Difference between revisions of "Joe Consiglio"
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Revision as of 11:28, 9 January 2012
| |
| Superleague Career | |
| Nationality |  Maltese
|
|---|---|
| Active Years | 6 |
| Team(s) | Nordsjoen Racing Phoenix F1 Stealth GP |
| Grand Prix | 60 |
| Championships | 2 (2009, 2011) |
| Wins | 18 |
| Podium finishes | 37 |
| Pole positions | 24 |
| Fastest laps | 17 |
| First Grand Prix | 2002 San Marino Grand Prix |
| First Win | 2003 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last Win | 2011 Singapore Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 2011 Singapore Grand Prix |
Joe Consiglio (born 19 April 1985 in Liverpool, UK) is a Maltese sim-racing driver currently signed to Nordsjoen Racing. He has competed in the GPVWC since 2002 and is the current Superleague World Champion, having won the championship in 2009 and 2011. Consiglio also won the GPVWC Masters Series (Touring Cars) Championship in 2010. Aside from driving duties, Consiglio co-owns Constant Racing with friend Mark Stanton.
Contents
Early years
Consiglio began his sim-racing journey at the age of 8 years old. The pioneering Microprose Formula 1 Grand Prix had just been released and being a massive F1 fan Joe could hardly wait to get his hands on a copy. In those early days Joe would spend hours and hours practicing and relentlessly developing his skills. Indeed, Consiglio attributes his recent success to the grounding he had in such an excellent simulator from a young age.
By the age of 12 Consiglio was racing on Grand Prix 2 and further developing as a driver. At this stage it was difficult to gauge his ability as the internet was not yet widespread and local competition from his friends was in short supply. It was around the age of 14 Consiglio participated in his first offline race although little is known about the specifics of the outcome. What is known is that Consiglio raced for his own team Supernova - Vauxhall.
In 2001 Consiglio purchased Grand Prix 3 and switched from joystick to keys in the process. After mastering the art of manually changing gears without using traction control Joe began to enter hotlap competitions against the best sim drivers in the world. It was here Consiglio achieved his first taste of success, finally he was ready to join the big leagues.
GPVWC Superleague
Stealth GP
2002
Consiglio’s GPVWC career began in early 2002 at the still relatively tender age of 16. With the league using Grand Prix 3, the season was already up to round 4 by the time Joe registered in early April.
Almost instantly Consiglio's speed caught the eye of team manager Luc Lissens (MaMa Racing) in a private test session prior to the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. He was quickly signed as first driver but in a bizarre turn of events the team folded only days before the Grand Prix. Stealth GP stepped in, retaining all MaMa’s assets, including the promising 16 year old driver.
On his début Consiglio hauled the underpowered Stealth Honda all the way up to P2 on the grid. The race itself featured heavy rain but Joe brought the car home in a creditable 4th after completing his first 100% distance.
Overall Consiglio had a very solid début year in GPVWC. The Maltese driver was clearly punching above his weight all season, scoring pole positions in France and Europe as well as picking up some well earned podiums in Canada and Germany. In fact Consiglio was favourite to win the European Grand Prix after posting a brilliant pole lap in qualifying. However the Honda engine in his Stealth let him down on the formation lap and Consiglio was unable to start the race, a bitter blow for the teenager.
Despite missing six events in 2002 Consiglio finished the championship in 7th place. By mid-season he was already being dubbed a 'star of the future' and was expected to challenge for the title in following seasons if he could get his hands on better machinery.
2003
In 2003 the league upgraded to Grand Prix 4 and Consiglio switched from Keyboard to Wheel (Microsoft Sidewinder FF2). The year promised much for Consiglio as pre-season Stealth GP pulled off a major coup by securing BMW engines for their cars.
With one of the most powerful powerplants on the grid Consiglio was now being regarded as a geniune title contender for 2003. Consiglio only strengthened these predictions by breaking two track records at Magny-Cours and Monza in pre-season testing.
At the first Grand Prix of the year in Australia Consiglio lined up on pole position and was only denied victory by a late shower in the dying moments of the race. It was 2002 World Champion Mikko Jakonen who took the win with Consiglio not far behind in a career best 2nd.
Monsoon conditions were the order of the day at Round 2 in Malaysia. Despite describing the conditions as "the worst he had driven in" Consiglio took another 2nd position this time behind 2000 World Champion Jason Endean of BA Racing. With Consiglio now co-leading the championship it seemed his first victory would only be a matter of time.
However the dark clouds at Sepang were also rumbling behind the scenes and the league was about to be rocked to it's core. For personal reasons league owner and founder Dan Lawrence unexpectedly decided to shut down the GPVWC with immediate affect. With the paddock in disarray Andy Graydon and William Ponissi managed to rally the troops, create a temporary website and continue the league under the new name F1VWC. Around half the original drivers and teams signed up to the new league but it was at this stage the disillusioned Consiglio decided to step down his sim-racing committments to focus more on his studies.
As the season progressed Consiglio kept an eye on things from the sidelines. Stealth GP had also parted company with the league after Malaysia but by mid-season they had re-entered the F1VWC. Consiglio was approached by team manager Ted Cragg about the possiblility of a one off drive for the team at Monza. Consiglio agreed and set his sights on capturing that illusive first win.
The event went exactly as planned and Consiglio picked up pole position, fastest lap and most importantly his first ever victory. Having achieved his ambition Joe went into semi-retirement again despite offers from Stealth and other teams to continue for the rest of the season.
Phoenix F1
2004
Unable to committ to a full season in 2004 Consiglio was signed by Phoenix F1 as test/reserve driver. Joe competed in three events that season, the highlight of which was his performance at the Canadian Grand Prix. In a classic encounter Consiglio unexpectedly found himself in a three-way battle for the win with Scott Whiteman and Mikko Jakonen. The trio traded positions for many laps but it was Whiteman who eventually came out on top, crossing the finish line just ahead of Jakonen in 2nd and Consiglio a further 4 seconds back in 3rd.
Consiglio finished 4th at the British Grand Prix and was running in the points at Monza before computer problems forced him to stop on lap 18. Soon after the Italian Grand Prix Consiglio announced he was taking a break from sim-racing for the for-see-able future. His absence from competition was to last over 4 years.
Nordsjoen Racing
2009
Lured back by the draw of online racing, Consiglio made his return to the GPVWC in early 2009. The Superleague was running rFactor for the first time and after a successful test session Consiglio was signed to Nordsjoen Racing as test/reserve driver. As pre-season testing unravelled it became clear Consiglio had the pace to be fighting for wins in the 2009 season. Team manager William Ponissi was quick to spot this potential and duly promoted Consiglio to drive the #2 car alongside Adam Rouse. It was to prove an extremely successfully partnership.
At the first race in Australia things didn’t go quite to plan for Joe. After qualifying a solid 3rd, Consiglio’s online inexperience showed at the start. On cold brakes and tyres Consiglio ran wide at turn 1 and spun re-entering the track. He was then violently hit by Mark Wicks (Woods Racing) and both drivers were forced to retire. Meanwhile team-mate Rouse went on to win the race after leader Janne Tanskanen suffered a dramatic engine failure on the very last lap.
Consiglio was 2nd on the grid at Shanghai and in a race of attrition kept his cool to score his first victory of the season. Leader Tanskanen seemed to have everything under control until an incident with Roberto Luis Conde ended his race before mid-distance. After Rouse blew his engine trying to chase Consiglio down all that was left for the Maltese driver was to nurse his Nordsjoen home to finish line.
Joe took pole position at Suzuka and by now was clearly at one with rFactor and his Nordsjoen Racing car. Consiglio lost the lead to Tanskanen at the start and after a safety car period Joe was given a stop-go penalty for overtaking the Finn before the start finish line. Despite protestations from the Nordsjoen pitwall that Tanskanen had “lagged out” and therefore forced Consiglio to overtake, the penalty was issued and served early on in the race. After a spirited come-back Consiglio fought his way through the field and was rewarded with 2nd place at the finish.
A round later Consiglio took a lights to flag victory at the French GP in Charade. Team-mate Rouse once again bore the brunt of Nordsjoen's now concerningly unreliable Honda engine. With Tanskanen also retiring Consiglio was now leading the championship after four rounds.
The circus moved to Ireland for Round 5 of the series. Consiglio lined up 2nd behind Tanskanen but after a scruffy opening few laps had dropped to 6th behind Philip Cullen. Consiglio made his way back up to 2nd but was then punted off by the lapped Michelangelo Manrique. Fighting back again the now frustrated Consiglio promptly blew his fragile Honda trying to regain the lost time spent in the pits repairing damage.
At Monaco Consiglio was in dominant form. The Maltese driver took pole position and the win to re-establish his lead in the championship. At an event he'd "always dreamed of winning", this victory proved to be a real confidence booster for Consiglio in 2009.
At Silverstone Consiglio was involved in an epic duel for victory with Dave Carr-Smith. The two drivers were on different strategies which finally met in the last 10 laps of the race. Inspired by his home crowd Carr-Smith kept the quicker Consiglio at bay all the way to the flag. It was a great display of close clean racing from the pair and Consiglio’s first real taste of wheel to wheel combat.
Once again Consiglio took pole and victory in the Czech Republic. Indeed from Monaco onwards Tanskanen had been struggling to match the Maltese drivers pace and could only manage a distant 2nd.
Legendary GPVWC driver Luis Fernando Laaff returned to the league for a one off appearance at Bahrain. Laaff was drafted in to replace the absent Rouse at Nordsjoen and duly took pole position in his first outing in the car. Consiglio was 2nd on the grid but was tagged by Carr-Smith on lap 1 and dropped to 6th behind Wayne Mullins. Un-be-known to Consiglio, Mullins had made a false start and was still to serve a drive-thru penalty. Unfortunately Consiglio was lined-up in Mullins' slipstream as the Welsh driver began heading for the pits. Consiglio saw this as an attempt to break the slipstream and followed the Gear F1's move to the right. Mullins then hit the brakes to slow the car down for the pit entrance and in doing so left Joe nowhere to go. The resulting collision sent the Nordsjoen driver skywards and Mullins down the pitlane with a missing rear wing. Both drivers were out on the spot. Meanwhile Laaff went onto score a dominant victory for Nordsjoen.
Due to other committments Consiglio was forced to miss Round 10 of the championship in South Africa. Tanskanen took an easy victory and thus kept his championship hopes alive.
After a long summer break the paddock re-gathered in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. At a track that Consiglio has long regarded as a favourite the Maltese driver took pole position ahead of Tanskanen and Carr-Smith. In a tense race Consiglio resisted late pressure from the Finn and took his 5th victory of the season in style.
Mexico was next on the calendar and once again Consiglio was in unstoppable form. In an event that saw Janne Tanskanen failing to show up, Consiglio took pole, fastest lap and a comfortable victory over team-mate Rouse. At this stage of the season the championship was starting to look like a formalilty for the Maltese driver.
However Brazil was to prove the beginning of a difficult period for Consiglio. Joe took his 7th pole of the year at Interlagos and was leading with only 14 laps to go. The Nordsjoen driver was then hit by a connection problem and a likely victory was snatched away. Rouse powered home to claim his 2nd victory of the year.
Although Brazil was certainly a set back for Consiglio it wasn't until a round later in Italy that the significance of that disconnection became clear. The experienced Formula Sim Racing (FSR) driver Lee Morris had entered the league along with the new CSG Racing team. Practice times showed that Lee was a good second or so faster than the rest of the field and would therefore surely play a part in the title fight. To compound Consiglio's worries Tanskanen was now back and ready to take the championship battle down to the wire.
At Monza Consiglio lined up 2nd on the grid behind debutant Morris but crucially ahead of Tanskanen. A poor start saw Consiglio drop to 5th behind Nick Rowland and Chris Kinsman. After some time to settle Consiglio's longer strategy came into play and he found himself 3rd at half distance. Tanskanen was in 2nd but dropped time after a spin and gave Consiglio a target for the rest of the race. With 7 laps to go Consiglio was right on the Finn's tale and the two championship rivals began an intense battle for 2nd. Consiglio came extremely close to passing the Evans Blue driver but Tanskanen defended excellently and held on to the runner-up spot all the way to the flag.
At the next race in Valencia, Morris once again lined up on pole ahead of Tanskanen and Consiglio. The podium consisted of the same drivers in the same order but Tanskanen had given Morris a real run for his money up front. Unable to keep the pace Consiglio ran a lonely 3rd, some 20 seconds ahead of his team-mate Rouse in 4th. With the Nordsjoen drivers coming home in 3rd and 4th, the Constructors Championship was thereby decided in favour of the Italian team. Indeed, Consiglio and Rouse had formed a formidable and consistent partnership all year and no-one was in doubt the right team had been awarded the 2009 crown. For Consiglio however only 50% of the task was so far accomplished...
At Spa it was Consiglio's turn to start snapping at Morris' heels. The Maltese driver qualified 2nd but impressively only a couple of tenths shy of the English pole sitter. More crucially Tanskanen was a distant 5th on the grid and seemingly struggling for pace. However all the promise of a good race came to nothing for Consiglio as he once again got disconnected from the server, this time only a few laps into the grand prix. In any case it had been a bad start to the race for Joe after an incident with team-mate Rouse at turn 1. Rouse missed his braking point at La Source and slammed into the side of Consiglio, both drivers losing vital positions in the process. By lap 3 Consiglio was down in 4th and struggling with damage, then came the disconnection. Overall it was certainly a race to forget for the Maltese driver and with Tanskanen coming home in 2nd it was a particularly hard result to swallow.
The pen-ultimate round of the championship was held at Zandvoort. The big pre-race news was that Tanskanen would be unable to compete due to exam committments. Consiglio had been handed a massive opportunity and he knew that a 3rd place finish was all that was required to take the championship. In the race Morris was once again in strong form and took another easy lights to flag victory for CSG Racing. However it was Joe Consiglio who followed him home to take the 2009 World Drivers Championship. A 7 year dream had finally come true.
At the final round in Singapore the fans were treated to a fantastic battle for the win between Morris and the newly crowned champion. With the pressure off Consiglio was free to express himself on the floodlit streets and after a race long battle pulled off a spectacular pass on the CSG driver to take the lead in the latter stages of the grand prix. A late spin denied Consiglio of a fairy tale ending but none-the-less he had proven he was capable of going toe to toe with the new FSR sensation.
In 'a year to remember' Consiglio took 7 poles, 6 wins and 12 podiums for Nordsjoen Racing. After all his years involved in the league the 24 year old driver finally fulfilled his early promise and took a popular and well earned title victory.
2010
After a long winter of negotiations Consiglio decided he would only drive 7 of the 19 scheduled races in 2010. Indeed, newly signed 2009 rival Janne Tanskanen was now Nordsjoen’s main hope for the title and Consiglio was happy to play a supporting role alongside the ‘Flying Finn’. Notably in the off season Consiglio took the opportunity to upgrade his steering device to a brand new Logitech G25.
Consiglio qualified 3rd at the British Grand Prix behind Tanskanen on pole and Morris in 2nd. In the opening laps of the race Tanskanen sped into the distance as Consiglio put pressure on Morris for 2nd. Eventually the Englishman cracked and made a small mistake at Chapel. This was all Consiglio needed to slipstream his way past the CSG driver down Hanger Straight. From then Joe ran the rest of the race in a comfortable 2nd, setting fastest lap along the way.
At the next round in Portugal Consiglio came very close to piping his dominant team-mate for pole. However it was Tanskanen who once again came out on top in qualifying. At the start Morris rocketed past Consiglio into 2nd and from that moment the Maltese driver was in for a long hard race. Despite several attempts Consiglio couldn’t pass the Englishman on track and spent the first stint glued to the CSG gearbox. As the two came to lap Nikos Evangelidakis disaster was about to strike. A misunderstanding resulted in Consiglio smashing into the back of the Greek driver. The impact launched the corkscrewing Nordsjoen over a fence but as the car landed and slid across a grass verge it luckily bounced back on track the right way up. The chassis was severely damaged but Consiglio somehow managed to make it back to the pits. After extensive repair work Joe rejoined the race in 6th. Amazingly, after a close tactical battle with Nick Rowland and Kieran Ryan, the Maltese driver salvaged a 4th placed finish. Meanwhile Tanskanen went on to score another crushing victory over Morris in 2nd and Mark Wicks in 3rd.
Consiglio scored his first pole of 2010 in Brazil. However as the two Nordsjoen’s launched off the line Consiglio found himself squeezed onto a kerb by team-mate Tanskanen. With two wheels on the grass Consiglio’s car crept into a slow spin and he re-joined the fray right at the back of the field. After a stellar comeback drive, including a wonderful pass on Mark Wicks, Consiglio made it to the last step of the podium.
Such was the dominance of Tanskanen in 2010, the Finn had wrapped up the title as early as Monza. He therefore decided to miss the next race on the calendar at Spa, giving Joe an opportunity to possibly take his first win of the season. However after struggling with his setup all weekend Consiglio lined up 2nd on the grid behind an on form Kieran Ryan. At the start Consiglio got a great launch and took the lead from the Irishman. By the end of lap 1 however it was Jason Muscat who was filling the Nordsjoen driver’s mirrors. In a wonderful three way fight for first Consiglio and Muscat swapped places several times in the opening laps. Unfortunately the battle proved to be short lived. With Joe still in P1, Ryan in 3rd dived up the inside of Muscat at La Source. However the move was misjudged and the Woods driver drove straight into the side of the innocent Consiglio. The Nordsjoen driver was knocked into a spin but the worse news was his right rear tyre had been punctured. Consiglio only discovered this fact at the flat out Eau Rouge and as a result suffered a heavy crash into the barrier. An unhappy Consiglio climbed out of his car unscathed and from the sidelines watched his Maltese compatriot Muscat storm to a career first victory for Red Archer.
At the final race of the year in Singapore Consiglio was in scintillating form on a track he loves. The Maltese veteran took a comfortable pole position and looked favourite to claim his first win of the season. However once again his race was compromised by contact with another driver at the start. This time it was CSG stand in driver Jyri Lylykorpi who pushed Consiglio off track at turn 2. Kieran Ryan capitalised on Joe’s misfortune and took the lead as Consiglio rejoined the circuit and repassed Lylykorpi for 2nd. The rest of the race consisted of Consiglio swarming all over the gearbox of Ryan in an effort to take the win. However Ryan was holding his line well and it looked like the Maltese ex-champion was going to have to try something brave to get by. As the race entered the last 10 laps Consiglio was patiently waiting for his opportunity but time was running out. During the grand prix Ryan’s connection had caused some severe lagging at times and eventually this would lead to the Irishman’s demise. As the Woods driver lagged out at turn 12 Consiglio held his line and all of a suddenly spotted Ryan in his mirrors facing the wrong way. In the confusion somehow Ryan had picked up a puncture and a somewhat fortunate Consiglio was left free to cruise to his first victory of 2010. After an extra pitstop Ryan salvaged 2nd with team-mate Wicks finishing the race in a distant 3rd.
Nordsjoen Racing once again took the Constructors Championship crown, winning an amazing 15 out of 19 races. It was a dominant year for the Italian team and Consiglio had played his part despite some really unlucky races in Portugal, Canada, Brazil and Belgium.
2011
With the retirement of 2010 Champion Janne Tanskanen, Nordsjoen were on the look out for a suitable replacement in 2011. Joe Consiglio was team owner William Ponissi's first choice for the job and he made no secret of his intention to secure the full time services of the 2009 Champion. After much behind the scenes discussion the Maltese driver agreed to re-sign for the Italian team as lead driver. The promising Finn, Jyri Lylykorpi, was signed as 2nd driver.
Winter testing highlighted the fact that Nordsjoen would not enjoy a dominant car in 2011. Indeed with a grid comprising of many past winners, including Morris, Consiglio, Carr-Smith, Laaff, Rouse and Muscat, a close season was predicted. However, most pundits were backing Lee Morris of Draig Racing to take the 2011 championship.
At the next round in Abu Dhabi Consiglio once again lined up on pole. Due to a penalty Morris was demoted to 7th on the grid but wasted no time making his way up to P2 and keeping Consiglio in his sights. By mid-distance it became clear Morris was on a 2 stop strategy and Consiglio was on three. As the final pitstops played out Consiglio emerged behind the Draig driver with quarter of the race still to run. The Maltese ace caught and followed Morris all the way to the line but it wasn’t enough to stop the Englishman taking his 2nd win of the season. With Consiglio only 6 tenths behind in 2nd, Jason Muscat crossed the line in a fine 3rd for Red Archer.
The 2011 Japanese Grand Prix turned out to be a classic in GPVWC history. Consiglio took his third pole in as many races with Morris once again in P2. However at the start it was the lightly fuelled Sam Millar who rocketed into the lead ahead of the Nordsjoen and the Draig. The two championship contenders were both two stopping as opposed to the Scotsman who was on a three stop strategy. Although Millar was quick he couldn’t break away from Consiglio and therefore after his first pitstop ran most of the race in a lonely 3rd. Consiglio re-emerged from his final pitstop just behind Morris as the two began a glorious battle for victory. After a few laps Consiglio overtook Morris with a bold pass into 130R but the Englishman retook the position with a great move at the chicane. A lap later Consiglio executed the exact same pass as the lap before and this time Morris could not respond with an instant repass. However it was clear to all that the race was far from over. Morris hounded the ex-champion for lap after lap, staying absolutely glued to the Nordsjoen gearbox as he looked to get by. Consiglio was defending well but onlookers were wondering how long he could resist such massive pressure from the Draig ace. In a dramatic turns of events Morris passed Consiglio on the very last lap with a daring move into the hairpin. Consiglio tried to respond at 130R but Morris held his line and took the chequered flag less than two tenths ahead of the Nordsjoen. Afterwards the battle was dubbed “the most epic race in GPVWC history”.
Shanghai proved to be a difficult event for Consiglio. By now the development race was in full flow and Nordsjoen had slipped behind the likes of Red Archer and Synergetic. Consiglio lined up 4th on the grid with Muscat on pole, Mark Stanton in a career best 2nd and Morris in 3rd. At the start Consiglio held 4th off the line but was promptly punted into a spin at turn 1 by an over aggressive Sam Millar. The Maltese driver rejoined the circuit down in 17th and with a mountain to climb. However Consiglio kept his cool and after a great battle with Stanton and David Jundt, salvaged a useful 4th position. Morris took another precious victory but 2nd placed Muscat had shown he now had the car to challenge for wins. Dave Carr-Smith rounded off the podium for Midnight Motorsport.
As the circus moved to Kyalami, the undefeated Lee Morris was looking for his 5th win of the year. Morris and Consiglio lined up on the front row but only after grid penalties had been applied to Muscat and pole sitter Millar. At the start Morris held off Consiglio into turn 1, meanwhile Muscat had had an absolute flyer and was already up to 3rd. The two Maltese drivers began a 10 lap battle for 2nd with the Red Archer eventually winning out. All this had helped the three stopping Morris establish a massive leader in the early stages. In the latter stages of the race Consiglio span himself out of contention whilst Muscat launched his attack on Morris for the win. However the English driver once again resisted the pressure and headed off the Red Archer all the way to the line. Consiglio wound up a distant and somewhat fortunate 3rd.
At the next race in Austria, Consiglio was back on form. The Maltese driver qualified 4th behind Sam Millar on pole, Jason Muscat in 2nd and Lee Morris in 3rd. At the start Consiglio launched past his Draig rival before diving up the inside of Millar at turn 1. Leader Muscat made an error exiting turn 3 and that was all Consiglio needed to move into P1. Later in the race, Muscat repassed Consiglio and at that stage was looking favourite to win. However, at the final round of pitstops, the Red Archer driver made a mistake and thus Consiglio was brought back into play. Meanwhile Morris had also quietly driven himself into contention, setting up a wonderful three way battle for the win. The fight had spectators and pundits on the edge of their seats as lap after lap the lead position changed hands. In the end, the top three drivers were separated by a mere two tenths, making it the closest GPVWC podium of all time. Jason Muscat was first man over the line, taking his 2nd career victory for Red Archer. Consiglio took a useful 2nd, finishing for first time in 2011 ahead of Morris in 3rd.
In Monaco Consiglio was said to be unhappy with his Mercedes’ lack of torque and high fuel consumption. Indeed it was pole-sitter Lee Morris who was in a class of his own all event. Monaco specialist Dave Carr-Smith lined up in 2nd with Consiglio qualifying 3rd for Nordsjoen. At the start Carr-Smith got the jump on Morris with Consiglio maintaining 3rd position into turn 1. As the two leaders began to pull away, the Maltese driver started coming under pressure from Sam Millar in 4th. Eventually Consiglio managed to find his rhythm and opened a small gap over the Synergetic driver. Up front Morris passed Carr-Smith and proceeded to pull away at a staggering rate. By mid distance it was clear the top drivers were all on the same strategy. Morris had established a huge lead over Carr-Smith who in turn was well ahead of Consiglio. Indeed, a safe 3rd place finish seemed on the cards for the Nordsjoen ace but on lap 61 things took a turn for the worse. Veteran Kieran Ryan had spun off at the swimming pool section and beached his Woods right on the apex of the fast left right chicane. As Consiglio came round he was fully committed in 5th gear and didn’t see the Irishman until it was too late. The resulting crash involved Consiglio hitting the Woods at full speed, bouncing into the barrier and then being hit by race leader Lee Morris. As the two championship protagonists tried to make it back to the pits it was clear their cars would not be repairable. When both men eventually retired it was Carr-Smith who capitalised on the situation and took his first victory of 2011.
Consiglio celebrated his 50th GPVWC start at Bahrain. However, there wasn’t much to cheer about after the race as the Maltese driver endured an unusually lacklustre event. As well as having an intense disliking for the Sakhair track, Consiglio was yet again unhappy with his car’s low RPM performance and acceleration out of the hairpins. The Nordsjoen team were also extremely concerned that the car’s brakes wouldn’t last the distance and so Consiglio decided to go ultra conservative with his setup and race strategy. Qualifying wasn’t too bad for Joe as he put his Nordsjoen in P2 alongside Muscat on pole. However both men were planning three stops as opposed to Morris and David Jundt who were only scheduled to stop twice. Consiglio maintained 2nd for the first lap but was quickly passed by Morris on lap two. As Muscat and Morris fought for the lead on different strategies, it was clear Consiglio was in a losing battle for 3rd with Jundt. With the Red Archer driver only two stopping Consiglio simply didn’t have the pace to make his three stop strategy work. As Morris stormed to his 6th victory of the season, Muscat crossed the line in 2nd with team-mate Jundt picking up his maiden GPVWC podium in 3rd. Consiglio ran most of the race in a lonely 4th and finished some 8 seconds behind the Swiss driver.
Two weeks later Consiglio qualified 2nd in San Marino as Morris took his 3rd pole of the year. With Muscat unable to race it was Ojay Clark who lined up 3rd for Williamson Dynamics. At the start Consiglio got an excellent launch and comfortably led into the first corner. The faster Morris pressured Consiglio for the entire first stint and it was clear the Maltese ace was finding his Nordsjoen a real handful. After the two swapped positions in an exciting exchange, it was the Englishman who eventually won out. Before the first round of pitstops Morris was around 3 seconds ahead of Consiglio. However the ex-champion lost time queuing behind Kieran Ryan in the pits and this left him 6 seconds adrift of the Draig. At this point of the race Consiglio found some pace and by mid-distance the gap between the leading pair was down to 4 seconds. The charge ended a few laps later though when a gearbox blip sent Consiglio into a spin at Piratella. With the race for the lead now affectively over, Consiglio changed his focus to consolidating 2nd place. Despite coming under pressure from David Jundt and new team-mate Pavel Loknovski, Consiglio kept his cool and finished the race runner-up.
Still on a high from Turkey Consiglio had great hopes for the next race of the season in Mexico. Judging by free practice it seemed the Maltese ace would be in a fight for victory with the Red Archer duo of Muscat and Jundt. However all the promise of a good race came unstuck in Qualifying 1. After setting a very competitive laptime, a lapse in concentration saw Consiglio illegally enter his pitbox and go up on the jacks. Although Nordsjoen protested this was nothing more than an innocent mistake, the Race Director had no choice but to send the ex-champion straight to the back of the grid. To compound Joe’s misery he was hit from behind at the start due to the lights being unviewable from so far back. With a damaged car Consiglio fought his way through the field, pulling off some brave overtakes in the process. After winning the fight for 5th with Dave Carr-Smith and team-mate Pavel Loknovski, Consiglio set about catching Nick Rowland for 4th. With 2 laps to go the Nordsjoen was right behind the Englishman but despite a last gasp attempt to pass at Peraltada, Joe was unable to claim 4th spot. Overall Mexico turned out to be a very difficult event for Consiglio, as well as a missed opportunity to close the gap to Morris in the championship. Jason Muscat took his 2nd win of the year ahead of team-mate David Jundt. Lee Morris took 3rd place and with 36 points advantage over Consiglio was starting to look unstoppable in the championship.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix a week later Consiglio once again lined up on pole position. David Jundt qualified alongside the Maltese driver with Pavel Loknovski doing an excellent job to secure 3rd on the grid. Lee Morris could only manage 6th in his underdeveloped Draig. At the start Consiglio led into turn 1 without issue, behind however Dave Carr-Smith managed to jump from 4th to 2nd with Loknovski slotting into 3rd ahead of Jundt. As Consiglio sped off into the distance, team-mate Loknovski passed Carr-Smith for 2nd at turn 4. As the race settled it became clear Consiglio was in a league of his own out front. However the battle for 2nd was an intense one, during the race no less than five drivers would be in the hunt for the runner up spot, Loknovski, Jundt, Carr-Smith, Morris and Nick Rowland all wanting their piece of the pie. Eventually it was the Nordsjoen of Pavel Loknovski who won the fight for 2nd, securing his best ever Superleague finish in the process. With Consiglio taking the win by over a minute, it was Nordsjoen’s first 1-2 of the season and a fantastic result for the team. David Jundt continued his good run of podiums to finish 3rd while Morris completed an eventful race in 4th. The championship gap between Morris and Consiglio was now down to just 14 points.
In Italy Consiglio took his 7th pole of the year. Joining him on the front row was none other than his Nordsjoen team-mate Pavel Loknovski. Lee Morris lined up 5th in the difficult Draig. Unfortunately the start was nothing short of chaos for half the field. In the long drag into turn 1 Jason Muscat made contact with Nick Rowland and the resulting puncture saw the Maltese youngster slip way down the order. Further back David Jundt spun off the line and collected numerous drivers along the way. None of this bothered Consiglio who made a clean getaway and easily led into turn 1. Loknovski maintained 2nd as Morris found himself in a surprising 3rd. As Consiglio pulled away at a staggering rate Loknovski made a mistake and dropped to 5th. By lap 10 Consiglio was comfortably ahead of the pack, however the Nordsjoen driver had had an eventful opening to the race. On lap 3 the 2009 Champion lost time overshooting turn 1 due a brake marker being swiped by another car. A few laps later Consiglio also suffered some damage after taking a tap to the rear when lapping Ben Warren. This meant a reduced pace and a long first pitstop for Joe but despite this set back the Maltese driver still maintained a decent lead throughout. By mid distance Loknovski had made it up to 3rd and eventually over took Morris for 2nd. However another error from the Estonian driver saw him drop to 3rd in the closing stages and an incident with the lapped Kieran Ryan put pay to any last gasp attempt to recapture 2nd. At the finish Consiglio crossed the line 27 seconds ahead of championship rival Lee Morris. Morris had definitely outperformed his car at Monza and in doing so minimised the pain of yet another dominant Consiglio win. With Jason Muscat once again disconnecting and Jundt only managing 8th, Nordsjoen were now only 1 point behind Red Archer in the Constructors Championship.
In many ways the Spanish Grand Prix represented a turning point in the Drivers Championship. Technical issues meant both Lee Morris and Jason Muscat were unable to enter the event and thus Joe Consiglio found himself with a massive opportunity to take the lead in the standings. As expected Consiglio lined up on pole position alongside Nordsjoen reserve driver Tom Parker. David Jundt qualified 3rd whilst Muscat’s replacement for the rest of the season Gregg Lawson managed 4th on the grid. A clean start saw everyone get away in their respective grid positions. The Nordsjoen drivers had opted to go for a 3 stop strategy and duly pulled away from the 2 stopping Red Archer’s in the opening laps. Consiglio set a blistering pace at the front but unfortunately Parker suffered a disconnection after the first round of pitstops. By two thirds distance Consiglio was 30 seconds ahead of Jundt and looking unstoppable for the victory. However on lap 48 the lapped Ryan Walker tagged Consiglio into a spin which sent the Nordsjoen backwards into a wall. As well as the lost time spent in the gravel pit Consiglio had to endure a lengthy pitstop to repair his rear wing. The 2009 champion emerged from the pits only 3 seconds ahead of Jundt with 18 laps to go. Fortunately Consiglio still found plenty of pace in his damaged car and after some time to settle began to extend the gap to the Red Archer once again. So after a dramatic final stint Consiglio took the chequered flag a healthy 15 seconds ahead of Jundt in 2nd. Lawson finished his first race for Red Archer in an impressive 3rd.
Consiglio headed to the Dutch Grand Prix knowing that a second place finish would guarantee him the title. Qualifying saw the Maltese driver take his tenth pole of the year, ahead of David Jundt. Lee Morris qualified 3rd but due to a grid penalty had to start the race in 14th. At the start Consiglio got to the first corner first, whilst team-mate Pavel Loknovski moved up from 3rd to 2nd. At the end of lap 1 Consiglio led a Nordsjoen 1-2 and with Jundt stuck behind Dave Carr-Smith things were looking very good for the Italian team. However Loknovski was suffering from serious lag issues which eventually led to the Estonian’s retirement before mid distance. By the first round of pitstops Morris had worked his way up to 4th. Unfortunately the Englishman made a mistake at the fast turn 7 kink and crashed out of the race. Consiglio thereby clinched his 2nd Superleague World Drivers' Championship and took victory over a minute ahead of Jundt. Gregg Lawson rounded out the podium and with Loknovski’s accident, Red Archer took a 10 point advantage over Nordsjoen in the Constructors Championship.
The final race of the season was held in Singapore. With an almost full compliment of drivers on the grid all eyes were on the Constructors Championship fight between Red Archer and Nordsjoen. Newly crowned champion Consiglio took pole position, a crushing 1.9 seconds ahead of David Jundt. Jyri Lylykorpi was drafted in to drive the #0 Nordsjoen at the very last minute and despite almost no preparation time did a remarkable job to line up 3rd on the grid. At the start Consiglio surged into turn 1 comfortably ahead of the fast starting Mark Wicks in 2nd. As Consiglio once again drove into the distance, Lylykorpi made his way up to 2nd on lap 2. However Lylykorpi’s lack of track time finally caught up with him and an accident ended the Finn’s race before mid distance. With Jundt holding 2nd and Gregg Lawson finishing solidly in the points, Red Archer took the Constructors Championship crown for the first time in their history. Consiglio claimed his 10th win of season as Lee Morris rounded out the podium for Draig.
Complete GPVWC Superleague results
(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 | 19 | 20 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Stealth GP | SGP01 | Honda | AUS | MAL | BRA | SMR 4 |
ESP Ret |
AUT 4 |
MON
DNS |
CAN
3 |
EUR DNS |
GBR 5 |
FRA 4 |
GER 3 |
HUN Ret |
BEL 4 |
ITA 8 |
USA DNS |
JAP
DNS |
7th | 82 | |||
| 2003 | Stealth GP | SGP02 | BMW | AUS
2 |
MAL
2 |
BRA | SMR | ESP | AUT | MON | CAN | EUR | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | ITA
1 |
USA | JAP | 8th | 26 | ||||
| 2004 | Phoenix F1 | PhF1-02 | Renault | AUS | MAL | AUT | SMR | ESP | MON | EUR | CAN
3 |
USA | GBR
4 |
GER | HUN | BEL | ITA
Ret |
FRA | JAP | BRA | 15th | 11 | |||
| 2009 | Nordsjoen Racing | NR002 | Honda | AUS
Ret |
CHN
1 |
JAP
2 |
FRA
1 |
IRL
Ret |
MON
1 |
GBR
2 |
CZE
1 |
BAH
Ret |
RSA | CAN
1 |
MEX
1 |
BRA
Ret |
ITA
3 |
ESP
3 |
BEL
Ret |
NED
2 |
SIN
2 |
1st | 104 | ||
| 2010 | Nordsjoen Racing | NR003 | Mercedes | AUS | CHN | JAP
2 |
UAE | HUN | MON | GBR
2 |
POR
4 |
BAH | TUR | CAN
4† |
MEX | BRA
3 |
ARG | ESP | ITA | BEL
Ret |
NED | SIN
1 |
5th | 65 | |
| 2011 | Nordsjoen Racing | NR004 | Mercedes | AUS
13† |
UAE
2 |
JAP
2 |
CHN
4 |
RSA
3 |
AUT
2 |
FRA
1 |
MON
12† |
GBR
1 |
BAH
4 |
SMR
2 |
TUR
1 |
MEX
5 |
CAN
1 |
BRA
1 |
ITA
1 |
ESP
1 |
BEL
1 |
NED
1 |
SIN
1 |
1st | 230 |
† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.
| Preceded by: Laurentiu Albu |
Superleague World Drivers' Champion 2009 |
Succeeded by: Janne Tanskanen |
| Preceded by: Janne Tanskanen |
Superleague World Drivers' Champion 2011 |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
GPVWC Masters Series
Constant Racing
| |
| Masters Series Career | |
| Nationality | Maltese
|
|---|---|
| Active Years | 3 |
| Team(s) | Nordsjoen Racing Constant Racing |
| Races | 25 |
| Championships | 1 (2010) |
| Wins | 11 |
| Podium finishes | 20 |
| Pole positions | 11 |
| Fastest laps | 17 |
| First Race | 2009 Laguna Seca |
2009
Consiglio entered the inaugural GPVWC Masters Series in the summer of 2009. The Maltese driver chose to represent Constant Racing alongside fellow co-owner Mark Stanton and Australian newcomer Richard Bayes. The fantastic BMW-E90 touring cars were the series vehicle of choice.
Overall the championship turned out to be a combination of disappointments and mis-fortunes for Consiglio. In terms of raw pace Consiglio was often right at the front dicing with the likes of eventual series winner Adam Rouse. However Consiglio’s lack of touring car experience showed at times and his general race craft was an area he would usually emerge second best to the MMC Racing driver.
After some solid podiums at Laguna Seca and Monza, Consiglio looked favourite to take his first win of the series at Surfer's Paradise. Starting from pole Consiglio sped into the distance and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of Ryan McConkey. However the stewards were not happy with some of Consiglio’s lines into turn 1 and penalised the Maltese driver 30 seconds after the race. This demoted Consiglio to 3rd, the same position he would finish in the sprint race.
At Birmingham Consiglio was in great form, taking pole ahead of McConkey and Rouse. Entering the final stages of the race the Maltese driver had built a massive lead and looked good for his first victory of the championship. However engine failure struck his Constant just 4 laps from the end, a bitter blow for the GPVWC veteran. In the Birmingham sprint race Consiglio was unintentionally side-swiped by McConkey when fighting for victory, the Maltese driver wrestled his damaged car to 3rd place.
In Montreal Consiglio took his 3rd pole of the series and led from the off. Yet again however Consiglio was hit with engine failure and another likely victory slipped away. Leading the sprint race Consiglio was punted off by Chris Kinsman at turn 3, further compounding the Constant driver's misery. After rejoining the action at the back of the field Joe fought his way back to 2nd by the end.
Ruing his luck and disillusioned by the car’s inexplicable unreliability, Consiglio stepped down from the competition to focus on his Superleague title campaign.
Nordsjoen Racing
2010
With some important lessons learnt from his 2009 Masters Series campaign, Consiglio entered the 2010 competition seemingly with a point to prove. This time round Consiglio elected to represent Nordsjoen Racing alongside William Ponissi and later Jason Muscat. Once again BMW-E90's were the series chosen vehicle.
With the 2009 Masters Series champion Adam Rouse deciding not to defend his title, many pundits were tipping Joe to be the man to beat in 2010. The Maltese ace certainly didn’t disappoint. Taking pole in every event, Consiglio blasted his way to victory in all 7 feature races, as well as winning 3 sprints from the back of the grid. Sam Millar was the Nordsjoen drivers main challenge as he impressed with his one lap pace but ultimately was often unable to match Consiglio’s consistency over a race distance. David Jundt showed promise with a sprint victory at Snetterton whilst Nick Rowland just managed to head off Mark Stanton to win in Birmingham (sprint). The Nordschleife Special was predictably won by Consiglio but only after a close fight with Millar and Jason Muscat in the opening laps of the race.
Consiglio took the title in Austria with Nordsjoen Racing picking up yet another GPVWC crown in the team's championship. Indeed, with a combination of speed and great race-craft Consiglio showed that he had developed into a very capable touring car driver.
Complete GPVWC Masters Series results
(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 | Constant Racing | BMW-E90 | USA
FEA |
USA
SPR |
ITA
FEA |
ITA
SPR |
AUS
FEA |
AUS
SPR |
USA
FEA |
USA
SPR |
CAN
FEA |
CAN
SPR |
GBR
FEA |
GBR
SPR |
BEL
FEA |
BEL
SPR |
GBR
FEA |
GBR
SPR |
AUS
FEA |
AUS
SPR |
6th | 173 |
| 2010 | Nordsjoen Racing | BMW-E90 | USA
FEA |
USA
SPR |
USA
FEA |
USA
SPR |
GBR
FEA |
GBR
SPR |
GER
FEA |
GBR
FEA |
GBR
SPR |
AUT
FEA |
AUT
SPR |
GBR
FEA |
GBR
SPR |
1st | 318 | |||||
| 2011 | Nordsjoen Racing | BMW-E90 | GER
FEA |
GER
SPR |
CHN
FEA |
CHN
SPR |
BEL
FEA |
BEL
SPR |
GBR
FEA |
GBR
SPR |
USA
FEA |
USA
SPR |
AUS
FEA |
AUS
SPR |
GBR
FEA |
GBR
SPR |
22nd | 44 |
† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.
Records
| Preceded by: Adam Rouse |
Masters Series Drivers' Champions 2010 |
Succeeded by: Simon Cattell |
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