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Crew Towers Tips – 2017

Every racing fan has an opinion and we are no different over here at Crew Towers, as you would expect.

Some of the ‘creative meetings’ where we discuss future articles descend into a banter filled cacophony of voices who confidently state their opinions.

We wanted to get the 2017 championship tips from the experts….but they weren’t available, so we asked the Pit Crew Online team to make their predictions instead.

Some writers contribute across multiple series, therefore you may see them predicting a whole host of categories.

CREW TOWERS TIPS – 2017

Richard Hindson – Facebook Media Editor

Twitter: @hindson369

F1 Prediction: A Red Bull Driver

“My F1 world champion prediction is a Red Bull Racing driver. It’s hard to choose between the two. Both showed real pace last season and proved they could race wheel to wheel with no contact. This season they will be at the front of the grid battling for the sports grandest prize. Who will come out on top may come down to reliability, like we saw in 2016.”

Mitch Oakley – BTCC Editor

Twitter: @Tocco_97

BTCC Prediciton: Gordon Shedden

“Based on the last two years, it’s very hard to look past the Honda of Gordon Shedden. The reigning champ will be looking to add another title to his collection. No doubt his teammate will be pushing close behind. Also never count out Turkington now he is back at WSR and of course Plato is always there-or-there abouts. Either way it should be a cracker!”

Matthew Pigg – Endurance Editor/Photographer

Twitter: @photopigg

LMP1-H Prediction: Porsche

LMP2 Prediction: Alpine

“Looking forwards to great competition in the WEC this year with the battle in LMP1-H between Porsche and Toyota. My hunch would be that Porsche will come out on top after the whole season, but hoping that Toyota get that Le Mans win after last year’s heart break. LMP2 looks like it’s going to be interesting with new cars and teams coming in, but too close to call as to who will win. A good bet would be Alpine to retain the crown. GTE Pro sees the return of Porsche with two cars going up against Ferrari, Ford and Aston Martin. It is going to be another close call and could easily go any of the team’s way and a lot of what happens with GTE will depend on what happens with balance of performance.”

Aaron Irwin – Virtual Editor

Twitter: @AaronIrwin7

Virtual GP Prediction: Michal Smidl

“We cover a series called Virtual GP and the simplest way I can describe it is F1 on a computer. There is one stand out favourite for the series and his name is Michal Smidl, he’s won the series twice and is the hot favourite. However he has challengers to his crown in Martin Stefanko and Jaroslav Honzik. In a series of fast and enjoyable racing, anyone can shine. It’s close and tense and it looks likely that Smidl will hold on to his crown, but he won’t have it all his own way.”

Rhea Morar – Deputy F1 Editor

Twitter: @RheaMorar

F1 Prediction: Red Bull

“Unbelievably I predict that the tough fight for the championship will be between the Sauber boys… who has the more perfect hair…. Ericsson or Wehrlein? Seriously though, look out for the Red Bull boys is all that I can predict right now.”

Victor Archakis – F1 Editor

Twitter: @FP_Passion

F1 Prediction: Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel

“My heart says Ferrari. My logic says Mercedes, but I can’t resist to my heart’s willing, hence I will pick Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel as 2017 champions!”

Tonia Attard – NASCAR Feature Writer

Twitter: @audilvrs7

NASCAR Prediction: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“With the checkered flag dropped on the Daytona 500, the start of the NASCAR season is officially underway. This year’s 500, with its new rules and regulations, proved to be exciting just as NASCAR hoped although maybe in the wrong way as a multitude of wrecks perforated the green flag laps. That being said clear indications of who may, or may not, be in contention for the Championship were given and as NASCAR editor it is my job to give them to you. First and foremost, Dale Earnhardt Jr. While this may not be the choice most people would go with, Junior was fast at Daytona. Fast like we haven’t seen him for a long time. He sat on pole for a while before Chase Elliot bumped him to his second place starting position. From there he had a strong run until an accident took him out of the running. Earnhardt has a strong motivation to drive hard as well. He has said that if he wins the Championship this year he will retire. He wants to go out on top. There is no more motivation like taking that last big leap of faith. Chase Elliot, Earnhardt’s teammate also looks promising for a Championship. Young and hungry but now more experienced. Bill Elliot’s son proudly carries on the family name and hopes to make a name for himself in NASCAR history.”

Kiko Giles – Crew On Two Editor

Twitter: @MotoGPKiko

MotoGP Prediction: Valentino Rossi

Moto2 Prediction: Franco Morbidelli

Moto3 Prediction: Fabio Di Giannantonio

WSBK Prediction: Chaz Davies

BSB Prediction: Luke Mossey

“MotoGP is fierce this year, with young hounds challenging the young – and old – established war horses. My money in 2017 is on Valentino Rossi. And before you all sigh and look away, there are some alternative reasons, apart from his ability to ride. He’s old, he’s getting on and it could be now or never for Rossi. But a new teammate will also spur him on. He enjoys a challenge and has re-invented himself for the last four seasons. The Michelins have a year under their belt so Valentino has a solid base-setting to work on. Cut the crashing, and bring home the bacon, on the podium at every round like he had potential last season and he’s your man in 2017 – not without stiff competition.

Moto2 sees four of the top eight in last season’s campaign move up, leaving the door open for many challenges and a break of what we have known. Franco Morbidelli is a rider who impressed me so much towards the end of last season. Having come so close in Australia in that finish with Tom Luthi, and having been in a titanic scrap in Valencia with MotoGP graduate and double champion Johann Zarco, Morbidelli must be favourite this season. It could be between him, Luthi and San Marino GP winner, Lorenzo Baldassarri.

Moto3 is anyone’s guess, but due to his sheer skill last season, Fabio Di Giannantionio definitely gets my backing. The rookie Italian came so close to winning at Mugello as well as Assen and his only retirement after his first point scoring ride was getting wiped out at Phillip Island. He is retained by the same team for 2017 and the Gresini Racing set up have some titles in their pocket from seasons gone by. Fabio will be up there, but that is only one prediction out of many that could possibly take the title.

In WSBK although Jonathan Rea has started with a double victory, Chaz Davies took his best points haulage from the first round of the season. The Welshman is my tip for a tilt at the title in 2017. His sensational form that ended 2016 (7 wins in 8 of the final races) was something that only Colin Edwards had done before. The Ducati is getting better and at last Davies looks like he may have a teammate that he can rely on for support in Marco Melandri. The 30-year-old will be on fire once we get to Europe, which is where Chaz is at his absolute finest.

British Superbikes sees additions galore in 2017. Davide Giugliano and Sylvain Guintoli amongst the most notable. Shane Byrne took his 5th title last season, as an out and out Shakey fan I want him to do the same – but I am not backing him and I’m not tipping Leon either. I believe the upset could come from his teammate. Luke Mossey is my stab for a title this season. The youngster – now with a full factory set up – put in some astounding results last year, and could be the one to be keep an eye on this season. However, BSB is BSB, and we know Shakey, Haslam, Ellison and the like will all be up there – it really is anyone’s guess.”

Viv Gillings – Photographer

Twitter: @viv_simmons

WEC GT Prediction: Ford

MotoGP Prediction: Ducati

“I am predicting with my heart not my head on the above series. I have always been a ‘Ford Bird’ and they are my prediction in the GT category for WEC and in MotoGP I am going with a Ducati rider, whether that is Jorge or Dovi. My predictions are purely heart fuelled as Ford and Ducati are my favourites. I will also be cheering on Chris Wheeler in the British Rally Championship.”

Tomasz Kubiak – WTCC & DTM Feature Writer

Twitter: @tomekkubiak

WTCC Prediction: Rob Huff

DTM Prediction: Mike Rockenfeller

“WTCC – The favourite to win the 2017 World Touring Car Championship should be Rob Huff. The Briton saw an opportunity in leaving the factory Honda team to join the privateer Münnich Motorsport and it is not as crazy as it sounds. The single-car operation will be focused around him and won’t have to worry about a manufacturers’ championship, dealing with rookie team mates (there’s one in both Honda and Volvo camps) or developing a car, as the Citroën is a fully finished and impressively quick machine. If factories will decide to go after drivers’ title, Tiago Monteiro and Nicky Catsburg would become the biggest treats.

DTM – Stopping BMW will be extremely difficult as the Bavarian brand won three drivers’ titles in five years since they returned to DTM. They are, however, yet to win in an odd year and if someone is in position to capitalise on that, it should be Audi. The Neuburg-based marque was the only one to keep all of their teams and will utilise the resources freed up by the unfortunate ending to their endurance racing programme. Watch out for Mike Rockenfeller but BMW’s Marco Wittmann and Mercedes-AMG’s Edoardo Mortara are good guesses as well.”

Jack Prentice – F1 Technical Editor

Twitter: @JPrentice8

F1 Prediction: Sebastian Vettel

“Predicting the Formula One season ahead of us right now is a bit like predicting when a comet will next hit the earth. The immense changes in technical regulations have the potential to shake the order up somewhat, but after the first round of testing it looks like the same three will be at the sharp end. That said, once again Ferrari look like they’ve taken the game to Mercedes while Red Bull still have some work to do. If Ferrari have upped their game, then it’s hard to look past a Vettel v Hamilton title scrap. How much fun would that be?”

James Matthews – Formula E Editor and Mercedes Feature Writer

Twitter: @James16Matthews

Formula E Prediction: Sebastien Buemi

“If anyone but Buemi and Renault come out on top this season, it could well be the upset of the year. With three wins from the opening three races, Buemi is driving at a level above the rest of the grid—at this rate, even his absence from New York won’t hurt his campaign for a second title.”

Warren Nel – Rally Editor

Twitter: @Warren_S_Nel

WRC Prediction: Sebastien Ogier

“I believe that Seb will become this year’s Champion. His main challengers will be Thierry Neuville, Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala. Hyundai have built a very good car. It’s certainly faster than the others! Citroën are a sleeping giant and are on the back-foot. The Toyota return has been remarkable with two podiums and a victory. I’m not sure if they can sustain a full fight all year, but they are the dark horses I believe, with a resurgent Jari-Matti Latvala. He’s definitely looking more relaxed behind the wheel. Next round is Rally Mexico! 9th to the 12th of March.”

Elliott York – Crew On Two Feature Writer

Twitter: @journoyork

MotoGP Prediction: Maverick Vinales

WSBK Prediction: Chaz Davies

BSB Prediction: Leon Haslam

“MotoGP – The 26th of March is a date that every MotoGP fan will welcome with open arms as Qatar kick starts what promises to be a stellar year of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

For me, Vinales on the M1 Yamaha is going to take some stopping this year. You only have to look at testing to see how quick he is going to be, which is why he is my tip for the crown.

I’d love to see Rossi claim his 10th title, and I think he will be challenging the likes of Vinales and Marquez all the way, but I just see Maverick being the top gun in 2017.

WSBK – Phillip Island gave us an indicator of just how competitive this year is going to be in World Superbikes. Johnathan Rea laid down the gauntlet, however I think Chaz Davies can really take it to him this year and claim his maiden Superbike title. The Ducati looks like it is the complete package this year, and with the help of team mate Melandri, Davies can upset the Kawasaki party. If the Welshman can remain consistent on tracks that he doesn’t go well at (Phillip Island being a great example) then I think he’ll be in pole position to get his hands on the title.

BSB – It is hard to see past Leon Haslam and Shane Byrne again this year, which is why I’m backing the Kawasaki man to go one better in 2017. Leon now has a year’s experience under his belt after returning to BSB from World Superbikes which will give him a vast amount of confidence. It will be another titanic battle between the two, with other names such as James Ellison having an outside shot, but for me it’s Haslam who will take the title.”

Neil Simmons – Tin Top Editor & McLaren/Feature Writer

Twitter: @world_racing

F1 Prediction: Max Verstappen

WRX Prediction: Johan Kristoffersson

BTCC Prediction: Colin Turkington

IndyCar Prediction: Will Power

Indy500 Prediction: Josef Newgarden

WEC LMP1 Prediction: Porsche #1 (Lotterer, Tandy, Jani)

WEC LMP2 Prediction: Rebellion #31 (Prost, Senna, Canal)

WEC GTE-Pro Prediction: Ford #67 (Priaulx, Tincknell, Derani)

WEC GTE-Am Prediction: Aston Martin #98 (Lauda, Dalla Lana, Lamy)

MotoGP Prediction: Maverick Vinales

WSBK Prediction: Chaz Davies

BSB Prediction: Davide Giugliano

Isle Of Man TT: John McGuinness

“I cover a lot of racing here at The Crew, but I narrowed it down to my favourite series.

In Formula One I am looking back over the last couple of seasons and at the confidence of Red Bull and their young star going into 2017. I think it will be a closely contested season between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, but Max Verstappen gets my tip, just, ahead of Sebastian Vettel. One to watch on my list is Nico Hulkenberg, he could be the breath of fresh air that Renault need to lift their hopes of regular points.

World Rallycross is a difficult one. There is such a depth of talent in the field this year and although I think both Solberg and Ekstrom will be in the mix again, I am going with my ‘joker’ and tip Johan Kristoffersson for the title in the works Polo. Also watch out for Kevin “Round The Outside” Eriksson who I expect to cause a few upsets in the MJP Ford Fiesta.

In the BTCC my prediction changed recently. When thinking of this article I was looking at Mat Jackson in the Focus or Jason Plato in the Subaru. Then a certain Colin Turkington signed for West Surrey Racing and the former 2009 and 2014 champion is my tip in the BMW, though I expect the usual suspects to be sniffing around. Watch out for Ash Sutton in the Subaru, I like this lad.

Over in the good old USA, the IndyCar season is upon us and I really can’t see any other person than a Team Penske driver taking the title. However, I don’t think Simon Pagenaud will retain his title because I believe the 2017 championship will go to Will Power. I also think that Ryan Hunter-Reay will have a good season, but another prediction I will make concerns the Indy 500. My tip for the ‘big one’ goes to Josef Newgarden who steps into Team Penske, moving Montoya down to a more part-time driving role, and I think he could be the surprise name of the season, possibly even challenging Power for the title?

WEC – with four classes it is hard to get them all right, but I will try to have a punt on this. In the LMP1 class I can’t look at anything else other than the #1 Porsche of Lotterer, Tandy and Jani. I just think they have the quality to take this and I think they will win Le Mans. In LMP2 with names such as Prost and Senna in their cars with Canal also, I am going for the #31 Rebellion. In GTE-Pro, my heart says Aston Martin (as a lifelong fan) but I am going to predict a class championship win for the #67 Ford of Priaulx, Tincknell and Derani. In the Am category I am sticking with the #98 Aston Martin of Lauda, Dalla Lana and Lamy.

Bikes – some of you are aware that from time to time I step in to assist our Crew On Two editor Kiko Giles with some bike stuff, being a massive bike racing fan myself. I think that MotoGP will have a rocket put up its exhaust pipe and that Maverick Vinales will be crowned 2017 champion, though I expect Rossi and Marquez to be in the mix as always. My tip in WSBK for 2017 is the same man I tipped in 2016, Chaz Davies. I just think this is his year, be it that Jonathan Rea won the opening races. I think Chaz in the long run will come out on top and the Ducati is just getting better. In British Superbikes, which I have to say is my favourite bike racing series, although I am a massive Shakey Byrne fan and a lifelong Ducati fan, add to that I like Leon Haslam, I am predicting a 2017 title win for Davide Giugliano on the Tyco BMW. My one to watch is John ‘Hopper’ Hopkins back on the Ducati at Moto Rapido. For the Isle Of Man TT, I’m going to go for the old war horse John McGuinness to take the big one. I don’t think he’ll surpass Joey Dunlop’s tally this year, but I am tipping him to take the big race.“

Those are the predictions from Crew Towers for the forthcoming season. Who are your tips?

See you at the chequered flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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Haas reflects on strong start to sophomore season

The Haas F1 team has made good progress in the first round of pre-season testing, according to team principal Gunther Steiner.

The team’s second-ever F1 car, the VF-17, made its track debut on Monday at the hands of new recruit Kevin Magnussen, who recorded the fourth fastest time of the day at a little over a second behind Lewis Hamilton’s benchmark 1:21.765s.

His programme was hampered by a return of the brake troubles that plagued Haas in 2016, but Magnussen insisted the interruptions were just “typical baby problems”, and added that his first taste of the team’s 2017 challenger was an experience he “enjoyed a lot”.

Returning to the wheel on the following day, the Dane on supersofts lowered his best lap time to 1:22.204s, once again enough for fourth on the timesheets. This was set en route to amassing a total of 118 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya—the most of any driver.

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Tuesday 28 February 2017.
World Copyright: Sam Bloxham/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _SLB9550

Romain Grosjean then took charge of the VF-17 for the remaining two days. As with Magnussen, Grosjean’s first session on track was disrupted by a series of electrical and setup issues, and he ended Wednesday with just 56 laps under his belt.

But on the final day of testing, the Frenchman was able to match his teammate’s Tuesday best by finishing fourth fastest on a 1:22.309s and at the top of the lap count.

At the conclusion of the week’s sessions, team principal Gunther Steiner remarked upon the progress Haas has made since last year and distance the VF-17 was able to cover in Barcelona: “Compared with last year, [reliability has] been a lot better. We know a lot more about the car than we did four days ago. Now we can make the next step and hone it out, make it better.”

Steiner also praised the work of partner Ferrari, hailing the “fantastic job” done by the Scuderia on its 2017 power unit.

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Wednesday 01 March 2017.
World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _R3I6340

Haas returns for the second week of pre-season testing on Tuesday, with Magnussen driving on days one and three, and Grosjean on days two and four.

James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

Images courtesy of Haas F1 Team

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F1 Fantasy League Rules & Scoring

Welcome to The Pit Crew Online 2017 F1 Fantasy League.

In this post I will inform you of the very simple rules and how you score throughout the season.

You will choose a team and make predictions, these will score you accumulative points over the course of the season (any players of fantasy football leagues will understand this).

Firstly, what you will be choosing.

Before the first race of the season you will email your team and predictions using the form attached to the F1 Group to pitcrewfantasyleague@gmail.com and now I will explain how you pick your teams and make your predictions. Alternatively email and I will send you the simple entry form.

SELECTING YOUR TEAM

You are allowed to pick 6 drivers from any team, but you are NOT allowed to pick two drivers from the same team. This is your racing team. If you think by picking the top drivers you are guaranteed top points, think again and see HOW YOU SCORE later in this post.

PREDICTIONS

On the form you will be asked to predict finishing places 1st-10th in order (the official championship points scoring positions).

HOW YOU SCORE (or don’t score in some cases)

– Qualifying: A driver gets points where he finishes in qualifying so for example Pole = 20pts, 2nd = 19pts, 3rd = 18pts…….all the way down to 20th = 1pt. **Please note it is where they start on the grid and not where they qualify that counts – penalties taken into consideration**

– Any driver who finishes in the championship scoring points position will recive those official FIA points (1st = 25pts, 2nd = 18pts, 3rd = 15pts, 4th = 12pts, 5th = 10pts, 6th = 8pts, 7th = 6pts, 8th = 4pts, 9th = 2pts and 10th = 1pt).

– A driver will get 5 points for every place they make up from their starting position to their finishing position. For example, if Pascal Wehrlein started 20th and finished 12th, he has made up 8 places and therefore receive 40 points (8 places x 5 points per place).

– For a driver who starts on pole and wins the race you will receive 20 points.

– If a driver in your team gets pole postion in qualifying you will receive 10 points.

– If a driver in your team sets the fastest lap you will receive 10 points

– If any driver in your team receives a penalty (pre-race or during race), retires or crashes out of the race you will be deducted 20 points per penalty. (if there is a post race penalty to be carried to next race then this will be shown after the next Grand Prix).

– Predictions: You will have predicted positions 1st – 10th and for each position you predict correctly you will receive the official FIA Championship points for that position (as mentioned above).

BONUS CIRCUIT

On the form provided you will choose your bonus circuit. This will DOUBLE your points for that Grand Prix weekend. You may wish to choose your bonus circuit based on your drivers in your team (to suit their driving style) or you may wish to just select your favourite track. The choice is yours.

TEAM CHANGES (or tokens)

As with F1 teams allocated engine tokens for the season, the same can be said for this fantasy league. You are only allowed to make 10 team or prediction changes for the entire season. Once you have used up your allocated 10 tokens, you are unable to make any further changes. When wishing to make a change at all, you will email me with your team name to pitcrewfantasyleague@gmail.com I will check this before every Grand Prix, all changes must be made prior to the green light going on for qualifying of a Grand Prix or they will not count for that race – So choose wisely.

As you can see from the points scoring system above, sometimes it is not choosing the best drivers in the best cars which gets you points. Reliability is the key.

THAT my team principals are the rules and how you score. The results after every Grand Prix will be posted on this page.

Good luck.

What are you waiting for, go do some pre-season testing.

See you at the chequred flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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Red Bull Racing – Code Name RB13

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Wednesday 01 March 2017.
World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _31I2364

 

The Red Bull RB13 was unveiled this week and much attention has been made of what the new cars will look like due to the new regulations.

“The RB13 is the prettiest car we have designed and made because the geometry of the car and the new regulations means the proportions look right. It looks mean and it looks fast. Its that aid old adage it if looks right then it tends to go alright,” said Christian Horner.

“What excites us most about 2017 is the opportunities the new regulations give us. That’s going to push every department, in the whole team to try and outwit, outsmart, outdevelop, outproduce our rivals and that is going to be a stellar challenge in formula one this year.”

Red Bull have plenty of reasons to be confident this season. Their drivers’ Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo have showed in 2016 that they have the ability and drive to challenge Mercedes in 2017.

“I think us as a team can build, learn and take a lot from 2016. We really set ourselves up well to continue in the trend we did. We are looking strong and good everyone is in the right mind-set right now and that hunger is back,” Ricciardo said.

On the first day of testing, Red Bull had a testing problem which limited their time on the Circuit-de Barcelona-Catalunya, Head of Race Engineering Guillaume Rocquelin remarked: “Obviously we lost quite a bit of time today, which was frustrating. That was largely a function of the issues we had – a sensor problem this morning and then a problem with the energy store later on.

“We lost quite a bit of time today, which was frustrating. That was largely a function of the issues we had – a sensor problem this morning and then a problem with the energy store later on.”

Dominic Rust

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My Racing Heroes – James Hunt

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

 

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

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

(c) f1.wikia.com

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

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

I’ve been a McLaren fan ever since.

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

(c) gtspirit.com

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

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

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

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

 

(c) formula1.com

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

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

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

(c) wikipedia.org

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

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

See you at the chequred flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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CRONIN CONFIRMS FULL BRC SEASON WITH M-SPORT’S FORD FIESTA R5

M-Sport LTD Press Release

Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin are confirmed to contest this year’s Prestone MSA British Rally Championship with M-Sport and the Ecoboost-powered Ford Fiesta R5.

Contesting all seven events, Cronin’s Fiesta will be clad with DMACK tyres which claimed the championship laurels last year and sport an M-Sport livery which draws inspiration from those made popular by Ott Tänak and Sébastien Ogier in the FIA World Rally Championship.

As a three-time British Rally Champion, Cronin knows what it takes to excel in what is fast becoming one of the best proving grounds for rallying’s elite and will be keen to prove his potential as he makes his debut with the M-Sport team.

With more than 10 years of rallying experience under his belt, Cronin has contested a number of events and championships throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as impressing on the world stage.

Debuting in his homeland in 2006, it did not take long for the Irishman to become a regular podium contender and he claimed his first British Rally Championship title in 2009. That success was followed by two further British Championships in 2010 and 2012.

In 2013, he ventured to the world stage and instantly impressed in the WRC 3 category – claiming victory at the event every driver wants to win, Neste Oil Rally Finland.

Returning to more familiar soil last year, Cronin was crowned Ireland’s Tarmac Rally Champion and is now relishing the opportunity to compete for further success.

With no previous experience of M-Sport’s acclaimed range of Ford Fiesta rally cars, Cronin took to the wheel for the Carrick-on-Suir Wm. Loughman Forestry Rally earlier this month and secured a fine third place on his debut with the car.

Gaining more experience of his new charge in the lead-up to the Border Counties Rally in mid-March, Cronin will also contest the Malcolm Wilson Rally so as to familiarise himself further with the Fiesta in anticipation of an exciting new chapter in his career.

With Ford having registered as a manufacturer for the national championship, Cronin will also have an opportunity to add to the Blue Oval’s impressive rallying pedigree.

Keith Cronin said:

“I’m really looking forward to the season ahead and to be working with M-Sport as we chase success on the stages of the British Rally Championship. It’s a fantastic series which has really come into its own recently and I can’t wait to be back competing in the championship.

“I’m really excited about the Fiesta R5. I’ve not had a lot of seat time, but we’ll get a couple of rallies under our belt before the start of the season and hopefully it won’t take us long to find our feet.

“M-Sport are known for developing winning cars and my initial feeling has been good. The Fiesta is a great car to drive. It handles really well and I hope we’ll be able to challenge for some top results this year.

“It’s also great to have DMACK on board. Last year, they proved that their products are capable of winning rallies, and championships. The level of development that they are undertaking is really impressive, and it’s great to be involved.”

Gerard Quinn, Senior Manager at Ford Performance, said:

“Ford is the most successful manufacturer in the British Rally Championship taking the title no less than nineteen times so it is appropriate that one of the championships most successful drivers, Keith Cronin, will return to the series in a Ford Fiesta R5 in 2017.

“He has won the title on three occasions, the last back in 2012, and is the current Irish Tarmac Champion so he has got the tenacity and professionalism required to win a challenging championship such as this.

“I am proud that a fellow Cork resident will be competing in one of the most prestigious championships in rallying today. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Ford in Ireland and Henry’s ancestral home is also in West Cork so it is fitting that a driver from the locality will be defending Ford honours in the British Rally Championship this year.”

Malcolm Wilson OBE, M-Sport Managing Director, said:

“The British Rally Championship has always been a cornerstone of the rallying community both nationally and internationally. Having won the title with Elfyn Evans last year, it was important for us to continue our support of the series and I think we have another exciting season ahead of us.

“Once again, Ford will be competing for the manufacturer title and M-Sport will also register in the teams’ championship. We know that the Fiesta provides a competitive package, and we’ll be looking to prove that once again by competing for some top results throughout the season.”

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Phillip Island WSBK – What We Learned

After a long winter break we finally have bike racing back on our screens, and the World Superbike boys certainly didn’t disappoint.

A rider and fan favourite, Phillip Island played host to the opening round of the season which looks like it will be one of the most competitive campaigns to date.

The rider who was always going to be the man to beat this year is Jonathan Rea, gunning for a hat trick of world championships on board his Kawasaki machine. The Ulsterman had the perfect weekend as he was able to covert his pole position into victory on Saturday, fending off team mate Tom Sykes, Ducati man Chaz Davies and potentially the most impressive man over the weekend, Alex Lowes.

Then on the Sunday he was able to withhold a challenge from the two Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s of Davies and Marco Melandri. A hugely impressive start to the season for the reigning champion, who looks like he will be taking his defence of the title right down to the wire.

Let’s hope that fellow Kawasaki rider Sykes can challenge his team mate for the crown. Sykes managed to stick with the leading group in race one, eventually taking the final spot on the podium, just over a second behind Rea and Davies.

Unfortunately for Sykes, the new grid rules for race two hindered his race on Sunday. This meant he was unable to stick with the likes of Rea and Davies as they expertly carved their way through the field. Sykes eventually had to settle for 6th place, leaving him 24 points behind championship leader Rea. Nevertheless, we can definitely expect to see the Englishman fighting for race wins throughout the season as he aims to get his second title under his belt.

Davies, who is expected to be Rea’s closest challenger, indicated that his Ducati team are going to be a huge thorn in the side of the Kawasakis this year. Two spirited rides from the Welshman earned him two 2nd places, ended both races less than half a tenth behind Rea. Those fine margins could be the slim difference as to which way the title will be decided this year and as Davies will agree, it’s about time his talent was rewarded with a world title.

It is great to see Melandri back on the World Superbike scene as Davies’ team mate. The hugely experienced Italian looks like he can spoil a Kawasaki party this year too, which is great news for us as fans and the Ducati team. Unable to finish race 1, Melandri was able to stick with Davies and Rea to take a very impressive podium on his return.

Another Ducati who might be able to cause a few upsets this year is the Spaniard Xavi Fores after he picked up a 6th place finish on Saturday, then took a 5th place finish on Sunday. Fores was only 2.3 seconds behind Rea; maybe the Barni Ducati rider can challenge for victories this year as he starts 2017 in fine form.

As previously mentioned, arguably the most impressive performance of the weekend came from Alex Lowes on board his Pata Yamaha. Thankfully, it seems like Lowes has found some serious pace on the Yamaha, which struggled throughout 2016. Two 4th place finishes proved Lowes means business this year, which consequently means there is another Brit fighting at the top end of the World Superbike grid. Let’s hope this wasn’t just a one off weekend for the Yamaha team, as Lowes and Van Der Mark will be looking to crash the Kawasaki and Ducati celebrations on more than one occasion this season.

The new Red Bull Honda Fireblades didn’t have the weekend they would have hoped for. The expectation for Nicky Hayden and Stefan Bradl probably wouldn’t have been very high, however an 11th place finish followed by a DNF for Hayden and two 15th place finishes for Bradl would have been worse than many would have foreseen. For sure the Honda’s will come good, but it is unsure as to when they can hope to fight for the top 6, let alone for podiums and victories.

The Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4’s will also be looking to improve after their Phillip Island displays. Both Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori will be expecting to fight for podiums and wins at some point this season. However, just like Honda, the question is when will they be able to do this? Both the Kawasaki and Ducati outfits look like the complete package this year, so will it be possible for Aprilia and Honda to burst their bubble by the end of the season?

Of course, we have Yamaha trying to sneak in their as well Lowes looks like the man who is the most likely to do that at this moment in time. Let’s not forget Leon Camier too, two solid top 10 finishes on ‘The Island’ for the MV Augusta rider consolidates him as another potential thorn to Ducati and Kawasaki.

The fact that there is so much to talk about after the opening round proves how exciting this season is going to be. There are so many talking points and so many possibilities that are too difficult to predict, so let’s hope for more of the same as the paddock heads to Thailand for the second round of the year, taking place on the 11th and 12th of March.

You can follow the Pit Crew on Twitter, @PitCrew_Online and also my own personal account, @journoyork

Eliott York @journoyork

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F1 testing, day one: few surprises on Mercedes-led opening day

2017 Silver Arrows Collateral Day Photography – Steve Etherington

As new eras in Formula One go, the 2017 season didn’t look all that different from its predecessors when it got underway in Barcelona today.

Right from the off, new Mercedes signing Valtteri Bottas made it clear the Silver Arrows would not be caught napping this year, as he piloted his new W08 to a total of 79 laps and respectable sixth-fastest time of 1:23.169s.

Nor were things any different when the Finn handed his car over to Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon. As the track conditions improved, Hamilton brought Mercedes’ total lap count up to 152 and clocked a 1:21.765s lap—the eventual benchmark of the day, and a full second faster than the best time of last year’s entire testing season.

If that sounds like gloomy news for Mercedes’ rivals, it should be—from the outside, it looks as though nothing has changed for the defending champions.

But there were promising signs from Ferrari, even if they didn’t top the timesheets as they did last year. All in all, the first impressions of the SF70-H are that it is a much less finicky machine than last year’s Prancing Horse, judging by Sebastian Vettel’s 122 laps and the mere tenth of a second separating him from Hamilton’s standard—even more noteworthy considering Vettel’s time was set on harder tyres.

Also impressive was Williams, with Felipe Massa eschewing retirement in some fashion to finish the day third fastest and just three tenths off the pace.

But on the other end of the scale, Monday was a trying start to the season for Red Bull and McLaren. Daniel Ricciardo’s morning was blighted by sensor and battery issues with his RB13 that limited him to just four laps before lunch, whereas Fernando Alonso lost almost the entire morning to a problem with his Honda engine’s oil system.

Sergio Pérez also had his running hampered when his VJM10’s exhaust broke in the afternoon, and finished just seventh fastest with 39 laps on the board. Behind him, fellow midfielders Toro Rosso, Renault and Sauber lined up more or less as they had in 2016—although Kevin Magnussen punched above his weight in his first outing for Haas, with a late run on softs lifting the Dane up to fourth.

James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

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Melandri: I couldn’t attack Rea or Davies

Returning World Superbike racer Marco Melandri labelled the 2nd race at Phillip Island on Sunday as “tough”, after falling victim to the series’ new qualifying format. The Italian crashed out of race one after contact with Alex Lowes’ Yamaha – who the Italian blamed for the incident – at the Southern Loop in race one, placing him on the 4th row in 10th place for the 2nd outing.

The 34-year-old former 250cc Grand Prix champion made great headway, and with nine laps to go, hit the front of the race. Although close at the end, Melandri’s first finish on his return to the series was a podium, of which the ex-Ducati MotoGP rider was content with.

“It was a really tough race today. I got a good start but lost positions in the traffic early on, so I had to push hard to climb back, asking a lot to both myself and the tyres. When I took the lead, I tried to impose my own rhythm but it turned out not to be the right move”, said Marco after the 2nd race.

Melandri went on to say that the full race distance can be used to indicate where to improve the bike. “With three laps to go, when Rea and Davies gave the final push, I was struggling with grip and couldn’t attack them. Still, we needed a full race to understand where to improve, and a podium shows that we’re working in the right direction with the whole team”.

Unlike Davies, it wasn’t the most productive round of his WSBK career, replicating his 2013 results at the track, with a race one retirement and a third place in the 2nd race, on his way to 4th in the title.

The team head to Thailand next, where they have yet to win a race at the new venue. It will also be Marco Melandri’s first time at the circuit. The meeting takes place across the 11th and 12th of March.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

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Davies: This is a really positive result

Chaz Davies of the Aruba.IT Ducati Team took a brace of 2nd positions as the season got underway at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia. The Welshman secured his best ever start to a World Superbike season, and is only 10 points behind double winner and reigning double champion Jonathan Rea.

The 30-year-old former World Supersport champion took the lead at periods throughout the race but wasn’t able to cross the line ahead of rival Rea. The Ducati staying in the slipstream, finishing half a tenth away in both races. 2017 was the first season since he joined Ducati that he didn’t set the fastest lap of a race, although Ducati took that particular honour with Marco Melandri in race two.

“Race two was a bit more difficult to manage than the first, given the hotter conditions. The glass is half full though, without a doubt. We tried something different but we lost a couple of bike lengths here and there and we just couldn’t pass Rea before the finish line, said Davies, who finished last season with seven wins from the last eight races.

“When you look at the full picture, this is a really positive result. It would be easy to be disappointed because we barely missed two wins, but historically this has never been a favourite circuit for me and sometimes I lost precious points here, so two second places are a good building block for the rest of the season”.

The 3rd placed man in last season now heads to Thailand where the WSBK circus starts the next chapter of this year’s already-exhilarating championship. The round takes place on the 11th and 12th of March.
Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

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