Letters- April 2024

As a long-time American F1 fan and Motor Sport magazine reader, I find the Andretti rejection insulting, condescending and arrogant. The Andretti organisation is a proven world-class racing leader. The reasons given were specious, disrespectful and lacked factual data. It was an opinion that is consistent with the F1 elite’s long-time bias against American racing drivers and teams. It is also inconsistent with F1’s desire to expand its US market. An opinion-based ruling like this will have consequences. It could have been accomplished by requesting a higher dilution payment from Andretti to compensate the other teams. Was this option ever presented to Andretti? The whole thing stinks, and F1 will be the ultimate loser by ignoring the obvious value Andretti and Cadillac can bring to the table.
Steve Angell, Glenview, Illinois, USA

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I must take issue with Simon Brewer’s view on team rivalries (Letters, February), especially his contention that Luigi Musso hated Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn, even though they are pictured having lunch on p65. In fact, a week before they went wheel to wheel at Reims, Hawthorn had visited Musso in hospital after The Race of Two Worlds at Monza. Musso, deep in debt, was touched by the gesture, but was prepared to go for broke and win the biggest scratch of the year, which was at Reims. He took the wrong line into Virage Muizon pursuing Hawthorn, with fatal consequences.

The perception of enmity over the years is rooted in his fiancée’s unsubstantiated allegation that the two English drivers acted like schoolboys outside the hospital where Musso lay on a slab. But the word ‘hate’ appearing in a sentence with these brave drivers is unfortunate and shouldn’t be allowed to pass.
Tom Mooney, Wexford, Ireland

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I’m amazed that Sergio Pérez didn’t make the Top 10 Drivers of the Year list published in the February issue [To the Max]. Sergio was the second-highest scorer and was the target of everybody when they couldn’t catch Max. Remove Max, and who would have won the championship? Not Hamilton, Alonso, Leclerc or Norris. Sergio would have won it. Your magazine is being very ‘one-eyed’.
Ian McTavish, Auckland, New Zealand 

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Thoroughly enjoyed the television coverage of the Monte Carlo Rally. I was cheering on Elfyn Evans but big congratulations to Thierry Neuville for an excellent drive and well-deserved win.

However, can I offer up a loud raspberry for the organisers of the WRC who obviously had far too much time on their hands over the winter and came up with a ridiculous and needlessly complicated points system? As the saying goes, keep it simple, stupid!
Andrew Cardno, Ringwood, Hampshire

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With reference to the one-makes article in your superb magazine [Same difference, March], I was surprised that no mention was made about one Dave Loudon, who I believe is still the most successful one-make series driver with championships in Renault 5, Ford Fiesta, MG Metro and Rover 216s.

Dave used to be our local (Vale of Evesham) ‘race driver done good’, but as he is now retired as such, he has been surpassed by another local guy – none other than James Calado. A Ferrari-driving WEC Le Mans winner, no less.

Keep up the good work.
Tim Carter, Wyre Piddle, Worcestershire

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It was gratifying to see it admitted that Motor Sport “had got itself on the wrong side of history” with Denis Jenkinson’s castigating of Stewart for his safety campaign [Editor’s Letter, March]. On account of this, and Jenks’ bias against Jochen Rindt, I stopped reading Motor Sport for years.

I note that the article on one-make racing did not mention the pioneers in this concept. The MGCC MG T-type driver’s championship was one of the first in 1967 (in which I was a competitor) but the Mini Se7en series started just before this in 1966.
James Thacker, Tanworth in Arden, Warwickshire

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One of my long-time ambitions has been to save the Tyrrell woodshed from its threatened Ockham, Surrey location [Matters of Moment, March], by dismantling and re-assembling to a secure permanent home to enable the public to enjoy and as a lasting tribute to Ken Tyrrell.

I contacted Sir Jackie Stewart in 2003 to back such a project and detailed costings for its dismantling were considered but at that time Sir Jackie was heavily involved as president of the BRDC and trying to save Silverstone as the location of the British Grand Prix. He agreed with me that it made sense that Brooklands Museum would be the logical resting place for it as it was nearby. I contacted Brooklands Museum and in 2004 I provided the museum with detailed costings for removing the asbestos etc, and a plan for fundraising so such a project could be achieved at minimum cost. Unfortunately at that time a dilapidated costly old building was the last thing they wanted and they were also heavily involved with a project to secure their site for relocation of Concorde.

So in 2005 I wrote to Goodwood suggesting they might want to consider dismantling the shed and re-assembling at Goodwood Motor Circuit. But neither Brooklands or Goodwood had the appetite to take on such a project. During the following years I kept up the momentum. Last year when the proposal was raised again in the press that Goodwood had come to the rescue I contacted Goodwood and they acknowledged that it had indeed been my original idea to them back in 2005.

The woodshed being re-assembled at Goodwood will be a great addition for motor sport enthusiasts to visit and is sure to gain attention from around the world. So 21 years after originally making the suggestion, my long-term ambition to secure its future to a permanent home has at last succeeded.
Chris Heritage, Surrey

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Re your article about the F1 Academy [Matters of Moment, January], I’m still not sure who’s deluding who. I can’t see any woman driver currently in the F1 Academy getting a seat in F1 short of the FIA demanding that each team has a woman.

So how do you get women into F1? It seems straightforward. They need to be in GP3, then GP2, drive against men and at least come in the top three of those championships.

Motor sport is one of the few sports where women can compete directly with men in equal machinery. So why doesn’t Susie Wolff scrap the F1 Academy and run teams in GP3 and GP2 with women drivers competing with men? That way we will see what’s what. There will be a woman out there who can challenge men; she may be among the F1 Academy – we don’t know. But racing against women we won’t find out.
G Russell, Eastbourne, East Sussex

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In the 60s I was a member of the British Motor Racing Marshal’s Club and regularly froze at one track or another. My ingrained memory is of Jim Clark at Silverstone or Brands Hatch. He always had one front wheel off the ground but two of us were kneeling on the floor and we both saw three off the ground as it came round the corner. Two wheels would drop to the Tarmac but a front ‘dangler’ was always off the ground. What a fabulous driver and person; he would join the marshals in a tent for a drink.
Don Manning, Stevenage