Diagonal Diary: Sky stars, festival planning, and off to Scotland
Mon 5 August: It’s race week! Formula 1 has entered its mid-season break, but the second half of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season is well underway. The first of our client’s four remaining rounds takes place at Knockhill, Fife, Scotland, this weekend (10-11 August).
Hats off to Harry Hepworth. The gymnast was one of 11 inspirational Team GB athletes whom our client EventR – the app designed by a team of software developers led by the former Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer to simplify team travel – wished ‘good luck’ ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games. On Sunday, gymnast Harry became the first British man to win an Olympic vault medal. The 20-year-old took bronze 15 years after being diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease – a condition which halts the growth of the hip bone. Well done, Harry!
Tue 6 August: Another day, another medal for the #EventR11. Four years after becoming Britain’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist in Tokyo, skateboarder Sky Brown, 16, bags a bronze in Paris.
A new Motor Sport column by Diagonal MD Matt Bishop is published today. Two years ago, it fell to Matt, as Aston Martin’s then comms chief, to manage the announcement of Sebastian Vettel’s retirement from F1. Matt explains why Seb was, and is, one of the most impressive people he’s ever met.
Wed 7 August: Planning meetings with our clients EventR and Asetek SimSports – the manufacturer of sim-racing hardware based in Denmark. The former focuses on the upcoming Reading and Leeds Festival (23-25 August) whose full itinerary is available via the app. Heading to the event? Download EventR to integrate the full event schedule with your own personalised travel itinerary.
The same week as the Festival, Asetek will be in Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom – Europe’s leading trade fair for the gaming industry. We are busy liaising with media and arranging interviews at the event with Asetek’s leading product designers and developers.
A lunch appointment with an F1 insider regarding future collaborations is followed by a meeting with an environmental charity which could lead to some interesting and life-enhancing work.
Thu 8 August: Our team makes its longest journey of the season from London to Fife for this weekend’s seventh round of the BTCC season at Knockhill. Talk of upcoming BTCC projects dominates the trip, and we will be able to tell you more about those exciting initiatives and activations soon.
Pat Heuzenroeder – the 18-year-old Australian racing driver competing in the GB3 Championship – unveils a new ‘Australia vs. UK’ video on his YouTube channel. Two years since moving to the UK to pursue his F1 dream, Pat compares everything from racing techniques to cuisines in this special Q&A. Watch it here, hit the ‘like’ button, and subscribe to Pat’s channels for more great content and insight.
Fri 9 August: Our BTCC media team is on-site at Knockhill early to capture a range of content ahead of the weekend. Having stood on the podium at six of the previous eight races this season, Tom Ingram leads the championship standings by 21 points to Jake Hill. “Having an advantage in the standings is obviously a positive thing but the title isn’t won with four rounds still to go,” said Ingram, a two-time Knockhill race winner. “Knockhill is a circuit where the car has gone well in the past and where I personally have picked up some