Sun, sea, sand and… motor racing. Sound good? It is. And there’s more. What does the Algarve mean to you, as a racing fan? Golf courses, holiday villas, waterside bars and lots of friendly people. Probably. There’s also a magnificent motor racing circuit near to all of these things and… Read more
Rob Widdows
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The race to Portimão…
August 24th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 18 Comments
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Motor racing’s autumnal treats
August 18th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 15 Comments
I have been asked to get back to the blogging, from which I have been absent these past weeks. So here I am. Where have I been hiding? All over the place actually, as is my wont. I was set to take a holiday – my usual lolling around on… Read more
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Freddy fires up Ypres crowd
June 28th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 4 Comments
The place wallows in history. And so does the rally that takes its name from a small town in Flanders where the land is flat and the language impenetrable. The Ypres Rally, established in 1965 and now part of the FIA Intercontinental Rally Challenge, has a special place in the… Read more
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A highly charged season
June 25th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 13 Comments
I wonder if, like me, you are partial to the music of Frank Zappa? In one of his more philosophical moments, Zappa opined that the mind is like a parachute. It only works if it is opened. In August 1970 I travelled to the Isle of Wight Festival with Zappa,… Read more
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Thousands visit new Spanish track
June 21st, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 3 Comments
During the second week of July we will be looking forward to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Rally Bulgaria and the Le Mans Classic in France. It’s a busy week for motor sport in Europe and a busy one too for citizens of the Spanish city of Pamplona.
Why?… Read more -
Does Ferrari not want an Italian star?
June 16th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 32 Comments
My thanks to those of you who have so mercilessly pointed out the weaknesses in my 2010 motor sport predictions. I do like a bit of feedback…
I am a huge fan of opera, particularly Italian opera. More specifically I am a devotee of Giacomo Puccini whose passions in life,… Read more -
The anatomy of an F1 driver
June 11th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 9 Comments
So Fernando Alonso has insured his thumbs for the sum of 10 million euros. Now, it’s not unusual for athletes or film stars or models to insure a body part, or even two in some memorable cases…
This got me musing on the anatomy of a Grand Prix driver. The… Read more
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Motor racing predictable? Never…
June 8th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 18 Comments
We are fast approaching mid-season. Yes, I know, time flies. And the older you get the faster it flies. As a lad, my elders would tell me that the days and weeks rush by when you get beyond a certain age. They were right. I simply mention this for the… Read more
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The right sort of Tecno music
June 2nd, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 4 Comments
Every year at the end of May, those who are truly passionate about speed on wheels make a pilgrimage to the village of Gotherington deep in the Gloucestershire countryside. In this very English setting the Prescott Speed Hillclimb stages La Vie en Bleu, a celebration of what the Prescott people… Read more
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Pageant of Power to the people
May 27th, 2010 | Rob Widdows | 4 Comments
The racing cars flashed along the waterfront, the crowds cheered, waving chequered flags and leaning over the barriers to get a glimpse of their heroes. Some climbed lamp posts and traffic lights in search of a better view. The privileged few gazed down from balconies high above the harbour. At… Read more
Rob was brought up on racing, being taken to Goodwood as a small child and devouring his father’s copies of Motor Sport. During a career in newspaper, radio and TV journalism he created the ‘Track Torque’ motorsport show on radio and was Indycar commentator for Eurosport before co-founding the Festival of Speed and Revival events. He was marketing director of the Goodwood Road Racing Company. 
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