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  • 2018 Belgian GP Review: Chaos at Spa

    2018 Belgian GP Review: Chaos at Spa

    Finally the summer break is over as Formula 1 returned to the Ardennes forests for the 13th round on the calendar, the Belgian Grand Prix.

    Lots of things happened during the summer break; the shocking news of Daniel Ricciardo moving to Renault next year, Carlos Sainz moving to McLaren and the retirement of Fernando Alonso. Most important though was the news that (formerly) Sahara Force India was saved from bankruptcy by an investor group led by Lance Stroll’s father, Lawrence Stroll. It took until one day before the Grand Prix to really save the team because problems with previous investors meant that the team wasn’t officially allowed to start. FIA gave clearance as the team changed their name to Racing Point Force India. This came with its consequences though, as they lost all their Constructors’ Championship points from the previous 12 races.

    Daniel Ricciardo due to leave Aston Martin Redbull Racing for Renault f1 for the 2019 season. Image courtesy Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    The Saturday of the GP started bizarrely as Valtteri Bottas didn’t see Stoffel Vandoorne coming up Kemmel straight just after Raidillon in FP3 which resulted in the Belgian evading the Finn by running onto the wet grass. Vandoorne lost control of his McLaren and just missed the barriers. The incident was noted by the stewards, who only reprimanded the Mercedes driver. It was already a tough weekend for Bottas who started the race from the back of the grid due to his team fitting new parts to his car, which resulted in a grid penalty.

    Then the qualifying started. Out of Q1 were Vandoorne, Stroll, Sergey Sirotkin, Alonso and Sainz. During Q2 the clouds came out, but there was still no sign of rain. The five drivers not making it into Q3 were Nico Hülkenberg (who didn’t even get to drive in Q2 due to a grid penalty), Marcus Ericsson, Charles Leclerc, Brendan Hartley and Pierre Gasly. When the lights went green in Q3 all drivers went out on slicks because of potential rainfall.  It was at Blanchimont that Bottas showed it was raining hard; spinning out of nowhere at high speeds. Only the Force Indias tried to set a lap on the slicks, which saw a spectacular save by Sergio Perez at Eau Rouge and Raidillon just keeping him from the tyre barriers. Then everyone went out on the intermediates, some fast times were put on the leader boards, but the rain was decreasing near the end of the session. Force India profited from this situation as they spectacularly took P3 and P4, with Romain Grosjean also surprisingly taking P5 and Lewis Hamilton took pole in front of rival Sebastian Vettel.

    With a very mixed up grid the race on Sunday was looking to be crazy, which was definitely the case although not as you would expect. The Verstappen grandstand coloured Spa bright orange on race day, just like Max Verstappen’s special helmet for the weekend.

    Lights Out at the Belgian GP 2018. Image courtesy of Ferrari Media

    After the five red lights went out it took only a few hundred metres before total chaos ensued. Hülkenberg  completely missed his brake zone on the left, causing him to fully lock all of his tyres. He couldn’t do anything to avoid a collision with Alonso in front of him, who got catapulted into the air just over the car of Leclerc. Damage on Leclerc’s Halo showed that Alonso was dangerously close to hitting him. In all this chaos, Alonso hit the rear of Ricciardo’s car who lost a big part of his rear wing. The team could repair the car, but would eventually retired it near the end of the race to safe parts. In a chain reaction it was then Ricciardo who hit the back of Kimi Räikkönen’s car, causing a puncture. After some pit stops the race was over for the Finn as well. On the right side it was Bottas who braked too late as well, but only causing light damage to his front wing.

    With all chaos behind them it was Vettel who took the lead from Hamilton after a better exit through Eau Rouge saw him overtaking the Brit on Kemmel straight. Just after his overtake the Safety Car (SC) was brought out to clean up the mess at La Source.

    In lap 4 the SC came back into the pits. Hamilton tried to overtake Vettel into the final chicane, which allowed Vettel to pull away because he locked up. This was strange as they weren’t past the SC line yet. Three laps later it was Verstappen who overtook Esteban Ocon for P4, as the Dutchman clearly wanted to impress all the Dutch fans around the track. Meanwhile Bottas was storming through the grid, with a spectacular move at Eau Rouge on Hartley, giving him P13. Just later he also got into P12 when overtaking Sainz. In front it was Hamilton that was initially losing time to Vettel, but as the laps went by he gained more and more, and closed the gap between himself and the German. In lap 9 the other Ferrari driver Räikkönen came into the pits to retire from the race as the damage the car sustained after the manic start was too severe. Verstappen then overtook Perez for P3, leading to big cheers from the crowds who hoped he could finally get a podium at his home Grand Prix.

    It was lap 22 when Hamilton went into the pits to fit soft tyres. Vettel responded to his decision by coming into the pits one lap later, also opting for the soft tyre. Vettel came back on track still leading the race with a gap of around two seconds between himself and Hamilton, who overtook Verstappen using DRS on the long straight. Verstappen hadn’t made a pit stop yet so he didn’t defend as aggressively as he usually does.

    An interesting fight took place for the last points around lap 27/28 between Ericsson and Hartley. The Toro Rosso driver overtook Ericsson on the Kemmel straight, but the Swedish Sauber driver fought back by going down the inside of Hartley regaining his tenth place. On lap 28 it was Hartley who got his P10 back again by using DRS on the straight but only one lap later it was Ericsson who overtook the Kiwi that very same way again. In lap 31 Ricciardo had to come into the pits to retire his car. There was too much damage to continue and by retiring the car they can fit a new gearbox without any penalties as a result. Bottas, starting in 17th place, got P4 in lap 40 when overtaking Perez.

    The race could have been more interesting without the chaos at the start, which meant that five cars retired from the race. There were a few interesting battles from time to time, but overall the gaps between the cars were big.

    In the end it was Vettel who took the win, with a struggling Hamilton taking second place. Third place went to Verstappen, who finally got a podium at his ‘home’ Grand Prix. In fourth it was Bottas who really fought his way back into the top but just couldn’t get close to a podium. Force India should be happy with a fifth and sixth place meaning they now have 18 points, moving them into ninth in the Constructors’ Championship. Completing the top ten was Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen, Gasly and Ericsson.

    Sebastian Vettel wins the 2018 Belgium GP. Image courtesy of Pirelli media

     

    The win for Vettel meant that he gained seven points in the Drivers’ Championship, bringing the gap between himself and Hamilton down to 17 points. Bottas is closing in on Räikkönen, who was unlucky in the race, as he now has 144 points to Kimi’s 146 points. Verstappen has finally passed his teammate in the Championship. The Dutchman has 120 points and Ricciardo has 118 points as his retiring from the race meant he left with zero points.

    It’s already race week again with the Italian Grand Prix taking place this weekend. Will Vettel please the Italian Tifosi at Ferrari’s home Grand Prix, or will Hamilton try to extend his lead in the championship?

    Featured image courtesy of Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

  • Belgian Grand Prix: First-lap shunt calls time on halo debate

    Belgian Grand Prix: First-lap shunt calls time on halo debate

    2018 is the debut season in F1, and in junior series F2, of the frontal head protection system more commonly known as the halo. Despite its unpopularity, the device has already proven its worth on numerous occasions.

    Back when the halo was still in development, one of the crashes looked at was that of the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, when Romain Grosjean sent his car flying over Fernando Alonso’s, only narrowly missing the latter’s head. Grosjean was handed a race ban for the incident while everyone knew that Alonso had been very lucky to avoid any injury.

    Joe Portlock / McLaren

    This time it’s another first lap crash at Spa involving Alonso that has caused debate surrounding the halo, and one that could’ve had a much different outcome had the device not been there. Nico Hulkenberg missed his braking point by quite some way, later saying that the turbulent air from the cars in front took weight off the front of his car, and ploughed into the back of Alonso. The Spaniard, now a passenger, then hit the back of Charles Leclerc’s car and was launched over the top of the Sauber, coming into contact with its halo.

    As in 2012, all drivers involved walked away from the incident unscathed, and thoughts quickly turned to what sort of penalty Hulkenberg should get. It turned out to be a 10-place grid penalty for Monza, though Alonso insists that the penalty should’ve been more like that given to Grosjean in 2012.

    The sheer damage to Leclerc’s halo was only realised when images of the device were released during the race. Alonso’s car, and more specifically his tyre, had left black rubber marks all over the right side of the halo, along with the side of the Sauber. Clearly, the outcome could, and would, have been a lot worse if those tyre marks were on Leclerc’s helmet and not his halo, showing exactly why the protection device was introduced.

    Another thing the crash perfectly demonstrated is why the FIA were unwilling to delay the halo’s introduction. Imagine if that crash had happened and the halo wasn’t there. The outcome would have been a lot worse, while the FIA would be open to numerous lawsuits and we might just have lost one of F1’s brightest young stars.

    This crash is, however, not the first one in 2018 to prove the halo’s worth. When Tadasuke Makino and Nirei Fukuzumi came together earlier in the F2 season, Fukuzumi’s tyre ended up on Makino’s halo, leaving similar black marks to those left on Leclerc’s. This should have ended the halo debate there and then, with Makino saying that the halo “saved his life”, but still it rumbled on.

    Haters of the halo are, on various social media platforms, still trying to find ways to complain about it, despite both Leclerc and Makino’s crashes. I’ve seen a lot say that the wheel wouldn’t have come into contact with either of their heads anyway, so the halo doesn’t need to be there. But, there’s no proof for that, either way. Surely, it’s better to err on the side of caution by having the halo there, rather than risk it with their head’s exposed.

    The presence of the halo makes championships without it look very exposed and excessively dangerous by comparison. Take IndyCar, for example. At Pocono, there was a huge wreck in which Robert Wickens’ car came perilously close to Ryan Hunter-Reay’s head, and a piece of debris entered James Hinchcliffe’s cockpit causing damage to his hands. Just watching IndyCar, Pocono aside, it looks like their heads are so exposed, something that has only really come to light because of the halo.

    Renault Sport F1 Team

    The FIA have said that they’ll share their findings from Leclerc’s crash with IndyCar, but the latter is unable to use the halo due to visibility issues on ovals and super-speedways. Nevertheless, the American series is looking to introduce a windscreen-type solution for next season.

    Fellow drivers have praised the halo after Leclerc’s crash, with Leclerc himself saying that he was glad to have it over his head. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg declared that the halo discussion was over because it clearly can save lives while Felipe Massa said that it can now be called “beautiful”. There has been a huge outcry of support for the halo and a crash like this, however awful it is to say, was needed to prove to the doubters that the device effective. Now there can be no question about that.

    The strongly-opinionated type will probably still criticise the halo but, the fact is, it’s the best solution to the problem that currently exists. Eventually, there will be a halo replacement or adaptation that is better-looking but, in the meantime, the halo is most definitely here to stay and whether you like it or not, expect other series to be adopting it very soon.

     

    Featured image – Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team

  • Blink and you’ll miss it: the short-lived points battle for 9th

    Despite having heard the news that (Racing Point) Force India’s points tally was to be reset to zero, I nonetheless did a double take when first confronted with the updated Constructors’ Championship standings. It might be a little sad to admit, but, while the Force India fan in me shook my head, the Williams fan in me got momentarily excited by the prospect of Williams being not-last for the first time in what felt like an age.

    But could Williams hold on to the heady heights of 9th place? Only time would tell (rather quickly, as it turned out).

    I would have thought that this surprise jump in the standings might have been a new source of motivation for Williams (except possibly for the presumably temporarily conflicted Lance Stroll, rumoured to be joining his father, Lawrence, at the pink team before the season is out). But, watching FP1, it all seemed to be business as usual, with relative anonymity from both drivers, with the exception of a spin from Sergey Sirotkin. Despite the odd moment when Stroll or Sirotkin leapt briefly up the timesheets, only to topple back down moments later, they ended the session in the now-familiar depths of 16th and 19th respectively. FP2 and FP3 were incident-free but similarly unimpressive for the team. Presumably there’s not much that motivation can do in such a terrible car.

    Qualifying made clear that the points battle between Williams and Force India was likely to be over as soon as it began, with both Williams out in Q1, while the Force Indias achieved near-perfection, locking out the second row of the grid, with some excellent wet-weather laps.

    Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.
    Sunday 26 August 2018.
    Lance Stroll, Williams FW41, leads Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL33.
    Photo: Andy Hone/Williams F1
    ref: Digital Image _ONY2925

    Come race day, towards the rear of the field Sirotkin and Stroll took advantage of the first lap carnage that collected Alonso, Hulkenberg and Leclerc, with Sirotkin finally completing a lap in a points-paying position, despite receiving a clattering from Bottas amidst the chaos. His race continued on a positive note as he overtook Ericsson shortly after the restart, with the two switching positions multiple times thereafter (none of which, sadly, was shown on screen).

    While it was ultimately yet another pointless outing for Williams, their pace seemed a little better than in previous races. It was a particular shame that Sirotkin’s race went under the radar, with his Williams only appearing on screen again when falling victim to the faster-paced Carlos Sainz. As such, we missed out on some feisty driving from Sirotkin, who found himself in close on-track battles throughout the race.

    Meanwhile, much further forward, the Force India drivers made the most of their advantageous starting positions, with Esteban Ocon getting an impressive but perhaps slightly over-ambitious start, narrowly missing out on a run for the lead. In usual Sergio Perez style, he immediately seized the opportunity to capitalise on Ocon’s misfortune, slotting neatly into third place behind Vettel and Hamilton. He shone again later, holding a resurgent Bottas off in the closing stages for longer than might reasonably be expected. The Pink Panthers finished the race a solidly impressive 5th and 6th on a day when more would have been impossible, a result that was a world away from the uncertainty surrounding the team as they went into the weekend, when at times it was unclear if they would even make it to the grid.

    Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas at the Belgian 2018 GP. Image courtesy of Racing Point Force India

    So, that of course brought an end to the short-lived points battle between Williams and Force India, with Perez and Ocon gaining 18 points between them, to put the team comfortably ahead of Williams with their miserable 4 point total.

    But with Force India now just one point shy of Sauber, there’s another battle on the horizon for the next race. Will Monza see them climb another rung on the ladder? Once again, time will tell, but expect Sauber to put up a bit more of a fight.

  • Frantic Moto2 Qualifying Leads to Bagnaia Pole as Gardner Stars

    Following on from his win in that stunning Austrian Moto2 battle with Miguel Oliveira, Francesco Bagnaia took pole position in Silverstone for the 2018 British Grand Prix. It was a complicated session, as were all the qualifying sessions today, with the track starting off dry for the majority of the lap, but very wet in the far end of the circuit, between Stowe and Club (turn 7 to 10). Throughout the session, the track was getting drier, and Bagnaia timed his final lap perfectly to be almost the last rider over the line, meaning he enjoyed almost perfect track conditions, relatively speaking.

    Francesco Bagnaia. Image courtesy of Honda Pro Racing

    Bagnaia stole pole in the final moments, after the flag had dropped, and he stole it from Remy Gardner. The Australian got lost on his way to the track earlier in the week, with dad – and 1987 500cc World Champion – Wayne having to go and find the Tech 3 rider. Despite missing out on pole position in the end, it was still a career-best qualifying position for Remy, whose previous record was ninth. Both the Mistral 610 chassis and Gardner have shown themselves to be capable in wet conditions, and with a typically British aquatic onslaught scheduled to batter the Northamptonshire circuit all day long tomorrow, such skills could prove vital for the #87, and he will be aiming for his first World Championship podium, especially if it does rain.

    Alex Marquez was third fastest today, and looked for a period as though he would take pole position, such was the scrolling nature of the times in the end of the session. Two straight DNFs mean that points are essential for Marquez tomorrow, and of course a strong ride would do a lot for his undoubtedly damaged confidence.

    Marcel Schrotter will start his 105th Moto2 race from fourth place tomorrow, as he continues his search for a first Moto2 podium.

    On the contrary, Luca Marini is coming off the back of three consecutive podiums, as he starts from 5th on the grid, and is another rider who could relish the adverse conditions.

    Petronas Yamaha-bound Fabio Quartararo will complete the second row tomorrow, and he will be hoping for dry conditions tomorrow, because on the slick tyres he has been very fast, and very consistent all weekend.

    Mattia Pasini was on for pole position in the final stages of qualifying, but caught Iker Lecuona in sector three of his final lap, and so was consigned to just seventh place, with the aforementioned Lecuona and home hero Sam Lowes (another who looked a possible pole-setter) joining him on the third row.

    It has been a strong weekend for Romano Fenati, and for the most part he has been the top rookie – he will line up tenth tomorrow. The injured Xavi Vierge as well as Lorenzo Baldassarri will join Fenati on row four.

    Thirteenth on the gird tomorrow belongs to Andrea Locatelli, whilst Joan Mir could only manage fourteenth. It’s slightly fortunate that Mir got his Suzuki deal done when he did, because since then, his form has dipped bar that podium in Germany. Augusto Fernandez completes the 5th row.

    Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder could only do as well as 16th fastest, and will be alongside Domi Aegerter and Bo Bendsneyder on the sixth row; whilst row seven holds Niki Tuuli, Joe Roberts and Tetsuta Nagashima, complete with his new ‘surfer doggo’ seat sticker, as a nod to the famous shot of him surfing his Honda Team Asia Kalex two weeks ago in the wet practice in Austria.

    Jorge Navarro will be disappointed with his 22nd grid slot because he has looked quite strong this weekend. However, Miguel Oliveira will be even more disappointed, as he made yet another poor qualifying position, and whilst championship leader Bagnaia starts from pole, Oliveira only qualified 23rd. Stefano Manzi completes the eighth row.

    Miguel Oliveira. Image courtesy of Honda Pro Racing.

    Steven Odendaal on the second NTS chassis was 25th fastest, with Danny Kent and SIC-Petronas Moto2-bound Khairul Idham Pawi joining him on row nine; whilst wildcard Josh Owens impressively took 28th spot (only 2.880 seconds off pole), joining Jules Danilo and Federico Fuligni on the 10th row.

    Alejandro Medina heads up row eleven, from Simone Corsi – whose qualifying was hampered by a crash – and Xavi Cardelus who is 33rd and last.

  • Martin Again the Hero, Takes British GP Pole

    The Moto3 qualifying session was a complicated one for the British Grand Prix. It started in reasonable, dry conditions, but a sprinkling of rain in the mid-point of the session disrupted everyone’s rhythms.

    In the end, though, it was Jorge Martin who took pole position. It was his seventh pole of the season, and it could prove an important one for the championship, considering the position of his main title rival. But once again, Martin fought against the pain of his broken radius – which this weekend is more intense than he expected – to top qualifying and put himself in prime position for tomorrow, where he will aim to close his deficit in the championship.

    Just 0.001 seconds behind Martin was Jaume Masia. The seventeen-year-old is making a habit of being robbed by Martin in the closing stages, after his first Grand Prix podium was taken away from him by Martin in the final corner in Austria at the last race. Nonetheless, a personal best qualifying for the Spaniard, who is progressing well in what is his full rookie season.

    Jorge Martin. Image courtesy of Honda Pro Racing

    Completing the front row for tomorrow’s 2018 Moto3 British Grand Prix is Lorenzo Dalla Porta, the Italian just 0.021 second off pole in what turned out to be a stunningly close-fought qualifying, even more so when you consider the complexity and length of the British track. Coming into Silverstone in a strong vane of form, Dalla Porta will hope to take his second career podium, after taking his first back in Qatar this year.

    Albert Arenas heads up row two, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio who seems to be back on form after a poor Austrian round a couple of weeks ago. Tatsuki Suzuki rounds out row two.

    Seventh on the grid tomorrow is Gabriel Rodrigo, who was on for pole before crashing at Abbey, after which he was sent to the medical centre. Enea Bastianini took eighth place, after a late change on the front gave him more confidence. The third row was rounded out by Nicolo Bulega, who has the opportunity to do a good race tomorrow, as the run to turn one is short, so he shouldn’t lose too much time off the start, where he is always very weak.

    Marcos Ramirez completed the top ten, and will head row four tomorrow ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Niccolo Antonelli. Bezzecchi had a good shot at pole, but he seemed to think himself out of it, by trying to stay with Jorge Martin the whole session, following the Spaniard everywhere. Ultimately, he crashed on his final lap, which left him eleventh. Antonelli, like Rodrigo, had to go to the medical centre following a crash late on in the session.

    Aron Canet had a disappointing qualifying, ending up down in 13th. Philipp Oettl and Adam Norrodin join him on row five; whilst Kazuki Masaki, Jakub Kornfeil and Tony Arbolino make up row six.

    John McPhee will start his home Grand Prix from just nineteenth place, although he has looked better than that when his bike has been correctly lined up, and not barrelling through the gravel. Ayumu Sasaki rounds out the top twenty, and row seven is completed by Dennis Foggia, who has looked good at times this weekend.

    Alonso Lopez could only manage 22nd fastest, and will be joined by Vicente Perez and Nakarin Atiratphuvapat on row eight.

    Row nine consists of Andrea Migno, Kaito Toba and Darryn Binder; whilst Tom Booth-Amos, Stefano Nepa and Jake Archer complete the grid.

  • Belgian Grand Prix: Hamilton Claims Pole as Force India Impress in Rain-Affected Qualifying

    Belgian Grand Prix: Hamilton Claims Pole as Force India Impress in Rain-Affected Qualifying

    Lewis Hamilton has claimed his 78th pole position in Formula One, setting a time seven tenths quicker than title rival Sebastian Vettel as rain showers shook things up in Q3 at Spa-Francorchamps.

    The Brit now holds the record for the most pole positions claimed at the circuit, beating the previous record of four poles held by Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna.

    Ferrari had looked as if they had the edge coming into qualifying, with the Scuderia setting the fastest times in every practice session as well as in Q1 and Q2. However, when the rain started to fall in Q3, the pendulum swung in Mercedes’ favour. Sebastian Vettel managed to significantly improve his lap time in the final runs of Q3 as the track began to dry but it wasn’t enough to overthrow Lewis Hamilton at the top of the timing screens. He will start the race tomorrow in P2.

    2018 Großer Preis von Belgien, Samstag – Steve Etherington

    Force India, or Racing Point Force India if you want to be pedantic, saw both of their drivers put in superb performances. Esteban Ocon – whose future is uncertain amid rumours of Lance Stroll being drafted into the team as soon as Monza or Singapore – qualified an amazing P3. Team-mate Sergio Perez recovered from a huge moment coming out of Eau Rouge and going into Raidillon to post the fourth quickest time. There must be something in the Force India water at Spa, for this is the circuit where Giancarlo Fisichella claimed pole for them in 2009 and where previous incarnations of the team, notably Jordan Grand Prix, have always run well.

    Also putting in a great performance was the Haas of Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman had been surprisingly off the pace all weekend, but he managed to get it together when it mattered and qualified P5.

    Kimi Raikkonen had been looking particularly strong all weekend, but Ferrari made the strategic error of only giving him enough fuel for one lap in Q3. This meant the Finn was confined to the garage towards the end of Q3 at precisely the moment when the fastest laps were being set on track. He ended up P6.

    The Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will, like Raikkonen, definitely not be satisfied. Thanks to a mix of strategic error and the low-drag trim they had been running, they ended up P7 and P8 respectively and over four seconds away from Hamilton’s pole time.

    2018 Großer Preis von Belgien, Samstag – Wolfgang Wilhelm

    The other Haas of Kevin Magnussen qualified P9, nearly three seconds behind his team-mate, and Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top ten having failed to set a time in Q3. The Finn came into qualifying carrying engine penalties and knowing that, whatever happened, he would be starting the Grand Prix from the back of the grid.

    Outside the top ten, the main surprise came in the form of Renault’s Carlos Sainz being knocked out of Q1 by the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson.

    Not so surprising, however, was the pace of the two McLaren cars. It is turning into a home race to forget for Stoffel Vandoorne – the Belgian had been slowest in FP1, FP2, and FP3, and that trend, unfortunately, continued into Q1. This was McLaren’s worst qualifying of the year so far, with Vandoorne’s team-mate Fernando Alonso also failing to make it out of Q1 and qualifying P17. They will, however, get bumped up a couple of places thanks to the engine penalties given to Valtteri Bottas and also to Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg.

     

    Featured image: 2018 Großer Preis von Belgien, Samstag – Steve Etherington

  • What’s up with the “Girls on Track – Karting Challenge

    What’s up with the “Girls on Track – Karting Challenge

    For all you young fans of racing – here is a “What’s up” with the “Girls on Track-Karting Challenge on and off the race track. After two rounds of in-country elimination the jury chose 14 candidates to further train and compete for three slots on the final race challenge at Le Mans in 2019.

    The circuits chosen for the elimination races were set to the specifications set by the FIA. The races had a very technical character as the driving skills of the contestants had to be clearly demonstrated and measured by this same standard. Challenges included sharp turns, high speed sections, slaloms and rapid switch-backs. Negotiation of traffic cones set very close to one another and there were penalties for coming in contact with them.

    Gosia Rdest, the Ambassador of the program, was there for the Girls during both elimination in Tychy on May 26-27, 2018 and in Rzeszów on August 12-13, 2019. Gosia, who started her own racing career at the Karting track being just 12 years old, fully understands the adrenaline rush, the unmatched feeling of being #1 on the podium both in Karting and now in speed racing. She has and is racing on race tracks all over the world from Daytona to Dubai. She also knows the feeling of despair of a race gone wrong, regardless of whose or what’s fault. She knows what it feels like when your hard work, training, sacrificing time with family and friends, all of it goes down the drain because of a mistake, bad weather, car failure etc. But she, also knows the most important thing. She knows how to get pass all of this, pick herself up, “get it together” and stand up and race and do her level best to race better than she has ever done before. She now that past mistakes are not to dwell on it, but to learn from them and she knows that the only competitor that we truly race against today is ourselves from the day before. So she was there to cheer and support and show that it is possible if you truly want it and are willing to work hard to get it.

    But, Gosia also knows, from her own experience, that the iron will, talent and passion are not enough if the knowledge element is missing from the equation. And this is where the training program come in. All fourteen finalists will participate in a three month follow-up training program prepared by Gosia in cooperation with the Polish Motorsport Association (PZM) and a group of dedicated enthusiasts and pros of the motor sport. Participating in four program blocks, offered during a two-day weekend courses spanning over 3 month period, the Girls will learn “what it means and what it takes to be a successful race driver”. But they will learn more than that. as the curriculum includes: “the technical vocabulary of racing”; “Successful teamwork”; “interpersonal communication skills”; “self-perception; self-assessment, self-imaging and planning for success. There also will be a bloc on the Motorsport related professional opportunities, such as Motorsport journalism, personal managers and trainers of race drivers; dietitians and health advisers, technical support staff and more.

    The training starts in September with a visit to the Polish Motor Championship Race in Poznań. Under Gosia’s supervision the Girls will visit the garages and the “PITS” and observe the work of the technical support staff and the training of the race drivers. The cherry on the cake will be a ride on the track with Gosia being seated on the next to the driver seat. So buckle up Girls and get your adrenaline flowing.
    “We want to show to the Girls the “entire scene of the Motorsport” demonstrate to them that it comes as a complete set of tasks, skills, talents and activities. Even the best, most talented, race driver would not be able to race and win without the support of the best talents that work tirelessly behind the scene. Racing is a team-effort and there are plenty of opportunities to find a challenging career within the Motorsport not only as a race driver. For an example great communication and personal skills are needed for fundraising. And everyone knows that racing will not be capable to operate without the financial backing of patrons. We are very proud to have Ravenol as one of the sponsors of this training program. The Company has been involved in supporting women in Motorsport for some time now. Ravenol has sponsored me personally for the two last seasons. I am very thankful that Ravenol has agreed to extend our cooperation to include the Girls on Track-Karting Challenge project. I am keeping my fingers crossed for all the Girls. Yes, only three of the finalists will compete at Le Mans, but all of them will acquire portable skills to carry with them wherever their life may lead them and hopefully make long-lasting friendships built upon true and honest competition and teamwork.”

    So yeah, that’s it for now. Keep your fingers crossed for the Girls and stay tuned for more info!

  • Co słychać w programie „Girls on Track – Karting Challange”?

    Co słychać w programie „Girls on Track – Karting Challange”?

    Dla wszystkich młodych fanów motosportu i nie tylko, przedstawiamy krótkie wiadomości „ z ostatniej chwili” na temat „Girls on Track – Karting Challenge”. Po dwóch rundach krajowych eliminacji, jury wybrało 14 finalistek. Wszystkie będą uczestniczyły w programie szkoleniowym. Trzy najlepsze wezmą udział w europejskim finale w Le Mans w 2019 roku.
    Tor kartingowy na potrzeby eliminacji został ustawiony zgodnie z wytycznymi FIA. Miał bardzo techniczny charakter, tak by kandydatki mogły w pełni zaprezentować swoje umiejętności i zostać ocenione według tych samych standardów. Nie zabrakło szybkiej sekcji, nawrotu, zawijki, slalomu. Pachołki były rozstawione bardzo ciasno. Za dotknięcie pachołka naliczany był czas karny .
    Gosia Rdest, ambasadorka akcji, była obecna podczas obu rund eliminacji – 26-27 maja w Tychach i 12 sierpnia w Rzeszowie. Gosia, która sama rozpoczynała karierę na torze kartingowym w wieku 12 lat, w pełni rozumie emocje towarzyszące wyścigom – przypływ adrenaliny i z niczym nie mogące się równać uczucie, gdy zawodnik staje na pierwszym stopniu podium. Dawniej w kartingu dziś na torach wyścigowych całego świata, od Daytony po Dubaj Gosia często gości na podium. Ale zna także gorzki smak rozczarowania, gdy wyścig się nie udaje, niezależnie z czyjej winy i gdy cała ciężka praca włożona w treningi, przygotowania idzie na marne – w wyniku czy to błędu czy usterki samochodu. Ale wie także rzecz najważniejszą – jak stawić czoła przeciwnościom, podnieść się po upadku i z podniesioną głową iść dalej ku upragnionemu celowi, silniejsza niż poprzednio. Wie, że błędy nie są po to, by je rozpamiętywać, ale po to, by się na nich uczyć, bo tak naprawdę jedyny przeciwnik, z którym dzisiaj walczymy, to nasze ja z dnia poprzedniego. Z tego powodu, była właściwą osobą, by dopingować i wspierać, by udowadniać, że wszystko jest możliwe, gdy tylko tego chcemy i nie boimy się ciężkiej pracy.
    Jednak żelazna wola, talent i pasja to nieraz za mało, jeżeli zabraknie w tym równaniu czynnika wiedzy. I właśnie tutaj odpowiedzią jest program szkoleniowy. 14 finalistek weźmie udział w trzymiesięcznym programie treningowym przygotowanym przez Gosię Rdest we współpracy z Polskim Związkiem Motorowym (PZM) oraz grupą ekspertów. Podczas szkolenia, składającego się z czterech bloków tematycznych, realizowanych w weekendy od września do listopada, dziewczęta dowiedzą się, co to znaczy być kierowcą wyścigowym i co potrzebne jest, by osiągnąć sukces na torze. Nauczą się ponadto wiele więcej. W programie znajdą się takie tematy jak: „techniczne słownictwo wyścigowe”, „efektywna praca zespołowa”, „komunikacja interpersonalna”, „samo-postrzeganie; samoocena i planowanie sukcesu”. Jest również blok poświęcony profesjom związanym z wyścigami, a jest ich naprawdę bardzo dużo – od dziennikarzy sportowych, komentatorów, menadżerów i kierowników zespołów, po trenerów i mechaników.
    Program szkoleniowy rozpocznie się we wrześniu podczas rundy Wyścigowych Samochodowych Mistrzostw Polski (WSMP). Pod okiem Gosi Rdest, uczestniczki zwiedzą boksy i tor oraz zyskają szansę, by podglądać pracę mechaników i kierowców w akcji. Wisienką na torcie będzie przejazd z Gosią na prawym fotelu wyścigowego samochodu.
    Gosia mówi: „ Chcemy pokazać dziewczynkom zaplecze wyścigów i pokazać, że motorsport to cały zestaw umiejętności, talentów, zajęć i aktywności. Nawet najbardziej utalentowany kierowca nic nie wskóra bez całego zespołu ludzi, którzy pracują na sukces za kulisami. Wyścigi to praca zespołowa i w związku z tym jest mnóstwo możliwości rozwijania kariery w ich obrębie, nie tylko w charakterze kierowcy. Na przykład umiejętności interpersonalne są niezbędne w procesie pozyskiwania funduszy. A jak wszyscy wiedzą, ściganie nie jest możliwe bez finansowego wsparcia sponsorów. Bardzo się cieszę, że jednym z głównych sponsorów naszego programu szkoleniowego dla dziewcząt została firma Ravenol. Ravenol już od jakiegoś czasu jest zaangażowany w promowanie kobiet w motorsporcie. Od dwóch sezonów jest to mój personalny partner. Jestem bardzo szczęśliwa i wdzięczna, że firma zdecydowała się rozszerzyć współpracę na projekt „Girls on Track-Karting Challenge”, który jest wyjątkowo bliski mojemu sercu. Trzymam kciuki za dziewczyny. Tak, tylko trzy z nich pojadą do Le Mans, ale wszystkie zdobędą przydatne umiejętności, które zostaną z nimi, gdziekolwiek je życie poprowadzi i mam nadzieję, że zyskają coś równie ważnego – długotrwałe przyjaźnie, zbudowane na pracy zespołowej i uczciwym współzawodnictwie”.
    Trzymajcie kciuki za dziewczyny i bądźcie na bieżąco – będziemy informować o przebiegu programu.

  • Fenced in: The problem IndyCar can’t seem to solve

    Indycar 2018: Round Fourteen – Pocono, Philadelphia. Image courtesy of Hondanews.eu

    Sunday’s race at Pocono witnessed one of the scariest crashes in recent IndyCar memory. Robert Wickens was trying for an overtake on Ryan Hunter-Reay when the two collided, causing Wickens to spin and be launched into the catch-fence surrounding the track before being violently thrown around and eventually coming to a rest at the bottom of the track.

    Quite frankly, it’s a wonder Wickens’ wasn’t killed in that crash, it was a monster and very similar, too similar, in fact, to that of Dan Wheldon’s in 2011 – the only difference is that Wickens’ car stayed upright and Wheldon’s did not. The general rule for motorsport is that a devastating ‘freak’ accident can just about happen once, then the necessary changes have to be made to make sure that it can’t have the same, similar or worse consequences again. Twice, however, is unacceptable. Twice is not a ‘freak’ accident, twice is fundamental problems.

    It was only earlier this month that I was writing about how not as much was learnt from Wheldon’s crash as it should’ve been, and now look – that’s been proven in the worst way possible.

    Safety in Motorsports Week: Dan Wheldon, A Horribly Perfect Storm

    Sure, Wickens’ has survived but not without two broken legs, a broken arm, a bruised lung, spinal fractures and a spinal cord injury of ‘indeterminate severity’. That last part is the most worrying and no-one is yet willing to say what the prognosis looks like for Wickens – but, with racing put to one side, something that Sebastien Bourdais said is very true… “at least he’s alive”.

    I’m normally one to support IndyCar when it comes under criticism from the rest of the motorsport world but it’s much harder this time round… there’s a lot of anger from a lot of people as to how this crash could’ve happened again.

    One of the biggest problems is the catch-fence that surrounds every oval race track. Its primary function is to keep the race cars inside the race track and prevent any debris from finding its way into the crowd, and, on the whole, its very good at that. However, it also has a tendency to rip cars up in wrecks, causing them to rotate and causing a lot of damage to the car, and often the driver. If a car gets into the fence you know two things: 1) it was a very big crash and 2) the driver will be very lucky to walk away from it unscathed.

    Wickens’ saving grace is that he stayed upright and didn’t come into contact with any of the fence posts, especially on a vulnerable part of his body – such as his head. That’s what did it for Wheldon, but the fact that you could have something as potential dangerous as a fence post lining a race track seems ludicrous in itself.

    However, it’s all well and good criticising the catch-fences but what could they be replaced with? A replacement would have to be able to withstand the full force of an IndyCar without breaking while not having exposed reinforcements (i.e. fence posts), be able to catch any potential flying debris and not be so expensive that it can’t be rolled out at all ovals, all while not overly inhibiting the view of the spectators at the track. When you put it like that, you see just how big the problem that IndyCar faces is.

    Surely, now that it’s been bluntly brought to the management’s attention twice in a fairly short period of time, they’ll be forced into taking action. There are enough questions of IndyCar this time round, when the accident was not fatal – it would be a hundred times worse a third time round, and there’s no saying what the next outcome could be.

    That crash could be career ending for Wickens, or he might be able to return, depending on the severity of the spinal cord injury, but at least it was not life ending.

    Wickens is not, however, the only scary reality to have come out of that crash.

    Ryan Hunter-Reay is one very, very lucky driver to have no injuries from Pocono and be able look ahead to Gateway. Wickens’ spinning, aerial car came within inches of Hunter-Reay’s head, taking out the roll hoop just above him in alarming fashion. IndyCar have massively dodged a bullet with just that aspect of the crash… let alone the rest of it.

    And the problems don’t end there. Wickens’ teammate James Hinchcliffe, having already cheated death once, was also caught up in the crash and suffered injuries to his hands. Luckily, nothing was broken, just some cuts and bruises but that too could’ve been a whole lot worse. A fairly sizeable piece of debris entered Hinchcliffe’s cockpit when Pietro Fittipaldi, left with no where else to go, made contact with him and, again, just a few inches different and this too could be a wholly different story.

    With not overly different margins, that crash could’ve resulted in three badly injured, or worse, drivers, as opposed to just one. The fact that Wickens’ is the only one of those drivers not to be heading to Gateway is down to luck… not safety innovations.

    Two things desperately need to be learnt from the Pocono crash: 1) the catch-fence, and especially fence posts, needs looking at and a safer alternative really needs to be found and 2) the introduction of driver head protection should be paramount with as little delay as is possible.

    If those two warnings are not heeded, we could easily have the same supposedly ‘freak’ accident for a third time, and IndyCar’s luck is fast running out.

  • IndyCar Gateway Preview

    IndyCar Gateway Preview

    There are just three races left in the 2018 IndyCar season and the paddock are in the middle of three back-to-back races, however, a shadow hangs over the entirety of the series following Robert Wickens’ crash at Pocono.

    Wickens remains in hospital having had surgery on his spine and due for more on his arm and legs in the coming days. He also has some sort of spinal cord injury but the severity of it is as of yet unknown – that is what could stop a potential return to racing, but only time will tell. Schmidt Peterson have withdrawn the #6 car from Gateway out of respect, although teammate James Hinchcliffe, who was minorly injured in the wreck, will participate in the race.

    All the IndyCar drivers have expressed their support for Wickens, with many saying that they are struggling following the accident – they all know, full well, that it could’ve been them. The #GetWellWickens hashtag is trending on Twitter and there’s a campaign going around for fans to wear red on Saturday in support of Wickens. It’s a tough time for the whole close-nit paddock, but we’ve been here before… it’s not the first time a driver’s been badly injured, and it almost certainly won’t be the last.

    Away from the wreck and its repercussions, Alexander Rossi was the one to win the eventually restarted race at Pocono, fending off late challenges from Will Power to take his third win of the season and cut his championship deficit down 29 points. The swing in points between Rossi and championship leader Scott Dixon could’ve been a lot more had the latter not been able to recover from thirteenth to third, or had he been caught up in the wreck he only narrowly missed.

    Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 PPG Automotive Finishes Team Penske IndyCar Chevrolet V6, takes the checkered flag Sunday, August 26, 2017, winning the Verizon IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois. This is Newgarden’s fourth win of the season. He retains the lead in the drivers championship with two races to go. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/LAT for Chevy Racing)

    Looking ahead to Gateway, it was Josef Newgarden and Penske who dominated the race last year. Between all four Penske cars, they led all but three laps of the race with the lions share of those leading laps going to eventual race winner Newgarden. Gateway itself is a short oval which is raced as a night race under the floodlights. It’s a demanding track and often causes amateur-looking spins that can easily collect cars – as Power, Takuma Sato and Ed Carpenter found out last year.

    Gateway was the scene of a very controversial overtake for the lead in 2017. Newgarden was trailing teammate Simon Pagenaud in the closing laps of the race when he dived down the inside, making light contact but getting through otherwise cleanly. Pagenaud was clearly disgruntled after the race, in which he finished third, but it wasn’t long before the pair settled their differences, leading to the start to their rather amusing relationship which culminated in the ‘autograph battle’ earlier this season.

    There aren’t many driver changes for Gateway. Gabby Chaves is back in the #88 Harding after being replaced by Conor Daly for the previous three rounds while Wickens quite clearly won’t be present and there will be, as previously mentioned, no replacement.

    All the title contenders need good weekends to stay in touch but, with the crash at Pocono, Ryan Hunter-Reay has dropped out of realistic contention, 119 points back, leaving it down to just Dixon, Rossi, Newgarden and Power. At this point, everyone’s out there racing with Wickens in their minds and it would be amazing if Hinchcliffe could bring back a good result for the SPM team after all they’ve been through.

    IndyCar are joined by both Indy Lights and Pro Mazda at Gateway as all the seasons near their conclusions. All Indy Lights and Pro Mazda sessions are available to stream, along with IndyCar practice while qualifying unfortunately isn’t streaming again. The race is being shown on BT Sport/ESPN but, I’ll warn you now, some of the times aren’t very UK friendly! Those times are as follows:

    Friday

    Practice 1 – 6:15pm
    Qualifying – 10:15pm

    Saturday

    Final Practice – 2:00am

    Sunday

    Race – 1:30am

    (All times BST)

    Featured image courtesy of Perry Nelson/LAT for Chevy Racing