Indholdsfortegnelse for 06/02/20 i Autosport

It’s the time of year when optimism is building ahead of the new Formula 1 campaign. Although periods of domination now tend to last for several seasons, there is always the hope that things will get mixed up – and that we’ll have a really close fight for the world title. Many of the individual grands prix in the second half of 2019 were interesting and unpredictable. But from a championship point of view, Lewis Hamilton’s early lead and incredible consistency meant there was never really any doubt about who would come out on top. This year the hope has to be that Red Bull or Ferrari (or, even better, both) can provide a sustained challenge to Mercedes. A Hamilton v Max Verstappen v Charles Leclerc contest is what people…

FORMULA 1 Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is eyeing a return to the Formula 1 grid in 2021, and reckons his age – he will be 39 years old – will be no barrier. Alonso, who last raced in F1 with McLaren in 2018, wants a comeback to coincide with the introduction of the major rule changes that aim to close the gaps between the cars and spread success throughout the field. If he can find a seat on the 2021 grid, Alonso would be re-entering F1 after two full seasons away, during which time he has claimed the World Endurance Championship title and a second Le Mans 24 Hours win, scored a Daytona 24 Hours victory, failed to qualify for his second shot at the Indy 500 and completed…

WEC French motorsport giant ORECA is putting its full weight behind the new LMDh prototype rules announced late last month and at the same time is ending its LM Hypercar project. ORECA boss Hugues de Chaunac described the LMDh announcement by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and IMSA ahead of the Daytona 24 Hours as “historic”. He explained that he believes the new class, which will allow cars from the IMSA SportsCar Championship to compete in the World Endurance Championship, “ticks all the boxes” for major manufacturers. “We are going to focus completely on the global platform, which means we will not work on a hypercar project because we cannot do everything,” he said. “The future LMP2 will be part of the same project, so it is huge for ORECA.…

OBITUARY The racing career of John Hine, who died last week, aged 86, spanned three decades. Renowned as a quick and reliable sportscar driver, the South Londoner had cut his teeth in single-seaters in the late 1950s. He also raced saloons in the 1970s. As EL Hine, he started in Formula Junior, bagging sixth at Monaco in the ‘flexy’ Lola Mk3 in 1961 and third in the GP des Frontieres at Chimay in the considerably more competent Mk5A in 1963. Hine raced jazzman Chris Barber’s Lotus Elan and 47 with aplomb, before landing a factory Chevron drive. A class-winning ninth in a B8-BMW with Swede Reine Wisell in the 1969 Brands Hatch 6 Hours presaged the best phase of his activity. His affinity with Chevrons saw him win his class,…

The FIA’s Formula 1 superlicence points system was thrown into the spotlight again last week by the W Series’ announcement that, having been selected by the sport’s governing body as worthy of qualifying for inclusion in the superlicence structure for its second season in 2020, its champion would be awarded 15 points of the 40 required to compete in F1. A flurry of stories immediately appeared in media outlets everywhere, all of whom have been impressed by the women-only series since it made its remarkably successful debut in 2019. But the funny thing is the 15 points had already been referenced in stories, which is no surprise because the FIA published its full 2020 table of qualifying series way back on 10 December. Everyone had lapped up a story that…

WHEN FERNANDO ALONSO CRASHED his McLaren MP4-30 into the Circuit de Catalunya’s Turn 3 wall during pre-season testing in 2015, it sent certain media circles into a frenzy of speculation over the possible cause. McLaren stringently denied that the impact – which registered 30g at its peak – was the result of a car failure as its new star signing Alonso, lured from Ferrari by the prospect of McLaren-Honda domination, was transported to hospital with concussion-like symptoms after briefly losing consciousness. As the rumour mill continued unabated, then-boss of McLaren Ron Dennis gave a press briefing elaborating further on the cause of the crash, but unintentionally added fuel to the fire. Contradicting the team’s previous communications, Dennis affirmed that Alonso was“not even concussed”, but was later forced to admit his…

With his big personality and even bigger sideburns, it’s unsurprising that Sam Schmidt earned himself the nickname‘Elvis’. His character has served him well – 20 years since the accident that left him paralysed from the neck down, the Arrow SPM team of which he is figurehead is collaborating with famed Formula 1 squad McLaren under the new guise of Arrow McLaren SP for an attack on the IndyCar Series. On 26 September 1999, Nebraska-born Schmidt took his first career win in the Indy Racing League at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, near his adopted home, and savoured every moment. Just over three months later, on 6 January 2000, Schmidt was pre-season testing at the Disney World oval in Orlando. He lost control of his Treadway Racing G-Force, and suffered a high-speed,…

Daytona, January 1971. It’s the second round of the International Championship of Makes – the World Endurance Championship in today’s terminology – and Porsche starts as favourite for the 24 Hours. The German manufacturer has won all but one of the previous year’s rounds, topped the season-opening Buenos Aires 1000Km earlier in the month, and John Wyer’s crack Gulf JW Automotive team of two 4.9-litre 917Ks has no factory opposition, just an eclectic mix of privateer Ferraris. But among the assorted 512Ss and new, squarer 512M models is an immaculate blue machine that’s not been seen before. Roger Penske’s team is well-known in American racing circles but has rarely taken on the Europeans, even though it won Daytona two years ago with a Lola T70 in a remarkable race of…

BATHURST 12 HOURS MOUNT PANORAMA (AUS) 2 FEBRUARY INTERCONTINENTAL GT CHALLENGE ROUND 1/5 After five years of trying, Bentley broke its Bathurst 12 Hours drought thanks to Jules Gounon, Maxime Soulet and Jordan Pepper. While there was a gaggle of cars that hung around the lead lap, the race was for the most part between the M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 and the GruppeM Mercedes-AMG of Raffaele Marciello, Felipe Fraga and Maximilian Buhk. For much of the 12 Hours it was a seesawing battle, the Mercedes stopping slightly earlier in the cycle than the Bentley – the lead changing hands accordingly. It wasn’t until late in the race that the two went head-to-head. After a whopping four hours and 11 minutes of green running – the longest in the race’s history…

CALM ALL PORSCHE TROPHY Former X Factor contestant Sam Callahan will compete in the CALM All Porsche Trophy in his second season of racing this year. Callahan made his debut in Bernie’s Sports Racing and V8s last year, sharing a Taydec Mk3 with his father Mark. The duo will again share the car in Sport Specials this year, and Callahan Jr will combine that with racing a Porsche 924 in the CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) series. “CALM Porsches were invited into one of the races I was at last year so I got talking to them,” said Callahan. “In December I released an album and the proceeds from that go to the CALM charity so that’s where the link came from. I’ve been doing stuff as an ambassador for…

MAZDA MX-5 SUPERCUP British GT4 Pro-Am champions Martin Plowman and Kelvin Fletcher have set up a team that will contest the Mazda MX-5 Supercup under the Paddock Promotions Motorsport banner. Will Killick, the stepson of Imagine Cruising owner Robin Deller who sponsors Plowman and Fletcher, is the first confirmed driver. Deller could take the wheel of a second car. Plowman said he had long planned to set up his own team after finishing racing, but was surprised at how quickly the programme came together. “I had no real plan to start a team even as late as mid-November,” he said. “The catalyst for it was Robin really got the racing bug and challenged me and Kelvin with the goal of setting out a roadmap for them.” Plowman said he chose…

HISTORICS Historic Grand Prix cars were a new focal point to Zwartkops’s 19th Passion for Speed event last weekend as Will Nuthall took a double win at the South African venue. Racing Giorgio Marchi’s Cooper-Climax T53, the Nottingham driver lapped father Ian (ex-Peter Whitehead Alta F2) in the lunge for the finish line in the second leg. “It had to be done,” he grinned. Andrew Beaumont (Lotus 18) pipped Nuthall to pole, but carburation issues brought about by extreme heat and altitude – the du Toit family’s challenging circuit is almost 6000 feet above sea level – left him and many others misfiring breathlessly in the chase. Not Belgian Christian Dumolin’s magnificent ex-Roy Salvadori Maserati 250F, however, which wowed the audience. There was double joy for the Campos family as…

STEPHEN LICKORISH GROUP NATIONAL EDITOR There is always plenty of drama among the British Touring Car support series and no shortage of things to write about. But the 2020 season is set to be exceptional as some impressive entry lists are forming. British Formula 4 is looking much stronger than in recent seasons, the new Mini Challenge JCW class is set for packed grids with two BTCC support stalwarts Ant Whorton-Eales and Max Coates battling for honours, while a lack of second-year drivers means this season’s Ginetta Junior fight is set to be wide open. But it is the Porsche Carrera Cup GB that is currently leading the way in terms of confirmed entries and it too features some quality drivers. STEFAN MACKLEY DEPUTY NATIONAL EDITOR Slipstreaming thrillers, a reliance…

The relaunch of the Formula 2 and Formula 3 categories for 1964 after an absence of some years was the foundation for the single-seater ladder we have today. The F2 and F3 names had both been used before, but returned to phase out Formula Junior, which had been producing talent into the top echelons for the previous few seasons. Autosport’s editorial on 7 February 1964 focused primarily on F2 and F3, which, with attractive calendars featuring grand prix circuits, started to draw the attention of many factory teams and strong privateers. Future world champion (and‘Formula Junior expert’, as Autosport referred to him) Jochen Rindt was announced as an F2 driver with Brabham, while Piers Courage and Frank Williams were reported to be racing in F3. Autosport also covered the formation…

FORMULA 1 Aston Martin will have its own Formula 1 team next year as part of a deal to rebrand the Racing Point squad. Following a new investment partnership between the British sportscar manufacturer and Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll – father of Racing Point driver Lance – a dramatic shift of Aston Martin’s F1 focus away from its title sponsorship of Red Bull has been agreed. Racing Point will become the official Aston Martin F1 team, and will receive sponsorship payments from the car maker – at the same level it is paying in F1 now – for a minimum period of five years. If certain conditions are met, then that deal will roll on for another similar period. It all comes after Stroll led a consortium to buy…

FORMULA 1 Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have dismissed rumours over contract talks and the car maker’s future in Formula 1. A number of reports since the start of the year have suggested Mercedes’ driver line-up and future may not be secure. Stories in recent days have claimed that talks between Hamilton and Mercedes over a new contract had stalled over pay, with the inference being that it could prompt him to consider a Ferrari switch for 2021. Posting on Instagram, Hamilton rubbished talk of a clash over contracts, and said discussions had not even started with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “FYI Toto and I have not even spoken about contract yet,” he said. “Nothing is being negotiated currently, papers making up stories.” Those reports come amid ongoing rumours about Mercedes’…

BTCC British Touring Car Championship star Mat Jackson will return to the series after a two-year absence this season with the Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra team alongside double champion Jason Plato. Jackson, a 31-time BTCC race winner, has not contested the championship since a contractual despite between factory Honda squad Team Dynamics and Motorbase Performance left him on the sidelines at the beginning of 2018. “I have unfinished business in the BTCC and it was critical for me to return with a top team, capable of mounting a consistent title challenge,” said Jackson (below), who partnered Plato in the RML Chevrolet line-up in 2009. Between them, Plato and Jackson have a record of 128 BTCC victories, which will be more than any other line-up on the grid. Plato, who…

FORMULA E Formula E has pulled the digital covers off its Gen2 EVO machine, which will be introduced for the 2020-21 season as the series takes on world championship status. Although the car is set for a physical unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show on 3 March, the first full images of the cosmetic overhaul were released online on Tuesday. Most notably, out go the wheelarches and in come a new front wing and a curved rear wing, while a dorsal fin has been added to the rear bodywork. These changes follow an extension to the Gen2 car’s lifecycle, which has increased from three to four seasons. Formula E founder and chairman Alejandro Agag said: “The Gen2 already stands out as one of the most striking race cars to hit…

Awesome Honda sound stays in the memory Brian Harvey’s article was fascinating (‘The first time Honda conquered Europe’, 30 January). I now know that, without realising it at the time, I saw the debut of the Formula 2 Brabham-Honda. On 18 September 1965 I attended the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park. I can remember Jim Clark spinning off at Cascades when in the lead, and John Surtees’s drive through the field to win after qualifying 10th. But my main memory is the sound of Jack Brabham’s Honda engine in the back of his BT16. I have seen the 1.0-litre F2 series since referred to as “screamers”. My recollection was that he retired quite early in the race, but it sounded awesome while it lasted. Steve BerningShepperton Wheels of steel…

Retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr is one of the United States’ biggest sports personalities, so his admission in 2018 that he had hidden as many as 20 concussions during his career was big news. In Racing to the Finish, a book released that year, he details the tortuous lengths he had gone to in order to keep his symptoms under wraps, due to NASCAR’s dismissive attitude to head injuries. “You didn’t get out of your race car, no matter what,” Earnhardt wrote. “Broke a bone? Suck it up, man. Got your bell rung? Shake it off, take a headache powder and get ready for the next race.” As a youngster, Earnhardt regarded with awe Ricky Rudd’s return from a nasty practice crash to run the 1984 Daytona 500 with…

“When a Formula E track is made, each time walls move a little bit – they’re not absolutely identically in the same place compared to the previous year.” These are the words of Envision Virgin Racing FE racer Sam Bird, explaining the challenge teams and drivers face when they arrive at whichever street track – some in city centres, some on industrial estates, some at purpose-built facilities, some on nondescript coastal access roads (looking at you, Sanya) – the electric championship is racing at on a given weekend. Unlike the dedicated circuits constructed around the globe for almost every other form of motor racing, FE tracks are different every time. In this series, the calendar is constantly fluctuating, there is new city infrastructure to negotiate, surfaces change – sometimes subtly,…

When it comes to sports-racers of the early 1970s, Penske is best known for its Can-Am domination with Porsche. The American team, and its lead engineer-driver Mark Donohue, played a key role in the development of the revolutionary turbocharged 917/10 (pictured) and 917/30 monsters, but the 1971 outings with the Ferrari 512M played their part. Porsche’s appointed works team in world sportscars, JW Automotive, had been in talks with the German manufacturer about a possible Can-Am programme as early as 1970. Team boss John Wyer was keen, but Porsche wouldn’t commit, though it did provide limited support for Jo Siffert in 1971. During that season, Penske’s raids on the International Championship of Makes must have grabbed Porsche’s attention. At the same time, Penske was growing frustrated at the lack of support…

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB Former Britcar and British GT4 champion Ross Wylie will contest a full campaign in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB this year. Wylie made his return to the series, in which he competed in 2017, at Silverstone last season and took a podium. He has joined In2Racing for the 2020 season. “I am not there to make up the numbers, I want to give it a good crack,” said Wylie, who thanked his former Britcar co-driver David Mason for sponsoring him via his MacConnal-Mason Gallery. “I’m also under no illusion that the series is, without doubt, the most competitive one-make series around and is arguably the toughest championship I have ever contested.” Another driver to confirm they will be on the grid is British GT4 racer Mark…

MINI CHALLENGE JCW Renault UK Clio Cup runner-up Max Coates will switch to the Mini Challenge JCW category for this season with Elite Motorsport. Coates has been a Clio title contender in each of the past two seasons but narrowly missed out both times. He had targeted a move to the British Touring Car Championship for this season but was unable to raise sufficient budget, although it remains his goal for 2021. He will instead join the Mini series as it replaces the Clio Cup on the BTCC support bill this year. “Minis is an attractive option and it’s the natural progression,” said Coates. “I’ve driven the car already and really enjoyed it.” He added that missing out by just five points to Jack Young in the Clio title race…

A brand-new car he’d never so much as sat in. A track on which he had completed just seven laps. And racing in an endurance event, with night-time running, for the first time. They were all new to Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner Johnathan Hoggard as he took up his Sunoco Whelen Challenge prize drive at the Daytona 24 Hours late last month. As if that wasn’t enough, a freak injury meant he also had to pick up a whole new driving style as he went in the race – braking with his right foot. The sportscar debutant twisted his left leg as he struggled to get out of his Precision Performance Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo while the team practised driver changes on Friday…

AUTHOR INTERVIEW IBRAR MALIK Ibrar Malik made a bold statement when he revealed plans to publish his first book 1994: The Untold Story of a Tragic and Controversial F1 Season. Presenting the storm surrounding the death of Ayrton Senna and allegations of Benetton running illegal driver aids in a coherent and balanced narrative had the potential to be a legal minefield. But the result was critical acclaim from both former Williams and Benetton employees alike. Now, just 12 months on, Malik has co-authored a second release entitled Team Lotus: Struggling Beyond the Post Colin Chapman Era. He and researcher Neil White hope this book – which began life in 2012 and covers the 1983 to 1989 seasons – can kick-start a series of titles on the Hethel-based outfit. Autosport wanted…

Who can argue with an F1 team named Aston Martin? It’s a lot better than Midland, after all… EDDIE JORDAN RACING 7/10 Frontrunning Formula 3/Formula 3000 team followed regular 1980s format of name of proprietor with ‘Racing’ tacked on the end. Can’t argue with that. JORDAN GP 8/10 (above) OK, Eddie’s surname doesn’t sound as quick as ‘Ferrari’, but it’s a lot speedier than ‘Williams’. Perfectly decent handle for an F1 squad. MIDLAND 1/10 And then came… the worst of the lot. Would only have made sense if team had been based in Birmingham or subsequently become HSBC. SPYKER 6/10 It does have a ring about it – and gains a point for at least sounding better than Midland. Gains one more point if you pronounce it in a Dutch…

OBITUARY Aldo Andretti, twin brother to Mario but a man whose own racing career was cut short by a brutal sprint-car crash, was proud of his sibling but was also able to enjoy a career vicariously through son John Andretti, whose racing talent proved so malleable in that old-school, so-cool Andretti-like way, and who died last week aged 56. John Andretti’s ability meant that he could win USAC sprint-car races on dirt, yet also reach the semi-finals in an NHRA Top Fuel event. It allowed him in 1994 to become the first driver in history to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in the same day. And he proved he could win in IMSA sportscars and also Indycars. Andretti’s first high-profile triumph came in the IMSA sportscar…

FORMULA 1 Formula 2 race winner Jack Aitken has parted ways with the Renault Formula 1 programme to join Williams as its official reserve driver, and will get a run in a Formula 1 free practice session this year. Just one day after Aitken announced that he had stepped down from his reserve and test role with Renault, the British driver revealed that he had taken on a similar position at Williams. As part of the deal, Aitken will attend all grands prix with Williams to work with the engineers, take part in one FP1 session, and will also conduct a full simulator programme. “It is a great honour to join Williams as their reserve driver for the 2020 season,” said Aitken. “Williams is a team with strong heritage, and…

EUROFORMULA OPEN Reigning British Formula 4 champion Zane Maloney is stepping up to the international scene this season, and will race in Euroformula Open. The Barbados talent remains with his F4 team Carlin for the move, which comes despite testing with Formula Renault Eurocup newcomer R-ace GP. Team boss Trevor Carlin said: “He is an incredibly talented driver as his Formula 4 results prove, and a hard worker within the Carlin team.” Maloney (right) is the second recruit to Carlin’s line-up for Euroformula, following Israeli Ido Cohen, who contested two rounds with the team last year in addition to his programme in Italian and German F4. Other positive news for the EFO series, which will adopt the new Dallara 320 chassis, over the winter has been the recruitment of former…

Across all of sport, the best champions lose. Some endure defeat from the start, working constantly to improve and finally seal the deal right at the end of their careers, walking off into a golden sunset. Others win immediately, but fall at what should be their greatest, last moment. And some find success and failure intertwined throughout their endeavours. Usain Bolt lost his final race. Tom Brady finally looks like he can’t prevail if the odds are stacked against him. And, back in 2006, Michael Schumacher missed out on an eighth Formula 1 world title just after he’d finally announced his Ferrari exit. But the way Schumacher handled that defeat in Brazil stood out. In the season finale, when he needed a miracle to overcome Renault’s Fernando Alonso after his…

CAN FERRARI FINALLY BEAT MERCEDES? In 2017 Sebastian Vettel could have stolen the title from Lewis Hamilton. In 2018 Vettel should have won the title. In 2019 they could have been a lot closer in the points table than they ultimately were. On the whole, it’s fair to say that over the past three seasons the red camp hasn’t fulfilled its potential to the extent that the team in silver has. That’s not my opinion – that’s just fact. The team has the money, the people, the facilities and the drivers to fight against Mercedes and therefore the answer to the question is always: yes, it can. But will it? Recent history shows that this is a different matter. Despite all the rumours and accusations in the paddock, the Ferrari…

5 MICHELOTTO F40 GTE Of the 11 rounds comprising the 1996 BPR Global GT Series, an F40 GTE scored the fastest lap in seven. Michelotto’s lead entry, headed by ex-Formula 1 driver Jean-Marc Gounon, bagged four (100%) of the car’s poles that year. Unfortunately, the F40 won only one race that season. Patchy reliability was combined with the crushing domination of the McLaren F1 GTR and then the arrival of the Porsche 911 GT1. 4 ROB WALKER 250 GT ‘SWB’ From breaking both legs in June’s Belgian Grand Prix, Stirling Moss bounced back to win the 1960 Tourist Trophy at Goodwood in August. He did it with a Rob Walker-entered 250 GT ‘SWB’, beating Roy Salvadori’s Aston Martin DB4 GT. It also marked Ferrari’s first victory in the famous race. Two more…

TOYOTA RACING SERIES HAMPTON DOWNS (NZL) 1-2 FEBRUARY ROUND 3/5 Brazilian talent Igor Fraga wrested the lead of the series from 2019 champion and M2 Competition team-mate Liam Lawson, thanks to two wins, the second of which earned him the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy – the actual pot won by Hulme for victory in the 1974 Argentinian Grand Prix. The Japanese-born, Roberto Moreno-mentored Gran Turismo ambassador, who was a leading contender in the Formula Regional European Championship last year, took the lead of the opener when he swept past polesitter Petr Ptacek and front-row man Lawson from third on the grid. Lawson, with a new clutch after burning one out in practice starts during Thursday testing, slumped to fifth in a duff getaway. With Fraga up front, focus turned to…

BRITCAR Organisers of the Clio Cup Series have teamed up with Britcar so the championship will now run as a standalone class within the new Britcar Trophy category. The Clio series formerly had Michelin backing but will now switch to using Dunlop trackday rubber to reduce costs. It struggled for numbers last season, despite fourth-generation Clios joining the third-edition models in being eligible, and averaged nine cars. The Britcar Trophy is for production cars and features 50-minute races, so Clio drivers will now be able to share their car or race on their own. The Clio category’s promoter Richard Colburn said: “Taking on board the feedback from competitors – higher-profile events, TV coverage, hospitality options and, above all, reduced costs – this presented by far the best option and I…

JSCC/MINI CHALLENGE Goodyear has created a new driver development programme to take racers from karting up to the British Touring Car Championship. The tyre manufacturer has partnered up with the Junior Saloon Car Championship and Mini Challenge to create the driver scheme. There will be a ladder of progression through the series as the winner of the JSCC title will get a free test in a Cooper class Mini Challenge machine along with free tyres in the series. Goodyear event manager Mickey Butler explained: “We are proud to build a ladder into the BTCC through Goodyear’s support of the Mini Challenge and Dunlop’s investment in the teenage racers of the JSCC. “By building a bridge from one of the UK’s strongest junior series into the UK’s highest-profile one-make touring car…

CONNOR, JUFFALI BACK IN F4 Alex Connor and Reema Juffali will remain in the British Formula 4 Championship this season. Connor will complete a full campaign with Arden, having taken his maiden car racing win in the UAE F4 series at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Juffali, the first female Saudi Arabian racing driver, will stay with Double R Racing for a second year. She has raced in the Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy and UAE F4 during the winter. STEED STAYS IN GINETTA GT5s Ginetta GT5 Challenge racer Josh Steed plans to contest a full season of the series this year after missing the opening 2019 events with an arm injury. He took his maiden category podium in the season finale at Donington Park. The Mutation Motorsport driver said: “Now…

PEMBREY Work to build a new pit garage complex at Pembrey will begin in the next few weeks. The Welsh venue will feature a new building that will contain 12 double garages and these will be located next to the circuit’s race control tower. There will be a large paddock space behind them. The construction work at the circuit is due to be completed in time for the start of Pembrey’s 30th anniversary season. It follows other improvements at the track in recent years, including the creation of a new circuit layout and improved spectator banking. There will be four circuit racing events at Pembrey this year, including the popular British Truck Racing Championship and the return of the Historic Sports Car Club. “With a new garage complex and some…

Robbie Dalgleish had lofty ambitions as he headed into 2019. The Scot aimed to win the Mini Challenge GB Cooper Pro title at his second attempt, to retain his Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Cup crown, and to seal the Sunoco 240 Challenge. He pulled off the clean sweep and took up his Sunoco prize drive on the undercard of the Daytona 24 Hours in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge last month. “It was kind of the dream to do all three after finishing second to Kyle Reid in Cooper Pro in 2018,” says the 25-year-old. “He won the Sunoco, so I wanted that one as well.” Like Reid in 2019, Dalgleish raced a BMW M4 GT4 for the Fast Track squad. And just like Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Johnathan Hoggard…

A huge impact between the Sauber-Ferrari C21 of Nick Heidfeld and Takuma Sato’s Jordan-Honda EJ12 violently interrupts the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix at the A1-Ring. Heidfeld had locked his brakes – still cold from running behind the safety car only moments earlier – and lost control before slamming rearwards into Sato’s right-hand sidepod. Both drivers suffered minor injuries – Prof Sid Watkins described Sato’s survival as miraculous – and were kept overnight in hospital, but were cleared to race at the next round in Monaco. For classic Formula 1 DVDs head to dukevideo.com/F1 For more great photographs, visit motorsportimages.com…