Category Archives: Race Previews

Valencia Preview

Posted on May 18, 2017 | Leave a comment

The final round of the 2016-17 SBMRL season takes us, once again, to Valencia, Spain.  The street circuit situated around the harbor last hosted a Formula 1 grand prix in 2012, but the SBMRL hasn’t abandoned it yet, finishing up each season there.

Valencia

A lap around the Valencia Street Circuit is nothing like the the long open course of Magny-Cours.  Instead, the circuit opens with the tight right hander of Principal 1, which is immediately followed by Veles e Vents.  There’s little speed to be gained here, which is unfortunate as a bit of speed is exactly what’s needed to transition smoothly into Malvarosa.  There are a few options for managing this section of the track and none of them are particularly appealing.

Malvarosa will slow the field down before spitting them out onto the bridge straight, the longest of the circuit.  The best chance to open things up a bit is then frustrated by the tricky Nazaret corner at the far end.  It’s a corner that really demands some speed both on entry and exit, and that’s not an easy combination to pull off.

The final sector features the long Grao corner and the short Principal 2.  Combined with the pit straight and Principal 1, this part of the track is the only spot to put together a nice rhythm and feel like things are really clicking, but it’ll almost certainly be broken up by people diving for the pits.  There simply aren’t any easy lines around Valencia, and that’s one of the big appeals of the track.  It’s really hard to pull away and stay ahead, so expect a tight race.

Last year’s race saw Nero catch the Stig in the final corner to cement a dramatic win.  The only thing preventing that from pulling him up into 2nd place in the driver standings was Launch finishing in 3rd place.  The race was marked by passing.  The aforementioned pass by Nero was the most notable, but there were also great passes by Captain Slow, who slipstreamed around Danger Wheel on his way across the finish line, and Jaap, who passed three cars in the final sector.  The one team that didn’t have a positive ending was the pair of Mater and Danger Wheel, who were on the receiving end of those passes.

Starting Grid

The cars line up in reverse order of the current driver standings, but with a pair of ties, tie breaker goes to the car that finished further back in France.  That means Nero gets pole position over Captain Slow, and Launch Bornado is forced to line up next to his teammate on the back row of the grid.  This will be Nero’s 6th start from pole this season, as he simply hasn’t been able to dig himself out of the hole of 3 DNF’s in the first 5 races.

  1. Nero (CO)
  2. Captain Slow (SB)
  3. The Stig (SB)
  4. Ice (CO)
  5. Mater (RB)
  6. Danger Wheel (RB)
  7. Jamonito del Verde (ORC)
  8. Jaronimus Maximus (ORC)
  9. Launch Bornado (RM)
  10. Jaap Snellrijder (RM)

Pit selection is reverse order of average starting grid position, which is easy for the first three teams given that they each have a grid row to themselves.  The tie for Scandinavian Blitz and Cobalt is broken by reverse order of team standings, giving the slight edge to the boys in red.

  1. Regency Motors
  2. Osito Racing Company
  3. Red Bull
  4. Scandinavian Blitz
  5. Cobalt

Spanish driver Jamonito del Verde gets the home race bonus for this round of the championship, and given how tight the standings are, it can’t come at a better time.  Incidentally, he is the only driver on the grid to finish ahead of his teammate more often than not but be lower in the standings.  He’s also the only remaining driver on the grid without a victory to his credit.

Final Race Outlook

As previously stated, the standings could scarcely be tighter at the top or the bottom.  Any of the four Regency Motors or Osito Racing Company drivers could come away with the driver’s championship.  Unlike last year when he had locked up the title prior to Valencia, Jaap has just a 2 point lead over Jaronimus and Launch, with Jamonito sitting 9 points back.  Those margins are nothing more than a whisker, and it’s entirely possible we’ll have a tie when all is said and done.

Just a bit off the pace, 13 and 14 points behind Jamonito, are Danger Wheel and Mater, respectively.  Either could insert themselves into the top 4 with a victory and some misfortune for their opponents.  Danger Wheel actually has a mathematical chance at the title, but things would have to align perfectly.

At the bottom of the grid, Nero and Ice find themselves looking for redemption while the Stig and Captain Slow seek respect.  None of them are in the running for anything more than a participation ribbon, but all hope to avoid the ignominy of finishing last.

Regency Motors has a slight edge in the team standings, meaning as long as they can keep up with the green liveried Osito cars, they should be able to bring it home.  Red Bull will hope for more, but a solid middle of the pack finish will lock up the 3rd place that they’ve been sitting in for much of the year.  It’ll take a minor miracle to vault Scandinavian Blitz into 3rd place, everything would have to go right for them with both Cobalt and Red Bull struggling.  Cobalt is slightly better off, but have the advantage that they’re only trying to jump over one team.

Leave a comment

Posted in Race Previews

Tagged ,

Magny-Cours Preview

Posted on April 14, 2017 | Leave a comment

The Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours will play host to the penultimate round of the 2016-17 SBMRL season.  The track is a new one for SBMRL drivers, and one that Formula 1 drivers haven’t raced on since 2008.

Originally designed and built in 1960, with several corners named in homage of the tracks that inspired them, the circuit didn’t play host to Formula 1 racing until 1991.  Due to poor attendance and financing issues, Formula 1 left after the 2008 race, and many were not disappointed due to a lack of overtaking.  That’s unlikely to be a problem for SBMRL drivers, who’ve shown a proclivity for the pass.

A lap around Magny-Cours starts on the relatively short pit straight with a short run up from the starting line to Grande Courbe.  This is an easy left hander followed by a short straight, and then the corner on the track that will have everyone drooling.  The Estoril corner is the longest, smoothest corner on the league calendar.  It can easily be taken in 5th gear with little concern for consequences.  The incredibly long Golf straight follows, meaning there’s no need to worry about what’s coming ahead.

That opening combination in the first sector means that it’s entirely possible for cars to spend a good portion of the sector in 6th gear.  Cars near the front of the grid will be at a slight disadvantage if they can’t get off the line quickly and pick up speed.  Those in the middle of the field will have the easiest time shifting up through the gears smoothly as they get under way.  For those who’ve managed to handle it properly, there will be no need to downshift at all in the first sector.

The second sector is where cars will have to slam on the breaks.  The Adelaide corner is a tight one that will have cars downshifting rapidly after the Golf straight.  This is where things might start to look tricky, but Magny-Cours will likely prove to be more forgiving than it initially appears.  The Nurburgring bend won’t slow cars down too much, and the 180 corner after that is tight but manageable.  Hit it right, and cars will be flying off to sector 3 and Imola.

The final sector has the quick combination of Imola and Chateau D’Eau, which will slow the field moderately.  This will be a good spot to pass if cars can maintain speed through it, as the straight before the final Complexe du Lycée can catch cars in between gears.  That last chicane will really slow the field down before heading out on the second lap.

Magny-Cours is a circuit that will test each driver’s ability to get the most of their car, and will also reveal a lot about their tolerance for risk.  There will be ample opportunity to stay in the higher gears, but running at the front will be key to making that tactic work.  If the ideal racing lines get closed off in front, it will be much harder to tolerate the risks of running too fast.

STARTING GRID

Sochi shook up the standings quite a bit and has left everything in turmoil.  That said, with two races left to go, the drivers and teams at the back of the standings are just about out of time if they still hope to catch up.  It’s now or never for them.  Here’s how the grid will shape up on race day:

  1. Captain Slow (SB)
  2. Nero (CO)
  3. Mater (RB)
  4. The Stig (SB)
  5. Ice (CO)
  6. Launch Bornado (RM)
  7. Jamonito del Verde (ORC)
  8. Danger Wheel (RB)
  9. Jaronimus Maximus (ORC)
  10. Jaap Snellrijder (RM)

Mater gets tie breaker preference with the Stig after finishing behind the Stig in Russia.  Likewise, Launch gets preference over Jamonito.

Pit selection is reverse order of average starting grid position, with ties broken in reverse order of team standings.  Osito Racing Company and Regency Motors are tied in terms of average starting position, so Osito gets first pit choice due to being farther down the team standings.

  1. Osito Racing Company
  2. Regency Motors
  3. Red Bull
  4. Cobalt
  5. Scandinavian Blitz

Since this is our first trip to France to race at Magny-Cours, it’s hard to know what to expect out of the teams.  The most similar track we’ve raced at is probably Interlagos, where Osito Racing Company established themselves as serious contenders for both championship titles.  Expect some high speed wheel-to-wheel action and possibly even a blown engine or two.

Leave a comment

Posted in Race Previews

Tagged ,

Russia Preview

Posted on March 10, 2017 | Leave a comment

Just like last year, our 7th race of the season will be held in Sochi, Russia.  Located on the northeast edge of the Black Sea, the Formula 1 circuit runs through the 2014 Winter Olympic host city.

The track places the starting grid far back on the longest straight, which means that cars near the back of the grid will have plenty of time to gather up speed into turn 1.  It’s therefore unlikely that those at the front will have any significant advantage from a speed standpoint.  However, as we’ve seen at some of our other races this year, the presence of two additional cars in the field mean that the corner has a good chance of being blocked off, forcing those at the back to slow down just to avoid contact.

Turn 2 is a sweeping left hander that was the site of Ice knocking Nero out of the race a year ago.  It can be taken at speed and may be a good spot for overtaking.  What follows will then be a series of sharp, 90 degree corners in quick succession.  This section is a key rhythm section of the track, and opens up on a back straight which is the only place other than the front straight to engage the higher gears.

The third sector is highlighted by the complicated turn 8, where cars will be forced to slow significantly after the back straight.  Two more 90 degree right handers then spit the cars onto the tail end of the starting grid for the long pit straight.  It’s worth noting that the entrance to pit lane immediately follows the final corner, meaning anyone carrying too much speed through there may not be able to enter the pits at all.

Last year’s race in Sochi was marked by the aforementioned elimination of Nero in turn 2, which was particularly significant given that it was his teammate Ice who caused the collision.  Captian Slow also made his mark, slipstreaming past Danger Wheel at the final moment to snatch 4th place.  The victor, was Jaap, who started 8th and last on the grid, making it the lowest grid position anyone came from to win last year.  That has since been eclipsed twice, once by himself, and once by Jaronimus, both of whom won races after starting 9th this year.

Starting Grid

The results of Germany have caused a minor shuffling of the starting grid order for Russia, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that Nero will start on pole position.  Despite his 3rd place finish, he hasn’t moved up out of the bottom of the standings, and will start his 5th consecutive race at the front.  With Ice’s poor showing Cobalt locks out the front row.

  1. Nero (CO)
  2. Ice (CO)
  3. Captain Slow (SB)
  4. The Stig (SB)
  5. Mater (RB)
  6. Jamonito del Verde (ORC)
  7. Danger Wheel (RB)
  8. Launch Bornado (RM)
  9. Jaap Snellrijder (RM)
  10. Jaronimus Maximus (ORC)

Pit selection is reverse order of average starting grid position, which means that despite Osito Racing Company leading the team standings, they won’t get first choice of pits.  Jamonito’s higher grid slot means that Regency Motors has a slightly worse average start position, so they’ll have the first choice.

  1. Regency Motors
  2. Osito Racing Company
  3. Red Bull
  4. Scandinavian Blitz
  5. Cobalt

No driver has Sochi as their home race this year, so all will be on equal footing.  The long approach to turn 1 means that starting position will be less important than it typically is.  However, pit selection may be more important than normal given that the entrance to pit lane is right after turn 10.

Leave a comment

Posted in Race Previews

Tagged ,