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June 07, 2004
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The Monaco GP has finished and we are honoured to be interviewing Matt Maple - although his frame of mind is not a positive one!
Matt was involved in the opening lap clash which saw 5 cars in total taken out before a lap was completed.
"Basically this sucks really bad because we were in good shape to do well today, but again as luck strikes on the bad side we end up with nothing. It's shame; in fact: it's just shit" commented Matt.
After the interview with team-mate Toby Lock in Barcelona, we at F1VWC News felt the next step would be to do a feature on JTM's other charismatic driver, Matt Maple. His recent run of form has shown jinks in the armour of the JTM team, who, although aren't scoring points at the moment, maintain a high level of morale amongst the team. We watched the remaining Lock JTM finish in a lowly position again, before boarding Maple's Mapes-VO chartered jet, barely letting the champagne corks hit the ground before we were airborne.
"I don't like hanging around when I've not done well. It just makes the think 'what-could-have-been' thoughts" said a visibly disappointed Maple. Rumour in the paddock is that, with Gaczella waiting in the wings, Maple needs to begin performing or manager Juan Tortella will have no hesitation in replacing the young Brit.
It has not been all bad news for Maple though. His own 2004 season may not be prospering, but the results gained by his team have been far from disappointing.
"Mapes-VO are now [after Monaco] dominating both titles, which is nice. It's great to have two such reliable fast drivers" smiled Maple, noticeably more upbeat about his own team, rather than his racing career. "Petri suffered a setback here in Monaco, but another strong 2nd place for Mikko gives us a large lead in both titles over the EIRE contingent. It's good news!"
Mapes-VO, now one of the strongest teams in the world of SimRacing, has enjoyed success in many series' in their relatively short life. After a buyout of Martini F1 in early 2002, Maple and co-owner Peter Van Oostende have witnessed their yellow machines excel into a force to be reckoned with. Now, with such an empire, Maple and Van Oostende can afford such luxuries as this private jet.
Clad in their car's livery, the plane is fully equipped with personal bedrooms, showers, individual DVD and PS2 consoles, as well as a conference room. On long haul trips, it is also possible to ship 3 race cars, with spares and tools, in the upper deck and luggage compartments. As we were given the tour, I could not help myself but to think of an episode of MTV Cribs, where the extravagant homes of rappers and C-list actors barely reach the heights (no pun intended) of such an aircraft. With such an empire at his feet, it is hardly surprising that Maple's phone interrupted our interview. Only this call was different. This call would change the course of Mapes-VO's short-term future.
"What do you mean he just left? You ARE shitting me right? Bollocks, right, I'll be there ASAP"
"Bad news?" we asked, almost certain that it was.
"It'll go public in the next few days anyway, you guys might as well come along and get an exclusive" said a more downcast Maple than that of a few minutes ago. "I'm really sorry, but the interview will have to wait until we get on the ground and back to the factory". Immediately he was on the phone again and we were asked to leave. Obviously this was no ordinary problem, but we respected his privacy and went back to our seats for our custom prepared meals (Oh yes, this plane has an onboard chef!)
Upon arriving at Luton airport, Maple's 7 Series BMW was waiting on the runway to take us to the Silverstone-based factory of Mapes-VO. As we raced towards Northamptonshire, Matt told us what was happening. "Petri's quit. We're right up it now, especially with Nurberg next week and only one driver".
In this, a time of crisis, it was only right that we would end the interview there for the night. As he dropped us at our hotel in Milton Keynes, he said he would continue the interview the next morning.
9am Monday Morning
We walking into Matt's office to the smell of coffee and photocopying, much like a regular office smells like!
"Make yourselves at home" Matt said, seeming a little happier this morning than when we parted yesterday. When asked about the situation, he replied "I'll tell you in a little while. I'm expecting a call, I'll tell you then".
We chatted a while about England's chances in Euro 2004, which Matt shot down very quickly. Unlike many football fans, it seems that Matt sees things more logically.
"Did you see Henry this season? You reckon Sol Campbell can stop that? Real fans know England have a slim chance, it's these one-tournament "watched-one-game-know-it-all" fans who believe that England have a chance, because they're gullible idiots" said Maple, as his phone rang. "Hello mate, I'll put you on speaker, I've got the F1VWC News with me. I'll tell you both what's going on".
Calling was Toby Lock, who had heard about Loukasmaki's decision. "So who's gonna drive?"
As Matt read through the list of drivers available, Toby popped in a name controversial enough to make Matt laugh in a time of crisis. "What about Ryan?"
"He's driving for his own team idiot!"
"Not him, Kieran".
"HAHA, Fuck RIGHT off"
After Mapes-VO decided not to renew Kieran Ryan's contract after the 2002 season, Ryan's attitude towards Maple turned for the worse, and blamed Maple for preventing him from gaining a permanent 2003/4 seat.
The animosity is shrouded by their sociable nature within the paddock, but behind closed doors, their's is a relationship best left alone.
"Dude, you know who is going have to drive don't you?" Lock finally said.
"Yea&ldots; I do" replied Maple.
I looked to the photographer, who was as lost with the comment as I.
"Well, I've raced so far this season without a team-mate, I guess I can carry on without one!" Lock quirked.
Due to the short notice of the resignation, Matt Maple will be driving the sister Mapes-VO alongside Mikko Jakonen for the European GP, leaving JTM as yet to confirm a driver.
Maple and Lock have been team mates since early 2002, when Maple re-joined the European RCT team, which he left in 2001 and Toby duly filled. After a disappointing 2002 season, scoring only only 2 occasions and being throughly outshon by Toby, the pair renewed their partnership with the Chaos team of 2003. Here, they claimed 4th in the Constructors Championship.
An official statement later released said "Although it seems as though the team could be facing the future with only one major driver, Mapes-VO are confident in finding another driver, and are happy to welcome co-owner Matt Maple into the seat until it is filled on a regular basis."
As we parted for the final time, we wished Matt good luck in Germany, where he laughed "Yeah thanks, I'll probably finish, which will piss Juan [Tortella] off enough not to want me back!"
Matt was involved in the opening lap clash which saw 5 cars in total taken out before a lap was completed.
"Basically this sucks really bad because we were in good shape to do well today, but again as luck strikes on the bad side we end up with nothing. It's shame; in fact: it's just shit" commented Matt.
After the interview with team-mate Toby Lock in Barcelona, we at F1VWC News felt the next step would be to do a feature on JTM's other charismatic driver, Matt Maple. His recent run of form has shown jinks in the armour of the JTM team, who, although aren't scoring points at the moment, maintain a high level of morale amongst the team. We watched the remaining Lock JTM finish in a lowly position again, before boarding Maple's Mapes-VO chartered jet, barely letting the champagne corks hit the ground before we were airborne.
"I don't like hanging around when I've not done well. It just makes the think 'what-could-have-been' thoughts" said a visibly disappointed Maple. Rumour in the paddock is that, with Gaczella waiting in the wings, Maple needs to begin performing or manager Juan Tortella will have no hesitation in replacing the young Brit.
It has not been all bad news for Maple though. His own 2004 season may not be prospering, but the results gained by his team have been far from disappointing.
"Mapes-VO are now [after Monaco] dominating both titles, which is nice. It's great to have two such reliable fast drivers" smiled Maple, noticeably more upbeat about his own team, rather than his racing career. "Petri suffered a setback here in Monaco, but another strong 2nd place for Mikko gives us a large lead in both titles over the EIRE contingent. It's good news!"
Mapes-VO, now one of the strongest teams in the world of SimRacing, has enjoyed success in many series' in their relatively short life. After a buyout of Martini F1 in early 2002, Maple and co-owner Peter Van Oostende have witnessed their yellow machines excel into a force to be reckoned with. Now, with such an empire, Maple and Van Oostende can afford such luxuries as this private jet.
Clad in their car's livery, the plane is fully equipped with personal bedrooms, showers, individual DVD and PS2 consoles, as well as a conference room. On long haul trips, it is also possible to ship 3 race cars, with spares and tools, in the upper deck and luggage compartments. As we were given the tour, I could not help myself but to think of an episode of MTV Cribs, where the extravagant homes of rappers and C-list actors barely reach the heights (no pun intended) of such an aircraft. With such an empire at his feet, it is hardly surprising that Maple's phone interrupted our interview. Only this call was different. This call would change the course of Mapes-VO's short-term future.
"What do you mean he just left? You ARE shitting me right? Bollocks, right, I'll be there ASAP"
"Bad news?" we asked, almost certain that it was.
"It'll go public in the next few days anyway, you guys might as well come along and get an exclusive" said a more downcast Maple than that of a few minutes ago. "I'm really sorry, but the interview will have to wait until we get on the ground and back to the factory". Immediately he was on the phone again and we were asked to leave. Obviously this was no ordinary problem, but we respected his privacy and went back to our seats for our custom prepared meals (Oh yes, this plane has an onboard chef!)
Upon arriving at Luton airport, Maple's 7 Series BMW was waiting on the runway to take us to the Silverstone-based factory of Mapes-VO. As we raced towards Northamptonshire, Matt told us what was happening. "Petri's quit. We're right up it now, especially with Nurberg next week and only one driver".
In this, a time of crisis, it was only right that we would end the interview there for the night. As he dropped us at our hotel in Milton Keynes, he said he would continue the interview the next morning.
9am Monday Morning
We walking into Matt's office to the smell of coffee and photocopying, much like a regular office smells like!
"Make yourselves at home" Matt said, seeming a little happier this morning than when we parted yesterday. When asked about the situation, he replied "I'll tell you in a little while. I'm expecting a call, I'll tell you then".
We chatted a while about England's chances in Euro 2004, which Matt shot down very quickly. Unlike many football fans, it seems that Matt sees things more logically.
"Did you see Henry this season? You reckon Sol Campbell can stop that? Real fans know England have a slim chance, it's these one-tournament "watched-one-game-know-it-all" fans who believe that England have a chance, because they're gullible idiots" said Maple, as his phone rang. "Hello mate, I'll put you on speaker, I've got the F1VWC News with me. I'll tell you both what's going on".
Calling was Toby Lock, who had heard about Loukasmaki's decision. "So who's gonna drive?"
As Matt read through the list of drivers available, Toby popped in a name controversial enough to make Matt laugh in a time of crisis. "What about Ryan?"
"He's driving for his own team idiot!"
"Not him, Kieran".
"HAHA, Fuck RIGHT off"
After Mapes-VO decided not to renew Kieran Ryan's contract after the 2002 season, Ryan's attitude towards Maple turned for the worse, and blamed Maple for preventing him from gaining a permanent 2003/4 seat.
The animosity is shrouded by their sociable nature within the paddock, but behind closed doors, their's is a relationship best left alone.
"Dude, you know who is going have to drive don't you?" Lock finally said.
"Yea&ldots; I do" replied Maple.
I looked to the photographer, who was as lost with the comment as I.
"Well, I've raced so far this season without a team-mate, I guess I can carry on without one!" Lock quirked.
Due to the short notice of the resignation, Matt Maple will be driving the sister Mapes-VO alongside Mikko Jakonen for the European GP, leaving JTM as yet to confirm a driver.
Maple and Lock have been team mates since early 2002, when Maple re-joined the European RCT team, which he left in 2001 and Toby duly filled. After a disappointing 2002 season, scoring only only 2 occasions and being throughly outshon by Toby, the pair renewed their partnership with the Chaos team of 2003. Here, they claimed 4th in the Constructors Championship.
An official statement later released said "Although it seems as though the team could be facing the future with only one major driver, Mapes-VO are confident in finding another driver, and are happy to welcome co-owner Matt Maple into the seat until it is filled on a regular basis."
As we parted for the final time, we wished Matt good luck in Germany, where he laughed "Yeah thanks, I'll probably finish, which will piss Juan [Tortella] off enough not to want me back!"
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