Fascinating F1 Fact:56 Formula 1 is a world of extreme people. They tend to be ambitious, highly competitive, aggressive – and some are pretty dysfunctional. We have seen some really colourful characters over the years, but Rainer Walldorf is probably the most extreme example. For a start, his name wasn’t really Rainer Walldorf, but rather Klaus Walz, or at least we think it was. It was also Peter Walz when it suited him. In fact, there is no real evidence which proves it is the same Klaus Walz who raced in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Interserie, Aurora F1 and even Formula 2. It is often assumed it is the same man, but it doesn’t really make sense. Klaus Walz was a wanted man under his own name and so it would have been extremely unwise to turn up in racing with a different name, as he might very easily bump into someone who knew his real name… In any case, while the records from the racing world have Walz listed as having been born in Ettlingen, near Karlsruhe in 1942, the company filings that link him to F1 have him born in 1944. His primary accomplice was his nephew, a man who used the unlikely name of Gordon Walz. But then he also used the names Patrick, Peter and Klaus Sorajowski, a name which has its roots in the Balkans, but may also have been “borrowed” from the boss of a haulage firm in Wiesbaden. Anyway, Walldorf and Sorajowski had a couple of companies using these names: Comstock Development and L’Art Mineral, both of them headquartered in Cannes, although the directors used different combinations of the various names. Walz presented himself as a dealer in exotic luxury cars, but the authorities would eventually conclude that he was actually the mastermind behind a vast international network dealing with black market stolen super cars. The centre of this network seems to have been a facility in the town of Desio, just up the road from Monza. One supposes that this was an Aladdin’s garage where plates were changed and cars resprayed. For whatever reason, however, it was in that area that in 1989 the two men and a Canadian accomplice murdered an Italian mechanic called Antonio Tonetto. It was a particularly nasty crime as they locked him in the boot of a Fiat Panda and set fire to the car. In the end it seems that they opened the trunk and shot the unfortunate individual to silence his screams. Two others bodies would pop up later in a villa near Lisbon in Portugal and, according to Interpol, Walz had the blood of a fourth murder (a Swiss) on his hands. Walz appeared in F1 – as Rainer Walldorf – in August 1992. There was a big fanfare with the purchase of a majority shareholding in the Larrousse F1 team, which had previously been owned by the French sports car company MVS Venturi. The Comstock company Had a decidedly dodgy business plan, based on the unlikely-sounding idea of having “investment sponsorship”, with the money invested in the team being paid back in full after five years, thus giving sponsors free exposure. It would to be a membership scheme, organized by London wheeler dealer. The Comstock name suggested that Walz believed that the company would make a lot of money, the Comstock Lode having been a vast silverfield discovered in Nevada in 1859, which generated vast fortunes over a 15 year period. Within a few weeks of the Larrousse announcement, Walz and Walz were arrested when French police raided a villa in Valbonne, a chic commune near Mougins, on the Cote d’Azur. There are various stories about what happened but some say that Walz pulled out a hand grenade and held a police inspector hostage, before handcuffing the other policemen and then escaping with $500,000 in cash. The duo escaped to Italy, but a month later were tracked down to a hotel in Munich. The police raided and Sorajewski was apprehended, but Walz refused to give up and, after a nine-hour siege, shot himself. The property developer involved in the F1 concept who would disappear when his empire fell apart a few years later.Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world.
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:56 Formula 1 is a world of extreme people. They tend to be ambitious, highly competitive, aggressive – and some are pretty dysfunctional. We have seen some really colourful characters over the years, but Rainer Walldorf is probably the most extreme example. For a start, his name wasn’t really Rainer Walldorf, but rather Klaus Walz, or at least we think it was. It was also Peter Walz when it suited him. In fact, there is no real evidence which proves it is the same Klaus Walz who raced in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Interserie, Aurora F1 and even Formula 2. It is often assumed it is the same man, but it doesn’t really make sense. Klaus Walz was a wanted man under his own name and so it would have been extremely unwise to turn up in racing with a different name, as he might very easily bump into someone who knew his real name… In any case, while the records from the racing world have Walz listed as having been born in Ettlingen, near Karlsruhe in 1942, the company filings that link him to F1 have him born in 1944. His primary accomplice was his nephew, a man who used the unlikely name of Gordon Walz. But then he also used the names Patrick, Peter and Klaus Sorajowski, a name which has its roots in the Balkans, but may also have been “borrowed” from the boss of a haulage firm in Wiesbaden. Anyway, Walldorf and Sorajowski had a couple of companies using these names: Comstock Development and L’Art Mineral, both of them headquartered in Cannes, although the directors used different combinations of the various names. Walz presented himself as a dealer in exotic luxury cars, but the authorities would eventually conclude that he was actually the mastermind behind a vast international network dealing with black market stolen super cars. The centre of this network seems to have been a facility in the town of Desio, just up the road from Monza. One supposes that this was an Aladdin’s garage where plates were changed and cars resprayed. For whatever reason, however, it was in that area that in 1989 the two men and a Canadian accomplice murdered an Italian mechanic called Antonio Tonetto. It was a particularly nasty crime as they locked him in the boot of a Fiat Panda and set fire to the car. In the end it seems that they opened the trunk and shot the unfortunate individual to silence his screams. Two others bodies would pop up later in a villa near Lisbon in Portugal and, according to Interpol, Walz had the blood of a fourth murder (a Swiss) on his hands. Walz appeared in F1 – as Rainer Walldorf – in August 1992. There was a big fanfare with the purchase of a majority shareholding in the Larrousse F1 team, which had previously been owned by the French sports car company MVS Venturi. The Comstock company Had a decidedly dodgy business plan, based on the unlikely-sounding idea of having “investment sponsorship”, with the money invested in the team being paid back in full after five years, thus giving sponsors free exposure. It would to be a membership scheme, organized by London wheeler dealer. The Comstock name suggested that Walz believed that the company would make a lot of money, the Comstock Lode having been a vast silverfield discovered in Nevada in 1859, which generated vast fortunes over a 15 year period. Within a few weeks of the Larrousse announcement, Walz and Walz were arrested when French police raided a villa in Valbonne, a chic commune near Mougins, on the Cote d’Azur. There are various stories about what happened but some say that Walz pulled out a hand grenade and held a police inspector hostage, before handcuffing the other policemen and then escaping with $500,000 in cash. The duo escaped to Italy, but a month later were tracked down to a hotel in Munich. The police raided and Sorajewski was apprehended, but Walz refused to give up and, after a nine-hour siege, shot himself. The property developer involved in the F1 concept who would disappear when his empire fell apart a few years later.Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2jT8Xdq
Tuesday 31 January 2017
F1 Fanatic round-up: Rosberg not looking for Formula E drive
Rosberg not looking for Formula E drive | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Rosberg not looking for Formula E drive • 'More passes will go wrong' in 2017 • Ferrari 3D print engine upgrade
from F1 Center Rosberg not looking for Formula E drive | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Rosberg not looking for Formula E drive • 'More passes will go wrong' in 2017 • Ferrari 3D print engine upgrade http://ift.tt/2jT8Dh1
from F1 Center Rosberg not looking for Formula E drive | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Rosberg not looking for Formula E drive • 'More passes will go wrong' in 2017 • Ferrari 3D print engine upgrade http://ift.tt/2jT8Dh1
Formula 4-3-2-1
Formula 4-3-2-1 Quite recently, I forget when exactly, there arrived a book from the FIA on the subject of Formula 4. It’s a nice enough book, a mouse-killer in terms of weight, if dropped from letterbox height, but something to be stuck on the shelf for future reference, as some of the racers involved will no doubt be turning up in F1 before too long. To be honest, right now I don’t know a Fewtrell from a Verschoor or a Mawson or a Siebert. I’ve heard of Schumacher but I want to see some serious results from him before I will stop being wary about the money and connections which come from sons of famous fathers. In life, it is all too often a question of not what you know, but who you know. I was amused to see that one of the champions is called Cameron Das, although I could not help but think that there was a letter missing somewhere. Anyway, the best of this lot will be passing on up the racing ladder and I have been mulling over the unforeseen changes that will come about as a result of the Liberty Media takeover of F1 and the arrival of the nasty NASDAQ ticker name FWONK. It sounds like a Frenchman with a lisp trying to talk to Sir Francis Williams; or the sounds that one hears when an FIA Formula 4 annual lands on a passing mouse. I used to get annual books from Ferrari as well, but their insistence on deliveries being made by DHL meant that it never did arrive and I guess they have given up trying now, having had several returned to sender. The local mice are probably quite happy. I was wondering the other day what Jean Todt and Chase Carey must have been discussing in recent months and concluded that probably the FIA President was sufficiently keen to have Mr E high-pressured-hosed out of the door that he probably did not ask for much in Formula 1 terms. Todt doesn’t want to have to run Formula 1 any more than he must and he continues to be an eager beaver about road safety, while also quietly building up revenues from other FIA championships. The federation will be dependent on F1 for a while yet, but other revenues are a really good idea. One of Todt’s strategies has been to try to promote a simplified development path in single seater racing, so that the public can understand it. Unless you’re a real grandstand anorak, you probably cannot explain why a Formula Renault to Formula 3.5 V8 and then GP2 is a sensible option. Or what makes the Super Formula so super. It would be so much easier to have Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1. Most people can understand that. The establishment of Formula 4 in 2014 as the first step in that direction. There was then a controversial revamp of Formula 3 to make the international championship more relevant. The current Dallara F312 chassis will be replaced after the current season, at least in theory, but I have a vague suspicion that we may see European Formula 3 being faded out. The big teams in the championships have such a dominant position now and there are far too many billionaires involved, so it has less value than once it did. But I think that Mr Todt will have thought this through and will have made it a condition of the F1 sale that GP2 and GP3 be turned into championships with more sensible names and more sensible bills. There is a good margin of profit in both these championships, which should not be the case, but the uncontrolled greed of CVC Capital meant that every tiny little penny had to be squeezed out of the business. If these series were run at cost and with different names, they would be a lot more relevant. So I think we will see GP2 being transformed into Formula 2 and GP3 becoming Formula 3. This really makes sense. Formula 4 would become the top championship at national level and then F3 and F2 would be the visible support races to help youngsters rise to F1. We may still have Formula 3.5 and Super Formula, but they will be less relevant. And it will be easier to explain to the folks with bums on seats.
from F1 Center Formula 4-3-2-1 Quite recently, I forget when exactly, there arrived a book from the FIA on the subject of Formula 4. It’s a nice enough book, a mouse-killer in terms of weight, if dropped from letterbox height, but something to be stuck on the shelf for future reference, as some of the racers involved will no doubt be turning up in F1 before too long. To be honest, right now I don’t know a Fewtrell from a Verschoor or a Mawson or a Siebert. I’ve heard of Schumacher but I want to see some serious results from him before I will stop being wary about the money and connections which come from sons of famous fathers. In life, it is all too often a question of not what you know, but who you know. I was amused to see that one of the champions is called Cameron Das, although I could not help but think that there was a letter missing somewhere. Anyway, the best of this lot will be passing on up the racing ladder and I have been mulling over the unforeseen changes that will come about as a result of the Liberty Media takeover of F1 and the arrival of the nasty NASDAQ ticker name FWONK. It sounds like a Frenchman with a lisp trying to talk to Sir Francis Williams; or the sounds that one hears when an FIA Formula 4 annual lands on a passing mouse. I used to get annual books from Ferrari as well, but their insistence on deliveries being made by DHL meant that it never did arrive and I guess they have given up trying now, having had several returned to sender. The local mice are probably quite happy. I was wondering the other day what Jean Todt and Chase Carey must have been discussing in recent months and concluded that probably the FIA President was sufficiently keen to have Mr E high-pressured-hosed out of the door that he probably did not ask for much in Formula 1 terms. Todt doesn’t want to have to run Formula 1 any more than he must and he continues to be an eager beaver about road safety, while also quietly building up revenues from other FIA championships. The federation will be dependent on F1 for a while yet, but other revenues are a really good idea. One of Todt’s strategies has been to try to promote a simplified development path in single seater racing, so that the public can understand it. Unless you’re a real grandstand anorak, you probably cannot explain why a Formula Renault to Formula 3.5 V8 and then GP2 is a sensible option. Or what makes the Super Formula so super. It would be so much easier to have Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1. Most people can understand that. The establishment of Formula 4 in 2014 as the first step in that direction. There was then a controversial revamp of Formula 3 to make the international championship more relevant. The current Dallara F312 chassis will be replaced after the current season, at least in theory, but I have a vague suspicion that we may see European Formula 3 being faded out. The big teams in the championships have such a dominant position now and there are far too many billionaires involved, so it has less value than once it did. But I think that Mr Todt will have thought this through and will have made it a condition of the F1 sale that GP2 and GP3 be turned into championships with more sensible names and more sensible bills. There is a good margin of profit in both these championships, which should not be the case, but the uncontrolled greed of CVC Capital meant that every tiny little penny had to be squeezed out of the business. If these series were run at cost and with different names, they would be a lot more relevant. So I think we will see GP2 being transformed into Formula 2 and GP3 becoming Formula 3. This really makes sense. Formula 4 would become the top championship at national level and then F3 and F2 would be the visible support races to help youngsters rise to F1. We may still have Formula 3.5 and Super Formula, but they will be less relevant. And it will be easier to explain to the folks with bums on seats. http://ift.tt/2jr8X88
from F1 Center Formula 4-3-2-1 Quite recently, I forget when exactly, there arrived a book from the FIA on the subject of Formula 4. It’s a nice enough book, a mouse-killer in terms of weight, if dropped from letterbox height, but something to be stuck on the shelf for future reference, as some of the racers involved will no doubt be turning up in F1 before too long. To be honest, right now I don’t know a Fewtrell from a Verschoor or a Mawson or a Siebert. I’ve heard of Schumacher but I want to see some serious results from him before I will stop being wary about the money and connections which come from sons of famous fathers. In life, it is all too often a question of not what you know, but who you know. I was amused to see that one of the champions is called Cameron Das, although I could not help but think that there was a letter missing somewhere. Anyway, the best of this lot will be passing on up the racing ladder and I have been mulling over the unforeseen changes that will come about as a result of the Liberty Media takeover of F1 and the arrival of the nasty NASDAQ ticker name FWONK. It sounds like a Frenchman with a lisp trying to talk to Sir Francis Williams; or the sounds that one hears when an FIA Formula 4 annual lands on a passing mouse. I used to get annual books from Ferrari as well, but their insistence on deliveries being made by DHL meant that it never did arrive and I guess they have given up trying now, having had several returned to sender. The local mice are probably quite happy. I was wondering the other day what Jean Todt and Chase Carey must have been discussing in recent months and concluded that probably the FIA President was sufficiently keen to have Mr E high-pressured-hosed out of the door that he probably did not ask for much in Formula 1 terms. Todt doesn’t want to have to run Formula 1 any more than he must and he continues to be an eager beaver about road safety, while also quietly building up revenues from other FIA championships. The federation will be dependent on F1 for a while yet, but other revenues are a really good idea. One of Todt’s strategies has been to try to promote a simplified development path in single seater racing, so that the public can understand it. Unless you’re a real grandstand anorak, you probably cannot explain why a Formula Renault to Formula 3.5 V8 and then GP2 is a sensible option. Or what makes the Super Formula so super. It would be so much easier to have Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1. Most people can understand that. The establishment of Formula 4 in 2014 as the first step in that direction. There was then a controversial revamp of Formula 3 to make the international championship more relevant. The current Dallara F312 chassis will be replaced after the current season, at least in theory, but I have a vague suspicion that we may see European Formula 3 being faded out. The big teams in the championships have such a dominant position now and there are far too many billionaires involved, so it has less value than once it did. But I think that Mr Todt will have thought this through and will have made it a condition of the F1 sale that GP2 and GP3 be turned into championships with more sensible names and more sensible bills. There is a good margin of profit in both these championships, which should not be the case, but the uncontrolled greed of CVC Capital meant that every tiny little penny had to be squeezed out of the business. If these series were run at cost and with different names, they would be a lot more relevant. So I think we will see GP2 being transformed into Formula 2 and GP3 becoming Formula 3. This really makes sense. Formula 4 would become the top championship at national level and then F3 and F2 would be the visible support races to help youngsters rise to F1. We may still have Formula 3.5 and Super Formula, but they will be less relevant. And it will be easier to explain to the folks with bums on seats. http://ift.tt/2jr8X88
“We have 21 races, we should have 21 Super Bowls” – what F1 can learn from the NFL // F1 News // James Allen on F1 – The official James Allen website on F1
“We have 21 races, we should have 21 Super Bowls” – what F1 can learn from the NFL After its shareholders and the FIA recently approved Liberty Media’s Formula 1 takeover, the championship’s new CEO Chasey Carey stated that he wanted to make the sport “bigger, broader and better”. One idea Carey suggested to improve F1 was to scale up the entertainment and atmosphere surrounding each race and make every Grand Prix a […]
from F1 Center “We have 21 races, we should have 21 Super Bowls” – what F1 can learn from the NFL After its shareholders and the FIA recently approved Liberty Media’s Formula 1 takeover, the championship’s new CEO Chasey Carey stated that he wanted to make the sport “bigger, broader and better”. One idea Carey suggested to improve F1 was to scale up the entertainment and atmosphere surrounding each race and make every Grand Prix a […] http://ift.tt/2kncTq7
from F1 Center “We have 21 races, we should have 21 Super Bowls” – what F1 can learn from the NFL After its shareholders and the FIA recently approved Liberty Media’s Formula 1 takeover, the championship’s new CEO Chasey Carey stated that he wanted to make the sport “bigger, broader and better”. One idea Carey suggested to improve F1 was to scale up the entertainment and atmosphere surrounding each race and make every Grand Prix a […] http://ift.tt/2kncTq7
Ferrari counting on piston innovation and 3D printing for F1 2017
Ferrari counting on piston innovation and 3D printing for F1 2017 Ferrari is counting on 3D printing technology for an innovative piston design it believes could produce be a major boost for its 2017 Formula 1 engine
from F1 Center Ferrari counting on piston innovation and 3D printing for F1 2017 Ferrari is counting on 3D printing technology for an innovative piston design it believes could produce be a major boost for its 2017 Formula 1 engine http://ift.tt/2kNH22A
from F1 Center Ferrari counting on piston innovation and 3D printing for F1 2017 Ferrari is counting on 3D printing technology for an innovative piston design it believes could produce be a major boost for its 2017 Formula 1 engine http://ift.tt/2kNH22A
Late collision decides Daytona 24 Hours · F1 Fanatic
Late collision decides Daytona 24 Hours | Weekend Racing Wrap A late collision between the two leading drivers of the Daytona 24 Hours decided the outcome of the race with just minutes left on the clock.
from F1 Center Late collision decides Daytona 24 Hours | Weekend Racing Wrap A late collision between the two leading drivers of the Daytona 24 Hours decided the outcome of the race with just minutes left on the clock. http://ift.tt/2kQc6uo
from F1 Center Late collision decides Daytona 24 Hours | Weekend Racing Wrap A late collision between the two leading drivers of the Daytona 24 Hours decided the outcome of the race with just minutes left on the clock. http://ift.tt/2kQc6uo
Analysis: How soon can Liberty start changing F1? · F1 Fanatic
Analysis: How soon can Liberty start changing F1? | 2017 F1 season Rightly or wrongly, many Formula One fans have eagerly awaited the day when the name above the door no longer read Bernard Charles Ecclestone. Now Liberty carry the hopes of everyone who wants to see their favourite sport change for the better – however that might be. In the bland terminology of public relations what … Continue reading Analysis: How soon can Liberty start changing F1?
from F1 Center Analysis: How soon can Liberty start changing F1? | 2017 F1 season Rightly or wrongly, many Formula One fans have eagerly awaited the day when the name above the door no longer read Bernard Charles Ecclestone. Now Liberty carry the hopes of everyone who wants to see their favourite sport change for the better – however that might be. In the bland terminology of public relations what … Continue reading Analysis: How soon can Liberty start changing F1? http://ift.tt/2jPz1sh
from F1 Center Analysis: How soon can Liberty start changing F1? | 2017 F1 season Rightly or wrongly, many Formula One fans have eagerly awaited the day when the name above the door no longer read Bernard Charles Ecclestone. Now Liberty carry the hopes of everyone who wants to see their favourite sport change for the better – however that might be. In the bland terminology of public relations what … Continue reading Analysis: How soon can Liberty start changing F1? http://ift.tt/2jPz1sh
Renault supplied by Formula 1 engine gains in 2016
Renault supplied by Formula 1 engine gains in 2016 Renault engine chief Remi Taffin has admitted the French manufacturer was surprised by the gains it made during the 2016 Formula 1 season
from F1 Center Renault supplied by Formula 1 engine gains in 2016 Renault engine chief Remi Taffin has admitted the French manufacturer was surprised by the gains it made during the 2016 Formula 1 season http://ift.tt/2kKxemu
from F1 Center Renault supplied by Formula 1 engine gains in 2016 Renault engine chief Remi Taffin has admitted the French manufacturer was surprised by the gains it made during the 2016 Formula 1 season http://ift.tt/2kKxemu
What Manor design images reveal about Formula 1 2017
What Manor design images reveal about Formula 1 2017 The Manor Formula 1 team closed with its 2017 design almost complete, and images of it give some keys hints about the effect of the new rules
from F1 Center What Manor design images reveal about Formula 1 2017 The Manor Formula 1 team closed with its 2017 design almost complete, and images of it give some keys hints about the effect of the new rules http://ift.tt/2km2tXV
from F1 Center What Manor design images reveal about Formula 1 2017 The Manor Formula 1 team closed with its 2017 design almost complete, and images of it give some keys hints about the effect of the new rules http://ift.tt/2km2tXV
Fascinating F1 Fact:55
Fascinating F1 Fact:55 As the world is currently finding out, nationality is a complicated business. Three of the 33 FIA Formula 1 World Champions were not born in the country under whose flag they raced. If they had been, Germany’s first World Champion would have been in 1970, rather than 1994; Italy would have had a third World Champion, to stand alongside alongside Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari, and Sweden would not still be waiting for its first F1 title holder… By the same token, Niki Lauda would have been Austria’s only World Champion, Phil Hill would be the only American to have won the world title and Finland’s list of World Champions would be rather shorter… How so? Well, Michael Schumacher’s claim to be the first German World Champion would not be valid because Karl Jochen Rindt, born in Mainz in April 1942, would have beaten him to it by 24 years. Rindt’s father Karl was a 40-year-old German spice merchant, his mother was 29-year-old Austrian called Ilse Martinowitz. The pair lived in Mainz but were killed in July 1943, during the fire bombing of Hamburg, while they were away from their new baby, visiting the city. Rindt and his half brother Uwe Eisleben were sent to Austria and brought up by their maternal grandparents in Graz. They took Austrian nationality as a result… Italy’s third World Champion could have been Mario Andretti, who was born to Alvise and Rina Andretti in the village of Montona in Istria in 1940. At the time this area was part of Italy, although after the war it became Yugoslavia. Today it is part of Croatia. At the end of the war the Italian settlers in Istria, who had arrived after it became part of Italy in 1919 (having previously been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), were ordered out by the Yugoslav government. After spending time in a refugee camp in Italy, the Andretti family went to the United States when Mario was 14. They settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and he became a naturalised US citizen in 1964. Mario is motor racing’s perfect example of the American Dream coming true… Sweden’s theoretical World Champion is none other than Keijo Erik Rosberg, who was born to Finnish parents in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm. Keke’s father Lars Erik, known as Lasse, had moved there so as to study to be a veterinarian, because Finland did not get its first veterinary college until 1945, by which time Lasse was 23 and in the middle of his studies in Sweden. He went home for the holidays and in 1946 married Lea Lautaka, known as Lessu. She joined him in Stockholm and young Keijo appeared in 1948, although following the family tradition he took on a different name… They returned to Finland once Lasse had qualified. Of course, if Keke had been Swedish then perhaps his son Nico would not have ended up being German. Nationalities can be complicated sometimes… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world.
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:55 As the world is currently finding out, nationality is a complicated business. Three of the 33 FIA Formula 1 World Champions were not born in the country under whose flag they raced. If they had been, Germany’s first World Champion would have been in 1970, rather than 1994; Italy would have had a third World Champion, to stand alongside alongside Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari, and Sweden would not still be waiting for its first F1 title holder… By the same token, Niki Lauda would have been Austria’s only World Champion, Phil Hill would be the only American to have won the world title and Finland’s list of World Champions would be rather shorter… How so? Well, Michael Schumacher’s claim to be the first German World Champion would not be valid because Karl Jochen Rindt, born in Mainz in April 1942, would have beaten him to it by 24 years. Rindt’s father Karl was a 40-year-old German spice merchant, his mother was 29-year-old Austrian called Ilse Martinowitz. The pair lived in Mainz but were killed in July 1943, during the fire bombing of Hamburg, while they were away from their new baby, visiting the city. Rindt and his half brother Uwe Eisleben were sent to Austria and brought up by their maternal grandparents in Graz. They took Austrian nationality as a result… Italy’s third World Champion could have been Mario Andretti, who was born to Alvise and Rina Andretti in the village of Montona in Istria in 1940. At the time this area was part of Italy, although after the war it became Yugoslavia. Today it is part of Croatia. At the end of the war the Italian settlers in Istria, who had arrived after it became part of Italy in 1919 (having previously been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), were ordered out by the Yugoslav government. After spending time in a refugee camp in Italy, the Andretti family went to the United States when Mario was 14. They settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and he became a naturalised US citizen in 1964. Mario is motor racing’s perfect example of the American Dream coming true… Sweden’s theoretical World Champion is none other than Keijo Erik Rosberg, who was born to Finnish parents in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm. Keke’s father Lars Erik, known as Lasse, had moved there so as to study to be a veterinarian, because Finland did not get its first veterinary college until 1945, by which time Lasse was 23 and in the middle of his studies in Sweden. He went home for the holidays and in 1946 married Lea Lautaka, known as Lessu. She joined him in Stockholm and young Keijo appeared in 1948, although following the family tradition he took on a different name… They returned to Finland once Lasse had qualified. Of course, if Keke had been Swedish then perhaps his son Nico would not have ended up being German. Nationalities can be complicated sometimes… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2jQ0IyF
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:55 As the world is currently finding out, nationality is a complicated business. Three of the 33 FIA Formula 1 World Champions were not born in the country under whose flag they raced. If they had been, Germany’s first World Champion would have been in 1970, rather than 1994; Italy would have had a third World Champion, to stand alongside alongside Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari, and Sweden would not still be waiting for its first F1 title holder… By the same token, Niki Lauda would have been Austria’s only World Champion, Phil Hill would be the only American to have won the world title and Finland’s list of World Champions would be rather shorter… How so? Well, Michael Schumacher’s claim to be the first German World Champion would not be valid because Karl Jochen Rindt, born in Mainz in April 1942, would have beaten him to it by 24 years. Rindt’s father Karl was a 40-year-old German spice merchant, his mother was 29-year-old Austrian called Ilse Martinowitz. The pair lived in Mainz but were killed in July 1943, during the fire bombing of Hamburg, while they were away from their new baby, visiting the city. Rindt and his half brother Uwe Eisleben were sent to Austria and brought up by their maternal grandparents in Graz. They took Austrian nationality as a result… Italy’s third World Champion could have been Mario Andretti, who was born to Alvise and Rina Andretti in the village of Montona in Istria in 1940. At the time this area was part of Italy, although after the war it became Yugoslavia. Today it is part of Croatia. At the end of the war the Italian settlers in Istria, who had arrived after it became part of Italy in 1919 (having previously been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), were ordered out by the Yugoslav government. After spending time in a refugee camp in Italy, the Andretti family went to the United States when Mario was 14. They settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and he became a naturalised US citizen in 1964. Mario is motor racing’s perfect example of the American Dream coming true… Sweden’s theoretical World Champion is none other than Keijo Erik Rosberg, who was born to Finnish parents in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm. Keke’s father Lars Erik, known as Lasse, had moved there so as to study to be a veterinarian, because Finland did not get its first veterinary college until 1945, by which time Lasse was 23 and in the middle of his studies in Sweden. He went home for the holidays and in 1946 married Lea Lautaka, known as Lessu. She joined him in Stockholm and young Keijo appeared in 1948, although following the family tradition he took on a different name… They returned to Finland once Lasse had qualified. Of course, if Keke had been Swedish then perhaps his son Nico would not have ended up being German. Nationalities can be complicated sometimes… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2jQ0IyF
Monday 30 January 2017
Silverstone could rename corners to raise money · F1 Fanatic
Silverstone could rename corners to raise money | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Silverstone could rename corners to raise money • Ecclestone's approach "not good enough" for Liberty • Mercedes 'difficult for everyone to reach'
from F1 Center Silverstone could rename corners to raise money | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Silverstone could rename corners to raise money • Ecclestone's approach "not good enough" for Liberty • Mercedes 'difficult for everyone to reach' http://ift.tt/2kLMN0G
from F1 Center Silverstone could rename corners to raise money | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Silverstone could rename corners to raise money • Ecclestone's approach "not good enough" for Liberty • Mercedes 'difficult for everyone to reach' http://ift.tt/2kLMN0G
Guest Blog – top F1 engineer lifts the veil on new cars ahead of 2017 season // F1 News // James Allen on F1 – The official James Allen website on F1
Guest Blog – top F1 engineer lifts the veil on new cars ahead of 2017 season In just a few weeks the Formula 1 teams will reveal their cars for the 2017 season, which have been built to new regulations that were designed to produce more aggressive-looking machines that also lower lap times. Launch season is an intriguing time of year, and that is especially the case ahead of a major […]
from F1 Center Guest Blog – top F1 engineer lifts the veil on new cars ahead of 2017 season In just a few weeks the Formula 1 teams will reveal their cars for the 2017 season, which have been built to new regulations that were designed to produce more aggressive-looking machines that also lower lap times. Launch season is an intriguing time of year, and that is especially the case ahead of a major […] http://ift.tt/2kMUiAe
from F1 Center Guest Blog – top F1 engineer lifts the veil on new cars ahead of 2017 season In just a few weeks the Formula 1 teams will reveal their cars for the 2017 season, which have been built to new regulations that were designed to produce more aggressive-looking machines that also lower lap times. Launch season is an intriguing time of year, and that is especially the case ahead of a major […] http://ift.tt/2kMUiAe
Esteban Gutierrez admits he was 'too confident' over Haas F1 seat
Esteban Gutierrez admits he was 'too confident' over Haas F1 seat Esteban Gutierrez admits he was "too confident things were taken care of" regarding his Formula 1 future, before losing his Haas drive to Kevin Magnussen
from F1 Center Esteban Gutierrez admits he was 'too confident' over Haas F1 seat Esteban Gutierrez admits he was "too confident things were taken care of" regarding his Formula 1 future, before losing his Haas drive to Kevin Magnussen http://ift.tt/2kGEFev
from F1 Center Esteban Gutierrez admits he was 'too confident' over Haas F1 seat Esteban Gutierrez admits he was "too confident things were taken care of" regarding his Formula 1 future, before losing his Haas drive to Kevin Magnussen http://ift.tt/2kGEFev
An ode to America
An ode to America You always know you are dealing with an asshole, when they respond with comments or Tweets which say: “Stick to motor racing”, usually hiding behind some silly Internet name or an avatar which makes them feel good. This is the ultimate in condescension. I would love to be able to reply: “Stick to being a bank clerk” or “Stick to being a fishmonger”, but the anonymity of the Internet means that one never knows with whom one is dealing. The question I always have for these people is this: who does have the right to discuss politics? Is it only politicians? There is poignant irony here, of course, because at the moment the people writing these things are supporters of US President Donald Trump. They have elected him because he is not a politician – because they don’t trust politicians. Trump is a businessman with no political experience. I am a businessman with no political experience, so as far as I am concerned I have the right to a voice. You don’t have to read it, and you certainly don’t have to agree with it, but I can do as I please. My blog is my house and I allow readers in as my guests. What these rude people are actually saying is: “Only my view counts …because only my view counts”. How very Trumpish. When I was growing up, my fearsome grandmother, an Edwardian grande dame without the money, who had a friend called Doris with an impressive moustache, taught us that we should never talk about certain subjects in polite society. She didn’t mention sex, of course, because that did not exist in her world, but she believed that one should never discuss politics, religion nor money. Perhaps this is why the British are always going on about the weather… On the whole it is good advice even if times have changed, although I am still rather uncomfortable when people talk about money as openly as they do, particularly in America. Before you write me off as an American-hater, you should know the following about me. I love America. My son is an American citizen and I visit as often as I can. Some of favourite places are in America and I have many friends there – Republicans and Democrats. I am also anything but a screaming liberal or a socialist. I love what the country stands for. I know your history, I studied it. I know your literature and I know your culture. I can name more US states off the top of my head than any American I have ever met, and I can point out where they are on a map with decent accuracy, although Arkanas can catch me out. I appreciate the good things about America. I know what a generous nation you are. According to the World Giving Index, an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation, the US is the second most generous country in the world per capita. It used to be top but, rather strangely, it was knocked back to second in 2015 by Myanmar. Anyway, it is the generous nature of Americans and their attachment to liberty which has made them loved around the world. The pledge of allegiance to the republic as “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” are fine words, although it is odd to see that “under God” was not added until 1954. I have always believed that America’s greatest strength is that it was built by generations of energetic refugees, who came with dreams and built themselves lives, through hard work and good thinking. They took nothing for granted, put down roots, helped others and sent their kids to college. They were welcomed by the Statue of Liberty and its inspiring inscription: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” This is why America became the leader of the free world and why nations fought as allies with the Americans in so many wars. It was because we respected the country. We respected what it stood for and how it went about doing business. What made it great was the respect from other nations. And yet, the average American does not travel much. It is an inward-looking country in lots of ways. There are 322 million Americans but only 30 million outgoing trips by US citizens each year. OK, 10 percent you might say, but in reality it is smaller than that because many of these trips are undertaken by the same people, some of whom travel abroad 10 times each year. So the actual number of U.S. citizens who venture abroad each year could be as low as five percent. Around 46 percent have passports and in surveys around 50 percent says they have been abroad, even if it is only Mexico or Canada. In Britain, by comparison, 91 percent of people have travelled abroad, around 41 percent of them having been to the United States. Most have been to an average of seven countries, mainly in Europe. Why is that? America is a big country with many fabulous places to visit, Britain is small but very varied and beautiful. Why then? Because it is easier not to? I have always believed that travel is important because it broadens the mind. The more you travel, the more you understand about the world, and about the different people who live in it. Why does it matter? Well, because Donald Trump was elected because he said that he was going to make America great again. It was a political slogan, of course, but lots of people seem to have believed him. But, making America great again is not something that Americans can do on their own. This does not depend on what you think of yourselves, it depends far more on what the world thinks of you – and whether it wants to do business with America. It is more interesting to ask the question: why do Americans not think their country is great? OK, there are economic arguments. America has lost business because other nations offered better choices, whether that be down to price, to quality, to service or whatever. America lost jobs because America was not competing, but in so many other respects America is still great. The disaffected people have elected a man who says things they want to hear. They reject expert opinions, just as the British rejected expert opinions on Brexit. They accepted lies and did not care. They attacked anyone who asked questions – and they still do. It’s frightening to see this administration’s attacks on the media. It is reminiscent of dictatorships elsewhere and in previous eras. The supporters decry everything as “fake news”. Out here in the world, people do not think Trump is making America great again. They are either appalled by his reactionary thinking, frightened by what he is doing and worried for the future, or they are laughing at him as an ignorant rich buffoon with bizarre hair, who will not remain long in the role. Out here, we doubt he will be a great leader. We wonder if he will come to the aid of allies if they are attacked. We are uncomfortable with his chuminess with Vladimir Putin, who clearly does not share Western views of freedom and justice. In short, we are losing our trust in America. We see a man who is undoing the work of decades of progress, who is dividing the nation that is supposed to be “indivisible” and he is taking away liberty and justice for all. The only response to terrorism is to maintain normality. Everything else is a victory for the terrorists. Trump’s travel bans are a victory for terrorism. It will encourage them to continue. The reason that people here are so vocal about US politics, is that we are worried. All that was once taken as read is now being questioned. So, rather than trying to tell us all what you think, why not venture out here and find out what we think. Or at least listen… Right, I’ve said what I want to say. I don’t need to say more. Back to motor racing… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world.
from F1 Center An ode to America You always know you are dealing with an asshole, when they respond with comments or Tweets which say: “Stick to motor racing”, usually hiding behind some silly Internet name or an avatar which makes them feel good. This is the ultimate in condescension. I would love to be able to reply: “Stick to being a bank clerk” or “Stick to being a fishmonger”, but the anonymity of the Internet means that one never knows with whom one is dealing. The question I always have for these people is this: who does have the right to discuss politics? Is it only politicians? There is poignant irony here, of course, because at the moment the people writing these things are supporters of US President Donald Trump. They have elected him because he is not a politician – because they don’t trust politicians. Trump is a businessman with no political experience. I am a businessman with no political experience, so as far as I am concerned I have the right to a voice. You don’t have to read it, and you certainly don’t have to agree with it, but I can do as I please. My blog is my house and I allow readers in as my guests. What these rude people are actually saying is: “Only my view counts …because only my view counts”. How very Trumpish. When I was growing up, my fearsome grandmother, an Edwardian grande dame without the money, who had a friend called Doris with an impressive moustache, taught us that we should never talk about certain subjects in polite society. She didn’t mention sex, of course, because that did not exist in her world, but she believed that one should never discuss politics, religion nor money. Perhaps this is why the British are always going on about the weather… On the whole it is good advice even if times have changed, although I am still rather uncomfortable when people talk about money as openly as they do, particularly in America. Before you write me off as an American-hater, you should know the following about me. I love America. My son is an American citizen and I visit as often as I can. Some of favourite places are in America and I have many friends there – Republicans and Democrats. I am also anything but a screaming liberal or a socialist. I love what the country stands for. I know your history, I studied it. I know your literature and I know your culture. I can name more US states off the top of my head than any American I have ever met, and I can point out where they are on a map with decent accuracy, although Arkanas can catch me out. I appreciate the good things about America. I know what a generous nation you are. According to the World Giving Index, an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation, the US is the second most generous country in the world per capita. It used to be top but, rather strangely, it was knocked back to second in 2015 by Myanmar. Anyway, it is the generous nature of Americans and their attachment to liberty which has made them loved around the world. The pledge of allegiance to the republic as “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” are fine words, although it is odd to see that “under God” was not added until 1954. I have always believed that America’s greatest strength is that it was built by generations of energetic refugees, who came with dreams and built themselves lives, through hard work and good thinking. They took nothing for granted, put down roots, helped others and sent their kids to college. They were welcomed by the Statue of Liberty and its inspiring inscription: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” This is why America became the leader of the free world and why nations fought as allies with the Americans in so many wars. It was because we respected the country. We respected what it stood for and how it went about doing business. What made it great was the respect from other nations. And yet, the average American does not travel much. It is an inward-looking country in lots of ways. There are 322 million Americans but only 30 million outgoing trips by US citizens each year. OK, 10 percent you might say, but in reality it is smaller than that because many of these trips are undertaken by the same people, some of whom travel abroad 10 times each year. So the actual number of U.S. citizens who venture abroad each year could be as low as five percent. Around 46 percent have passports and in surveys around 50 percent says they have been abroad, even if it is only Mexico or Canada. In Britain, by comparison, 91 percent of people have travelled abroad, around 41 percent of them having been to the United States. Most have been to an average of seven countries, mainly in Europe. Why is that? America is a big country with many fabulous places to visit, Britain is small but very varied and beautiful. Why then? Because it is easier not to? I have always believed that travel is important because it broadens the mind. The more you travel, the more you understand about the world, and about the different people who live in it. Why does it matter? Well, because Donald Trump was elected because he said that he was going to make America great again. It was a political slogan, of course, but lots of people seem to have believed him. But, making America great again is not something that Americans can do on their own. This does not depend on what you think of yourselves, it depends far more on what the world thinks of you – and whether it wants to do business with America. It is more interesting to ask the question: why do Americans not think their country is great? OK, there are economic arguments. America has lost business because other nations offered better choices, whether that be down to price, to quality, to service or whatever. America lost jobs because America was not competing, but in so many other respects America is still great. The disaffected people have elected a man who says things they want to hear. They reject expert opinions, just as the British rejected expert opinions on Brexit. They accepted lies and did not care. They attacked anyone who asked questions – and they still do. It’s frightening to see this administration’s attacks on the media. It is reminiscent of dictatorships elsewhere and in previous eras. The supporters decry everything as “fake news”. Out here in the world, people do not think Trump is making America great again. They are either appalled by his reactionary thinking, frightened by what he is doing and worried for the future, or they are laughing at him as an ignorant rich buffoon with bizarre hair, who will not remain long in the role. Out here, we doubt he will be a great leader. We wonder if he will come to the aid of allies if they are attacked. We are uncomfortable with his chuminess with Vladimir Putin, who clearly does not share Western views of freedom and justice. In short, we are losing our trust in America. We see a man who is undoing the work of decades of progress, who is dividing the nation that is supposed to be “indivisible” and he is taking away liberty and justice for all. The only response to terrorism is to maintain normality. Everything else is a victory for the terrorists. Trump’s travel bans are a victory for terrorism. It will encourage them to continue. The reason that people here are so vocal about US politics, is that we are worried. All that was once taken as read is now being questioned. So, rather than trying to tell us all what you think, why not venture out here and find out what we think. Or at least listen… Right, I’ve said what I want to say. I don’t need to say more. Back to motor racing… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2jJQmme
from F1 Center An ode to America You always know you are dealing with an asshole, when they respond with comments or Tweets which say: “Stick to motor racing”, usually hiding behind some silly Internet name or an avatar which makes them feel good. This is the ultimate in condescension. I would love to be able to reply: “Stick to being a bank clerk” or “Stick to being a fishmonger”, but the anonymity of the Internet means that one never knows with whom one is dealing. The question I always have for these people is this: who does have the right to discuss politics? Is it only politicians? There is poignant irony here, of course, because at the moment the people writing these things are supporters of US President Donald Trump. They have elected him because he is not a politician – because they don’t trust politicians. Trump is a businessman with no political experience. I am a businessman with no political experience, so as far as I am concerned I have the right to a voice. You don’t have to read it, and you certainly don’t have to agree with it, but I can do as I please. My blog is my house and I allow readers in as my guests. What these rude people are actually saying is: “Only my view counts …because only my view counts”. How very Trumpish. When I was growing up, my fearsome grandmother, an Edwardian grande dame without the money, who had a friend called Doris with an impressive moustache, taught us that we should never talk about certain subjects in polite society. She didn’t mention sex, of course, because that did not exist in her world, but she believed that one should never discuss politics, religion nor money. Perhaps this is why the British are always going on about the weather… On the whole it is good advice even if times have changed, although I am still rather uncomfortable when people talk about money as openly as they do, particularly in America. Before you write me off as an American-hater, you should know the following about me. I love America. My son is an American citizen and I visit as often as I can. Some of favourite places are in America and I have many friends there – Republicans and Democrats. I am also anything but a screaming liberal or a socialist. I love what the country stands for. I know your history, I studied it. I know your literature and I know your culture. I can name more US states off the top of my head than any American I have ever met, and I can point out where they are on a map with decent accuracy, although Arkanas can catch me out. I appreciate the good things about America. I know what a generous nation you are. According to the World Giving Index, an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation, the US is the second most generous country in the world per capita. It used to be top but, rather strangely, it was knocked back to second in 2015 by Myanmar. Anyway, it is the generous nature of Americans and their attachment to liberty which has made them loved around the world. The pledge of allegiance to the republic as “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” are fine words, although it is odd to see that “under God” was not added until 1954. I have always believed that America’s greatest strength is that it was built by generations of energetic refugees, who came with dreams and built themselves lives, through hard work and good thinking. They took nothing for granted, put down roots, helped others and sent their kids to college. They were welcomed by the Statue of Liberty and its inspiring inscription: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” This is why America became the leader of the free world and why nations fought as allies with the Americans in so many wars. It was because we respected the country. We respected what it stood for and how it went about doing business. What made it great was the respect from other nations. And yet, the average American does not travel much. It is an inward-looking country in lots of ways. There are 322 million Americans but only 30 million outgoing trips by US citizens each year. OK, 10 percent you might say, but in reality it is smaller than that because many of these trips are undertaken by the same people, some of whom travel abroad 10 times each year. So the actual number of U.S. citizens who venture abroad each year could be as low as five percent. Around 46 percent have passports and in surveys around 50 percent says they have been abroad, even if it is only Mexico or Canada. In Britain, by comparison, 91 percent of people have travelled abroad, around 41 percent of them having been to the United States. Most have been to an average of seven countries, mainly in Europe. Why is that? America is a big country with many fabulous places to visit, Britain is small but very varied and beautiful. Why then? Because it is easier not to? I have always believed that travel is important because it broadens the mind. The more you travel, the more you understand about the world, and about the different people who live in it. Why does it matter? Well, because Donald Trump was elected because he said that he was going to make America great again. It was a political slogan, of course, but lots of people seem to have believed him. But, making America great again is not something that Americans can do on their own. This does not depend on what you think of yourselves, it depends far more on what the world thinks of you – and whether it wants to do business with America. It is more interesting to ask the question: why do Americans not think their country is great? OK, there are economic arguments. America has lost business because other nations offered better choices, whether that be down to price, to quality, to service or whatever. America lost jobs because America was not competing, but in so many other respects America is still great. The disaffected people have elected a man who says things they want to hear. They reject expert opinions, just as the British rejected expert opinions on Brexit. They accepted lies and did not care. They attacked anyone who asked questions – and they still do. It’s frightening to see this administration’s attacks on the media. It is reminiscent of dictatorships elsewhere and in previous eras. The supporters decry everything as “fake news”. Out here in the world, people do not think Trump is making America great again. They are either appalled by his reactionary thinking, frightened by what he is doing and worried for the future, or they are laughing at him as an ignorant rich buffoon with bizarre hair, who will not remain long in the role. Out here, we doubt he will be a great leader. We wonder if he will come to the aid of allies if they are attacked. We are uncomfortable with his chuminess with Vladimir Putin, who clearly does not share Western views of freedom and justice. In short, we are losing our trust in America. We see a man who is undoing the work of decades of progress, who is dividing the nation that is supposed to be “indivisible” and he is taking away liberty and justice for all. The only response to terrorism is to maintain normality. Everything else is a victory for the terrorists. Trump’s travel bans are a victory for terrorism. It will encourage them to continue. The reason that people here are so vocal about US politics, is that we are worried. All that was once taken as read is now being questioned. So, rather than trying to tell us all what you think, why not venture out here and find out what we think. Or at least listen… Right, I’ve said what I want to say. I don’t need to say more. Back to motor racing… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2jJQmme
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FIA enlists McLaren to supply F1 engine sensors | 2018 F1 season McLaren Applied Technologies, part of the group which includes McLaren's F1 team, will supply F1's engine sensors from next season.
from F1 Center FIA enlists McLaren to supply F1 engine sensors | 2018 F1 season McLaren Applied Technologies, part of the group which includes McLaren's F1 team, will supply F1's engine sensors from next season. http://ift.tt/2kLfRBl
from F1 Center FIA enlists McLaren to supply F1 engine sensors | 2018 F1 season McLaren Applied Technologies, part of the group which includes McLaren's F1 team, will supply F1's engine sensors from next season. http://ift.tt/2kLfRBl
McLaren Applied Technology wins F1 engine-sensor supply tender
McLaren Applied Technology wins F1 engine-sensor supply tender McLaren Applied Technology has won the tender to supply engine pressure and temperature sensors for Formula 1 engines for three seasons from 2018
from F1 Center McLaren Applied Technology wins F1 engine-sensor supply tender McLaren Applied Technology has won the tender to supply engine pressure and temperature sensors for Formula 1 engines for three seasons from 2018 http://ift.tt/2jmb3WK
from F1 Center McLaren Applied Technology wins F1 engine-sensor supply tender McLaren Applied Technology has won the tender to supply engine pressure and temperature sensors for Formula 1 engines for three seasons from 2018 http://ift.tt/2jmb3WK
Toro Rosso took risks in 2016 F1 season to counter engine deficit
Toro Rosso took risks in 2016 F1 season to counter engine deficit Toro Rosso took risks during the 2016 Formula 1 season to counter the deficit of running a year-old Ferrari engine, according to team principal Franz Tost
from F1 Center Toro Rosso took risks in 2016 F1 season to counter engine deficit Toro Rosso took risks during the 2016 Formula 1 season to counter the deficit of running a year-old Ferrari engine, according to team principal Franz Tost http://ift.tt/2kiXXJD
from F1 Center Toro Rosso took risks in 2016 F1 season to counter engine deficit Toro Rosso took risks during the 2016 Formula 1 season to counter the deficit of running a year-old Ferrari engine, according to team principal Franz Tost http://ift.tt/2kiXXJD
Manor memories: Their seven F1 seasons in pictures · F1 Fanatic
Manor memories: Their seven F1 seasons in pictures As Virgin, Marussia and Manor, the team stumbled at first then punched above their weight. But their best season to date appears to have been their last.
from F1 Center Manor memories: Their seven F1 seasons in pictures As Virgin, Marussia and Manor, the team stumbled at first then punched above their weight. But their best season to date appears to have been their last. http://ift.tt/2kFl4LM
from F1 Center Manor memories: Their seven F1 seasons in pictures As Virgin, Marussia and Manor, the team stumbled at first then punched above their weight. But their best season to date appears to have been their last. http://ift.tt/2kFl4LM
McLaren's Alonso sure some F1 teams will get new rules wrong
McLaren's Alonso sure some F1 teams will get new rules wrong Formula 1 teams face a high chance of getting the 2017 rules wrong, believes Fernando Alonso
from F1 Center McLaren's Alonso sure some F1 teams will get new rules wrong Formula 1 teams face a high chance of getting the 2017 rules wrong, believes Fernando Alonso http://ift.tt/2kL8AS5
from F1 Center McLaren's Alonso sure some F1 teams will get new rules wrong Formula 1 teams face a high chance of getting the 2017 rules wrong, believes Fernando Alonso http://ift.tt/2kL8AS5
Formula 1 gossip: Bottas, Rosberg, Magnussen, Ocon, Hulkenberg
Formula 1 gossip: Bottas, Rosberg, Magnussen, Ocon, Hulkenberg Valtteri Bottas backed by Niki Lauda, Ross Brawn wants more races, Sauber concerns, Esteban Ocon tipped to impress, plus more.
from F1 Center Formula 1 gossip: Bottas, Rosberg, Magnussen, Ocon, Hulkenberg Valtteri Bottas backed by Niki Lauda, Ross Brawn wants more races, Sauber concerns, Esteban Ocon tipped to impress, plus more. http://ift.tt/2jJ02xx
from F1 Center Formula 1 gossip: Bottas, Rosberg, Magnussen, Ocon, Hulkenberg Valtteri Bottas backed by Niki Lauda, Ross Brawn wants more races, Sauber concerns, Esteban Ocon tipped to impress, plus more. http://ift.tt/2jJ02xx
Sunday 29 January 2017
Liberty: No renegotiation with Silverstone · F1 Fanatic
Liberty: No renegotiation with Silverstone | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Liberty won't renegotiate contract with Silverstone • Verstappen drivers like Mansell - Newey
from F1 Center Liberty: No renegotiation with Silverstone | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Liberty won't renegotiate contract with Silverstone • Verstappen drivers like Mansell - Newey http://ift.tt/2jkArMz
from F1 Center Liberty: No renegotiation with Silverstone | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Liberty won't renegotiate contract with Silverstone • Verstappen drivers like Mansell - Newey http://ift.tt/2jkArMz
Fascinating F1 Fact:54
Fascinating F1 Fact:54 As Mark Twain once said, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics”, an argument that Donald Trump seems to agree with, given his huffing and puffing over the turnout at his recent inauguration. What Twain was saying is that numbers can be very persuasive, if you have a weak argument. It’s true that numbers can be misleading, if taken on their own. There have, for example, been 972 World Championip Grands Prix since the very first took place at Silverstone on May 13 1950, with King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth (later to be known as the Queen Mother) turning up to watch. The number of Grands Prix per year has steadily increased and, it seems, will continue to increase and it is interesting to note that there were nearly twice as many races in the 1990s as there were in the 1950s. The actual breakdown is as follows: 82 races in the 1950s, 100 in the 1960s, 144 in the 1970s, 156 in the 1980s, 162 in the 1990s and 192 in the 2000s. Thus far there have been 136 in the 2010s and with a few additional races each year for the next three years, we may reach 200 in this decade. This means that the record for drivers taking part in races will probably go up. At the moment that record is held by Rubens Barrichello with 326 starts between 1993 and 2011. Of the active drivers in 2017, Fernando Alonso is the closest (now Jenson Button has retired) with 274 starts, which means he needs at least three more seasons to catch and pass Rubens. By the end of 2017, both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa should get over 270 starts as well. Off track, there are people in the F1 paddock who reckon they have attended 750 Grands Prix. This means they must have started in the mid-1960s – and not missed a single race. There are quite a number in the paddock, the author included, who have attended 500 races or more. That’s easier than it used to be because if one was at the first race in 1950 it would have taken until midway through 1990 ( just over 40 years) to reach 500 Grands Prix. In comparison, someone who started at the first race in 1980 would have completed 500 Grands Prix midway through 2009, after “just” 29 years full time in the business. If you started appearing at races at the beginning of 1990, you won’t have got to 500 yet, but you’ll get there at the British Grand Prix in July, after 26 and a half years. Ferrari, incidentally, is reckoned to have started 929 Grands Prix of the 972, beginning at the second World Championship race at Monaco in 1950, eight days after Silverstone. This means the team has missed only 43 races in the history of the series, a pretty impressive record. McLaren has 801 starts and Williams 657, while Sauber is the only other active team in the big league, with 421 starts. Ferrari has a decent win record as well, with a 24.1 percent starts/wins, but that’s not in the big league when compared to Brawn GP’s 47.1 percent, while Mercedes is closing in with a 43.2 percent win rate. Do they compare? Ah well, statistics… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world.
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:54 As Mark Twain once said, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics”, an argument that Donald Trump seems to agree with, given his huffing and puffing over the turnout at his recent inauguration. What Twain was saying is that numbers can be very persuasive, if you have a weak argument. It’s true that numbers can be misleading, if taken on their own. There have, for example, been 972 World Championip Grands Prix since the very first took place at Silverstone on May 13 1950, with King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth (later to be known as the Queen Mother) turning up to watch. The number of Grands Prix per year has steadily increased and, it seems, will continue to increase and it is interesting to note that there were nearly twice as many races in the 1990s as there were in the 1950s. The actual breakdown is as follows: 82 races in the 1950s, 100 in the 1960s, 144 in the 1970s, 156 in the 1980s, 162 in the 1990s and 192 in the 2000s. Thus far there have been 136 in the 2010s and with a few additional races each year for the next three years, we may reach 200 in this decade. This means that the record for drivers taking part in races will probably go up. At the moment that record is held by Rubens Barrichello with 326 starts between 1993 and 2011. Of the active drivers in 2017, Fernando Alonso is the closest (now Jenson Button has retired) with 274 starts, which means he needs at least three more seasons to catch and pass Rubens. By the end of 2017, both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa should get over 270 starts as well. Off track, there are people in the F1 paddock who reckon they have attended 750 Grands Prix. This means they must have started in the mid-1960s – and not missed a single race. There are quite a number in the paddock, the author included, who have attended 500 races or more. That’s easier than it used to be because if one was at the first race in 1950 it would have taken until midway through 1990 ( just over 40 years) to reach 500 Grands Prix. In comparison, someone who started at the first race in 1980 would have completed 500 Grands Prix midway through 2009, after “just” 29 years full time in the business. If you started appearing at races at the beginning of 1990, you won’t have got to 500 yet, but you’ll get there at the British Grand Prix in July, after 26 and a half years. Ferrari, incidentally, is reckoned to have started 929 Grands Prix of the 972, beginning at the second World Championship race at Monaco in 1950, eight days after Silverstone. This means the team has missed only 43 races in the history of the series, a pretty impressive record. McLaren has 801 starts and Williams 657, while Sauber is the only other active team in the big league, with 421 starts. Ferrari has a decent win record as well, with a 24.1 percent starts/wins, but that’s not in the big league when compared to Brawn GP’s 47.1 percent, while Mercedes is closing in with a 43.2 percent win rate. Do they compare? Ah well, statistics… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2kIQX5e
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:54 As Mark Twain once said, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics”, an argument that Donald Trump seems to agree with, given his huffing and puffing over the turnout at his recent inauguration. What Twain was saying is that numbers can be very persuasive, if you have a weak argument. It’s true that numbers can be misleading, if taken on their own. There have, for example, been 972 World Championip Grands Prix since the very first took place at Silverstone on May 13 1950, with King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth (later to be known as the Queen Mother) turning up to watch. The number of Grands Prix per year has steadily increased and, it seems, will continue to increase and it is interesting to note that there were nearly twice as many races in the 1990s as there were in the 1950s. The actual breakdown is as follows: 82 races in the 1950s, 100 in the 1960s, 144 in the 1970s, 156 in the 1980s, 162 in the 1990s and 192 in the 2000s. Thus far there have been 136 in the 2010s and with a few additional races each year for the next three years, we may reach 200 in this decade. This means that the record for drivers taking part in races will probably go up. At the moment that record is held by Rubens Barrichello with 326 starts between 1993 and 2011. Of the active drivers in 2017, Fernando Alonso is the closest (now Jenson Button has retired) with 274 starts, which means he needs at least three more seasons to catch and pass Rubens. By the end of 2017, both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa should get over 270 starts as well. Off track, there are people in the F1 paddock who reckon they have attended 750 Grands Prix. This means they must have started in the mid-1960s – and not missed a single race. There are quite a number in the paddock, the author included, who have attended 500 races or more. That’s easier than it used to be because if one was at the first race in 1950 it would have taken until midway through 1990 ( just over 40 years) to reach 500 Grands Prix. In comparison, someone who started at the first race in 1980 would have completed 500 Grands Prix midway through 2009, after “just” 29 years full time in the business. If you started appearing at races at the beginning of 1990, you won’t have got to 500 yet, but you’ll get there at the British Grand Prix in July, after 26 and a half years. Ferrari, incidentally, is reckoned to have started 929 Grands Prix of the 972, beginning at the second World Championship race at Monaco in 1950, eight days after Silverstone. This means the team has missed only 43 races in the history of the series, a pretty impressive record. McLaren has 801 starts and Williams 657, while Sauber is the only other active team in the big league, with 421 starts. Ferrari has a decent win record as well, with a 24.1 percent starts/wins, but that’s not in the big league when compared to Brawn GP’s 47.1 percent, while Mercedes is closing in with a 43.2 percent win rate. Do they compare? Ah well, statistics… Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2kIQX5e
Poll: Should Liberty use NASCAR's 'playoff' format for F1? - F1 Fanatic
Should Liberty use NASCAR’s ‘playoff’ format for F1? | Debates and Polls With F1 seasons likely to get longer under Liberty, should a NASCAR-style playoff format be used to ensure the final race always decides the title?
from F1 Center Should Liberty use NASCAR’s ‘playoff’ format for F1? | Debates and Polls With F1 seasons likely to get longer under Liberty, should a NASCAR-style playoff format be used to ensure the final race always decides the title? http://ift.tt/2jELFu3
from F1 Center Should Liberty use NASCAR’s ‘playoff’ format for F1? | Debates and Polls With F1 seasons likely to get longer under Liberty, should a NASCAR-style playoff format be used to ensure the final race always decides the title? http://ift.tt/2jELFu3
Fascinating F1 Fact:53
Fascinating F1 Fact:53 Jody Scheckter is the only African driver to have won the Formula 1 World Championship, and indeed the only one to have won Grands Prix, being in Sweden in 1974. That came seven years after another African came tantalizingly close to a sensational victory… It is a story which began in the city of Bulawayo, in the British Crown colony of Southern Rhodesia. This was a gold mining town on the Matzheumhlope River, surrounded by rich grazing country. It was the richest city in the colony. It was also the birthplace of John Maxwell Love. He grew up there, attended the Bulawayo Technical High School, and was employed as an apprentice electrical fitter until World War II, when he became one of the early recruits of the Southern Rhodesian Reconnaissance Regiment. This tiny unit was soon scooped up into the South African 6th Armoured Division which was sent to Egypt in the middle of 1943. It was then fitted out with Sherman tanks and in April 1944 arrived in Italy to take part in the campaign to clear the Germans out. Towards the end of the war, Love was stationed near Monza and took a spin around the old Autodromo, riding a captured Zundapp motorcycle. Love loved it and he soon became a dispatch rider during the final campaigns of the war. When it was over, he went back to Bulawayo, at the age of 21 and started racing motorcycles. He did not switch to cars until he was nearly 30. In 1954 he bought a Cooper-JAP Formula 3 car and became a regular competitor on the dirt tracks of Southern Rhodesia. After some success and many thrills and spills, he decided to Race in South Africa in 1957 and a year after that went to England where he raced for Ken Tyrrell in Formula Junior all over Europe and won the British Touring Car Championship in a Mini Cooper. He seemed on the verge of an F1 career, but in 1962 had a big crash in Albi and crushed his arm. He had several operations but it seemed like his career was over. He went back home but decided to try local surgeons. After two operations, he was soon back in action. He got a break in 1964 when John Cooper telephoned and asked him to fly to Italy to stand in for the injured Phill Hill at Monza. There were mechanical troubles and no spares and so Love did not qualify. He went home again and concentrated his efforts on winning the next six consecutive South African Championships. He continued to compete in international events and in 1966 acquired the Cooper-Climax T79 Tasman car that Bruce McLaren had raced. The following year he decided to enter the car in the South African GP. This required extra fuel tanks, but the car was light thanks to its smaller engine than the average F1 unit. The 1967 South African GP was scheduled for Monday, January 2, at Kyalami and most of the F1 teams showed up with 1966 cars. Ferrari and McLaren didn’t go at all, but it was still a good field and Love stunned them all by qualifying fifth on the grid, ahead of John Surtees, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Jackie Stewart! Come race day, he made a bad start and dropped to 10th, but others hit trouble and he gradually moved up the order. Denny Hulme led but gradually Love rose to second, ahead of Pedro Rodriguez. On lap 61 of 80 Hulme drove into the pits with brake trouble. Love was leading, with 19 laps to go. For the next 12 laps, the local fans celebrated an astonishing achievement, but with seven laps to go the car started misfiring. The pump to the auxiliary tanks had packed up and Love realised he would have to stop. By the time he rejoined, Rodriguez was 20 seconds ahead and there was no time to catch him. But even second place was an amazing achievement… Love was then 43 but he continued winning the local championship with backing coming from the Gunston Cigarette Company of Rhodesia, as the country had become in 1965. This was the very first tobacco sponsorship of motor racing. In the end he retired to Bulawayo and stayed there, despite all the problems the country faced in the 1970, until independence and peace came in 1979. But with that came Robert Mugabe. Love ran his garage in Bulawayo until he died at the age of 80 in 2005. Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world.
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:53 Jody Scheckter is the only African driver to have won the Formula 1 World Championship, and indeed the only one to have won Grands Prix, being in Sweden in 1974. That came seven years after another African came tantalizingly close to a sensational victory… It is a story which began in the city of Bulawayo, in the British Crown colony of Southern Rhodesia. This was a gold mining town on the Matzheumhlope River, surrounded by rich grazing country. It was the richest city in the colony. It was also the birthplace of John Maxwell Love. He grew up there, attended the Bulawayo Technical High School, and was employed as an apprentice electrical fitter until World War II, when he became one of the early recruits of the Southern Rhodesian Reconnaissance Regiment. This tiny unit was soon scooped up into the South African 6th Armoured Division which was sent to Egypt in the middle of 1943. It was then fitted out with Sherman tanks and in April 1944 arrived in Italy to take part in the campaign to clear the Germans out. Towards the end of the war, Love was stationed near Monza and took a spin around the old Autodromo, riding a captured Zundapp motorcycle. Love loved it and he soon became a dispatch rider during the final campaigns of the war. When it was over, he went back to Bulawayo, at the age of 21 and started racing motorcycles. He did not switch to cars until he was nearly 30. In 1954 he bought a Cooper-JAP Formula 3 car and became a regular competitor on the dirt tracks of Southern Rhodesia. After some success and many thrills and spills, he decided to Race in South Africa in 1957 and a year after that went to England where he raced for Ken Tyrrell in Formula Junior all over Europe and won the British Touring Car Championship in a Mini Cooper. He seemed on the verge of an F1 career, but in 1962 had a big crash in Albi and crushed his arm. He had several operations but it seemed like his career was over. He went back home but decided to try local surgeons. After two operations, he was soon back in action. He got a break in 1964 when John Cooper telephoned and asked him to fly to Italy to stand in for the injured Phill Hill at Monza. There were mechanical troubles and no spares and so Love did not qualify. He went home again and concentrated his efforts on winning the next six consecutive South African Championships. He continued to compete in international events and in 1966 acquired the Cooper-Climax T79 Tasman car that Bruce McLaren had raced. The following year he decided to enter the car in the South African GP. This required extra fuel tanks, but the car was light thanks to its smaller engine than the average F1 unit. The 1967 South African GP was scheduled for Monday, January 2, at Kyalami and most of the F1 teams showed up with 1966 cars. Ferrari and McLaren didn’t go at all, but it was still a good field and Love stunned them all by qualifying fifth on the grid, ahead of John Surtees, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Jackie Stewart! Come race day, he made a bad start and dropped to 10th, but others hit trouble and he gradually moved up the order. Denny Hulme led but gradually Love rose to second, ahead of Pedro Rodriguez. On lap 61 of 80 Hulme drove into the pits with brake trouble. Love was leading, with 19 laps to go. For the next 12 laps, the local fans celebrated an astonishing achievement, but with seven laps to go the car started misfiring. The pump to the auxiliary tanks had packed up and Love realised he would have to stop. By the time he rejoined, Rodriguez was 20 seconds ahead and there was no time to catch him. But even second place was an amazing achievement… Love was then 43 but he continued winning the local championship with backing coming from the Gunston Cigarette Company of Rhodesia, as the country had become in 1965. This was the very first tobacco sponsorship of motor racing. In the end he retired to Bulawayo and stayed there, despite all the problems the country faced in the 1970, until independence and peace came in 1979. But with that came Robert Mugabe. Love ran his garage in Bulawayo until he died at the age of 80 in 2005. Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2jrJCWA
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:53 Jody Scheckter is the only African driver to have won the Formula 1 World Championship, and indeed the only one to have won Grands Prix, being in Sweden in 1974. That came seven years after another African came tantalizingly close to a sensational victory… It is a story which began in the city of Bulawayo, in the British Crown colony of Southern Rhodesia. This was a gold mining town on the Matzheumhlope River, surrounded by rich grazing country. It was the richest city in the colony. It was also the birthplace of John Maxwell Love. He grew up there, attended the Bulawayo Technical High School, and was employed as an apprentice electrical fitter until World War II, when he became one of the early recruits of the Southern Rhodesian Reconnaissance Regiment. This tiny unit was soon scooped up into the South African 6th Armoured Division which was sent to Egypt in the middle of 1943. It was then fitted out with Sherman tanks and in April 1944 arrived in Italy to take part in the campaign to clear the Germans out. Towards the end of the war, Love was stationed near Monza and took a spin around the old Autodromo, riding a captured Zundapp motorcycle. Love loved it and he soon became a dispatch rider during the final campaigns of the war. When it was over, he went back to Bulawayo, at the age of 21 and started racing motorcycles. He did not switch to cars until he was nearly 30. In 1954 he bought a Cooper-JAP Formula 3 car and became a regular competitor on the dirt tracks of Southern Rhodesia. After some success and many thrills and spills, he decided to Race in South Africa in 1957 and a year after that went to England where he raced for Ken Tyrrell in Formula Junior all over Europe and won the British Touring Car Championship in a Mini Cooper. He seemed on the verge of an F1 career, but in 1962 had a big crash in Albi and crushed his arm. He had several operations but it seemed like his career was over. He went back home but decided to try local surgeons. After two operations, he was soon back in action. He got a break in 1964 when John Cooper telephoned and asked him to fly to Italy to stand in for the injured Phill Hill at Monza. There were mechanical troubles and no spares and so Love did not qualify. He went home again and concentrated his efforts on winning the next six consecutive South African Championships. He continued to compete in international events and in 1966 acquired the Cooper-Climax T79 Tasman car that Bruce McLaren had raced. The following year he decided to enter the car in the South African GP. This required extra fuel tanks, but the car was light thanks to its smaller engine than the average F1 unit. The 1967 South African GP was scheduled for Monday, January 2, at Kyalami and most of the F1 teams showed up with 1966 cars. Ferrari and McLaren didn’t go at all, but it was still a good field and Love stunned them all by qualifying fifth on the grid, ahead of John Surtees, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Jackie Stewart! Come race day, he made a bad start and dropped to 10th, but others hit trouble and he gradually moved up the order. Denny Hulme led but gradually Love rose to second, ahead of Pedro Rodriguez. On lap 61 of 80 Hulme drove into the pits with brake trouble. Love was leading, with 19 laps to go. For the next 12 laps, the local fans celebrated an astonishing achievement, but with seven laps to go the car started misfiring. The pump to the auxiliary tanks had packed up and Love realised he would have to stop. By the time he rejoined, Rodriguez was 20 seconds ahead and there was no time to catch him. But even second place was an amazing achievement… Love was then 43 but he continued winning the local championship with backing coming from the Gunston Cigarette Company of Rhodesia, as the country had become in 1965. This was the very first tobacco sponsorship of motor racing. In the end he retired to Bulawayo and stayed there, despite all the problems the country faced in the 1970, until independence and peace came in 1979. But with that came Robert Mugabe. Love ran his garage in Bulawayo until he died at the age of 80 in 2005. Please think about donating to the Jill Saward Fund, which aims to continue the work of my sister Jill Saward (1965-2017), who campaigned to help rape victims and to reduce the number of rapes in the world. http://ift.tt/2jrJCWA
Max Verstappen's style in F1 reminds Adrian Newey of Nigel Mansell
Max Verstappen's style in F1 reminds Adrian Newey of Nigel Mansell Max Verstappen's driving style is similar to that of 1992 Formula 1 world champion Nigel Mansell, according to Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey
from F1 Center Max Verstappen's style in F1 reminds Adrian Newey of Nigel Mansell Max Verstappen's driving style is similar to that of 1992 Formula 1 world champion Nigel Mansell, according to Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey http://ift.tt/2kGIJdO
from F1 Center Max Verstappen's style in F1 reminds Adrian Newey of Nigel Mansell Max Verstappen's driving style is similar to that of 1992 Formula 1 world champion Nigel Mansell, according to Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey http://ift.tt/2kGIJdO
Saturday 28 January 2017
F1 Fanatic round-up: 25 races a year possible for teams - Brawn
25 races a year possible for teams – Brawn | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: 25 races a year possible for teams - Brawn • Sort money before 2020 - Kaltenborn • Alonso "not disillusioned"
from F1 Center 25 races a year possible for teams – Brawn | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: 25 races a year possible for teams - Brawn • Sort money before 2020 - Kaltenborn • Alonso "not disillusioned" http://ift.tt/2kFMMY2
from F1 Center 25 races a year possible for teams – Brawn | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: 25 races a year possible for teams - Brawn • Sort money before 2020 - Kaltenborn • Alonso "not disillusioned" http://ift.tt/2kFMMY2
Weekend debate – do F1 fans agree with Liberty Media’s priorities? // F1 News // James Allen on F1 – The official James Allen website on F1
Weekend debate – do F1 fans agree with Liberty Media’s priorities? Formula 1’s new Liberty Media-installed management has spent much of the last week outlining its future plans for the series. And F1 fans have been reacting on the JA on F1 comment boards, with their thoughts on where the new management team’s priorities should lie. Chase Carey, who replaced Bernie Ecclestone as F1’s CEO, explained […]
from F1 Center Weekend debate – do F1 fans agree with Liberty Media’s priorities? Formula 1’s new Liberty Media-installed management has spent much of the last week outlining its future plans for the series. And F1 fans have been reacting on the JA on F1 comment boards, with their thoughts on where the new management team’s priorities should lie. Chase Carey, who replaced Bernie Ecclestone as F1’s CEO, explained […] http://ift.tt/2jBaczZ
from F1 Center Weekend debate – do F1 fans agree with Liberty Media’s priorities? Formula 1’s new Liberty Media-installed management has spent much of the last week outlining its future plans for the series. And F1 fans have been reacting on the JA on F1 comment boards, with their thoughts on where the new management team’s priorities should lie. Chase Carey, who replaced Bernie Ecclestone as F1’s CEO, explained […] http://ift.tt/2jBaczZ
New 2017 F1 cars address Kevin Magnussen's 'problem'
New 2017 F1 cars address Kevin Magnussen's 'problem' Haas newcomer Kevin Magnussen believes that Formula 1's new-for-2017 regulations will help him get around the biggest difficulty he found with the previous generation of cars
from F1 Center New 2017 F1 cars address Kevin Magnussen's 'problem' Haas newcomer Kevin Magnussen believes that Formula 1's new-for-2017 regulations will help him get around the biggest difficulty he found with the previous generation of cars http://ift.tt/2jgtdJE
from F1 Center New 2017 F1 cars address Kevin Magnussen's 'problem' Haas newcomer Kevin Magnussen believes that Formula 1's new-for-2017 regulations will help him get around the biggest difficulty he found with the previous generation of cars http://ift.tt/2jgtdJE
Caption Competition 121: Ecclestone's exit · F1 Fanatic
Caption Competition 121: Ecclestone’s exit | Caption Competition The curtain has finally come down on Bernie Ecclestone's decades-long Formula One reign. How better to say farewell than one final Caption Competition?
from F1 Center Caption Competition 121: Ecclestone’s exit | Caption Competition The curtain has finally come down on Bernie Ecclestone's decades-long Formula One reign. How better to say farewell than one final Caption Competition? http://ift.tt/2kEt039
from F1 Center Caption Competition 121: Ecclestone’s exit | Caption Competition The curtain has finally come down on Bernie Ecclestone's decades-long Formula One reign. How better to say farewell than one final Caption Competition? http://ift.tt/2kEt039
Time to get ready for 2017
Time to get ready for 2017 If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that my aim is to amuse and inform F1 fans about the sport we love. I try to explain what is happening and why. I don’t do race reports, nor feature-type articles. On race weekends you will note that the blog goes quiet because I need to make a living and giving away everything simply does not work financially. Proper insider F1 journalism does not come cheap and someone has to pay for all the travelling. It is easy to stay at home and make out that one is there – lot of people do it, even some wellknown names, but so much of the content on the Web is not what it claims to be. How do you know who you can trust? Professional F1 journalists are few in number and most work for known publications. There are still a few freelances left, who pay their own way and sell their stories, but with people buying fewer paper products, the industry is migrating to the Web and even famous publications now compromise and do not bother sending reporters. This is why 10 years ago, when we saw this start to happen, several longtime F1 journalists got together to create the first proper e-magazine for the sport, so that fans could have access to a proper product – as quickly as possible after each race. Gone were the days that one had to wait days and days to read what had happened. In these days of pay-TV, many fans are looking for a way to follow the sport without having to pay the often lofty fees. GP+ provides that opportunity. It’s a 90-odd page e-magazine, published around six hours after each race, with a complete round-up of each F1 race weekend. There are no silly rumours, no he-said-she-said journalism. We just report what happens – and give our honest opinions. The GP+ team is united by our passion for the sport and we believe in old school journalism. We are among the most passionate F1 writers you will find – and the most experienced. The four contributors have each reported at more than 500 Grands Prix – and we know the sport, the people and the history. And, more importantly, the sport knows us. We believe that GP+ is a fantastic resource for the F1 fan. It is like racing magazines used to be. It tells you the story of each race weekend. It highlights the big news, the personalities and the wonderful history that F1 has to offer. And, as the name suggests, we sometimes write on other motor racing subjects as well, because we think they will be interesting to the fans. We have been going this for 10 years and you can buy the archive. It is all downloadable in PDF format, which means that you can have the entire history of F1 in the last 10 years in one folder in your computer, for less than the price of a decent dinner. And you don’t need shelf space… We keep the price low because we want as many fans as possible to buy the magazine. A GP+ subscription for 2017 means that you get 22 issues: a Preview, 20 races issues and a Review. On top of that, as soon as you sign up, you get a free 2016 Review of the Year. You get all of this for just £32.99. People who sign up often ask themselve swhy they did not do this earlier. You can read what they think here. GP+ is so fast we sometimes have a magazine published before some of the F1 teams can even manage to produce a press release. To sign up and join the GP+ clan, go to http://ift.tt/1dU8r3b.
from F1 Center Time to get ready for 2017 If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that my aim is to amuse and inform F1 fans about the sport we love. I try to explain what is happening and why. I don’t do race reports, nor feature-type articles. On race weekends you will note that the blog goes quiet because I need to make a living and giving away everything simply does not work financially. Proper insider F1 journalism does not come cheap and someone has to pay for all the travelling. It is easy to stay at home and make out that one is there – lot of people do it, even some wellknown names, but so much of the content on the Web is not what it claims to be. How do you know who you can trust? Professional F1 journalists are few in number and most work for known publications. There are still a few freelances left, who pay their own way and sell their stories, but with people buying fewer paper products, the industry is migrating to the Web and even famous publications now compromise and do not bother sending reporters. This is why 10 years ago, when we saw this start to happen, several longtime F1 journalists got together to create the first proper e-magazine for the sport, so that fans could have access to a proper product – as quickly as possible after each race. Gone were the days that one had to wait days and days to read what had happened. In these days of pay-TV, many fans are looking for a way to follow the sport without having to pay the often lofty fees. GP+ provides that opportunity. It’s a 90-odd page e-magazine, published around six hours after each race, with a complete round-up of each F1 race weekend. There are no silly rumours, no he-said-she-said journalism. We just report what happens – and give our honest opinions. The GP+ team is united by our passion for the sport and we believe in old school journalism. We are among the most passionate F1 writers you will find – and the most experienced. The four contributors have each reported at more than 500 Grands Prix – and we know the sport, the people and the history. And, more importantly, the sport knows us. We believe that GP+ is a fantastic resource for the F1 fan. It is like racing magazines used to be. It tells you the story of each race weekend. It highlights the big news, the personalities and the wonderful history that F1 has to offer. And, as the name suggests, we sometimes write on other motor racing subjects as well, because we think they will be interesting to the fans. We have been going this for 10 years and you can buy the archive. It is all downloadable in PDF format, which means that you can have the entire history of F1 in the last 10 years in one folder in your computer, for less than the price of a decent dinner. And you don’t need shelf space… We keep the price low because we want as many fans as possible to buy the magazine. A GP+ subscription for 2017 means that you get 22 issues: a Preview, 20 races issues and a Review. On top of that, as soon as you sign up, you get a free 2016 Review of the Year. You get all of this for just £32.99. People who sign up often ask themselve swhy they did not do this earlier. You can read what they think here. GP+ is so fast we sometimes have a magazine published before some of the F1 teams can even manage to produce a press release. To sign up and join the GP+ clan, go to http://ift.tt/1dU8r3b. http://ift.tt/2kxfDhU
from F1 Center Time to get ready for 2017 If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that my aim is to amuse and inform F1 fans about the sport we love. I try to explain what is happening and why. I don’t do race reports, nor feature-type articles. On race weekends you will note that the blog goes quiet because I need to make a living and giving away everything simply does not work financially. Proper insider F1 journalism does not come cheap and someone has to pay for all the travelling. It is easy to stay at home and make out that one is there – lot of people do it, even some wellknown names, but so much of the content on the Web is not what it claims to be. How do you know who you can trust? Professional F1 journalists are few in number and most work for known publications. There are still a few freelances left, who pay their own way and sell their stories, but with people buying fewer paper products, the industry is migrating to the Web and even famous publications now compromise and do not bother sending reporters. This is why 10 years ago, when we saw this start to happen, several longtime F1 journalists got together to create the first proper e-magazine for the sport, so that fans could have access to a proper product – as quickly as possible after each race. Gone were the days that one had to wait days and days to read what had happened. In these days of pay-TV, many fans are looking for a way to follow the sport without having to pay the often lofty fees. GP+ provides that opportunity. It’s a 90-odd page e-magazine, published around six hours after each race, with a complete round-up of each F1 race weekend. There are no silly rumours, no he-said-she-said journalism. We just report what happens – and give our honest opinions. The GP+ team is united by our passion for the sport and we believe in old school journalism. We are among the most passionate F1 writers you will find – and the most experienced. The four contributors have each reported at more than 500 Grands Prix – and we know the sport, the people and the history. And, more importantly, the sport knows us. We believe that GP+ is a fantastic resource for the F1 fan. It is like racing magazines used to be. It tells you the story of each race weekend. It highlights the big news, the personalities and the wonderful history that F1 has to offer. And, as the name suggests, we sometimes write on other motor racing subjects as well, because we think they will be interesting to the fans. We have been going this for 10 years and you can buy the archive. It is all downloadable in PDF format, which means that you can have the entire history of F1 in the last 10 years in one folder in your computer, for less than the price of a decent dinner. And you don’t need shelf space… We keep the price low because we want as many fans as possible to buy the magazine. A GP+ subscription for 2017 means that you get 22 issues: a Preview, 20 races issues and a Review. On top of that, as soon as you sign up, you get a free 2016 Review of the Year. You get all of this for just £32.99. People who sign up often ask themselve swhy they did not do this earlier. You can read what they think here. GP+ is so fast we sometimes have a magazine published before some of the F1 teams can even manage to produce a press release. To sign up and join the GP+ clan, go to http://ift.tt/1dU8r3b. http://ift.tt/2kxfDhU
Please note
Please note If you read the blog rules you will see that I ask people not to post links in their comments. Despite this people continue to do so all the time. Up to now, I have edited these out, except on very rare occasions when I have let them slide because they are of interest and not designed to advertise other websites/blogs etc. However, the systems I use have recently changed (against my will) and I am no longer able to edit comments and take out links, so any comments that have links in them are now being deleted completely. So, try to avoid putting links into your comments, as the comments will not appear if you do.
from F1 Center Please note If you read the blog rules you will see that I ask people not to post links in their comments. Despite this people continue to do so all the time. Up to now, I have edited these out, except on very rare occasions when I have let them slide because they are of interest and not designed to advertise other websites/blogs etc. However, the systems I use have recently changed (against my will) and I am no longer able to edit comments and take out links, so any comments that have links in them are now being deleted completely. So, try to avoid putting links into your comments, as the comments will not appear if you do. http://ift.tt/2jHwePn
from F1 Center Please note If you read the blog rules you will see that I ask people not to post links in their comments. Despite this people continue to do so all the time. Up to now, I have edited these out, except on very rare occasions when I have let them slide because they are of interest and not designed to advertise other websites/blogs etc. However, the systems I use have recently changed (against my will) and I am no longer able to edit comments and take out links, so any comments that have links in them are now being deleted completely. So, try to avoid putting links into your comments, as the comments will not appear if you do. http://ift.tt/2jHwePn
So what happened at Manor?
So what happened at Manor? There have been many different stories circulating about what has been going on at Manor in recent months and there have been many different interpretations of the problems. It has been assumed (by me and others) that the key was money, but the truth seems to be that the stumbling blocks more complicated than that. Firstly, the owners wanted to hold on to part of the team, secondly there were questions over indemnities relating to potential liabilities, notably the possibility of legal action from the Bianchi Family and thirdly, there was a massive hole in the 2017 budget, even before Manor was knocked back to 11th in the Constructors’ Championship by Sauber in Brazil. This is what I have been able to ascertain, although no-one wants to go on record about the different stories, so we must take them on that basis. There is no doubt that from the start of the adventure in 2015 the new owner Stephen Fitzpatrick was looking for people to buy into the team and help him keep it going. he was involved in a busy role with his energy company and did not come to many races. He engaged a merchant bank, believed to be Rothschild, to find possible investors, but it was clear that with Manor’s poor results and no desire to sell full ownership, there was no deal to be had. The team did better in 2016 with Mercedes engines and there were talks with at least three different investor groups: one American (Tavo Hellmund’s group), one from Indonesia (CGF) and another which seems to have been from Mexico, which may have involved Esteban Gutierrez’s backers. None of these discussions were successful because no-one was offered an acceptable deal. Whether this was because of the price or the fact that Fitzpatrick wanted to hold on to equity is not clear. The Mexicans were the last to give up, after the Brazilian GP, when the team’s financial situation took a big dive. At that point the team’s value fell to nothing as there was a hole in the 2017 budget of an estimated $40 million. Thus, even without the Brazilian result, the team did not have a budget to race in 2017, as the prize money lost was nowhere near $40 million in value. The team owners were thus faced with having to offer a debt-free team for nothing if they were allowed to remain as a minority shareholder. They would, of course, have been called upon to invest in line with any remaining shareholding, but at that point they chose to stop the money supply to the team, which meant that it was unable to continue the build programme of the 2017 cars. This may have made financial sense, but it was a huge mistake because it meant that the team would not have cars ready for 2017. One can see why the sellers felt it was a bad idea to go on funding, because they might simply be wasting more money. The other mistake seemed to be the continued insistence on keeping some of the equity, which meant that the new owners would not get a clean slate. There were also questions of indemnities against potential liabilities with regard to the Jules Bianchi accident in 2014. The owners were talking about giving the team away at this point and they were not willing to give indemnities, on the basis that when they acquired the team they took on the risks as well and did not see why new owners should not do the same, given that they would be getting a lot for nothing, and so should assume the risks as well. The sellers continued to try to find someone to take the team off their hands and the Indonesian bid came back to the negotiating table and was granted a period of exclusive negotiation before Christmas. The deal came so close that director John McQuilliam resigned in expectation of new ownership, but the proof of funds wanted by the owners did not materialise. In the end, with time running out, the discussions were terminated. With a $40m shortfall for the 2017 budget there was no possibility of completing the 2017 upcoming season, so the operating company was put into administration. Even after that, no-one was able to agree terms on the acquisition of the holding company, for the same reasons as stated above. Will things now change? The only real difference is that the owners now have no claim on any shares and are out of the picture, unless they join forces with a bid to acquire the team from the administrator. The question of the financial hole still needs to be addressed and the question of indemnity is still there, but the biggest problem now is time.
from F1 Center So what happened at Manor? There have been many different stories circulating about what has been going on at Manor in recent months and there have been many different interpretations of the problems. It has been assumed (by me and others) that the key was money, but the truth seems to be that the stumbling blocks more complicated than that. Firstly, the owners wanted to hold on to part of the team, secondly there were questions over indemnities relating to potential liabilities, notably the possibility of legal action from the Bianchi Family and thirdly, there was a massive hole in the 2017 budget, even before Manor was knocked back to 11th in the Constructors’ Championship by Sauber in Brazil. This is what I have been able to ascertain, although no-one wants to go on record about the different stories, so we must take them on that basis. There is no doubt that from the start of the adventure in 2015 the new owner Stephen Fitzpatrick was looking for people to buy into the team and help him keep it going. he was involved in a busy role with his energy company and did not come to many races. He engaged a merchant bank, believed to be Rothschild, to find possible investors, but it was clear that with Manor’s poor results and no desire to sell full ownership, there was no deal to be had. The team did better in 2016 with Mercedes engines and there were talks with at least three different investor groups: one American (Tavo Hellmund’s group), one from Indonesia (CGF) and another which seems to have been from Mexico, which may have involved Esteban Gutierrez’s backers. None of these discussions were successful because no-one was offered an acceptable deal. Whether this was because of the price or the fact that Fitzpatrick wanted to hold on to equity is not clear. The Mexicans were the last to give up, after the Brazilian GP, when the team’s financial situation took a big dive. At that point the team’s value fell to nothing as there was a hole in the 2017 budget of an estimated $40 million. Thus, even without the Brazilian result, the team did not have a budget to race in 2017, as the prize money lost was nowhere near $40 million in value. The team owners were thus faced with having to offer a debt-free team for nothing if they were allowed to remain as a minority shareholder. They would, of course, have been called upon to invest in line with any remaining shareholding, but at that point they chose to stop the money supply to the team, which meant that it was unable to continue the build programme of the 2017 cars. This may have made financial sense, but it was a huge mistake because it meant that the team would not have cars ready for 2017. One can see why the sellers felt it was a bad idea to go on funding, because they might simply be wasting more money. The other mistake seemed to be the continued insistence on keeping some of the equity, which meant that the new owners would not get a clean slate. There were also questions of indemnities against potential liabilities with regard to the Jules Bianchi accident in 2014. The owners were talking about giving the team away at this point and they were not willing to give indemnities, on the basis that when they acquired the team they took on the risks as well and did not see why new owners should not do the same, given that they would be getting a lot for nothing, and so should assume the risks as well. The sellers continued to try to find someone to take the team off their hands and the Indonesian bid came back to the negotiating table and was granted a period of exclusive negotiation before Christmas. The deal came so close that director John McQuilliam resigned in expectation of new ownership, but the proof of funds wanted by the owners did not materialise. In the end, with time running out, the discussions were terminated. With a $40m shortfall for the 2017 budget there was no possibility of completing the 2017 upcoming season, so the operating company was put into administration. Even after that, no-one was able to agree terms on the acquisition of the holding company, for the same reasons as stated above. Will things now change? The only real difference is that the owners now have no claim on any shares and are out of the picture, unless they join forces with a bid to acquire the team from the administrator. The question of the financial hole still needs to be addressed and the question of indemnity is still there, but the biggest problem now is time. http://ift.tt/2jHzaeN
from F1 Center So what happened at Manor? There have been many different stories circulating about what has been going on at Manor in recent months and there have been many different interpretations of the problems. It has been assumed (by me and others) that the key was money, but the truth seems to be that the stumbling blocks more complicated than that. Firstly, the owners wanted to hold on to part of the team, secondly there were questions over indemnities relating to potential liabilities, notably the possibility of legal action from the Bianchi Family and thirdly, there was a massive hole in the 2017 budget, even before Manor was knocked back to 11th in the Constructors’ Championship by Sauber in Brazil. This is what I have been able to ascertain, although no-one wants to go on record about the different stories, so we must take them on that basis. There is no doubt that from the start of the adventure in 2015 the new owner Stephen Fitzpatrick was looking for people to buy into the team and help him keep it going. he was involved in a busy role with his energy company and did not come to many races. He engaged a merchant bank, believed to be Rothschild, to find possible investors, but it was clear that with Manor’s poor results and no desire to sell full ownership, there was no deal to be had. The team did better in 2016 with Mercedes engines and there were talks with at least three different investor groups: one American (Tavo Hellmund’s group), one from Indonesia (CGF) and another which seems to have been from Mexico, which may have involved Esteban Gutierrez’s backers. None of these discussions were successful because no-one was offered an acceptable deal. Whether this was because of the price or the fact that Fitzpatrick wanted to hold on to equity is not clear. The Mexicans were the last to give up, after the Brazilian GP, when the team’s financial situation took a big dive. At that point the team’s value fell to nothing as there was a hole in the 2017 budget of an estimated $40 million. Thus, even without the Brazilian result, the team did not have a budget to race in 2017, as the prize money lost was nowhere near $40 million in value. The team owners were thus faced with having to offer a debt-free team for nothing if they were allowed to remain as a minority shareholder. They would, of course, have been called upon to invest in line with any remaining shareholding, but at that point they chose to stop the money supply to the team, which meant that it was unable to continue the build programme of the 2017 cars. This may have made financial sense, but it was a huge mistake because it meant that the team would not have cars ready for 2017. One can see why the sellers felt it was a bad idea to go on funding, because they might simply be wasting more money. The other mistake seemed to be the continued insistence on keeping some of the equity, which meant that the new owners would not get a clean slate. There were also questions of indemnities against potential liabilities with regard to the Jules Bianchi accident in 2014. The owners were talking about giving the team away at this point and they were not willing to give indemnities, on the basis that when they acquired the team they took on the risks as well and did not see why new owners should not do the same, given that they would be getting a lot for nothing, and so should assume the risks as well. The sellers continued to try to find someone to take the team off their hands and the Indonesian bid came back to the negotiating table and was granted a period of exclusive negotiation before Christmas. The deal came so close that director John McQuilliam resigned in expectation of new ownership, but the proof of funds wanted by the owners did not materialise. In the end, with time running out, the discussions were terminated. With a $40m shortfall for the 2017 budget there was no possibility of completing the 2017 upcoming season, so the operating company was put into administration. Even after that, no-one was able to agree terms on the acquisition of the holding company, for the same reasons as stated above. Will things now change? The only real difference is that the owners now have no claim on any shares and are out of the picture, unless they join forces with a bid to acquire the team from the administrator. The question of the financial hole still needs to be addressed and the question of indemnity is still there, but the biggest problem now is time. http://ift.tt/2jHzaeN
Friday 27 January 2017
Fascinating F1 Fact:52
Fascinating F1 Fact:52 There have been some evil weekends in the history of motor racing. At Monza in 1933 three drivers died on the same day; at Imola in 1994 Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died and Rubens Barrichello suffered a huge crash, his life being saved by the rapid arrival of Professor Sid Watkins in the medical car. And then there was Spa in June 1960… It was a time when British teams were becoming dominant in F1 and that weekend no fewer than eight British drivers were on the 19-car entry list: Graham Hill (31), Innes Ireland and Stirling Moss (both 30), Tony Brooks (28), Alan Stacey (27), and Mike Taylor (26), Jim Clark (24) and Chris Bristow (22). Things were normal on Friday, but on the hot Saturday afternoon events turned nasty. Moss crashed his Rob Walker Lotus in the latter part of the high-speed Burnenville corner, as the result of a left rear stub axle failure, which resulted in the wheel coming off the car. Moss spun, hit the earth bank on the outside of the corner and was thrown out of the car. The wreck bounced across the road, ending up on the inside of the turn. Stirling suffered two broken legs, three damaged vertebrae and a broken nose. Several drivers stopped to help, but no ambulance appeared and so F1 debutant Taylor set off to drive back to the pits – to get help. On the way his factory Lotus suffered a steering column failure in the high speed La Carriere section. The car went off, ran over ditch and was launched into nearby trees, uprooting the first one it hit. Miraculously, he was not killed, but suffered multiple injuries which would end his racing career. The next day it was a sombre group who took off at the start of the race. With Moss and Taylor out, the grid was down to only 17 cars, but they ran close together in the early laps. The lap times were very fast, with the fastest lap being set at an average of 136mph. There were problems for Ireland who spun five times at Blanchimont before going off the road and down a bank, but the chirpy Scottish driver emerged unhurt. Just after the halfway mark Bristow was involved in a fierce fight with the Ferrari of Willy Mairesse. He was pushing too hard and lost control of his Cooper close to where Moss had crashed the previous day. The car ran up an earth bank and Bristow was decapitated by a barbed wire fence separating the track from an adjoining field. The car then rolled and the driver’s body was thrown out on to the track. Clark only narrowly missed running into it. The race went on. Six laps later Stacey’s Lotus went off, just after Burnenville, as he was heading towards the Malmédy section. The car hit the earth bank and then went end over end across the road, flying over the earth bank on the inside of the track through a hedge and ended up down the embankment, where it caught fire. It would emerge later that he had almost certainly been hit in the face by a bird and may have been unconscious even before the car hit the earth bank. Three of the four youngest British drivers were gone. Only Clark remained.
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:52 There have been some evil weekends in the history of motor racing. At Monza in 1933 three drivers died on the same day; at Imola in 1994 Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died and Rubens Barrichello suffered a huge crash, his life being saved by the rapid arrival of Professor Sid Watkins in the medical car. And then there was Spa in June 1960… It was a time when British teams were becoming dominant in F1 and that weekend no fewer than eight British drivers were on the 19-car entry list: Graham Hill (31), Innes Ireland and Stirling Moss (both 30), Tony Brooks (28), Alan Stacey (27), and Mike Taylor (26), Jim Clark (24) and Chris Bristow (22). Things were normal on Friday, but on the hot Saturday afternoon events turned nasty. Moss crashed his Rob Walker Lotus in the latter part of the high-speed Burnenville corner, as the result of a left rear stub axle failure, which resulted in the wheel coming off the car. Moss spun, hit the earth bank on the outside of the corner and was thrown out of the car. The wreck bounced across the road, ending up on the inside of the turn. Stirling suffered two broken legs, three damaged vertebrae and a broken nose. Several drivers stopped to help, but no ambulance appeared and so F1 debutant Taylor set off to drive back to the pits – to get help. On the way his factory Lotus suffered a steering column failure in the high speed La Carriere section. The car went off, ran over ditch and was launched into nearby trees, uprooting the first one it hit. Miraculously, he was not killed, but suffered multiple injuries which would end his racing career. The next day it was a sombre group who took off at the start of the race. With Moss and Taylor out, the grid was down to only 17 cars, but they ran close together in the early laps. The lap times were very fast, with the fastest lap being set at an average of 136mph. There were problems for Ireland who spun five times at Blanchimont before going off the road and down a bank, but the chirpy Scottish driver emerged unhurt. Just after the halfway mark Bristow was involved in a fierce fight with the Ferrari of Willy Mairesse. He was pushing too hard and lost control of his Cooper close to where Moss had crashed the previous day. The car ran up an earth bank and Bristow was decapitated by a barbed wire fence separating the track from an adjoining field. The car then rolled and the driver’s body was thrown out on to the track. Clark only narrowly missed running into it. The race went on. Six laps later Stacey’s Lotus went off, just after Burnenville, as he was heading towards the Malmédy section. The car hit the earth bank and then went end over end across the road, flying over the earth bank on the inside of the track through a hedge and ended up down the embankment, where it caught fire. It would emerge later that he had almost certainly been hit in the face by a bird and may have been unconscious even before the car hit the earth bank. Three of the four youngest British drivers were gone. Only Clark remained. http://ift.tt/2kw95QJ
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:52 There have been some evil weekends in the history of motor racing. At Monza in 1933 three drivers died on the same day; at Imola in 1994 Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died and Rubens Barrichello suffered a huge crash, his life being saved by the rapid arrival of Professor Sid Watkins in the medical car. And then there was Spa in June 1960… It was a time when British teams were becoming dominant in F1 and that weekend no fewer than eight British drivers were on the 19-car entry list: Graham Hill (31), Innes Ireland and Stirling Moss (both 30), Tony Brooks (28), Alan Stacey (27), and Mike Taylor (26), Jim Clark (24) and Chris Bristow (22). Things were normal on Friday, but on the hot Saturday afternoon events turned nasty. Moss crashed his Rob Walker Lotus in the latter part of the high-speed Burnenville corner, as the result of a left rear stub axle failure, which resulted in the wheel coming off the car. Moss spun, hit the earth bank on the outside of the corner and was thrown out of the car. The wreck bounced across the road, ending up on the inside of the turn. Stirling suffered two broken legs, three damaged vertebrae and a broken nose. Several drivers stopped to help, but no ambulance appeared and so F1 debutant Taylor set off to drive back to the pits – to get help. On the way his factory Lotus suffered a steering column failure in the high speed La Carriere section. The car went off, ran over ditch and was launched into nearby trees, uprooting the first one it hit. Miraculously, he was not killed, but suffered multiple injuries which would end his racing career. The next day it was a sombre group who took off at the start of the race. With Moss and Taylor out, the grid was down to only 17 cars, but they ran close together in the early laps. The lap times were very fast, with the fastest lap being set at an average of 136mph. There were problems for Ireland who spun five times at Blanchimont before going off the road and down a bank, but the chirpy Scottish driver emerged unhurt. Just after the halfway mark Bristow was involved in a fierce fight with the Ferrari of Willy Mairesse. He was pushing too hard and lost control of his Cooper close to where Moss had crashed the previous day. The car ran up an earth bank and Bristow was decapitated by a barbed wire fence separating the track from an adjoining field. The car then rolled and the driver’s body was thrown out on to the track. Clark only narrowly missed running into it. The race went on. Six laps later Stacey’s Lotus went off, just after Burnenville, as he was heading towards the Malmédy section. The car hit the earth bank and then went end over end across the road, flying over the earth bank on the inside of the track through a hedge and ended up down the embankment, where it caught fire. It would emerge later that he had almost certainly been hit in the face by a bird and may have been unconscious even before the car hit the earth bank. Three of the four youngest British drivers were gone. Only Clark remained. http://ift.tt/2kw95QJ
F1 Fanatic round-up: Ecclestone: I wish I had Carey's opportunity
Ecclestone: I wish I had Carey’s opportunity | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Ecclestone: I wish I had Carey's opportunity • Liberty 'will relax terms for Silverstone' • COTA eager for more US races
from F1 Center Ecclestone: I wish I had Carey’s opportunity | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Ecclestone: I wish I had Carey's opportunity • Liberty 'will relax terms for Silverstone' • COTA eager for more US races http://ift.tt/2kCTOkq
from F1 Center Ecclestone: I wish I had Carey’s opportunity | F1 Fanatic Round-up In the round-up: Ecclestone: I wish I had Carey's opportunity • Liberty 'will relax terms for Silverstone' • COTA eager for more US races http://ift.tt/2kCTOkq
Bernie Ecclestone denies rumours of setting up F1 breakaway
Bernie Ecclestone denies rumours of setting up F1 breakaway Bernie Ecclestone has denied suggestions that he wants to set up a new series to rival Formula 1, and he insists he wouldn't do anything to damage the championship
from F1 Center Bernie Ecclestone denies rumours of setting up F1 breakaway Bernie Ecclestone has denied suggestions that he wants to set up a new series to rival Formula 1, and he insists he wouldn't do anything to damage the championship http://ift.tt/2k12pKh
from F1 Center Bernie Ecclestone denies rumours of setting up F1 breakaway Bernie Ecclestone has denied suggestions that he wants to set up a new series to rival Formula 1, and he insists he wouldn't do anything to damage the championship http://ift.tt/2k12pKh
Manor F1 team reveals image of 2017 F1 car design model
Manor F1 team reveals image of 2017 F1 car design model Formula 1 fans have been offered a first look at a 2017 Formula 1 car design, after a farewell image from Manor staff revealed its windtunnel model
from F1 Center Manor F1 team reveals image of 2017 F1 car design model Formula 1 fans have been offered a first look at a 2017 Formula 1 car design, after a farewell image from Manor staff revealed its windtunnel model http://ift.tt/2jFH5Jw
from F1 Center Manor F1 team reveals image of 2017 F1 car design model Formula 1 fans have been offered a first look at a 2017 Formula 1 car design, after a farewell image from Manor staff revealed its windtunnel model http://ift.tt/2jFH5Jw
Time’s up – lack of buyer means Manor F1 team will close ahead of 2017 season // F1 News // James Allen on F1 – The official James Allen website on F1
Time’s up – lack of buyer means Manor F1 team will close ahead of 2017 season Formula 1 will have just 20 cars on the grid this season after administrators attempting to find a buyer for the Manor Formula 1 team said that time has run out and the squad will now close for good. Just Racing Services Ltd, the company that operated the team that was owned by energy businessman […]
from F1 Center Time’s up – lack of buyer means Manor F1 team will close ahead of 2017 season Formula 1 will have just 20 cars on the grid this season after administrators attempting to find a buyer for the Manor Formula 1 team said that time has run out and the squad will now close for good. Just Racing Services Ltd, the company that operated the team that was owned by energy businessman […] http://ift.tt/2jdH9nM
from F1 Center Time’s up – lack of buyer means Manor F1 team will close ahead of 2017 season Formula 1 will have just 20 cars on the grid this season after administrators attempting to find a buyer for the Manor Formula 1 team said that time has run out and the squad will now close for good. Just Racing Services Ltd, the company that operated the team that was owned by energy businessman […] http://ift.tt/2jdH9nM
The Manor story is over
The Manor story is over There is sad news from Banbury today with word that the staff at Manor has been told at lunchtime today that they are being made redundant – and that the team will be liquidated because a buyer cannot be found for the team in its current state. It remains to be seen if the assets can be sold quickly, without the old owners being involved. The key is for the company that holds the F1 entry to avoid becoming legally insolvent. If someone buys this and picks up the assets as well, then the team could revive, but there are a lot of ifs in this scenario. Whatever happens, the last owners of Manor will not come out of this story well, as there have been several possibilities to sell the team, but they chose not to sell, despite being in no position to run the team properly.
from F1 Center The Manor story is over There is sad news from Banbury today with word that the staff at Manor has been told at lunchtime today that they are being made redundant – and that the team will be liquidated because a buyer cannot be found for the team in its current state. It remains to be seen if the assets can be sold quickly, without the old owners being involved. The key is for the company that holds the F1 entry to avoid becoming legally insolvent. If someone buys this and picks up the assets as well, then the team could revive, but there are a lot of ifs in this scenario. Whatever happens, the last owners of Manor will not come out of this story well, as there have been several possibilities to sell the team, but they chose not to sell, despite being in no position to run the team properly. http://ift.tt/2kAOSMH
from F1 Center The Manor story is over There is sad news from Banbury today with word that the staff at Manor has been told at lunchtime today that they are being made redundant – and that the team will be liquidated because a buyer cannot be found for the team in its current state. It remains to be seen if the assets can be sold quickly, without the old owners being involved. The key is for the company that holds the F1 entry to avoid becoming legally insolvent. If someone buys this and picks up the assets as well, then the team could revive, but there are a lot of ifs in this scenario. Whatever happens, the last owners of Manor will not come out of this story well, as there have been several possibilities to sell the team, but they chose not to sell, despite being in no position to run the team properly. http://ift.tt/2kAOSMH
Manor employees reveal their never-to-be-raced 2017 F1 car · F1 Fanatic
Manor employees reveal their never-to-be-raced 2017 F1 car | 2017 F1 season A group of Manor employees have posted a photograph of themselves with the wind tunnel model of the team's 2017 Formula One car.
from F1 Center Manor employees reveal their never-to-be-raced 2017 F1 car | 2017 F1 season A group of Manor employees have posted a photograph of themselves with the wind tunnel model of the team's 2017 Formula One car. http://ift.tt/2kB5bcz
from F1 Center Manor employees reveal their never-to-be-raced 2017 F1 car | 2017 F1 season A group of Manor employees have posted a photograph of themselves with the wind tunnel model of the team's 2017 Formula One car. http://ift.tt/2kB5bcz
Manor Formula 1 team closes after efforts to find a buyer fail
Manor Formula 1 team closes after efforts to find a buyer fail Attempts to find a buyer to save the Manor Formula 1 team have failed and it will close ahead of the 2017 season
from F1 Center Manor Formula 1 team closes after efforts to find a buyer fail Attempts to find a buyer to save the Manor Formula 1 team have failed and it will close ahead of the 2017 season http://ift.tt/2ksRpWd
from F1 Center Manor Formula 1 team closes after efforts to find a buyer fail Attempts to find a buyer to save the Manor Formula 1 team have failed and it will close ahead of the 2017 season http://ift.tt/2ksRpWd
Manor F1: Team folds after failure to find buyer
Manor F1: Team folds after administrators fail to find buyer The Manor F1 team collapses after administrators fail to find a buyer for the stricken business.
from F1 Center Manor F1: Team folds after administrators fail to find buyer The Manor F1 team collapses after administrators fail to find a buyer for the stricken business. http://ift.tt/2k9cCGL
from F1 Center Manor F1: Team folds after administrators fail to find buyer The Manor F1 team collapses after administrators fail to find a buyer for the stricken business. http://ift.tt/2k9cCGL
Manor faces the end as it fails to find a buyer · F1 Fanatic
Manor faces the end as it fails to find a buyer | 2017 F1 season Manor's hopes of continuing in Formula One have ended as the team has failed to find a buyer.
from F1 Center Manor faces the end as it fails to find a buyer | 2017 F1 season Manor's hopes of continuing in Formula One have ended as the team has failed to find a buyer. http://ift.tt/2jbFFdz
from F1 Center Manor faces the end as it fails to find a buyer | 2017 F1 season Manor's hopes of continuing in Formula One have ended as the team has failed to find a buyer. http://ift.tt/2jbFFdz
Force India: Esteban Ocon can't be a Mercedes stand-in driver
Force India: Esteban Ocon can't be a Mercedes stand-in driver Force India would not release new signing Esteban Ocon to fill in at Mercedes should the world champion team need a stand-in driver in Formula 1
from F1 Center Force India: Esteban Ocon can't be a Mercedes stand-in driver Force India would not release new signing Esteban Ocon to fill in at Mercedes should the world champion team need a stand-in driver in Formula 1 http://ift.tt/2kAnOJr
from F1 Center Force India: Esteban Ocon can't be a Mercedes stand-in driver Force India would not release new signing Esteban Ocon to fill in at Mercedes should the world champion team need a stand-in driver in Formula 1 http://ift.tt/2kAnOJr
Aftershocks and rumours as life after Bernie rolls on in Formula 1 // F1 News // James Allen on F1 – The official James Allen website on F1
Aftershocks and rumours as life after Bernie rolls on in Formula 1 “The Ecclestone era ending is a pretty big thing,” The words of Toto Wolff, current world championship team boss on what has been a momentous two weeks for the sport. But he added, “We need to embrace the future and we shouldn’t be too nostalgic about the past.” The Formula 1 roadshow rolls on with […]
from F1 Center Aftershocks and rumours as life after Bernie rolls on in Formula 1 “The Ecclestone era ending is a pretty big thing,” The words of Toto Wolff, current world championship team boss on what has been a momentous two weeks for the sport. But he added, “We need to embrace the future and we shouldn’t be too nostalgic about the past.” The Formula 1 roadshow rolls on with […] http://ift.tt/2jwzPlK
from F1 Center Aftershocks and rumours as life after Bernie rolls on in Formula 1 “The Ecclestone era ending is a pretty big thing,” The words of Toto Wolff, current world championship team boss on what has been a momentous two weeks for the sport. But he added, “We need to embrace the future and we shouldn’t be too nostalgic about the past.” The Formula 1 roadshow rolls on with […] http://ift.tt/2jwzPlK
Sauber's 2017 Formula 1 car to make first appearance in filming day
Sauber's 2017 Formula 1 car to make first appearance in filming day Sauber's 2017 Formula 1 challenger - the C36 - will hit the track for the first time on February 22 when it completes a filming day at Barcelona
from F1 Center Sauber's 2017 Formula 1 car to make first appearance in filming day Sauber's 2017 Formula 1 challenger - the C36 - will hit the track for the first time on February 22 when it completes a filming day at Barcelona http://ift.tt/2jbpMUm
from F1 Center Sauber's 2017 Formula 1 car to make first appearance in filming day Sauber's 2017 Formula 1 challenger - the C36 - will hit the track for the first time on February 22 when it completes a filming day at Barcelona http://ift.tt/2jbpMUm
What Red Bull needs from Renault to fight Mercedes in F1 2017
What Red Bull needs from Renault to fight Mercedes in F1 2017 Christian Horner believes Red Bull can feature in the 2017 Formula 1 title fight if engine supplier Renault can get within 3% of rival manufacturer Mercedes' performance
from F1 Center What Red Bull needs from Renault to fight Mercedes in F1 2017 Christian Horner believes Red Bull can feature in the 2017 Formula 1 title fight if engine supplier Renault can get within 3% of rival manufacturer Mercedes' performance http://ift.tt/2kAekly
from F1 Center What Red Bull needs from Renault to fight Mercedes in F1 2017 Christian Horner believes Red Bull can feature in the 2017 Formula 1 title fight if engine supplier Renault can get within 3% of rival manufacturer Mercedes' performance http://ift.tt/2kAekly
Thursday 26 January 2017
Fascinating F1 Fact:51
Fascinating F1 Fact:51 The world of Grand Prix racing has always attracted extreme people. Team bosses have often been ambitious, aggressive and anything but normal. Sometimes they are plain dysfunctional. It is part of the attraction of the sport. It’s a soap opera. And some of those who don’t quite make it are just as extraordinary as those who do. Take Robert Cowell, for example. He was a strange one, as you will see. He was born 1918 in Croydon, the son of the then Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Cowell, who had been a prominent and decorated officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps on the Western Front during World War I. He would later be knighted but at that point he was a surgeon at Croydon General Hospital. As Robert (Bob) was growing up, Croydon Aerodrome was developing into the first London Airport and the youngster was fascinated by the flying machines – and by automobile racing. He attended Whitgift School, played rugby and was a member of the school’s Motor Club. Cowell left school at 16, in 1934, and joined the General Aircraft Company in Hanworth to learn about aviation technology. A year later he joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet and learned to fly Tiger Moths at RAF Grantham. He was the youngest officer in the entire Royal Air Force, but he suffered from air sickness and was instantly invalided out. His dreams were smashed. He set himself a new goal. He would run his own Grand Prix team and be a racing driver. He enrolled at University College, London, to study engineering, and began his racing with a class win on the Land’s End Speed Trial, driving a Riley. He was often at Brooklands, helping out, gaining experience and by 1939 he three racing cars and drive one in the Antwerp Grand Prix that year. He also took up flying again and qualified for a civil licence… And then the war came war, and he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, served in Iceland with the goal of getting back into the RAF. He achieved that after a little over a year. By then he had also married and by the end of the war he had two daughters. He flew Spitfires and had a series of adventures while flying reconnaissance missions. Shortly before D-Day he was fortunate to survive a failure of his oxygen supply which left him unconscious in the cockpit, flying over enemy territory. Incredibly, the aircraft stayed in the air, was not hit by flak nor attacked by fighters, and gradually descended until he regained consciousness while over the English Channel and he was managed to fly it back to RAF Gatwick. A few months later, flying a Typhoon on a reconnaissance mission over Germany, his luck ran out. A direct hit from flak meant he had to make a forced landing and was captured and sent to Stalag Luft I, near Lubeck. He was a POW for five difficult months, he was starved but spent most of his time, planning the car he would when his Grand Prix team was up and running. He was liberated in 1945 and returned home. He was then 27. He hooked up with whisky heir Gordon Watson and set up a coachbuilding firm called Leacroft in Egham and they created their own Cowell-Watson sports car, based on a Lea Francis chassis. They also ran an Alta Grand Prix car and both raced it in a variety of events. At the same time he ran a construction company to generate money and even started a dressmaking firm. There was never enough money and Cowell was often in trouble with creditors. The Grand Prix car was never built and in 1951 the name Robert Cowell disappeared from the racing scene. Instead a Roberta Cowell started appearing. It would later emerge that in May 1951 Bob Cowell underwent the first ever sex-change operation, performed by Sir Harold Gillies, the New Zealander known as the father of plastic surgery. Cowell’s businesses failed and Watson disappeared from the scene, but Roberta continued to appear from time to time, winning the Ladies prize at Shelsley Walsh in 1957. The news of the operation broke in the press in 1954 and Cowell was paid considerable sums by newspapers and publishing companies as a result. But the money did not last long and grand plans for flying records failed and by 1958 Cowell was declared bankrupt. She increasingly became reclusive, living with another woman for many years. Her last appearance in racing was in 1972. Largely forgotten by then, she spent her last year’s living alone in Hampton, Middlesex, where she died in 2011, aged 93. Strange, but true.
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:51 The world of Grand Prix racing has always attracted extreme people. Team bosses have often been ambitious, aggressive and anything but normal. Sometimes they are plain dysfunctional. It is part of the attraction of the sport. It’s a soap opera. And some of those who don’t quite make it are just as extraordinary as those who do. Take Robert Cowell, for example. He was a strange one, as you will see. He was born 1918 in Croydon, the son of the then Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Cowell, who had been a prominent and decorated officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps on the Western Front during World War I. He would later be knighted but at that point he was a surgeon at Croydon General Hospital. As Robert (Bob) was growing up, Croydon Aerodrome was developing into the first London Airport and the youngster was fascinated by the flying machines – and by automobile racing. He attended Whitgift School, played rugby and was a member of the school’s Motor Club. Cowell left school at 16, in 1934, and joined the General Aircraft Company in Hanworth to learn about aviation technology. A year later he joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet and learned to fly Tiger Moths at RAF Grantham. He was the youngest officer in the entire Royal Air Force, but he suffered from air sickness and was instantly invalided out. His dreams were smashed. He set himself a new goal. He would run his own Grand Prix team and be a racing driver. He enrolled at University College, London, to study engineering, and began his racing with a class win on the Land’s End Speed Trial, driving a Riley. He was often at Brooklands, helping out, gaining experience and by 1939 he three racing cars and drive one in the Antwerp Grand Prix that year. He also took up flying again and qualified for a civil licence… And then the war came war, and he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, served in Iceland with the goal of getting back into the RAF. He achieved that after a little over a year. By then he had also married and by the end of the war he had two daughters. He flew Spitfires and had a series of adventures while flying reconnaissance missions. Shortly before D-Day he was fortunate to survive a failure of his oxygen supply which left him unconscious in the cockpit, flying over enemy territory. Incredibly, the aircraft stayed in the air, was not hit by flak nor attacked by fighters, and gradually descended until he regained consciousness while over the English Channel and he was managed to fly it back to RAF Gatwick. A few months later, flying a Typhoon on a reconnaissance mission over Germany, his luck ran out. A direct hit from flak meant he had to make a forced landing and was captured and sent to Stalag Luft I, near Lubeck. He was a POW for five difficult months, he was starved but spent most of his time, planning the car he would when his Grand Prix team was up and running. He was liberated in 1945 and returned home. He was then 27. He hooked up with whisky heir Gordon Watson and set up a coachbuilding firm called Leacroft in Egham and they created their own Cowell-Watson sports car, based on a Lea Francis chassis. They also ran an Alta Grand Prix car and both raced it in a variety of events. At the same time he ran a construction company to generate money and even started a dressmaking firm. There was never enough money and Cowell was often in trouble with creditors. The Grand Prix car was never built and in 1951 the name Robert Cowell disappeared from the racing scene. Instead a Roberta Cowell started appearing. It would later emerge that in May 1951 Bob Cowell underwent the first ever sex-change operation, performed by Sir Harold Gillies, the New Zealander known as the father of plastic surgery. Cowell’s businesses failed and Watson disappeared from the scene, but Roberta continued to appear from time to time, winning the Ladies prize at Shelsley Walsh in 1957. The news of the operation broke in the press in 1954 and Cowell was paid considerable sums by newspapers and publishing companies as a result. But the money did not last long and grand plans for flying records failed and by 1958 Cowell was declared bankrupt. She increasingly became reclusive, living with another woman for many years. Her last appearance in racing was in 1972. Largely forgotten by then, she spent her last year’s living alone in Hampton, Middlesex, where she died in 2011, aged 93. Strange, but true. http://ift.tt/2jDCWWg
from F1 Center Fascinating F1 Fact:51 The world of Grand Prix racing has always attracted extreme people. Team bosses have often been ambitious, aggressive and anything but normal. Sometimes they are plain dysfunctional. It is part of the attraction of the sport. It’s a soap opera. And some of those who don’t quite make it are just as extraordinary as those who do. Take Robert Cowell, for example. He was a strange one, as you will see. He was born 1918 in Croydon, the son of the then Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Cowell, who had been a prominent and decorated officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps on the Western Front during World War I. He would later be knighted but at that point he was a surgeon at Croydon General Hospital. As Robert (Bob) was growing up, Croydon Aerodrome was developing into the first London Airport and the youngster was fascinated by the flying machines – and by automobile racing. He attended Whitgift School, played rugby and was a member of the school’s Motor Club. Cowell left school at 16, in 1934, and joined the General Aircraft Company in Hanworth to learn about aviation technology. A year later he joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet and learned to fly Tiger Moths at RAF Grantham. He was the youngest officer in the entire Royal Air Force, but he suffered from air sickness and was instantly invalided out. His dreams were smashed. He set himself a new goal. He would run his own Grand Prix team and be a racing driver. He enrolled at University College, London, to study engineering, and began his racing with a class win on the Land’s End Speed Trial, driving a Riley. He was often at Brooklands, helping out, gaining experience and by 1939 he three racing cars and drive one in the Antwerp Grand Prix that year. He also took up flying again and qualified for a civil licence… And then the war came war, and he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, served in Iceland with the goal of getting back into the RAF. He achieved that after a little over a year. By then he had also married and by the end of the war he had two daughters. He flew Spitfires and had a series of adventures while flying reconnaissance missions. Shortly before D-Day he was fortunate to survive a failure of his oxygen supply which left him unconscious in the cockpit, flying over enemy territory. Incredibly, the aircraft stayed in the air, was not hit by flak nor attacked by fighters, and gradually descended until he regained consciousness while over the English Channel and he was managed to fly it back to RAF Gatwick. A few months later, flying a Typhoon on a reconnaissance mission over Germany, his luck ran out. A direct hit from flak meant he had to make a forced landing and was captured and sent to Stalag Luft I, near Lubeck. He was a POW for five difficult months, he was starved but spent most of his time, planning the car he would when his Grand Prix team was up and running. He was liberated in 1945 and returned home. He was then 27. He hooked up with whisky heir Gordon Watson and set up a coachbuilding firm called Leacroft in Egham and they created their own Cowell-Watson sports car, based on a Lea Francis chassis. They also ran an Alta Grand Prix car and both raced it in a variety of events. At the same time he ran a construction company to generate money and even started a dressmaking firm. There was never enough money and Cowell was often in trouble with creditors. The Grand Prix car was never built and in 1951 the name Robert Cowell disappeared from the racing scene. Instead a Roberta Cowell started appearing. It would later emerge that in May 1951 Bob Cowell underwent the first ever sex-change operation, performed by Sir Harold Gillies, the New Zealander known as the father of plastic surgery. Cowell’s businesses failed and Watson disappeared from the scene, but Roberta continued to appear from time to time, winning the Ladies prize at Shelsley Walsh in 1957. The news of the operation broke in the press in 1954 and Cowell was paid considerable sums by newspapers and publishing companies as a result. But the money did not last long and grand plans for flying records failed and by 1958 Cowell was declared bankrupt. She increasingly became reclusive, living with another woman for many years. Her last appearance in racing was in 1972. Largely forgotten by then, she spent her last year’s living alone in Hampton, Middlesex, where she died in 2011, aged 93. Strange, but true. http://ift.tt/2jDCWWg
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