The death of John Surtees will unite the two biggest motorsport communities in a way that no other could. Only the death of Mike Hailwood over 40 years ago comes close.
To say that Surtees, who died at the age of 83, packed a lot into his life is a masterpiece of understatement. “Big John” was already a seven-time motorcycle World Champion before Formula One came calling in 1960, when he was 26.
It didn’t take him long to conquer that either, as he won the 1964 Formula One world championship for Ferrari to emulate fellow countryman Mike Hawthorn six years before him. He was one of the bright lights in a decade of British greats that included Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Jacki Stewart to name just three.
Surtees was a big name in his own right before he joined the F1 circus. He took his first title aged just 22 on a factory Augusta to become one of the feared names on the motorcycle scene. John would go on to completely dominate between 1958-60, the year he began his F1 career. During that period, he only failed to win five races, finishing on the podium in three of those and winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1959.
In just his second Grand Prix he took second place at Silverstone driving for Lotus at the 1960 British Grand Prix. That woke the F1 world up, but it wasn’t until 1963 that he was snapped up by one of F1’s biggest names – Ferrari.
He won during his debut season with the Scuderia around the fearsome Nurburgring, making the podium on another two occasions. Despite Clark winning his maiden World Championship, the foundations were set for Surtees to make history.
He had to do it the hard way in 1964. Surtees only finished once in the first four races – a second place at the Dutch Grand Prix – and seemed well out of contention on just six points back in seventh place.
But, assisted by the resurgence of Ferrari in the middle of the season he put together an excellent run of four podiums in the next five race races, including wins in Germany and at Monza in the Italian Grand Prix to leave himself five points behind Hill going into the deciding Mexican Grand Prix.
Clark, the outsider nine points back, dominated the early exchanges as Hill was slowed down dramatically after an incident with Surtees’ teammate Lorenzo Bandini. Clark looked all set to win the title until he retired on the last lap with an oil leak, which left Surtees in third behind Bandini when he needed to finish second.
Ferrari saw this and ordered Bandini to allow Surtees through in an early show of their now regular team orders. Surtees ended up taking the championship by one point to achieve a feat that will never be achieved again and become World Champion of the premier class of car and motorcycle racing.
While Clark ran away with the title in 1965 to regain the championship, Ferrari were more competitive in 1966. However, Surtees left the team following a falling out with team manager Eugenio Dragoni over being dropped for the Le Mans 24 hours when he had every chance of a second world title.
Ironically it was to be Jack Brabham, another man with a unique F1 achievement to his name, who took the title. No other man has won a World Championship in a car bearing their own name since the Australian achieved that feat 51 years ago.
For 1967 Surtees joined Honda and over a two-year stint took one victory, although the Japanese marque left the sport at the end of 1968 after Jo Schlesser’s death at the French Grand Prix. After two years at BRM, he formed his own team in 1970.
Team Surtees was to never hit the heights that their owner managed to and John retired, barring one race in 1972, from F1 in 1971 to focus on running the team. After a lack of sponsorship, it folded after the 1978 season.
Tragedy was to strike for Surtees after nurturing the career of his young son, Henry. The 18-year-old was killed in a tragic accident in a Formula 2 race at Brands Hatch in July 2009, when he was struck on the head by a wheel from an incident ahead. After that, he was to set up a charity in his son’s name to help people recovering from injuries.
Surtees possessed records enviable to most of those who only compete in either Formula One or MotoGP. His feat of winning World Championships on two wheels and four is unlikely ever to be matched. But it is important to remember his warm and endearing character, as well as the history-maker he was.
Rounds 5 & 6 – Bahrain International Circuit – 10 / 11 March 2017
QUALIFYING REPORT
Josh Files takes hard-fought pole position
Josh Files conquered the pole at Bahrain International Circuit after an intense and hard-fought battle for pole. The British driver of the Lap 57 Honda Civic beat Davit Kajaia, with the Mulsanne Racing Alfa Romeo Giulietta, by only 68 thousandths of a second, with third-fastest Luca Engstler (Liqui Moly Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf) conceding only 101 thousandths to the poleman, in a result that saw three different car brands represented in the top three and promises a fierce battle in tomorrow’s races.
In a warm afternoon, the session saw an early domination by Engstler (1.09.660) before Files took P1 with a lap time of 1.09.689. Shortly after mid-session; then the qualifying turned into a very tactical session, as all drivers stopped to preserve their tyres.
In the closing minutes, a raging battle delivered the final result, with Files holding narrowly the pole ahead of Kajaia and Engstler. They were followed by the other Liqui Moly Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf cars of Brandon Gdovic and Giacomo Altoè. The US driver was happier with the behavior of his car but regretted not having been able to get his best sector times in a sequence, while the young Italian deliberately kept a set of front tyres for the races tomorrow.
In the title fight, gaps have been closed, with Gdovic leading by 5 and 9 points ahead of Engstler and Files respectively.
Race 1 will kick-off at 12:02 local time (10:02 in Central Europe), while Race 2 is scheduled at 15:45 (13:45 CET). They will be streamed live on the internet atwww.middleeast.tcr-series.com and www.tcr-series.tv .
Driver quotes after Bahrain Qualifying
Josh Files (pole position): “It has been a very close and exciting session, and it’s nice to win a pole like this! The car felt much better, we changed a lot of things in the set-up and it worked well. Even in excess, as from a lot of understeer we went to some oversteer. The only thing we haven’t been able to solve is this tedious misfiring on the main straight, which costs me a hundredth of a second every time it occurs.”
Davit Kajaia (2nd fastest): “It was a good qualifying, but I am obviously a little bit disappointed about missing the pole for so little. Still, we were able to improve much the set-up of the car an tomorrow, I’ll push hard and I’ll go for the win.”
Luca Engstler (3rd fastest): “It was a nice battle and Josh won it on his own merits. I did some little mistakes on my fast laps and in the best of those my driveshaft suddenly broke, with a big bang. Despite all that, the result is very close and I think it will be a nice battle tomorrow.”
For more news on the Middle East TCR Series visit the website here:
CORONEL Tom (ned) Chevrolet Cruze RML team Roal motorsport portrait ambiance during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Argentina at Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina on August 6 to 7 – Photo Jean Michel Le Meur / DPPI
*Dutchman to race privateer Chevrolet in world championship
*Continuity factor key as several components go unaltered for 2017
*More outright wins the target for highly-motivated privateer
Tom Coronel will race on in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, embarking on WTCC season number 13 in the same ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet he used to win two races outright in 2016.
Coronel, the ever-charismatic, ever-popular and ever-enterprising Dutchman, has been part of the WTCC since 2005, notching up six wins from 268 starts as well as claiming the prestigious independent title on two occasions. He joined ROAL Motorsport, the team co-owned by inaugural WTCC champion Roberto Ravaglia, in 2011 and has driven for the Italian squad ever since.
09 CORONEL Tom (ned) Chevrolet Cruze team Roal motorsport action during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Morocco at Marrakech, from May 6 to 8 2016 – Photo Francois Flamand / DPPI
“I am really proud that I have managed to be on the grid for the upcoming WTCC season,” said Coronel, 44. “This is a nice basis for my 2017 racing campaign. Many things remain the same. The car, ROAL Motorsport with Roberto Ravaglia and Aldo Preo for the seventh year in a row, my regular crew of mechanics led by Pietro, the many loyal sponsors and the characteristic yellow, red and black livery on my car that comes with it, even my starting number remains the same. Technically, there won’t be too many changes on the car, but we all know that the world champions from the previous years will no longer be on the grid as a works team. That will certainly make the championship different. More exciting? I think so, and therefore I hope to do even better than the results I scored in 2016. The sign ‘Eat my dust’ on the rear bumper of my car remains in place and let’s hope that many opponents will get to see this in 2017.”
CORONEL Tom (ned) Chevrolet Cruze team Roal motorsport portrait ambiance during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Morocco at Marrakech, from May 6 to 8 2016 – Photo Francois Flamand / DPPI
ROAL Team Principal Roberto Ravaglia, whose WTCC title triumph came 30 years ago this year, said: “I haven’t had such a long relationship with any other driver. As to Tom, it almost seems as if he is part of the ROAL inventory. It is a question of mutual trust and confidence. Last year, we managed to win two races, so for this year, three wins is our goal. Every year, we think that we can’t do any better, yet we manage to do so every time, hence this ambitious goal.”
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCC promoter, said: “Tom is a big character both on-track and off it and very active on social media and sponsorship. Although he has been part of WTCC from day one, he’s never one to sit still, always trying to improve himself and his car or coming up with the latest marketing trick or online video. It’s great to have him in the WTCC and we’d like to think there are more wins to come from him and his ROAL Motorsport team.”
09 CORONEL Tom (ned) Chevrolet Cruze team Roal motorsport action during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Championship race of Portugal, Vila Real from July 24 to 26 – Photo Jorge Cunha / DPPI
The 2017 WTCC season gets underway at FIA WTCC AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco in Marrakech from 7-9 April. Coronel claimed the Opening Race laurels on the semi-permanent street track last season, never cracking under pressure from world champion José María López to win at the wheel of his Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1.
Marina Bay Circuit, Marina Bay, Singapore. Saturday 17 September 2016. World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Photographic ref: Digital Image _ONY7518
Former F1 driver Esteban Gutiérrez will make his Formula E debut with Techeetah, taking over Ma Qinghua’s seat for both next month’s Mexico City ePrix and the remaining rounds of season three.
Ma, who joined Techeetah’s forerunner Team Aguri last year, is yet to score any points in his Formula E career, and it is understood his disappointing results relative to Jean-Éric Vergne are the reason he is being stood down before the season’s end.
Although Techeetah has yet to officially confirm its revised lineup, it is expected that the team will announce Gutiérrez as Vergne’s new teammate shortly, as well as Ma’s retention in a reserve driver role.
2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship. Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco. Saturday 12 November 2016. Ma Qing Hau (CHN), Techeetah, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16. Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E ref: Digital Image _W2Q5594
Gutiérrez had previously looked set to replace Loïc Duval at Dragon but his management was unable to finalise a deal, and so settled instead on Techeetah following a visit to the team’s simulator.
The Mexican is also reported to have held talks with Renault e.Dams and DS Virgin after losing his F1 drive at the end of 2016, specifically to deputise should any of their respective drivers have to miss the Mexico City race for the WEC Prologue in Monza—an opportunity now unavailable, with Sébastien Buemi and José María López flying overnight from the Prologue to Mexico, and Sam Bird granted leave by Ferrari to skip the WEC launch event altogether.
But with Gutiérrez now off the Formula E market, Renault and DS Virgin are still searching for a stand-in apiece when July’s New York ePrix clashes with the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring. It is believed Renault would prefer to draft in a member of its driver development academy, although the top drivers from that pool have schedule clashes of their own in junior formulae; whilst DS Virgin has so far given no updates on who is in the frame to join its current reserve driver Alex Lynn to cover Bird and Lopez in Brooklyn.
Salvador Duran (MEX) Amlin Aguri at Formula E Championship, Rd10, London, England, 27 June 2015.
A few years ago I had the chance to interview the Mexican Formula E driver Salvador Duran. It was one of my best moments as a PitCrew writer. Enjoy it!
TPCO-How difficult is it to drive a Formula E and what makes it different compared with the other cars that you have driven?
SD: What makes really difficult to drive the car is the energy consumption. We have to regenerate a lot of energy and because of this situation; we have to do it with the braking. This means that the breaking gets very unstable. So you never know what to expect of the car in the next corner and the energy consumption is the main difficulty of the car. In fact, the main issue is that we don’t know how much energy we need to finish the race.
TPCO- In 2005 you won the British Formula 3. Did you ever dream at that time that you would drive in a higher series like Formula E?
SD: Yes, of course I had a dream every time. I was always dreaming of driving in a bigger formula, in a higher series and being successful. I’ve never thought about trying to race in a particular series, I was always trying to become a champion. For sure when I won that championship, it made me a lot easier the way for driving in the World Series and A1GP.
TPCO- Formula E is still something new for the fans. If you had the chance to change/improve something in the sport, what would that be?
SD: At the moment, I would say it’s very difficult to judge what I would change, because for being the first season, it has been successful. All the sponsors are really happy to be part of this project. I would say there’s nothing that I would like to change at this moment.
TPCO- How did you feel when you won the Daytona 24 hours? and how was it to drive alongside with Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Pruett?
SD: It was a very special occasion for sure. It’s one of the greatest races in the world.
In that moment I was very young, I had lots of expectations of what to do. Actually, I didn’t have the time to enjoy it as much as I would now, because I was competing in several series and I was trying to be always in the top championships.
At that time, this race was not my goal. When I had the opportunity everything came too quick. I’ve wished I were more mature by that time so I could enjoy it a lot more, but never it’s too late. I still have those memories and I’ve really enjoyed driving those cars under very difficult conditions, because in the middle of the night I remember it was cold and wet. So it was very special for me.
TPCO- Mexico will host a F1 Grand Prix this season. Is your dream to sign a contract with a Formula 1 team and race in your home track?
SD: For sure, it’s an every driver’s dream to sign a contract in F1 and when you have a race in your hometown, of course it’s very special.
At this time in my life, Formula E is the best series for me for the future and right now my dream is to sign another contract for the next season in Formula E.
Therefore, things are changing every single year. Now my priority is Formula E and that’s my dream right now. F1 is something that I would really like to do, but by now as I said for me Formula E is better.
TPCO- Did you ever dream when you were younger that you would drive in Europe?
SD: No, I actually didn’t. When I started racing I was doing soccer as well in a soccer school; so my goal was to become a soccer player. It happened very quickly when my Dad purchased a go-kart for me and I started racing. When I won my first championship in Mexico, they invited me to participate in a formula race in America. I’ve decided to go and participate in two races. They went really well, I’ve had very good results and from there everything went too quick.
I didn’t even have the time to have a dream about that. After the second season I’ve moved to Europe. Then, I’ve realised that I really wanted to become a F1 driver, because I knew what it was needed and I knew that I’d really love to do it.
So, not when I was a kid, but when I was around 17 years old, I’ve started to dream about it.
TPCO- Do you know Roberto Duran? What’s your favourite Duran Duran track?
SD: Haha, I don’t actually (know Roberto Duran).
My favourite track is difficult to say.
I don’t listen too much Duran Duran, but I have very good memories about Duran Duran when Jo Ramirez gave me a CD as present. I remember I’ve listen the CD a lot when I was in Europe, just because it meant a lot for me, because Jo gave it to me.
That’s one of my best memories about this.
TPCO- Describe Aguri Suzuki in 3 words.
SD: He’s a charming guy, intelligent and funny.
TPCO- How close are you with your team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa?
SD: We have a very good relationship since a long time ago, when he was doing Formula Renault 2.0 and I was doing the World Series. We are very good friends, we share a lot about the team and the car.
I really like him as a person and as a driver I really respect him a lot. He is quick, he’s young and he’s very smart in how he does the energy consumption. He has a lot of experience on this and he does it very well.
TPCO-What do you miss the most from Mexico and how often do you go back?
SD: I miss everything. I really love my country. I love everything about it: Food, people, weather. I like everything. I try to go as much as I can. As soon as I have enough time, I go back to Mexico.
TPCO- Talking about Mexican culture now. Mariachi is quite famous in Mexico. Have you ever sung with them to propose to a woman?
SD: That’s a very unique and difficult question to answer, because that’s something very personal. So, I will pass on that one and talking about mariachi, I really love it. I love Mexican music. Actually that’s the kind of music that I listen the most. Mariachi not so much, but I like it a lot. I listen a lot of ‘banda’ and I really, really love all the Mexican culture.
Stuttgart. The Porsche GT Team campaigns two 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR in the GT class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, which has been given world championship status in 2017 for the first time. After a year of development in 2016, the 2015 FIA WEC title winners return with a works entry to the world’s most important GT competition.
The 911 RSR with the starting number 91 can be recognised by the red Porsche lettering on a black windscreen banner and on the rear wing as well as red wing mirrors. The vehicle is driven by the 2015 WEC Champion Richard Lietz (Austria) as well as Frédéric Makowiecki (France). Tackling the series in the number 92 vehicle are Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kévin Estre (France). In contrast to the sister car, their 911 RSR features a white background on the windscreen and the rear wing as well as white wing mirrors.
Both 911 RSR, which were designed from scratch for the 2017 season featuring a four-litre flat-six engine mounted in front of the rear axle, will take part in the official WEC Prologue tests on 1-2 April in Monza. Silverstone (Great Britain) hosts the first race of the season on 16 April.
“In the fight for the maiden GT World Championship title in the FIA WEC we’ve put together two strong driver pairings. And all four pilots come from the world’s best GT hotbed of talent, Porsche’s one-make race series,” says Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser.
The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship races
16 April: 6 Hours of Silverstone (Great Britain)
6 May: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
17/18 June: 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)
16 July: 6 Hours of Nürburgring (Germany)
3 September: 6 Hours of Mexico (Mexico)
16 September: 6 Hours of Austin (USA)
15 October: 6 Hours of Fuji (Japan)
5 November: 6 Hours of Shanghai (China)
18 November: 6 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain)
CORONEL Tom (ned) Chevrolet Cruze team Roal motorsport portrait ambiance during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Morocco at Marrakech, from May 6 to 8 2016 – Photo Francois Flamand / DPPI
AFRIQUIA RENEWS ITS SUPPORT OF WTCC WITH RACE OF MOROCCO EVENT PRESENTING PARTNER AGREEMENT
*Prestigious season opener backed by Morocco’s leading fuel station operator
*Home fans primed to cheer local hero and WTCC title contender Mehdi Bennani
*Live domestic and international TV coverage for Marrakech street spectacular
during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Morocco at Marrakech, from May 6 to 8 2016 – Photo Jean Michel Le Meur / DPPI.
AFRIQUIA, Morocco’s leading fuel station operator, will continue its support of the country’s FIA World Touring Car Championship race weekend by renewing as the Event Presenting Partner of WTCC Race of Morocco from 7-9 April. Part of the Akwa Group, AFRIQUIA will benefit from significant trackside branding, inclusion of its name in the official event title, plus numerous promotional opportunities – such as live national and international television coverage – when the Circuit Moulay El Hassan in Marrakech hosts the prestigious WTCC season-opening event.
CHILTON Tom (gbr) Citroen C Elysee team Sebastien Loeb racing portrait ambiance CORONEL Tom (ned) Chevrolet Cruze RML team Roal motorsport portrait ambiance BENNANI Mehdi (mar) Citroen C Elysee team Sebastien Loeb racing portrait ambiance during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Morocco at Marrakech, from May 6 to 8 2016 – Photo Jean Michel Le Meur / DPPI.
In what is a significant year for Moroccan motorsport with celebrations due to take place to mark 60 years since the country’s first Formula One grand prix in 1957, FIA WTCC AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco has the honour of hosting the opening event of the new season when local hero Mehdi Bennani is expected to be one of several title contenders in his Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën CElysée WTCC. François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCC promoter, said: “We are delighted that AFRIQUIA has renewed as Event Presenting Partner of WTCC Race of Morocco. The Marrakech weekend is hugely popular with all grandstand seats selling out last year and a cumulative audience of 62.361 million watching live on TV around the world. There’s always a strong attendance by local media and, in Mehdi Bennani, there’s a genuine chance of a home winner for the Moroccan fans to cheer.”
AMBIANCE during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Morocco at Marrakech, from May 6 to 8 2016 – Photo Jean Michel Le Meur / DPPI.
WTCC AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco is the first of 10 World Touring Car Championship race weekends in 2017 with visits to Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East scheduled between April and December. Mehdi Bennani won the WTCC Trophy title for independent racers last season and claimed his maiden Main Race triumph at the final event of 2016 in Qatar.
WTCC LEGEND MULLER SIGNS FOR POLESTAR FACTORY TEAM
*Four-time world champion joins Cyan Racing as development driver and senior advisor
*Muller to pilot Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 during official Monza testing next week
Yvan Muller, the four-time winner of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, will continue his WTCC adventure after all following his appointment as Cyan Racing’s development driver and senior advisor.
Frenchman Muller retired from full-time driving after last November’s WTCC DHL Race of Qatar where he secured the runner-up spot in the final standings behind then Citroën team-mate José María López.
Since joining the Swedish organisation on 1 January, Muller has attended all pre-season tests, working closely with factory drivers Thed Björk, Nicky Catsburg and Néstor Girolami, as well as with the team on other areas of development.
“I am really glad and proud to have recruited Yvan to Cyan Racing,” said Christian Dahl, CEO of Cyan Racing. “There is no other touring car driver as experienced as him in the world and he is a vital asset to the team. We can already see the progress made, even though our cooperation is still quite new. The plan for the moment is that he is not going to race for us, but rather focus on testing and development.”
Muller is the most successful driver in WTCC history with more titles (four), wins (48), pole positions (29), fastest laps (38) and laps led (571) than any of his rivals. For the past 10 seasons, he has not finished outside of the top three in the final standings.
“To start a cooperation with Cyan Racing is something that I am very pleased with,” said the 47-year-old. “They developed strongly last year for their first season and we have made interesting progress during the winter testing. I look forward to continuing to work with them and developing the car, as well as the team.”
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCC promoter, added: “You don’t become the most successful driver in WTCC history by chance and Cyan Racing has pulled off something of a coup by recruiting such a valuable asset. Yvan has made no secret of the enjoyment and satisfaction he gets from developing cars into race winners and without him, I doubt Citroën would have progressed so fast and achieved so much success so quickly. He brought a huge amount to that team and I have no doubt he will make an important contribution as Polestar Cyan Racing aims to win the World Touring Car Championship for Drivers and Manufacturers this season. Maybe there might be an opportunity for Yvan to do a one-off WTCC race – I know the fans would love to see him back racing again.”
Muller will be in action during the official WTCC test at Monza in Italy on 14 March and will continue behind the wheel during the following day’s running at the Italian track.
BENNANI BECOMES LATEST WTCC TITLE CONTENDER
*Moroccan re-signs for Sébastien Loeb Racing
*WTCC Trophy winner has what it takes to go one better in 2017
*Championship challenge begins on home soil next month
BENNANI Mehdi (mar) Citroen C Elysee team Sebastien Loeb racing portrait ambiance during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Championship at Shanghai, China, September 23 to 25 – Photo Jean Michel Le Meur / DPPI
The FIA World Touring Car Championship has yet another title contender after Moroccan racer Mehdi Bennani confirmed his 2017 campaign.
Bennani, 33, will embark on his third season with Sébastien Loeb Racing, armed once again with a Citroën C-Elysée WTCC.
In his eighth full campaign in the all-action world championship, Bennani is among eight drivers being earmarked as genuine title challengers in what is expected to be the most open WTCC season for almost a decade.
His status stems from the outright wins he scored in Hungary and Qatar on his way to a career-high fifth in the overall standings last season, plus his capture of the prestigious WTCC Trophy crown for independent racers in the same year.
Podium of race 1. BENNANI Mehdi (mar) Citroen C Elysee team Sebastien Loeb racing during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Hungary at hungaroring, Budapest from April 22 to 24, 2016 – Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI
“I am very pleased to continue this collaboration with Sébastien Loeb Racing,” said Bennani. “To me, stability is an important aspect to prioritise, especially considering how much we’ve learnt together these past two years. We all know how competitive the Citroën C-Elysée is and the team knows exactly how to make it perform to its best.
“I’m starting this new season with yet more confidence than the two previous ones. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the first race to have a true idea of the hierarchy, but I hope we’ll see in our results the improvements drawn from 2015 and 2016. Finally, I am overjoyed to welcome Afriquia as a new sponsor. It is particularly meaningful to me that they are a Moroccan company and I will do my utmost for our association to be rewarded with victory!”
Sébastien Loeb, ex-WTCC racer and co-founder of the Alsace-based team, said: “Mehdi has proven himself to be a key element for our team over these past two years. Keeping him with us was essential. He has integrated into the team perfectly, while at the same time gaining greater knowledge and control of his C-Elysée.
Start of race 1. 25 BENNANI Mehdi (mar) Citroen C Elysee team Sebastien Loeb racing action during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Race of Hungary at hungaroring, Budapest from April 22 to 24, 2016 – Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI
“He has the capacities needed to reach podium places even more often this season. We have prepared for this with two test drives in Navarra, as well as in Monteblanco, in Spain. I am delighted to conclude that with Mehdi, Tom Chilton and John Filippi our WTCC group is once again looking strong.”
“Mehdi was very solid and consistent across the season last year as his results clearly show,” said François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCC promoter. “He finished high in the overall standings, won the WTCC Trophy and led Sébastien Loeb Racing last year. There are world title expectations around him this year, and I’m certain his team is also able to support him on that significant step.”
Bennani, who became the first Arabic driver to win an FIA world championship motor race in Shanghai in 2014, has made 170 WTCC starts to date and has three wins, one pole and two fastest laps to his name. He’s also led 86 laps so far and looks set to add to that tally in 2017.
The 2017 WTCC season gets underway at WTCC Race of Morocco in Marrakech from 7-9 April.
25 BENNANI Mehdi (mar) Citroen C Elysee team Sebastien Loeb racing action during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Championship race at Losail from November 23 to 25 Qatar – Photo Clement Marin / DPPI
Five Mehdi moments
1: Makes WTCC debut on home soil in Morocco in 2009, qualifies P14 and takes a pair of ninths, plus top independent laurels in race one.
2: Scores first outright WTCC win, crossing the finishing line first in Shanghai in 2014.
3: Joins Sébastien Loeb Racing for 2015, narrowly misses out on WTCC Trophy title.
4: Makes light of the Hungarian rain to land his second outright victory in April 2016.
5: Scores first Main Race triumph from his first outright pole in Qatar having wrapped up the WTCC Trophy title spoils at the previous event in China.
After rising through the single seater ranks to the heights of GP2 and most recently winning races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Tio Ellinas (Larnaca, Cyprus) is making the switch to sports car racing for 2017 with the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and JTR.
Echoing the team’s own move for 2017, Ellinas will be competing a 911 GT3 Cup for the first time as part of a three-car line up for JTR in their debut sports car season. Along with team mates Dino Zamparelli and Lewis Plato, Ellinas is a significant addition to an already strong field of Pro category drivers who now account for a half of the total grid.
Ellinas won races with JTR in the 2010 British Formula Ford championship, before going on to win races in Formula Renault 2.0, GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5. Despite a Formula One test and points-scoring GP2 debut, Ellinas is realistic about the season ahead:
“It will be a completely new challenge for me as I begin my first season in sports cars. I had a really positive test with Porsche at Silverstone in November which is what started things moving, and now I just can’t wait to get back in a car.
“I know the competition will be tough, but I also know from past experience with JTR that the guys will provide me with a great car – so perhaps I can fight for wins and possibly challenge for the championship later in the year. Why not!?
Porsche Carrera Cup Silverstone Taster day 2016
“This is a big move for me that I hope will lead to a long career in the sport. I want to thank the team, and also personally Nick Tandy, for believing in my abilities and putting me in the car for this season.”
Team Principal, Nick Tandy, has every confidence in his new signing and the strength of the team going into the season:
“We’ve known Tio a long time and we’re delighted to welcome him back to the team. He’s won a lot of races and has an enviable track record in single seaters, but we’re all ‘eyes open’ to the challenge as he adapts to a completely different style of car.
“The first official test isn’t far away, but back in November Tio proved he didn’t need long to get up to a really good pace in the car. Along with Dino and Lewis, we couldn’t have hoped for a stronger line up in our first season of sports cars.”
Porsche Silverstone Taster day 2016
James MacNaughton, Motorsport Manager, Porsche Cars GB, commented:
“To have a driver of Tio’s experience and with his track record join the Porsche Carrera Cup GB is a proud moment for us. We’ve worked hard to make sure the championship appeals to all our competitors in every category, and it’s something which can be a difficult balance to achieve.
“Looking at the strength of our Pro drivers, along with the continued support of our Pro-Am1 and Pro-Am2 competitors, we must be getting it right. The field for our 15th season looks fiercely competitive and we can’t wait to get going.”
Porsche Carrera Cup Silverstone Taster day 2016
Ellinas is the 10th confirmed Pro category driver so far, and will be joining Tom Wrigley (IN2 Racing), Jamie Orton (Redline Racing) and Matt Telling (Welch Motorsport) in the Rookie championship.
Neil Simmons
Twitter: @world_racing
Images courtesy of and with permission by Porsche Carrera Cup GB
I have always had a thing for speed. Even when I learned to walk, I didn’t—I ran. That can perhaps be traced back to my parents, both of whom worked in various types of racing during the 60s and 70s.
It could also just be the way I’m made: the way the sound of a engine shattering a still morning stirs my soul like nothing else can, the way rounded fenders and wide wheels make my heart skip a beat, that’s just me. I would rather be elbow deep in an engine at a dirt track than out shopping any day.
That’s not to say I don’t enjoy doing things that are typically considered to be feminine—I do—just not as much as working on cars and watching racing: and by racing, I mean real racing, as it was when legends thundered down the hallowed walls of epic tracks like Indy, Monza, Monte Carlo, and the little dirt tracks of North Carolina.
I’m an indiscriminate race fan. If it has wheels and rolls and can be raced, I’m pretty much game. Again, perhaps that is attributed to the people I grew up with, or perhaps it’s my own competitive nature. I will watch, on television and live, any racing I can: dirt cars, sprint cars, NASCAR, Indy Car, hill climbs, and of course my favorite—Formula 1. There is nothing like Formula 1, the sounds those car make are the stuff dreams are made of, and they have been in my dreams for more years than I can count.
There is something special about every series: something magical about the sideways slide of a dirt car, the high banks of Daytona, and the vastness of Indy. There is nothing, however, like the feeling that emanates from Monza when the Ferraris roll onto the track, nothing like the tight corners of Spa, or the complicated nature of Hockenheim. Formula 1 is something special, something intangible, something…dare I say, magical? It is, and for any fan you need not explain it further.
That all being said, without question Michelle Mouton is my favorite female driver. Yes, I realize she was a rally driver (did I mention I love rallying too?) but she was a damn good one. I knew the first time I saw her drive I was seeing something special. She could really drive, and she still can. There is no need for her to pose for PlayBoy or lay across a car for attention—she could drive one, and her driving spoke for itself. She was brilliant and bold and always behaved with class, while still remaining fun and exciting, both on and off the track. She hung the rear end of her Audi Quattro over the edge of Pikes Peak without fear and gave the men a run for their money every time she was in the car. As if that wasn’t enough, she could work on her own car too. She was a mechanic, a driver—and to this woman, a hero.
Speed is still my thing. I drive too fast (although carefully, of course) all the time. I live for those moments of open road when I turn my car loose and I can revel in the sound of the engine. I wait impatiently all winter for the next spring when the sweet sounds of engines roar to life and my soul smiles again.
When I was asked to write about myself for World Women’s Day I thought, “That’s an easy one!”—after all, I can be summed up in one word: lunatic!
I love F1 and DTM. Anything silly makes me laugh, and I am obsessed with minions; those little yellow guys never fail to make me laugh! I work in a coffee shop with two lovely guys (I had better say that in case they read this!). I am so lucky to love my job, and get to chat to all our lovely customers every day. I totally love animals: we have two cats and I also have a (very spoiled) dog that lives with my mum. I have been lucky enough to live in many different places including Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands. My Spanish is pretty good but I don’t miss living there! I love cars and always have done. If I had to pick my top three cars, I guess they would be the BMW Isetta, Mercedes C63 AMG Black series, and the Bentley Continental GT.
I first got into F1 due to my dad and brother watching it and have been a long time supporter of Williams, but these days I’m more of a driver fan than a team fan. My all-time favourite driver is Ralf Schumacher; for the last few years I’ve supported Nico Rosberg but as he has left the building I have had to find a new driver to support in 2017, and after much deliberation I decided on Nico Hulkenberg: I’ve always thought he was a very underrated driver and a future world champion!
Besides motorsport I enjoy playing games—Lego Batman is my favourite at the moment. I’m a fan of NFL and support the Tennessee Titans, I love music and am slightly obsessed with Chad Kroeger’s voice! Nickelback is one of my favourite bands, but to be honest I like most music. I have way too many shoes, clothes, bags, hats, and scarves, I love crazy hats and can often be seen wearing an angry bird on my head—not a real bird of course, even I’m not that loopy…I think!
