PUTTING THE 2023 PLANS IN PLACE
The news that Mattia Binotto has stepped down from his role as Ferrari’s team principal was hardly a shock. The Italian team echoed some of its 1970s and 1980s form this year when it started with a solid package and then went backwards. It, effectively, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Whoever the new incumbent turns out to be, they will have the spotlight firmly placed upon them. The need to triumph at Ferrari is always turned up to maximum, and any failures are analysed, criticised and flagged up by the success-hungry domestic media.
It is a big job, and one where there is no room for failure. Good luck to whoever is brave enough to take on that role.
There are some choppy waters facing several national rally championships at the moment too: for six of the major series in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – including the British Asphalt and the British Historic Rally Championships – as you can read on page nine. The series were put out to tender and the domestic governing body, Motorsport UK, has yet to finalise agreements with promoters. This might not sound like too much of a problem, but the new season is only just over a couple of months away and planning, let alone funding, these competitions, is not something that can be put in place in a matter of weeks. It really is reaching crisis point and there needs to be a resolution found pretty quickly. Our fingers are crossed.
Graham Keilloh talks to prime national racing organiser, the British Racing and Sports Car Club, in his feature on page 22. We find out that the prospects are looking good for one of the busiest organisations on the club racing landscape and it is already looking ahead and planning initiatives for 2023.
We speak to three-time British Touring Car title-winner Ash Sutton, who reflects on a season where a switch to the Napa UK-backed Motorbase Performance team brought him to the cusp of the BTCC crown. He and the boffins at HQ are raring to go for their 2023 attack.
The man in the readers’ Q&A spotlight is Gary Ayles. The rising single-seater star of the late-1980s went on to forge a successful tin-top career with a three-year stint as a factory Peugeot driver in Italy and he tackled Le Mans on three occasions. He then moved into team ownership in the British Touring Car Championship too, and he has a refreshingly honest outlook on his career. The interview starts on page 16.