16 replies to this topic

[OvDrone]

Good final day of this year, ladies and gentlemen. I don't know about you but I am utterly done with this past year and finally partaking in this global collective hype for a new year. 

This thread is to give a little love to what was, as I think we already talked about the more negative side and our own disappointments and misgivings in Motorsport.

I'll post below my favorite races of the year and you can join in some NYE fun by posting yours. It can be a race, a brief moment, 10 or 1 or however many you want. Let's celebrate.



#1 - Shane van Gisbergen's debut Nascar Cup win on the streets of Chicago

This moment and race will live on in history. An incredible debut success for both much beloved Supercars and GT Champion SVG and also the new, first street track in Nascar. The race was nothing short than phenomenal, hands down, easily the pure peak of this year.





#2 - Ferrari's comeback win at the Le Mans 24 Hours

50 years on from their last win at Le Sarthe, Ferrari actually did it. As we entered a fresh golden era in both WEC & IMSA, Ferrari have officially joined the Hypercar party and managed the seemingly impossible task to win from Toyota in their first Le Mans back. What an emotional moment with everyone bein a Ferrari fan that day.





#3 - Johann Zarco's long-long-long awaited first win in MotoGP at Philip Island

I mean it's Philip Island. And it delivered. Everyone was so thrilled for Zarco's win yet this race did eventually prove pivotal in the tight Championship battle as Bagnaia's audacious pass and Martin's overconfident strategy 





#4 - Newgarden's Indy 500 Win

Was hard pressed to choose between the 500, that last lap pass for the lead at Texas ( again by Newgarden ) or that indrebile Toronto race with Lundgaard's first win and Palou's front wing heroics. Yet I chose this just because it was a personal highlight in a year starved of those.





#5 - IMSA's GTP debut at the Daytona 24 Hours

The start of our new Endurance Sports Car golden era. The hype was real, fascinating and it was so cool to share it here on the forums. Yes, the result and how it was handled by the governing body was controversial to say the least, yet it feels so good to start this LMDh / Hypercar era.





#6 - Eli Tomac winning the opening Anaheim 1 round in Supercross

The season started in the best way possible and ended in the worst way possible for a Tomac supporter. At least I'll always have this memory to savor and looking forward to Anaheim 1 2024 in less than a week!





#7 - Valentino Rossi's first GT World race win at Misano

The Doctor winning again, at Misano of all places. What more can you ask for. VR46 has truly arrived in the incredible world of GT3s winning at the highest level and the future prospects for a factory BMW LMDh drive are looking brighter than ever.





# 8 - British Superbikes finale at Brands Hatch

Just an insane last three races of the year featuring a championship won by only 0.5 points. Gripping.





# 9 - TCR World Tour ( former WTCC ) returning to a global stage

Last few years were tough for the WTCR series as Covid took a bad hit and of course the promoter just flat out sucks. But this year, seeing these cars and drivers race all over the world - even at BATHURST - and then a tighter than ever 3 driver fight for the Championship at Macau was fantastic to witness.





#10 - Tom Coronel wins TCR Europe

Again, touring cars but it's just a simple feelgood story of a well loved long time veteran finally winning a championship.

These were my fondest moments in Racing of 2023. Eager to read yours. And wishing you all a fun NYE and a Happy New Year. See you all in 2024 

[Sterzo]

Haven't attended a motor race since before Covid, so my watching this year has been confined to pictures on a screen. High spot has to be the Formula Ford Festival. There's an official BRSCC YouTube video of the meeting, but it lasts six hours. (I have watched it!). Instead, here's a taster, a fan video from the public grandstand. Just try a couple of minutes and you'll get the flavour.

 

 

Will be back at Brands this season, and hope to make forays to Thruxton, Silverstone and Snetterton - all within a couple of hours' drive. Must see GB4 and GB3 at the British GT meetings, plus the 750 MC's club racing, the Formula Ford Festival, and maybe British Superbikes. While if the Vintage Sports Car Club meetings feature the only Alfa Romeo 158 to escape captivity...

[juicy sushi]

I will probably sound like a broken record, but beyond some of the stuff already mentioned, I'd like to nominate Da Costa's pass for the win at Cape Town, which was definitely the best move I saw all year, and at a sadly one-off venue that I think was one of the best street racing circuits I can recall:

 

 

Also the Ferrari on Ferrari violence, guest staring Hertz Team Jota at Bahrain:

 

 

And finally, the last laps at the first Surfer's Paradise round for Supercars this year.  The new cars are hilariously retrograde, but also, parity concerns aside, a great example of giving fans what they want:

 

 

Ok, nothing I mentioned are results, but I don't watch motorsport for the final results.  I watch it for what happens in-between the green flag and the chequers.  And these were the things I enjoyed most in 2023.

 

Bring on 2024.

[Risil]

I didn't watch masses of motorsport this year and missed out on a lot of the good bike stuff. But these are my principal treasured memories:

- That tense qualifying duel in Monaco between Verstappen and Alonso

- Alex Palou's run of midseason Indycar victories

- The ugly and hilarious Laguna Seca Indy-meltdown

[Risil]

I feel what may be significant from 2023 is F1 and NASCAR gambling on major events in the middle of big cities, and both events appearing to pay off (haha).

[Risil]

I'm not sure if this is a best moment but the utter panic I felt when MotoGP announced they were doing sprint races at every round was an emotion of rare intensity for a jaded old racing fan such as myself. (Imagine how the riders felt)

[Sterzo]

I will probably sound like a broken record, but beyond some of the stuff already mentioned, I'd like to nominate Da Costa's pass for the win at Cape Town, which was definitely the best move I saw all year

Yes, breathing was quite difficult after that one.

[Myrvold]

Best moment. Mayor of Brattby!

 
And while not a "best" moment, or something I can say was a "favorite". The tribute-livery Hyundai ran, was very, very good.

[Disgrace]

It didn't amount to much as Rahal ultimately got into the race and Harvey eventually got the sack... but this was the most unexpected turnaround moment of the year. Brutal team-mate on team-mate fighting over the final grid spot.

 

[AlexPrime]

I was there and this made it my favorite

 

[DW46]

Moto GP title race, Fezza Le Mans win and the chance to see a Villeneuve comeback.

[azza200]

My favourite moment was going too the Super touring meeting at Brands Hatch and seeing so many classic super touring cars and seeing a few touring legends in person up close for the first time. Getting up close too the cars as well was awesome and was cool too see some V8 Supercars and have a good look around them in the pit garages. 

[LittleChris]

Bridewell / Irwin BSB finale at Brands

[Zmeej]

My focus is exclusively open-wheel racing car (and to put it very politely) uneven beyond F1, but appreciate the omnivorous excellence of the OP.

 

My no. 1 was entirely personal, i.e. attending my first GP in Montreal with Zmeejette and everything that entails.

 

2. Risil's "That tense qualifying duel in Monaco between Verstappen and Alonso."

 

3. The fight for the win in the Indy 500 - would have been happy if either man had won, but happiest that Mr. Newgarden did.

 

4. The fact that there was still no race in Sochi & that the Mazepins were gone from the F1 grid, and that in June 2023 a U.K. high court rejected NM's bid to suspend sanctions against him.

 

5. Following directly after the season's nadir of practice in Las Vegas (both on and off the track), LeClerc's pole and fight with Max in the opening laps, and the fact that it was actually a race for the rest of the day up and down the field.

Edited by Zmeej, 31 December 2023 - 21:32.

[jonpollak]

SVG was indeed the bees knees.

Jp

[jonpollak]

yeah, I didn't get past the OP.

 

Jp

[Sterzo]

Having watched (yesterday, so in 2023 and on-topic) the BSB final video linked to by OvDrone, I must add it to my top moments. Faaaaantastic....