RIP Allan Simonsen

I love Motorsport. I competed in kart racing when I was younger and watch as much of it as I can. These men and women are top class athletes and brave/nuts beyond imagining. Marshals too are amazing people, enduring the elements to keep the sport going out of pure enthusiasm.

So when Death reaches his icy fingers into our domain, I always take a moment to stand and salute. Marshal Mark Robinson lost his life in an accident at the end of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Sadly, his death was followed by that of Danish driver Allan Simonsen, who tragically died on the third lap of the Le Mans 24 Hours when his Aston Martin struck a barrier going onto the long back straight at high speed. The exact cause of death is unknown as of writing, though that's not really that relevant, seeing a fellow racer die still pains me to my very soul.

So, mad as it sounds and looks, I'd like you to stand and salute the drivers on the track and the watchful and ready marshals behind the barriers. They may have lost their lives to the sport they love, but they will not be forgotten.


RIP Allan Simonsen

RIP Mark Robinson

Formula 1 2013 - Round 7: Canada

Thought I'd forgotten, eh? I have to admit, I've been in an odd state since this grand prix, not quite able to get my head together to write. I think it's just what happens when a certain individual disappears into the distance to win. Anyway, blog writing ahoy!

Every year, I look forwards to a few things. Nintendo games, Christmas and the Canadian Grand Prix. Year in, year out, the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve gives us an amazingly close race that can’t be predicted.

Its unique nature within the F1 calendar makes it exciting, though the FIA didn’t bother thinking about that when they demanded tyres that degrade quickly after the 2011 race. With tyres continuing to be a talking point, this looks set to be another banker track. Sadly, it was anything but.

Game Review: GRiD 2

Developer: Codemasters Racing

Publisher: Codemasters Racing

Genre: Racing

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

Website: www.gridgame.com

Age Rating: 3+ (PEGI)

Codemasters are amazing. They’ve been around as long as I can remember, the earliest memory of them being the Dizzy games (none of which I actually managed to finish) before loving the Toca Touring Car and Colin McRae Rally games.

Since the start of the current generation of systems with Colin McRae: DiRT, Codies has been a shining light in the racing genre. Race Driver: GRiD stands as one of the best racing games this gen along with PGR4 (in my mind), joined by the ever improving DiRT series (with the exception of Showdown) and when GRiD 2 was announced, I nearly blew up with excitement.

The question is, can the renamed Codemasters Racing top the sublime original?