COUNTY Down racer Daniel Harper has signed as a BMW works driver for 2023. Daniel enjoyed a fantastic three-year stint in the Junior Team and a brilliant 2022 campaign saw the 22-year-old Annahilt driver show great pace and racecraft with outstanding results including a win on the world’s most dangerous race circuit, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, a fourth at Paul Ricard and a podium challenge at the Spa 24 Hour race.
Daniel started racing at the early age of six, supported by mum and dad Stan and Patti. He was a multiple champion in both quad bike and kart racing before switching to junior rallying where he won three events. He made the transition to circuit racing in 2016 to Ginetta Juniors where he won the Rookie Cup. Daniel moved to the Porsche Carrera Cup in 2018 and in 2019 won the drivers' title. Daniel said that it was an honour to become an official BMW works driver and after thanking his family thanked BMW for their support and the trust they've placed in him. Good luck in 2023, Daniel.
In other motorsport news, three young Irish motoring talents will be pitting themselves against the best in the world in the World Rally Championship (WRC). With backing from Motorsport Ireland, Kilrea’s Josh McErlean and Moira’s William Creighton have entered Rallye Monte-Carlo. McErlean is tackling the event alongside new co-driver John Rowan while Creighton continues his association with well-known local man Liam Regan. The Monte is widely regarded as one of the most challenging of all WRC events with seventeen stages totalling over 200-miles.
William said he was in no doubt that Monte would be the most arduous and unpredictable event he and Liam have contested. The stages are amazing, and when you add sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice, they'll need to call on everything they know just to make it to the end.
A fourth Irish driver, Donegal’s Eamonn Kelly, will also step up to the WRC in 2023, competing in Junior WRC, a route taken by drivers like Sebastien Loeb, Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans as the first step to much greater things in WRC.
And tributes have poured in for renowned rally driver Ken Block who lost his life in a snowmobile accident in his native America. Aged 55, Ken was riding on a slope in Utah when the vehicle toppled, landing on top of him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A competitive rally driver since 2005, Ken was Rally America's Rookie of the Year in his first season and went on to win rallycross medals at the X Games along with podium finishes at the World Rallycross Championship.
The flamboyant, charismatic, Block also competed in motocross, skateboarding and snowboarding, was featured twice on the BBC's Top Gear and in four EA Sports racing video games. Ken is survived by wife Lucy and three children.
Motorsport memories
SOME months back motorsport fans were asked to vote for their favourite motorsport memory from a shortlist chosen by a panel and the 1995 World Rally Championship win by Scot Colin McRae has topped the poll.
McRae’s cut-throat battle with Subaru teammate Carlos Sainz led to a dramatic showdown that made icons of both McRae and the iconic blue Subaru with its trademark gold wheels, creating a legend that continues after his untimely death in 2007.
On many of the stages of the final decisive UK round McRae and co-driver Derek Ringer were more than a second per mile clear of the competition in treacherous and foggy conditions. McRae, the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship, clinched victory after setting fastest times on 18 of the 28 stages, a wonderful achievement.
The second most popular memory was perhaps surprising as it was a movie. The magic of Hollywood brought the 1966 Ford versus Ferrari battle back to public prominence with the 2019 blockbuster Ford v Ferrari, telling the story of Ferrari’s winning streak at Le Mans being finally broken by the American car giant. Ford and its GT40, designed with the sole intention of crushing Ferrari, took victory with Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon at the wheel. Great motorsport memories.
Let's make road safety the priority
A RESPECTED road safety organisation is urging all road users to put safety at the top of their 2023 agenda. And what better New Year resolution could there be than to commit to playing our part in helping reduce death and injury on our roads?
Four people die every week on Irish roads and many hundreds suffer serious, life-changing injuries. The Motorman page is committed to playing its part in raising awareness of the preventable tragedies that have such a devastating impact on families, and communities. The New Year offers us all the opportunity to resolve to reduce risk on road journeys and if we commit to a few minor changes in the way we use our roads, the benefits for everyone will be significant. It could be as simple as leaving five minutes early to reduce stress levels on journeys or refreshing our knowledge of the Highway Code. You can test yourself on the highway code by taking a free practice theory test at www.gov.uk/take-practice-theory-test, the results might just surprise you.
In 2023, let’s commit to helping each other and working together to create a safer environment for everyone. Here are five simple tips to help make our roads safer: 1. Take a few minutes to plan and check your route before you set out. This way you won't get lost and end up rushing or making risky decisions. 2. Give the road your full attention and don't be distracted by passengers, mobile phones, or your surroundings. 3. Don’t react to the actions of other drivers. Nobody’s perfect, so don’t waste time and increase risk by trying to rebuke another road user. 4. The speeds we use are entirely our own choice; please, make good decisions to keep down speed to both legal and appropriate levels. 5. Around 25 per cent of all fatal or serious injury crashes are sleep related, so if you become tired on a long drive, stop and rest.
And finally, three top tips for winter car safety: 1. Check your battery health. 2. Check your antifreeze. 3. Check your wiper blades. You know it makes sense.
