[Griever20]

Russian GP: Race Ticker
motorsport-live.com

May 29th, 2016

It is 22°C and cloudy for the fifth round of the World Motorsport Championship and the president of the Russian Federation is in attendance for the race. Lipponen once again starts on the hard tyre, so do Gonzalez and De Graaf in the top ten.

Lap 1:
The last cars that got it wrong in qualifying line up at the back and lots of hard tyres there once again. Chapman and Wexler are waiting like they did last week... can the Rossini driver get the first corner right this time?

The red lights are on... one.. two... three... four... five...

AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!

A SOLID START BY ALL OF THEM BUT LIPPONEN GETS SQUEEZED IN TURN ONE AND LOSES OUT TO SHARP... AND THE PANTHER GOES PAST EVERYBODY AND IN THE LEAD.

A Thornton got wide in the back, and De Graaf lost out big time at the start, down in P19. They are fighting like lions up there in the top five and Nina Holtz pips two drivers in the final corner and is in P3 after one lap, and Oliveira followed suit!

1. Sharp 2. Chapman +1.4 3. Holtz +1.9
Woodford P14 +8.1
Vidal P18 9.9

Lap 2:
The order is settling down with Wexler P4, Oliveira P5, then Saarinen and Lipponen

1. Sharp 2. Chapman +1.2 3. Holtz +2.2
Woodford P16 +14.2
Vidal P19 15.6

Lap 3:
1. Sharp 2. Chapman +1.5 3. Holtz +2.2
Woodford P16 +18.4
Vidal P20 21

Lap 4:
Loads of lock ups at the back of the field... that'll give some vibrations and problems for the pit strategy.

1. Sharp 2. Chapman +3.0 3. Holtz +3.2
Woodford P16 +22.4
Vidal P20 26.1

Lap 5:
Wexler jumps Holtz on the back straight, much better traction here...

1. Sharp 2. Chapman +2.8 3. Wexler +3.4
Woodford P16 +26.2
Vidal P20 29.6

Lap 6:
1. Sharp 2. Chapman +1.9 3. Wexler +2.9
Woodford P18 +32.1
Vidal P20 33.4

Lap 7:
1. Sharp 2. Chapman +0.9 3. Wexler +2.1
Woodford P19 +37.5
Vidal P20 38.1

Lap 8:
The soft runners come into the pits, Chapman, Wexler, Holtz all in.

1. Sharp 2. Oliveira +6.1 3. Saarinen +9.6
Vidal P18 +40.5
Woodford P20 +42.3

Lap 9:
Sharp dives in and Oliveira and Lipponen take the lead... and Chapman gets in front of Sharp in the pits... undercut guys.

1. Oliveira 2. Lipponen +2 3. Chapman +11
Vidal P19 +44.1
Woodford P20 +45.7

Lap 10:
Oliveira in now, can Lipponen strech out his lead and gain some ground in the stops?

1. Lipponen 2. Chapman +7.1 3. Sharp +12.2
Vidal P19 +37.9
Woodford P20 +40.1

Lap 11:
The answer is... not on Chapman, who bites 1.2 out of his lead.

1. Lipponen 2. Chapman +5.9 3. Sharp +12.3
Vidal P17 +39.5
Woodford P18 +41.5

Lap 11:
And he comes in and will lose alot of ground.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +6.2 3. Wexler +10.3
Vidal P16 +34.9
Woodford P20 +64

Lap 12:
Wexler is the only frontrunner on the hard compound right now... and has the second Steinmann all over his gearbox.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +6.9 3. Wexler +12.1
Vidal P19 +59.6
Woodford P20 +62.2

Lap 13:
1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.1 3. Wexler +12.3
Vidal P19 +61.6
Woodford P20 +63.5

Lap 14:
1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.2 3. Wexler +12.6
Vidal P19 +62.2
Woodford P20 +65

Lap 15:
1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.6 3. Wexler +12.6
Vidal P19 +65.7
Woodford P20 +68.4

Lap 16:
Chapman is streaking away slowly but has to pit earlier than the rest...quiet race. Wexler holds third place and may be in a good position to jump the Panther.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.6 3. Wexler +12.8
Vidal P19 +69.1
Woodford P20 +71.8

Lap 17:
1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.4 3. Wexler +13.4
Vidal P19 +72.3
Woodford P20 +75.3

Lap 18:
Chapman's tyres are starting to wear according to a team radio. He needs at least two more laps to finish cleanly on a hard compound with only one stop.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +6.1 3. Wexler +13.1
Vidal P19 +74.9
Woodford P20 +78

Lap 19:
And he stays ouit despite losing 1.5 seconds to Sharpon that lap.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +4.6 3. Wexler +12.2
Vidal P19 +76.7
Woodford P20 +80.3

Lap 20:
And he calls for new tyres at the end of lap 20... Sharp takes the lead, Wexler P2, Holtz comes in again, synchonized pit stops for Steinmann.

1. Sharp 2. Wexler +8.1 3. Lipponen +12.0
Vidal P19 +78.2
Woodford P20 +82.1

Lap 21:
Harry Chapman out on the medium tyre... if that holds up?

1. Sharp 2. Wexler +8.1 3. Lipponen +10.1
Vidal P19 +75.5
Woodford P20 +79.5

Lap 22:
And Sharp pits, let's see if the Panther pit crew can work some magic? She is P5 after the stop and Chapman is 7.4 up the road... we are in for three straight for the British superstar it seems.

1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +2.3 3. Chapman +3.1
Vidal P18 +77.3
Woodford P20 +81

Lap 23:
1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +2.6 3. Chapman +3.0
Vidal P18 +71.2
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 24:
The tyres of the two frontrunners look awful and Lipponen reacts!

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.0 3. Sharp +8.9
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 25:
Wexler comes in but lost way too much time on the old, hard tyres, falls behind Holtz, now will the old medium tyres survive till the end, or can Wexler win some places on track with his soft tyres? He is P4 for now.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +6.2 3. Holtz +17.2
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 26:
The Rossini is now 0.9 seconds behind P3... but the other two are long ways away with seven laps to go.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.9 3. Holtz +17.1
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 27:
AND HE GOES DOWN THE OUTSIDE IN THE 90G! GREAT MOVE! And sets the fastest lap, 1:22.233. Sharp 1:23.135, Chapman 1:23.275. Wexler needs to get even faster if he wants more than P3.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.4 3. Wexler +17.0
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 28:
Uhh, he lost alot of time when lapping Vidal, clumsy there by both of them. That will be discussed after the race.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.5 3. Wexler +17.0
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 29:
1. Chapman 2. Sharp +8.9 3. Wexler +17.1
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 30:
Wexler's only hope is that the tyres go away with three to go.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +8.1 3. Wexler +15
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 31:
1. Chapman 2. Sharp +8.8 3. Wexler +14.7
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Lap 32:
Not going to happen.

1. Chapman 2. Sharp +7.3 3. Wexler +14.9
Vidal P19 1 LAP
Woodford P20 +1LAP

Final Lap:
Chapman makes it THREE IN A ROW on the last bit of rubber, but he did it. Sharp is on the podium again, and Wexler's mad dash falls short for P3. Lipponen takes Holtz with a dangerous move into the long ballet corner and is P4. Not a great race for the German.