For the SBMRL’s February race, the league heads to Italy to race at the famed Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
It’s the first time that the SBMRL will race at one of racing’s most famous circuits. Only England’s Brooklands and the United States’ Indianapolis Motor Speedway predate Monza as purpose built motor racing circuits, with Monza being constructed in 1922. In its various forms, the track has hosted more Formula 1 Grand Prix than any other racing circuit. The banked oval is no longer in use.
The pit straight is the longest straight on the track, and leads into the Variante Del Rettifilo Tribune, or Rettifilo for short. Rettifilo slows the field down before the long looping Curva Grande that can be taken at full throttle. It heads into the Variante Della Roggia, which is a quick chicane that can be taken at speed if you can get your line right.
Almost no time at all is between Roggia and the Prima Curva Di Lesmo, which is followed immediately by the Seconda Curva di Lesmo. It’s functionally a wide hairpin that then spits the field out at speed for a nice long run into the track’s third chicane, the Variante Ascari.
The third sector is that chicane followed by a straight, the famous Curva Parbolica, and then the pit straight. Monza is the shortest circuit on the calendar, so there won’t be as many opportunities for cars at the back of the field to catch up or pass.
Starting Grid
The starting grid for Monza will be as follows:
- The Stig (SB)
- Mario (SM)
- Luigi (SM)
- Rask Sjofar (SB)
- Launch Bornado (FR)
- Whiplash (RM)
- Delilah Whipplefilter (FR)
- Jaap Snellrijder (RM)
The Stig and Mario are tied at the bottom of the standings, but Mario finished ahead of the Stig at Laguna Seca so the Stig gets pole.
Launch and Rask are currently tied on 63 points for 4th in the driver standings. With Rask winning the last race, Launch would normally get the higher grid position. However, Launch also caused the Stig to crash out of the race in Laguna Seca, resulting in a 1 slot gird penalty. The end result is that Rask will start 4th, and Launch 5th.
Pit selection is far less complicated, as there are no ties in the team standings:
- Regency Motors
- Force Ravenswood
- Scandinavian Blitz
- Switch Motorsport
Home race bonuses at Monza will go to Mario and Luigi, who are both Italian.