Silver Bullet Memorial Racing League

Atlanta Preview

Posted on January 22, 2025 | Leave a comment

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?

Argentina Recap

Posted on January 22, 2025 | Leave a comment

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 cars go two and three wide as they battle

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

Argentina Preview

Posted on December 11, 2024 | Leave a comment

The Argentine Grand Prix, hosted at the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez near Buenos Aires, was a part of the Formula 1 calendar from 1953 to 1998. The Buenos Aires Grand Prix actually dates back to 1930, even before Formula 1 existed, at other tracks prior to this one being built.

The SBMRL has raced there only once, back in January 2019, over 5 years ago, with Whiplash of Sprite Racing taking the victory.

The start-finish line of the circuit is right in the middle of a very long straight, which leads in the gentle right hand bend of Curva Numero Uno. This can be taken at speed and likely won’t slow too many cars down on the first lap. There is an advantage to being at the front of the grid here, but it likely won’t be a deciding factor in the race. The second corner, Curva de la Confiteria is similarly forgiving, and expect the cars to take it at speed. The key point of the first sector is undoubtedly the third corner. It’s short and depending on how the previous corner went, this one might catch some cars out.

That third corner is absolutely critical because if hit right, Curvon can be taken at the speed needed to really fly down the next straight. It’s much longer than it looks and only the pit straight is longer. Curva De Ascari shouldn’t require much braking. If anyone is slowing down here they’ll be struggling to catch up. The Entrada a los Mixtos hairpin takes the field back inside the general track layout and begins the slowest section of the track.

Coming out of Entrada a los Mixtos at speed is of no benefit, so it’s here that the field will really slow down. Vibratoria is a chicane that is perfectly manageable, but drivers will want to get themselves set up for Curva del Ombu and the following straight. It’s long enough to get some speed going again, although that speed will need to be scrubbed off for the Senna “S”. The Senna “S” is a classic slow in fast out corner and this is the place on the track most likely to tax a gear box as it shifts back down. There’s a decently long straight coming out of it before the final turn, Horquilla, and given the length of the pit straight, you do want to be as fast through there as possible. It’s also worth noting that the pit entry is fairly far along.

Buenos Aires has a tremendous mix of high speed bends, slow corners, and rhythm sections that will test the drivers’ ability to manage all of that. Engines will be pushed to their limits, cars will get bunched at times, but there will also be big opportunities to get ahead or fall far behind.