Nick Tandy deserves a knighthood: TMIW
Why Tandy deserves a place in the new year's honours
No chance to repeat this in 2016 it seems
But before this becomes a tirade against VW's dodgy diesels, it's time to focus on the main issue: Nick Tandy. Specifically, why Nick Tandy could well be the most criminally underrated racing driver in the world. He's a hugely successful British sportsman too, one we should be immensely proud of.
How's this for an opener? Not only did Tandy take Le Mans victory, he was part of the Porsche #911 team at Petit Le Mans with Richard Lietz and Patrick Pilet that won the Road Atlanta enduro outright. A GT car beating the prototypes. That as well as LMP2 victory at the Nurburgring Six-Hour with KCMG Oreca Nissan, making him the only driver to win three different ACO-recognised classes this year. Think how different those cars are and you will realise what a phenomenal achievement that is.
GT and LMP2 wins on top of Le Mans this year!
Tandy's sensational talent is his ability to get in anything and drive it blisteringly fast. He began his career in Minis, not in karts. From there, he won 11 of the 14 races in his first season of the BRDC Single Seater Championship in 2005. Minis to single-seaters and a champion in his first season. He was runner-up in British Formula Ford the year after, won the Formula Palmer Audi autumn trophy in 2007 and had some Formula 3 success.
Nick Tandy came onto my radar in 2009/10 with his Porsche Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup Germany drives, but I hadn't realised just how well he had done until researching this story. Offered a drive in the German championship at Dijon-Prenois in 2009, he jumped in the car with no testing and finished second. He followed that with another second for the same team (Konrad Motorsport) in the Abu Dhabi round of the Porsche Supercup later that year. After a second place in the 2010 German series, Tandy won it in 2011 and became the first Englishman ever to win the German Carrera Cup. Which must have felt pretty good.
He's earning some recognition but needs more!
In Britain we are often superb at celebrating our sporting heroes, but Tandy's success appears to have gone unnoticed. I get the impression he wouldn't want a great deal of fuss to be made but to see such achievements go unnoticed is very unfair. Tandy will race with Pilet once more in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship over in the States next year, and who would bet against them doing very well again? Especially when they're being joined by Kevin Estre for the endurance races. While he's plying his trade in the US, Tandy may still be on the fringes of wider recognition in the motorsport community. But that shouldn't be right, so spread the word to everyone you know about Nick Tandy. He may not make it to an official knighthood this year but that's not through a lack of talent or determination. He has a PH one, that's for sure. Be upstanding then, please, for Sir Nick Tandy. Or, of course, you could tell me I'm wrong...
Vid here to show his incredible pace, right up until a punctured radiator...
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[Sources: Autosport, Wikipedia, Porsche AG, Nick Tandy via Twitter, 24hLeMans, Sportscar365, GTLeMans, images from LAT]
I actually think an earlier point should be discussed; why everything is F1 this, F1 that......?? F1 has an unhealthy hold on the rest of Motorsport.
I agree Nick has had a fantastic few months, I'm sure he's on motoring folks radar if not the general UK public; isn't that always the case though unless it is F1 ?
A knighthood though? I'd up-rate Murray Walkers OBE to a knighthood first. Also Ron Dennis. He needs to be made a Dame (pantomime) after last years F1 effort with Honda
snigger.
I'm sure Mr Tandy is superb, however.. before we all get carried away, there is another and much more pressing case to consider.
That of John Surtees.
For many, he IS the greatest racer of all time being as you know, the ONLY man ever to hold titles in both the Motor Cycle and the Car regimes. In his day he truly was a great racer and a fine champion.. a modest man.
Moss was given his K, in 1999 and it was well deserved.. In his day he was the greatest British racing driver and the man to beat.
But I could not understand then, and still so today, [when so many were handed out after the 2012 Olympics for largely singleton efforts.?] why both Moss and Surtees were not both given a K each.?
It may be that there is a feeling against JS in powerful circles.. who knows.? He rattled a lot of cages in the day.
But since then, both men have travelled relentlessly around the globe, one as a freeloader turning up as the honoured guest at most F1 GP, the other generally promoting Britain's GP engineering and his charity work.
Hmmmmm?
Over recent years there have been a number of failed efforts to lobby for a K for JS, but to no avail. Numbers on the then most recent petition that I signed up to had around 40000 names on it. Is that nowhere near enough.?
I do so strongly feel that if such as Pistonheads and other organisations, the motoring press.. everybody! got together.. a K could be achieved.
And sadly, time is of the essence as our hero, my hero.. is now in his eighties and time is slipping away.
The lack of recognition for this remarkable Englishman is shameful, disgraceful.. time to change it then.?
Let us start the New Year with an honour for John Surtees.
Enjoy the day and all best wishes for the New Year.
WF
I agree Nick has had a fantastic few months, I'm sure he's on motoring folks radar if not the general UK public; isn't that always the case though unless it is F1 ?
A knighthood though? I'd up-rate Murray Walkers OBE to a knighthood first. Also Ron Dennis. He needs to be made a Dame (pantomime) after last years F1 effort with Honda
snigger.
The one who rode superbly to build up a massive points advantage by mid season, or the one who choked and did his level best to throw that advantage away in the second half.
I can scarcely believe they're the same guy.
I'm sure Mr Tandy is superb, however.. before we all get carried away, there is another and much more pressing case to consider.
That of John Surtees.
For many, he IS the greatest racer of all time being as you know, the ONLY man ever to hold titles in both the Motor Cycle and the Car regimes. In his day he truly was a great racer and a fine champion.. a modest man.
Moss was given his K, in 1999 and it was well deserved.. In his day he was the greatest British racing driver and the man to beat.
But I could not understand then, and still so today, [when so many were handed out after the 2012 Olympics for largely singleton efforts.?] why both Moss and Surtees were not both given a K each.?
It may be that there is a feeling against JS in powerful circles.. who knows.? He rattled a lot of cages in the day.
But since then, both men have travelled relentlessly around the globe, one as a freeloader turning up as the honoured guest at most F1 GP, the other generally promoting Britain's GP engineering and his charity work.
Hmmmmm?
Over recent years there have been a number of failed efforts to lobby for a K for JS, but to no avail. Numbers on the then most recent petition that I signed up to had around 40000 names on it. Is that nowhere near enough.?
I do so strongly feel that if such as Pistonheads and other organisations, the motoring press.. everybody! got together.. a K could be achieved.
And sadly, time is of the essence as our hero, my hero.. is now in his eighties and time is slipping away.
The lack of recognition for this remarkable Englishman is shameful, disgraceful.. time to change it then.?
Let us start the New Year with an honour for John Surtees.
Enjoy the day and all best wishes for the New Year.
WF
Exactly this
Anyway, agree that this guy is pretty good and will hopefully achieve greater things, but a Knighthood? No.
John Surtees? Really deserves one, but I guess he has really pished someone off at some time in the past......
Hence the lack of the Knighthood?
The one who rode superbly to build up a massive points advantage by mid season, or the one who choked and did his level best to throw that advantage away in the second half.
I can scarcely believe they're the same guy.
1. It's motorbikes.
2. It's not the top class.
Even if they could, it would be daft to deliberately hamstring their championship ambitions for one car by splitting the points.
Objectively, would it be any less disgraceful for Porsche to drop a contracted driver squad who have been full time LMP1 drivers for 2 whole seasons because they didn't win Le Mans and, oh yes, aren't 1/3rd British?
It always seems to be a slap in the face when people list off someone's great achievements "but they didn't get a knighthood" - as if otherwise there is no legitimacy to their accomplishment.
Is not "winning Le Mans" enough? He needs to get a knighthood for "winning Le Mans" before we applaud fully?
Although I am not saying he needs a Knighthood (I do agree their handed out willy nilly particularly after the olympics). I am applauding Tandy fully knighthood or not, but I do think it is such a shame that they don't get to defend their title. Does fielding a third car reeaallllyyy cost so much more, when the infrastructure is all ready being shipped to Le Mans for the other 2 squads anyway.
Hulkenburg wouldn't have been able to defend his Le Mans title anyway, some chump's scheduled an F1 clash.
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