Mad About Cars

In the long, proud history of Formula One, everyone remembers the greats of the sports, famous names such as Senna, Prost, Schumacher, Clark and Fangio. But quite often the rest of the cast disappears into history, long forgotten by most.

However, a pair of hardened Australian Formula One fans keep alive the memory of some of the sport’s less noteworthy drivers alive with their unique website ‘F1 Rejects’ (www.f1rejects.com)

The site has been operating since 1999, and features biographies of some of the sport’s least successful drivers and teams (judged by number of points scored in Formula One). Along with this, the website has regular reports and podcasts with topical Formula One discussion, and a number of correspondents have submitted articles about some of the sport’s less noteworthy achievers.

To the outsider, it may appear that the website serves to mock the ‘reject’ drivers, but upon reading the site’s  description and the driver biographies, it is obvious that the site serves to honour the memory of Formula One’s failures. The creators are fully aware that even the least successful driver is nonetheless hugely talented, and this shows in the quality of the writing. Even many of the drivers featured have gladly assisted the website with exclusive interviews about their Formula One careers.

All manner of drivers are featured, the young prodigies who failed to make the step-up (Corrado Fabi), gentleman clubman drivers (Desmond Titterington), drivers with more money than speed (Phillipe Adams), drivers who simply had no luck (Perry McCarthy) and those whose racing careers were a huge success with the exception of Formula One (Hans Heyer, Eric van de Poele)

What makes for interesting reading is the wide manner of stories, backgrounds and anecdotes these more obscure drivers produce. The site is a real labour of love and is well recommended for the Formula One fan who is after something a little out of the ordinary.

One of the most popular Formula One teams of the 1990s was Jordan Grand Prix, who enjoyed a spell amongst the sport’s leading teams during the late 1990s. Formed by former racer turned team owner, Eddie Jordan, the Irish team was known for it’s colourful ‘rock and roll’ image during the 1990s, being one of the most colourful teams in the paddock.
Jordan first took to the track in 1991, following many years as a successful F3000 team, with the first driver to test a Jordan car being Ulsterman John Watson. Powered by Ford engines, the team enjoyed a good debut in 1991, finishing fifth in the constructors series with drivers Andrea de Cesaris and Bertrand Gachot. However when Gachot was arrested after an assault on a London taxi driver, a young German named Michael Schumacher made his debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix. Unfortunately, Schumacher was ‘poached’ by Benetton after his debut race, starting a couple of difficult years as the team struggled with poor engines.
However, by 1994 the team was once again starting to improve, with the duo of Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine scoring regular points with Peugeot engines. By 1997, the team had started to ascend up the Grand Prix field, with two new drivers joining the team in the form of Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella. With Mugen-Honda engines, the car was competitive, with Damon Hill joining the team in 1998 following a disastrous year with Arrows. Unfortunately the dream-duo of Jordan and Hill did not challenge for title, although Hill scored a memorable win for Jordan in the torrential rain of the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, en route to fourth in the manufacturers title.
With the charismatic Eddie Jordan at the helm, the team were fan favourites, and entered 1999 with Heinz-Harald Frentzen joining Hill. 1999 was the team’s zenith, whilst Hill struggled with motivation; Frentzen was a title contender for much of the season, eventually finishing third, with Jordan also finishing third in the constructors championship.
Sadly, the new millennium saw Jordan’s fall and eventual demise. Bad luck on the track saw Frentzen fail to repeat his 1999 form, and after a number of disagreements he was sacked mid-way through the 2001 season. 2002 saw a double blow, with a lack of sponsorship money, and a bias from engine suppliers Honda towards rivals BAR, leading in Jordan having to buy customer Cosworth engines in 2003. That same season saw Eddie Jordan unsuccessfully try to sue Vodafone, claiming the company had withdrawn from a verbal sponsorship contract. With Jordan having to pay the costs of the failed case, the writing was on the wall for the team, with Jordan eventually selling the team to the Midland Group. Jordan’s last season was in 2005, with the team as also-rans, but most Formula One fans remember the charismatic, fun-loving team that brightened up the paddock during the late 1990s.

Planning permission has been given for the Donington Park circuit to undergo a complete redevelopment in readiness for the 2010 British Grand Prix.
The re-developments will see the circuit’s infrastructure and layout modified drastically, with one of the major redevelopments being the construction of an all-new start/finish complex, complete with paddock and race control complex. This will be built on the Starkey’s straight complex, with the existing Dunlop bridge and neighbouring exhibition hall being demolished.
Circuit alterations will see Starkey’s straight being extended to the tight Melbourne hairpin, an interesting design that will see Formula One drivers exceed 200mph down the long straight, before having to brake hard to 70-80mph for the right hand hairpin.
To extend the track further, a new loop on the circuit infield will be built, starting and finishing at the Goddards section, currently the final corner of the present circuit.
The Redgate, Craner Curves and McLean’s sections of the track, so well revered amongst drivers, will remain.
The new plans have been met with mixed approval, whilst many feel the layout will optimise the hilly nature of the Donington circuit, others, particularly amongst the motorcycle fraternity, have raised concerns that the circuit’s twisty, exciting nature will be lost.
The plans also appear to cast doubt upon some of the other events held at Donington Park. The land which will be used for the circuit extension is currently used a motocross circuit, hosting high profile events such as the Motocross des Nations and British Motocross Grand Prix, and whilst circuit organisers state motocross will continue at Donington, it is unclear as to where this will be situated. A similar fate appears to await the Download music festival, which also takes place on Donington’s infield. Although it has been confirmed the event will take place in 2009, it seems likely that it will move elsewhere for 2010.
Building work in readiness for the 2010 Grand Prix season is due to commence within the next few months.

One of the most enduring qualities of Formula One is its ability to throw up a surprise winner from time to time. Quite often a decent, but by no means leading driver will have the perfect car for tough conditions, and will receive a little help from Lady Luck to get onto the top of the podium.
One such occurrence was that of Olivier Panis in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. Seen as a decent midfield runner, Panis has enjoyed two seasons in Formula One prior to the race, achieving several points finishes in 1995 to finish eighth in the final standings.
By the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, Panis had struggled with retirements, only scoring one point. A reasonable 14th place in qualification was not an indicator of what was to come, as the race took place in torrential rain. Reigning champion Michael Schumacher crashed of at Lower Mirebeau, one of several cars to crash on the opening lap. Such were the unforgiving conditions that the majority of drivers ended p sliding into the wall, but Panis managed to keep the car on the track, and rapidly moved up the field. Late in the race he aggressively passed Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine into second place going into Lowes hairpin, leaving an angry Irvine stranded in the wall.
With just a handful of laps to go, victory appeared to be heading towards Benetton’s Jean Alesi, but with just a few laps left Alesi limped out of the race with suspension trouble. Panis inherited the lead, and withstood a late charge from David Coulthard to take a sensational, yet unlikely win.
Unfortunately for Panis, his career did not get to the heights it promised, a heavy accident at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix left him with two broken legs, and whilst he fully recovered, he struggled with his confidence, and an unreliable Prost car.
Panis enjoyed consistent spells with both the BAR and Toyota teams, but with neither car being particularly promising, he saw out the rest of his career as an also-ran.
But few will forget that wet day at Monaco in 1996, where the Frenchman defeated the world’s best.

Sebastien Buemi has been confirmed as a Toro Rosso driver for 2009. At just 20 years of age, the Swiss driver looks set to be one of the youngest drivers on the Formula One grid in 2009, whilst also being one of the youngest drivers in Grand Prix history. In a country where motorsport was banned for many decades following the 1955 Le Mans disaster, the young Buemi spent much of his early career competing outside of his homeland, establishing himself as one of the leading drivers in the German Formula BMW series. Following a stint in the Formula 3 Euroseries, along with driving for Team Switzerland in the A1 series, 2008 saw Buemi complete a full season in GP2, the feeder series to Formula One. With many of the world’s up and coming drivers competing in the series in 2008, Buemi finished sixth in the series with wins in France and Hungary. 2008 also saw Buemi feature as a test driver for the Red Bull team, whilst at the Japanese Grand Prix he also drove the Formula One medical car.
For 2009, Buemi will join Red Bull’s ‘junior’ team, Toro Rosso, replacing the German driver Sebastien Vettel, who moves to the Red Bull team. Buemi will become the first Swiss driver to compete in Formula One since Jean Denis-Deletraz, who competed in a handful of Grand Prix between 1994 and 1995.