The SBMRL’s January race takes us back to the United States. This time, the teams head to Georgia to race Road Atlanta. The circuit was first opened in 1970, and is located a little under an hour northeast of Atlanta. It has hosted a variety of formats of racing, including Petit Le Mans endurance races. It first appeared in a video game in a Commodore 64 game in 1985’s Racing Destruction Set. After the SBMRL’s visit to Argentina, teams will be hoping Road Atlanta is a little more forgiving than the game’s reputation. This will be the league’s first visit to the Georgian circuit.
Road Atlanta figures to be a quicker race with only 6 corners of note that the drivers will have to deal with. The pit straight is quite short and the first corner is so close to the starting line that the run up is almost inconsequential for the front row. Those at the front will be able to treat the first corner as if it’s not even there.
A short straight leads into Turn 2’s chicane that will likely keep those front starting grid cars from running away with things too quickly. The slowdown there should give others a bit of a chance to catch up their less idea starting position.
Turn 3 will be key to a good lap. Hitting is just right will allow drivers to keep their speed into the following straight, whereas getting it wrong will mean watching others fly off in the distance.
The fourth corner is a wide hair pin. Cars will want to come in slow and out fast as the longest straight of the circuit is what follows. Coming out at top speed to head down the track will be an advantage, but it’s also long enough that a bad exit can be overcome at the other end.
Turn 5 is a lot like Turn 2, a chicane that will slow the field down. Only this time, it’s at the end of a very long straight. Coming in too hard will require heavy braking to handle the back end. There’s only a moderate distance to the circuit’s final corner. This is another spot where a good line and the right gear could make a big difference. Don’t be surprised to see a late pass here at the end of the race for a podium position.
Despite Road Atlanta’s relatively short length and limited corners, the circuit has some notably challenging aspects to it that should result in some interesting racing. Expect a race that’s a bit easier on engines than some of the season’s earlier races, but don’t be surprised to see gear boxes take up that burden.
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:
- Parker Lacroix (SB)
- Max (SM)*
- Ramen Acuna Jr (MnS)
- Mai “Cashew” Maghur (FP)
- Felix (SM)*
- Liu S. Amil X (FP)
- Orzo Albies (MnS)
- Magnus Rasksen (SB)
- Stoot van Vaart (RM)
- Pieter Pieperpoes (RM)
Pit selection will be in order of team standings.
- Regency Motors
- Mac ‘N Speed
- Fir Splays
- Scandinavian Blitz
- Switch Motorsports
* It should additionally be noted that American drivers Felix and Max have Road Atlanta as their home race. This means that each driver will have a slight bonus in terms of car setup that they can take advantage of.
Race Outlook
After dominating in Argentina for 3/4 of the race, all eyes will be on Parker and his efforts to recover from a heartbreaking DNF. He’s got a lot of ground to make up in the standings, but he’s proven he has what it takes if the car will carry him there. His teammate, Magnus, is currently best poised to break up the Regency Motors drivers at the top of the standings, but every team has a driver in the top 6.
At a team level, the standings are still very tight behind Regency Motors. With 9 points separating the other four teams, whoever does best will likely be at the top of the group. Mac ‘N Speed currently have the momentum on their side. Will it stay with them, or will Switch Motorsports take their home race advantage to the checkered flag?