Dick's Diatribe...

DIUpdate - 19 Aug: And so we come to season's end - and a time for records to be set. Malcolm makes it two E-Turners in two years but loses out in the Spoon final to Pauline, while Rob lifts his second League title (a giant in the F1 world and a giant in the FE world as well) and for good measure adds the Egg to make it a double in 2024. Ben pushed Rob at the top but Rob finished 137 points ahead while Niel was closest to Malcolm, 38 points "behind". Lucy, James (top rookie), John M, Neil, Nick (top Butler), Anne-Marie, Jamie, and Manon made up the rest of the top ten while Spoon winner Pauline, David, Ian C, Ian B, Corinna, Richard, Yasin and the great DW made up the rest of bottom ten. Can't wait for the pre-Christmas trip to Brazil!

DIUpdate - 6 Jul: So Nick's top score in Portland 2 scuppers his chances of a surprise appearance in the Spoon final, which is 19 V 20 as Pauline takes on Malcolm. In the Egg it's 1 V 4 as Rob faces John. It's Rob at the top in the League ahead of Ben with the two GB races to go - but will a lead of 132 points be enough in the febrile world of FEDT? Then we have Lucy (only 138 points behind Rob so she could easily snatch the title), John, James, Nick, Anne-Marie, Manon (who of these three will take the top Butler title?), Neil and Jamie. At the bottom it's also close with Malcolm 141 points ahead of Pauline and Niel a further 66 points adrift of the E-Turner title. After Niel it's Corinna, Ian C (the Castles very close, just 3 points separating them), David, Ian B, Richard, DW and Yasin. Can Rob and Malcolm land doubles (Egg/League and Spoon/E-Turner?) or will someone pip them in London at the end of the month? All to play for!

DIUpdate - 4 Jun: Two tremendous performances in China - Rob achieves the first 600 plus score this year and Pauline posts consecutive leading lowest scores, a remarkable landmark in the unpredictable world of FEDT! Rob is our new leader ahead of Lucy, Ben (like Rob up 2 places), John M, James, Anne-Marie, Nick, Manon, Neil and Yasin (who unfortunately went out in the Egg and the Spoon QFs, so dreams of an amazing 'double' are over). Malcolm retains his last place but Pauline drops 3 places to second in the e-Turner race then it's Ian C, Niel, Ian B, Corinna, David, DW and Jamie. In the Egg and Spoon Rob, in search on a possible League and Egg double, make the Egg SFs V Ben while James takes on John M. In the Spoon all eyes will be on 7th placed Nick who amazingly makes the Spoon SF V Turner leader Malcolm, while Corinna takes on the (for the Spoon) in-form Pauline. Come the end of the month all eyes will be on Portland! Will we see any pit-stops we wonder?

DIUpdate - 15 May: Given that it's FE remarkable little movement in the League table - although Rob up 3 places to 3rd and Ian C down 5 places to 19th are both pretty impressive! Lucy retains top spot but it's rookie James now 2nd ahead of Rob, John M, Ben, Anne-Marie, Nick, Manon, Neil and Jamie. At the bottom Malcolm has the lead in the e-Turner (could he repeat his triumph of 2023?) ahead of biggest mover Ian C then Niel, Ian B, Pauline, Corinna, David, Richard, DW and Yasin. Knock-Out scores incomplete but going by the colours it looks like all eyes will be on Yasin who has won through to the QFs in the Egg and Spoon - can he go all the way in both?

DIUpdate - 29 Apr: So Lucy returns to the top just ahead of John M, the only non 5-power TP in the top ten. After John we have James (great showing from the rookie there), Anne- Marie, Ben, rob, top scorer Nick (his 2nd top score of the year), Manon, Neil and Jamie. At the bottom Malcolm continues his outstanding form of late (his 2nd lowest score of the year) to claim bottom spot ahead of Niel then it's Ian B, Pauline, David, Ian C, Corinna, Richard, DW (the only Butler not in the top ten) and biggest mover down 6 places Yasin. Only 600 points separate the top and bottom of the League, a testament to the closeness of the FE battle. A relatively short break now until Berlin and the first round proper of the Egg and Spoon - can any TP do the near impossible and claim both?

DIUpdate - 21 Mar: Top score this week to Rob (biggest climber, up 5 places) while Nick is our lowest scorer and biggest faller, down 6 places. John M retains the lead while Rob roars to 2nd then it's Anne-Marie, James, Lucy, Manon, Yasin (up 4 places), DW, Ben and Jamie. At the bottom 5-power Ian B is now ahead of Niel then it's David, Ian C, Corinna, Malcolm, Pauline Richard, Nick and Neil. Not long until Japan and then the double- header in Italy. John M has enjoyed 2 races at the top of the table - must be some sort of record for FEDT!

DIUpdate - 1 Feb: Classic FEDT - all change in 1 race! Rookie James top scored while Pauline bagged bottom spot, while Nick climbed 10 places, Lucy 9, David dropped 9 and previous leader Ben was down 8! John takes over at the top with rookie James hot on his heels, then it's Manon, Anne-Marie, big climber Lucy, big climber Nick, Rob, Neil, previous leader Ben and DW. Only Ben and DW in the top ten dropped places in Saudi 2, the other eight were all climbers. At the bottom we also have a new leader with Ian B (another 5-power selection) taking over from Ian C (who was up 6 places). After Ian B it's Niel, Corinna, David, Richard, Malcolm, this week's lowest scorer Pauline, Ian C, Jamie and Yasin. In FEDT in a couple of races you can make big moves so it's all to play for! Bit of a break now until Brazil in March, so let's see if anyone uses their first pit-stop.

DIUpdate - 31 Jan: Top score by some distance to Lucy and bottom score (by some distance) to Corinna. So, after Race 2 (1 in Saudi) Ben retains top spot (just) ahead of Jamie, Lucy (up an impressive 11 places), John, Manon, rookie James, DW, Anne-Marie, Yasin and Rob. New 'leader' at the bottom is 5-power defending league champion Ian C who replace Niel, then it's Ian B, Corinna, defending e-Turner champion Malcolm, Richard, David, Nick, Neil and Pauline. Who will be the big gainers in Saudi 2? We'll find out soon!

DIUpdate - 18 Jan: So our early leaders are Ben and Niel - although as Ben rightly points out in the blog FE is a fickle world and 'success' can easily be followed by 'failure'. Ben leads John and then we have a great showing by rookie James in 3rd, then Manon (first of the 3 Butlers in the top ten), Jamie, DW, Anne-Marie, David, Pauline and Yasin. At the bottom Niel leads the way ahead of Ian C (looking to add an e-Turner to his e-title of last year?), Ian B, Richard, Nick, Malcolm, Lucy, Corinna, Neil and Rob. A long way to go yet!