The December race for SBMRL was hosted in Argentina, marking the second time that the SBMRL had visited the South American country. With Regency Motors having won each of the first four races of the season, the big question was who, if anyone, would be able to unseat them at the top of the podium.
The drivers lined up as follows:
P1 – Parker Lacroix (SB)
P2 – Orzo Albies (MnS)
P3 – Liu S. Amil X (FP)
P4 – Ramen Acuna Jr (MnS)
P5 – Felix (SM)
P6 – Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FP)
P7 – Max (SM)
P8 – Magnus Rasksen (SB)
P9 – Stoot van Vaart (RM)
P10 – Pieter Pieperpoes (RM)
For the first time in the season, we had an uneventful start. Every driver pulled away from the starting grid, although it was the drivers at opposite ends that had the best getaways. Parker was the first into Curva Numero Uno while Pieter was already passing others at the back.
Parker was able to leverage his pole position and smooth start to be among the leaders through the first sector. Orzo was his main challenger, eventually joining in a back and forth battle for the lead that would continue into the second sector. Liu dropped back into a battle with others behind them. That included a large group of cars represnting every team: Felix, Ramen, Magnus and Pieter among them.
The first driver to break from the pack and join the leaders was Orzo’s teammate Ramen, catching up to them by hitting the Curva de Ascari at speed. As they ploughed forward, nearly the rest of the entire field battled neck and neck through the same bend. Only Mai, who was struggling for pace was left out of the scrum.
The third sector on the first lap started proved tricky for some. The first big change actually came from Pieter, who found himself suddenly leading the race through the Senna S, a portion the track that scrambled the field. Orzo and Parker kept up with him, while behind them, Ramen bumped into Magnus. It wasn’t just the two of them that had issues, though. Max and Mai, who were fighting at the back of the field, also collided. Max came off worse for the wear, suffering severe body damage that knocked him out of the race completely.
Pieter, having pushed his car hard to get into the front running from a starting position at the back, went into the pits for fresh tires while Orzo and Parker stayed out. The result was that Parker established himself slightly ahead of the rest through the first sector. Ramen, Liu, and Magnus were the next group across the line, with Stoot, Felix, and Mai trailing.
The first sector of the second lap saw Parker maintain his lead. Liu was able to make it a pack of three challengers rather than two with a nifty move in the Curva de la Confiteria. Pieter was impacted by a minor collision with Orzo and began to fall slightly behind. Felix and Stoot were gradually falling further back, while Mai was suffering from a severe case of slowness. The Fir Splays driver seemingly unable to find any rhythm anywhere on the track.
The next major event of the race took place when Parker was flying down the back straight and into the Curva de Ascari. Driving at maximum speed and ready to run away with things, Parker’s engine gave out.
It was a bitter disappointment for the driver who most needed a victory, particularly after running such a fine race to that point, hardly putting a foot wrong.
The lead of the race was inherited by Orzo, with Liu behind and a battle brewing between Ramen and Pieter. Mac ‘N Speed holding two of the top 4 cars at this point. The second sector saw Felix start to fade a bit, allowing Stoot and Magnus to begin fighting each other for 5th.
The final sector of the race would not be without event, either. Orzo led but Pieter and Ramen were hot on the heels of Liu.
Liu was able to leverage a bit of track position into the Senna S, forcing Pieter and Ramen to slow more than they would’ve liked. Meanwhile, Magnus was gaining a small advantage on Stoot in this challenging section.
With battles raging behind, Orzo cruised through what turned out to be an easy final sector and to his first win.
Unfortunately for Mac ‘N Speed, as Orzo was taking victory, Ramen was finding himself unable to complete the race. Battling Pieter for 3rd place, Ramen hit some road debris and a broken suspension left him unable to complete the final corner of the race.
The battle for third place left Liu all alone to take 2nd place. Ramen’s fate left Pieter no challenger for the final podium spot. Fourth place ended up being equally uneventful. Magnus took that position as Stoot found himself suddenly in a battle with Felix. It was one that Felix would win. That left just Mai, whose race can comfortably be described as disastrous.
Trailing by what seemed like miles, Mai decided to milk his time alone on the track, slowing down in the final straight, crossing the line as slowly as possible. SBMRL officials were not amused, leveraging a hefty fine against the driver and his team. Race victor Orzo had a different take, “I don’t know what the big deal is. I couldn’t tell any difference with what he did at the end and the rest of his race.”
Final Results
| Driver | Start | Lap | Finish | |
| Orzo Albies (MnS) | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Liu S. Amil X (FS) | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| Pieter Pieperpoes (RM) | 10 | 2 | 3 | |
| Magnus Rasksen (SB) | 8 | 6 | 4 | |
| Felix (SM) | 5 | 8 | 5 | |
| Stoot van Vaart (RM) | 9 | 7 | 6 | |
| Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FS) | 6 | 9 | 7 | |
| Ramen Acuna Jr. (MnS) | 4 | 4 | 8 | |
| Max (SM) | 1 | 3 | 9* | |
| Parker Lacroix (SB) | 7 | 10* | 10* | |
* – DNF
Orzo is the first Mac ‘N Speed driver to take a victory and the win makes him the 17th different driver to win an SBMRL race. He led more of the race than any other driver, never giving up the lead after Parker’s elimination. It’s also Orzo’s first podium and he has now improved his finish position in every one of his races. The large points haul moves him up into 4th in the driver standings.
Liu’s second place is also his first podium. While Liu never led the race, he ran in the top 4 throughout almost the entire contest. His finish moves him up to 5th in the driver standings, behind Orzo. Pieter’s podium is his 3rd of the short season and stretches his lead over Stoot.
At a team lever, Pieter’s performance and the trio of DNF’s means that Regency Motors continues to hold a strong lead. The rest of the standings remain very tight even if Mac ‘N Speed and Fir Splays did cut into the lead a little bit. Mac ‘N Speed are now in 2nd place with Fir Splays just behind. Scandinavian Blitz and Switch Motorsports aren’t that far back, either. Only 9 points separates the four teams.
Race Gallery
