My Top 5 Monaco Moments

Monaco, the jewel in the crown for the Formula One season. A race which every driver wants to win. It carries such a reputation with it when legends such as Senna and Graham Hill dominated the track year after year. But the streets of Monte Carlo can often show another side to a driver. A side which provokes hatred or love from the spectators and a side which can earn you a place in the hall of fame, or the hall of shame.
These are my personal top 5 Monaco moments.

Number 5:- Triumphant Trulli (2004)
Jarno Trulli had always shown that he had a considerable amount of pace inside his Renault R24 but could never tick that final box of winning a Grand Prix. So, how do you go about winning your first Formula One Race? The answer, at the streets of Monaco in 2004. The Italian took a mighty pole position from Jenson Button and was looking to make it a perfect weekend in one of the most eventful races of the season. With only 9 drivers finishing it almost became like a last man standing event! Alonso, Michael Schumacher and both Mclarens had all retired along with the other 9 drivers who couldn't make it to the end. But it was the patience and the perfect strategy that saw Jarno Trulli break the spell of Ferrari and Michael Schumacher and show the world that they can be beaten. It was to be his only ever victory in Formula One, but he did it on the grandest stage of them all.


Number 4:- Schumacher's true colors shine through (2006)

A race dominated by spaniard Fernando Alonso and the news dominated by the antics of 7 time World Champion Michael Schumacher. At the end of qualifying Michael had pole position within reach, but Fernando was flying around the streets of Monte Carlo and in the final minute of the session, the German parked his car into the penultimate corner, stopping the session and seeing him keep his pole position. 
   After the session he claimed that he simply locked his brakes and almost hit the barrier, but the onboard footage was enough to see that this was no accident. This effort to keep his pole position had the reverse effect. Michael started from the very back of the grid
 Alonso was able to keep his lead during the race and cross the line  to win his first of two Monaco Grand Prix's to date. Michael still defied the odds and from 22nd on the grid brought his Ferrari home in 5th place at least getting some points for the team. But this impressive drive has been still over shadowed to this day by his actions at Rascasse.

Number 3:- A Fairytale ending (2008)

One of the most eventful races in recent memory saw Lewis Hamilton take his first ever Monaco win.
After Massa dominated qualifying in a dry session, the heavens opened the next day, meaning drivers would start the race on Wet tyres. The first pit stop came on lap 6. No this was not down to a Pirelli tyre wear pit stop, but for Lewis Hamilton who had touched the wall on the exit of Tabac picking up a puncture. The Mclaren team tried something extremely risky and fitted the Intermediates on the car. He came out in fifth due to the field being spread out all over the circuit and fate played into his hands nicely. Massa was running away with the race until Coulthard and Bourdais collided on lap 8. The safety car was brought out and all of his hard work was lost.

    Later on saw Nico Rosbergs massive incident at the swimming pool again bringing out the safety car. But just as the fans thought the action was coming to a close, Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari exiting the tunnel and hitting the back of Sutil who was up until that point having a sensational race.

 But at the end of the race it was Lewis Hamilton who at one point looked like he stood no chance of finishing in the top 5, came through and won the race. His first Monaco GP win was delivered in style.

Number 2:- "Sennasational" (1992)

Nigel Mansell in 1992 was tipped to win the championship. His Williams-Renault was the fastest car on the grid and his driving was relentless. But none of that mattered at Monaco. Mansell was dominating the race until the final stint. A loose wheel nut forced him to pit in, bringing him out behind one of the only men to give him the race of a lifetime– Ayrton Senna. It took just two laps of Mansell coming out behind Ayrton for the lead to be crushed from six seconds to two. He then spent the last five laps desperately trying to get past, ducking and diving at every possible opportunity. Corner after corner Nigel tried his absolute best to push past the young charger but Senna was too smart that day. He took the chequered flag for the fifth time as a winner in Monaco and his fifth Monaco win, equalling the record of British racing icon Graham Hill. One he would beat year later.

Number 1:- An underdog story (1996)

My personal favorite moment in all of Monaco's exciting history has to be the year where Olivier Panis took his first and only Grand Prix win. In  races which see the attrition rate sky rocket, the winner is normally the man that keeps his nose clean, his head down and drives his own race. This was proven once again at the Monaco Grand Prix, 1996.
 The race started on a drying track and the odds favored the Pole sitter Michael Schumacher and his rival Damon Hill who was keen to win at Monaco like his father before him.The two sat on the front row but the Germans race ended much quicker than he imagined as he crashed heavily in the opening stint. Hill realised the opportunity he had  and continued to lead through the race until his engine suffered a failure which was rare for the team.
  Jean Alesi was granted the lead but it was almost like every driver in the lead was cursed as Jean later retied with a suspension failure.
  Panis was now in the lead in his Ligier and all he had to do was stay in front of David Coulthard. In a dash to the line Panis took the chequered flag and won his only ever Grand prix race, and Ligiers first in 15 years. Only 4 cars finished out of 22 starters making it one of the most exciting races in Monaco history.

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The great Pirelli Ponder:- Are the 2013 tires a blessing or a curse?

The opening five races in the 2013 Formula One season have been and gone and instead of the fans talking about the Red Bull Supremacy or how Lotus have been the underdogs and could be dark horses for the championship taking a total of 5 podiums and one victory , they are talking about something a little more serious. The life of the Pirelli tires.

This has been the main talking point of the championship since the very first round with drivers, team bosses and fans alike all up in arms about how limited this years rubber is proving to be. The tires degrade so quickly and most drivers had to perfect a 4 stop strategy this past weekend in Spain.

In my opinion Pirelli have got this completely wrong. In an attempt to make the racing more exciting and add another factor into the championship, they have changed it from “racing” to a tire management game. If Pirelli want to gain a lot of publicity and show how durable their road tires are, this is not the way to go about it. People are complaining after around 5-10 laps that the tires have completely gone and this should not be happening in any form of racing let alone Formula One. If this was Formula 3 and it was making the drivers stop halfway into a race then that would add another level of excitement and unpredictability. But with races on the calendar up to 70 laps long this is not the right home for them.

Paul Hembery said Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya "was very demanding on the tyres because of the unique characteristics of this circuit.” One key phrase to take note of there, “Unique characteristics”. If this was the case then why has it happened at EVERY race on the calendar so far? If anything, the Circuit de Catalunya is normally quite easy on tire wear in comparison to some of the tracks on the calendar.

In Pirelli’s defence the idea did not originate from their own company and they politely agreed to it to make F1 more exciting. If you find cars pitting in after 6 laps of racing exciting then you will love the opening half of the season so far. But if like me you want to see drivers race until there is nothing left on the tires and to leave every bit of energy out on the tarmac, doing the best they can to make a move then this season may not be the best to show your best friend why F1 is your favorite sport.

Hembery also added in an interview to the BBC "Unless you all want us to give Red Bull the tires to win the championship. It's pretty clear. If we did that, there would be one team that would benefit and it would be them. “

Again this is a fair point and everyone knows that the Red Bull is ridiculously quick but it is a much closer playing field this year. You can to an extent push the tires in qualifying more than you can in the race due to the lack of life in them and we have seen Mercedes looking extremely competitive, Ferrari taking two victories and Lotus being the most consistent team on the track. But is this down the tires or just to the mid field teams making up a lot of ground on the front runners during the post and pre season?

The way I see it is Formula One Is a marathon and the drivers are the runners. How boring would a marathon be if they couldn’t run at full speed because every mile or two they need to change their shoes because the sole has come loose? The answer is pretty obvious as it is no longer a race. It’s who can perfect their strategy and tire management and that is not what Formula One is about.

F1 is THE pinnacle of motorsport, a place where the best of the best do battle all over the world in breath taking moments which cannot be rivaled by any other series. But we are seeing less and less of that each race these Pirelli’s fail to last over 10 laps. The drivers aren't racing as the word suggests but nursing the tires and treating it like a different sport entirely.It’s up to Pirelli to make a tire that degrades faster but still leaves the driver able to race in every sense of the word. Until then though, we may not truly know who is the fastest man on the circuit.

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The Jenkins Judgement- Endurance Racing

14th April 2013, the day that my eyes were opened properly to a brand new form of Motorsport. Now like many motorsport fans I tune in to Le Mans when possible but was never a die hard endurance racing fan. I preferred the shorter sprint races like you see in the BTCC or Formula 3. But Simraceway had organised for me to go up to Silverstone for the opening round of the World Endurance Championship. 

  I was extremely excited as not only would this be my first time at the home of British Motorsport but I was also able to meet the Radio Le Mans team and one of my commentary inspirations John Hindhaugh along with Jonny Palmer who I had previously worked with on the BARC finals at Thruxton. This was an amazing experience as I was allowed inside the booth whilst the live broadcast was taking place, seeing just how much work goes into it.

Me interviewing Anthony Davidson at Silverstone

That accompanied with the chance to conduct an interview with Anthony Davidson meant that this was one of the best weekends I had ever had. But on to the racing.

I don't think anything quite matched the adrenaline and tension of seeing over 30 cars slowly leave their grid slots to begin the formation lap. 6 hours of hard and strategic racing were about to get underway and I couldn't wait. The roar of the crowd and the silence of the mechanics as they nervously await the start of the race and hearing the roar of the engines slowly get louder as the cars circulated their way to the Club chicane. This is the World Endurance Championship.The sound was just remarkable as the green flag flew and the four categories of sports cars separated out and began their individual race.

One factor that makes these races so tense is traffic. A term used frequently in Formula One to describe slower cars more than a lap down who have to yield to the leaders. The World Endurance Championship makes Formula One look like a lonely country road when it comes to traffic. After just four laps or so the LMP1's were already navigating their way past the GTE-AM's and it was just incredible. With the class still fiercely competing and fighting for positions the LMP1 drivers had to be so nimble when overtaking.

The sheer distance of the event is also what makes it stand out. 6 hours of racing means that you get such a different driving style to what you would perhaps see in Formula One or a similar open wheel series. It's very close and competitive but also conservative. You don't see drivers going for moves unless they are absolutely sure they can make it stick.

Strategy is also crucial when it comes to the WEC. Tires that can last more than one stint with a single driver provide a major advantage to the team that equips them. However with each driver having a different driving style and attacking corners in sometimes a completely unique way it truly is a gamble to make these tires

last if the second driver is on worn tires. They could give at any moment and punctures are seen quite often. Another factor which makes endurance racing truly spectacular to watch.

It's no wonder that car manufacturers such as Audi take such pride in their victories throughout the several endurance series they compete in and of course multiple Le Mans wins. Where a team finish is as much down to the driver as it is to the car. If you are pushing a car to its absolute limits for 6 hours with a few pit stop breaks it needs to be the best it can be. If a car can be better than every other competing manufacturer out there and avoid mechanical problems then it truly deserves its spot at the top of the podium. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is an old saying that certainly backs up this point as Audi have had Mr McNish voice a few adverts regarding new technology in their road cars.

Another reason why I enjoyed it so much is down to the fact that I took a shine to the LMP1 team Rebellion Racing. Not only did the car sound so incredible it sent chills down my spine every time it accelerated down the main straight but it is a pure underdog team. It isn't a manufacturer like Audi or Toyota they are a privateer team. Meaning that they don't have the funds or technology to compete with the Manufacturer teams.

Bearing that in mind, they were only a couple of seconds off of the pace that the two leading LMP1 teams were setting which is a remarkable feat. Both cars finished behind one another and achieved the same result at the 6 hours of Spa this past weekend with the gap if anything a little closer to the big boys. As many of you will know I am a massive Lotus F1 fan and have been since a young age (although back then it was because Benneton had a nice livery) so I have followed them through all of the highs and lows. The Lotus powered Lola counterpart in the WEC could be another reason as to why I like them. The livery is almost identical and one of their drivers is German Ex-F1 star Nick Heidfeld who ironically used to drive for Lotus.

The team also have a “big announcement” to make that has been delayed. Now this could be anything from a new driver to a car upgrade or something as simple as Gary the mechanic is celebrating his 32^nd birthday, who knows!

Needless to say I was very impressed with the World Endurance Championship and everything about it. It takes all of the emotion and excitement from the shorter races and adds factors like unpredictable weather which could turn a race upside down, the sense of despair when a mechanical breakdown occurs or when your favourite driver spins into the gravel. Not to mention the tension of not knowing what is going to happen as the law of physics take their toll on some of the greatest sports cars this generation.

Not only that but to seal the deal, a 6 hour race came down to the final few laps with Allan McNish storming to victory in his Audi. The British fans went crazy and it really was an amazing feeling to be part of such a passionate fanbase on an occasion that truly deserved to be celebrated.

 I was very impressed with the opening two rounds of the World Endurance Championship and really cannot wait for the 24 Hours Of Le Mans. If you haven't watched an endurance race yet due not having the time or being skeptical

I would highly recommend you to do so, you will not be disappointed.

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Real Reacing 3:- A Journalistic review

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this but since the dawn of iPhones and Android phones we as sim racers have longed for a realistic racing game with licensed cars, tracks and good physics to replace those 2D bike racers which sound like a hedge trimmer on concrete! This is where EA come in with their new FREE title Real Racing 3. Now EA have been making racing games for years, they've had the F1 license in the past and of course their baby Need For Speed is now a household name but could they conquer the phone market?


 CONTENT:- Before we even touch on the gameplay lets just take into account how much content this game has. 45 cars (at the time of release) with more being added, 22 car grids, tracks like Spa, Laguna Seca, Silverstone and Hockenheim with countless variations. The cars feature manufacturers such as Porsche, Audi,Lamborghini, Dodge and Bugatti. For a FREE game that is an incredible list. With cars like the R8 LMS Ultra GT3, if they decided to add a custom mode where you can set the stipulation of a race which doesn't count towards your career, you could potentially make a little endurance GT series!


 GAMEPLAY:- The game represents the kind of career mode that Forza has with multiple different series and progressing your driver level in order to unlock the cars to compete in them. The higher your rank the harder the challenges, the faster the cars and the quicker the AI. It's a rewarding method to say the least. Upgrading your cars and buying new ones with the money you earn in game or money you put into the game (Come on it's EA, there were always going to be micro transactions) does encourage you to play on and unlock even more. Now this is all great but it's been done countless times before except not on a phone and not free to play. So what makes this stand out and why am I so addicted to it?
                 The answer,Time Shifted Multiplayer. Now what's that you all sit there stunned by EA confusing out minds with big words. Essentially what it enables you to do is connect the game to your Facebook account and race your friends. But not in the traditional way, instead your friends take the form of AI opponents that you race against based on their strength. So if your friend completed an event and his best time was a 1:39:00, his AI in your game would represent that pace. This alone makes it SO competitive. There is nothing more rewarding than slamming your best friends time by a good few tenths of a second and then him coming back to beat it by a few hundredths.
                Not only do you get money for every event you do which is handy for these friend wars but the events can be replayed meaning that you and your friend can be battling for the fastest time all night long and earning credits to spend.
        The only downside I could think of whilst playing this is having to repair or service your car after every race, it's nowhere near as damaging as you level up but to start with if you earn $1000, a good $300 will be spent on repairing the windscreen yo
u smashed in by hitting one of the AI cars. Servicing is a bit of a pain but a realistic pain as the parts will wear down the more you use them. Servicing gets them back to peak performance at a cost and a period of time. You can speed this up using some of the tokens (separate to credits) but these are harder to come by and I would much rather wait and spend them on a new car. But the money is easy to earn and you wont be spending hours upon hours trying to earn enough to put new parts on the car.
     The AI do seem to be very basic, not in the fact that they're slow, but in the fact that they will just not move off of their racing line. They do overtake eachother but they have no spacial awareness of you whatsoever. But as the game goes on this does improve and it does feel like a simcade racing game. Another example of the hybrid genre would be the Grid series or the F1 series. Taking the best of both Arcade and Simulation and putting them in a blender.


 CONTROLS:- I was honestly quite surprised by how good the gameplay was. Utilizing the classic tilt motion control you assume it's a beautiful game with an awful control scheme. BUT EA threw a curve ball. By allowing you to remove the braking assists and throttle assists as well as Automatic gears it actually makes the game rather exciting. You could easily buy a specialised pad for your phone and use that with no issue at all. The handling is smooth and the touch pedals are very responsive.
   It also has many different options so you can customise it to your liking. If you want all the assists off then you can do that or you can race with minimal assists. The sort of options menu you would expect to see in a Forza game.


 GRAPHICS:- Possibly the best graphics I have EVER seen on a mobile phone. 3 years ago I would never have thought a game this good could be played on a phone. It looks simply beautiful. It will look a lot better on tablets and iPads but for a Samsung Galaxy S2 it looks great. Crisp, clear and smooth. It does suffer a little from frame loss especially when you go into Eau Rouge at Spa for instance but that's due to having to process so much at one time.


 SCORE:- Overall this is a MUST for any racing fan. If you like F1 or BTCC or even NASCAR you will still find something to love about this. The TSM works fantastically and it's visually stunning. The best part is that this game is free! It's not a pay to win despite the option for micro transactions and it really does take hours out of your social life. Performance will vary depending on your phone but it's free you're not going to lose anything!
 Graphics- 9/10
 Physics- 8/10
 Gameplay- 8/10
Content- 9/10
Sound- 7.5/10
 OVERALL- 8/10

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