Latest news with #Barnsley-born
Scottish Sun
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Meet the Brit drivers of Formula E from Schumacher apprentice and AFC Wimbledon player to die-hard Aston Villa fan
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) OLIVER ROWLAND is the Barnsley-born racing driver lighting up Formula E with a win Tokyo to extend his championship lead. Meanwhile fellow Brit Dan Ticktum bagged his first ever podium with a third-place finish in the Japanese capital. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Oliver Rowland is 77 points clear in the drivers' standings 4 Dan Ticktum has found his home in Formula E after spending time in Williams' and Red Bull's academies Formula E is a motor sport championship for electric cars, and is the only-sport certified net zero event. The championship features 16 races across 10 world cities, and became the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint back in 2020. There are six British drivers in total in the series from one nearly making it with AFC Wimbledon, to a die-hard Aston Villa fan - SunSport gives you the low down. OLIVER ROWLAND Rowland is not wrong when says he likes to 'do his talking on the track' with the 32-year-old storming towards the title this season. He is leading the championship on a whopping 161 points, 77 points above second-place Antonio Felix Da Costa. Away from the track, the Nissan driver is quiet and reserved, favouring toasting his numerous wins with a 'few beers' with his close circle. He is a devoted dad to his daughter Harper who is often seen in the Nissan garage or on his lap when conducting interviews. In April 2017 Rowland was signed to the role of development driver to the Renault F1 Team. A year later Rowland was confirmed as Williams Martini Racing's official Junior Driver. DAN TICKTUM The 25-year-old Cupra Kiro driver from London could not be any more different than Rowland. Ticktum wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't afraid to speak his mind on the team radio or in post-race interviews. He has earned a bit of a reputation as the bad boy of motor sport over the years and went viral for a swear-laden rant in Jeddah last season - but it seems in Formula E he has found his home. Ticktum rubbed shoulders with Lando Norris during his karting days and spent time at both Williams' and Red Bull's academies. His future is looking bright in Formula E after bagging his first-ever podium in Tokyo. Ticktum was banned for a year from motor sport for ignoring a safety car to purposefully crash into a karting rival. 4 Sam Bird once turned down a shot with AFC Wimbledon to pursue a career in motor sport SAM BIRD Twickenham-born Bird, 38, is an experienced McLaren driver who was once seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher's apprentice. Sam joined up with Mercedes for four years in 2010 as a test driver, going to most of the races and doing a lot of sim work. As Mercedes returned to F1 in 2010 it coincided with Schumacher making a comeback of his own. Schumacher was Bird's childhood hero and the pair once even went sky-diving together. Bird isn't half bad at football and played for AFC Wimbledon as a youngster before turning them down for a career in motor sport. He has two dogs, Buddy and Bear, one is a cavapoo and the other a golden doodle and is in a relationship with former Love Island star Jess Impiazzi. JAKE HUGHES Brummie driver Hughes is a classic example of the saying you can take the boy out of Birmingham but not Birmingham out of the boy. The Maserati driver is a die-hard Aston Villa fan who chooses to bring porridge to the track for his brekky each morning. He loves cats and own two called Benny and Ollie, nicknamed Boo Boo and Bear, with his fiance Abby at their home. Hughes won the inaugural BRDC Formula 4 Championship and has won multiple races at Formula 3. TAYLOR BARNARD The baby-faced 20-year-old was born and raised in Norwich and is forging a name for himself with McLaren's Formula E team. At 19 years and 331 days, Barnard became the youngest competitive driver in the series' 10-year history. In his junior career, Barnard finished second to Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli in both the 2022 ADAC German Formula 4 Championship and 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship. 4 Jake Dennis is the most recent British FE champion JAKE DENNIS 29-year-old Dennis competes for Andretti and is the most recent British FE champion, winning the 2022-23 title. He was born in Nuneaton and debuted in karting at eight, winning the junior British Championship in 2010. In 2016, Dennis debuted in GP3, winning two races, achieving fourth place in the final standings with Charles Leclerc claiming the title. Dennis, who lives in Monaco, adores his pet chihuahua Billy with the pooch often seen accompanying him on a private jet to races.
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Meet the Brit drivers of Formula E from Schumacher apprentice and AFC Wimbledon player to die-hard Aston Villa fan
OLIVER ROWLAND is the Barnsley-born racing driver lighting up Formula E with a win Tokyo to extend his championship lead. Meanwhile fellow Brit Dan Ticktum bagged his first ever podium with a third-place finish in the Japanese capital. 4 Oliver Rowland is 77 points clear in the drivers' standings 4 Dan Ticktum has found his home in Formula E after spending time in Williams' and Red Bull's academies Formula E is a motor sport championship for electric cars, and is the only-sport certified net zero event. The championship features 16 races across 10 world cities, and became the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint back in 2020. There are six British drivers in total in the series from one nearly making it with AFC Wimbledon, to a die-hard Aston Villa fan - SunSport gives you the low down. OLIVER ROWLAND Rowland is not wrong when says he likes to 'do his talking on the track' with the 32-year-old storming towards the title this season. He is leading the championship on a whopping 161 points, 77 points above second-place Antonio Felix Da Costa. Away from the track, the Nissan driver is quiet and reserved, favouring toasting his numerous wins with a 'few beers' with his close circle. He is a devoted dad to his daughter Harper who is often seen in the Nissan garage or on his lap when conducting interviews. In April 2017 Rowland was signed to the role of development driver to the Renault F1 Team. Most read in Motorsport A year later Rowland was confirmed as Williams Martini Racing's official Junior Driver. DAN TICKTUM The 25-year-old Cupra Kiro driver from London could not be any more different than Rowland. Ticktum wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't afraid to speak his mind on the team radio or in post-race interviews. He has earned a bit of a reputation as the bad boy of motor sport over the years and went viral for a swear-laden rant in Jeddah last season - but it seems in Formula E he has found his home. Ticktum rubbed shoulders with Lando Norris during his karting days and spent time at both Williams' and Red Bull's academies. His future is looking bright in Formula E after bagging his first-ever podium in Tokyo. Ticktum was banned for a year from motor sport for ignoring a safety car to purposefully crash into a karting rival. 4 Sam Bird once turned down a shot with AFC Wimbledon to pursue a career in motor sport SAM BIRD Twickenham-born Bird, 38, is an experienced McLaren driver who was once seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher's apprentice. Sam joined up with Mercedes for four years in 2010 as a test driver, going to most of the races and doing a lot of sim work. As Mercedes returned to F1 in 2010 it coincided with Schumacher making a comeback of his own. Schumacher was Bird's childhood hero and the pair once even went sky-diving together. Bird isn't half bad at football and played for AFC Wimbledon as a youngster before turning them down for a career in motor sport. He has two dogs, Buddy and Bear, one is a cavapoo and the other a golden doodle and is in a relationship with former Love Island star Jess Impiazzi. JAKE HUGHES Brummie driver Hughes is a classic example of the saying you can take the boy out of Birmingham but not Birmingham out of the boy. The Maserati driver is a die-hard Aston Villa fan who chooses to bring porridge to the track for his brekky each morning. He loves cats and own two called Benny and Ollie, nicknamed Boo Boo and Bear, with his fiance Abby at their home. Hughes won the inaugural BRDC Formula 4 Championship and has won multiple races at Formula 3. TAYLOR BARNARD The baby-faced 20-year-old was born and raised in Norwich and is forging a name for himself with McLaren's Formula E team. At 19 years and 331 days, Barnard became the youngest competitive driver in the series' 10-year history. In his junior career, Barnard finished second to Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli in both the 2022 ADAC German Formula 4 Championship and 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship. 4 Jake Dennis is the most recent British FE champion JAKE DENNIS 29-year-old Dennis competes for Andretti and is the most recent British FE champion, winning the 2022-23 title. He was born in Nuneaton and debuted in karting at eight, winning the junior British Championship in 2010. Read more on the Irish Sun In 2016, Dennis debuted in GP3, winning two races, achieving fourth place in the final standings with Dennis, who lives in Monaco, adores his pet chihuahua Billy with the pooch often seen accompanying him on a private jet to races.
Telegraph
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Why Tottenham Hotspur are hoping history repeats itself before manager departs
The possibility of a manager leaving Tottenham Hotspur after winning the Europa League should sound familiar to fans of a certain age, who will remember the remark attributed to Keith Burkinshaw on exiting the club. Legend has it that Burkinshaw said 'there used to be a football club over there' after leaving Spurs for the final time, following the club's last success in Europe. Tottenham won the 1984 Uefa Cup – now the Europa League – under Burkinshaw but it proved to be his last game in charge as the Barnsley-born manager left the club over a disagreement with the board. It has since been claimed that Burkinshaw nodded in agreement at the repetition of the Frank Sinatra song title There Used To Be A Ballpark in relation to Spurs, but the sentiment remains the same whichever version of the story fans prefer to believe. Ahead of the first leg of Tottenham's Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether history could be about to repeat itself. For those of a superstitious nature, it should be added that Liverpool won the league in the same season Tottenham last lifted a European trophy and after which Burkinshaw left. 'I used to be [superstitious], but not any more,' said Postecoglou. 'I never used to change my socks, but then I thought: 'Jeez, if it's just the socks then what am I doing? What is the point of me being a coach if it's just the socks that make the difference?'' Telegraph Sport first reported that Postecoglou has been heading towards the Tottenham exit whether or not the club end their 17-year trophy drought by winning a European competition for the first time since Burkinshaw's success 41 years ago. Postecoglou is expected to be sacked if Spurs fail to get past Bodo/Glimt or lose in the final and the Australian may even be dismissed if his team do lift the trophy in Bilbao and qualify for next season's Champions League, given the disastrous Premier League campaign. There is also the scenario of Postecoglou choosing to go with his head held high if Tottenham win the Europa League and settle on a mutual split with the club, which has not yet been dismissed by sources who have worked with the 59-year-old. Postecoglou has proved before – just like Burkinshaw did – that he is prepared to walk away, no matter how big the moment, if things are not right behind the scenes or he believes his vision is no longer shared. It was just two weeks after Australia qualified for the World Cup in 2018 that Postecoglou announced his resignation as coach. Explaining his decision, he said: 'I walked away from a World Cup and the reason I walked away was I just didn't enjoy what I was doing. 'I've said all along, it's not just winning games of football. It's got to be a higher purpose and my higher purpose in Australia was to change the game. I just don't think that will happen.' Postecoglou's higher purpose at Tottenham has been to try to change a football club, but, under owners Enic and chairman Daniel Levy, that appears to be an impossible task. Leaving on a high? Would Postecoglou willingly give up another shot at the Champions League, in which he failed to win a game with Celtic? Only he will really know, but Europa League success would allow Postecoglou to leave Spurs having achieved three of his big aims – to change the playing style, bring through young players and win a trophy. It would also guarantee him a bonus, which could alleviate some of the compensation Postecoglou would miss out on if he agreed a mutual departure before the end of his contract that is not due to expire until 2027. Leaving on a high would protect Postecoglou's reputation to some extent, although equalling and potentially beating Tottenham's record number of defeats (19) in a Premier League season is not an easy milestone to convince the doubters to look past. There is also the issue of the environment Postecoglou would have to work in if he did cling on to his Tottenham job. Many believe he would already be long gone if chief football officer Scott Munn, a fellow Australian, had not been at the club. Postecoglou and Munn work closely together, speaking on a daily basis, but some sources expect Munn to leave Tottenham this summer following the appointment of ex-Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham. The announcement of Venkatesham's arrival at the end of the season came as a shock to Postecoglou amid mocking surprise among Tottenham's rivals that the club would appoint a former employee of their arch rivals Arsenal. In recent weeks, Postecoglou has hinted at some frustration behind the scenes by lamenting the fact that his has been the only public voice at the club and revealing that he has been working to track down a leak. When discussing Cristian Romero's hint that he might be interested in a move to Atlético Madrid, Postecoglou cryptically said: 'If you ask me a lot of questions about my future, you'd probably get some great headlines.' Quite what Burkinshaw, now 89 and who railed against the commercialisation of football when he was in charge of Tottenham, would make of Arsenal's anthem, The Angel (North London Forever), being played inside the stadium before a boxing match is anybody's guess. British Cruiserweight champion Cheavon Clarke walked out to 'North London Forever' at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of his fight with Viddal Riley 😅🔴⚪️ — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 26, 2025 But protesting supporters certainly believe that football has taken a back seat at Tottenham under Enic and Levy, and the immediate landscape does not look particularly encouraging for Postecoglou or any other Spurs head coach. As reported by Telegraph Sport, Tottenham are facing the prospect of having to sell to buy this summer after the latest set of accounts revealed the club's net transfer debt – money owed to Spurs minus money they are still to pay out – was £279.3 million. Champions League qualification through winning the Europa League would improve the situation. But the famous remark attributed to Burkinshaw will feel depressingly relevant if Postecoglou also departs as a trophy-winning Tottenham coach.
