![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.rhinopeel.com\/sbmrl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_2127.jpg\")
<\/a>Everyone squeezes into Veles e Vents<\/p><\/div>\n
The pack moved on towards Malvarrosa with Danger Wheel joining the front four Scandinavian Blitz and Cobalt drivers.\u00a0 Nero suffered some damage as Captain Slow misjudged the slowdown heading into the turn.\u00a0 He then clipped Nero\u2019s front wing again as he tried to sneak past in the middle of the corner.\u00a0 Sadly, it was Nero\u2019s own teammate, Ice, who ultimately knocked him out of the race just as they were coming out onto the bridge straight.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Nero knocked out<\/p><\/div>\n
At this point, the Stig had managed to stay ahead of the chaos behind and charged on towards Nazaret.\u00a0 Jaronimus Maximus had flown through Malvarrosa with speed and carried that onto the bridge straight, with Ice and Launch close behind.\u00a0 The latter of whom had managed to weave through the field after starting all the way back in 9th.\u00a0 With Danger Wheel running 5th, each team was represented in the top 5.\u00a0 That would only last briefly, however, as Jaronimus\u2019 speed heading into Nazaret proved too great.\u00a0 He was unable to find his way around the Stig without bumping hard into his rival, ending his race then and there.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jaronimus hits the Stig<\/p><\/div>\n
With two cars out of the race and less than half a lap completed, the rest of the field took a bit more care.\u00a0 At this point, Launch and the Stig began establishing themselves as the two contenders at the front.\u00a0 Danger Wheel, Ice, Captain Slow, and Jamonito battled it out in the middle, while Jaap and Mater struggled to keep up with the pace.<\/p>\n
The third sector was where Launch was able to get an\u00a0edge on the Stig.\u00a0 He was able to find a better line through Grao, coming out of it with the speed needed to smoothly run through Principal 2 and into the pits.\u00a0 While the Stig struggled, Danger Wheel took advantage and caught up.\u00a0 Similarly, his teammate, Mater was able to get the jump on the middle pack, leaving Jaap alone in back.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Launch finishes Lap 1 in front<\/p><\/div>\n
As the second lap began, Launch, Danger Wheel, and the Stig were far ahead of the rest of the field.\u00a0 Ice skipped the pits in an effort to bypass his rivals, while Regency Motors pitted Jaap quickly to get him back in the thick of things.\u00a0 Jamonito was the last car to make it out of the pits and embark on his second circuit.<\/p>\n
Into Malvarrosa, Launch continued to hold a comfortable margin over Danger Wheel, who had by now established the same over the Stig.\u00a0 However, Ice, Mater, and Jamonito had now taken\u00a0a bit of an edge over Jaap and Captain Slow at the back.\u00a0 The field was so spread out that Launch was on his way into Grao when the trailers were just getting into Malvarrosa.<\/p>\n
<\/a>All spread out<\/p><\/div>\n
The bridge straight was taken at speed by Jamonito, who was able to use that speed to charge forward and catch the Stig at Nazaret.\u00a0 Ice and Mater weren\u2019t quite up to the same task, but it was Jaap who was charging now from the back.\u00a0 He had managed, like Jamonito, to carry speed down the bridge straight in an effort to make his charge.<\/p>\n
As Launch and Danger Wheel navigated through Grao with little suspense, the battles behind them were tight.\u00a0 The Stig and Jamonito battled for third place through Nazaret, and behind them, Mater and Ice followed closely.\u00a0 They left little room for Jaap, who was forced over debris left on the track by Jaronimus\u2019s crash on lap 1.\u00a0 Jaap\u2019s suspension snapped, leaving two of the top 3 drivers in the standings out of the race.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jaap’s second straight DNF<\/p><\/div>\n
As Launch rounded Principal 2 for an uncontested march to the finish, Danger Wheel followed in procession.\u00a0 The battle for third place, however, had a new entry in it.\u00a0 With the Stig and Jamonito fighting it out, Ice had managed to force his car into the mix.\u00a0 He came into Grao with speed, and due to the effort needed to get there and lack of a pit stop, had worn his gearbox down completely.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that meant that he carried too much speed through the corner, and couldn\u2019t keep it on the track.\u00a0 His momentary shot at 3rd place wiped out.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Ice coning through Grao, just before his luck ran out<\/p><\/div>\n
Grao proved to be the undoing of other races, too, although not in quite as severe a fashion.\u00a0 While the Stig was unable to carry speed through the corner, Jamonito was, and he used that to set up a pass around the final bend of Principal 2.\u00a0 From there it was a drag race to the finish that saw him make good on that advantage.<\/p>\n
The final finishers came down to Mater and Captain Slow.\u00a0 Mater fell foul of Grao\u2019s speed trap, though, and spun out as he came out of the corner.\u00a0 That was all that Captain Slow needed to pass him and take an easy 5th place, with Mater righting his car and finishing a lonely 6th.<\/p>\n
Final Results<\/h3>\n
| Driver<\/th>\n | Start<\/th>\n | Lap<\/th>\n | Finish<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch Bornado (RM)<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Danger Wheel\u00a0(RB)<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jamonito del Verde (ORC)<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| The Stig (SB)<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n | 3<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Captain Slow (SB)<\/td>\n | 2<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mater (RB)<\/td>\n | 5<\/td>\n | 7<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ice\u00a0(CO)<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n | 4<\/td>\n | 7, dnf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jaap Snellrijder (RM)<\/td>\n | 10<\/td>\n | 6<\/td>\n | 8, dnf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jaronimus Maximus (ORC)<\/td>\n | 8<\/td>\n | 9<\/td>\n | 9, dnf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nero (CO)<\/td>\n | 1<\/td>\n | 10<\/td>\n | 10, dnf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Having never won a race until last time out in Magny-Cours, Launch\u2019s victory at Valencia marks the first time a driver has ever won back-to-back races in the SBMRL. It also makes him this season\u2019s championship driver. \u00a0Jamonito\u2019s 3rd place finish, coupled with DNF\u2019s from Jaap and Jaronimus allow\u00a0him to leapfrog them into 2nd place.<\/p>\n Danger Wheel\u2019s 2nd place finish didn\u2019t quite do enough to catch Jaap and Jaronimus, but it was his best showing for the year. \u00a0With the Stig in 4th place, we once again had 4 different teams represented in the top 4 finishers. \u00a0This is the first time that’s happened in consecutive races.<\/p>\n Nero\u2019s early DNF made the battle to avoid the cellar end quickly. There really wasn\u2019t much that Nero could have done, and no driver has suffered as much damage in such a short space of time as Nero did in Malvarrosa. \u00a0His teammate, Ice, marked his first ever DNF.<\/p>\n At the team level, Launch’s win sealed the deal for Regency Motors to repeat as the team champions. \u00a0Newcomer Osito Racing Company takes a superb second place, which is all the more impressive after their debut race in Spa was a bit of a disaster. \u00a0Scandinavian Blitz’s strong showing easily put them ahead of Cobalt to avoid last place.<\/p>\n Race Gallery<\/h3>\n\n\t\t |