At the first race of the 2024 Formula Virtual World Championship, the Australian V-Prix in Adelaide, we – Royal Phoenix Motorsport – will be celebrating our 100th V-Prix in Formula Virtual. Ten years ago on a cold, damp evening in December 2014, an historic meeting took place in a small locals pub called the Hunt Lane Tavern between lifelong friends Alex Easton and Christian Sear. Alex had been a motorsport fan since the early 2000s, purchasing video cassettes of Formula One season reviews from the late 1980s and the early 1990s. He gradually became somewhat of an ‘F1 Fanatic’ over the next few years, crying in 2007 when British rookie Lewis Hamilton lost out on the title to Kimi Raikkonen by a single point, as well as cheering for any underdog driver or team. It was 2008 when Alex introduced his best friend – since the age of two – to the world of motorsport. Christian was a much quieter and full-of-thought man and was always the smarter of the pair; a top student throughout his time in school, sixth form and university. Together, the pair only fuelled each other’s love for racing, anything from Formula One to cycling to a local dirt bike race on a hill in rural France – they loved it. So, naturally, when they discovered the fledgling Formula Virtual series (at the time known as the F1F Virtual Grand Prix Championship) in mid-2014, it was a given that they would be drawn to it. Alex, in particular, completely fell in love with Formula Virtual, watching back the inaugural 2013 season in it’s entirety then catching up on the 2014 season before avidly following along live from that point. As the 2014 season began to reach it’s conclusion, Alex and Christian decided on their intention to create a team of their own; their meeting in the Hunt Lane Tavern on that Monday evening was to be the formation of Phoenix Motorsport. Formed with the intention of providing a pathway into Formula Virtual for young British drivers, Phoenix Motorsport entered the 2015 FV2 Series and, despite having limited success in the junior series, the team applied to join Formula Virtual for 2016. Their application was rejected, making Alex and Christian realise that they needed to become a more professional outfit if they ever wanted to join the top tier of Virtual Motorsport. So, for the 2016 season, they expanded into FV3 – fielding teams in both championships until the end of 2017. At the end of 2017, it was announced that Formula Virtual team FUN – led by Dick Diceman – would not be continuing into 2018 and so a place opened up for a new team. Phoenix again applied and this time were accepted in by Formula Virtual CEO Nic Morley, thus beginning Phoenix Motorsport’s rollercoaster journey in the Formula Virtual World Championship. 2018 Above: The Phoenix PX1 launch The 2018 Australian V-Prix was an incredibly proud moment for everyone involved with Phoenix. Three and a half years since our team was formed by Alex and Christian, we lined up on the Formula Virtual grid for the first time with some of the greatest teams and drivers in Virtual Motorsport. Our little team, run out of what might as well have been a shed in Greater Manchester, had made it onto the world stage – now the real work began! Above: Carson Davenport at the 2018 Australian V-Prix, fending off Jules Simon By far, the highlight – and lowlight at the same time – of 2018 was that infamous 2018 Malaysian V-Prix. Sergio Alvarez, whose career looked to have hit a roadblock before being signed on loan from our good friends Westwood, drove like a champion in monsoon-like conditions; the Argentine passed drivers with far more experience and reputation than himself, making his way up to an unbelievable fourth place in just our fourth race, before disaster struck. As Sergio rounded the final corner on the final lap, he inexplicably slowed and was forced to retire as the car cried enough. A truly heartbreaking end to a magnificent race, but we took heart in the fact we still scored two points and moved on. Above: Sergio Alvarez splashes past the Franklin at the 2018 Malaysian V-Prix The other standout race from 2018 was the Belgian V-Prix – Formula Virtual’s 100th V-Prix. The entire weekend was incredibly special with teams up and down the field running special liveries to mark such an incredible milestone for the series. We ran our special ‘Golden Phoenix’ livery for that race and, boy, did Carson Davenport show it off in style! The Portuguese veteran, on the soft tyres, made World Champions Enrique Ruiz and Nathaniel Powers ‘look silly’ – passing the pair early on in the race. Davenport was flying and made his way up to seventh before a disastrous pit stop lost him well over ten seconds, dropping him down to sixteenth which virtually ended all hopes of continuing his great race. Nonetheless, it was fantastic to see our Golden car up amongst multiple World Champions. Carson Davenport (Phoenix driver 2018): “Looking back at that race, wow, what a day! I’m not sure if it was that golden livery but suddenly we seemed to have the ability to fight the fastest teams in FV. I felt at my absolute best during that race, especially the first stint, and it was a real shame that we ended up falling back a bit but I still remember it as a brilliant drive.” Above: The FV100 'Golden Phoenix' livery and Carson Davenport at the 2018 Belgian V-Prix Ultimately, we finished that season in a remarkable seventh place. A total of 19 points from eight points finishes is the best performance from a new* team in Formula Virtual history. *Slightly contested statement as Westwood beat this tally in 2020, when they returned to the series after a year out. Above: Sergio Alvarez and Carson Davenport at the 2018 Turkish V-Prix 2019 Above: The Phoenix PX2 launch The 2019 season was one of great change for Phoenix; we amicably parted ways with our great friends Judd (who we do indeed still exchange Christmas cards with) and we became a factory DS Automobiles team. With this came the loan of Thierry Xylander from fellow DS Automobiles works team DS Mathershaw, while Sergio joined us on a permanent contract. That season was phenomenal for us; Sergio lead the team brilliantly and Thierry had an incredible debut season where he finished every single race – seven of which were points finishes. One of the highlights of the season was the double points finish in the United States where our guys genuinely had the pace to mix it with the big boys, eventually coming home eighth and ninth. We also had double points finishes in Malaysia – a year on from our heartbreak in 2018, Bahrain and Italy. Above: Thierry Xylander and Sergio Alvarez at the 2019 US V-Prix Thierry Xylander (Phoenix driver 2019-2021): “2019, my rookie season in Formula Virtual, that was a great season. One of my goals, heading into the season, was to be consistent and keep my nose clean. There’s no point in driving like a man possessed if you’re just going to retire from every race – especially when you’re new to a series. The second half of the season, once I’d really gotten comfortable with the car, I was extremely happy with it.” Unfortunately, as the 2019 season reached the latter stages, things took a turn for the worse. The announcement of the split between Mathershaw and DS Automobiles sent shockwaves throughout the world of Formula Virtual and eventually led to DS understandably pulling out of the sport following the 2019 season. This, in turn, had a knock on effect which resulted in almost all of our partners and sponsors withdrawing their backing – as many had been brought in by DS themselves. This resulted in the darkest months in our history as we entered administration and were left, quite literally, minutes away from liquidation. At the very last minute, however, Lucas Wilson stepped in to save the day. The British oil tycoon – who ran the Lucas V-Prix team at the time – purchased a share in the team and provided the backing we needed to keep afloat. A raft of new sponsorship deals followed, one of which turned out to be rather problematic (we’re looking at you, XXX Energy…), as well as securing a deal with Downton High Performance Engines for 2020 and beyond. 2020 Above: James Thompson launches the PX3 at Oulton Park With the new sponsorship from Wilson Oils, XXX Energy and the rest, our 2020 livery was very bright and featured ‘Lucas purple’ for the first time – a welcome addition to our airbox. The car itself, however, was clearly uncompetitive following the team having started work on the PX3 so late. Incredibly, in a strange Japanese V-Prix where Allar Kangur brought the Lopez team their first ever victory, Sergio managed to drag the car home in eighth place – securing four huge points for us in our battle to avoid dropping into Q1, as it was then known. The following six races proved to be very tough – as we’d expected – with neither Sergio or Thierry coming remotely close to the points at any time. The second half of the season, though, was a completely different story. Sergio magnificently finished in the points in the next four races – Germany, United States, Canada and Bahrain – with the car finally showing some pace he made the most of it, with Thierry backing up a great race in Canada which saw our guys finish seventh and tenth on the hard tyres. The race at Indianapolis in particular was a fine showing from Sergio as he expertly picked his way through the drama, on the hard tyres, to climb from twelfth to a magnificent fifth place which was – at the time – our highest ever finish! Above: Sergio Alvarez at the 2020 US V-Prix The latter stages of the 2020 season saw Alex hand the reins of Phoenix over to Christian as the former focussed on his career away from Virtual Motorsport. This was, of course, a strange time for everyone but the team – led magnificently by Christian in Alex’s absence – went on to score 37 points after a very difficult start to the season; ultimately ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship was the reward. Co-founder, former Technical Director and Deputy Team Principal Christian Sear: “It was a real eye-opening experience in 2020 taking control of the team. It was lovely to receive so much great advice from the other Team Principals who really helped me adjust to it, which eventually helped when I set up OSM. Seeing the team get to 100 races is quite phenomenal, actually, I never thought it’d survive this long honestly. Everyone in the team has done such a good job and it’s fantastic to see there’s life in the old dog yet.” 2021 Above: The Phoenix PX4 launch The 2021 season was very much a transitionary year, looking back on it now. Following the events surrounding XXX Energy’s departure, Royal Blondes became our new title sponsor which gave us the new name of Royal Phoenix Motorsport and – with that – the livery took on a new look. The traditional burgundy remained, fortunately in keeping with Royal Blondes’ company colours, but was now joined by a large coverage of white on the car with the fluorescent yellow disappearing. The first race of the season – in Japan – perhaps marked the sort of season we would endure. Thierry’s cycling accident over the winter ruled him out of the first race of the season so JT was due to make his second appearance in a V-Prix. This plan, however, went awry when our very own loose cannon injured himself on a window the night before qualifying; we were forced to turn to our 32-year-old driver coach Dominic Hanson. Dom struggled through on a set of hard tyres but managed to last the entire race without a single incident; with almost no previous practice in a Formula Virtual car, the team were very proud of him. The car was uncompetitive, for the most part, although Thierry did manage our first ever pole position at the German V-Prix in Hockenheim, in very wet conditions. He unfortunately retired from the race but it was an incredible achievement and a day that the team will never forget. Above: Thierry Xylander leads the field in Germany 2021 At the Belgian V-Prix, Sergio unfortunately suffered a horrible accident that completely obliterated the car, with one of the wheels entering the cockpit. He was ruled out of the following race, in Italy, which meant Dom Hanson returned for an unexpected second race in FV – as the rules state no team is allowed to run more than three drivers across a season. Dom had an eventful race but can hold his head high that he achieved his dream of driving in Formula Virtual – multiple times! Dominic Hanson (Phoenix driver 2021): “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, 2021 really was a dream come true for an old git like me. Those two races were tough, to say the least, but I had an amazing time and I’m honestly so proud to be able to say I’ve driven in multiple Formula Virtual V-Prix, sharing the track with the likes of Powers, Ruiz, Simon and Klaas. I’m glad the opportunity came about when it did, as I’m now enjoying my current role at Phoenix and honestly doubt I could squeeze myself into one of these new cars!” Above: Dominic Hanson at the 2021 Japanese V-Prix Ultimately, the 2021 season proved to be a strange year as Sergio and Thierry struggled with the car in their final seasons with Phoenix – after both were snapped up by Lopez and Franklin respectively for 2022. One final hurrah, though, came at the Mexican V-Prix where Sergio set the team’s first ever fastest lap. It was fitting that Sergio and Thierry achieved two magnificent ‘firsts’ before they departed for pastures new; they were adored by everyone in the team and remain great friends with us to this day. Sergio Alvarez (Phoenix driver 2018-2021): “My time at Phoenix… ah! So many happy memory. I owe so much to Harry and Alex in the first for making it possible my debut in Formula Virtual. From 2018 until 2021, haha, there are many stories and crazy times had with the people who work in the team. So many laughs with Alex and Christian, Terry, JT and Dom… and big Dave!! Poor Thierry, so many times his face said what is going on!? Not only this, but we were good. We fought with big, big teams and achieved so many good races. Now, I love my team at Lopez. Dylan and the team, I have great friendship with Max. But I never forget Phoenix.” 2022 Above: The Phoenix PX5 launch 2022 signalled a total change in our driver lineup for the first time; multiple race winner Allar Kangur was joined by former IndyVirtual and eVirtual frontrunner, Will Taylor. Additionally, following Christian leaving his active role in the team to launch his own team OSM, we took on Sven Schubert as Deputy Team Principal who brought a hugely professional approach to the management team. Sven paved the way for much of our success which was to follow. Immediately, the car looked much more competitive than ever and a double points finish in the first race of the season showed we could be in for a very good year. A double retirement followed in Australia before an incredible Malaysian V-Prix yielded our first ever podium finish – at the hands of Will Taylor. It was a day of indescribable emotion – only added to by James Vasquez taking the win for our friends over at Ingram, while we were joined on the podium by Klaas van Snelheid, driving for our friends (and engine supplier) Downton. The day was even better as Thierry, now at backmarkers Highwind, drove the race of his life (at the time) to haul the car to sixth place – an extraordinary achievement in a car that hadn’t looked like even making the grid. Above: Will Taylor at the 2022 Malaysian V-Prix More podiums followed around the halfway mark in the season; both Will and Allar stood on the podium for us, including one of our finest days ever where we finished second and third at the Czech V-Prix. We ultimately scored points at all but two races – where we suffered double retirements – and eventually ended up scoring a mammoth 214 points on our way to an almost unthinkable third place in the Constructors’. The icing on the cake was the season finale, in Mexico. Will was forced to sit the race out as his wife gave birth to their third child – Joseph – which meant JT would stand in. In a Herculean effort in qualifying, JT put his PX5 fourth on the grid, outqualifying Allar as well as the likes of Adrien Simon and Puccio Giodano. Come race day, we ultimately let JT down with the wrong strategy and he fell down to 17th but not before he fought with the likes of Enrique Ruiz and Adrien Simon early on in the race. It truly was one of the greatest moments in the history of Phoenix Motorsport. James Thompson (Phoenix driver 2016-present): “Phoenix is my home, it’s all I’ve ever known since I first made the step up to single seaters in 2016… all those years ago! Everyone here truly is like family to me, we really are one big dysfunctional family but it somehow works. The best times are when you least expect them, then something amazing happens, like that race weekend in Mexico in 2022. The last time Enrique had spoken to me, two years before that in Brazil 2020, he asked who the hell I was lining up on the grid. Then, two years on in my next V-Prix, I was sharing the second row with him – absolutely brilliant! I love this team and I hope I’m still here for the 200th V-Prix!” Above: James Thompson duels with Adrien Simon at the 2022 Mexican V-Prix 2023 Above: The Phoenix PX6 launch The brilliant Allar Kangur headed off to Ingram for 2023 and was replaced by fellow Estonian – and 2022 VWRS champion – Ott Eskola, joining Will Taylor who had signed a one-year contract extension. It quickly became clear that we had an absolute star on our hands as, in just Ott’s second race, he stuck it on pole position for the Malaysian V-Prix. Unfortunately, his soft tyre strategy was a terrible call and he dropped down to finish 14th but it was a real statement from him where he announced himself to the Formula Virtual paddock. His first podium came at the South African V-Prix and he eventually finished ahead of his far more experienced teammate in the Drivers’ Championship standings. Ott Eskola (Phoenix driver 2023-present): “2023 was nice, I did some good races some not so good. I don’t know where the car is in ’24 but I want my own driving to be better again.” One of the highlights last season was our celebration of World Bee Day at the South African V-Prix – where Ott got his first podium. We celebrated World Bee Day by producing a special livery for the event - a honeycomb pattern was woven into our burgundy colour scheme, with the centre of the car adorning a distinctive yellow and black ‘bee’ appearance. Additionally, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust logo was displayed on the rear wing. It was a great celebration of a fantastic day in the calendar, with a worthy cause, which represented many values of our team that we hold dearly close to our hearts. Above: The 2023 World Bee Day livery and Ott Eskola at the 2023 South African V-Prix Will was a consistent points scorer throughout the season; he finished outside of the points in just three races. This helped us to another fantastic final position of sixth, behind five truly great teams who we pushed for a good portion of the year. 2024 Above: The Phoenix PX7 launch Finally, we arrive in 2024. This year, following a positive reaction from the fans regarding the honeycomb pattern in our World Bee Day livery last season, we decided to implement that as a permanent feature. The PX7 livery features a blend of old and new features, such as the fluorescent yellow appearing on the frontal edge of the front wing and the upper rear wing element, the honeycomb pattern amongst the burgundy, then also the new feature of the Union Jack on the air intake above the driver’s head. However, the season opening Australian V-Prix will be our 100th V-Prix and, as such, we thought a special celebration livery was in order. Above: The 100th V-Prix celebratory livery Team Principal and Founder Alex Easton: “Essentially, what we’ve done for this special 100th V-Prix livery is recreate the livery from our very first season in Formula Virtual, which was 2018. You can see that the slightly redder shade of burgundy returns with the fluorescent yellow engine cover area which became synonymous with Phoenix from 2018 to 2020. It’s a truly special recreation of our first livery and it’s actually incredibly emotional to see our car looking like it did back then – I hope we can do it proud.
Regardless of where we are in the order, we’re all going to have huge smiles on our face for the whole weekend as we celebrate a huge milestone for the team, I’m incredibly proud to have gotten to this point after so many ups and downs over the last ten years. Please, everyone, stop by in our motorhome at some point over the course of the race weekend and enjoy the celebrations with us. Everyone currently employed by the team will be present as well as all of our former drivers making an appearance in some form – although, of course, Sergio, Thierry and Allar will all have jobs to do with their own teams, so their time with us will be limited! Finally, from myself, I want to thank Nic and the FVA for all the incredible work they’ve done over the years to make this series so great. To have been a part of it for six years, with 2024 being our seventh, has been a huge honour and I hope we’re here for many years to come. Also, thank you to all of the fans of the series as well as every single team we’ve competed against – the depth of talent and different personalities in Formula Virtual is amazing and you’ve all truly made my life so far in Virtual Motorsport an incredibly happy one.” Thank you from everyone at Royal Phoenix Motorsport for taking the time to read this article, we hope you all enjoy the 2024 Australian V-Prix!
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