GPGSL S8 Round 14 -Monaco Grand Prix - The RD's Short Straw >> SHOCKING NEWS AT PAGE 204!!! <<
Posted by GPGSL
Diax F1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kittleson steps down
>
> Dean Kittleson announced in a press conference
> today that he will be stepping down from his
> position in the GPGSL staff with immediate effect
> - and will, in addition, be retiring from the
> GPGSL. Following three seasons of participation in
> the series, the British driver felt that it was
> time to move onto pastures new and allow the new
> generation of drivers to enter.
>
> Kittleson: "I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here
> in the sport, but I realise that it is no longer
> possible for me to continue in the same way. Of
> late, I haven't been around the paddock much - and
> I feel it would be unfair to have this seat when
> my heart isn't invested in the sport as it used to
> be.
>
> "I apologise to Rico having agreed a new deal last
> season, but I feel as though someone with more
> desire to race in this series deserves this race
> seat I am giving up."
Sad news indeed Dean, I'll be sorry to see you go mate! Hope all is okay?
GPGSL - Christel VXR team Boss S6-S8, S12 Onwards
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kittleson steps down
>
> Dean Kittleson announced in a press conference
> today that he will be stepping down from his
> position in the GPGSL staff with immediate effect
> - and will, in addition, be retiring from the
> GPGSL. Following three seasons of participation in
> the series, the British driver felt that it was
> time to move onto pastures new and allow the new
> generation of drivers to enter.
>
> Kittleson: "I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here
> in the sport, but I realise that it is no longer
> possible for me to continue in the same way. Of
> late, I haven't been around the paddock much - and
> I feel it would be unfair to have this seat when
> my heart isn't invested in the sport as it used to
> be.
>
> "I apologise to Rico having agreed a new deal last
> season, but I feel as though someone with more
> desire to race in this series deserves this race
> seat I am giving up."
Sad news indeed Dean, I'll be sorry to see you go mate! Hope all is okay?
GPGSL - Christel VXR team Boss S6-S8, S12 Onwards
Indeed shocking news. But I'm sure you have your reasons for it, Dean, which seem to be personal. So, I hope that everything will be fine again for your or stay fine in case everything is alright anyway, and I just hope to see you back at the GPGSL one day.
GPGSL : Team Owner of 'Maverick Track Performance' (MTP)
GPGSL : Team Owner of 'Maverick Track Performance' (MTP)
Good luck Dean, I'm sure everyone will join me in wishing you well in the future. Hope to see you again in the GPGSL one day mate.
5 x WCC - S5, S6, S7, S8, S10 | 4 x WDC - S5 Nick van der Voort ; S6, S7, S8 Ed Greenhalgh | 2 x WTC - S6 Stuart Ingers; S8 Andrei Sevastian
5 x WCC - S5, S6, S7, S8, S10 | 4 x WDC - S5 Nick van der Voort ; S6, S7, S8 Ed Greenhalgh | 2 x WTC - S6 Stuart Ingers; S8 Andrei Sevastian
A great shame, we'll all miss your tremendous input and your lovely video coverages.
Hopefully you'll come back to the series, and I hope you'll drop in every now and then. Good luck bud, hopefully you're OK
GPGSL: S6 - TafuroGP Tester (14th) /// S7 - ART Tester (6th) /// S8 - Demon Driver (13th) /// S9 - Demon/Snake Driver (13th) /// S10 - Snake Driver (???) ///]
"My ambition is handicapped by laziness" - Charles Bukowski
Hopefully you'll come back to the series, and I hope you'll drop in every now and then. Good luck bud, hopefully you're OK
GPGSL: S6 - TafuroGP Tester (14th) /// S7 - ART Tester (6th) /// S8 - Demon Driver (13th) /// S9 - Demon/Snake Driver (13th) /// S10 - Snake Driver (???) ///]
"My ambition is handicapped by laziness" - Charles Bukowski
Sad to see you go matey
What's the deadline for track voting? As far as I can see it hasn't been posted yet? I'm away this weekend so hopefully Monday or Tuesday is okay.
X (@ed24f1)
X (@ed24f1)
Track voting ends on Monday the 8th of October 2 minutes before midnight.
Hey guys, thought I'd get this shared sooner rather than later. My apologies on the delay, I've recently started an Masters in Journalism and that has been taking up a lot of my time. This is the specific questions section, I hope you all enjoy.
Specific Questions
Ed Greenhalgh - Ed, the first question goes to you. How pleased are you with your season? How does it compare with Season 6? How does it feel to be a two time GPGSL Champion?
Yes, it's very satisfying to have won the title again. It's quite an honour to be the first to win back-to-back titles! I guess that being the favourite and having plenty of expectation increases the pressure, so as I said, I have feelings of satisfaction, relief and joy after winning the title. Looking back at my progress in Season 6, it was quite similar except this season I was able to start with two wins and have a buffer over the other drivers. After that, just like Season 6, I had a bit of a form slump in the next few races before delivering strong results in the second half of the season. Once again I have to thank Stuart for his team leadership and organisation, once again we won the Constructors' Championship and that's all we can ask for from a team.
John Warrington - John, you are leaving Aston Martin at the end of the season. How would you rate your time there, and what are your plans for the future? Is this the last we have seen of you in the GPGSL?
I'd rate my time as a success. Winning two WCC's is not what I expected. It would have been nice to win a Drivers’ Title again but it wasn't to be. Like I said, I plan to test for the immediate future and hopefully one day, own my own team. That's a long way off though considering the length of the waiting list. This is definitely not the last of me in the GPGSL, I'm here to stay.
Tom Pellatt - Tom next year TSS rebrand into TSM. Was it a difficult decision to rebrand the team after so many years as TSS? Who do you think will come out on top in the inter-team battle between Ruben and Toby next season? What are your hopes for Josh Copeman?
It was a decision that I did not take lightly. Subaru has been great to me and Team Shadow since we first bought their works team in the World Grand Prix series and started a partnership which has seen develop countless cars together and win countless races with countless drivers. I came to the realisation part way through the season however that we can't expect to move forward and return to the top of the grid unless we make some changes. Mercedes bring a wealth of experience from racing in all forms of international motorsport. How could I not work with them??!!
This is a great question! Ruben has been working his way up through the team for several seasons now and this will be his first experience of leading the driver line-up. He'll also go into season 8 as the next best race driver to Ed so he'll have a lot of media pressure I'm sure. Tobi comes to the team having dominated the Testers’ Championship so will have a lot of personal pressure to continue his domination into the race series. I think that Tobi will be a dark horse but it'll be interesting to see how the two compare.
Josh is another of our DDP drivers. He will need to push and gain experience that will mean he is in a position to be promoted to the Race Drivers’ Championship in Season 9 if he wants to be a champion of the future. He might have bit of a handful keeping his new test driver teammate at bay however...
Marko Aleksander - Marko, this is your last race in the GPGSL. Can we ask for you to share some of your favourite memories from your time as part of the GPGSL?
Well, one of them, it had to be my first win back in season 1 with Minardi. No points after three races and then that victorious day in Montreal that changed my career. The pole position in Melbourne Season 2 with MPR when we were the weakest team on the grid horsepower wise. Season 3 when I was only 14 laps away from winning the Drivers’ Championship with MPR. Season 4 when Velox were unbelievably strong, but we managed to take the lead in the championship at round 15, also in Canada. Interlagos, my most successful track, where I won back to back races with MPR and then TSS. That's from a competitive point of view.
Otherwise just that anticipation of a new season, or the build up to a race weekend, with press conferences prior to a GP, with team principals/drivers answering questions. Also working and talking with my team principals /team-mates discussing strategy and such. Oh and the GPGSL board meetings were some fun too.
Ruben Greidanus – Ruben next year you will face the highly fancied youngster Tobias Kederer. How do you think the inter-team battle between you and him will go?
Although I have two seasons more experience he is capable to be more than just a second race driver in his rookie year. I'm convinced our partnership will be even successful as my partnership with Marko in the last two seasons. Tobias will definitely win at least one race next season. He made a storming development as a test driver by finishing 5th in his first testing season and last season he was already the champion. I'm warned.
Tobias Kederer - Toby, next season you will race for TSS/TSM. How excited are you for this opportunity? What do you think is a realistic aim for you for Season 8? Do you think you can overcome your team mate Ruben?
I’m extremely excited. I'm very happy that Tom gives me this chance, and I can't wait for season 8 to start. I think a place in the top 7 of the final standings should be possible, maybe even more. We will see. I'll by all means try it, but I think that it'll be a tough task.
Owen Edwards – Owen, how excited are you to step up to a race seat with TNR next season?
Well, I hope I am! I must've missed that memo. I've seen it floating around in the media but I don't believe I've had anything concrete from the big boss quite yet. It's been great the amount of belief he's had in me and if it wasn't for his enthusiasm I'd never have got on the grid this time last year when I took a podium on my début. I hope he still sees the same potential in me as I reckon I can be the perfect partner for Norbert next season as we aim for our best season ever.
Stefan Van Renselaar – Stefan, your team has slipped down from 4th to 7th in the Championship, you must be disappointed with this. What do you think went wrong this season? Where you pleased that you kept hold of both Rod and Carlos for Season 8?
I think mechanical failures and driver error on crucial moments have caused us a lot of harm. If our car broke down when we were running somewhere between 15th and last it does not really matter, you don’t get any points in that position anyway, but when we are running in the top 10 we can’t have things like that happen to us, because then we lose points. And during this season that has happened a lot and then your season goes downhill in a hurry. Yes, I was pleased I was able to keep both Carlos and Rodrigo in my team. I feel that Carlos has not yet shown his full potential in the car, we will let him develop himself further next season. Also, Rodrigo has shown us that he can have good results with a car that is not great. He is ahead of people in the championship that are in a stronger car. Besides that both are very friendly and have a positive influence on everyone working on our cars. I do think that it’s a shame that Jake will be leaving us after the British Grand Prix, but I had both race seats filled, so if he had stayed with us he would be testing again next season, but that would only harm his development. I just want to wish him good luck next season.
Charrel Jalving – Charrel, you move into your 3rd season with MPR. How does it feel to be a part of the team? Also how do you feel about the new drivers that have been brought into the team? Will you be sad to see John Maverick leave?
Yes, this will be my 3rd season! Things might not move as fast as we want but slowly we are catching the TTS and AMR, this gives me hope. We have a team of very dedicated mechanics and engineers etc., makes me feel at home for sure.
I don’t know too much yet about the new drivers, I’ve seen Jack on track and around the paddock and he seems like a great guy. I can’t wait to start working with him and see what his potential is.
It's great though to see Santilal return, he is very well known in the GPGSL. I hope he can teach me a thing or two. It's sad though to see John leave the team, he always tried to challenge me to the max, and that worked out very well. I wish him the best of luck at his new team, and I hope he won’t challenge me too much next season!
John Maverick – John, you have moved to Constructors’ Champions Aston Martin for Season 8. Was it a difficult decision to leave the MPR team? Do you think you can challenge Ed over the course of the season? Are you feeling any pressure being in one of the top seats?
To start from the back, no I don't feel any pressure for season 8, at least. I will use the season to get established in the team and of course I hope that I will be able to bring in good results. My main concern is that I might struggle with the same problems than JW did. But with the apparent rule changes, I should be able to avoid at least some of them. I don't think that Ed will be beatable over the course of the season, as long as he won't be restricted in several ways. He's just the best driver out there at the moment, and of course it'll be a challenge to fight him. The board will discuss how his domination might be subdued, at least. Then we will see. Of course I hope that I will be able to beat him a few times over the season, but all in all the pressure is on him. He's the one to defend the title, he has all to lose. I can only win. And with the AMR team behind me, I am convinced that I can bring home some good results.
Going to AMR was just the next logical step. AMR was the team to beat this season, and I hope that it'll be the same next season. This was maybe a once in a lifetime chance. If this free seat had been occupied by somebody else, it might have taken a lot more seasons maybe, before I would have got a chance again. Of course it was not easy to leave MPR, both because I felt very comfortable there and also because I had already signed a contract with them. For this I want to especially thank Dan Paddock once more, that he let me go and allowed me to take this chance. But in the end, going back to AMR, as a competitive race driver now, makes a dream come true. It was my first team in my career, and I always wanted to go back to them one day. I wouldn't have thought though that it would be this early.
Monil Santilal – Monil, you return to the GPGSL with MPR after 2 seasons out. What made you change your mind, and how does it feel to be part of the MPR team again?
Biggest change of mind has to be seeing these cars going by and feeling the thrill. I was at one of the races in a disguise and to hear them go by was nostalgia. It was after that race, that I contacted Dan to see if he still had a free seat. Being with MPR again? It's just like meeting up with an old friend after a really long time.
Ross Cartwright – Ross, only a few seasons ago you were challenging for wins and the Constructors Title. How disappointing is it to have slipped so far back? Do you think there are any particular reasons why this season has been so tough?
It has been very disappointing, I think it is because AMR and TSS have just pulled away from the rest of the teams and SCR has dropped back and lacked consistency to fight for the whole season.
Matteo Scala, Finally Matteo. You have decided to pull your team out for Season 8 of the GPGSL. Was this a difficult decision to make, or had you simply had enough? How do you think Demon Racing will do next season?
It wasn't a difficult choice. I've always been thrilled by the idea of focusing on my driving abilities alone like in S3 and S4. S7's results played a big role in the end. But this doesn't mean I got tired of directing a team. The whole experience has been pleasant and I learned a lot of things. Demon Racing? They have the potential to do well in next season. I'd love to see Glen and his crew kick some asses on top.
Rico Van Smirren – Rico, at the time of going to press you are still yet to announce any race drivers for your team. Should we be excited, or worried? What made you decide to team up with your arch-rival Matteo Scala?
As you found out in the questions above we have managed to continue with last season’s racing line-up. I'm absolutely thrilled about this situation because both Dean and Ben are two fantastic characters and above all two ultimately talented drivers. I am actually surprised that we managed to retain them. I thought a team like Team Shadow, Martini Paddock Racing or Aston Martin Racing would try to sign them.
Why did I team up with Matteo? Well... Let’s just say Matteo and his management made me an offer I couldn’t refuse... On top of that I’m thrilled to finally prove the cocky **** that I am much faster than he is.
Chris Copeman – Chris, your team made a massive leap forward last season. Did you ever expect to do as well as you have done? Does your good season vindicate your decision to start from a fresh with your team?
I knew that the team had potential. Jack and Michael are two great drivers and I am so glad that I had the chance to put them together in the latter part of season 6 so that they could build a good working partnership for this season and beyond. I am really pleased to have them both signed up for season 8 and hope that they will be with us for many years to come. As far rebranding the team goes I think it’s a necessary and logical step to take. We have to keep moving forward and adapting and I think giving the team a new look will help with our growth. Coupled with this is the fact that, as everybody knows, our VXR engine contract runs out at the end of next season. At the moment we are keeping our options open, but if I think a change will be for the good of the team then I will make that decision. I’m not afraid to make the big decisions when necessary!
Jack Elleker – Jack, you have had a fantastic season. Did you ever expect that you would finish on the podium twice before the season began?
No, didn't think I'd even get one, very pleased with my performances
Connor Steer – Mr Cannot Steer, two starts for Snake Motorsports and two points finishes. Did you expect that you would have that chance this season? Also what can we expect from you in Season 8?
Ah the Cannot Steer nickname, I can't remember who gave me that, probably Mal or Ruben, but it definitely stuck! Although I didn't help myself with my pretty lacklustre performances, in fact I probably earnt it. As for the Snake performances, I won't lie I’m a little impressed with myself. But take nothing away from the team, I arrived to a fantastic car and all I had to do was drive it. When I saw that Snake would need a stand-in driver, I spoke to Maikel straight away about it as I had wanted to get a chance to prove myself for a while. I would like to thank Chris for allowing me to go and Maikel for saying yes! A race seat is where all testers want to be, so to be given some time in one is always great. When you consider how I started the season there were probably better candidates than me, but as it was coming to season end, and the race for the Testers’ Championship places got interesting I thought I could take advantage and give it a shot with other testers not wanting to give up the championship. As for next season, well there are a few race driver slots free, although mainly at Snake as I can imagine Scuderia Minardi will keep their line-up. Would I turn down the opportunity to race in Season 8 if Maikel offered it to me? Probably not as it would be a great chance. Currently I am contracted with Christel VXR of course, and I definitely am not trying to leave! I am very happy here and it would take quite a persuasion to remove me. But my contract with Christel doesn't mean I will automatically turn down a Snake Race Seat...
Maikel de Boer – Maikel, you have lost both drivers over the course of the season due to inactivity. Can we expect a big change in your driver line-up for Season 8?
All that I can say for sure is that both Nick and Tommi will not be returning in the Snakes. So looking at that you could say there will be a big change at SMS!
Jack Hunsley – Jack you have been given a massive opportunity at MPR for next season. How excited are you for Season 8 to begin? Do you think you can challenge Charrel over the course of the season?
I absolutely cannot wait for season 8 to begin! Having spent two seasons scrapping it out at the back of the grid fighting over 1 or 2 points, to be given a chance in a car that's not just capable of consistent points finishes but podiums and victories is very exciting. Going into Melbourne next season, in all honesty, I don't think anyone would be at all surprised if Charrel was the ahead of me on the grid. However this season I have managed to beat Chris, one of the most experienced drivers in the paddock, quite comfortably, so I doubt it'll be long until I am on the same pace as Charrel. Besides, experience is overrated.
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
Specific Questions
Ed Greenhalgh - Ed, the first question goes to you. How pleased are you with your season? How does it compare with Season 6? How does it feel to be a two time GPGSL Champion?
Yes, it's very satisfying to have won the title again. It's quite an honour to be the first to win back-to-back titles! I guess that being the favourite and having plenty of expectation increases the pressure, so as I said, I have feelings of satisfaction, relief and joy after winning the title. Looking back at my progress in Season 6, it was quite similar except this season I was able to start with two wins and have a buffer over the other drivers. After that, just like Season 6, I had a bit of a form slump in the next few races before delivering strong results in the second half of the season. Once again I have to thank Stuart for his team leadership and organisation, once again we won the Constructors' Championship and that's all we can ask for from a team.
John Warrington - John, you are leaving Aston Martin at the end of the season. How would you rate your time there, and what are your plans for the future? Is this the last we have seen of you in the GPGSL?
I'd rate my time as a success. Winning two WCC's is not what I expected. It would have been nice to win a Drivers’ Title again but it wasn't to be. Like I said, I plan to test for the immediate future and hopefully one day, own my own team. That's a long way off though considering the length of the waiting list. This is definitely not the last of me in the GPGSL, I'm here to stay.
Tom Pellatt - Tom next year TSS rebrand into TSM. Was it a difficult decision to rebrand the team after so many years as TSS? Who do you think will come out on top in the inter-team battle between Ruben and Toby next season? What are your hopes for Josh Copeman?
It was a decision that I did not take lightly. Subaru has been great to me and Team Shadow since we first bought their works team in the World Grand Prix series and started a partnership which has seen develop countless cars together and win countless races with countless drivers. I came to the realisation part way through the season however that we can't expect to move forward and return to the top of the grid unless we make some changes. Mercedes bring a wealth of experience from racing in all forms of international motorsport. How could I not work with them??!!
This is a great question! Ruben has been working his way up through the team for several seasons now and this will be his first experience of leading the driver line-up. He'll also go into season 8 as the next best race driver to Ed so he'll have a lot of media pressure I'm sure. Tobi comes to the team having dominated the Testers’ Championship so will have a lot of personal pressure to continue his domination into the race series. I think that Tobi will be a dark horse but it'll be interesting to see how the two compare.
Josh is another of our DDP drivers. He will need to push and gain experience that will mean he is in a position to be promoted to the Race Drivers’ Championship in Season 9 if he wants to be a champion of the future. He might have bit of a handful keeping his new test driver teammate at bay however...
Marko Aleksander - Marko, this is your last race in the GPGSL. Can we ask for you to share some of your favourite memories from your time as part of the GPGSL?
Well, one of them, it had to be my first win back in season 1 with Minardi. No points after three races and then that victorious day in Montreal that changed my career. The pole position in Melbourne Season 2 with MPR when we were the weakest team on the grid horsepower wise. Season 3 when I was only 14 laps away from winning the Drivers’ Championship with MPR. Season 4 when Velox were unbelievably strong, but we managed to take the lead in the championship at round 15, also in Canada. Interlagos, my most successful track, where I won back to back races with MPR and then TSS. That's from a competitive point of view.
Otherwise just that anticipation of a new season, or the build up to a race weekend, with press conferences prior to a GP, with team principals/drivers answering questions. Also working and talking with my team principals /team-mates discussing strategy and such. Oh and the GPGSL board meetings were some fun too.
Ruben Greidanus – Ruben next year you will face the highly fancied youngster Tobias Kederer. How do you think the inter-team battle between you and him will go?
Although I have two seasons more experience he is capable to be more than just a second race driver in his rookie year. I'm convinced our partnership will be even successful as my partnership with Marko in the last two seasons. Tobias will definitely win at least one race next season. He made a storming development as a test driver by finishing 5th in his first testing season and last season he was already the champion. I'm warned.
Tobias Kederer - Toby, next season you will race for TSS/TSM. How excited are you for this opportunity? What do you think is a realistic aim for you for Season 8? Do you think you can overcome your team mate Ruben?
I’m extremely excited. I'm very happy that Tom gives me this chance, and I can't wait for season 8 to start. I think a place in the top 7 of the final standings should be possible, maybe even more. We will see. I'll by all means try it, but I think that it'll be a tough task.
Owen Edwards – Owen, how excited are you to step up to a race seat with TNR next season?
Well, I hope I am! I must've missed that memo. I've seen it floating around in the media but I don't believe I've had anything concrete from the big boss quite yet. It's been great the amount of belief he's had in me and if it wasn't for his enthusiasm I'd never have got on the grid this time last year when I took a podium on my début. I hope he still sees the same potential in me as I reckon I can be the perfect partner for Norbert next season as we aim for our best season ever.
Stefan Van Renselaar – Stefan, your team has slipped down from 4th to 7th in the Championship, you must be disappointed with this. What do you think went wrong this season? Where you pleased that you kept hold of both Rod and Carlos for Season 8?
I think mechanical failures and driver error on crucial moments have caused us a lot of harm. If our car broke down when we were running somewhere between 15th and last it does not really matter, you don’t get any points in that position anyway, but when we are running in the top 10 we can’t have things like that happen to us, because then we lose points. And during this season that has happened a lot and then your season goes downhill in a hurry. Yes, I was pleased I was able to keep both Carlos and Rodrigo in my team. I feel that Carlos has not yet shown his full potential in the car, we will let him develop himself further next season. Also, Rodrigo has shown us that he can have good results with a car that is not great. He is ahead of people in the championship that are in a stronger car. Besides that both are very friendly and have a positive influence on everyone working on our cars. I do think that it’s a shame that Jake will be leaving us after the British Grand Prix, but I had both race seats filled, so if he had stayed with us he would be testing again next season, but that would only harm his development. I just want to wish him good luck next season.
Charrel Jalving – Charrel, you move into your 3rd season with MPR. How does it feel to be a part of the team? Also how do you feel about the new drivers that have been brought into the team? Will you be sad to see John Maverick leave?
Yes, this will be my 3rd season! Things might not move as fast as we want but slowly we are catching the TTS and AMR, this gives me hope. We have a team of very dedicated mechanics and engineers etc., makes me feel at home for sure.
I don’t know too much yet about the new drivers, I’ve seen Jack on track and around the paddock and he seems like a great guy. I can’t wait to start working with him and see what his potential is.
It's great though to see Santilal return, he is very well known in the GPGSL. I hope he can teach me a thing or two. It's sad though to see John leave the team, he always tried to challenge me to the max, and that worked out very well. I wish him the best of luck at his new team, and I hope he won’t challenge me too much next season!
John Maverick – John, you have moved to Constructors’ Champions Aston Martin for Season 8. Was it a difficult decision to leave the MPR team? Do you think you can challenge Ed over the course of the season? Are you feeling any pressure being in one of the top seats?
To start from the back, no I don't feel any pressure for season 8, at least. I will use the season to get established in the team and of course I hope that I will be able to bring in good results. My main concern is that I might struggle with the same problems than JW did. But with the apparent rule changes, I should be able to avoid at least some of them. I don't think that Ed will be beatable over the course of the season, as long as he won't be restricted in several ways. He's just the best driver out there at the moment, and of course it'll be a challenge to fight him. The board will discuss how his domination might be subdued, at least. Then we will see. Of course I hope that I will be able to beat him a few times over the season, but all in all the pressure is on him. He's the one to defend the title, he has all to lose. I can only win. And with the AMR team behind me, I am convinced that I can bring home some good results.
Going to AMR was just the next logical step. AMR was the team to beat this season, and I hope that it'll be the same next season. This was maybe a once in a lifetime chance. If this free seat had been occupied by somebody else, it might have taken a lot more seasons maybe, before I would have got a chance again. Of course it was not easy to leave MPR, both because I felt very comfortable there and also because I had already signed a contract with them. For this I want to especially thank Dan Paddock once more, that he let me go and allowed me to take this chance. But in the end, going back to AMR, as a competitive race driver now, makes a dream come true. It was my first team in my career, and I always wanted to go back to them one day. I wouldn't have thought though that it would be this early.
Monil Santilal – Monil, you return to the GPGSL with MPR after 2 seasons out. What made you change your mind, and how does it feel to be part of the MPR team again?
Biggest change of mind has to be seeing these cars going by and feeling the thrill. I was at one of the races in a disguise and to hear them go by was nostalgia. It was after that race, that I contacted Dan to see if he still had a free seat. Being with MPR again? It's just like meeting up with an old friend after a really long time.
Ross Cartwright – Ross, only a few seasons ago you were challenging for wins and the Constructors Title. How disappointing is it to have slipped so far back? Do you think there are any particular reasons why this season has been so tough?
It has been very disappointing, I think it is because AMR and TSS have just pulled away from the rest of the teams and SCR has dropped back and lacked consistency to fight for the whole season.
Matteo Scala, Finally Matteo. You have decided to pull your team out for Season 8 of the GPGSL. Was this a difficult decision to make, or had you simply had enough? How do you think Demon Racing will do next season?
It wasn't a difficult choice. I've always been thrilled by the idea of focusing on my driving abilities alone like in S3 and S4. S7's results played a big role in the end. But this doesn't mean I got tired of directing a team. The whole experience has been pleasant and I learned a lot of things. Demon Racing? They have the potential to do well in next season. I'd love to see Glen and his crew kick some asses on top.
Rico Van Smirren – Rico, at the time of going to press you are still yet to announce any race drivers for your team. Should we be excited, or worried? What made you decide to team up with your arch-rival Matteo Scala?
As you found out in the questions above we have managed to continue with last season’s racing line-up. I'm absolutely thrilled about this situation because both Dean and Ben are two fantastic characters and above all two ultimately talented drivers. I am actually surprised that we managed to retain them. I thought a team like Team Shadow, Martini Paddock Racing or Aston Martin Racing would try to sign them.
Why did I team up with Matteo? Well... Let’s just say Matteo and his management made me an offer I couldn’t refuse... On top of that I’m thrilled to finally prove the cocky **** that I am much faster than he is.
Chris Copeman – Chris, your team made a massive leap forward last season. Did you ever expect to do as well as you have done? Does your good season vindicate your decision to start from a fresh with your team?
I knew that the team had potential. Jack and Michael are two great drivers and I am so glad that I had the chance to put them together in the latter part of season 6 so that they could build a good working partnership for this season and beyond. I am really pleased to have them both signed up for season 8 and hope that they will be with us for many years to come. As far rebranding the team goes I think it’s a necessary and logical step to take. We have to keep moving forward and adapting and I think giving the team a new look will help with our growth. Coupled with this is the fact that, as everybody knows, our VXR engine contract runs out at the end of next season. At the moment we are keeping our options open, but if I think a change will be for the good of the team then I will make that decision. I’m not afraid to make the big decisions when necessary!
Jack Elleker – Jack, you have had a fantastic season. Did you ever expect that you would finish on the podium twice before the season began?
No, didn't think I'd even get one, very pleased with my performances
Connor Steer – Mr Cannot Steer, two starts for Snake Motorsports and two points finishes. Did you expect that you would have that chance this season? Also what can we expect from you in Season 8?
Ah the Cannot Steer nickname, I can't remember who gave me that, probably Mal or Ruben, but it definitely stuck! Although I didn't help myself with my pretty lacklustre performances, in fact I probably earnt it. As for the Snake performances, I won't lie I’m a little impressed with myself. But take nothing away from the team, I arrived to a fantastic car and all I had to do was drive it. When I saw that Snake would need a stand-in driver, I spoke to Maikel straight away about it as I had wanted to get a chance to prove myself for a while. I would like to thank Chris for allowing me to go and Maikel for saying yes! A race seat is where all testers want to be, so to be given some time in one is always great. When you consider how I started the season there were probably better candidates than me, but as it was coming to season end, and the race for the Testers’ Championship places got interesting I thought I could take advantage and give it a shot with other testers not wanting to give up the championship. As for next season, well there are a few race driver slots free, although mainly at Snake as I can imagine Scuderia Minardi will keep their line-up. Would I turn down the opportunity to race in Season 8 if Maikel offered it to me? Probably not as it would be a great chance. Currently I am contracted with Christel VXR of course, and I definitely am not trying to leave! I am very happy here and it would take quite a persuasion to remove me. But my contract with Christel doesn't mean I will automatically turn down a Snake Race Seat...
Maikel de Boer – Maikel, you have lost both drivers over the course of the season due to inactivity. Can we expect a big change in your driver line-up for Season 8?
All that I can say for sure is that both Nick and Tommi will not be returning in the Snakes. So looking at that you could say there will be a big change at SMS!
Jack Hunsley – Jack you have been given a massive opportunity at MPR for next season. How excited are you for Season 8 to begin? Do you think you can challenge Charrel over the course of the season?
I absolutely cannot wait for season 8 to begin! Having spent two seasons scrapping it out at the back of the grid fighting over 1 or 2 points, to be given a chance in a car that's not just capable of consistent points finishes but podiums and victories is very exciting. Going into Melbourne next season, in all honesty, I don't think anyone would be at all surprised if Charrel was the ahead of me on the grid. However this season I have managed to beat Chris, one of the most experienced drivers in the paddock, quite comfortably, so I doubt it'll be long until I am on the same pace as Charrel. Besides, experience is overrated.
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
Me too. And very informative it was!
GPGSL : Team Owner of 'Maverick Track Performance' (MTP)
GPGSL : Team Owner of 'Maverick Track Performance' (MTP)
Twas a great Q and A session and a really good idea. Well done Mate
GPGSL - Christel VXR team Boss S6-S8, S12 Onwards
GPGSL - Christel VXR team Boss S6-S8, S12 Onwards
I like how mine is the shortest by a mile :D
I am a man of few words, I should be Finnish
I am a man of few words, I should be Finnish
Haha, I think you'll soon see that Mr Horvath is the Kimi Raikkonen of the GPGSL 
Now here is the general Q&A with all our lovely team owners... I even make an appearance.
Enjoy.
Team Bosses Q&A
How satisfied are you with your/team’s performance this season. Did you expect more or less from Season 7?
Stuart Ingers: Well I have got to be pretty satisfied with AMR's performance this season haven't I? We were even better than last. Ed Greenhalgh scored a magnificent 8 wins last season and I didn't think he would match that to be honest, but he did! He even scored more podiums than in the last campaign. With John Warrington scoring a win and another 6 podiums too, we can consider this a very successful year. I'm fairly satisfied with my own performance in testing, but I'm disappointed I couldn't defend my testing title, Tobias Kederer was just too strong this year. Hats off to him, he did a great job.
Tom Pellatt: I must be honest, I am disappointed with our performance this season. I had high hopes during the off-season testing that we could pull it out of the bag and return to very top of the field. After the first couple of races it became clear that we would be defending our second position in the championship rather than attacking first.
That said I am immensely proud that we managed to pull it back after the first few races. Team Shadow were the guys that really brought the fight to AMR more so than anyone else and so that is something to be proud of. I am extremely lucky to have some great drivers too who are great at interacting throughout the season and contributing to strategy which I feel is important.
Stefan van Renselaar: I'm quite disappointed with how this season has been going to be honest. Season 6 was our best season ever, even if you also include the seasons when we were named Alpha Motorsports and Ed was our boss. In season 6 we got our first win as Alpha Racing Team and our first win since season 3. I was going into season 7 thinking we would be a regular contender for podiums, but we’ve not been able to do that. We were in good positions during races, but we’ve had too many problems when we were in a good position. I think that losing John at the end of season 6 has not helped either, with John a lot of experience moved away to MPR. We promoted Carlos from his test seat to the race seat he is currently in because of that. Carlos has been doing a great job in his rookie season as a racer, but this season has been a struggle nonetheless for his, our car has not been great this season and as a rookie we cannot expect him to take that car and go and win races with it. We have had points finishes in most races though, but only on three occasions we were able to score points with both of our cars, which is just not good enough.
Dan Paddock: In both respects I am very satisfied, as a team boss it is great to see MPR back up in the top 3 where we rightfully belong. In terms of my driving, well three wins over the course of the season is a great way to finish my career.
Mal Stoddart: We started off pretty well, and then we had a break in at the team headquarters and all our cans of Whoop-Ass got stolen. When something like that happens it's really a bit of a setback. Of course we have our suspects, but for now we'll keep Mum on that.
Matteo Scalla: I expected more from this season. Our line-up made us think that we would have gone as well as in Season 6 if not better.
Ricardo van Smirren: I am pretty satisfied with the performance of our team. Both Dean and Ben took as much out of the season as was possible. 5th or 6th was what I’ve aimed for at the start of the season and to end in the top 6 is a pretty good feeling. Now it’s up to our mechanics to work on the car during the winter and get a better base for next season. We need to give the drivers the car they deserve. Dean and Ben are 2 top-drivers without a doubt.
Chris Copeman: I’m over the moon with the way that we have performed this season. It’s still only our second season as a team and we have come so far already. I have had to pinch myself at times, especially when I found myself getting disappointed about only finishing 5th or 6th in some races. I said at the start of the year that I would like the team to win a race this year and although we haven’t done that we should be on track to finish at least 5th in the Constructors’…which I will easily take.
Maikel de Boer: During the start of the season I was quite surprised, we seemed pretty fast and at least midfield! Then at some point we just started dropping back slowly. Still we made huge improvement from Season 6! We took some well-deserved podiums and even a pole position! I hoped for more, but I still believe Season 7 was above my expectations!
Nathan McGregor: As a team owner of a new team I was still realistic that we had a lot of work to do to get on pace with the front runners. At the beginning of the season I told the team that I would be satisfied if we just showed some improvement from the previous season. In fact we had accumulated our first season total of points by round 6. I was also incredibly proud of the way Jack was driving and it is sad to see him go, but I guess that just comes with being a smaller team.
What would be you high point of the season? Similarly, what would be your low point?
Stuart Ingers: Oh the high point has got to be winning five grand prix on the trot, in fact, that run also gave us 7 wins from 8 races. Ed retaining the Drivers’ Championship has got to be up there too. Low points are Japan and Canada when we didn't have a driver on the podium! Also, John's six retirements and constantly falling victim of the one stop bug.
Tom Pellatt: The high point of the season I think would have been the win for Ruben at Road America. It marked our comeback from a tough start to the season and gave us the fight to retake second in the championship and prove that Ed could be beaten this season. Followed up by Marko's win the next race, it was a great period. I think the end of the season and when we were getting regular podiums I have felt most proud of all the guys in the team.
Our low point can be pinpointed at Surfer's. That was the point that I realised it was going to be tough to take the fight to Ed as we all know how important the first few races are and we were struggling just to get to the finish of the races without incidents, let alone battle for wins.
Stefan van Renselaar: Our high point would be the Pacific Grand Prix, where we scored our only podium of the season. But that was before our real struggles began. The last three races have been just bad, we manages to score just 5 points in three races with two cars. Germany was just horrible. With Carlos retiring and Rodrigo finishing almost last after a spin we threw away a good chance of scoring points, points we desperately need in our fight for sixth with Minardi.
Dan Paddock: The two wins for the team at Suzuka and Phillip Island coupled with the three pole positions are definitely high points. The lowest point was certainly Austria with the double DNF.
Mal Stoddart: Just getting the cars onto the grid would have to be a high point. The logistics alone are a nightmare. Having to pour some of the drivers into the car out of a bucket because they've been out on the tiles the previous night doesn't help either. The low point would have to be being soundly trounced by Snake Motorsports. Ouch, that hurt, and after we'd done such a sweet deal on a team owner driver swap. Maybe there was a bit of industrial espionage along the way, who knows. Anyway the deal has been resigned for Season 8 and we do have a good relationship with the CEO of Snake Motorsports, after all, he does build our cars for us.
Matteo Scalla: There hasn't really been a high point so far. And the low points have been too many to choose just one. I guess that Gianluigi's exit was pretty hard but generally the whole season has gone wrong for us.
Ricardo van Smirren: High and low-points? Pffff, we had a lot.
Chris Copeman: The high point has to be Japan. Jack drove superbly to get the team’s first podium and with Michael finishing 8th it put us 3rd in the teams championship…on merit! As far as lows go, it has to be Canada, we’d had such a great start to the season and then went to Canada and everything went wrong. It was such the opposite of the previous race in Japan. Mind you; it helped to put everything into perspective and bring back a sense of realism.
Maikel de Boer: The high point, definitely Nick Worseling's pole and 2nd place finish in France! Low point, I am not going to be pointing towards bad result but more to the three drivers I've lost over the season, on a side note big thanks to Dan Mills for lending me drivers! Much appreciated!
Nathan McGregor: The high point of the season for me was at Imola where we managed to bring the cars home in 6th and 7th position. On a track where passing is difficult, we started at towards the back of the pack and using good strategy managed to pull off the team’s best result of its short history.
The low point wasn't really one point in particular but the mere fact that we threw so many points away with costly errors at crucial times or those unwanted mechanical failures.
Who/What would you consider to have been the biggest surprise of Season 7?
Stuart Ingers: Marko Aleksander announcing his retirement! I really thought Marko would finally achieve his aim and win the Drivers’ Title this season. He and Team Shadow have been our biggest rivals ever since Aston Martin bought Velox. It's always sad to see a founding member of the GPGSL leave the series. I want to thank him for all the great races he has been involved in and his huge efforts running the series. Thanks matey.
Tom Pellatt: I think MPR's pace at the start of the season was stronger than I had thought it would be. They were fast out of the blocks and certainly improved on their pace from last season.
I don't think that anyone would have predicted Ed's dominance in the second half of the season however so I think that would be my biggest surprise.
Stefan van Renselaar: In my opinion that would be Christel with their move from ninth to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship. A close second would be the silly season that is developing right now, with a massive amount of drivers changing teams or leaving altogether.
Dan Paddock: For me there are two standout surprises. Firstly, the ascendency of Christel, who have leapt up into the midfield pack, and then secondly the sharp decline of Southern Cross Racing who only a few seasons back beat us into 3rd in the Constructors’ Championship.
Mal Stoddart: Not finishing in the top ten, or did we, must check on that!
Matteo Scalla: N/A
Ricardo van Smirren: Maybe not everyone will choose this team but to me the great performance of Christel VXR was quite a surprise. In only their 2nd season they are challenging an old championship winning team. If I’d had a hat I’d take it off on this occasion.
Chris Copeman: I have to be biased and say Gary Spencer. He came from nowhere to blow away the competition in his first five races. He put a Christel at the top of the timesheets for the first time ever, which ironically, given my answer to the last question, was at Canada and has performed solidly since. He’s definitely a future world champion.
Maikel de Boer: I don't really have an answer for this. AMR winning with Ed was no surprise at all and around the field some nice victories have been made by all the teams. Maybe to me it's still our own pole position in Dijon, never would have guessed it in the 6th race of the season!
Nathan McGregor: As I said earlier, Jack really shone in the car this year and was consistently battling for points, sometimes when the car didn't deserve to be anywhere near the points. He showed me that he had the hunger and desire to be the best in this sport and I think he can get there. In a lot of ways he reminds me of a young Fernando Alonso.
What are your hopes for Season 8 and beyond?
Stuart Ingers: Dominate!!!!!
Tom Pellatt: Obviously Season 8 is going to be a very different one for Team Shadow. For the first time ever we will be working with a new engine provider in Mercedes. We also lose the contributions of Marko as he retires from the series. The latter will be a tough change, as he's a great guy that helps a lot with all aspects of the team but I know Tobi will do a fantastic job as he moves up to a race seat... Finally!!
In my opinion, we have one of the strongest driver line ups with the experience of Ruben heading the team and Tobi's brilliant speed. Both are drivers from our Driver Development Programme and so they know how we work as a team and it means I have faith in them that they'll give 100%. People should be worried about Team Shadow Mercedes' pace nest season.
Stefan van Renselaar: I hope that we can get back where we were in season 6 next. Carlos has gained a lot of experience during this season, so we should be able to do alright next season. Beyond that I would absolutely love to win a championship, it does not really matter whether that is a Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championship. We will be working very closely with a number of different technical partners during the off-season to bring our car to a new level. A few of these partners will be new to us, but I believe that if we start working with them now, it will be beneficial to us in the future.
Dan Paddock: I’d like for us to seriously challenge TSS and Aston Martin again. However, I think we need to first get Jack comfortable at the team. Once he is settled in then we will see how it goes. I still seriously believe that Charrel has what it takes to be a champion, so I don’t see why he can’t make an attempt on the title next season. On a realistic level though, our main aim is to once again finish in the top 3 in the Constructors’ Championship to cement ourselves back at the top of the field.
Mal Stoddart: Keeping my current drivers would be good, losing Dean Kittleson who was a great talent was a bit of a blow, and having new drivers that are a bit of an unknown makes it hard to get the full potential out of the cars. However I do think we should improve our standing in Season 8. Oh, and better security at headquarters, perhaps we'll rent a dog or something.
Matteo Scalla: For Season 8 I'm focusing on improving my driving abilities and Scuderia Minardi is a team where I think I can reach my goal. I would love to return to racing one day.
Ricardo van Smirren: Our hopes are to improve and end up in the top 4 of the Constructors’ Championship. We need to really up our game in order to not be a midfield-contender forever. Luckily we've managed to keep both drivers for Season 8 and that makes me pretty confident.
Chris Copeman: I would hope that we could continue our outstanding progress. I think we need to build on this year and try to get that first race win. If you look at the teams above us in the championship the one thing that they all have in common is a race win. I think/hope that once we break that duck we will be able to push on to even greater things. I definitely believe that I have the drivers to do it…lord knows they’ve come close enough this season!
Maikel de Boer: So far every season we have been able to improve on our last. In Season 7 we scored our first pole and a number of podium finishes, for Season 8 we would like to finish 7th or higher in the WCC and hope to score our first win in GPGSL!
Nathan McGregor: We have some very good drivers on board for Season 8. The 2 experienced heads of Chris [Hinz] and Adam [Davies] will be a great thing for this team. They are both very experienced drivers in the GPGSL and will go a long way in helping us with the development race during the season.
Our new recruit to the testing seat Gianluigi Silvestre is a very exciting prospect indeed and I can’t wait to let him lose in our new car in Melbourne. As for me, well I'm not getting any younger, but I'm definitely not going anywhere either
Finally, what is your favourite livery of the season?
Stuart Ingers: Team Shadow Subaru, always the best looking car on the grid every season.
Tom Pellatt: Tough question! This is the last season where we'll have our traditional blue and yellow colours. It's a paint scheme that has remained with me for so many years now that, I have to say, is my favourite as it means so much to me.
Stefan van Renselaar: I like both the Aston Martin and TNR cars a lot, both designs are nice and clean and don’t have colours in them that don’t seem to belong there. But I do have to say that I also very much like our, the Snake and MPR cars.
Dan Paddock: I actually love our livery. I think Snake Motorsports did an amazing job re-imagining our classic look onto their new chassis. We never did quite look right in red. I probably should have taken note of what happened to Williams when they did the same. Still, there are some other great liveries on the grid. I particularly like the TNR and the SMS. I think it is important to keep an element of continuity with each new livery if you want to develop a team image, and both of these teams have done that. I also really like the MAC Racing livery. I hope we see something similar for the new season.
Mal Stoddart: That would have to be SCR's of course. Then there's that rather odd pink one that usually appears at the start of the season, perhaps we'll get to see it again at the start of Season 8.
Matteo Scalla: Mine of course. Our best livery for our worst season, funny, isn’t it?
Ricardo van Smirren: Well I must say, we had a season with a lot of beautiful cars. I actually liked almost all of them. The Christel is a beauty as is the Team Shadow car. But for me the MPR Lancia, which reminds me of the good old Lancia-Delta, is a stunning car. I hope that Paddock continues to keep his deal with Martini for next season.
Chris Copeman: I really like the AMR for its sheer beauty and simplicity. It’s definitely true that the beautiful cars are usually the fastest. I am also a fan of the Scala livery as well. I think that yellow and blue just work so well together.
Maikel de Boer: Never an easy question this, as all the cars look very good! My top 3 would be MPR, TNR and SMS (Yes I know my own team! Can't help it looks fine!). Well let's make a call here then, I go with the Martini Paddock Racing car! Repainted this season by Snake Motorsports paint division and based on the amazing paintjob that Monil Santilal has created before!
Nathan McGregor: I'm probably a little bias when I say this but I think our livery was the best on the grid this season. Simplicity is always the best way to go when trying to design a dynamic livery. The colour was also a very important part as well. It was the perfect shade of blue because it was eye catching and our fans could always easily tell where we were on the track but it was also to help with the branding of the team as we have factory backing from Ford.
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
Now here is the general Q&A with all our lovely team owners... I even make an appearance.
Enjoy.
Team Bosses Q&A
How satisfied are you with your/team’s performance this season. Did you expect more or less from Season 7?
Stuart Ingers: Well I have got to be pretty satisfied with AMR's performance this season haven't I? We were even better than last. Ed Greenhalgh scored a magnificent 8 wins last season and I didn't think he would match that to be honest, but he did! He even scored more podiums than in the last campaign. With John Warrington scoring a win and another 6 podiums too, we can consider this a very successful year. I'm fairly satisfied with my own performance in testing, but I'm disappointed I couldn't defend my testing title, Tobias Kederer was just too strong this year. Hats off to him, he did a great job.
Tom Pellatt: I must be honest, I am disappointed with our performance this season. I had high hopes during the off-season testing that we could pull it out of the bag and return to very top of the field. After the first couple of races it became clear that we would be defending our second position in the championship rather than attacking first.
That said I am immensely proud that we managed to pull it back after the first few races. Team Shadow were the guys that really brought the fight to AMR more so than anyone else and so that is something to be proud of. I am extremely lucky to have some great drivers too who are great at interacting throughout the season and contributing to strategy which I feel is important.
Stefan van Renselaar: I'm quite disappointed with how this season has been going to be honest. Season 6 was our best season ever, even if you also include the seasons when we were named Alpha Motorsports and Ed was our boss. In season 6 we got our first win as Alpha Racing Team and our first win since season 3. I was going into season 7 thinking we would be a regular contender for podiums, but we’ve not been able to do that. We were in good positions during races, but we’ve had too many problems when we were in a good position. I think that losing John at the end of season 6 has not helped either, with John a lot of experience moved away to MPR. We promoted Carlos from his test seat to the race seat he is currently in because of that. Carlos has been doing a great job in his rookie season as a racer, but this season has been a struggle nonetheless for his, our car has not been great this season and as a rookie we cannot expect him to take that car and go and win races with it. We have had points finishes in most races though, but only on three occasions we were able to score points with both of our cars, which is just not good enough.
Dan Paddock: In both respects I am very satisfied, as a team boss it is great to see MPR back up in the top 3 where we rightfully belong. In terms of my driving, well three wins over the course of the season is a great way to finish my career.
Mal Stoddart: We started off pretty well, and then we had a break in at the team headquarters and all our cans of Whoop-Ass got stolen. When something like that happens it's really a bit of a setback. Of course we have our suspects, but for now we'll keep Mum on that.
Matteo Scalla: I expected more from this season. Our line-up made us think that we would have gone as well as in Season 6 if not better.
Ricardo van Smirren: I am pretty satisfied with the performance of our team. Both Dean and Ben took as much out of the season as was possible. 5th or 6th was what I’ve aimed for at the start of the season and to end in the top 6 is a pretty good feeling. Now it’s up to our mechanics to work on the car during the winter and get a better base for next season. We need to give the drivers the car they deserve. Dean and Ben are 2 top-drivers without a doubt.
Chris Copeman: I’m over the moon with the way that we have performed this season. It’s still only our second season as a team and we have come so far already. I have had to pinch myself at times, especially when I found myself getting disappointed about only finishing 5th or 6th in some races. I said at the start of the year that I would like the team to win a race this year and although we haven’t done that we should be on track to finish at least 5th in the Constructors’…which I will easily take.
Maikel de Boer: During the start of the season I was quite surprised, we seemed pretty fast and at least midfield! Then at some point we just started dropping back slowly. Still we made huge improvement from Season 6! We took some well-deserved podiums and even a pole position! I hoped for more, but I still believe Season 7 was above my expectations!
Nathan McGregor: As a team owner of a new team I was still realistic that we had a lot of work to do to get on pace with the front runners. At the beginning of the season I told the team that I would be satisfied if we just showed some improvement from the previous season. In fact we had accumulated our first season total of points by round 6. I was also incredibly proud of the way Jack was driving and it is sad to see him go, but I guess that just comes with being a smaller team.
What would be you high point of the season? Similarly, what would be your low point?
Stuart Ingers: Oh the high point has got to be winning five grand prix on the trot, in fact, that run also gave us 7 wins from 8 races. Ed retaining the Drivers’ Championship has got to be up there too. Low points are Japan and Canada when we didn't have a driver on the podium! Also, John's six retirements and constantly falling victim of the one stop bug.
Tom Pellatt: The high point of the season I think would have been the win for Ruben at Road America. It marked our comeback from a tough start to the season and gave us the fight to retake second in the championship and prove that Ed could be beaten this season. Followed up by Marko's win the next race, it was a great period. I think the end of the season and when we were getting regular podiums I have felt most proud of all the guys in the team.
Our low point can be pinpointed at Surfer's. That was the point that I realised it was going to be tough to take the fight to Ed as we all know how important the first few races are and we were struggling just to get to the finish of the races without incidents, let alone battle for wins.
Stefan van Renselaar: Our high point would be the Pacific Grand Prix, where we scored our only podium of the season. But that was before our real struggles began. The last three races have been just bad, we manages to score just 5 points in three races with two cars. Germany was just horrible. With Carlos retiring and Rodrigo finishing almost last after a spin we threw away a good chance of scoring points, points we desperately need in our fight for sixth with Minardi.
Dan Paddock: The two wins for the team at Suzuka and Phillip Island coupled with the three pole positions are definitely high points. The lowest point was certainly Austria with the double DNF.
Mal Stoddart: Just getting the cars onto the grid would have to be a high point. The logistics alone are a nightmare. Having to pour some of the drivers into the car out of a bucket because they've been out on the tiles the previous night doesn't help either. The low point would have to be being soundly trounced by Snake Motorsports. Ouch, that hurt, and after we'd done such a sweet deal on a team owner driver swap. Maybe there was a bit of industrial espionage along the way, who knows. Anyway the deal has been resigned for Season 8 and we do have a good relationship with the CEO of Snake Motorsports, after all, he does build our cars for us.
Matteo Scalla: There hasn't really been a high point so far. And the low points have been too many to choose just one. I guess that Gianluigi's exit was pretty hard but generally the whole season has gone wrong for us.
Ricardo van Smirren: High and low-points? Pffff, we had a lot.
Chris Copeman: The high point has to be Japan. Jack drove superbly to get the team’s first podium and with Michael finishing 8th it put us 3rd in the teams championship…on merit! As far as lows go, it has to be Canada, we’d had such a great start to the season and then went to Canada and everything went wrong. It was such the opposite of the previous race in Japan. Mind you; it helped to put everything into perspective and bring back a sense of realism.
Maikel de Boer: The high point, definitely Nick Worseling's pole and 2nd place finish in France! Low point, I am not going to be pointing towards bad result but more to the three drivers I've lost over the season, on a side note big thanks to Dan Mills for lending me drivers! Much appreciated!
Nathan McGregor: The high point of the season for me was at Imola where we managed to bring the cars home in 6th and 7th position. On a track where passing is difficult, we started at towards the back of the pack and using good strategy managed to pull off the team’s best result of its short history.
The low point wasn't really one point in particular but the mere fact that we threw so many points away with costly errors at crucial times or those unwanted mechanical failures.
Who/What would you consider to have been the biggest surprise of Season 7?
Stuart Ingers: Marko Aleksander announcing his retirement! I really thought Marko would finally achieve his aim and win the Drivers’ Title this season. He and Team Shadow have been our biggest rivals ever since Aston Martin bought Velox. It's always sad to see a founding member of the GPGSL leave the series. I want to thank him for all the great races he has been involved in and his huge efforts running the series. Thanks matey.
Tom Pellatt: I think MPR's pace at the start of the season was stronger than I had thought it would be. They were fast out of the blocks and certainly improved on their pace from last season.
I don't think that anyone would have predicted Ed's dominance in the second half of the season however so I think that would be my biggest surprise.
Stefan van Renselaar: In my opinion that would be Christel with their move from ninth to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship. A close second would be the silly season that is developing right now, with a massive amount of drivers changing teams or leaving altogether.
Dan Paddock: For me there are two standout surprises. Firstly, the ascendency of Christel, who have leapt up into the midfield pack, and then secondly the sharp decline of Southern Cross Racing who only a few seasons back beat us into 3rd in the Constructors’ Championship.
Mal Stoddart: Not finishing in the top ten, or did we, must check on that!
Matteo Scalla: N/A
Ricardo van Smirren: Maybe not everyone will choose this team but to me the great performance of Christel VXR was quite a surprise. In only their 2nd season they are challenging an old championship winning team. If I’d had a hat I’d take it off on this occasion.
Chris Copeman: I have to be biased and say Gary Spencer. He came from nowhere to blow away the competition in his first five races. He put a Christel at the top of the timesheets for the first time ever, which ironically, given my answer to the last question, was at Canada and has performed solidly since. He’s definitely a future world champion.
Maikel de Boer: I don't really have an answer for this. AMR winning with Ed was no surprise at all and around the field some nice victories have been made by all the teams. Maybe to me it's still our own pole position in Dijon, never would have guessed it in the 6th race of the season!
Nathan McGregor: As I said earlier, Jack really shone in the car this year and was consistently battling for points, sometimes when the car didn't deserve to be anywhere near the points. He showed me that he had the hunger and desire to be the best in this sport and I think he can get there. In a lot of ways he reminds me of a young Fernando Alonso.
What are your hopes for Season 8 and beyond?
Stuart Ingers: Dominate!!!!!
Tom Pellatt: Obviously Season 8 is going to be a very different one for Team Shadow. For the first time ever we will be working with a new engine provider in Mercedes. We also lose the contributions of Marko as he retires from the series. The latter will be a tough change, as he's a great guy that helps a lot with all aspects of the team but I know Tobi will do a fantastic job as he moves up to a race seat... Finally!!
In my opinion, we have one of the strongest driver line ups with the experience of Ruben heading the team and Tobi's brilliant speed. Both are drivers from our Driver Development Programme and so they know how we work as a team and it means I have faith in them that they'll give 100%. People should be worried about Team Shadow Mercedes' pace nest season.
Stefan van Renselaar: I hope that we can get back where we were in season 6 next. Carlos has gained a lot of experience during this season, so we should be able to do alright next season. Beyond that I would absolutely love to win a championship, it does not really matter whether that is a Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championship. We will be working very closely with a number of different technical partners during the off-season to bring our car to a new level. A few of these partners will be new to us, but I believe that if we start working with them now, it will be beneficial to us in the future.
Dan Paddock: I’d like for us to seriously challenge TSS and Aston Martin again. However, I think we need to first get Jack comfortable at the team. Once he is settled in then we will see how it goes. I still seriously believe that Charrel has what it takes to be a champion, so I don’t see why he can’t make an attempt on the title next season. On a realistic level though, our main aim is to once again finish in the top 3 in the Constructors’ Championship to cement ourselves back at the top of the field.
Mal Stoddart: Keeping my current drivers would be good, losing Dean Kittleson who was a great talent was a bit of a blow, and having new drivers that are a bit of an unknown makes it hard to get the full potential out of the cars. However I do think we should improve our standing in Season 8. Oh, and better security at headquarters, perhaps we'll rent a dog or something.
Matteo Scalla: For Season 8 I'm focusing on improving my driving abilities and Scuderia Minardi is a team where I think I can reach my goal. I would love to return to racing one day.
Ricardo van Smirren: Our hopes are to improve and end up in the top 4 of the Constructors’ Championship. We need to really up our game in order to not be a midfield-contender forever. Luckily we've managed to keep both drivers for Season 8 and that makes me pretty confident.
Chris Copeman: I would hope that we could continue our outstanding progress. I think we need to build on this year and try to get that first race win. If you look at the teams above us in the championship the one thing that they all have in common is a race win. I think/hope that once we break that duck we will be able to push on to even greater things. I definitely believe that I have the drivers to do it…lord knows they’ve come close enough this season!
Maikel de Boer: So far every season we have been able to improve on our last. In Season 7 we scored our first pole and a number of podium finishes, for Season 8 we would like to finish 7th or higher in the WCC and hope to score our first win in GPGSL!
Nathan McGregor: We have some very good drivers on board for Season 8. The 2 experienced heads of Chris [Hinz] and Adam [Davies] will be a great thing for this team. They are both very experienced drivers in the GPGSL and will go a long way in helping us with the development race during the season.
Our new recruit to the testing seat Gianluigi Silvestre is a very exciting prospect indeed and I can’t wait to let him lose in our new car in Melbourne. As for me, well I'm not getting any younger, but I'm definitely not going anywhere either
Finally, what is your favourite livery of the season?
Stuart Ingers: Team Shadow Subaru, always the best looking car on the grid every season.
Tom Pellatt: Tough question! This is the last season where we'll have our traditional blue and yellow colours. It's a paint scheme that has remained with me for so many years now that, I have to say, is my favourite as it means so much to me.
Stefan van Renselaar: I like both the Aston Martin and TNR cars a lot, both designs are nice and clean and don’t have colours in them that don’t seem to belong there. But I do have to say that I also very much like our, the Snake and MPR cars.
Dan Paddock: I actually love our livery. I think Snake Motorsports did an amazing job re-imagining our classic look onto their new chassis. We never did quite look right in red. I probably should have taken note of what happened to Williams when they did the same. Still, there are some other great liveries on the grid. I particularly like the TNR and the SMS. I think it is important to keep an element of continuity with each new livery if you want to develop a team image, and both of these teams have done that. I also really like the MAC Racing livery. I hope we see something similar for the new season.
Mal Stoddart: That would have to be SCR's of course. Then there's that rather odd pink one that usually appears at the start of the season, perhaps we'll get to see it again at the start of Season 8.
Matteo Scalla: Mine of course. Our best livery for our worst season, funny, isn’t it?
Ricardo van Smirren: Well I must say, we had a season with a lot of beautiful cars. I actually liked almost all of them. The Christel is a beauty as is the Team Shadow car. But for me the MPR Lancia, which reminds me of the good old Lancia-Delta, is a stunning car. I hope that Paddock continues to keep his deal with Martini for next season.
Chris Copeman: I really like the AMR for its sheer beauty and simplicity. It’s definitely true that the beautiful cars are usually the fastest. I am also a fan of the Scala livery as well. I think that yellow and blue just work so well together.
Maikel de Boer: Never an easy question this, as all the cars look very good! My top 3 would be MPR, TNR and SMS (Yes I know my own team! Can't help it looks fine!). Well let's make a call here then, I go with the Martini Paddock Racing car! Repainted this season by Snake Motorsports paint division and based on the amazing paintjob that Monil Santilal has created before!
Nathan McGregor: I'm probably a little bias when I say this but I think our livery was the best on the grid this season. Simplicity is always the best way to go when trying to design a dynamic livery. The colour was also a very important part as well. It was the perfect shade of blue because it was eye catching and our fans could always easily tell where we were on the track but it was also to help with the branding of the team as we have factory backing from Ford.
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
great stuff 
used to be GPGSL's Nick Heidfeld
used to be GPGSL's Nick Heidfeld
IN the words of the great Alan Partrifdge "Lovely Stuff"
GPGSL - Christel VXR team Boss S6-S8, S12 Onwards
GPGSL - Christel VXR team Boss S6-S8, S12 Onwards
Loving the Q&A
Thanks for all the effort put in!
Thanks for all the effort put in!
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