Difference between revisions of "Joe Consiglio"

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	{{Infobox SL driver |		{{Infobox SL driver |
−	Name            = Joe Consiglio |	+	Name            = {{flagicon|MAL}} Joe Consiglio |
−	Logo            = [[File:Consiglio Helmet.png]]|	+	Logo            = [[File:Joe_consiglio.png|250px]]|
	Nationality    = {{flagicon|MAL}} Maltese |		Nationality    = {{flagicon|MAL}} Maltese |
−	Years          = 6 |	+	Years          = [[2002 Superleague season|2002]]-[[2004 Superleague season|2004]], [[2009 Superleague season|2009]]-[[2012 Superleague season|2012]] |
−	Team(s)        = [[Nordsjoen Racing]]<br />[[Phoenix F1]]<br />[[Stealth GP]]|	+	Team(s)        = [[Nordsjoen Racing]]<br />[[Phoenix F1]]<br />[[Stealth F1|Stealth GP]]|
−	Races          = 47 |	+	Races          = 65 |
−	Championships  = 1 (2009)|	+	Championships  = 2 ([[2009 Superleague season|2009]], [[2011 Superleague season|2011]])|
−	Wins            = 9 |	+	Wins            = 18 |
−	Podiums        = 27 |	+	Podiums        = 39 |
−	Poles          = 16 |	+	Poles          = 24 |
−	Fastest laps    = 9 |	+	Fastest laps    = 17 |
	First race      = [[2002 San Marino Grand Prix]] |		First race      = [[2002 San Marino Grand Prix]] |
	First win      = [[2003 Italian Grand Prix]] |		First win      = [[2003 Italian Grand Prix]] |
−	Last win        = [[2011 French Grand Prix]] |	+	Last win        = [[2011 Singapore Grand Prix]] |
−	Last race      = [[2011 French Grand Prix]] |	+	Last race      = [[2012 Spanish Grand Prix]] |
−	Last season    = [[2011 Superleague season|2011]]|	+	Last season    = [[2012 Superleague season|2012]]|
	}}		}}
−	'''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 was [[2009 Superleague season|2009]] [[List of Superleague World Drivers' Champions|Superleague World Champion]]. Joe is also the current GPVWC [[Masters Series]] Champion (Touring Cars). Aside from driving duties, Consiglio co-owns [[Constant Racing]] with friend [[Mark Stanton]].	+	'''Joe Consiglio''' (born 19 April 1985 in Liverpool, UK) is an ex sim-racing driver from Malta. He competed in the GPVWC from [[2002 Superleague season|2002]] to [[2012 Superleague season|2012]] and won the [[List of Superleague World Drivers' Champions|Superleague World Drivers Championship]] in [[2009 Superleague season|2009]] and [[2011 Superleague season|2011]] with [[Nordsjoen Racing]]. Consiglio also won the GPVWC [[Masters Series]] (Touring Cars) Championship in [[2010 Masters Series season|2010]]. Consiglio retired from racing part way through the 2012 season but still co-owns [[Constant Racing]] with friend [[Mark Stanton]].
		+
	==Early years==		==Early years==
−	Consiglio began his sim-racing journey at the age of 8 years old. The pioneering [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_Grand_Prix_(video_game) 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 practising 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.	+	Consiglio began his sim-racing journey at the age of 8 years old. The pioneering [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_Grand_Prix_(video_game) 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_2_(game) 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.	+	By the age of 12 Consiglio was racing on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_2_%28game%29 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_3 Grand Prix 3] and switched from joystick to keys in the process. After mastering the art of manually changing gears and not 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.	+	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==		==GPVWC Superleague==
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	====2002====		====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.	+	Consiglio’s GPVWC career began in early [[2002 Superleague season|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.
−	[[File:Consiglio_Stealth_02.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio driving for [[Stealth GP]] in 2002.]]	+	[[File:Consiglio_Stealth_02.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio driving for [[Stealth F1|Stealth GP]] in 2002.]]
−	Almost instantly Consiglio's speed caught the eye of team manager [[Luc Lissens]] ([[MaMa Racing]]) in a private test session prior to the [[2002 San Marino Grand Prix|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.	+	Almost instantly Consiglio's speed caught the eye of team manager [[Luc Lissens]] ([[MaMa Racing]]) in a private test session prior to the [[2002 San Marino Grand Prix|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 F1|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.		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.
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	====2003====		====2003====
−	[[File:Consiglio_Stealth_03.png|thumb|right|220px|Consiglio had a short but successful season in 2003. The Maltese ace took his first ever victory at the [[2003 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] in the BMW powered [[Stealth GP]].]]	+	[[File:Consiglio_Stealth_03.png|thumb|right|220px|Consiglio had a short but successful season in 2003. The Maltese ace took his first ever victory at the [[2003 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] in the BMW powered [[Stealth F1|Stealth GP]].]]
−	In 2003 the league upgraded to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_4 Grand Prix 4] and Consiglio switched from Keyboard to Wheel (Microsoft Sidewinder FF2). The season promised much for Consiglio after Stealth GP pulled off a major coup by securing BMW engines for their cars.	+	In [[2003 Superleague season|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 geniune title contender for 2003. Consiglio only strengthened these predictions by breaking two track records at Magny-Cours and Monza in pre-season testing.	+	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 [[2003 Australian Grand Prix|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.		At the first Grand Prix of the year in [[2003 Australian Grand Prix|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 [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix|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 leading the championship it seemed Joe's first victory would only be a matter of time.	+	Monsoon conditions were the order of the day at Round 2 in [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix|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]] 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.	+	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 [[2003 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]]. Consiglio agreed and set his sights on capturing that illusive first win.		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 [[2003 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]]. Consiglio agreed and set his sights on capturing that illusive first win.
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	====2004====		====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 [[2004 Canadian Grand Prix|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.	+	Unable to committ to a full season in [[2004 Superleague season|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 [[2004 Canadian Grand Prix|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 [[2004 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] and was running in the points at Monza before computer problems forced him to stop on lap 18. Soon after the [[2004 Italian Grand Prix|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.		Consiglio finished 4th at the [[2004 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] and was running in the points at Monza before computer problems forced him to stop on lap 18. Soon after the [[2004 Italian Grand Prix|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.
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	====2009====		====2009====
−	[[File:Consiglio_Brazil_09.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio leads into the first corner at [[2009 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]]. However he was later disconnected from the lead with only 12 laps to go.]]
−	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.	+	Lured back by the draw of online racing, Consiglio made his return to the GPVWC in early [[2009 Superleague season|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 (Wood Racings) 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.	+	At the first race in [[2009 Australian Grand Prix|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 in China and in a race of attrition kept his cool to score his first victory of the season. Leader Tanskanen seemed to have the race 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.	+	[[File:Consiglio_China_09.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio takes his first win of 2009 in [[2009 Chinese Grand Prix|China]]. The title charge had begun.]]
		+	Consiglio was 2nd on the grid at [[2009 Chinese Grand Prix|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 Nordsjoen 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.	+	Joe took pole position at [[2009 Japanese Grand Prix|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 Grand Prix in Charade. Team-mate Rouse once again bore the brunt of the now concerningly unreliable Honda engine. With Tanskanen also retiring Consiglio was now leading the championship after four rounds.	+	A round later Consiglio took a lights to flag victory at the [[2009 French Grand Prix|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 championship. Consiglio lined up 2nd behind Tanskenen 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 after trying to regain the lost time spent in the pits repairing damage.	+	The circus moved to [[2009 Irish Grand Prix|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.	+	[[File:Consiglio_Britain_09.png|thumb|right|220px|[[Dave Carr-Smith]] crosses the finish line less than half a second ahead of Consiglio at [[2009 British Grand Prix|Silverstone]].]]
		+	At [[2009 Monaco Grand Prix|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 the win with Dave Carr-Smith. The two drivers were on different strategies which met in the final 12 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.	+	At [[2009 British Grand Prix|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.	+	Once again Consiglio took pole and victory in the [[2009 Czech Grand Prix|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 once off appearance at Bahrain. Laaff was drafted into 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 lap1 and dropped to 6th behind Wayne Mullins. Un-be-know to Consiglio Mullins had made a false start and was still to serve a drive-thru penalty. Consiglio was right in Mullins slipstream as the pair entered the main pit-straight and the Welsh headed right for the pits. Consiglio saw this as an attempt to break the slipstream and stayed glued to the Gear F1’s gearbox. Mullins then hits the brakes to enter to slow the car down for the pits entrance leaving Joe nowhere to go. The resulting collision sent Consiglio skywards and Mullins down the pitlane with a missing rearwing. Both drivers were out on the spot. Meanwhile Laaff went onto score a dominant victory for Nordsjoen.	+	Legendary GPVWC driver [[Luis Fernando Laaff]] returned to the league for a one off appearance at [[2009 Bahrain Grand Prix|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.
−	[[File:Consiglio_Zandvoort_09.png|thumb|right|220px|Consiglio takes the 2009 World Championship in [[2009 Dutch Grand Prix| Zandvoort]].]]	+	Due to other committments Consiglio was forced to miss Round 10 of the championship in [[2009 South African Grand Prix|South Africa]]. Tanskanen took an easy victory and thus kept his championship hopes alive.
−	Lured back by the draw of online racing, Consiglio made his return to the GPVWC in early 2009. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+	After a long summer break the paddock re-gathered in Montreal for the [[2009 Canadian Grand Prix|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.
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+	[[2009 Mexican Grand Prix|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Brazil_09.png|thumb|left|220px|After starting on pole Consiglio leads the field into turn 1 at [[2009 Brazilian Grand Prix| Interlagos]]. However a disconnection ended the Maltese driver's race with just 14 laps to go.]]
		+
		+	However [[2009 Brazilian Grand Prix|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 [[2009 Italian Grand Prix|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 [[2009 Italian Grand Prix|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 [[2009 Spanish Grand Prix|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 [[List of Superleague World Constructors' Champions|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 [[2009 Belgian Grand Prix|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Zandvoort_09.png|thumb|right|220px|Consiglio takes the [[List of Superleague World Drivers' Champions|2009 World Drivers Championship]] in [[2009 Dutch Grand Prix| Zandvoort]].]]
		+	The pen-ultimate round of the championship was held at [[2009 Dutch Grand Prix|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 [[List of Superleague World Drivers' Champions|2009 World Drivers Championship]]. A 7 year dream had finally come true.
		+
		+	At the final round in [[2009 Singapore Grand Prix|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 '[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFkxlhvvP_U 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====		====2010====
−	[[File:Consiglio_Singapore_10.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio battles with [[Kieran Ryan]] in [[2010 Singapore Grand Prix|Singapore]].]]	+	After a long winter of negotiations Consiglio decided he would only drive 7 of the 19 scheduled races in [[2010 Superleague season|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.
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Britain_10.jpg|thumb|left|220px|[[Lee Morris]] and Consiglio fight for 2nd at [[2010 British Grand Prix|Silverstone]].]]At [[2010 Japanese Grand Prix|Suzuka]] Consiglio lined up 2nd on the grid behind his team-mate and finished the race in the same spot. Meanwhile Lee Morris was 3rd in the underpowered CSG. In a quiet race Consiglio’s chances of victory were severely hampered at the first round of pitstops. A mistake by the Nordsjoen pitwall called both drivers in on the same lap and Consiglio was therefore forced to queue behind Tanskanen. This cost the Maltese ace valuable seconds and from then his only hope was 2nd place.
		+
		+	Consiglio qualified 3rd at the [[2010 British Grand Prix|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 [[2010 Portuguese Grand Prix|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Portugal_10.png|thumb|right|220px|[[2010 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal 2010]] - A terrifying incident.]]At the [[2010 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] an unlucky Consiglio was reminded of the old sim-racing adage, "To finish first, first you have to finish". With both Nordsjoen drivers once again starting on the front row, it was Tanskanen who led into turn 1 from Consiglio. Pre-race Consiglio had been well aware of the potential for brake failure in the latter stages of the grand prix but was also confident he had taken the necessary pre-cautions to prevent this in his setup. As the race unfolded Consiglio pegged Tanskanen's lead at around the 3 second mark. As the race entered it's late stages Tanskanen began to slow in order to conserve his brakes. Consiglio jumped at this opportunity and quickly caught and passed his team-mate for the lead. After establishing a decent gap Joe was looking good for victory number 8 of his GPVWC career. However with only 3 laps to go the Maltese drivers brakes gave up and the 2009 champion was sent careering into a barrier at high speed. Stepping out of his car the baffled Consiglio could only conclude he had made a costly miscalculation in his setup. Meanwhile the ever shrewd Janne Tanskanen inherited the win, followed by Wicks in 2nd and Mark Stanton in a career best 3rd. Despite retiring Consiglio was classified 4th.
		+
		+	Consiglio scored his first pole of 2010 in [[2010 Brazilian Grand Prix|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 [[2010 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]]. He therefore decided to miss the next race on the calendar at [[2010 Belgian Grand Prix|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 Virtual Racing Team|Red Archer]].
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Singapore_10.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio battles for the lead with [[Kieran Ryan]] in [[2010 Singapore Grand Prix|Singapore]]. The 2009 champion went on to score his first victory of 2010.]]
		+	At the final race of the year in [[2010 Singapore Grand Prix|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.
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula.	+	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====		====2011====
−	[[File:Consiglio_China_11.png|thumb|right|220px|Fighting back after an incident on lap 1, Consiglio passes [[Christoph Lichtenstein]] in [[2011 Chinese Grand Prix|China]].]]	+	With the retirement of 2010 Champion [[Janne Tanskanen]], Nordsjoen were on the look out for a suitable replacement in [[2011 Superleague season|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.
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+
−	Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+	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.
−	==Complete GPVWC Superleague results==	+	[[File:Consiglio_Australia_11.png|thumb|right|220px|Joe Consiglio leads into the first corner in [[2011 Australian Grand Prix|Melbourne]].]]At the first race in [[2011 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]], Consiglio took pole position closely followed by Morris in P2. The Maltese driver got off the line well and pulled out a considerable gap over his Draig rival in the opening stint of the race. Consiglio made his first pitstop on lap 15 making it clear he was on a three stop strategy as opposed to Morris’ two. However Consiglio had the pace to make his strategy work and he re-emerged from his final pitstop just ahead of Morris with only 15 laps to go. It seemed the ex-champion was going to begin the season with a well earned victory but mechanical gremlins were about to strike his Nordsjoen. With 10 laps to go Consiglio’s brakes began to fail him and two laps later he was out. Morris inherited the lead and took a comfortable victory ahead of Dave Carr-Smith in 2nd and [[Sam Millar]] in 3rd. In a retirement too similar to that of [[2010 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada 2010]], a devastated Consiglio was left to ponder his future in sim-racing. However after much soul searching Joe decided he would continue for the rest of the year.
		+
		+	At the next round in [[2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix|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|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”.
		+	[[File:Consiglio_China_11.png|thumb|left|220px|Fighting back after an incident on lap 1, Consiglio passes [[Christoph Lichtenstein|Lichtenstein]] in [[2011 Chinese Grand Prix|China]].]]
		+	[[2011 Chinese Grand Prix|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 [[2011 South African Grand Prix|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 [[2011 Austrian Grand Prix|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_France_11.png|thumb|right|220px|Consiglio takes victory at [[2011 French Grand Prix|Magny Cours]].]]The [[2011 French Grand Prix|Magny Cours]] circuit returned to the GPVWC after an absence of three years. Consiglio duly lined-up on pole but only after a grid penalty had been applied to Muscat who had been quicker in qualifying. Morris was 2nd on the grid but suffered a terrible start and dropped to 7th by turn 1. In the opening laps, the three stopping Consiglio made the most of an unfortunate disconnection for Muscat and the fact Morris was being held up in traffic. Eventually the two stopping Morris made it up to 2nd but by then Consiglio had established a massive lead over the Englishman. By mid-distance Consiglio had affectively made his extra pitstop back and with fresher tyres began to climb all over the Draig gearbox. At two thirds distance Consiglio passed Morris at the hairpin with a nicely judged switchback move. The Maltese driver emerged from his final pitstop just 1 second ahead of Morris. However with fresh rubber Consiglio easily extended his lead to 3.5 seconds, a gap he would keep all the way to the chequered flag. After an unlucky start to the season Consiglio had finally nabbed his first win of 2011.
		+
		+	In [[2011 Monaco Grand Prix|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Britain_11.png|thumb|left|220px|In [[2011 British Grand Prix|Britain]] a last lap dice for the win ended in collision. Consiglio emerged victorious.]][[2011 British Grand Prix|Silverstone 2011]] would turn out to be another battle of strategies between Morris and Consiglio. With the two championship leaders lining up on the front row it was pole-sitter Morris who led into turn 1. Consiglio followed in 2nd but on lap 2 was passed by Muscat into Brooklands. However, on lap 3 the Red Archer driver made a mistake at the new Abbey chicane and this was all Consiglio needed to reclaim 2nd place. The Nordsjoen driver was then able to slowly pull away from his Maltese compatriot and keep Morris just within his sights. By mid-distance it became clear that Morris was 3 stopping whilst Consiglio was only scheduled to stop twice. Indeed, Morris emerged from his final pitstop 5 seconds down on Joe with only 8 laps to go. On fresh rubber the Englishman sliced into Consiglio’s lead at around half a second per lap. On the last lap the two were nose to tail but onlookers were denied a grandstand finish after an unfortunate collision at Vale. From a fair way back Morris had tried to outbrake the 2009 champion but in doing so made the slightest of contacts with the Nordsjoen’s left rear tyre. This was enough to send Consiglio into a spin. However, in a great show of sportsmanship Morris acknowledged responsibility for the incident by immediately handing the position back to the Maltese driver. So after a very intense race it was Consiglio who picked up his 2nd victory of the season.
		+
		+	Consiglio celebrated his 50th GPVWC start at [[2011 Bahrain Grand Prix|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 [[2011 San Marino Grand Prix|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Turkey_11.png|thumb|right|220px|Joe Consiglio on his way to a dominant win in [[2011 Turkish Grand Prix|Turkey]].]]Round 12 of the championship saw the paddock arrive in [[2011 Turkish Grand Prix|Istanbul, Turkey]]. Consiglio had never raced at the Istanbul Park circuit but was apparently looking forward to the tracks flowing characteristics and infamous turn 8. From the very first practice session it was clear the Maltese driver was at one with both car and track. Indeed, this translated to pole number four of the season for the Nordsjoen ace with Jason Muscat 2nd and Lee Morris in 3rd. At the start Consiglio made his now customary flier and led into turn 1 without any issues. Muscat followed the Nordsjoen in 2nd but a slow getaway from Morris saw the Draig slip all the way down to 7th. As Consiglio and Muscat pulled away from [[Nick Rowland]] ([[Midnight Motorsport]]) in 3rd it became clear that the Maltese pair would be the two main contenders for the win. By the first round of pit stops Consiglio had managed to build a 6 second lead over the Red Archer. However on lap 23 Muscat got disconnected for the 2nd time this season, another bitter blow for the young star. This left Consiglio with a substantial lead over Rowland in 2nd and Morris who by now had made it up to 3rd. The battle for 2nd was decided when a mistake from the Midnight driver handed Morris P2 in the closing stages of the race. However the day belonged to Joe Consiglio who took a dominant victory some 27 seconds ahead of his championship rival.
		+
		+	Still on a high from Turkey Consiglio had great hopes for the next race of the season in [[2011 Mexican Grand Prix|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 Racing|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio Canada 11 2.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio punches the air as he takes his 4th win of the season in [[2011 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]].]]After a four week break the field returned to [[2011 Canadian Grand Prix|Montreal]] for round 14 of the championship. The big news was that [[Nordsjoen Racing]] had brought a considerable upgrade package to the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in an effort to resurrect Consiglio’s now ailing title challenge. Qualifying saw the Maltese driver take his 5th pole of the year by half a second. [[Jason Muscat]] lined up 2nd with [[Lee Morris]] in 3rd and [[Dave Carr-Smith]] in 4th. At the start Muscat got the jump on his countryman and led going into turn 1. However, Consiglio was in no mood to follow the [[Red Archer]] and made a decisive pass into the final chicane later that lap. With Muscat suffering an electronic glitch and being sent into the barriers, Consiglio was left free to run away at the front. Behind, Carr-Smith made it past Morris and took 2nd place. Morris attempted to repass the [[Midnight]] driver but a collision dropped the championship leader behind his team-mate [[Ryan Walker]] in 9th. Worse was to strike the Englishman as he suffered a disconnection with only 15 laps to go. After a race that largely consisted of monitoring brake wear, Consiglio cruised to his 4th victory of the season, 22 seconds ahead of [[David Jundt]] in 2nd. With Consiglio winning and Morris non-scoring the title race had been reopened with six races still to go.
		+
		+	At the [[2011 Brazilian Grand Prix|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio Italy 11.png|thumb|right|220px|[[2011 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]] - Consiglio leads [[Pavel Loknovski|Loknovski]] into turn 1 as chaos erupts further back.]]In [[2011 Italian Grand Prix|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 [[2011 Spanish Grand Prix|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 Superleague season|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.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio Belgium 11.png|thumb|left|220px|Joe Consiglio rounds La Source at [[2011 Belgian Grand Prix|Spa]].]]A week later at the classic [[2011 Belgian Grand Prix|Spa-Francorchamps]] circuit Consiglio was once again untouchable in qualifying. The Maltese driver led another [[Nordsjoen]] front row, this time taking pole position by a massive 1.3 seconds. [[David Jundt]] was 3rd on the grid with [[Dave Carr-Smith]] just edging out [[Lee Morris]] for 4th. At the start the two Nordsjoen’s got off the line cleanly but behind was a different story. [[Sam Millar]] collected Lee Morris on the approach to La Source, triggering more accidents further down the grid. Morris managed to trundle back to the pits but the [[Draig]] pitcrew couldn’t repair his car’s heavily damaged suspension. With Morris out of the race Consiglio put the hammer down up front and by the end of lap 2 was already 4 seconds in the lead. With Consiglio pulling away at over a second a lap all eyes turned to the fight for P2 between [[Pavel Loknovski]] and David Jundt. With Nordsjoen and [[Red Archer]] still locked in the Constructors championship battle, both drivers fought hard for the runner-up spot and those vital extra points. In the end it was Jundt who came out on top, ensuring Red Archer still held a slight advantage over Nordsjoen in the standings. After leading every lap of the race Consiglio took his 8th win of the season in style. With Morris not scoring, the Nordsjoen driver was now 19 points in the lead with only 2 rounds to go.
		+
		+	Consiglio headed to the [[2011 Dutch Grand Prix|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 [[List of Superleague World Drivers' Champions|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 [[2011 Singapore Grand Prix|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 [[List of Superleague World Constructors' Champions|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]].
		+
		+	====2012====
		+	Predictably, the ultra successful Consiglio, [[Pavel Loknovski|Loknovski]], [[Nordsjoen]], Mercedes combination was unchanged for [[2012 Superleague season|2012]]. A close pre-season signalled that the competition could be the fiercest ever seen in the [[Superleague]]. Many pundits were predicting an open championship fight between Consiglio, [[Janne Tanskanen]] (returning for [[Red Archer]]) and [[Lee Morris]] ([[Draig]]). However these usual suspects looked like being joined by league newcomers [[Lukas Euler]] ([[Midnight]]), [[Tom Eley]] ([[ST Racing]]) and [[Simon Cattell]] ([[Kernow]]).
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Australia_12.png|thumb|right|220px|Consiglio fights with [[Nick Rowland]] for 3rd in [[2012 Australian Grand Prix|Melbourne]].]]At Round 1 in [[2012 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] Consiglio lined up 4th on the grid behind the already highly developed [[Midnight]] cars of [[Lukas Euler]] (Pole) and [[Nick Rowland]] in 3rd. [[Lee Morris]] was 2nd on the grid for [[Draig Racing]]. At the start Consiglio maintained his 4th position into turn 1 and watched Morris and Rowland scrap over P2. As Euler sped into the distance, Morris, Rowland and Consiglio ran in close company for the opening stint of the race. However, at the first round of pitstops Consiglio managed to leapfrog the second Midnight car and move into P3. Later on Rowland ran into trouble with a backmarker and therefore dropped out of podium contention. In the latter stages of the race Consiglio got within 1 second of Morris but didn’t have the pace to get by. In the end the Maltese driver had to settle for 3rd, behind the dominant Euler (1st) and old sparring partner Morris (2nd). The returning [[Janne Tanskanen]] finished 25 seconds behind Consiglio in a distant 4th for [[Red Archer]].
		+
		+	At the 2nd race of year in [[2012 Chinese Grand Prix|China]], [[Midnight Motorsport]] locked out the front row after receiving another massive car upgrade before the event. [[Janne Tanskanen]] was a promising 3rd for [[Red Archer]] with [[Lee Morris]] qualifying 4th in the [[Draig]]. Consiglio however was only able put his [[Nordsjoen]] 5th on the grid. In the race Consiglio clearly didn’t have the pace to stay with the top four and instead found himself coming under pressure from [[Ruud Heesterbeek]]. At the first round of pitstops the Maltese driver was delayed after finding Tanskanen in his Nordsjoen pitbox and therefore having to queue. A smooth pitstop for Heesterbeek saw the [[Nijo]] driver leapfrog the reigining World Champion for P5. Before mid-distance Tanskanen picked up damage from a stray front wing, promoting Consiglio back up to 5th. Joe spent the rest of the race trading laptimes with Heesterbeek but the gap remained static at 4 seconds all the way to the flag. A distant 5th left Consiglio and Nordsjoen scratching their heads after Shanghai. Indeed it was becoming apparent the Italian outfit had a lot of work to do to understand the 2012 car’s lack of pace.
		+
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Abu_Dhabi_12.png|thumb|left|220px|Consiglio gets hit by [[Lukas Euler]] on lap 1 in [[2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix|Abu  Dhabi]].]]A big push after China on setup and car development saw Consiglio arrive in [[2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix|Abu Dhabi]] more optimistic of a good race. Qualifying saw Consiglio line-up 3rd behind the mighty Midnight’s of [[Lukas Euler]] and [[Nick Rowland]]. [[Lee Morris|Morris]] was 4th ahead of an improving [[Pavel Loknovski]] in 5th. The start saw Euler bog down and Rowland and Consiglio slip by into P1 and P2 respectively. However just before the hairpin Euler ran into the back of Consiglio, removing the German’s front wing and damaging Consiglio’s rear suspension in the process. Consiglio elected not to pit for immediate repairs as he was still in P3 behind Morris at the end of lap 1. As Rowland sped into the distance, Consiglio vs Morris Round 20(!?) erupted once again, Joe in a damaged car and Lee in his underdeveloped [[Draig]]. After a great scrap the damage finally caught Consiglio out and a spin saw the Maltese driver drop to 6th. From then Consiglio kept his down and wrestled his car to his first pitstop window on lap 18. After the first round of pitstops it became clear that Consiglio was on a two stop strategy and had a good chance of leapfrogging Morris for P2. However Euler had stealthily been making his way through the field and with the German also on a two stop strategy it was looking likely he could leapfrog the pair of them. At the final round of pitstops Consiglio indeed lost out to Euler for P2 and had to settle for 3rd in the end. Overall it was a difficult race for the Maltese driver but the indications of a marked improvement from the team were clear to see.
		+
		+	In [[2012 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]], Consiglio once again lined up in 3rd behind the [[Midnight]]'s of [[Lukas Euler]] and [[Nick Rowland]]. [[Dave Carr-Smith]] was a surprise 4th for [[Green Stripes]] with [[Pavel Loknovski]] edging out [[Simon Cattell]] and [[Lee Morris]] for P5 on the grid. Unfortunately at the start Euler bogged down again and Consiglio had no-where to go but straight into the back of the Midnight. The collision damaged both cars and at the start of lap 2 Consiglio emerged from the pits in 25th position nearly a whole minute behind the leader Carr-Smith. Electing to go for a 4 stop strategy Consiglio carved his way through the field and by mid-distance the 2011 champion was up to 8th. In a couple of daring moves Consiglio passed his old team-mates [[Tom Parker]] and [[Janne Tanskanen]] round the outside of the penultimate corner. In the last stint Consiglio caught and passed his team-mate Loknovski for 5th and with 10 laps to go looked set to finish the race in the same position. However on the last lap Cattell and Morris collided whilst in a fierce fight for 3rd. The collision damaged Cattell’s front wing and Consiglio was able to nip past with only three corners of the race to go. Meanwhile Rowland took his 2nd win in as many races, ahead of Carr-Smith and Morris. Consiglio finished in a hard earned 4th with Cattell in 5th and Euler in 6th.
		+
		+	At the [[2012 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]] Consiglio was again 3rd fastest in qualifying behind the [[Midnight]]s of [[Lukas Euler]] and [[Nick Rowland]]. However due to a 5 place grid penalty for Rowland, Consiglio found himself lining up on the front row of the grid for the first time in 2012. After two major start-line incidents the field finally got away cleanly at the 3rd time of asking. Consiglio out dragged Euler into turn 1 and was the surprise leader after lap 1. However it didn’t take long for Euler to make his way past the Maltese ace and a few laps later the fast recovering Rowland also slipped by. Consiglio was in a safe 3rd after the first round of pit stops but on lap 17 disaster struck the reigning champion. A computer glitch that had been threatening to strike all pre-season finally reared its ugly head and Consiglio was out on the spot.
		+
		+	One week later Consiglio shocked the [[GPVWC]] establishment by announcing his immediate retirement from sim-racing. Consiglio cited the main reasons for this seemingly sudden decision were down to “lack of enjoyment, motivation and general time constraints”. Consiglio certainly had been enduring a difficult 2012 but was still in the hunt for podiums in most races and was generally still competitive. However for a two time world champion maybe fighting for podiums wasn’t enough to keep the 27 year old motivated. Indeed, Consiglio described his Spanish GP retirement as “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and after the realisation he wasn’t “enjoying himself anymore”, the Maltese driver 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 Superleague season|2009]] and [[2011 Superleague season|2011]].
		+
		+	==GPVWC Masters Series==
		+	===Constant Racing===
		+	{{Infobox MS driver |
		+	Name            = Joe Consiglio |
		+	Logo            = [[File:Consiglio Masters 10 Render.jpg|285px]]|
		+	Nationality    = {{flagicon|MAL}} Maltese |
		+	Years          = 3 |
		+	Team(s)        = [[Nordsjoen Racing]]<br />[[Constant Racing]] |
		+	Races          = 25 |
		+	Championships  = 1 [[2010 Masters Series season|(2010)]]|
		+	Wins            = 11 |
		+	Podiums        = 20 |
		+	Poles          = 11 |
		+	Fastest laps    = 17 |
		+	First race      = [[2009 Laguna Seca Masters|2009 Laguna Seca]]|
		+	First win      = |
		+	Last win        = |
		+	Last race      = |
		+	Last season    = |
		+	}}
		+	====2009====
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Masters_09.png|thumb|left|220px|"Battle scars". [[Ryan McConkey]] swaps paint with Consiglio on the last lap at [[2009 Surfer's Paradise Masters|Surfer's Paradise]] (Sprint).]]
		+	Consiglio entered the inaugural GPVWC [[Masters Series]] in the summer of [[2009 Masters Series season|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 [[2009 Laguna Seca Masters|Laguna Seca]] and [[2009 Monza Masters|Monza]], Consiglio looked favourite to take his first win of the series at [[2009 Surfer's Paradise Masters|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 [[2009 Birmingham Masters|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 [[2009 Montreal Masters|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====
		+	[[File:Consiglio_Masters_10.png|thumb|left|220px| Consiglio on his way to victory at the intimidating Nordschleife circuit. The Maltese driver was in dominant form all [[2010 Masters Series season|series]], a total of 10 wins securing him the title.]]
		+	With some important lessons learnt from his 2009 Masters Series campaign, Consiglio entered the [[2010 Masters Series season|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 [[2010 Snetterton Masters|Snetterton]] whilst [[Nick Rowland]] just managed to head off Mark Stanton to win in [[2010 Birmingham Masters|Birmingham]] (sprint). The [[2010 Nordschleife Masters|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 [[2010 A1-Ring Masters|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.
		+	<br><br>
		+
		+	====2011====
		+	Opting not to defend his title, Consiglio only drove a one off event at [[2011 Goldenport Masters|Goldenport]] in [[2011 Masters Series season|2011]]. Impressively, the Maltese ace took pole position ahead of a massive 42 car grid.
		+
		+	However, the Feature race start saw Consiglio slip behind [[Jack Keithley]] and his main 2011 Superleague rival [[Lee Morris]]. By lap 3 though it was clear Consiglio had excellent race pace and the [[Nordsjoen]] driver easily passed Morris at turn 1 to move into P2. The rest of the race was a fascinating encounter as Consiglio hunted down Keithley for the lead. With only half a dozen laps remaining Consiglio pulled off a lovely move round the outside of the Englishman and grabbed P1. The champion resisted late pressure from the [[NRT]] driver and took a well earned feature race win.
		+
		+	The Sprint race saw Joe come up from 42nd on the grid to finish the race in 5th. With 2 fastest laps, a pole position and a Feature race win, Consiglio had proven his [[2010 Masters Series season|2010]] title winning campaign had been no fluke.
		+
		+	==Racing Career Results==
		+
		+	===Superleague===
	([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)		([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
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	|-		|-
	|[[2002 Superleague season|2002]]		|[[2002 Superleague season|2002]]
−	![[Stealth GP]]	+	![[Stealth F1|Stealth GP]]
	|'''SGP01'''		|'''SGP01'''
	|'''Honda'''		|'''Honda'''
−	|AUS	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|AUS
−	|MAL	+	<small>-</small>
−	|BRA	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|MAL
−	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|SMR <br />	+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|BRA
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|SMR
	<small>4</small>		<small>4</small>
−	|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|ESP <br />	+	|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|ESP
	<small>Ret</small>		<small>Ret</small>
−	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|AUT <br />	+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|AUT
	<small>4</small>		<small>4</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON
		+	<small>DNS</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|CAN		|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|CAN
	<small>3</small>		<small>3</small>
−	|'''EUR''' <br />	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''EUR'''
	<small>DNS</small>		<small>DNS</small>
−	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|GBR <br />	+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|GBR
	<small>5</small>		<small>5</small>
−	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|'''FRA''' <br />	+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|'''FRA'''
	<small>4</small>		<small>4</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|GER <br />	+	|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|GER
	<small>3</small>		<small>3</small>
−	|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|HUN <br />	+	|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|HUN
	<small>Ret</small>		<small>Ret</small>
−	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|BEL <br />	+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|BEL
	<small>4</small>		<small>4</small>
−	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|ITA <br />	+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|ITA
	<small>8</small>		<small>8</small>
−	|USA <br />	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|USA
		+	<small>DNS</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|JAP
	<small>DNS</small>		<small>DNS</small>
−	|JAP
	|		|
	|		|
	|		|
−	|'''7th'''	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''7th'''
−	|'''82'''	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''82'''
	|-		|-
	|[[2003 Superleague season|2003]]		|[[2003 Superleague season|2003]]
−	![[Stealth GP]]	+	![[Stealth F1|Stealth GP]]
	|'''SGP02'''		|'''SGP02'''
	|'''BMW'''		|'''BMW'''
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	<small>2</small>		<small>2</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BRA		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BRA
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|SMR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|SMR
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ESP		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ESP
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUT		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUT
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|CAN		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|CAN
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|EUR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|EUR
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|FRA		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|FRA
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GER		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GER
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|HUN		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|HUN
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''ITA'''''		|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''ITA'''''
	<small>1</small>		<small>1</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|USA		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|USA
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|JAP		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|JAP
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|	+	<small>-</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|	+	|
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|	+	|
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|	+	|
		+	|
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''8th'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''8th'''
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''26'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''26'''
Line 212:		Line 374:
	|'''Renault'''		|'''Renault'''
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MAL		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MAL
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUT		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUT
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|SMR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|SMR
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ESP		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ESP
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|EUR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|EUR
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|CAN		|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|CAN
	<small>3</small>		<small>3</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|USA		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|USA
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|GBR		|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|GBR
	<small>4</small>		<small>4</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GER		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GER
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|HUN		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|HUN
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BEL		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BEL
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|ITA		|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|ITA
	<small>Ret</small>		<small>Ret</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|FRA		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|FRA
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|JAP		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|JAP
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BRA		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BRA
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|	+	<small>-</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|	+	|
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|	+	|
		+	|
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''15th'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''15th'''
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''11'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''11'''
Line 276:		Line 452:
	|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|SIN		|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|SIN
	<small>2</small>		<small>2</small>
−	|	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|
−	|	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|
	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''104'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''104'''
Line 286:		Line 462:
	|'''Mercedes'''		|'''Mercedes'''
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|CHN		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|CHN
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|JAP		|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|JAP
−	2	+	<small>2</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|UAE		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|UAE
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF" |HUN		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF" |HUN
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|''GBR''		|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|''GBR''
	<small>2</small>		<small>2</small>
Line 297:		Line 478:
	<small>4</small>		<small>4</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BAH		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BAH
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|TUR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|TUR
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|CAN		|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|CAN
	<small>4<sup>†</sup></small>		<small>4<sup>†</sup></small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MEX		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MEX
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|'''BRA'''		|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|'''BRA'''
	<small>3</small>		<small>3</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ARG		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ARG
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ESP		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ESP
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ITA		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ITA
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|BEL		|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|BEL
	<small>Ret</small>		<small>Ret</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|NED		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|NED
		+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''SIN'''''		|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''SIN'''''
	<small>1</small>		<small>1</small>
	|		|
−	|'''5th'''	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''5th'''
−	|'''65'''	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''65'''
	|-		|-
	|[[2011 Superleague season|2011]]		|[[2011 Superleague season|2011]]
Line 320:		Line 508:
	|'''Mercedes'''		|'''Mercedes'''
	|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|'''AUS'''		|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|'''AUS'''
−	<small>'''13'''<sup>†</sup></small>	+	<small>13<sup>†</sup></small>
	|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|'''''UAE'''''		|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|'''''UAE'''''
	<small>2</small>		<small>2</small>
Line 333:		Line 521:
	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|''FRA''		|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|''FRA''
	<small>1</small>		<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MON	+	|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|MON
−	<small></small>	+	<small>12<sup>†</sup></small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|GBR
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BAH	+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|BAH
−	<small></small>	+	<small>4</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|SMR	+	|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|SMR
−	<small></small>	+	<small>2</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|TUR	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''TUR'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|MEX	+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|MEX
−	<small></small>	+	<small>5</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|CAN	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''CAN'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BRA	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''BRA'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ITA	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''ITA'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|ESP	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''ESP'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BEL	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''BEL'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|NED	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''NED'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|SIN	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''&nbsp;SIN&nbsp;'''''
−	<small></small>	+	<small>1</small>
−	|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|'''2nd'''	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
−	|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|'''69'''	+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''230'''
		+	|-
		+	|[[2012 Superleague season|2012]]
		+	! [[Nordsjoen Racing]]
		+	|'''NR005'''
		+	|'''Mercedes'''
		+	|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|AUS
		+	<small>3</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|CHN
		+	<small>5</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|UAE
		+	<small>3</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|HUN
		+	<small>4</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|ESP
		+	<small>Ret</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|MON
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|CAN
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|KOR
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|TUR
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|GBR
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|ITA
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|BEL
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|NED
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|IND
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|USA
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|BRA
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|JAP
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|SIN
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|
		+	|bgcolor="#ffffff"|
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''4th'''
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''34'''
	|}		|}
	{{sup|†}} Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.		{{sup|†}} Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.
−	==GPVWC Masters Series==	+	===Masters Series===
−	===Constant Racing===	+
−	====2009====	+
−	[[File:Consiglio_Masters_09.png|thumb|left|220px|"Battle scars". [[Ryan McConkey]] swaps paint with Consiglio on the last lap at Surfers Paradise (Sprint).]]	+
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+
−		+
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula.	+
−		+
−	===Nordsjoen Racing===	+
−	====2010====	+
−	[[File:Consiglio_Masters_10.png|thumb|right|220px| Consiglio on his way to victory at the intimidating Nordschleife circuit. The Maltese driver was in dominant form all series, a total of 10 wins securing him the title.]]	+
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+
−		+
−	Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel diam id mauris accumsan egestas. Sed sed lorem. Integer id mi vel sapien fermentum vehicula. Pellentesque vitae lacus a sem posuere fringilla. Vestibulum dolor. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Phasellus cursus augue ac purus. Curabitur faucibus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.	+
−		+
−	==Complete GPVWC Masters Series results==	+
	([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)		([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Line 407:		Line 625:
	! Points		! Points
	|-		|-
−
	|[[2009 Masters Series season|2009]]		|[[2009 Masters Series season|2009]]
	! [[Constant Racing]]		! [[Constant Racing]]
Line 443:		Line 660:
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR
	FEA<br>		FEA<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR
	SPR<br>		SPR<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BEL		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BEL
	FEA<br>		FEA<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BEL		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|BEL
	SPR<br>		SPR<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR
	FEA<br>		FEA<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|GBR
	SPR<br>		SPR<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS
	FEA<br>		FEA<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS		|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|AUS
	SPR<br>		SPR<br>
−	<small></small>	+	<small>-</small>
	|bgcolor="#fffffF"|'''6th'''		|bgcolor="#fffffF"|'''6th'''
	|bgcolor="#fffffF"|'''173'''		|bgcolor="#fffffF"|'''173'''
Line 517:		Line 734:
	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''318'''		|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''318'''
		+	|-
		+	|[[2011 Masters Series season|2011]]
		+	! [[Nordsjoen Racing]]
		+	|'''BMW-E90'''
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|GER
		+	FEA<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|GER
		+	SPR<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''''CHN'''''
		+	'''''FEA'''''<br>
		+	<small>1</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|''CHN''
		+	''SPR''<br>
		+	<small>5</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|BEL
		+	FEA<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|BEL
		+	SPR<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|GBR
		+	FEA<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|GBR
		+	SPR<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|USA
		+	FEA<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|USA
		+	SPR<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|AUS
		+	FEA<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|AUS
		+	SPR<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|GBR
		+	FEA<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|GBR
		+	SPR<br>
		+	<small>-</small>
		+	|
		+	|
		+	|
		+	|
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|'''22nd'''
		+	|bgcolor="#FFFFfF"|'''44'''
	|}		|}
	{{sup|†}} Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.		{{sup|†}} Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.
		+
		+	== Records ==
		+
		+	* [[Joe Consiglio/Offical records|Official session records]]
		+	* [[Joe Consiglio/Personal bests|Personal bests]]
		+
		+	{{S-start}}
		+	{{Succession box
		+	| before = [[Laurentiu Albu]]
		+	| title = [[List of Superleague World Drivers' Champions|Superleague World Drivers' Champion]]
		+	| years=[[2009 Superleague season|2009]]
		+	| after =[[Janne Tanskanen]]
		+	}}
		+	{{S-end}}
		+
		+	{{S-start}}
		+	{{Succession box
		+	| before = [[Janne Tanskanen]]
		+	| title = [[List of Superleague World Drivers' Champions|Superleague World Drivers' Champion]]
		+	| years=[[2011 Superleague season|2011]]
		+	| after = [[Lukas Euler]]
		+	}}
		+	{{S-end}}
		+
		+
		+	{{S-start}}
		+	{{Succession box
		+	| before = [[Adam Rouse]]
		+	| title = [[List of Masters Series Drivers' Champions|Masters Series Drivers' Champions]]
		+	| years=[[2010 Masters Series season|2010]]
		+	| after = [[Simon Cattell]]
		+	}}
		+	{{S-end}}
		+
	[[Category:Drivers|Consiglio]]		[[Category:Drivers|Consiglio]]

---

Latest revision as of 17:24, 1 November 2012

Joe Consiglio

Superleague Career
Nationality	Maltese
Active Years	2002-2004, 2009-2012
Team(s)	Nordsjoen Racing Phoenix F1 Stealth GP
Grand Prix	65
Championships	2 (2009, 2011)
Wins	18
Podium finishes	39
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	2012 Spanish Grand Prix

Joe Consiglio (born 19 April 1985 in Liverpool, UK) is an ex sim-racing driver from Malta. He competed in the GPVWC from 2002 to 2012 and won the Superleague World Drivers Championship in 2009 and 2011 with Nordsjoen Racing. Consiglio also won the GPVWC Masters Series (Touring Cars) Championship in 2010. Consiglio retired from racing part way through the 2012 season but still co-owns Constant Racing with friend Mark Stanton.

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.

At Suzuka Consiglio lined up 2nd on the grid behind his team-mate and finished the race in the same spot. Meanwhile Lee Morris was 3rd in the underpowered CSG. In a quiet race Consiglio’s chances of victory were severely hampered at the first round of pitstops. A mistake by the Nordsjoen pitwall called both drivers in on the same lap and Consiglio was therefore forced to queue behind Tanskanen. This cost the Maltese ace valuable seconds and from then his only hope was 2nd place.

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.

At the Canadian Grand Prix an unlucky Consiglio was reminded of the old sim-racing adage, "To finish first, first you have to finish". With both Nordsjoen drivers once again starting on the front row, it was Tanskanen who led into turn 1 from Consiglio. Pre-race Consiglio had been well aware of the potential for brake failure in the latter stages of the grand prix but was also confident he had taken the necessary pre-cautions to prevent this in his setup. As the race unfolded Consiglio pegged Tanskanen's lead at around the 3 second mark. As the race entered it's late stages Tanskanen began to slow in order to conserve his brakes. Consiglio jumped at this opportunity and quickly caught and passed his team-mate for the lead. After establishing a decent gap Joe was looking good for victory number 8 of his GPVWC career. However with only 3 laps to go the Maltese drivers brakes gave up and the 2009 champion was sent careering into a barrier at high speed. Stepping out of his car the baffled Consiglio could only conclude he had made a costly miscalculation in his setup. Meanwhile the ever shrewd Janne Tanskanen inherited the win, followed by Wicks in 2nd and Mark Stanton in a career best 3rd. Despite retiring Consiglio was classified 4th.

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 first race in Australia, Consiglio took pole position closely followed by Morris in P2. The Maltese driver got off the line well and pulled out a considerable gap over his Draig rival in the opening stint of the race. Consiglio made his first pitstop on lap 15 making it clear he was on a three stop strategy as opposed to Morris’ two. However Consiglio had the pace to make his strategy work and he re-emerged from his final pitstop just ahead of Morris with only 15 laps to go. It seemed the ex-champion was going to begin the season with a well earned victory but mechanical gremlins were about to strike his Nordsjoen. With 10 laps to go Consiglio’s brakes began to fail him and two laps later he was out. Morris inherited the lead and took a comfortable victory ahead of Dave Carr-Smith in 2nd and Sam Millar in 3rd. In a retirement too similar to that of Canada 2010, a devastated Consiglio was left to ponder his future in sim-racing. However after much soul searching Joe decided he would continue for the rest of the year.

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.

The Magny Cours circuit returned to the GPVWC after an absence of three years. Consiglio duly lined-up on pole but only after a grid penalty had been applied to Muscat who had been quicker in qualifying. Morris was 2nd on the grid but suffered a terrible start and dropped to 7th by turn 1. In the opening laps, the three stopping Consiglio made the most of an unfortunate disconnection for Muscat and the fact Morris was being held up in traffic. Eventually the two stopping Morris made it up to 2nd but by then Consiglio had established a massive lead over the Englishman. By mid-distance Consiglio had affectively made his extra pitstop back and with fresher tyres began to climb all over the Draig gearbox. At two thirds distance Consiglio passed Morris at the hairpin with a nicely judged switchback move. The Maltese driver emerged from his final pitstop just 1 second ahead of Morris. However with fresh rubber Consiglio easily extended his lead to 3.5 seconds, a gap he would keep all the way to the chequered flag. After an unlucky start to the season Consiglio had finally nabbed his first win of 2011.

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.

Silverstone 2011 would turn out to be another battle of strategies between Morris and Consiglio. With the two championship leaders lining up on the front row it was pole-sitter Morris who led into turn 1. Consiglio followed in 2nd but on lap 2 was passed by Muscat into Brooklands. However, on lap 3 the Red Archer driver made a mistake at the new Abbey chicane and this was all Consiglio needed to reclaim 2nd place. The Nordsjoen driver was then able to slowly pull away from his Maltese compatriot and keep Morris just within his sights. By mid-distance it became clear that Morris was 3 stopping whilst Consiglio was only scheduled to stop twice. Indeed, Morris emerged from his final pitstop 5 seconds down on Joe with only 8 laps to go. On fresh rubber the Englishman sliced into Consiglio’s lead at around half a second per lap. On the last lap the two were nose to tail but onlookers were denied a grandstand finish after an unfortunate collision at Vale. From a fair way back Morris had tried to outbrake the 2009 champion but in doing so made the slightest of contacts with the Nordsjoen’s left rear tyre. This was enough to send Consiglio into a spin. However, in a great show of sportsmanship Morris acknowledged responsibility for the incident by immediately handing the position back to the Maltese driver. So after a very intense race it was Consiglio who picked up his 2nd victory of the season.

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.

Round 12 of the championship saw the paddock arrive in Istanbul, Turkey. Consiglio had never raced at the Istanbul Park circuit but was apparently looking forward to the tracks flowing characteristics and infamous turn 8. From the very first practice session it was clear the Maltese driver was at one with both car and track. Indeed, this translated to pole number four of the season for the Nordsjoen ace with Jason Muscat 2nd and Lee Morris in 3rd. At the start Consiglio made his now customary flier and led into turn 1 without any issues. Muscat followed the Nordsjoen in 2nd but a slow getaway from Morris saw the Draig slip all the way down to 7th. As Consiglio and Muscat pulled away from Nick Rowland (Midnight Motorsport) in 3rd it became clear that the Maltese pair would be the two main contenders for the win. By the first round of pit stops Consiglio had managed to build a 6 second lead over the Red Archer. However on lap 23 Muscat got disconnected for the 2nd time this season, another bitter blow for the young star. This left Consiglio with a substantial lead over Rowland in 2nd and Morris who by now had made it up to 3rd. The battle for 2nd was decided when a mistake from the Midnight driver handed Morris P2 in the closing stages of the race. However the day belonged to Joe Consiglio who took a dominant victory some 27 seconds ahead of his championship rival.

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.

After a four week break the field returned to Montreal for round 14 of the championship. The big news was that Nordsjoen Racing had brought a considerable upgrade package to the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in an effort to resurrect Consiglio’s now ailing title challenge. Qualifying saw the Maltese driver take his 5th pole of the year by half a second. Jason Muscat lined up 2nd with Lee Morris in 3rd and Dave Carr-Smith in 4th. At the start Muscat got the jump on his countryman and led going into turn 1. However, Consiglio was in no mood to follow the Red Archer and made a decisive pass into the final chicane later that lap. With Muscat suffering an electronic glitch and being sent into the barriers, Consiglio was left free to run away at the front. Behind, Carr-Smith made it past Morris and took 2nd place. Morris attempted to repass the Midnight driver but a collision dropped the championship leader behind his team-mate Ryan Walker in 9th. Worse was to strike the Englishman as he suffered a disconnection with only 15 laps to go. After a race that largely consisted of monitoring brake wear, Consiglio cruised to his 4th victory of the season, 22 seconds ahead of David Jundt in 2nd. With Consiglio winning and Morris non-scoring the title race had been reopened with six races still to go.

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.

A week later at the classic Spa-Francorchamps circuit Consiglio was once again untouchable in qualifying. The Maltese driver led another Nordsjoen front row, this time taking pole position by a massive 1.3 seconds. David Jundt was 3rd on the grid with Dave Carr-Smith just edging out Lee Morris for 4th. At the start the two Nordsjoen’s got off the line cleanly but behind was a different story. Sam Millar collected Lee Morris on the approach to La Source, triggering more accidents further down the grid. Morris managed to trundle back to the pits but the Draig pitcrew couldn’t repair his car’s heavily damaged suspension. With Morris out of the race Consiglio put the hammer down up front and by the end of lap 2 was already 4 seconds in the lead. With Consiglio pulling away at over a second a lap all eyes turned to the fight for P2 between Pavel Loknovski and David Jundt. With Nordsjoen and Red Archer still locked in the Constructors championship battle, both drivers fought hard for the runner-up spot and those vital extra points. In the end it was Jundt who came out on top, ensuring Red Archer still held a slight advantage over Nordsjoen in the standings. After leading every lap of the race Consiglio took his 8th win of the season in style. With Morris not scoring, the Nordsjoen driver was now 19 points in the lead with only 2 rounds to go.

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.

2012

Predictably, the ultra successful Consiglio, Loknovski, Nordsjoen, Mercedes combination was unchanged for 2012. A close pre-season signalled that the competition could be the fiercest ever seen in the Superleague. Many pundits were predicting an open championship fight between Consiglio, Janne Tanskanen (returning for Red Archer) and Lee Morris (Draig). However these usual suspects looked like being joined by league newcomers Lukas Euler (Midnight), Tom Eley (ST Racing) and Simon Cattell (Kernow).

At Round 1 in Australia Consiglio lined up 4th on the grid behind the already highly developed Midnight cars of Lukas Euler (Pole) and Nick Rowland in 3rd. Lee Morris was 2nd on the grid for Draig Racing. At the start Consiglio maintained his 4th position into turn 1 and watched Morris and Rowland scrap over P2. As Euler sped into the distance, Morris, Rowland and Consiglio ran in close company for the opening stint of the race. However, at the first round of pitstops Consiglio managed to leapfrog the second Midnight car and move into P3. Later on Rowland ran into trouble with a backmarker and therefore dropped out of podium contention. In the latter stages of the race Consiglio got within 1 second of Morris but didn’t have the pace to get by. In the end the Maltese driver had to settle for 3rd, behind the dominant Euler (1st) and old sparring partner Morris (2nd). The returning Janne Tanskanen finished 25 seconds behind Consiglio in a distant 4th for Red Archer.

At the 2nd race of year in China, Midnight Motorsport locked out the front row after receiving another massive car upgrade before the event. Janne Tanskanen was a promising 3rd for Red Archer with Lee Morris qualifying 4th in the Draig. Consiglio however was only able put his Nordsjoen 5th on the grid. In the race Consiglio clearly didn’t have the pace to stay with the top four and instead found himself coming under pressure from Ruud Heesterbeek. At the first round of pitstops the Maltese driver was delayed after finding Tanskanen in his Nordsjoen pitbox and therefore having to queue. A smooth pitstop for Heesterbeek saw the Nijo driver leapfrog the reigining World Champion for P5. Before mid-distance Tanskanen picked up damage from a stray front wing, promoting Consiglio back up to 5th. Joe spent the rest of the race trading laptimes with Heesterbeek but the gap remained static at 4 seconds all the way to the flag. A distant 5th left Consiglio and Nordsjoen scratching their heads after Shanghai. Indeed it was becoming apparent the Italian outfit had a lot of work to do to understand the 2012 car’s lack of pace.

A big push after China on setup and car development saw Consiglio arrive in Abu Dhabi more optimistic of a good race. Qualifying saw Consiglio line-up 3rd behind the mighty Midnight’s of Lukas Euler and Nick Rowland. Morris was 4th ahead of an improving Pavel Loknovski in 5th. The start saw Euler bog down and Rowland and Consiglio slip by into P1 and P2 respectively. However just before the hairpin Euler ran into the back of Consiglio, removing the German’s front wing and damaging Consiglio’s rear suspension in the process. Consiglio elected not to pit for immediate repairs as he was still in P3 behind Morris at the end of lap 1. As Rowland sped into the distance, Consiglio vs Morris Round 20(!?) erupted once again, Joe in a damaged car and Lee in his underdeveloped Draig. After a great scrap the damage finally caught Consiglio out and a spin saw the Maltese driver drop to 6th. From then Consiglio kept his down and wrestled his car to his first pitstop window on lap 18. After the first round of pitstops it became clear that Consiglio was on a two stop strategy and had a good chance of leapfrogging Morris for P2. However Euler had stealthily been making his way through the field and with the German also on a two stop strategy it was looking likely he could leapfrog the pair of them. At the final round of pitstops Consiglio indeed lost out to Euler for P2 and had to settle for 3rd in the end. Overall it was a difficult race for the Maltese driver but the indications of a marked improvement from the team were clear to see.

In Hungary, Consiglio once again lined up in 3rd behind the Midnight's of Lukas Euler and Nick Rowland. Dave Carr-Smith was a surprise 4th for Green Stripes with Pavel Loknovski edging out Simon Cattell and Lee Morris for P5 on the grid. Unfortunately at the start Euler bogged down again and Consiglio had no-where to go but straight into the back of the Midnight. The collision damaged both cars and at the start of lap 2 Consiglio emerged from the pits in 25th position nearly a whole minute behind the leader Carr-Smith. Electing to go for a 4 stop strategy Consiglio carved his way through the field and by mid-distance the 2011 champion was up to 8th. In a couple of daring moves Consiglio passed his old team-mates Tom Parker and Janne Tanskanen round the outside of the penultimate corner. In the last stint Consiglio caught and passed his team-mate Loknovski for 5th and with 10 laps to go looked set to finish the race in the same position. However on the last lap Cattell and Morris collided whilst in a fierce fight for 3rd. The collision damaged Cattell’s front wing and Consiglio was able to nip past with only three corners of the race to go. Meanwhile Rowland took his 2nd win in as many races, ahead of Carr-Smith and Morris. Consiglio finished in a hard earned 4th with Cattell in 5th and Euler in 6th.

At the Spanish Grand Prix Consiglio was again 3rd fastest in qualifying behind the Midnights of Lukas Euler and Nick Rowland. However due to a 5 place grid penalty for Rowland, Consiglio found himself lining up on the front row of the grid for the first time in 2012. After two major start-line incidents the field finally got away cleanly at the 3rd time of asking. Consiglio out dragged Euler into turn 1 and was the surprise leader after lap 1. However it didn’t take long for Euler to make his way past the Maltese ace and a few laps later the fast recovering Rowland also slipped by. Consiglio was in a safe 3rd after the first round of pit stops but on lap 17 disaster struck the reigning champion. A computer glitch that had been threatening to strike all pre-season finally reared its ugly head and Consiglio was out on the spot.

One week later Consiglio shocked the GPVWC establishment by announcing his immediate retirement from sim-racing. Consiglio cited the main reasons for this seemingly sudden decision were down to “lack of enjoyment, motivation and general time constraints”. Consiglio certainly had been enduring a difficult 2012 but was still in the hunt for podiums in most races and was generally still competitive. However for a two time world champion maybe fighting for podiums wasn’t enough to keep the 27 year old motivated. Indeed, Consiglio described his Spanish GP retirement as “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and after the realisation he wasn’t “enjoying himself anymore”, the Maltese driver 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.

GPVWC Masters Series

Constant Racing

Joe Consiglio

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.

2011

Opting not to defend his title, Consiglio only drove a one off event at Goldenport in 2011. Impressively, the Maltese ace took pole position ahead of a massive 42 car grid.

However, the Feature race start saw Consiglio slip behind Jack Keithley and his main 2011 Superleague rival Lee Morris. By lap 3 though it was clear Consiglio had excellent race pace and the Nordsjoen driver easily passed Morris at turn 1 to move into P2. The rest of the race was a fascinating encounter as Consiglio hunted down Keithley for the lead. With only half a dozen laps remaining Consiglio pulled off a lovely move round the outside of the Englishman and grabbed P1. The champion resisted late pressure from the NRT driver and took a well earned feature race win.

The Sprint race saw Joe come up from 42nd on the grid to finish the race in 5th. With 2 fastest laps, a pole position and a Feature race win, Consiglio had proven his 2010 title winning campaign had been no fluke.

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	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
2012	Nordsjoen Racing	NR005	Mercedes	AUS 3	CHN 5	UAE 3	HUN 4	ESP Ret	MON -	CAN -	KOR -	TUR -	GBR -	ITA -	BEL -	NED -	IND -	USA -	BRA -	JAP -	SIN -			4th	34

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

Masters 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	Constant Racing	BMW-E90	USA FEA 2	USA SPR 3	ITA FEA 3	ITA SPR 2	AUS FEA 3	AUS SPR 3	USA FEA Ret	USA SPR 3	CAN FEA Ret	CAN SPR 2	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 1	USA SPR 6	USA FEA 1	USA SPR 4	GBR FEA 1	GBR SPR 2	GER FEA 1	GBR FEA 1	GBR SPR 1	AUT FEA 1	AUT SPR 1	GBR FEA 1	GBR SPR 1						1st	318
2011	Nordsjoen Racing	BMW-E90	GER FEA -	GER SPR -	CHN FEA 1	CHN SPR 5	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

• Official session records
• Personal bests

Preceded by: Laurentiu Albu

Superleague World Drivers' Champion 2009

Succeeded by: Janne Tanskanen

Preceded by: Janne Tanskanen

Superleague World Drivers' Champion 2011

Succeeded by: Lukas Euler

Preceded by: Adam Rouse

Masters Series Drivers' Champions 2010

Succeeded by: Simon Cattell