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July 17, 2004
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Late 2003 saw the entry of Argentinian business man Juan Tortella and his JTM team into the F1VWC series. After hiring two quick Brits in the form of Matt Maple and Toby Lock, both proven GP3 drivers, the team looked set for a competitive run in the 2004 season, with Maple and Lock at the helm. Ferrari Works engines and a competitive sponsor package allowed for two launches to be held, one for the media, and one specifically for the fan club members in Barcelona. For a relatively new team, their support was surprisingly strong, and the team hoped not to disappoint.
"Gaining such a large fan base over such a short period certainly added to the anticipation and excitement before the race (in Melbourne)"
Toby Lock February 2004
Melbourne, Australia
The Australian GP started with great expectation, with Maple slotting his JTM onto the front row in a strong 2nd place, ahead of team mate Lock in 8th. With both cars developing handling problems as tyre wear took effect, the team managed a strong 5th place finish with Maple, and a slightly disappointing 13th for Lock.
Maple - Melbourne, Australia
Although not as high as expected, the team were off to a points scoring start, and looked positively towards Malaysia and the Sepang circuit for more points.
"It's a good start for the team, and we certainly hope for more with every race"
Juan Tortella after Australian GP
Sepang, Malaysia
A light shower before the start of the Malaysian GP caused chaos for the JTM team, none more so than 7th place starter Lock, who dropped to 13th at the start.
"I lost all traction, and simply got bogged down when I tried to up-shift and get some momentum"
Lock on his Malaysian start
The race went from bad to worse, as the tricky drying conditions caused a Maple to spin out at turn 3. The recovering Lock began to pick up pace as conditions settled, and the circuit dried. After a long battle with MMRT driver Mihailovic, Lock took 12th place, and continued his progress up the field. He eventually finished 11th.
Lock- Malaysia, rain falls early on
The team left the East with their heads relatively low, but points on their first 2004 attempt, and as yet no reliability issues, they had hope for the run of European grand prix to come.
A1-Ring, Austria
The first leg of the European tour began in Austria, a late replacement for the incomplete Bahrain circuit, much to the annoyance of F1VWC chief Andy Graydon. After a positive qualifying effort, the race was much of the same for the team. Maple's car mysteriously stopped on lap 50 after a quiet race in 13th place. Lock continued his uninterrupted season with a 10th place finish. After three races, the team still had only gained 4 points, those achieved in Melbourne by Matt Maple.
Maple - Austria
Frustration was beginning to creep in, especially to Toby Lock, who had failed to break into the top 10 during the season's races. Imola however, would renew faith in both the team, and their drivers. After qualifying 8th and 9th respectively, Maple and Lock took to the historic Imola circuit with one goal in mind: points. As the chequered flag dropped, the team were in for a celebration! Lock bought his JTM car home ahead of team-mate Maple in 9th. Barely had the champagne corks dropped when parc ferme officials informed manager Juan Tortella that there had been an aerodynamic infringement of the rules, and both cars would be disqualified.
"It seems that one of the extra ducts we added to the barge-boards was against regulations. I guess the R&D department wasn't clear on the rulings, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. We saw it as an extra intake to the radiators, with no speed advantage or general improvement to the car, but the rules stated against it, and we have to face up to the fact that we're losing our point from this race"
Maple after the Imola DQ
Circuit du Catalunya, Spain
The Spanish GP was much of the same for the JTM team. A strong qualifying performance from Maple saw the lead JTM on 6th place, but Lock fell to 12th after an early spin limited his track time. The race was Lock climb 2 places to finish 10th, though on the lead lap. Maple suffered a brake failure on the main straight, and at top speed, his JTM speared off into the tyre barrier at turn 1 with just 2 laps remaining. He was running 14th, after 4 spins! Barcelona saw an in-depth interview with Lock in F1VWC News, where he spoke about the season so far.
"So far, we're basing all of our success on the points Matt got in Australia. For Ferrari and the team in general, it isn't good enough. Both cars were punished in San Marino, which lost us points, but we shouldn't be in this situation"
Lock talking about the season
Monaco, Monte Carlo
Monaco saw the lowest morale within the JTM team. After a poor qualifying with cars on 12th and 17th, a start line pile-up saw both MMRT cars, the Woods of Vincent Keersmaekers, the Puma of Dave Cummings and the JTM of Matt Maple badly damaged, and unable to continue further than the start line. After a short safety car period, and the lack of overtaking opportunities, Lock had to settle for a 11th place finish. However, more drama would follow, as Mapes-VO driver Petri Loukasmaki would announce his immediate retirement from the series, leaving Matt Maple with a dilemma. With his own money invested in the team, and lack of available drivers, he had no choice but to leave JTM for Mapes-VO.
Lock - brushing the barriers in Monaco
Nurburgring, European GP
As temporary replacement for Maple, manager Tortella took over for the European GP and the Canadian GP. The Nurburgring finally bought something for the team to celebrate. Juan qualified in a strong 6th place, with Lock also getting a top 10 start in 9th. Both drivers were battling amongst each other from the lights. As Lock ran on, he climbed the board until he finally pitted from 2nd place. Both Lock and Tortella battled for almost 30 laps, with passing three manoeuvres within three laps! A late spin on used tyres saw Tortella drop to 9th place. Lock crossed the finish line in 7th place, and only when the car was defined legal did the celebrations start!
"It's taken a while, but we're finally back in the points!"
Tortella after Lock's 7th place
Congratulations also went to Maple, who in his new Mapes-VO bought his car home 4th after a 2nd place qualifying performance. But JTM now had 6 points on the board to cross the Atlantic with, and morale was high again.
Montreal, Canada
Qualifying saw another great result, though again the team would be on the end of regulation infringement. Tortella was adjudged to have exited the pitlane before given the green light. Therefore his fastest lap, which would have gained the team another 2nd place, was disallowed and Juan had to start from the back of the grid. This elevated Lock to 7th place after his 1m14.386s lap, just +0.047 behind former team mate and good friend Matt Maple.
Lock scores again in Canada!
The race saw an epic battle between the top 3 of Mikko Jakonen, Scott Whiteman and Joe Consiglio, but Lock bought his car home carefully in 6th place, after Phoenix's Daniel Wilkinson suffered late in the race, leaving Lock to drive alone for the last third of the race. Tortella made good of his back row grid slot, finishing 12th.
"If my front tyres hold up then Im backing myself for something special! Can't have Lock beating me again!!"
Wilkinson before the USGP
Indianapolis, USA
This comment seemingly spurred Lock on in the USGP. Being singled out by a competitive driver made Lock confident in his new found speed, and he took to the Brickyard positive and eager to impress. Now partnered by returnee Nazario Nuti, residing in Coventry, a matter of miles from Lock's residence in Milton Keynes, the team looked fresh, positive and ready for more points! Nuti placed his #11 JTM on 5th place on the grid, with Lock again achieving 7th place.
Nuti 4th and Lock 5th at Indy!
After passing 6th place Koski at the start, Nuti, Lock and Koski battled into the race. Lock and Nuti kept the pace high throughout the race, and their consistency saw the team achieve its best result of the season: Nuti in 4th and Lock in 5th, ahead of both Phoenix cars.
"[The Race] was ok. It was my first time, so I wasn't expecting that much. I am always better in race trim so I hope the rules stay this way. When I saw 5th on the grid, I thought that everyone went for a 2 stopper, but at the end of the day I pitted like everyone else. The car was very good"
Naz Nuti after his 4th place finish
The JTM team has really moved on in the last 3 races, and seems to be gaining some consistency at last. The general consensus amongst the drivers, mechanics and management is for more points, and a podium before the end of the season.
"Gaining such a large fan base over such a short period certainly added to the anticipation and excitement before the race (in Melbourne)"
Toby Lock February 2004
Melbourne, Australia
The Australian GP started with great expectation, with Maple slotting his JTM onto the front row in a strong 2nd place, ahead of team mate Lock in 8th. With both cars developing handling problems as tyre wear took effect, the team managed a strong 5th place finish with Maple, and a slightly disappointing 13th for Lock.
Maple - Melbourne, Australia
Although not as high as expected, the team were off to a points scoring start, and looked positively towards Malaysia and the Sepang circuit for more points.
"It's a good start for the team, and we certainly hope for more with every race"
Juan Tortella after Australian GP
Sepang, Malaysia
A light shower before the start of the Malaysian GP caused chaos for the JTM team, none more so than 7th place starter Lock, who dropped to 13th at the start.
"I lost all traction, and simply got bogged down when I tried to up-shift and get some momentum"
Lock on his Malaysian start
The race went from bad to worse, as the tricky drying conditions caused a Maple to spin out at turn 3. The recovering Lock began to pick up pace as conditions settled, and the circuit dried. After a long battle with MMRT driver Mihailovic, Lock took 12th place, and continued his progress up the field. He eventually finished 11th.
Lock- Malaysia, rain falls early on
The team left the East with their heads relatively low, but points on their first 2004 attempt, and as yet no reliability issues, they had hope for the run of European grand prix to come.
A1-Ring, Austria
The first leg of the European tour began in Austria, a late replacement for the incomplete Bahrain circuit, much to the annoyance of F1VWC chief Andy Graydon. After a positive qualifying effort, the race was much of the same for the team. Maple's car mysteriously stopped on lap 50 after a quiet race in 13th place. Lock continued his uninterrupted season with a 10th place finish. After three races, the team still had only gained 4 points, those achieved in Melbourne by Matt Maple.
Maple - Austria
Frustration was beginning to creep in, especially to Toby Lock, who had failed to break into the top 10 during the season's races. Imola however, would renew faith in both the team, and their drivers. After qualifying 8th and 9th respectively, Maple and Lock took to the historic Imola circuit with one goal in mind: points. As the chequered flag dropped, the team were in for a celebration! Lock bought his JTM car home ahead of team-mate Maple in 9th. Barely had the champagne corks dropped when parc ferme officials informed manager Juan Tortella that there had been an aerodynamic infringement of the rules, and both cars would be disqualified.
"It seems that one of the extra ducts we added to the barge-boards was against regulations. I guess the R&D department wasn't clear on the rulings, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. We saw it as an extra intake to the radiators, with no speed advantage or general improvement to the car, but the rules stated against it, and we have to face up to the fact that we're losing our point from this race"
Maple after the Imola DQ
Circuit du Catalunya, Spain
The Spanish GP was much of the same for the JTM team. A strong qualifying performance from Maple saw the lead JTM on 6th place, but Lock fell to 12th after an early spin limited his track time. The race was Lock climb 2 places to finish 10th, though on the lead lap. Maple suffered a brake failure on the main straight, and at top speed, his JTM speared off into the tyre barrier at turn 1 with just 2 laps remaining. He was running 14th, after 4 spins! Barcelona saw an in-depth interview with Lock in F1VWC News, where he spoke about the season so far.
"So far, we're basing all of our success on the points Matt got in Australia. For Ferrari and the team in general, it isn't good enough. Both cars were punished in San Marino, which lost us points, but we shouldn't be in this situation"
Lock talking about the season
Monaco, Monte Carlo
Monaco saw the lowest morale within the JTM team. After a poor qualifying with cars on 12th and 17th, a start line pile-up saw both MMRT cars, the Woods of Vincent Keersmaekers, the Puma of Dave Cummings and the JTM of Matt Maple badly damaged, and unable to continue further than the start line. After a short safety car period, and the lack of overtaking opportunities, Lock had to settle for a 11th place finish. However, more drama would follow, as Mapes-VO driver Petri Loukasmaki would announce his immediate retirement from the series, leaving Matt Maple with a dilemma. With his own money invested in the team, and lack of available drivers, he had no choice but to leave JTM for Mapes-VO.
Lock - brushing the barriers in Monaco
Nurburgring, European GP
As temporary replacement for Maple, manager Tortella took over for the European GP and the Canadian GP. The Nurburgring finally bought something for the team to celebrate. Juan qualified in a strong 6th place, with Lock also getting a top 10 start in 9th. Both drivers were battling amongst each other from the lights. As Lock ran on, he climbed the board until he finally pitted from 2nd place. Both Lock and Tortella battled for almost 30 laps, with passing three manoeuvres within three laps! A late spin on used tyres saw Tortella drop to 9th place. Lock crossed the finish line in 7th place, and only when the car was defined legal did the celebrations start!
"It's taken a while, but we're finally back in the points!"
Tortella after Lock's 7th place
Congratulations also went to Maple, who in his new Mapes-VO bought his car home 4th after a 2nd place qualifying performance. But JTM now had 6 points on the board to cross the Atlantic with, and morale was high again.
Montreal, Canada
Qualifying saw another great result, though again the team would be on the end of regulation infringement. Tortella was adjudged to have exited the pitlane before given the green light. Therefore his fastest lap, which would have gained the team another 2nd place, was disallowed and Juan had to start from the back of the grid. This elevated Lock to 7th place after his 1m14.386s lap, just +0.047 behind former team mate and good friend Matt Maple.
Lock scores again in Canada!
The race saw an epic battle between the top 3 of Mikko Jakonen, Scott Whiteman and Joe Consiglio, but Lock bought his car home carefully in 6th place, after Phoenix's Daniel Wilkinson suffered late in the race, leaving Lock to drive alone for the last third of the race. Tortella made good of his back row grid slot, finishing 12th.
"If my front tyres hold up then Im backing myself for something special! Can't have Lock beating me again!!"
Wilkinson before the USGP
Indianapolis, USA
This comment seemingly spurred Lock on in the USGP. Being singled out by a competitive driver made Lock confident in his new found speed, and he took to the Brickyard positive and eager to impress. Now partnered by returnee Nazario Nuti, residing in Coventry, a matter of miles from Lock's residence in Milton Keynes, the team looked fresh, positive and ready for more points! Nuti placed his #11 JTM on 5th place on the grid, with Lock again achieving 7th place.
Nuti 4th and Lock 5th at Indy!
After passing 6th place Koski at the start, Nuti, Lock and Koski battled into the race. Lock and Nuti kept the pace high throughout the race, and their consistency saw the team achieve its best result of the season: Nuti in 4th and Lock in 5th, ahead of both Phoenix cars.
"[The Race] was ok. It was my first time, so I wasn't expecting that much. I am always better in race trim so I hope the rules stay this way. When I saw 5th on the grid, I thought that everyone went for a 2 stopper, but at the end of the day I pitted like everyone else. The car was very good"
Naz Nuti after his 4th place finish
The JTM team has really moved on in the last 3 races, and seems to be gaining some consistency at last. The general consensus amongst the drivers, mechanics and management is for more points, and a podium before the end of the season.
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