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Nurburgring Recap

Posted on March 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

The Nurburgring in Germany welcomed the SBMRL for the 6th round of the 2016-17 season.  Given the 9 race schedule for the season, this would be the final race of the middle third of the season.  “Sector 2”, if you will.  In short, the season was about to enter the stretch run so there was a lot at stake.  Here’s how the starting grid looked:

P1 – Nero (Geoff)
P2 – The Stig (Jason)
P3 – Captain Slow (Jason)
P4 – Ice (Frank)
P5 – Mater (Jason)
P6 – Danger Wheel (Frank)
P7 – Launch Bornado (Frank)
P8 – Jamonito del Verde (Geoff)
P9 – Jaap Snellrijder (Frank)
P10 – Jaronimus Maximus (Geoff)

Nero got off the line quickly, reading the lights perfectly, but the Stig and Captain Slow were right there with him into the Castrol S.  Jaronimus was the one driver from the back half of the grid to take advantage of the longer run up into the corner.  He took the risk of carrying a bit of extra speed and it paid off with a few spots gained in the process, albeit only temporarily.

The Stig and Captain Slow at the front early

The rest of the first sector saw Ice, the Stig, and Captain Slow edge ahead of Danger Wheel and the rest of the field.  Jaap worked himself up to mid pack.  As the cars moved into sector two, the Stig and Captain Slow managed to keep Scandinavian Blitz out front.  The big move came from Nero, who found his line through the corners perfectly, timing the RTL and BIT Kurves just right to slingshot himself into contention near the end of the lap.

A lot of jockeying for position was going on in the midfield.  Jaap had fallen back and his teammate Launch Bornado was instead on the move.  Danger Wheel and Ice continued to stay in the thick of things, while Jaronimus had worked his way back up the order as well.  The one car that appeared to really be falling behind was Jamonito, who sadly looked completely lost.

Danger Wheel leads the chasing pack

First across the line for the start of lap 2 was the Stig.  He’d had a clean run in the first lap and sailed on past the pits without stopping.  Captain Slow did the same, but Nero and Jaronimus, now up to 4th, both pitted for fresh tyres and repairs.  The rest of the field eventually followed them in, except for Jamonito whose interest lay more in catching up with someone… anyone!

The start of the second lap was where the Stig stretched out enough of a lead that it became clear no one was going to catch him.  Nero and Captain Slow were left to fight over second place.  Jaronimus and Ice were in the hunt behind them, but Ice couldn’t keep up and soon found himself watching Jaronimus get progressively smaller in the distance.  Launch and Danger Wheel followed, with Jaap and Mater holding off Jamonito at the back.

The Stig takes charge on lap 2

For the front runners, things became clear again at the RTL Kurve.  With the Stig well out in front, the very spot where Nero had made his move on the first lap proved to be his undoing on the second.  This time, Captain Slow found the perfect line into the corner and Nero was unable to match it.  The lead over Jaronimus was so great that there didn’t appear to be any chance of losing out on 3rd place, but Captain Slow now had the upper hand on 2nd.

Nero comes up short in battle with Captain Slow

For his part, Jaronimus did well enough to nearly catch Nero, but the fact is that his second lap was ultimately without any excitement.  He wasn’t leading the race like the Stig, but he also didn’t really have any cars he was properly battling with for position.  In the end, the top 4 were decided mid way through the second lap and there wasn’t anything beyond catastrophe that was going to alter that order.  Given that he started last on the grid, Jaronimus wasn’t going to complain too much for a lack of drama.

That left the interest to lie with the challengers for 5th on down, and to understand how that developed it’s worth heading back to the first sector of the second lap.  Danger Wheel, Ice, and Launch found themselves heading into the Dunlop hairpin in vain effort to catch Jaronimus, and this was where Jaap made his characteristic second lap charge.  He flew recklessly into the corner with such speed that he nearly crashed into the back of Ice.  Mater, taking things a bit more cautiously, conceded for the time being, with Jamonito heading off in the distance.

Jaap make his move at Dunlop Kehre

Jaap’s valor earned him 5th position heading into RTL Kurve, with Launch neck-and-neck and Danger Wheel following closely.  Ice wasn’t quite as smooth, allowing Mater to haul him in.  The previously cautious Red Bull driver saw RTL as his chance to imitate Nero’s lap 1 heroics, a feat which he accomplished with aplomb.  That left both pairs of Red Bull and Regency Motors drivers in a four way scrum.

Launch was particularly slow in the BIT Kurve, allowing Jaap to eke by.  Danger Wheel was caught off guard by the effort and nicked Launch along the way, causing damage to Launch’s car.  The car with real speed, however, turned out to be Mater.  He was able to slingshot around the outside of everyone.

Mater makes his move on the outside

Mater’s speed on the straight meant that he would be the first to reach the Veedol S, and from there he comfortably cruised home with 5th place.  Danger Wheel got the edge on both yellow cars, leaving Jaap and Launch in a drag race between teammates for 7th.  Jaap would come out just ahead, but it was the first time neither car has finished at least 5th.  Ice, who had been in 5th place or better for the first half of the race came home a disappointing 9th.  Jamonito, sauntered home well behind the others for the final spot.

Final Results

Driver Start Lap Finish
The Stig (SB) 2 1 1
Captain Slow (SB) 3 2 2
Nero (CO) 1 3 3
Jaronimus Maximus (ORC) 10 4 4
Mater (RB) 5 10 5
Danger Wheel (RB) 6 7 6
Jaap Snellrijder (RM) 9 8 7
Launch Bornado (RM) 7 6 8
Ice (CO) 4 5 9
Jamonito del Verde (ORC) 8 9 10

The Stig’s win is his first this year and second overall, having previously won at Monaco last season.  It moves him up from 9th to 7th in the driver standings, a welcome change after two consecutive DNF’s.  Captain Slow’s second place finish is his best of the year and the first time he’s ever finished in that position.  Nero’s third place finish was his first podium of the year, but it still wasn’t enough to pull him up out of last place in the standings.  Given his four podium finishes last year, this could be a sign that he’s turning things around.

On a side note, this is the first time the top 3 finishers in an SBMRL race also all started in the top 3 grid positions.

Lower down the order, Jaronimus extends his lead over Jaap for first place in the driver standings, while Danger Wheel’s 6th place coupled with Jamonito’s last place finish was enough to put the Red Bull driver up to 4th in the standings.

On the team front, the 1-2 finish for Scandinavian Blitz sees them stay in 4th place, but with a lot less ground to make up on those in front of them.  It’s just the 3rd time a team has finished with the top two cars.  Regency Motors took home the fewest points, but no team scored even half of what the Stig and Captain Slow combined for.  Given that the top two teams in the standings scored the fewest points, one can look at this race as a great example of how the reverse starting grid rules are intended to aid those at the bottom.  Everything’s a little bit tighter now.

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Brazil Recap

Posted on February 11, 2017 | Leave a comment

The January leg of the season took us to Brazil and Interlagos, a new track that the SBMRL hadn’t yet raced on, but one that promised some of the fastest racing to date.  With everyone eager to put the pedal to the floor, here’s how the grid lined up:

P1 – Nero (Lonny)
P2 – The Stig (Jason)
P3 – Captain Slow (Jason)
P4 – Ice (Lonny)
P5 – Mater (Ryan)
P6 – Danger Wheel (Ryan)
P7 – Jamonito del Verde (Geoff)
P8 – Launch Bornado (Frank)
P9 – Jaronimus Maximus (Geoff)
P10 – Jaap Snellrijder (Frank)

The race got off to a flying start for both the Stig and Mater, each of whom timed the lights perfectly.  The Stig took advantage of Nero’s inability to get his engine up to speed and was the first into the Senna ‘S’.  Captain Slow and Ice followed closely.  Behind them, those who started at the back of the grid used the long run up to turn one to get up to a higher entry speed.  That had almost the entirety of the rest of the field piling into the bend.  Danger Wheel bumped a bit with Nero, as Jaap played things safely, watching from the rear.

The long first straight

The long straight between turns 1 and 2 meant high speeds.  Ice and Captain Slow found their lines, leaving the Stig trailing.  Jaronimus strained his engine but didn’t lose position as a result.  The two leader’s suffered similar engine trouble on the approach to turn 3, Ferradura.  Launch Bornado and Mater both were perfect in this section, joining the leaders at the front.  In contrast, while Jaap was able to do some catching up through here, Jamonito found himself struggling to keep up.

Throughout the second sector, there was a lot of shifting in the relative positions.  Captain Slow who had been leading found himself falling back to 4th place, behind the Cobalt drivers and Mater.  The Stig went from hanging with the top three to running in 9th.

Jockeying at the end of lap 1

As the cars hit the final corner and plowed onto the long pit straight, Nero led Ice and Captain Slow by less than a car length.  Mater’s approach to that final corner left him wanting, allowing Jaap to pass him by.  Launch and the Stig bumped in their efforts to pass the suddenly slow Red Bull car, leaving the Stig with minor body damage, and Jaronimus was hot on their heels.

The three front runners dove for the pits and were soon followed by Jaap, Jaronimus, and the Stig.  Launch took a temporary race lead by skipping the pits entirely, but he couldn’t find the proper approach into turn one at that speed.  Mater was caught up by the two backmarkers, Danger Wheel and Jamonito.

Tightly packed in the Senna ‘S’

The entire field was tightly packed going into the second lap, but it was Nero who got the advantage.  He carried speed from the Senna “S” onto the long straight to turn 2, but his tyres paid the price.  As he was pulling away, the Scandinavian Blitz cars battled with Ice and Regency Motors while the cars from the other two teams did their best to keep up.

Nero’s engine suffered a hit into the third turn, forcing him to lose some speed there.  Behind him, the Stig couldn’t quite find his line in Turn 2 and had to slow as well.  In contrast, the yellow liveries of Jaap and Launch were smooth through the bend, with Ice just ahead of them.  The big move, however, was from Jamonito and Jaronimus.  Not only did they hit the second corner just right, but they sped past everyone and right on by in Ferradura.  This put them in spitting distance of Nero.

Osito on the move

As the leaders charged forward, the first casualty of the race was Captain Slow.  On his efforts to get past Red Bull and keep up with the middle pack, he hit debris left on the track earlier in the race. He lost a wheel and was forced to retire.

Danger Wheel and Mater pushed on and soon found themselves caught up with Jaap and the Stig.  At this point, Launch and Ice had pulled slightly ahead of that group and were doing their darnedest to keep up with Jamonito and Jaronimus. Instead, it would be the boys in green that made the next move.  With Nero nursing home some badly worn tyres, they managed to catch him in the final corner and then pass him on the pit straight.

Nero is caught!

Jaronimus charged home with his teammate close behind him.  Nero, on the other hand, was suddenly finding himself having to watch out for Launch in his mirrors.    Fighting to avoid losing out on a podium after having been so far ahead earlier in the lap, his Cobalt engine gave out and he was forced to pull off the track with the finish line in sight.  Launch cruised home uncontested.

The Stig crashes out

That left the other five cars still on the track all with a shot at 4th place.  Ice took the last corner first, but was slow through it.  Jaap found himself in a similar place.  Mater had speed and carried it through onto the straight.  The Stig attempted to do the same, but was unfortunately blocked off by the rest of the traffic already in the corner.  He carried a bit too much speed through the corner and clipped the back of Mater, sending him off the track.  Danger Wheel was close behind and narrowly missed crashing into him.

From there, it was simply a drag race to the finish.  Danger Wheel had the speed to scoot past his teammate, while Ice wasn’t quite up to the task of keeping pace.  With poor judgement through the final corner slowing him down, Jaap was the last to cross the line, but at least he could be thankful that he crossed it.

Final Results

Driver Start Lap Finish
Jaronimus Maximus (ORC) 9 7 1
Jamonito del Verde (ORC) 7 9 2
Launch Bornado (RM) 8 1 3
Danger Wheel (RB) 6 10 4
Mater (RB) 5 8 5
Ice (CO) 4 5 6
Jaap Snellrijder (RM) 10 3 7
Nero (CO) 1 2 8, dnf
The Stig (SB) 2 6 9, dnf
Captain Slow (SB) 3 4 10, dnf

Jaronimus’ victory is his second in the past three races and puts him solidly in front of Jaap at the top of the driver’s standings.  Jamonito’s runner up finish has him up to 3rd place and marks the third time in the last four races that he’s stood on the second podium step.  Launch rounds out the podium for the second time in three races as well.

At the other end of the grid, Jaap had his worst finish ever, after suffering a miserable second lap.  However, that isn’t nearly as troubling as the trio of Nero, the Stig, and Captain Slow.  All three failed to complete the race for the second consecutive race.

Also of note for this race was the amount of passing that took place.  Mater, who finished in 5th place, actually held every position, 1 to 10, at some point.  Launch and the Stig were nearly as diverse.  Both drivers held all positions except 10th.  Seven different drivers all held the lead, even if only briefly, and that includes all three of the cars that didn’t finish.

At the team level, Osito Racing Company recorded the SBMRL’s second 1-2 finish to take back the team standings lead.  Cobalt is the only other team to have taken the top two steps, accomplishing that at Sebring last year.  Unfortunately, their struggles this year leave them with about half the points of ORC, and Scandinavian Blitz is even further behind.

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Monaco Recap

Posted on December 17, 2016 | Leave a comment

The famed Circuit de Monaco played host to the fourth round of the 2016-17 SBMRL calendar.  Would the Stig be able to come away with a repeat victory or would Nero follow in his footsteps with a second pole to victory performance?  With three races in the books, here is how the cars lined up on the grid:

P1 – Nero (Ryan)
P2 – Jamonito del Verde (Jason)
P3 – The Stig (Jason)
P4 – Danger Wheel (Kim)
P5 – Captain Slow (Jason)
P6 – Ice (Frank)
P7 –  Mater (Ryan)
P8 – Launch Bornado (Barbara)
P9 – Jaap Snellrijder (Frank)
P10 – Jaronimus Maximus (Frank)

The start of the race featured a stall by the Stig with the immediate effect of impeding his teammate who started in the grid slot directly behind him.  While Nero and Jamonito found their way through Sainte Devote relatively quickly, the rest of the field piled into the corner behind them, running three wide and up to three deep, it was a miracle that no one collided.

Cramming into Sainte Devote

Cramming into Sainte Devote

Such tight racing would be a hallmark of the early portion of the race.  The chaos of the pack made it possible for every car except Mater to find themselves in the top four at some point in the first few corners.  Launch and Danger Wheel joined Nero at the front from the Loews hairpin through the tunnel, and Jamonito was also in the mix.  The only position that really solidified itself over the second sector was Ice’s ignominous hold on last place.

Jaronimus and Jaap had both come from the back row to 3rd and 4th, respectively, but both were also back in 9th place as the cars moved through the third sector.  Despite all the shifting positions, or perhaps because of them, all the cars were still tightly packed heading into the final two corners of the lap.  It was here that Jamonito found an edge.  He was able to find the perfect line through the Anthony Noghes corner, and then proceeded to dive for the pits and some fresh tyres.

Tightly packed at the end of lap 1

Tightly packed at the end of lap 1

The rest of the pack followed, with 5 cars tightly packed into the corner and Mater not far behind.  It was here that, for the first time this season, some cars chose to hurtle onward down the pit straight, skipping a chance for fresh tires.  While Launch, Captain Slow, and Mater all pitted, Jaap and Danger Wheel floored it in an effort to catch up with Jamonito.  Both cars passed the Osito driver in Sainte Devote.  Behind them, Ice split from Jaronimus and the Stig in a similar effort.  Unfortunately for Ice, while Nero, Jaronimus, the Stig, and Mater all found themselves held up by traffic in the pits, he was unable to find the pace to gain any advantage on them.

Jamonito and Jaap take control through the Casino

Jamonito and Jaap take control through the Casino

Jaap and Jamonito flew into the Casino section and took a small but significant lead on Danger Wheel.  It was an advantage that neither would cede, but between them, there were numerous lead changes over the remainder of the race.  Launch and Captain Slow, meanwhile, would spent the second sector hunting Danger Wheel down.  The first shift for that trio came in the Loews hairpin.  Captain Slow found himself forced to the slower, inside line.   Launch was able to take the tunnel straight while the Captain found himself living up to his moniker.

Jaap leads the charge through the tunnel

Jaap leads the charge through the tunnel

Launch’s speed was enough to draw even with Danger Wheel at the chicane.  The two charged forward waiting for a mistake by Jaap and Jamonito that wouldn’t come.  With Captain Slow in a solid 5th place, Jaronimus, Nero, the Stig, Ice, and Mater all fought in the trailing pack.  As Launch had with Danger Wheel, Jaronimus and the Stig caught up with Captain Slow at the chicane, but the Stig couldn’t quite keep up at Tabac.  He was soon caught up by Mater and the Cobalt cars.

As Jaap and Jamonito rounded Anthony Noghes with the finish line in sight, the biggest story of the race was beginning to unfold behind them.  The Stig, none too happy with getting passed by Nero and Mater charged a bit too forcefully thought ‘S’ de la Piscine.  He misjudged Mater’s speed and soon found himself crashed into the barrier and out of the race.

The Stig crashes into the back of Mater

The Stig crashes into the back of Mater

Shortly thereafter, Captain Slow went over some debris in Rascasse and lost his suspension, ending his race as well.  Jaap had the edge heading into the pit straight out of Anthony Noghes, but his engine simply wouldn’t respond.  Perhaps it was the strength of effort required to establish their lead, but Jamonito’s engine was equally powerless to gain any advantage, and when all was said and done, Jaap crossed first with Jamonito just milliseconds behind.

Captain Slow suffers a broken suspension

Captain Slow suffers a broken suspension

Danger Wheel and Launch Bornado were neck and neck heading for the finish line as well, but it was Danger Wheel’s engine that found the right note to take the final podium spot.  With both Scandinavian Blitz drivers now out of the race, Jaronimus took an uneventful 5th.  Ice had the edge on Mater and Nero for 6th coming through the final turn, but Mater’s engine was as equally strong as his teammate’s had been and he took it over the two Cobalt cars.  That left Ice and Nero in a drag race for 7th and 8th.  Unfortunately, Nero bumped Ice on the way and never fully made it.  In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a major blow to the team given that both positions were locked up, but treating the team’s hardware that recklessly will not go down well.

FINAL RESULTS

Driver Start Lap Finish
Jaap Snellrijder (RM) 9 2 1
Jamonito del Verde (ORC) 2 1 2
Danger Wheel (RB) 4 3 3
Launch Bornado (RM) 8 5 4
Jaronimus Maximus (ORC) 10 8 5
Mater (RB) 7 10 6
Ice (CO) 6 4 7
Nero (CO) 7 7 8, dnf
Captain Slow (SB) 5 6 9, dnf
The Stig (SB) 3 9 10, dnf

Jaap’s victory is his first of the season and his 3rd overall.  His starting position of 9th on the grid marks the lowest any victor has started from.  Jamonito’s 2nd place finish matches his finish in Austin as his best result and, despite the fact that Jaronimus is ahead of him in the standings, means he’s beaten his teammate in 3 of their 4 races.

Danger Wheel’s 3rd place finish is her best of the year, and ties Jamonito for 4th in the driver standings.  It’s also Danger Wheel’s first 3rd place finish.

Nero’s failure to complete the race means that he now has the negative distinction of finishing the fewest races, with 2 DNF’s this year and 2 last year.  Captain Slow and the Stig gave Scandinavian Blitz a double DNF for the second time.  The teammates suffered the same fate in the SBMRL’s inaugural race in Austin last season.  Interestingly, both races represent the only time either driver has failed to finish.

At the team level, Regency Motors tied Red Bull’s Austin result for the highest points total of the season.  However, Osito Racing Company’s strong showing means that Regency Motors haven’t pulled away significantly from their closest challenger.  At the other end of the Spectrum, Cobalt pulled up to a tie with Scandinavian Blitz for 4th place, but both teams are falling rather far behind.

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