Features

1st March 20171st August 2017

My Racing Heroes – James Hunt

1979 Spanish Grand Prix.
Jarama, Spain.
27-29 April 1979.
James Hunt (Wolf Ford).
Ref-79 ESP 08.
World Copyright – LAT Photographic

In this new series of feature articles of “Racing Heroes”, I look back at the idols I have admired throughout motor racing.

Before I go back in history to those drivers I watched, read about or idolised, I think back to the first ever season that made me fall in love with motor racing and my first ever racing hero.

It was the season that captured my imagination and gave birth to a lifelong love affair with racing. Two men, from two different backgrounds with contrasting personalities and styles.

The year was 1976 and as a fresh faced four year old my world changed as I saw two men battle for a championship. James Hunt and Niki Lauda. I remember, vaguely, asking who the posh man was being interviewed on the television and was told his name was James Hunt. I declared, as confident as any young child can, that I was going to support him and his team.

I’ve been a McLaren fan ever since.

James Hunt, the outspoken playboy champion who wore the distinctive black crash helmet decorated with bands of red, blue and yellow which depicted the colours of his childhood boarding school, Wellington College.

James Simon Wallis Hunt, to give him his full name, was born on 29th August 1947 and made his Formula One debut at the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix, driving for the Hesketh team owned and financed by the eccentric British aristocrat, Lord Hesketh.

This team used a Rolls Royce as team transport and champagne would be available like tap water.

It was in 1975 when Hunt won his and Hesketh’s first race at the Dutch Grand Prix. The following season he would win the world championship in a dramatic and well documented season. THAT battle with Niki Lauda. He retired three years later.

Long before the film ‘Rush’, I had read of the initial hostile relationship between Hunt and Lauda, which over time blossomed into a strong friendship. Lauda would go on record and tell Hunt’s son how much he loved his father.

That was the mark of the man, because men wanted to be James Hunt and women wanted to be with him. I was four years old, I had no understanding of what a ‘playboy’ was. All I knew was that I found watching this well spoken racing driver exciting. He had a determination, a will to win and above all he just wanted to race, as fast as he could. He just bloody well raced, every second of every lap.

James Hunt sadly left this world in 1993, his will allocated funds for his closest friends to enjoy one last party.

There are those in some quarters who do not hold James Hunt in their top five or even top ten of racing drivers. To me, he was my first racing hero, along with Niki Lauda also, but there was something about James that just made me smile. Yes, he was wild and had a tendency to do impulsive things, but on the race track he excited me.

They both hold a special place in my heart for what they introduced me to in 1976, the world of motor racing.

Since then I have gone back in history and found other heroes in racing as well as those who followed that 1976 season, but James Hunt was my first racing idol and for that James Simon Wallis Hunt, 1976 Formula One World Champion, I thank you.

See you at the chequred flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

27th February 20173rd July 2017

Tech analysis: comparing F1’s 2017 designs

With every car on this year’s grid having now broken cover, James Matthews looks over the main talking points of F1’s launch season, and compares the motley display of design ideas thrown up by the new 2017 regulations.

2017 Silver Arrows Collateral Day Photography – Steve Etherington

The front end

With an angled front wing and extended nose section to contend with, many of the teams’ more obvious solutions to the 2017 regulations have been focused around the front end of the car.

2017 Silver Arrows Collateral Day Photography - Steve Etherington

The thumb-tip noses that have proved popular over the last few years have returned, as maximising airflow around the low front end remains an issue under the new regulations—only Mercedes and Toro Rosso have opted for a traditional rounded nose.

Most teams haven’t done much to alter this thumb nose design from previous years, although Force India has taken a unique approach. Based on the “cobra” slits of the VJM10’s predecessors, the new design (below) opens up the bottom of the nose—creating a long appendage reminiscent of the 2014 McLaren—allowing more air to pass between the front wing pillars and be funnelled back towards the turning vanes and bargeboards.

But that’s not the only novel feature on the new Force India: it also sports a somewhat unsightly bump where the nose joins the rest of the chassis. Although this steep transition has already drawn unflattering comparisons to the step noses of 2012, the team has insisted it is not without reason, as it allows for higher mounting of the front suspension rockers and thus could result in mechanical gains.

Sahara Force India F1 VJM10 front wing.
Sahara Force India F1 VJM10 Launch, Wednesday 22nd February 2017. Silverstone, England.

This nose design also means Force India joins Sauber and Haas in opting not to utilise an S-duct. The system—which takes air passing beneath the nose and redirects it up through the bulkhead and out over the chassis again—was introduced by Mercedes last year to combat an issue that arose from the new low noses, in which air moving over the front of the car was disturbed by the steep angle of the nose and lost before it could reach the topside of the chassis.

With the 200mm extension to the nose of the car allowing for greater exploration of initial airflow, it’s no surprise to see teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Renault incorporating the S-duct into their respective bids to climb up the grid this season.

But alongside the S-duct, those three teams have also employed extended front wing support pillars to direct yet more air around and beneath the front of the car, in a similar vein to the nose vents on the VJM10. It’s clear from the differing designs that this is an area ripe for development: the McLaren MCL32 currently has a series of slats along its pillar wings, whilst Renault and Ferrari have opted for a smoother, sculpted philosophy.

The back end

One of the most striking by-products of the 2017 regulations has been the return of the engine cover shark-fins last seen in 2010, needed once again to provide stability to the lower rear wing and downforce through the corners.

Just as with the front, there has so far been no one consensus on how best to tackle the challenges of this newly-profiled rear. The fins displayed by McLaren and Williams, for example, are large and sail-like, whereas Sauber and several others have chosen to reduce theirs in size by virtue of a inward-curving rear edge—a compromise, it seems, between having the most effective fin for the smallest price in weight.

2017 Silver Arrows Collateral Day Photography - Steve Etherington

Ferrari’s SF70-H features a distinct alternative of its own. A full-size fin is present, but it is also adorned with a T-wing, a horizontal bar placed parallel to the rear wing to maximise the airflow directed over the rear of the car. The Mercedes W08 unveiled at Silverstone also appeared to be aiming down this route—albeit with the T-wing mounted on a standalone pillar rather than atop a fin—although the team has said it will trial a more conventional shark fin in Barcelona before making a final decision on this area of the car.

The sides

With the 2017 generation of cars being wider as well as longer than before, airflow around their sides has thrown up just as many challenges for the teams as around the front and rear—and once again, the launch-spec cars seen so far have shown a variety of different answers.

As per the new regulations, teams have been allowed to widen their sidepod air inlets by 100mm per side, and the majority have taken up this option to one extent or another. Mercedes and Ferrari have exploited this allowance to the extreme with air inlets that extend almost to the very edge of the wider floor, whilst attempting to offset the resulting drag by making the inlets incredibly shallow, and carrying out heavy sculpting on the lower face and edge of the sidepods themselves.

By contrast, teams such as Sauber and Haas have instead maintained or even decreased the size of their sidepod inlets, foregoing any gains to be made for the sidepods’ internal systems in exchange for less drag. At least for now, there has been a clear pattern of the customer teams’ inlet designs being more conservative than their works rivals—expect them to become more experimental in this area after testing, once they have a clearer sense of their respective power units’ cooling demands.

2017 Silver Arrows Collateral Day Photography - Steve Etherington

Also slated for rapid development early in the season are the bargeboards, which have been increased in size and thus importance by the 2017 revamp. By and large, the teams have launched their cars with watered-down bargeboards to prevent their competitors poaching any innovations prior to testing, but the factory teams have nonetheless laid down the gauntlet in terms of complexity here.

The Mercedes W08 especially has given insight into the attention that will be paid to developing this part of the car in 2017. With numerous slats, serrations and fins dressing up the bargeboards themselves, and not to mention the array of further fins and winglets set up alongside them, the level of detail present on the Silver Arrows’ supposedly toned-down launch car must be ominous for the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari

But even here, there is still apparently room for debate on the best way forward. Where the W08 looks to have already undergone half a season of focused development, the challengers released by Red Bull, Toro Rosso and McLaren look spartan by comparison.

On display here, it seems, is the ‘clean lines’ mantra that has been a hallmark of Red Bull’s past chassis success (the McLaren MCL32 being helmed by former Red Bull man Peter Prodromou), with the car set up as a single, cohesive aerodynamic structure, as opposed to being micro-managed by a raft of specialised elements.

Of course, with so many secrets for the teams to protect, the designs we have seen so far via renders and launch cars will be a far cry from what actually hits the track on Monday in Barcelona, and even then will undergo extensive revision before the first race of the season in Australia.

But nevertheless, even the most secretive of prototypes has shown us that F1 engineering is going to be a very diverse practice in 2017. With the new regulations creating up so many new boundaries to push and loopholes to exploit, success really could be anyone’s for the taking—all it takes is a little nerve to try something different.

James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

9th February 20171st August 2017

McLaren – Will They Bounce Back?

The last time a McLaren driver won a race was at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, that driver was Jenson Button. It was a weekend where McLaren also had their last pole with Lewis Hamilton. The last time we saw McLaren on the podium was at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix when Kevin Magnussen finished 2nd and Jenson Button 3rd.

Those are statistical facts.

What is more surprising, when you think about it, is the last time a McLaren driver won a Drivers Championship. That was Lewis in 2008 and way before that in 1998 was the last time McLaren won the Constructors Championship.

1998 – Think about that for a moment. Nineteen years ago was the last time the third most successful Formula One constructor won a title. That is a staggering fact.

Honda have in certain media circles been criticised over the last two seasons since their return but as Eric Boullier pointed out, Mercedes had developed their hybrid engine some years before, away from the race track. McLaren and Honda have had to do their preparation and testing in the full glare of the fans and media and on the race track. It takes time and loyal McLaren supporters understand this.

The new regulations kick in this season and in some quarters there is talk of a McLaren revival, but then on the other hand there is news of certain individuals leaving the team and fans begin to wonder if this really is the season of the comeback.

Will the team bounce back?

It is what all McLaren fans are hopeful of and it is not only those loyal supporters who are clinging on to a veil of hope, Fernando Alonso believes that the team can truly challenge this year.

In 2016 they finished 6th in the Constructors Championship, 62 points behind Williams and just 7 points ahead of Toro Rosso. Alonso managed, remarkably, to grab 10th in the Drivers Championship with Jenson Button finishing 15th. Those aren’t figures supporters of old will be used to, ever since that first title win for a McLaren driver, Emerson Fittipaldi back in 1974, through to Hunt, Lauda, Prost (3 times), Senna (3 times), Hakkinen (twice) and Lewis in 2008.

The team itself has won eight Constructors Championships and would dearly love to make it nine, with Honda having last won a title with McLaren back in 1991, the year Ayrton Senna stood tall.

As a forty-one year McLaren fan myself, it would be amazing to think that the team, Honda and its partners having put in so much preparation and testing over the last two years will be a successful team, challenging at the top.

A team of old but with a rejuvenated character, a hurt animal with pride to claw back. To have this team, with all its history and honours, fighting back at the front again with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari would not only make McLaren fans happy, I think it would genuinely boost the flagging interest in Formula One.

That last comment is by no means meant derogatory towards F1, it is purely the fact that over the last few years it has not been the most entertaining motor racing series around. A revitalised team, such as McLaren, forging their way to the front to battle with those teams who have had the advantage over recent years would be a massive boost to the sport.

McLaren now have Zak Brown in and with him being a McLaren fan, a racing driver himself who is passionate about the sport and a very successful businessman, it is hoped that finally the right man has come along at the right time to steady the ship and see the crew through stormy waters to the light on the horizon.

There have been reports of employees moving on, but I don’t think this should cloud the work that is going on behind the scenes. Sometimes, as fans, we don’t need to know what goes on in meetings, or what is discussed as best for the business. As fans we want to see those two drivers in a McLaren car out there on track battling with the best around for a chance to be crowned a World Champion. As fans, that’s all we truly desire.

We haven’t seen that since 2008.

Will we see it in 2017?

With the change in regulations there is a lot of talk of what will happen this season. I have seen some mention of how Red Bull are ahead of Mercedes in development and how Ferrari are developing a car destined to win this year. But what if something out of the ordinary was to happen in this unknown, untested and different era?

What if those teams mentioned above are not as far ahead as they would like us to think?

What if a team, say McLaren, was able to find that old swagger, boosting confidence and developing a car that could win races, possibly a championship?

For McLaren fans, wouldn’t that be a wonderful thought?

Personally, I think 2017 is a little too soon to talk of McLaren or a McLaren driver lifting the big prizes at the end of the year, but I am hopeful that better race results are there for the taking, maybe even challenging for podium positions. That is the hope.

For now, before the car reveals and official tests, we wait patiently with baited breath.

Can McLaren bounce back?

I think they will, just not as big as some supporters would like at the moment.

Neil Simmons
Twitter: @world_racing

8th February 20171st August 2017

Stuff Of Legends

DATE: 4th August 1957

LOCATION: Nurburgring

LAPS: 22

DISTANCE PER LAP: 14.173 miles

CORNERS: 172

WEATHER: Sunny, hot, dry

STARTERS: 24 (inc. F2 cars)

FINISHERS: 15

POLE POSITION: Juan Manuel Fangio (Maserati 250F) – 9m 25.6sec

Juan Manuel Fangio was 46 years old and he arrived at the Nordschleife with three previous race wins during the 1957 season at Argentina, Monaco and France. In the previous race, the British Grand Prix at Aintree, Tony Brooks and Stirling Moss had been victorious, Fangio had retired on lap 49 with an engine problem.

The Nurburgring. Nordschleife. The Green Hell.

A test of a racing car and the nerve of any driver who dared take on the winding circuit. What happened here on this day would take its place in the history of Formula 1 folklore and legend, but the difference between folklore and this race is that these facts actually happened.

This is the stuff of legends.

During practice it became evident that the Vanwall’s were off the pace and did not look like posing any threat to the Maserati’s or Lancia Ferrari’s. Stirling Moss was quoted as saying “The Vanwall’s suspension was totally unsuitable for the Nurburgring.”

Maserati, in practice, found the Pirelli tyres were too high on wear and would not last the required 22 laps of the famous circuit. Team manager, Nello Ugolini and chief mechanic, Guerino Bertocchi met with Fangio and they came up with a cunning plan. Fangio knew the Ferrari’s of Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn were going to use hard tyres and run full fuel, attempting no pit stops. His idea was to fuel light and race on soft tyres, making one pit stop. He believed this would work in his favour and cut down the advantage on the Ferrari’s

His idea was to go off quick and build a big enough lead over the Ferrari’s so that he could pit and get back out, either still in the lead or within striking distance.

On a hot day in Germany, the race began with Fangio starting cautiously. He spent the first two laps of the race behind Collins and Hawthorn who were fighting over the lead. It was not until Lap 3 that Fangio took the lead and built a gap. it was on Lap 13 that he decided to make his pit stop.

Disaster struck. Whilst he was in the pits, his mechanic was removing the rear left tyre when a wheel nut came off and rolled under the car. At first the mechanic did not notice the wheel nut. On noticing the mistake he began to frantically look around when it was pointed out, some say by a calm Fangio standing talking with the team manager, that the nut was under the car. It took nearly thirty seconds for them to retrieve it and secure the wheel.

By the time Fangio came out of the pits, he had seen a thirty second lead descend into a fifty second deficit. He again began cautiously, the Ferrari management believed they were in control and put out pit boards informing their drivers to “Go Steady”, whereas Maserati were urging their driver on with a pit board telling him to go “Flat-Out”. Colllins and Hawthorn were off into the distance leaving the four time world champion with an impossible mountain to climb. Fangio set about reeling in the Ferrari’s, in what some say was the most illustrious drive of his entire career. Due to the length of the circuit, by the time the cars came round, the gap had shrunk enormously and by now it was too late for the Ferrari team to get a message to their drivers.

On lap Lap 18, Fangio clocked the first ever 90mph of the Nurburgring, on Lap 19 he stole eleven seconds off the lead cars, leaving the previous lap record in shreds. On Lap 20, as they went by the start/finish line, Hawthorn was two seconds in front of his team mate Collins who in turn was one second ahead of Fangio. On Lap 21 he had made up enough time that he overtook Collins at the North Curve and then came bearing down on Hawthorn to take the lead at Breidscheid.

Fangio broke the lap record nine times in total, seven of those on consecutive laps. Whilst driving at this blistering pace, unknown to the team and the fans watching, Fangio’s seat had broken. He explained afterwards that he had to hold on tightly to the steering wheel to stop himself from sliding around inside the car.

Fangio won the German Grand Prix by 3.6secs, sealing his fifth drivers crown and what would be his last Formula 1 victory. He would retire after the following season and would become known as one of the greatest drivers to ever grace Formula 1.

In just this race he proved that without a doubt he deserved that accolade in what could be regarded as one of the greatest Formula 1 races of all time.

See You At The Chequered Flag

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

2nd February 20171st August 2017

Weekend With…..Chris Wheeler – Part 3

Part 3 – “Left-Quick 10-Caution-Dodgy-Right-Question”

The calm atmosphere of the paddock was now broken.

Where previously people were milling around, talking and laughing, most with cups of tea or coffee in their hands, the mood changed in a heartbeat.

Cars were arriving back, mostly caked with mud splattered up the side of the bodywork. A couple had damage. One came back via the recovery truck!

We waited in the garage and Chris arrived with the same amount of mud splatter, but fortunately no damage. Mud aside, it was a clean stage for him again. He got out the car, removed his helmet and was greeted by Kirsty and Dawn. I noticed the huge smile on his face. Dawn was totally correct when she said ‘he was in his element’.

I stood back to allow the team a chance to talk about any changes, faults or improvements and once the critical furore had died down I stepped forward to talk with a beaming Chris Wheeler. I wanted to know how it went out there, though judging by the massive grin on his face I think I already knew the answer to this question.

“The second run was a lot better than the first. Less grip though. Lots of spinning up.” Chris said.

We, as spectators, had noticed this when myself, Viv, Dawn and Kirsty had gone to the start line. I was looking around taking in the atmosphere and whilst she was taking photographs, Viv alerted me to the fact that cars were spinning their wheels off the start. The surface was very greasy. There was a lot of noise, but not much movement. Dawn was one step ahead. She too had seen what was going on and dutifully alerted her two men in the car.

“It’s very slippy,” continued Chris. “I watched the car before me go off the line. All he did was sit there and wheel spin.” Chris imitated with his hands when he spoke. “He wasn’t going anywhere. We tried to control the start with the clutch to get rolling before we got pace up.” Chris smiled at the fact his cunning plan was right. “Seemed to have worked, definitely got a better start that time.”

We moved on to the subject of the circuit itself. What was it like out on the rally battleground?

“We met a couple of cars on the merges. Slight drizzle of rain and as I said, definitely greasy. Going down the long bumpy lanes into the chicanes it’s literally just full of mud. First lap round I went onto the brake pedal. The whole car just wanted to lock-up, we just managed to get through alright.” Chris glanced back at the car that was serving him so well. “We improved by seventeen or eighteen seconds, which is massive. Couple of changes made for the second time round.”

Steve was by now out the car and wandering around checking every piece of bodywork and looking at the wheels. Chris was watching his every move.

“Dad’s learning the pace as well. The pace is better, all round improvement that run.” Chris takes a deep breath and as with his driving style, he looks immediately ahead to the next challenge, not wanting to rest on his laurels. “Stages three and four next, these change again and they are slightly different.”

I hear Steve laugh behind and this makes Chris and the rest of the team chuckle. He had just got to grips with the first two stages and now it was all change again.

“How did you find it out there?” I asked Steve as he came by.

Chris moved out the way to let his dad through and walked over to the battle bus where Kirsty handed him a drink. He took a seat and relaxed for a moment.

“I’m absolutely loving it.” Steve replied with a smile that rivalled Chris. He points to his son, now taking on fluids. “He can pick up the pace so quick. Getting back into it though is a whole different ball game.”

I had been told by Chris that his dad used to rally and I was interested to know how long since Steve was previously in a car competing.

“I had a three or four year gap.” He said.

“2015!” Dawn shouted, jogging his memory, like the organised assistant team manager that she is.

“Yes! It was. Chris co-drove for me.” Steve clicked his fingers and nodded in appreciation at Dawn for kindly reminding him. “Right now though, we want to get Chris back into the driving experience after what happened.”

I found this very interesting. Steve answered my question and quickly returned his focus to back to Chris. There was a slight look of reflection to that moment last year on Steve’s face, but only for a milli-second and it was gone. No time to dwell. “We’ve had a bit of time with the building of the car, so there has been a big gap. We want to build it up on a small scale and then get out there for six months with this car.” Steve points to the trusty Fiesta, now shiny and ready for more action. “Then Chris gets back into the big car.” Steve gazes across at Chris and we talk about the co-driving side of rallying.

“There’s a lot of trust.” Steve said to me. “I’m just trying to make sure everything is clear and precise. Now and again I’m looking up because he’s so many notes ahead. That’s not what I’m seeing so I then repeat what’s coming up as well. That’s all because I’m a novice at it. Chris is already way pass that and already accepted it, but unless I say it.” Steve shrugs and smiles.

He explains to me that officially notes are read from a map. I am intrigued to know about the terms and language used inside the car between the driver and co-driver.

“It begins on the start line, giving information on how much start to give. The start here is very slippery so we give a Plus-Plus sign which is accelerate away into a Left-One corner.” Steve pauses for a moment to give me a little more insight. “What you have to bear in mind is that co-driving is for the driver. Co-driving notes are different to individual drivers. As I give those notes it’s only what Chris will take into his brain. Another co-driver can give you totally separate information as they know what those notes mean.” Steve returns to the information being given. “So, in this particular case, we’re going Plus-Plus, Left-One and then we’re calling Merge, because there’s a second loop coming through. Then we’re calling a Right-Two, Left-Two and Caution, because it’s a muddy track. All the mud has been pulled on to the track.” Steve points over to this driver who is watching and listening to us. “That gives him information on what’s coming up. We’re then giving distance, so we’re 60 to the next corner and then we’re going Left-One, Left-One, because it’s literally ninety degree turns. We’re then doing 80 to end, then he gets all the information that I fill in between like watch your braking, muddy and then Right-Two which he can throw it round, Right-One tight, watch your inside because they’ve put a bale there.”

I look across at Chris and ask him, as a driver, how quick does he process all this information at such speed?

“As soon as you’ve done that corner, your mind switches to next note instantly.” Chris states. “Because you’re in the moment and you know how you work as a team, it’s just instant. If we’re really fast, you try and take all these notes in one hit.”

I then feel slightly cheeky and ask Chris what his dad is like as a co-driver. Everybody chuckles.

“He’s alright.” Chris laughs. “He’s doing a good job.

I thank Steve for taking the time to talk to me and let him and Mike get on with checking the car over. I wander slowly over to Chris and stand with him and Kirsty. I smile and I can see Chris has no idea what is coming next. So I hit him with my next segment, after checking I have time.

I inform him that he is the next subject in my Quick 10 feature that I created for the Pit Crew Online. For those of you unaware what this is, I take the same ten, fun and informative questions and I ask those in racing to answer them.

He is the 2016 BRC3 Champion. He and his team generously invited myself and Viv along to spend a race weekend with them. He is currently on his comeback from a major crash in 2016, he is a bright star of the British Rally scene. These are his Quick 10….and he is Chris Wheeler:

1. What is your favourite rally and circuit….and why?

I would say my favourite rally is Rally Isle Of Man and favourite circuit would be Thruxton.

2. Who is/was your racing idol?

Colin McRae

3. Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

That’s a good question. In BRC we had Top Gear presenter Chris Harris in our class. That was our main rival last year. As time goes on your opponents change, competitors change. So, whoever comes along, we go with the flow, do our own thing and push on.

4. Considering rally drivers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two would you have in your team?

Colin McRae and Sebastien Ogier

5. If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

Colin McRae, Ed Sheeran, Ella Eyre and Thierry Neuville

6. Personal racing number? If you could have one, what would it be and the reason behind it?

#19. Because it’s my lucky number and it’s my birthday.

7. What is the best rally you have been involved in?

Jim Clark International a few seasons ago. I love it because of the roads, it’s all on public roads. Stages are between ten and twenty miles, it’s really fast so you’re carrying 4th, 5th and 6th gear all the time. It takes an awful lot of commitment.

8. Is there a race or series you have not competed in, that you would like to or had wanted to?

World Rally Championship.

9. How did you get into motor racing? What ignited that spark?

I was four or five years old. I used to watch World Rally on television and I used to be glued to the TV watching it. I had all the DVDs for it, every single year. I used to spend hours watching them back over and over again. Even back in the days of video tapes when I was a kid, I used to record every single rally of the WRC and then the same night I’d go in my bedroom and watch them all over again, make my own pace notes. I used to have my own map and pretend I was making my own rally.

10. What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

Not to be too pushy. Take your time. I believe life is mapped out for you and what’s going to happen will happen at the end of the day.

The quick 10 is finished but I let Chris carrying on talking because I can see the delight in his face and hear the utter enthusiasm in his voice.

“Every time you come into a rally, just do the same thing, nothing changes. Keep it all as we know. Go and do our best. We know what we’re doing, we know where we want to go. If we manage to get there then dreams come true. But if not, I don’t want to be in five years time looking back thinking I wish I’d done it. I know what I’m like, unless I try it now to be where I want to go. It’s never going to happen unless you try.”

I was eager to ask a few more questions, outside of my Quick 10. We had a little time and I remembered a conversation I had with Dawn earlier about how she loved World Rallycross. I wanted to know Chris’ thoughts on this and asked him this question:

“We know BRC and WRC are your goals. If somebody walked up to you tomorrow and said there’s a ride coming up in World Rallycross or say European Rallycross. Would you be tempted?

“I would be tempted. I would actually have to think about it because it is slightly different to where and what I want to be. But if someone wanted to put me in a top team, in say WRX or the Europeans, then yes I would consider it.”

I then asked about circuit racing, for instance GT’s or Touring Cars, is that something that may be on the agenda in the future?

“I guess if it was a big team I would think about it, but I think circuit racing is a bit too off-line of where I want to be. Sometimes I think if you know what you want and where you want to go, you’ll stick with it and do your best to achieve what you want to be. I’d be more tempted for rallycross than circuit racing.”

Chris explained that he does like rallycross with the mixture of gravel and tarmac all in one lap. He is aware that you would need adjust very quickly to what is going on around and what surface a driver is racing on.

“Getting used to nobody beside you.” Chris said with a wry smile. “Big change, but I would like to give it a go one day, without a doubt.”

I wanted to know where he was focusing this season, what event did he have his eye on?

“First half in the Fiesta, literally event by event. Picking and choosing what we want to do and we have another event coming up first weekend of March. I’m looking forward to that one. I mainly have my eyes set for when the DS comes back. When that comes back I’ll be testing on tarmac and gravel. September is the Rally Isle Of Man. If I was to make it to that event. Happy with the progress made so far, even on this event alone. I get more and more confident.”

I was curious to know how Chris would feel on returning to the Nicky Grist, the event where he had his crash. How did he think he would feel?

“Next year, if it’s in the championship and I’m in the DS3 again and it comes to that time of year where it’s the Nicky Grist 100, I would be excited for it, to be honest. I’m actually quite a big fan of the event anyway. It’s one of those places that if you drive it perfect, the car is faultless and the notes are perfect, there is no better feeling on that sort of road. It is incredible to drive, it’s absolutely stunning. When it goes wrong it does bite, then again that’s rallying in general.”

Would Chris be focused on the event and what needed to be done or would he cast his mind back to last year and reflect a little?

“It will be natural to reflect on it a little bit, but as the event draws near, we start travelling to the event, I’ve just got to push it out my head. Then I just concentrate on the job in hand. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Time is ticking down, I shake Chris by the hand and throughout the entire interview he was smiling. I found his answers incredibly interesting and insightful and I could genuinely feel his passion for rallying as he spoke.

Chris jumped down from the bus and the team were back in action, getting driver and co-driver ready.

The time had come to do battle on the muddy circuit once more.

In Part 4 and the final feature for a Weekend With…..Chris Wheeler, I’ll be listening to Steve talk to me about the make-up of a rally car and I look back at a wonderful day with this friendly bunch of rallying-addicts.

Neil Simmons and Viv Gillings

Twitter: @world_racing

Photo Credits – Viv Gillings

Twitter: @viv_simmons

31st January 20171st August 2017

Weekend With……Chris Wheeler – Part 2

Part 2 – The Calm And The Storm

I gazed at Chris and Steve strapped tightly into their seats. I was standing about five feet from the car. It was ready. They were ready. The time had come to go back out for another stage.

Mike The Mechanic stood in front of the Fiesta, arms raised in the air and as I gazed through the window towards Chris I saw a different look in the eye of the young man who just five minutes previously had been sitting in the battle bus, laughing and relaxed. He now had a steely look in his eyes. He gazed down at the steering wheel and I saw a deep breath, the kind of inhale that said ‘I’m ready’. He looked up and there was a quick nod of the head. I moved my head and saw Steve, loving father and dependant co-driver glance across to his son, an equally determined stare in his eyes. The two men and the car were now one.

Mike waved them back and the satisfying grumble from the Fiesta engine signalled the start of another adventure on this day that spurned rain and teased with sun. I got the feeling it wasn’t just Chris and Steve who were eager to get back out on track, this blinding little Fiesta was also eager to rumble across the greasy surface, flick a back-end out round the turns and metaphorically wave to the adoring crowds. The time had come.

I watched Mike wave the car out, his eyes were everywhere and I asked Kirsty what he was actually looking for?

“Everything.” Kirsty replied. Seemed like a sensible answer to me. I nodded. “Guiding him out, making sure everything is fine on the car. Last second checks just before they go to make sure it’s all absolutely fine.”

Kirsty was talking to me but she was looking straight ahead at the car as too was Dawn. I’ve mentioned it before, but the focal point right now was the car, that gorgeous little Fiesta being reversed out from underneath the marquee by Chris. THAT, was what everybody was concentrating on.

Chris pulled away down the paddock and I saw his mum, Dawn, gazing off as they disappeared out of sight. I asked her how she was feeling.

“Alright,” replied Dawn straight away with a smile on her face, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Because I know there’s no pressure today. If this was the BRC, different matter to be honest.”

That last sentence from Dawn drew nods of agreement from Kirsty and Mike.

I comment on how relaxed Chris was before he got into the car and whilst being strapped in. Dawn nodded and I noticed her smile grew wider.

“Yes, oh he is.” Dawn replied. “He’s in his element. Been like it since he started when he was fourteen. Took him up the rally school and that was it. He was away.”

Right there, that moment as I looked Dawn in the eye, I could see the pride and the anticipation all mixed up into one ingredient of excitement. Those last comments made me realise on the spot how much it means to the family of a driver, as well as a the driver themselves. It is a collective passion.

We talk about how this local Brean Rally differs from a BRC rally, there is no time to relax because everything is, as Murray Walker would say, “Go-Go-Go!” Panic and petrified were two words I heard used standing there.

“From the second he goes until the second he comes back, there is no relaxing.” Kirsty said.

“You don’t see him from four to five hours.” Dawn stated.

“You’re trying to check times, make sure he’s come through a stage. If you can’t find his time, you’re thinking ‘what’s going on?’”

I’ve been round motor racing most of my life, whether it is with press writing, hospitality or organising events, but I had never had this moment where the driver (and co-driver on this occasion) had gone and the team were left back at base camp with, well, just their hopes and emotions. It was quite an emotional experience seeing the look in their eyes, the calm before a possible storm and the fact that when the car and driver were in the garage there were things to prepare, information to process and checks to be made. Yet, now, with that gone there was an ambience of disturbed calm. That is the only way I can describe it.

Dawn Checks Chris Is All Good As Mike Concentrates On Steve

I wanted to mention the Nicky Grist Rally and what happened with the horrific crash last year, not because I had a sadistic side that needed to know the details. I wanted to gauge what they felt like, his girlfriend and his mum. What was that like? How long did it take them to find out?

“Well, it was quite long,” replied Kirsty. “They’d been off for about forty-five minutes to an hour.” Dawn nodded and glanced down at the floor. “We didn’t actually find out directly. We found out because we saw on Facebook there had been a post saying a car had been off and that the rally had been stopped.”

I could see in Kirsty’s eyes as she spoke the re-enactment that they didn’t believe it was Chris. Not Chris? Surely?

“We thought, oh god!” Dawn exclaimed.

“We thought…oh, okay. We feel really bad for whoever that was.” I could sense that realisation of ‘that can’t happen to us’. “And then about ten minutes later, we realised Chris’s time had not come in.” Kirsty’s eyes changed. There was the realisation, right there being re-lived in front of me. I had no words. I just listened. “Five minutes after that we got a call from Yan (Griffiths – co-driver) saying we’ve had a massive accident. I’m on the way to the hospital, Chris has been cut out the car and is being airlifted to hospital” Kirsty’s lips curled and Dawn stared at the floor. For a moment I felt awful having asked the question. I could sense the anxiety. “It was quite long I suppose, but for us instant.”

I’m not a sensational writer, I never have been. I don’t like asking prying questions or wanting to know gory details of what happened. In Kirsty and Dawn’s company I felt relaxed and politely, softly, I asked what their reactions were to the phone call. If they didn’t want to answer then I was completely fine with that and would have moved on. They replied.

“Your heart sinks. You think the worst.” Dawn said.

“Terror!” Kirsty paused as she said that word and I felt a chill come over my body, because I could feel the emotion as she uttered the words. “Especially when you hear being cut out the car.” Kirsty smiled, a relieved smile I could tell.

“The plus side was Yan’s okay and we’re sure he would have said if there was something majorly wrong with Chris.” Dawn said. “Yans out the car, that’s good. Your mind is going a hundred miles an hour trying to think.”

If you need to read those last words again, please do. For me standing there it was a moment I will not forget. A mother and a girlfriend reliving the moment they found out their son and boyfriend had been cut out of a car after hitting a tree at about 100mph. I was left standing speechless and that doesn’t happen very often.

Yan had injuries to his vertebra, Chris had a blood clot on the knee, bruising of the chest and lower back pain. I would later find out that photographers would be snapping pictures of the car in the trees whilst Chris was still inside crying out in pain. My heart sank at that thought.

“They were both so lucky.” Kirsty said. “Honestly, we thought it was going to be so much worse. When we heard they had gone into a tree at 90-100mph, we thought oh god!”

“That is your worst nightmare.” Dawn continued. “It hits you.”

“It’s the thing we all hate about rallying.” Kirsty said.

I stood motionless, I had no reply. I did not even know where to begin from those words. I felt the emotion and the fear as they spoke to me. Viv shivered and shook her head. It was a very poignant and sombre moment.

Mike The Mechanic brought us all back to some semblance of reality when he asked if we were going to check out the next stage. We all shook ourselves and we were back in the room, so to speak.

I wanted to know more about the team. I asked Kirsty the role of everybody concerned as we walked down to the start.

“Steve, Chris’ dad. He’s team manager, does everything. Looks after Chris, the car. Looks after the team.” Kirsty pointed ahead to Dawn who was eagerly rushing down to the starting point to see her husband and son go out. “Dawn, Chris’ mum. She looks after Chris.” Kirsty paused. A perfect pause because let us face reality, mums look after their boys. End of. “She makes the tea, prepares the food, cleans the car and arranges all the hospitality.” Mike wasn’t with us as he had stayed behind to look after base camp. She pointed back towards the garage. “Mike, he’s the mechanic with Steve. He’s Steve second really. Mike cleans the car when he can but looks after the mechanical side of things.” Kirsty pointed to herself and in a coy manner looked down at the floor. “I’m Chris’s girlfriend. I do the PR, try and do all the admin when I can. I clean the car, do the food, the drink.” Kirsty looked up and shrugged her shoulders. “We muck in and do what we can.”

I Look On As Kirsty Has A Last Minute Chat With Chris

Through that whole introduction from Kirsty I could feel the friendly, family atmosphere which was this racing team. From the moment myself and Viv rocked up to the circuit and presented ourselves at their garage, it was there in abundance. So how did Yan Griffiths, Chris’s usual co-driver, fit into this equation?

“Facebook.” Dawn replied looking back as we walked by Chris’s car, Dawn giving thumbs up to her boys. “Chris put out for a co-driver, Yan replied and the rest is history.”

“Six years now.” Kirsty said.

“They did Nationals, that was the first big year. Won that.” Dawn said proudly. “2013 was the BRC Challenge. 2014 we went to BRC. 2015 BTRDA, won that.” Another smile. “And last year BRC3, won that.”

The mood had changed on the walk to the start line. We had gone from reminiscing about Chris’ crash to the achievements. It seemed a perfect curve of topic and one to end on as Chris and Steve edged forward to the start line. There had been a big hold-up due to a crash on track, Dawn had commented that an ambulance had gone out on circuit.

That is rallying. The calm. The storm. The calm and then the storm again.

My next question was a very important one.

Where can I get a cup of tea?

Part 3 of “Weekend With…..Chris Wheeler” will be published tomorrow. Chris comes back to the garage, we do his Quick 10 and his dad Steve educates me on a rally car.

Neil Simmons and Viv Gillings

Twitter: @world_racing

Photo Credits: © Viv Simmons

Twitter: @viv_simmons

30th January 20171st August 2017

Weekend With…..Chris Wheeler – Part 1

Chris Wheeler And His Co-Driver Father, Steve, Get Ready For Another Stage

Part One: Rallying, Presents And The Return Of Chris Wheeler.

I had no pre-conceived ideas as to how our weekend with feature was going to pan-out. I had a plan of what I wanted to achieve but was willing to go with the flow.

What I actually walked away with was a sense of humility, an overwhelming desire and passion to succeed. A determined, yet friendly attitude towards racing. These were the traits that Chris Wheeler and his team oozed. We were made to feel so welcome from the moment we arrived and I can genuinely say, with hand on heart that Chris, Kirsty, Steve, Dawn and Mike are some of the loveliest people I have met, inside and outside motor racing.

This is where the feature begins. A friendly welcome with Chris heading out on track for his first stage.

It had been a pleasant drive from our base in Sand Bay to Brean Sands. We parked up in the official rally car park, so the sign indicated and waited for the mini-bus.

As we stood there I could hear in the distance the revving, popping and hissing of rally cars. I felt my skin tingle and an excited buzz in the pit of my stomach. This was my paradise, my first racing event since WRX Lydden Hill last year. We were here and we were ready.

Chris And Steve Wait Patiently For The Start

As I mentioned, Chris was heading out on track. Kirsty, Chris’ girlfriend and all-round PR guru, had informed us that he would be in car number 59. We walked down the line of cars and Viv spotted Chris in his #59 car with Steve, his dad and co-driver. They were chatting and going over the last minute preparations whilst they waited in the long line of rally cars waiting to go out on track.

I sent a message to Kirsty and she informed us they were waiting down by the red marquee towards the start line with Chris’ mother Dawn. We met up and after the initial greetings Kirsty pointed beyond the golf club towards the flags and awnings on the far side of the paddock. I spotted the CWR (Chris Wheeler Rally) flag and so we let them get ready for the first stage and we wandered off to give the location a quick recce.

We arrived at the base-camp of Chris Wheeler Rallying, the hub of the team where everything is prepped, planned and pondered. The car was back in and the team were busy round the car.

The Team Hard At Work Preparing The Car For Another Run

I stepped back and watched them at work. Mike Yates (mechanic) and Steve, quick change from co-driver to body-work inspector, were busy checking the car over. Kirsty and Dawn were cleaning the car off whilst Chris fed back a few pieces of information.

It was a greasy surface and the rain previously had caused a few spills on circuit. The side of the Fiesta had dirt cascaded down the side. Kirsty and Dawn quickly wiped down the beautiful beast and within minutes it was spick-n-span, bright and shiny as though it had just arrived at the circuit. The team worked quickly and once I knew that the initial flurry had calmed down, I stepped forward to speak with Mike.

I asked Mike about the car, a Ford Fiesta MS1. He looks after the car along with Steve and told me that it had previously been a complete road car from M-Sport.

Mechanic, Mike Yates, Sees The Car In To Be Checked Over

“It was stripped back to the cages, all the bits were put on it.” Mike said and stepped back to gaze at the car. “This was pre-built with gravel suspension. Steve converted it to tarmac, the rides are completely different.” Mike continued.

I was interested to know how long it took to convert the car from gravel to tarmac and Mike told that it took around two days.

Chris had just completed his first run, I could see Steve walking round the car checking the arches, the wheels, the bodywork and bumpers like a caring soul. Making sure that this baby was fit to go again. I asked Mike what was being looked at.

“The wheels and tyre brushes are checked. The first thing we do is speak to Chris, any faults or any rattles we need to know about.” Mike pointed to Chris who was standing at the rear of the car. “We deal with the issues first and after that it’s preventative maintenance. Tightening nuts and bolts up.”

It became apparent straight away that Chris is key to this part of the process. If there is anything he is not happy about then Mike and Steve need to know straight away as they do not have long to get the car ready for the next stage.

“Brakes and tyre pressures are checked, usually around 6psi.” Mike pointed down to the tyres.

I wanted to touch on the subject of converting the car from gravel to tarmac. What were the main differences?

“Tarmac and gravel?” Mike asked with a wry smile. “Horrendous,” he chuckled in his jovial south-west accent. “After the first 18 mile stage this car looks ten years old. The sides are pebbled-dashed, takes all of the twenty minutes we’re given, even with four lads, to clean all the muck from underneath. Bolts are checked.” Mike shook his head and laughed. “Different ball game is gravel. A whole different ball game.”

Mike then nodded and happily told me his ultimate tarmac surface is the Isle of Man before moving the subject back to the Fiesta Chris was driving today.

“Roll cage into a standard Fiesta stiffens the shell up. Between events the helmets and hand devices are always taken off and put in the seats for safety. If you drop a helmet on the floor, it’s useless.”

I gazed inside the car and could see what Mike was talking about. Chris and Steve had placed their helmets on the cushioned racing seats. Chris sauntered over to joins us and I asked how he was feeling. I knew full well this was his first event since the crash and this was the first time I had properly spoken to him. He was smiling, I took this as a sign that he was well and extremely happy to be back racing.

Chris walked over at just the right time, with his lovely girlfriend Kirsty, as I had posed two questions to Mike who had tactfully and politely deflected towards Chris to answer. The first was about speed on the Fiesta.

Last Minute Words For Chris From Kirsty And Dawn

“Chris,” said Mike, professionally taking over the role of interviewer for the moment. “What top speed you getting out of this?” That was my first question.

“Top speed, I would say 110-115.” Chris replied nodding.

Mike moved round to the front of the car to make some final checks and I then moved onto my second question about the Citroen DS3, the car he would again be driving this season. When was this being delivered?

“Delivery on the DS3 should be within a month or two.” Chris replied. “We’ve got a livery guy on the case. First test will probably be on tarmac.”

“Because of the way it ended.” Kirsty continued. “We want to make sure the car is right.”

“Everything on the car had to be changed, because it took such an impact.” Chris said, nodding in agreement with Kirsty.

Kirsty would later show me the official camera footage from the crash as the DS3 came over the bridge, came down and then each frame showed the aftermath. To watch these frames was very humbling for me. To read about a crash such as this or even see one on television during a race is bad enough, but to watch each frame as Kirsty clicked through whilst the driver of that car was now standing next to me was quite an experience.

I was intrigued to know about the differences between the Fiesta Chris was driving today and the DS3.

“First of all, the gear box.” Chris said pointing towards the Fiesta as Steve and Mike made the last checks, Dawn standing in the background talking to Viv but also giving the car the once over. The car was the focal point of everything at the moment. “This is a five-speed, H-shift where the DS3 is a six speed flappy-paddle sequential, so that car (the DS3) changes in 0.01 seconds.” I was flabbergasted by this. 0.01 seconds!

Chris wandered round and was showing me inside the Fiesta now with feverish excitement and passion, you could feel the energy that he was back racing just oozing from him.

“All you see in the DS3 is the number on the counter in front of us change. We set for what surface we’re on, changes to the ECU to suit for how much power between gravel and asphalt. We have other modes on the DS3, which are S1 and S2. S2 is anti-lag which will only work in gears 4, 5 and 6. In S1 it is all gears and is extremely violent.”

Chris was showing me with feet and hand signals the reaction of the DS3 under braking.

“As we come under braking if the anti-lag goes off, it keeps the turbo spinning at god-knows how many rpm, so on the exit of the corner when I hit the throttle again, the turbo’s already in and you’re gone. So it just throws you out.” Chris gave me a demonstration of the effect with his hands mimicking a steering to give an example of the force. “Also, there is an extension for the hand-brake in the Fiesta, where the DS3 is hydraulic. When, say, we’re coming into a hairpin we literally just breathe on the hand-brake. Rear wheels will lock and we’ll just spin round, plant the throttle and we’re off.”

I was curious to know whether Chris had any preference on the surface he raced on, this thought had popped into my head after speaking with Mike The Mechanic, make your own song title jokes from here-on-in.

“I prefer tarmac in a way,” replied Chris. “Basically because of speed, it’s more exciting. You’re going that much faster when you’re coming up to tighter corners. It takes a bit more judgement. On gravel I find it very forgiving actually, because the gravel allows the car to slide round corners. It gives you a nice feeling, but on a whole I am fifty-fifty on surfaces. I don’t really mind what I drive.”

“As long as you’re driving and racing.” I replied with a smile. Chris smiled back, yes he was definitely ecstatic about being back. “How long before you go back out?” I asked.

Chris’ Co-Driver For The Brean Rally, His Father Steve

Chris glanced across at his dad, mechanic and co-driver, Steve.

“At 11.25. Coming up to four minutes past now so we’re going out soon.”

I wanted to let Chris get focused for the next stage, but it was at this point Chris and Kirsty presented myself and Viv with our presents.

“By the way, these are for you and Viv.” Chris said offering us two ‘Chris Wheeler Rallying’ hats with ‘BRC3 Champion’ logo sewn it.

Presents already and we’d only been here an hour.

A very warm and friendly welcome by the Chris Wheeler Rallying team.

This was going to be a great day.

Don’t miss Part Two of a “Weekend With…..Chris Wheeler” – where Chris takes my Quick 10, we talk more to Mike The Mechanic, Kirsty tries to dodge the camera and hands out crisps. I find out Dawn (his mum) loves World Rallycross and Steve (his dad) gives me a technical lesson on rally cars.

To be continued……….

Neil Simmons Twitter: @world_racing

26th January 20173rd July 2017

Brean Blog Part 2: Prepping

This is how the prepping is going for the Brean Stages Rally this weekend.

Viv is at the cinema and I have just finished watching the qualifying for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

That’s how the prepping is going.

To be honest, there is not much I can prepare for, apart from making sure the equipment is ready and our clothes are packed. Okay, so neither of those two things have been done yet but they will be.

You can’t actually fully prepare for a weekend like this. It has been a while since I did a feature race weekend due to other commitments, but I still haven’t forgotten a piece of advice I was given a long time ago when I worked as a press officer. “Be prepared to not be prepared.”

Our plan is to drive down early tomorrow morning to our digs in Weston-Super-Mare and get ready for the weekend ahead. After that, well you just have to go with the flow. We would like to get there in time for the scrutineering, see the cars in full bloom, possibly meet up with Chris and Kirsty for a little chat and an intro to the article but nothing is set in stone.

I have just watched the Ford’s blitz the other GTLM cars in qualifying and take all three top spots and the Cadillac’s in the Prototype class look as if they still have more to deliver in the big race at the weekend, the Rolex 24. It may seem like a strange decision to some people, not staying at home to watch one of the biggest endurance races of the season, to instead visit a local rally on the other side of England.

The truth is, it was a very easy decision to make.

One of my big plans this year was to develop the “Weekend With…..” feature and spend time with racers, their teams, friends and family so that I can experience what it’s like to be right in there at the deep end surrounded by the smell of fuel, feeling the heat coming off the cars and soaking up the electric atmosphere. That was a very easy decision to make once Chris agreed we could come along and be a guest with his team.

As a motor racing fan and writer it is an absolute honour to be invited into the garage of a team to sample this experience, whatever level of racing it is, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The fact that my good lady is going to be there with me (as my photographer) to share the moment also makes it very special. There is something so exciting about the whole thing. The buzz, the not-knowing what is going to happen and having to think on your feet because as we all know motor racing can throw a few curve balls at us.

That is what is exciting me for this weekend, the unknown. I have no idea how the rally is going to pan out, how the weekend will develop and whether it will end in champagne or tears. All I know is that I am prepared to not be prepared and will be keeping a very open mind as to what can and can’t happen. I have a few set in stone ideas that I will develop over the weekend, but these will be worked around what actually happens to Chris over the event. I have a my “Quick 10” interview feature ready for him, I am planning on talking to everybody involved with Chris to get their emotions and thoughts down on paper and I will also be documenting the comeback from a very serious crash.

It’s exciting. It is mysterious. It is racing.

So, while Viv stares at the big screen putting her hand into a box of popcorn and I sit here typing up this blog entry whilst digesting what I just witnessed in the qualifying for the Rolex 24, my mind now casts to the weekend ahead and what will occur.

I am very much looking forward to the racing, the experience of being with Chris and his team but I am also looking forward to being away from the hum-drum of normal life and sharing my passion of writing about motor racing with my good lady.

It’s going to be a great weekend, best I start packing.

My next blog entry will be once we arrive in the West Country. I have a feeling it is going to be an amazing adventure.

Now, where’s the suitcase?

See you at the chequred flag.

Neil Simmons Twitter: @world_racing

Viv Gillings Twitter: @viv_simmons

25th January 20171st August 2017

Brean Blog Part 1: Sea Of Tranquility

Man-flu and thoughts.

Yes, that is the start of this article.

This weekend myself and Viv (for those Pit Crew readers she is not only my good lady but now my photographer) are spending the weekend at the Brean Rally with Chris Wheeler and his lovely lady Kirsty.

Now, I had always intended to write a blog on our three days in Brean and I wanted a special build-up, but that was somewhat rudely interrupted by that awful pandemic called man-flu. Yes, I can hear the good ladies of our lives now sighing and tutting at just the mere mention of that hypher-nated symptom.

Though scientific tests have proved it is real, I know this because Google (c) told me so.

I had been feeling rough the last few days (there goes that collected female sigh again) and today I went home early to continue dosing myself up with remedies (Is he still going on? Cry the ladies of our lives). Whilst sitting here feeling sorry for myself (Collected groan) I decided that fresh air was needed and seeing as the coastline is, say, two minutes walk from the door, I decided to liven myself up a bit, get some fresh air. (Man-up for crying-out-loud!).

I wandered down to the sea (full puffer-coat, hat, gloves….the works) and was met by the sound of the rippling waves splashing against the shore. This is where the blog takes a turn.

I stood and listened to that sound. I rolled my shoulders and watched the gulls and the birds swoop in to take advantage of the receding tide which now bore the rocks and pools it left behind. It was at this point my senses became used to my surroundings. I could no longer hear the splashing of the sea upon the shore, it was more of a calm hiss. The birds did not squawk, they sang. The sea was of glass, it was like it never moved really. I looked out beyond the shoreline and there was a mist covering the sea. In the distance I could hear the sound of a ship sounding its way through the unknown. Behind the mist was the horizon which I could not see and this is when my thoughts turned to the rally weekend.

When we first arrive at Brean there will be noise, just as there was when I walked to the seafront earlier, but then our senses will become accustomed to the sounds and we will relax. At the rally there is also a horizon which cannot be seen, by those competing. The one which none of us, whether driver, pit crew, fans, friends or family can see. The horizon of opportunity across the sea of tranquility.

This all sounds very idyllic and easy. It’s not. Beyond the hissing, calming waters are waves. Beyond the mist there are dangers. However, that is the adventure. What really does exist behind that mist?

When I decided to arrange this weekend with Chris in the garage at the Brean Rally, the initial idea was to document the story of a team at an event so that everybody could read and see (through Viv’s photographs) what it was like. That was the plan, but standing at the shoreline today looking out into the unknown made me re-evaluate the weekend ahead.

It’s not just going to be about the race weekend. This story has much more to it. The horrific crash Chris suffered last year, his comeback, the willing sacrifices of his friends and family, his loving lady standing by his side with support and utter enthusiasm. The will to succeed, the need to go on, the desire to be the best that you can be, even if you are unable to see beyond the mist.

It dawned on me right there and then as I gazed out across the glassy waters that this weekend is not just a ‘jolly’ to write a story or to watch drivers do things with cars we can only ever dream of. No, it is much more than that.

Myself and Viv are being invited along to share the dream of another person, to participate in a part of someone’s life and to experience their absolute desire. That, right there, is a privilege. So this blog has taken another turn, like the tide I watched earlier which revealed some unexpected images.

I forgot about my man-flu because I was mesmerised by the sea of tranquility and the unknown beyond.

This weekend is a special moment for Chris Wheeler and his loved ones. We are honoured that you have allowed us to share it with you.

Thank you.

See you at the dirty chequered flag.

Neil Simmons and Viv Gillings

Neils’s Twitter: @world_racing

Viv’s Twitter: @viv_simmons

21st January 20171st August 2017

Quick 10 With…..Anna Rathe

Neil Simmons

This Quick 10 feature is a double-article as I caught up with a driver who raced at the 24 Hours of Dubai recently.

The feature is a unique one in terms of motor racing as Anna herself admits that she never followed racing but has always had an interest in cars.

At the end of her Quick 10 is her diary of the 24 Hours of Dubai. She is a bronze rated driver, finished 3rd in the 2013 Norwegian GT Championship, has competed in the Italian GT Championship and in the Gatebill Extreme Series.

Her name is Anna Rathe and these are her Quick 10 questions with me:

1. What is your favourite circuit and why?

To date I have never raced on a circuit which I didn’t like. There are circuits that suit me better, yes and therefore brings back better memories maybe, but as long as I can race on them I like them. I like to say my favourite circuit is the next one I am racing at (which at the moment means I don’t know!).

2. Who is/was your racing idol?

I don’t really have one. I never followed racing much to be honest, maybe I shouldn’t say.

3. Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

Honestly, myself.

4. Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?

Oooh this is a question where my lack of motorsport interest bites me. I really don’t know.

5. If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

Barack Obama, Gloria Steinem, Simon Sinek and Aksel Lund Svindal.

6. Personal racing number? What is it and the reason behind it?

That is definitely #35. I haven’t raced with that in years (although now would be a good time considering my age), but it comes from my first race car. I kind of had two Nissan GT-Rs at one point.

7. What is the best race you have been involved in?

Definitely the Dubai 24h 2017! I have always been drawn to endurance racing, thinking it would suit me well. I was proven right.

8. Is there a race or series you have not competed in, that you would like to or had wanted to?

Blancpain Endurance Series. But for now, I’m hoping to do more 24H series.

9. How did you get into motor racing? What ignited that spark?

I just wanted to. I don’t know how better to explain it. Ask my family and I’ll promise you they will confirm to you they didn’t see it coming.

10. What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

“Go out there and smile!” From my team in Reiter Young Stars 2016. Awesome guys!

Race Report: My 24 hrs Endurance Debut by Anna Rathe

Last week I got to take on what has always been the ultimate challenge for a racing driver: a 24 hours endurance race. And it simply had it all: sun, smiles, hugs and laughter. But no secrets, it was also serious, busy, hard, tough, sweaty and exhausting. This is the story.

The 24Hseries event took place 9th-14th of January, in the desert-ish surroundings of Dubai Autodrome. Winter in Dubai means lovely weather and summer-like temperatures for a Norwegian. The 5399m long circuit was new to me, but I had done my homework meticolously, studying track notes and videos to be prepared. And already Monday afternoon I walked the full circuit for the first time. The track is a mix of everything; two long high speed long straights followed by hard braking, hairpins, elevation changes, high speed corners and a Sector 1 which I knew from my preparations would be the most difficult part.

My team Reiter Engineering, which I have been racing for since 2016, arrived early Tuesday morning and got everything ready for the race week: the pit box, the tools, the parts, and quite obviously the car. We were going to race the #246 KTM X-BOW GT4, the car I’ve learned to appreciate so much during the 2016 European GT4 Championship. We were competing in class SP3, which is more or less GT4 spec.

This was the first time me and my team mates for the race got together to start working. KTM and Reiter Engineering had made an all-female driver line-up for the first race of the season, consisting of Belgian Naomi Schiff, Australian Caitlin Wood, Swiss Marylin Niederhauser, and me. Naomi and Caitlin I both knew from Reiter Young Stars, Marylin being new to GT racing coming from Formula 4. We juggled seat position, mirrors, pedals, steering wheel and driver changes. We all got along really well, highly motivated to do a good race.

Wednesday morning, bright and early at 7AM, we met at the track again for a team track walk. Our team manager Tomas Enge, us girls and the team engineers inspected every corner, curb and surface to know what to expect when hitting the track for the first time in the afternoon.

After lunch it was time to get in the car. Both me and Caitlin got a few laps on the circuit, a few tweeks on the car and all four of us continued the testing on Thursday morning. I have to say, the Dubai Autodrome really is amazing. As expected, Sector 1 was the difficult one, but it was also giggleing fun. I’ve always loved jumping curbs and high-speed-to-slow-corners, and the circuit has plenty of that. I hadn’t yet found the rhytm or the pace I wanted, but it was coming together step by step. Plus, the other girls killed it and made me confident we could have a good result in the race.

For qualifying we did some strategic choices, and Caitlin went out and put us P8 in class for the race (P55 overall). We were fairly happy with that, it was more or less where Tomas wanted us to be and we were confident our race pace would be good.

Sun set, and it was time for night practice. Being in a mixed field of a tad short of 100 cars, half of them faster and half of them slower than us, made the night racing quite interesting. The dark itself was not so much the problem, it was the constant handling of all the traffic that put an extra dimention to it. I can’t claim I had it all fully under control after my night test, but I felt confident I would survive it.

Friday morning and race day. When I got to our pit box, Mr. Reiter himself had arrived and asked me how I felt. Honest, and with a twinkle in my eye, I responded “Well, I’m the driver who had to get here early on race day to do the warm up, so I’m the slowest”. We both laughed, and he said he believed us to be strong enough for a podium. I kind of secretly thought so too.

The remaining time before the race was like a calm before the storm. The atmospere in the pits were electric. And when Caitlin took our car to the starting grid, the excitement rose to a new level. The grid walk was full of people, spectators and team members, and us being an all-girls driver line up was an attraction in itself. I have no count of how many photos we did with enthusiastic racing fans, getting lots of thumbs ups’es for the race. The support felt a bit surreal.

Race start at 14:00, and Caitlin did a brilliant job for the first stint. She kept out of trouble in the huge grid of cars, she manuevered the car through the field, and by the end of her stint we were P4 in class and P46 overall! I jumped in the car second, driver change going perfectly to plan and I hit the track with a clear task in mind: To find a god rhythm in sector 1. And I did! At the end of my stint I had shaved 3 secs off my lap time and was consistently on race pace. You can actually see from the onboard me celebrating in the car on the long straight after my best laps. I was called in to hand the car over to Marylin.

As the driver change was done and Marylin headed out on track as the sun started to set, I was greeted by Mr. Reiter in the pit box. He was very happy about my performance, gave me a hug and congratulated me on an impressive stint. At some point I had been the third fastest driver in class out there. I couldn’t have been happier in that moment, knowing that what I had just done was some of my best work in a race car. Doing that in my first stint in my first 24 hours race was pretty good timing! I couldn’t wait to get back out there! First though, it was time for resetting and getting my feet back on the ground, I needed to drink, eat and rest until my next stint. My cave was a rental car in the parking lot.

Marylin hadn’t done many laps before she got hit by another car in a multiple-car crash and was sent off into a wall. Our car took some beating, and the repairs took just 1 minute short of 3 hours. No more realistic chances of a podium for us, but Reiter wanted to give us the opportunity to get as much experience as possible and put us back out there.

Unfortunately, before it was my turn to get back in the car again, our car had a second accident, which again put us in the pit for repairs. This time for 5 hours and 18 minutes. Now the only place we could possibly reach in class was last place, and I’m sure any other team would’ve called it a day and packed up. But everybody at Reiter Engineering went for it, the mechanics heroically putting the car back together, and about 4AM in the morning we were out on track again with Caitlin in the car for her second stint.

After Caitlin it was my turn to take on my first night stint in the race. I won’t claim I shined out there, constantly maneuvering traffic, but in the end I found some kind of rhytm and as I got quicker the task also got easier, obviously. But I took no risks, whatsoever, and brought the car safely home. I would have loved to have a second night stint in the race, but sun was already rising when I handed over to Naomi.

As I got ready to get back in the car again in the morning, Mr Reiter came to me and asked if I was ready for a double stint. Happy that he showed such confidence in me, and excited to get to test my stamina, I said I would love to try. An hour out in my stint our engineer Bernie Ehrlich called me up on the radio and asked if I was fit for another hour. I thought it through for a few corners, making sure I wasn’t taking any unecessary risks, and felt good about it. I confirmed I would do a double stint.

That second hour in the car was probably my best racing performance ever. I got consistently faster and faster, and found a great rhythm maneuvering thorugh the traffic. The last 20 laps was my fastest of the race, and I couldn’t help but smile ridiculously in the car. It’s like a dance, the symbiosis of the slower and faster cars on the track, all working together for a greater good. I have never had so much fun in a race car ever! In the end I set a 2.11.373, just 7 tenths off Caitlin who had the second fastest lap of the race. I can live with that.

By the time we took the chequered flag we were P16 in class and P72 overall. We had only done 336 laps, spending more than 8 hours in the pit box with repairs. Very, very far from the result we wanted, even very far from the result we had in us. But thanks to Reiter, who put us back out after both incidents, we all gained valuable 24 hours endurance racing experience. And I had fun. Lots of fun. And this is most certainly addictive!

I am forever grateful to Reiter Engineering and KTM for making the 24H of Dubai possible. Their support for this race has been massive from day one and I can’t thank them enough. Without them, this would have never happened.

24 hours endurance racing has an extra element to it, the extreme. I used to think it would suit me well. Now I know it suits me well. I really, really hope I get to do it again!

PS! For those of you who’d like an in-depth insight into our whole all-ladies team effort in the 24H of Dubai, check out the upcoming issue of Top Gear Magazine.

I will also be uploading lots of behind the scene footage over the next days, on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account. Join in if you like!

xx Anna

Photos: Joel Kernasenko (C)

For more information, please contact Anna Rathe
Email: anna@ratheoptimal.no

Facebook: AnnaRatheRacing
Twitter: @annarathe
Instagram: @anna_rathe

I would just like to thank Anna for taking the Quick 10 and would like to wish her the best for remainder of the season.

Neil Simmons
Twitter: @world_racing