Despite the ongoing protests and controversy in Bahrain, the teams and drivers arrived in Bahrain with complete confidence in the FIA’s decision to return to the island country.

The track is rarely raced on and the desert surroundings of the Bahrain International Circuit make the opening few sessions tricky to negotiate. It soon begins to evolve under the scorching sun and in the high humidity which creates temperatures well over 40 degrees.

The Race

Temperatures rose to record degrees ahead of the start to the Bahrain Grand Prix, with tyres continuing to be the talk of the paddock.

Copyright – Getty

Searing sunshine bathed the Sakhir circuit but would the race be as red hot? Bahrain had never previously hosted a “classic” or moderately exciting race but 2013 certainly changed that.

Nico Rosberg had surprised everyone by taking pole position on Saturday, but all eyes were on Alonso and Vettel behind. Lotus had seemingly lost their early weekend speed in qualifying but no one was being discounted after the opening three rounds of the season.

(c) Getty Images
The engine revs rose, the lights came on and seamlessly disappeared. We were racing in Bahrain. Off the line pole sitter Rosberg had a good start but Vettel had a better one, the German just covering the Red Bull. Alonso managed to steal past the triple world champion ahead of a flying Paul Di Resta. Massa and Adrian Sutil touched at turn four before Vettel regained his second place.

Sutil slowed after that first lap contact with Massa. Meanwhile Button and Perez moved ahead of Hamilton after the Mercedes got crowded out at turn one. As the cars moved on to the second lap Vettel challenged for the lead, passing around the outside at turn four. However he ran deep and Rosberg flew back past. The two McLaren’s managed to advance ahead of Raikkonen on the second lap, the Finn falling down the order in the opening stages.

As lap three kicked off Rosberg began to back up the trailing pack. Vettel got the slipstream on the run to turn four and managed to get the cutback after the Mercedes covered the inside line. Alonso managed to snatch second on the pit straight without the use of DRS, however Rosberg managed to grab second back from the Spaniard after clicking the button for the drag reduction system.

The battle resumed on the next lap with Alonso sweeping past the Mercedes W04 to take second place. Paul Di Resta was holding his own in fourth place as the two leaders began to edge away. Rosberg was obviously holding up the pack and the Scot managed to squeeze around the outside at turn one.

Strangely second placed man Fernando Alonso’s DRS was stuck open, he pitted on lap seven for repairs and sent him back out on the hard tyre. Perez was looking fiesty and challenged team-mate Button for sixth. However the Brit elbowed his way back ahead and sent Perez a firm warning.

Alonso had just came out of the pits but his DRS flap was still stuck open. Mark Webber and Romain Grosjean both pitted on lap nine as Felipe Massa flew past Nico Rosberg at turn one. The German pitted on the following lap along with Button and Ricciardo.
Out front Sebastian Vettel had a five second gap over Di Resta by the 10th circuit of the Bahrain track, the first stops were in full flow as the Pirelli tyres wore out quicker than originally planned. Vettel, Massa and Perez all stopped on lap 11 for fresh boots. The latter two emerged behind the McLaren of Jenson Button after he managed the undercut.

(c) Sahara Force India F1 Team

The Brit looked fast and used DRS to nip past the slow Mercedes of Nico Rosberg, his qualifying pace was seemingly far more superior in comparison to his race pace. However DRS proved to be pretty powerful as Rosberg regained his position.

Di Resta and Raikkonen pitted on lap 14 and 17 respectively, two drivers gunning for a two stop strategy. Massa slowed with a puncture to his right rear and pitted on lap 18 for a fresh set of rubber, moving to the medium compound tyre. Jean-Eric Vergne suffered damage on lap one and eventually retired for Toro Rosso. Meanwhile Alonso had recovered to 12th by the 20 lap mark as Vettel and Webber led out front.

Jenson Button managed to show that you can overtake around the outside at turn one by displacing Rosberg for third place. Grosjean capitalised on the slow Mercedes to move past at turn four. The second stops kicked off for Perez and Rosberg on lap 21, both starting their third stint on the hard tyre. Webber and Button boxed on the following lap but the latter lost out to his team-mate and Nico Rosberg.

The two McLaren’s continued to scrap but Button finally managed to get past on lap 26. By lap 30 the cars were even closer and Perez ended up tapping his more experienced team-mate at turn four. He radioed the team asking to “calm him down.” Vettel was controlling the field by lap 32 as the out of sync Di Resta and Raikkonen looked after their tyres.

Turn four continued to be a favourite for overtaking with Grosjean sweeping around the outside of Sergio Perez. The Frenchman then managed to move ahead of Button as the Brit struggled with his tyres. Both Lotus drivers were progressing up the order with Raikkonen displacing Di Resta for an on track second. The Finn then pitted for the second and final time in the race with 22 laps remaining. Button followed him in to get rid of his worn set of tyres.

Massa dived into the pit lane for the fourth time after another puncture. Meanwhile Kimi Raikkonen proved that pitting earlier was the best choice despite radioing to dispute the strategy after setting the fastest lap and moving clear of Paul Di Resta, who pitted a few laps later.

Vettel pitted for the final time with 15 laps remaining, as did Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman emerged alongside Jenson Button and forcefully pushed him wide. He was on a role and passed Webber for fourth place on fresher tyres. Nico Rosberg swept by Jenson Button but he pitted on the next lap, dropping to 10th.

The race leader may have had a dominant and controlling lead on the trailing pack but behind it was certainly more bunched up. Hamilton first displaced Button for sixth before the Brit lost a place to his team-mate. Alonso dived down the inside to move up to eighth place after some late race action before Button pitted for the fourth time to drop behind Rosberg in 10th.

The fight for third place started to heat up with the chequered flag looming large. With six laps remaining Lewis Hamilton moved ahead of Mark Webber for fifth. Switching focus back to the battle for third it started to heat up with five laps remaining as Grosjean got within the DRS zone. On the run to turn one the Frenchman moved ahead to displace Di Resta from what would have been his first Formula 1 podium.

Hamilton made an error into the final corner and that gave Webber the perfect opportunity to move ahead of the Mercedes driver. The battles continued to the very end with Sergio Perez overtaking double world champion Fernando Alonso into turn four. It was close and the two touched but the Mexican toughed it out to take seventh.
Sebastian Vettel wins the Bahrain Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel took his second consecutive victory at the Bahrain International Circuit and his second of the 2013 season, becoming the first driver of the season to take two race wins. It was a controlled and calm race from the German, who was rarely seen on TV screens thanks to the highly contested battles behind. There was not a mistake to be seen and it was a typical “Vettel” victory.

(c) Sky Sports F1

Kimi Raikkonen managed to make a two stop strategy work to finish second, as he did in 2012. The Finn raced well to get past Paul Di Resta in the pit stops and held off his charging team-mate Romain Grosjean to take the runner-up spot. The top three was unbelievably exactly the same as it was 12 months earlier with Grosjean taking a finely contested third place finish. He had plenty of interesting and close battles but managed to come out unscathed to show a fine level of maturity.

Paul Di Resta drove a fantastically managed race to take fourth, just missing out on his debut podium finish. He too made a two stop strategy work to take a welcome helping of points for Force India. However it came as no surprise after their fine pace shown on Friday and Saturday. Hamilton finished 13 seconds down in fifth place, making significant strides forward in the final part of the race.

Sergio Perez had his best race for McLaren after finishing in sixth place, making a last lap move on Mark Webber to move up the order. Martin Whitmarsh had told him to “toughen up” and he certainly did with some aggressive but largely fair overtakes on route to his biggest points haul of the season so far. Webber slipped to seventh after looking to challenge for the podium early on, with fellow 200th Grand Prix starter Fernando Alonso dropping to eighth after his earlier DRS issues.

Pole sitter Nico Rosberg struggled with tyre wear all race and dropped to ninth after both he and 10th place man Jenson Button had to pit for a fourth time. Pastor Maldonado battled through the field to finish 11th on a more competitive showing for Williams. Nico Hulkenberg had a largely uneventful race on route to 12th ahead of Adrian Sutil who picked up a puncture on lap one.

Bottas finished 14th ahead of Felipe Massa in 15th. The Brazilian had two different punctures and eventually stopped four times. Ricciardo was the sole Toro Rosso to take the chequered flag in 15th ahead of a hugely impressive Charles Pic. The Caterham driver had upgrades on his car, unlike 21st place finisher Giedo van der Garde, and proved to be faster than the Marussia all weekend.

Speaking of the Marussia team, Bianchi and Chilton had decent races to 19th and 20th behind the struggling Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez. The two team-mates finished just one lap down, ahead of final finisher Giedo van der Garde.

Jean-Eric Vergne was the only retirement, proving just how reliable the current cars are, after collecting damage from a lap one crash.

Months of waiting. Weeks of testing. One day to win. The Australian Grand Prix arrived.

After wet weather had plagued the Saturday sessions and Qualifying had been postponed to Sunday morning, afternoon sunshine emerged for the race.

The season is a long one but getting a strong start in Australia is vital for to kick off the year on a high. Consistency is how you win championships and do well overall, so it is important to finish in Australia.

There was drama before the race, a problem for Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber C32 meant he could not start the race. So the grid was whittled down to 21.

(c) Sutton Images
Excitement was building, nerves were increasing and the revs rose for the start of the Australian Grand Prix. For the first race in 2013, the lights went out and we were racing.

Off the line Vettel got a good launch from his grid slot but Webber was slow, dropping down the field. Massa, Alonso and Hamilton capitalised and Raikkonen was soon past too. There was slight contact at turn one but there was no debris or drama, unusual for the first lap of an Australian Grand Prix. Turn three was also incident free.

Fernando Alonso had beaten Hamilton to third place and challenged Massa for second, failing to get past. Meanwhile as they cross the line to start the second lap Vettel had edged clear in the lead, but not for long. Lewis seemed to be struggling early on in comparison to those around him and Raikkonen looked ominous behind. Button was up a spot from his starting position but in contrast Ricciardo went backwards and dropped behind the back markers. Perez had made his way up to 12th but Chilton dropped behind van der Garde and looked to change that.

Raikkonen managed to take Hamilton on lap two, making the move around the outside at turn 13. Vettel was being pegged by Massa and Alonso, the two Ferrari’s started to close in on the German. The super soft tyres were not working for Jenson Button. The McLaren came in to the pits on lap four for a new set of medium compound Pirelli tyres. Mark Webber used a similar strategy a lap later, as did Grosjean and Gutierrez.

Vettel was not having it all his own way. Felipe Massa looked fast and was closing in on the Red Bull driver, bringing Alonso with him too.The two Ferrari’s were unleashed after Vettel pitted on lap eight. A number of drivers had already pitted due to the heavier degradation, just as Pirelli had predicted. Massa pitted a lap later and emerged just behind the earlier stopping Vettel. One man to watch out for was Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn had consistently closed in on Alonso by the ninth lap where the battle went to the pit lane.

The pit stops had spread out the leading pack , whilst Button had displaced both Di Resta and Webber. Mercedes stayed out, elongating the stint until lap 14 when Hamilton pitted for fresh rubber, with Rosberg coming in a lap later. The two “Silver Arrows” were running their own race and were attempting a two stop race.

The second stops kicked off with Red Bull, Webber stopping for fresh rubber and some clean air after being tucked up behind Jenson Button. Alonso followed him in a few laps later in an attempt to get the undercut. Both Sutil and Vettel pitted for new rubber, the former for his first and the latter for his second stop. Fernando Alonso got the undercut that he needed and took the position away from Vettel, who emerged behind fellow countryman Sutil yet again.

The Red Bull Racing driver passed Sutil under braking for turn three, with some help from DRS. Massa’s later stop meant he emerged behind the leading three, but there were plenty of stories that were yet to play out.

Aside from Nico Hulkenberg, who retired before the race even started, the race saw its first retirement thanks to Pastor Maldonado. The Venezuelan had dropped the car on the run to turn one and had beached his Williams FW35 in the gravel trap. We didn’t have to wait long for another one, Nico Rosberg suddenly pulled on to the run off area at the entry to turn four.

There were a few spots of raining falling by lap 29, but nothing too troubling for the drivers. Hamilton was holding up Alonso for second but suffered a massive lock up in the braking zone for turn 13, pitting immediately. Raikkonen was lapping consistently at the front and by lap 33 he had a 15 second lead on nearest challenger Alonso, who was looking to complete a two stop strategy or try atleast.

The “Iceman” pitted on lap 35 and emerged in clear air, with 23 laps to do on the medium Pirelli tyres. Elsewhere Button and Grosjean were squabbling for eighth, Gutierrez and Bottas were close on track and Chilton looking to pass van der Garde with 20 laps remaining.

Massa pitted for the third and final time, the main talking point was who could make their tyres last the distance. Vettel did likewise on the next lap and it was swift work by the Red Bull mechanics. He emerged in the clutches of Massa, who was closing in and had a podium in his sights. Hamilton failed to make the possibility of a two stop strategy work. He pitted and rejoined the race track ahead of Webber.

Alonso was on fire, lighting up the track with fastest lap after fastest lap. The Spaniard was closing in on the two stopping Raikkonen as the lap count moved to 44 of 58. With so many different strategies and battles going on there was plenty still to come.

Sutil had been running at the front, like Raikkonen he was making the two stop strategy work. The Formula 1 returnee moved to the super soft compound for his final stint and emerged in fifth place. Out front, with 10 laps to go, Raikkonen started to pull away from Alonso who in turn was extending the gap to Vettel.

After stopping for the super soft tyre, you would have thought that Adrian Sutil would have pulled away from Lewis Hamilton, on older medium tyres. However the Brit was looking to change that and he did, moving up to fifth place in a brave lunge at turn nine. Webber soon displaced the German, he really looked to be struggling with six laps to go.

Strangely enough there was no safety car, no first lap crash and no real drama’s. The race was one with many stories, but we only saw the conclusion at the very end.
Kimi Raikkonen wins the 2013 season opener in Australia.

Raikkonen started his season in the best possible way, winning the race in his Lotus E21. Many regarded the Finn as one to watch this year and after testing plenty expected him to challenge for victory. And that is what he did. The Finn managed to make a two stop strategy work, one of just a handful of drivers to do so. Early on he looked quietly confident but it was not until the mid-way point of the race that we really started to see his potential for victory. He drove brilliantly throughout, polished race craft and some stunning consistency that meant Lotus came home with the win.

Fernando Alonso looked like the safest bet for the race victory after the first round of stops, but Raikkonen joined the fray and managed to finish ahead of him through strategy and pure pace. Alonso drove a faultless race and definitely started the season in a better position in comparison to 2012. Pole sitter Sebastian Vettel was left wondering where the pace went. After dominating in the dry practice sessions and qualifying on pole position he dropped back at each of the pit stop sequences, eventually finishing in third place.

Felipe Massa had a similarly strong start to the year, his best for a long while. The Brazilian had looked in contention for a podium but eventually dropped off the pace of Raikkonen and Alonso. Lewis Hamilton collected some welcome points on his debut for Mercedes. It was a rather busy race for the Brit but he did well considering the pace of Lotus, Ferrari and Red Bull. Mark Webber was some way off in his Red Bull, failing to make the podium yet again at his home race. A poor start and relatively average pace put pay to his challenge for that debut home win.

Adrian Sutil suffered heavy degradation on his super soft tyres during that last stint, but the German made a strong return for Force India. The Silverstone based squad certainly looked like the midfield team to beat, Di Resta came home eighth for more welcome points. Jenson Button had a relatively quiet day at the office but looked to be happy with some welcome points.

Romain Grosjean rounded out the top 10 after a poor first lap. Sergio Perez just missed out on his debut points for McLaren after leaping from 15th on the grid. Jean-Eric Vergne battled hard but finished 12th, ahead of rookies Gutierrez and Bottas.

Jules Bianchi had a strong result for Marussia and finished his debut race, as did team mate Chilton albeit some way behind. Charles Pic finished ahead of the Brit and his Caterham team-mate Giedo van der Garde rounded out the finishers. It meant that all the five rookies finished on their debut.

Daniel Ricciardo retired with a broken exhaust with 19 laps remaining, whilst Rosberg pulled off the track a few laps before. Maldonado beached his car in the gravel and Nico Hulkenberg failed to start due to fuel system issues.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1h30:03.225
2. Alonso Ferrari + 12.451
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 22.346
4. Massa Ferrari + 33.577
5. Hamilton Mercedes + 45.561
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 46.800
7. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:05.068
8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:08.449
9. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1:21.630
10. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 1:22.759
11. Perez McLaren-Mercedes + 1:23.367
12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:23.857
13. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
14. Bottas Williams-Renault + 1 lap
15. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
16. Pic Caterham-Renault + 2 laps
17. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth + 2 laps
18. van der Garde Caterham-Renault + 2 laps

The vibrant splashes of colour, painted against the sleek dark grey, add a wow factor to the already impressive BMW. The man behind the selected design is Nick Moss, the renowned designer of a number of Australian V8 Supercars teams.

The unveiling took place at eBay’s offices in London to showcase the car ahead of the official BTCC media day at Donington Park on 21st March.

Colin Turkington the new driver of eBay Motors Team’s returns to the track eager to reclaim his title after a three-year break from the BTCC. Joined by Rob Collard and Nick Foster, the trio launch a three-man attack on the championship driving for eBay Motors behind the wheel of the West Surrey Racing (WSR) designed and built cars.

Colin Turkington, said: “The car looked great on track last week at Brands Hatch and I really like the cool new design! I’m itching to get back on the grid and feel confident that the eBay Motors Team will be a serious contender for the 2013 BTCC championship with the BMW 125i. Bring on Brands Hatch on the 31st March.”

Dick Bennetts, eBay Motors Team (WSR) Team Principal, added: “I am really excited about the upcoming season; we have a strong driver line-up and three great new BMW cars.

“We have recruited leading BTCC design engineer Kevin Berry, whose NGTC experience has been invaluable in the development of the BMW 125i M Sport. While we face a steep learning curve, we have the right car and the right team in place to ensure we have a very competitive season. We are immensely grateful of the support from eBay Motors and BMW, who share our vision of success and the potential of this great team.”
Andrew Hooks, eBay’s Head of eBay Motors, said: “With the 2013 BTCC season just around the corner, we are thrilled be able to unveil the fantastic new design of the eBay Motors BMW 125i. eBay Motors has continued to go from strength-to-strength and the BTCC sponsorship gives us a great opportunity to connect with fans through our shared passion for motoring – we wish our drivers and all the team the very best for the season ahead.”

This year marks the fourth season in the BTCC for eBay Motors, the UK’s leading online automotive marketplace with over 27 million parts and accessories that last year saw a vehicle sold every 36 seconds, and it looks set to be the most exciting yet. The partnership with WSR reflects the shared passion for cars and motorsport enabling eBay Motors to connect and engage with automotive fans of the BTCC.
eBay Motors Team will soon be announcing a number of BTCC race weekend initiatives for fans to share and experience their passion with other fans – this will include a variation of the hugely popular race simulator that appeared at select 2012 rounds.
The first race of this year’s Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on the 31st March 2013, with the Media Day at Donington on the 21st March.
To keep up to speed with all the news on the car development and the drivers’ preparations visit www.ebaymotorshub.co.uk and follow us
@ebaymotorsbtcc #ebaymotorsunveil

The HANS Device

Formula 1 has been safer in general that some other Motorsports, 4 NASCAR drivers have been killed on the track since May 2000 — Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, Tony Roper and Dale Earnhardt Sr. Every one of these incidents were when their vehicles slammed head-on into a retaining wall, causing a deep fracture to the base of the skull. Industry experts believe this type of injury is due to the driver’s head being left unsecured in the car while his body is very tightly secured.

The risk of injury, and even possibly death, prompted drivers to try out a new device called the Head And Neck Support (HANS) system in the early 2000′s. This device was co-developed by Dr. Robert Hubbard, who is a professor of engineering at Michigan State University, and his brother-in-law, former IMSA car driver Jim Downing. The HANS device is designed to reduce the chance of injury caused by unrestrained movement of the head during crashes.

The HANS device is a semi-hard collar made using a combination of carbon fiber and Kevlar, worn on the drivers shoulders. Two moveable tethers on the collar are attached to the helmet to prevent the head from snapping forward or to the side during a large impact. It’s super light, weighing in at 0.68KG.

Back in 2011, two of my track rat friends decided to head North and experience Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Upon their return they talked about their on-track experiences in terms they hadn’t used for other tracks we had been to. They kept mentioning how several turns demanded your full attention and respect, and how difficult it was to trust the advice of others and drive full bore in some turns when your head was saying “this is unsafe – slow down”. These friends were good drivers, and I trusted their opinions and impressions, so I was curious as to what manner of layout could keep them coming back to discussions about this track and the constant references to “wear your big boy pants”. The following year, I decided to find out for myself.

EJ in his track-prepped Evo VIII at Mosport

Track History

Previously known as “Mosport” (pronounced “MOE – sport”) until early 2010, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has a storied history dating back to its opening in 1961. Located in the woods and rolling farmland that lay just over an hour east of Toronto, the facility has hosted many important and historic events and drivers, from Can-Am to F1, and drivers such as Brabham, Moss, Andretti, and Foyt have turned wheels in anger here. It’s one of only 3 tracks in the world that has hosted F1, Can-Am, and Indy car events. In recent history, the track has hosted ALMS and Grand Am races, among others.

First Impressions

One of the first impressions I had was how bumpy and rough the track surface was – those years of having various professional racing machines scrambling for traction have left many scars in their wake. “Sketchier than hell” was my reply when asked by one of my track rat buddies what I thought of the track so far. Ripples in the asphalt and cut-out concrete patches abound in the turns. My Mitsubishi Evo VIII, with a track-prepped suspension, certainly is stiff but with the amount of jostling I was taking while navigating the circuit, I literally started consciously keeping my teeth apart as to avoid the stereotypical “teeth rattling”.

I couldn’t begin to imagine how a Le Mans prototype would make it around at speed, trying to feel the limit of grip all while the track surface itself is masking what your car is trying to communicate to you as you swoop down through the turns. My respect for pro racers performing their craft on this track surface is immense. Some portions of the track, especially turns 9, 10, 1, and 5 had me taking lines that were less about maximizing my speed as they were about minimizing the jarring from the surface irregularities. While many tracks should have you looking far ahead and expanding your view, this surface keeps drawing your eyes to certain details of it in order to successfully avoid the worst portions.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The Track Layout

The elevation changes at this track are like being on a roller coaster. The first half of the track is alternating level and dramatic drop sections. Turns 2 and 4 are sections that require your “big boy pants”. While each turn is unique in its details, both consist of a level approach, followed by the track surface falling away from you and turning to the left, as the rest of the landscape falls away to the right. Both turns have a small but precious amount of friendly camber on the left side of the track. Both turns lose positive camber if you drift to mid-track, and your prospects of maintaining your car’s bodywork, let alone any semblance of momentum, are very slim if you wander out to the right side of the track.

The approach into Turn 5A is incredibly entertaining, as you take a roller coaster up swoop, regain your bearings as you crest and then wait patiently for a fast approaching turn-in point, exiting an impossibly tight Turn 5B to the right, and then spend the back straight eventually regaining your altitude. By the time you reach the Start/Finish line, you’re ready to begin your ride down again. That back portion of the track, while not featuring the dramatic elevation changes the front half does, can still make you feel like a hero if you can nail some segments. The right hand turn at the end of the back straight allows you to carry some serious speed around it, but make sure to hug the right side of the track. The left-right complex of Turns 9 and 10 seem easy, but they can bite you with a slower exit speed onto the front straight if you make some small mistakes, and can put you into the abundant tirewalls or a guardrail if you really make a mess out of them.

Turn 8

Mosport in the Rain

Now imagine driving this track in a pouring rain – something I got to experience on Day Two of my three-day event. Speeds of 65mph seemed almost reckless, especially given the cars I saw feeding the infamous tirewalls during the morning sessions on that rainy day. A brand new set of Hankook R-S3s made me feel like a hero during my sessions, passing everything I came across. I felt sorry for the Porsche GT3, which crawled around the track in the rain, but I fully understood why he felt compelled to do it that way. All those concrete patches were hazards in the wet, so you needed to either avoid them or make sure to cross them straight. At the slower speeds I took in the rain, I began to fully appreciate the beauty of this track. The bumps seemed to disappear, due both to the slower speeds and the use of lesser traveled portions of the track surface in a search for grip. The circuit took center stage, rather than the track surface, and the track finally seemed to reveal its true character during this day. It was finally evident to me that safely completing a fast lap was something to take real pride in.

Spartan Track Amenities

Being in the middle of farmland, amenities are few in the immediate area. We found one – yes, one – gas station just north of rt. 401 on Regional Road 57 offering 94 octane gas (equivalent to 92 in the U.S.), and that was an exit west from where we stayed in Bowmanville. The gas station, and our hotel, were about 25 mins from the track. Because of that, you need to cart your own gas to the track. The track had a good food shack that offered some decent food. The facilities themselves were a bit spartan. The common rooms used for registration and driver meetings were garages with low roofs. The paddock area is paved, but a good portion of it close to the activity is as tilted as the landscape making up the track. We had a trailer roll downhill and punch a hole with its tongue through the women’s room wall during our stay. Find a level portion to use.

On to the New Season!

So now that you have all that track knowledge about CTMP based on the 2012 season, realize that some of it has changed. The track has undergone limited renovations and continues to be improved under the ownership of famed GM road racer Ron Fellows and some investment partners. The concrete patches have been removed and new pavement has been put down in those sections. There are also big changes being made to the infrastructure, with a new timing tower constructed, and an expanded pit lane also being constructed. Other changes are rumored to be planned, and the rumor that the entire track surface will be replaced is welcome conjecture and hopefully not just someone’s wishful thinking. Can’t wait to get back and see how my big boy pants fit with the changes in place.

A couple of key stats can be found below too..

19 Races

95 Sessions

1191 Laps

1 World Champion..

http://lewisf1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/2013-formula-1-season-infographic.html

For the first time in history, this Formula One season saw 7 different winners in the first 7 races; this is unheard of and made predicting a winner just about impossible.

One of the great advantages of betting on Formula One is that, much like horse racing, bets can be made based on a winner but also on the drivers that place. At the beginning of the 2012 Grand Prix when it was too difficult to predict a winner, bettors were able to take advantage of the ‘each way’ betting system.

Further down the line, when the finale of the championship was in sight, the odds were no longer in favour of the punter with an ‘each way’ bet resulting in an almost pointless payout. Similarly, when the race was narrowed down to two competitors, the odds were not particularly favourable and only those with a hefty cash flow really saw the benefit of betting on a driver to win.

So when betting at the racetrack loses its appeal, with the glamorous destinations of Formula One comes the world famous surrounding casinos. One of the most renowned racing tracks is situated in Monaco; home to the city of Monte Carlo where casinos dominate the entertainment for the many visitors. But it’s not ‘Monte Carlo or Bust’ for those following Formula One- for example, Singapore is home to the famous Marina Bay Sands Casino and Melbourne, Australia is home to the Crown Casinos.

However, if jet-setting around the world chasing the Formula One crowds and splashing the cash in glitzy casinos is not quite your style then a much easier and more affordable way to get your thrills is online casino. Play here and see if you can find a racing themed game.

This may not seem quite as appealing as leading the high life but with online casinos rolling out the red carpet for its visitors and offering tempting winning odds why leave the comfort of your own home to enjoy the Formula One and visit the casinos?!

WSR are designing and building new BMW 125i cars to NGTC specification for the 2013 season. The cars will be based on the M Sport version of the road car, and will be powered by 2-litre turbocharged engines in keeping with the BTCC rules. This new direction for WSR follows the use of a BMW 320si for the past 6 seasons.

eBay Motors is the UK’s leading online automotive marketplace and 2013 will be its fourth season in the BTCC, having been a partner of WSR since 2010.

Following a second place finish in the 2012 BTCC Teams’ Championship and 14 podium positions, the eBay Motors team will look to build on that result in 2013 by capitalising on the new model BMW and highly experienced team.

Andrew Hooks, eBay’s Head of Hard Goods (Motoring & Electronics), said: “We are excited by the prospect of a fourth BTCC season supporting the WSR team and the addition of the new BMW 1-Series. Being part of the championship has given us the opportunity to share our passion for the world of motors and highlight our huge selection of parts, accessories and vehicles on our UK site. We look forward to a competitive and successful 2013 season as eBay Motors.”

Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal, said: “We are very pleased to continue our relationship with eBay Motors into the BTCC 2013 season. This is the fourth year we have worked together with eBay Motors and both parties are very focused on continuing the successes of previous seasons. With the introduction of the new model BMW 125i M Sport, we are confident of being very competitive throughout the 2013 season. We chose the new 1- Series as we felt it was more suitable to the current BTCC regulations. The wheelbase is quite a lot shorter than the new 3-Series car, so it should perform well on the tight twisty circuits that we race on in the UK.”

eBay Motors will announce a new livery, as well as the driver line-up for the 2013 BTCC season in the near future.

The first race of this year’s championship takes place at Brands Hatch on the 31st March 2013, with the Media day at Donington on March 21.

We’re really pleased to announced that we’ve struck a new partnership with online ticketing comparison site TicketHangar. They are going to be our official partner for Formula 1 tickets, as well as driving experiences. TicketHangar are unique because they compare tickets from all the different websites. This in turn means that they not only offer the lowest price as a guarantee, but it also means you’re tickets will arrive in time.. always a worry!

James from TicketHangar had the following to say

“I’m so excited to have partnered with TrackReviewers, it’s a site I’ve been using for many years! TicketHangar has a huge range of Formula 1 tickets available from several sellers, meaning you will get the best price on any event you book for. We’ve also launched an experience section, so you can gind the lowest prices and the best value for driving experience days. You’ll see evidence of Motorsport across the site, it was a must have when the site was built!”

View the Formula 1 tickets and the driving experiences.