![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.rhinopeel.com\/sbmrl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_1867.jpg\")
<\/a>The Stig and Captain Slow at the front early<\/p><\/div>\n
The rest of the first sector saw Ice, the Stig, and Captain Slow edge ahead of Danger Wheel and the rest of the field. \u00a0Jaap worked himself up to mid pack. \u00a0As the cars moved into sector two, the Stig and Captain Slow managed to keep Scandinavian Blitz out front. \u00a0The 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.<\/p>\n
A lot of jockeying for position was going on in the midfield. \u00a0Jaap had fallen back and his teammate Launch Bornado was instead on the move. \u00a0Danger Wheel and Ice continued to stay in the thick of things, while Jaronimus had worked his way back up the order as well. \u00a0The one car that appeared to really be falling behind was Jamonito, who sadly looked completely lost.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Danger Wheel leads the chasing pack<\/p><\/div>\n
First across the line for the start of lap 2 was the Stig. \u00a0He’d had a clean run in the first lap and sailed on past the pits without stopping. \u00a0Captain Slow did the same, but Nero and Jaronimus, now up to 4th, both pitted for fresh tyres and repairs. \u00a0The rest of the field eventually followed them in, except for Jamonito whose interest lay more in\u00a0catching up with someone… anyone!<\/p>\n
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. \u00a0Nero and Captain Slow were left to fight over second place. \u00a0Jaronimus 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. \u00a0Launch and Danger Wheel followed, with Jaap and Mater holding off Jamonito at the back.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The Stig takes charge on lap 2<\/p><\/div>\n
For the front runners, things became clear again at the RTL Kurve. \u00a0With 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. \u00a0This time, Captain Slow found the perfect line into the corner and Nero was unable to match it. \u00a0The lead over Jaronimus was so great that there\u00a0didn’t appear to be any chance of losing out on 3rd place, but Captain Slow now had the upper hand on 2nd.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Nero comes up short in battle with Captain Slow<\/p><\/div>\n
For his part, Jaronimus did well enough to nearly catch Nero, but the fact is that his second lap was ultimately without any excitement. \u00a0He wasn’t leading the race like the Stig, but he also didn’t really have any cars he was properly battling with for\u00a0position. \u00a0In 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. \u00a0Given that he started last on the grid, Jaronimus wasn’t going to complain too much for a lack of drama.<\/p>\n
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. \u00a0Danger Wheel, Ice, and Launch found themselves heading into the Dunlop hairpin in vain effort to catch Jaronimus, and\u00a0this was where Jaap made his characteristic second lap charge. \u00a0He flew recklessly into the corner with such speed that he nearly crashed into the back of Ice. \u00a0Mater, taking things a bit more cautiously, conceded for the time being, with Jamonito heading\u00a0off in the distance.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jaap make his move at Dunlop Kehre<\/p><\/div>\n
Jaap’s valor earned him 5th position heading into RTL Kurve, with Launch neck-and-neck and Danger Wheel following closely. \u00a0Ice wasn’t quite as smooth, allowing Mater to haul him in. \u00a0The previously cautious Red Bull driver saw RTL as his chance to imitate Nero’s lap 1 heroics, a feat which he accomplished with aplomb. \u00a0That left both pairs of Red Bull and Regency Motors drivers in a four way scrum.<\/p>\n
Launch was particularly slow in the BIT Kurve, allowing Jaap to eke by. \u00a0Danger Wheel was caught off guard by the effort and nicked Launch along the way, causing damage to Launch’s car. \u00a0The car with real speed, however, turned out to be\u00a0Mater. \u00a0He was able to slingshot around the outside of everyone.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Mater makes his move on the outside<\/p><\/div>\n
Mater’s speed on the straight meant that he would be\u00a0the first to reach the Veedol S, and from there he comfortably cruised home with 5th place. \u00a0Danger Wheel got the edge on both yellow cars, leaving Jaap and Launch in a drag race between teammates for 7th. \u00a0Jaap would come out just ahead, but it was the first time neither car has finished at least 5th. \u00a0Ice, who had been in 5th place or better for the first half of the race came home a disappointing 9th. \u00a0Jamonito, sauntered home well behind the others for the final spot.<\/p>\n
Final Results<\/h3>\n
| Driver<\/th>\n | Start<\/th>\n | Lap<\/th>\n | Finish<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Stig (SB)<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Captain Slow (SB)<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nero (CO)<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jaronimus Maximus (ORC)<\/td>\n | 10<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mater (RB)<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n | 10<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Danger Wheel\u00a0(RB)<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jaap Snellrijder (RM)<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Launch Bornado (RM)<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ice\u00a0(CO)<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jamonito del Verde (ORC)<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n | 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n The Stig’s win is his first this year and second overall, having previously won at Monaco last season. \u00a0It moves him up from 9th to 7th in the driver standings, a welcome change after two consecutive DNF’s. \u00a0Captain Slow’s second place finish is his best of the year and the first time he’s ever finished in that position. \u00a0Nero’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. \u00a0Given his four podium finishes last year, this could be a sign that he’s turning things around.<\/p>\n On a side note, this is the first time the top 3 finishers in an SBMRL race\u00a0also all started in the top 3 grid positions.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. \u00a0It’s just the 3rd time a team has finished with the top two cars. \u00a0Regency Motors took home the fewest points, but no team scored even half of what the Stig and Captain Slow combined for. \u00a0Given 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. \u00a0Everything’s a little bit tighter now.<\/p>\n Race Gallery<\/h3>\n\n\t\t |