The NEC in Birmingham hosted the annual motorsport
exhibition, Autosport International from 10 – 13 January 2013.
I went on Saturday, 12 January, the 10th
successive year I have been to the event that often is seen as the official
start of the motorsport season.
Last year’s exhibition was the best in the proud history of
the show. 12 months on, it was going to
be difficult to beat this.
Ultimately there were many cars for the public to see, and
some top motorsport stars, but the lack of general content was noticeable to
see.
Stewart leads the star guests
Leading the star guests at Autosport in 2013 was three-time
world Formula One champion Sir Jackie Stewart.
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| The SF1 from 1997 was in attendance - beginning the team now known today as Red Bull |
Stewart gave several interviews throughout the weekend, and
was also around to promote his own collection of great racing cars. Features included his three F1 world
championship winning machines from 1969, 1971 and 1973, as well as the SF1 –
Stewart Grand Prix’s first car in Formula One in 1997, which metamorphosed into
Jaguar and lastly, the hugely successful Red Bull venture.
Scotland’s Paul di Resta also made an appearance for the
second successive year. Di Resta had a
tough second season in F1 last year, but is ready to improve on his results
with Force India, and seemed in good spirits.
He was the only Grand Prix driver to turn up in 2013.
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| Jake Humphrey was a big attraction, as he prepares for a new career |
Outgoing BBC F1 anchor Jake Humphrey was also around,
sharing F1 Racing Grid interview duties with Sky Sports F1 HD commentator David
Croft. Humphrey admitted that he found
the 2012 season frustrating to watch, especially as the Beeb don’t have the
live central contract anymore, and was surprised to hear that Lee McKenzie was
overlooked for the presenter gig in 2013.
Jake’s replacement will be the unattractive Suzi Perry – who used to
front MotoGP for the channel, but not since 2009.
Johnny Herbert and Anthony Davidson were also guests of
honour, representing Sky as it continues to go from strength and strength. There were also appearances from World
Touring Car champion Rob Huff, DTM racer Andy Prialux, reigning BTCC champion
Gordon Shedden and TV presenter Steve Rider.
Racing Grid lives upto expectations
The F1 Racing Grid, which has been a real letdown in recent years was a major plus point this year. There were lengthy and amusing Q&A sessions between the presenters and the hundreds of fans who flocked to the NEC. Croft, Herbert and Davidson played a version of the Sky Sports F1 Buzz Game, and Croft even spotted my nodding when I agreed with Davidson’s viewpoint that Nico Hulkenberg would have been a better fit at McLaren, rather than Sergio Perez.
The F1 Racing Grid, which has been a real letdown in recent years was a major plus point this year. There were lengthy and amusing Q&A sessions between the presenters and the hundreds of fans who flocked to the NEC. Croft, Herbert and Davidson played a version of the Sky Sports F1 Buzz Game, and Croft even spotted my nodding when I agreed with Davidson’s viewpoint that Nico Hulkenberg would have been a better fit at McLaren, rather than Sergio Perez.
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| Testing the reactions with Pirelli was an enthralling experience |
Grand Prix tyre supplier Pirelli was back, and allowed fans
to test their instant and lightning reactions with the ‘Reactor Game.’ Each person taking part would donate £2 to
Great Ormond Street Hospital, and had 30 seconds to see how many times they
could press a variety of buttons that flashed up on the stand. I did this three times, and got a high score
of 33 – which was an excellent effort. I
have to say, I got very competitive and felt the high adrenaline buzz from
taking part.
There were some flashy road cars from the likes of McLaren
and Porsche at the show, along with plenty of go-kart and touring car models,
plus a lovely tribute to former World Rally champion Richard Burns.
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| The tribute of cars to the late Richard Burns was the main highlight |
Burns display was main highlight
Burns won the WRC title for Subaru in 2001, but sadly lost his fight against cancer in 2005, after being forced to retire from the sport due to ill health. Some of Richard’s famous cars were in attendance, including his British Rally entries, the Subaru he drove to the title in 2001, and the Peugeot 206 with which he was leading the 2003 title race until his health declined.
Burns won the WRC title for Subaru in 2001, but sadly lost his fight against cancer in 2005, after being forced to retire from the sport due to ill health. Some of Richard’s famous cars were in attendance, including his British Rally entries, the Subaru he drove to the title in 2001, and the Peugeot 206 with which he was leading the 2003 title race until his health declined.
It was a popular part of this year’s exhibition and is a sad
reminder of rallying’s fall from grace. Both
Burns and Colin McRae are no longer with us – the last two World Rally British
champions – whilst Sebastian Loeb’s decision to walkaway might end his
domination over the past decade, but means there is a severe lack of quality in
the 2013 championship.
The Live Action Arena didn’t disappoint either. Louise Goodman and some bald guy (his name is
not familiar!) were the hosts for the usual thrills and spills. Stunt driver Terry Grant put on another
tremendous show with his own tribute to James Bond. The McLaren Autosport nominees were in
attendance, and there was a good luck message from the Road2Recovery rally
team, who were involved in a tragic accident on the Dakar Rally last week.
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| 'Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing!' - Classic Kimi |
Not enough choice
Unlike last year though, it seemed like the amount of space had been condensed and there wasn’t as much to see. There was a lack of book and DVD stalls, so if you wanted to take something away as a souvenir, clothing was your best bet. I think I made the right decision to buy a black Kimi Raikkonen top, with his famous radio message from Abu Dhabi last year painted in the gold Lotus colours. ‘Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing’ really does get the message across.
Unlike last year though, it seemed like the amount of space had been condensed and there wasn’t as much to see. There was a lack of book and DVD stalls, so if you wanted to take something away as a souvenir, clothing was your best bet. I think I made the right decision to buy a black Kimi Raikkonen top, with his famous radio message from Abu Dhabi last year painted in the gold Lotus colours. ‘Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing’ really does get the message across.
Many manufacturers were missing too. The powerhouses from Japan, France and
Germany were conspicuous by their absence.
Although Britain is in the midst of some freezing temperatures and snow
at the moment, it would have been nice from a fan’s perspective to see more
choice.
The economic recession is probably
the main factor though. Many businesses
are struggling after Christmas, and notable names like DUKE video were missing
this year – suggesting they couldn’t afford to make it to Birmingham in 2013.
All in all – 2013 was a good and entertaining exhibition,
but it struggled to match the success of 2012.
That probably won’t stop me though from making the annual pilgrimage
again to Autosport International in 2014.
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