There's a lunatic on the track! The stories of Race Invaders.

Singapore stunned by strange strolling spectator (right).

Every once in a while, something snaps inside a spectator's brain and forces them to enter the field of play during a sporting event. This is relatively commonplace in field games, like football and cricket, and often goes by with mild bemusement. When it takes place during a high-speed racing event, however, the astonishment is multiplied exponentially. Just what is happening inside the mind of a person who decides to throw themselves in front of high-speed action, putting their life in completely unnecessary danger?

A variant of this question was likely to have struck your thoughts if you were watching today's Singapore Grand Prix, when on lap 38 a fan decided to take the most casual stroll into the face of vehicles travelling at 180mph ever caught on camera. While this shocked commentator David Croft into first completely missing the incident, then saying he'd never seen anything like it, this is not totally unheard of in Formula One, as well as other forms of racing. Let's take a look at some of the other stories of race invaders, with perhaps the tentative aim of unravelling the mindset of these ridiculous ramblers.

Neil Horan - 2003 British Grand Prix

2003's British GP invader got even closer to the action.

Seasoned Formula One fans would have instantly had their minds cast back to the spectacular 2003 British Grand Prix following today's incident. On lap 11, very soon after Rubens Barrichello had incredibly retaken the lead of the race, cameras cut to the terrifying sight of a man clad in a green vest and flapping kilt, running wildly towards the incoming traffic. Drivers who flew into the Hangar straight were forced to weave around Neil Horan, who was wielding signs reading "The bible is always right". A few moments later, a brave marshal wrestled the intruder to the ground, before comically dragging him off by his arm.

Described as a 'lunatic' by commentator James Allen, Horan was later revealed to be a ousted priest with convictions that the second coming of Christ was due. Horan had published a book revealing his theory as to the details of the eventual apocalypse, presumably with the hope that he could become one of his self-described 'immortal saints' who would rule the world alongside Jesus for a millennium.

This justification didn't wash particularly well during trial. Rather, Neil Horan's senselessly dangerous actions were considered a threat to both his own life, and the life of the drivers who miraculously avoided him. Horan was sentenced to two months in prison, but it wasn't the last people would hear of him...

Neil Horan - 2004 Olympics: Men's Marathon

Horan pulled his signature move again at the Athens Olympics.

Just over a year later, Horan hit the headlines again. This time, he made a mockery of the security surrounding the most high-profile sporting event in the world by interrupting an Olympic event in Athens and costing an athlete a gold medal. With 7 kilometres of the men's marathon remaining, Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima had a decent advantage in the race and was closing in on glory. However, Horan leapt out from the crowd and attempted to drag Vanderlei to the ground. The resulting squabble, which was only ended when a Greek spectator pulled Vanderlei out of Horan's grasp, cost the Brazilian time and undoubtedly shook his rhythm, meaning he ended up finishing third.

Despite the incident, Vanderlei de Lima covered himself in glory with the exceptionally sporting acceptance of his poor fortune, smiling and waving to supporters with true grace. As he continued to run, Horan was arrested once more and later apologised for potentially costing the Brazilian victory. He was given a 12-month suspended sentence and fined 3000 Euros, with the judge opting for leniency given Horan's unstable mental state.

Horan continued to find himself in public eye following these two high-profile incidents. His protests at both the 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Epsom Derby were foiled before they could begin, and he made a successful entry onto Britain's Got Talent in which he was put through by the judges before embarrassed TV executives did their research and pulled the audition from broadcast. Depending on your views, Horan's actions are a result of mental health issues or a fanatical belief in prophetic religious theories, but in either case he has caused some high-profile sporting drama.

A former Mercedes employee - 2000 German Grand Prix

Hockenheim was halted by a different kind of protester.

This was another famous incident that F1 fans will have harped back to after the events of today's race, although less is known about the perpetrator besides the fact that he was a disgruntled Mercedes worker who had just been fired from his role. Similar to Horan, the man's motivation was one of protest, albeit on a far more personal level. The 47-year-old Frenchman took a calm stroll along the side of the track draped in a silver raincoat, bringing the safety car out and initiating a rush of pit-stops.

One of the most memorable aspects of this track invasion was Murray Walker's unashamed reaction of gratitude towards the man, who described developments as "Fantastic. That lunatic, whoever he is, is changing the complexion of the race". Rubens Barrichello would go on to win the race (as he did, coincidentally, in the above-mentioned 2003 British Grand Prix).

It emerged that the protestor had a previous mark against his name, having appeared in the pitlane during the 1999 French Grand Prix before being ejected by security officials. After the German Grand Prix, he was arrested by police before being released on bail - what happened next is unclear, as research seems to fall short of providing the answer. Perhaps the protests were successful, and the man is now back in his old job at Mercedes?

Or more likely, he moved on and did something else.

 

James Dennis - 2014 Richmond Race (NASCAR)

A unique view for a NASCAR race.

This person technically didn't quite make it to the track, but his actions still had a substantial effect on the race he was attending. James Dennis decided to climb the catch-fencing surrounding the track, making it all the way to the top before hanging above the racers as they swept around the corner. Dennis stayed in his self-earned grandstand position for a few minutes, gesturing towards the crowd before being taken away by police. In the meantime, caution lights halted the race that Dennis had aimed to get as close as possible to.

It was later revealed that a drunken Dennis had wanted to stop the race and get on TV, all because it was his birthday. The police didn't quite buy into the idea that being born on a particular day gives you license to disrupt a major sporting event, and testified against him. Dennis was sentenced to a month in jail, but certainly has one heck of a story to tell.

Darren Crowder - 1986 Winston 500 at Talladega

The carjacker was eventually apprehended.

Most track invaders have achieved their goal when they set foot on the race-course, but Darren Crowder decided to go one better in the build-up to the 1986 Winston 500. The 20-year-old from Alabama caused one of the most unforgettable moments in motor racing when he hopped into the unoccupied pace car and went for an impromptu drive around the circuit. Within moments, the pace car was being chased down by police motorcycles and cars, giving the crowd a scintillating warm-up event.

Crowder eventually pulled up and the police hauled him away in handcuffs.  Sadly, his fate is unknown through basic Googling, but one can only imagine that the cops were less-than-pleased with the slightly ludicrous show that they had been a part of. Despite this question mark, the whole incident makes for a truly remarkable YouTube video.

Emily Davison - 1913 Epsom Derby

Davison's actions arguably had a profound effect on history.

Let's finish with some history. In 1913, Emily Davison ran onto the track during the Epsom Derby as Anmer, the horse owned by King George V, approached. Davison was struck by the horse and suffered injuries that she would succumb to four days later. 

Davison was a known activist for the suffragette movement for women's votes, and it's universally agreed that her intrusion of the race was some form of protest to support the campaign. However, the exact intentions are still debated to this day. At the time, one theory that was promoted was that Davison had set out to commit suicide in order to become a figure of martyrdom for the suffragette movement. However, this is dismissible by evidence such as the return ticket in Davison's purse.

Eye-witnesses believed that Davison may have been simply trying to cross the track, thinking that all the horses had gone past before being struck by Anmer, whereas other spectators claimed that Davison was attempting to drag the horse down. However, more recent historical research has concluded that Davison was trying to throw a 'Votes for Women' sash around the King's horse so that it would be branding the suffragette message when it crossed the finish line.

Davison's actions ignited controversy and debate within Britain, with some decrying irresponsible and hysterical protest tactics, and others feeling that acts of such enormous risk displayed women's commitment to the suffragette cause. It was a track invasion of historical implications, and arguably laid some of the groundwork for the 1918 Representation of the People Act which finally allowed women's votes.

Summary

Each of these stories represents an extreme. Whether this be extreme belief, extreme anger or extreme stupidity, everyone who interrupts a race is going through something enormous. It will be fascinating to discover the story of today's Singapore Grand Prix stroller.

If you know of any other incredible track invasion incidents, or perhaps more information about any of the above tales, please let me know - it would be great to find out more!

Two Races In - What Have We Learned?

We're officially into F1 2012. Having broken the skin with an exciting Australian Grand Prix, we pushed deeper into the veins of the season with last weekend's dramatic race in Malaysia. With a surreptitious and unrevealing testing period giving us little to go on, a lot has been revealed in the last two races. Here's what we have learned so far...


The McLarens have a headstart on the rest of the pack



There was a collective anxious sigh from the McLaren fanbase when the MP4-27 was unveiled and seemed very different to its competitors. The front noses of all the other cars included an aesthetically offensive crumpled feature, and there was fear that McLaren had missed a trick on this and were going to be left trailing in the first few races. Thankfully, this has clearly not been the case.


Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have locked out the front row of the grid in two successive races, and though their races have been peppered with mistakes the two Brits seem to have the paciest cars on race day as well. Certainly in Australia the McLaren seemed to be in its element, with only a badly-timed safety car preventing the first 1-2 for Hamilton and Button since Canada 2010. The car looked to be perhaps more of a struggler in the difficult conditions of Malaysia, but any troubles were heavily exacerbated by collisions, bad pit-stops and tyre issues.

McLaren, without a doubt, have the advantage in terms of the package they have brought to this season. It's a shame they haven't capitalised upon this quite as much as they could have done, but if they can maintain their dominance on the field for the majority of this season it will be a very fruitful year for the Woking-based team. Given the natural determination of Ferrari and Red Bull though, it's hard not to imagine that this gap will close quickly.

Ferrari know how to make the best of a bad car


From the moment teams arrived in Melbourne for the opening Grand Prix, it was clear something was very wrong at Ferrari. Engineers and drivers were openly talking about the damage limitation approach they needed to take as the car wasn't fit to win races. There was an unnerving air of pessimism all over Scuderia, and it became apparent that this was founded in reality as their two cars were knocked out of Qualifying in Q2, with barely a whimper.

However, a driver with the calibre of Fernando Alonso refuses to let pesky machinery get in his way. A solid and complete performance from the Spaniard saw him shimmy his way into a respectable fifth place, picking up 10 vital points. More was to come the following weekend with Fernando Alonso holding firm in the changeable conditions. Combined with some excellent pitwork from the Ferrari mechanics and a bit of luck regarding Perez's late off, Alonso was able to send the Tifosi into raptures with a truly unexpected race victory. Damage limitation? Perhaps damage denial would be more befitting.

The downside for Ferrari is that Felipe Massa has been poor. Finishes in 15th a 16th could either show that Massa isn't skilful enough to make the car work, or that he truly has lost the motivation to drive for Ferrari. In either case, his prospects for staying in the team beyond 2012 look dim.

Red Bull won't dominate


Given Vettel's outright monopolization of the 2011 Grand Prix calender, arguably one of the worst things that could have happened this year is a repeat of last season's form for Red Bull. The term "Schumacher years" reverberated eerily amongst discussion of racing fans as Vettel geared up to his campaign for a third consecutive title.


However, the Red Bull car has not only lost it's massive lead on the rest of the pack, it has positively fallen behind. Both Mercedes and Lotus have managed to get cars in front of Red Bulls during qualifying, as well as the aforementioned front-row lockouts from the McLarens. In the race as well, we have seen that the Red Bull is nothing spectacular, and although Sebastian Vettel enjoyed a podium in Australia, it appears that Adrian Newey and Christian Horner have some work to do.

Given that Red Bull probably has the best development team in the sport, it is unlikely that Red Bull will struggle to win races throughout the season. That said, it is hard to see them finding a way to establish the command they had on the track in 2011, and that should be of massive benefit to the sport.

The Saubers look tasty... as does a lot of the midfield


I was absolutely gutted for Sergio Perez on Sunday. I genuinely felt like he was about to pull off a famous move on Alonso that would give him an absolutely amazing victory, but a mistake manufactured by the spoiling hands of pressure destroyed the potential triumph.


It is still remarkable that we almost saw a Sauber take victory though. From untroubling midfield grid-fillers, the team have clearly had an excellent Winter with all the progression necessary to give them a hatful of points this season. Perez was quicker than Alonso throughout the last half of the Malaysian Grand Prix, with a mis-timed pit-stop and a mistake meaning he managed to catch back up with Fernando twice. That aside, both Perez and Kobayashi scored decent points in the Australian Grand Prix. Sauber is definitely a team to watch this season.

In fact, the rest of the midfield looks pretty good this year, and the result of it is some very close racing. Force India, Mercedes, Toro Rosso, Lotus and Williams have all scored points in those first two races, meaning that only those three perennial backmarkers remain stuck on their marks (although I'm fairly sure - and I might have been dreaming here - that a HRT was in 10th at one stage). Everyone is perusing the points closely, and it means we are in for some really intriguing battles across the track.

This is all bloody exciting, isn't it?


One theme running through all of this the potential for great racing. I truly think we're in for one of the best F1 seasons in living memory. The action on the track has been very enjoyable so far, and though it's very early to comment upon the title race, there are early signs that this could be a close one.


Last season I though the racing was fantastic. The controversial new elements of KERS and DRS did, if nothing else, spice the game up a bit and it made for some absolutely tremendous Grands Prix. However, 2011 was ruined by a yawn-inducing Championship fight between Sebastian Vettel and Sebastian Vettel. Before that we had what was arguably the opposite - a spectacular title-battle between five drivers that came down to the final race. Despite this, the racing in 2010 was appalling, with overtaking a rare and treasured animal. But in 2012, I'm starting to think that we could get the best of both worlds.

Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist, but I can truly see this year being special. The pack is closer than ever, the amount of rivalries developing is phenomenal, and we've had two very entertaining races already. If there's one thing that we have learned so far, it is that all our excitement and hype in the build-up to F1 2012 is well and truly justifiable.

F1 2011: A Lovely Review

Aka: F1 2011: Why? God? Why?

This year was always going to be different. Despite the usual suspects lining up in the best cars, the goalposts had jumped to a different world. DRS and KERS, Pirelli tyres, new rules, a new Grand Prix and the promises for a great gamut of overtakes. Was it any better than 2010? Well, that’s very debatable. It certainly had its own story, but if you were forced by some oddly-specific maniac to sum it up in one word it’d have to be ‘Vettel’.

That’s really what it’s been about. Sebastian Vettel has dominated to the point of boring the F1 world with his unopposed brilliance. Landing on pole a record-breaking 15 times, and stepping on the top of the podium on 11 occasions, there was never any doubt that Vettel was going to run far away with the title. It wasn’t an exciting championship win – Vettel made a habit of pulling out ridiculous leads into the first lap of races, earning him an untouchable position before the Grand Prix had really begun.

While an exhibition of a driver’s excellence, this sort of victory is something that a viewer will struggle to enjoy. There was little in the way of overtaking or battling this year for Vettel (albeit he did pull off a couple of wonderful moves during the year – namely in Italy), so the ‘Championship fight’ was more of a marathon round the world Sunday Drive for the young German.

You can’t blame Vettel though. Clearly he had a car that was burning the eyes of other drivers through sheer jealousy, and Sebastian just knew how to use it. His teammate Mark Webber had the same machinery available to him, and in contrast had a whisper of a year. Somewhat consistently, he carved out 10 podium finishes during the year, including his race win at the season finale in Brazil, which helped him to third place in the Championship. However, when you look at what Vettel achieved over the year, Mark has to be seen as having underperformed. On the few occasions that Vettel faultered, Mark was rarely there to compensate and convert the fortune into victory.

It’s possible that Webber is still ruing the way in which his title hopes faded in 2010, angrily stomping around in his home and shouting at pictures of Vettel. Perhaps it’s affected his form significantly for this year. I mean, that’s speculation, but I’m going to run with it because it goes well with my next point. It’s thereby difficult to decipher how well other drivers have performed comparatively, as their cars were likely not up to the challenge this season.

However, we can say that Jenson Button has had a very good year, because I’m a fanbo… I mean, he’s put in some terrific drives over the season and looked much sharper and more consistent than McLaren buddy Lewis Hamilton. Button’s performance at Canada seeped enough class to last a season. It was utterly breathtaking.

After Jenson’s title win in 2009, many believed he’d had his moment in the sun and burnt himself out henceforth, but I think his fictional ‘Best of the Rest’ award has shown that with the right car, Jenson can be a challenger in the seasons ahead. He’s by no means the paciest driver on the grid, but he has a real intelligence and anticipation that gives him a cooler head than the feisty young boy racers of this generation. He’s been compared to Alain Prost, and I can see why (despite the fact I was barely alive when Alain Prost was racing).

What of Lewis though? He’s been hanging around the paddock with the face of a child who’s been told Father Christmas isn’t real. Such is the depression of Hamilton that he ended up taking it out on poor Felipe Massa, bumping him all over the track and just being a general bully. OK, that’s an over-dramatisation. I think the Hamilton-Massa saga (one of the most interesting subplots of the season) was partly down to the misfortune of them coincidentally ending up on the same bit of track. No-one can deny the over-aggression between the two though, and their seeming magnetism has been somewhat of a problem.

They apparently had a hug and patched things up yesterday. Well, good for them. Lewis really needs to clear his head of the demons that have persistently pecked at him over the year, and a fresh start with Massa is a good signal. He will hopefully be back to form over 2012 (and by that I mean going past people as opposed to going into them).

For Massa though, his days are numbered I feel. As much as I like to credit him as an excellent driver, he too seems to have suffered from missing out on a title. Since 2008, the old Felipe that had a vibrant streak capable of pushing him to the front of the pack has completely vanished. Instead, the Brazilian failed to finish in any position above fifth throughout the season. That’s undeniably shoddy, especially considering that Alonso conjured up numerous podiums and a race victory.

Ahh, Fernando. As much as he is the man I love to hate, I must admit I miss seeing him and his hairy eyebrows in a title fight. Clearly an unbelievably strong driver, Alonso has had another season in the relative abyss. It should be a dream for him to be at Ferrari. It seems the two were a match made in heaven, but the Scuderia has let the Spaniard down, and he will be getting slightly itchy feet again should the team fail to deliver once more.

I think that covers the top 6. There have been so many stories this year though. Mercedes has continued to be the best of the chasing pack, with Schumacher beginning to get into his stride a little more. Seven-time champion Schumi still fell behind his teammate Rosberg, but not without showing us the odd spark of class. His fight with Hamilton during the Italian Grand Prix just showed how much spirit the old dog still has, and it will be fascinating to see if he can continue to improve in his third comeback season, and indeed, if that season will be his last (again).

The disaster continued for Williams, which has been one of the most tragic sights in F1 (only topped by Eddie Jordan’s dress sense). Their results have been simply terrible. They amassed a pathetic 5 points over the year, and didn’t look up to task at all. For Rubens Barrichello, the team’s tumultuous year will probably see him forced into retirement. For Pastor Maldonado it’s… awkward. He replaced Nico Hulkenberg as a much maligned ‘pay-driver’. He had a super act to follow, with Hulkenberg looking solid in 2010 and delivering a hugely unexpected pole position at Brazil. However, the Venezuelan was poor, and did nothing to please those who doubt the fairness of the involvement of pay-drivers.

It was the debut season for a Brit (the first time since Lewis Hamilton’s maiden year in 2007). Paul di Resta may not have set the world alight in the same way Hamilton did, but he performed very capably with the Force India and was a strong number two for Adrian Sutil. His form dipped after a quality start to 2011, but Di Resta proved himself to be someone with, at least, a mellow future in F1. As for Sutil, it seems quite likely that he will be replaced for 2012. I don’t understand this, as Sutil has appeared to have taken Force India quite far in his six years at the team (two when they were Spyker). If Sutil is shafted, I can see him being an excellent replacement for any team in need of a driver.

It was a bad year for Robert Kubica. Injured weeks before the season started, the rehabilitation of his hand movements have taken longer than expected, and it seems that Renault are beginning to consider a future without Bobby. It would be an enormous shame if Kubica’s career is over. He’s easily one of the most talented drivers to have emerged over the past few years, and I had him down as a dead cert for a championship. In fact, more than that. A completely destroyed, mutilated cert. However, it may never be.

Other than that, they were all either new rubbish teams, or a bit boring, so I’m not going to go on about individual stories. What of the other big topics of the year? DRS for example has split the Formula One opinion base right down the middle (with little cracks to either side for when it made a good race or not). It has no doubt increased overtaking, but in an artificial way. Dull races have been somewhat livened up by the new system, but perhaps at a greater cost for F1. If a car is within the one second mark of the driver ahead for the whole race, he is going to get a massive advantage over the car behind him. It’s a small, yet significant, imbalance.

I’d be more inclined towards a ‘push-to-pass’ system. Everyone has a set amount of times they can use the DRS, and it’s not based on any relation to other cars. That way, the benefits of DRS can be utilised without incurring the potential unfairness of the system. KERS is fine, it does the job without causing much fuss and it seems to work as a constant defence mechanism without being too effective.

The tyres have been another big feature of the season. Pirelli promised that their tyres would degrade very quickly, and would make racing more exciting. Despite this, teams seem to have coped quite well with the Pirellis. The ‘cliff’ has not been quite as immediate as the company suggested, and at worst the teams have had to do a four-stop strategy. However, I think the tyres have made for interesting racing, and Pirelli have done a good job. I do wonder what direction they’ll go in next year – hopefully they’ll go for more aggression and degradation.

One more thing to comment on – the Indian Grand Prix. Contrary to most Tilke circuits, this one looked very exciting, and had the potential to throw up a classic. In the end, it was a bit of a letdown, with Vettel leading every single lap. However, I like the circuit and there seemed to be interest from the Indian F1 supporters. I think it will become a good mainstay for Grand Prix racing over the coming years, and hopefully Karun Chandhok won’t be cruelly snatched of his chance to race in his country.

That just about wraps things up. I’m going to end the year with my seasonal awards (which I literally made up as I wrote the preceding sentence).

DRIVER OF THE YEAR

Well, that’s too easy. SEBASTIAN VETTEL is a worthy champion, and a worthy winner of this award.

RACE OF THE YEAR

Canada was an absolute classic, that will be talked about for many seasons to come. Surely one of Button’s finest performances, coming from the very back of the pack to win the race in the last lap. Extraordinary. Jenson also wins DRIVE OF THE YEAR for that.

SURPRISE PACKAGE OF THE YEAR (TEAM)

Very tricky, because no team outside the big three stood out. SAUBER had some good races though, so I’ll (hesitantly) pick them.

SURPRISE PACKAGE OF THE YEAR (DRIVER)

PAUL DI RESTA was not expected to seem as comfortable as he did in his opening Grand Prix season. Di Resta also gets my ROOKIE OF THE YEAR award.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR (TEAM)

No doubt. WILLIAMS.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR (DRIVER)

I don’t want to continue the Williams hate. I would say Pastor Maldonado, but instead I’ll plum for FELIPE MASSA.

NUMPTY OF THE YEAR

Ok, I will give this one to PASTOR MALDONADO for his utterly stupid move on Lewis Hamilton during the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying.

BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR

MARTIN BRUNDLE has moved into the main commentary position seamlessly, with all the professionalism, clarity and sharp analysis you could hope for.

And finally… THE JB AWARD FOR DODGING THE LIMELIGHT

JAIME ALGUERSUARI. Doing enough to impress, but not enough to capture our attentions. Nice one Jaime.