Diagonal Diary: Talk about Kevin, screwdriver shopping, and a group of wizards
Mon 19 August: The start of the week has a distinctly Danish feel. There are calls with André Eriksen and Niels Mortensen, the CEO and Founder, and Product Manager respectively of Asetek SimSports – the manufacturer of sim-racing hardware based in Aalborg, Denmark – to brief them ahead of their appearance at Gamescom later this week. Europe’s largest trade show for the gaming industry starts in Cologne, Germany, on Wednesday and we have organised a busy schedule of media interviews for André and Niels who will be showcasing a very special and brand-new Asetek product at the show.
Meanwhile, our MD, Matt Bishop, is on his way home after a long weekend in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, with Formula 1 driver and friend Kevin Magnussen.
Tue 20 August: We begin Tuesday as we ended Monday – with Kevin Magnussen. André Eriksen pays tribute to his compatriot – who has helped develop Asetek’s sim-racing products to make them truly authentic – in his latest LinkedIn article which you can read here.
Another article published today is by our MD, Matt Bishop. In his latest piece for Motor Sport, the Bish explains why Zeltweg in Austria is both the best and the worst circuit ever to have staged a world championship-status F1 Grand Prix.
We have back-to-back calls about two upcoming activations – one charitable and one environmental – which we are excited to be running on behalf of our client the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). We’ll bring you more on both of those in the coming weeks.
Wed 21 August: Diagonal Business Director Joe Downes catches an early flight to Dusseldorf, Germany, followed by a train to Cologne and a short walk to the Koelnmesse exhibition centre – the venue for Gamescom – where he is overseeing Asetek’s media activities for the rest of this week. Having had their screwdrivers confiscated at the airport, there is a last-minute shopping trip with the Asetek team to buy the tools required to set up a simulator rig they have at the show. Set up complete and our media programme begins as journalists visit the Asetek booth at the Danish Industry Stand. They are here to get their hands on the brand-new Invicta Wheel ahead of its full launch in October. ‘This is our crown jewel product,’ says André. ‘I’m a racer myself and the Invicta Wheel is a higher quality steering wheel than I’ve had in any race or hyper car I’ve driven.’
Thu 22 August: Having queued behind a group dressed as wizards and nearly tripped over a robot blowing up balloons, we arrive for day two at Gamescom. Gaming enthusiasts from all over the world have descended on Cologne in their thousands this week, and there are surprises around every corner at this spectacular event. We welcome journalists from Germany, France, Sweden, India, Slovakia, Norway, Netherlands, Georgia, Latvia, UK, Luxembourg, and the USA to the Asetek stand, and all of them are full of praise for the new Invicta Wheel after testing it around the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on the sim.
Fri 23 August: After a morning packed with more media appointments for Asetek, it’s a wrap at Gamescom. As Joe makes his way back to London, our BTCC media team are departing for Derby. Rounds 22, 23, and 24 of the 2024 BTCC season take place at the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit this weekend (24-25 August) when the closest title race in recent years will reach boiling point. Tom Ingram’s advantage is down to just three points over Jake Hill, and reigning champion Ash Sutton is also close behind. Keep an eye out for Dan Zelos at Donington too. The three-time Mini Challenge champion will make his BTCC debut for Team BRISTOL STREET
MOTORS in place of Ronan Pearson. ITV4’s all-day race day broadcast gets underway at 10:45 BST on Sunday. And remember, for the first time in the championship’s history the BTCC is being broadcast globally this season as every race is streamed live via ITV Sport’s TikTok channel. Enjoy all the racing over this bank holiday weekend.