May 14, 2012
Published on tags: Superleague
In a shock announcement today, 2009 and 2011 World Champion Joe Consiglio announced his
retirement from sim-racing with immediate effect. Consiglio held a press
conference explaining his reasons for this seemingly sudden and drastic decision.





"This may seem like a
sudden decision but it's been building for a while now. I guess the two main
reasons I've decided to retire are lack of enjoyment and general time
constraints. I've not really been enjoying myself this year and practicing has
felt like a real chore at times. Life is so busy at the moment and something
had to give way, unfortunately dropping sim-racing was the most logical choice
for me. I didn't want to find myself in a situation where I wasn't 100% committed or not fully prepared
for a particular race. Recently it's been a struggle to find the time and motivation to
practice and that's not really fair to Nordsjoen. With the league so
competitive this year you can't afford to simply 'arrive and drive'."





As well as some technical problems Consiglio has had some rotten
luck in 2012 and the Maltese driver admits this was another factor. "For sure, things
haven't gone very well this year. I wasn't fully up to the speed with the mod
until Abu Dhabi
but since then it's been a bit of nightmare. From Round 3 we should have been
on the podium three times but instead we only managed it once and worse still, last
race we didn't even finish. The screen freeze in Spain was the tip of the iceberg
and really confirmed that I wasn't enjoying myself anymore, basically I knew it was time to call it a day."


In a GPVWC career spanning 10 years, Consiglio made 65
starts, scored 18 wins, 24 poles and 39 podiums on his way to two World
Championships with Nordsjoen Racing in 2009 and 2011. The Maltese driver closed
the press conference by reflecting on his time in the league.



"It's been amazing and
I wouldn't change my GPVWC experience for anything. Even back in 2002 when I
was an eager 16 year old kid I knew I'd found something special. The realism
and pioneering nature of this league is held together by a strong community spirit
which was clear to see at the GPVWC meet up in late 2011."

"I've had some
memorable moments over the years, plenty of highs and some heartbreaking lows.
If I had to pick my most enjoyable on track experiences, they would have to be my wheel to wheel encounters with Lee Morris. Our battles were always pure
racing, right on the limit and very fair."

"Finally, I'd like to
thank William (Ponissi) and the admin team as a whole for all the time and
effort they've put in over the years. I believe the league will continue to
grow from strength to strength."

"As for me, I'll be
sure to stick around behind the scenes, maybe I'll do some guest commentary or
something on the nights I'm not busy. I've made a lot of friends in GPVWC over the years so I certainly won't just disappear from the community without trace. I'm still co-owner of Constant Racing too, so
I'll be watching from the sidelines with interest for the rest of the season
and beyond. Cheers guys."