Throughout a record-breaking season of 24 Components 1 races, there was all the time more likely to be the odd gem of a narrative that had a brief shelf-life earlier than being overtaken on the information agenda.
Consider one other blockbuster yr for the World Endurance Championship, a number of u-turns over World Rally Championship’s hybrid future and a MotoGP season that featured limitless twists and turns within the title race, and it is little shock that some worthy tales wrestle for air time.
With any variety of fascinating tales that solely fleetingly gripped the general public consciousness – if in any respect – to choose from, listed below are Autosport’s selections that you will have missed throughout the relentless racing yr.
By Sam Corridor, Stephen Lickorish, James Newbold and Gary Watkins
25 Might and 9 June – When DTM needed to change its schedule
Aitken was among the many beneficiaries of DTM rescheduling its second race at Zandvoort
Photograph by: ADAC Motorsport
Flexibility is just not a trait typically related to championship organisers. However the ADAC twice confirmed a willingness to combine up the schedule of its flagship DTM collection in 2024, for which it deserves nice credit score.
A conflict between check day for the Le Mans 24 Hours and DTM’s Zandvoort assembly meant its second race on Sunday was pushed again from the standard 1:30pm slot to run at 5pm native time, permitting a few of the championship’s greatest names to participate. Championship challengers Mirko Bortolotti and Kelvin van der Linde have been joined in ferrying backwards and forwards by Jack Aitken and BMW’s trio of Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde and Rene Rast.
However what elevates this to my unheralded story of the yr is the explanation for tweaking its Lausitzring schedule. It isn’t typically that ice hockey will get a point out in an Autosport headline, however the timing of its World Championship semi-finals within the Czech Republic appeared problematic for DTM.
That is as a result of the semi-finals have been scheduled to be broadcast by DTM’s German broadcast companion ProSieben similtaneously its first race on the Saturday. This too was moved to a later slot, making certain most eyeballs on a race that began simply earlier than a large rain bathe threw a spanner within the works.
It did nevertheless permit Maro Engel to make an early cease and storm up the order to second after a troublesome opening lap – maybe the one time the Mercedes ace will ever be assisted by an ice hockey event… JN
15 June – Estre’s Hyperpole shut name
Gorgeous final gasp lap for Estre secured pole at Le Mans – however it nearly did not occur
Photograph by: Marc Fleury
Arguably the most effective single lap of the World Endurance Championship nearly didn’t occur. It wasn’t deliberate that Kevin Estre would push on for an additional time across the 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe on the finish of the Hyperpole qualifying session on the Le Mans 24 Hours. However push on he did and the Frenchman put collectively the near-perfect lap to grab pole place in dramatic vogue after the chequered flag had fallen.
There have been solely minutes left on the clock after a crimson flag had briefly stopped qualifying after which Estre bumped into what he calls “large visitors” on his first lap out of the pits. There had been no time to alter tyres throughout the stoppage and, with 5 fast laps on his Michelins, it was time to name it a day.
“My lap wasn’t quick,” recollects Estre of the 3m25.793s adequate just for the fourth row. “I crossed the road and my engineer, mentioned, ‘That’s it, we’re performed’. However after the Dunlop Chicane, I requested if he thought I ought to proceed. He checked, after which he got here again, ‘Push, push, push’.”
The explanation for the hesitation was that the #6 Penske 963 LMDh was working in need of gas. Refuelling is just not permitted throughout Hyperpole and Estre had accomplished the laps the Porsche Penske Motorsport had within the run plan.
“It wasn’t positive that I’d have sufficient vitality for the in-lap till I bought to the Porsche Curves,” recounts Estre. “And even then, I needed to come again to the pits on the battery from Arnage after setting the time.”
That was essential. Had he didn’t make it residence, his time would have been scrubbed out as per the foundations and Cadillac would have taken the pole. GW
21-22 September – Thompson’s outstanding dedication
Thompson assisted a rival to make sure sufficient automobiles began at Thruxton to make the race eligible for factors standing
Photograph by: Steve Jones
A few of the finest, most uncommon and most entertaining tales in motorsport come from the nationwide racing world. Yearly, we hear of scores of outstanding performances and sudden stars from throughout membership motorsport. And one which sticks within the reminiscence from this season issues Traditional Touring Automotive Racing Membership Pre-’66 Touring Automotive champion Ian Thompson.
The expression going above and past is overused however, as our reporter Mark Paulson found, Thompson actually did go the additional mile to safe the title at Thruxton.
He arrived in Hampshire in with an opportunity of glory and, with pre-event factors chief Luc Wilson pressured out by sickness, Thompson wanted simply two class wins to seal the deal.
However the CTCRC solely awards full factors offered there are at the very least three starters in a category and the sight of the guy Lotus Cortina of Keith Wright leaving the paddock on a trailer after clutch woe, caught Thompson’s consideration.
Thompson recalled: “I ran after him: ‘The place are you going to? You’ll be able to’t go residence! Get the automobile off the trailer – we’ll repair it.’”
With Thompson’s spare clutch fitted, Wright was capable of be part of the grid. “We completed 5 minutes earlier than we went out,” added Thompson, who twice gained the category to seal the spoils.
Simply so as to add to the story, this was Thompson’s first full season of racing since he broke his again in a Caterham crash in 2015. And that simply makes his achievements all of the extra outstanding. SL
8 December – F2 unsung hero’s neglected victory
Durksen’s Abu Dhabi victory meant he matched fellow FRECA graduate Antonelli’s win tally in 2024
Photograph by: James Sutton / Motorsport Photos
Joshua Durksen was a reputation that garnered little consideration heading into the Components 2 season with AIX. Making the identical bounce as Andrea Kimi Antonelli from FRECA, maybe the media circus surrounding the longer term Mercedes driver left too little room for the highlight to increase additional.
The Paraguayan first caught the attention at Imola as he scored his first podium – and his first factors – with an excellent drive to 3rd within the function race. That meant that he truly beat Antonelli to getting onto the rostrum…
Durksen was on the rostrum once more at Monza and his first win got here within the Baku dash, however his seasonal spotlight got here with victory within the Abu Dhabi function race.
With the concentrate on Gabriel Bortoleto’s coronation as champion, the 21-year-old was once more the forgotten man. He’d pitted early after beginning eighth and undercut forward of the battle between Victor Martins and championship-chasing Bortoleto.
Though it was Components E-bound Taylor Barnard who scored the group’s first win with the new-for-2024 Dallara F2 chassis in Monaco, Durksen established himself as AIX’s clear primary driver and his brilliance in Abu Dhabi that secured him tenth within the standings deserved extra consideration.
Naturally, Bortoleto’s championship victory over Isack Hadjar stole the headlines, however forward of the 2025 season, count on to see Durksen occupying lots extra column inches as he returns to AIX. SH
Is Durksen the one to look at in F2 subsequent yr?
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
On this article
DTM
FIA F2
Le Mans
Common
Nationwide
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