Cover Story

Leafing through Wheels magazine in the QANTAS Club on the weekend, I saw an ad for a website where you can buy an official, framed print of any Wheels cover since '54. Ideal birthday gift, blah.

I was actually quite excited to look up the website and see what was in the automotive news in the month of my birth. Surely it'd be something cool - even my mum drove a 5-speed, turbo car back then.

Not so. The cover of the Wheels issue that my father could've been flicking through in the Alliance Hotel while waiting for news of my birth was a major let down - a test drive of the awful new MR2 and a comparison of people movers.

I went in search of better examples. The issue commemorating Daniel's birth, predictably, was awesome: WE DRIVE THE '86 COMMODORE, with a full-page, front-on shot of a champagne VL looking like an escaped NASCAR.

The issue on stands the month the authorities relented and licenced me to drive was slightly more appropriate - the brand new Holden Monaro features, with a small photo of Tickford's 347ci TS50. Hot cars, even though they were out of my price range.

Of course, once again Daniel's was better - a comparison of the new FPV GT and the HSV GTS, with an accompanying comparison of the '71 Falcon GT and the GTS Monaro. I bet a copy of this issue was on the passenger seat of his Telstar as he did skids throughout western QLD.

What was the cover story in your big year? Post up comments!

http://www.mycoverstory.com.au/

NH

Vale

What an awful week in motorsport. Indy Car driver Dan Wheldon should have been driving a V8 Supercar at the Gold Coast this weekend, but instead we saw his coffin carried out of a chapel in Florida.

Watching this on the news last night, I talked to a friend who isn't in to motorsport how rare a fatal accident is these days. As the words came out of my mouth, the broadcast switched to that terrible image of Marco Simoncelli lying motionless on the MotoGP track.

I hadn't heard of Dan Wheldon, but I've only just read Matt Oxley's interview of Simoncelli in Bike magazine. He was a young man with a zest for life and a great attitude to being at the pinnacle of two-wheel racing.

We sit in grandstands or in the forest or on the couch every weekend cheering these men and women on, hoping for a thrilling incident or a big save without a thought for the people that risk their lives to entertain us.

If motor racing was safe or easy, no one would do it and no one would watch it. But this really does give us a moment to pause and think.

Upcoming works

Nick and I have a few things in the pipeline at the moment - on both two and four wheels. I spent the afternoon taking some happy snaps for something of the two wheeled variety.

Won't reveal the particulars as of yet, but here's a quick teaser pic -

Stay tuned!!!

Daniel

Fame

Spent all of yesterday on a film shoot, in charge of the cars. Can't say it was the best experience of my entire life. I spent quite a bit of the day sleeping, waiting for something to happen - bench seats prove their worth once again - but I've written an interesting story that I hope a magazine will pick up and Dan got some great shots...

We've also had an interesting offer of regular work that we really need to get our heads around. Exciting times!

Missed Shift

You know the feeling - You're zinging up to 5200rpm, you dip the clutch, a lightening fast hand pushes through the dogleg from second to third and...

crunch

That's kinda what CSMedia has felt like lately. Dan and I have both been busy with work and travel, and the rare moments we have to do interviews and shoots have been plagued by scheduling dramas and poor weather. We're also facing living in our cars if the much-delayed pay for a few articles doesn't come through soon!

Never fear - we're still in the game, with an event report and a long-anticipated Katana photoshoot planned for this weekend, a catch up with a Kingswood driver in the next few weeks and the SuperFalcon article still in the works. I figure that some of these machines have waited 40 years for their moment in the sun - they can last a few more weeks.

We may even have some special reports from our European correspondent on the way - he's spent weeks thrashing everything from Fiat panel vans to Ferraris and other things we can't mention on a family website, all under the clever guise of a romantic getaway with his (now) fiance.

ColumnShifters seeking spousal approval for motorsport tours of foreign lands have much to learn from this man, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, keep dodging the rainstorms and enjoy the (intermittent) cruising weather!