Buddh International Circuit was the ideal setting for the third contest of the SBMRL season. With sunny skies and temperatures around 70 degrees, the stage was set for an action packed race with cars getting pushed to the limit. This race delivered on its high speed promise and then some.
Danger Wheel sat on the pole followed by the Stig and Launch Bornado, who started 2nd and 3rd, respectively, for the second race in a row. The only other driver to start in the same position as in Singapore was Jaap Snellrijder, at the back of the grid.
P1 – Danger Wheel (Ryan)
P2 – The Stig (Jason)
P3 – Launch Bornado (Barb)
P4 – Mater (Ryan)
P5 – Ice (Lonny)
P6 – Captain Slow (Jason)
P7 – Nero (Lonny)
P8 – Jaap Snellrijder (Frank)
A clean start saw the field gunning for the first corner right away, with Danger Wheel and the Stig battling each other right off the bat. Despite a fair amount of jockeying for position and wheel to wheel racing, the cars came through cleanly and began to set their sights on the long front straight.
Several cars were able to take advantage of their engine’s full potential, pushing all the way into 6th gear. What was a bit less forgiving was the need to downshift at the end of that straight for the corner that awaited. The cars that hit it just right found themselves passing the less accurate drivers.
Coupled with the more technical turns of the second sector, the original starting order was already starting to shake up. Danger Wheel dropped all the way to 5th, where he battled it out with the charging Nero who could do no wrong. That left the Stig and Launch Bornado at the front, with Mater hot on their heels. The Cobalt duo, Danger Wheel, and Captain Slow made up the challenging group, while Jaap Snellrijder languished in last place.
In the third sector, the Stig and Launch pulled away from the field while Captain Slow struggled, allowing Jaap to pass for 7th. Between those two pairs, the Green Team and Cobalt battled. After what had been a relatively clean lap for most cars, the pits would play a more significant role in this race than any that had preceded it.
Launch had managed to eke ahead of the Stig, but wore out some tires to do so. Despite a clean lap, Launch opted for a quick pit to change tires in anticipation of a hard fought second tour. For the Stig, this is where everything went wrong. Needing to downshift in the final curve, he was unable to carry momentum into the pits. It didn’t help much that his pit was the farthest along pit lane or that he needed a technical stop for minor repairs.
As Launch crossed the starting line first in preparation for a second go around, the trailing pack was just coming through the final corner. Ice and Danger Wheel were the first to get there, and each took a different tack. While Danger Wheel need to stop, Ice had run a clean first lap and decided to stay out, gunning it down the front straight in 5th gear. Behind him, his teammate Nero went in. The most significant move, however, was Mater’s decision not to pit. Mater hit the final corner just right and blew past the pits in 6th gear, jumping all the way into 2nd and hot on the heels of Launch Bornado.
With Launch and Mater well ahead, and Ice forgoing the pits, the Stig found himself in 4th place to start the second lap. Danger Wheel’s quick pit stop had him close behind, while Nero pushed to catch up in the first two turns. The Stig struggled with his car, which was unresponsive to his commands. Conversely, Danger Wheel managed to reel in the front runners to take the lead he’d lost on the first lap. Mater also passed Launch on the long front straight, but his gambit came at the expense of his brakes and gearbox. The Cobalt cars, meanwhile, were able to join the front pack with the pedal to the floor. After babying his tires on the first lap, Ice wore his tires heavily rounding Turn 3 in a desperate effort.
Danger Wheel and Launch found separation in Turn 4 as the challengers worked to keep their more heavily abused cars on the track. The two front runners found perfect lines through turns 5 and 6 and it quickly became clear that only a disaster would see either car finish lower than third. Meanwhile, Nero managed to find an edge on Ice, who looked far better poised to take 4th than Mater given the conditions of both cars. Behind them, the Stig marched along steadily with Captain Slow and Jaap both living up to the Captain’s name.
At the front, Danger Wheel and Launch charged hard into the final two turns. Danger Wheel had the edge and chose a tight line in turn 9. Launch, who’d run a clean second lap and had tires to burn, simply couldn’t match it. Despite coming in faster, Danger Wheel’s edge was too great as he took the checkered flag. Launch was left to settle for second. Behind them, Nero established a comfortable 3rd position that would not be relinquished. The rest of the field, however, was nowhere near set.
Ice, who was comfortably enough ahead of Mater and looked destined for 4th place, suddenly lost all feel for his car. Captain Slow and Jaap, who had been so far behind over the first two sectors, suddenly started finding their lines. They sped past the Stig and looked to add more. Ice and Mater, both forced to drive cautiously, were no longer well in the distance.
Jaap managed to catch Ice in Turn 8, which Captain Slow was also able to take at a much higher speed than Ice’s all blue Cobalt. Mater, meanwhile, wasn’t able to take speed into turn 9, and it was there that Jaap and Captain Slow passed him as well. Jaap took the inside line that Danger Wheel had taken earlier to stymie Launch’s attempt for a pass, and this time Captain Slow was the victim. Despite coming in at higher speed, he was forced to the slower, outside line. Jaap took 4th and the Captain 5th. Mater was able to limp home behind them.
At the back, the Stig did finally catch Ice, whose third sector can only be described as disastrous.
Buddh represented the first time this season that a car chose not to pit, with both Ice and Mater forgoing the chance to improve their vehicles. Despite Ice’s last place finish, one can’t point to his pit decision as impacting the final result. His tires were pristine and he had taken minimal damage. It was really a combination of pushing hard on the second lap and simply not being able to maximize his car’s potential. Mater, on the other hand, found himself in rather dire straights and having to drive conservatively. He may regret his decision not to pit, but it was an understandable choice at the time. Despite this, Buddh also represented the first race where all cars crossed the finish line.
Final Results
| Driver | Start | Lap | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danger Wheel (GT) | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Launch Bornado (RM) | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Nero (CO) | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Jaap Snellrijder (RM) | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| Captain Slow (WT) | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| Mater (GT) | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| The Stig (WT) | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Ice (CO) | 5 | 3 | 8 |
Danger Wheel earned the Green Team’s first victory of the year, while Launch and Nero both claimed their second podium in as many races. Jaap’s amazing comeback, from last place in sector two to 4th place at the flag, keeps him atop the driver standings, but Nero continued to close the gap. Like Captain Slow’s victory in Singapore did for him, Danger Wheel’s victory catapults him into 3rd.
From a team perspective, Regency Motors maintains a comfortable lead over the field.
