‘And so, like that old Guinness advert, we wait – and put entries into diaries’

It’s the worst, no? That bit after Christmas and New Year but months before the respite of spring – just awful.

True, the pleasures of January and February in the UK are not obvious. It’s easy to wonder why, with shots of balmy LA afternoons all over our Instagram feeds, we all haven’t sold up, loaded the few things we couldn’t live without onto a boat and started new lives under the unfailing California sun. Those canyon roads! A quick surf before work! The kind of long-lead, considered tan that takes years off you! Wonderful.

But California offers no light and shade. (Figuratively speaking – in terms of actual light and shade it’s a paradise; just ask any of CAR’s freelance photographers.) When every day’s warm, dry and sunny, the wonder of a warm, dry and sunny day is diminished.

So, like that old Guinness advert, we wait – and put furtive entries into diaries. And count down the days until winter’s grip is released, the roads cease to be long skid-pans between frozen verges and things actually start happening again.

First into my 2020 diary is the launch of the revised Jaguar F-Type, as detailed in the last issue (CAR, January 2020). A day or two in a new sports car, in southern Europe, in January? A pretty exciting prospect, and that’s before you consider just how good a new, prettier F-Type with a (sorely needed) new interior could be.

Just a few weeks later, the Formula 1 season gets underway. And while an invitation to Melbourne has yet to appear, just soaking up every moment of every session at home will be magical after these empty months. 2019 was a fine season of stunning rookie performances, engrossing intra-team turmoil at Ferrari and some of Lewis Hamilton’s finest drives. Before the all-change of 2021, 2020 promises more of the same.

Then, come May, it’s Mugello, and a trip with two friends to what could be Valentino Rossi’s last Italian MotoGP. To say I’m excited about this one would be an understatement. My riding’s lacked any kind of ambition in recent years. A 2000-mile round trip on a sports bike capable of carrying nothing but me and a rucksack will put that right, as will another chance to ride the fabulous Route Napoleon and a second visit to one of the world’s finest racetracks, one I last rode to (and – terrifyingly – around) in 2004.

Just a few weeks after Mugello comes Le Mans, for the 24 Hour (not the 24 Hour, with the new hypercars – that’s Le Mans 2021). But as important as these motorsport dates will be the cars I’m desperate to drive this year. High on that list are Audi’s Taycan-derived e-Tron GT (the best looking Audi since, er, the new RS6), the new RS6, Land Rover’s new Defender (Gavin Green will drive it for CAR long before I do, which is only right and proper) Peugeot’s 208, the new Mini GP, VW’s ID3 and, last but not least, two cars that promise to knock the LaFerrari from the top of my all-time top 10. One’s a Ferrari and a hybrid, albeit a V8 – the SF90. And the other’s an Aston, the long-awaited V12 Valkyrie. If that thing can’t make 2020 a year to remember, I’m off to California.

Enjoy the issue.