Category: Features

My thoughts on my season as a fan…….

So, before I begin may I just get this out the way from the off.

The Formula One season this year, like the last few seasons was…well…pretty poor entertainment if I am being truthful. If you are a regular reader of any of my columns or features, you will know that as a 40 year Formula One and racing fan in general, that sentence causes me a lot of pain. Yes folks, I’m sorry to dampen your bonfire with bodily liquid, but F1 is just a processional damp squid in its current form. It’s boring. Let us hope the regulation changes next

season change all that. I live in hope.

Then we have what was essentially the talk of the season. Hamilton and Rosberg. As I type that sentence I am shaking my head.

I have sat there and seen on social media some fans of Hamilton and Rosberg swap insults and abuse. Most of them have not got an absolute clue what they are talking about, but it is not even worth trying to intervene or offer any kind of intelligent insight into the shenanigans this season because….well….some of these fans are morons and it just would be a big waste of time for any true racing fan to even get involved. Basically the fans I am referring to who just want to enter into some kind of “Jeremy Kyle” style rant need to get a grip of themselves. This is racing….if you don’t understand the basics of that, then I feel sorry for you. If you feel you are one of those fans who I am talking about then please go and sit down, do some reading and even educate yourself in motor racing. Once you have reached any decent level of “being a fan” you may return to talk with the adults.

The few pleasures and highlights of my season watching F1 were Pascal Wehrlein, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen and before any bright sparks start throwing “Red Bull fan” assumptions in my direction, I can assure you I am certainly not. Verstappen, in my eyes is one of the most exciting, if not THEE most exciting thing to happen to F1 in the last 10 years. Formula One needs Max Verstappen.

Moving swiftly on. Where did my enjoyment come from? Where was the passion? What made my skin tingle in this gut busting, goosebumping and adrenaline fuelled world of motor racing?

I can’t start off any thoughts without first being extremely patriotic and saying a massive congratulations to a British world champion in Jonathan Rea who took back-to-back World Superbike titles with his nine race wins and only being off the podium three times. An immaculate defence of his title. Take a bow Mr. Rea, take a bow.

This brings me nicely on to another British rider, but this time in the world of MotoGP.

Mr Cal Crutchlow.

Now, this may have passed non-two wheeled by, but he is the first British rider to win a premier class Grand Prix race since the late, great Barry Sheene. Not only did he achieve this feat in the Czech Republic, he went and repeated it in Australia to add to the two second places he achieved in Germany and at his home GP in Great Britain. He finished 7th in the World Championship, he finished ahead of two “factory” riders in the shape of Iannone and Aleix Espargaro. Add to this that leading up to the German Grand Prix, he had retired four times and was nowhere to be seen in the top half of the points. Whether the birth of his child had anything to do with his change in form is subject to speculation, but my what a fantastic performance for the remainder of the season. Well done Cal, you did us proud.

British Superbikes – If you don’t follow British Superbikes you should. If you have no idea what the series is like. Find out. In 2016 it delivered, massively delivered. Entertainment wise it was on par with any racing series you will see on the planet, it delivered (take note Formula One) drama on the track, not off it.

The return to the championship of Leon Haslam, he eased himself back in after Laverty and Hickman won the first two races of the season, then the season bubbled and the ingredients were added and it was from here that the “Michelin Star” entertainment was delivered right up to the last race of the showdown as Shakey Byrne and Haslam went head-to-head. Outstanding entertainment.

We move from two wheels to four wheels.

The three series that gave me the most pleasure this season were (in no particular order), the British Touring Car Championship, World Endurance Championship and World Rallycross.

Again Formula One, please take note of above championships, they p**sed all over you for entertainment and value this season……again.

In BTCC it was just an epic battle at the top, Shedden, Tordoff, Jackson, Turkington, Collard and Neal and interesting to see how the Subaru’s developed over the season. On a personal level I was so chuffed to see one of my favourite racing drivers Rob Austin battling with big names, but for me it was the emergence of Michael Epps and Jake Hill who really impressed me this season, both of them fantastic racers, great craft and thoroughly nice blokes. Watch out for them both in the future, brilliant racing drivers.

My endurance season kicked off with that EPIC……and I use that word in all its meaning…..Corvette battle at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The entire race itself was just brilliant, but that radio message from the team for both drivers, “You’re free to race, keep it clean” – Formula One, another note you need to take. That radio message itself made my skin bubble, I sat forward on my chair like an excited child on Christmas Eve and I found myself shouting at the television “Yes! Yes! Now that’s a radio message. Come On!!” – Again, I’m not even a Corvette fan, but my god as a racing fan that radio message was music to my ears. Those Corvettes certainly listened and OH MY GOD!!!! – What a finish to the race. Superb.

I move to Le Mans, again regular readers of any of my ramblings will know that I regard the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the greatest race in the world. Little did we know that this would be Mark Webber’s last Le Mans. As always the great race did not let its fans down. I was on live comms for The Pit Crew Online along with my band of fellow merry men and we enjoyed every single second of the race. What made it so special was interacting with the teams, drivers and some sponsors through the race itself. Then came the heartbreaking moment for Toyota. I watched opened mouth as the car came to a halt. I really felt for the team and its fans, the most emotional end to a race I have seen in a long time, if not ever. That hurt, that really hurt. As a great driver once said “To win Le Mans, first you have to finish.” – heartbreaking but oh so true.

For me, the most entertaining series of the entire year was World Rallycross. I can’t put into words how exciting it was. There was more action in one lap at any RX event than there was in an entire season of…….well you know what I was going to say (take note F1).

I had the absolute pleasure of attending RX Lydden and it was one of the most fantastic experiences of my racing life. Standing inches away from Ken Block as he spoke to his mechanic, the Ford Focus RS up on jacks. I interviewed Timmy Hansen, spoke to Niclas Gronholm, I even got my picture taken with him and his dad, two-time WRC champion Marcus. I bumped into Andrew Jordan (of BTCC fame), had a bit of a chat and wandered off. The big one was yet to come, yes…..my interview on top of the Monster Energy tower with Petter Solberg. The man is an absolute gentleman. Oh….I forgot….I even got involved (accidentally) in the scrutineering of cars before they went on track.

The action on track was mind-blowing, the turn-around in races is phenomenal and the access is unbelievable. The entire season was just breathtaking from start to finish and then there was the overtake of the century in any racing series. Yes THAT overtake, around the outside by Kevin Eriksson at Estering. It was audacious. It was spectacular. In fact the commentator on the race summed it up perfectly. “Outrageous!” If you haven’t seen it then I suggest you go on You Tube, it will just blow your mind!

It is on this note I have to say thank you for the memories to Mark Webber, Felipe Massa and to a certain extent in Formula One, Jenson Button. That said, with the news that Button, Webber and a certain Mr. Coulthard are allegedly setting up their own rallycross team, I am full of excitement. Welcome to the right side of racing.

That, ladies and gentleman, was an eventful year of racing. Some big pluses for me. My interviews took a huge turn as I got to interview the likes of Mario Andretti, Zak Brown and Bradley Smith. Next year is going to be even better.

But, Formula One, please try to keep up because you are being left behind and as my first love of motor racing I really don’t want you to be ridiculed as much as you are now. It’s time to fix up and look sharp because there are racing series out there that on action, entertainment and value are making you look silly.

Oh and those Hamilton and Rosberg fans I referred to earlier. Just grow up and have a word with yourselves.

Neil Simmons

@world_racing

The Vault – My column where I take the pictures from the wall of my writing studio and tell the story behind the camera. This week I go back to 1989 and the Monaco Grand Prix

Monaco, the playground of the successful. A glamourous setting where the rich and famous for one weekend mix with the ardent Formula One fans who make the trip to this principality.

The above photograph taken from the wall of my writing studio is the next topic for The Vault.

Portier and the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix.

After the hairpin, which changes it’s name based on what hotel is present at the time of a specific Grand Prix, the cars head downhill to the double right-hander just before the famous tunnel. This is Portier. It is set in a neighbourhood of Monaco next to the sea which gives it a beautiful backdrop. The corner is called portier, or porter in English, which was the lowest order of Roman Catholic seminarians or students in simple terms.

In the Monaco Grand Prix a year earlier, with Senna gliding round to head into the tunnel, it was a completely different story for the Brazilian. In 1988 he had opened up a huge lead, completely dominating the race, when he was told by McLaren to back-off. He lost concentration and went straight on into the barrier on the outside of Portier, which handed victory to Prost. He was so upset with this mistake that he left Monaco straight away, refusing to speak to anybody.

In the race before Monaco, the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Gerhard Berger had suffered a brake problem which saw him go off at Tamburello. The resulting crash caused him to have broken ribs, shoulder and burns to face and hands. Ferrari decided they were not going to replace Berger and so had just Nigel Mansell entered for the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix.

Senna, looking to make up for his 1988 mistake, took pole with a massive one second time difference over his teammate Alain Prost. This is made famous by the video showing THAT lap, in which Martin Brundle commented afterwards drivers out on track at the time decided to slow and jump out of the way, not wanting to spoil this epic qualifying performance.

Thierry Boutsen was on the second row behind Senna and Prost, he was joined by an impressive Martin Brundle in the Brabham. The Coloni-Ford team got both their cars, Roberto Moreno and Pierre-Henri Raphanel, into the race for their only time at Monaco. During qualification it became apparent that the Pirelli tyre was performing better than the Goodyear.

Senna got a brilliant start off the line, leaving Prost no other option but to just settle into second without even mounting a challenge. The Williams cars of Boutsen and Patrese would find themselves both coming into the pits to have the rear wings changed on their cars. Mansell, in the lone Ferrari entry, suffered gearbox problems which had been plaguing the team and he was out of the race on Lap 20.

Thirteen laps later Andre de Cesaris in his Dallara-Ford went to pass Nelson Piquet in his Camel sponsored Lotus-Judd up the inside at the Loews Hairpin, only for them to come together. They blocked the circuit which caused chaos behind them. De Cesaris was furiously shouting at Piquet from his car. Prost was held up in this chaos which allowed Senna to go dancing off into the distance.

Senna continued to dominate the race with fans and the team hoping there would not be a repeat of his crash at Portier the year before. Prost eventually got going again, but he was again held up by Rene Arnox in the Ligier. Arnoux would comment that he was unable to go faster which prompted the famous quote by James Hunt calling it “bullshit”. It was the McLaren of Senna who took the spoils at Monaco, Prost came home in second and it was the surprise package of Stefano Modena in the Brabham-Judd who completed the top three. This would be the last time a Brabham car would finish on any podium in Formula One.

What made this Senna victory even more impressive was the fact that in the latter stages of the race he had lost first and second gears. He tried to disguise his problems whilst lapping the streets of Monaco so as not to alert Prost who he felt would have pushed harder to put pressure on the Brazilian if he had known.

The 1989 Monaco Grand Prix and that Portier photograph I have. Full of back-stories and drama. As I say, every picture on my wall tells a story.

See You At The Chequered Flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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RACING IS LIFE…..

Anybody who has any involvement whatsoever in motor racing, whether that be as a racer, in the garage, behind the scenes or as a fan will know this following quote:

“A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing’s important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it’s life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.”

Of course those immortal words were uttered by the legendary Steve McQueen in the film Le Mans. We have all used it, shared it…hell I even had a tea mug with it inscribed on. The thing is, racing…well…it is life.

Let me explain.

That feeling of starting a new job, moving to a new place, the night before jetting off on holiday or meeting that special person for the first time. The bubbling excitement that builds up inside your body, every nerve twitching and standing on end. Now think of the beginning of a racing season or just before the start of a race. That’s racing. That’s life.

We have all suffered disappointment and hurt in our lives. As tragic and emotional as that is, the same can be compared to racing when you are left heartbroken or the racing family loses somebody within their midst. It’s painful. It damn well hurts like nothing you can ever imagine, unless you have been through it. Having to slowly pick up the pieces and build again, grow stronger and move forward. That’s racing. That’s life.

When that moment of utter achievement and glory washes over you. You have worked so hard for something, fought for it and given blood, sweat and tears to make sure that it all came together at the best possible moment. The success. In racing this is no different. What people see in life is you, with that success and a big smile but they do not see the sacrifice and passion away from the plaudits and back-slapping. The hours put in. When a race fan sees the car or bike pass the finish line, the last thought on their mind is the pain-staking work that has gone on behind the scenes to make that win possible. It is not until after the champagne has flowed and the cheers have died down when thoughts turn to how it all came together. That’s racing. That’s life.

Being so dedicated to something that at times, friends, family and loved ones have had to watch from afar so that you could achieve your dream and make everything possible. The missed birthdays, that last minute call that you have to take which means you miss out on some quality time with those who deserve your attention the most. This is no different in life than it is in racing. Sacrifices can sometimes yield great success, but other times it all comes to nothing. That’s racing. That’s life.

Falling in love and being passionate about something or someone you care so much about. Putting every piece of emotion you have into a cherished moment because you are so scared that if you don’t give this opportunity your most desirable attention, you will lose and those moments will be gone forever. That’s racing. That’s life.

Knowing that you are not always going to win and there will be days when the dark clouds gather overhead and as much you love what you are doing and what is involved, everybody has a bad day. You just can’t win every single time. There will be people waiting for you to falter, to make a mistake and they will pounce, taking advantage of your weakness. That’s racing. That’s life.

And when the dust settles, after everything you have put into your passion, your love, your life there will be moments when you can stand back and survey what has been achieved and with a wry smile, even through the dark times, you can be proud that you gave it your best. Whatever the outcome. That’s racing. That’s life.

Finally, hopes and dreams. We all hope to be the best we can and that one day all our dreams, the things we want the most in life will come together and at last, after so many attempts, we made it. That’s racing. That’s life.

It was only recently after changes in my own life that I gave this topic some thought. It quickly dawned on me that people, like racers, are not perfect. Yes we succeed, but we also fail and it is how you deal with that failure which makes you the person or the racer you will surely become.

So, Mr. McQueen. You were right. Racing is life, but life is also racing. And anything that happens before or after….really is just waiting. Waiting for that special moment.

Life, as it is in racing, is important to those who do it well.

Neil Simmons

@world_racing