Sniff Petrol
Encyclopedia
Sniff Petrol is an online motoring satire
magazine, first published in 2001. Sniff Petrol was originally published bi-weekly, but due to other commitments this was reduced, first to a monthly schedule, and now to a blog format, updated on an ad-hoc basis. It receives over 3,000 hits a day.
Sniff Petrols articles comment on motoring and motorsport (especially Formula One
) events, both real and fictional, by parodying the styles of presentation and language used in various motoring fields. Most notably, this includes motor manufacturer press releases, but also extends to motoring magazine reviews and the like.
Twitter
Sniff Petrol started a Twitter
feed in April 2009. It now has over 13,000 followers. The Sniff Petrol Twitter account is used chiefly to give real-time commentary on Formula 1 races and brief comment on motoring news as well as reports of mini-cab journeys undertaken by the author.
The Sniff Petrol Twitter feed came 17th in the Humor category at the 2010 Shorty Awards.
and in other media, including the BBC
TV series Top Gear.
Sniff Petrol has been mentioned in national newspapers including The Times
, the Daily Telegraph and in the Irish Times.
In 2006 a series of Sniff Petrol spoof MG Rover advertisements were turned in to a charity calendar.
TV series Top Gear. He also writes for Top Gear Magazine and Evo
is a regular on the Gareth Jones on Speed
podcast.
Porter has also authored or co-authored several motoring books, frequently with Giles Chapman.
Other writers have contributed to Sniff Petrol, most notably Top Gear presenter James May
.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
magazine, first published in 2001. Sniff Petrol was originally published bi-weekly, but due to other commitments this was reduced, first to a monthly schedule, and now to a blog format, updated on an ad-hoc basis. It receives over 3,000 hits a day.
Sniff Petrols articles comment on motoring and motorsport (especially Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
) events, both real and fictional, by parodying the styles of presentation and language used in various motoring fields. Most notably, this includes motor manufacturer press releases, but also extends to motoring magazine reviews and the like.
Regular features
Alongside satire directed at motoring and motorsport related news, Sniff Petrol has a number of long-running regular features, most notably including:- Carcoat Damphands - A used car columnist who aims to give insider information on buying and selling cars. The writing, although superficially intelligable, uses a large number of fake motor trade colloquialisms and made-up rhyming slang which results in a column of incomprehensible whimsy. Signs off every report with the word "minty".
- Crazy Dave Coulthard - A parody of the racing driver David CoulthardDavid CoulthardDavid Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
. This feature started as he began the 2005 Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
season, was a satirical comparison between the public relations attitude of the McLarenMcLarenMcLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
F1 team, who Coulthard had driven for in the 2004 season and the Red BullRed BullRed Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
team, who he was driving for in 2005.
- Crazy Dave writes about Formula 1 using a fake urban slang, possibly in an attempt to be relevant to the Red BullRed BullRed Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
target marketTarget marketA target market is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise. A well-defined target market is the first element to a marketing strategy...
, before switching to conventional English for the closing remark which is used to unashamedly promote a product or television programme with which the real life Coulthard is associated.- Not advertisements - Spoof car adverts, usually based on a current campaign but modified for humour. These 'adverts' will generally prey upon the perceived attributes of the owners and drivers of the advertised car. MG Rover was a frequent target of these spoofs until the company's demise in 2005.
- The Schumachers - A running gag since August 2004, it features a picture of Michael SchumacherMichael SchumacherMichael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
appearing to snarl a cruel, topical remark at his brother Ralf SchumacherRalf SchumacherRalf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...
, based upon the public view that younger brother Ralf was a lesser driver than Michael. The photograph has been Photoshopped several times during the life of this recurring joke to give the Schumacher brothers hats and clothes that reflect their current team or sponsors. - Troy Queef - A spoof columnist claimed to be the Executive Associate Editor-At-Large for Dab Of Oppo magazine. Queef uses an over-written, pretentious and self aggrandising style inappropriate for the cheap, slow cars he reviews and signs off each column by claiming that the car in question was "a bitch" which he "spanked". Queef has only driven one car with an engine capacity in excess of 1.8 litres, which he crashed.
Campaigning
Sniff Petrol has run several satirical campaigns since its inception. These have included- Car Designer Face Hair Removal - An unusual campaign which offered money to car designers if they shaved off their existing beard or moustache. Met with some success when Peter StevensPeter StevensPeter Stevens is a British car designer.Having worked freelance for most of his career, and spent five years at Lotus Cars he took a job as lead designer at the MG Rover Group in 2000. He is the visiting Professor of Vehicle Design at the Royal College of Art...
, then lead designer at MG Rover, shaved off his moustache in return for a donation to charity. - Jordan Sponsorship Offer - A short-lived campaign in which the Jordan F1Jordan Grand PrixJordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
team was offered £20 to write Sniff Petrol on the side of their racing car. - Moped (& Scooter) Campaign - A campaign which aimed to "rid the world of this sub-250cc menace".
- Stop The Cock - A long-running campaign which aimed to remove commentator James AllenJames AllenJames, Jim, or Jimmy Allen may refer to:*James Allen , American football linebacker*James Allen , American football running back...
from the then-current ITV F1 coverage. Sniff Petrol produced Stop The Cock T-shirts to promote the campaign leading to the publication of photographs depicting supporters sporting these shirts whilst standing next to F1 pundit Martin BrundleMartin BrundleMartin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....
and ITV F1 anchor man Steve RiderSteve RiderStephen Rider is an English sports presenter, and was the anchorman of ITV's football coverage, which included the Champions League, England Internationals, the FA Cup and the 2006 World Cup. He anchored ITV's Formula One coverage from 2006 to 2008, and football coverage from 2006 to April 2010...
.
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed in April 2009. It now has over 13,000 followers. The Sniff Petrol Twitter account is used chiefly to give real-time commentary on Formula 1 races and brief comment on motoring news as well as reports of mini-cab journeys undertaken by the author.
The Sniff Petrol Twitter feed came 17th in the Humor category at the 2010 Shorty Awards.
Media coverage
Sniff Petrol content has been reproduced on many other websites including US car blog JalopnikJalopnik
Jalopnik is a Weblog covering cars, car culture, and the automotive industry. Owned and operated by Gawker Media since 2004, Jalopnik emphasizes irreverent humor....
and in other media, including the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Top Gear.
Sniff Petrol has been mentioned in national newspapers including The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, the Daily Telegraph and in the Irish Times.
In 2006 a series of Sniff Petrol spoof MG Rover advertisements were turned in to a charity calendar.
The Author
Richard Porter, who uses pseudonym "Sniff" throughout the website, is script editor for the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Top Gear. He also writes for Top Gear Magazine and Evo
Evo Magazine
Evo is a British automobile magazine dedicated to performance cars, from hot hatches to supercars. The first issue was produced in November 1998 as an unofficial successor to Performance Car, which had been closed and integrated into Car Magazine by publisher Emap. "Evo" is published 13 times a...
is a regular on the Gareth Jones on Speed
Gareth Jones On Speed
Gareth Jones On Speed is a car and motorsport podcast written and performed by UK TV presenter Gareth Jones and made by TV and podcasting production company WhizzBang.-Contents:...
podcast.
Porter has also authored or co-authored several motoring books, frequently with Giles Chapman.
Other writers have contributed to Sniff Petrol, most notably Top Gear presenter James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
.