Diagonal Diary: Aussie articles, Pat feels Hungary, and a very happy birthday
Mon 17 June: The week begins with the publication of two interviews with our two Australian racing driver clients. Caitlin Wood – the only woman to compete in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain this season – explains to Planet F1 what it is like to race against Jamie Chadwick. The Briton made history this month when she became the first woman to win a race on a road or street circuit in the IndyNXT series. Caitlin knows Jamie well, having competed with her in 10 W Series races from 2019 to 2021.
Caitlin’s compatriot, Pat Heuzenroeder, tells Speedcafe about his maiden GB3 Championship campaign this year, and how he moved 10,000 miles from home in Sydney to chase his Formula 1 dream.
One interview being conducted today is with David Richards, chairman of our client Prodrive – the world-leading motorsport and advanced technology business which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. David speaks to the Business Leader podcast, and you will be able to hear that interview soon.
Tue 18 June: It’s a busy race week and today is dominated by planning meetings for this weekend. Firstly, we run through the content plan with Pat Heuzenroeder ahead of his GB3 Championship round at the Hungaroring, Hungary (21-23 June).
Our client, The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), also reaches the midway point of its season
this weekend and there is a call with our media team to finalise plans and schedules for round five at Oulton Park, Cheshire. In his latest column for Motor Sport, Diagonal MD Matt Bishop remembers the Formula 1 Swedish Grand Prix, which was run six times from 1973 to 1978, always at this time of year.
Wed 19 June: Episode Two of ‘The Racing Kelpie’ – Pat Heuzenroeder’s vlog – is released on his YouTube channel today. Pat takes you behind the scenes of his previous GB3 Championship race weekend at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. The episode contains some exclusive and breathtaking on-board and trackside footage from the iconic circuit. Watch, like, and subscribe to Pat’s channel for lots more exclusive content.
It’s a busy summer for Event R – the app designed by a team of software developers led by former Formula 1 team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, to simplify team travel. Recent updates include official itineraries of high-profile sporting events – like Euro 2024 and F1 races – allowing users to build full, personalised travel itineraries for individuals and teams around matches and on-track sessions. Off to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend? Download EventR and give it a go!
Thu 20 June: Before his first practice session in Hungary, Pat Heuzenroeder’s race preview is published via his LinkedIn channel. “Nobody on the GB3 Championship grid has raced at the Hungaroring in these cars before so I’ll be competing on a more level playing field,” says the 18-year-old. “After showing good race pace at Spa, we’re aiming to conclude the first half of the season on the front foot.” You can read the full preview here. Best of luck to Pat this weekend.
Elsewhere, we are issuing invitations for a very special event we are hosting during the week of the F1 British Grand Prix…
Fri 21 June: Happy first birthday to us! One year ago today, Matt Bishop launched his new comms/PR agency, Diagonal Comms, and what a year it’s been. From Australia to America, sim-racing to real racing, single-seaters to touring cars, junior drivers to world champions, it is our great pleasure and privilege to tell the amazing stories – via mainstream, digital, and social media – of all our incredible clients. Here’s to the next 12 months!
We’ll celebrate this weekend by doing what we do best – racing! Our team is at Oulton Park, Cheshire, for round five of the BTCC season. You can watch all the action live and free via ITV Sport on television and TikTok. Sunday’s three races start at 12:25, 14:40, and 17:25.