Silver Bullet Memorial Racing League

Buddh Recap

Posted on March 12, 2025 | Leave a comment

The SBMRL raced at Buddh International Circuit in February, in what was the league’s 3rd visit to the track in India. The February race would make it two thirds of the season complete. While Pieter entered the race still comfortably in first place, the rest of the standings were still very close.

Here’s how the drivers lined up:

P1 – Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FP)
P2 – Felix (SM)
P3 – Parker Lacroix (SB)
P4 – Max (SM)
P5 – Ramen Acuna Jr (MnS)
P6 – Liu S. Amil X (FP)
P7 – Magnus Rasksen (SB)
P8 – Orzo Albies (MnS)
P9 – Stoot van Vaart (RM)
P10 – Pieter Pieperpoes (RM)

As the lights went out and the cars raced to through the first bend, Parker, Mail, and Felix established an early leading pack. Stoot found early congestion to be to his benefit, as he was able to move up a few places from the back of the grid, insering himself in amongst those who started well ahead of him.

The long back straight between Turns 2 and 3 would be where things started to shake up a bit. Felix was the first one to find a line for Turn 3, and with the rest of the field jockeying for position behind him. Too many cars for too little space on the track made for a field that was literally racing wheel to wheel and bumper to bumper. Only Felix and Orza avoided the fray, although Orzo certainly would’ve liked to have been in there, too.

The technical curves that make up much of the second sector began to spread the field out a bit. Felix maintained his lead, but it was here that Fir Splays and Regency Motors began to form a challenger group. Mai was at the head of it, and Pieter and fought his way all the way up to run as high as 3rd. The trailing group consisted of the rest of the field, with Orzo having been able to join up with them.

The transition between Turn 6 and Turn 7 are where things started to shift at the front. Mai found a rhythm that Felix was unable to defend against. Pieter pulled just ahead of Liu and Stoot, and would find himself battling with Felix for 2nd position by the end of the lap.

Mai had run a clean first lap, sparing his tires enough that he made the decision to skip the pits and fly down the pit straight. The decision worked out tremendously for him as he established a significant lead to start the second lap.

Pieter’s Regency Motors pit crew changed his tires in record time, sending him on his way fast enough that he came out of the pits ahead of Felix, who did not pit. The two would start the second lap as the only ones with any real shot at closing the gap to Mai. The rest of the field all opted to pit, opening up a gap between them and the front runners.

As Mai finished out the first sector of his second lap, those at the back were just coming out of their pit stops. At this point, Pieter was up in second place having gained a small edge on Felix. Stoot was well back, but running in fourth, followed by Magnus and Liu. Parker, Ramen, Max, and Orzo made up the backmarkers.

The top three cars, Mai, Pieter, and Felix, ran comfortably spaced out in that order through the second sector, but there was a fair amount of jockeying for position behind them. Magnus, Liu, and Stoot made up the midfield and found themselves closely aligned through Turn 3.

A few moments later, Ramen, Parker, Max, and Orzo were all in a similar state of mutual contention.

The back of the field was also hotly contested

Mai cruised through the second sector, calmly hitting his lines and making no mistakes. Behind him, Pieter was unsuccessfully trying to keep Mai in his sights. As they drove on through the third sector, the gap between the race leader and second place was getting larger.

In third place, Felix was being pursued by Stoot, Liu, and Magnus. The trio fought neck and neck through the second sector. At they charged into Turn 6, Stoot and Liu finally caught up with Felix, passing him on the inside.

It was at this point, with Pieter in Turn 7 and still having two more turns to go, that Mai won.

Mai crosses the finish well ahead of everyone

With victory out of reach, things were getting interesting further back. Pieter, as already mentioned, was having some struggles that kept him from keeping pace with Mai. Liu, Stoot, and Felix were in a battle for 3rd place, and Orzo, Magnus, and Max were in a 3-way battle of their own. Only Parker was lagging significantly behind.

The trio behind Pieter were having a very different third sector than the driver standings leader. They were hitting the corners in rhythm and Pieter’s inability to do so caught up with him in the final bend.

While Pieter made it to Turn 9 before the others, his inability to cut the inside line at speed left him unable to carry speed down the straight. All three of Felix, Liu, and Stoot passed him on the way to the checkered flag, finishing in that order.

Magnus, Orzo, Max, Ramen, and Parker ended up getting a bit of space between them in the third sector. Running comfortably in 6th place and trying to keep Orzo at bay, Magnus’s engine blew out just as he had the finish line in his sights. It was his second DNF of the season, and particularly difficult after struggling last time out.

Orzo would be the one to capitalize with a finish one higher than he was expecting just moments earlier.

Running behind him was Max, who was having a similar challenge that Pieter did in terms of a struggle to find speed through the final corner. Ramen, on the other hand, was now playing the role that Felix, Liu, and Stoot had done just a few moments earlier.

That burst of speed allowed Ramen to take 7th place just ahead of Max. Parker rounded out the running field, finishing 9th in what was a miserable day for Scandinavian Blitz.

Final Results

Driver	Start	Lap	Finish
Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FS)	1	1	1
Felix (SM)	2	3	2
Liu S. Amil X (FS)	6	5	3
Stoot van Vaart (RM)	9	4	4
Pieter Pieperpoes (RM)	10	2	5
Orzo Albies (MnS)	8	10	6
Ramen Acuna Jr. (MnS)	5	8	7
Max (SM)	4	7	8
Parker Lacroix (SB)	3	9	9
Magnus Rasksen (SB)	7	6	10*

* Did not finish

Mai’s win was a huge redemption for him after struggling for most of the season. Aside from a 2nd place finish in Portugal, he hadn’t finished any higher than 7th place. The dominating performance, particularly his ability to run away with things on the second lap, meant that there really wasn’t anyone close to him in terms of form on the day. The large points haul from the victory lifts him all the way from last to 5th in the driver standings.

Felix’s second place means that he’s now finished in a different position in every race he’s been in. It’s his best showing of the year and while he was passed by Mai in the standings, he’s only 1 point back. Liu’s 3rd place showing means that all three of our podium finishers recorded their second podium of the year. Liu has now moved all the way up into a tie for 3rd place with Orzo. At 63 points, there’s only 4 points between him and Felix.

The double podium for Fir Splays matches Regency Motors early season form for the largest single race points haul of the season. Only a 1-2 finish could score a team more points, and Fir Splays has now leapt into 2nd place in the team standings. They were the only team to gain ground on Regency Motors whose points total was matched by Switch Motorsports. Despite that Mac ‘N Speed remained ahead of Switch in 3rd place. Scandinavian Blitz has now dropped to the bottom.

Race Gallery

Buddh Preview

Posted on February 19, 2025 | Leave a comment

It’s been seven years since the SBMRL went to India to race Buddh International Circuit, but that’s exactly where we’re headed this February. Originally hosting its first Grand Prix in 2011, Formula 1 raced there for only three seasons before tax disputes caused them to end. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won all three races. This year’s SBMRL race will be the third time we’ve visited, albeit spread out across a number of years.

Buddh’s pit straight is one of the shortest you’ll typically see. The starting line is set back just enough to push the back of the grid right up to the exit of the final corner. At the front, the ideal spot may actually be the second row rather than the first due to the sharp right hander that is Turn 1.

Coming out of Turn 2 with speed for the long straight is extremely helpful. Expect a bit more speed through here on lap 2 from those who don’t pit. On lap 1 the field will largely still be building up to their top gears.

Turn 3 will see a lot of braking and tire abuse, as it’s a terrible place to get things wrong. The lead into Turn 4 requires a good run in the previous corner, and it’s much better to downshift agressively at the latter of the two corners.

The second sector isn’t too complicated, with Turn 5 keeping speeds down but otherwise unlikely to cause anyone much trouble. Turn 6 is equally forgiving. The only thing there is that while it may not be a challenging corner, there are chances for passing through it that drivers will be looking to take advantage of.

The final sector is deceptive in its simplicity, its opportunity for high speeds, and its potential for gut wrenching mistakes. It’s really all about rhythm, and those who get it right will be a big advantage. Just don’t overshoot the final corner if you need to enter the pits, as the entrance to pit lane comes immediately out of the final bend.

Starting Grid

As always, the starting grid for Road Atlanta will be the reverse order of the driver standings. A number of ties in the standings were broken in Argentina, so no need for any tie breakers this time out:

Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FP)*
Felix (SM)^~
Parker Lacroix (SB)^~
Max (SM)
Ramen Acuna Jr (MnS)*
Liu S. Amil X (FP)
Magnus Rasksen (SB)
Orzo Albies (MnS)
Stoot van Vaart (RM)
Pieter Pieperpoes (RM)

Pit selection will be in order of team standings.

Regency Motors
Mac ‘N Speed
Scandinavian Blitz
Fir Splays⁺
Switch Motorsports⁺

* Buddh is the home race for Mai and Ramen. As such, each driver will have a slight advantage in car setup.
^~ Parker lines up behind Felix due to the tie breaker of reverse of last race finish.
⁺ Fir Splays selects pit ahead of Swith Motorsports due to having a lower average grid position.

Race Outlook

Parker’s last second victory in Atlanta didn’t move him that much higher in the standings, although he is certainly in a much more competitive position now. Will the tie breaker pushing him down a grid slot actually work in his favor given the track layout? Another victory could see him as high as the top 3 in the standings now.

With Felix on the front row and Max behind him, Switch Motorsports will be looking to cash in on those positions and have a strong team showing. The driver with the most to prove is perhaps Magnus, who’s Atlanta race was disastrous but still leaves him 4th in the standings.

Aside from Switch Motorsports, Fir Splays will be hoping for big things from pole sitter Mai. If Liu can make a few passes from 6th on the grid, they’ve got a good shot at moving up the standings, too. Everyone is still chasing Regency Motors, with Mac ‘N Speed still a full race worth of points behind. The orange liveried cars didn’t fare too well in Atlanta, and if that continues in Buddh things will start to get rather intriguing at the top.

Atlanta Recap

Posted on February 12, 2025 | Leave a comment

January brought the SBMRL to Road Atlanta for the first time in league history. Excitement was high after Orzo’s victory in Argentina had broken Regency Motors’ run. Parker’s late race engine failure left him resolute to have a better outcome this time around.

P1 – Parker Lacroix (SB)
P2 – Max (SM)
P3 – Ramen Acuna Jr (MnS)
P4 – Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FP)
P5 – Felix (SM)
P6 – Liu S. Amil X (FP)
P7 – Orzo Albies (MnS)
P8 – Magnus Rasksen (SB)
P9 – Stoot van Vaart (RM)
P10 – Pieter Pieperpoes (RM)

As the lights went out and the cars pulled away, the short run up to the first corner gave an immediate edge to the front row cars of Parker and Max. Ramen also pulled away well, with the rest of the field getting all bunched up behind them. Despite a lot of jostling for position in the first sector, no one was really able to gain any sort of real advantage.

Parker ahead with the rest of the field still closely packed

The second sector saw Parker and Ramen pull a bit ahead as Max fell back in with the rest of the field. Mai gradually emerged as one of the stronger contenders among them. Pieter also found speed down the back straight, setting himself up for a strong third sector on the first lap.

As Parker and Ramen went into the pits for fresh tires, Pieter sat in 3rd place, just coming around the final bend. Most of the rest of the field was still navigating Turn 5, with all but Liu and Magnus with a few car lengths of each other. Magnus was well back, even of Liu, and having what can only be described as a dreadful first lap.

The second lap began with a minor bump between our front runners. Ramen’s path through Turn 1 caught Parker off guard and he suffered a bit of minor front wing damage, potentially compromising the rest of his lap.

Felix, who was near the back of the trailing pack, was the first driver to choose not to pit in hopes of getting a leg up on the group. The gamble did pay off, as he was able to form a smaller challenging pack with Pieter and Orzo.

A trio of cars try to catch up with Ramen and Parker

The field really was spreading out by this point. Front to back, Ramen and Parker were in Turn 3 as Magnus was still in the pit lane, but others were also struggling to keep up. Shoot and Liu, in particular were falling behind the the group.

Coming out of Turn 4, Ramon and Parker were starting to get reeled in by Orzo and Felix. Max and Pieter were just a little behind them, with Stoot and Mai trying to catch up. Ramen, however, found his speed in the higher gears giving himself a slight advantage. Parker was caught up by Orzo on the back straight, although Felix couldn’t quite keep up. Peter and Mai were able to find speed, too, leaving Stoot behind with Liu beginning to press him for position.

The final corner was where the winner would be decided. Ramen took the inside line, but suffered minor body damage as Parker tried to press him from the outside. The two raced side by side down the finish straight with next to nothing between them. In the end, Ramen, who had led since the middle of the first lap, found himself just eked out by Parker, who took home a thrilling win with that last second pass.

It’s at this point that it should be noted what a tremendous second lap that Max was putting together. Max had been running down in 7th early in the lap, but a good back straight and finding the perfect rhythm in the corners had him neck and neck with Orzo in the final turn. Just like Parker and Ramen before them, the difference between Max and Orzo would be who could find speed out of the final bend. Once again, it was the Mac ’N Speed driver who lost out to a last second pass from a rival.

The next group to charge hard toward the finish was the trio of Mai, Pieter, and Felix. They finished in the order just listed, all of them finding similar speed around the final corner and finishing with just fractions of a second between the three of them.

Mai, Pieter, and Felix come around the final bend

Stoot had a rough second and third sector, eventually being reeled in by Liu. Magnus finished last in a performance he’ll be happy to put behind him.

Final Results

Driver	Start	Lap	Finish
Parker Lacroix (SB)	1	2	1
Ramen Acuna Jr. (MnS)	3	1	2
Max (SM)	2	6	3
Orzo Albies (MnS)	4	7	4
Liu S. Amil X (FS)	6	5	5
Pieter Pieperpoes (RM)	10	3	6
Felix (SM)	5	4	7
Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FS)	4	9	8
Stoot van Vaart (RM)	9	8	9
Magnus Rasksen (SB)	8	10	10

The win for Parker was a joyous turnaround after Argentina’s engine blow out, and gives him two races in a row where he’s performed extremely well. It’s a shame he wasn’t rewarded for it last time out. It’s also the first win of the year for Scandinavian Blitz.

Ramen’s 2nd place after leading a huge part of the race is slightly disappointing for that reason, but it’s a great result for him as his first podium. He certainly deserved it. Max’s 3rd place is also his first podium of the year. Together, our three podium finishers were also the cars that started top 3 on the grid, the first time that has happened this year.

Pieter remains atop the driver standings, increasing his lead over Stoot slightly. Orzo’s fourth pace finish puts him up in 3rd, with Magnus falling down a spot. At the other end of the standings, Mai’s 8th place finish has him dropping down to last place.

For the first time this year, Regency Motors scored the fewest points. Magnus’s struggles means that Scandinavian Blitz were actually outscored by Mac ‘N Speed despite Parker’s win. The pasta powered performance moves their team up to 2nd in the team standings. Switch Motorsports scored 21 points to tie up with Firs Splays at the back end of the standings.