Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Motor Sport Magazine

Motor racing is a cut-throat business and that truism was proved once again this month with the news that the W Series, the all-female racing championship, would be unable to complete its planned season because it had run out of money. The announcement that the final two rounds – in Austin and Mexico City – would not be taking place came as a blow not just to those directly involved but also to those who had supported the series and its aim of increasing the participation of women in motor sport. The series CEO and founder Catherine Bond Muir insists that this is not the end and that it will return in 2023. “While we are all incredibly disappointed that this decision has had to be made in the short…

Kalle Rovanperä has made history by becoming the youngest-ever World Rally champion after guiding his Toyota GR Yaris to victory on Rally New Zealand, which finished on October 2. Rovanperä scored his sixth victory of the WRC campaign and secured his breakthrough world championship title just a day after his 22nd birthday. It means he shaves a full five years and 108 days off the former youngest WRC champion, Colin McRae, who triumphed back in 1995. Rovanperä, the son of one-time WRC winner Harri, has already been driving for years, and made his competition debut when he was just 10 years old. A factory Toyota driver by 19, he became the WRC’s youngest event victor last season when he won in Estonia at just 20 years, 11 months and 17…

Aunique collection of some of the greatest GT cars in history is set to go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s forthcoming London sale (November 5), with the assets set to achieve more than £40m. The collection of 18 vehicles includes pristine examples of some of the finest supercars of the last 30 years, and has been labelled ‘the Gran Turismo Collection’. Eight Ferraris, three Bugattis, two Lamborghinis and even three Group B rally cars are among the automotive exotica, which has been collated by a single European owner. The cars are to be auctioned individually, but together are expected to fetch around £40.4m, with the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport estimated to be worth £4.5m as the pick of the bunch. For fans of classics, there’s also a 1971 Lamborghini…

During last summer’s British MotoGP round some unfamiliar faces were spotted within the Silverstone paddock. They were aerodynamicists from Red Bull Formula 1, come to talk with the Red Bull-backed KTM MotoGP team. Downforce aerodynamics have been a growing presence in MotoGP since 2016, when Ducati adorned its Desmosedici with an array of winglets, designed to reduce wheelies and therefore increase acceleration. In fact these weren’t the first wings seen on a grand prix motorcycle. In 1974 Giacomo Agostini experimented with winglets attached to his 500cc MV Agusta during the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. They were never seen again but a few years later Suzuki engineers tried strakes on Barry Sheene’s RG500, until they realised the strakes caused front tyres to overheat. MotoGP bikes remained wingless for the next…

● Consecutive announcements at Suzuka confirmed that Pierre Gasly, right, will replace the departing Fernando Alonso at Alpine next year and that his place at AlphaTauri will be taken by recent F1 debutant Nyck de Vries. The driver market chaos set in place by Sebastian Vettel’s retirement is now almost complete. Williams has confirmed that Nicholas Latifi will not continue with the team next year and it is expected that his replacement there will be F2 frontrunner Logan Sargeant. ● There are rumours of a possible resurrection of the Korean Grand Prix, but this time through the streets of South Korea’s capital, Seoul, left. This is concurrent with another, possibly related, rumour that Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai is considering entering F1 as a naming partner with an existing team. The…

Imay be biased, but I think he would have become another Prost or Senna,” says Jo Ramirez, friend and mechanic of the mercurial Ricardo Rodriguez, killed 60 years ago this November. “To get a guy who comes to F1 and makes the sort of impression he did at Monza in 1961, that only happens maybe once every 10 years or so...” Ramirez is speaking in our March 1998 Mark Hughes archive piece remembering the Rodriguez brothers. Though the older Pedro went on to great sports car success before tragically also losing his life in 1970, it’s Ricardo who was thought to be the faster. The youngest-ever Ferrari driver at just 19 years and 208 days old, he stunned the F1 world by qualifying second on his debut at Monza in…

Bell & Ross has primarily been known as a maker of aviationinspired watches since the introduction in 2005 of its instantly recognisable BR-01, an horological behemoth measuring 46mm which was intended to look as though it had been ripped from the cockpit of a military aircraft. The BR range has since become a signature of the brand and numerous variations on the theme have emerged, ranging from chronographs that follow the original ‘tool watch’ aesthetic to tourbillon versions, slim dress models and even scaled-down, gem-set women’s pieces. Among the more interesting takes on the BR theme, however, have been the automotive–inspired pieces that have flowed from the pen of the brand’s designer, Bruno Belamich, who launched Bell & Ross during the early ’90s along with entrepreneur Carlos Rosillo (hence the…

There was never any denying Omologato founder Shami Kalra’s passion for motor sport, but he’s now reinforced it with the creation of a limited edition chronograph that is helping to fund the ongoing restoration of one of Europe’s great historic race venues – the Circuit de Reims-Gueux, better known simply as ‘Reims’. Situated in the heart of the Champagne region, the circuit dates back to 1926 when it was originally laid out in a triangular shape on existing country roads that incorporated two flat-out straights, each of more than a mile in length. One of the fastest of all European circuits and the site of many great slipstreaming battles in period, it was modified in 1952 to make it more suitable for Formula 1 cars by incorporating a purpose-built link…

Ari Vatanen 1985 Monte-Carlo: 1st Comebacks don’t get bigger than this. Going up against Walter Röhrl in the mountains above Monte Carlo was usually a fruitless endeavour, as the Audi legend had won four of the previous five editions. But Ari Vatanen had found the groove and was flying, taking the lead in his Peugeot 205 T16. Alas, an early check-in by Vatanen’s navigator Terry Harryman cost him eight minutes in penalties, along with the lead and seemingly any chance of beating Röhrl. But an inspired tyre gamble, taking studded snow boots while Röhrl went for asphalt rubber, meant that Vatanen retook the lead. He overtook the Audi Quattro Sport mid-stage as it squirrelled around desperately for grip on the Col de Saint Raphaël to emphasise the point. Vatanen would…

SCALEXTRIC 1980s GRAND PRIX SET It’s Senna vs Senna as the 1986 Lotus 98T takes on the 99T on the 5.3m twists of your hearthside Monaco. Available from December. £159.99 All items available at motorsportmagazine.com/shop unless otherwise stated LEE GALE, CHIEF SUB EDITOR Suixtil sweater There are many photos of Phil Hill in the 1960s wearing a grey, heavy-duty knitted sweater. Lewis Hamilton, with his catwalkderived pit attire, should take note – for this is how racing drivers should dress. Although the world today is very warm, there can still be a nip in the air in January and a need for chunky utility wear. The Raticosa sweater, 90% lamb’s wool, 10% cashmere, is Suixtil’s reinterpretation of the Hill staple. It is an understated classic and when coupled with a…

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Mario Andretti joked that driving a modern Formula 1 car has given him another 10 years of life, after a “bucket list” drive in a McLaren at Laguna Seca in October. The 82-year-old drove several laps of the Californian circuit in the MP4-28a from 2013, and described an “exhilarating” experience at the Velocity Invitational event. As the V8 wailed through the Corkscrew, spectators were also watching a form of parallel history: Andretti in a F1 McLaren after turning the team down for the 1981 season. It follows a deal made on live TV at the Miami Grand Prix in May. Andretti, who retired from full-time racing in 1994, told Martin Brundle that driving a modern F1 car was “a bit of an itch to scratch”. Standing beside him was McLaren…

Sitting beside me here is a small squared-section bottle. It contains clear liquid and is securely capped by one of those over-centre, thickwire latch systems used for 1950s ‘fizzy pop’ of happy memory. It bears a white and blue label reading ‘H24 – Eau de Voiture’. It was presented to me – with some ceremony – by Pierre Fillon, enthusiastic President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (organisers of course of the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race) at this summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. My friend Louis Monnier – head of ACO Heritage – explained, “This is a memento of our H24 ’ydrogen-electric prototype car running this weekend. It is pure water – aschetwo-oh – which is the only emission from the car’s exhaust. It is so pure you…

Singapore GP Japanese GP The inevitability of Max Verstappen winning the 2022 world championship could only be delayed for so long. He had a chance of taking it in Singapore (round 17 of 22) but the weekend rather got away from him. This was corrected in the most emphatic manner seven days later in a Japanese Grand Prix which almost didn’t happen. Rain played a decisive part in what played out upon F1’s return to these classic two Asian venues after a three-year Covidimposed absence. In Singapore, a slicksshod Q3 on a drying track meant everyone was fuelled to run the whole session on a single set of tyres as it was essential to be on track at all times, so uncertain was the weather. The rain held off and…

This might sound bigheaded but when it came to my rivals I always believed I was as good as, if not better, than all of them. You have to have this confidence when you’re starting out and dreaming of Formula 1. “We all had that ambition in Formula 3, and to get noticed in such a fiercely combative era you had to have belief in yourself, the mental strength for the psychological warfare as well as the driving ability. In ’73 I was up against Alan Jones in the BARC Forward Trust Championship. We both had a GRD. Alan had the works car, I was a privateer, so he had better engines and more support. “Being an Aussie, with some very Australian adjectives, Jonesy was pretty blunt, like me. We…

When it comes to dive watches, the Rolex Submariner and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms have been around the longest, both having made their debuts in 1953. But when scuba became popular among hobbyists during the 1960s, the number of specialist dive watches burgeoned as numerous brands added them to their catalogues. Many of these names are now largely forgotten outside of collecting circles (such as Titus, Monvis, Lanco, Camif and Dodane, to name but a few), but one that has deservedly stood the test of time is Doxa. Already long established as a maker of regular wristwatches, Doxa unveiled a model called the Sub Concept at the 1967 Baselworld fair – the first ever watch to feature an orange dial. The Sub Concept was not designed merely to look the…

ROLEX Watch websites were awash with speculation about what mighty Rolex would release at this year’s Watches and Wonders show but even the top pundits failed to predict that the revered brand would go left field. The GMT-Master remains one of the most popular Rolex models in terms of new sales. Never before, however, has the GMT-Master been produced with a left-hand winding crown and date window, left. Rolex GMT-Master II, £9250. rolex.com JUNGHANS In its heyday in the early 1900s, Junghans employed 3000 people and churned out three million timepieces a year. Since that golden era the fortunes of Junghans have fallen, risen, fallen and most recently risen again under the ownership of spring manufacturing tycoon Hans-Jochem Steim. This year it has wound the clock back 50 years to…

Volkswagen will be on the Formula 1 grid come 2026. Its Audi brand has confirmed its entry to the motor sport big time, while sister marque Porsche may or may not still have plans to join it. Yet for all Porsche’s heritage in F1, it will be Volkswagen’s first involvement. The Stuttgart marque wasn’t part of the German car giant when it was a race winner in the 1960s, nor when it was building the TAG turbo engines that powered McLaren to a trio of world drivers’ titles in 1984-86. What isn’t widely known is that the McLaren-TAGs might have faced opposition from the manufacturer that would eventually seize full control of Porsche in 2012 after a protracted ownership battle. Nearly 40 years ago, VW was working on a 1.5-litre…

Sky has extended its broadcasting deal with Formula 1 until the 2029 season, but F1 will retain free-to-air coverage next season after Channel 4 also reached a rights deal. Under the new agreement, Sky will show all F1 grands prix live until 2029, but as part of that Channel 4 will screen highlights of both the qualifying and races throughout the 2023 season. The British Grand Prix will be shown live by both Sky and Channel 4. Sky has also extended its rights deal in both Germany and Italy until 2027. As part of its new package, Sky has promised more ways than ever to follow the races, including improved onboard cameras and driver trackers. Formula 2, Formula 3 and the Porsche Supercup are also all covered in the new…

Can it really be 30 years since John Surtees, Ron Dennis, Damon Hill and our own Denis Jenkinson joined a few thousand car fans outside a stately home in Sussex for a previously unknown motoring event called the Festival of Speed? That will be the question on the lips of a vastly larger crowd when the Goodwood Festival of Speed will be celebrating its 30th anniversary on June 13-16 next year. The dates, which have now been confirmed by Goodwood, come in a year which will see the circuit celebrate a variety of anniversaries including 75 years of motor sport. It first opened to the public as a race venue in 1948 but closed its gates to contemporary competition in 1966. It will also mark the 25th anniversary of the…

Red Bull’s breaching of Formula 1’s cost cap in 2021 – as recently confirmed by the FIA – puts everyone in a tricky position. Although the breach is classified as a ‘minor’ one (meaning it is over by less than 5% of the cap) that could still be an overspend of up to £6.5m. Other teams have been quick to point out just how much lap time they could find if they had that much extra to spend. It’s an extra 70 aerodynamicists, or an extra two or three in-season aero upgrades. They point out too how an overspend in one season can bring an advantage also into the following season, as more resource could have been allocated to the design and conception of the new car which even can…

Acouple of weeks back, a few old friends got together after what felt like far too long. We made sandwiches for lunch, messed about on a boat during the afternoon, for we had met by the seaside, then had a barbecue and a few beers in the evening. Nothing of any importance happened. So why mention it now? Because the careers of those present have gone in dramatically different directions since we all worked on Autocar in the 1990s. A couple are extremely famous, one supplies copy to a large number of the country’s biggest newspapers, another edits a magazine and I do this. Yet did we take this opportunity to catch up with each other’s lives, and their twists and turns since we were last all together? Of course…

GOOD GASLY GOIN’ UP Pierre Gasly has finally been freed from his Red Bull shackles, earning an Alpine move that he truly merits. ASTON ON THE UP Lawrence Stroll can finally lose the hangdog expression. Aston has hit a purple patch with a trio of points finishes in Singapore and Suzuka. WEATHER MAN Jenson Button showed that he hasn’t lost his inner Tomasz Schafernaker, as he correctly predicted prime tyre strategy for Sky at a wet Japanese Grand Prix. BEST FANS Plenty of homemade headwear par excellence sported by Japanese fans – the most brilliantly quirky on the F1 calendar. NEW BROOM, OLD BROOM In the cutting edge world of F1, it’s still pleasing to see analogue brooms and brushes used to clear the track in Singapore. Can’t beat ’em.…

Imust admit, I didn’t expect to be the one who broke the news to Max Verstappen that he was a two-time Formula 1 world champion. While I prepared for the post-race interviews at Suzuka, I obviously knew about Charles Leclerc cutting the chicane on the final lap, but I didn’t think the penalty would be given as quickly as it was. Even then, the rain delay and how many laps had been completed created confusion over how many points had been scored. I was interviewing Sergio Pérez when I was told in my earpiece that Max was world champion. That’s when I stopped with Checo and called Max back over. But the confusion continued. When I said he was world champion Max ran off to jump into his team, then…

This is the transmission and right-rear corner – plus nose cone – from Philippe Alliot’s Lola on their way back to the Larrousse Calmels pit after an enormous shunt during qualifying for the 1988 Mexican Grand Prix. The rest of the car – or those bits of it that hadn’t been pulverised against the pitwall – finished its wild journey upside down on the far side of the track. The scene resembled the aftermath of an aircraft accident. Miraculously, the Frenchman had scrambled from beneath the wreck and walked away. The Lola had suffered a rear wishbone failure while coming off Peraltada, the fearsome banked final corner. After twitching right and then left, the dark blue car had been flicked into a spin by the kerb at the exit of…

It’sa fact that a Richard Mille wristwatch has become a calling card of the rich person’s club: the ‘entry level’ model, the RM016 Extra Flat, will set you back around £50,000 while the recently launched RM UP-01 made in collaboration with Ferrari is closer to £1.5m. When Mille (the man) set out to launch his eponymous brand back in 1999, he did so on a no-compromise basis in terms of technicality and materials – and since nothing would ever be made down to a price, the cost to the end consumer would be necessarily astronomical. It was an odd business plan, but it worked – not least because it’s not unusual for ultra-wealthy types to want to show off just how loaded they really are. In fact, the Richard Mille…

Maurice Lacroix might be among the big names in Swiss watchmaking, but it’s a relatively young one having only been founded in 1975 by Zürich-based Desco von Schulthess, a private label manufacturer that could trace its roots back to 1889. From small beginnings during the 1970s, first selling watches in Austria before moving into Spain, Germany, then America and the Far East, Maurice Lacroix became an independent business in 2001. Fifteen years ago it went upmarket with the introduction of movements made in-house, a development it celebrated by launching a model called the Mémoire 1 that was claimed to contain one of the most complicated mechanisms ever devised for a wristwatch. Fitted with a minutes hand, a seconds hand and an hour disc, it was billed as the world’s first…

In last year’s Precision watch special we brought you news of the rapid progress happening at British brand Bremont’s then recently opened, 35,000 sq ft manufacturing and technology facility The Wing in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Key to that was the launch of the firm’s first in-house movement series, the ENG300, which debuted in a limited edition of 150 Longitude watches named after the ‘home of time’ at the Greenwich meridian. Making such a relatively small number of watches with manufacture movements is one thing, but scaling the business up to serious production levels is another – which is why Bremont is calling its latest development “the most significant” in the 20 years since the firm was founded by brothers Nick and Giles English. The launch involves the movement being used in…

You’ll know the name. How can you not? Richard Mille branding seems to pop up just about everywhere in motor sport these days. Yet the man behind the Swiss luxury watchmaker is more of an enigma, at least beyond the confines of paddocks and boardrooms. Which is a shame, because Richard Mille is an easy man to like if you get the chance to spend some time in his company – and he also happens to be a figure of significant influence in our world. We should probably know him better, because Mille is more than an enthusiastic commercial sponsor of Formula 1 and sports car teams, plus events such as Le Mans Classic. He is also playing an active role in shaping the future of motor sport, specifically in…

Accessorise! Proud car owners have always attempted to personalise their machine with add-ons, useful or otherwise, and it goes much further back than today’s underbody light sets: in Edwardian years you could buy a rear-view mirror on the (imagine!), a wicker umbrella holder or a snake’s head horn for your Stutz or Mercedes, or for the more refined a unique mascot for your Rolls-Royce radiator. “Fluff ydice mirror have swung from kitsch to retro-i ronic ” It’s yet another area of the collecting hobby, as classic car owners look for ways to travel back to calmer times. Between the wars and even into the 1960s a heater or a pair of swivelling sun visors were comfort add-ons, but they hardly add style. What you really want is visible kit –…