2013 has been a big year for me and I have had the opportunity to do some incredible things. I’m so pleased with how it has panned out and with how my career has progressed.
Christmas has been and gone and the first day of 2014 is closing in, so I thought I would take a look back at my personal top five highlights from the year.
5) Sky Sports F1 Press Day
This was my second invite to Sky Sports F1’s press day after first attending the event last year. This time it was held at the incredible Royal Automobile Club – a beautiful building that I felt very out of place in. Most of the team was in attendance for the round-table discussion, where we discussed expectations for this season and plans for the channel.
Unlike the previous year, we were given the chance to mingle with the team after the chat. I was, admittedly, star struck so I probably acted very awkwardly, although they were all lovely and told me to keep up the good work. I also got the chance to chat with Executive Director Martin Turner, who surprisingly remembered me, about what was to come with the channel.
It was also an opportunity to meet established journalists and people from the world of Twitter, including young writer Daniel Puddicombe and Sarah from PitStopRadio – who are now both friends of mine. It was, overall, a very busy but highly rewarding day. Read about my experience here: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/2013-sky-sports-f1-press-day.html
4) Red Bull Open House
Visiting a Formula 1 team factory has always been a dream ever since I started watching the sport in the early 2000s, so it was incredible to have a tour of Red Bull Racing’s HQ at their Open House event just prior to the British Grand Prix. It was an added bonus to be invited just from my blog, rather than for my roles at professional F1 websites.
It was an event exclusively for fans and selected media and included presentations from team members, a pit stop challenge – which I was terrible at, although it was great fun – and Q&A’s with Mark Webber and Christian Horner. I met plenty of great people and it was a really fascinating insight into the team.
You can take a look at my trip to Milton Keynes here: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/red-bull-racing-openhouse.html
3) Formula 4
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RichlandF1, a leading FIA accredited F1 website that I’m heavily involved with, ran a Rising Stars week that followed the Hungarian Grand Prix, so over that weekend I got the chance to cover the BRDC Formula 4 championship live from Brands Hatch. It was my first time at the charming circuit and it was also my debut reporting live on a series trackside.
My friend Daniel Puddicombe was also there covering other series but despite there being two of us, it was still quite stressful – largely the travelling rather than the work itself. I learned a massive deal there and tried to be as professional as possible, conducting interviews with young stars, writing feature pieces and reporting on the track action. It definitely helped me feel more confident and ready for the F1 paddock.
See my blog on the weekend: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/brands-hatch-brdc-formula-4-blog.html
2) Work Experience at Car Throttle
A definite highlight for me was completing work experience at Car Throttle, a London-based car website for the social generation that is aimed at young or ‘young at heart’ auto enthusiasts, in the summer. Unfortunately I could only work for four days at their HQ, with the other six working from home, due to costs but I really appreciate founder Adnan allowing me to do that.
It was a great experience for me and I learned a lot during that two week period. It is such a popular website, so it was incredible to have my work posted on there. It was also a fantastic opportunity for me to write on a slightly different topic. Unbelievably they asked me to join their freelance team shortly after, which was one of the stand-out moments from 2013.
Read about my work experience at Car Throttle: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/work-experience-at-car-throttle.html
1) A Level Results Day
For most of 2013, I juggled my writing commitments with studying Business Studies, English Literature and Language, and Economics at Sixth Form. I put 100% into my work throughout the year and I was really hoping for some good results, as they determined whether I got into my first choice University.
I was planning to avoid checking if I had got into the University of Westminster on the morning of the results, but I ended up caving and finding out that I had secured my deferred place for 2014. That was a good start to the day, but it got better when I opened my envelope to see that I had achieved an A grade in Business and B grades in both English and Economics. That was not only a crucial moment but also one that I will remember for quite some time, as my hard work had paid off!
So those are just five of my own personal highlights from 2013, hopefully next season will be even bigger and better.
I think in 2014, I need to be more decisive with decisions and say yes more to opportunities, in order to push myself out of my comfort zone more. I’m also determined to cover my first F1 race next season, I feel I’m ready to do so and can’t wait for the challenge. Those are just a few of my New Year’s resolutions.
What are your personal highlights from 2013? Let me know on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Sportlobster.
5) Sky Sports F1 Press Day
.jpg) |
| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
Unlike the previous year, we were given the chance to mingle with the team after the chat. I was, admittedly, star struck so I probably acted very awkwardly, although they were all lovely and told me to keep up the good work. I also got the chance to chat with Executive Director Martin Turner, who surprisingly remembered me, about what was to come with the channel.
It was also an opportunity to meet established journalists and people from the world of Twitter, including young writer Daniel Puddicombe and Sarah from PitStopRadio – who are now both friends of mine. It was, overall, a very busy but highly rewarding day. Read about my experience here: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/2013-sky-sports-f1-press-day.html
4) Red Bull Open House
 |
| (c) Getty Images |
It was an event exclusively for fans and selected media and included presentations from team members, a pit stop challenge – which I was terrible at, although it was great fun – and Q&A’s with Mark Webber and Christian Horner. I met plenty of great people and it was a really fascinating insight into the team.
You can take a look at my trip to Milton Keynes here: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/red-bull-racing-openhouse.html
3) Formula 4
.jpg)
RichlandF1, a leading FIA accredited F1 website that I’m heavily involved with, ran a Rising Stars week that followed the Hungarian Grand Prix, so over that weekend I got the chance to cover the BRDC Formula 4 championship live from Brands Hatch. It was my first time at the charming circuit and it was also my debut reporting live on a series trackside. My friend Daniel Puddicombe was also there covering other series but despite there being two of us, it was still quite stressful – largely the travelling rather than the work itself. I learned a massive deal there and tried to be as professional as possible, conducting interviews with young stars, writing feature pieces and reporting on the track action. It definitely helped me feel more confident and ready for the F1 paddock.
See my blog on the weekend: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/brands-hatch-brdc-formula-4-blog.html
2) Work Experience at Car Throttle
 |
| (c) @CarThrottle |
It was a great experience for me and I learned a lot during that two week period. It is such a popular website, so it was incredible to have my work posted on there. It was also a fantastic opportunity for me to write on a slightly different topic. Unbelievably they asked me to join their freelance team shortly after, which was one of the stand-out moments from 2013.
Read about my work experience at Car Throttle: http://jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/work-experience-at-car-throttle.html
1) A Level Results Day
For most of 2013, I juggled my writing commitments with studying Business Studies, English Literature and Language, and Economics at Sixth Form. I put 100% into my work throughout the year and I was really hoping for some good results, as they determined whether I got into my first choice University. I was planning to avoid checking if I had got into the University of Westminster on the morning of the results, but I ended up caving and finding out that I had secured my deferred place for 2014. That was a good start to the day, but it got better when I opened my envelope to see that I had achieved an A grade in Business and B grades in both English and Economics. That was not only a crucial moment but also one that I will remember for quite some time, as my hard work had paid off!
So those are just five of my own personal highlights from 2013, hopefully next season will be even bigger and better.
I think in 2014, I need to be more decisive with decisions and say yes more to opportunities, in order to push myself out of my comfort zone more. I’m also determined to cover my first F1 race next season, I feel I’m ready to do so and can’t wait for the challenge. Those are just a few of my New Year’s resolutions.
What are your personal highlights from 2013? Let me know on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Sportlobster.
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