2023 Gold Star - Entry List [1954 series]

I want to use the Maserati again for 54 please

Now that's a surprise ! Between Nico, Mia, Martin and Darren, Gordini must be looking forward to the 1954 season !

#40 please

This mercato doesn't stop the surprises ! After Andrews dramatic departure from Daimler-Benz AG, the French 2000cc champion has been approached by the german team and decided to betray the British just a few hours before officially signing his contract for the Lagonda entry.

I'll take #19 300SL please, sorry Frank for all the back and forth on this one.

Erwann Burguiere wrote:

I'll take #19 300SL please, sorry Frank for all the back and forth on this one.

No problemo mate, most important is that everybody gets a car they like, I don't mind the edits

Last Gordini for me please!

Le Sorcier has gathered quite the line-up lol ! Gordini FTW

Well, in a sudden turn of events I got a very nice offer from the guys at Ecurie Yankee I couldn't refuse. I am taking the #56 entry for 1954.

I'll be keeping my light blue #22.

For now, I will be keeping the #54, pending a little further testing now that I've seen another couple of spots open ...

Full confirmation will be provided in due course.

EDIT: Confirmed, I will be staying with Kangaroo Stable for 1954.

Neubauer Downplays Andrews Incident

A somewhat battered and bruised Alfred Neubauer met with press assembled outside the Mercedes headquarters today.
He scoffed at reports of receiving "a beautiful right-cross" to his jaw and downplayed the Monza incident as "merely a misunderstanding". Despite eye witness reports and physical evidence showing otherwise, he refused to take further questions regarding former driver Darren Andrews.

Herr Neubauer quickly moved on to deny a previous statement that 1953 1500cc champion Matt Wright had signed for Mercedes. "I have no memory of making a verbal agreement with Mr. Wright and have no idea where this talk is coming from" Upon being asked if the recent "misunderstanding" had anything to do with this memory loss, Herr Neubauer looked puzzled for a moment causing a stunned murmur in the crowd. Quickly regaining his composure ending the interview with "Mercedes looks forward to a much improved 1954 season and has no doubt it will fill the 3rd seat"

Breaking News: Wright signs with Lancia! (For real this time)

In the wake of the Mercedes statement Gianni Lancia quickly released his own on behalf of Scuderia Lancia. "We are happy to announce the signing of Mr. Wright for the 1954 season" This is a further addition to midseason musical chairs that has taken HSO by storm in the last 48 hours. The Australian was unavailable for comment but was seen testing the #62 Lancia D24 ahead of the 1st round at Buenos Aires.

In what some have described as "About as likely as a Talbot winning the Gold Star" Scuderia Lancia found themselves with not one but two vacant seats. It remains unclear who will fill the final position and help take the fight to Ferrari and Jaguar this season.


#62 please Frank, promise this is the last switch and wall of text

Je garde la N°45 4.5 Ferrari 375 MM Ecurie Francorchamps

In a shocking twist of events, Austin Burchfield has resigned his allegiances with the Ecurie Côte-d’Azur team and their Talbot. As if silly season wasn't silly enough! Burchfield is no stranger to Mercedes, having driven with them a few years ago prior to Daimler improving the engine and removing weight. He famously and controversially called the Mercedes a 'boat'. Many speculate it led to his removal. His blue and purple machine stood out on the grid, but it also stood out for other reasons. While his qualifying results improved over the season Burchfield never completed a race in his Mercedes.

Many are predicting this to be a bad decision by Neubauer, upon asking Burchfield what he thought, he had this to say: "Look, I'm.. just as surprised as you to be honest. I was fully ready to start this season in that Talbot. I thought Neubauer and Daimler would try and poach someone like Bayer, Hillebrand, or Titz. Someone German, you know? But Neubauer came to me with an offer I couldn't refuse. I will admit my time with them in the past has been rough, but.. Mercedes was my first year in all of this and I dare say that car wasn't made for a rookie. I'm a changed man.. I've got more experience. I want to bring Mercedes the glory they desperately deserved a few years back, and.. I want to get rid of that horrible record of never finishing a race with them. So that's why I've decided to accept this last-minute decision to take up the #20."

Mercedes fans are quite split on this decision. Some are predicting he will continue his streak of DNFs, others are predicting a Silver Star, while a vocal minority are predicting a Gold Star for the driver. Ultimately, time will tell what's in store for Burchfield.

I'm gonna jump in the #55 Côte-d'Azur car then, it's my hometown team and I wanted a Talbot with a backup car.

I'll stick with the #10 Jag. Don't have time for practice with other cars, anyway

A successful 1953 campaign with the Dutchman Robin De Vos bringing in points for Cunningham and Welshman Toby Johnson consistently finishing every race and bringing home a point in the mighty C4-R. For the 1954 campaign Robin has decided to move onto to drive for Sonauto Porsche leaving only Toby on the team. Not wanting to only field a single car Briggs Cunningham has signed Declan Brush from Ecurie Rosier to drive the #1 C4-R. For his #3 Ferrari Briggs signed upstart Rookie Abigail Edwards from the Porsche works team after she successfully finished her first race at Monza, only time will tell if she’s the one to represent the team in the championship. For the final spot Briggs has signed David purchase from the Bristol team to drive the #4 C-type. David has decided to primarily represent the team in the 1500 class and after a solid performance in the Bristol, Cunningham hopes he produce the same results in the 1500 class.

Rob de Vries wrote:

Well, in a sudden turn of events I got a very nice offer from the guys at Ecurie Yankee I couldn't refuse. I am taking the #56 entry for 1954.

That being said, my contract with Ecurie Yankee has an escape clause in case a works Ferrari drive might present itself (If Robin doesn't want it, he was first)

Rob de Vries wrote:

Rob de Vries wrote:

Well, in a sudden turn of events I got a very nice offer from the guys at Ecurie Yankee I couldn't refuse. I am taking the #56 entry for 1954.

That being said, my contract with Ecurie Yankee has an escape clause in case a works Ferrari drive might present itself (If Robin doesn't want it, he was first)

The current queue for those Ferrari factory seats...

Rory MacDuff wrote:

Hillebrand Spotted At Jaguar Headquarters

With rumors circulating that recent Gordini acquisition Nicolas Hillebrand is dissatisfied with the performance of his T24S in recent testing, sources have revealed to this publication that he visited Coventry with the hopes of signing with Jaguar. It's unclear at the moment exactly which Jaguar entry he wishes to drive, but with strong drivers filling the seats of all Jaguar D-Types, sources have speculated that he will put his trust in a Jaguar C-Type for the 1954 season.

This comes as a major blow to Gordini's manufacturer efforts for the 1954 season. Coming off of a Gold Star overall victory, they have been using the subsequent prize money and sponsorships to make some big moves in the offseason. After the show that Hillebrand made in the hours after the end of the Coppa Inter-Europa, it seems that he has had some time to cool his head after that disastrous reliability issue. With the day of contract signing fast approaching, we can only hope he makes the choice most beneficial to him.

Hillebrand and Amédée Gordini have so far declined to comment on the situation.

The person I'm really worried about here is Jake D. Hasn't been seen or heard from in weeks...

The crisis in the official Ferrari team continues.
the 375 Plus is heavy and its extra power is not justified in speed.
His brakes continue to fail due to weight and his cornering ability has not changed from last season to this season.
2 of its 3 pilots are connected, but only 1 is available for training.
It will hardly get better results than in 1953 and to top it off, bad luck has been one of the main reasons for the team's fiasco.
At Monza, his best-placed car lost all chances in the race when he was hit by a runaway Bristol at Turn 1.
Honestly, a little bit of luck and driver consistency would be welcome for the team.

Hillebrand switches to Jaguar only days after signing for Gordini

After a dramatic finish to the 1953 season, a rather public altercation in the David Brown Automotive team and shock signing to Gordini, Nicolas Hillebrand, once again pulls off an unpredictable move only days after signing to the French manufacturer.
After photos surfaced of Hillebrand visiting the Jaguar factory and both team boss Amédée Gordini and Hillebrand himself had refused to comment, the rumour mill ran wild for the coming season, however the silence has finally been broken!
The German will race for a British team after all. After their recently signed Irishman Jake Denehan had to cancel his upcoming contract for 1954 due to conflicting racing engagements and their American driver Rory MacDuff had already been signed with the Mercedes team, the team from Coventry was hard-pressed to find a replacement driver for their #8 car. Team manager Lofty England approached the German who was hesitant at first due to his engagement with Gordini, but after a few tests, the German came to the negotiating table.
"After the test day I drove straight to Paris to talk to Amédée personally. It was important to me that he knew I didn't take this lighthearted, but to my surprise I arrived there to find him and Lofty already talking about the matter. He (Amédée) was very understanding of the situation and we ended up going drinking together, to be honest I still haven't slept off the hangover from that! I look forward to be racing for Jaguar in the coming year and to have 2 very competent teammates in the team. Both of them got good results in and having raced the car wheel to wheel in Monza for most of the race, my excitement is through the roof!"

I am heeding Matt's call and would like to drive the #37 Porsche for 1954 instead of the #24 Maserati.

I have limited availability for races, but would love to have a go in the empty #38 Porsche if it's available. Will mostly be for the practice servers, but I should be able to make a couple of races this season as well.