Pit Lane Reporter - Issue 10 by PitLane Reporter

ISSUE 10

WALES RALLY GB REVIEW INSIDE

MEET YOUR WORLD CHAMPION LEWIS HAMILTON

GRID GIRL STRIPPED NAKED JO POLLEY

CONTENTS CONTENTS 4

Editors Notes

Meet the Team

Letters Page

Abu Dhabi GP F1 Report

F1 Needs Younger Viewers

Meet Your World Champion – Lewis Hamilton

Wales Rally GB Report

Sara Williams Wales Rally Follow Up

From Behind the Desk to Behind the Wheel

IndyCar History Part 2

IndyCar News in Brief

NASCAR – Chase Elliot wins Nationwide Series

NASCAR – Kevin Harvick wins Sprint Cup

NASCAR – Matt Crafton wins Truck Championship

Grid Girl Stripped Naked – Interview with Jo Polley

BTCC End of season awards

DTM Ends Season in Hockenheim in Style

DTM Class One Regulation

DTM Audi Best Manufacturer

Anni's DTM News in Brief

Modified Live

Blancpain End of Season Review

Historic Racing – 1985

5 Days in November

Tech Feature - Psychological and Physiological Demands of F1

Everyday Driving Column

Dario's Motor Sport Photo Gallery

MEET YOUR WORLD CHAMPION

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GRID GIRL STRIPPED NAKED DTM AUDI BEST MANUFACTURER

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5 DAYS IN NOVEMBER 33

EDITORS NOTES Well, I have to start with the obvious don’t I? Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers. This year has been amazing for us; we have gone from strength to strength as a magazine. We have more readers than any other motor sport magazine that I am aware of and I believe we have the best bunch of writers around. You will notice some things about this issue. Firstly, it is a completely new design; we have taken the graphics aspect of the magazine to a whole new level whilst keeping the core attraction of the publication i.e. the way it is written. Every writer has a passion for their own sport and that comes across in their writing. The magazine is now much more pleasing to the eye; I can only describe its look as that of the ‘Vanity Fair’ of motor sport. I don’t know about you, but I love it. The magazine is also out five days later than normal. That is because we wanted to make this an extra special issue ready for the festive season. We will be having a break in January and will return on 15th February with Issue 11. This festive edition looks back on what has been an amazing season. Every twist and turn has been covered in Pit Lane Reporter, and we have loved every minute of it. The F1 season has been so good that I hear Santa himself has been on the phone to Mercedes asking if he can borrow Lewis’ car instead of using reindeer. I also believe he wanted to check if Nico and Lewis had been good boys; well, there’s another debate. As a British based magazine, I can let out a big YAY! , as there have been a fair few British champions this year at the top level. We all know about Lewis, but there was also Jolyon Palmer in GP2, Alex Lynn winning the GP3 title, making it a clean sweep of titles on the F1 road show. Then there was Anthony Davidson winning the World Endurance Championship, and they’re just the highlights. So what’s in this month’s issue? Loads, is the easy answer. I have finally found out how difficult a job it is for a racing driver as I wrote my ‘From Behind the Desk to Behind the Wheel’ feature. We also have some multimedia attached to that feature via the website. Then the article that has got men talking all over the world, the feature I’ve called, ‘Grid Girl’s Stripped Naked’ – All I can tell you is that it involves a beautiful grid girl, the rest, well you’ll have to read on and find out, and yes, there are loads of pics. Have a great Christmas, we hope you enjoy the new look magazine. I’ll see you in February. God bless you and thank you for being such faithful readers in 2014. Phil facebook.com/PitLaneReporter

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No part of this magazine may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form – electronic, mechanical or physical – without express prior permission and written consent of the publisher. Contributions are invited and when not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by a fully stamped and addressed envelope. The Publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of advertisements appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed in editorial material or otherwise do not necessarily represent the views of the Publisher. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss arising from the late appearance or non publication of any advertisement. Information about products and services featured within the editorial content does not imply an endorsement by The Pitlane Reporter. © 2014. The Pitlane Reporter. Published by MFO Publishing (UK) Ltd.

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CONTENTS

Y U B ME www.pitlanereporter.com

MEET THE TEAM

Hello rally fans all over the world! Matchbox cars are my very first childhood memories. Since then I´m hooked on speed, cars and powerful engines. Later I became a car mechanic and in my last “normal” job, I worked for the Swiss air force as a jet engine engineer. My passion for rally (and motorsport in general) has grown together with the burning desire to capture speed and passion with my camera. In autumn 2010, I made a meaningful decision: All or nothing! I quit my job, sold everything I had (incl. my beloved Lotus Elise) and bought an old motorhome. I added everything needed to live in it permanently. Fully packed, with a budget for only one year and my beloved cat “Megi”, I left my family and friends on April 4, 2011, heading for my new life as a motorsport photographer in Finland.Since then I´m living my dream in my 14m² on wheels…

Eric, based in Indianapolis, has been an IndyCar fan for his entire life and has been independantly covering the series since 2011. His blog, anotherindycarblog, has been at the core of his coverage for the past four years along with contributing to a number of online outlets as well. His love for motorsport and IndyCar history and unconventional way of writing his “from the fan’ perspectives has garnered a small, but strong following. Eric can be found at the track during most of the summer and looks to bring the readers behind the IndyCar catch fence in 2014 Eric can be contacted at eric@pitlanereporter.com

ERIC HALL - USA Editor/ IndyCar Journalist

Bruno can be contacted at bruno@pitlanereporter.com

BRUNO KEISER - Official Rally Photographer & Journalist 6

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IT engineer (at Experian - yes, we sponsor Williams), Formula 1 TV commentator, BBC TopGear Bulgaria columnist, F1Technical.net site editor. Blogger and avid petrol head. Independent consultant and crossfit-er. Ex-cyber cop and sound engineer.On the F1 side (which I assume it’s the most interesting part), I’m a co-host of the national F1 TV show, so I’m a media person. I’m fascinated by the technical details, but most of all in aerodynamics, which has been my passion for 14 years. I have a column in the Bulgaria Top Gear’s print issue (the largest auto magazine here), as well as online articles for AutoBild Bulgaria. Kiril can be contacted at kiril@pitlanereporter.com

KIRIL VARBANOV Technical & Engineering Journalist

Travis is a Public Relations student with a strong passion for NASCAR racing. Whether it is through the PR field or as a journalist, Travis dreams of having a career in NASCAR one day. Through his own blog, TracksideChatter.com, Travis showcases some of his writing while also giving other aspiring journalists an opportunity to contribute. Additionally, he is a writer for Speedwaymedia.com as well asNASCARTheGame.com. You can follow Travis on Twitter @ TracksideTravis to keep up with his writing and his take on everything NASCAR. Travis can be contacted at travis@pitlanereporter.com

Katy, currently a media student, has been a Motorsport fan for as long as she can remember. When she isn’t studying, she can be found watching anything from Formula 1 to World Series by Renault or over on her blog sharing her passion for Motorsport with other fans. Over the course of year Katy will be bringing you updates and features on GP2, GP3 and DTM. Katy can be contacted at katy@pitlanereporter.com

KATY McCONNACHIE Formula One Journalist

Chief BTCC corrospondent for Pit Lane Reporter, and unashamed fan of the series since 1998. I cover touring car racing on these shores and around the world, with a penchant for noise, spectacle and a good underdog story. With the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series growing, it’s exciting tiames for stock car racing in Europe, and I cover the European stock car scene in detail. Away from motorsport I’m a Media Writing student at University of Greenwich, uni radio presenter, and I love rock music and the sport of roller derby. Adam can be contacted at adam@pitlanereporter.com

ADAM JOHNSON - Touring Cars, GT & Endurance Journalist

TRAVIS BAREND NASCAR Journalist www.pitlanereporter.com

From the age of three I was taken along to various race and rally meetings with my late dad, the passion (some may call it an obsession) stems from him!! I’ve been fortunate over the last nearly 20 years to compete at most levels of rallying within the UK as both a driver and co-driver , currently you’ll regularly find me on British National events occupying the codriver’s seat. That said throughout my life I have always had a passion for Historic’s, indeed the passion extends to Historic racing too and upholding a family tradition we’ve not missed an Oulton Park Gold Cup since it’s inception. I look forward to bringing you news and views from across Historic Motorsport in the UK. Should anyone have anything they wish me to cover please do get in touch!!

Dario, based in Belgium, has recently seen his dream come true as a professional photographer after 5 years of amateur photography. He is passionate about photography and motors (cars, motorbikes ... basically anything that has a powerful and loud engine). His latest important event he took part in was the 24hours race of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) but he is always looking for great motor sport events all over Europe. Dario can be contacted at dario.dominin@gmail.com

DARIO DOMININ Official Photographer

Brynmor can be contacted at brynmor@pitlanereporter.com

BRYNMOR PIERCE - Historic & Classic Journalist

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Annika, based in Germany, has been an accreditated F1 and DTM journalist in the past. She has been writing for almost two years and gained experience at speedmagazin.de as well as motorsport-magazin.de. Annika is an educated specialist in media and information services. She is passionate for racing and will be concentrating on DTM Annika can be contacted at annika@pitlanereporter.com

ANNIKA GÖCKE - DTM Journalist

LETTERS PAGE Dear Editor

Dear Editor

In my personal opinion, I am so glad that the Formula One Championship wasn’t decided on double points. It would have ruined a great season.

I loved the interview with Juan Pablo Montoya in the last issue. Alongside the feature on him, it was a great thing to read. I loved the way Eric kept us up to date every month too. Are you going to feature another driver throughout next season like you did with Juan this year?

Regards David Halsall (Bolton, UK)

Marcus (USA)

Hi David You and me both. That is why it is great news that it won’t be in the rules next year. If Nico Rosberg had won due to the double points rule, I am sure it would have dampened it for him too. The good thing for the sport is that it didn’t come into effect and that it was the man who won more races that ended up as champion. I believe that the idea was originally bought in to stop the Red Bull dominance which is over anyway, it’s just been replaced with another dominant team. This time though, both drivers fought for the championship keeping it alive and exciting without any gimmicks. Double points have gone; let’s hope for ever. Take Care Phil

Hello Marcus We followed his progress because he is such a well-known and well-liked person in motor sport. It was also a very popular monthly column. Thank you for your kind comments on the interview and feature too. Are we going to do it with another driver next season? I haven’t even considered that yet, so I guess let’s throw that one open to you the readers. Is there any driver who you would like to see us feature on a regular basis in 2015? If so, then let us know and we will do our best. Regards Phil

Hi Graham, Dear Phil Where do you think Jenson Button will be next season? What do you think of how he has been treated at the back end of this season? Thanks Graham Paleton (Oxford)

I have no idea to be honest but I hope that he is kept on at McLaren as a driver. I’ve made it clear why on a few occasions before, so I won’t go over old ground. He was treated poorly in my opinion at the end of the season. We may well have seen his final race in the sport and, if we have, then that is a travesty. The man deserved to be sent off in a blaze of fireworks. Let’s hope that we see him racing again in F1 next year. If he isn’t, then I fully expect to see him in the WEC or another internationally renowned motor sport. Hope that answers your question Cheers Phil

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ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX CONTENTS By Katy McConnachie

s Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton lined up on the front row, nerves ran high for drivers ahead of the battle for the title. In Abu Dhabi, amongst the sand, the Driversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Championship would finally be decided between the German and British driver. Despite Rosberg being on Pole, Hamilton had the advantage over him into the first corner as he made a quick getaway from the line. As the Brit took the lead, Rosberg was forced to defend from the Williams drivers in order to remain second and have a chance to catch his teammate before he could make his lead any bigger. It seemed to be a fairly clean first corner throughout the field, but as the cars made their way down the back straight, Kevin Magnussen made contact with the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg and then the Sauber of Adrian Sutil and, although the Dane had made contact with both cars, all three were able to continue. However, the shunt caused both Magnussen and Sutil to be out of position. It was a terrible start for Valtteri Bottas who was overtaken by Kvyat and the Two Ferrari drivers putting the Finn into 8th position as his teammate stayed close to the Mercedes driver in 3rd. After starting from the Pit Lane, thanks to an investigation which found their front wing to be illegal, both Red Bulls were able to catch and pass a number of drivers before the end of the first lap, much to the delight of both drivers as it meant that they could continue to push for the points positions early on for an advantage before to the first set of stops later. Fernando Alonso was the first to make a stop from 7th, making a change onto the soft tyres in order to take advantage over his Finnish teammate. Whilst Alonso pitted, Raikkonen struggled in the second Ferrari as Bottas cleanly passed him to take 6th position, just behind Kvyat. Will Stevens, who had been roped in when Caterham were able to make it to the final race,

battled with Alonso along the back straight, before losing position to the Ferrari. A few corners later, the British driver lost out to Toro Rosso driver JeanEric Vergne who was fighting for his seat with the Red Bull Junior team. The FIA announced that Cars 20 and 27, Magnussen and Hulkenberg, would be investigated for the first lap incident that saw the German force the McLaren driver off the track into Turn 6. The result saw Hulkenberg end up with a 5 second stop/ go penalty, much to his disappointment and frustration. After his fantastic start, Hamilton had the advantage when it came to the stops, being able to make the first call over his German teammate and, when he chose to make his first stop on lap ten, the mechanics at Mercedes made a perfectly clean and tidy job of it. The British driver stopped for the medium compound tyre whilst his teammate took the race lead ahead of Felipe Massa.

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CONTENTS A lap later, Nico Rosberg made his first stop for a set of medium compound tyres, yet another clean stop from the Mercedes team. The stop allowed Hamilton to take 2nd behind the leader Massa. Hulkenberg was trying to defend his position of fourth from his Force India teammate, Sergio Perez as Vergne and Ricciardo battled for 6th position. Vergne’s determination was clear as the sun began to set over the track but unfortunately, the slightly faster Red Bull got ahead of the Frenchman, taking 6th before the end of lap thirteen. On lap sixteen, Kvyat’s race came to an early end as the Russian pulled his Toro Rosso off the track and failed to get his car going again as it shut itself down due to a lack of power. A disappointing way to finish his time at the Red Bull sister team ahead of his move to the former World Champions as a replacement for the Ferrari bound, Sebastian Vettel. As it all seemed to be calming down on track and drivers seemed to settle into their positions, Nico Rosberg began to lose time on Hamilton. In a desperate message to the pit wall, Rosberg told his team he believed he was losing power and the team confirmed they could see it on the telemetry. It soon became apparent that the German had an issue with his ERS which had caused him to slow down and with the team failing to find a solution, Felipe Massa quickly closed in on him. It was clear how anxious he was when speaking to his Mercedes Engineer only moments before Massa easily streaked past the Championship contender on the twenty-seventh lap. Although it looked to be easier for Hamilton, it was important that the British driver remained cool, calm and collected in order to cross the line and secure his chances of winning the title. As long as Rosberg was still in 5th, Hamilton had to finish the race. Pastor Maldonado was forced to jump from his Lotus when it went up in smoke and flames due to

oil coming through the turbo and into the exhaust pipe. Another retirement for the Renault powered car and, without looking back, the Venezuelan walked away from a terrible season. If it was to be Jenson Button’s final race, he proved why it shouldn’t have been, as he battled with Alonso in a flat out drag race down the final straight and although it didn’t work out for the McLaren driver, it was the spectacular battle between the two which allowed Magnussen in the other McLaren to get involved before he was forced to make another stop. Massa looked to have plenty of speed as he began to close in on the leading Mercedes from a gap which was over the ten second mark, taking two seconds out of the British drivers’ time as he tried to pace himself to that of his struggling teammate before making a 2.7s stop, which allowed the

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Williams to move ahead. Nico Rosberg also managed to get ahead of Hamilton but because of his engine problems, Lewis’s DRS helped him breeze past. A little further down the pecking order, both Force India drivers were proving why they were retained for the 2015 season, battling against each other cleanly in 6th and 7th, providing a little bit of entertainment for the fans. As well as the two Force India drivers having their own encounter, Ferrari were also having a little bit of a confrontation for the final point’s position. It continued to go from bad to worse for Rosberg when his fellow countryman, Vettel overtook him for 7th position; the former four time World Champion pulling away from the man battling for the Championship without any threat of an overtake. Unfortunately Kamui Kobayashi had to retire his CT03, but when credit is due it should be given, and although it wasn’t the Japanese driver’s strongest weekend, himself and Stevens had done a magnificent job to keep the Caterham spirit going when times were tough. Kobayashi was the third retirement of the race. Slow lap times for one Mercedes were fastest lap times for the other. With Massa fitting the super soft tyre, Hamilton pushed himself a little further in order to make sure that the gap they had over the Williams stayed the way it was. Rosberg was on the radio once again, telling the team that his brakes were beginning to fail

and when it looked like it couldn’t get any more frustrating for him, it did. When asked by the team a few laps later to box and bring the car in, he requested to finish the race and cross the line instead of taking a DNF to his name and that request was granted. This was no longer a race for the Championship, for the German driver, it was a race for pride. Although the final race of the season hadn’t gone the way many had imagined, it was no less special for Lewis Hamilton as he crossed the line as the race winner and was crowned the 2014 Formula 1 World Champion making him a Double World Champion after his win in 2008. Six years on, the emotions were no less than they were in 2008, as Lewis Hamilton stood on the top step of the podium and the British National Anthem rang out across Abu Dhabi, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief and call himself the world’s greatest driver once again. There had been delight and heartbreak for the Mercedes team in a year which saw them crowned Constructors Champions and one of their drivers take the Drivers’ Championship, the other was left to settle second best behind his teammate. Hamilton and Rosberg had provided great entertainment for fans across the world. Although it was domination for the team, there were plenty of battles provided by their drivers. Some were clean and some were controversial but there was no denying that every last one of them, from the first in Bahrain to the fight in Spa, has been fantastic to watch.

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WHY FORMULA 1 NEEDS THE YOUNGER GENERATION

n recent weeks, we have seen Bernie Ecclestone make a number of bizarre comments regarding events involving some teams that just do not have the billions of dollars needed to compete in the rather expensive world of Formula 1, but one particular comment from the 84-year-old has really caught the attention of every Formula 1 fan out there: “F1 is better off serving the rich over 70s than the youth.” After reading hundreds of Tweets, Facebook posts and articles in response to this rather bold and courageous comment, it is very clear that numerous fans are not euphoric at all about what they have read. It is probably fair to say, that a lot of people were shocked and appalled, at what they had read in the interview with Campaign AsiaPacific magazine, in which Ecclestone claimed that teenagers were not interested in the global sponsors which Formula 1 is promoting. In the interview Ecclestone told the reporter: “I don’t know why people want to get to the socalled young generation. Why do they want to do that? Is it to sell them something? Most of these kids haven’t got any money. I’d rather get to the 70-year-old guy who’s got plenty of cash.” A simple statement which gives the message that

By Katy McConnachie he wishes to share quite clearly and it is plain to see that in a sport that already costs billions of dollars, Ecclestone is ready to start spending even more. This is despite the struggles we have seen with both Caterham and Marussia, which have left hundreds of people redundant. Ecclestone clearly hasn’t thought that this younger generation, which he doesn’t want associated with the sport, will be the generation that will splash out for expensive race tickets and merchandise in years to come. These are the fans which he should be striving to keep interested in Formula 1 or eventually, these people will turn off their TV on a race weekend due to the fact that it is believed this sport is for the older generation with plenty of cash to splash. In other forms of Motorsport, younger fans are embraced and appreciated by all of those who are involved, so why is it that Formula 1 seems to be a step behind when it is meant to be the pinnacle?

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money which they have been used to buy team merchandise or even tickets to visit races. They have also spent on hotels, and made on-track purchases and will then use Social Media to promote the races they visit or the kit they may wear.

Further on, a comment regarding Social Media was made indicating that Ecclestone believes that Formula 1 does not need this platform (which can spread information and news about the sport in just minutes), and that it would be better off without teams and drivers interacting with fans via the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and many other forms of Social Media which play an important role in today’s world. Without the Social Media platform and the younger generation that use it, how would Ecclestone expect Formula 1’s fan base to grow and the sport to be debated by members of the public across the globe? In the 21st Century, it is difficult to imagine a life without these websites in order to discuss with other passionate fans what is going on in this sport. I can guess that the majority of you reading this have come across it through a link via Twitter or Facebook, rather than hearing it by word of mouth through a friend or family member. Although this younger generation may be finding it difficult to generate large earnings, it is unjust to say that they do not contribute to the funds that go into Formula 1. Many younger fans, in their teens and slightly older, have actually earned

In a time where money is tight and the internet is a place where the majority of the world’s population spends their time, is it really acceptable and auspicious to make such comments. It would be much more appropriate to try to attract the younger fans towards the sport. A number of teams and drivers have made it clear via their own Social Media accounts, that they enjoy this form of appreciation for fans by maybe tweeting back, by holding competitions throughout the racing year in which fans can win a number of prizes or just by simply updating these fans on whatever is going on with the team, whether it be at the track or back in the factory. This all enables people to be kept up to date and interested with the goings-on in the sport. It’s time to remember that, although people may be old-fashioned (as Ecclestone claimed he was), without the younger generation and Social Media, there would be no real future for Formula 1. If the whole generation were to suddenly decide that enough is enough and they do not wish to contribute their time and money into this sport, it’s more than likely that we would see more teams within the sport struggling and then, big decisions will have to be made, bigger wallets would be needed, and then it would be a question of how long before Formula 1 crumbles?

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MEET YOUR WORLD CHAMPION By Katy McConnachie

LEWIS HAMILTON

his season has seen dominance from Mercedes and their two drivers, with both showing their full potential as they battled it out from lights out in Australia until the flag went down on the final race in Abu Dhabi, but in the end only one man could be crowned World Champion. Having given everything he could, Lewis Hamilton was left emotional after adding the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship to his already impressive CV. Hamilton has shown consistency and determination to become victorious over his German team-mate Nico Rosberg. In a season full of money problems for other teams, battles with emotions as a fellow racer is left fighting for his life in hospital and struggles with the personal relationship between himself and Rosberg, Hamilton has never been more deserving of the win. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special to have one World Championship under your belt, but it must be spectacular to be a double World Champion. In a battle that had seen the two Mercedes teammates go head to head both on and off track, it is safe to say that winning the title wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy for the British driver. With incidents such as the qualifying session in Monaco where it was believed that Rosberg had gone off track on purpose in order to take Pole Position over his team-mate, or the one at Spa where he was part of a race ending collision with his team-mate, it was apparent that Hamilton was losing some confidence in himself and his racing ability.

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As the press took note of these incidents and began to question whether or not the title was slowly slipping out of the Brits hands, Hamilton began to fight. Race after race, he continued to improve and was soon leading the Championship again. In true style, he took the negatives and turned them into mighty positives which put him in the position he is in today; being crowned World Champion.

CONTENTS

Although the deciding race in Abu Dhabi lost its climax when Rosberg became victim of mechanical failures, just like ones Hamilton had been subject to over the season, there was no doubt that Hamilton put up a fight until he

crossed the line at the end of the race in order to confidently snatch the Formula 1 Championship just like many drivers have done in the past. With such dominance, promise and passion, Hamilton can now take a well-deserved break away from the racing track and digest what happened over the course of the 2014 season. With only a few months to rest, it is clear that the British driver will be excited to see what Mercedes can do for him in the New Year. It will be an intense year in 2015 as the Brit will do everything possible in order to retain his title and be crowned a Triple World Champion, along with the likes of his hero Ayrton Senna.

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WALES RALLY GB REVIEW INSIDE Review and Photos by Bruno Keiser

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Thursday CONTENTS Volkswagen’s dominant season continued in a muddy Clocaenog Forest where Rally Wales’ shakedown was held. Andreas Mikkelsen pushed his Polo R WRC fastest through the 3.32km test, 0.3 seconds quicker than his team-mates, world champion Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala, who were tied on second. The small town of Ruthin nearby brought back memories for the Norwegian: “I lived for one year in the town when I was 17 to get my driving licence, so it feels special to come back. Nothing much has changed.” After a stopover in Deeside’s service park, the teams headed for the ceremonial start in Colwyn Bay. Under the eyes of thousands of rally fans and rally legends like Ari Vatanen, Terry Harryman, Phil Mills, Nicky Grist and many more, the rally was officially kicked off. The friendly, familiar atmosphere there was representative for what was about to come during the next three days...

Friday Frenchman Ogier and Finn Latvala set the pace all day and claimed four stage wins each. After eight muddy forest speed tests, covering 145km in mid-Wales, the momentum was Ogier’s with an advantage of 6.6 seconds. The newly-crowned world champion won three of the four morning tests to lead at the mid-leg service in Newton, but the flying Finn took the afternoon honours as the polished surface made conditions even more slippery. Ogier misjudged a hairpin on the afternoon’s opening stage, while Latvala was lucky not to roll after hitting a hole in the first test. Mads Østberg and Mikko Hirvonen (tackling his very last WRC rally), fought over third position for most of the day. The 27 year old Norwegian became increasingly frustrated with the handling of his Citroën DS3 and dropped to fifth in the final stage. Kris Meeke benefitted from his team-mate’s struggle to climb to fourth, despite a 10 seconds penalty for a jump start in the opening stage. At the end of the day, the Northern Irishman was 7.7 seconds off Hirvonen’s pace but 0.7 seconds ahead of Østberg. Thierry Neuville placed his Hyundai i20 on sixth; the Belgian one of many drivers to lose time at a tight hairpin in the final stage. Elfyn Evans, Ott Tänak, Henning Solberg and Martin Prokop completed the leaderboard, all in Fiesta RS cars. Solberg lost precious time in the morning with a misfire while

“

It wasn’t the most fun way to drive, but in the slippery conditions I had to do it. It was the best way to get the win

”

Prokop spun into a ditch in the final stage. The day ended even worse ended for Andreas Mikkelsen and Juho Hänninen. Mikkelsen’s Polo stranded with a broken suspension after hitting a bank while in second and Hänninen went out after going off. Robert Kubica survived a brush with a bank, a spin and an overshoot to complete the day on 11th while power steering problems and front differential issues slowed Hayden Paddon’s i20 down to 12th.

Saturday Jari-Matti Latvala, who restarted the day just 6.6 seconds behind leading team-mate Sébastien Ogier, misjudged the slippery conditions at a junction, 6.8km into Clocaenog East, and slid slowly off the road to get stuck in a ditch. “It was a slippery corner and I was a little late on the braking and stalled the engine. I tried to turn into

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the bend but the car wouldn’t restart and we went backwards into a ditch and got stuck,” he explained.

CONTENTS

Latvala’s bad luck continued when the rear spoiler of his Polo broke after spectators had used it to lift the car back on the road. Without the downforce through the next stages until mid-day service, the car was extremely nervous to drive and nearly impossible to keep on the road, Latvala reported. The Finn’s misfortune dropped him down to 14th and gave world champion Ogier a 58.1 seconds advantage for Sunday’s final leg.

Latvala’s mistake left Mikko Hirvonen, Kris Meeke and Mads Østberg in a titanic fight for second. They swapped places in virtually every stage before Hirvonen claimed it in his Fiesta RS, 3.4 seconds clear of Kris Meeke’s Citroën DS3. Østberg received a 10 seconds penalty for checking in late at a time control and a delaminated tyre cost another 15 seconds as he slipped to fourth. Thierry Neuville took advantage of the Norwegian’s woes to close in fifth, despite hitting a chicane in the penultimate stage and knocking his light pod out of alignment. The gap between them was 3.3 seconds. Local hero Elfyn Evans was sixth ahead of his 2015 team mate Ott Tänak. Henning Solberg was eighth despite losing 40 seconds with a puncture. Latvala climbed up a few positions and finished the day on ninth with Martin Prokop completing the leaderboard. Road opener Andreas Mikkelsen restarted UnderRally2 end enjoyed the best of the conditions as the road deteriorated with every car. He won five stages despite a faulty intercom.

Sunday

“It wasn’t the most fun way to drive, but in the slippery conditions I had to do it. It was the best way to get the win,” he added. Mikko Hirvonen claimed an emotional second place in his final rally before retirement, 37.6 seconds off the lead. The 34 year old managed to keep a storming Kris Meeke behind him after the pair fought tooth-and-nail until Meeke damaged two tyres. With just one spare on board, he lost more than 90 seconds in the final two tests and plunged to sixth. This allowed Mads Østberg to take third, the Norwegian finished 26.0 seconds behind Hirvonen. “I couldn’t have planned a better way to end my career,” said a happy Hirvonen. “It was a fantastic fight all weekend, one of the most enjoyable of my career. It was an amazing weekend and I’m looking forward to keeping all my memories from the last 13 years and taking them home with me.” Østberg was under threat from Thierry Neuville but outplaced the Belgian to finish 11.3 seconds ahead, securing second in the manufacturer’s championship for Citroën. Welshman Elfyn Evans delighted his home fans by relegating Meeke in the power stage to claim fifth. Estonia’s Ott Tänak survived a final day puncture for seventh with a recovering Latvala, who secured three extra points for the power stage win, in eight. Martin Prokop and Haydon Paddon completed the last leaderboard of the season. Before I say goodbye for this year, it’s time to thank all manufacturers, teams, drivers and co-drivers of all classes. It’s been exciting fun and I’ve had a blast following the action on location. See you in Monte Carlo on January 22 - 25?

French ace Sébastien Ogier mastered the muddy forest tracks to lead the three-day event from start to finish, measuring his pace through the last two days without any pressure to end the WRC season on a winning note after claiming his eighth victory of the year. “It’s the best way to finish the season and it was my target,” said Ogier. “We started flat-out on Friday and made an incredible day – there was a big difference to everyone else. My rally changed when Jari-Matti made a mistake and I had control and could ease my pace”.

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Goodbye so far and high octane greetings from Wales. Bruno

By Bruno Keiser

21 21

SARA WILLIAMS WALES RALLY FOLLOW UP By Paul Evans

ritain’s number one female rally driver, 25-year old Sara Williams, competed with honours in the International 2014 Wales Rally GB, Great Britain’s premier rally.

the end of the first day, she dropped back to 49th position at the close of day two before clawing her way back up to finish in 43rd position at the rally’s finish on Sunday afternoon in Llandudno .

Driving in her first FIA World Rally Championship event in the Brecon Car Rental / Brecon Motors sponsored Group N Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Sara and her long-term co-driver Patrick Walsh secured exclusive awards after a gruelling three days of top-level competition. They won the prestigious ‘Croeso Trophy’ presented to the highest placed all-Welsh Crew and Sara was awarded the ‘Richard Burns Trophy’ for the best placed junior driver. Sara was also the only British female driver competing at International level in the 2014 WRC season.

Sara’s service crew performed admirably to ensure the Subaru was achieving peak performance throughout the event. Three punctures over the course of the rally delayed the car somewhat but no major mechanical maladies were experienced.

Competitors started from the Deeside Service Park at one-minute gaps with Sara leaving the line at 06.30 on Friday 14th November in 47th slot. Climbing two places in the classification by 22

Sara has absolute trust in the navigating abilities of her co-driver, Aberystwyth based Patrick Walsh. Irrespective of the humps, thumps, bends, corners and yumps ahead, Patrick feeds Sara the information she requires clearly, concisely and precisely, interpreting the road ahead at the exact moment she needs the information. Approaching a ninety-degree bend on a narrow gravel track, in the middle of a forest at huge velocity, Sara needs to have unconditional confidence about

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the direction the road ahead is about to take and whether or not there is a humped-back bridge with a narrow approach fifty yards down the road. Having successfully driven in the National section of the Wales Rally GB on three previous occassions, Sara was offered the chance to compete at the higher International level just a few weeks before the start of the event. Differences between the National and International WRC Series of the Wales Rally are immense. The International version of the 3-day event equates to the time and mileage equivalent of six regular rallies, this on top of several recce and testing days prior to the event. Pushing hard for over 1,000 miles in 5 days, in outand-out competitive mode, is a demanding test of skill, concentration and stamina. Sara has had a blistering rally career since she entered her first competition, navigating for her father Jon, before her seventeenth birthday. Apart

from securing outright victories in the 2013 Red Kite and the Swansea Bay rallies, Sara has been awarded many trophies for outstanding performance. Her proudest moment being awarded the Louise Aitken-Walker Trophy in 2012, personally presented by Louise, the last British female to win a national rally outright in Great Britain, way back in 1983. A resident of and working in Brecon, Saraâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s day-to-day job is within the family business, a long established car dealership recently awarded the MG franchise. Advising customers about their car servicing and repair needs, assisting people with their choice of a new or used car and ensuring people have a good experience when renting a car or van, Sara is deeply involved with cars on a daily basis. As with many successful sportsmen and women, the support Sara gets from her family and friends is a major plank in her success.

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FROM BEHIND THE DESK TO BEHIND THE WHEEL By Phil Woods

always like to set myself challenges, and being the type of person who loves motor sport and writes about it all the time, what challenge would be better than having a go myself?

my position; I was able to achieve this opportunity. You can too and for just a few hundred pounds, it doesn’t matter who you are, you can have this chance. Before I go on, I thought I’d drop that in.

I have seen so many people drive around my local area fast in a straight line and thought, ‘Yes, we can all do that, but I’d love to see how you’d handle a corner at speed’, they probably wouldn’t, they’d end up in a wall or similar. There is nothing big or clever about driving in a straight line, but to take on a track like Brands Hatch is a completely different game all together.

So first of all I had to take part in a drivers briefing; what are the flags to look out for, information about safety posts and more. All essential, because as my wife reminded me that morning, “Please come home alive”.

I spoke to Tony Gilham of Team Hard and decided that I would challenge myself to see just how difficult it really is. A date was arranged and I found myself facing a fully race prepared VW Cup car and Howard Fuller (a lap record holder at Brands Hatch) as my teacher. Could I, the bloke who sits behind a desk all day and talks about going fast around a track, actually do it? What would I make of it? How much more respect would I have for the drivers following my experience? The first thing I have to mention is that during this whole process there was a track day on, just seeing the smiles on the faces of people as they get out of the cars having been just driven around the famous circuit makes me feel that every one of you should try a track day. Don’t let your life pass you by without trying to drive a racing car around a track at top speed. I was lucky because of 24

My first trip around the circuit was with Darelle Wilson (winner of the Championship class B award in 2014) at the wheel. Whilst I should have perhaps been enjoying myself a bit more, I was trying to concentrate on his gear changes and breaking points, I intended to try and take this seriously. I noticed immediately that he was taking the corners in a similar fashion to what I expect to see from a Formula One driver rather than a touring car type driver. His trust in the car was amazing, I knew already that as soon as I went behind the wheel I would be expecting the car to turn over or spin if I tried too hard. The next step was to go out with Howard Fuller, someone with a completely different style to Darelle, but you could see that he knew this track like the back of his hand. He had utter confidence in every corner and applied power so quickly it was incredible to see. But what would happen when I finally got the chance to get behind the wheel. The bloke who

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talked like he knew motor sport, the man who, like most of you, will have criticised racing drivers in the past; now I would get to see what it was really like. Howard Fuller by my side in the passenger seat heading out of the pits; a thumbs up from the marshal and it was foot down and away we go. At first, I have to admit I was taking it easy as I didn’t yet trust the car. I thought that too much power and I’d never brake in time and put it in the wall. I also wondered about braking too early and causing trouble for a car behind. But half-way round the lap I began to realise that Howard was using his fingers to tell me what gear I should be in and then telling me when to get back on the power. I must have done 3 or 4 laps and thought to myself, ‘this is ridiculously hard, I never stop thinking, as I am taking a corner, I am thinking about the next one. I quickly learned that by taking one corner wrong, I would mess up the next one or even two. The track was slightly damp too, so being on slick tyres didn’t help my confidence. Finally by the 5th lap I crossed the start/finish straight and thought ‘let’s go for this’, I threw all the worries about the car out of the window and just took every corner as if it mattered in a qualifying session. Apart from the first hairpin (which you need to come down to second gear), I left the car in a minimum of 4th all the way round, trusting my instincts to tell me when to brake and then, as soon as I felt the car start to straighten up, I put my foot back down on the power. The car stuck to the ground like glue and I believe I pulled out a lap to be proud of, especially considering I wasn’t a racing driver. The best bit followed. Howard Fuller actually gave me a clap for the lap. To be honest I was expecting him to be shouting, “get me out of here now”. The day and experience taught me that racing drivers need so much respect. If you think that you are a racing driver because you can drive 60 mph in a Corsa with a large exhaust up and down the high street late at night, you want to try this and see what real racing is all about. Could I be a racing driver? I really don’t think so. Did I learn a lot? I certainly did. Would I like to do it again? Absolutely yes, I have the bug now. It was amazing and as you will see by following the links below, there is a short video of me going round the track with interviews talking to both myself and Howard Fuller, giving opinions on the day. I haven’t seen them yet, so they’ll be as much fun for me to watch as you guys. I just hope Howard wasn’t too harsh about my driving skills. www.pitlanereporter.com

Click here to watch our editor in action at Brands Hatch 25

GARAGE

TEAM-

HARD

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INDYCAR HISTORY PART 2 CONTENTS By Eric Hall

ndy Style racing through the 1920’s was political, but more or less straight forward in its execution, but the late 20’s bring a whole different kind of problem. Instead of making history, AAA was finally inter-ested in documenting its history correctly and accurately. You can decide how successful they eventually were.

By the early 1930’s, history was more or less settled. The 1905 season had all but disappeared, the Motor Age picks stood next to official championships as canon, Gaston Chevrolet had been restored as the 1920 champion and Mean’s jiggering with history was forgotten.

In 1926 and 1927, AAA Assistant Secretary Arthur Means, for reasons unknown, created falsely represented season tables for 1909-1915 and 19171919 and reworked the 1920 season stripping the cham-pionship from Gaston Chevrolet and awarding it to Tommy Milton. By 1929 Chevrolet reappeared as the champion and the Motor Age picks from decades before were considered cannon. Means’ work was rejected and had slipped into oblivion for the time being.

This version of history persisted until Russ Catlin found the Means crib sheets in early 1951. Amazed by the ‘lost championships’ he incorrectly restored Milton as the 1920 champion; going as far as to award the still living Milton with a championship medal. (Chevrolet’s brothers were still alive in the late 20’s but had passed by this time; coincidence that no one was left to fight for Gaston?) Catlin also haphaz-ardly created champions from 1902 through 1908 to coincide with AAA’s golden anniversary. He wanted 50 years of champions for 50

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years of operation; the creations of Catlin were folded into the ever changng cannon of what would become Indy Car racing. All of the early nineteen-naught picks were totally bogus, and proof can be seen in his 1905 pick. Catlin chose Victor Hemery (the years Vanderbilt Cup winner) instead of Oldfield, the official 1905 champion. Showing that Catlin probably had no idea the proper 1905 season existed, not to mention period media is at complete odds with Catlin’s accounts. Why he did not reference contemporary media is unknown. Now it is thought that Mr. Catlin may not have been the crack historian he was once thought of as. Why did he choose some of Means’ work, but not all of it? Sometime during the CART era, the 1902-1908 listings were finally dropped, but Catlin and Mean’s 1909-1915 and 19171919 champions proved to be a bit more persistent. It seems to me that sometime during the ChampCar era, as they had control over the old CART records, officials rectified some of the issues that had plagued history for nearly 75 years. Gaston had been rightfully restored and at least an asterisk had been placed beside the false early seasons. CART historian Bob Russo had always sided with Russ Catlin through many, continued attacks from up and coming revisionist historian John Glenn Printz. Starting in 1981, Printz actively lobbied CART to change its historical records to reflect what really happened. CART held firm, but in the 1985 CART me-dia guide, the original, unaltered championship list was present with Chevrolet as the 1920 champion. CART had printed the listing by mistake and in 1986; the Printz list was replaced by the historical faulty championship record. Printz and Russo proceeded to engage in a public feud carried out on the pages of “Indycar Racing” over the next few years. Throughout the years, the AAA records had been stolen, thrown away or simply lost, leading to a few records finding their way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway collection; with the bulk of what little sur-viving paperwork exists residing in the Racemaker Press storage room. By all accounts, a single box re-mains, its contents tainted by Russ Catlin.

Current Motor Speedway historian Donal Davidson’s connections with the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), the same organization that Bob Russo was part of, has probably never looked too closely at these early seasons. It’s easy for him to stay relegated to IMS history, and I’m not sure I blame him. What our media guide holds now are the 1952 Catlin picks from 1909-1915 and 1917-1919. There is no official entry for 1905, and Gaston Chevrolet is the 1920 champion. But, of course, there is an asterisk and a lengthy admission that something is indeed funky with early history along with the Motor Age picks from 1909-1915 and 1919. The 1902-1908 picks are long gone. After years of instability, the championship had finally become recognized and repeatable. Historical mistakes were made, but the sport is well on its way to greatness and The Indianapolis Motor Speedway finally takes the helm of championship racing for the first time. Board track racing was at its height in the early 1920’s. Millions of trees were felled to accommodate the hundreds of miles of the highly banked wooden autodromes popped up all around the nation. These facilities led to a decline in interest from the general public. The high banking and speeds almost guaranteed there would be no passing; the highest starting car that could stay in one piece would nearly al-ways claim victory. National championship regulations had allowed more or less bespoke racing machines to contest the trail. This equipment was foreign to the general public, bearing almost no resemblance to the automo-biles they saw on the street. Interest was slipping and the first threats to the Championship started to expose themselves. Audiences were clamoring for the unpredictability of dirt track racing, and more recognizable machinery. Fans got one wish very quickly. Safety hazards and the cubic dollars required for the upkeep of auto-dromes

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saw the last board track race take place at Altoona Speedway in 1931. The facilities quickly fad-ed from existence. Outside of the bricks of Indianapolis, all championship races took place on the dirt. During the same time, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker pushed through a rule set that has more recently taken on the misnomer “Junkyard Formula”. What looked like a relaxing of the rules to allow cheaper and less technical shade-tree mechanics to enter equipment into the race was actually a move to entice automotive manufacturers to come back to the championship. They had been all but absent for over a decade, citing the bespoke equipment as of no interest to them. The equipment that contested the championship in the 30’s was more akin to sports cars or stock cars than the fire breathing thoroughbred monsters that had previously graced the circuits of America. Large displacement naturally aspirated engines and riding mechanics replaced the tiny supercharged single seat equipment from years past. This was also the first time IMS flexed its muscles in the face of the sanctioning body. Series bosses had almost always deferred to The Speedway on technical matters, but this time IMS proactively pushed the agenda that it saw as correct. Although a massive fixture in National racing, IMS had finally positioned itself as the beginning and end of American open-wheel racing from a technical standpoint. The late 20’s also saw the total decline of racing in the US. Transitioning from the post-WWI boom of 20 championship races to the pre-WWII bust of only a handful each year was a difficult process. Unstable rules, uncooperative promoters and financially poor owners ushered in the most tenuous time ever seen in big time racing. The late 30’s and early 40’s were shells of its former championship glory. Seasons saw an average of three or four rounds a year during this period. US racing was dying, and the merciful cancellation of big time racing in 1942 for WWII could not have come at a better time.

released a memo ahead of the 1947 season stating that championship scoring for the 1947 season will revert to only Champ Car races, plus the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Dirt racing had been the predominant style of racing after filling the void left by board track racing. Only Pikes Peak and Indianapolis being the two non-dirt oval events until the inclusion of paved Darlington Raceway in 1951. It took a few years to catch on, but by 1956, a third of the championship was held on pavement and the divergence of pavement and dirt cars started in earnest. 1955 marked a time of new beginnings and rapid change as AAA withdrew from race sanctioning, instead choosing to focus on public automobiling services and programs. The power vacuum allowed An-ton “Tony” Hulman, Jr. then owner of IMS, to step in and create the United States Auto Club (USAC) to handle championship sanctions. By doing this, Hulman had consolidated IMS, big time auto racing, and technical control of the championship into one unified behemoth. Indianapolis did indeed take full power of Championship racing, but it wasn’t with the single knockout punch of creating the 500 that sealed its place. Once board tracks fell to the wayside, IMS was the last strong promoter and track owner to compete with fairground horse racing tracks. This allowed Speed-way brass a more free hand in guiding the technical regulations on behalf of the manufacturers and owners. A move AAA clearly had no motivation to make, evident by the missing but promised super-charger equivalency formula following the riding mechanic era of the 30’s. What follows in Indy Car racing are drastic changes in machinery and execution. The modern era begins and ushers in the racing we know today. Still in its infancy, American open-wheel racing had yet to see true heights of the sport.

1946 saw the resuscitation of big time racing in the US. However, there were few facilities prepared to host championship racing. Even Indianapolis was questionable due to its neglect during the war. The decision was made to include sprint car events in the national championship trail to pad event and en-trant numbers during this complete rebuild season. Six Championship car events, historically defined as a race over 100 miles in length that has paid the sanctioning body for the right to call their race a championship event, and 71 sprint car events were included in the calendar that year. Better than expected car counts led to a fair bit of confusion regarding what is and isn’t championship history during the 1946 season. Whatever confusion is present in period sources, AAA

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INDYCAR NEWS IN BRIEF CONTENTS

By Eric Hall

arlin Racing Enters Indy Lights - Powerhouse European feeder series team Carlin Racing announced their plans to create a US arm based in Poughkeepsie, New York to operate a two car assault on Indy Lights, the final rung of the Mazda Road to Indy. The expansion follows the general thought that Formula 1 has become too difficult to attain for all but the wealthiest hopefuls. The 2014 offseason has seen an increased interest from young European drivers regarding the future career possibilities in IndyCar and Indy Lights and Carlin Racing look to give these hopefuls a viable future in the US. Carlin Racing praised the new Dallara IL-15 Indy Lights chassis and the all new 2.0-liter turbocharged 4 cylinder engine; stating the package is a major selling points of the series. It is worth noting, Indy Lights engine builders Advanced Engine Research’s parent company, Dyson Racing, is also based in Poughkeepsie. Carlin brings the field to 12 entrants joining Andretti Autosport, Dragon Racing, Conquest Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports among other stalwart Lights teams. The first open test has been moved from mid-December to mid-January in a bid to give Dallara more time to deliv-er extra chassis to the teams. Rules Changes - The largest change contained in a multi-part rules update was another change to the points system for the second straight year. In 2014, double points were awarded at the 3 triplecrown races consisting of the Indianapolis 500, Pocono IndyCar 500 and MAVTV 500. However, in 2015 only the Indianapolis 500 and the season ending round at Sonoma Raceway will feature as double-points paying events.

starts, and the relatively short and narrow starting straights of North American facilities, the de-cision has few competition ramifications. The introduction of aerokits and continued offseason engine development should further increase speeds at Indianapolis and throughout the rest of the 2015 campaign. To more closely align with these speeds, rookie orientation for the Indianapolis 500 will see an increase of 5 miles an hour across the three phases. Phase one requires rookies to turn 10 laps at 205-215 MPH, phase two consists of 15 laps at 210-215 MPH, and the final phase requiring 15 laps at 215+ MPH. Other changes include a slight update on how test days are determined and clarifications regarding pit stall selection and qualifying draw after inconsistencies regarding partial season en-trants were witnessed in making pre-race declarations during the 2014 season. Ryan Hunter-Reay Honored in Indianapolis - On a cold evening at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, the 101st face to be added to the historic Borg-Warner Trophy was unveiled to a small crowd of national media and local fans. “It is a lifelong dream come true to see my face accompany those of racing’s greatest drivers on the Borg-Warner Trophy,” Hunter-Reay said after seeing his likeness on the 79 year old sterling silver trophy valued at over 3.5 million dollars.

Standing starts will also be eliminated at all rounds for 2015. As Honda and Chevrolet have shifted focus to aerokit development, the continued software development needed to faultlessly execute repeatable standing starts was deemed unnecessary. Given the series history of flying 30

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Hunter-Reay joins 99 other race winners and Anton â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tonyâ&#x20AC;? Hulman, Jr; the man credited with saving The Speedway after World War II. His 24-karat gold likeness was added in 1988. In 1924 and 1941, the winning cars were started by one driver but brought to the checkered flag with another after the starters elected to take relief partway through the races. IndyCar and Dallara shoot for the Stars - IndyCar and Dallara have both worked with NASA to create technologies to assist in the ongoing exploration of space, while continuing to prove that motorsport technology has more applications than simply providing a route for car compa-nies to develop and advertise.

Distribution device aboard the Rosetta spacecraft. The Italian composite company created the carbon fiber toolbox, composite material drill and rotating carousel capable of boring 23cm into target Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gersimenko to retrieve core samples for internal study. The lightweight, low power, lubrication-free drill performed extremely well in the vacuum of space while experiencing 600 degree Fahrenheit temperature swings before the tiny lander lost power.

IndyCar provided NASA with vital crash survival information to assist the American space agen-cy in creating the next generation restraint system used in the recently tested Orion crew mod-ule. Data from in-ear accelerometers and the black box recorder which logs impact angle and G forces experienced by the chassis, regardless of other safety systems in place such as a SAF-ER Barrier or gearbox attenuator. The data has also helped the US Air Force create new hel-mets, seats and cockpit harnesses. Dallara developed and manufactured the hightech mechanical unit of the Sampling, Drilling and www.pitlanereporter.com

NASCAR – CHASE ELLIOT WINS CONTENTS NATIONWIDE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP By Travis Barend or not,” Elliott said. “It was unknown, although in the years leading up to this we’ve been fortunate to have success at different levels including short track racing. I certainly would never have believed anybody if they’d have told me that we were going to win.” Elliott, who becomes the youngest champion in NASCAR history, worked alongside another young face in the garage, crew chief Greg Ives. Working his second season as a crew chief in the Nationwide Series, Ives will move to the Sprint Cup Series in 2015 to work with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON.

hase Elliott, son of legendary NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, joins his father as a NASCAR champion. Even more impressive is the fact that Elliott has done it at the age of 18. The 2014 season was a good one for Chase. As a developmental driver for Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott signed with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Nationwide Series team last season in what was a last minute deal. When sponsor NAPA Auto Parts left Michael Waltrip Racing’s Sprint Cup Series team after a race manipulation scandal in late 2013, JR Motorsports gained full support from the partner for 2014 and beyond. The partnership energized the team, the sponsor and NASCAR fans all around the globe, but not many expected success to come so quickly. After winning consecutive races early in the season at Texas and Darlington, Elliott became the lead candidate for the championship trophy. A third win later in the season continued his dominance, but even more impressive was the driver’s consistency through the year, scoring 16 top-5s, 26 top-10s. Finishing all 33 races was instrumental to his success.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with [Elliott], very fortunate to have worked with JR Motorsports and also Hendrick Motorsports,” Ives said. “They have given me this opportunity. Maybe not so much tonight, but we made the best of it over the year, and the promising thing is, no matter what, Chase and I always try to learn something from whatever happens. We’re always grateful for the position we’re in, whether it’s 17th, 30th, or winning the race.” Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time Nationwide Series driver champion, is now a champion owner in the series. For Earnhardt, this championship for the team is a huge milestone. “We went through a lot of growing pains,” Earnhardt said, “won some races, worked with a lot of great people, and, you know, this championship just really has me reflecting back on all that and all the people that have come through that shop and the people that we have now, the relationships that we’ve built, partners we’ve had. It’s been just ten years, yet it seems like it’s been 100. It’s been a wonderful, wonderful trip.” Chase Elliott is expected to return to JR Motorsports full-time next season while running part-time in the Sprint Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports. His 2016 plans are currently unknown.

Elliott held such a strong lead in the standings that the team clinched the championship a week before the season finale. Such early success even had the driver in disbelief. “For us to even have thought that -- I really didn’t know if we were going to be racing full time this year

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NASCAR – KEVIN HARVICK WINS SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP By Travis Barend

ASCAR’s new elimination format used in this season’s Chase for the Sprint Cup proved thrilling as 2014 reached its conclusion. When NASCAR’s top series arrived at Phoenix International Raceway for the second-to-last race, eight drivers remained championship eligible, but only four would advance. With only 18 points separating the top eight teams, the penultimate race of the year would prove to be intense.

Scoring the win was Kevin Harvick, who absolutely needed it. If the driver had finished in second place, it would not have been good enough. He would have been eliminated from championship contention. Fortunately for the Stewart Haas Racing driver, he advanced into the Championship Four. Solid finishes also saw Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin advance. The exciting moment of the race came on the final lap, when Ryan Newman was one position away from advancing to the final round of the Chase. With Kyle Larson ahead of him entering the final turn, Newman drove into the corner with all his might, doorslamming Larson up and out of the racing groove. Newman’s aggressive move allowed him entry into the Championship Round.

On a restart with just a few laps to go, the remaining three drivers held the top three positions. Harvick led with four fresh tires, Newman followed with two fresh tires, and Hamlin was in third with the oldest set. After Hamlin spun his tires on the restart, it was a battle between Harvick and Newman for the Cup. Unfortunately for Newman, Harvick was untouchable and pulled away with the victory and the championship. Harvick’s championship is his first and the second for Stewart Haas Racing. This was Harvick’s first year with the team. “You know, I think as you go back in time and you just really think about everything that’s led up to this point, this is what we race for,” Harvick said. “You show up to race for the Sprint Cup championship trophy, and to be able to come here in our first year with co-owner, Gene Haas, co-owner Tony Stewart and crew chief Rodney Childers and all the other guys on the team, you really have been able to experience something that you don’t get to experience very often.” After a terrible year for Tony Stewart, it ends on a positive note as he earned his second championship as an owner. “You know, there’s a lot of things I would love to change about the last 18 months of my life, but tonight is not one of them,’ Stewart said. “I’m going to enjoy this moment, and I’m going to enjoy it with this group and this young man. We’re going to go celebrate and enjoy this because they deserve it, and this is a great family and this is a great group of people to lean on.” With the success and excitement level of NASCAR’s new elimination format, changes to the Chase are unlikely for next season.

The following drivers were eliminated - Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Matt Kesneth. When the Sprint Cup Series returned to HomesteadMiami Speedway for Ford Championship weekend, the top four in the standings were reset to equal points. Simply put, the highest finisher would win the championship. Throughout the final round, the four drivers raced extremely closely and, the end of the race, and the season, ultimately was determined by mistakes and pit strategy. A slow pit stop by Logano’s team late in the race ruined their chances, while the other three drivers raced for the win.

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MATT CRAFTON WINS NASCAR TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

By Travis Barend

ince the very beginning in 1995, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has never had a back-to-back champion. That was until NASCAR’s third-tier series raced at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of Ford Championship Weekend in midNovember. Matt Crafton, after winning the 2013 championship, continued his streak of domination and consistency to top the point standings throughout this year. When he arrived in Miami, he held a 25-point lead over second place driver Ryan Blaney. A solid finish would easily clinch the title. While Blaney finished fifth, Crafton captured a ninth place finish, giving him the championship and a place in NASCAR’s record books. “It’s definitely an awesome feeling to say you’re back-toback champion,” said Crafton. Crafton, known for his consistency, scored two victories, 13 top-5s and 17 top-10s. He only failed to finish twice during the season. Despite his consistency, the champion is known for racing hard, which is why the final weekend was so difficult. “Without a doubt, I wanted to go out there and do my job and try to win more races and lead more laps and that’s what we did,” Crafton said after the final race. “I’m not going to lie, tonight’s race wasn’t much fun for me having to sit there and ride around because I know the truck was a lot better, but I couldn’t risk putting myself in a bad position.”

“It was just -- honestly, the only time I ever thought about it was when the media talked to me about it. Nobody else talked to me about it, nobody in the crew, crew chief, nobody.” Fortunately Crafton can now talk about it easily. His 2014 season was a success, but 2015 is right around the corner. Could three in a row be coming? Crafton feels good about it. “Oh, without a doubt. I don’t feel -- I feel very good about going into 2015 and maybe making it three in a row. That would be -- there’s no doubt that we can. I’ve said it’s all about these guys that build these trucks up in Sandusky, Ohio, and having owners that give us all the tools, Duke and Rhonda Thorson.” Despite looking forward, the driver is still making sure he appreciates and cherishes this season and what it means to the history of the truck series. Crafton is just happy to be on the same list as the drivers who have won multiple series championships. “I mean, it’s awesome, without a doubt, to say that -- to be on the list with those guys is unreal. I’ve watched Ron Hornaday race with my dad in the ‘80s, and he was an unreal race car driver, and to see Jack Sprague and all those guys win the championships, like I said, damn good race car drivers, and to say I’m on the list with them is pretty cool.”

In 2013, Crafton crashed during the final race, but held a large enough point lead to capture the championship. This time around, there was more risk and pressure. In fact, the pressure of becoming a back-to-back champion was something Crafton had tried to avoid. “I definitely didn’t want to talk about it at all the last few weeks. The media, of course, did.

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GRID GIRL STRIPPED NAKED

INTERVIEW WITH JO POLLEY S orry guys, I know what you were expecting when you quickly turned to this page, but I must disappoint you on that aspect, no naked ladies I’m afraid in Pit Lane Reporter. Instead today we have interviewed the beautiful grid girl Jo Polley, but unbeknown to a lot of people she is also an accomplished racing driver. This article strips back the bimbo image and shows that the majority of grid girls have such talents that we as motor sport fans either neglect to look for or we just didn’t know. Here we go beyond the looks and see the talent of an amazing racing driver. This is Jo Polled

Phil Woods - Can you briefly tell the readers what your role as a grid girl is, and what that role is with Chris Stockton’s team? Jo Polley - Well it is basically being the public face of the team, being polite and friendly, smiling at everyone. This involves greeting all the hospitality guests, as there are a lot of them on race day at Touring Cars, so to get involved with the guests and sponsors. Obviously you are advertising sponsors and you are branded to the team sponsors on the outfits as you are representing them as well. So normally you are also at the drivers signing to greet the fans as they come up and meet the driver. And the part where you stand on track with your board is so the driver can find their position and so the fans that come on the grid walk can look for you.

you started what got you into it and how big an influence was your Dad, because he was pretty good wasn’t he?

JP - Well I grew up around it. The year I was born my Dad won the world championship so it’s all I have done is go racing. It literally is a way of life and it is the only thing I have ever wanted to do, just do what my Dad did. I have always loved it and went every weekend. My brother got a mini stock first and then I pestered the hell out of my Dad until he got me one, because I wanted to do it as well. PW - You have just completed the 2014 Mini Challenge Season with PowerMax Racing Team who Chris is with as well. I believe it was a bit touch and go whether you would make it onto the grid due to sponsorship. I’d like to know, with all that difficulty going during preparation, how it felt when you were able to line Donington Park, race.

PW - There has always been this impression that grid girls are bimbos, that they are just there to look good. You ladies do look good but we want to show with this interview that there is so much more going on and that the grid girls are not just a pretty face and they do different things. You are slightly more unique because you don’t just stand looking pretty, you have a passion for motor racing and you started racing cars when you were 15. When 36

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o n up at the first

“

Busin becau and c expos avera

JP - It was all a massive whirlwind because it was only the week before that we agreed the sponsorship deal, so up until the week before I was really down believing I wouldn’t race this year, yet again. Yeah the deal was literally done the week before and it was really last minute. We managed to find a car and had to get the car wrapped and then did no testing and just went out on Donington the day before I raced and that was my first sit in the car. It was not ideal but I was just so excited to be sat out there. PW - I want to make it clear that you have achieved over 30 podiums in your career which is a staggering success rate. JP – Well, to be honest, most of those are from Oval Racing but they are still podiums. Mini Stock is full contact so it’s a tough competition and it is not easy. PW - You mentioned you do Circuits and Ovals. What is your preference and why? JP - It is difficult one to answer this. I grew up with Oval Racing and that is where my roots are and I love it. I also love Circuit Racing but there is nothing in it that appealed to me for which I had the budget and could race. There was lower budget Circuit Formulas available which is why I went Circuit Racing in the first place. Obviously I love Hot-rods, which is what my Dad did, but the budget, time and effort to go into it is high. Oval Racing is nearly every weekend and I didn’t have anyone who could dedicate the time to doing the car for me and take me racing every weekend. So I can support the circuit Mini on my own because it was sort of manageable. I mean if I had a limitless budget, I would have a national Hot-rod and a Circuit racing car and do both.

nesses should sponsor me use I am a unique package can offer much more sure than your age driver

”

By Phil Woods www.pitlanereporter.com

PW - It is an interesting answer because many people focus on one kind of racing. In years gone by you look at people like Stirling Moss. One weekend they are in F1 racing around Spa and the next time you see them they are running across the track to start the 24 hour Le Mans. Things have changed and people focus more on one thing. Are you saying that, if money was not an object, you would actually do two things? JP - Absolutely. Definitely. PW - In 2008 you were in the Mighty Mini’s race at Mallory Park. You achieved Pole and can you remember what your emotions were? JP - Yeah it was probably the highlight of my racing career; it was amazing. Mallory was my favourite circuit, so always in my head I was in a good place because I knew I could drive well there. We tested the week before so we knew we had the car set up right, so everything was right in my head. I was confident and it all came together and we pulled Pole out of the bag. PW - What has been your favourite race to date in your career? JP - It would be the 2009 Mighty Mini’s at Mallory. I ended up 3rd, but the top 6 positions changed places nearly every lap. I think I was down to 6th or 7th, then I was leading for a bit and then 2nd and 3rd. It was a really good race. PW - At Pit Lane Reporter we do support Female Racing drivers and we try to do it in a big way as much as we can. Because we look into it a lot, we can see there are so many talented female drivers out there that just don’t get the recognition they deserve. Do you have any personal opinions as to why, despite the talent that is there, they don’t get the recognition? JP - I don’t really know. I don’t think in general that Motor Sport drivers are very well known, the exception being the likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. I don’t think it’s a female thing, I think it is just a general thing. I think it is mainly to do with money as there are only a handful of drivers that have backing to do something like Touring Cars. It is generally men who own their own businesses that can afford to fund it. I would love to do Touring Cars, that is my aim. There is a lady called Abby Eaton who has just won the Mazda MX5 cup. She is brilliant, has done so well and she gets pissed off 38

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that she does not get much coverage; but she won the national championship and Louise Inch won the Mighty Minis as well. I mean that is females winning championships outright and they got so little coverage. I have been very lucky, which is probably because of my Dad’s name that I tend to get a lot of coverage, and because I have lots of media friends I can put myself in the position to get a lot of coverage, because that’s the only way I can race. I want to race and to do that to get the sponsors I have to have coverage, so it is a vicious circle. My compatriots are probably sick of seeing me but, if I don’t get the coverage, then I can’t get the sponsorship and can’t race. PW - If you could pick any racing car, from any era and from any discipline to drive in, what would it be and why? JP - I am torn between a NASCAR and a British Touring Car. Probably front wheel drive so like Andrew Jordan’s Honda. I know it is not the most exciting car to pick but I don’t like anything too big and it is perfect for me. The old classic touring cars look amazing but I don’t think I would like to drive one as I would prefer the modern small ones, like an Airwaves one or Andrew Jordan’s Honda would be my perfect drive.

PW - So, Jo what is on the cards for 2015? What are you hoping to do? JP - What I am hoping to do is to move on from Mighty Mini’s up a class to JTW works class which are faster, but it is purely budget depended. I can’t afford to race anything. I just have a normal salary and have zero spare money every month. If it is down to just me, I can’t afford the cheapest entry level. I can’t afford to race full stop. So anything I do is purely dependent on the amount of sponsorship I can raise. PW - I know from my Analytics that about 80,000 people read our magazine including thousands of business people. So what I am going to say to you, is that all over Christmas, we can tell those business people why by sponsoring you they are backing a winner. JP - Businesses should sponsor me because I am a unique package and can offer much more exposure than your average driver. I work hard for my sponsors to maximise this because without them I simply cant race. I have so much more to prove, you will love coming on board with me and becoming an integral part of my motorsport adventure whilst growing your brand name in to a new arena. Thank you Jo Polley. I hope that after reading this article, some fans views on grid girls have changed. There is so much more behind the pretty face.

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BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP: 2014 END-OF-SEASON AWARDS By Adam Johnson

t’s a compliment to just how awesome the 2014 BTCC season was that I’m starting to get annoyed when people yearn misty-eyed for those glory days of super touring. When we’ve just seen a brilliant season of consistently entertaining racing and record grid numbers, I think now is time to put those season review tapes away. BTCC’s class of 2014 was a great mix of big guns, returning legends, youthful exuberance and storylines a plenty. It saw dynasties fall and controversy erupt, tempers frayed and bodywork bent. But crucially, the explosive energy of the series is burning brighter than ever. A full season review would take up entire books, and to be honest if you weren’t paying attention then you have only yourself to blame. So let’s run through some of the highlights and lowlights of one of the finest seasons in recent memory.

BEST RACE: ROUND 29 BRANDS HATCH GP If you want an eloquent counter-argument to Brian France’s assertion that races are boring if the title has already been decided, here you have it. A magnificent see-sawing contest, with Jason Plato playing pantomime villain to perfection by punting off new champion Colin Turkington, before trading blows with Rob Collard, teammate Sam Tordoff and the heroic Adam Morgan, who looked on for glory before a split-second mistake gifted Plato victory. That was until Plato was penalised for the Turkington contact and Morgan took a well-deserved debut victory after all. Breathless stuff.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: TOM INGRAM Easy one to start with. It’s actually quite a surprise to see him only 15th in the table - a sign of the white-hot competitive nature of the season, but an indicator of just how often he was upfront and contending at the sharp end. And let’s not forget, the Toyota Avensis was one of the very first NGTC cars, so is now an old stager in the field. Not that Tom Ingram showed any signs of that.

WORST RACE: ROUND 11 OULTON PARK GP I’d just about managed to delete this atrocity of a race weekend off my mind. I guess for the ying, there must come the yang - and for all my hype and praise of the great racing, this weekend was the one blot on the copybook. The decision to return to the longer Island circuit backfired massively; a parade of mobility scooters returning home from Tesco would’ve been more of a spectacle. Fortunately, the series will return to the old shorter configuration next year, and we can forget this weekend even existed. 40

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‘THAT’S NOT GONE WELL’ AWARD: SIMON BELCHER

BEST COMEBACK: ALAIN MENU Speaking of nostalgia, it was fabulous to welcome back two legends of previous eras of BTCC racing; Alain Menu, king of the 1990s, and Fabrizio Giovanardi, (arguably) king of the 2000s. So who took the title in this veteran prizefighter clash? Menu, on points. Giovanardi was visibly frustrated and never quite got to grips with his Motorbase Focus, and most of his spectacular highlights came from wrecks or incidents. Menu however got caught up in the maelstrom of BTCC madness in the early season, and results didn’t match his pace until later in the season - podiums at Rockingham and Silverstone his best results. Both are rumoured not to be returning next year, which would be a great shame as they brought colour and enormous star power to proceedings. Anyone fancy persuading Anthony Reid out of retirement?

Who else can be nominated for this one? An unusually high number of drivers came to grief at the hugely fast Church corner at Thruxton, and discovered a few tyre bundles and some trees were not the best way to slow down outof-control cars. But after earlier incidents, Belcher joined the party late - and promptly discovered the battered tyre barrier had become a rallycrossstyle ramp, turning his Toyota into a low-flying bomber. Fortunately he was alright, his car was back on track for the next round, and he is now rumoured to be working on the new James Bond film as a stunt driver. Maybe….

MOMENT OF THE SEASON: RACE 3 SILVERSTONE, LAPS 18/19 This award is otherwise known as ‘what clip from 2014 would you show to a non-BTCC fan to convince them of the series’ awesomeness?’ Simple, Turkington has a title in his grasp with Plato bearing down on him in the reverse-grid race. He slices up the inside of Giovanardi on lap 18 at Brooklands. They bang doors on the startfinish straight, where Menu makes it 3-wide. Menu runs wide through Copse. Turkington returns serve - 3-wide again. Plato punts Turkington into Giovanardi at Maggots, and suddenly Andrew Jordan joins the fun and, guess what? 3-wide again down the back straight, before Turkington pulls a title-winning move to hang tough on the inside and clear both Plato and Jordan whilst under huge pressure from Menu. If you looked up ‘hard racing’ in the dictionary, this clip would play alongside the definition. Astonishingly good.

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DRIVER OF THE YEAR: COLIN TURKINGTON ...and I now win the award for ‘biggest statement of the obvious’. All I will say is that it will be an utter travesty if sponsor issues once again prevent him from defending a BTCC title.

CONCLUSION I could go on, but you don’t need any further reminders of just how staggeringly good BTCC 2014 was. I’m not sure what’s more exciting; that we saw such a great 2014 season, or that 2015 is seeing some heavyweights arriving on the scene (Infiniti Support Our Paras and Help for Heroes Racing for two) and that momentum only escalating. It’s been a long time since there has been such electric excitement around the BTCC, and I for one am relishing this energy with barely restrained glee. Enjoy perusing the gossip sites across Silly Season, and I’ll see you at Brands Hatch in 2015. Little hand says it’ll be time to rock and roll.

All BTCC photos copyright BTCC

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DTM ENDS SEASON IN HOCKENHEIM IN STYLE By Annika Göcke DTM FINAL AT HOCKENHEIM IN GRAND STYLE The result of the last DTM race 2014 is well-known. But what about the car driving around the track without a driver? And which celebrities were there? Pit Lane Reporter summarises the action, on and off track, of the DTM season final 2014. Let’s begin with the team who won the DTM manufacturers title: Audi. As Pit Lane Reporter reported in detail, it was announced at a press conference at Audi on Friday that the Audi Sport TT Cup will take over the platform of the Onemake Cup within the Volkswagen Group. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of Audi’s Board of Management for Technical Development completed the first lap in the new race car prior to the start of the DTM race.

AUDI RS 7 PILOTED DRIVING CONCEPT Another premiere was announced by Audi on Sunday: An Audi RS 7 (nicknamed Bobby) thrilled the spectators. The piloted driving concept did a lap in slightly over two minutes on the Grand Prix track in Hockenheim without a driver! For orientation on the track, the car with the four rings used specially corrected GPS signals. This GPS data is transmitted to the vehicle by wifi according to the automotive standard and also via highfrequency radio. In parallel to this, 3D cameras in the car film the track, and a computer program compares the cameras image information against a data set stored on board. This makes it possible for the car to orient itself on track to within a few centimetres. Piloted driving is one of the most important development fields at Audi: The first successful developments were achieved ten years ago. The test results continually flow into series development. “The derivations from series production, particularly in terms of precision and performance, are of great value for our further

development steps”, said Prof. Hackenberg. Experts from Volkswagen Group Research, the Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) and Stanford University (both in California) are supporting Audi as partners in the further development of these systems.

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KEEN INTEREST IN DTM Many celebrity guests showed keen interest in DTM. As there were so many, Pit Lane Reporter can only name a few. For example German actor Wotan Wilke Möhring, the German Champion in 100-meter sprint Tatjana Pinto, épée fencer Britta Heidemann, Surf World Cup winner Moana Delle, European Sailing Champion Philipp Buhl and world soccer champion Bastian Schweinsteiger were all spotted as Audi’s celebrity guests. Some well-known names from the world of motorsport would not miss the opportunity to watch the last DTM race of the season as well, and we include the 2013 World Endurance Champion Loïc Duval, ex Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg and the six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx. BMW welcomed wintersport stars such as former bobsleigh world champion Manuel Machata and two-time skeleton world champion Anja Huber. BMW factory driver Dirk Adorf, Mario Theissen (former BMW Motorsport Director and team principal of BMW Sauber) and Prince Leopold of Bavaria were also guests of BMW. Mercedes invited former F1 and DTM drivers Jean Alesi and David Coulthard, Ellen Lohr,former DTM and this years FIA European Truck Racer (an interview with Ellen Lohr can be found in Pit Lane Reporter Issue 4, editor’s note), the current Mercedes F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as well as Williams F1 test driver and wife of Mercedes Motorsport Director Torger Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff -Susie Wolff. Rapper Cro was also on their guest list.

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SHORT INTERVIEW SESSION As all petrolheads can imagine, everyone wanted to talk to Coulthard, Alesi and Hamilton. Mercedes reacted and planned a round table interview session with Coulthard and Alesi on Sunday morning at 09.30am, followed by a press conference with Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff at 10am. Unfortunately things didn‘t go according to plan. Only the media representatives were able to talk to Coulthard who arrived later than planned. The limited time left wasn’t enough for me to ask all of my questions, and he answered F1 related questions mostly. After leaving Mercedes at 10:05am, running through a crowded paddock over to the 4th floor of the Baden-Wuerttemberg center, it soon became clear that I already missed the most important part of the press conference. What a shame!

WEALTH OF SURPRISES AWAITED WITTMANN Things went rather better for DTM champion Marco Wittmann who was presented with a pair of golden shoes by PUMA, Official Supplier of BMW Motorsport. “I wore them with pride”, said Wittmann after the last 42 laps of the year. In addition BMW launched a “BMW M4 DTM Champion Edition” in the colours of Wittmann’s Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM on Sunday evening. “The Champion Edition will be built in a limited run of 23 units, reflecting Wittmann’s car number - a very special memento of a very special season”, said Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW M GmbH. This was followed by another surprise for Wittmann, who was presented with a Toro Rosso Formula 1 car model by BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Now, it is our turn to reward Marco for his efforts. Renewing his contract for the coming season is a logical step for us, as he has consistently impressed us in the three years he has been working with us within the DTM - both on and off the track. For this reason, BMW M GmbH has come up with something very special and I am delighted that we can make his childhood dream come true with a Formula One test. Thanks to the relationship we enjoy with our premium partner Red Bull, we are able to organise a test drive in the Toro Rosso. We are excited to see how he fares in this car - and are then looking forward to more top-class performances from Marco”, explained Marquardt. www.pitlanereporter.com

FUNNY PRESS CONFERENCE The cherry on top was the after race press conference. Anyone who thinks that these conferences are boring was proven wrong. After the last DTM race of the season the drivers were asked what they would like to drink at the party. “Water”, began Ekström. “Me, too. Well, at least something with water in it”, continued Rockenfeller. “I will have a beer”, Green admitted honestly, and likewise di Resta. “Water is a no go today; I will also drink a beer”, joined DTM champion Wittmann. Ekström started to talk in Swedish. All I could understand was him saying “Vodka-Red-Bull, Whisky-Red-Bull, Jägermeister-Red-Bull...” until Rockenfeller interrupted: “You might get an idea who his sponsor is.” Laughter filled the room. When the speaker asked Ekström to translate, he replied: “I just said that Hockenheim is a great track and that the atmosphere and the audience were amazing this weekend.” Who says DTM doesn’t have characters?!

TOUS AVEC JULES #17 I would like to end with an example of the camaraderie in the world of motorsport. Before the start of the last race for 2014, the DTM drivers came together in a circle on the grid to show that Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi is in their thoughts. Bianchi lost control of his Marussia in Suzuka, travelled across the run-off area and hit the back of the tractor. He is still being treated in hospital. All of the 23 DTM drivers started with the message “Tous avec Jules #17” on their helmets.

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DTM LOOKING INTO A COMMON FUTURE: CLASS ONE REGULATIONS

t is no big secret that DTM plans to become the most popular international touring car series. A huge step in this direction was made this year when DTM, Super GT and IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) representatives agreed upon a range of technical details that are to be included into a common set of regulations. They will be in force all over the world, under the name ‘Class One’; so far, so good. If this feels like some “deja-vu” experience to you: it is - the idea of Class One regulations is not new. Pit Lane Reporter explains what didn’t work in the past and why the second era of Class One should be a success

By Annika Göcke

Alfa Romeo Class One car ©Wikipedia - creativecommons

Starting with exceptions DTM fans witnessed the first era of class one regulations from 1993 to 1996. Back then, five manufacturers - Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Opel - were working together on these regulations. BMW asked for exceptions (in-line six engine instead of V6) but this was not allowed and following that BMW and Audi decided to withdraw from DTM. This led BMW and Audi into the original idea of the Super Tourenwagen Cup (German Supertouring Championship) with 2 litre engines close to serial production of their road cars. Opel also hesitated and decided not to build a class one race car at first. Mercedes modified

the 190E but not as a purely class one race car. The only manufacturer who did build a Class One race car was Alfa: building a four-wheel drive car. Accordingly, Nicola Larini dominated the 1993 season and brought the title to Italy in the debut year. In 1994 Mercedes also decided to build a fullspec class one car; this turned out to be the correct choice and Klaus Ludwig became champion.

Manufacturers’ arms race At that time ABS (anti-blocking system), traction control and active suspension were allowed and as a result the technology development continued to escalate. All this high tech used caused costs to go

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Klaus Ludwig, DTM champion 1994 ©Mercedes Benz

sky high. Nevertheless, DTM was beautiful, fast and even more sophisticated than Formula 1 back then. The manufacturers then began an expensive armament race. In 1995 they realised that the investment required was too high for a Germany only, national racing series. But, to be able to stick with the technology, but without introducing new regulations, they chose a different path - an international one, known as ITC (International Touring Car Championship.) The series were now “two in one” with the national DTM races and the international ITC races. The separate rankings for each series were confusing and hugely disliked by the fans. Because of this confusion, only one class - the ITC - was held in 1996. This suited the manufacturers who were happy to invest large sums of money in a class one World Touring Car Championship. By the of 1996 the investment cost of this was far greater than that needed for F1 back then. In addition Opel and Alfa decided to retire. That meant the end of DTM for a few years until in 2000 it celebrated its comeback as Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (German Touring Car Masters.)

Downsizing is in Those responsible have learnt their lessons from the past. Todays’ DTM regulations are frozen: Equality has already been assured and they intend to build on this. The GT 500 class of the Super GT adapted the rules for 2014 BUT with turbo engines. Turbo engines are expected to be introduced to DTM in 2017, as the current 4 litre aspirated engines are no longer in keeping with the times. Those responsible understand that the fans want more excitement in the cars handling plus more horsepower: future DTM cars are expected to have 600 horsepower instead of the current 470 to 480. Driving will be different because of the higher torque and output. Moreover, a range of details like test limitations, tyre specifications and the use of DRS were also addressed in the meeting of the so-called ‘steering committee’ of the

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three race series. Summing up, the top priorities are spectacular cars, a high level of safety and a cutback of operating and development costs. The idea behind this is to enable better marketing potential for the manufacturers and to ensure that every manufacturer is able to compete in all of the three series, without major modifications being necessary, using the same regulations in Europe, Japan and the United States. Cost capping is met by the current restrictions; for example by using identical parts. Every manufacturer is allowed to develop their own engine within a very narrow tolerance. The biggest difference between the manufacturers will then be aerodynamics and suspension. From the outside, the fans will not notice many changes, except those on the cars. But you might perhaps see more racing cars in every series.

Klaus Ludwig in his DTM car ©Mercedes Benz

“It’s up to the manufacturers’ to decide if they want to let their Class-1 vehicle race at Suzuka today, at the Nürburgring next week and at Daytona in a fortnight. This possibility provides totally new marketing opportunities for the manufacturers. And the joint name, ‘Class One’, is an important component, ie the glue that is holding it all together. All these moves will help us achieve a variety of brands never witnessed before at the highest technical level and consequently, we will provide the crowds even more fascinating motor sport”, summarized Hans Werner Aufrecht, Chairman of ITR e.V.

Current DTM cars, Hockenheim 2014 ©DTM

Audi Class One ‘concept car’ ©Wikipedia - creativecommons Roland Asch (left) and his teammates Bernd Schneider, Ellen Lohr, Klaus Ludwig, Kurt Thiim and Jörg van Ommen with a Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II (W 201) in the DTM-season 1993 ©Mercedes Benz

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DTM: AUDI IS THE BEST MANUFACTURER 2014 By Annika Göcke

here are three titles to award in DTM: driver, team and manufacturer champoinships. BMW Team RMG driver Marco Wittmann clinched the drivers title and his team RMG the team title. The fight for the best manufacturer was open until the last race.

Strong performance across the board The manufacturers made the last race particularly exciting, especially Audi, who although having a reasonably good season, had experienced lean times when it came to race wins, Until Moscow - in the first half of the season - at least one Audi driver could be seen on the podium with two drivers there in three of the races. It continued this way with the only exception being was the race at Red Bull Ring where BMW’s finished one-two-three. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich explained “We made the largest number of podiums this year. Unfortunately, victory just didn’t seem to work out for a long time. That was tough for the squad but they never gave up and we finally “broke our duck” at Zandvoort“. Indeed Audi did breakthrough when Mattias Ekström celebrated the their first, longdesired victory of the year at the penultimate race of the season. Their aim after that was to win the manufacturer’s title. The first step in that direction was made in the Saturday qualifying at Hockenheim; six Audi’s in Q3 with three at the top of the grid was a great starting position for the team for this last race of the season. Mattias Ekström and Mike Rockenfeller, had the right strategy by starting on the harder standard tyres. These two maintained their position in the top ten throughout and, after switching to the softer option tyres in the final stage of the race, were both able to improve their positions. Favored by a late safety car period, Ekström and Rockenfeller managed to catch the leader, Jamie Green, in the last two laps. Ekström crossed the line in first followed by his brand colleagues Rockenfeller and Green. With Timo Scheider and Miguel Molina in positions six and nine, a total of five Audi drivers finished in the top ten and thus in the points. This success enabled Audi to convert a deficit of 21 points into an advantage of 30 points. Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi Sport,

proudly said: “Ultimately, it was decided in Audi’s favor, thanks to a brilliant team performance. That drivers from all three Audi Sport Teams were on the podium today says it all. To gain 15 out of 30 possible podium places this year is an impressive tally.” He added a clear statement of intent to the competitors: “We’re already looking forward to 2015 when we’re aiming to win best driver as well as best manufacturer.”

Audi jointly battling to recover in 2015 In addition, Ekström secured the runner-up’s spot in the drivers’ championship followed by Rockenfeller in third. “Since things have been going better in qualifying, the races have been working out as well. This was a great season finale for Audi, Team Abt Sportsline and also for me in front of a fantastic crowd. You can’t wish for a better farewell before the winter break”, summarized

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Ekstr wou Wittm

Whe mos didn of qu happ the fi the k this of A adde cham victo It’s g rene

“

Our mission was to clinch the manufacturers’ championship for Audi. We accomplished that with a victory and we’re very happy that we achieved both. It’s great to end the season like this; it provides us with renewed strength for the coming year.

”

The Red Bull Audi of Mattias Ekström. ©Audi Sport

röm. Without his problems in qualifying, Ekström uld have been much tougher competition for mann.

en thinking of a moment to remember from 2014 st fans would think of the two victories. But Ekström n’t and explained “My fondest memory of the year is ualifying at the Lausitzring. That’s where I was really py with my performance and my grid position for first time in the season. I think that’s where we found key to a perfect set-up and subsequently repeated at Zandvoort and Hockenheim.” Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline Hans-Jürgen Abt ed: “Our mission was to clinch the manufacturers’ mpionship for Audi. We accomplished that with a ory and we’re very happy that we achieved both. great to end the season like this; it provides us with ewed strength for the coming year.”

Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich and Head of Audi DTM Dieter Gass with the manufacturer trophy. ©Audi Sport

Mike Rockenfeller, Mattias Ekström, Hans-Jürgen Abt and Jamie Green on the podium. ©Audi Sport

Ekström crossing the finish line in first at the final race of the season. ©Audi Sport

Audi team picture 2014 ©Audi Sport

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ANNI’S DTM NEWS IN BRIEF CONTENTS By Annika Göcke

More race action 2015

he DTM 2015 calendar will provide more race action for the fans: there are nine race weekends planned, with two races to be contested per weekend - one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Furthermore, it’s already certain that DTM will hold the majority of its events in conjunction with its partner series FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Porsche Carerra Cup Germany and the new Audi Sport TT Cup - thus representing an action and excitement packed package second to none in the European motor-racing world.

2015 DTM calendar* 1st to 3rd May

Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg

29th to 31st May

Lausitzring

26th to 28th June

Norisring

10th to 12th July

Circuit Park Zandvoort (NED)

31st July to 2nd August

Red-Bull-Ring (AUT)

28th to 30th August

Moscow Raceway (RUS)

11th to 13th September

etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben

25th to 27th September

Nürburgring

16th to 18th October

Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg

* Subject to approval by FIA and DMSB.

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BMW confirms first drivers for 2015

Audi Sport TT Cup: 165 applications for 18 slots

BMW confirmed their first seven drivers for the 2015 season: Marco Wittmann, Martin Tomczyk, Maxime Martin, Bruno Spengler, Augusto Farfus, Timo Glock and António Félix da Costa. This means American Joey Hand leaves. According to rumours, driver number eight is expected to be announced in January.

The Audi Sport TT Cup picks up speed: Hankook was announced as official tyre partner for the new Audi onemake cup. Furthermore the quattro GmbH received 165 applications from 30 nations for the 18 available slots. “Worldwide interest in the Audi Sport TT Cup is overwhelming. The first application was received shortly after the world premiere at Hockenheim and our phones have been ringing constantly ever since”, said Project Leader Rolf Michl.

The majority of the applicants are from Germany and Europe. With a total of twelve registrations North America is strongly represented. Applications have also been received from Australia, Brazil, China, Columbia, Mauritius and South Africa. The youngest candidate has just turned 16. Nineteen registrations have been submitted by women.

Manufacturers’ test in Jerez All three manufacturers (Audi, BMW and Mercedes) completed their first winter test at Jerez de la Frontera from 2nd to the 4th December. As well as the regular drivers in action, the manufacturers invited young talent to offer them the chance to test, but also with regards to 2015. BMW offer Tom Blomqvist, Jack Harvey, Alex Lynn, Sam Bird, BMW works driver Lucas Luhr, Robin Frijns and Richie Stanaway the opportunity to gain a first taste of DTM. Mercedes gave Felix Rosenqvist, Esteban Ocon, Lucas Auer, Maximilian Götz and Charles Pic the chance to test. Audi invited Alex Palou, Marco Mapelli, Antonio Giovinazzi, Dean Stoneman, Nicki Thiim and Laurens Vanthoor. If you are interested in visiting a test you should be aware that - contrary to Formula 1 - DTM tests are still treated as top secret, especially the manufacturers test. But at the official ITR tests it is expected that at least one grandstand will be opened for the fans to watch.

Up to 50 candidates are invited to an initial evaluation course to be held at the Audi driving experience center in Neuburg an der Donau on December 12 and 13. Among others, Audi Sport TT Cup coach Markus Winkelhock, Le Mans winner Marco Werner and the former rally driver Sepp Haider are members of the judging panel. The three racing pros will be accompanying the young drivers during the 2015 season. More detailed information about the Audi Sport TT Cup can be found in Pit Lane Reporter Issue 9. Pit Lane Reporter will keep you updated, more news can also be found on the website www.pitlanereporter.com. Laurens Vanthoor, Dean Stoneman, Nicki Thiim, Alex Palou, Antonio Giovinazzi, Marco Mapelli and Miguel Molina at Jerez ©Audi Sport

Additional test dates are not yet known. Mercedes-Benz to have eight DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupés in line-up French team ART Grand Prix will make its debut and joins Mercedes as its third team, alongside the established teams fielded by DTM development partner HWA AG and Mücke Motorsport. As a result, Mercedes will also have 8 cars on the grid in 2015.

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GONE IN 49 SECONDS: UK TIME ATTACK RACING By Adam Johnson

hat do a turbocharged Mitsubishi Evo, a V8 Mosler, a flame-spitting Mazda RX7, a Porsche 911 GT3 and an ex-BTCC VW Golf all have in common? In the UK Time Attack championship, they all have one opponent: the clock. Adam Johnson dives into this exhilarating series. The concept of Time Attack racing doesn’t exactly make much sense on paper. Those of a gaming disposition me included - know Time Attack normally as a bonus mode in racing videogames where all opponents are taken away and you race flat out against the stopwatch. But surely, in real life, that would be a bit dull? You’d think so. But as I found out at Brands Hatch on a damp November day, that’s far from the case. Imagine all the things that appeal to you from a regular racing series qualifying session. The strategy involved in timing your run to get a perfect clean lap, the frustration and tension of dodging traffic, the knifeedge excitement of watching top drivers ring precious tenths out of their machines. But now imagine that the race they were qualifying for didn’t exist, and that the cars were built without any need to take contact from other cars, or last more than two to three laps at a time; and the rulebook was so open that you could turn up with almost any car and any modifications and it would a) be allowed and b) be in contention for a win in a given class.

Welcome to UK Time Attack where the inmates have officially taken over the asylum. This series feels like it occupies a similar niche to Global Rallycross, or Ken Block’s Gymkhana videos - purists may sniff, but those watching for pure spectacle and razor-sharp driving skill won’t be disappointed. And much like both of the above, the weapons of choice for the most part are four-wheel-drive turbocharged lunacy-mobiles - Evos, Imprezas, Skylines, RX7s, and more from the Japanese Domestic Market set (JDM) all feature, and it’s no surprise that the event has a huge JDM theme and following. If you miss the days when the Fast and Furious films were more about tuner culture and less about jumping cars through cargo planes, step right this way. Appropriately, the team I’m with for this event are driving a V8 car with energy drink sponsors all over it - except it’s a Mosler rather than a Mustang, with Wake Energy colours resplendent across it. And, rather than Youtube royalty, we have endurance racing royalty in Martin Short behind the wheel. There is a certain irony to a man most famous for round-theclock consistency jumping from long-distance to very-short-distance racing. So what attracted Short to this discipline? ‘I always preferred qualifying to actual racing, so it’s kinda perfect actually!’ he admits

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to me. ‘It’s quite stressful to go into a race and worry about all the things that might happen, whereas in this situation, the car’s relatively safe, you can pick and choose your moment, and it is still all about the best driver with the fastest car.’ That last point is vital; the raw competitive edge of motor racing remains intact out here. But in a world where pennies and sponsors are in much shorter supply, Time Attack is a neat way to balance high performance with lower cost. This leads to a huge and hugely competitive - field, where pure-built race cars like Short’s Mosler, a Ginetta G55 and a Porsche 997 GT3-R join in with the JDM party. And where F1 laughably strives to achieve road relevance, Time Attack does so by giving a platform to showcase what a tuning company can do for your street or race car; and the likes of Short’s Rollcentre Racing, SVA Imports and RA Motorsport Developments are taking full advantage. In the over-regulated world of modern motorsport, where phrases like ‘balance of performance’ and ‘parity’ are commonplace, Time Attack takes pride in being basically whatever you as a competitor make of it. Whatever you fancy rocking up in, there is likely a class for it, and if you want to escalate the arms race into who’s-got-the-biggest-turbo-and-splitter, that’s fine; encouraged, even. And this isn’t just the local hot hatch brigade from the high street fiddling with their too-loud dump valves - the top Pro Extreme class (in which Short was doing battle) had cars looking and sounding like they were rejected from Pikes Peak for being a bit too insane. It says a lot that a pure-bred race-car like Short’s Mosler was actually in his words ‘outgunned’ - but there’s the joy in it. If race-cars like the Mosler are precision sniper rifles, 1000bhp+ beasts

like Pro Extreme champion Olly Clark’s ‘Gobstobber’ Impreza are Bazookas loaded with extra napalm. A very different way of achieving the same end result mind-bending speed. The move to have this event in November rather than summer seems a strange one at first; this kind of event, like the American Speedfest, deserves a summer party atmosphere, not a grey drizzle. However, with winter comes early sunsets, and history in the making - a first ever night time attack contest. As if this kind of racing wasn’t exciting enough as it was, now you had the added sights and sounds of night-time racing; headlights carving paths into the darkness, flames spitting and illuminating the track, and the dim glow of cockpit lighting systems illuminating drivers with eyes out on stalks. Oh, and it was raining - hard. It was nothing short of extraordinary to watch. And despite cooling expectations earlier on, Short duly went and won his class in the evening (having taken 2nd in the day) - putting himself and his Mosler into yet another record book in the process. Perhaps this was where his endurance racing experience came to the fore the most - although he would be the first to downplay that. Nevertheless, it was an excellent effort from his Wake Energy team, and ultimately he was one of many colourful characters and cars up and down the pit lane who contributed to UK Time Attack being a spectacle quite unlike anything else in UK motorsport. C’mon Mr Block, stop hoonigan-ing around the LA streets and bring that mad Mustang to play against the clock. To quote Fall-Out Boy: this ain’t a scene, it’s an arms race.

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BLANCPAIN GT SERIES SEASON CONTENTS REVIEW: By Adam Johnson

AN EPIC YEAR OF SPRINT AND ENDURANCE

an we finally acknowledge just how good the current GT3 platform is? 2014 was the year it definitively became the platform of choice across the world for sportscar/GT racing, and it’s no coincidence that every series which has adopted it, from Bathurst 12 Hour to Pirelli World Challenge, has experienced an enormous upturn in entries - none more so than the Blancpain GT Series.

Endurance + Sprint = Awesome²

Not so.

The 2014 GT Series was at first a strange concoction - two different championships awkwardly crammed under one umbrella. However, whilst the Endurance Championship continues to go from strength to strength, the Sprint Series (formed from the ashes of the old FIA GT Championship) established itself quickly as a more than capable younger brother. Don’t fancy racing for three/six/24 hours? How’s about two one-hour sprints instead? Want to run in both championships? Excellent, there’s a huge pot of gold at the end for the overall GT Series Champion. The Sprint Series rapidly expanded from 18-20 car grids at season start to nearer 30 by the time of the glitzy finale on the streets of Baku, and the shorter race format produced its own unique format of sprint racing action - it’s not often in sportscar racing that these mostly endurance-based machines are unleashed flat out in shorter races, and the series also took advantage of being the Endurance Series’ younger sibling by visiting tracks not normally touched by top international series. Seeing the cream of international GT racing tackling circuits like Zandvoort, Brands Hatch, Portimao and the Baku streets was an absolute treat.

In tandem with rally masterminds M-Sport, Bentley went all-out from the first minute and gained instant rewards, starting strongly at Monza before grabbing two epic victories at Silverstone and Paul Ricard. Any thoughts of a title in their debut season were kneecapped with awful luck at the Spa 24 Hours and struggles in the rain at the Nürburgring 1000, but as debut seasons go, this was mightily impressive. A tie-up with Sprint Series champions HTP Motorsport surely means the Bentley behemoth will be the (really) big guns to beat in 2015 across the GT Series.

Bentley: The New Gents in Town With GT3 being so popular, more and more manufacturers are throwing their hats into the ring - the likes of Cadillac and Lexus are joining the party next year. However, how many jaws fell to the floor and eyebrows shot off faces when Bentley declared they were stepping into the ring with their Continental? Surely this would be like entering an Olympic sailing contest with the Titanic?

Maxi-Mum Attack Speaking of HTP Motorsport, the inaugural iteration of the Sprint Series was claimed by the Maxi pair of Buhk and Gotz in their #84 SLS AMG. They fought a fabulous running battle all year with the plucky Grasser Racing squad’s #28 Lamborghini, and Jeroen Bleekemolen/Hari Procyzk’s relentless determination kept them in the hunt until the finale. But like a four-wheeled Ivan Drago, when Grasser threw a punch, HTP threw an even harder one right back, and relentless consistency saw them home to the title. The Mercedes is a potent enough GT3 package, but with HTP switching to Bentley next year, the Maxis could be set to defend their title with even more muscle and firepower.

Alex Zanardi - The Legend Continues Seriously, is there anything this man can’t do? After his horrific accident in 2001, the heroic Italian obviously didn’t get the memo that drivers generally take it easy after near-fatal accidents, and prosthetic legs are still yet

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to hinder this man. After WTCC success and a switch to paralympic hand-cycling (with two gold medal wins, naturally), he returned to motor racing and stepped up to ROAL Motorsport’s BMW Z4 GT3 in the Sprint Series. Bearing in mind these cars are difficult enough to drive at the best of times, never mind when a glass plate behind the steering wheel is the throttle, Zanardi can be immensely proud of his results in his debut season - four top-10s and a season best 5th place in the Brands Hatch main race are extraordinary achievements for a man who shows no signs of ever slowing down. What a hero.

Vadim Kogay - The Worst Drive Ever? I know I just said GT3 cars are difficult things to drive, and all sportspeople have the occasional bad day at the office. However, to have such an atrocious stint that highlights of your performance go viral on Youtube and have race fans around the world pointing and laughing at their laptop screens is a special kind of rubbish. No-one really

Laurens Vanthoor - Best Of Both Worlds Audi’s bulletproof R8 LMS started off the season on the back foot somewhat, but this being Audi, we shouldn’t expect them to accept mediocrity for too long - and sure enough they came roaring back, grabbing wins in the Spa 24 and Nürburgring 1000 to wrestle the title firmly away from HTP and Bentley. And the one consistent amongst their high-quality driver roster was Vanthoor, the massively quick Belgian and in effect reigning Sprint Series Champion (he won it in its 2013 iteration) who duly took out the Endurance and overall GT Series titles this year. Young, supremely talented and fiercely competitive, he looks set for a glittering career in the Audi ranks, and is already being touted to potentially step up into their all-crushing LMP1 programme in the future. And with legends like Tom Kristensen retiring, the future of Audi’s sportscar dominance is in safe hands with Vanthoor and co. A supreme year and a worthy overall champion.

Conclusion Is it just a coincidence that the Blancpain GT Series is growing in stature now that it’s more SRO-governed and less FIA-run, or is that just me? Either way, the series is booming and riding happily on the back of the costeffective and hugely entertaining GT3 formula. The racing in all classes, be it amateur or fully professional, is consistently great with a vibrant mix of circuits and styles thrown into the melting pot for good measure.

knew who Vadim Kogay was before he stepped into the distinctive bright-green Ferrari 458 at Endurance Series Round 1 - which was at the time leading the Pro-Am class - for his stint. By the end of it everyone knew. Not a single lap went by without a mistake, running wide, a gravel excursion, or a near-miss with another car, and eventually even commentators David Addison and John Watson lost patience and started laying into the hapless Kogay. Says a lot when even the impartial commentary team are mocking you on live TV, but it was fully deserved - I’ve seen better driving in Gran Turismo online lobbies. Thankfully, he wisely kept his head down after that, but his place in viral notoriety is secure. If you’re an aspiring racing driver thinking you won’t be good enough to make it, watch the video and you’ll feel a lot better about your chances.

Lexus, Cadillac et al - welcome to the party. Jaguar, come join us - you know it makes sense.

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1985 - THE YEAR OF THE SUPERCAR. By Brynmor Pierce

985 was probably the zenith of the Group B era, in that all the major players with homologated cars were out on the RAC Rally (the UK round of the World Rally Championship) What is often forgotten is that Ford’s RS200 (although not yet homologated) was also acting as course car. Lancia wheeled out two of their fearsome Delta S4s; Peugeot were there with both E1 and E2 T16’s, although not with Ari Vatanen due to his near death accident in Argentina. MG had 2 Metro 6R4’s in the hands of British drivers Tony Pond & Malcolm Wilson - the patriotism was almost out of control!! Opel had a multitude of Manta 400’s from their dealer teams and Toyota had their Celicas. This time our adventure was to be centred on the stately home of Weston Park (near Telford), and what an adventure it became. It’s difficult to recall now but I do remember that the event had been massively promoted on the national news in the run up; in the main due to the entry of MG, a very British company if ever there was one. Weston was the 5th of the Sunday spectator stages beginning at about 1pm. We set off for the 1 ½ hour drive from our home at 8am, but by the time we reached Whitchurch we started to wonder how busy it was going to be due to the volume of rally fans travelling that way…(evidenced by the number of MK2 Escorts of varying standards). We finally reached a point roughly 1 ½ miles from the gates and stopped. There was traffic coming off the motorway, traffic from Telford, our Whitchurch approach and it was solid. Dad decided to abandon the car there and we walked (like everyone else). It has stuck vividly in my mind as it was just so chaotic;

cars and people were literally everywhere. When we got in after our lengthy walk, the place was heaving. ‘Andrews Heat For Hire’ were sponsoring the stage and had cars on display outside the main house and the commentators were already relaying times from the earlier stages (no mobiles then!)… the fever really was building. Memory fails me as to the actual running order; however I do remember our viewing position – watching the long straight that led away from the house. The stages always used to have two very good commentators, who were supplied with a resume of ‘runners and riders’, and I remember that one of them was Robin Bradford. I distinctly recall the weird howl of the Delta superchargers. The Walter Rohrl’ Audi was particularly exciting. You could hear it growling through the stage and then it came into sight. It’s clichéd to say, but it was from another planet; he threw the thing up the semi auto PDK box and it was a cacophony of speed, 6ft flames on the gear changes and ‘chirrup’ noises from the waste-gate. However if you thought stage side cheering only existed in the McRae era, I’d venture you never witnessed Tony Pond in action…Tony was a one off, somewhat eccentric character, who told it how it was. He really scuppered his career by being far too patriotic only driving British Cars (British Leyland, Vauxhall and Austin/Rover). However, that and his wild style, endeared him to the British public. When the commentator announced Tony Pond was on the line a cheer went up. You then heard the bark of the 3.0 litre engine way before you could see it and, as it rounded the hairpin near the house, you could hear the cheers. When it came into sight down the

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straight the crowd erupted, shouts of ‘’Come on Tony’’ echoed around and the crowd were willing him on, a shiver has gone down my spine recalling that day. The whole moment lasted for maybe 40 seconds and as a 7 year old I was mesmerised. It’s probably that one moment which made me decide that my future lay in this sport. For those who’ve not seen it, there is footage on YouTube of the 1985 RAC Rally. Specifically look out for the Clumber Park (near Nottingham) stage early on which emphasises what I described above. The chance to compete in a Grp B car was unlikely ever to come true, although in the mid 80’s my uncle (the lucky so and so) did own a road-going, short wheel base Quattro Sport. Sadly, I never had a trip in it. Fast forward 29 years to the 9th October 2014 and I turned up at the Rally GB media day in North Wales. Part of the day involved riding in a rally car and the usual array of Subaru’s, Escorts etc abounded. It also included Elfyn Evans in a WRC Fiesta, but my heart missed a beat when I saw, nestled amongst them, an Ex –Works Computervision Metro 6R4 now owned by Stuart Larbey. Surely I wouldn’t get a ride in that, would I? After the various presentations/interviews etc., I decided to help out people with the rides. After an hour and a half most people had been in something and were happy….at that moment I seized my chance and asked Stuart if I could hop in. That moment of getting into your dream is nigh on impossible to put into

words; it was something akin to the day my son was born. A sense of massive excitement mixed with fear and trepidation. I quickly hopped in, adjusted the belts and plugged in my intercom ….and then just ‘soaked in’ my surroundings. Sitting where Rob Arthur would have sat on the ill-fated 1986 San Remo rally, …the 1986 RAC membership sticker, the Computervision paint scheme on the bonnet out front. I couldn’t find Rob’s cigarette holder though, but Stuart did comment that there was a well-stocked drinks cabinet in the back! Then the engine….what a noise…in many ways very similar to the sound a Ferrari makes. The origins of the engine and the car date back to a Williams F1 design from around 1981. The other thing that surprised me was how much room there was in the car; no feeling of being cramped which I’d expected and a very airy feel in general…the thin skin of GRP (glass fibre) masquerading as a door was slightly concerning but those thoughts soon dropped to the depths of my mind as we started to move. The history of the car and what it’s like living with one is interesting, to say the least. As I mentioned previously, this car - C818 FFC was the factory car on the 1986 San Remo rally; one of many cars used throughout the 1986 season by the official Austin Rover team. With the banning of Grp B supercars at the end of 1986 (the Opel Manta 400 and a

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sudden rush associated with a Turbo car. As we attack some straights and corners Stuart flicks the car and it is noticeable here how short the car is, changing direction very quickly with the four wheel drive helping it grip in a manner you wouldn’t expect. Mid-stage I glanced at Stuart and for a moment envisaged the sight of Tony Pond sitting there, his trademark Moustache in full bristle twirling handful of others escaped this fate for another 12 months), Austin Rover sold off their fleet. This particular car was purchased by Ian Beveridge and used convincingly to win the 1987 BTRDA (British Trial and Rally Association) Series title. By this time, in order to be allowed to compete, the engines had been taken down from their 3.0 Litre international size to 2.8 and it was in this form that Stuart Larbey bought the car in 1991. It is probably the only Metro that has been continuously used in competition since it was new with very few ‘career’ breaks. However, as with most the steering as we went. Although not at full rally speed, it was enough to get a good impression of what the crews back then must have felt. As surreal experiences go, this one will quite probably never be beaten. I commented to Stuart that I was sitting there taking in the ambience but also trying to envisage what those crews on the 85 RAC would have experienced in this car; with a map on their lap looking through a Poti map magnifier. It is like something from another world now. of the older cars, it’s becoming harder and harder to run, as spares become a scarce commodity. Stuart told me the wheel bearings will last at most for 2-3 events and a set costs £1600!! This is typical for all spares and it’s to the great credit of people like Stuart that they keep these pieces of living history out on the stages. I’m sure you all want to know what it was like to ride in; well I’ll try to explain. On the start line, we were given the traditional marshals count down from 5 with a loud ‘GO’, very much in keeping with the period the car is from, and then BAM , off she goes ,and my how does she go. It’s hard to get used to the noise (the engine is after all at most 18 inches behind your head). The acceleration is impressive and in its time must have blown people away. Being normally aspirated the power comes on fairly steadily rather than the 60

All too soon, the run was over; nearly 30 years of wondering satisfied in 5 minutes - what a privilege. There’s a train of thought that says you should never meet your heroes. In the case of 6R4 I arrived as a huge fan and left totally smitten; now who’s got £100k they could give me?

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FIVE DAYS IN NOVEMBER CONTENTS By Brynmor Pierce

ive days in November sounds like the title of a film and in so many ways these five days had all the makings of an epic.

For those of you that don’t know, I spend an inordinate amount of time co-driving various drivers around the forests of the UK. Back in August I was invited along to sit with ex Peugeot factory driver Rudi Lancaster on the Cambrian Rally and also (the bit that got my attention), the national section of Wales Rally GB. The car in question? A full Historic specification MK2 Escort with a BDG engine in it…bliss !! Our trip on the Cambrian went fairly well, Rudi and I getting along and the car giving no real issues, although the focus at that point was purely on Rally GB. However Rudi then decided to do the Roger Albert Clark rally as well in late November. This is an event purely for two wheel drive vehicles, mainly dominated by Escorts. The upshot of that meant we’d be doing around 300+ miles of gravel rallying over 5 days , to put that into context it’s almost an entire seasons worth of mileage…quite an ask on the old girl. For me Rally GB was a huge event as it was taking place right on our doorstep and I was also playing a leading role in the pre event Rally Forum on the Wednesday evening. This year’s forum had drivers from all the factory teams present, Jari-Matti Latvala/Kris Meeke etc. plus names from the past like Ari Vatanen…an amazing evening and one we’d struggle to repeat. Probably spending until 2am in the bar with other notables including Nicky Grist/Robert Reid , wasn’t the best preparation for Rally GB but hey, you only live once ! Thursday afternoon scrutineering passed by quite uneventfully. Save for a blown indicator bulb, our Escort was passed fit to compete. The serious pre rally preparations continued in the local Indian Restaurant; nothing beats a curry the night before a rally…. Friday morning dawned rather wet and still very dark as we gathered at the service park in Deeside. A lengthy 65 mile run out to stage one saw us arrive around 10am. We decided from the off that it was mileage we were aiming for rather than glory, and with that in mind we started stage one. No real dramatics there except at one point, whilst the engine is singing along at 9500 revs, I glimpsed Rudi reaching for another gear, except there wasn’t one. We were already flat out in top gear at

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around 110mph with a hill on his side and a huge drop on mine, we must be mad. The second stage was also around the Machynlleth area prior to a run across country to one of the most famous stages on the event, Sweet Lamb Hafren. That stage has witnessed all sorts of firework and claxon displays over the years. We did our best to entertain the vast crowds, although looking up after a jump and seeing an image of us coming at us was slightly confusing, the big screen being a surprise to us!! One last stage on day one went very well and saw us set fastest time in the Historic/2 wheel drive section of the event. There then followed a long drive back to Deeside via Newtown. I must say at this point that was my only criticism of the event - there really was too much driving around during the three days. Day 2 Saturday was one I’d been looking forward to. It started with my home stages in Clocaenog and then ended with one of my favourite stages in Dyfnant. We’d finished overnight sitting a solid 3rd in Historic/2wd category and intended to try to keep that rhythm going. However, my favourite stages were possibly the

roughest I’d ever seen them and a large rock decided to flatten our exhaust. This wasn’t a noticeable issue when flat out but on any low speed corners we were really struggling for air, the car nearly stalling at any tight low speed stuff. Our thoughts of ‘just going for a finish’ now became one born of necessity rather than desire. The revised Aberhirnant was next with a heavily regraded section towards the end - I only thought ‘rough’ was something my dog said. But all those thoughts were diminished with a run through the sublime Dyfnant stage. Dyfnant is a very fast stage with some technical bits thrown in. When you’re in the groove here it is possibly the most rewarding stage in the UK. Our exhaust caused us a few issues but in the main we had a ball arriving at the finish like a pair of excitable kids to meet a good friend of mine doing stage end interviews. There then followed a quick run through the grounds of Chirk Castle which

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A great nights rallying CONTENTS and probably the best I’ve ever had in nearly 20 years.

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is only 1 mile from where I work…home from home…then a quick run back to the service park. For those who haven’t been, the service park has to be seen to be believed; the huge factory team structures (Hyundai in the main) coupled with the almost village like selection of tents with teams servicing inside them, and then display, funfair and retail outlets scattered about. All of this backed up with a massive live TV screen and Rally FM on constant broadcast, a scene that has to be witnessed. So day 3 and Sunday, which was always going to be odd with 16 stage miles spread over 5 hours and running after the main event had done the stages twice. Two quick runs through a spectator special caused no dramas and then we went up to the Alwen stage. This has historically always ranked as my other favourite and again, it didn’t disappoint. Very fast with lots of blind crests with straights going away, it tends to favour the brave. I also had the delight in there that only seasoned rallyists will know; that of hot mud burning on the exhaust, if only we could bottle the scent. So the final stage, we had dropped to 4th in 2wd now and 3rd in class but not to worry. The new Brenig stage was quite cut up, but we had a bit of a go and it was here we had our only real moment. A small bridge taken in 4th gear into a 70 degree tightening left-hander (where Meeke went off ) saw us slide off the road and into a ditch on the right. Like all good drivers, Rudi kept his foot in and it dragged itself back out….the highlight being the crowd of Irish fans lining the fence who went crazy cheering and waving their flags at us!! My note calling was somewhat affected for the next ½ mile due to laughter. Soon it was over and celebrations followed in the main street of Llandudno, 3rd in class being a satisfying result for the team’s hard work. So onto the RAC… Now this event is one that I have a love – hate relationship with; I love it, it seems to hate me!! My first foray in 2006 ended in a giant end over end roll in a forest up in Scotland which destroyed our Escort. A second attempt in 2013 with the late David Winstanley resulted in a burst sump in Pundershaw up in Kielder. Surely 2014 would be kinder??For those who’ve never experienced what it’s like being in the car, there’s nothing more magical than co-driving at night. 100mph+, through the trees with darkness all around, the engine barking away, the map laid out in front of you with the Poti glowing away to magnify them. It really is a special experience. A great nights rallying and probably the best I’ve ever had in nearly 20 years. Sunday dawned very bright and sunny and it was more of the same, although we did ease off as the gaps ahead were too big to make up, so the risks of damaging the car weren’t worth it. The end of a long hard event saw us finish 14th…an ok result given the opposition, and at last a finish for me at my 3rd attempt. I could wax lyrical about the crowds on the stages, the atmosphere and how great the event was, but really it needs to be experienced. 27th – 29th November 2015 are the dates for your diary… So ends a really hectic year for any of us involved in Historic Motorsport; the years go too fast but the memories last a life-time. My thanks to all who’ve made the year what it was. P.S. If you’re thinking of holidays in 2015 check out www.woolacombe.co.uk, my driver’s team would be thrilled I’m sure!oolacombe. co.uk, my driver’s team would be thrilled I’m sure!

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PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CONTENTS DEMANDS OF F1 Dr Robert Child - Elite Sport Group, United Kingdom

rand Prix motor racing represents the pinnacle of engineering, applying space age materials and technology to the design and construction of Formula 1 cars. Despite the huge focus on the cars (which cost hundreds of millions of pounds to develop), improving the performance of the driver provides a frequently overlooked opportunity to enhance the performance of driver-car package. Initially, it may appear that competing in a Grand Prix is a much less physiologically challenging than riding a stage of the Tour de France, but closer analysis reveals this is not the case. Competing in a Grand Prix places requires extreme strength, fitness and mental concentration, which can push even the fittest drivers to the limits of their physical capacity.

Loads on the body One of the most obvious challenges for the modern Formula 1 driver is coping with the huge forces applied to the body. These are usually expressed relative to the force of gravity (g) and at rest a force of 1g acts on the body. Acceleration, deceleration and cornering all apply loads to the body and high performance road cars e.g. the Porsche 911, generate around 0.7g accelerating, 1g braking and 1g cornering. In contrast, a 2014 F1 car generates up to 1.2g accelerating, 5g braking and 6g cornering. These forces are applied to the whole body, but particularly affect the head, as this is only supported by the neck. In fast corners such as Silverstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Copse Corner, or Turn 8 at Istanbul Park, the lateral load on the neck is equivalent to half the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body-weight. Even under braking, the forces applied to the body are similar to those experienced by fighter pilots. The application of high g forces results in large fluid shifts within the body which, even in the physically fit, causes blacking out at around 6g (ref. 5). Modern day fighter pilots can safely be exposed to 10g by minimizing fluid shifts with pressurized suits; however these are too heavy and cumbersome for use in Formula 1. The exceptionally high loads generated by modern Formula 1 cars, require drivers to generate high muscle forces. These typically involve isometric muscle activation (where muscle length is constant); and eccentric muscle activation, where muscles are forced to lengthen under load. Both types of muscle activation generate very high muscle forces on fast

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Figure 1 - Relative maximum g force for road and For

or bumpy tracks. It is the generation of high actually produces muscle damage (ref. 2). This impairment in neuromuscular feedback, resu and muscle force generation (ref. 11). This mea increasingly difficult for drivers to apply the co of corners or apply the correct braking force overt manifestation of impaired neuromuscu in excessive throttle when exiting corners, cau under braking.

The need to keep cool

The accumulation of heat is another challeng powering 2014 Formula 1 cars are around energy in the fuel into mechanical energy. 750 horsepower more than 300,000 Watts of overheating. This is equivalent to neutralising a Sunday roast dinner! Engine heat is radiate This can be a problem even in cool weathe a significant amount of heat. Humans are m and rarely convert more than 25% of the ener 75% of the energy available which could be converted into heat.

rmula 1 cars

h muscle forces rather than lactic acid, which s is accompanied by soreness, weakness, and ulting in incorrect perception of limb position ans that, as a Grand Prix progresses, it becomes orrect level of throttle to get optimal drive out to achieve the ideal corner entry speed. One ular feedback is driver errors. These can result using the back end to slide and also lock-ups

ge faced by Grand Prix 1 drivers. The engines d 40% efficient at converting the chemical This means that when an engine produces f heat must be dissipated to stop the engine the heat output of 150 electric ovens cooking ed to the driver, adding to his thermal load. er because the driver himself also generates much less efficient that Formula one engines rgy available to mechanical work. This means used to generate muscle force actually gets

The energy demands of Grand Prix racing have not been directly calculated, but estimates have been made using heart rate data. This suggests an average power requirement of around 150 Watts over a 90-minute race, which is significantly lower than power outputs observed in professional cyclists. For example Tour De France riders routinely generate in excess of 400 Watts over the same time period as a Grand Prix. Despite the comparatively low energy demand, the Formula 1 driver still needs to dissipate around 500 Watts of heat to stay cool, about a quarter the heat output of a domestic oven. This can easily be achieved when cycling, as the exposed arms, legs chest and face all provide effective body cooling. In contrast, an F1 driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body is completely covered by a fire retardant NomexÂŽ race suit and helmet; which greatly reduces body cooling even with air speeds of 200mph! This makes staying cool a major challenge for the driver, both because of his own heat generation and the heat radiated to him by the car. Racing in hot weather, especially on physically demanding circuits such as Austin Texas, is likely to result in body temperatures in excess of 40C. Such hyperthermia (overheating) can result in heat illness, which elevates brain temperature and compromises normal brain function (ref. 6). For F1 drivers even tiny decrements in cognitive performance have serious consequences. For example being late on the brakes at the end of a straight provides other drivers with a key on-track overtaking opportunity. At 200mph out-braking by one car length equates to being just 50 milliseconds later on the brake pedal; less than a quarter of the time needed to blink. So even small judgement errors can have disastrous consequences! Sweating is the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key response to minimize overheating and, with appropriate physical training, sweat rates of 2 to 2.5 litres per hour can be achieved. This means that over a typical 90 minute Grand Prix, drivers can potentially lose 3 to 3.75 litres of sweat (around 5% of body weight). The ability of drivers to take on fluid during a Grand Prix is often limited to 500ml; which is just a fraction of their sweat losses. This means Formula 1 drivers can finish a race more dehydrated than professional cyclists who have ridden a 200km mountain stage of the Tour De France. Dehydration of this magnitude is associated with compromised body cooling, higher temperatures of blood flowing to the brain, as well as elevated brain temperatures (ref. 6 and 9). When the brain gets too hot its metabolism is altered and its function is impaired ultimately resulting in brain injury (ref. 9, 10 and 12). Laboratory studies report dehydration of just 2% (less than 1.5 litres of fluid) is sufficient to impair tasks requiring visual-motor tracking, short-term memory and attention (ref. 7). These tasks have some commonality with the mental demands of racing a Grand Prix car. Therefore the combination of high sweat losses and brain temperature suggest cognitive performance may be impaired in the latter phases of a Grand Prix. Driver errors, such as missing an apex, www.pitlanereporter.com

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Figure 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Comparison of Sweat losses, fluid intake and dehydration at a Grand Prix with a mountain stage of the Tour de France

may be a manifestation of this. Serious judgment errors such as flat spotting tyres, failing to engage the speed limiter, overshooting the pit box and off track excursions can have a direct impact on the race outcome. Cool dry weather conditions greatly reduce the physiological demands of Grand Prix racing as the forces applied to the driver are lower and there is less heat for the driver to dissipate. However, when rain falls there are additional psychological demands. Poor visibility caused by spray makes the sighting cues used by the driver for braking and track position more difficult to spot, creating even higher demands for sustained concentration. Similarly rain produces rapidly changing track characteristics, which increase concentration demands. Understanding the physiological demands of Grand Prix racing is of more than just academic interest to Formula 1 teams. With understanding of the limiting factors to human performance, it is possible to increase the overall effectiveness of the driver-car package. Every Formula 1 team employs fitness trainers to improve the physical condition of the drivers. Invariably they focus on resistance training (typically with weights) 68 68

to increase muscle strength, which over time greatly reduces susceptibility to muscle injury. Endurance work is also included to improve cardiovascular fitness and sweating responses, so that drivers can cope with long hot races more easily. However physical conditioning only provides a limited level of adaptation to the demands. More advanced Formula 1 teams have invested in giving their drivers advantages far beyond simply improving driver fitness and providing a competitive car. One such team is McLaren, who were one of the first Formula 1 teams to experiment with a driver cooling system. This was specifically designed to be lightweight, and as a consequence was only suitable for cooling the head (http:// elitespor tgroup.org/clients- endurance training/mclaren-f1-nutrition/). Despite this, it still provided an effective strategy for minimizing the risk of brain hyperthermia. Formula 1 teams give their drivers carbohydrate electrolyte drinks prior to and during races. This practice has become popular to help maintain blood glucose levels (essential for brain function) and to replace some of the fluids and electrolytes lost as sweat. Many sports

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drinks such as Red Bull also contain caffeine, which is the primary ingredient responsible for improved alertness and reaction times (ref. 4). Caffeine can have adverse effects such as being a mild diuretic, so potentially contributing to dehydration. Caffeine can also reduce response accuracy in tasks with high cognitive demands, which could be detrimental to performance. Food supplements are now available which provide the same benefits for mental performance as caffeine, but with fewer side effects. They have the potential to improve pre-race hydration and cognitive performance in mentally demanding tasks, particularly in stressful environments. Recent research trials have also identified a spectrum of ingredients, which are useful for reducing dehydration and decreasing muscle damage. Although some of these nutrients are included in commercial supplements, they are present at too low a level to actually be effective. Provision of nutrients at efficacious levels can provide significant advantages regarding hydration, muscle performance and mental functioning. To overcome these issues many professional teams source scientifically formulated non-commercial products. Such products have already been used successfully in competition at events such as the Tour de France and some are undergoing evaluation by the military.

2) Child RB, Brown SJ, Day SH, Saxton JM, Donnelly AE. Manipulation of knee extensor force using percutaneous electrical myostimulation during eccentric actions: effects on indices of muscle damage in humans. Int J Sports Med. 1998 Oct;19(7):468-73. 3) Child R, Brown S, Day S, Donnelly A, Saxton J (1999) Changes in indices of antioxidant status, lipid peroxidation and inflammation in human skeletal muscle after eccentric muscle actions. Clinical Science (1999) 96, 105–115. 4) Giles G, Mahoney C, Brunyé T, Gardony A, Taylor H, Kanarek R. Differential cognitive effects of energy drink ingredients: caffeine, taurine and glucose. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. Volume 102, Issue 4, October 2012, Pages 569–577. 5) Henry J. Gauer O, Kety S. Kramer K. Factors maintaining cerebral circulation during gravitational stress. J Clin Invest. Mar 1951; 30(3): 292–300. 6) Kanaya N, Kobayashi Y, Yamakage M, Tsuchida H, Watanabe A, Namiki A Cerebral blood flow velocity and electroencephalogram for the evaluation of intraoperative brain function during intrathoracic hyperthermia]. Masui. 1993 Mar;42(3):450-4. 7) Lieberman HR. Hydration and cognition: a critical review and recommendations for future research. J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Oct;26(5 Suppl):555S-561S.

Biography Dr. Robert Child is a specialist in performance biochemistry and human physiology. He is currently a consultant to the MTN-Qhubeka professional cycling team and the UK military. He previously worked with McLaren Formula 1, was Head of Nutrition for the Cervelo Test Team and was Head of Research for the sports nutrition company Maximuscle. His experience in top-level sport is extensive having worked with World Champions and Olympic medallists from British Sailing, Olympic Boxing and Olympic Swimming. He can be contacted via the Elite Sport Group (http://elitesportgroup.org/ contact-the-elite-sport-group/).

References 1) Brown SJ, Child RB, Day SH, Donnelly AE. Exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage and adaptation following repeated bouts of eccentric muscle contractions. J Sports Sci. 1997 Apr;15(2):215-22

8) Nybo L, Møller K, Volianitis S, Nielsen B, Secher N. Effects of hyperthermia on cerebral blood flow and metabolism during prolonged exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2002 Jul;93(1):58-64. 9) Nybo L, Secher N, Nielsen B. Inadequate heat release from the human brain during prolonged exercise with hyperthermia. Journal of Physiology (2002), 545.2, pp. 697–704. 10) Nybo L. Brain temperature and exercise performance. Exp Physiol 97.3 (2012) pp 333– 339 11) Saxton JM, Clarkson PM, James R, Miles M, Westerfer M, Clark S, Donnelly AE. (1995) Neuromuscular dysfunction following eccentric exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 27, 1185-93. 12) Yarmolenko PS, Moon EJ, Landon C, Manzoor A, Hochman DW, Viglianti BL, Dewhirst MW. Thresholds for thermal damage to normal tissues: an update. Int J Hyperthermia. 2011;27(4):320-43.

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CONTENTS By Phil Woods

ADRIAN NEWEY’S NEW ROLE

ollowing the announcement that worldrenowned engineer Adrian Newey will leave Formula One, the world has been waiting to see what new projects his employer Red Bull Racing has in store for him. Adrian Newey has helped Williams, McLaren and Red Bull dominate in Formula One. He is respected worldwide for his amazing talents in aerodynamics and design. When Ferrari tried to poach Adrian, Red Bull fought back by giving him a multi-year contract. Part of the deal was to give him more challenges, away from Formula One, but news of his new project has come as a shock. From January 2015, Newey will join the Red Bull ‘Extreme Goose Racing’ team. As most people are aware, Extreme Goose Racing has a huge following on its 20-race world championship. Red Bull entered the competition this season and currently sit in 14th place in the championship. The Red Bull brand is notorious for winning, and bosses have said that this will be no different. To get exclusive thoughts and opinions, we managed to speak with Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, rival boss James C Rooster of FeatherLite Goose Racing Team, and Adrian himself. Adrian Newey explained his excitement about the news: “I am thrilled to be given this opportunity. I will be able to bring my expertise from Formula One and transfer it into this sport due to the obvious similarities. I’ve always been a fan of Extreme Goose Racing. I especially love the corner on the Sweden circuit that’s made entirely out of ice, getting a goose to have enough downforce to be able to take that corner at high speed without slipping will be a challenge. I also like the fire jump in Oman, a difficult challenge for any goose. But we will make the Red Bull goose the best in the world, so it’s no concern to us. I have already had loads of ideas and have met the team and spoken at length with our star geese. I will make my debut in October as the season gets underway in Japan as we try and win the Tokyo Goose Grand Prix.” Rival team boss James C Rooster of current world champions FeatherLite Geese Racing Team, told us, “It’s

always great to have successful people join the sport, but Red Bull just think they can enter any sport and win it by throwing money at it. They have the facilities we all dream of. I’ve heard that Adrian Newey is already working on a controversial new racing goose for next season, with some saying he has spliced the DNA of a cheetah (for its raw speed), with the DNA of a frog (for its obvious aerodynamic properties) and combined them with that of a goose. We can all do that, but you have to ask the question, is it still a goose? I think the AORG (International Association of Racing Geese) need to look long and hard at what they are doing, and whether this is in the spirit of the sport.” Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz told the press, Mateschitz echoes the concerns of many in the sport who are worried that December’s Extreme Goose

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“We couldn’t loose someone of the talent of Adrian to Ferrari or any other rival Formula One team. This was the logical decision, as Adrian is well known for his geesing abilities and we assume he can translate his love of geese into the competitive sport. We are looking forward to Adrian’s first competitive race, the end of season show-down in Turkey, if it goes ahead.

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Championship round to be held in Turkey many not go ahead. Several Geese have threatened to pull out of the end of the season event as they have heard that December is a really bad time for Turkey. Our sporting correspondent will keep a close eye on how things develop. Will Red Bull dominate this sport, as they have with others? How will Adrian Newey fare in this new exciting role?

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Photo by Bruno Keiser - Taken at Wales Rally GB in November 2014

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DARIOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MOTOR SPORT GALLE By Dario Dominin

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PHOTOGRAPH AND MEDIA CREDITS Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Copyright AMG Mercedes F1 Team - Copyright Caterham F1 Team - Copyright Clive Rose/Getty Images | Meet your World Champion Lewis Hamilton - Copyright AMG Mercedes F1 Team | Wales Rally GB report - All photos Copyright Bruno Keiser | IndyCar History Part 2 - Copyright Tacoma Public Library - IMS Media - National Geographic - US Library of Congress | IndyCar News in Brief - Courtesy of NASA, Chris Owens, IndyCar | NASCAR Articles - All photos Copyright Getty Images | BTCC Articles - All photos Copyright BTCC | Grid Girl Stripped Naked - Photo by MHPIC | DTM Hockenheim - Copyright Audi Motorsport | DTM Class One Regulation - Alfa Romeo Class One car ©Wikipedia - creativecommons - Klaus Ludwig, DTM champion 1994 ©Mercedes Benz - Klaus Ludwig in his DTM car ©Mercedes Benz - Current DTM cars, Hockenheim 2014 ©DTM - Audi Class One ‘concept car’ ©Wikipedia - creativecommons - Roland Asch (left) and his teammates Bernd Schneider, Ellen Lohr, Klaus Ludwig, Kurt Thiim and Jörg van Ommen with a Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II (W 201) in the DTM-season 1993 ©Mercedes Benz | DTM Audi Best Manufacturer - All photos ©Audi Sport | Anni’s DTM News in Brief - Hankook becomes official tyre partner of the Audi Sport TT Cup ©Audi Sport - BMW Motorsport at Jerez ©BMW AG - Laurens Vanthoor, Dean Stoneman, Nicki Thiim, Alex Palou, Antonio Giovinazzi, Marco Mapelli and Miguel Molina at Jerez ©Audi Sport - More race action in 2015 expected ©DTM | Blancpain Article - All photos copyright Blancpain GT |