Ollie Barstow

Ollie Barstow's picture

Ollie Barstow

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 motorsport series’ as diverse as F1, MotoGP, WorldSBK, BSB, Isle of Man TT, Le Mans, BTCC and more right in the heart of the paddock, as well established myself as a respected figure within the motorcycle industry specialising in breaking, sporting and industry news and features.

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
The 2023 MotoE World Cup will feature more races next season with Silverstone joining for the first time, alongside the returning Sachsenring and Catalunya
Jorge Martin blitzes rivals to take pole position for the Malaysian MotoGP by almost half a second, while errors for title rivals leave them down the order
A bit of sleuthing reveals more evidence that a smaller-engined Harley-Davidson Pan America using the 975cc Revolution Max engine is on the way
Some motorcycle manufacturers are just sneaky motorcycle-teases as this collection of bold, beautiful and bizarre concept motorcycles testify to
Brad Binder tops the timesheets on a rainy Friday at Sepang for the Malaysian MotoGP as Pecco Bagnaia misses out on the provisional Q2 cut for now
The Ducati Streetfighter V4 is brought into line with its Panigale sibling by receiving a raft of updates for 2023, including the addition of SP2 flagship
The prestigious Sunflower Trophy at Bishopscourt takes place this weekend after a three-year COVID-19 hiatus with Richard Cooper leading the entry list
A sportier bikini-faired, cowl-nosed version of the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 cafe racer is spied amid talk it will debut with range facelift
It's all change at the top of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship standings and suddenly it is Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati with the first match point in Sepang
Darryn Binder will move from MotoGP to Moto2 for 2023 to join a new Husqvarna-backed alliance with the German IntactGP team
Patent drawings reveal the new CFMoto 800NK will hit the road barely unchanged from the dramatic-looking CFMoto NK-C22 concept previewed last month
Just because we live in the UK doesn't mean we can always have everything we want... here are 10 USA market motorcycles that won't cross the pond
Maverick Vinales says power and weight - and not the age of a rider - are the critical factors to address in Moto3, WorldSSP 300 after deaths
Bradley Ray savours his 'unbelievable' 2022 BSB title success with OMG Racing in a season that saw his star potential shine once again
Glenn Irwin's second victory of the 2022 British Superbike Championship (BSB) season finale weekend at Brands Hatch secures him the runner-up spot overall 
Peter Hickman adds a BSB victory to his Isle of Man TT successes with a gritty ride to glory in the second race of the 2022 season finale at Brands Hatch
Bradley Ray's run to fifth in Race 1 at Brands Hatch is enough for him to clinch the 2022 British Superbike Champion (BSB) with OMG Racing 
Experienced former MotoGP rider Bradley Smith will make his WorldSSP debut in Argentina with the title-winning Ten Kate Yamaha team
Royal Enfield is on a roll at the moment as it posts a huge surge in sales for September 2022 thanks to the launch of the new Scram 411 and Hunter 350
Power, performance and kit levels may rank high on your lists of 'wants' when purchasing a motorcycle... but none of that matters if you can't get comfy!
Glenn Irwin grabs pole for the first race of the final BSB round at Brands Hatch... before going a long way to confirm talk of his impending exit from Honda
Five-time Moto2 race winner Lorenzo Baldassarri and GMT94 Yamaha will graduate from the WorldSSP class to join the 2023 WorldSBK Championship grid
The 2022 British Superbike Championship (BSB) concludes this weekend with Bradley Ray on the cusp of the title... but what result does he need to win it?
Defunct manufacturer Zundapp is back in German hands and producing motorcycles with the launch of the Zundapp ZXA 500... its first model since 1984
Josh Brookes embarks on a fresh challenge for next season with deal to join FHO Racing BMW alongside Peter Hickman for the 2023 BSB Championship