Back to the Track & Team Orders
With the 12 hours of Sebring having taken place, the first two rounds of the Formula One world championship and round one of the World Touring Car Championship having passed, the motorsport season is well underway. That means my winter break is also over and this Easter weekend I’ll be back trackside and behind the camera.
Usually I’ve normally got my first round of the year under my belt by now but the wait will no doubt be worth it. I’ll be heading up to Oulton Park for round one of the British GT championship and I cannot wait. I’ve never been to Oulton Park before so I am looking forward to experiencing a new circuit. I missed last year’s round due to other commitments but the heavy rain the experienced there meant I wasn’t too disappointed. Bizarrely it seems to be snow that might cause trouble at the weekend and thermals will be going in the bag with me.
I’ll be back Track side for the first time this year as British GT heads to Oulton Park for round one.
A huge field of gorgeous cars are set to take to the grid this Easter weekend for two 1 hour races at the Cheshire circuit and I’m really looking forward to seeing and photographing them in action. I just hope I haven’t forgotten how to do it, although it’s questionable if I did in the first place! With the track action taking place on the Saturday and the Monday rather than the usual Saturday and Sunday, it will be a long weekend, but it will definitely be a fun and exciting one. I’ll hopefully posting photos on my twitter account – @ChrisGurton and my facebook page over the weekend as well as providing images for The Checkered Flag, so feel free to give me a ‘follow’ or a ‘like’ to keep up to date.
Whilst some head to Cheshire for their racing fix, many will be heading to Kent this weekend as the first round of the British Touring Car Championship takes place at Brands Hatch. Like the British GT, a large field is expected for the BTCC even though a couple of teams have opted out of the first round. 2009 Champion Colin Turkington makes his return to the series in a rather nice looking BMW 1 Series with West Surrey Racing, the team with whom he won his title. I was surprised at how nice the new 1 series looks, although I’m still unsure on the livery. The BTCC media day stirred up a lot of excitement last week and I know the faithful army of fans are chomping at the bit to see them back in action. Let’s hope there are no controversies to kick off the new season and hopefully driving standards will be improved.
2009 Champ Colin Turkington returrns to WSR and their Ebay Motors BMW 1 Series.
On the subject of controversy, I can’t help but mention the Malaysian Grand Prix. Formula One is the biggest motorsport series on the planet which grabs the attention of millions worldwide. Round one in Australia proved to be a good one with seven different leading drivers during the race. Then, the dreaded team orders come into play in Malaysia. Surely round two is a bit early for team orders? Fans want to see racing not a parade of cars that aren’t allowed to overtake because there might be a risk of crashing. All motorsport has risk and that’s probably why so many enjoy it and take part in it. Surely team orders spoils it for the fans, without whom, the sport would be nothing.
I like Mark Webber a lot, he comes across as the complete professional and he’s one of my favourite drivers. He defended his lead superbly and fairly, but it was clear to see Sebastian Vettel was quicker. So why were the team against him overtaking for the lead? Why did they want him to just sit behind him for the remainder of the race? That isn’t what the fans want to see. The Mercedes team proved this point by making Nico Rosberg stay behind Lewis Hamilton despite being faster. Even Lewis himself admitted it wasn’t the way he wanted to achieve his podium finish. I don’t care if there is a chance that contact might be made between two team mates. I want to see racing. These guys are at the pinnacle of the sport through skill and talent. Or maybe some huge financial backing. They should be able to battle it out for honour and pride regardless of what car the other guy is in.
Vettel & Webber aren’t so friendly after Sundays Malaysian Grand Pix
Team orders can ruin motorsport. I can understand towards the end of the season you want to protect your lead drivers chance of championship glory, but with 17 rounds still to go? Let drivers do battle and give the paying fans what they want. If this is going to become a regular occurrence in Formula one, I won’t be giving it much attention in the future. Match fixing is illegal in sport, surely what Red Bull were trying to do was to fix the race result. I can’t blame Vettel for wanting to race. That’s what he’s paid to do after all. Personally, I’d like to see the FIA step in and put a stop to such blatant team orders, again, for the good of the sport and the fans.
British F3
I will admit, open wheel racing isn’t my favourite form of motorsport and although I like Formula One, I’m not a self proclaimed die hard fan. I used to be pretty obsessed with it when I was a child though. I was a huge Nigel Mansell fan, in fact, I even share my birthday and year with his daughter Chloe and he won his Championship title on the 16th of August 1992. Mine (and Chloe’s) 10th Birthday. That was a pretty special day for me. But that’s enough of the nostalgia, as the Schumacher Era saw me lose interest somewhat in Formula One and I never regained the love I once had.
British F3, A Stepping Stone Towards F1
Jean-Eric Vergne, 2010 British F3 Champion
But over the last few years I have seen my fair share of open wheel racing at various circuits across the country and have appreciated them for what they are. Besides, as a motorsport fan I love being at a circuit and I’ve witnessed some great racing and the rise of some current Formula One stars. After all, these championships are the proving ground for the Holy Grail, Formula One. A huge stepping stone in the quest to become a superstar Formula One racing driver comes in the form of the British F3 championship. With the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Rubens Barichello, Mika Hakkinen and Ayrton Senna having graced the British Series, it’s easy to see that British F3 provides a critical role in developing World Champions of the future.
However it is sad to hear that the British F3 championship announced that it was cutting the series back to just four rounds this season with two of them to be raced overseas. Increasing costs and competition from a number of other single seat championships both in the UK and abroad probably proving a major factor as drivers seek more cost effective ways of reaching the top level.
I’m not here to criticise the series and the current difficulties it is experiencing or point out mistakes or how it should be improved, as to be honest, I don’t really know the answers myself. But I will reiterate one thing I have spoken about many times before, and that is lack of support from fans. I have always been increasingly frustrated at how some huge British Racing Series never get the fan support they so deserve. I have been blown away by the huge crowds the British Touring Car Championship pulls in, yet the British F3 championship, which runs in conjunction with the British GT championship during its race weekends only see’s a fraction of the crowd the BTCC does.
Talented British Racer Jack Harvey won the 2012 Championship
How many F1 fans are out there? Many of whom would probably call themselves, ‘Huge Fans’ or ‘Die Hard Fans’. Yet also, many will complain that Formula One is elitist, expensive and inaccessible for the everyday ‘normal’ fans. How many of these fans have sat in front of the TV moaning at the celebrities on the Grid before a big race who clearly have no interest in the sport and are only there because they have been given a free pass and it’s the ‘Fashionable’ thing to do? Yes, I hate it too. But how many have ventured out to watch some live motorsport and support the possible Formula One stars of the future in the British F3? With weekend tickets for around £30, (great value compared to a premiership football match) three championship races per weekend and the chance of watching the mechanics at work, wandering the pit lane and getting up close to the drivers and cars, what is there stopping you? You’d be surprised at how many Motorsport celebs you can see blending into the paddock too not wanting to hog the limelight. You never know, in a few years time, you could be watching one of the current crop of F3 racers stand atop An F1 podium or lifting the world championship trophy and you could turn to your mates and say, ‘I met that guy once.’ Or ‘I saw him race and supported him before he made the big time.’
British F3 gives you a chance to get up close and personal to the F1 stars of the future
I could go on about how the media should be doing their bit to bring some of these great British race series to the attention of the public, but I’ve done that before. Plus most of you reading this will be big motorsport fans and know about these Championships anyway, so as fans, it’s only right we do our bit and go and support. Before it’s too late.
Pop Bang Coloured!
It’s been a while since my last blog so I do apologize to those, if there are any, who wait with baited breath for my latest ramblings. However, I have been away on Holiday. No internet, limited phone signal and with just my mountain bike for company, it was a very enjoyable break and the first proper holiday I’ve had for a couple of years.
This all did mean however, I missed the last round of the BTCC at Silverstone. Ok, it wasn’t the end of the world but it did mean I would miss one thing in particular that I would have very much liked to have seen. No, not any track action, but something else which involves a highly skilled individual at work.
Despite not being at Silverstone for the BTCC, this photo of mine would be.
The week before the event I was contacted by a good friend of mine, Ian Cook who wanted to use a photo of mine to paint. Some of you reading this will of course know of Ian or his alias ‘Pop Bang Colour’. For those of you who don’t. It is about time you were made aware of this talented individual.
Ian paints cars, bikes, motorsport and a variety of other images in his own unique way. His paint brushes are rather unconventional. He uses wheels. Toy wheels, radio controlled car wheels, even actual car, bike and truck wheels and everything in between to create his amazing artwork. Working with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Jessie J & Chris Evans with appearances of Sky TV’s F1 coverage and the One Show, Ian has certainly made a name for himself and is admired by many. So it was a great honour to have one of my images receive the Pop Bang Colour treatment.
Ian Cook using one of his unique paintbrushes.
The image in question was one of my Photos of Frank Wrathall in his Toyota Avensis at Donington Park. With Toyota UK part of the project you may be seeing a bit more of the finished paining in future too.
Painting the photo during the BTCC race weekend at Silverstone, Ian attracted many fans keen to see him at work. I was somewhat disappointed not to be able to have seen him create the fantastic painting. Thankfully with the help of a good friend, Chris Enion, photographer for Octane Photos I was able to get a bit of an insight into how the artwork came along. The finished product looks superb and judging from the comments I have seen on social media, a lot of others like it as well as myself.
The finished artwork looks superb.
It’s a nice feeling to have one of your photos used in such a way and I am glad Ian chose to use it. I am a big fan of his work and have a number of his prints at home. I now need to make some space for an Orange Toyota Avensis to go on my wall too. Hopefully this won’t be the only time he uses one of my photos.
For more information about Ian and his work and to see some more of his stunning paintings, check out his web site www.popbangcolour.com
British GT & F3 Media Day
With my first race of the new season in the form of Round One of the new Britcar Championships at Silverstone this coming Saturday, it was good to get back in the swing of things this week as I was at the British GT & F3 media day also at Silverstone this Wednesday.
The Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4
The Nissan GTR
You will all know by know that I am a huge GT racing fan and it was good to see a selection of this seasons cars there along with some of the new entrants for this season. The grid for 2012 will certainly be impressive. Alongside the usual suspects such as Trackspeed’s Porsche’s, United Autosport’s Audi R8, a selection of Ferrari 430’s and 458’s plus the GT4 Ginetta’s will be new contenders in the form of a Nissan GTR, A McLaren MP4-12C, A BMW Z4 and the new Aston Martin Vantage. Alongside theses, Ginetta step up to the GT3 plate with the new G55, as does Chevron with the GT3 GR8. However it’s not just the GT3 field that has new additions. So does the GT4 category with a Mazda MX5 and a BMW M3 set to join in the fun.
It’s not just the new cars that were on show, new drivers were also there to make an appearance alongside existing British GT stalwarts. A new streamlined Tim Harvey was there to give his new chariot, one of the three Trackspeed Porche’s, a run out along with his new team mate Jon Mishaw, who for those who follow classic and historic racing will recognise as the guy who is more than capable of flinging a Jaguar E-type sideways into corners at various race circuits in spectacular fashion. Another new driver of note is Zoe Wenham. Zoe will be the only female in the championship and steps up from the VW racing cup to take the wheel of the Century racing Ginetta G50 in the GT4 class alongside Dominic Evans.
Zoe Wenham will compete in the GT4 Ginetta G50
Tim Harvey
This has really got me excited for this seasons championship, however I am gutted I am unable to make round one at Oulton Park but I cannot wait for the European round to be held at the Nurburgring in May. The British GT championship is a great series and well worth going to see if you ever get the chance. You won’t be disappointed.
The F3 Championship was also at Siverstone as the two series race in partnership for most of their rounds. They go their separate ways for a few European races but you will see both these Championships during the same weekend in the UK so it’s well worth heading to one of the rounds. This season see’s the new F3 car in the shape of the Dallara F312. It certainly looks pretty impressive. As with the GT series, there are new faces taking to the grid. As the likes of current F3 champion Felipe Nasr moving on to GP2 and Kevin Magnussen moving to Formula Renault 3.5, up step current Formula Renault UK Champion Alex Lynn, Carlos Sainz Jr who’s dad is quite well known, and 2011 Formula ford drivers Nick McBride and Spike Goddard to name a few.
The British F3 championship has spawned a number of Formula One world champions such as Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Mika Hakkinen, Sir Jackie Stewart and a Brazilian by the name of Ayrton Senna. You may have heard of some of these guys. Current Torro Rosso F1 Driver Jean Eric-Vergne was the 2010 F3 Champion, so if you want to see the Formula One stars of the future, then get yourself out to one of the races this year.
The new Dallara F312 car looks great.
All this has whet my appetite for the coming season and I cannot wait. So first up is Britcar this Saturday at Silverstone. It’s a great race series, which will feature the three hour endurance race along with the 90 minute production cup race. There will be some great cars out on track so if you are at a loose end, why not pop along. All the qualifying and the races are on the Saturday and tickets are very reasonably priced. If you are coming along and you do spot me with my camera, come and say hello. It’s always nice to meet new people.
Here’s to a great season of Motorsport.
More photos from the media day can be seen on the Chris Gurton Photography Facebook group page here.
A Crystal Bath & Farcical Punishment
So Sebastian Vettel has claimed yet another Formula One victory and looks set to claim the Championship Title as early as the next round in Singapore. We all know what happened in the race so there is little point in boring you with that. But I will talk about one or two other things that I noticed from the weekend at Monza.
Firstly, blink and you’ll miss it, yes it was a Hispania Racing Team car charging through the field from the start to take up its highest ever position in a Formula One race. On the weekend Eddie Jordan criticises the three newest teams to the F1 grid for their poor qualifying results, Antonio Liuzzi hits out at the critics by getting a storming start from the back of the grid to take eighth place into the first corner. Unfortunately for Petrov and Rosberg, he was coming in sideways and wiped the pair of them out. But not only did Liuzzi very briefly take the dizzyingly high spot of eighth, in the process he also gave HRT the most race exposure they’ve had all season. Colin Kolles must be proud and is now sitting waiting for his phone to ring with potential sponsors for their ‘Cool Spot’ on the side of the car. Yes, that’s right, your company could appeal to race marshalls worldwide as they pick up bits of car with your logo on!
This accident led to the most ridiculous punishment imaginable, a five place grid drop for the next race in Singapore. The team who boss the back row of every race grid have got to start five places back on the grid. How is this even possible? Will Liuzzi have to start from Silverstone? Can you even punish a team that are as bad as HRT anyway? There isn’t even any point in going out to qualify. Answers on a postcard for possible punishments please.
HRT induced carnage at Monza
On a more serious note though, the battle between Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton drew a lot of attention. Lewis has been in for heavy criticism this season for what some may call overzealous driving style. However, despite being in a car that was struggling to close the gap on Schumacher’s Mercedes, Hamilton kept cool and avoided taking unnecessary risks. The same couldn’t be said for Schumacher. No stranger to controversy himself, the ageing German was determined to keep the young Brit behind him and in doing so pulled off some questionable moves. Not only did he move across Lewis twice on more than one occasion but he also forced him onto the grass at Curva Grande. Moves that no doubt would have landed Lewis in hot water with the stewards but went unpunished for Schumacher.
Sky deal recoups bath costs
I have read in the papers this week that the sponging Tamara Ecclestone is to get a new bath for her £47m house. Of course, this hard working young woman who is always on the go needs somewhere nice to relax and unwind at the end of another hard day at work so it’s only right that she deserves something a little bit special. No trip to B&Q for Miss Ecclestone then. Oh no. Five men have been dispatched to the Amazon Jungle to bring back crystal to make the plush bathroom fixture at a cost of One Million Pounds. Not only that, but the floor has to be reinforced to hold the weight of the flipping thing! It’s a pity she’s not the same size as her father then she could save herself the hassle and bathe in the sink. So all of you, who like me are cross about the new Sky TV deal, fear not, you can rest assured the extra money that has been generated is being put to a good cause and helping those unfortunate soles who have to struggle through life. Meanwhile, I have news for you Mr Kolles, that extra £1m Bernie promised you next season thanks to the new TV deal, I hate to say it, but you might be left a little disappointed.
Finally, did anyone else see David Coulthard and Jake Humphrey on the BBC pre race coverage together in the feature about the simulator at Red Bull? Were my eyes deceiving me or was DC actually sitting on Jakes lap with his arm around him bouncing up and down like a kid in Father Christmas’ grotto asking for a pony?! I’ve heard of close working relationships and I know they like to wear matching pink shirts but that’s taking it a bit too far surely.
Driver Professionalism & Breaking News
The British Touring Car Championship’s seems to have thrown up a divide amongst fans recently thanks to the whole Turbo versus normally aspirated engine situation. Some seem to be annoyed with the rules being changed to restrict the turbo cars and some seem to believe they should be restricted even more.
Everyone has a right to their opinion, however after a post a couple of months ago about the situation one or two people decided to voice their opinions in response rather loudly and somewhat personally as they disagreed with my opinion on the matter. Therefore they believed they were right and those who said different were wrong, had no idea what they were talking about and knew nothing so should keep quiet. That said, before I continue, this blog is entirely my own opinion. Rightly or wrongly, agree or disagree, I am happy to accept your responses and thoughts and for you to leave comments. However, please keep them constructive and please don’t resort to personal attacks.
Rather than air my opinion on the whole performance issue within the BTCC, it’s the professionalism of some of the drivers that needs to be bought to people’s attention. After last week’s Monaco Grand Prix, and Lewis Hamilton’s subsequent and ill fated post race interview taking the headlines, it seems a few other ‘professional’ drivers should have taken on board the criticism Hamilton received within the media and fans alike.
Lewis Hamilton came in for critisism for his post Monaco interview
Much like Lewis Hamilton in F1, Jason Plato is a big star and a popular driver with fans in BTCC, therefore he is in the spotlight all the time within the series. So is it really acceptable for Jason Plato to show his displeasure of the rules in front of the media and on live TV. Whether the rules are fair or unfair is irrelevant. The attitude and reaction from the ‘Star’ of the series is extremely unprofessional. Tim Harvey stated afterwards, that Plato is becoming fixated on parity within the series and must therefore have an effect on his focus and that he needs to calm down and focus on his own racing. Harvey talks sense and has hit the nail on the head. It is only the Honda’s that Plato is struggling against and is beating the other Turbo powered cars. The reaction seems to show Plato as a spoilt brat and is upset because he isn’t winning all the time. The fact that he has won more races this season than Matt Neal is something he fails to mention.
Lewis Hamilton and Martin Whitmarsh from McLaren had to make a grovelling apology to race stewards after the comments the 2008 world champion made and it is only right that Plato should do the same. To constantly make these comments on live TV and, particularly after the Oulton Park win, use questionable language, is surely bringing the sport into disrepute. If you have views on the rules, then discuss them in private and not berate the series director and ask him to explain himself on live TV. That shows extreme lack of professionalism and if he escapes punishment, then Plato needs to count himself lucky. There is much talk in the motorsport world of Lewis Hamilton needing someone to bring him back down to earth, I think Plato needs someone to do that to him to.
Is Jason Plato throwing BTCC into disrepute?
No one is bigger than the BTCC and that includes Jason Plato. He maybe a self confessed celebrity presenting Fifth Gear on TV, but he needs to drop the prima donna attitude and concentrate in getting his attitude into Top Gear and showing some respect. He is a role model to many but is currently leading a bad example of how to behave. He is a talented driver and has shown this by winning the championship twice and has claimed more BTCC race wins than anyone else, however the series can and will continue without him when he decides to retire or leave. But right now with his current behaviour, whether you agree with me or not, it is my opinion that the series would be better off without him until he changes his attitude and shows himself to be the complete professional that he should be.
Another headline from the weekend’s racing at Oulton Park is the Shock news that TOM Onslow-Cole has quit the AMD Miltek team to take up an offer elsewhere. Apparently Tom told the team just 15 minutes before the start of race three and did not take part in the final race of the day. The team have stated it was an amicable split and wished Tom the very best. However, if he did tell the team just before race three then it would seem it is not an amicable split. Surely it would only be fair and respectful to complete the final race of the day.
Tom Onslow-Cole announced his departure from the AMD Miltek team this weekend
Rumours will now start as to where Tom might be going to and will he be in place for the next round at Croft? One team’s name flying about is that of Team AON. There has been mutterings of them running three cars for a while now but after the whole team order’s debacle of last season would Onslow-Cole really go back? Another popular rumour is that Special Tuning Racing will be running a third car and the Seat’s are putting in a good show this season and had some good results at Oulton Park. So surely he would only leave to go to one of the big teams as the VW is starting to show its worth with points finishes. A move to somewhere like the vacant seat in the Geoff Steel Racing BMW would surely be a sideways step? I guess we will find out soon.
Phil Glew drove for the YRC team at Silverstone
On the flip side, who will take over at AMD Miltek? Let’s not forget there is a vacant seat. It would be great to see Tim Harvey take the wheel but that is just a pipe dream. It would also be amazing to see Matt Hamilton back in BTCC but I’m not sure his position regarding budget. My initial thoughts is that Phil Glew should get the vacant position. Glew drove for the Your Racing Car team in their first BTCC race at Silverstone last year and put in a good showing. The joint YRC and AMD Miltek partnership could pave the way for him to get back into the championship. One thing is for certain, the rumour mill will be running flat out until the official announcements so we all wait with baited breath to see what happens.
