RE: PH 2016 - Person/Thing of the year
Thursday 29th December 2016
Let's try and think positive - there are some people and things worth celebrating from 2016. Honest! Here our PH pundits (which is to say the editorial team and a few of our most trusted contributors!) choose our stand-out people or things that helped make the year one worth remembering. From racing drivers to TV presenters to people who just did cool stuff, our list isn't without its more controversial choices. Over to Dan, Matt, James, Nikolai, Mike Duff and PH2's Jon Urry to explain themselves...
Chris Evans (nominated by Dan Trent)
I have no particular love for the man or his work but I think we can all agree stepping into Clarkson's shoes was a thankless task. I reckon they took a punt, betting on the idea you'd need someone with a massive ego and weapons grade self belief to even try it. But someone, ultimately, expendable if it all went tits up. They got their man! And, ultimately, Evans took the grenade and provided an opportunity to properly reset Top Gear, rather than cling on to a concept now being done with the old crew and a bigger budget over on Amazon. With Chris Harris, Rory Reid, Matt LeBlanc and the rest who knows, maybe Top Gear could become, you know, a car show again!
Nico Rosberg (nominated by James Drake)
As a general rule to be a World Champion at more or less anything requires a very specific type of person. The type of person who can, on occasion, tread a very fine line between the positive and negative expressions of determination and naked ambition. Being completely honest, I've never been much of a fan of Nico Rosberg. But throughout the 2016 F1 season he grew on me and I found myself genuinely rooting for him. He just seemed to develop a sense of self awareness and humility so lacking in many of his competitors. As we now know, he did eventually succeed ... and then promptly retired from the sport. Some people say he's afraid of defending championship but I can sympathise with his reasoning. For me it made him infinitely cooler and more likeable. And anyone who says he's not a worthy champion needs to go back and rewatch that overtake on Verstappen.
Ducati 1299 Superleggera (nominated Jon Urry)
All 500 may have already been sold, but the Ducati Superleggera is such an outstanding machine it will continue to cause ripples in the motorcycle industry for years to come. The first production bike with a monocoque carbon fibre chassis as well as a carbon swing arm moved the technological game a massive step onwards. The power to weight figures of 215hp and 156kg dry (167kg wet) are also gloriously obscene. While BMW's HP4 Race proved how carbon will be used more realistically in future production bikes the Superleggera steamed in and stole all the limelight. An honourable mention must also go to the Norton V4, though I suspect it may have to wait for the Crimbo 2018 shortlist...
Ron Dennis (nominated by Mike Duff)
It's easy to make jokes about Ron Dennis. This is the man, after all, who once defined happiness as being the opposite of unhappiness. Yet those same tendencies also made him the most successful Formula 1 boss of his generation. It also led to the creation of both the McLaren F1 and the current road car division. I've heard plenty of stories about how hard Dennis can be to work for and he's certainly made plenty of ruthless decisions over the years. But he's also stuck closely to his personal code of honour, and his loyalty to his friends. I know he supported respected F1 journo Alan Henry (who died earlier this year) through a long illness, and Ron seemed to be genuinely mortified about the 2007 'Spygate' controversy. He's a divisive character, but I think it's a huge shame he's leaving McLaren after a boardroom bust-up. For me Dennis, rather than Colin Chapman, is the closest thing Britain has produced to our own Enzo Ferrari.
Sport Auto's Christian Gebhardt (nominated by Matt Bird)
This was going to be a worthy nomination, given to someone like Jean-Marc Gales for returning Lotus Cars to profit or Alex Zanardi for defying all the odds yet again, but then Sport Auto's test driver did that AMG GT R 'ring lap. It's mesmerising; there's no way such a car should go so bloody fast around that track. And yet he keeps putting in these laps, from Cayman GT4 to Ferrari 488, all in his distinctive driving position that looks deeply uncomfortable. They make for fantastic, if occasionally quite unsettling, viewing. The fact you can see him working hard makes it all the more heroic. If you're bored over Christmas there are plenty of Sport Auto vids to get through!
PH 2016 - Person/Thing of the year
Who or what caught the attention of the PH team and deserves special credit for their efforts in 2016?
I have no particular love for the man or his work but I think we can all agree stepping into Clarkson's shoes was a thankless task. I reckon they took a punt, betting on the idea you'd need someone with a massive ego and weapons grade self belief to even try it. But someone, ultimately, expendable if it all went tits up. They got their man! And, ultimately, Evans took the grenade and provided an opportunity to properly reset Top Gear, rather than cling on to a concept now being done with the old crew and a bigger budget over on Amazon. With Chris Harris, Rory Reid, Matt LeBlanc and the rest who knows, maybe Top Gear could become, you know, a car show again!
[Photo: BBC Pictures]
As a general rule to be a World Champion at more or less anything requires a very specific type of person. The type of person who can, on occasion, tread a very fine line between the positive and negative expressions of determination and naked ambition. Being completely honest, I've never been much of a fan of Nico Rosberg. But throughout the 2016 F1 season he grew on me and I found myself genuinely rooting for him. He just seemed to develop a sense of self awareness and humility so lacking in many of his competitors. As we now know, he did eventually succeed ... and then promptly retired from the sport. Some people say he's afraid of defending championship but I can sympathise with his reasoning. For me it made him infinitely cooler and more likeable. And anyone who says he's not a worthy champion needs to go back and rewatch that overtake on Verstappen.
All 500 may have already been sold, but the Ducati Superleggera is such an outstanding machine it will continue to cause ripples in the motorcycle industry for years to come. The first production bike with a monocoque carbon fibre chassis as well as a carbon swing arm moved the technological game a massive step onwards. The power to weight figures of 215hp and 156kg dry (167kg wet) are also gloriously obscene. While BMW's HP4 Race proved how carbon will be used more realistically in future production bikes the Superleggera steamed in and stole all the limelight. An honourable mention must also go to the Norton V4, though I suspect it may have to wait for the Crimbo 2018 shortlist...
It's easy to make jokes about Ron Dennis. This is the man, after all, who once defined happiness as being the opposite of unhappiness. Yet those same tendencies also made him the most successful Formula 1 boss of his generation. It also led to the creation of both the McLaren F1 and the current road car division. I've heard plenty of stories about how hard Dennis can be to work for and he's certainly made plenty of ruthless decisions over the years. But he's also stuck closely to his personal code of honour, and his loyalty to his friends. I know he supported respected F1 journo Alan Henry (who died earlier this year) through a long illness, and Ron seemed to be genuinely mortified about the 2007 'Spygate' controversy. He's a divisive character, but I think it's a huge shame he's leaving McLaren after a boardroom bust-up. For me Dennis, rather than Colin Chapman, is the closest thing Britain has produced to our own Enzo Ferrari.
This was going to be a worthy nomination, given to someone like Jean-Marc Gales for returning Lotus Cars to profit or Alex Zanardi for defying all the odds yet again, but then Sport Auto's test driver did that AMG GT R 'ring lap. It's mesmerising; there's no way such a car should go so bloody fast around that track. And yet he keeps putting in these laps, from Cayman GT4 to Ferrari 488, all in his distinctive driving position that looks deeply uncomfortable. They make for fantastic, if occasionally quite unsettling, viewing. The fact you can see him working hard makes it all the more heroic. If you're bored over Christmas there are plenty of Sport Auto vids to get through!
Roadkill's wheelie in a Ford F6 Dump truck
(nominated by Nikolai Attard)
Motor Trend's Roadkill lot are pretty famous for madcap journeys across the USA and completing engine swaps most people can only dream of. Over the year, there have been greats such as the 10-car showdown, the C4 Corvette Kart and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat vs. Viper vs. Charger Hellcat showdown. But nothing has stood out more than when Freiburger and Finnegan chopped a Ford F6 two-ton dump truck. Down to 102 inches, fitted with a big-block Chevy and renamed 'Stubby Bob', they took to the streets to see if it could wheelie. And wheelie it did. So from me, keep doing what you do!
[Images: LAT, Christian Gebhardt, via Facebook, BBC]
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