It seems that much of the news that would interest Canadian racing fans these past few weeks has been centred on two young talents in particular - aspiring F1 driver Robert Wickens of Guelph and Toronto and IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe of Oakville.
I suggest today that both will be in the news again before long.
It’s understandable that the focus has been on Wickens. Last week, he was presented with the British Racing Drivers Club’s Bruce McLaren Award in recognition of his championship success this season in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series (a.k.a. the World Series by Renault).
Wickens, 22, who was a reserve driver in Formula One this year for Marussia Virgin Racing, was presented with the trophy, awarded annually to honour the best performance of the year by a non-British driver from the Commonwealth, by motorsport legend Stirling Moss.
Previous recipients of the award, named after the late Bruce McLaren – founder of the McLaren Formula One team – include Mark Webber, Scott Dixon and Will Power.
"I’m tremendously honoured to have won this award," said Wickens. "It’s been a fantastic season for me winning the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and making my debut in Formula One being a reserve driver for Marussia Virgin Racing.
"The award also gave me an opportunity to publicly thank the people who have supported my career over the past couple of years, including Marussia Motors owners Andrey Cheglakov and Nikolai Fomenko, the Marussia Virgin Racing team, my F-3.5 team in 2011, Carlin, and Teddy Yip and his co-owners at Status Grand Prix, with whom I enjoyed success in the GP3 Series last year (2010, when he placed second in that series)."
Wickens will spend the holidays at home with his parents and, according to his spokesman, looks forward to finalizing some "exciting plans" for 2012.
Hinchcliffe, meantime, appears to be on the cusp of landing a top ride in the IZOD IndyCar Series for 2012. Until it’s official, however, it’s best to keep speculation to a minimum.
So a look back at 2011, when he made his Indy 500 debut and captured the series’ top rookie award, is in order because, once the announcement about next year is made, which could be any day now, there will be no looking back.
The following, by the way, is complements of his Canadian spokesman, Stuart Morrison:
Q: You received the news about Newman/Haas Racing closing its IndyCar team just as you were getting ready to fly to England. What was your immediate reaction?
James Hinchcliffe (JH): "Immediate reaction was shock, for sure. I obviously was somewhat aware of the fact that the team had recently received some bad news about potential sponsors, but it’s Newman/Haas. You just sort of always assume that they will find a way to make it work. The cars had been ordered and the engineers were into their preparation. So for sure it was a shock."
Q: You ultimately claimed Newman/Haas Racing’s final title in IndyCar competition, winning this season’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ mantle. How much pride do you take in that accomplishment?
JH: "It meant a huge amount to me before, but it probably means even more now. To do that having missed the first race and coming back from a huge deficit after Indy was a tremendous accomplishment for the team. Now, knowing that it will be their last title – and this team has won a lot of them – makes it a little extra special. I am just so grateful for the opportunity that (Toronto-based sponsor) Sprott and Newman/Haas gave me this year to be in IndyCar and to give me the tools needed to accomplish that. That was our goal from the outset and it’s a big point of pride that we pulled it off."
Q: How does the news affect your plans for the 2012 season?
JH: "Well after a season like the one we had, there was certainly some interest from around the paddock. It was a very flattering thing, really. For sure, initially continuing with Newman/Haas was the likely option, but it was only one option. There were others and now with that one off the table, we will begin to explore some of the others."
Q: Sunday night (Dec. 4) saw you attend the prestigious Autosport Awards in London, England, for the first time in your career. Was it as good as you hoped having been nominated in the category of ‘Rookie of the Year’?
JH: "Absolutely! That event is something that I have read about for years and I have heard tons of stories from people who have been about what a great night it is. The nomination alone was, again, a very flattering thing and something that I was very proud of. We were in some pretty good company and it’s nice when people you respect in the sport recognize something you’ve done. I had an absolute blast, it was a riot of an evening – I got to meet some people, catch up with some people – just a great night."
Q: What was the highlight of the night for you and did you get a chance to catch up with anyone else from the IndyCar community attending?
JH: "Honestly the whole night was a highlight! There is such a feeling of camaraderie in the room and everyone is there to have a good time. The back-and-forth going on up on stage was hilarious! I did get to catch up with Dario. His table was bread-throwing distance from mine, so you had to have your guard up at all times!"
Q: Your schedule then took you to Milton Keynes for the Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race (in which Wickens also participated). The entry list read like a who’s who of the world of motorsport! How much fun was it?
JH: "The Kart race was awesome! Huge credit to Johnny Mowlem for organizing it, because it turned out better than anyone thought and was such a blast. It was freezing cold and the track was so slick, but everyone was there to have fun, no one took it too seriously. It really is exactly the kind of event Dan would have loved. It was truly an honour to be a part of it and to bang wheels with some great drivers in a completely stress free environment!"
Q: You’re wrapping up a busy few days by flying to Brazil for the Granja Viana 500 kart race – how did that opportunity come about?
JH: "Yeah, I don’t exactly know what people mean by off-season! It’s been pretty flat out since the season ended. The offer to do Granja came from (Indy Lights driver) Victor Carbone, who has an associating with one of the teams. He hadn’t even finished asking the question and I told him that I would go because, again, this is one of those events that I have read about for years, looked like a ton of fun, and I have always wanted to take part in.
"I really have just been so fortunate the last little while to get these opportunities. So I’m looking forward to getting down there, getting back into a more serious kart race for the first time in a while and on top of that, a few days in Brazil is a nice break from surviving December weather back home!"
"I really have just been so fortunate the last little while to get these opportunities. So I’m looking forward to getting down there, getting back into a more serious kart race for the first time in a while and on top of that, a few days in Brazil is a nice break from surviving December weather back home!"
First congralutaions for the winning Bruce McLaren award. The main reason for winning Bruce McLaren award because of hard work and 100% dedication given by you.Obviously it is great success for you. Park Model RV
Posted by: Park Model RV | 12/12/2011 at 06:46 AM
Wickens is my favorite racer. He is my mentor I never thought he won Bruce McLaren award last year. Thanks for posting this.
Posted by: karting west midlands | 07/20/2012 at 09:10 PM