Sunday Mornings
In the racing world, there’s nothing odd about dragging yourself out of bed on a Sunday to watch a motor race, but doing so to cover two motor sport events does raise a quizzical eyebrow – especially when one’s happening in your own country.
I had but ten minutes to watch the opening laps of the Bathurst 12 Hr before splitting - what was available in - my brain to catch the Bueno Aires ePrix. Don’t get me wrong, getting the business-end done before breakfast allowed us to edit the mag you’re reading now, but I do wonder if Formula E wouldn’t be better served running highlights packages later in the day, especially when your races are five weeks apart – momentum isn’t on your side.
That said, it was great to see DS Virgin’s twin-motor finally bring home the chocolates when popular opinion said the concept would never work – a bit like the 1983 America’s Cup final! It was equally enjoyable to watch Kiwi, Shane van Gisbergen win Bathurst in an orange-liveried McLaren. Not just for the New Zealand connection, but because Shane is a true racer – the kind that doesn’t have an off switch. Bruce McLaren would’ve been proud.
We’ve been following the progress of the DeltaWing in this mag for a while now and while we weren’t surprised to see its turn of speed at Daytona given its development, even we didn’t expect to see it leading twice before fate dealt it a crushing blow. It will however be back and we can’t wait to see it fulfil its full potential – something the GT-R LM NISMO should remember when loading up their low-priced projectiles.
Trent Price, eRacing editor @realtrentprice