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<\/a>Nero out front<\/p><\/div>\n
The early mover was Jaap, who caught up with the Scandinavian Blitz drivers by Turn 5, showing once again that Sochi’s track suits him just fine. \u00a0By Turn 8 he would find himself up in 2nd place. \u00a0It was here on the first lap that Ice, Mater, and Jamonito made their push to catch up, while Jaronimus, Danger Wheel, and Launch languished far behind.<\/p>\n
As Nero rounded the final two corners, Mater made his move on the inside of The Stig in Turn 8. \u00a0Unfortunately, he clipped his opponent and was sent into the \u00a0barriers and out of the race. \u00a0The Stig miraculously escaped any damage of his own, and was even able to keep up with his teammate.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Mater crashes out<\/p><\/div>\n
Among the front runners, the key moment of the race to this point surrounded the pits. \u00a0Nero dove for fresh tyres and minor repairs, while Jaap decided to press on with the car as is. \u00a0Jamonito and Ice followed Nero in, but the Stig followed Jaap’s lead in skipping a tyre change. \u00a0When all was said and done, Jaap found himself in the lead, with Nero in 2nd and the Stig in 3rd place.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jaap edges ahead of Nero<\/p><\/div>\n
Jaap established a small lead with smooth running through the first three corners on the second lap. \u00a0Ice found speed aplenty down the pit straight and managed to catch up with Nero in a Cobalt battle for second. \u00a0Jamonito kept pace with the Stig. \u00a0Amongst those trailing, Captain Slow was once again living up to his name, allowing Danger Wheel by and finding Launch soon hot on his tail. \u00a0Jaronimous, had a disastrous third sector of lap 1 and would never again challenge even a single car the rest of the way.<\/p>\n
The second lap didn’t have near as much drama as the first lap. \u00a0Jaap never put a wheel wrong through sector 2, and despite Nero and Ice doing their best to follow, they couldn’t capitalize on a mistake when no mistakes were being made. To their credit, the two drivers who’ve had the worst season to date\u00a0proved why they were so formidable last season, pushing Jaap the whole way and keeping their challengers in the distance.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The leaders spread out<\/p><\/div>\n
The battle of note, therefore, was for fourth position. \u00a0Danger Wheel took advantage of mistakes by the Stig and Jamonito to catch up with them in Turn 3. He then passed them in Turn 4 as both were a bit slow on entry and he was able to scoot past them. \u00a0This would’ve been the time that Captain Slow caught up with his teammate, but he too wasn’t able to find the right line at Turn 4.<\/p>\n
The one moment where it looked like Nero or Ice might actually be able to catch up with Jaap was at Turn 9. \u00a0Having completely worn out his tyres over the course of the two laps, Jaap had to be extremely cautious around the final two bends. \u00a0Nero and Ice, on the other hand, were charging. \u00a0Carefully navigating Turn 10, however, Jaap had just enough speed to cross the line ahead of Ice, who came from as far back as 8th on lap 1 to finish 2nd. \u00a0Nero followed in 3rd.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Ice and Nero can’t quite catch Jaap<\/p><\/div>\n
Danger Wheel drove a professional second lap to take an uneventful fourth place. \u00a0The battle for 5th place came to a head in Turn 8, with Jamonito and the Stig getting there first, but Launch and Captain Slow hot on their heels. \u00a0Navigating through debris left on the track earlier, Jamonito found his way to the front of the group. \u00a0With plenty of life left in his tyres, he was free to push around the final bend, ultimately finishing closer to Danger Wheel than those he’d been fighting with.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Launch sneaks past the Stig<\/p><\/div>\n
The final placement between the Scandinavian Blitz teammates and Launch came down to how hard they’d pushed earlier. \u00a0The Stig had to take the slower, outside line to keep his car on the track, while Launch was able to sneak around him on the inside, and then bring it home down the straight.<\/p>\n
Final Results<\/h3>\n
| Driver<\/th>\n | Start<\/th>\n | Lap<\/th>\n | Finish<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaap Snellrijder (RM)<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ice\u00a0(CO)<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nero (CO)<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Danger Wheel\u00a0(RB)<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jamonito del Verde (ORC)<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Launch Bornado (RM)<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| The Stig (SB)<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Captain Slow (SB)<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jaronimus Maximus (ORC)<\/td>\n | 10<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mater (RB)<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n | 10<\/td>\n | 10, dnf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Sochi marks the third time we’ve raced a track that we raced last year, and Jaap’s victory makes him the first driver to win twice on the same track. \u00a0It’s also his second victory of the year, coming after\u00a0a pair of disappointing 7th pace finishes since his win in Monaco. \u00a0Coupled with Jaronimus’ worst race of the season, Jaap edges out his Osito Racing Company rival to move back into first place.<\/p>\n Ice’s 2nd place finish pulls him all the way from 9th up to 6th in the driver standings, while Nero gets out of the cellar for the first time since the first race of the season. \u00a0Danger Wheel finshed 4th for the fourth time this year, which pushes him up to 3rd in the overall standings.<\/p>\n Intriguingly, the Sochi results have left us with a pair of ties in the driver standings. \u00a0Launch and Jamonito are now tied for 4th place, just 3 points behind Danger Wheel, while Mater and the Stig are tied for 7th, just 4 points behind Ice.<\/p>\n At the team level, Cobalt’s 33 points are easily their best of the season, and second best ever. \u00a0It puts them back ahead of Scandinavian Blitz. \u00a0Regency Motors, meanwhile, takes back a slim lead over Osito Racing Company. \u00a0Red Bull stays in 3rd.<\/p>\n Race Gallery<\/h3>\n\n\t\t |