Philip Cullen

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Ireland Philip Cullen
Philip Cullen helmet.png
Nationality Ireland Irish
Year Joined 2005
First Race 2005 Italian Grand Prix
Series Entered Superleague
Current Team(s) Halcyon Racing
Championships {{{Championships}}}
Wins {{{Wins}}}
Podiums {{{Podiums}}}
Poles {{{Poles}}}
Fastest Laps {{{Fastest Laps}}}


Superleague Career (up to December 2012)
Debut Year 2005
Associated Teams Halcyon Racing
Synergetic Motorsports
APR
Stealth Grand Prix
Woods Racing
Krystal Oxide Team
Races 28
Championships 0
Race Wins 0
Podium Finishes 0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First Race 2005 Italian Grand Prix


Supercup Career (up to December 2012)
Debut Year 2006
Associated Teams Halcyon Racing
Woods Racing
Races 18
Championships 0
Race Wins 0
Podium Finishes 3
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 1
First Race 2006 Supercup Gibraltar Grand Prix


Formula Challenge Career (up to December 2012)
Debut Year 2012
Associated Teams Pinnacle Motorsports
Races 2
Championships 0
Race Wins 0
Podium Finishes 1
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First Race 2012 Challenge Japanese Grand Prix


Masters Series Career (up to December 2012)
Debut Year 2009
Associated Teams Halcyon Racing
MMC Racing
Aquarius Motorsports
Races 31
Championships 0
Race Wins 3
Podium Finishes 11
Pole positions 1
Fastest laps 2
First Race 2009 Monza Masters


Philip Cullen is an Irish sim-racer who currently drives for the Halcyon Racing in the Superleague.

He has competed in the GPVWC since late 2005 in a part-time capacity throughout the years. The highlight of his career thus far was finishing third in the Supercup in 2012. Cullen will return to the Superleague in 2013 with Halcyon Racing.

Early Sim-Racing Career

Philip spent his formative years racing a variety of sims, ranging from single seaters, touring cars, off-road and stock cars. It was only a matter of time before he eventually made the big step up to online competition. Unlike most sim-racers, Cullen used a joystick as a controller as opposed to a steering wheel.

Using the Grand Prix 4 platform, Cullen joined the GPChampionship to learn his trade in 2005. He spent two seasons in the league, competing in 24 races and scored a best race finish of sixth position during his sophomore season. Towards the tail end of 2005, he was offered a race seat by Ollie Woods at Woods Racing as the team returned to the Superleague.

Superleague

2005

The Kildare native endured a fractured time when racing when the league ran under the F1VWC banner. He joined the league late in the year after Woods Racing was granted the slot left vacant by MMC Racing. Cullen juggled his VWC driving commitments with his duties at the GPChampionship.

However, the team inherited a car shorn of development and would be grossly uncompetitive during the final races of the season. The car quickly earned the moniker of 'the shit brick' by the Irishman given the cars poor aerodynamic performance. Philip officially only finished in one of the four races - although he did bring the car across the line at the Belgian Grand Prix, he was not classified in the results.

2006

Despite a trying start to his career in the league, Philip remained optimistic on carving out a name for himself inside the VWC paddock. Early in the year, he made the decision to work aboard during the summer. This led to him declining a full-time offer from the Woods team as he felt it was unfair to the team when he was unable to devote the adequate time needed to compete. He stayed on at the Croydon outfit in a reserve role.

Upon his return to Europe at the end of the summer, the itch to compete competitively returned. An opportunity to scratch that itch appeared when Argentinian outfit Krystal Oxide Team were in need of an emergency replacement driver for the races at Shanghai and Suzuka. Mechanical issues blighted both races before he returned to Woods Racing for the final race at Interlagos.

2007

While results did not match his potential, Ted Cragg of Stealth Grand Prix was willing to take a punt on the energetic Irishman. Talks between the pair started late in 2006 and led to Cullen having the opportunity to sample the Stealth car in a private test around Suzuka. Both parties impressed each other and continued talks eventually saw Philip sign to drive for Stealth.

The deal would see him paired him with David Brown. The league veteran provided the perfect foil for the youngster, allowing him to learn more about the intricacies of getting the most out of a racing car. Unfortunately, race results still failed to match the potential and both drivers had to overcome design flaws in the Stealth car in the early part of the season.

A then career best for Cullen arrived as early as the third grand prix of the season at Sakhir. A difficult run followed, with a season low point at Montreal. After a rough start to the season, Stealth finally begun to turn a corner with the car development. Philip bounced back from his own issues to score his first career VWC points at the German Grand Prix, finishing sixth. However, this would be his final race of the season as computer issues sidelined him for the rest of the year.

2008

Political strife hit in 2008, causing for the division of the league. Cullen was originally tempted towards William Ponissi's new-look GPVWC league. He originally planned to join up with Adam Rouse to compete for top honours. However, after preparing for the first race of the season, Philip took the decision to withdraw from the series in favour of competing against a stronger field elsewhere while the new incarnation of the GPVWC found its feet.

The biggest change for the 2008 was that Cullen finally made the switch to a steering wheel controller. In all previous sim-racing seasons, he had raced with a joystick. The controller change saw an immediate improvement in race performance and helped to prepare Philip for his eventual move away from the Grand Prix platform.

2009

Philip found himself with a Superleague seat on the eve of the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, having only recently moved to the rFactor platform. He took part as a free agent at the final Donington Park pre-season test. Despite being unsure of his competitiveness, numerous offers were tabled and he eventually plumped for a race-by-race deal with Synergetic Motorsports.

The season was marred with reliability issues for the Synergetic car, coupled with as what Cullen would describe as 'dodgy driving standards'. He only crossed the line twice in eleven events. On both occasions that he did finish the race, he brought the car home inside the points.

The Australian Grand Prix was Cullen's 'online' racing debut. The event was to be short-lived as overheating problems with the Synergetic car saw the Irishman retire in the early stages. The trip to Asia was marred by connectivity issues. At the Chinese Grand Prix, timing errors on the server had him wrongly discredited a lap, which led to him parking the car. The Japanese Grand Prix from Suzuka failed to see his luck improve. Despite great getaways on both race starts, he got disconnected from the server while the event was under safety car conditions.

As the GPVWC circus returned to Europe, his fortunes improved. A steady albeit unspectacular race at the French Grand Prix netted him fourth place. Home territory at Mondello Park would prove to be eventful for the Kildare native. An early spin saw him collect fellow Irishman and rival Kieran Ryan. A sterling recovery drive, including battles with former Woods Racing team-mates Mark Wicks and Mark Fuller ended with him finishing in fifth position.

The Monaco Grand Prix became a turning point for Cullen as his growing experience with the rFactor platform allowed him to show more speed. The prospect of a points race looked lost after a driver error sent him to the pits for repairs. He responded by lighting up the timing sectors around the Principality until his engine expired. Cullen followed that up with a career best qualifying with third at Silverstone. Ultimately, driver error again ruined the opportunity for the Irishman to add to his points tally.

Race durability continued to be an issue with the Synergetic and Cullen would fail to finish for the remaining races he competed in. A season of frustration came to a head at the Sakhir where a formation lap fiasco occurred. Dave Carr-Smith, despite starting third, took it upon himself to control the pace lap which left the Nordsjoen Racing duo sitting on the grid well before the rest of the field. A number of drivers suffered from the crawling pace run by Smith, resulting in numerous overheating, brakes and tire issues for the field going into the first corner. The decision would lead to the Irishman becoming extremely critical of Carr-Smith assuming the duties of the pole-sitter on his own, particularly as the Englishman refused to accept accountability for the repercussion his actions caused.

A crash due to lag in Kyalami after a promising qualifying effort left question marks on his Superleague return after the summer break. Eventually, he did decide to return for the resumption of the season in Canada after team owner Mal McKee went out of contact with the league. McKee's sudden departure left Cullen planning to take the reigns of the team in the interim. This lasted just the one race, as the events of Canadian Grand Prix left him soured with the Superleague mod. Philip chose to focus all his efforts on the inaugural Masters Series which was now running concurrently with the Superleague.

2011

The Irishman raised eyebrows on his brief cameo at the season test in Sepang.

Two years after last appearing in the Superleague, Philip returned on the request of his long-time friends, Phil Perkins and Adam Rouse. The pair were interested in the venerable Irishman's opinion on the Triple-Double Racing cars potential and the opportunity to earn additional development points for the team.

"Over the years, Phil and Rousey have gone above and beyond whenever I asked them for something. There was never a point either of them said 'no' to a request for help. The least I could do is return the favor. Thats what friends do. I came back for them." - Commenting as to why he returned to the league after two years away.

Cullen appeared at the pre-season test at Sepang, finishing the session faster than both Perkins and Rouse. He followed this up with one more appearance for the team during the free practice session at the Suzuka. At the end of June, Philip amicably split with the team to make room in the Triple-Double line-up for Ric Scott.

2012

Philip tentatively announced his availability for the 2012 season before Christmas, joining a plethora of drivers looking for a team. Cullen admitted the return of the competitive itch after spending over half a year on hiatus from racing. He stated that while interested, he would wait until more firm details on the 2012 Superleague season before committing to a return after three years away from the top tier of GPVWC racing.

The decision to wait left Cullen joining the likes of Carr-Smith, Rouse, Perkins and Sam Millar on the outside as race seats were quickly filled up with the influx of new talent to the league. An unrepentant Cullen stood by his decision to wait and eventually signed with Kernow Sport in a research and development driver role. He appeared on several occasions during the official test and Free Practice sessions for the team throughout the year.

2013

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Supercup

2006

Cullen intended to dovetail his test driver duties for Woods Racing by driving for the team's Supercup effort. Philip finished in the points on his Supercup debut, crossing the line in fifth at the season opening race in Jerez. Ultimately, plans to run the team full time fell apart for Woods and despite qualifying the car for the next two events, Jerez was to be Cullen's only race start in the competition in 2006.

2012

Philip returned to the Supercup six years after his one-off appearance in the series. The Irishman originally signed with Halcyon Racing to spearhead the teams foray into recently launched Formula Challenge series. However Halcyon gained a Supercup grid slot at the beginning of February. A quick meeting with Rouse resulted in an agreement that moved Philip up to the Supercup team for the season.

Formula Challenge

2012

Cullen's original plans for the year involved a full season commitment to Formula Challenge for 2012. This changed when Halcyon was granted the vacant slot left by Draig Racing in the Supercup. Philip joined the team in the Supercup. He would eventually make a start in the Formula Challenge, joining racing acquaintance Nick Phillips and to launch Pinnacle Motorsports GPVWC venture. The team learned only the day of the race that it had been granted the slot vacated by Constant Racing. The time constraints to find a second driver saw Cullen race for the team in Japan, following Phillips home for a one-two for the team in the sprint race. This would be Cullen's only involvement as the team signed Craig Johnston to fill the second seat.

Masters Series

2009

The 2009 Master Series is to date, the most competitive series that Philip has taken part in. He would demolish previous best career results during the nine event, 18 race season.

Upon the announcement of the Masters Series, Cullen decided to race for his own single-team entry, Aquarius Motorsports. He missed the opening around at Laguna Seca due to other commitments before making his Masters debut at Monza. A strong run in Race One saw him miss out on his first career podium before the mixed fortunes from the reverse grid in Race Two saw him finish seventh.

After Monza, Philip spoke at length with Ryan McConkey. The American offered Cullen a slot with MMC Racing to add a third car to MMC Racing, allowing the team to take the fight to Constant Racing. The move immediately paid dividends with a first career podium at Surfer's Paradise in the feature race, keeping team-mate McConkey honest to the flag. Third would later become second after Joe Consiglio was penalized for excessive corner cutting.

Despite a great start from the back, he came undone in the sprint race as overly aggressive driving by others left him with a damaged car. His race came to an end from damage sustained after getting it wrong through the double chicane. For safety purposes, he parked his car to avoid disrupting the race.

The Masters Series travelled to Birmingham and marked the beginning of a highly competitive streak for the Irishman. He scored another podium finish in the feature race after early race dices with Phil Perkins, Richard Bayes and David Stanton. An expiring engine for Consiglio allowed him to take the runner-up spot. Philip backed up his strongest Masters event to date with a fourth in the sprint race. The result was made all the sweeter for him as graphical issues on track load-up had him driving with distorted vision for the entire race.

Montreal offered another visit the podium again, completing a hat-trick of second places in the feature race. It was a rather uneventful race for him as he found himself in no-man’s land between his closest competitors. The sprint race start was dicey as the opening corners of the circuit allowed for some extreme bumper-to-bumper action.

He managed to avoid a melee at turn three which left him sitting outside the top three. Several laps later and Cullen took the lead of his first ever race. The feeling would be short-lived as the ever quick Rouse and Consiglio hunted him down. Philip finished third and marked his first double podium finish in the Masters Series.

Cullen’s impressive run hit its height at Cadwell Park. The Irish driver took an immediate liking to the circuit and stuck the car on pole position. Nerves were tested within the team as all three MMC cars barreled up the hill looking to be in front on the opening lap.

After losing the lead to Adam Rouse, he chased down and passed the championship leader before embarking on a series of qualifying-esque laps to open up the gap. The two traded fastest laps but Cullen would be victorious, taking his first ever sim-racing victory.

The sprint race saw the continuation of the battle with Rouse. The two traded spots for the lead on a number of occasions before a snatched gear ultimately ended his chances of taking a second victory at the track.

His successive run of finishes came to an end at Spa when a connection drop resulted in retirement from the race while he was sitting in third position. The misfortunate in the feature aided him with pole for the sprint race, leading a lap at the legendary circuit. He would soon be overtaken by his team-mates and James Linton – but found improved speed following the pace setters. A late spin by Rouse promoted him into third as he watched Linton and McConkey compete in a duel for the win.

The Brands Hatch Masters provided another tale of two races for Cullen. The feature race through the night around the Indy circuit produced a great duel between Rouse and himself, ultimately coming out in favor of the English driver. Philip looked odds on to take victory in the sprint race when he again suffered from a disconnection. He did however record fastest laps in both races, marking the first time he recorded a fastest lap in a race format.

The season ended around the daunting Bathurst circuit. He again pushed newly crowned champion Rouse for the pole. After jumping his team-mate at the start, Philip spent the first few laps battling with Constant’s Mark Stanton for the lead. After finding his rhythm, he opened a gap wide enough to take a comfortable victory in the feature race.

In spite of a great start in the sprint race, the tight nature of the main straight saw the Irish driver run out of room and last out of the first corner. Fortuitously, this turned out to aid Cullen as he arrived late into turn two as a multiple cars were involved in a pile-up. Philip squeezed through a tight gap between the wall and Mark Wicks before proceeding on his way. Martin Wright and Mark Fuller both spun at the Esses, again leaving the Irish driver out front on his own at Bathurst. He re-hashed the script from race one, opening up a safe lead and bringing the home car to sweep the event.

Cullen finished runner-up in the championship after competing in eight of the nine race meetings. MMC Racing dominated the Constructors standings, almost doubling the points total of Constant Racing in second.

2011

After sitting out on the second season of the Masters series, Philip announced that he intended to return for the Masters Series in 2011 with MMC Racing. His decision to return was largely down to the opportunity to work with Rouse and McConkey again, along with the opportunity to race against a large and varied field. The season went down as the most competitive yet of the Master Series, with over sixty drivers taking part during the course of the season.

Cullen fights his way through the pack during the reverse grid race at Goldenport.

The opening race at the Norisring resulted in a rough return for Cullen. Seven months out of competitive racing showed itself, particularly in the sprint race. He finished 9th in the Feature race, finding himself in no-mans land behind team-mate McConkey around the tight street circuit. The reverse grid Sprint race was be a trying affair. Caught up in the first corner melee, Philip was on his way up the field when he spun out over the bumps. He found trouble again later on in the race on his way to a lowly 24th place finish.

The Irish driver would see a return to form at Goldenport. A sixth place in qualifying was followed with a race long battle with Bart de Vos and Simon Cattell - with the former going side-by-side throughout the first part of the lap with Cullen as they tusselled. While Cullen eventually lost out to both drivers, he would ultimately be scored in 5th following the disqualification of Lee Morris. Cullen managed to avoid the major incidents during the start of the Sprint race and would tag along with Jack Keithley and Joe Consiglio as they worked their way up through the field to finish 8th.

Zolder’s Feature race played host a cracking duel between Cullen and Rouse. The MMC Racing team-mates battled for 4th spot throughout the Belgian event in a hard but fair fight. Despite Cullen’s best efforts, he could not find a way around Rouse but drew praise from his colleagues for not losing his cool and resorting to nudging his team-mate out of the way. Philip went on to finish 5th again in the Sprint race as he cut through the field and avoided the major dramas. Again, he found himself having a number of great battles with competitors like Sam Millar and Lewis Redshaw.

After avoiding trouble at Goldenport and Zolder, Cullen found plenty at Istanbul. A lonely Feature race was compounded by a late spin, giving up a place to Pavel Loknovski. During the Sprint race, while trying to avoid trouble around Turn Eight, he banged doors with Cattell. The Irish driver came off the worse and spun off the track. His recovery charge towards the points ended with an internet connection, marking his only retirement of the season.

Time constraints increasingly became an issue for Philip as the series returned from a week break. As such, he entered the next set of events little practice time. His pace suffered at Watkins Glen, qualifying outside the top-10. A nudge from Jason Muscat sent him straight through the chicane sending him spiraling out of the points. A stirring drive and audacious passing moves on his competitors hauled his car up to 7th place before finding the gap between himself and the next position un-catchable.

After avoiding the melee of the first lap, Philip looked set for a decent haul of points before a punt from Scotty Moore sent him off again at the chicane. With a sense of deja vu, Cullen picked himself up and fought through the field again to bring the car home in 11th, narrowly missing out on tenth position.

The series returned to Bathurst, the scene of his last victory. With the ultra-competitive nature of the Masters Series, Cullen knew a repeat of his 2009 sweep would be impossible. Thoughts of a good points say in the Feature would be ended early, as David Jundt got into the rear of his car heading into turn three, spearing him into the wall. The resulting damage causing a puncture and dropped Cullen to the rear.

Despite his position and the obvious advantages of running at the rear with regards to the Sprint race, Philip hauled his damaged car to a 26th position finishing position, passing twelve cars. He benefited from starting ahead of his faster rivals in the Sprint race and moved from 12th up to 3rd position by the end of the race, scoring his first podium of the season to make up for a disappointing Feature race. His third position became second during the post-race scrutineering when Millar was penalised.

Philip ended up missing the final round at Donington Park due to illness. Despite this, he finished the season a highly creditable 5th overall in the championship, scoring 117 points. MMC Racing also re-claimed the team championship, pipping Tiger Express Motorsports for the crown.

Racing Career Results

Superleague

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 WDC Points
2005 Woods Racing WR05 Cosworth Australia


Malaysia


Austria


San Marino


Spain


Monaco


Europe


Canada


United States


France


United Kingdom


Germany


Hungary


Italy

Ret

Belgium

Ret

Brazil

10

Japan

Ret

NC 0
2006 Woods Racing WR06 Cosworth Belgium


Malaysia


Australia


San Marino


Europe


Spain


Monaco


United Kingdom


Canada


United States


France


Germany


Hungary


Turkey


Italy


Brazil

10

NC 0
Krystal Oxide Team ? Mercedes China

Ret

Japan

Ret

2007 Stealth Grand Prix SGP-07 Renault Australia

Ret

Malaysia

13

Bahrain

9

Spain

Ret

Monaco

Ret

Canada

DQ

United States

-

France

Ret

United Kingdom

10

Germany

6

Hungary

-

Turkey

-

Italy

-

Belgium

-

Japan

-

China

-

Brazil

-

21st 3
2008 APR ? Honda Australia

Ret

Malaysia

-

Bahrain

C

Spain

-

Turkey

C

Monaco

-

Canada

-

France

-

United Kingdom

-

Germany

-

Hungary

-

Europe

-

Belgium

-

Italy

-

Austria

-

Japan

-

Brazil

-

NC 0
2009 Synergetic Motorsports SM-09 Cosworth Australia

Ret

China

Ret

Japan

Ret

France

4

Ireland

5

Monaco

Ret

United Kingdom

Ret

Czech Republic

Ret

Bahrain

Ret

South Africa

Ret

Canada

Ret

Mexico

-

Brazil

-

Italy

-

Spain

-

Belgium

-

Netherlands

-

Singapore

-

17th 9
2013 Halcyon Racing HR1 Martex MX-01 Australia

-

Malaysia

-

Austria

-

Hungary

-

Spain

-

Monaco

-

Canada

-

South Korea

-

Turkey

-

United Kingdom

-

Italy

-

Belgium

-

France

-

Germany

-

United States

-

United Arab Emirates

-

Japan

-

Brazil

-

Pos Pts

Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.

Supercup

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 WDC Points
2006 Woods Racing SC-006 Gibraltar

5

San Marino

DNS

Europe

DNS

Spain

-

Monaco

-

United Kingdom

-

France

-

Germany

-

Hungary

-

Turkey

-

Italy

-

Belgium

-

22nd 8
2012 Halcyon Racing SC-012 Australia

6

China

2

United Arab Emirates

3

Hungary

5

Spain

Ret

Monaco

6

Canada

5

South Korea

6

Turkey

6

United Kingdom

5

Italy

6

Belgium

6

Netherlands

Ret

Germany

Ret

United States

11

Brazil

-

Japan

4

Singapore

2

3rd 90

Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.

Formula Challenge

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 WDC Points
2012 Pinnacle Motorsports FC-012 United Kingdom

FEA

United Kingdom

SPR

Netherlands

FEA

Netherlands

SPR

Italy

FEA

Italy

SPR

Slovenia

FEA

Slovenia

SPR

Malaysia

FEA

Malaysia

SPR

Japan

FEA
9

Japan

SPR
2

Australia

FEA
-

Australia

SPR
-

Brazil

FEA
-

Brazil

SPR
-

Mexico

FEA
-

Mexico

SPR
-

United States

FEA
-

United States

SPR
-

South Africa

FEA
-

South Africa

SPR
-

Ireland

FEA
-

Ireland

SPR
-

France

FEA
-

France

SPR
-

Spain

FEA
-

Spain

SPR
-

Singapore

FEA
C

Singapore

SPR
C

38th 30

Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


Master Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 WDC Points
2009 Aquarius Motorsports BMW E90 United States

FEA

United States

SPR

Italy

FEA
4

Italy

SPR
7

2nd 271
MMC Racing Australia

FEA
2

Australia

SPR
Ret

United States

FEA
2

United States

SPR
4

Canada

FEA
2

Canada

SPR
3

United Kingdom

FEA
1

United Kingdom

SPR
2

Belgium

FEA
Ret

Belgium

SPR
3

United Kingdom

FEA
2

United Kingdom

SPR
Ret

Australia

FEA
1

Australia

SPR
1

2011 MMC Racing BMW E90 Germany

FEA
4

Germany

SPR
24

China

FEA
5

China

SPR
8

Belgium

FEA
5

Belgium

SPR
5

Turkey

FEA
5

Turkey

SPR
Ret

United States

FEA
7

United States

SPR
11

Australia

FEA
26

Australia

SPR
2

United Kingdom

FEA
-

United Kingdom

SPR
-

5th 117
2012 Halcyon Racing BMW E90 Italy

R1
15

Italy

R2
15

Italy

R3
14

United Kingdom

R1
-

United Kingdom

R2
-

United Kingdom

R3
-

Brazil

R1
-

Brazil

R2
-

Brazil

R3
-

United States

R1
-

United States

R2
-

United States

R3
-

Belgium

R1
-

Australia

R1
-

Australia

R2
-

Australia

R3
-

38th 4

Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.

Community Involvement

After spending numerous years getting the short end of the stick at the F1VWC, Philip entered the GPVWC with a new attitude. He vowed to no longer remain silent when issues arose in the league and was always willing to suggest ways for the league to improve itself and its image to the greater sim-racing community. He was highly critical of questionable track choices, the need to 'rest' the server and the lack of driving standards of exhibited by certain drivers as he sought to see the GPVWC achieve its goal as the premier online sim-racing community.

Since returning to the league in 2011, Philip has been lending a hand in the community in various ways. He has teamed up with Adam Rouse to offer his expertise in organising the latest season of the Masters Series. He would co-Admin the Masters Series, overseeing over sixty drivers compete over twelve rounds in touring cars. Philip also used the opportunity to introduce a number of ideas he picked up on his travels around the sim-racing world and trial them out within the GPVWC community. Alongside his Admin duties, Philip offered his suggestions on potential concepts for 2012 and was tasked with compiling a track list for the inaugural Formula Challenge calendar.

Masters Series

Cullen's involvement with the Masters Series goes back to the début season of the competition. His close links with series director McConkey saw the Irish driver consulted on a number of issues that were raised throughout the season. His involvement went deeper on his return to the community in 2011. Adam Rouse head-hunted Cullen to be part of his organisational team after Philip had run a number of successful series at Race2Play. Cullen brought his no-nonsense approach to the series, incorporating a strict standards and penalties system for the season. Alongside McConkey, extensive track testing was committed to ensure that tracks suitable to the mod would be chosen for the season. The series went on to boast record entries for a GPVWC series, with a total of 61 drivers taking part, averaging 37 drivers per event.

Painting

Philip has offered his services for designs to the community. While proficient in Photoshop, he is quick to point out he is not in the same league as other league artists such as Adam Rouse and Ric Scott. His first major work was his Masters Series challenger in 2009. For the most part, he has painted only for personal and team use. He has painted the latest version of his own helmet and several cars for team use when he raced at Race2Play and the Masters Series. More recently, he has taken the odd request, painting helmets and cars for others in the community. This led him to publishing his paint jobs under the 'Yksilo Designs' banner. His work is available for viewing at Yksilo Designs gallery.

MeetTheAdmin-Gate

Philip was at his most vocal at the now defunct MeetTheAdmin sessions. These were originally to be a forum for league members to voice issues and would be available to download on the site.

Along with other league members, Cullen used the forum to voice issues on the present and future of the league. The advent of fees for the 2010 saw the Irishman raise ongoing issues such as cheat detection, mod choice, the broken R&D system, driving standards and questionable track choices, amongst other issues.

In the final session, things got particularly heated as Cullen debated with league admin Michelangelo Manrique, coming to a head as the Spaniard attempted to define the Masters Series as an unofficial non-competitive championship for the GPVWC. At one point, Manrique just stopped short of an making an insulting remark aimed towards Philip before remaining silent for the rest of the session.

The session was later unofficially dubbed 'MeetTheAdmin-Gate', playfully following numerous media scandals and attaching the "-gate" suffix as the concept was scrapped. It was after this session that Cullen realised that his time with the league was coming to an end.

The Irishman would go on to find considerable success away from GPVWC against a variety of drivers and cars.

Following the events of the final MeetTheAdmin session, it was clear to Philip that there was a fundamental difference of opinions on how to move forward. While he respected the vision that William Ponissi was attempting to carve for the GPVWC, the Irishman had lost all faith in the administrative abilities of Manrique.

"I knew shortly after my last race here and the how the last meeting with Admins went that my future wasn't really going to be here. Now, that's not a slight against you Will. This is your house, and you know the direction you want to take her. Just that direction isn't where I want to go (even if the sixth 'I quit' post from Mich Mosley there is actually a good reason to stay, Paddy Powers probably won't give me good odds how long that will last.') So, in the end, call it philosophical difference of opinions! I wish you Will the best of luck in creating what you want here. The same goes out to all the drivers competing here." - Cullen speaking to the community about his decision to leave the league.

On the 25th of October 2009, he confirmed that he had left the GPVWC after finishing his commitments in the Masters Series. Cullen moved on to Race2Play and enjoy a career boom against a varied and high caliber driver pool before returning to the GPVWC community in the early part of 2011.

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