Motorsport News 18/03/21

For a whole generation, Murray Walker was motorsport. His voice was so intrinsically linked with the early memories of competition. He was our eyes, ears and sound at so many grands prix. Growing up with a father who was a top level motorcycle racer, petrol was flowing through his veins from an early age. He joined his father in the commentary box at the Isle of Man TT and at the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb. A star was born. Behind the microphone, Walker was a voice for all fans. TV presenter Clive James, the astute observer of Formula 1 and a real enthusiast, said that Murray commentated like his trousers were on fire. It was that passion and enthusiasm which caused the odd slip-up, but that just added to the style he adopted. The…

December 18, 1995, is one of those days that BBC Sport will never forget. The hardcore of the BBC Formula 1 team were marooned in a departure lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 waiting for a delayed flight to Lisbon.At 0800hrs the next morning we had our last and only chance to interview Michael Schumacher for an in-depth documentary that would go out immediately after Christmas. The pressure was on. Nevertheless, the news that came up on Ceefax still managed to get our full attention. “BBC LOSES FORMULA1 TO ITV. …1996 WILL BE LAST YEAR OF FORMULAONE ON THE BBC” screamed the headline. The shock of the news and the implications of this completely unexpected deal would dominate the next 12 hours. Much delayed, we made the trip to Lisbon and duly got…

“Sad loss of dear Murray a special friend to our family. Many fantastic memories that we will cherish forever.” @nigelmansell Nigel Mansell, 1992 F1 champion “I had the honour to meet Murray on a few occasions and what a man he was. Loved bikes and I was always amazed at how much he knew about them and what was going on in the sport. So privileged to have had those chats and his time. RIP Murray Walker” @calcrutchlow Cal Crutchlow, MotoGP and Superbike rider “It’s with great sadness we share the news of the passing of BRDC Associate Member Murray Walker OBE. A friend, a true motorsport legend, the nation’s favourite commentator and a contagious smile. We thank Murray for all he has done for our community. RIP our friend.” @BRDCSilverstone “Today we say farewell to…

Max Verstappen has played down the pace of the Red Bull RB16B after topping the only pre-season Formula 1 group test in Bahrain last week. The Dutchman clocked the fastest time during the three-day session in the Middle East, setting the benchmark time on the final afternoon of running. His Honda-powered car was just clear of the AlphaTauri of Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda. Carlos Sainz was third for Ferrari ahead of the Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen. World champion Lewis Hamilton spun on his second day of running in the W12 on Saturday, which brought out a red flag. He bounced back on Sunday with the fifth-fastest time. Verstappen, who was third in last season’s World championship, said that the RB16B is more stable than the 2020 model. He told Dutch TV: “The feeling after the…

British Touring Car Championship title-chaser Tom Ingram got his first miles in his new Excelr8 Trade Price Cars Racing Hyundai i30 during testing at Snetterton last week and says the machine “fits like a glove”. Ingram has switched from a Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla to the South Korean machine for the 2021 season and his initial running was conducted in mixed conditions over two days in Norfolk. Despite the slippery track, the 27-year-old reported that he was thrilled with the front-wheel-drive coupe. Ingram said: “The main objective was to make sure everything was working as expected, and we treated the test a little bit like a shakedown, putting into action a lot of our new development parts for 2021. We were running the 2020-spec car because mine is still in-build at the…

Race-winner Daniel Lloyd will rejoin the Britsh Touring Car Championship in 2021 at the wheel of a Power Maxed Racing Vaxuhall Astra. The Yorkshire racer last contested the BTCC when he took part in the second half of the 2018 campaign, and he was a race winner with the BTC team in an FK2 Honda Civic Type R. During that same season, Lloyd claimed victory in the first TCR UK competition at the wheel of a WestCoast Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI. This year will represent the 29-year-old’s first full season in the BTCC, despite having first taken to the grid in 2010. He will line up alongside Jason Plato for the Power Maxed team, which only made sporadic appearance in the BTCC in 2020 after due to the coronavirus situation shelving its…