26th October 1997.. Round 16 - Estoril, Portugal.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

SHAUGHNESSY'S STORMING VICTORY AT ESTORIL

The final race of 1997 came and gone, and the Bacardi Ferrari driver James Shaughnessy's finale was a fine example of how to win in style. Oh yes. He said, "RAAAS, it was a cool race this one! I had my moments which all involved backmarkers [a particularly hairy one with Damon Hill pictured], but other than that I did good, yes indeed, lapping everyone except Villeneuve, who was so far behind he was just 8 seconds in front of me at the line! I'm hoping for a good GP2 League result with this effort -- a 38 point 1st would be nice." Mmmm, maybe next year... 
Watch this space for more league action next year, when the Bacardi Ferrari team hope to sign up a long term second driver -- email me if you're interested. Laters!
 
12th October 1997.. Round 15 - Suzuka, Japan.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

CLEAR WIN DESPITE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM

There was some good fortune here. Having decided for a two stop strategy to avoid risks of worn tyres a good lead was built up by Shaughnessy who started on pole. Disaster struck on lap 17 when an electrical problem locked the car in fifth, but fortunately this was a scheduled stop and the car made it to the pits without losing too much time. Coming out in second place and catching lap by lap the lead was regained when Villeneuve made his only stop midway, and was never given back. James told us, "I couldn't believe it when the dash went dead and I couldn't change gear. Lots of 'COME ON YA BASTARD's prevented it from killing the engine for that 'in' lap. The mechanics amazingly fixed the fault in the eight seconds it took to change the tyres and refuel." Wow!
The season comes to an end sadly for the final Grand Prix is upon us in two weeks, which will be at Estoril, Portugal. Let's go out with a bang and not with a whimper!
 
28th September 1997.. Round 14 - T1 Circuit Aida.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

SHAUGHNESSY FIGHTS TO THE END

There were problems from the start here as the team couldn't come up with that illusive setup. Third on the grid was acceptable as a ninja start saw James take an early lead. Disaster struck while passing a backmarker where front wing damage was sustained soon after a scheduled stop, and later on a huge right-front tyre blowout almost put Shaughnessy out of the race. "I just managed to get it back to pits with the puncture, amazingly, and got back out to eventually finish fifth, which I'm pretty happy with, considering the two extra pit-stops (four in total) and the general problems of the weekend." Let's hope the Bacardi Ferrari team avoid any more reliability problems for the last two races, and score maximum points to boost the overall Ace Class position of 24th.
Next up is the penultimate Grand Prix of the season, at Suzuka in Japan.
 
7th September 1997.. Round 13 - Monza, Italy.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

THE TIFOSI SEE FERRARI V12 WIN

The fanatical tifosi may not have seen a pure Ferrari win but were merry enough to see a classic Ferrari V12 take the flag after just over one hour 16 minutes. A comforable pole for James Shaughnessy and a good start allowed him to pull away from the field. Fairly consistent lapping and no dramatic moments took him all the way to end never losing the lead. "I made a strategy error -- I should have done just one stop as the tyres were fine even at the end of their stints, and a heavy fuel load isn't too degrading to lap times. I got into really nice rhythm here, I just love the sequence of bends at Monza, and the fans of more traditional Ferraris were behind me all the way."
A break for the Austrian GP on the 21st of Sept, then just a week to the next at T1 Circuit Aida, for the Pacific GP (officially Nurburgring but whos complaining?)..
 
24th August 1997.. Round 12 - Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

BACARDI FERRARI DOMINATE IN BELGIUM

This if definitely one of the finest circuits. Although little testing was done, a good working setup was soon found easily allowing James Shaughnessy to put the number one Bacardi Ferrari on pole position. The race was "well enjoyable and that," it seems. "I love driving around this circuit, mostly lapping consistently in the mid 1:56's except when passing those mobile cicanes that don't get out the way. I lapped everyone except Alesi, who was over one and half minutes behind me at the flag! OH YEAH, DAMN I'M SMOOTH!" Er, yes indeed. He might not win a modesty contest but he drove pretty well here.
Next up is the Italian Grand Prix, where the Tifosi will be out in droves. Get it? Ok, v.poor Reeves...
 
10th August 1997.. Round 11 - Hungaroring, Hungary.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

SHAUGHNESSY PAYS PRICE OF COMPLACENCY

Testing didn't happen, hardly any practice, and no idea what setup to use made for an abismal weekend. James said, "A reasonable second-row start is not enough when you know you're almost three seconds a lap behind the pace-setters, and you're not prepared for the race. Even if I finished I would've been something like three laps down at the end, and knowing this I just couldn't find the spirit to concentrate and find a good rhythm -- which I find difficult at this track anyway. In a lesser car I'd be happy fighting in the midfield but in the Bacardi Ferrari I should be running at the top. My fault I guess for being complacent about the opposition. I'll lap everyone in Belgium, oh yes!"
A fornight to the Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, where I hope to have our photographer back in action...
 
27th July 1997.. Round 10 - Hockenheim, Germany.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

BACARDI FERRARI DOUBLE BLOW

The weekend started off very well for Shaughnessy, with good practice times and a qualifying time 1.3 seconds clear of second man Schumacher. "I know I could've gone at least a second better than that with the setup, but I'm pretty content with the time I got relative to the others," James said after Saturday's qualifying. "The race setup is very similar, just ride height and packers are changed to avoid excessive plank wear. I intend to lead for the whole race tomorrow." Fate was to take over however, as Hockenheim was to prove too demanding on the Ferrari V12 engine -- both Bacardi Ferraris were to retire, Shaughnessy's as early as lap eight. "I'm very dissapointed as I know I could've won this race, lapping consistently in the low 1:47's was stretching me a nice lead until BANG! went the Black Horse. I tried to nurse it back to the pits but it happened too near the beginning of the lap. It's always the way when you get a car problem, but "c'est la prix" I guess you could say."
A fornight to the Hungarian Grand Prix, at the Hungaroring, just north of Budapest.
 
13th July 1997.. Round 9 - Silverstone, Great Britain.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

SHAUGHNESSY SETTLES FOR SECOND AT HOME GP

The grid position of 9th was a big disappointment as James said he just couldn't put together a single good lap, but thought that the setup was more than satisfactory. A catapult start and some high-level ninja manoeuvres put him right up into second by the first bend, but Villeneuve just pulled away lap after lap. Front wing damage around lap 16 meant an early stop, and a couple of 'offs' in the middle stint meant pure time lost, but still maintaining second place. Inconsistant lapping, a gravel excursion and two spins safely put a win out of the question, but amazingly he kept it in 2nd right until the end, some 49 seconds behind race winner Jacques Villeneuve.
Two weeks to the German Grand Prix, at Hockenheim.
 
29th June 1997.. Round 8 - Magny-Cours, France.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

SHAUGHNESSY SPINS OUT SPECTACULARLY IN FRANCE

The car has always felt nervous at Magny-Cours Shaughnessy says, and this race was to be no exception. Qualifying went extremely well, and although he couldn't match his practice times, his time of 1:15.560 was enough to put him on pole. "I couldn't decide on a race setup and in the end went for wings of 13:2, which I thought went OK, until lap 13 that is..." James said. "The car felt to be well compromised for the back-straight, Imola and Lycee Bend but I made a stupid mistake on turn-in to the Imola complex, while leading the race, and span across the track into the tyres. I lost control at about 185mph and I seemed to spend a lot of time in the air, but fortunately only hit the tyre-wall around 50mph. The front-left wheel was ripped off so there was no chance of getting to the pits. I'm pretty annoyed it happened, as I've never won a race here and this time I felt confident I could do it." This mistake cost him his seventh win in eight races, and will knock him off his overall championship position of 18th in Ace Class. He added, "I won't crash again, oh no." Time will tell.
Two weeks and it's the British Grand Prix, here at Silverstone.
 
15th June 1997.. Round 7 - Montreal, Canada.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

BACARDI FERRARI REIGN IN MONTREAL

The Canadian Grand Prix was not without drama. Pole position was thwarted by some scrappy laps from Shaughnessy who let Villeneuve through on lap two. He soon got his arse in gear and managed to find some sort of rhythm, passing him on lap 11. Little testing or practice saw a poor race setup causing illegal plank wear by lap 40, but despite this 10mph deficit on the start/finish straight he managed to build up a fair lead, not giving it up on either of the two pitstops, and took the win by a 43 second margin. "Some big moments as always," Shaughnessy said, "but none too severe. I should have done a lot better time-wise, maybe if I can get to lap the second place geyser I can pretend I'm actually racing someone for a change, instead of passing mobile chicanes. A Super-League might be a good idea but I think It'd probably be better left until next season."
The bosses of team Bacardi Ferrari V12 are puzzled as to the whereabouts of their second driver, Francisco Nico. He scored a solid 27 points for the team at Monaco, but this was diluted by two scoreless DNSs, so if another interested driver comes along he might find he comes back to a filled seat... Two weeks to the French Grand Prix, at Magny-Cours. Mais Oui!
 
25th May 1997.. Round 6 - Barcelona, Spain.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

SHAUGHNESSY TAKES WIN IN SPANISH SUN

Testing of an intense nature secured pole position and what was predicted to be a comfortable race. The lead was never taken from James Shaughnessy who, after a two-stop strategy, and a number of moments that showed how it doesn't pay to be complacent until the chequered flag has been passed, won by a clear 45 seconds which stood between him and second place man Jacques Villeneuve. "I pushed as hard as I could, and like the bloke that was on Gladiators I gave it ten thousand million per-cent all the way," said Shaughnessy. "The tyres started to fade badly towards the end of their stints, as I treated every lap like I was on a flyer. This proved near-fatal a couple of times in a "ooooooo, feck" type way (a big moment at Wurth on lap 25 pictured above), especially while passing backmarkers, which I think was everyone upto fourth place." It sure was, but with the onset of some new rule changes enforced by the RIA for the rest of the season, domination in future races may not be so pre-written. James added, "I am pleased to have won, of course I am, but you see losing is not an option." A journalist reminded him of his second place at Interlargos. Without hesitation he blurted, "stick your tape-recorder up your arse." News of Nico's race soon as and when it happens... News of Nico's race soon as and when it happens... blah blah filling space etc... Watch this space
Three weeks away is the next Grand Prix, which comes from Canada, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
 
11th May 1997.. Round 5 - Monaco, Monte-Carlo.. The latest news straight from the paddock..

BACARDI FERRARI DOUBLE WIN AT MONACO

The Ace class Monaco GP saw more incidents than the incident room at the Crimewatch studio. Pure incidents. Bumps, knocks, spins, the LOT. To top off this 'mare of a race, what was initially an intended two-stop strategy, there was some very high-level fuel consumption going on. "After a major change of strategy mid-race to a three-stopper, ten laps of which were with a damaged front wing, I still managed to run out of gas just near the end, forcing a splash 'n' dash on lap 77," said Shaughnessy. "The jackarse mechanics don't quite know what this means and insisted on changing the tyres aswell." He was fortunate that Villeneuve's transmission packed in on lap 70, and Schumacher was a fair way behind, and eventually completed lap 78 to win by just over 14 seconds. There are some hairy moments saved, if you're interested email him. "There's one lap where I get tangled with Villeneuve and I manage a reverse-and-spin recovery manoeuvre (pictured), which used plenty of pté-tchewé, oh yes." Francisco Nico's Pro race wasn't without drama either. After only six laps the plank worn down to an illegal 1mm, causing an approximate 16km/h top-speed penalty for the rest of the race. In addition, two laps after his first pitstop on lap 28 he suffered an electrical fault which forced him to nurse the car back into the pits, which amazingly the mechanics fixed. Rumours say it was due to interference from Nico's car stereo, and all they did was turn the tape over. Nice. The lead was regained from Villeneuve eight laps after the stop, and a comfortable lead was built up thereafter. Back-marker trouble damaged the front wing on the last lap, but dispite this he drove the second Bacardi Ferrari to it's second victory of the day. The team is said to be well chuffed with its success at the Principality, especially from their new driver, who incidentally didn't find the need to call them 'jackarses'...
Recent testing on strategy and setup has shown great promise in eliminating the fuel problem Shaughnessy had here in Monaco. "I hope this proves to be a secret weapon against others who use the on-or-off throttle." Anyways, two weeks and it's viva Espania!
 
27th April 1997.. Round 4 - Imola, San Marino.. The latest news straight from the paddock.. By James Shaughnessy..

ACE WIN FOR SHAUGHNESSY AT IMOLA

This is one of my favourite circuits, if not the favourite. I was so sure about success here that I felt I had to get out of semi-pro and go straight into the big-league, ACE level. Mmmmm, 100% race distance. Tyre wear didn't seem to be a problem but without the use of throttle help you've really got to watch that wheelspin, for the sake of the tyres more than the basic time loss. A couple of very hairy moments were had while overtaking backmarkers on Tamburello and the run up to Rivazza, luckily not ending in tragedy (other keyboarders will no doubt be well aware of the spin and lose style wipeout manoeuvres the computer often puts you in while overtaking off the normal racing line). These were minor in terms of loss of time, and I was pretty consistent with the lap times, making few technical errors. Pole position gave me an early lead up to the first of a two-stop (31%/64%) strategy. Then, coming out of the second stop I was in second place behind Schumacher, who I managed to pass on lap 49 (email me if you wanna see race laps). I crossed the line just over ten seconds ahead of Schuey to take the chequered flag. I believe I used the word, "WAHOO!"
The Bacardi Ferrari V12 team have just signed up a new talent from Portugal, Francisco Nico, for their number two seat. Let's hope we can start challenging for the constructors title! It's over to Monte-Carlo in a fortnight for the Monaco Grand Prix, so it's time for some Blackjack practice and to iron the white tux...
 
13th April 1997.. Round 3 - Jerez, Spain.. The latest news straight from the paddock.. By James Shaughnessy..

SECOND VICTORY FOR BACARDI FERRARI

This was a seriously exciting race. It is my first official race without the aid of throttle help so I had to be extra careful. I use the keyboard and used to leave no F7 to just qualifying and the fast races like Hockenheim or Monza, but recently decided help is for wimps. It makes for some tense racing I can tell you -- I think my 'A' key is going to bugger up pretty soon. That's if I can keep the tyre-wear under control... Tap-tap-tap-tap-feather-tap-OOOOOO!-tap-tap. And that's just the straights.
OK, the race. Just before the pitstop on lap 17 having maintained the lead a minor error took me onto the gravel at Curva Ayrton Senna letting Villeneuve and Schumacher through. Laps 20 and 21 saw them both overtaken and I spent the rest of the race watching them battle it out for second in my mirrors. I managed to survive until the end despite bad tyre degradation and won by just over half a second from Villeneuve. Roll on Imola!
How come all these articles all begin with 'T'? Spooky.
 
30th March 1997.. Round 2 - Interlargos, Brazil.. The latest news straight from the paddock.. By James Shaughnessy..

JACQUES VILLENEUVE TAKES WIN IN BRAZIL

Testing saw great improvements on the car setup prior to the race, allowing me to put the car on pole position. A minor mistake early on in the race allowed Villeneuve through, but soon after the lead was regained the only way I know how - with style, panache, and some pté-tchewé. Having led, a timely late pit-stop rendered me fourth, leaving me with a big fight on my hands. Managing to creep up to second place after a couple of tough battles, I set my sight on the race leader. The Ferrari seemed pretty evenly matched to the Williams of Jacques, who fended off any serious attack to win the race by 7.111s. See youz all at Jerez in a couple of weekz!
Extra funding has been obtained from main sponsor Bacardi, and Demon Tweeks, the motorsport parts and accessories specialists. Just waiting for delivery of the stickers.
 
9th March 1997.. Round 1 - Adelaide, Australia.. The latest news straight from the paddock.. By James Shaughnessy..

BACARDI FERRARI - THE WINNING COMBINATION

The weekend at Adelaide went swimmingly with pole position and a race win. Marred only by a couple of offs, luckily not proving detrimental to my final position (due to their 'spin and win' type style), and the failure to get the fastest lap. This is one of my favourite circuits so future races may not be so easy. Looking at the provisional results for Australia it seems unlikely I'll see any wins in the global championship as there are some speedy drivers out there. But looking at them carefully it seems a lot of people 'had a difference of opinion' (as they used to say on 'Winner Takes All') as regards the race length. Either that are there are some really SHITE drivers out there too.
Recent testing in a '94 Simtek Ford at Magny-Cours in France shows the car to be a little 'tetchy' - seen here drifting through Imola Bend. It hasn't proved to be a particularly favourable track for me as my last three seasons all revealed poor qualifying times and race DNF's (see these timesheets for more details). It looks like some hardcore you know the score testing is required for that one. An ongoing unofficial semi-pro season in the Simtek shows the Ford engine be very unreliable with two blowouts so far, the latest one here in Britain.
The next race is at Interlargos, which is another circuit that needs work on the car setup to see my first victory there. Excellent sentence that one. See you all in Brazil!

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