January 26 2012 autosport.

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Up-to-the-minute news and reports
from F1, WRC and more. Subscribe for
must-read opinion, stats and images January 26 2012 vol 207 no 4
COVER IMAGES:
FERRARO/LOTUS
F1 TEAM
INSETS: LAT,
GILHAM/GETTY
CONTENTS
In tough times
one should find ways
of expressing full
commitment, rather
than pulling out
FIA PRESIDENT JEAN TODT IS
NOT IMPRESSED BY PEUGEOTS
WITHDRAWAL FROM SPORTSCAR
RACING LAST WEEK
SUBSCRIBE...
to AUTOSPORT and
get a free pair of Cebe
Spider sunglasses P58
NEWS REGULARS
SPORTS EXTRA
77 Manor quits Renault UK
Categorys famed team switches
to Formula Renault Eurocup in
new tie-up with Dutch team MP
78 Bimmer for British GT
BMW Z4 enters UK supercar series
as Barwell gets Blancpain
Endurance-winning machine
82 Series focus
WTCC superstar Rob Hu goes
for a Time Attack in a 987bhp
Mitsubishi EVO VI Yikes!
FEATURES & REPORTS
5 From the editor
6 Snapshot
15 Mark Hughes column
58 Subscribe for a free gift
84 Final drive
Letters and Latest Gear
86 On track/on screen
The best action in the next week
89 From the archive
Nigel Mansell in the BTCC, 1998
90 Race of my life
Jason Plato, BTCC Brands, 2009
10
Number of trees Sebastien Ogier
knocked down with his Skoda
Fabia in his Monte Carlo Rally
crash. He counted them!
8 Raikkonen steps back on it
Ex-champion up to speed as he
shakes the rust o at Valencia
10 F1 getting ready
The teams are at-out to be as
last-minute as they possibly can
13 This week in Formula 1
Round-up of the latest stories
16 Toyota may grow LMP1 plan
Japanese manufacturer weighs up
more races as Peugeot pulls out
18 Plato teams up with MG
BTCC star reckons wins are on as
the Octagon returns to racing
21 WTCC SEATs back at base
Tarquinis Leon to be run
from Spanish makes factory
23 Hakkinen: nein to the DTM
He tested a Merc but heres one
Finn whos opted against a return
24 Todt pushes WRC future
FIA boss has North One roadmap
26 Williams without Head
Celebrated team has a new path
without its original tech pioneer
30 Nigel Mansell special
Full 18-page lookback at the
career of Britains 1980s/90s
Formula 1 folk hero
50 Monte Carlo Rally
Back in the WRC, which means
its another win for Loeb
56 Daytona 24 Hours preview
Grand-Am has been in for
plastic surgery and the
future looks much better for it
60 Daytona 50 years on
Its the golden anniversary of
the big enduro, so we look back
at its inaugural running as a
three-hour race in 1962
63 World of Sport
Toyota Racing Series; Brazil F3
C
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ST
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C
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ST
O
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Huff scares himself at Snet
Mansell and his
Williams-Honda
Raikkonen steers
back into an F1 life
MONTE-CARLO RALLY 2012.
YOU CANT CONTROL THE ELEMENTS,
BUT YOU CAN WIN THE RACE.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rally.
At the Monte-Carlo Rally more than anywhere else, driving conditions can change several times
during the race. Thats why this year, once again, drivers needed to have confidence in their
tyres ability to adapt. With MICHELIN tyres they got excellent performance, whatever the
weather or terrain.
You could also benefit from the expertise MICHELIN has derived from motorsport with the
MICHELIN Pilot Sport 3 and MICHELIN Pilot Alpin.
Experience the performance at www.michelin.com/experience-the-performance
POLE POSITION
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BAMBERS
WEEK
Nigel Mansell: F1s most
misunderstood man?
NIGEL MANSELL IS MOTORSPORT
Marmite. But love him or hate him,
its impossible to deny that he was a key
player in one of Formula 1s greatest eras.
His total commitment behind the wheel
enabled him to take the ght to Ayrton
Senna on track in a way that Alain Prost
or Nelson Piquet seldom did. Many of
Mansells overtaking moves are the
stuff of legend, and theres a compelling
argument to be made that hes the nest passer ever seen.
But with every stunning move, or every battle against the
odds, came the post-race moan, histrionics or announcement
of his retirement (again). It was pure theatre and the British
(and Italian) fans lapped it up.
The two sides of Our Nige are perfectly encapsulated by the
memories of those who worked with him in this special issue.
But the common theme is of a driver who was determined to
succeed, no matter what the circumstance.
Lotus hopes Kimi Raikkonen shows the same bulldog spirit.
The 2007 world champ made his F1 comeback at Valencia this
week. His return could make the current generation even
stronger than the one Mansell graced.
Andrew van de Burgt, editor-in-chief
THE AUTOSPORT APP
NOW ON ANDROID/iPHONE
SNAPSHOT
PIT & PADDOCK
WRC
Delecour back at his brilliant best
Monte Carlo Rally hero Francois Delecour he won the
event back in 1994 in a Ford Escort RS Cosworth was
on scintillating form in last weeks WRC opener, the
49-year-old running well up throughout. He and co-driver
Dominique Savignoni eventually nished sixth aboard their
M-Sport-run Ford Fiesta WRC. Rally report page 50.
Pic: McKlein
Two-day test kicked off Raikkonen return
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STORY
Lotus: Kimi is ready for F1
Former world champion impresses his new team after rst run. By EDD STRAW
because its an old car on Pirellis
demonstration tyres.
Ill give you an example: he was
running around with a lowish fuel
load in the car and we put an awful
lot more fuel in. We calculated what
the difference should have been and
his rst lap was absolutely on it
to the tenth. That was impressive.
I wouldnt have known that he
hadnt been driving last season.
Regulations prevent Lotus from
tting any new parts, such as a DRS,
to the 2010 car but the two days of
track time will be key to Raikkonen
hitting the ground running at the
rst ofcial test at Jerez on February
7. Although he was not able to
work with his race crew, who
remained at the factory to work
on the new car, his test runs with
the demo team allowed him to get
back up to speed.
Lotus created a run plan designed
to ease Raikkonen back into F1 on
the rst day. On the second day, it
was able to focus on some more
procedural aspects to further
K
imi Raikkonen will be
100 per cent ready for the
start of pre-season testing
after returning to the cockpit of a
Formula 1 car at Jerez this week.
The Finn drove a 2010-spec
Renault at Valencia on Monday
and Tuesday to re-acclimatise
to F1 machinery after over two
years out of the cockpit. Lotus
track operations director Alan
Permane, who has also worked
with Fernando Alonso, Robert
Kubica and Michael
Schumacher, told
AUTOSPORT he was
impressed with his new
drivers performance.
Im sure that he will
be 100 per cent ready
for the rst [pre-season]
test, said Permane. He
stepped into the car and
was consistent and what
we believe to be on the
pace although its
difcult to know exactly
what that pace should be
integrate him into the team, as well
as giving him more track time.
The idea of the running was to
give Kimi a head start when he gets
into the new car, said Permane.
Theres not a great deal he can
learn because its an old car but it
was about getting him into the
team, getting him sitting where he
wants to sit and making sure that
the pedals are in the right position
and give the right feel. That can
take a day or two to sort out and
we can hopefully short-cut that
when he jumps into the new car.
Raikkonen reported no big
issues with his tness on his
return to the car, completing just
over 300km on his rst day.
I wouldnt have known he
hadnt been driving last
season. Hes very to the
point in what he wants
Lotuss Alan Permane
F
1
2012
Kimi completed 300km on first day alone
Eyes will soon turn
to the timing screen
NEWS
PIT & PADDOCK
January 26 2012 autosport.com 9
I
ts easy to be sceptical about Kimi
Raikkonens comeback. And its right to be,
too. His supporters will cite unfair treatment
in the media, but the question marks that
hung over Raikkonens approach during
the latter years of his rst F1 career were
well-deserved. After all, Ferrari paid him a
great deal of money for doing a great deal of
nothing in 2010. Were he operating at the
level of a world champion, Ferrari would not
have done that under any circumstances.
Raikkonen returns to F1 as damaged goods.
But hardly irreparably so. His two-year
rallying career has given little reason to
change the view that hes a supremely
talented driver lacking the Herculean work
ethic needed to evolve into a topline
performer. The question is, has his exile
from F1 given him the renewed vigour
needed to deliver on his ability?
His rst days on track with Lotus went
well. He was willing to grab the car by the
scruff of the neck and wring a laptime out of
it. But it will be the work he does unseen, the
countless hours that
the likes of Sebastian
Vettel put in, that
decide how well
Raikkonen does. That,
and his willingness to
persevere with a car
that is unlikely to give
him instant race wins.
Raikkonen can
succeed on his comeback, no question. If hes
willing to go that extra mile or 10, the days
when he was regarded as the fastest man in
F1 can be recaptured.
Over to you Kimi.
Kimi gets up to speed
AUTOSPORT SAYS
EDD STRAW
F1 EDITOR
edd.straw
@haymarket.com
KIMI RAIKKONENS F1 TEST
comeback evokes memories
of compatriot Mika
Hakkinens brief return to F1
action in November 2006.
The Finn had held
tentative talks with McLaren
about a comeback, but by
the time of his test at
Barcelona on November
30, the team had already
decided to promote GP2
champion Lewis Hamilton
to a race seat for 2007.
The 38-year-old, then
racing in the DTM for
Mercedes, completed 79
laps, in a test which he
described as not only fun.
But he struggled after so
long away, lapping 3.016s
o the pace (set by Ferraris
Luca Badoer), and 2.260s
o the best McLaren time
of the day, set by Hamilton.
Any aspirations Hakkinen
had of returning to F1 were
extinguished, despite his
hope for further outings.
If the timesheet was
upside down I would be
happier, said Hakkinen.
It would be unfair to expect
that after ve years I could
go maximum attack and
bang in a time. I got answers
to the questions I had but
now I have more questions.
Hakkinen: Off the
pace in 2006 test
AUTOSPORT understands that he
has stepped up his training regime
in recent months, and on Monday
he described his routine as the
same as I used to do before. So far
its OK and thats a good sign.
Although it will inevitably take
more track time for Raikkonen to
regain full race sharpness physically,
Permane saw no signs that he was
suffering from a lack of motivation
or any of the other question marks
that are frequently raised over the
2007 world champions approach.
F1 cars are reasonably intense
to drive and although hes a t guy,
I suspect his neck muscles wont
have been used in a rally car to the
extent they are in an F1 car, said
Permane. But he did 50 laps on
the rst morning and didnt have
to stop for any tness breaks or
anything like that.
Its clear he has a reputation that
hes a guy who doesnt talk at all and
gives one-word answers but Ive not
seen any of that. I see a very normal,
very experienced driver whos willing
to talk to his engineers as long as
is needed. Hes very articulate,
knowledgeable and to the point in
what he wants from the car.
Hes a world champion, isnt he?
Hes not done that by accident.
REMEMBER WHEN
Michael Schumacher got up to speed? The
last ex-world champion to return to Formula 1
warmed up for his rst proper test with
three days of running in a GP2 car at Jerez
JANUARY 12-14 2010
W
hen Hakkinen
didnt com
e back
First F1 running since Abu Dhabi 2009
New helmet design displays #9
10 autosport.com January 26 2012
F
ormula 1 teams are in the
nal stages of assembling
their cars ahead of the rst
test at Jerez on February 7.
New rules dictate that the
mandatory FIA crash tests
which previously only needed to be
passed before a cars race debut
must now be cleared before
it tests for the rst time.
Combined with a reduced 71-day
gap between the nal race of 2011
and the rst of the three pre-
season tests, this has created
perhaps the most intense off-
season in grand prix history.
Most teams have already
completed work on at least one
chassis, and many have produced
multiple monocoques. The
assembly of the teams rst cars
has only started in the past few
weeks and could be completed
as late as the morning of the rst
test, with aerodynamic parts
often the last to arrive.
Teams build schedules are
governed by the date of the rst
test, not the launch, as often the
cars shown are not to nal
specication. For example, Ferrari
is set to launch next week with old
front and rear wings, while last
year McLaren launched with a
dummy exhaust installation.
Caterham (formerly Team Lotus)
started build work on its rst car
on January 14, as technical director
Mark Smith explained last week.
Chassis number one went
into the build shop on Saturday
morning and then two things were
done, said Smith. First, the fuel
cell was tted into the car, pressure
tested and capacity checked.
Second, we tted the front
suspension to the car we dont
have all the parts yet but weve
tted what we can, as well as
a number of smaller items
around the car.
McLaren was at a similar stage
with its MP4-27 around a week
earlier. As Smith alludes, the pace
of the car build will be dictated by
the manufacturing of parts. While
elements such as suspension
and wings can be bolted on with
relative ease, the priority is to
ensure that components that take
longer to install, such as wiring,
are completed as soon as possible
to avoid any last-minute rushes.
Most teams work on a second car
alongside the rst, although priority
is given to the rst test machine.
Even for smaller F1 teams such
as Caterham, this is a massive
operation. But for a bigger entity
such as Red Bull, which is
effectively a multi-department
technology group, it requires
very close management to ensure
that the parts are delivered
in sufcient time.
Team principal Christian Horner
is in charge of ensuring the various
departments work together. While
chief technical ofcer Adrian
Newey who is famous for
pushing back deadlines as far as
possible to maximise research and
development time heads up the
design group, team principals such
as Horner have to ensure that all
departments deliver on time.
Its like a huge jigsaw puzzle
that all has to come together in a
timely fashion and within budget,
explained Horner. Its a time when
COUNTDOWN
TO A NEW CAR
Just 12 days until the rst F1 test, but are any
new cars complete? Of course not! By EDD STRAW
NEW-CAR TIMETABLE
Every team works at a
dierent pace when it comes
to its new car. Here is a rough
schedule of the process, which
starts when the previous
car hits the track.
FEBRUARY 1 2011
First test of preceding car.
Quickly understanding the
strengths and weaknesses
of this car will have been
key to developing the
new one for 2012.
MID-MAY
First major in-season upgrade
package added to 2011 cars. By
this point, the intense R&D into
the performance of that car, and
therefore its eect on the new
machine, should be largely complete.
JULY
New-car concept
begins to take
shape with more
windtunnel time
allocated to the
new chassis.
SEPTEMBER
For most teams, design
work on 2011 cars
upgrades is complete
and the majority of
resources, if not all, are
switched to new car.
OCTOBER
Work begins
on 2012
chassis
patterns.
F1 LAUNCH DIARY
Nine of the 12 new F1 cars for 2012
are scheduled to run in the rst test
at Jerez on February 7. Here are the
key dates when we will get the rst
view of the cars themselves.
McLaren February 1
Ferrari February 3
Force India February 3
Lotus February 5
Red Bull February 6
Sauber February 6
Toro Rosso February 7
Williams February 7
Caterham February 7
Mercedes February 21
Virgin TBC (rst test Feb 21)
HRT TBC
RB8: Feb 6
F
1
2012
NEWS
PIT & PADDOCK
January 26 2012 autosport.com 11
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Wraps will come off Mercedes late
The inuence on a new car concept
If youve been part of the team for several
years, you can have an inuence in terms of
the internal lay-ups. But thats the limit. I
dont believe any drivers have had inuence
over, say, suspension pick-up points. People
set their desks up a certain way and if you can,
you inuence having the brake balance in
a certain position, and knobs and buttons
in positions that feel good to you. Well-
established drivers will do that if it
psychologically makes them feel better
the younger drivers will adapt to whatever.
The inuence on handling
The driver can always say what they need
to go faster. A team will try and put as much
downforce on the car as possible, and this
can have the knock-on eect that the driver
needs more front wing. Suddenly youre
limiting your set-up working window to do
that. Also, a team will always default to
the direction of the faster driver.
Following progress of the car build
I always liked to be kept up to speed on
this, because you can ag things up that get
missed. Sometimes it takes a driver to point
things out. For example, the driver sits in and
thinks, OK, this is comfortable, but wheres
the gap we normally have to put the FIA sensor
box? So you have to move the seating position
forward. In terms of the high nose, low nose,
undercut sidepods and the like, its good to
see them but you have no inuence. That
is dictated by the aerodynamics, which
are dictated by the rules.
The feeling of sitting in the rst
new completed car
You know what youre going to get, especially
as you get more experienced. Things change
so much over the testing period, though,
because new wings come along and you
have a lot of parts to test.
THE ROLE OF THE DRIVER
David Coulthard explains
the involvement a driver can
have in the development of
a teams new car
Its a time when
you see teamwork
at its best
it aects the
whole factory
Christian Horner
you see teamwork at its absolute
best because it is something that
affects the whole factory.
When difcult decisions have to
be made, then obviously you have to
step up and make them. Adrian and
I work very closely together and its
a matter of being able to see the full
picture of whats going on within
the factory. Theres an awful lot
of planning going on in other
departments as well, such as
commercial activities.
At the moment what you see in
Milton Keynes [home of the Red Bull
team] is the epitome of teamwork
and departments working together.
Such tight timescales mean that
any delay could have disastrous
consequences. Of the top ve teams,
most have conrmed that they have
passed their crash tests. Red Bull has
yet to publicly say that it has done
so, although the team is condent
that it will be at the rst test.
This is something all teams are
desperate to avoid as the ban on free
testing means there are only 12 days
available before the season opener.
If something unexpected
happens and its too severe, then it
could be the rst test that you miss
and it could roll on to the second
and third, said Newey of the
potential consequences of an
unforeseen problem.
DC gives Adrian Newey
and Pat Fry his input
MID-DECEMBER
First chassis
is completed.
LATE JANUARY 2012
Teams will start nal
assembly of their rst test
car at this stage. Some
will not start in earnest
until around a week
before their rst test.
END JANUARY
FIA crash tests ideally
should be passed by
the end of this month.
EARLY FEBRUARY
Ocial pre-season
testing kicks o.
Crash test rules change for 12
THIS WEEK IN F1
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The FIA has ruled that the reactive-ride system
developed by Lotus and Ferrari is illegal because
it oers an aerodynamic advantage.
A technical directive issued on January 20
informed the teams that the system contravenes
Article 3.15 of the technical regulations prohibiting
driver-inuenced aerodynamics, as well as articles
10.2.1 and 10.2.3, which cover suspension geometry.
REACTIVE RIDE
BAN EXPLAINED
PETROV CLOSING
IN ON CATERHAM
Vitaly Petrov was closing on a deal to take Jarno
Trullis Caterham seat as AUTOSPORT closed for
press, although an agreement had yet to be reached.
Trulli remains determined to hold on to his drive
and visited the teams factory on Monday.
January 26 2012 autosport.com 13
Lotus had already run
front suspension trick
Sebastian [Vettel]
has improved and is
stronger than ever.
He has prepared
during the winter
break like hes
never done before
and he will certainly
not let us down
Red Bull
owner Dietrich
Mateschitz warns
that Vettel will
be even stronger
in 2012.
AUTOSPORTS TECHNICAL EDITOR GARY ANDERSON:
The front caliper is mounted in such a way that when
the brakes are applied, the caliper rotates slightly
against a piston. This forces hydraulic uid into an
actuator on the end of the pushrod. Increasing the
length of the pushrod raises the front ride height.
Im all for innovation, but the rules state that
anything that changes the aerodynamic specication of
the car while in motion is illegal. Also, changing pushrod
lengths alters suspension geometry. Its a question
of where these ideas will lead the same system on
the rear brake assembly could create more rear toe-in
during braking to help stability, for example.
225m
US GP IS ON
United States Grand Prix organisers have no
doubts that the race will take place in Austin on
November 18. Chief marketing and sales ocer
Geo Moore said last week that the race is on,
adding that the track surface will be completed
in the middle of August.
Total cost of building Austins
Circuit of the Americas
PIRELLI SEEKS NEW
TEST CAR FOR 2012
Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery has urged
teams to come to an agreement as to which car the
tyre company uses as a test hack in 2012. Hembery
has ruled out modifying the 2009 Toyota used
previously and is keen to use a 2011-specication
car to develop its tyres for next year.
MARUSSIAS LATE START
The former Virgin team has conrmed that its new car, created
under the direction of technical consultant Pat Symonds, will not
run until the second pre-season test, which kicks o at Barcelona
on February 21. It will join Mercedes and HRT in launching late.
WEBBER GETS
FIRST RB8 RUN
Red Bull has conrmed
that Mark Webber will
drive the new RB8
during the rst two
days of the opening
pre-season test on
February 7-8. Other
drivers conrmed for
the start of the test
are Jenson Button
(McLaren) and Pastor
Maldonado (Williams).
Test car needs replacing
Webber gets first run in RB8
2011 car will test at Jerez
Petrov wants F1 seat
AUTOSPORT grand prix editor
MPH
Mark Hughes
COMMENT
PIT & PADDOCK
January 26 2012 autosport.com 15
Williams hit rock bottom
last year and may already
be making the rst steps
towards recovery could
the elimination of exhaust
blowing be the key to a
rapid resurgence?
W
ith the opening F1 tests just
a couple of weeks away, and
the new competitive order
beginning to emerge, one of the
more intriguing prospects is that
of Williams, fresh off the back of
the worst season in its history.
There were reasons to be excited
about last years car at this time too,
though that turned out to be totally
misplaced. The FW33, with its tiny
gearbox, was perhaps the most
radically-engineered car on the grid.
But not in an area that made any
difference or which brought a big
enough advantage to overcome its
shortfall in other areas, notably its
exhaust-blowing performance.
But this time around theres a real
feeling from inside of rock bottom
having been reached and the
recovery climb having started.
Even without witnessing the
effects of the process and personnel
changes, there are reasons for
optimism. Exhaust blowing was
the number one performance
differentiator last year and now that
its almost certainly gone (see last
weeks column), one big swathe of
Williams performance decit is
wiped clean. The Cosworth engine
used by the team in 2011 did not
have the facility to use hot blowing
mapping, nor was it congured to
be able to give braking stability and
off-throttle aero grip at the same
time; you could have one or the
other. It was very signicant that
when off-throttle blowing was
limited for everyone by regulation
at Silverstone the Williams gave
by far its best performance of the
year, with Pastor Maldonado
qualifying seventh.
Even though the switch to
Renault engines in 2012 would have
put Williams in a much better
position to take fuller advantage of
off-throttle blowing had it not been
outlawed, the elimination of that
technology can only help its cause.
Williams would have been behind
the curve in understanding it and
now thats irrelevant.
Among the mid-grid bunch of
teams Lotus-Renault, Force India,
Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams
exhaust-blowing efciency
essentially determined the
competitive order. Although
Renault, with its forward exhaust
car, scraped home ahead of Force
India for fth in the constructors
championship, its points advantage
came from the early season. Into
the second half the Force India was
the faster car. Exhaust blowing
effectiveness was responsible for
below-par performance of the
Renault, Sauber and Williams and
for the above-par (relative to
resource) speed of Force India and
Toro Rosso, both of which are
smaller teams than Lotus, Sauber or
Williams. If performance in 2012
becomes more directly related to
resource, Williams should benet
within that group.
One of the reasons the FW33s
tiny gearbox did not bring the
hoped-for aerodynamic advantage
was that the engine cover formed
too much of a blockage. The
homologated position of the
Cosworths inlet trumpets made for
a more aerodynamically obstructive
cover. The Renaults layout allows
the cover to be tailored much more
favourably. The FW34 will retain
the tiny gearbox and it just might
be that all that potential airow
advantage is nally released.
Although there are bound to be
times when the experience of
Rubens Barrichello will be missed,
Maldonados speed was impressive
for a rookie. Various running
problems disguised it, but from
Monaco onwards he was often the
faster of the teams drivers. Bruno
Senna has yet to convince many,
but theres denitely the spark of
something there. His qualifying
performances in the Renault at Spa
and Interlagos were outstanding,
his race pace in India without KERS
equally so. He never managed to
put together a trouble-free weekend
some his fault, some the teams
but with the security of a drive
from the start of the season and a
winter test programme, he should
be in a much better position.
I suspect a resurgence in form for
Williams to be one of the feel-good
things about 2012.
Its tiny gearbox did not bring
the hoped-for aero advantage
Senna: hoping for
another FW14?
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P26 WILLIAMS FUTURE
16 autosport.com January 26 2012
T
oyota could contest more races
than originally planned in this
years FIA World Endurance
Championship with its new TS030
HYBRID LMP1 coupe, which
was launched this week.
The Japanese manufacturer is
coming under increasing pressure
from the series promoter, the
Automobile Club de lOuest, to do
more than a handful of races and
masterminding the manufacturers
return to Le Mans, said: We
havent made a nal decision
on the schedule; it is still
under discussion.
He stressed that there was no way
Toyota would be ready to race at the
season-opening Sebring 12 Hours
in March. It is also unlikely that it
could have more than one car ready
in time for its scheduled debut at
the Spa 6 Hours on May 5.
Toyota announced on the
unveiling of the TS030 at Paul
Ricard on Tuesday that it will
now run two cars at Le Mans.
This decision is understood to
have been made before Peugeots
bombshell last week.
This means that it is unlikely
that any of Peugeots former
drivers will nd a seat in the second
TS030. The TMG spokesman
said that Toyota was well down
the line towards nalising its
second batch of drivers.
Toyota Super GT and Formula
Nippon driver Hiroaki Ishiura, who
tested the TS030 along with
Second car and more races likely for Toyotas rst
year back in sports-racing elite. By GARY WATKINS
Toyota expands
its racing plans
Wurz says TS030 put
a smile on my face
enter more than one car in the wake
of Peugeots decision to axe its
LMP1 programme last week.
Toyota had been expected to
contest the Spa round in May, the
Le Mans 24 Hours in June and then
the Far Eastern rounds in Japan
and China at the end of the
season, all with a solo car.
A spokesman for Toyota
Motorsport GmbH, which is
It is unlikely that any
of Peugeots former drivers
will nd a Toyota seat
60 SECONDS WITH
ALEX WURZ
Toyota driver
Whats it like to drive
a hybrid LMP1 car?
It is weird leaving the
pits under electric power.
When the internal-
combustion engine
kicks in at the end of the
pitlane, you think, My friend is back.
How does it compare to driving the
Peugeot turbodiesel?
For a start you sit on the left and not the right,
so you have a dierent perspective in the car.
Instead of lots of bottom-end torque, you have
power with revs like a Formula 1 car.
What were you initial impressions
of the Toyota TS030?
It has a lot of downforce and is extremely well
balanced in the fast and medium-speed corners.
When I got out of the car for the rst time, I
had a big smile on my face. We had a lot of
downtime because it was a shakedown, but
didnt have any major dramas with the car.
I have to say it was one of the most productive
roll-outs Ive ever been part of.
Do you still have aspirations of winning
Le Mans rst time out for the project?
In terms of speed and feedback I got, I left the
rst test thinking that this is a machine that can
bring us to the top step of the podium. I think
we can challenge Audi on speed. What we dont
know about is the reliability. Time is short and
we have a lot of work to do.
What are your thoughts on the withdrawal
of Peugeot from sportscars?
As a fan, it is always disappointing when a
manufacturer pulls out of motorsport. Its also
sad because I have lot of friends and colleagues
at Peugeot. I also prefer to have the highest
and strongest competition possible, because
that brings the best out of you.
Alex Wurz was talking to AUTOSPORTs
International editor-at-large Gary Watkins
January 26 2012 autosport.com 17
NEWS
PIT & PADDOCK
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Peugeot plans to return
PEUGEOT HAS INSISTED
that its absence from
international motorsport
will be temporary in the
wake of its decision to
cancel its LMP1 sportscar
programme for this year.
The French manufacturer
pulled the plug on the 908
LMP1 turbodiesel on the
eve of the closing date for
entries for the FIA World
Endurance Championship
and the Le Mans 24 Hours
last Wednesday.
The decision was made at
an extraordinary meeting of
the Peugeot board, which
opted to focus its resources
on the launch of a series of
new road cars in the face
of declining sales in key
European markets.
But a spokesman for
Peugeot said that the
withdrawal, which ends a
continuous involvement by
the French manufacturer in
top-level motorsport dating
back to the 205 T16 Group B
rally car of the mid-1980s,
is likely to be short term.
This should be and
must be a temporary
compromise, he said. I
cannot say that we will not
be in the WEC next season.
We will try to be back in
motorsport next year. Maybe
2013 is a little too early,
but we are denitely not
closing the door.
A swift return to
motorsport could be
problematical because
Peugeot is to reallocate sta
away from its in-house
Peugeot Sport competition
department. It is understood
that the resources, human
and nancial, will not be
made available to continue
development of the hybrid
version of the 908, which
the company would have
raced this season.
The decision caught
Peugeot Sport by surprise.
Two updated 2011-spec
908s were already in
the US on Wednesday
ahead of a planned
four-day test at Sebring.
F
IA president Jean Todt cant be a happy
man, even if he did pull his punches in
his statement on Peugeots withdrawal from
sportscar racing. For a year, he had the French
manufacturer urging him on to create the
FIA World Endurance Championship, and
then it pulls the plug on its own programme
before the series has even begun.
Todts got a point when he says that in these
difcult times, Peugeot may have been better
served to press on with its plans to contest
the championship. The manufacturers short
and to-the-point statement announcing its
withdrawal talks about the need to focus its
resources on the launch of a series of new
models. Two of those happen to be hybrids,
so what better way to promote the virtues
of such technology than going racing
with the 908 HYbrid4?
Peugeot wanted a world championship
with races all around the globe to showcase
its technological expertise. Now it has
passed up that opportunity. The only
recompense for sportscar fans like me is
that its lobbying led to the revival of a
proper world championship for sportscars.
If the WEC takes off, as we all hope it
will, that might be Peugeots legacy.
AUTOSPORT SAYS
GARY WATKINS
INTERNATIONAL
EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Peugeot leaves a
WEC it lobbied for
Toyota unveiled
at Paul Ricard
Buemi linked to a seat
This wont race in 2012
DID YOU KNOW?
TOYOTAS SPORTSCAR HERITAGE
The nomenclature of the new TS030 dates
back to the Toyota Group C TS010 of 1991-93.
Ocially, TS is taken from Toyota Sport,
but folklore says it stands for Tony Southgate,
the TS010s designer.
Alexander Wurz and Nicolas
Lapierre earlier this month, is in
contention for a drive. Sebastien
Buemi, who has lost his Formula 1
race deal with Toro Rosso, has also
been linked to a seat in the second
car. The Swiss is understood to have
been on Toyotas F1 shortlist had it
continued beyond the 2009 season.
Kazuki Nakajima is due to get his
rst taste of the TS030 at Paul
Ricard this week.
Toyota has nally conrmed that
its energy-retrieval system, known
as Toyota Hybrid System Racing
(THS-R), uses super-capacitors
rather than batteries. These offer
advantages in terms of the speed
of energy storage and release.
It has also revealed that it
is experimenting with kinetic
energy-retrieval systems on both
the front and rear axles, with
technology developed by two
different companies. Because the
2012 LMP1 rulebook prohibits
energy retrieval and release on
more than one axle, it will have
to decide which path to take prior
to its race debut in Belgium.
THE DEAL IN NUMBERS
162
Races since
MGs last
BTCC victory
0
Number of seasons
Plato has
competed in the
BTCC without
winning a race
15
Number of
BTCC wins taken
by MG to date
31
Number of points
by which Triple
Eight took the
Independent
Teams title
in 2011 6
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68
BTCC wins
for Jason
Plato

P90 RACE OF MY LIFE
18 autosport.com January 26 2012
T
wo-time British Touring Car
champion Jason Plato believes
that MG can win races this
season after joining up with the
make for its comeback to the series.
Plato and ex-Arena Motorsport
Ford driver Andy Neate will drive
NGTC-specication MG6 GT cars,
prepared for the Chinese-owned
manufacturer by former Vauxhall
works team Triple Eight Race
Engineering. The team will run
as MG KX Momentum Racing.
The two cars will be the rst MGs
on the BTCC grid since a privateer
ZS was campaigned in 2008.
The two-litre turbo engines are
being prepared by Triple Eight.
Two-time BTCC champ joins up with comeback marque and Triple Eight and says hell be topping the podium
Plato: MG can win on return
Artists version
of the MG6 GT
BTCC
Plato, who starts a three-year deal
after three seasons with the RML
Chevrolet squad, said: MG is an
iconic brand and its great that they
see the BTCC and Jason Plato as
keys in their marketing strategy.
We all know how successful
the BTCC can be for selling cars
and thats what theyre here to do
re-establish themselves in the UK.
The 44-year-old, who took the
BTCC title in 2001 and 10, believes
the MG6 will be on the pace. The
cars are being built now and the deal
came together late in the day, but
our objective is to be competitive
straight away, he said.
Whether thats realistic or not
well see, but Triple Eight dont
turn up to make friends. They
turn up to win and its fair to
say the same about me.
I know well be competitive.
Whether it takes one, two or six
races, well be winning for sure.
The deal also represents a return
to a works programme for Triple
Eight, which has run Vauxhall
Vectras on an independent basis
since the end of 2009, when the
manufacturer pulled out after
13 years with the team.
Team principal Ian Harrison aims
to keep expectations in check, but
believes he has the raw ingredients.
Were trying to do six months work
in three months and were relying on
people to deliver when they say they
can deliver, he said. The car looks
pretty good as a base product.
Its cool to be with Jason again
[Plato won the 2001 title in a Triple
Eight-run Vauxhall]. Give him the
right car and he can win the title.
RML chief Ray Mallock was
unavailable for comment. He has yet
to conrm his teams plans for 2012,
but AUTOSPORT understands he
hopes to stay in the BTCC with at
least one full NGTC Chevrolet.
Future is octagon-shaped
for Plato (left) and Neate
IN BRIEF
January 26 2012 autosport.com 19
NEWS
PIT & PADDOCK
Dixon quick at Sebring
NEW DALLARA ON THE PACE
IndyCar teams are optimistic about the
progress being made with the new Dallara
DW12 chassis following last weeks
Sebring test. No ocial times were
recorded, but Chip Ganassi Racings Scott
Dixon reportedly managed a best lap of
around 53.0s, which is already a match for
the quicker times set by the previous car.
DW12 ALL SET FOR OVALS
IndyCar is condent that the DW12 will
be up to the task on ovals following
a two-day windtunnel test last week.
Concerns were raised after the prototype
lapped relatively slowly in testing last
November, but the series says that new
updates should result in lap speeds around
the 225mph mark at Indianapolis.
FULL-TIME F2 FOR BACHETA
British single-seater racer Luciano Bacheta
will compete in Formula 2 full-time in
2012. The 21-year-old raced at two F2
race weekends last year, nishing in
the points in all four of his races.
VAINIO MOVES TO LOTUS
Finnish GP3 racer Aaro Vainio will switch
to Lotus GP (formerly ART) for his second
season in the series. The 18-year-old, 15th
in the standings with Tech 1 last year, will
be joined at the team by ex-Formula 3
Euro Series contender Daniel Abt.
CECOTTO JOINS ADDAX
GP2 contender Johnny Cecotto Jr will join
Addax for the 2012 season. It will be the
Venezuelans third full year in the series,
coming o the back of campaigns with
Trident in 2010 and Ocean in 2011.
VALSECCHIS DAMS SWITCH
GP2 veteran Davide Valsecchi will switch
from Team AirAsia to DAMS for the 2012
season his fth in the category. The
former Asia Series champion has nished
eighth in the rankings in 2010 and 11.
DAMS carried Romain Grosjean to last
years drivers championship.
Valsecchi: GP2 yet again
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NASCAR
MULTIPLE NASCAR CHAMPION JEFF
Gordon has warned that NASCAR risks
stripping the spectacle out of its races
if it continues to increase the level of
technology allowed into the series.
The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
driver said that many of NASCARs
current strengths lie in it being
relatively low-tech, but expressed
concerns that this will change.
If you look at other forms of
motorsports and the evolution of
technology and I mention Formula 1
yes, were behind them in
technology and cost and all of
these things, and I think its
good, said Gordon.
[But] were headed in that
direction, because thats evolution.
Its going to happen. Once you learn,
and you create knowledge, you
cant take it away. In F1, qualifying
becomes extremely important,
because its almost impossible to
pass. [You rely on] strategy, and
how you strategise your pitstops,
the speed of pitstops. Im saying
thats the extreme.
Gordon was briey linked to a
number of F1 teams, including BAR,
in the early 2000s, and sampled
Juan Pablo Montoyas Williams
at Indianapolis in 2003.
Gordon: knowledge worry
Gordon calls for low-
tech NASCAR future
INDYCAR
JAPANESE INDYCAR STAR TAKUMA
Sato looks to be close to a deal with Rahal
Letterman Lanigan Racing for 2012.
Sato, who is 35 this week, took two
pole positions last year on his way to
13th in the championship with KV Racing
Technology, but has long been expected
to switch to Rahals team for 2012. He
would retain his career-long relationship
with RLLR engine supplier Honda.
The ex-Formula 1 podium nishers
best result in his two seasons of IndyCar
competition with KVRT is a fourth place
last season at Mid-Ohio.
The Sato deal will represent a return
to full-time competition for Rahal,
which elded Jay Howard and Bertrand
Baguette in one-os last season, and
entered Pippa Mann for three events. It is
still working on a deal for a second car.
Sato set
for Rahal
Indy drive
LOTUS WILL BE UNABLE TO SUPPLY
engines to more than the four teams it has
already signed up for this years IndyCar
Series in time of the rst race in March.
The British car maker has notied
IndyCar that it will not be in a position to
meet the rule that demands engine suppliers
be in a position to supply 40 per cent of the
eld ahead of the St Petersburg race on
March 25. Lotus has agreed terms with four
teams running a total of ve cars, which
compares with the eight and nine cars
respectively that Honda and Chevrolet
have so far agreed to supply.
Conquest Racing, Sarah Fisher Hartman
Racing, Michael Shank Racing and Ed
Carpenter Racing have so far failed to land an
engine deal with any of the three suppliers.
Lotus motorsport boss Claudio Berro
said: There are still three or four teams
looking for engines, but time is too short
for us to produce more before the start of
the season. We have to stay realistic.
Asked if he had any concerns about
Lotuss failure to meet the 40 per cent rule,
Berro said: That is the rule, but it wasnt
applied on time. We were meant to have
our teams in place in mid-August, but it
didnt happen until much later.
The idea was always to supply between
six and eight cars, but the teams are
coming to us too late.
IndyCar vice-president of technology
Will Phillips explained that the problem
has been created by a larger-than-expected
grid of new Dallara DW12s.
We are in active discussions with all of
our manufacturers regarding meeting and
Lotus struggling to hit engine target
INDYCAR
De Silvestro has
done early miles
exceeding our supply requirements due to
the unexpected high car count, he said.
The Lotus V6, developed in the UK by
Engine Developments, has so far run at Palm
Beach and Sebring for a total of ve days in
HVM Racings Dallara, run with input from
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.
Another of Lotuss teams, Dragon Racing,
was expected to become involved in the
programme during the engines rst run
on an oval at Homestead this week.
Berro said he was pleased with the initial
running, which was undertaken by HVM
driver Simona de Silvestro.
We have completed 1000 miles
without problem, he said. We just
need to ne-tune the electronics.
Lotus is expecting to start deliveries
of engines to its teams in mid-February.
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 21
NEWS
PIT & PADDOCK
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SEAT returns to WTCC
Two cars to be run out of SEAT factory, but a full works programme is still on ice
G
abriele Tarquinis SEAT Leon
is set to be run direct from the
factory in this years WTCC.
Lukoil Racing, whose pair of
Leons were elded by the Spanish
SUNRED squad last year, is in the
nal stages of negotiations with
SEAT Sport to take over the
running of its cars. Lukoil
conrmed last week that it will
again eld Tarquini and Alexey
Dukukalo in the championship.
SEAT Sport boss Jaime Puig told
AUTOSPORT: Lukoil has asked for
cars and manpower and we are
looking at how we can do it, but the
cars would be customer entries.
They would be entered as Lukoil
Racing and not SEAT Sport.
SEAT has developed its own
1.6-litre turbo based on the Super
2000 Skoda rally engine produced
by ORECA. It has also come up
with a series of updates for the
Leon, which rst raced in the
WTCC at the end of 2005.
We want our customers to
go into the WTCC with the best
possible weapons, said Puig.
Puig would not be drawn on
the chances of SEAT returning
to the WTCC with a full-factory
programme with the next-
generation Leon, due to go on
sale next year.
Everything is possible, he said.
We would like to return with a
factory programme, but it could be
in something else, perhaps rallying.
WTCC
Lukoil squad will
get factory help
Kolles last ran sportscar
effort with Audi LMP1s
LOTUS IS SET TO COMPETE IN THE LMP2
class of this years FIA World Endurance
Championship with the team that ran the
HRT Formula 1 squad last year.
The British marque has agreed in broad
terms for the team established by Colin
Kolles to run in its colours and with its
badges on the BMW-based V8 engine made
by Engine Developments, which is building
the new Lotus IndyCar V6. The five-litre
units will power a pair of new Lola B12/80
coupes ordered by the Kolles family.
Team principal Romulus Kolles, Colins
father, said: After the end of the HRT deal
last year, we wanted to keep the team
Kolles returns
to sportscars
with Lotus
WORLD ENDURANCE
together. Going back to sportscars is a
good move and the plan is for the name
of the team to be Lotus.
Lotus motorsport boss Claudio Berro
said that the plan had yet to get final
approval from the British car maker.
No drivers have been announced,
but former Aston Martin factory racer Jan
Charouz is expected to be among them.
Lotus had planned to enter the LMP2
arena with its own car designed and built
in-house at its Hethel headquarters. The
project was put on permanent hold at the
end of last summer.
Jetalliance had run Lotus
NO LOTUS FOR JETALLIANCE
The Austrian Jetalliance team will not
continue running the Lotus Evora GTE
this season. Lotus is expecting to be
represented by two teams elding its
GTE contender, one running in the
European Le Mans Series and one
in its American counterpart.
JOTA RETURNS TO PROTOTYPES
The British Jota team, which had been due
to run an Aston Martin AMR-One prior to
the end of that project, will return to the
prototype ranks in the European Le Mans
Series with a new Zytek-Nissan Z11SN
LMP2. Jota, which will run Sam Hancock
and Simon Dolan, formerly entered a Zytek
LMP675 in the LMS in 2004-05.
ORDONEZ SIGNS FOR GREAVES
Spaniard Lucas Ordonez is set to join the
Greaves Motorsport squad for this year.
The former Signatech driver is expected
to join Martin and Alex Brundle for the
Le Mans 24 Hours.
PRIMAT JOINS REBELLION
The Anglo-Swiss Rebellion Racing squad
will contest the FIA World Endurance
Championship with two Lola-Toyota LMP1
coupes. Former Aston Martin factory driver
Harold Primat joins the team in place of
Jean-Christophe Boullion alongside Neel
Jani, Nicolas Prost and Andrea Belicchi.
McLAREN FOR BELL AND HALL
British sportscar regulars Rob Bell and
Stuart Hall will drive McLaren MP4-12C
GT3 cars for Gulf Racing in this years
Blancpain Endurance Series. McLaren-
contracted Bell and former Aston Martin
LMP1 driver Hall will share driving duties
with team co-owners Michael Wainwright
and Roald Goethe respectively.
ZELE AUTO GP SWITCH
Former World Series by Nissan and Euro
3000 team Zele Racing will join Auto GP
this year. The team is the third new squad
to commit to the series for 2012.
Zele will move to Auto GP
IN BRIEF
CONGRATULATIONS
SEBASTIANVETTEL &REDBULL RACING
Casio are proud to support Sebastian &Red Bull Racing in
their outstanding achievement 2011FIAFormula One
Drivers &Constructors World Champions
www.casioracing.co.uk
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 23
NEWS
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No DTM return
for Hakkinen
Two-time F1 champ rules out a DTM comeback in
2012, but could be in the frame for more GT3 outings
M
ika Hakkinen has decided
against a DTM comeback
this year after evaluating a
return to the series he left at the
end of 2007.
The two-time Formula 1 world
champion tested the new Mercedes
C-class Coupe at Monteblanco in
December. AUTOSPORT
understands that the 43-year-old
was considering a return to the
German series following his
one-off appearance in a Mercedes
SLS GT3 car in the nal round of
the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
at Zhuhai in November, but he
has since decided against it.
It is understood that Hakkinen
spent most of the test lapping
around one second off a baseline
time set by one of the current
Mercedes drivers, before getting
down to a time just over 0.5s
off the pace by the end. Around
DTM
ES CONFIRMS TWO VECTRAS
British Touring Car squad ES Racing will
run ex-Triple Eight NGTC-engined Vauxhall
Vectras for Dave Newsham and Chris James
in the series this year. Team boss James is
talking to drivers about a possible third car.
NO INDY FOR DANICA
Danica Patrick has reiterated that she will
not contest the Indy 500 this year. The
recent NASCAR convert has not ruled out
returning to the Brickyard in the future,
but will skip this years event to focus
on the Sprint Cup race at Charlotte.
BENNANI STAYING WITH PROTEAM
Mehdi Bennani will remain with independent
BMW squad Proteam for the 2012 WTCC. The
team has also signed James Thompsons
former engineer Marco Calovolo.
CHEVY GAINS WEIGHT
The Chevrolet Cruze that dominated the
2011 WTCC will have 30kg added to its base
weight for 2012. The change, which applies
to both works and privateer cars, brings the
Cruzes minimum weight up to 1180kg.
IN BRIEF
Chevys Cruzes have got heavier
circuits of similar distance to
Monteblanco on the DTM calendar
Hockenheim and Zandvoort
the top 16 cars in the eld were
covered by 0.7s and 0.6s
respectively in the rst segments
of qualifying last year.
Mercedes motorsport boss
Norbert Haug told AUTOSPORT
that Hakkinen will not be returning
to the DTM this year, but he hinted
at further GT outings for the Finn.
Mika was interested in whats
going on, said Haug. It makes
no sense to give a guy like Mika
a few laps, you need to do it
properly. Then he can learn and
we can learn.
When asked if a return to the
DTM was on the cards, Haug
added: No, I would exclude that.
But we need to nalise our plans,
and this of course includes GT3.
Then we will see where we are.
Hakkinen has ruled out
returning to the DTM
Kurt and Kyle Busch will share a Kurt Busch Motorsports entry in this years
Nationwide Series. Kyle will take the wheel for the Daytona season-opener
A PAIR OF MONSTERS
NASCAR
Todt appeared
at Monte Carlo
Todt commits to WRC roadmap
A bold development plan drawn up by former WRC promoter North One Sport will live on. By DAVID EVANS
F
IA president Jean Todt
conrmed last week that the
governing body will ensure
a revolutionary plan for growth
remains in place in the World
Rally Championship.
The WRC strategy and roadmap
for growth was developed by
former promoter North One Sport
and presented to the sports
stakeholders in November.
There had been fears that the
document central to the sports
development would be dropped
in the wake of NOSs demise,
but Todt dispelled fears in a
press conference during the
Monte Carlo Rally last week.
Asked by AUTOSPORT if the
targets in the roadmap remain the
WRC
Francois Delecour handed over the controls of his Ford
Fiesta RS WRC to his long-time co-driver Dominique
Savignoni for the nal stage of last weeks Rallye
Monte Carlo, Savignonis last event before retirement.
The move cost Delecour a minute but no places.
A SAVI SWAP
WRC
FIAs objectives for the WRC, Todt
said: Yes, they will. You always
have a roadmap, which is a kind of
objective you are running behind.
This morning I have been talking
about what we want to achieve
by 2015; we have a plan.
AUTOSPORT can reveal the
details of that plan after it was
leaked by a senior source.
BRANCHING OUT
The FIA-ratied roadmap
commits the WRC to moving into
a minimum of two new strategic
territories in 2013. This means a
WRC round next year in any two
of Russia, Brazil, China and India.
The original timeframe for
the plan before NOS went into
administration was to start
immediately. But that has
been delayed slightly while the
promoter situation is resolved.
The provisional FIA-Eurosport
agreement was sent to the FIA
senate to consider last weekend,
and Todt wants to have a deal in
place before the next round of the
championship begins on February 9.
Minis David Richards was in
positive mood, saying: The
solution isnt overnight, but Im
more convinced now than ever that
were going in the right direction.
As teams, we put down and agreed
on the roadmap and while it might
not end up precisely the same plan,
at least we have a clear vision.
RAMPED UP COVERAGE
In the UK, as well as regular
coverage on Eurosport, the original
NOS deals with ITV4 and ESPN are
expected to be agreed. ITV4 will
run a one-hour highlights show
every Sunday night between 1800
and 2000. There are also new
agreements with French terrestrial
television, which will please
Sebastien Loeb. The Citroen driver
admitted he was disappointed
with the coverage in his homeland,
saying: In France, its difcult to
understand why there is an
eight-time world champion, [and]
there is Sebastien Ogier growing
up to the top of the sport, but we
dont see anything in France of the
rally. Its important to make a good
show on the television and maybe
with some live television, like we
saw with IRC.
The Powerstage will be lmed live
again (this was not possible in the
timescale for Monte Carlo) and
always run at 1300 CET, with
between 60 and 90 minutes of
additional live coverage expected
on days one and two of rallies.
The roadmap states the need for
two camera helicopters for each
event and the piloting of HD and
3D for next year.
As well as the television
coverage, all events are expected
to be streamed live online later
this year, with rally fans being
offered tailored viewing facilities
meaning you can watch live from
onboard or a heli-cam from next
year. As well as showing the events
themselves, there will be live
off-event shows as well. The
WRCs new partnership with
communication giant Nokia will
also herald a new dawn in viewing
options on mobile phones.
VOLKSWAGEN DRIVER SEBASTIEN
Ogier has ruled out any repeats of the
heroic stage times he managed on
last weeks Monte Carlo Rally.
The Frenchman, who ran as high
as fourth overall in his Skoda Fabia
S2000 before crashing out, said his
times on the opening round of the
World Rally Championship were only
possible because of the specific
nature of the French Alps event.
Ogier posted a third, fourth and sixth
fastest time before suffering what he
described as the biggest crash of his
life on SS10.
Before the crash, the rally was
good, said Ogier. I was surprised
with the position and the pace. We
made good tactics with the tyre and
some good strategy which made this
possible on the Monte Carlo, but it
will be impossible to do this on a
regular rally.
On the subject of his crash, he
added: This corner was almost flat
in sixth gear and on the second loop I
tried to go flat. I had to cut the corner
and this threw the car off the road. It
was a massive crash. We cut 10 trees
down. I know because I counted
them. Oh, and one electric pole we
cut down as well. This was my
biggest crash ever.
Ogier will now switch his
attentions to the Polo R WRC,
which will be tested in its
homologation specification
for the first time this week.
VW technical director Francois-
Xavier Demaison said: This is the
first time the whole car is together.
We have been working hard for 10
months for this week.
No more
heroics
for Ogier
WRC
January 26 2012 autosport.com 25
ABBRING CONFIRMED
Volkswagen Motorsport driver
Kevin Abbring will contest Rally
Mexico and the Acropolis in the
Skoda Fabia S2000, while Andreas
Mikkelsen will take over the seat
in Sweden, Portugal and Argentina.
Abbring will complete the recce
for every round of this years WRC
with Volkswagen, and Mikkelsen
will recce the rounds which dont
clash with his IRC title defence
with Skoda.
CAMPANA PLANS RETURN
Mini World Rally Team driver
Pierre Campana could return to the
team for as many as three rounds
of the world championship this
season. The Frenchman nished
seventh on the Monte Carlo Rally
last week. Campana is hoping to
tackle Rallye Deutschland, Rally
de France and one gravel rally.
ATKINSON AIMING FOR WRC
Chris Atkinson was an interested
onlooker at last weeks Monte Carlo
Rally. The Australian admitted he
was talking to all of the teams about
a World Rally Car return. Atkinson,
who was a member of Protons
successful Asia-Pacic assault last
season, said he was focusing on a
WRC drive above anything else.
GRONHOLM JR GEARS UP
The Gronholm name will be back
on the side of a rally car this year,
but it will be Niclas Gronholm
the 15-year-old son of Marcus
rather than the two-time world
champion doing the driving. The
Gronholm family is preparing a
two-wheel drive Fiesta for him
to practice driving in.
LATVALA FROZEN OUT
Jari-Matti Latvala had hoped to
make the best use of his Rallye
Monte Carlo retirement by running
through the remainder of the stages
to check the road conditions for
the Ford drivers still in the event.
Unfortunately his role as an
ice-note driver only lasted
through day two, before one
of the other teams complained.
VW DEVELOPING FOR SKODA
A Skoda Motorsport engineer
accompanied the Volkswagen team
on last weeks Monte Carlo Rally.
VW has conrmed it was working
on suspension development for
the Fabia S2000 and will help
the Czech manufacturer which
is part of the VW Group
throughout the season.
IN BRIEF
Mini hopes
for fresh
investment
WRC
MINI WORLD RALLY TEAM PRINCIPAL
Dave Wilcock is hoping Dani Sordos
second place on last weeks Monte Carlo
Rally will kick-start further investment
in the programme.
The Mini name returned to the podium
of the worlds most famous rally for the
first time since Rauno Aaltonen finished
third in 1968 after the British cars had
dominated the event in the mid-60s.
Wilcock said: Wed like to think this
result is going to help things along.
After three podiums from our first seven
rallies, we dont feel we have anything
to prove, but were hoping this will help
BMWs engagement in the programme
and encourage further investment.
The team was only given the green
light to go to Monte Carlo 16 days before
the start of the WRC opener.
It was a massive challenge, Wilcock
said. But we got a three-day test
organised and got on with things.
This is the perfect start.
NEWS
SPECIAL STAGE
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Abbring will recce all rounds
Ogier briefly
held fourth spot
Sordo: perfect
start to 2012
AUTOSPORT SAYS
DAVID EVANS
RALLIES EDITOR
david.evans
@haymarket.com
W
hat an incredible week in the World
Rally Championship. In the middle of
a fascinating opening round, normal service
was suspended. The president was in town
and there was only one place to be.
As the cars headed out to the Vercors
mountains, journalists, team principals and
everybody who was anybody in the WRC
(apart from those in the cars) wanted to
listen to Jean Todt.
Going in, the talk was crisis, crisis, crisis.
Just over 44 minutes later and nothing had
changed. Todt had said nothing.
Actually, hed said enough. Hed committed
the FIA to a game-changing three-year plan
originated by former promoter North One
Sport, roundly chastised the illogical
superally regulation and talked of putting the
world into the World Rally Championship.
Granted, he didnt say: Eurosport is the
future, the WRCs saved. But the ink, believe
me, is now drying on that particular deal.
One thing is sure: things cant carry on as
they were on the Monte. The WRC stepped
back in time last week, with no split-times
and constantly failing tracking systems
who ever thought a GSM-based system would
work among 1,000-metre-plus mountains?
Everybody mucked in, but that Dunkirk spirit
cant be expected to last.
There was, however, a
noticeable shift in mood
as the event progressed.
The right people were
making things happen.
And how great to see
Petter Solberg back to
his best. Read his thoughts
in his new column on
autosport.com this week.
Solberg back in factory car

P50 MONTE CARLO REPORT

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Crash? At
that speed?
You must
be joking
Mikko Hirvonen does
a great line in self-
depreciation after his
steady start to the Monte

AUSTRALIA
2011:
A YEAR
OF WOE
SPAIN
INDIA
MALAYSIA
MONACO
BRAZIL
CANADA
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 27
New
direction for
Head-less Williams
TEAM ANALYSIS
WILLIAMS: WHAT NOW?
W
illiams can no longer be
plausibly regarded as a
great Formula 1 team in a
fallow period. Its ongoing
victory drought now stretches to 127
races and last year was the most
dismal in the teams history. Not
once did Rubens Barrichello or Pastor
Maldonado nish in the top eight and
Williams languished a distant ninth
in the constructors championship.
Fundamental to the teams hopes
of recapturing anything approaching
its past glories is that 2011 be made
to represent rock bottom.
Its tempting to view the departure
of Williams co-founder Patrick Head,
who remains involved with its hybrid
power division but no longer plays any
active role in the F1 programme, as a
watershed moment. But, realistically,
Head has had only a peripheral F1 role
in recent years and his departure is
more totemic than anything else.
The days when the team was
exclusively about Frank Williams and
Patrick Head have passed. While
Williams remains involved and the
largest shareholder, chairman Adam
Parr is now in day-to-day charge of
the team. What happens in 2012 will
likely dene what might be called
Parr-era Williams.
One thing that the team cannot be
accused of is a failure to react. Early
last season, a comprehensive review of
the technical structure was launched.
Sam Michael, technical director since
2004, handed in his resignation,
staying on to steer the ailing ship
through to September. Mike Coughlan,
now technical director, was brought in
and focused his energies on the 2012
car, with Mark Gillan coming in as
chief operations engineer. There was
an admission of structural problems,
hinting of a monolithic F1 team that
had not evolved to the demands of the
The once F1-dominating squad has lost one of its
key figures of the past 30 years, so what next?
By EDD STRAW
sport in the 21st century. Effectively,
the old technical director role had
been divided, with Coughlan in overall
charge and overseeing factory work
and Gillan heading up the race team.
Being a travelling technical director
is a very difcult task, explains Gillan.
With 20 races and a lot of yaways,
its impossible to keep an eye on the
factory so we needed to have somebody
strong there to direct things.
The demands of a race team and a
factory are subtly different and can be
at odds. Certainly, that appeared to be
the case year. Race, not nancial,
results are the measure of an F1 teams
success, even in these balance sheet-
obsessed times, and its the race team
that delivers those. Gillan found a
squad that was dancing to the beat of
the factory, often throwing too many
parts at the car for evaluation. In the
days before the test ban, this empirical
model of car development could be
made to work. But with so little track
time, its more important to have a
broad understanding of the cars
strengths and weaknesses and a
relatively stable package rather than
running the risk of either engineering
in problems or papering over the
cracks by luck rather than judgment.
In the past, we have tended to
make lots of bits for smaller gains and
sometimes not seen those gains at the
track, says Gillan. And we have ended
up with lots of new parts at the track,
which is operationally difcult. Where
we probably struggled is in simple
things, not having consistency of
components and being a bit slower
than we could have been at reacting.
Red Bull is the gold standard as far as
this process is concerned. Its rare for
the team to throw new parts on the car
that dont work and that has allowed
the team to have the quickest car in F1
for the past two-and-a-half seasons.
THE NEW BOYS
Williams made
three key technical
appointments in
2011s restructure.
These are the new
faces who will try to
turn around the
teams fortunes.
MIKE COUGHLAN
TECHNICAL
DIRECTOR
Joined: June 2011
Came into F1 for
1985 after joining
the design team at
Lotus. Switched to
Benetton in 1990,
penning the 91
B191 before moving
to Tyrrell to head
up the technical
team in 92. In 93,
he joined Ferrari
as head of R&D,
moving to Arrows
as deputy technical
director in 1997.
Two years later, he
became technical
director but moved
to McLaren as chief
designer in 99. He
left the team in
disgrace over the
spy scandal in 07,
serving a two-year
F1 ban, working
for Michael Waltrip
Racing in NASCAR
before heading
to Williams. P
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28 autosport.com January 26 2012
One area that Gillan has isolated for
improvement is the simulator, which
can play a greater role in car
development and part evaluation.
Fundamentally he does not believe
that Williams lacks the tools to do the
job. While perhaps no longer quite as
well-equipped as the likes of Red Bull,
McLaren and Ferrari, turning around
the teams fortunes is not dependent
on investing vast sums of money in
new technology. It should therefore be
able to achieve what might be called its
natural level near the front of the pack
chasing the big teams if the structure is
right and the management does its job.
In terms of tools, we are very
well-equipped, explains Gillan. We
have got a very good windtunnel thats
as good as the one we had at Toyota
one of the better ones in F1. We
have all of the building blocks for the
development of a fast racing car.
The key is that the team needs to
make better decisions on which
technical avenues to go down. Last
years low-line gearbox, for example,
was a superb piece of engineering,
but one that ultimately produced a
question over bang for your buck.
But its difcult to calculate a denitive
answer to its problems with the 2011
car considering that the Cosworth
engine deal prevented Williams from
developing hot-blowing, off-throttle,
exhaust-blown diffuser strategies. The
outlawing of such technology in 2012
removes that from the equation, while
the teams Renault engine deal is
surely a boost, even though it would
be oversimplifying matters to blame
Cosworth for all of the teams ills.
You cant escape the conclusion that,
while the team has decent facilities, it
has not produced a great all-round car
since it won its world titles of 97.
By Heads own admission, the
Williams-BMWs that won races
in the rst part of the last decade
owed more to German grunt than
to British chassis genius.
The elephant in the room
is the departure of Adrian
Newey. Its no coincidence
that the last car to have felt his
inuence strongly was the 97
machine. While mentioning
Neweys name and suggesting it
was a mistake to let him leave
for McLaren tends to raise ire among
some at Williams, the succession plan
would surely have been a lot rosier had
he stayed on. Or even had talks to bring
him back to the team before he joined
Red Bull paid off.
Of course, its not the only setback.
Parting company with BMW at the end
of 2005 was a huge blow. The team was
once again a privateer and it also lost
its sponsorship deal with HP as a result
of severing the engine partnership.
Financially, Williams retrenched
effectively, but the global nancial
crisis of late 2008 undid some of that
good work. Like all of F1, sponsorship
has been harder to come by in recent
years and currently the team is without
a title sponsor after its AT&T deal
expired last year.
While technical restructures are
essential, an F1 teams success is
broadly proportional to its budget.
The slide from sixth in the 2010
constructors standings to ninth
last year alone represents a hit
reckoned to be worth around 6m.
The team has been heavily
criticised for taking on what it
claims are not pay drivers,
but theres no question that
sponsorship concerns played a
big part in the recruitment of
MARK GILLAN
CHIEF OPERATIONS
ENGINEER
Joined:
September 2011
Gillan started his F1
career as a vehicle
dynamicist at
McLaren in 1998.
Rose to principal
operational
aerodynamicist
but left for Jaguar
in 02. Acted as
head of vehicle
performance and
chief engineer
before leaving what
was by then Red
Bull in 05. Joined
Toyota as head of
aero in 2007 but
was left without an
F1 job when the
Japanese marque
quit at the end of
09, returning with
Williams last year.
The team has not
produced a great
car since 1997
Villeneuve took teams
most recent title in 97
Gillan (l) now operates
without Patrick Head
January 26 2012 autosport.com 29
TEAM ANALYSIS
WILLIAMS: WHAT NOW?
It was clear last year that Williams had
a big performance problem and that
something had to be done. From the
start, I was critical of the low-line
gearbox, which required a lot of design
eort for a very small aerodynamic
benet, as the increased driveshaft
angles would consume a small amount
of power and, because of its size, would
suer stiness problems.
To turn things around, much depends
on Mike Coughlans performance as
technical director. Hes been around in
F1 for a very long time and is clearly a
top-level engineer. But he faces a very
big task and we havent seen him taking
on so large a challenge before. The
question is, can he take up the Adrian
Newey role of giving the team direction
and imposing his will on every aspect of
the design and technical process?
Former head of aero Jon Tomlinson is
a very capable aerodynamicist and Im
confused as to why the team didnt do
better with him there, but perhaps that
was a symptom of the internal structural
problem with Patrick Head still there
on a day-to-day basis Sam Michaels job
as technical director would not have
been easy. Jason Somerville has come
in, so the important thing is that he has
the right support from management.
Mark Gillan I rate highly. He is
excellent at stepping back and analysing
what the problems are so, provided hes
given time to implement the solutions,
he should do a good job. Hes right that
the team threw too many parts at the car
last year rather than understanding what
the problems were and addressing them,
and he is also the right man to get the
race team and the factory working
together in a more eective way.
If the new technical team can make
a consistent step to the front of the
mideld pack, that would represent a
good start and something to build on.
Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna.
Thats largely because pay driver has
become a pejorative term. It would be
wrong to say that the Williams seats
were simply available to the highest
bidder. While money was important,
Williams did not want to run no-
hopers. The lucrative PDVSA contract
stipulates a Venezuelan driver and
Maldonado is the best available. He is a
former GP2 champion, remember, who
acquitted himself solidly in his rst F1
season. Its a similar case with Senna,
who brings backing from the likes of
Embratel. He showed ashes of pace
last year and its true that the team
did evaluate him extensively, even if it
has somewhat over-egged claims that
money wasnt a factor in his signing.
While the line-up lacks experience,
considering the pair is reckoned to
bring 20m or more to the team, a
more reasonable conclusion to draw
would be that this shrewd business,
given the nancial climate. In short,
neither are unworthy F1 drivers and
the results they achieve this year will
owe more to the new-look technical
department than anything else.
Williams has changed hugely over
the past decade. Over the next 10 years,
it could go either way. A lot depends
on the Williams-Renault FW34.
JASON
SOMERVILLE
HEAD OF
AERODYNAMICS
Rejoined Williams
in August 2011
after working on
the companys
BMW sportscar
programme from
1997-1999. He
switched to the
F1 team from
1999-2003, rising
to take joint charge
of the aero team.
Worked for Toyota
as deputy head of
aerodynamics from
2003 and took over
as department head
during 2006. After
Toyota quit F1 at
the end of 09, he
joined Renault as
aero project leader
before heading
back to Williams.
GARY ANDERSONS
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
Maldonado/Barrichello
struggled during 2011
Williams has undergone
major tech reshuffling
Senna must prove
himself at famous team
Williams tried tiny
gearbox in 2011
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30 autosport.com January 26 2012
Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
CONTENTS
GUEST EDITOR: DEREK WARWICK
Mansell was one of the
all-time great British racers
Former World Sports Car champion Derek Warwick competed against Mansell in
F1 and, briefly, in the BTCC. He explains why Our Nige was such a great racer
Mansell-versus-Senna was a theme of F1 in the 1980s and early 90s. This is Spain 1991
Just why did Colin Chapman and Frank Williams
take a punt on an unproven British driver?
32 His early days in F1
Impossibly dicult? A great asset? Maybe both.
A view of Mansell from those he worked with
38 Working with Mansell
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 31
By Derek Warwick
NIGEL MANSELL BEST OF BRITISH
Nigel Mansell is all about
determination and true
grit. He never gave up,
and this was denitely a
strength that carried him
throughout his career.
He gave 110 per cent
every time he stepped
into a racing car and thats why he was
always a winner. He was fast, had superb
car control, gave good feedback, was
selsh (in a good way) and, more
importantly, had amazing self-belief.
He was also around in a golden era with
a great group of drivers such as Ayrton
Senna, Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet, all
of whom he beat during his career. Nigel was
a great qualier, a great racer and the crowds
Warwick and Mansell raced against each other many times
Mansell attracted fans like few others
F1 journalists Mark Hughes and Tony Dodgins
go head to head on where Mansell really stands
44 How good was Nige?
A look at Mansells career in numbers, from
F1 success to taking America by storm
46 Counting the score
Patrick Head gives an insight into how the
1992 machine became one of the F1 greats
52 Great car: Williams FW14B
loved him. I can think of no other time in
motor racing when we got the sort
of track invasion Nigel got at Silverstone.
In my opinion he is denitely up there
with the British greats of Jim Clark, Stirling
Moss and Jackie Stewart because he was
so fast, determined and committed.
I do think he is misunderstood within
our industry. When we saw him collapse
after races and looking like he was dying,
we all thought he should have manned-up,
but I think he just gave so much of himself
both mentally and physically. He put so
much physical effort into driving the car
and his bravery was outstanding. When
you hear Patrick Head and Frank Williams
say he was the bravest driver who raced
a Williams that means something, given
some of the drivers theyve had.
If you compare Nigel to current drivers
youd have to look at Lewis Hamilton in
terms of overtaking, commitment and
controversy. He and Nigel arent the sort
to just sit behind other drivers. Nigel was
always forcing the envelope. He did some
extraordinary overtaking, passing Senna in
Hungary, Piquet at Silverstone. Along with
Senna, he was one of the best overtakers in F1.
When we had the active-suspension cars
he was also intelligent enough to work out
how they worked and got the best out of
them. And we saw again in GP Masters, where
the cars were equal, why he was so good.
He never got the credit he deserved for
his IndyCar title. To go over there, learn
the ovals, work with a team that already had
Mario Andretti, and win was almost a bigger
feat than winning the F1 championship in
1992 when he arguably had the best car. But
in 93 in Indycars there were several drivers
with pretty equal cars, and he beat them all.
I was around during much of his career
and he always had time for me, but if you
were racing Nigel Mansell, in F1, Indycars
or touring cars, you knew you were in
for a tough race.
To sum Nigel up, he was determined,
aggressive, emotional, focused, controversial
and only ever gave his all. Hes an
extraordinary person and was one
of the greatest British drivers ever.
32 autosport.com January 26 2012
Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
No-one attracted adoration from his fans like Nigel Mansell. Here, they go wild after Nigel had won the 92 British GP
January 26 2012 autosport.com 33
MEMORIES OF MANSELL
by Mike Doodson
The words of Frank Williams, for whom British racing hero Nigel
Mansell won 28 grands prix and the 1992 world title. And they
perfectly encapsulate the regard in which Our Nige is held
Conceited,
arrogant...
but brilliant
Has there ever been a British
driver who was more adored by
the public in his own country
than Nigel Mansell? Back in the
day when Our Nige was in his
pomp and the price of admission
was still tolerably affordable,
British circuits hosting our
national GP attracted huge crowds
so devoted to their hero that they
broke down retaining fences in
order to be closer to him.
At Brands Hatch in 1986, when
Mansell collapsed at the nish
after an exhausting but successful
duel for victory in the British GP
with Nelson Piquet, he insisted
on doing his delayed victory lap
sitting on the tailgate of a
medicos Range Rover. No victory
lap for his public, insisted this
Man of the People, and thered
be no press conference.
A year later, at Silverstone, he
was swamped by delirious fans
when his Williams-Honda, again
victorious, ran out of fuel on the
slowing-down lap. To this day, the
BRDC feels compelled to place a
limit of 90,000 on admissions,
simply to avoid a repeat of those
potentially dangerous scenes.
It wasnt just the punters who
loved Mansell. To have a Briton
as a championship contender in
the mid-80s was a godsend to
Britains tabloids, which suddenly
began to take almost as much
interest in F1 racing as they did
in other non-football sports like
tennis and golf. Previously, they
had reported motor races only
when death or injury was
involved. Now they attached
celebrity status to top drivers,
although the hacks lap-dog
adulation of the Midlander wasnt
appreciated by everyone. These
were the days when F1 teams still
used highly visible race numbers,
and Murray Walker on BBC
television noisily identied
Mansells car as Red Five.
Williams own press ofcer, Annie
Bradshaw, noted the quintet of
Fleet Street bloodhounds forever
on Mansells tail, and memorably
dubbed them Brown Five.
The Mansell story was
heart-warmingly attractive, as
several rather sloppy biographies
have attempted to show.
Working-class origins, an
Love him or loathe him, Mansells focus and determination could never be doubted
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 35
Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
MEMORIES OF MANSELL
engineering apprenticeship
alongside his father, the casual
encounter with karting and the
nancial hardship that followed:
these were the ingredients of the
future champions early career.
They were spiced by physical
injury and a heroic deance of
medical advice in order to take
advantage of opportunities
that might never again present
themselves. Behind it all lay raw
courage and an undeniable talent,
coupled with a will to do the best
for himself and his family.
It was Lotus boss Colin
Chapman who gave Mansell his
rst chance, then Frank Williams
who provided him with the car
in which he took his rst GP win
and, at last, the 1992 drivers title.
So what was it that these two
towering gures of the sport saw
in the muscular aspirant with
the faintly ridiculous moustache
when they invited him on board?
The answer, it has to be said,
was not much. Far from hiring
Mansell for his star quality, they
both saw him at least to begin
with as no more than a
second-best candidate. In the
case of his engagement by Lotus,
it can now be revealed, there was
even a touch of light-hearted
bribery involved, too.
THE LOTUS YEARS
The central gure in the
recruitment of Mansell to Team
Lotus was the British-born
journalist and entrepreneur Peter
Windsor, who had been brought
up in Australia. Returning to the
UK, he had started writing about
racing and soon took over as
sports editor at Autocar
magazine. He formed a strong
attachment to various drivers,
notably the deep-thinking but
inconsistently quick Carlos
Reutemann, to whom he
became a trusted adviser.
Windsor had earned the
respect of leading team bosses
and personnel, among them John
Thornburn, manager of the racing
team owned by businessman Alan
McKechnie who had rescued the
career of Keke Rosberg.
It was John who introduced
me to Nigel [when he was still
racing in Formula Ford] in 1977,
says Windsor. John was always
calling me to say that Nigel had
something special, and after I rst
saw him drive, in early 1978, I was
convinced that he was a future
world champion. I then set about
trying to advance Nigels career in
every way possible using my
friends and connections to help
him up the ladder and also by
writing hundreds of sponsorship
proposals on his behalf.
Legend has it that in July 1979,
when Nigel had got himself a
sponsored seat in one of the two
Unipart-sponsored semi-works
F3 Marches, Windsor somehow
persuaded Colin Chapman to
come and watch his protege
during the F3 race that supported
the British GP at Silverstone.
Not so.
I took Carlos, not ACBC
[Chapman], to the Woodcote
chicane at Silverstone to watch
Nigel, Windsor insists. The
Unipart cars suffered on power
with their hopeless Triumph
Dolomite engines, so it was
Mansells uncanny throttle
control that Windsor wanted
his friend to see.
Carlos was very impressed
and I did get him to mention it
to ACBC, he says. I was also in
ACBCs ear a lot about Nigel as,
by then, ACBC and I were very
close due to Carloss Lotus deal.
The touch of bribery involved
Peter Collins, a long-term friend
of Windsors in Australia who
had been looking for a job in
motor racing. I brought PC into
the loop after a conversation I
had with [then Lotus manager]
Andrew Ferguson in 1978, recalls
Windsor. Andrew told me he
was looking for an assistant
and I thought for a second
about applying myself. Then
I remembered Peter, who was
out of work in Sydney, so I
immediately sent him a telegram,
telling him there was a possible
management job going at Team
Lotus. I suggested he should take
the next ight to the UK and that
he could stay with me. PC did
exactly that!
I knew PC would do a good job
but I also knew that having him
as an insider at Lotus was Nigels
only chance of ever getting a sniff
at an F1 ride. Having got Peter the
assistant team manager job, I told
him that in return he had to get
Nigel a job at Lotus. Peter agreed.
It was a multi-pronged attack that
worked. Nigel got a job as a van
driver. I persuaded him to spend
his wages on ying lessons, on
the basis that hed have
something about which to talk to
ACBC should a social situation
arise, and he did just that, going
solo in 15 hours. As predicted,
ACBC was extremely impressed,
and it was as much this as
anything else that convinced
ACBC that Nigel should be put
Lotus founder Colin Chapman gave Mansell his big break; the Briton has never forgotten it
Monaco 84: Mansells Lotus led until that white-line incident First podium, race seven: Belgian GP 1981
WINDSOR: John
Thornburn always
called me to say Nigel
was special. After I
first saw him drive, in
early 1978, I was
convinced he was a
future champion
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36 autosport.com January 26 2012
Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
on the testing list at the end of
79. ACBC never saw Nigel drive
in F3: he was too busy on other
matters at that point to spend
time watching dinky F3 cars!
Also involved was the late
David Phipps, a skilled motor
racing photographer who doubled
as a wise and discerning writer.
I told David Phipps about
Nigel, knowing that David was
close not only to ACBC but also
to [Ralt boss] Ron Tauranac, says
Windsor. David trusted me, I
think, and basically went along
with everything I suggested with
both ACBC and Ron. I thus used
both David and Peter to advance
Nigels career at Lotus and with
a Ralt-Honda F2 deal. Early in
1980, Peter, David and I even set
up a spoof March contract to
encourage ACBC to sign Nigel
to a three-year deal.
The faith that Chapman placed
in him was never forgotten by
Mansell, who to this day holds
the Lotus founder in greater
esteem than any of his
subsequent bosses.
He was the single person who
made me believe in myself in
Formula 1, says Mansell. When
his new driver scored a ne third
place at Zolder in 81, his seventh
GP, Chapman rather untypically
rewarded him with a new contract
and a greatly enhanced retainer.
But similar results then eluded
the cherished driver.
When Chapman died suddenly
at the end of 1982, Mansell found
himself friendless under the
management of returning
CHALLIS: When
Frank told me hed
signed Nigel I told him
he must be mad. All
he ever does is throw
it at the wall. Frank
said, Well, youll just
have to keep mending
it, wont you?
Lotuseer Peter Warr, who cruelly
made no secret of his lack of
faith in the abilities of the driver
whose contract he had inherited.
For most of his remaining time
at Lotus, Mansell found himself
obliged to play second ddle to
Italian Elio de Angelis. In his
four full seasons with the team,
his best results were ve third
places, peppered with some lurid
accidents. His contract was due
to expire at the end of 1984,
while Warr was in the process
of recruiting Ayrton Senna.
The future looked grim for
Our Nige
THE WILLIAMS
YEARS
Quite why Frank Williams
should have stepped in at this
point to rescue the failing hero
is something of a mystery even
to Frank himself, although a
convincing explanation would be
the pressure being exerted on him
by both the Peters [Collins was
already managing the Williams
team, while Windsor would
become its sponsorship manager
in 1985]. The Didcot squad
needed a number two to Keke
Rosberg and it was in that role
that Frank saw the possibility of
a short (one-year contract) future
for Mansell. Negotiations opened,
but still Frank dithered.
Eventually his business partner
Patrick Head, frustrated by the
uncertainty, presented him with
a deadline, resulting in a contract
being signed in late August 1984.
Doubts remained inside the team.
When Frank told me hed
signed Nigel, recalls chief
Williams mechanic Alan Challis,
I told him he must be mad. All
he ever does is throw it at the
wall. And Frank just said, Well,
youll just have to keep mending
it, wont you?
The V6 turbo engines provided
by Honda at the beginning of 1985
were both endishly difcult to
drive and initially unreliable,
although revised turbos enabled
Rosberg to bring home a win in
June at Detroit. Going into the
nal four races of the season,
The big break: the first of 31 GP wins Brands Hatch 1985
Perfect harmony: the union-flag colours of the Mansell helmet and the blue-yellow-white Williams FW14, here testing at Estoril in 1991
Peter Windsor discovered Mansell in 1978 while Williams and Collins placed their faith
January 26 2012 autosport.com 37
MEMORIES OF MANSELL
In his two spells as team manager
at Lotus, which spanned the years
1958 to 1989, Peter Warr (who
died in October 2010) worked
with future champions including
Jochen Rindt, Graham Hill and
Ayrton Senna. He also had two
uncomfortable seasons with
Mansell, a man in whom he
discerned bravery and ability but
never a spark of sympathy. Most
famously, Warr said of Mansell
that, he will never win a grand
prix, not as long as my arsehole
points to the ground.
However many times that
prediction was proved wrong (31, to
be precise), Warr failed to warm to
Mansell in an atmosphere of mutual
loathing. The reasons for his dislike
emerge clearly from Warrs recently
published memoirs, which he was
preparing at the time of
his death.
Throughout his time
with the team, [Mansell]
made it clear that he felt
the whole world was
against him, wrote
Warr. It did not help
his case that in many
instances his demeanour
and behaviour did
nothing to convince the
team that anything they
did would help change his attitude
to one where he was not continually
suspicious of their real intent.
Mansell took advantage of
every press conference to justify
himself, often with an embarrassing
awkwardness that irked not
only Warr but virtually all of
the press pack.
As Warrs
book records:
Almost every
time he was
interviewed,
Nigel would go
to great lengths
to include
somewhere in
one of his
answers the
words I am a
professional.
In truth he was one of the least
professional of drivers. It may be
that the lack of professionalism that
cost him two world championships
arose from the bitter reality that,
throughout his career, he had never
been anyones rst choice as a
driver. He felt perhaps that he had
to go out and prove himself,
whatever the circumstances,
instead of thinking things through.
Perhaps he could not use his brain
whilst driving in the same way as
a Prost or a Senna.
The fact is that he was not
rst-choice driver at Team Lotus.
He was not rst-choice driver at
Williams in 1985. Even after
turning his back on F1 after his
championship year [did he really
fall out with Frank Williams over
the number of hotel rooms included
in his contract oer?] he went to
Indycar, where Mario Andretti
was rst choice in the Newman-
Haas team.
So, no mollifying Warr, then.
Team Lotus: My View from the Pit
Wall by Peter Warr is published by
Haynes, ISBN: 9780857331236.
A harsh verdict from Lotus chief
Mansell had accumulated a mere
seven points, but in the space of
only seven weeks from the end
of September he leaped into
contention. He nished second at
Spa before grabbing two crushing
wins at Brands and Kyalami, only
to be eliminated by transmission
gremlins at Adelaide.
Henceforward, Mansell could
count himself as worthy of the
number-one position inside any
team. Unfortunately for him, for
1986 that status had already been
promised to Nelson Piquet, who
had signed a record-breaking ($3.3
million) contract with Frank in
August 85, just before Mansells
breakthrough with the team.
Frank Williams disinclination
to impose team orders in 1986
handed an improbably unexpected
drivers title to McLaren man
Alain Prost in 1986, while in
1987 Mansell was outfoxed by
his team-mates softly-softly
approach following a serious
concussion that did not inhibit
the Brazilian from claiming his
third crown. By the end of the
year, Mansell was clearly smarting
over his failure to capitalise on
what should have been a title-
winning combination of talent
and technical resources.
The 1988 season, when Honda
withdrew its engine supply,
proved disastrous. But even
with the substitute non-turbo
Judd engine, Mansell continued
to show the skill and ghting
commitment that his fans adored
in him. It also caught the eye
of a fading old man in Maranello,
and only a few weeks before his
death Enzo Ferrari secured
Mansells signature.
Again, though, it was a
marriage more of convenience
than of passion. The Scuderia
was already in the throes of a
reorganisation before the Old
Man died in August, with
designers being shufed and
various anonymous suits being
installed as temporary managers
by Fiat. In March 1989, at
Jacarepagua, where the trend-
setting 640 was entrusted to
Nigel for his Ferrari debut, a
minor miracle took place. The
John Barnard design had broken
down in three of the four practice/
qualifying sessions, and had done
so again in the warm-up. Yet,
improbably, it lasted in the race,
giving victory to an astonished
Mansell and earning him the title
of Il Leone in the tifosis hearts.
But two years at Ferrari, the
second alongside Alain Prost,
Mansell only produced two more
wins and it left him with an
intense dislike for the Frenchman.
When Mansell returned to
Williams in 1991, it would be
pretty much on his own terms,
for Frank had to go through the
motions of coaxing him out of
a retirement in which nobody
believed he was serious. The
partnership worked splendidly,
adding another 14 wins to the 13
he had taken in his rst stint with
the team. Nigel would trample the
opposition to win the title in 92,
and after all his struggles it was
perhaps understandable that he
appeared resentful that he did it
in a car that was often as not a
couple of seconds quicker over
a lap than any of its rivals.
Blunt as always, Frank did not
hesitate to recall what an awkward
so-and-so Mansell could be.
Well miss him as a driver but
not as a bloke, he said when the
parting of the ways on achingly
unhappy terms took place after
he had won the title. Despite
those disobliging asides, it was
also Frank who summed up
what made his driver great.
Nigel is conceited, hes
arrogant, and hes brilliant,
said Williams. It was my choice
to take him back from Ferrari
last year, and he exceeded my
expectations. He is consistent,
makes very few mistakes, and
he is the only one who dares
to challenge Ayrton Senna.
Back in 1984, when Williams
reluctantly signed that rst
short-term contract with Nigel
Mansell, he would surely never
have guessed he would be
uttering such effusive praise
in 1992. Its sobering, too, to
remember that without the
intervention of two blokes
from Sydney, Our Nige would
probably never have had a
chance to thrill us in an F1 car.
Armed with the active-ride Williams-Renault FW14B, Mansell romped to the 1992 world title
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There are very few people without strong opinions on the 1992 world champion
and that extends to the people who worked with him during his racing career
Working with Mansell
Mansell (behind Riley) raced DPR Triumph Dolomite-engined March in 79 British F3
The Javelin FF1600 run by Bray was raced by Mansell early in 1977
Crosby had two stints running Mansell at the March F3 team in 1978 and 80
We went to see Nigel race at
Mallory at the end of 1976. He
nished second and we said we
were interested in doing something
together. It was clear that he was
something special even at that
point; he had a certain aura about
him that I hadnt seen in anyone
else. We were all starting out in
those days and life was pretty easy.
Our relationship was straightforward.
He seemed like a 100 per cent guy.
My outstanding memory is that it was the most
hateful time I ever had in motor racing. He was such
an arrogant person and not very nice to work with.
He had an enormous self-belief, but he would make
up lies to cover up his own inadequacies. If he blew
an engine, it would be the engines fault and not
because he had overrevved it.
Nigel had this burning desire to win. He couldnt
believe that he could nish fourth or fth when, in
his mind, he was the best driver out there.
One little story typies how competitive he was.
I played a lot of squash in those days and wasnt bad.
He didnt really play squash, but he was determined
he was going to play me. We had a game and it was
pretty easy from my point of view. You could see
the total frustration on his face because he wasnt
winning, so he started to cheat. He was picking
up double bounces and changing the score.
That was pure Mansell. It was the way he was,
and he couldnt help it. But that determination
made him a great racing driver.
Bill Bray Lanan Racing team boss
Paul Crosby
Mechanic and then F3 team manager at March
I thought Nigel had potential,
which is why I employed him for
1979. Uniparts only criterion was
that I had to have one English
driver. I had to go through the
process of talking to a number of
drivers, but Id made up my mind
it was going to be Mansell because
hed looked good in those few races
hed done with March in 78.
I really thought he was going to
be good at least I did before I
employed him. He didnt perform
and was never as quick as Brett
[Riley, his team-mate]. Nigel was a
total pain in the arse, anyone will
tell you that. According to him, Brett
always had a better engine, better
tyres, better this and better that.
But I told him you couldnt have
a better Dolomite engine because
they were all crap.
David Price
David Price Racing team boss
January 26 2012 autosport.com 39
By Gary Watkins
MANSELL TASKMASTER
Mansells driving style was pretty hard on the car in Lotus days
Wright (right) says Mansell made sacrifices
Mansell was engineered by Stroud for his first full F1 season in 1981
Dernie engineered Nelson Piquet during Mansells first stint at Williams
Mansell wasnt the most revered
person at Lotus. I never thought
hed win a grand prix, and I
wasnt alone in that. He was a
real animal of a driver, very rough
with the car, and engineers dont
like that. My overriding memory
of his spell with the team is
having to redesign parts on
the car that he broke.
Our car had a one-inch
diameter 16-gauge steering
column, and somehow he
broke it in half in Detroit.
He probably hit the kerb and
didnt allow the steering wheel
to move. He had immense
physical strength.
Martin Ogilvie Head of Team Lotus drawing oce
It was clear from the beginning that Nigel
had masses of determination, and a lot of
skill too. He worked hard at it and made a
lot of sacrices to get where he did. Elio de
Angelis was the complete opposite: he was
a natural and hadnt had to work very hard
to get to F1. The full spectrum of a racing
driver were embodied in those two.
Nigel struggled initially at
Lotus because he was the
denite number two and
perhaps lucky to get the
drive. A lot of other drivers
who felt theyd been
overlooked hated him for it.
He had a lot to prove and
had to assert himself, which
is why he came across as a
bit of whinger. He wasnt
always moaning, but his
manner made him sound
as though he was.
He could be incredibly
human. I remember when
Dave Luckett [the Arrows
mechanic] was injured on
the startline at Zolder in
1981, Nigel was incredibly
cut up. Hed seen it happen
and was in a hell of a
state. I had to go and get
Roseanne [Mansells wife]
to calm him down. He didnt
want to start the race.
Peter Wright
R&D boss at Lotus
Nigel Stroud
Team Lotus engineer
There were three Nigel Mansells as far as
I was concerned: there was the family man
who looked after his wife and children so
well; there was the big-hearted racer who
was without peer in terms of car control;
and there was the man who outside the car
was just a pain in the arse. Every time he
screwed up, it was always someone elses
fault. No one likes that, and even his own
mechanics got pissed o with him.
With most drivers theres no such thing as
a good car or a bad driver. When he wins its
down to his own magnicence, and when he
doesnt its down to the car. With Nigel that
Frank Dernie Williams chief aerodynamicist
attitude was magnied to the power of ve.
I had a fairly dicult relationship
with Nigel. I was working on the active-
suspension project. He said it was a mad
idea, and if we wanted him to drive it
we could forget it. Even though he was in
England, he absolutely refused to test it. On
one occasion we had to get Nelson Piquet
back from Brasilia, where he was visiting his
mother, to test the active car at Silverstone.
When Nelson won with it at Monza [in
1987], Nigel said, Wheres mine? We
busted a gut to build him one, and then
he did nothing but complain.
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 41
Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
MANSELL TASKMASTER
Head engineered Mansell to second place in the 86 world championship
Fiorio arrived at Ferrari at same time as Mansell in 1989
Both Frank [Williams] and
I liked the idea of the driver
who really gives his all, and
you couldnt get a driver who
gave more than Nigel. He
was a pleasure to work with.
He joined us at the end
of 1984. We gave him a test
at Paul Ricard in the FW09
not one of our better cars.
He literally did one or two
laps, got out, shook his head
and said, Theres a long,
long way to go. He was
immediately with the Honda
guys, and he was pointing
out the characteristics of
the engine that made it
unsuitable. Nigel was a
very positive addition.
Patrick Head
Williams designer
Nigel and I had a very good working
relationship; he used to stay at my house
when he came to Maranello. Just about
everyone at Ferrari liked him apart from a
small group around Gerhard Berger. The
fans loved him as well. They respected
Cesare Fiorio Former Ferrari sporting director
Michael Schumacher, but they loved Nigel.
The relationship between Nigel and
Ferrari didnt change in 1990, but Alain
Prost tried to make Nigel believe he was
running the team when in fact he wasnt.
Maybe Nigel started to believe that.
Brown engineered Mansell in 1987, 91 and 92
We had a very good and productive working
relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I
think he did as well. We had the same ideas
about what we wanted and a similar attitude.
We both believe that the harder you work,
the more you achieve. We communicated
well and it didnt take a lot of words. People
say he was dicult to work with, but it
wasnt true in my case.
A lot of things said about Nigel arent true.
He was actually very gentle in the car and very
precise. His feedback was very good. He had a
way of ltering out the noise and pinpointing
what the issues really were. It didnt take
him long to come to a conclusion and say,
This is what we need to work on to make
the car quicker. That made my life as the
engineer much easier.
Nigel was more complete as a driver on his
return from Ferrari. Im sure that was just the
result of exposure to another very high-level
team. The active car [the FW14B of 1992] felt
dierent for the driver because it was so
soft, but he was able to adapt to it quickly.
It didnt give the same type of feedback as a
conventionally-sprung car. Nigel was able to
take advantage of that because he would just
get on and explore the performance of the car
rather than worrying about the feedback he
was getting. It suited him from that point of
view because of his enormous self-condence.
David Brown
Williams race engineer
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42 autosport.com January 26 2012
Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
Mansell made headlines at the 1993 TOCA Shoot-Out in a Rouse Ford
Hallam worked with Mansell at Lotus and then
during his two-race stint at McLaren in 1995
Nigel was brilliant when
he came to us for the TOCA
Shoot-Out at Donington. Hed
won the F1 and CART titles in
consecutive years, so he didnt
need to do it. He was totally
relaxed and happy to sign
autographs all day long. It was
a privilege to be part of that.
To be honest, he
underestimated what was
involved and it took him a while
to understand the car he
needed someone to pace himself
with and only got that in the race.
Not many people knew he had
a problem with one of the fuel
pumps on the car, which made it
slow on the straights. It wasnt
until he got to the safety car that
he could look down at the dash
and we could tell him which
switch was for the reserve.
Thats when he really got going.
Andy Rouse Andy Rouse Engineering boss
Fundamentally Nigel hadnt changed. He
was always an extremely determined driver
and, of course, extremely competent. There
were space problems with the MP4/10,
which wont go down as one of the best
McLarens ever made. Nigel was probably
expecting more than he got. Both parties
were a victim of circumstance. It was
a dicult period for all concerned.
Steve Hallam
Lotus and McLaren
race engineer
Phoenix and the flames: Mansell went faster and faster until he hit the wall
Andretti was overshadowed at Newman-Haas by Mansell in 1993 and 94
Nigel was certainly not a good
team-mate to work with because he
didnt want to share anything. He
was the new boy on the block in
Indycars and the team gravitated
towards him, and he succeeded in
rallying the team around him. It
felt like there were two separated
teams, but I cant blame Nigel. Ive
done that kind of thing myself.
Things didnt work out so well in
1994. The car wasnt so good and he
got frustrated. If wed had a better
relationship, maybe we could have
put our heads together and got
it gured out better.
Mario Andretti
Mansells Newman-Haas team-mate
Nigel was the rst full-time
non-Andretti to drive for Newman-
Haas and that inevitably changed
the dynamic within the team,
especially as he got to grips
with CART so quickly.
Nigel had no fear. He had some
big accidents: he went faster and
faster at Phoenix until he hit the
wall. He absorbed the lesson and it
didnt slow him down any. He was a
complete driver and a good athlete.
Ayrton Sennas death changed
Nigels perception of what he should
be doing and where he ought to be.
The attraction of going back to F1
grew during that year. There is
no doubt in my mind that his focus
changed from North America, which
it absolutely was in the rst year.
Brian Lisles
Newman-Haas race engineer
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Mansell would have to work for #1 treatment
Nigel expected to be the centre of attention
all the time and he just didnt click with
McLaren. There was no favouritism at
McLaren and I believe Nigel thought he was
going to get preferential treatment, which
wasnt the case. Its understandable that
every driver wants to engineer the best
situation for himself but normally you get
that through results certainly that was
the case with Mclaren at the time.
Dave Ryan
McLaren team manager
MANSELL TASKMASTER
WSR squad ran the Mansell Ford at three BTCC events in 1998
The idea of getting Nigel on
board for the BTCC in 1998 came
out of a light-hearted comment
to the Ford marketing guy when
he asked me what they needed
to do to get some decent PR.
I said Get Nigel Mansell.
To be honest, I thought he
was a whingeing Brummie, but
I became a fan after running
him. He always had something
to say in the debriefs, even
if he did always refer back
to his time in F1 or CART.
He approached it in a very
sensible way. We did a test
down at Pembrey and gave him
what we thought was a good
good set-up. He wanted to go
harder and then softer to see
what a touring car felt like
and how it responded.
Two things stick in my mind
from those three events he
did with us. The rst was his
blinding pace in the wet at
Donington Park when he came
from 19th on the grid to fth in
the second race. The other was
his reaction to being asked for
his autograph when we were
having dinner in the Brands
Hatch Thistle hotel. He was
halfway through his main
course when this old dear came
up to him. He took time out,
stood up and talked to her
for ve minutes. Not many
drivers would have done that.
Dick Bennetts West Surrey Racing team boss
Holloway engineered Mansells Zytek LMP1 in 2010
Mansell won two of the three races in GPM in 2005-06
Nigel was brilliant to work with. He
was like a sheepdog: hed nip away
at every aspect of the team and car
to ensure he was in a strong position.
He knew what it took to win.
People have interpreted his
actions as whingeing when in fact he
is digging deeper within himself and
the team to produce a performance.
You cant criticise anyone for asking
for the same as what they give.
He gave 101 per cent, so it was
reasonable for him to expect 101
per cent from those around him.
Bob Berridge
Grand Prix Masters operations director
Hed lost all his pace and reexes
when he raced an LMP1 car in 2010,
but even so you could see why Nigel
had been world champion. The
competitive spirit was still there and
he wanted to beat his boys [sons
Greg and Leo] come what may.
He would put things in their way
so they wouldnt beat him. He would
be the one to have the new tyres.
He desperately wanted his kids
to do well, so long as they were
a little bit behind him.
Every time he got in the car, you
knew his run would nish with him
spinning or going in the gravel. He
would push, push until he went o.
He would always drive to the limit.
Tim Holloway
Beechdean Mansell Motorsport engineer
44 autosport.com January 26 2012
Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
Respected F1 journalists and AUTOSPORT contributors Mark Hughes (a Mansell fan)
and Tony Dodgins (a Mansell detractor) argue over the relative merits of Our Nige
Just how good was
Nigel Mansell?
As Senna said,
hes incredible
MARK HUGHES: Anyone
knowing what they were looking
at cannot have failed to grasp
from the body language of his
Williams or Ferrari that Nigel
Mansell was a stunningly fast
driver. Those with an open mind
who witnessed his mind-blowing
speed through Club on his 1990
pole lap of Silverstone, for
example, are not in doubt.
His star quality was evident
right from FF1600 (33 wins from
42 races in 77) and, whenever his
second-rate machinery allowed it
subsequently, youd see regular
glimpses of enormous potential.
Mansell flew at Silverstone in 1990, but it came with histrionics
It wasnt consistently obvious at
Lotus, a limited apprenticeship
and difcult circumstances
combining to disguise it.
A complex character, he needed
to feel appreciated, and once Peter
Warr who detested him took
over, he had no chance. Only
those whod been paying proper
attention were not surprised
when he blossomed at Williams
and proved fairly conclusively
faster than Nelson Piquet.
When Emerson Fittipaldi tells
you that he has never seen car
control like that displayed by
Mansell on an oval and that,
When Nigel came to Indycar
Ayrton told me, Watch out for
him, hes incredible, you
have to wonder about those
who still cannot see the light.
Spectacular,
yes, but...
TONY DODGINS: Racing car
body language is an intangible.
Spectacular he could be, but the
same was said of Juan Pablo
Montoya, who was never entirely
convincing against Ralf
Schumacher or Kimi Raikkonen.
More signicant about Silverstone
90 was Mansell throwing his
gloves into the crowd and
histrionically announcing his
retirement (later reversed) when
team-mate Prost won the race.
By year end, Prost had ve wins
to Nigels one and was the one
taking the ght to Senna.
Domination of close-fought
categories like FF1600 is a good
sign but the following year Kenny
Acheson won three titles and 29
races with the same sort of wins/
starts ratio and poor Kenny never
got beyond a couple of F1 forays
with a hopeless RAM.
Its all about the machinery
you drive in F1 and I contend that
after his Lotus record Nigel was
very fortunate to spend a third of
his career in dominant Williams
cars. And you cant blame it all
on Peter Warr. Mansells record
against Elio de Angelis was worse
while Chapman was there than in
Warrs time.
Throughout his career
Mansells comparable qualifying
record against team-mates was
87-83, which is not stunning. And
34-12 of that was against Riccardo
Patrese, the only driver against
whom he looked convincing.
He was one
of the best
MH: I know Tony well and respect
how thoroughly he understands
F1, how dirty and complex it really
is. I suspect that his blind spot
about Mansell was formed as an
outsider looking in, seeing only
the black and white of the form
book. It might also be Tonys
skewed reaction to Mansell-mania
and his idolisation by people who
knew little about racing.
Tonys argument hinges on
the Lotus stint and he ignores the
vast counter-evidence outside
of that both before and after. At
Lotus he was in an early stage of
his development and in a spotlight
he wasnt quite ready for.
People develop at different rates,
respond to different stimuli.
When he came of age, he reached
a level of performance only a tiny
handful have ever reached.
January 26 2012 autosport.com 45
By Mark Hughes & Tony Dodgins
MANSELL GENIUS OR OVERRATED?
Mansell beat Senna at Imola in 1987, but was it all down to the car?
Mansell leads faster Lotus team-mate at Detroit in 1982
Machinery
flattered him
TD: Theres no denying that
Mansell was brave, exciting and
captured the imagination of the
British public. But as the winner
of more GPs than anyone bar
Schumacher, Prost or Senna,
would you put him in that league?
I dont think so. Someone of
that calibre wouldnt have emerged
from a four-year stint as Elio de
Angeliss Lotus team-mate with
a 35-14 qualifying decit in races
where a comparison was valid.
Nigel was fortunate to then be
drafted into a Williams team that
by the end of 1985, with its potent
Honda V6 turbo engines, had the
best car on the grid. Keke Rosberg
narrowly got the better of him
in 85 and, although unlucky,
Nigel failed to take the title with
patently the best car in 1986.
Team-mate Piquet beat him to
the crown in 87 although
Nelson was not himself after a
big early-season shunt at Imola.
Although the Ferrari fans loved
Il Leone it was Prost who was
the main man at Maranello in 90,
Mansell frustrated by politics.
His title-winning FW14B of 92
was like Jochen Rindts Lotus 72
or Mario Andrettis Lotus 79
a monkey could have won in it.
A genius
overtaker
MH: No Tony, I wouldnt
put any of them quite
in Sennas league. I see Senna out
front overall but Prost, Mansell
and Schumacher at a fairly similar
awesomely good overall
standard, each with their own
strengths and weaknesses.
Mansell was the most amazing
overtaker of them all and you just
knew when he was catching the
car ahead something was going to
happen. He could not be out-
braved and with his adrenaline
pumping he would routinely do
things wheel-to-wheel that Prost
or Schumacher wouldnt even
imagine and that even Senna
might blanch at.
Trying to assess greatness by
numbers without giving context
to the circumstances in which
they were set is facile. You could
conclude that Mansell was
demonstrably faster than Patrese
in their three years together at
Williams, the same Patrese that
had annihilated de Angelis in the
rst half of 86 at Brabham. So
where does that leave the
Mansell/de Angelis comparison?
None of it means anything in
isolation; their careers need to be
analysed in their fullness and in
with the relevant background
information. Like Rosberg being
Hondas golden boy until halfway
through 85 when he told them he
was leaving and Mansell then
getting the better engines, this
instantaneously putting him
ahead and placing the rst
half-season into perspective.
In 86/87 Piquet may have
squeezed ahead by a couple of
points in the way it played out but
Mansell was comfortably faster.
Good, but
no Senna
TD: Marks F1 opinions are
worthy of deep respect, but
when it comes to Nigel I cant
help feel those John Lennon
specs are rose tinted. Mansell
was a great driver with a
Callaway Big Bertha in his hand!
He was two under after nine in
a freezing December when I
visited his golf club a decade ago
(Im sure he wont be inviting
me back after reading this!).
Of course he was good
I enjoyed Brands 85/6 and
Silverstone 87 as much as anyone
he just wasnt Senna-sational.
Stats in isolation mean little but
over time take on a signicance.
So superior were some of the cars
Nigel drove that its hard to know
what others might have achieved.
I can think of four drivers who
cake-walked a championship
(or should have) in a 90s
Williams. And dont forget,
Frank preferred Prost for 93.
These people arent daft. P
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Nigel Mansell
LEGENDS
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GPs
Mansells magic numbers
Denied the F1 world title several times, Mansell racked up numerous victories
before taking the championship in 1992. Then he headed off to win in America
Spanish Grand Prix was scene of one of six Mansell wins in 1987
South African win came two weeks after breakthrough Brands success
INDYCAR WINS 5
1993 Surfers Paradise (Lola T93/00)
1993 Milwaukee (Lola T93/00)
1993 Michigan 500 (Lola T93/00)
1993 New Hampshire (Lola T93/00)
1993 Nazareth (Lola T93/00)
STARTS 187; WINS 31
1985 European GP (Williams FW10)
1985 South African GP (Williams FW10)
1986 Belgian GP (Williams FW11)
1986 Canadian GP (Williams FW11)
1986 French GP (Williams FW11)
1986 British GP (Williams FW11)
1986 Portuguese GP (Williams FW11)
1987 San Marino GP (Williams FW11B)
1987 French GP (Williams FW11B)
1987 British GP (Williams FW11B)
1987 Austrian GP (Williams FW11B)
1987 Spanish GP (Williams FW11B)
1987 Mexican GP (Williams FW11B)
1989 Brazilian GP (Ferrari 640)
1989 Hungarian GP (Ferrari 640)
1990 Portuguese GP (Ferrari 641/2)
1991 French GP (Williams FW14)
1991 British GP (Williams FW14)
1991 German GP (Williams FW14)
1991 Italian GP (Williams FW14)
1991 Spanish GP (Williams FW14)
1992 South African GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 Mexican GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 Brazilian GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 Spanish GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 San Marino GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 French GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 British GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 German GP (Williams FW14B)
1992 Portuguese GP (Williams FW14B)
1994 Australian GP (Williams FW16B)
1993 INDYCAR CHAMPION
PODIUMS 59
POLES 32
FASTEST LAPS 30
*
POINTS 482
*Includes 1991 Portuguese GP,
from which he was disqualied
for a pitlane infringement
Victory in Hungary in 1989, from 12th on the grid, was one of his best A
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 47
2 Wins
9 Wins
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P
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1 Win
2
ND
4
TH
6
TH
12
TH
1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980
8
TH
10
TH
14
TH
NO
POINTS 1995
1 Win
2 Wins
5 Wins
6 Wins
5 Wins
14
TH
14
TH
12
TH
9
TH
6
TH
2
ND
2
ND
9
TH
4
TH
5
TH
2
ND
1
ST
9
TH
By Kevin Turner
MANSELL STATISTICS
Mansell on his way to conquering America in 1993
MANSELLS RECORD IN THE F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
INDY 500
Mansell nished third
on his Indy 500 debut in
1993, only losing out to
Emerson Fittipaldi and Arie
Luyendyk after a late restart
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LEGENDS
Nigel Mansell
48 autosport.com January 26 2012
Nigel Mansell and the Williams FW14B delivered one of the most dominant
seasons in Formula 1 history in 1992. PATRICK HEAD, who designed the car
with Adrian Newey, looks back at one of the teams most successful machines
We raced this for the rst time in 1991 but it
wasnt reliable at rst and cost us a lot of points.
But once we had solved those problems, it was
a big advantage because you could change gear
four or ve times more quickly and it stopped
engine over-revs.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC BOX
The traction control system was similar to what we would have 10
years later, but less sophisticated. When it started o it was a
relatively simple bit of software a time benet which didnt require
an awful lot of development and that in the wet was a big benet.
There was a lot of time when the driver was modulating the power of
the engine and the automatic control systems could do that slightly
better than the driver.
TRACTION CONTROL
The main dierence between the FW14 [used in 1991] and
the FW14B was the active suspension. Its remarkable
looking back on the programme now. In 2011, we were
running the 12th model of the front wing by the end of the
year, but on the FW14 the aerodynamic modications were
minimal. It was a good car from the word go with a lot of
geometric relevance from the Leyton House cars because
of Adrians presence.
EVOLUTION NOT REVOLUTION
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Great Car: Williams FW14B
January 26 2012 autosport.com 49
It was certainly very good and stronger
than the Honda that was powering the
McLaren. The Honda was easily as
powerful, if not more powerful, but it was
immensely heavy. While the Renault was a
lot heavier than the engines that were to
follow it [the RS4 engine that was
introduced in Hungary weighed just under
140kg], it was the best racing engine given
the combination of power, weight, fuel
consumption, installation and so on.
It was also extremely reliable.
RENAULT ENGINE
The active suspension system did
have a predictive element in it,
but it was essentially responsive.
That meant that you didnt have
the same feel as the standard car
in roll stiness. There was a short
period on entry to corners where
the car had a oaty feel and then
would stabilise. Nigel realised
that on the other side of this few
tenths of a second, there would be
more grip, whereas [team-mate]
Riccardo Patrese always wanted
more feel.
DRIVING STYLE
We had been developing active suspension
since 1985, which started o by AP coming
to us. They were developing a system for
road vehicles, but they decided that they
werent going to continue with it and rather
than bury it, they contacted us as we were
using AP brakes at the time. At rst, it was
purely mechanical, but we needed it in
digital form so that we could control it
electronically. It was basically aiming for
target mean ride-heights front and rear. As
the programme went on, control became
more sophisticated. We could alter the
attitude of the car on track and if the driver
complained of understeer here or oversteer
there, we could overcome the problem.
ACTIVE SUSPENSION
LOTUS 95T
Mansell claimed his
maiden F1 pole position
in Dallas in the 95T in
1984 and bagged two
podium nishes.
MANSELL ALSO STARRED IN
WILLIAMS
FW11/FW11B
11 wins in 1986-1987,
but missing out on the
championship, made the
FW11 and its B-spec
successor his most
bittersweet cars.
FERRARI 640
Won sensationally on his
Ferrari debut in Rio in
1989 in the 640. He only
nished six races in the
car, but was on the
podium each time.
LOLA T93/00
Mansell won ve times
and claimed the IndyCar
title in the Newman/Haas
Racing-run Lola-Cosworth
T93/00 after leaving F1.
WSR FORD MONDEO
Mansell raced at three
BTCC rounds in 1998
but his dramatic charge
to lead a wet race at
Donington from 19th on
the grid is legendary.
Leading the pack at the start in Mexico
Spanish GP victory was one
of 10 FW14B wins in 92
WILLIAMS FW14B 1992 STATISTICS
RACES ENTERED: 16
WINS: 10
POLES: 15
FASTEST LAPS: 11
TITLES: 1992 DRIVERS AND CONSTRUCTORS
MANSELLS WONDERFUL WILLIAMS
By Edd Straw
50 autosport.com January 26 2012
VENDREDI IN THE VERCORS.
That was where Sebastien
Loeb won this years Monte
Carlo Rally. He overcame a
brief battle with Jari-Matti
Latvala and a slightly more
sustained challenge from
Dani Sordo to clinch an
exceptional sixth Monte
win. This wasnt a classic
event in terms of the
conditions, but when the
weather did cut up rough,
on Friday in the Vercors
mountains, Loeb and
Citroen were on top of it.
The right tyre choice sealed
Loebs 68th victory and got
his title defence off to a
successful start for the
rst time in three years.
LEG ONE (83.70 miles)
SUNNY AMBIENT TEMPERATURE RANGE
ON STAGES -6 - 5C
Ready for this? In a
nutshell: Loeb leads by a
second, drops almost a
minute, is second by half a
minute and then back into
the lead by a minute. All
in one day and four stages.
Oh, yes, the Monte Carlo
Rally was back. And it
was only a day old.
After days and weeks
of pontication about
promoter contracts, Qataris
and missing Russian
money, last Wednesday
morning, the World Rally
Championship was all
about one thing: tyres.
What a refreshing change.
Instead of talking due
diligence, the chatter was
soft or supersoft and studs
for Burzet. Brilliant.
The rst stage was
reckoned to be pretty clear
of ice, but a handful of miles
down the road towards St
Martial, there was plenty of
the stuff. Citroen and Mini
World champion drops almost a minute to Jari-Matti Latvala
on opening leg before powering to a commanding victory
DAVID EVANS
reports
went with the soft Michelin
on SS1, while Ford went
even softer.
Loeb led, but Sordo
remained a thorn in the
side of the Parisian WRC
asphalt attack. The former
employee of the Versailles
rm delighted in stopping
the clocks just one second
down on his former
team-mate. Unfortunately
for Sordo, smacking a wall
left his John Cooper Works
WRC toeing out on the
second stage. Astonishingly
and unofcially, Prodrives
split times indicated Sordo
only lost three 3s to Loeb
despite driving the partially
crabbing Mini at-chat for
12 miles. Sordo lunched in
fourth, and he had a great
tale to tell too.
The car was not so easy
to drive with the wheel like
this, he said. When the
road was straight, the only
way was to be absolutely
at-out; this makes the
front wheels drag the rear
straight. If you go anything
less than at, the car is
like this
The demonstration
involved a wiggle of his
backside and half a turn of
imaginary opposite lock.
And the kind of big grin a
driver sports when theyve
just added a chapter to the
Boys Own Annual.
Sordos trouble and a
similar incident for Fiesta
RS WRC driver Evgeny
Novikov was rmly cast
into the shade by a quite
Xxxxxxwas Loebs
closest challenger
Ice cool Loebs
majestic Monte
RALLYE MONTE CARLO
Valence, January 17-22
ROUND 1/13
WINNER
Sebastien Loeb/Daniel
Elena 4h32m39.9s
RALLY RATING

Good but not great

Monte, typical
brilliance from Loeb
DRIVERS STANDINGS
Loeb 28pts
Sordo 18pts
P. Solberg 15pts
POWERSTAGE WINNER
Loeb
MILESTONES
l Monte returns to the
WRC for the rst time
since 2008
l Petter Solbergs rst
Monte podium
Ogier ran as high as
fourth before crashing
January 26 2012 autosport.com 51
extraordinary performance
from Latvala.
Ahead of the event,
Latvala was the realists
realist. There was, he
insisted, no chance he could
beat Loeb in the Alps.
Stage two probably
changed his mind a little
bit. He took 52s out of
a clean-running Loeb.
Fifty-two seconds. That
simply doesnt happen.
But it does on the Monte
With the studded option
in the boot, both Citroen
and Ford tted them for the
second stage and both
went for the novel diagonal
approach, with a slick and
a stud on the front and
rear of the car.
Having struggled to
manage the overheating
supersoft on the rst
test, Latvala found his tyre
choice came into its own on
SS2. While he admitted
his strategy meant the car
handled in a slightly odd
fashion, understeering on
50 per cent of the corners
and oversteering on the
other 50 per cent, marrying
the softest Michelin with
the equally pliable studded
boot worked a treat. The
slightly harder racer on
Loebs Citroen didnt work
quite as well and Latvala
hauled time out of the
eight-time world champion
like never before.
It was quite good, said
the new leader. We took
some risks to do this, we
were pushing, but it worked.
I admit I was worried after
the rst one, it was a lot
of stress losing the time to
Loeb. But this is the winter
and this is Monte Carlo, so
you must forget the stress
and get on with it.
The decision from Latvala
and Ford was a brave one
especially since they had
never tested the set-up
before. Latvalas team-mate
Petter Solberg had done
something similar before,
on a wet rst morning in
Germany last year, when
he took diagonally mixed
wets and slicks. And it was
Solberg who told Latvala
it would work.
But not for the
Norwegian. Unwilling to
load all its eggs into one
basket, Ford made the call
for Solberg to stay on the
supersoft tyre for the
second stage. Before
reminding him rmly
about the super-slick miles
of ice awaiting him.
Solberg hammered his
way out of Burzet, taking
18s out of everybody before
he hit the ice. He tip-toed
We have a good lead
now, said Loeb, but look
what happened today.
And anything can happen
tomorrow. Today was about
two tyre choices, the bad
one this morning and the
good one this afternoon.
Now I understand what
happened in the second
stage, because everybody
who took the tyres I took
this morning for the same
stage this afternoon was
either slow or off the road!
Just off the podium in
fourth place was another
staggering story that of
Sebastien Ogier and his
Skoda Fabia S2000. Just
when the Frenchman was
coming to terms with the
fact that he wouldnt be
ghting at the front of
the eld, he arrived on the
Monte and began ghting
at the front of the eld.
Ogiers inch-perfect
approach allied to solid tyre
choices on both loops were
enough for him to turn
plenty of heads when he
arrived back in Valence
on Wednesday evening.
Whether Ogier would
be able to stave off a
fast-recovering Novikov on
day two would be another
matter and his Citroen
replacement Mikko
Hirvonen was also lining
him up from 8s back in
sixth position.
Hirvonens debut day
with Citroen could have
been better. He played
himself in steadily through
the morning and then
broke a brake disc against
a wall, depriving himself
of anchors on his DS3
WRCs right-rear for
much of the afternoon.
Just behind Hirvonen was
another hero of the hour:
Tyre choice proved
crucial to Loebs win
his way through and got
to the end of the stage
second fastest and up
to third overall.
Ford was a happy place
at Wednesday lunchtime,
but there was a degree of
bemusement at Citroen.
For the afternoon, Loeb
went with a mixture of soft
and supersoft tyres, while
Ford elected to save its
supersofts, going one step
harder than Citroen.
There was precious
little to split Loeb and
Latvala on the third stage,
the Frenchman taking four
tenths from the leader.
Mirroring Latvalas choice
from the morning, Loeb
would get his chance to
retake the lead the second
time through Burzet.
And he was absolutely on
it. Loeb pushed like mad,
while Latvala put his Ford
on its roof.
The Finn candidly
admitted he was to blame
for rolling his Ford over
a wall and into a ditch.
I heard the note from
[co-driver] Miikka [Anttila],
but I heard the word ice
and was then looking for
the ice instead of focusing
on the fact that the corner
tightened. We slid wide,
I thought I might get away
with it, but the rear of the
car hit the wall and ipped
us over.
The good news for Ford
is that Solberg remained
rmly in the ght, albeit
a minute off leader Loeb
and a second off end of
day runner-up Sordo.
The Spaniard turned in
an exceptional afternoon
performance to nose his
way back up to second.
But, once again, everybody
was following one man.
Latvala took 52s
out of Loeb on SS2
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WRC MONTE CARLO
52 autosport.com January 26 2012
Petter Solberg was
on sparkling form
Patchy Citroen
debut for Hirvonen
Francois Delecour.
The former Monte winner
took time to acquaint
himself with his Fiesta RS
WRC, but ended the day
in ne style, second fastest
on SS4.

POSITIONS AFTER LEG ONE
1 LOEB/ELENA 1h30m30.1s
2 SORDO/DEL BARRIO +1m04.2s
3 SOLBERG/PATTERSON +1m05.2s
4 OGIER/INGRASSIA +2m21.3s
5 NOVIKOV/GIRAUDET +2m26.5s
6 HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN +2m30.0s
LEG TWO (81.87 miles)
OVERCAST AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
RANGE ON STAGES -2 - 9C
The Citroen van that red
up in the hotel car park
broke the silence just
before seven oclock in the
morning last Wednesday.
A red-jacketed one had
been dispatched, as usual,
to warm the transport from
bedroom to service park
for rally leader Loeb a
modern-day take on the
public school tradition
of fagging, if you like.
But it was all largely
unnecessary this time
around. Screens were clear,
the big freeze had warmed.
Surely tyre choice would be
a cinch this time around.
You think? smiled
Loeb.
Apparently not.
Comparatively warm as
it was 127 metres above
sea level in Valence, the
mercury was still dipping
below zero 1000 metres
higher where the stages
were. In the end, Loeb
played safe and bolted on
the softest of the soft
tyres.
While playing it safe,
he went fastest on all three
of the morning stages and
extended his lead by a
further 23s. He then got
out of his car, sat on the
bonnet and relayed a tale of
no trouble before lunch.
It was a nice morning,
he said, the three best
times were good. The tyres
were a compromise. It was
nice to be safe for the rst
two stages, but then on the
last one they were maybe
too soft. We had heard of
some ice on the rst stage,
but really it had gone when
we were there. There was
some bits of frost, but
nothing so bad.
Loeb had run the
Michelins on the same
corners for all three stages,
not even swapping fronts
for rears to maximise
the grip.
Im too lazy for that,
he smiled.
With an eye to sky, Loeb
pondered the weather for
the afternoon. Would he
like some snow?
It would be more funny
to have some snow, more
interesting, more Monte
Carlo, he said. But now
I am here with a good lead
and I would prefer it to stay
dry and consistent. But,
I dont think I can change
the weather
Staving off the snow was
about the only thing out
of reach for Loeb and his
seemingly God-like touch
on this event.
Loebs hopes of a clean
sweep of the days six
stages were spoiled on the
re-run Labatie dAndaure-
Lalouvesc test, which went
to Sordo albeit only by a
margin of 0.2s.
While Loeb was reveling
in the relative comfort
(dont forget where we
are) of his big lead, Sordo
remained in the middle of a
massive scrap to be rst in
line for any crumbs that fell
from Citroens table.
Solberg had taken second
on the mornings opener.
The sole remaining Ford
factory driver had left
service with a soft
compound cover on each
corner of his car, but when
he arrived at the start of the
stage, he bolted on a couple
of supersofts on the
left-hand side.
That was quite tricky
actually, he said at the stage
nish. Once we got heat
into them, it was okay. Im
not taking any big risks, just
trying to keep it steady.
With Latvala out,
Solbergs presence at the
nish was required more
than ever. And that thought
would never be far from his
mind. And if it did drift,
there were plenty ready
to remind him.
Sordo hit straight back
in the next stage, a 15-mile
loop to and from St Bonnet.
The supersoft-shod Mini
was 2.2s faster, to retake
second place by 0.3s.
I really tried in there, he
said. The road was slippery
in patches, but okay.
One stage later and Sordo
was back to third.
The last stage this
morning was twisty near
the start, explained the
Mini man. I think we
lost some time there.
No other finishers
January 26 2012 autosport.com 53
REPORT
WRC MONTE CARLO
Abbring was the highest
placed S2000 finisher
Delecour starred
in his hired Fiesta
Mature drive netted
fifth for Evgeny Novikov

Craig Breen had a

plan. This was his
first ever Monte
Carlo Rally and he wasnt in
a gambling mood. He was
ready to play it safe, bag some
experience and make the trip
through France from Valence
over the mountains to the
Mediterranean.
He did all of that and took
his Fiesta to the Principality
to take a debut win on the
SWRC opener.
Breen had spent much of the
event in second place to P-G
Anderssons Proton, but when
the Swedes Satria-Neo S2000
suffered a fire on the final run
up the Turini, his seven-minute
lead was lost and the
Derbyshire-based teams
dream start was destroyed.
Returning to the WRC for
the first time since winning
the PWRC title in 2002,
Anderssons team-mate
Giandomenico Basso made an
inauspicious start, retiring
on SS1 when he hit a wall at
100mph. But Andersson got
quicker and quicker until a
fuel-related problem caused
his Proton to combust on
Fridays penultimate test.
Its so disappointing, said
Andersson. I couldnt believe
what had happened. We put
the fire out and then it began
to sink in what had happened.
We led for so long
Breen was magnanimous
in victory, saying: That really
wasnt the way we want to win
this rally. P-G has driven really
well, but thats the way it goes
sometimes. Weve got some
great experience, this rally
really is every bit as hard as
people say it is. We had some
punctures along the way,
but we stuck to our plan
and weve made it.
Breen was the only
registered finisher in the
SWRC category, but there
was plenty of S2000-based
entertainment on the event,
with VW Motorsport driver
Kevin Abbring winning the
class in his Skoda Fabia
S2000. The Dutchman, who
celebrated his 23rd birthday
on the event, turned in a
faultless performance to match
the 12th overall he scored on
his first VW outing on Rally GB
last November.
PWRC
Michal Kosciuszko collected
what was probably the most
straightforward victory of his
career on last weeks Monte
Carlo Rally.
In a field of three cars, the
Polish Mitsubishi driver took
a minute lead on the opening
23-mile run from Le Moulinon
to Antraigues. Lorenzo Bertelli
was briefly second before the
gearbox on his Lancer cried
enough and left him stranded
before the start of SS2.
So, after two stages,
Kosciuszkos lead was up
to 21 minutes from Britains
Louise Cook. The 25-year-old
Ford Fiesta driver endured
a baptism of fire on her debut
in the PWRC, but made it to
the finish with second-
placed points.
Kosciuszkos only problem
came on the first run over
Turini where the car lunched
its front differential. I thought
it might be the end, he said.
But my co-driver kept me cool
and we drove. The team then
did an incredible job to make
the car right again. This was
a very tough event for a
Group N car.
Swiss Olivier Burri wasnt
registered for PWRC points,
but the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
driver took a comprehensive
class win in Group N.
SWRC
Proton fire hands victory to Breen
Craig Breen wasnt
expecting to win
SWRC Round 1 of 8
POS DRIVER/NAVIGATOR CAR TIME
1 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts Ford Fiesta S2000 4h57m06.2s
Perusal of the times
revealed a 3.7s decit
to Solberg.
We need to nd more,
said Sordo quietly.
Back out of service, he
found it on the rst stage
of the loop, running faster
than anybody to close the
gap on second to 1.5s, only
for Solberg to add another
0.9s on St Bonnet. But, on
an inspired run through the
days muddy nal stage,
Sordo smashed his rival
to the tune of 6s a huge
margin in a day of nibbles
here and there. The Mini
was 3.7s ahead of the Ford
on Thursday night.
Its incredible! said
Solberg, what a ght.
Ogiers hold on fourth
place began to slip as the
conditions dried. But still,
on the rst run at the loops
slippiest stage from
Lamastre to Alboussiere
the Skoda screamed its way
to fourth fastest time, 2.4s
faster than Hirvonen. Ogier
wasnt going down without
a ght.
It was on that same stage
a few hours later, with the
Frenchman risking all, that
he went off. The Fabia ran
out of grip on a fast, fast
left-hander and hit the
wall hard. Co-driver Julien
Ingrassia suffered an arm
injury; the Fabia was
nished, the well-scattered
Skoda testament to the
pace and commitment the
crew had put in.
With Ogier out, blushes
were being saved left, right
and centre. Suddenly
Hirvonen was back into
fourth and not looking
quite so awkward. The Finn
was still struggling to nd
condence in the damp, but
said he was making strides
in the dry. Just behind him
was Novikovs trouble-free
Fiesta. Delecour was sixth
despite an intercom
problem that caused him to
smack a wall, removing the
bumper in St Bonnet.
I thought it was
nished, he said of his
Fiesta at the end of the
stage. It wasnt. The dream
goes on. For Delecour, its
still 1994
POSITIONS AFTER LEG TWO
1 LOEB/ELENA 2h45m56.9s
2 SORDO/DEL BARRIO +1m37.2s
3 SOLBERG/PATTERSON +1m40.9s
4 HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN +3m40.3s
5 NOVIKOV/GIRAUDET +3m51.5s
6 DELECOUR/SAVIGNONI +5m19.3s

LEG THREE (48.03 miles)
RAIN/FOG THEN DRY AMBIENT
TEMPERATURE RANGE ON STAGES
0 - 14C
Verglas. A precise
translation is tricky. Broadly
speaking, its black ice. But
its also more than that.
Its that buttock-clenching
moment on wet, shiny P
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54 autosport.com January 26 2012
tar, when the air
temperature has risen,
but the ground hasnt
quite caught up.
For a further description,
ask Petter Solberg
Finally, last Friday
morning, this years Monte
delivered the kind of
rallying Russian roulette
which had been missing
until day three. The
temperatures were slightly
higher than expected. It
may snow, it may not; the
ice may have melted, it may
not. And what was good for
the days rst stage could be
catastrophic for the next
one. Classic Monte lotto.
And guess what? Loeb
called it right.
He diagonally mixed
supersofts and studs on the
rst one before tting his
two spare spikes for the
second stage.
It was tough in the rst
stage, said Loeb. There
was some fog and the tyre
wasnt perfect, but on the
second stage, when the ice
came I could relax. I knew
I was on the right tyre.
Relax?
Maybe not relax, he
said. The ice was terrible
and not where I expected.
The conditions had changed
a lot since the ice crew went
through. Every corner I was
looking, looking, is it here?
It was quite scary, but with
the studs I could nd the
rhythm. But I wouldnt like
to have been Petter
Ah, yes, Solberg and that
Verglas description.
F*****g hell! said
Solberg. I couldnt believe
it. We had winter tyres on
the front, but no studs and
slicks on the back. We were
aquaplaning for 100 metres
at a time and when we were
aquaplaning, we were trying
to slow down without
spinning on black ice.
Unbelievable.
He and Chris Patterson
did spin, though.
At three kilometres per
hour, said the laconic
Patterson. Fortunately, we
had experience of being on
the wrong tyres in those
stages; we were on slicks
in full snow last year!
Ironically, Solbergs
choice of covers had been
right for the days opener.
He was quickest in a Ford
for the rst time in more
than a decade and moved
9.5s clear of Sordo. But
then it all went wrong and
he shipped close to two
minutes compared with
Hirvonens maiden
benchmark for Citroen. And
the ght for second was all
but done. Studless winters
all around left the Mini
almost a minute clear.
By comparison with the
morning, the afternoons
dash over Col de Perty, on
the way to Monaco, was
entirely straightforward.
Hirvonen posted his second
fastest time in a DS3 to
close the gap to Solberg,
who suffered a puncture,
to 39.3s.
Novikov and Delecour
rounded out an increasingly
spaced-out top six.
POSITIONS AFTER LEG THREE
1 LOEB/ELENA 3h31m25.2s
2 SORDO/DEL BARRIO +2m12.4s
3 SOLBERG/PATTERSON +3m19.2s
4 HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN +3m43.0s
5 NOVIKOV/GIRAUDET +4m28.2s
6 DELECOUR/SAVIGNONI +6m39.1s

LEG FOUR (55.67 miles)
SUNNY AMBIENT TEMPERATURE RANGE
ON STAGES 2 - 14 CELSIUS
Loeb might not have been
a massive fan of the huge
road section from Valence
to Monaco (interrupted by
the 20 miles of joy of SS13),
but he liked Saturday
mornings Monte itinerary.
Because it didnt exist. His
rst commitment to his
employer was at 1315 when
STAGE TIMES
Sordo got away
with a knock on SS2
Campana finished
seventh for Mini
Tenacious Sordo
finished second
SS1 LE MOULINON-ANTRAIGUES
(22.91 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 24m04.0s
Leader: Loeb
SS2 BURZET-ST MARTIAL (18.94
MILES)
Fastest: Latvala 21m28.2s
Leader: Latvala
SS3 LE MOULINON-ANTRAIGUES
(22.91 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 23m47.0s
Leader: Latvala
SS4 BURZET-ST MARTIAL (18.94
MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 20m18.2s
Leader: Loeb
SS5 LABATIE DANDAURE-
LALOUVESC (11.80 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 11m22.5s
Leader: Loeb
SS6 ST BONNET-ST JULIEN -
ST BONNET (15.67 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 12m37.7s
Leader: Loeb
SS7 LAMASTRE-GILHOC-
ALBOUSSIERE (13.45 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 13m41.8s
Leader: Loeb
SS8 LABATIE DANDAURE-
LALOUVESC (11.80 MILES)
Fastest: Sordo 11m14.9s
Leader: Loeb
SS9 ST BONNET-ST JULIEN -
ST BONNET (15.67 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 12m29.6s
Leader: Loeb
SS10 LAMASTRE-GILHOC
ALBOUSSIERE (13.45 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 14m00.1s
Leader: Loeb
SS11 ST JEAN EN ROYANS-FONT
DURLE (14.46 MILES)
Fastest: P. Solberg 12m08.6s
Leader: Loeb
SS12 CIMETIERE VASSIEUX-
COL DE GAUDISSART (14.99M)
Fastest: Hirvonen15m47.7s
Leader: Loeb
SS13 MONTAUBAN-EYGALAYES
(18.57 MILES)
Fastest: Hirvonen 17m08.7s
Leader: Loeb
SS14 MOULINET-LA BOLLENE
VESUBIE (14.54 MILES)
Fastest: Hirvonen 15m38.4s
Leader: Loeb
SS15 LANTOSQUE-LUCERAM
(11.68 MILES)
Fastest: P. Solberg 12m57.0s
Leader: Loeb
SS16 MOULINET-LA BOLLENE
VESUBIE (14.54 MILES)
Fastest: P. Solberg 15m45.2s
Leader: Loeb
SS17 LANTOSQUE-LUCERAM
(11.68 MILES)
Fastest: P. Solberg 13m05.8s
Leader: Loeb
SS18 STE AGNES-COL DE LA
MADONE (3.20 MILES)
Fastest: Loeb 3m27.8s
Leader: Loeb
January 26 2012 autosport.com 55
he was expected to present
his Citroen for service.
Loeb could deal with that.
And, in the afternoon,
a race over the Turini to
La Bollene, a dash down
the D2565 to Lantosque
then up and over the D73
to Luceram. All that was
missing was a run at the
hairpins up to Col de Braus,
otherwise this was the
perfect post-lie-in
afternoon. And the best bit?
Another go in the evening.
And the extra best bit?
Loeb set out with a
two-minute lead and came
home with more. The
Monte was his. And hed
had fun taking it. His
co-driver Daniel Elenas
waves to the crowd on the
Turini conrmed that.
Behind him, Sordo was
safe in second. He had been
a little bit spooked by his
Minis lethargy out of
corners on the rst loop,
but a couple of tweaks at
the evening service sorted
that for the night run.
Solberg was the man in
the mood through Saturday.
Quickest on three of the
four stages, he was having
an absolute ball largely
because it wasnt his car
and he wasnt having to
worry about whether hed
remembered to book the
freight to Mexico for round
three. This was Solberg and
Patterson back to their
absolute best. In the end,
long as this years Monte
was, it wasnt quite long
enough for Solberg to hustle
Sordo for second again.
In the drying conditions,
Hirvonen also felt much
more at home in the
Citroen, but realised there
was nothing to be gained in
a risky pursuit of Solberg.
Novikov found a new level
of maturity to nish a
RALLY ROUTE
Starting from Valence, the first three days of the event ran around the Drome,
Ardeche, Haute-Loire and Vercors regions. The weekend was spent in Monaco and
the Alpes Maritimes, with two runs one in the dark over the Col de Turini.
CLASS WINNERS WRC: Loeb/Elena; SWRC:
Breen/Roberts; PWRC: Kosciuszko/
Szczepaniak. Starters /finishers: 136/54;
Leaders: SS1 Loeb; SS2-3 Latvala; SS4-18 Loeb
Brake and driveshaft issues
left Henning Solberg 13th
Dominant performance
earned Loeb the trophy
REPORT
WRC MONTE CARLO
superb fth, despite
running the wrong tyres
on the rst Saturday loop.
Delecour delighted the
locals with sixth; the
49-year-old set some
exceptional stage times on
his way to a great result in
his hired Ford. He handed
the wheel over to retiring
co-driver Dominique
Savignoni for Sundays
powerstage to offer his
friend an unforgettable
career nale.
Pierre Campana was
equally merit-worthy on
his Mini debut. He might
not have been able to match
Sordos pace, but he
brought the 52 car home
without a mark on it and
he was ahead of young Ford
star Ott Tanak, who was
eighth after an experience-
gaining exercise aboard the
Fiesta hed shunted in the
pre-event test.
Standing on the roof of
his Citroen on the Col de
la Madone enjoying the
Sunday sunshine, Loeb was
a happy man. Hed won the
powerstage and dominated
the Monte.
This is my rally, he
smiled. And nobody was
about to disagree.
18 SPECIAL STAGES, 269.277 MILES
POS NO DRIVER/NAVIGATOR CAR TIME
1 1 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroen DS3 WRC 4h32m39.9s
2 37 Dani Sordo/Carlos Del Barrio Mini John Cooper WRC +2m45.5s
3 4 Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson Ford Fiesta RS WRC +3m14.2s
4 2 Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen Citroen DS3 WRC +4m06.8s
5 6 Evgeny Novikov/Denis Giraudet Ford Fiesta RS WRC +6m03.4s
6 8 Francois Delecour/D Savignoni Ford Fiesta RS WRC +7m47.9s
7 52 Pierre Campana/Sabrina de Castelli Mini John Cooper WRC +8m31.4s
8 5 Ott Tanak/Kuldar Sikk Ford Fiesta RS WRC +10m34.6s
9 21 Martin Prokop/Jan Tomanek Ford Fiesta RS WRC +16m10.7s
10 12 Armindo Araujo/Miguel Ramalho Mini John Cooper WRC +16m16.6s
OTHERS
R 15 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Citroen DS3 WRC SS10-acc
R 11 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila Citroen DS3 WRC SS4-acc
CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE
POS DRIVER PTS
1 Sebastien Loeb 28
2 Dani Sordo 18
3 Petter Solberg 15
4 Mikko Hirvonen 14
5 Evgeny Novikov 11
6 Francois Delecour 8
7 Pierre Campana 6
8 Ott Tanak 4
9 Martin Prokop 2
10 Armindo Araujo 1
MANUFACTURERS POINTS
1 Citroen Total WRT 37
2 Mini WRC Team 26
3 M-Sport Ford WRT 16
RESULTS Rallye Monte-Carlo, January 17-22, round 1 of 13
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Lets face it, Grand-Am cars were ugly. But theyve been in for cosmetic surgery,
and now the series is keyed up for a momentum boost. By GARY WATKINS
N
o-one has ever doubted the
quality of the racing, the
standard of the top teams
or the level of the best
drivers. Yet Grand-Ams
Daytona Prototype division has quite
literally had an image problem: the cars
were just plain ugly. Thats changing
for 2012 with a new breed of DP, which,
no matter what the series bosses say,
has clearly been devised to reinvigorate
a class that has been treading water.
A new era starts for Grand-Am at
this weekends Daytona 24 Hours with
the introduction of the so-called
generation-3 cars. The large cockpit
or greenhouse sections of the old
cars are gone, while Chevrolet has
introduced its own bodyshape styled
after the latest-shape Corvette.
The flying facelifs
and car looks better
than last years winner
The ugly ducklings have truly turned
into beautiful swans, at least in terms
of the Corvette-bodied Rileys, Dallaras
and Coyotes. Their svelte shape will
stand in stark contrast to the older
gen-2 cars that are allowed to run
for one more season.
The new look is important for a
category that had stalled, at least in
terms of the most obvious measure
of the success of a class: the number
of cars on the grid.
The DP class wasnt going
anywhere, reckons Wayne Taylor,
whose SunTrust-sponsored team has
reworked its Dallara to run the Corvette
body. It was just plodding along.
The cars nally look like prototypes.
The series clearly needed a change
of face, and this is it. The Corvette,
DAYTONA
preview
2012
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Ganassi team of Riley-
BMWs will be in frame
Gavin/Westbrook
drive SoD Coyote
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PREVIEW
DAYTONA 24 HOURS
The rate of growth in
the series had slowed;
it had lost momentum
Riley boss Bill Riley
gures. That is pretty amazing in
the current economy.
The DP car count for Daytona is
actually down for this year just
14 cars on the entry list compared
with the 18 that turned out last
year. On the other hand, this winter
provided the biggest output of
new DP chassis in years.
The majority of the top teams have
chosen to have new cars built rather
than modify their existing machinery.
Three new Corvette-bodied Coyote
chassis have been built by Pratt &
Miller, Chevrolets long-time partner
in sportscar racing, and there will be
four of Rileys new DPG3 MkXXVIs,
in particular, has generated a lot
of media interest.
Bill Riley, whose eponymous
cars have long dominated both the
entry list and the results sheets in
Grand-Am, agrees.
The rate of growth in the series had
slowed; it had lost momentum, he
says. People are nally talking about
Grand-Am and the DP class again.
The new look has worked.
Grand-Am sees it slightly differently,
of course. Series president Tom
Bledsoe merely calls the new cars a
freshen-up and an evolution. He
atly denies that the DP category
needed saving and doesnt like
the term treading water.
The only metric [measure] that
corresponds to that term is the car
count, he says. All other metrics
have been on the upswing for the past
two years. That includes sponsorship,
race attendances and TV viewing
FORMER DAYTONA WINNER
Max Angelelli, who set the pace
aboard SunTrust Racings
Corvette-bodied Dallara-
Chevrolet at the official test
earlier this month, isnt making
too many predictions ahead of
the Daytona 24 Hours. He might
have set the times, but he
reckons there are too many
unknowns to make a trip to
the bookmakers worthwhile.
The test, he believes, gave
few indicators to the relative
pace of the Corvette-bodied
cars and the generic or
standard Rileys run by the
likes of Chip Ganassi Racing,
Starworks Motorsport and
Michael Shank Racing.
Have they balanced the cars
correctly? I dont know, he
says. But I do know that Grand-
Am has put a lot of effort in
trying to achieve equality.
The new cars have a lot
of unproven components, so
everyone will have to manage
their pace during the early
stages. I think the true picture
of everyones speed will only
unfold during the race.
The usual suspects
Ganassi, GAINSCO/Bob
Stallings and Action Express
will all be in the mix. Angelelli
also believes the Spirit of
Daytona Coyote-Chevrolet
will be strong. And, for an
outside bet, hes tipping
the Krohn Racing Lola.
Krohn is our main opponent
from the gen-2 runners, he
says. That car is a tank; they
can hit the wall and continue
as though nothing has
happened. Theyve been up
there for the past couple of
years and one day theyre
going to have a clean run.
Angelelli in the dark
SIX OF THE BEST
01 Chip
Ganassi
Racing
Riley-BMW Joey Hand/Scott Pruett/
Graham Rahal/Memo Rojas
02 Chip
Ganassi
Racing
Riley-BMW Dario Franchitti/Scott
Dixon/Jamie McMurray/
Juan Pablo Montoya
5 Action
Express
Racing
Coyote-Chevrolet
(Corvette)
David Donohue/Christian
Fittipaldi/Darren Law
10 SunTrust
Racing
Dallara-Chevrolet
(Corvette)
Max Angelelli/Ricky Taylor/
Ryan Briscoe
76 Krohn
Racing
Lola-Ford Nic Jonsson/Ricardo Zonta/
Colin Braun/Tracy Krohn
90 Spirit of
Daytona
Coyote-Chevrolet
(Corvette)
Oliver Gavin/Richard
Westbrook/Antonio Garcia
Corvette-styled
SunTrust Dallara
2
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January 26 2012 autosport.com 59
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The new rules were
about making the cars
a little more sexy
Grand-Ams Tom Bledsoe
Grand-Ams two classes
slog it out for 24 hours
The international racing
season starts right here
PREVIEW
DAYTONA 24 HOURS
DAYTONA
preview
2012
the latest evolution of its ultra-
successful MkXI/XX design, on
the grid at Daytona International
Speedway on Saturday afternoon.
Grand-Am is expecting up to 12
of the 14 DPs racing this weekend to
continue for the full season and believes
more cars will arrive over the course of
the 13-round series. The introduction
of a new Endurance Championship, a
series within a series that combines
the existing long-distance blue-riband
events at Daytona and Watkins Glen
with the new-for-2012 Indianapolis
round on the Brickyard 400 undercard,
will also have a benecial effect on
entries, according to Bledsoe.
We are expecting a bump in entries
at Indy and hoping for one at the Glen
too, he says. We expect Ganassi,
which normally only runs two cars
at the Rolex [Daytona], to have two
cars in the endurance championship.
Were also hoping for some
crossover from other disciplines,
whether it be NASCAR or IndyCar.
We hope people will get a taste of
what we do and how we do it, and
then come and join us for more
races or the full series in the future.
Bledsoe is also predicting that more
manufacturers will do a Chevrolet and
produce their own DP bodyshapes, and
points out that Ford and BMW are
already involved, through private
tuners, as engine suppliers. And hes
not ruling out new constructors joining
Riley, Dallara, Coyote and Lola.
The new rules were about making
the cars a little more sexy, but mostly
we wanted the manufacturers to be
able to brand a car, says Bledsoe. It
has always been in the rules that a
manufacturer could do its own body
and brand a car [remember the Ford
Focus-badged Multimatic of the early
years of the DP category?], but they
didnt have the ability to do that
much in terms of styling. We have
given them more scope.
Sunrise on the banking,
and a long way to go
We expect to have a couple more
manufacturers get involved, says
Bledsoe. The branding opportunity
weve given them with the new
rules will open a lot of doors.
Grand-Am isnt predicting miracles
this year; in fact, Bledsoe says hed be
happy to have just 10 DPs on the grid,
but hes already talking about 20 cars
for next year. That would give Grand-
Am the quantity in its premier class
to go with the quality it already has.
RISI COMPETIZIONE
Ferrari driver Toni Vilander was
blown away by Daytona when
he turned up for the official test
at the start of January. Not so
much by the place itself,
because he ended up fastest
on only his second visit to the
Speedway, but by the quality
of the entry in the GT class.
I couldnt believe it when
I walked around the paddock
and saw all the big names that
are there, says Vilander, who is
making his Daytona 24 Hours
debut this weekend. There
were a lot of factory drivers
from Porsche and BMW as well.
It seems the 50th anniversary
[of the race] has turned on
all the manufacturers.
And that includes Ferrari,
which is represented by long-
time American Le Mans Series
participant Risi and AF Corse.
Risi runs a pair of Ferraris new
GT3-based Grand-Am 458
Italias with a roster of drivers
that includes Gianmaria Bruni
and Giancarlo Fisichella, while
AF fields a solo car in a joint
venture with NASCAR team
Michael Waltrip Racing.
Like Daytona Prototype
pacesetter Angelelli, Vilander
is wary of making predictions.
I dont think we can say
who is going to be the main
competition on the basis of
the test, he says. Im sure
we are going to see a lot
of cars going quicker in
qualifying and then the race.
There are a lot of strong
Porsches, but Im not counting
out the BMWs or the Audis.
GT: Too close to call
SIX OF THE BEST
23 Alex Job
Racing
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Emmanuel Collard/Marco
Holzer/Butch Leitzinger/
Cooper MacNeil
45 Flying
Lizard
Motorsports
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Jorg Bergmeister/Patrick
Long/Mike Rockenfeller/
Seth Neiman
57 Stevensen
Motorsports
Chevrolet Camaro
GT.R
Robin Liddell/Ronnie
Bremer/John Edwards
62 Risi
Competizione
Ferrari 458 Italia Gianmaria Bruni/Giancarlo
Fisichella/Raphael Matos
63 Risi
Competizione
Ferrari 458 Italia Toni Vilander/Olivier
Beretta/Andrea Bertolini
83 Turner
Motorsport
BMW M3 Bill Auberlen/Dirk Muller/
Jorg Muller/Paul dalla
Lana/Michael Marsal
AF Ferrari and
Waltrip team up
DAYTONA
preview
2012
Daytonas big sportscar race began in 1962 with a host of racings
top stars. Fifty years on its the same story. By GARY WATKINS
T
he grid is packed full of stars
from around the US and the
rest of the world. There are
sportscar drivers, NASCAR
drivers, Indycar drivers and,
a clue that this isnt 2012, Formula 1
drivers. Its 1962, and the rst running
of the early-season Daytona endurance
classic, which celebrates its 50th
anniversary this weekend.
The rst sportscar enduro at the new
Daytona speedbowl, built out of the
swamp by Bill France ahead of the 1959
season, isnt a 24-hour race, but, then
as now, its big news. Just look at the
names on the entry for what is known
as the Daytona 3 Hour Continental.
NASCAR star Edward Glenn Fireball
Roberts is there. AJ Foyt, who took his
rst Indy 500 victory last May, is there.
Both Rodriguez brothers, Ricardo and
Pedro, are there. American legends-
in-the-making Roger Penske and Dan
Gurney are there. And, from the world
of F1, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark and
Phil Hill are all to be found on the
grid. France has worked hard to
bring in the big names.
There was method to Frances
madness. He wanted to put his
new facility on the map, to put the
international into the Daytona
A real race of
champions at 50
International Speedway.
When dad built the Speedway he
called it the DIS, but there wasnt a
whole lot international about NASCAR
in those days, says son Jim France, who
founded the Grand-Am sanctioning
body that runs the Daytona 24 Hours
today. It was just the good ol boys from
the south. He wanted a site for multiple
racing events; dont forget in the rst
year [1959] we ran Indycar races.
Bill Frances interest certainly didnt
just lie in stock car racing, which he
had taken off the beach at Daytona on
the completion of his giant new facility.
He liked sportscar racing, says his
January 26 2012 autosport.com 61
Gurney coasted
to victory in 1962
Helmut Marko (pictured) and
Vic Elford third for Alfa in 72
L-r: Rahal, Garretson
and Redman won in 81
Porsche 911
remains a mainstay
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ANNIVERSARY
DAYTONAS ENDURO
Bill France introduced
me as the British Sedan
Car champion at parties
David Hobbs
Stirling, my hero, was wearing one
of those old two-piece Dunlop racing
suits that would have been next to
useless in the event of a re. He had
taken the top off as he was wont to
do, and was told it was unchristian to
walk around showing so much esh.
Hobbs was beginning a long
relationship with Daytona that
continues to this day. He has either
raced or commentated at nearly
every edition of the enduro.
He disagrees with Jim France about
who was the driving force behind
turning the event into a 24-hour race
for the 1966 season. France reckons
it was his brother, Bill Jr, but Hobbs
is sure that it was Big Bill.
Bill was a visionary, says Hobbs.
He truly liked sportscar racing and
was usually to be seen at the Le Mans
24 Hours. He knew his race needed
to be 24 hours and, being Bill, he
wanted it to be the best 24 Hours.
Daytona stands aloof from the world
order of sportscar racing these days,
but it still conforms to Bill Frances
vision. Just look at the names on the
entry list: Dario Franchitti, Scott
Dixon, Juan Pablo Montoya, AJ
Allmendinger, Paul Tracy, Allan
McNish, Emmanuel Collard, Jorg
Bergmeister, Lucas Luhr
were no transatlatnic ights to
Orlando. Or ights to Orlando full-
stop the airport hadnt been built
yet. Clark and rising sportscar star
David Hobbs ew to New York, and
then drove down together. It was a trip
that took the better part of three days.
There was no interstate in those
days, so it was a long old drive,
remembers Hobbs, who raced a Jaguar
E-type for Peter Berry at the behest
of the Coventry marques competition
boss, Lofty England. It was 1300 miles
at 55mph, or that was the speed
we were meant to be doing.
The two things I remember from
that trip are having to put our hands
on the roof no end of times and Jimmy
commenting on the size of my belly.
Hobbs also remembers being
well looked after by Bill France, who
bizarrely billed him as the British
Sedan Car champion.
I dont know where he got that
from, says Hobbs, but thats what
he kept introducing me as at a string
of parties they organised for us.
Florida 50 years ago wasnt the
cosmopolitan place it has become.
Moss, recalls Hobbs, was admonished
for bearing his torso in the paddock.
son. When he had the track designed,
they put the road course in. It was
designed in from the very beginning.
His goal was to have a big international
sportscar race in addition to the 500.
France Sr had organised a sportscar
race on the New Smyrna Beach
aireld in 1957, while DIS was under
construction, and continued with club
events on the Speedway in 1959-61. No
less than Carroll Shelby won the aireld
race and the rst clubbie run around
the oval in an anti-clockwise direction.
It is a matter of record that Gurney
won in inaugural 3 Hour Continental at
the wheel of a Frank Arciero-entered
Lotus 19B, coasting across the line after
its Coventry Climax engine threw a
rod on the nal lap. And that Foyt was
classied last after retiring after one
lap which he led at the wheel
of a Pontiac Tempest.
Yet for those who were there,
especially the Europeans who had made
the trip, it wasnt the racing that they
remember. It was the event itself on
a circuit that bore no relationship to
anything they had experienced before.
Reaching Daytona Beach back in
1962 wasnt quite the jaunt it is today.
In those pre-Disney World days, there
DAYTONA 24 KEY MOMENTS
1962
The story begins with the Daytona 3 Hour Continental
1964
The races grows in length to 2000km or about 12 hours
1966
The rst Daytona 24 Hours; the Ford GT40 wins
1972
Race cut to six hours to suit new breed of cars
1973
Daytona reinstates 24-hour format
1974
On-going fuel crisis results in cancellation of race
1975
Daytona joins the schedule of the new IMSA series
1981
Last year Daytona counts for World Endurance points
1994
World Sports Car class replaces GTP as premier division
1998
United States Road Racing Association takes over race
2000
Grand-Am assumes control of the event
2003
Daytona Prototypes introduced; GT Porsche wins
2012
Daytonas enduro celebrates its 50th birthday
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Pontrilas
Herefordshire
HR2 0EL
W
ith over 15 years of growth, development and race management
experience, CLUB100boasts an unrivalled status.
CLUB100 has brought powerful arrive-and-drive karting within reach of
everyone. Whichever of our 2-stroke events you choose Test Days, Sprint
or Endurance, all the karts are prepared to an identical standard.
For more information on our various formats, circuits we visit and all of our
upcoming events visit our website.
CLUB100Racing Limited
Bon Accord House, Castle Road, Eurolink Commercial Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3SJ
Tel: +44 (0)1795 422455 Fax: +44 (0)1795 427606 Email: racing@club100.co.uk
www.CLUB100.co.uk
SIMPLY, 2-STROKE KARTING AT ITS BEST...
The highest level of 2-stroke
arrive &drive championship kart racing
in the UKand Europe.
CURRENT
STANDINGS
To see the full list, visit castroldriverrankings.com
Ranking the worlds best drivers
WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK
Dani Sordo was the big gainer this week as his runner-up spot on
Rally Monte Carlo brought him up 73 places to 133rd. Sebastien
Loebs win gained him two spots to seventh while Sebastien Ogier
(13), Mikko Hirvonen (16) and Jari-Matti Latvala (20) lost ground.
1 Sebastian Vettel <> 31,442
2 Mark Webber <> 21,777
3 Jenson Button <> 19,745
4 Lewis Hamilton <> 19,305
5 Fernando Alonso <> 18,663
REPORTS
WORLD OF SPORT
RACE RATING

Local heroes win

again; plenty
of action to
hold the interest
INTERNATIONAL
RACES & RESULTS
TOYOTA RACING SERIES
Timaru (NZ),
Rd 2/5
QUICK RESULTS
Race 1 Nick Cassidy
Race 2 Nick Cassidy
Race 3 Damon Leitch
Points leader Nick Cassidy
January 26 2012 autosport.com 63
Local boys show up visitors
TOYOTA RACING SERIES TIMARU (NZ), JANUARY 21-22, RD 2/5
Bonifacio, Cassidy, Victory
Motor Racings Leitch,
Ferrari Academy driver
Raffaele Marciello (M2), and
Josh Hill (ETEC).
Bonifacio stalled on the
grid for race one, without
getting hit, while van
KIWI DRIVERS Nick Cassidy
and Damon Leitch headed
15 internationals to
dominate the second round
of the Toyota Racing Series
at Timaru.
Cassidy won two of the
races and Leitch the third.
They now stand rst and
second in the points,
well clear of Puerto Rican
Felix Serralles.
Hannes van Asseldonk
qualied on pole ahead of
his Giles Motorsport
team-mates Bruno
Asseldonk was monstered
through the rst three turns
as Leitch, Cassidy and
Serralles shot through.
Cassidy passed Leitch
from the outside at the
end of the straight a
straightforward move, he
said, and nished just ahead
of Leitch and Hill, who had
passed Serralles mid-race.
The 20-lap feature race
for the Timaru Herald
Trophy started on a damp
track with almost everyone
on wet rubber. Bonifacio led
early but van Asseldonk and
Cassidy soon came through.
Cassidy pressured the
Dutchman into a mistake
and then pulled away
on a drying circuit,
backing off late-on to
preserve his rubber.
Serralles also drove well
in the trying conditions to
come in second, ahead of
Jordan King, Jono Lester,
Leitch and Lucas Auer.
The reversed grid nale
featured a rocket start from
Leitch that put him in the
Cassidy leads van
Asseldonk in Race 2
IN BRIEF
GULF 12 HOURS
Marco Cioci passed Ryan Dalziels
United Autosports Audi with only
17 minutes left to snatch victory
for himself and his AF Corse
Ferrari co-drivers Matt Grin and
Piergiuseppe Perazzini.
NEW ZEALAND V8s
Angus Fogg won twice at Timaru
to increase his points lead over
Jason Bargwanna. Fellow Ford
man Simon Richards also won.
ANDROS TROPHY
Alain Prost (Dacia) took the points
lead at St Die des Vosges. Frank
Lagorce (Skoda) and Bertrand
Balas (Mini) won the nals.
LUCAS FORESTI began his year
by winning the Brazil F3
Open for a second time.
Foresti, 19, a race-winner
in British F3 in 2011,
dominated the event as he
won all four races and set
new race and pole lap
records for the category
the latter achievement
coming in spite of a faulty
rear brake pad in qualifying.
The Cesario Formula man
led all four races from start
to nish and won the 16-lap
nal by almost 10s from
Hitechs Formula Renault 3.5
returnee Andre Negrao.
While things looked easy
for Foresti, they were
anything but for his rivals;
Cesario team-mates Pipo
Derani and Fabiano
Machado, and Hitechs
Victor Franzoni driving
wildly especially during
the nal. Three incidents
involving the trio prevented
BRAZIL F3 OPEN INTERLAGOS (BR), JANUARY 20-22
Back-to-back titles
for Foresti in Brazil
any making the podium.
Machados exit from the
nal was as a result of an
incident involving the safety
car. Its driver hesitated
at a restart, forcing the
pack to brake and resulting
in the 2011 Sud-Am
champion being collected
by Higor Hoffmann and
Ricardo Landucci.
Amid the chaos, Vinicius
Alvarenga won the Lights
Foresti was never headed
lead, and from there he
drew clear of Dmitry
Suranovich. Cassidy
overtook Lester at the end
of the straight for third and
closed in on Suranovich,
but could not pass.
Lester held off King and
van Asseldonk, but was
penalised 50s for pushing
Hill off the track. Hill had
spun by himself in race two
but recovered to nish
eighth; this time he could
manage only 18th.
l Bernard Carpinter
RESULTS
Race 1 1 Nick Cassidy, 12 laps
in 12m25.493s; 2 Damon Leitch,
+0.397s; 3 Josh Hill; 4 Felix Serralles;
5 Hannes van Asseldonk; 6 Lucas
Auer. Race 2 1 Cassidy, 20 laps in
21m43.986s; 2 Serralles, +4.453s;
3 Jordan King; 4 Jono Lester; 5 Leitch;
6 Auer. Race 3 1 Leitch, 12 laps in
11m56.901s; 2 Dmitry Suranovich,
+3.657s; 3 Cassidy; 4 Lester;
5 Raaele Marciello; 6 King.
Points 1 Cassidy, 383; 2 Leitch, 372;
3 Serralles, 295; 4 Hill, 261; 5 Van
Asseldonk, 237; 6 Lester, 237.
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class in third place overall.
l Lito Cavalcanti
RESULTS
Final 1 Lucas Foresti (Dallara
F309), 16 laps in 28m20.441s;
2 Andre Negrao (F309), +9.648s;
3 Vinicius Alvarenga (Dallara F301);
4 Raphael Raucci (F301); 5 Pipo
Derani (F309); 6 Victor Guerin
(F309). Semi-nal 1 Foresti, 20 laps
in 30m27.749s; 2 Roberto la Rocca
(F309), +16.195s; 3 Negrao;
4 Ricardo Landucci (F301); 5 Victor
Franzoni (F301); 6 Guerin. Heat 1
1 Foresti, 19 laps in 28m53.724s;
2 Fabiano Machado (F309), +5.281s;
3 Derani; 4 Guerin; 5 La Rocca;
6 Raucci. Heat 2 1 Foresti, 20 laps
in 30m27.355s; 2 Derani, +3.884s;
3 Guerin; 4 Machado; 5 Negrao;
6 La Rocca.
We are currently taking bookings for all British
and European Motorsport events for 2012.
2009 31 Damon 3070
Double slide, LPG, side cameras, sleeps 5 in 3 beds.
9,000 miles. 65,000
FOR SALE FINANCE AVAILABLE FOR SALE FINANCE AVAILABLE
2008 36 Four Winds Magellan
Sleeps 4 in 2 double beds, electric roll out awnings,
onboard generator. SPECIAL OFFER 85,000
Stingray RV is Europes largest RV dealer with bases in
England, France, Sweden, Germany, Holland & Norway.
We are dedicated to supplying luxurious American
motorhomes to a varied range of clients for any
event, anywhere in Europe.
f rance uk sweden germany hol l and norway
www. st i ngrayRV. com
europe s leader in american
motorhome rental & sales
For more information or to hire a home from home:
visit www.stingrayRV.com, call 0870 241 5614
or email simon@stingrayRV.com
2009 32 Four Winds Chateau Citation
Super slide, SKY TV, DVD, CD, air con, sleeps
5 in 3 beds, 9,000 miles. REDUCED TO 55,000
FOR SALE FINANCE AVAILABLE FOR SALE FINANCE AVAILABLE
2008 39 Fleetwood Revolution 40R
Full wall triple slide, cream leather, 2 TVs + DVD +
Satellite, Sleeps 6 in 3 beds. 17,000 miles. 180,000
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TO ADVERTISE IN THE WEB DIRECTORY PLEASE CALL
020 8267 5367 OR E-MAIL autosport.ads@haymarket.com
WEB DIRECTORY
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RACE PRODUCTS
RACEWEAR
RACE PRODUCTS RACE PARTS
AWNINGS BOOKS & DVDS EXHAUSTS GEARBOXES
GEARBOXES
STORAGE WHEELS
HELMET GRAPHICS IN CAR CAMERA MEMORABILIA
MEMORABILIA MODELS MOTORHOMES RACE PARTS
RACEWEAR
RACING OILS
RACING
66
Mike Fairholme Designs
Sole approved painter of Arai helmets.
Silver Birches, Corby Birkholme, Nr Grantham, Lincs NG33 4LE.
Tel: 01476 550630. Fax: 01476 550029.
email: fairholmedesigns@btconnect.com
www.fairholmedesigns.co.uk
Suppliers of: Race & Rally Shelters,
Minililite, Piloti, Moto-lita, Car Covers etc
www.hamiltongrouponline.com
www.eliteracingtransmissions.com
Rally & Race Gearboxes,
GearKits, LSDs and Driveshafts
Tel: 01782 280136 Fax:01782 269913
Email: sales@eliteracingtransmissions.com
TeI. 1327 333
Web. www.brianjames.co.uk
Position Sensors Ltd Position Sensors Ltd
Motorsport Specialist
www.position-sensors.co.uk
LONDON
MOTORSPORT
SHOWROOM
www.msar.co.uk
RACING CARS FOR SALE
ALAN CORNOCK FCS
BUYING - SELLING - BROKERAGE
www.racingcarsforsale.co.uk
TEL: 01480 891212
For Racewear &
Motorsport equipment
Tel : 020 8656 7031
220-222 Portland Road
South Norwood
London SE25 4QB
FORECOURT PARKING
www. croydonr aceandr al l y. co. uk
www.demon-tweeks.co.uk
www.pipercams.co.uk www.pipercams.co.uk
HISTORIC SPORTS RACERS
For a new range of 1/43
scale hand built 1950s
Sports Racing Models visit
www.modelgarage.co.uk
and follow the Online Shop link.
www.listacabinets.co.uk
Tel: 01228560911 / 07733157911
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TRAILERS & TRANSPORTERS
67
A-max range
Clubman & Clubman Tilt-bed
TT Tilt-bed range
Models shown may feature optional equipment
www.brianjames.co.uk Tel. 01327 308833
Race Shuttle RS5
Visit the new Brian James Trailers web site at
www.brianjames.co.uk for full pricing details of the
product range and our extensive national dealer network.
Robust commercial quality components, a 33 year long understanding
of race car transportation and dedication to providing the most
CDjAGCLR RP?GJCPQ ML RFC K?PICR 2FGQ GQ UF?R GR R?ICQ RM APC?RC
an A-max.
2FC QSNCP CDjAGCLR QSNCP D?QR JM?BGLE P?KN
system is what makes this such a popular
trailer. A low, wide loading platform is
another highly attractive feature.
Get your new race season off to a quick and efficient start with a
safe and reliable brand new Brian James Trailer.
The A-max is at the leading edge of trailer efficiency. Every detail is
honed through many years of experience and know how.
ref. 12/01
-DV 8D@QiR DEBHDMBX QDUNKTSHNM
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TRAILERS & TRANSPORTERS
68
Double deck 4 car race
transporter with ofce
on goose neck, 2,000kg
Dhollandia lift, Awning,
Air con, etc.
44,000+vat
Double deck 4 / 5 car transporter,
4m high, Dhollandia Tail Lift, Awning,
Externally refurbished including:
Chassis shot blasted and painted,
New brakes etc, fresh paintwork.
38,000+vat
Year 2010 chassis and conversion by SDC, 1 car
rally transporter, Dhollandia Tail lift, 9kw diesel
generator, living, basic workshop.
55,000+vat
We have 1x freshly converted transporter in stock
nished externally only as per the photos attached,
internally the trailer is empty except for the original
middle deck. Specication: chassis shot blasted
and painted, new brakes shoes, drums, air bag etc,
Dhollandia 2,000kg Tail lift, internal heights 2080mm
lower 1440mm top deck. The trailer can be nished in
any colour. Our order books are now full so the trailer
will be sold part built.
45,550+vat
Year 2004 Man support truck with workshop &
generator, 110,000km from new, (this does not
having a racing spec tail lift)
12,000+vat
3 x Formula car transporter with awning.
24,750+vat
For more information please view our website
www.hopkinsmotorsport.com
or call 01179 509294
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TRAILERS & TRANSPORTERS
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RACE & RALLY CARS
TRAILERS & TRANSPORTERS
70
The race is on for this one-off opportunity.
2011 Ligier JS51 CN
Race eligible for SPEED, VdeV series and various national sportscar series,
this 2011 Ligier JS51 CN is highly competitive, finishing on the podium
on four occasions in 2011. One of the last JS51s to leave the factory, it
features a 2.0 litre Honda engine producing 250 CV mated to a Sadev
6-speed sequential box.
Specification includes:
Lghlweghl bodywork upgrade.
8uspehsoh modcalohs hcudhg Koh dampers.
3 sels o whees.
Ths was reprepared al lhe ehd o 2011 ahd s ready or mmedale
circuit driving. The car s currehly wrapped h bue Howards very, whch
can be removed. It has only competed in four events in its lifetime.
Contact Jonathan Coleman on 07887 661 616 for more information.
Yours for only 57,500.
Howards Motor Group are a family owned multi-franchise motor group
with a range of brands, operating in Weston-super-Mare, Taunton,
Yeovil and Dorchester.
RL 6000
9,500 + vat
www.woodfordtrailers.com sales@woodfordtrailers.com
Call Us Now! tel. 01327 263 384
RL 5000
7,300 + vat
Look Beyond
New Brian James A-Max 120-2200 4.3m Car Trailer, centre deck, winch & 2.4m ramps. 3068
New Brian James A-Max 120-2200 4.3m Car Trailer, centre deck, winch, 2.4m ramps & wheel chocks. 3136
New Brian James A-Max 120-3050 4.3m Car Trailer, centre deck, winch. 3167
New Brian James Clubman 042 4m x 1.85m c/w Safety Pack. 2100 incl. vat
New Brian James Clubman 042 4m x 1.85m c/w Safety Pack & prop stands. 2156 incl. vat
New Brian James Minno Max 106-1050 3.4m x 1.7m, centre deck, manual winch, 2.4m ramps. 2741
New Brian James Hi Max 180-2000 5m x 1.95m, centre deck, adjustable manual winch. 3657
New Brian James Tri-axle TT Tiltbed 250-3560 5m x 2.13m c/w winch & ally loading ramps. 3933
New Brian James RS3 c/w 2.5m ramps, manual winch, spare wheel. 8820
Used 2008 Brian James RS3 c/w 2.5m ramps, manual winch, spare wheel in very good condition. 6995
Used 2010 Brian James RS3 c/w 2.5m ramps, electric winch, spare wheel in very good condition. 7495
Used Brian James A series Covered Car Trailer 12ft x 5ft 7 x 5ft 3 High. 1995
Cargo Tipper, shifters, compact & at/tiltbed in stock.
Visit www.eldfare.co.uk or call for more details.
Prices include vat and factory delivery charge to us.
Unit 1, Ford Farm, Old Malthouse Lane, Ford, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6DR
Current Stock of New & Used Brian James Car Trailers
Main Dealer for
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RACE & RALLY CARS
DRIVES AVAILABLE
FERRARI
FORMULA 3
RACING CARS
71
ENGINEERING PASSION
Multiple Championship winning teamin Saloon and Sport cars
since 1983
Full preparation and trackside support for current,
historic saloon and sports cars.
Tel: 01279 431628 Mobile: 07775 752675
www.marksh.co.uk info@marksh.co.uk
Mini Challenge
Clio Cup
All other Championships considered
Ferrari F430 Challange GTC (2008) with all GT cup modications, low milage, new
pads and discs, GTC aero pack, race suspension, track exhaust and passenger seat.
This car has had many race wins and is in rst class condition ready to go out and win
again this season. Car maintained by FF Corse for the past 5 years.
Priced to sell 85,000
For further information please call Glynn Geddie on 07763304895
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RACE & RALLY CARS
MARKETPLACE
ENGINES
RACING CARS
AWNINGS INSURANCE
72
BTCC Vauxhall Vectra Turbo
Andrew Jordan Pirtek 77
Race winning car, new shell last year,
many new developments and updates 65,000
Jeff Smith ICD 55
Ex. Giovanardi Championship Winner,
many updates 55,000 +Vat
Both cars fully maintained with lifting schedules,
huge spares package available,
call for full details - Mike Jordan on 07831 600 820 or
mike@eurotechracing.co.uk
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Ex Pink Panther car, excellent history.
Fully rebuilt with 0 mile Cosworth DFL.
Good spares package.
155,000
Contact bob@chamberlainsynergy.com for further details
Group C C2Tiga 287
chassis # 351
Group C C2Tiga 286
Chassis #336
ExTim Harvey Chris Hodgetts C2 winning car.
Full rebuilt &turnkey ready to go.
Fantastic value, reliable and cost effective car.
Good spares package. 110,000
Dallara F396 race-ready. Mugen Honda engine, 2 extra sets of wheels, numerous
spares including wishbone pull rods, complete front wing and nose box, etc. Eligible
for MSVR F3 championship (New Trophy Class/Masters Class/Monoposto Class).
Sale price 13,000.00 ONO.
Tel: 07766-465201/07766-465208. 01244-834100 for Jon Gray
TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION OF
PLEASE CALL 8 6 367
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MARKETPLACE
FLOORING MEMORABILIA RACE PRODUCTS
RACE PRODUCTS RACEWEAR
MOTORSPORT WHEELS
73
Easy installation & removal
Many colours
Lightweight
Strong & durable
Self draining
Compact & easy to
store
Top quality
Value for money
Kiwi Tiles
Stock Colours:
Red, Blue, Green, Yellow,
Silver, Orange, Grey,
Black, White, Dayglo Red
Ralt Engineering
Tel: 01865 883354 Fax: 01865 883789
E-mail: enquiries@kiwitiles.com
Web: www.kiwitiles.com
Interlocking Plastic Floor Tiles, as used by
leading race teams throughout Europe.
AUTOCOURSE 1951-1962
MOTOR SPORT 1924-1949
ROAD & TRACK 1947-1986
All bound volumes
Kenneth Ball
7 Mulberry Lane, Ditchling.
BN6 8UH.
01273 845000 Mornings
Email: info@kennethball.co.uk
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APPOINTMENTS
74
COMPOSITE LAMINATOR
The successful candidate will be highly experienced in the production of high
quality Complex Carbon Composite components. The ability to read and understand
drawings and lay up manuals is essential. You will have a exible attitude to working
shift patterns.
STRESS ENGINEER
We are looking to employ a Stress Engineer qualied to a degree or equivalent in
mechanical or aeronautical engineering. Applicants should have some industrial/
motorsport experience in stress analysis of composites and metallic materials using
a mixture of FEA and hand calculations. A strong working knowledge of Catia V5,
Hyperworks and MSC suite would be an advantage. The successful candidates should
be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of FEA codes and a good understanding
of structures and systems.
DIGITAL MEDIA & WEBSITE COORDINATOR
Working within the commercial department supporting the Communications Manager,
you will be responsible for developing all digital media channels including strategy
and content as well as managing the team website. The successful candidate will
have excellent knowledge of social networks, Internet technologies and back ofce
management and maintenance and experience of executing digital marketing
campaigns. Graphic design skills would be advantageous for this role to assist the
department with visuals and other design-related tasks.
To be considered for this position, you must have a genuine talent and passion for
digital and social media combined with experience in the management of social
networks, ideally within a corporate environment.
The successful candidates must:
Be able to demonstrate an innovative and exible approach to problem solving
Be able to integrate quickly into existing teams and be actively involved in many
aspects of each department
Have good communication and analytical skills and be able to work to tight
deadlines, often under pressure
Be highly self motivated, thrive in a challenging environment and have a exible
approach to working hours
If you are interested in any of the above positions, please email your CV with a
covering letter including your current salary to: sarah.watson@forceindiaf1.com
(closing date 3 February 2012).
NO AGENCIES
As part of CaterhamF1 Teams continued development, we have the following
positions available.
SENIORVEHICLESIMULATIONENGINEER
CF1/SSE/058/12
Experienced software developer to develop and maintain the Groups custom
simulation tools. Candidates must have demonstrable knowledge of:
ace car Vehice ncceir echricoes, ircocir coasisaic a ine sinoaicr
hree ,ears cr ncre c ccnnercia ceVecner osir `L.L, C4arc CL
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.L ranevcrl V2+, `isoa ocic, , CL erVer 2OOx
/scic orcersarcir c Vehice c,ranics. Lxerierce c caa ara,sis
methods will also be an advantage.
VEHICLESIMULATIONENGINEERCF1/059/12
Assist with maintaining and updating the Groups customsoftware applications.
Candidates must have demonstrable knowledge of:
Ccnnercia ceVecner osir `L.L arc CL
(C4vcoc Le ar acVarae)
/ra,sis, cesir arc socr c scvare s,sens c nee oser recoireners
.L ranevcrl V2+, `isoa ocic, , CL erVer 2OOx
Lrcersarcir c h,sics arc necharica erireerir orcaneras
SUB-ASSEMBLYTECHNICIANCF1/SA/060/12
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and be able to work to tight timescales in a teamenvironment. The successful
candidate must have demonstrable knowledge and experience working on
orihs, criVeshas, seerir cconrs, Lrales, vishLcres 8ir s,sens vihir a
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PRODUCTIONCOORDINATOR CF1/PC/061/12
The successful candidate will need to demonstrate good logistical and
organisational skills with previous mechanical and composite manufacturing and
purchasing knowledge. You will be computer literate with a sound knowledge of
nccerr L/s,sens. reVicos exerierce ir a ccr scr cr as ncVir
engineering environment would be advantageous.
If you wish to be consideredfor any of these posts, please email
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Ccsir cae cr aicaicrs. orc eLroar, 2O2.
With24carspreparedtothelatest 2012specandaGrandPrix
circuit-basedcalendar, wenowhavethefollowingfull-timeand
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Data&Systems Engineer EO
Youshouldbe fully conversant withPi Toolbox andhave practical
experience analysingandinterpretingracingcar data. Flexibility is
essential, as is practical trackside experience.
RaceEngineer PT
The successful candidate will have a proventrack recordengineering
single-seater racingcars intoplevel formulae - GP2, Formula Renault 3.5,
F3 or similar - together withanin-depthknowledge of Pi Toolbox.
RaceMechanics FT&EO
Highly competent, experiencedrace mechanics are required
immediately for the upcomingrace season. Experience at F3 level or
above is essential.
Truckies EO
Hard-workingandsmartly-presentedtruckies are requiredtoassist us
withtransportation, set upandpit lane support at all F2 races andtests.
Tyre fttingexperience wouldbe a highly valuable skill.
We are oferingcompetitive remuneration, excellent working
conditions andhave a proventrack recordcreatinga foundationfor
long-termcareers inmotorsport.
PleaseapplybyFebruary9thincludingyour CVandcurrent salary:
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Post: Personnel, FormulaTwo, BedfordAutodrome, Bedford, MK44 2YP
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Motorsport News is looking for a highly effective communicator
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75
NATIONAL RACING HISTORICS CLUB RALLY RALLYCROSS HILLCLIMB
Sports Extra
MANOR IN FORMULA RENAULT UK
Seasons 22
Starts 343
Wins 121
Championships 9
January 26 2012 autosport.com 77
ALL THE NATIONAL & CLUB RACE, RALLY AND HISTORIC NEWS. PLUS FULL REPORTS AND RESULTS ROUND-UP
Eurocup deal ends famous squads long participation in Formula Renault UK
LEADING FORMULA
Renault team Manor
Competition has abandoned
the UK championship in favour of a
switch to the categorys Eurocup.
The decision means that for the
rst time since 1989 the inaugural
season of FR UK there will be no
representation from Manor, which has
by far the highest number of wins and
championship titles in the series history.
The team rst entered FR UK as Manor
Motorsport in 1990. Founder John Booth
then sold the operation to his engineer
Tony Shaw (and Shaws wife Sarah)
in late 2006, and the team continued
under the name Manor Competition.
King is set to race in
Eurocup with Manor
Now Manor has combined with Dutch
team MP Motorsport. The collaboration
will eld six Formula Renault cars this
season as Manor MP Motorsport, with
three in the Eurocup and all six in the
North European Cup.
Manor MP will keep links with
Booths Marussia F1 team and run
in the grand prix squads livery.
Briton Jordan King, who raced with
Manor last season, will contest both
series alongside Estonian MP stalwart
Karl Oscar Liiv and one other driver.
Formula Ford Festival runner-up Steijn
Schothorst is the rst man conrmed
for Manor MPs NEC-only squad.
Tony Shaw blamed his squads
departure from FR UK on the economic
climate in the light of the fact that
Manor was the only team to rely 100
per cent on the series for its revenue.
Up until the end of 2009, it was a
strong point that we only did FR UK,
he said. The costs allowed you to do that.
But as soon as the new car came along
for 2010 it brought on such nancial
pressures that you needed something
else to prop it up.
That made life very difcult. Sarah
and I are not in the sport to make stacks
of money we just want to earn a living.
This opportunity came up with
MP and it was too good to pass up,
Manor to leave UK racing
CONTENTS
p82 SERIESFOCUS
TIMEATTACK
LEWIS HAMILTON, KIMI
Raikkonen, Antonio Pizzonia, Jason
Plato and even Christian Horner
have all been race winners with
Manor in its 22-year history in
Formula Renault UK. So have five of
the past eight McLaren AUTOSPORT
BRDC Award victors: Paul di Resta,
Oliver Jarvis, Alexander Sims, Dean
Smith and Lewis Williamson.
Whichever way you look at it, the
loss of its most-successful team is
a huge blow to FR UK, and rams
home once again the thankless
task of trying to make a living
from national-level single-seaters.
Since taking over Manor from
founder John Booth five years ago,
Tony and Sarah Shaw have worked
their socks o to make it a success.
As skilled engineers working long
hours, they should be bringing home
enough money for a comfortable
living not worrying about trimming
driver budgets that, against a
backdrop of rising costs, barely
allow them to break even.
Having first worked in FR UKs
inaugural year (1989) with privateer
Adrian Cottrell, Tony seemed to be a
real lifer of the series. He then moved
to Minister International (where he
was mechanic to 92 champ Pedro
de la Rosa) before a stint at Martello,
finally joining Manor in 95.
In other words, hes been part
of all eras of the category, and its
tempting to look back at those
multi-chassis years of the first
decade and wonder if this is the path
racing should move back onto. After
all, little guys like Cottrell through
engineering ingenuity and driving
talent could keep an old Reynard
competitive without having to buy
expensive spec parts. These days,
one-make racing and rising costs
provide the worst of both worlds.
MARCUS
SIMMONS
CHIEF
SUB-EDITOR
marcus.simmons
@haymarket.com
Extra contact details
Ben Anderson,nationaleditor
ben.anderson@haymarket.com
AUTOSPORT SAYS
especially with the ght for drivers in
the UK being so tough.
Manor and MP have already worked
together. Tony Shaw engineered Will
Stevens to an NEC victory at Spa with an
MP machine in 2010, and King claimed
an NEC pole with MP at Monza last year,
also with Shaw engineering.
MP team manager Sander Dorsman
said: We are friends and work very well
together, and that was the basis for this
complete cooperation. Now we are hoping
for some good results, with a stable team
with a lot of experience and knowledge.
Its a really strong package and everyone
is looking forward to it.
MP has also committed to its rst
full season in Auto GP, after making its
rst outings in the series last year.
Dutchman Daniel de Jong, who has
driven for most of his career with MP
before racing in Formula Renault 3.5 last
season, will drive one of the teams two
cars in Auto GP. It went really well last
year and now we are really eager to be a
full-time entrant, added Dorsman.
Its a good challenge for us.
Manor ran Raikkonen to the FR UK title in 2000
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Marc VDS won
races with Z4
Barwell brings BMW to British GT
Successful Aston squad to run race-winning V8-engined Z4 in UK championship
THE BMW Z4 GT3 WILL
race in the British GT
Championship for the
rst time this season, run by UK
squad Barwell Motorsport.
Barwell, which has a history of
success in British GT with the
Aston Martin DBRS9 and Ginetta
G50Z, has bought the ex-Marc VDS
Racing machine that won the last two
rounds of the European Blancpain
Endurance Series last year.
Barwell plans to run the Z4, which
has also racked up wins in FIA GT3
and the Dubai 24 Hours, in British
GT and Blancpain in 2012.
No drivers have yet been
conrmed, but AUTOSPORT
understands that the squad of Ecurie
Ecosse drivers which Barwell
helped run at the 2011 Spa 24 Hours
are possibles. Alasdair McCaig,
Oliver Bryant, Andrew Smith and
Joe Twyman formed the Ecosse
line-up at the Belgian classic.
Barwells Chris Needell believes
the 4.4-litre V8-engined BMW can
take on the Ferrari 458s that won four
of the 10 British GT rounds last year.
Its our Ferrari-beater for British
GT, he said. This car has proved
it can beat the 458 and I think itll
be really good for the UK circuits.
Its a good all-round package.
Barwell MD Mark Lemmer added:
In my opinion the Z4 is the best
chassis in GT3 so should be the
perfect bit of kit for British GT.
Im sure with the right drivers
on board we can win.
In two years in FIA GT3, the Z4
has scored four wins and two pole
positions. BMW has yet to win a
British GT round overall.
BritishGT
78 autosport.com January 26 2012
FORMERAUSTRALIANF3CHAMPION
Ben Barker will return to the Porsche
Carrera Cup GB for a full season in 2012.
British racer Barker, 20, finished fifth
in last seasons Australian Carrera Cup
and also scored two podiums in a pair
of Carrera Cup GB appearances with
Parr Motorsport.
Barker will now rejoin Parr for a full
assault on the Carrera Cup GB with the
aim of progressing to the F1-supporting
Porsche Supercup in 2013.
Barker said: Having worked with
Parr last year I know how they work
and everyone is capable and proactive.
Its good to be back racing in the UK
and this will prove to be a strong
PorscheCarreraCupGB
Barker back to
Carrera Cup GB
MSVF3Cup
F3 move for MR2 champ Cross
REIGNING750MOTORCLUB
Toyota MR2 champion James Cross
will switch to single-seaters this
season to race in the MSV F3 Cup.
Cross, 27, lifted the MR2 title in
only his second full season of racing
last year, after a controversial battle
with Paul Hinson. He has bought
Stuart Wiltshires Dallara F302/04
for an assault on the MSV F3 Cup.
Cross said: I raced a 1997 Formula
Renault in Monoposto at Brands
Hatch in August and have not
stopped thinking of single-seaters
since. Seeing the F3 Cup cars at
Brands was inspiring and looking
at the calendar for 2012, coupled
with the championship status,
made it an easy decision.
With the backing of the team
that helped me win the MR2 title,
Im confident well hit the ground
running, but I dont underestimate
the challenge of moving from a
road car, on road tyres, to a modern
F3 car with slicks and wings.
stepping-stone to Supercup.
I hope that, together with Parr,
we can both graduate in 2013.
Team boss Paul Robe added: Hes
a great talent and a really well-rounded
young man. Based on his performance
with us last year Im confident that he
will be a frontrunner.
Barker raced for Parr at Knockhill last season
Cross (8) won MR2
title amid controversy
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SPY plans to race two G50s in GT4 in 2012-13
GinettaJunior
TJ Motorsport quits Ginetta Junior
afer failing to sign enough drivers
GINETTA JUNIOR SQUAD TJ
Motorsport has pulled out of the
championship after struggling to
attract enough drivers to make a
2012 programme viable.
TJ Motorsport has been one of the
most successful teams in the series
during its six-year participation. It ran
George Gamble to third in last years
main championship before also helping
him to secure the winter-series crown.
Trevor Griiths squad had an option
to run Gamble for a second season
in 2012, but he will now race for the
Hillspeed outfit that ran Seb Morris
to the 2011 main championship title.
Griiths said his team would now
look at other projects. Weve got a
good association with Ginetta but we
needed three cars to make it viable,
he said. Were geared up to do virtually
anything on the British scene, if we get
the right drivers with the right budgets.
l Ginetta is planning to run up to
eight drivers in a new cost-capped
rookie class within the Ginetta
Junior championship this year.
Set-up changes on the lower-budget
factory-run cars will be limited and
Ginetta has clarified that it will only
run cars for novice drivers.
FRONTRUNNING CATERHAM R300
squad SPY Motorsport will step up to
GT4 in 2012 with a pair of Ginetta G50s.
The team plans to enter selected
rounds of the British and European
GT4 championships with a view to a
full campaign in 2013.
R300 racer Paul Fleury will race one
British/EuropeanGT
Caterham squad steps up to GT4
MARCUS PYE
HUMBLE PYE
The voice of club motor racing
W
hile the cost of circuit
racing has risen steeply
in most arenas over the
past two decades, to accommodate
increased venue-hire fees (in line
with better facilities and to justify
perceived frills on the side), the
noble art of speed hillclimbing
continues to thrive.
The uphill racers have not
escaped the price hikes. Consider
the spiralling underlying costs of
fuel and accommodation when
it comes to providing essential
services, in addition to core fees.
Nevertheless, major championships
have long boasted capacity entries.
The topography of hillclimbing
has changed little since I first
spectated in the 1960s. The most
recent course to join the classic
pre-war blasts at Shelsley Walsh
and Prescott on the current roster
was Guernseys Le Val des Terres
in 73. While fresh challenges
would doubtless be welcome,
new venues are not emerging.
Happily, continuity is part of the
competitions rustic charm.
Like the Formula 1 World
Championship, which it predates by
three years having started in 1947,
the MSA-sanctioned national series
has expanded dramatically to 17
double-headers. Five rounds in its
inaugural year, kicked off by the
recently rejuvenated Boness in
Scotland, covered the UK, with
Jerseys scenic Bouley Bay and
Craigantlet outside Belfast in
Northern Ireland joining Prescott
and Shelsley. Wiscombe Park
(South Devon), Barbon (Cumbria),
Loton Park (Shropshire) and
Harewood (Yorkshire) joined in a
flurry of early 60s enthusiasm,
while Gurston Down (Wiltshire)
added another much-needed
southern outpost a decade later.
Back then, bar some ingenious
specials, most championship
contending single-seaters (Racing
Cars) were circuit cast-offs or sister
cars specified or re-commissioned
for the short, sharp discipline
against the clock. Since the arrival
of ingenious eponymous specialist
marques Pilbeam and Gould, much
old rolling stock has been eagerly
reclaimed by historic racers.
In truth, though, ERA R4D, in
which all-rounder Raymond Mays
won the 47 and 48 titles, was,
like many of todays top cars, the
product of a focused cottage
industry, albeit one that relied
upon intuitive traditional
engineering rather than advanced
computer-aided technology.
Although I quietly worry about
the sheer speed of the latest
high-downforce machines, I love
this quaint branch of the sport. And
join exponents past and present in
saluting newly-retired British series
co-ordinator Tony Fletcher,
a fan from his youth
who nurtured
it so brilliantly
from 1978.
Although I quietly
worry about the
sheer speed of the latest
cars, I love this quaint
branch of the sport
New cars are redefining
limits in hillclimbing
ORGANISERS OF THE CROSSLE
Challenge have launched a new
category for 2012 in the hope of
boosting their struggling grids.
Spirit of the 60s will run at five
BARC meetings in 2012, with extra
races planned in support of the
360 Motor Clubs Snetterton Six
Hours meeting, the Spa Summer
Classic, Monza, and the Algarve
Historic Festival.
The series will be open to
any original or continuation
car produced and raced prior to
December 1969, with or without
historic certification papers.
Eamonn Ledwidge of the
Crossle Owners Group said:
Were hoping to attract cars that
dont really have a home, like a
Lotus Europa in 47 spec and
continuation [Chevron] B16s and
B8s. Were trying to be as all-
encompassing as possible, but we
dont want Modsports-type stu.
The Crossle Owners Group
intends to run the Crossle 9S
Challenge as a class within its new
series in 2012 and has not ruled
out the possibility of Chevrons
GR8 Challenge with which it
shared a grid in 2011 also joining
as an invitation category.
Spiritofthe60s
Crossle owners launch new series
Crossle Challenge has suffered weak grids
Gamble has left TJ to
race for Hillspeed
NEWS
SPORTS EXTRA
of the cars, driving alongside team
owner Peter Young.
Fleury said: Having raced in R300s
for three years I was looking at a
possible step up. Having tested a
Ginetta G50 at the end of last season
I knew this was the move I wanted to
make. I still plan to still race R300s in
2012 but with a few rounds in GT4 to
learn the new car ready for 2013.
Young added: This is a very exciting
move for the team. Its going to be a
steep learning curve but its one I feel
we are ready to take and the team is
looking forward to a new challenge.
email: info@performanceunlimited.co.uk website: www.performanceunlimited.co.uk
3 Chessingham Park, Dunnington, York, North Yorkshire, England Y019 5SE
tel: +44 (0) 1904 489332 fax: +44 (0) 1904 488355
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Senna made F3
debut in 82
Mansell began
77 in Javelin
IN BRIEF
THEDARRIANT9OFJEREMY AND
Mark Straker won the second Brands
Hatch Stage Rally last weekend. The pair
won the event, watched by 1500 fans,
after problems for Nigel Mummery/Fiona
Scarrett (Ford Focus WRC) and John
Indri/Keith Hounslow (Darrian T90).
PORSCHECARRERACUPSQUAD
Juta Racing will expand into the Renault
Clio Cup this season. The Lithuanian team,
which ran FIA Academy driver Jonas
Gelzinis to sixth in the 2011 Carrera Cup,
will run two Clios for Gelziniss younger
brother Ignis, 20, and former Lithuanian
basketball player Tautvydas Barstys Jr.
FORMERMcLARENAUTOSPORT
BRDC Award finalist Chrissy Palmer will
rejoin Juno for the SPEED EuroSeries
in 2012. The 09 Formula Ford Festival
winner, who has raced for Juno in Euro
VdeV before, will partner Sarah Reader.
MINI CHALLENGESQUADLOHEN
will oer a free drive in the 2013 series
or the Britcar 24 Hours to the winner of
a new scholarship. Twelve karters from
Formula Kart Stars Senior Rotax Max in
2012 will be assessed in a shootout for
the prize drive by a judging panel that
will include BTCC racer Frank Wrathall.
FORMULARENAULTBARCRACER
Jack Dex will return to the category for
a second season this year with SWB
Motorsport. Simon Baldrys squad has
also set up a karting team, and plans
to enter two cars in InterSteps.
THESAKERSPORTSCARSERIES
will share a grid with Euro Saloons and
Sportscars at three events this season to
boost grids. The Sakers will also get their
own 45-minute race at Brands Hatch,
Anglesey and Rockingham, for which
Euro Saloons will be eligible.
DEREKMcGEEHANBECAMETHE
first man to drive a JCW Mini WRC on
a national rally when he and co-driver
Laurie Smyth took fourth on Kirkistowns
New Year Stages last Sunday. Derek
McGarrity (Subaru S14 WRC) won.
BRITISH GT RACE WINNER MICHAEL
Lyons returned to his familiar Lola T400
and blitzed all four MSC New Zealand
Formula 5000 Tasman Revival Series
races at Hampton Downs third NZ
Festival of Motor Racing last weekend.
For top qualifier Lyons, who turned 21
yesterday (Wednesday), it was a near-
perfect event. Only the outright circuit
record, which fell to points leader Steve
Ross (McRae GM1) on the first flying lap
of Sundays finale, eluded him.
Behind Lyons, runner-up honours
were evenly split between Ross and
defending triple-champion Ken Smith
back in David Abbotts second Lola
T430 having wrecked his newly-
restored T332 in a startline shunt
at Manfeild in November.
Ross bagged second over his
arch-adversary in the closing 15-lap
feature, but Lyons was almost 10
seconds ahead at the chequer. Last
year was all a bit last-minute, but we
were better prepared this time, he said.
Briton Mark Dwyer (T400) and local
V8 legend Clark Proctor (March 73A)
also stood on the podium after heats
two and three. Visitors Mike Whatley
(Lola T300) and Frank Lyons (Eagle
FA74) broke into the top six too.
Canadian Jay Esterers run of bad
luck continued. Last years standout
driver stripped, rebuilt and air-freighted
Clean sweep for Lyons Lola
TasmanRevival Series
Lyons and his Lola were
dominant Down Under
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British GT racer wins four out of four NZ Formula 5000 races in family T400
A FORMULA FORD 1600 CAR
that helped launch Nigel Mansells career
is undergoing restoration and is set to
race in the 2012 Walter Hayes Trophy.
The Javelin JL5 in which the 1992
Formula 1 world champion started his
title-winning FF1600 season in 1977 has
been bought back by original owner Bill
Bray. The Lanan Racing team that he ran
with Robin Webb, most recently boss of
Mansell Javelin sharpened for race return
HistoricFF1600
ClassicF3
THE RALT RT3 IN WHICH THREE-
time Formula 1 world champion
Ayrton Senna made his victorious
Formula 3 debut at Thruxton in
November 1982 will be back on track
this season, in original spec for the
first time in more than 20 years.
Sennas rst
Ralt F3 car
will race again
NEWS
SPORTS EXTRA
Long-time historic F1 racer Richard
Eyre and his RJM Motorsports team
have restored chassis 291, in which
West Surrey Racings Quique Mansilla
finished runner-up to Tommy Byrne in
Win for T9
Mini WRC was fourth on Kirkistown rally
January 26 2012 autosport.com 81
his second McRae out after his
regular GM1 was bent in the Manfeild
incident, only to be sidelined by an
engine fire in qualifying.
Much interest surrounded the earlier
machines in the 24-car field, including
American Eric Hagas Lola T190, which
he raced in 1970. Debutant Alan
Dunkley starred, earning Class A
honours in his spaceframe Lola T140.
Following Bruce McLaren and Chris
Amon homages in 2010 and 11, this
years NZ festival which concludes this
weekend celebrates BMW Motorsport.
Aussie Jim Richards returned to the
cockpit of his JPS 635CSi and scored
his first win in it since 1986.
the 82 British F3 Championship.
Team boss Dick Bennetts sold the
car to Helmut Marko for Gerhard
Berger to race in 83, while Senna
was cleaning up in Britain. Although
the Brazilian did not compete in
the Monaco F3 race, Eyre hopes
to enter Mays GP Historique.
After its sojourn in Austria, the
chassis returned to the UK, where
John and Linda Elmes fitted a
1600cc Ford engine for Monoposto.
They sold it to Geo Pashley, from
whom Eyre acquired it last year.
Superleague Formula, ran Mansell
for the first third of 77.
Bray, who runs Trident Racing
supplies at Silverstone, said: A business
colleague saw it advertised for sale.
I spent half an hour saying I didnt want
anything to do with it and ended up
buying it. Ive spent 18 months putting
it back together and hope to run it for
someone in the Walter Hayes Trophy.
82 autosport.com January 26 2012
Huff gets some
grunt
Time Attack is a
growing part of the
sport and the cars
pack some punch,
as WTCC ace Rob
Huff found out.
By MARK
GLENDENNING
I
t takes a fair bit to spook someone
who makes their living going wheel
to wheel with the likes of Gabriele
Tarquini around Macau. But for World
Touring Car Championship runner-up
Rob Huff, a threefold step up in
horsepower and the prospect
of yanking on the handbrake at
120mph did the trick.
The works Chevrolet driver was
invited to last years Snetterton round
of the Time Attack Championship,
and also made an appearance in the
European Drift Championship round
that forms part of the same bill.
Time Attack is a series built around
the basic premise of taking the most
ridiculously over-testosteroned cars
that competitors can lay their hands
on, and then seeing who can set the
quickest lap. If youre familiar with
the Need For Speed series of console
games, youve got the idea.
Huffs front-wheel-drive WTCC
Chevrolet Cruze is powered by a
1.6-litre engine that puts out about
310bhp, so the 987bhp Mitsubishi
EVO VI that he was assigned for his
January 26 2012 autosport.com 83
SERIES FOCUS
TIME ATTACK
THE TIME ATTACK SERIES WAS CREATED
in 2005 to give a motorsport outlet to
the vibrant after-market tuning scene.
Although the headlines belong to the
big-budget, high-end tuning companies,
the series broad class range caters for
pretty much any car/driver combination
that wants to show up.
There are two broad categories: Club
Challenge and Pro. The former is geared
towards the amateur enthusiast who
has tweaked their own car, whether
it be the one that they use for daily
transport, or something they save for
the tracks on weekends. There are ve
classes within the category (four-wheel
drive, rear-wheel drive, front-wheel
drive, N/A 3000cc and under, and N/A
3001cc and above), and entrants can
only register for one class.
The Pro classes often include well-
credentialled hired hands such as Rob
Hu, and are geared towards higher-
end machinery. Classes are broken
down into Pro Tuner, Pro, Club Pro, Pro
RWD and Prototype. All competitors
from both categories are required
to use Pirelli P-Zero treaded rubber.
Track time is held across four
sessions, starting with 15 minutes
of untimed warm-up, 20 minutes of
timed practice, a 20 minute qualifying
session and a 15 minute nal. Points are
awarded from rst to 10th in qualifying
(10 points for quickest down to one
point for 10th), and to the top 10 in the
nal (100 points for rst down to 10
for 10th, in increments of 10). Points
are awarded to drivers rather than
cars, meaning that a drivers title
hopes are not damaged if he buys
a new car during the season.
Huff also sampled Nissan Silvia drifter
Huff escaped with
reputation intact
TIME ATTACK
EXPLAINED
Time Attack debut represented a
very different prospect.
It was the scariest thing I have
ever driven in my life, Huff says.
It was absolutely monumental.
The regulations are fairly open,
with the only real restriction being
on the type of tyres permitted.
Youre allowed to do pretty much
anything with the car, Huff explains.
Youre pretty free with the engine,
the transmission you can have a
sequential gearbox and whatever clutch
you like, and all the rest of it. But you
have to be on road tyres. Everyone has
the same tyre. Its run as a knockout,
with a nal at the end of the day. And
there are some monstrous cars there.
Extreme tuning has been a
ourishing corner of the motoring
scene for decades, although the
downside was that at many of the
specialist events and shows the
cars were static displays. Time
Attack aimed to change that.
Youve effectively got all these
massive tuning companies out there
for turbo cars, mainly, and they do
shows like the Max Power show where
they show off what they can get out
of the cars, Huff adds.
For many years, it was just, Its
got a thousand horsepower you can
look at it sitting there. Time Attack
basically took those cars and said, If
youre going to build them, we want
to see what they can do.
One of the hallmarks of Huffs
WTCC campaign last year was his
prowess over a single lap, and this
was a trait that proved to be handy
when he climbed into the EVO.
The fact that youre on road tyres
means that its like qualifying,
especially in the Mitsubishi, he says.
You get one lap, and then the tyres
go off, because even in a straight
line, in fth gear when the thing
is doing 160mph, its trying to
rip the tyres off the car.
The drifting component of Huffs
weekend represented an equally
formidable challenge.
I can slide a car around; Ive always
been able to, he says. What I hadnt
taken into consideration was that they
were expecting me to go into Coram
at 120mph in fth gear in a 480
horsepower Nissan, push the clutch,
pull the handbrake, and let her have it.
To me, drifting is, you go around the
roundabout and give it a load of right
foot, and it just steps the back out,
which is how most people slide cars
around. Not these boys. They go
into the corner at 120mph, push the
clutch, pull the handbrake and deal
with it. Its a bit like riding a Superbike
around Macau. It just doesnt make
any sense whatsoever.
Despite his misgivings about
the technique, Huff reckons that he
escaped with his reputation intact.
I think I did OK, he says. I was
lucky; I got what I think was considered
the best car to do it in, which was the
Sumo-powered Nissan Silvia.
But I struggled with the whole
handbrake thing, so I just hit Coram
at 120mph and Scandi-icked it
and did it my way.
I couldnt get my head around
pushing the clutch and pulling the
handbrake at 120mph. That Nissan
was going to end up in a ball of
snot if Id tried to do that!
And reliability can
be hard to come by
Monster power is
hard to handle
as Rob Huff found out at Snett
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YOUR SAY
What you think of the motorsport news of the past week
I rather doubt most fans
would put up with adverts
if it meant they could have
live coverage of all the
races for free (Letters,
January 19). How soon
we forget the frustration
of having our grands prix
interrupted by facile ad
breaks. Used to drive
me bloody mad.
You might well believe
wed be better off with a
free-to-air-commercial
broadcaster, but youre
clinging to a false hope: no
one else was able to match
Skys bid. And in F1 the
biggest bucks talk loudest.
Frances Stewart
London SE12
EDITORIAL CONTACT mail@autosport.com
TOP FIVE ON
OUR WEBSITE
1. REACTIVE RIDE HEIGHT
BANNED FOR 2012
2. PEUGEOT ENDS LE MANS
PROGRAMME
3. HILL: F1 WILL MISS
BARRICHELLO
4. WILLIAMS CONFIRMS
SENNA FOR 2012
5. BUTTON TO GET FIRST
RUN IN NEW McLAREN
WIN!
ROAD ANGEL VANTAGE
This weeks star letter will receive
a Road Angel Vantage a dedicated
safety camera and blackspot locator
that displays the legal speed limit of
every road you drive, automatically
and wirelessly updating its database
every few minutes as you drive.
For more details on Road Angel
visit www.roadangelgroup.com
Please ensure that your full address
is included on all correspondence.
FINAL DRIVE
LETTERS GEAR ON-TRACK ON-SCREEN PICS TECH ARCHIVE
TOP STORY ONLINE
SYMONDS: MAKING MARUSSIA AN F1 FORCE
To read this exclusive feature
and many others like it, log on to
autosport.com/plus and choose which
package youd like. A month will cost
5.50, a year 46. Includes access
to Forix the ultimate stats website.
84 autosport.com January 26 2012
I was so disappointed
after reading the interview
with Hugues de Chaunac
of ORECA (January 19)
that he would not consider
building an F3 car anytime
soon due the category
being in a state of flux.
The organisers of
F3 should take this
comment seriously, find
out the reasons why the
manufacturers have
deserted the series
and do something about
encouraging them back.
Lets get F3 restored
as a major player in
the junior formulas.
Michael Skeet
Eastleigh, Hampshire
So the FIA has banned
the reactive suspension
for F1 teams. But why wait
so long when it has been
aware of the system for
over a year?
Clearly many of the
teams have already spent
significant amounts of
money designing and
building their own
systems, at a time when
there is clearly pressure
on team budgets.
And isnt F1 supposed to
be the test bed for new and
exciting concepts, which
can eventually be applied
to road car technology?
Brendan Budgen
Berkshire
Having seen Eurosports
schedule, I set my digital
box to record highlights of
day one of the WRC from
Monte Carlo.
What did I get? Half an
hour of two men dressed
as junior bank managers,
clutching sticks and walking
around a table festooned
with multi-coloured balls.
Yes, bloody snooker!
In the past Eurosport
has, without a hint of irony,
put this sort of thing down
to its commitment to live
sport. Newsflash: all sport
is live until a TV company
gets its hands on it.
Tim Burton
Exeter
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
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Welcome to the new voice of F1
Its great news that Ben Edwards is doing the F1 commentary
for the BBC. Hes informed, accurate, uent, professional,
exciting, and excitable. He brings a high level of drama to
motorsport with his passionate enthusiasm, which he
communicates with skill and commitment.
His dynamic commentaries will be a welcome change from the
rather at tones of recent years. I heard him commentate on a
swamp buggy race once, and he made even that sound thrilling!
Mike Vickers, Swindon
Edwards: informed,
fluent, professional
It is the policy of AUTOSPORT to correct signicant errors as
soon as possible. Please note the issue date and page number
when contacting us on autosport.editorial@haynet.com
l Our MSVR season review (December 29, page 89)
mistakenly declared there were four winners in the revived
Champion of Brands series for Formula Ford 1600 cars last
year. There were ve. Josh Barnett was the one we missed.
The most desirable new releases for motor racing fans: books, DVDs, models, art and gifts
CLOSER TO THE EDGE DVD
16.99 (150mins)
autosport.com/shop
Based around the 2010
Isle of Man TT races, this
engaging film following
top bike racer Guy Martin is
one of the best weve seen.
Examining the personal
sacrifices, untold bravery
and will to win of the riders,
it takes you inside the mind
of an heroic/insane (delete
according to taste) bunch
of daredevils.
TEAM LOTUS MY VIEW
FROM THE PIT WALL
19.99 (978 0857 3312 36)
P.Warr (haynes.co.uk)
A work in progress at
the time of his death in
October 2010, Peter
Warrs memoirs of his
time at Lotus during its
heady days have been
brought up to date.
The result is a riveting
personal account of Warrs
relationship with Colin
Chapman and his drivers.
MECCANO BUILD-AND-
PLAY F1 CAR
24.99
meccanouk.co.uk
Great for budding race-car
builders, Meccanos build-
and-play range can be
assembled using click-
together nuts and bolts
or, if youre more adept,
in the more traditional
way with spanners.
The Formula 1 car kit
pictured can be turned
into five different models.
THE LATEST GEAR
HOT ON THE WEB THIS WEEK
SEARCH FOR: Ayrton Senna Vs Nigel Mansell GP Detroit 1986 (5:37)
A classic dice between the Williams-Honda FW11 of Nigel Mansell, this
weeks AUTOSPORT legend, and Ayrton Senna in the Lotus 98T around
the Detroit street circuit during round seven of the 86 season.
YOUTUBE: MANSELL V SENNA, DETROIT GP 1986
FINAL DRIVE
LETTERS & REVIEWS
January 26 2012 autosport.com 85
GROUP 4 1973-1982
49.90 (978 392 745 8543)
rallywebshop.com
Another sensational collection of images
and stories from the respective lens and
pen of Reinhard Klein and John Davenport,
Group 4 celebrates the first decade of
the WRC, during which all the great cars
(Stratos, 131 Abarth and Quattro) and
their star drivers (Alen, Mikkola, Rohrl,
Vatanen, Waldegaard) fought for glory.
This is a magnificent tribute to an epic
era of the sport. Get a copy right away.
XX autosport.com January 15 2009 86 autosport.com January 26 2012
Your guide to the best events taking place in the UK and around the world this week plus TV and online
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WHATS ON
DAYTONA 24 HOURS
Daytona, Florida, USA
Grand-Am Sports Car Series
Rd 1/13
January 28-29
grand-am.com
Daytona plays host to the first sportscar classic of
2012 the Grand-Am season-opener. Starworks
Motorsports all-star line-up of Allan McNish,
Lucas Luhr and Ryan Dalziel is hard to look past,
especially with the Scot chasing sportscar racings
Triple Crown, but the format pays little respect to
reputations and theres a queue of candidates
capable of pulling off a shock
ANDROS TROPHY
Rd 7/7
Super Besse, France
January 27-28
tropheeandros.com
Four-time F1 champion Alain Prost
leads the standings on countback
heading into this years decider on
the complex Super Besse circuit near
Clermont-Ferrand. Benjamin Riviere
is the man tied for points with Prost,
while Jean-Philippe Dayraut lies a
further five points back in third.
TOYOTA RACING SERIES
Rd 3/5
Taupo, New Zealand
January 28-29
toyotaracing.co.nz
Our guide on how to
keep the motorsport
ame burning
through the cold
winter months
Its Grand-Ams big
one, the Daytona 24
Many thanks to those of you
who donned anoraks over the
festive period to unravel some
of the mysteries of our annual
Christmas Quiz. Here are the
winners, and the runners-up
WINNER
(BRITISH GP TICKETS)
Glen Smith, Skegness, Lincs
RUNNERS-UP (DUKE DVDs):
Philip Edwards, Staines,
Middlesex
Peter Howarth, Wilden,
Bedfordshire
Thomas Taylor, Yeovil, Somerset
Thomas Hedley,
Finchampstead, Berkshire
David Thomas, Torquay, Devon
A. ONLY THE LONELY
1 Imola, June 17 1990
2 Richard Dean/Gary Formato,
Vallelunga 2001
3 Atila Abreu
4 Morocco, 1971
5 Chevrolet, Kyalami 2010
6 Ken Ayres, 1982-85; 1990
7 German GP 1952 Alberto
Ascari, #101
8 Dan Gurney, Oulton Park,
September 21 1963
9 Alain Ambrosino/Daniel le
Saux, Ivory Coast Rally 1988
10 Misano 1981, Michele
Alboreto
B. THE MISSING LINK
1 Justin Wilson British race
winners in FIA F3000
2 John Cannon McLaren
Can-Am race winners
3 Acropolis Rally 1975
Opels WRC wins
4 Dario Franchitti winners
of Goodwood Revival TT in
Jaguar E-types
5 Vincent Laverne winning
co-drivers to Jean-Pierre Nicolas
6 Nicolas Armindo French race
winners in Porsche Supercup
7 Christian Pescatori
Audi-driving Sebring 12
Hours winners
8 Swedish Rally 1991 Kenneth
Erikssons WRC wins
9 Tim Mullen Formula
Vauxhall Junior champions
10 1949 years in which Ferrari
won the Le Mans 24 Hours
C. WINNERS GALLERY
1 Gianmaria Bruni
2 Alexander Rossi
3 Austin Dillon
4 Franz Engstler
5 Ricky Stenhouse Jr
6 Felipe Nasr
7 James Sutton
8 Ryan Hunter-Reay
9 Shane van Gisbergen
10 Ott Tanak
D. 2011 AND ALL THAT
1 Marko Asmer, Double R Dallara
F308, Macau GP
2 Martin Brundle, United
Autosports Riley-Ford MkXI/XX,
Daytona 24 Hours
3 Francois Delecour/Dominique
Savignoni, Peugeot 207 S2000,
Monte Carlo Rally
4 Bill Elliott (Chevrolet Impala)
and Denny Hamlin (Toyota
Camry), Daytona 500
5 Kimi Raikkonen, NEMCO
Toyota Camry, Charlotte
Nationwide, May 28
6 Danica Patrick, JR Motorsports
Chevrolet Impala, Phoenix
Nationwide, November 12
7 Richie Stanaway, Lotus ART
Dallara-Renault, Spa GP3
8 James Thompson, Motorbase
Ford Focus, Silverstone BTCC
9 Oliver Turvey, Carlin Dallara-
Renault, Monaco GP2
10 Lewis Williamson, ISR
Dallara-Renault, Catalunya
Formula Renault 3.5
E. FORMULA 1 RETRO
1 Francois Hesnault, Brabham
2 Loris Kessel, Brabham
3 Leo Kinnunen, Surtees
4 Gerard Larrousse, Brabham
5 Sam Tingle, Brabham
6 Hector Rebaque, Rebaque
7 Jo Vonlanthen, Williams
8 Patrick Neve, March
9 Guy Tunmer, Lotus
10 Ian Scheckter, Tyrrell
F. WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN
1 Zsolt Baumgartner, Prost
Junior Team Lola-Zytek, F3000,
Nurburgring, 2001
2 Stirling Moss, Audi 80, BTCC,
Brands Hatch, 1980
3 Calvin Fish, David Price Ralt-
VW, British F3, Thruxton, 1983
4 David Hobbs, McLaren M23,
Italian GP, Monza, 1974
5 Mike Hailwood, Lotus-BRM 25,
French GP, Rouen, 1964
6 Henri Pescarolo, Sunbeam
Rapier, Goodwood Revival,
2008
7 Ted Toleman/Barry Lee,
MG Metro 6R4 TG88, Paris-
Dakar Rally, 1989
8 Roger Dorchy/Dominique
Delestre/Phillipe Gache,
WM-Peugeot P87, Le Mans, 1987
9 Al Unser Sr, Lola-DFX T500,
Silverstone USAC, 1978
10 Harald Ertl/Hans Heyer/
Harald Grohs, Lotus Europa,
Nurburgring 1000Km, 1979
CHRISTMAS QUIZ ANSWERS
REVVED UP OVER
WHATS ON THE BOX
We cast a critical eye over the best
and worst of this weeks TV coverage
WHAT A DIFFERENCE
a year makes! Twelve
months ago the western
economies were in
nancial meltdown,
Arsenal were already out
of the Premiership title
ght and Celebrity Big
Brother was in danger
of breaching the Trade
Descriptions Act What?
Anyway, this time last
year (and for the past two
seasons), Revved Up was
extolling the quality of
Eurosports Monte Carlo
Rally coverage. Back
then, of course, it was
part of the IRC (aka
Skodas v Peugeots);
now its back in the WRC
(aka Loeb wins again).
But rather than the
amazing live coverage,
superb onboard footage,
and Byzantine Carlton
Kirby commentary, there
was just a 30-minute
highlight wrap per day.
Kirby was still
there, but reading o a
prepared script, which
gave the whole thing
an Our Tune feel (for
readers under 35, this
was a Radio 1 show
honestly during which
Simon Bates would read
out a letter from some
star-crossed lovers,
during which their
relationship travails
were recalled ad tedium,
culminating in him
playing Maria McKees
Show Me Heaven).
Imagine, if you will,
the following read out
over the top of some
lilting ute score
Feeling happy and
condent, and indeed on
song after running his
own team in the WRC for
three years, now as a
works driver he could
concentrate on what he
does best driving very,
very quickly. By the end
of day four, Solberg the
younger had reduced the
gap with Sordo down to
19.1 seconds. Still, a big
gap with only 5km left on
the last day, but hey, you
never know. And to play
us out heres A-has The
Sun Always Shines on TV.
But it wasnt all easy
listening. Most of the
show concentrated on
what had happened over
the preceding days,
rather than the stages
just completed, but this
did mean they were able
to source some incredible
footage of Sebastien
Ogiers high-speed crash.
It was good, but not
a patch on the IRC show.
And, rally fans, you
deserve so much better.
Revved Up
Eurosport 2 LIVE
Daytona 24 Hours
SUNDAY JANUARY 29
0500-0600 Sky Sports 3
Max Power
0600-0700 Sky Sports 3
Racemax
0920-1020 Motors TV
AUTOSPORT International: Highlights
1400-2100 Motors TV LIVE
Daytona 24 Hours
1700-1800, 2000-2045 Eurosport 2 LIVE
Daytona 24 Hours
2115-2205 Motors TV
WRC: Monte Carlo Highlights
MONDAY JANUARY 30
0315-0600 Motors TV
AUTOSPORT International: Highlights
0935-1035 Motors TV
Andros Trophy: Saint Die Des Vosges
1620-1720 Motors TV
WRC: Monte Carlo Highlights
2030-2340 Motors TV
Daytona 24 Hours: Highlights
THURSDAY JANUARY 26
0215-0315, 0505-0600 Motors TV
Andros Trophy: Saint Die Des Vosges
1445-1545 Motors TV
AUTOSPORT International: Highlights
1930-2030 Sky Sports 4
Racemax
FRIDAY JANUARY 27
0315-0410 Motors TV
AUTOSPORT International: Highlights
1300-1400 Sky Sports 4
Racemax
1445-1545, 2000-2100 Motors TV
Andros Trophy: Saint Die Des Vosges
SATURDAY JANUARY 28
0115-0410 Motors TV
AUTOSPORT International: Highlights
0350-0415 Channel 5
Motorsport Mundial
0800-0900, 1300-1400 Sky Sports 4
Max Power
1930-0400 Motors TV LIVE
Daytona 24 Hours
2000-2200, 2215-2300, 2315-0100
Coming up on the web this week
F1 LAUNCH SEASON BEGINS
You'll have to wait until next
Wednesday, but McLaren is the
rst Formula 1 contender to
take the wraps o its new car.
AUTOSPORT.com is the place to
be for pictures of the MP4-27, plus
the views of Lewis Hamilton and
Jenson Button on the season ahead.
Well also feature live updates from
this weekends Daytona 24 Hours,
as the race celebrates its (sort of)
50th anniversary.
Read AUTOSPORT.com on
your phone to keep up to date
AUTOSPORT.COM ANDROID APP OUT NOW
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Android. Dial up AUTOSPORT.com on your
smart phone for instant access to news,
feature articles, image galleries and live
text race commentary for a one-o fee of
only 2.99 (there is no renewal cost).
For more info, visit www.autosport.com/app
No live coverage of
Loebs domination
January 26 2012 autosport.com 87
FINAL DRIVE
WHATS ON
Online
Television
The Monte Carlo Rally on Eurosport was
IRC (aka Skodas v Peugeots) but was now
part of the WRC (aka Loeb wins again)
Plenty of Daytona
coverage coming up
ONLY ON THE MONTE
do eager fans flock round camp fires as rally
cars pick their way through the icy darkness
MSA HONOURS ITS 2011 CHAMPIONS
The annual black-tie shindig to reward British motorsport success of
the season past took place at the Royal Automobile Club last week
THE WEEK IN PICTURES
Our lensmen pounding the beat from London to Qatar, via Maranello
88 autosport.com January 26 2012
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FERRARI FLIES IN DOHA DEMO
Marc Gene showed-off a 2008 Ferrari F1 car on the Doha corniche
as part of a Shell promotion during the recent Qatar Motorshow
ITALIAN SUPERPOWERS COME TOGETHER
His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone visited Ferraris Maranello
factory this week and undertook a tour with president Luca di Montezemolo
DID YOU BEAT THE
GRAND PRI X PREDI CTOR? Visit castroledgerankings.com/predictor
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Mansell leads in the BTCC, Donington 1998
THIS WEEK IN
Mansell led until a mistake
allowed John Cleland back
ahead, and the Scot
headed off to victory
JANUARY 30 1953
THE WEEKEND WAS ALL ABOUT NIGEL MANSELL
the rest of us were there to just make up the numbers.
So says Derek Warwick of the Donington Park meeting
at which Mansell made his British Touring Car
Championship debut in 1998.
Mansells previous Donington outing in a tin-top had
ended with his infamous crash after the Old Hairpin,
and things didnt look too promising at the wet June
meeting. Having qualified a fine third, Mansell retired
from the first race when he crashed at Coppice.
He was 19th on the grid for the feature race, and a
poor start meant his West Surrey Racing Ford Mondeo
arrived at the first corner in last place. But from there
things improved, and Mansell climbed the order.
A safety car period helped Mansells Mondeo up to
fourth, and he was in contention for the win as the race
resumed. In a remarkable lap and a half, he overtook
the squabbling John Cleland (Vauxhall Vectra) and
David Leslie (Nissan Primera), then snatched the
lead when Anthony Reid dropped his Primera on
the approach to McLeans.
Mansell led until a mistake at Goddards allowed
Cleland back ahead and the Scot headed off to victory.
As Mansell struggled with his Mondeos braking,
Leslie and Clelands team-mate Warwick closed in.
Leslie made it by, but going onto the last lap Mansell
was still ahead of his fellow ex-F1 racer.
Warwicks first attempt came at Redgate around
the outside. Deep down I thought it would have been
great to pass him round the outside, but it wasnt
really on, he now admits.
Despite Warwicks bumper-nudging pressure,
Mansell looked set for a sensational podium. Then
the 1992 F1 world champion outbraked himself
at the very last corner.
He admitted he thought I was going to give him
a nudge and he braked very late too late, says
Warwick. For me it was like a win I didnt have many
opportunities to beat him in my career and to do so at
the last corner of the last lap put a big smile on my face.
Warwick thus scored his first BTCC podium,
while Mansell was later relegated to fifth for
overtaking under the safety car.
I was holding everyone up, but I made fun of it,
didnt I? said Mansell immediately after the race.
He had certainly played his part in one of the
great touring car races and, as Warwick says,
The audience absolutely loved him.
THE FIRST GREEN COVER OF THE YEAR
greeted AUTOSPORT readers this week
in 1953, as the magazine celebrated
the second successive victory for a
British car in the Monte Carlo Rally.
Dutchman Maurice Gatsonides
drove a Dagenham-built Ford Zephyr to
victory. Conditions proved relatively
placid especially compared to the
snows of 1952 with patches of fog the
only natural affliction Gatsonides and
his partner, British brake technician
Peter Worledge, had to contend with.
Ian Appleyard finished second in his
MkVII Jaguar, with Stirling Moss sixth.
Also, AUTOSPORT heralded the
return of branded fuels to the forecourts
of Great Britain on February 1, following
the implementation of a uniform
pool during the war. Designers
and manufacturers who had been
handicapped by the lower grade fuel
were suddenly able to use 80 octane.
Mansell tried to keep
the Vauxhalls at bay
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FINAL DRIVE
PHOTO FINISH
January 26 2012 autosport.com 89
90 autosport.com January 26 2012
JASON PLATO
British Touring Car Championship Brands Hatch October 4, 2009 Chevrolet Lacetti Final-round hat-trick
THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY
great races, especially in the
BTCC Ive been in it long enough!
The nal round at Brands at the
end of 2009 probably gets my
vote: I won all three races around
the Grand Prix circuit.
The third race was one of the
best in modern BTCC history
not just because I won it; it was a
great race, with so much at stake.
Colin Turkington [BMW],
Fabrizio Giovanardi [Vauxhall] and I
were ghting for the championship,
although I needed a whole load of
things to happen for me to win it.
It was one of those rare occasions
when you just know youve got a
great car under your bum. I was
back in sixth early on but I knew
I was going to win it.
I felt a deep, inner condence
and no pressure. I was happy
to bide my time and wait for it to
come to me. Sure, thered come a
point when I needed to take risks
but I was happy where I was.
And then it all got a bit frantic.
Fabrizios team-mate Matt Neal
was leading but I could see he was
up to no good, trying to trip up
Colin. There was a fair bit of
buffoonery going on, which played
at Paddock and it worked!
There were about seven or
eight laps to go and I thought
about backing them both up in
the hope that someone behind
Colin and Fab would have a go,
perhaps spoiling it for them.
I opted to just get on with
it and Im proud I did it
was great to see Colin win [the
championship], he deserved it.
It was a great end to a really
good year for me. I shouldnt even
have been there my deal came
together at the last minute with
RML and it was my rst year out
of a factory car, which was a
refreshing change and, if Im
honest, a no-pressure set-up.
Jason Plato was talking to
Henry Hope-Frost
JASON PLATO IS THE MOST
successful driver in British
Touring Car Championship
history, with 68 wins. The former
Formula Renault UK race winner
and Renault Spider Cup champion
joined the series in 1997 and has
won for Renault, Vauxhall, SEAT
and Chevrolet. He took the title
in 2001 in a Triple 8 Vauxhall
Astra and in 2010 (RML Chevy
Cruze), and has been runner-up
four times. The 44-year-old
also co-hosts TV motoring
show Fifth Gear.
IN PROFILE
NEXT
WEEK
Jean-Pierre
NICOLAS
I thought about backing them both up in the hope that
someone behind Colin and Fab would have a go, perhaps
spoiling it for them. I opted to just get on with it
Plato celebrates a clean
sweep at Brands Hatch
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FINAL DRIVE
RACE OF MY LIFE
into my hands.
The eld got really bunched up
because of the high jinks up front,
so I picked a few off and got in on
the act behind Fabrizio. Colin and
Matt had a bit of a set-to, with
Colin sustaining a bit of damage,
so that slowed him a bit. Then
I passed Matt at Dingle Dell he
went off, but wed had no contact!
I then went after Colin and
Fabrizio, who were all over each
other. They held each other up
a bit and I got a great exit out of
Clearways and thought, Right, this
is it: shit or bust. I dragged past
them up the start/nish straight
and red it round the outside
DRIVE THE CHANGE
The ofcial fuel consumption gures in mpg (l/100km) for the Mgane
Renaultsport 250 are: Urban: 24.6 (11.5), Extra Urban: 42.2 (6.7),
Combined: 34.4 (8.2). The ofcial CO
2
emission gure is 190g/km.
In fact were overjoyed that the Mgane Renaultsport 250 Cup has been awarded What Car?s Best Hot Hatch of the Year.
Again. More attitude and exhilaration than any other hot hatch on sale, they said. Maybe it was the turbocharged engine.
Or the limited-slip differential that allows you to exploit all that power. But theres denitely something in the Renault family
DNA, because the Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup has also been awarded Best Hot Hatch in its category, three years running. Got
a car from someone else lately? Hope you kept the receipt. Visit renault.co.uk or tune in to Renault TV on Sky Guide 883.
WE GET THE SAME
CHRISTMAS PRESENT
EVERY YEAR.
BUT WERE NOT
COMPLAINING.
Mgane Renaultsport 250 with Cup Chassis.
www.motorracinginternational.uk.com
Apply NOW for your FREE brochure Ring our 24 hour dial-a-brochure service quoting reference AS7
TEL. 01304 612424 | info@motorracinginternational.uk.com
The 20th edition of the MRI Tour Collection is now available. Visit our website for full details. As ever, we will be featuring
each and every round of the F1 World Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hour Race. A small selection of our vast choice
of travel arrangements is outlined above.
Put your trust in the UKs only fully bonded, independent motorsport travel specialist.
2537
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
5 Nights Melbourne
Melbourne & Sydney
2-Centre Holiday
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
5 Nights Kuala Lumpur
Australia & Malaysia
2 Grands Prix Holiday
chINeSe GRAND PRIX
Direct Flights with 5 nights
in Shanghai
UNITeD STATeS
GRAND PRIX
Texas Hosts F1s
Return to America
cANADIAN GRAND PRIX
4 Nights in Montreal
Montreal & Niagara Holiday
MONAcO GRAND PRIX
Full Programme of
Arrangements
including Flights and Hotels
SINGAPORe GRAND PRIX
Spectacular Night Race
Direct Flights
5 nights in Singapore
hUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
Weekend By Air
Budapest & Vienna
2-Centre Holiday
Le MANS 24 hOURS
Self-Drive Packages with
Hotel or Camping
Coach Tours & Paris Stop-Overs
eUROPeAN GRAND PRIX
Stay in Valencia
Weekends & Longer Tours
GeRMAN GRAND PRIX
Heidelberg based Tours by Coach or Air
Self-Drive Packages
SPANISh GRAND PRIX
Wide Selection of Weekend
and
Longer Tours by Air
BeLGIAN GRAND PRIX
Selection of Tours by
Coach, Air or Eurostar
Self-Drive Packages
ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
Weekends and Longer
Tours
Based in Como
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