Ollie Barstow

Ollie Barstow's picture

Ollie Barstow

Freelance journalist

To say I am a veteran of Crash Media Group, would be something of an understatement. 

Indeed, I have spent almost half of my life with the company in variety of different capacities and roles, combining an exuberant passion for motorsport from a young age - sparked by receiving the 1995 BTCC Season Review VHS as a gift and obsessively watching it on repeat - with my enthusiasm for journalism, the written word and the buzz of breaking news first.

It took a chance meeting with an F3 driver’s press officer at the age of 17 to crack open the door at Crash.net, one that ultimately led to being offered work experience at the Silverstone round of the 2005 World Touring Car Championship.

Proceeding to dovetail my Journalism degree studies at university with helping out on the weekends, I began a full-time role with Crash.net in 2008 upon graduating covering the WorldSBK and BSB Championships. 

Since then I have amassed 15 years on the front-line representing CMG - both Crash.net and Visordown.com - as a journalist and editor across two-wheels and four-wheels covering series’ as diverse as F1, MotoGP, WorldSBK, BSB, Isle of Man TT, Le Mans, BTCC and more right in the heart of the paddock.

Unusually for this industry, my experience, expertise and reputation traverses both car and motorcycle racing disciplines at the highest level, which in turn has afforded me the opportunity interview and feature a diverse alumni of the sport’s highest-profile figures including Lewis Hamilton, Marc Marquez, Max Verstappen and Jonathan Rea.

From the nervous early days covering WorldSBK - a series I had never previously followed - in 2008, I’ve gone on to become renowned Superbike journalist, hold the hallowed F1 ‘red badge’ season pass, played a pivotal role in Crash.net and Visordown’s emergence as industry-revered, internationally reputed publications and had the pleasure of expressing my opinionated opinions about my passion to a wider audience.

It is also a pleasure to represent the LGBTQ+ community as an out and proud gay man in a motorsport industry that has always been an open and tolerant platform upon which to progress my career.

Fifteen years is a long time but no two working days have ever been the same…

Articles by Ollie Barstow
World Superbikes

A crash for Jonathan Rea as he attempted to make up ground on the leaders contributed towards Kawasaki being forced to cede its Suzuka 8 Hours title to arch rivals Honda

World Superbikes

Full Results of the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan | Honda notches up 28th victory in 43 attempts but its first since 2014

World Superbikes

HRC Honda has powered to a dominant victory in the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours after seeing off the threat of WorldSBK Champions Kawasaki to defeat its arch rivals by more than a lap

World Superbikes

Gino Rea is in a coma after being airlifted to hospital following a crash during practice for the Suzuka 8 Hours, according to local reports.

World Superbikes

The Suzuka 8 Hours superbike endurance classic returns after a two-year hiatus with a selection of motorsport's highest-profile and successful racers going up against experienced EWC contenders and a bevy of domestic Japanese talent to win one of two-wheels' most coveted titles.

World Superbikes

Team HRC Honda will begin the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours from pole position after capitalising on another flying lap of the Japanese circuit by Tetsuta Nagashima to head off the threat from Kawasaki.

World Superbikes

Full Qualifying Results of the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan | After Top 10 Trial Shootout]

World Superbikes

Full Qualifying Results of the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan [after Q1 and Q2] | Top 10 order decided by separate shootout, 11th to 45th set for grid

World Superbikes

A superb record-smashing lap from former Moto2 rider Tetsuta Nagashima has elevated Team HRC to favourite status for the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours as it completed qualifying with a best time almost a second clear of its closest rival.

World Superbikes

Former Moto2 World Championship rider Tetusta Nagashima is almost a full second clear of his nearest rival on the Team HRC Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade in first qualifying for the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours

World Superbikes

The Suzuka 8 Hours is THE most important motorcycle race in the world [*runs for cover]

MotoGP

While Valentino Rossi successfully achieved his target of reaching the flag of his first 24-hour car race, there will be some thoughts of ‘what could have been’ all the same following a startling turnaround in fortunes four hours into the race.

Sportscars

Full RACE RESULTS for th 2022 24 Hours of Spa at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit, Belgium

Sportscars

The #88 AKKODIS-ASP AMG-Mercedes of Raffaele Marciello, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella has held out for a terrific 2022 24 Hours of Spa victory, while Valentino Rossi successfully reached the chequered flag in his first round-the-clock race in 17th.

Sportscars

The 24 Hours of Spa GT race - one of motorsport's most gruelling tests of endurance and skill - begins at 15.45 (UK) with a 66-strong field of cars primed to tackle Eau Rouge and more around the clock.

Sportscars

2022 24 Hours of Spa GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium | Qualifying Results

Sportscars

Iron Lynx heads into Superpole for the 2022 24 Hours of Spa as the firm favourites to lead the field for Saturday’s endurance race after securing a comfortable 1-2 in qualifying, but there was disappointment for Valentino Rossi as the VR46 WRT Audi just missed the Superpole cut.

Sportscars

Defending 24 Hours of Spa winners Iron Lynx Ferrari landed the top spot at the end of a twice-interrupted pre-qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps, while Valentino Rossi’s VR46 WRT squad could only manage 59th of the 66 entrants.

Sportscars

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi got his 24 Hours of Spa weekend officially underway as he joined his Monster VR46 WRT Audi team-mates in posting the 17th quickest time during first free practice around the Belgian circuit.

MotoGP

Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? That's surely what WorldSBK rookie Iker Lecuona was thinking after his two-year stint in MotoGP came to an end last year?

World Superbikes

“The last time we spoke was at Jerez in 2019… so, if you crash out this weekend, you can blame me for bringing you bad luck.”

MotoGP

Alvaro Bautista says he is ‘surprised’ to see his former Suzuki team declare its intention to quit the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the 2022 season for the second time in little more than a decade.

Le Mans

Full Race Results for the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans held at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France [2022]

Le Mans

The #8 Toyota of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa have won the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans to give the Japanese manufacturer its fifth consecutive victory in the French endurance classic.

Le Mans

Toyota have claimed victory at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Crash.Net have been awake for the entire round-the-clock endurance classic - now in its 90th year - for the whole 1440 minutes /86,400 seconds!