Category Archives: Race Previews

Monaco Preview

Posted on January 20, 2018 | Leave a comment

The famed street course in Monaco is one of two circuits that the SBMRL has had on the calendar every year of the league.  December marks this season’s return, and it is always an enjoyable time.

Monaco (D)

Monaco is a track that is quite familiar to the league, but we have a decent number of rookie drivers this season.  Fortunately, they’ll get eased into the track with a relatively straightforward first sector.  The starting grid takes up most of the pit straight.  With a short run up to Sainte Devote those starting higher up the grid will have a slight advantage, if for no other reason than the corner can get quite cramped at times.

The second sector of the track is most notable for the Loews hairpin and the tunnel straight, which is the longest straight of the circuit.  The chicane at the end of the straight is prime passing opportunity.

Sector three features the S de la Piscine, Rascasse, and Anthony Noghes turns, which will occasionally catch a driver out but for the most part are navigated easily.  The exit of Anthony Noghes is probably the most notable spot in this sector, as position battles are often won or lost on the second lap approach to the finish line.

Starting Grid

After their double DNF in Japan, the Scandinavian Blitz team starts on the front row.  Jaap’s struggles this season put him up in 4th on the grid, alongside Stevie.  Sheila’s consistency gets her to the front of the standings and the back of the grid.

  1. The Stig (SB)
  2. Captain Slow (SB)
  3. Stevie Wondertyres (SR)
  4. Jaap Snellrijder (RM)
  5. Launch Bornado (FR)
  6. Whiplash (SR)
  7. Bubba McQueen (FR)
  8. Sheila Dinkum (RM)

Pit selection will be in order of team standings, and with a tie at the top and an identical average grid position, a coin flip gives Force Ravenswood first choice.  Here then is the order:

  1. Force Ravenswood
  2. Regency Motors
  3. Scandinavian Blitz
  4. Sprite Racing

No driver has Monaco as their home race this season.

Track History

As this is our third trip to the Pincipality, there is a decent amount of history at Monaco for the SBMRL.  Both previous race winners, The Stig and Jaap are in this year’s lineup.  The Stig won in a race in which he started on pole position, so that certainly has to be encouraging for this year’s race.  Launch Bornado has done well here, too, finishing 2nd and 4th.

Last year’s race produced the notable double DNF for Scandinavian Blitz, a fate that they are now coming out of after Japan.  That experience will likely be on their mind as well.

SBMRL @ Monaco

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Suzuka Preview

Posted on November 17, 2017 | Leave a comment

The SBMRL heads to Japan to race Suzuka International Racing Course for leg 3 of the 2017-18 season.  This will be the first time that we race at Suzuka, so it’s anyone’s guess how the drivers will take to unique track configuration.  Originally designed in the early 1960’s as a test track for Honda, it first hosted an official Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1987.

Suzuka

The first thing anyone notices about Suzuka is the unique figure eight track arrangement.  None of the other tracks the SBMRL has ever raced at is like it.  The pit straight isn’t particularly long but the starting grid is pushed to the back of it.  This means that even those on the front row will have to get up to a minimum of 3rd gear before they will reach the first corner.  It’s a long, forgiving right hander that will allow the back of the grid to approach it aggressively.

This is followed by the famous “S” Curves, which wouldn’t be too much trouble to navigate without traffic.  However, with the field all bunched together this will likely be a prime location for potential collisions.  The Dunlop Curve can be taken flat out before the Degner Curve closes out the first sector.

The second sector is fairly short, with the Hairpin Curve coming shortly after passing under the overpass.  There’s then a moderately long straight before the Spoon Curve.  Hitting Spoon just right will be key to posting a fast lap, as the exit of Spoon takes cars onto the extremely long straight containing 130R and the bridge.

130R marks the start of sector three, and can be taken flat out.  Any slowness coming out of Spoon will kill a good lap time.  The lap finishes with the chicane at Casio Triangle, another slow point on the track.  The chicane does make taking the pit straight at speed a bit more challenging, which will make the option to pit slightly more appealing if anyone is uncertain.

Starting Grid

After a second consecutive 2nd place finish Sheila Dinkum is the current leader in the driver standings and will therefore start at the back of the grid.  At the front of the grid, Stevie Wondertyres will line up on pole with Bubba McQueen alongside him.

  1. Stevie Wondertyres (SR)
  2. Bubba McQueen (FR)
  3. Captain Slow (SB)
  4. The Stig (SB)
  5. Whiplash (SR)
  6. Launch Bornado (FR)
  7. Jaap Snellrijder (RM)
  8. Sheila Dinkum (RM)

Pit selection will be in order of team standings, which leaves us with the following:

  1. Regency Motors
  2. Force Ravenswood
  3. Sprite Racing
  4. Scandinavian Blitz

No driver has Japan as their home race this season.

 

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Austin Preview

Posted on October 11, 2017 | Leave a comment

Our second race of the 2017-18 season takes us to Austin, Texas to race Circuit of the Americas.  It’s the third time in as many seasons that we’ll race COTA, and coincides with the 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix weekend.

Austin

Circuit of the Americas is a tricky, counter-clockwise circuit that isn’t easy to get right.  The uphill slope of Turn 1 makes for a bit of a blind approach at speed followed by a moderate bend for Turn 2.

Turns 3 and 4 will compress the field and provide for passing opportunities.  The exit of Turn 4 is key to a fast lap as it sets up Turn 5 and the track’s long back straight.  Infamously, Turn 4 was the spot where the Stig was cut off by Ice in last year’s race, effectively ending any hopes he had of scoring decent points.

The long back straight will tempt the speed demons to floor it through Turn 6, but there isn’t much room for error with Turn 7 following closely.  The saving grace here is that Turn 7 is much more forgiving than it first appears, so carrying a little speed into it isn’t terrible.

The remainder of the 3rd sector of the track is the part where drivers can become complacent.  The trio of short corners that finish the track aren’t particularly intimidating, but they are spaced in such a way as to catch drivers between gear choices.  Can you shift up to fly through the straights and slow down enough for the corners?  Or is it better to try to get maximum effort out of a lower gear?  Those choices can be complicated by any driver who has been hard on their tires through the rest of the lap.  For evidence, one need only look at Nero’s race last year, where he came into the third sector in 2nd place and finished in 7th.

Starting Grid

With one race in the books, the starting grid for Austin will simply be the reverse order of finish last time out in Portland.

  1. Launch Bornado (FR)
  2. Stevie Wondertyres (SR)
  3. Captain Slow (SB)
  4. Whiplash (SR)
  5. The Stig (SB)
  6. Bubba McQueen (FR)
  7. Sheila Dinkum (RM)
  8. Jaap Snellrijder (RM)

As is league policy, pit selection will be in order of team standings, with ties broken by reverse order of average starting position.  That leaves the following:

  1. Regency Motors
  2. Scandinavian Blitz
  3. Force Ravenswood
  4. Sprite Racing

Austin will be Bubba McQueen’s home race.

Track History

Among current drivers, only Jaap has finished higher than 6th at Austin.  He won in 2015 and finished 5th last year.  Mater holds the record for points at Austin after winning last year’s race and finished 2nd the year before.  It has never been a good track for Scandinavian Blitz, with Captain Slow and The Stig having the fewest point totals of all SBMRL drivers.

Perhaps most notably from last year’s race, Osito Racing Company proved that they would not be a pushover in their rookie season.  They scored a double podium finish that bodes well for Sprite Racing, who now have a race under their belts and will be looking to emulate ORC’s Austin success.

SBMRL @ Circuit of the Americas

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