Charles Hollings unluckiest driver!

Spinner · 9 Apr 2002, 09:00 (Ref:255364)

Charles Hollings, probably the unluckiest driver. He had many crashes last year, and now this year has started bad again. Driver error or just unlucky. What do you think?

Paul Rayner · 9 Apr 2002, 10:10 (Ref:255429)

As press officer for Charles, last year I followed the whole season through, and if mechanical problems ever seemed to afflict the team, be they engine problems or whatever, they always seemed to be on Charles' car.
When he got to Formula Renault for the Winter Series, he did brilliantly in testing, but as soon as qualifying started at Rockingham he had an engine misfire. That can't be driver error. When the team got his misfire sorted he blasted around the track, with the two fastest laps dictating starting positions for the weekend's two races. Setting the 4th quickest time put him 4th on the grid for the first race, but as the chequered flag was brought out early for some unknown reason he couldn't set another quick lap on hot tyres, so ended up 22nd for race 2.

Trying to remember the crashes Charles had last year. Silverstone in round 1 wasn't his fault at all, someone came down on the grass on the inside of him and crashed him off. Snetterton at round 2 was one that I'm sure Mackie Motorsport would rather forget, Luke Hines was a bit over ambitious into the first corner, taking the three Mackie cars out.

All in all, I'll say that he's had more than his share of bad luck. The crash in practise at Brands was caused by a bent suspension arm failing at Dingle Dell. Maybe he could have pushed it too hard, but he wasn't the only one to bend suspension there that weekend. Three drivers had big crashes there.

What I do know is that this bad luck has to run out eventually, and when he gets equal running time in the car to Steven Kane, there's nothing between them.

JSC · 9 Apr 2002, 18:14 (Ref:255837)

I too can say Charles is very unlucky. I was at Castle Comb last year at the power tour, when I started talking to him he told me that his gear lever had broken off on the out lap of qualifing. And then on the Sunday race I spectated he got off to a causious start and then into the second he crashed out. I think he got t-boned.

Paul Rayner · 9 Apr 2002, 21:08 (Ref:255996)

You're right. Just dug this out from the Charles Hollings news archive.

Unlucky for One (June 23rd/24th)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In what has, so far, been an unlucky season for Charles Hollings, the Castle Combe round of the championship was the unluckiest yet.
His bad luck began in qualifying for the race, when Charles went out on the track only to have the car's gear linkage snap, meaning he could go no further. As the problem could not be fixed in the short qualifying session, Charles had to line up 32nd and last on the grid, as he had not completed a lap.

The race began well, as Hollings stormed past several cars into the first corner. Unfortunately his car was hit from behind under braking going into the Bobbies chicane, severely damaging the rear end. Charles was out of the race, still not having completed a single racing lap all weekend.

Charles described the meeting as "Just a bad weekend really." Racing drivers have to expect one or two unlucky weekends per year, but in 2001 Charles, through no fault of his own, has had enough for a whole race career.

hysen · 9 Apr 2002, 21:14 (Ref:256003)

Did he have three 'UNLUCKY' seesions today cos the closest he got to Kane was 8tenths down. Hardly the 'nothing between them' that you said earlier?

AndyF · 9 Apr 2002, 21:58 (Ref:256019)

I hope his luck changes, he has got -5 points in my Fantasy Formula Renault Team!!

**bella** · 9 Apr 2002, 22:51 (Ref:256054)

now, not liking the word luck, i'd say unfortunate is more the case. no matter how much you try sometimes, you keep getting sh*t chucked at you. all you can do is put up the brolly and hope it goes away. sometimes it doesn't.

don't judge people on one test session, hysen. we all know it's not a reliable way of judging form, is it?

mind you, charles does get some pretty outstandingly bizarre coincidences (or 'luck', whatever). talk about being really naughty in a previous life..karma. that's what it is. karma, rather than luck.

driver error? no.
luck? no.
solution? dunno. useful as always...

hysen · 10 Apr 2002, 07:40 (Ref:256173)

Quote:

Originally posted by bella

don't judge people on one test session, hysen. we all know it's not a reliable way of judging form, is it?

Your right i shouldnt. So i decided to hav a look at the rest of the Renuault tests and guess what found:

27th Feb - Kane outpaced him by 7tenths.

6th Mar - Kane outpaced him by 9tenths.

13th Mar - Kane outpaced him by 1.5secs.

19th Mar - Kane outpaced him by 2.1secs.

9th Apr - Kane outpaced him by 1.5secs.

Personally i think you make your own luck!

Mackmot · 10 Apr 2002, 10:16 (Ref:256241)

We think that charles has actually got a static electricity problem. 90% of all his problems have been electricalin everycar hes ever driven, we've change all the wiring and ecu etc on his cars before and he stil gets the same problems. Also his car has caused a fire in a cleaning tray, when a spark shot from his brake caliper into a cleaning tray full of brake cleaner.

Although we are still quite annoyed that the formula renault car was simply unsafe to drive at brands last week, when many cars broke rear pushrods.

As for the tests, Charles just hasnt got used to formula renault yet he is still driving it like a formula ford. We expect it to click soon though cos hes got plenty of friends offering advice and steven is a good teammate for him.

Clyde Ankle · 10 Apr 2002, 10:36 (Ref:256254)

Quote:

Originally posted by Mackmot
We think that charles has actually got a static electricity problem. 90% of all his problems have been electricalin everycar hes ever driven, we've change all the wiring and ecu etc on his cars before and he stil gets the same problems. Also his car has caused a fire in a cleaning tray, when a spark shot from his brake caliper into a cleaning tray full of brake cleaner.

I hope you get the problem sorted soon but in the meantime I would give some serious consideration to your refuelling proceedure.

Paul Rayner · 10 Apr 2002, 23:26 (Ref:256866)

In the immortal words of Murray Walker:
"I don't make mistakes, I just make prophecies that immediately turn out to be wrong".

One thing about the Silverstone test on Tuesday was tyres. Often the story of Renault testing, Kane put some new ones on towards the end of the session, Hollings didn't. The point I was trying to make was that Charles can get right up with Steven. He might not have been in every session so far, but he has in some. He can do it.

What you didn't know about those test results, hysen:

27th Feb - Kane outpaced him by 7tenths.
Charles suffered from problems with the car as Mackie adapted to Renault. He spent much of the day watching proceedings. The day after, he went quicker than Kane.

13th Mar - Kane outpaced him by 1.5secs.
After a spin in the morning, Charles' car was out for the day. He got 13 laps compared to Kane's 65. Admittedly the spin was down to him though, he made his own luck that day.

9th Apr - Kane outpaced him by 1.5secs.
As explained above.

Personally i think you make your own luck!

Sometimes you do. Anyone who's interested can check out the news archive from 2001 on Charles' site, www.charleshollings.com

Spinner · 11 Apr 2002, 09:34 (Ref:257054)

All we have heard in this post is, "he could be as quick" or "he can get right up there". Thats the problem, we need to see him actually doing it, rather than talking about it. Just another thought behind it. Is he the Barichello of the team?

Spinner · 22 Apr 2002, 13:08 (Ref:267345)

Seemed to struggle again at Oulton. Anyone know why?

Rennen · 16 May 2002, 20:46 (Ref:288344)

I remember him in karting, wasn't very lucky in that either! His dad makes dogfood and his son makes a dogs dinner! such is life!

Paul Rayner · 16 May 2002, 21:18 (Ref:288375)

Charles didn't do that badly last weekend. Sharing a car with Ian Flux in a radical meeting at Spa, the pair won their class in both races.

And you nicked that pun off Richard Neil from Formula Ford commentary last year.

**bella** · 17 May 2002, 11:38 (Ref:288803)

good on him for spa, though. you have to be better than a club racer to go and thrash a bunch of them at a track like spa. hope he learnt some useful bits from fluxie too. sharing with someone that experienced has to be useful.

persistance either leads to success or insanity. it's always worth finding out which one it'll be.

i suppose for everyone it's about getting priorities right. you can think you're doing the right thing, but in the end you're not. hindsight etc.

DavidStHubbins · 22 May 2002, 05:30 (Ref:292150)

I think every driver who never won the F1 world championship is unlucky

Rache · 26 May 2002, 12:16 (Ref:296531)

Hehehehe Bella, I thought I'd see you popping up on this thread!!!!

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