Paul Di Resta came through the ranks of DTM, is it now time that Gary Paffett becomes the next British Driver in Formula One, with Jenson and Lewis at McLaren it may prove a difficult move in that direction, but if Schumacher retires (again) then who knows! Personally, I think he deserves a shot at it and believe he'll make a big impact, but I'll leave you, the readers to make up your own mind.

Good luck Gary from everyone at 'The Podium' Magazine. We are all rooting for you in these last couple of races.

Gary is managed by 2mb Sports Management - See their advert later in the magazine.

29

Indycar vs Formula One

by Eric Hall

The cars look similar but how different are they?

Eric Hall, our resident Indycar expert gives us an insight into the key differences.

This is Indycar Formula One and Indycar began life not too dissimilar from each other. However, due to the totally different development paths the two disciplines, the series are now more akin to cousins than brothers. The comparison highlights the Formula One mantra of smaller, lighter, faster when viewed alongside a current IndyCar. Indycar is strictly speaking, a spec series; all chassis and aerodynamics are constructed and supplied by Dallara Automobili and teams are not permitted to construct any chassis or aerodynamic pieces in-house. For the first time since 2005, multiple engine manufacturers are competing in the series. The all-new for 2012 turbocharged engines marked the return of turbocharging to American open-wheel racing, not seen since 2008 in the ChampCar World Series.

All chassis competing in the Formula One World Championship are constructed by each constructer to conform to a specific set of regulations; or Formula. Engine regulations are very similar in that all engines must be made within the given regulations. Currently, Formula One is powered by naturally-aspirated V8 engines. Engine development has been frozen since 2007 and the series has not seen turbocharging since 1988.

Dallara DW12 Length: 5012.3 mm/ 197.3 in Width: 2011 mm/ 79.2 in Height: 1127.9 mm/ 44.4 in Track Width: 1940 mm/ 76.34 in maximum Wheelbase: Between 2997.2 mm and 3073.4 mm/118 and 121 in (Two sets of differing length a-arms are available for use) Minimum Weight: 710 kg/ 1565 lbs Fuel Capacity: 70 l/ 18.5 US gallons Chevy IndyCar V6, Honda HI12R, Lotus DC00 2.2 liter direct injection turbocharged engine Cylinders: maximum of six (All engines use a V6 configuration) Camshafts: Maximum of four Crankshaft: One-piece Valves: Two inlet, two exhaust (mechanically-operated, Variable valve timing not permitted) RPM: 12,000 maximum V Angle: 60째 minimum, 90째 maximum Bore: 95 mm maximum Length: 460 mm/18.1 in Turbocharger Configuration: Single (Chevrolet) or Double (Honda, Lotus) Borg-Warner units.

Wastegate: Maximum of two, electronic or pneumatic controlled Fuel injectors: Maximum of two per cylinder Weight: 112.5 kgs/248 lbs Fuel: E85 Ethanol Horsepower: 550 for large ovals, 600 for short ovals, 700 for road and street courses Transmission: Xtrac 6 speed sequential paddle shift with reverse ECU: McLaren 400

30

Indycar vs Formula One

by Eric Hall

This is Formula One - The Key Differences Formula 1 2012 Average Specs Length: ~4635 mm/ 182.5 in Width: ~1800 mm/ 70.9 in Height: ~950 mm/ 37.4 in Track Width: Varies Wheelbase: Teams use short and long wheel base in Formula One Minimum Weight: 640 kgs/ 1410 lbs Fuel Capacity: Free; no in-race refueling Cosworth CA2012, Ferrari Type 056, Mercedes FO 108Z, Renault RS27-2012 2.4 liter naturally-aspirated engine Cylinders: Maximum of eight Camshafts: Maximum of four Crankshaft: One piece Valves: Two inlet, two exhaust RPM: 18,000 maximum V Angle: 90째 Bore: 98mm maximum Length: Various Fuel injectors: One inlet port injector per cylinder Weight: 95kgs/ 209.4 lbs Fuel: fuels are predominantly composed of compounds normally found in commercial fuels Horsepower: estimated 750 Transmission: In-house 7 speed sequential paddle shift with reverse ECU: McLaren F1 spec

Above a prototype Indycar To the Right the Caterham 2012 F1 Car.

31

Monza Race Report Formula One

by Claire McPhee

3 in a Row for McLaren Lewis Hamilton dominated from start to finish at Monza, having taken pole for Mclaren and controlled the race th from without any risk to his lead, and managed to gain his 20 F1 career victory.

Ironically he shared the podium with Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso. Two drivers (along with Lewis) taken out at the beginning of the previous weekends race at Monza. This misdemeanour by Romain Grosjean earnt him a rare one race ban by the FIA. Having watched the footage over and over again, it was a fully deserved ban, a truly reckless move on Hamilton which without the late, great Sid Watkins could have caused a death or at least a serious injury.

This was Hamilton's 3rd victory of 2012 and consequently moved him closer to the current leader and former team mate Alonso. His 1st place at Monza was surprisingly his first time on the podium there since his first race back in 2007.

Following the race he praised his team and thanked them for his victory by saying, “Thanks so much guys, incredible effort, I am so grateful for this opportunity I really appreciate it�. Perhaps a sign that despite all the rumours linking him with Schumacher's seat at Mercedes, he will remain with McLaren, and all this is just part and parcel of negotiations. Anyway, I don't recall anyone confirming Schumacher's retirement yet (apart from Eddie Jordan of course who seems to say this every few weeks, no offence Eddie, we love you really). th

Without doubt the driver of the day was Sergio Perez the young Mexican racing for Sauber. After qualifying 12 , nd he managed to claim a fantastic 2 place, daring to have the cheek to take points from home favourites, Ferrari. I suppose he can be forgiven by the Tifosi as Sauber do use a Ferrari engine. Perez even managed to set the rd fastest lap time during the closing laps of the race. Amazingly this was his 3 podium position of the season and had there been a few more laps who knows what may have happened as he finished a mere 4.3 seconds behind winner Hamilton, and was closing fast. th

Alonso, racing for Ferrari, had to be content with starting 10 on the grid after a poor qualifying campaign on Saturday, however he did manage to finish in third place. Yet another great drive by Alonso, allowing him to extend his championship lead by a further 13 points, leaving Hamilton 37 points behind him with only 7 races remaining.

In fourth place was the other Ferrari of Felipe Massa, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing fifth in the Lotus. Michael th th th Schumacher and Nico Rosberg finished 5 and 6 for Mercedes GP. Paul Di Resta, who qualified 4 but had to th take a five place grid penalty did well to finish 8 in his Force India, Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) and Bruno Senna (Williams) completing the top ten.

Unfortunately Monza did not prove a successful hunting ground for the once dominant Red Bull as both divers, Vettel and Webber were both forced to retire early from the race due to problems with the alternators on their cars, it was also a similar story for front row starter Jenson Button who fell to a similar fate, however his issue was a fuel pump issue, this of course ended any chance of a 1-2 for McLaren.

32

Monza Race Report Formula One

by Claire McPhee

Hamilton made an impressive start from the grid, Button did try his up most best to overtake his fellow team mate at the first turn but Hamilton managed to retain his lead, with Massa in his Ferrari taking advantage by sneaking in between the two McLarens.

When Hamilton reached lap seven he had increased his lead to 2.8 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Button managed to take 2nd back from Massa on lap 19, bringing both of the Maclaren back to the forefront of the race.

With a confident Hamilton 6.6 seconds clear. However after Hamiltons initial pit stop he fell into second place behind Perez, but managed to stay ahead of Button.

Hamilton was given a boost when told over his radio by his team that Perez had yet to make a pit stop and that he was looking good and effectively still in the lead with 29 laps remaining.

Hamilton managed to regain his lead by overtaking Perez on the chicane, unfortunately Mclarens hopes of having both of their drivers in the top two faded when Button was forced to retire in lap 34 due to fuel issues. Leaving Hamilton 12.5 seconds clear of Massa.

Perez eventually stole second place from Alonso, but was unsuccessful in beating Hamilton who took first place.

Podium Magazines Driver of the day – Sergio Perez

Final Race Result Position

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd DNF DNF

Driver

Team

Lewis Hamilton

McLaren Sergio Perez Sauber Ferrari Fernando Alonso Felipe Massa Ferrari Lotus Kimi Raikkonen Michael Schumacher Mercedes Nico Rosberg Mercedes Paul Di Resta Force India Kamui Kobayashi Sauber Pastor Malonado Williams Bruno Senna Williams Toro Rosso Daniel Ricciardo Jerome D’Ambrosio Lotus Heikki Kovalainen Caterham Caterham Vitaly Petrov Marussia Charles Pic Marussia Timo Glock Pedro de la Rosa HRT Narain Karthikeyan HRT Mark Webber Red Bull Nico Hulkenberg Force India Red Bull Sebastian Vettel Jenson Button McLaren Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso

Sergio Perez A Stunning Drive & a well deserved Podium

33

Spa Race Report

Formula One

by Phil Woods

As the cars line up on the grid and the lights go out one by one, the thrill of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is about to get under way, you can almost feel the excitement of the fans waiting for the cars to go up Eau Rouge for the first time. The lights go out and off they go, no crashes and every car has a clean get away, with some wonderful overtaking from the word go………….Yeh Right, I must have fallen asleep for a moment!

Button and Kobayashi (yes, Sauber have built a great car this year and I was wrong in my pre-season preview, you don't have to keep reminding me) are on the front of the grid as the lights go out and within 60 metres or so there is carbon flying everywhere. Romain Grosjean in his Lotus tried to take Hamilton but in the process, showed a lack of experience (or pure stupidity, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt this time) and shoved Hamilton onto soaking wet grass. Then the inevitable, absolute carnage as cars were flying through the air, carbon was spread all over the track and most frightening of all we see a Lotus literally driving over the top of Alonso's Ferrari.

For a moment the world gasped and sayed still fearing the worst, then as Alonso stepped out of his car, the second biggest cheer of the afternoon went around the ground and probably the world. Not everyone likes Alonso, we know that, but without innovations from people like the late Prof. Sid Watkins, the championship leader wouldn't have stood a chance. (Read more about Sid Watkins in our tribute later on in the magazine).

This heavy crash meant a safety car immediately, several cars came into the pits for what can only be described as a check over and minor repairs as they got caught up in the crash but weren't casualties. Four cars had to retire straight away and those were Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren, who looked unhappy to say the least, sending hand gestures the way of Grosjean, indicating how stupid he felt the move was. Alosno's Ferrari was out, that goes without saying along with Sergio Perez and the driver who started it all, the Lotus of Romain Grosjean.

The mad start to the race presented an opportunity to those who had qualified badly on Saturday. When the safety car eventually came in, Jenson Button managed to keep his lead followed by Raikkonen who were lucky enough to be ahead of the carnage. Perhaps the biggest winner of the the safety car period was Nico Hulkenberg who th rd th moved from 11 to 3 and Di Resta in the other Force India got himself up to 4 .

On lap 4 the usually ever so careful (must stop day-dreaming) Maldonado got himself tangled up with the Marussia of Timo Glock near Les Combes and suffered front wing damage, enough so, meaning that he was out of the race.

A jumbled up pack following the restart on lap 5 left Raikkonen a sitting duck to Hulkenberg then to Schumacher on lap 12. Hulkenberg had started the race on the harder compound tyre.

The Red Bulls showed that they didn't have any real speed on the straights. Mark Webber was hitting the rev limiter on the Kemmel Straight and was unable to make a move on the Williams of Bruno Senna. Vettel, in the th sister Red Bull eventually caught up with his team mate after falling to 12 under the earlier safety car. Vettel pulled off a heavy move on Webber at the Bus Stop, who at this stage decided he'd had enough and dived into the pits. Vettel then continued his charge up the field making great moves on Senna and Massa. Who said Vettel could only drive from the front? Well, at Spa he proved them all wrong and showed why he is a great racing driver (and quite a funny bloke off the track too).

35

Spa Race Report

Formula One

by Phil Woods

th

The pit stop phase began when Paul Di Resta was left red faced as Ricciardo in his Toro Rosso taking 5 place, Di Resta soon pulled into the pits followed by a number of cars over the coming laps as tyres started to go off.

Race leader Button was way out in front at this point and didn't need to pit, showing yet again that when the car is right, he can look after his tyres well. He was 15 seconds ahead of Schumacher who had decided to stay out rd to try and get a jump on the Force India's. Vettel also chose the long first stint option. This option gave him 3 place, a good strategy move on the face of it.

Schumacher and Vettel nearly took each other out on lap 20 when Vettel tried what was becoming a little bit of a favourite move for him at the bus stop, however this time he was coming from way to far back and locked his tyres in the process. They almost came to blows again as Schumacher needed to go onto the pit road. The stewards were straight onto that one.

Button was looking at a one stop strategy and pitted next time round, however the gap he had built up meant that when he came back out he was still way over a second ahead of Vettel. Vettel pitted the following lap, this gave race leader Button an 8 second advantage over the two-stoppers, Raikkonen and Hulkenberg. Only Webber and Massa were in the way but with Button having fresh tyres he was soon past them.

With half the race over, for the first time it seemed like we may be getting into a normal race, after a crazy first half. The winner of a nice calm and settled race was Jenson Button. At this stage there was nothing more perfect than a boring grand prix from within the cockpit of Button's McLaren. In fact the only retirement left was the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan, who on lap 32 had a hot date with a tyre barrier. nd

Better news was to soon arrive for Vettel as the two-stoppers started to make their pit stops, handing 2 place to Vettel, a great position considering so many of his title rivals weren't racing.

Towards the end of the race the biggest battle seemed to be between Schumacher and Raikkonen looking for that third place on the podium. Raikkonen pulled a great move around the outside of the Bus Stop but was then re-overtaken when the Mercedes Double DRS kicked in on the Kemmel straight.

A couple of laps later Raikkonen swept past Schumacher at around 185mph on Eau Rouge, not only that he did it on the outside. The battle of the two come back boys was easily won by Kimi in his Lotus. This time Schumacher couldn't respond with any DRS as he was out of the zone.

There were still a few battles going on up and down the track but the end result remained the same, Button nd rd st won by a comfortable 14 seconds, Vettel came 2 and Raikkonen was 3 (still searching for that elusive 1 win since his comeback, but it'll happen, I'm sure of that.) Bad start but great race. As you read this Bernie, please don't take Spa from us, we all love it, drivers and the fans.

Having met Bernie, off camera he is a great guy, and I have no doubt he'll do everything in his power to keep Spa on the calendar.

“Please Keep Spa on the F1 Calender.....A Plea from ‘The Podium’ and it’s Readers” 36

Singapore Mini Report

by Phil Woods Vettel is Back Under the Spotlight ‘Beautiful’ but that damned finger is back nd

Sebastian Vettel has put himself back into title contention with his 2 victory of the season under the lights of Singapore.

He is now hot on the heels of Alonso, however the Spaniard will have been happy to be on the podium with rd Vettel having taken 3 place. The gap may have closed but it is still comfortable for Alonso. Unless the Ferrari driver makes a serious of mistakes then there is no chance that Vettel will catch him, therefore you will see a different side to Alonso as the season draws to a close. He doesn't need to win races, he just needs his team to keep him in contention with reliability and to stay calm whilst behind the wheel and not try to pull off unnecessary moves for a couple of extra points. In my humble opinion, it's Alonso's to lose now.

A front row of a resurgent Hamilton and the Williams of Maldonado looked to be an issue for Alonso as he had to th start in 5 behind both McLarens (looking for a constructors title too).

Hamilton though had an issue with his car and what seemed to be leaking oil (an announcement over the radio of spraying oil from Hamiltons car by Vettel made things look ominous). It turned out to be a gearbox failure on lap 22 that led to Hamilton's retirement and his bad luck continued. I've no doubt that he would have won this race had he not had an issue, instead he leaves Singapore 52 points behind Alonso, although Hamilton still believes he can win the championship from that position.

Maldonado who had won in Spain, yet not scored a single point since his win in nine races also had to swallow a bitter pill as he had to retire just after half distance. Having made a good fight near the front, he and Williams will be gutted at the bad luck they'd had.

Maldonado, memorable winner in Spain, has not scored a point in the nine races since and it had been impressed upon him in no uncertain terms that strong points rather than a glory run, were required.

The safety car was out twice during the race which spiced things up a little bit more than normal, however Button couldn't make it close enough to Vettel to make a challenge as he struggled on the harder tyre.

Schumacher loves Singapore, the only problem is he seems to like driving into the back of people, this tim e it was the turn of a Toro Rosso to feel the full force of a Schumacher shunt.

Williams, who started the race with so much promise had to suffer a double failure as Bruno Senna lost power towards the end of the race. He had driven through the field superbly from 22nd on the grid.

As the flag dropped Vettel claimed his 2nd win of the season, Jenson Button followed home in 2nd and championship leader Alonso was happy enough with 3rd.

A special mention must go to Paul di Resta who finished in 4th place to help Force India close the gap on Sauber in the constructors championship, as both Saubers failed to score. Also, Timo Glock managed to finish in 12th position in his Marussia, a great result by them.

A full report will be in issue three, as this mini report is only being added to the magazine hours after the race.

37

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2mb are fast becoming market leaders, here are some of the drivers they represent.

Call 01763 258000 for more info now

In Memorandum The many who saved so many lives Eric Sid Watkins OBE FRCS - Sept 1928 to Sept 2012 Eric Sidney Watkins, commonly known as ‘Professor Sid’ or ‘Prof’ withing Formula One circles, was a world renowned English Neurosurgeon, died at the age of 84, leaving four sons and two daughter and a loving wife behind. Everyone at ‘The Podium’ have their thoughts firmly with his family right now.

Sid was born just a stones throw away from our head office, in Liverpool. He spent most of his life trying to make Formula One a safer place to be and this translated into other motor sports. He served 26 years as an FIA delegate, covering safety and medical matters.

Sid was usually the first one on the track in case of disasters and was unfortunately was on the scene when F1 lost many peoples hero, Ayrton Senna. He has directly saved the lives of many drivers such as Mika Hakkinnen, Gerhard Berger and many more.

Initially his appointment raised some eyebrows among the Formula One fraternity, not from drivers, but from the track owners who thought he was there checking up on them, but that wasn’t the case. He was there to save and protect lives.

Things began to change in 1978 when Ronnie Peterson had a heavy crash at the Italian Grand Prix and the car set alight, other drivers stopped to help with James Hunt pulling him from the burning car, however it was the 18 minutes that it took an ambulance to arrive that potentially caused his death. From that day on things where to be different.

The following day Sid was on the phone to ensure that at every event there would be a helicopter on site for such emergencies. He also demanded that better safety equipment should be used and that there should be an anaesthetist on site and a medical car. (That’s the car you see that follows the F1 cars around the track for the first lap to this day).

His talents and efforts didn’t go unnoticed, in 1985 he received a Silver Trophy in recognition of his work. Every driver felt comfortable knowing that he was about.

He made innovative changes to the way cars are built, you just have to look at Spa a few weeks ago and know that without Sid Watkins we may have lost our championship leader.

An invaluable loss to Formula One, but his work and memory live on. He has saved thousands of lives, so remember Sid every time you have an accident. Your car is safer than ever thanks mainly to ‘The Prof’.

GONE BUT NEVER EVER FORGOTTEN The only female doctor who works in Formula One, alongside Sid for many yearsin the medical car, had this to say about his passing, “Sid was the most correct, funny and loyal man I ever met. It was an honour for me to have worked with him. Farewell, my friend.”

Sid Watkins 1928 - 2012

39

A Gallery of Stunning Photography

by JD Sports Photgraphy

www.jdsportsphotography.co.uk

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www.jdsportsphotography.co.uk

41

www.jdsportsphotography.co.uk

42

In Memorandum A Hero to Many People Dan Wheldon - Sept 1978 to Oct 2011

A Short Tribute by Eric Hall Dan Wheldon was more than a racecar driver.

I, along with hundreds of other fans, had the privilege to meet one of the nicest men the IndyCar paddock had ever seen. A man who, no matter how hurried, would stop and sign every hat, picture and model car thrust into his more than willing hands. A man, no matter how downtrodden, would pose for a seemingly endless amount of pictures with fans; all while flashing that beautiful while smile.

Dan Wheldon; a brother, a father, a son and a husband. More than just a man; a hero, a competitor, a winner, a champion. Godspeed Lionheart, you will always be remembered.

Dan Wheldon

44

The Future of British Super Cars

Caterham

World Touring Car Championship Update English driver Oliver Jarvis and his Belgian team mate Frank Stippler are hoping to move up a place and take a higher position on the podium in the FIA GTI world Championships in Germany. The second to last race is being highly contended but the Audi Club team WRT are in good running after Olivers won third place last time out at the Moscow Raceway. * This weekend sees the start of the World Touring Car Championship. After the summer break and the last meet in Curitiba Brazil - Yvan Muller is 17 points in the lead. Close behind and with a lot of preparation under his belt 32 year old Rob Huff who is hoping for a home win, as history is being made with the race being held for the first time in America on the 4KM track in Sonoma Raceway California.

Rob states “It's been great having eight weeks off. But I am really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of my Chevrolet.... it's always exciting when we visit a new track as there is so much pre-race preparation” and in preparation Rob has been watching videos of the track and has sent out his engineer as to glean as much info as he can. All the drivers will be facing the same problem and this can only add to the excitement as none of the drivers will be familiar with shortcuts or tricks. But after doing his homework Rob states “It's a very up and down circuit with a lot of steep climbs and banked corners, while at the same time having some very fast, flat out chicanes” Rob is only too aware that winning is in his sights “The last two races have seen me claw back points on Yvan and I want that to continue on Sunday and give Chevrolet a home victory” He warmed up well in the St Mary's Trophy and won his race in the Goodwood Revival meeting when he drove an A40 Austin, however he missed taking first place by just ten seconds when his race partner Desmond Small came third in the second race.

World Touring Cars at Brands Hatch 46

GP2 Update Barwa Addax Team drivers Johny Cecotto and Jake Rosenweig are optimistic about the season finale this weekend on the Singapore Circuit. Both are not in for an easy ride but both are clearly optimistic about their chances.

Johny is riding high after 2 seconds and two wins this season and is not too disheartened by the fact he has been involved in more than one incident that may have impacted on his chances. He has shown great team work and compatibility with the Barwa Addax Team that cannot be ignored. Despite the fact he has not driven the track before he is showing high hopes saying of the track “It seems like an amazing track just the kind of track which suits me alot. It looks like it's very similar to Monaco and just as difficult” Team mate and newcomer Jake Rosenweig who definitely made a mark in his Italian debut is just as positive despite the fact he is unfamiliar with the mechanics of the car and is new to the team, he is not letting it stand in his way... “I'm really excited and grateful for the opportunity that Alejandro Agag and the Barwa Addax Team has given me..... This has given me the chance to get to know the class a little better and get an idea about my future projects” Whatever they may be …. Both drivers are showing great promise and on a track like this they need it …...there is no room for error this is one not to be missed catch the action ….

Davide Valsecchi 2012 GP2 Champion more next issue 47

World Rally Championship

by Tomislav Stajduhar There are burning issues within World Rally Championship, no doubt. From (still) missing global promotion and TV coverage to less annoying, but equally exciting issues of driver transfers and the arrival of new teams. And there is also this constant, called Sebastien Loeb. He is also a fairly popular subject this year – partly because he is once again handing everyone their asses on a silver platter, and partly because he is part of the puzzle for next year's starting “grid”.

It's become popular these days, or rather these years, to discuss and predict the exact time of Loeb's retirement.

After all, he all but conquered the sport in last decade or so, and managed to destroy the opposition on a regular basis year after year. Sure, he's not some godly uberhuman and he also makes mistakes, not to mention victories he has scored thanks to team-play and quite possibly a few not so legal moves, but even with all that taken into account, he is still a few steps ahead of his rivals on most stages and on most rallies. And that's how you win rallies and titles.

It's hard to say how he does what he does – some say it's talent, some say it's superb discipline, but it's probably that unique, fine combination of skill, talent and advanced understanding of his own abilities combined with physics of the car behavior in every given situation and in every coming corner. Of course, sometimes that corner goes to right, and you make a left turn, but…

We could simply say he is just that good – just one good and complete driver. Sure, we had fast ones in the past, we still have them, consistent ones too, but this guy combines the two treats and delivers. Big time.

So, what's with constant discussion about his retirement? Yeah, it's an interesting subject. Heck, even this article is doing just that very thing – discussing his retirement. But I'd just like to understand what is the reason behind constant calls for Mr. Loeb to hang his helmet and call it a day. I'm not saying it's wrong to talk about it, or to discuss the implications of his retirement on the championship. It's the ones that claim he should retire “in order for sport to progress and prosper” that bug me.

I have trouble understanding how is it Loeb's fault that the sport is not “progressing” or “prospering”, and how would his retirement benefit the sport. Should we blame Sebastien for 30 cars entry for Rally GB this year, or the blunders that were BMW/MINI/Prodrive and now Armindo Araujo/Chris Atkinson, or ups and downs with TV broadcasting, to name a few? There are people out there who claim WRC is boring with Loeb around, and while a good part of them are joking, some are not. I can see their reasons. Take out Loeb, and we have line of drivers all very capable of making very costly and often unforced errors and mistakes, losing points, victories, titles… and voila, you have an exciting championship. It's sort of like DRS button for the WRC – in Formula 1 that thing brought back overtaking, and with Loeb out of the WRC, we would finally have an interesting championship.

Because everyone else makes mistakes more often than Loeb, thus creating the tensions and excitement, much to everyone's delight. Right? Well, wrong.

Rally should be about beating the time and your opponents with pure skill, touch of tactics, team work and then some self discipline. And if Loeb mastered all this better than his rivals, then that's not his problem, nor it is detrimental for the championship. On the contrary, Loeb is so huge that WRC should in fact be happy to have him around. It cannot be his fault others simply cannot find proper formula to beat him on a regular basis, and it's pathetic to suggest otherwise. He is not the one making the rules nor running the championship, we cannot blame him for only handfull of teams and lack of spots for talented young drivers, “future Loebs”. So we're left with current grid and teams, all of which are just-not-good-enough to beat him. Period.

So, Mr. Loeb. Please, remain in the World Rally Championship for as long as you like and keep doing what you do so good for years to come. Because if you retire now, we will know it was just because Sebastien Ogier was coming back to WRC competition with Volkswagen next year. Allegedly, you're afraid of Mr. Ogier, when you shouldn't be. Wouldn't it be just great to have a 2013 season of superb fights between two teams and two drivers, and after such season it would be awesome to call it a day, regardless of the outcome. Sort of like passing a torch.

Stick around for another year, will ya?

48

Competition

This is ‘The Podium’ Magazine touring car, you can’t miss it, it has our website address all over it and is one of only a few MG ZR Xpower Cars to be in Red. This month all you have to do is keep an eye open for the car on the roads of the UK and occasionally in Europe. To enter the competition simply complete the form below and email it to info@myformulaone.com

Last Months Competition Winner

Adrian Horne Pictured right from Cheshire with his children Where did you see it?_____________________ On what date?___________________________ And what is the Registration Number_________ Your Mobile Phone Number_________________

£50 Cash to the winner drawn at random49

The Stats All Our Sports Covered All Out Tables up to Date

Current Formula One Standings Drivers Standings as of Singapore GP Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Driver Alonso Vettel Raikkonen Hamilton Webber Button Rosberg Grosjean Perez Massa Di Resta Schumacher Kobayashi Hulkenberg Maldonado Senna Verge Ricciardo Glock Kovalainen Petrov D’Ambrosio Pic Karthikeyan De La Rosa

Team Ferrari Red Bull Lotus McLaren Red Bull McLaren Mercedes Lotus Sauber Ferrari Force India Mercedes Sauber Force India Williams Williams Toro Rosso Toro Rosso Marussia Caterham Caterham Lotus Marussia HRT HRT

Points 194 165 149 142 132 119 93 82 66 51 44 43 35 31 29 25 8 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Constructors’ Standings as of Singapore GP Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Team Red Bull Mclaren Ferrari Lotus Mercedes Sauber Force India Williams Toro Rosso Marussia Caterham HRT

Points 297 261 245 231 136 101 75 54 14 0 0 0

Current British Touring Car Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Driver Gordon Sheddon Matt Neal Jason Plato Andrew Jordon Robert Collard Tom Onslow-Cole Matt Jackson Dave Newsham Frank Wrathall Nick Foster Jeff Smith Aron Smith Lea Wood Rob Austin Tony Gilham Daniel Welch Andy Neate Ollie Jackson Paul O’Neill Adam Morgan Liaqm Griffin Will Bratt Chris James Tony Hughes Howard Fuller Robb Holland John Thorne

Points 336 333 304 287 247 228 223 151 138 128 124 124 89 85 71 69 68 49 36 36 29 21 21 12 6 6 0

Gordon Sheddon Current Leader

Constructors’ Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Team Honda Racing eBay Motors Pirtek Racing Redstone Racing MG KX Momentum Racing ES Racing Dynojet Rob Austin Racing Speedworks BINZ Racing Team HARD Welch Motor Sport AmD Tuning.com Thornley Motorsport

Points 644 490 414 374 367 182 141 110 99 92 86 73 57 3

Jason Plato Chasing Gordon Hard

Current World Touring Car Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Driver Yvan Muller Robert Huff Alain Menu Gabriele Tarquinil Tom Coronel Norbert Michelisz Pepe Oriola Stefano D’Aste Tiago Monteiro Alex MacDowell Mehdi Bennani Franz Engstler Alberto Cerqui Aleksei Dudukalo Michel Nykjaer Darryl O'Young Rickard Rydell James Nash Tom Boardman Tom Chilton Gabor Weber Fernando Monje

Points 315 315 267 193 164 152 107 88 63 52 47 47 37 23 20 17 14 12 9 7 3 1

Yvan Muller Current Leader Constructors’ Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3

Team Chevrolet BMW Customer Racing Seat Customer Racing

Points 761 486 472

Try It Yourself

Current World Rally Championships Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Driver Sebastien Loeb Mikko Hirvonen Petter Solberg Mast Osberg Jarli-Matti Latvala Evgeny Novikov Martin Prokop Thierry Neuville Dani Sordo Sebastien Ogier Nasser Al-Attiyah Ott Tanak Armindo Araujo Chris Atkinson Francois Delecour Dennis Kulpers Andreas Mikkelson Henning Solberg Pierre Compana Jari Ketomaa Mati Ratinen Patrick Sandell Yazeed Al-Rajhi Ken Block Matthew Wilson Eyvind Brynildsen Ricardo Trivino Peter van Merksteijn Jr Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari Manfred Stohl Mathieu Arzeno

Points 219 158 119 114 113 63 40 38 31 31 28 26 11 10 8 8 7 6 6 6 6 4 4 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 1

Constructors’ Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Team Citroen Total World Rally Team Ford World Rally Team M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Qatar World Rally Team Adapta World Rally Team Citroen Junior World Rally Team MINI WRC Team Brazil World Rally Team

Points 348 237 123 63 61 60 26 20

Sebastien Loeb Still Number One

Current DTM Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Driver Gary Paffett Bruno Spengler Jamie Green Mike Rockenfeller Edoardo Mortata Martin Tomczyk Matthias Ekstrom Augusto Farfas Christian Vietoris Timo Scheider Dirk Werner David Couthard Andy Priaulx Robert Wickens Filipe Albiquerque Adrien Tambay Miguel Molina Ralf Schumacher Joey Hand Rachel Frey Roberto Merthi Sudie Stoddart

Points 127 116 108 75 74 69 66 29 24 19 17 14 14 14 14 10 8 8 2 0 0 0

Team Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Team Thomas Sabo BMW-Team-Scheider Mercedes – AMG Audi Sport Team Rosberg Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline Audi Sport Team Pheonix BMW – Team – RMG BMW – TEAM – RBM DHL Paket / Stern Mercedes AMG ABT Sportsline

Points 151 133 116 88 85 83 71 43 28 10

Current GP2 Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Driver D.Valsecchi L.Razia E.Gutierrez M.Chilton J.Calado G. Van Der Garde F.Leimer M.Ericsson J.Cecotto F.Nasr J.Palmer N.Berthon S.Coletti R.Haryanto T.Dillman L.Fillipi J.Kral S.Richelmi N.Melker F.Onidi J.Leal R. Gonzalez S.Trummer F. Crestani B.Hartley

Points 247 222 176 169 160 160 152 124 104 95 78 60 50 38 29 29 27 25 25 13 9 6 4 1 1

Team Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Team DAMS Lotus GP Arden International Racing Engineering Carlin iSport International Caterham Racing Barwa Addax Team Rapax Trident Racing Ocean Racing Technology Venezuela GP Lazarus Scuderia Coloni

Points 342 336 226 212 207 202 166 131 44 34 26 1 0

Final Standings Meet Your Champion D. Valsecchi

Current GP3 Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Driver M. Evans D.Abt A.Felix Da Costa A.Vainio M.Laine C.Daly P.Niederhauser T.Ellinas K.Ceccon M.Stockinger D.Fumanelli T.Pal Kiss G.Venturini R.Visoiu W.Butler A.Brundle L.Williamson A.Fontana A.Powell F.Gambarini

Points 151.5 149.5 132 123 111 106 101 99 56 55 47 38 31 24 20 19 11 8.5 1 1

Meet Your New Champion Mitch Evans

Team Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Team Lotus GP MW Arden Carlin Jenzer Motorsprort Marussia Manor Racing Status Grand Prix Ocean Racing Technology Artech CRS Grand Prix Trident Racing

Points 378.5 309.5 171 133.5 99 67 56 39 31

The New Champion Leads his Rivals

Current IndyCar Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay Will Power Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves Simon Pagenaud Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti James Hinchcliffe Tony Kanaan Graham Rahal J.R Hildebrand Rubens Barrichello Oriol Servia Takuma Sato Justin Wilson Marco Andretti Alex Tagliani Ed Carpenter Charlie Kimball E.J Viso Mike Conway James Jakes Josef Newgarden Simon De Silvestro Sebastien Bordais Katherine Legge Sebastian Saavedra Wade Cunningham Ana Beatriz Townsend Bell Georgio Pantano Micheal Jourdain Bryan Causon Jean Alesi Bruno Junqueira

Points 468 465 435 431 387 370 363 358 351 333 294 289 287 281 278 278 272 261 260 244 233 232 200 182 173 137 41 29 28 26 16 16 13 13 12

Current NASCAR Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po

Driver

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Jimmie Johnson Brad Keselowski Denny Hamlin Tony Stewart Kasey Kahne Clint Bowyer Dale Eatnhardt jnr Kevin Harvick Greg Biffle Martin Trvex jnr Matt Kenseth Jeff Gordon Kyle Busch Ryan Newman Carl Edwards Paul Manard Marcos Ambrose Joey Logano Jeff Burton Jamie McMurray

Points Difference Leader -1 -7 -10 -15 -15 -26 -31 -33 -34 -35 -45 -1265 -1289 -1299 -1304 -1324 -1345 -1400 -1445

Points 2096 2095 2089 2086 2081 2081 2070 2060 2063 2062 2061 2051 831 807 797 792 772 751 696 682

Current Leader Jimmie Johnson

Current Clio Cup Standings Drivers Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Driver Jack Goff Paul Rivett James Dixon Josh Files Adam Bohan Ant Whorton-Eales (R) Josh Cook (R) Stefan Hodgetts James Colburn Vic Covey Aaron Williamsom (R) Kim Anderson (R) Ingas Gelzinis (R) Simon Belcher (M) Mike Bushell (R) Luke Wright William Davison (R) Jake Giddings (R) Rob Smith (R) Finlay Crocker (M) Adam Gould Darren Wilson (M) Nic Hamilton Tautvydas Barstys Mark Tilbury (M) Ronnie Klos (M) David Grady

Points 255 228 192 188 183 136 132 119 116 101 99 82 79 70 67 60 59 58 54 40 39 39 36 32 19 18 12

Team Standings as of 24/09/2012 Po 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Team Team Pyro Scuderia Vittoria Westbourne Motorsport PER HIRE 20Ten Racing Total Control Racing Finesse Motorsport Ltd Juta Racing MBR Silver Fox Racing

Points 508 367 298 265 171 163 157 114 69 18

Current Leader Jack Goff

Don’t forget to read our exclusive interview with Nic Hamilton in this issue

Still Available at www.podiummagazine.co.uk

In The Next Issue A Special Feature on the Anglesey Circuit

A New Paddock. We Believe They Deserve British Touring Cars, Let us Tell You Why?

We Review and Preview the Old & the New In Motor Sport Movies

And so much more motor sport action......

Keep up to date with the latest motor sport news by visiting www.podiummagazine.co.uk

ISSUE 3 - November 2012 Published by Podium Magazine Limited