Dick's Diatribe...

DIUpdate - 26 Sep: Surely only one place to start this week - Chris manages to cling onto the Commonwealth mini-league lead, finishing 1 point ahead of Phil (who mounted a dynamic last-race challenge to the title in Singapore) by 1 point and with Yasin just 2 further back - what a finish, 1 point in 2000 makes the difference! Top scorer this week was Peter, with a HAM/NOR/MCL combination and no ALB. After Peter we had Neil, Liam & Phil (the highest scorer with ALB and if only ALB had done a few more laps he would have lifted the Commonwealth mini-league!), John R, Ian B (biggest climber with Corinna and Manon, all up 3 places), Niel & Claire, DW and James L. Andrew maintains a healthy lead at the top but those behind are closing in (rather like VER and NOR in the 'real thing') - can he hang onto his lead in the last few races? At the bottom Ben did indeed make it 3 out of 3 low scores and he's now just 21 points behind Ross in the Turner race and looking at a possible Turner/Saucer double. Biggest faller was in fact mid-scorer Corinna, down 4 places - it's so tight in the table a handful of points makes the difference. After Ben it was Ross & Pascale, David, Malcolm, John Fi, Anne-Marie, Pauline & Dan (same scores with completely different line-ups, doesn't happen that often) and Nick. Ross stays in the Turner lead but Ben is just behind him and now 'ahead' of 3rd placed Pascale. Then it's David, John Fi, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, Anne-Marie and James K. Nearly a month now until the next race in Austin, time for all the F1DT competitors to draw breath!

DIUpdate - 23 Sep: Dick's tips? For bottom spot I'm opting for Ben to make it 3 out of 3. For top spot who knows but I think you need NOR, MCL, and one of the Mercedes drivers.

DIUpdate - 17 Sep: Oh-so-nearly 100% with the tips! Ben was indeed leading the way at the bottom and John R was nearly top (in 3rd place behind John Fa and DW). After John Fa, DW and John R we had Neil, Jamie, Lorna, Corinna, John M (into the pits already!), Djamila and Louise although none of these were the biggest climber this week, that accolade goes to Dan (up 3 places) who was in fact 11th highest scorer. Andrew stays top although John M closes the gap somewhat and he's made a pit-stop for Singapore. After these two it's DW, Rob, Laura, John R, Tom, Niel, Neil and top rookie Claire. At the bottom Ben led the way for the second week in succession ahead of Richard, John Fi, Mr. T, Malcolm, David, Nick, Ross & Pascale and Pauline with Ian B (outside the bottom 10 scorers) being the biggest faller, down 3 places. Ross stays in the Turner lead ahead of Pascale and David and then we have Ben (making a late push for the title and a rare double?), John Fi, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, Anne-Marie and James K. Onto Singapore and the last race in the Commonwealth mini-league - can Chris and Yasin stay ahead of our leader, Andrew?

DIUpdate - 15 Sep: Dicks tips? For top spot I'm going for John R and for bottom spot Ben. Let's see how close DI gets!

DIUpdate - 2 Sep: Top scorer Neil, and bottom scorer (as preDIcted) Ben - so we have our Cup and Saucer (and it's Ben's first Saucer) winners! At the top after Neil we had DW, Niel & Claire & Louise, John M & Djamila (biggest gainer up 4 places), Corinna, John R and leader Andrew. Andrew stays top with John M gaining a bit then Rob (up 1 place) DW (up 2 places), Laura, Tom, Niel, John R, Neil and Claire. Claire made an sterling attempt at European glory (a great effort from the rookie there) but was just pipped to the title by John M who lifts his first European title. At the bottom Ben led the way then we had Mr. T, Malcolm, John Fi, Ross & Pascale, David, James K & Simon and Manon. Ross retains the Turner lead ahead of Pascale then it's David, John Fi, Ben, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, Anne-Marie and James K. Next mini-League decided in Singapore - can Chris retain his led over Yasin or will the likes of Andrew, Eddy or Phil spoil Chris and Yasin's party?

DIUpdate - 1 Sep: Dick's tips? I reckon that LEC/NOR 1-3 will be tough to beat and with a MCL 2-3 as well I'm going for Niel and Claire to make it two in two! For last place I reckon you need TSU and RCB but that PIA 2nd place will handicap Malcolm so my tip is Ben - who is this my tip for the Saucer! For the Cup my tip is Neil - just!

DIUpdate - 29 Aug: Sorry Claire - I missed the fact that you had exactly the same squad as Niel! It was Niel and Claire (biggest climber up 3 places as were Chris and Louise) and at the top this week then Louise (who was indeed pipped by 4 points) then Chris, Phil & Yasin, Lucy, Charlotte, Eddy and Peter. Andrew stays top ahead of John M then Laura, Rob, Tom, DW, John R, Niel, Claire (the only mover in the top ten) & Liam & Neil. At the bottom David led the was just ahead of Pascale & Ross, Ben, Richard, John Fi, DI's tip Pauline, Malcolm, Anne-Maire and George K. Corinna, Manon and Ian C were the biggest fallers, all down 3 places. In the Cup Neil just pipped Tom while Phil Defeated Luke so it's a Neil V Phil (looking for his first Cup win) final, while in the Saucer Ben defeated Malcolm and Pascale beat Ross by 1 point - on countback! So we have a Pascale V Ben (looking for a first Saucer win) final - will we see any pit-stops before the finals in Monza? Lucy leads the European League by just 3 points from Andrew and 7 points from John M - can she hang on and lift the title? Or can 4th placed and in-form Claire, only 15 behind Lucy, spring a surprise?

DIUpdate - 25 Aug: Dick's tips? Well I reckon the NOR/LEC combination is the one to have and I think Niel has done just enough to pip Louise. As for last place ZHO or BOT are both good selections with MAG/TSU/SAR/OCO - but I don't think anyone has that selection (or even if it's legal). So my choice - step forward Pauline! As for the Cup and Saucer semis - who knows?

DIUpdate - 18 Aug: Sensational tipping from DI - eve if I say so myself! Rob and Andrew did indeed share top spot with Ross and Pascale sharing bottom spot - and Ross and Pascale meet in the Saucer semi-final with the same squads! After Andrew and Rob we had Peter, Neil, Luke, James L, Corinna (biggest climber up 5 places), Tom, John R and Phil. Andrew stays top and in fact extends his lead and he's 169 points ahead of second placed John M - is this enough to land his 3rd title? After John M it's Laura, Rob (coming with a late season charge), Tom, DW, John R, Niel, Neil and Liam. At the bottom Ross is 26 points 'ahead' of Pascale and then it's David, John Fi, Ben, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, Anne-Marie, and leading Turner rookie Leah. Some tight finishes in the Cup and Saucer with Tom defeating DW by 12 points and Ross beating David in the Saucer match of the round by just 4 points - and what semi-finals we have in Zandvoort! Non-top-tenners Phil and Luke face each other in one Cup semi while Tom takes on Neil, while in the Saucer Pascale meets Ross (both with the same squads, will the result come down to initial selections?) while Malcolm takes on Ben. 2 pit-stoppers already, will there be more?

DIUpdate - 28 Jul: Dick's tips? Well I reckon the RUS/PIA/MER combination is perfect for a top score - step forward no-one! For top spot I'm going for Rob and Andrew (same squads) to share the leading score as I reckon the MER 1-2 will compensate for no RUS. For a low score you have the have ZHO and I think it's another joint win with my tip being Pascale and Ross.

DIUpdate - 24 Jul: Spot on with the tips for Pascale and Ross - slightly wide of the mark with my tip for DW who wasn't even in the top ten (but in my defence the scoring at the top was close. Leading scorer this week was John M, then Rob (excellent pit-stop there) Lucy, John R, Louise, Andrew & Claire, Luke and Yasin (Luke only 1 point behind Andrew hence his Cup success) and Phil. Andrew retains top spot 122 points ahead of Laura - will this buffer be enough to see him to the title? After these we have John M (two Murdochs in the top three, impressive), Tom, DW, Rob, John R, Niel, Liam and Lucy. Chris was the biggest mover upwards, rising five places. At the bottom Pascale and Ross lead the way ahead of Ben, David, John Fi, Anne-Marie, Pauline, Richard, Leah and Joseph. Ross retains bottom spot but the we have a new second in Pascale then it's David, John Fi, Ben, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, Anne-Marie and James K. We've got 95 points covering the bottom five so the battle for the Turner will be very close with little to separate the squads (it looks like the performance of GAS, OCO, TSU, RIC, RCB and STA will be crucial). Biggest faller was Steven, down four places. Incredible drama in the Cup with Luke putting out leader Andrew (his "reward" in the QFs being a tie against John M - the highest ranked TP left in the contest!) while Lucy defeated Laura and meets Phil in the QFs. In the Saucer no great surprises although Lorna and Manon are "odd ones out" in the QFs being mid-table, and the David V Ross QF should be very close. Not long to wait until Spa!

DIUpdate - 21 Jul: Dick's tips? Well for bottom spot I reckon you need GAS/ALP and I'm going for Pascale/Ross to share bottom spot. As for top tricky but I'm plumping for the great DW!

DIUpdate - 10 Jul: Sensational! Dick spot on with the tips, with Rob top and Ross & Pascale bottom. Can he repeat this performance in Hungary? After Rob we had Eddy, Phil (biggest climber up 4 places), John Fa, Dan, Lisa, Yasin, Lucy, Steven and Luke. Andrew stays top and in fact extends his lead (a bit) over his chasers ahead of Laura, John M, Tom, DW, Niel, top scorer Rob who moves up, John R, Liam and Neil. At the other end of the table Ross & Pascale shared bottom spot ahead (just) of Ben, David, John Fi, Pauline, Anne-Marie, Richard, Ian D and Jamie (biggest faller, down 6 places with James L). We have a new Turner leader in Ross who displaces John Fi but it's incredibly tight in the Turner battle - 26 points covering the bottom four. After Ross and John Fi we have David, Pascale, Ben, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, James K and Anne-Marie. After the first race of the Cup round of 16 Ian C leads in his tie despite there being 4 TPs with higher scores who are behind in their ties while in the Saucer John Fi finds himself 3 points behind David despite posting the 5th lowest score in the round. All to play for in the Cup, Saucer, League and Turner in Hungary!

DIUpdate - 7 Jul: Dick's tips? I'm going for Rob to lead the way and Ross & Pascale to be joint bottom!

DIUpdate - 5 Jul: Talk about consolidating their positions! Top scorers in Austria were our two leaders, Andrew and John Fi. Dick's tip Laura did make the top ten this week but his other tip Louise was hopeless - in fact Louise was in the top half for scorers! After Andrew we had John M, Tom, James Jo (biggest climber up 7 places to 11th, DW, multiple winner Corinna, Laura, Luke, Lucy and Ian C. Andrew stays top and now has a 90 point cushion over Laura but he's not content with that as he's made a pit-stop before Silverstone! After Laura we have John M, Tom, DW (up 3 places) John Ra, Niel (down 4 places, no strudel in Austrian celebration there), Liam and Rob. At the bottom after leader John we had Ben, David, Ross, Pascale, Malcolm, Pauline, Richard, Joseph and Ian D so dominated by experienced Turner hands. Steven was in fact the biggest faller, down 10 places, but he squeaked through in the Cup defeating Liam by 2 points in one of the shocks on the round. John Fi extends his lead (a bit) in the Turner then it's David, Ross, Pascale, Ben, Pauline, Malcolm, Richard, James K and George. In the Cup as well as Steven's triumph we had Phil defeating John Ra and Luke putting out James L. In the Saucer biggest surprise was probably Rob's win over Djamila although we should also mention Manon's win over Louise and Mr. T's victory over Charlotte. All eyes now surely on what pit-stop Andrew has made!

DIUpdate - 30 Jun: Dicks' tips? They are Laura to lead the way and Louise to take bottom spot!

DIUpdate - 25 Jun: Both DI's tips in their respective top tens - but neither bagged first place (although John Fi was mighty close!) John Fi was the indeed closest (2nd bottom this week) but Niel was only 8th highest scorer. Top of the shop was Djamila, ahead of biggest climbers Steven & Eddy (both up 6 places and now just outside the top ten), Phil, Joseph, Anne-Marie, Louise, Niel, Claire and Yasin. Andrew stays top ahead of Laura, Niel Tom, John M, John R, Neil, the great DW, Liam and Rob. Can Andrew maintain his top spot or will the chasing pack close in? At the bottom Malcolm recorded his first lowest score ahead of John Fi, Pauline, David & Ben, Ross & Pascale, Richard, James K and Leah, while Jamie and James J were our biggest fallers, both down 6 places. John Fi slightly extends his Turner lead over David, the it's Ross, Pascale, Ben, Pauline, Malcolm, Richard, James K and Louise. Those remaining in the Route-66 challenge have all managed to maintain their places - can they all stay in in Austria?

DIUpdate - 23 Jun: Dick's tips? Very tricky but I'm going for Niel to lead the way and John Fi to cement his Turner lead!

DIUpdate - 10 Jun: Well that is remarkable! In what I thought would be a difficult race to tip both DI's suggestions were in their respective top ten's and Yasin (leading gainer with Ian B, both up 8 places) was top - smug mode! After Yasin we had Chris & Phil, James K, Luke, Eddy, Manon, Ian B (significant gain), Simon and Mr. T, so not a top tenner in sight. Despite his relatively lowly 21st place this week Andrew stays top ahead of Laura, Tom, John R, Niel, Neil, John M, DW, Liam and Rob. At the bottom Ben led the way ahead of Ross, Pascale, John Fi, David, DI's tip James L (bringing in FER in the pit-stop didn't work if the aim was to go up and James was the biggest faller, down 7 places), Leah, Tom, Joseph and Laura. John Fi took over the Turner lead from David then we have Ross, Pascale (49 points covering the bottom 4 places), Ben, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, Laura and James K. Next stop Spain and with it the first round of the Cup and Saucer - will we see any pit-stops?

DIUpdate - 9 Jun: Dick's tips? Well with no confidence I'm going for James L to be bottom this week and Yasin to be top - now let's see if either are in their respective top tens!

DIUpdate - 8 Jun: So leader Andrew makes 1 change, RCB for HAA; for Louise it's FER/MCL for RED/HAA; John M goes RUS/PIA for ALO/NOR; for Lucy it's TSU/MAG for ALB/RIC; and for James L it's FER/MCL for RED/AST. Will any of them benefit in Canada? We'll see!

DIUpdate - 29 May: Close with the tips but not quite there - Claire did well with 5th highest and Peter (biggest faller down 11 places) was 2nd lowest but neither were on the "top step". High score this week and biggest climber (up an impressive 14 places) was Jamie followed by Lucy (up 9), DW, (up 8) John Ra (up 9), Claire (up 7), Corinna (up 5), James J (up 8), John M (up 6) Andrew (staying top) and Luke (up 4). So 70 places gained this week by the top ten - impressive! Andrew stays top ahead of Laura but Tom climbs to 3rd, John Ra to 4th (1st appearance in the top ten) while Neil drops to 5th. John M is 6th (another big gainer and a first time tin the top ten), Liam, Niel, DW (another top ten first timer) and Rob. At the bottom Pauline pipped DI's tip Peter then we had Richard, David, John Fi. Joseph, Lorna, Ian B, Toby and Louise. David is the new Turner leader ahead of John Fi (by just 5 points), Ross, Pascale, Ben, Pauline, Richard, Malcolm, James K and top Turner rookie Louise. As DW says it was a real clear-out in the Route-66 contest with just eleven left in the contest - how far can out lowest TP (Ian C, 36th) go?

DIUpdate - 26 May: Dick's tips? Well for top spot I'm going for Claire and for bottom my surprise choice is - Peter!

DIUpdate - 21 May: DI can only apologise to anyone who rushed down to their local bookmaker armed with DI's tips - John Fi was close, only 3 points adrift of Pascale & David & Ross, but DI's other tip, Toby, wasn't even in the top ten! Top of the shop this week was in fact Laura (biggest climber this week with Rob and Yasin, up 3 places) followed by John Ra, John M & Louise, Andrew, Neil & Liam & Rob & Mr. T and Claire. Andrew Stays top but Laura climbs to 2nd (just 12 points behind Andrew) then it's Neil, Peter, Liam, Tom, Rob, Lorna, James L and Niel. At the bottom Ross & David & Pascale led the way just ahead of John M then we had Ben, Pauline, Richard, Dan, George and Malcolm. Ross stays ahead of John Fi (by 17 points) then it's David, Pascale, Ben, Pauline, Malcolm, Rickard, James K and George. Next it's the glamour of Monaco - will we see any glamourous (or otherwise) pit-stops?

DIUpdate - 19 May: Dick's tips? Very close I think but DI's going for Toby and as for the bottom I reckon John Fi may make it 2 in 2!

DIUpdate - 10 May: Half right with the tips - Lucy was indeed top and Ross was close but the accolade for bottom goes to John Fi who pipped Ross by 5 points and Ben by 2. After Lucy (biggest climber with Andrew) we had Tom, Phil, Louise, Jamie, Andrew, John M, Corinna and James J. Multiple champion Andrew is our new leader ahead of Peter, Neil, Liam, Tom & Laura, biggest faller Lorna (in the bottom 10 scorers this week, a fortnight is a long time in F1!), Niel, James L and Rob. At the bottom John Fi claimed his second lowest score this season "ahead" of Ben, Ross, Pascale, David, Pauline, Malcolm, Richard, previous leader Lorna and Leah. Ross stays bottom but John Fi "gains" a place and is now just 14 points "behind" Ross. After John Fi we have David, Pascale, Ben, Pauline, Malcolm, Richard, James K and Louise, our only rookie in the bottom ten. Over the weekend we've got two FE races in Berlin and then the F1 race in Imola - May is busy!

DIUpdate - 6 May: Dick's tips? For top spot I'm going for Lucy just ahead of Eddy (now neither of them will make the top ten!). Bottom spot is tricky, I reckon you need SAR and WIL and I think Ross may just take it.

DIUpdate - 25 Apr: Not too far off with the tips - Ross was indeed bottom and John M equal 5th. Top was Lorna, making it two top spots in consecutive races - a brilliant showing from the rookie there. After Lorna we had Andrew, Peter, Neil, Liam & Rob & John M, John Fa, and Joseph and Dan. Lorna climbs to number 1 in the League, followed by Peter, Laura, Neil, Andrew, Liam, Tom, James L, Niel and Rob. Less than 100 points separate 1st and 10th and we have no less than eight League winners in the top ten including three multiple champions (Rob, Andrew and Niel). At the bottom Ross led the way followed by John Fi & Ben, Malcolm, David, Pascale, James J, Jamie, Lisa and Ian D. Ross is the new Turner leader ahead of David, John Fi, Pascale, Ben, Pauline, Louise, James K, Malcolm and Richard, so Turner and Saucer heavyweights there in the bottom ten. Phil leads the way (just) in the Sprint ahead of John M & George & Lucy, Corinna, Tom, Ian C, Eddy & Joseph and Luke & Steven. Will we see TPs demoting VER and PER with the departure of Adrian Newey from RED?

DIUpdate - 21 Apr: Dick's tips for China? Well for top spot I'm going for John M (that SAI/NOR/ALO looks good despite RCB pulling the team score down) and for bottom my money is on Ross with 2 (BOT/RIC) retirements!

DIUpdate - 11 Apr: Almost 100% with the tips (and thanks for the Plaudit DW!). Dick's tip Laura was in fact pipped for top spot by 2 points by Lorna - well done indeed Lorna, a rookie claims top spot! After these two it was Joseph (another rookie), Rob (anything but a rookie), Peter (like Rob another vastly experienced F1DTer), Toby, Mr. T (this week's biggest climber, up 10 places) , Ian B James L and Neil. Laura jumps to the top of the League, ahead of Neil, Peter, Lorna (up 7 places), Tom, Andrew, James L, Liam, previous leader Niel (down 8 places) and Toby. At the bottom Pascale was indeed the lowest scorer 'ahead' of Ross, David, John Fi, Ben, James K, Luke, Yasin, Chris and Corinna while Jamie was our biggest faller down 12 places. David retains the Turner lead but Pascale, John Fi and Ross are very close (16 points covering these four) and we have a Blackburn-Clarke 1-2 in the Turner title race. After these four it's Ben, Pauline, Louise (top Turner rookie), James K, Richard and George. 1 pit-stop (John M) already. Will there be more ahead of China?

DIUpdate - 7 Apr: Dick's tips for Japan? Well for top spot I'm going for Laura, crucially no ALB/RIC/ZHO and I think this will work to her advantage. For bottom spot obviously ALB/RIC/ZHO are ideal but I don't think anyone has that combination and my tip is Pascale.

DIUpdate - 27 Mar: Not far off with the top tips - Tom and Toby were 3rd and 4th, hopeless with the bottom tip, Ian B wasn't even in the bottom ten (or even the biggest faller, that 'accolade' goes to Charlotte)! John R led the way this well with his well-named squad Forza Ferrari, then we had Andrew, Tom, Toby, James L (fine pit-stop) John M, Niel, leading rookie this week James J, Neil and Laura. Niel stays top 13 ahead of Neil, then it's Tom, defending Champion Andrew, Laura, Liam, Peter, John R (up 10 laces, our joint biggest climber with James J), James L and Toby. At the other end of the table Ross & George led the way 'ahead' of defending Turner champion David, John Fi, Anne-Marie, Ben, James K, Pascale, Dan and Charlotte. David stays ahead (only 7 points in it) from John Fi, Ross, Ben, Pascale, Pauline, Louise, George, Richard and James K - so we've got some new names in and among the big beasts of the Turner. Japan next, will we see more pit-stops?

DIUpdate - 24 Mar: Dick's tips? Well I reckon the PER/SAI combination is the one to have and I think it will be close but Tom will edge Toby. At the bottom I think VER/OCO is the one to have so step forward Ian B - from delight (qualification) to disaster (the race)!

DIUpdate - 11 Mar: Almost 100% with the tips! Peter wasn't top (that accolade goes to Neil) but he was only 9 points behind while Pauline was indeed bottom, 1 point ahead of David - so both incredibly close! Niel is our new leader just ahead of Neil while Peter romps up 11 places to 3rd, then it's Ian B, Laura, Liam, top rookie Lorna, Simon, Tom and James L. Some big upward movements throughout the table but all are put in the shade by 14 place gainer Nick! At the bottom it's another new leader in the form of defending Turner champion David, then it's John Fi, Pauline, Ross, Ben, leading Turner rookie Louise, Pascale, Malcolm, Richard and Yasin - more movements but all eclipsed by our 22-place faller Djamila! A two-week break now to Australia - so plenty of time for pit-stops but will SAI be fit after his operation? Novelties this week? Rob, James J, Dan, Chris, James K, Richard and Ben - the only TPs who didn't move places in the table!

DIUpdate - 9 Mar: Dick's tips? Well for top spot I reckon the PER/LEC combination with RED is the mixture to have so it's I reckon it's the Peter (as he has no AST to pull him down). For bottom GAS is one to have - but no-one has! In that case I'm going for Pauline, with STR and ALP/AST - looks good to me!

DIUpdate - 4 Mar: Bonuses for first pit-stop (HAA) and fastest pit-stop (FER) were indeed critical for our leader this week defending champion Andrew. At the bottom John Fi led the way but it is very close at the top and bottom. After Andrew we had Toby & Mr. T, Liam & Laura, Tom, Niel (so the champ and chump in the top ten!) & Simon, Ian B and Charlotte with 15 points covering the top ten. At the bottom after John Fi it was Ross, Pascale & David, Ben, Malcolm, Pauline, leading rookie Louise (the only rookie in the top or bottom ten, and Turner leading 5-starrer), Richard and John Fa (the only 6-starrer in the bottom ten). Should be a great season and those bonuses could be crucial to the Title and Turner!

DIUpdate - 2 Mar: Dick's tips? Very close at both ends of the table I reckon with everyone home but I reckon the PER/SAI combination will be just good enough - but I can't see the tables because DW is (I guess) scoring so I can't tip anyone! At the bottom I reckon GAS/BOT/SAR is the threesome to plump for probably with MAG/RIC - if this is legal!