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FINAL DRIVE
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YOUR SAY What you think of the motorsport news of the past week
Just four chances to see
Brit F3 action in 2013
Worrying decline of British F3
The news about this year’s British F3 series is worrying to say
the least. A previously prestige championship reduced to this?
But in reality, given a fragmented single-seater career path for
young drivers and the general economic situation, is it such a
surprise? Sadly for spectators it means less choice, fewer events
and for the circuits less gate income – and what for the teams
themselves? I feel this is a worrying development for F3 and its
future, and has wider implications for the sport itself in this country.
Andrew Groves, by email
EDITORIAL CONTACT mail@autosport.com
1977 Race of Champions.
A bare-foot James Hunt
patiently signs autograph
after autograph to a raft
of fans, including this
then-10-year-old, before
sweeping to victory.
Sixteen years later,
inspired by Hunt, I was a
Formula Ford racer and
instructor at Brands Hatch
when Brian Jones broke the
news of James’s tragically
early passing – and my
first hero was gone.
As with his brilliant
analysis last year of Gilles
Villeneuve, Mark Hughes has
used his insight to flesh out
80 autosport.com January 31 2013
the truth about James the
racing driver (January 24).
Thank you for this fabulous
appreciation of a charismatic,
underrated and above all
much-loved champion.
Simon Hill
By email
I’ve just read the very
personal and warm tribute
by Niki Lauda to James Hunt
(January 24, p26).
I hope the forthcoming
movie captures the essence
of what was clearly a very
real friendship.
Arnold Brazenall
Annan, Dumfries & Galloway
As a great fan of Damon Hill,
I very much appreciated
your Legends series in an
otherwise dull January.
Yes, I’m from Germany –
but I was always disgusted
at what a certain driver
(I won’t use the S-word) did
to Hill at Adelaide in 1994.
Ludwig Eller
Landshut, Germany
Best news of the week:
new footbridge at Oulton
Park; after many years I will
no longer have to decide to
watch at Lodge or Old Hall
(the view is not the same on
the inside of the circuit) or go
to the paddock and then trek
to Cascades or Knickerbrook
when the racing starts.
Ian Dunbobbin
Billericay, Essex
I have loved F1 for much
of my life. But I’m unsure
whether I can continue to use
the same term of endearment
when I read of more top-line
drivers failing to get into race
seats due to lack of funding.
Surely something is not
right when so many of the
teams have drivers who
pay to be there.
Anthony Willis
London SE26
TOP FIVE ON
OUR WEBSITE
1. WOLFF GIVES BRAWN
HIS BACKING
2. LEWIS HAILS MERCEDES’
DETERMINATION
3. ANALYSIS: BRAWN AND
HAMILTON DEFIANT
4. ANALYSIS: F1’S TECH BOSS
SILLY SEASON
5. KUBICA ‘NOT YET FIT TO
TEST F1 CAR’
TOP STORY ONLINE
HRT: ALWAYS DOOMED TO FAIL?
To read this exclusive feature
and many others like it, log on to
autosport.com/plus and choose which
package you’d like. A month will cost
£5.50, a year £46. Includes access
to Forix – the ultimate stats website.
WIN!
ROAD ANGEL VANTAGE
This week’s star letter will receive
a Road Angel Vantage – a dedicated
safety camera and blackspot locator
that displays the legal speed limit of
every road you drive, automatically
and wirelessly updating its database
every few minutes as you drive.
For more details on Road Angel
visit www.roadangelgroup.com
Please ensure that your full address
is included on all correspondence.
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
l The James Hunt picture at the top of p29 in last week’s
issue is from the 1973 European F2 race at Mallory Park,
not the F1 Race of Champions, as claimed.
l In last week’s story about the revival of the
Commander Yorke Trophy (p79), we said the race
was continued for sportscars in the ’60s; not so, says
Duncan Rabagliati: it was for Formula Junior, with two
future F1 drivers as victors: Mike Spence winning in ’61
with a Paul Emery-built Emeryson and Richard Attwood
in ’62 in an MRP Cooper T59.
PIC: EBREY/LAT