The Return of Lotus(A non OOTP Dynasty)

[Griever20]

British GP: Race Notebook
motorsport-live.com

July 16th, 2017

There it is again. Harry Chapman retains a 100% win rate here in Guildford, and after the first corner, it was walk in the park. "I did not realize that Wexler went off the road, when I saw the black Lotus behind me, I just hope they would hold Wexler up, it wasn't until like lap 5-6 when I learned about that in team radio."

With Wexler falling way back, and Holtz falling pack in her second stop, he always had a comfortable lead.

Holtz Taking a Break in the Pit Lane:
"That was an odd feeling. I thought, 'OK, a little repair on the engine, no problem'. And then, I'm standing there in the pit lane for like 30 seconds," she said. Holtz finished only seventh.

"We had to refill some oil," a Steinmann engineer explained. "The problem was that we had to put the engine cover back on, and that became a nightmare as something did bend the wrong way under the heat of the engine."

Wexler Blows First Corner:
This would've been a different race if Dieter Wexler in the Rossini would not have missed the first corner. He fell well back down the food chain and had to fight back for P4 eventually.

"I looked into the mirror and saw the Lotus tucked right behind me and somehow, I misjudged the braking point after that. I think the brakes were a bit cold, maybe I screwed that up in the formation lap, have to look at the data," said a visibly unhappy Wexler.

Crashes:
The safety car was not needed, but the waved yellows usually mean the end of the race for a driver, in this case two. "My bad, I screwed up the corner, went in too fast, and the back stepped out. Hit the barrier, race over. Could've been a great result," was what Winston Margate of Panther had to say. Indeed, he ran the same strategy as Ana Oliveira whofinished third, and he was ahead of her.

The reason for Lipponen's crash was rather clear. "The brakes failed. Before I hit the wall, I saw a puff of black smoke coming out of the top left front brake and just let it go to not hit the wall with the side..."

Home Sweet Home
For Lotus Racing as their #1 driver Iker Vidal collected a great second place, just miles away from their factory here in Guildford. "It was great to finish on the podium in front of our factory staff," said technical director Jenny Whitehouse. "The guys were all out there at the Club Corner stances and I saw tweets of them celebrating our cars every lap."

After Eight Races:
The pendulum... seems stuck on the Steinmann side these days and that is only Wexler's fault this race. While the Italian outfit seems to have the fastest car these days, they are not able to convert that into more than pole positions, and the Steinmann ace Harry Chapman has taken the spoils most of the time.

Still, Chapman only leads by three points with Steinmann leading by 22 points in the constructors. With Windsor ace Lipponen crashing out, Lotus gained three points on them and 14 on Van Dort to make the race for fourth in the constructors interesting again.

Race Result:

Standings:

[Griever20]

Driving closer to the front is way more fun... you can actually capitalize on the mistakes of the front runners without being in traffic. Chapman was never in range, and Holtz only ended up behind us because of them stacking the cars and the bad engine repair... and the Wexler thing...

I'm not even sure if we would've finished in front of Margate if the lad had not crashed out. Woodford drove a solid race despite his cold and finished in the ballpark where we expected him.

Development Report:
Ok, we have 17 days till the Italian GP, home of Rossini and the tifosi, and we will have a second 2017 Mk IV Jenny Whitehouse aggregate for Jeremy... and should be able to have a new gearbox for him... as he still uses a horrible 2016 Mk I. That will be our next goal... gearbox....

[Griever20]

Lotus Racing:
Engine: 2nd(+3)
Gearbox: 8th(+1)
Brakes: 5th(-1)
Front Wing: 4th
Suspension: 8th
Rear Wing: 10th(-1)
Overall: 6th

The second engine we build... was a leap forward. Jenny found +90 performance in that one, and it became the SECOND BEST engine on the grid. I REPEAT. SECOND. BEST. And we got it up to 100% reliability, so expect weight stripping.

In addition to that, we build a basic 2017 Mk II gearbox and got it race ready and will now focus on building a new big gearbox... unfortunately, it will mostly depend on what Jenny pulls out of her hat...

Sponsors:

Fixed Payment Sponsors:
Hyper Tech(13/14 races) $500k upfront, $500k per race
Cortés Tyre Co(12/15) $500k upfront, $400k per race
Jogo Games(7/12) $250k upfront, $400k per race

Race Bonus Sponsors:
Condor Telecoms(8/8) $1M upfront, $800k bonus pool for 4th or above
Northern Harbour(3/6) $1.25M upfront, $880k bonus pool for 2nd or above
Special Effect – The gamers' charity(1/4) $1M upfront, $600k bonus pool for 7th or above

Special Effect... feels almost wrong to have them pay for the sponsor slot. They are a charity organisation that mostly collects money from PC gamers... the slot gets payed by the British government.

The Track:
The Royal Park of Milan. Years ago, this was the home of Ferrari, now it is the home of Rossini. One of three engine tracks in a row, it has a couple of hard braking zones into the Variante Ascari and the Rettifilo, and two high speed curves in the Parabolica and the Curva Grande... and getting those three turns right is key.

Last season, we scored here for the first time in 2016, a 10th place finish on a 1-stopper with madness and safety cars and stuff. This year, we could much further up on raw speed... they don't know about our new engine. They will soon.

Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
Things are close to the breaking point at Panther as a number of mechanics have openly complained about Winston Margate. "The dude is completely annoying. 'Is it just me, or are those spanners slightly out of line?' Dunno if this guy got OCD or what, but he needs to button it," a not to be named mechanic told BBC.

In the development race, Windsor Racing put in quite a change, bringing a new gearbox and new brakes to northern Italy. "We think that this upgrade will keep us firmly in front of the Lotus and Van Dort cars as our goal is fourth," via Claire Williams.

The best brakes seen in the WMC. That is what the Steinmann car has right now as they brought something new... and very exciting to this race. This could be another step back to domination for them.

Small step forward for Espirit GP. They brought a new rear wing that should help them out here. The team has not scored points since the third race of the season, the Chinese GP.

[Griever20]

Italian GP: Free Practice and Qualifying Report
motorsport-live.com

August 5th, 2017

With the Rossini team big in contention, the tifosi, fanatic Ferrari fans, adopted the Scuderia and appeared in bunches for Saturday action. However, this could be a rather disappointing weekend for the Italian fans as the Steinmann car could be superior here, and there are rumors about a very powerful Lotus-Ferrari engine being tried out by Iker Vidal here.

With three wins apiece, Wexler would love to take the win here though. "I remember, watching Michael Schumacher on TV, winning here for Ferrari. Must have been a great feeling."

And he smashed the gas pedal in free practice, 1:10.689 and fastest by +0.386 to his teammate Rafael Rodriguez and 0.646 faster than the first non-Rossini... but the Silver Arrows did not show their hand. Harry Chapman was sixth with a 1:12.044 on he hard compound... so the qualifying would be the moment of truth.

"We were trying to get a lap in on the soft tyre," Chapman said after practice."But we were like 20 seconds too late before the chequered flag."

The first to exit the pit lane and set a quick lap was Iker Vidal... with a 1:08.652, but by the time he crossed start-finish, Harry Chapman had already smashed his sector one and two times and was -0.263 faster at the second intermediate... and the final margin was -0.211, a 1:08.441 for Chapman... and all eyes were on Wexler now...

Sector one... FAST +0.004 slower than Chapman... Sector two... +0.001 this is incredibly close... 1:08.447 HE IS +0.006 slower than Chapman... HOLY MOLY! Vidal sensational third, Holtz fourth, Rodrigues fifth.

And onto the second try we go... Rodrigues and Wexler, then Chapman and Holtz, and Vidal the last of the top five to start their flying lap...

Wexler pink in sector one! -0.033... LIPPONEN PINK IN ONE! -0.077... Chapman matches Wexler by thousandth of a second!

-0.318 for Wexler in sector two... Lipponen slower... Chapman WAY SLOWER... Wexler provisional pole, 1.08.064, Rodrigues P3.... but here comes Lipponen and Chapman...

Lipponen P3, Chapman lost out! He is only second... but it is not over! Vidal in sector one... +0.028 to Wexler... no pole... +0.269 in sector two... BUT IN THE FRONT ROW! AMAZING VIDAL 1:08.245 for second place!

Team Radio of the Day:
"P2 mate, but a great lap. Six thousanth of a second slower that the Steinmann." "Your are kiddin' me..."
Dieter Wexler, Scuderia Rossini, after his first attempt was just +0.006 slower than Chapman.

--

This engine is absolutely fantastic and that baby got us into the FIRST ROW! $300k by our sponsors... and a chance for another big upset tomorrow... and a P13 qualifying for Woodford in the second car that is slowly coming along... well done by him as well...(yes, I praise Jeremy, miracles happen.)

On the strategy side, we will run the classic 1-stopper with Jeremy, hoping that he can for once make the tyres last, and start on the soft compound with Vidal.

On the weather side, it is slightly overcast with 20°C, and some whispers of rain were heard on Saturday evening... I'm not buying it.

[Griever20]

Italian GP: Race Ticker
motorsport-live.com

August 6th, 2017

It is time for V10 engines to scream in anger, and pain, as we await the start of round nine of the 2017 World Motorsport Championship here in Milan they Royal Park. Two Ferrari engines are parked in the front row with the Rossini-Ferrari of Dieter Wexler on pole, and the Lotus-Ferrari of Iker Vidal, however the home fans only have eyes for the pole man.

"I am used to that from other series," Vidal said about his front row position. "It's just the first time in this series." He looked a bit nervous however.

Lap 1:
Here we go, the formation lap is on... and 1-12 are all on the soft tyre... albeit the two Van Dort on used softs... I will never understand the idea behind THAT strategy.

Wexler brings them around, three quick burnouts while underway to the grid slot... and we are ready...

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

AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!

OHH VIDAL WITH A SLOW START HE IS FALLING WAY BACK ALREADY AND EVEN FURTHER IN THE CURVA GRANDE. Wexler is clear away and Rodrigues is up to fourth as all is going right for Rossini so far!

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +1.7 3. Lipponen +2.6
Woodford P8 +4.5
Vidal P9 +4.7

Lap 2:
Wexler pulled away by 1.5 seconds with the fastest lap of the bunch...

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.7 3. Lipponen +4.3
Vidal P8 +7.7
Woodford P9 +8.2

Lap 3:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.8 3. Lipponen +4.7
Vidal P8 +8.9
Woodford P11 +11.9

Lap 4:
Chapman a tad faster on this lap...

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.6 3. Lipponen +4.8
Vidal P8 +10.3
Woodford P12 +15.1

Lap 5:
Vidal is the big loser so far, down to eighth...

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.6 3. Lipponen +5.3
Vidal P8 +10.3
Woodford P13 +18.3

Lap 6:
Saarinen pits... why he started on those used softs... oh well.

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.8 3. Lipponen +5.5
Vidal P7 +11.9
Woodford P12 +19.7

Lap 7:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.8 3. Lipponen +6.2
Vidal P7 +13.5
Woodford P12 +21.0

Lap 8:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.9 3. Lipponen +6.5
Vidal P7 +14.4
Woodford P11 +22.5

Lap 9:
The first soft runners come in... and Vidal jumped Rodrigues in the pits! Great effort!

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +3.2 3. Lipponen +7.5
Woodford P7 +23.2
Vidal P16 +38.8 PIT

Lap 10:
And there come the leaders... and Chapman and Lipponen stay longer for repairs! Oh boy, Wexler is already out...

1. Holtz 2. Margate +1.2 3. Surikov +7.9
Woodford P4 +15.1
Vidal P16 +38.1

Lap 11:
And here come the remaining soft runners... their tyres look old...

1. Wexler 2. Woodford +1.9 3. Blanc +5.8
Vidal P11 +14.8

Lap 12:
OH NO! What a way to end a promising race! Jeremy Woodford, running in SECOND PLACE got the exit of the Rettifilo wrong, got on the gravel, and hit the wall. His race is over.

1. Wexler 2. Blanc +8.7 3. Schmidt +9.6
Vidal P9 +16.8

Lap 13:
Chapman on soft and Vidal on medium flying through the midfield...

1. Wexler 2. Blanc +11.9 3. Schmidt +12.6
Vidal P7 +18.0

Lap 14:
1. Wexler 2. Blanc +15.1 3. Schmidt +15.5
Vidal P7 +18.7

Lap 15:
Wexler is a time zone ahead...

1. Wexler 2. Blanc +18.6 3. Schmidt +19.0
Vidal P7 +20.5

Lap 16:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +13.9 3. Saarinen +17.2
Vidal P5 +17.6

Lap 17:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +12.8 3. Lipponen +17.2
Vidal P4 +18.1

Lap 18:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +14.6 3. Lipponen +19.2
Vidal P4 +19.7

Lap 19:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +15.5 3. Lipponen +19.5
Vidal P4 +19.8

Lap 20:
"BOX, BOX, BOX, we are going for soft. Let it fly mate," via Vidal's team radio. Chapman also in.

1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +19.9 3. Margate +21.3
Vidal P11 +44.6 PIT

Lap 21:
And there goes Rick De Graaf... same spot as Woodford... two retirements, two crashes...

1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +21.3 3. Margate +21.8
Vidal P11 +43.0

Lap 22:
Can the top 10 make their tyres last? Chapman and Vidal are flying in...

1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +23.0 3. Margate +24
Vidal P10 +42.1

Lap 23:
1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +25.0 3. Margate +26.7
Vidal P9 +42.8

Lap 24:
Chapman fourth, Vidal seventh as the hard tyres go away... 2 laps to go.

1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +26.7 3. Margate +28.4
Vidal P7 +42.8

Lap 25:
"Holtz 1.5 ahead, close down and kill her Iker," Vidal just set the fastest lap of the race 1:10.032.

1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +27.9 3. Margate +30.1
Vidal P6 +40.7

Final Lap:
Wexler brings home his fifth career victory in front if a fanatic crowd! Lipponen second, Margate third, Chapman fourth and Nina Holtz won the drag race over the line for fifth...

Dieter Wexler now leads the WDC by 10 points!

1. Wexler 2. Lipponen +28.5 3. Margate +31.4
Vidal P6 +39.9

[Griever20]

Italian GP: Race Notebook
motorsport-live.com

August 6th, 2017

"Scandalous. An absolute travesty. How can this happen," exclaimed BBC expert and former Formula One team boss Eddie Jordan. Just 30 minutes after the race, and after a thrilling podium procedure in front of 50000 Italian fans, Dieter Wexler, expected to be the race winner, was found to have run an illegal traction control system on his Ferrari engine, and was demoted four places to fifth.

Aki Lipponen therefore is the winner of the Italian GP, Margate in the Panther second, and Harry Chapman went from being 10 points behind in the Championship, to be eight points in front.

Busted Prancing Horse:
"I assume you, we did not know about that," said Ferrari engine boss Lorenzo Sassi. "They made those changes themselves... Given that they finished so far ahead, they would not even have need this." Traction control systems are banned in the WMC as they are deemed to as illegal driver aids.

This costs the Rossini dearly as it is the second time, Wexler's car was deemed illegal this season already, and he was not the only one. Lucío Flores of the Rezzato Corsa team also was demoted two places for running an illegal rear wing... too bad.

Lipponen Wins... Somehow:
Aki Lipponen was just talking with NBC's Will Buxton when actually, a Rossini engineer escorted by a GMA official approached him and handed him the winner's trophy with a official press release by the GMA coming out in that moment.

"Wow. The win? Great, great. It was a hard race and very close with Margate for second... now first. Missed a chance to hear the Finnish national anthem." It was Lipponen's second career win.

Tyres, Tyres, Tyres:
The decision to go from soft to hard and go with it was a hard one by Wexler and co., and could've gone horribly wrong in a heartbeat. "I was struggling to keep the car on the track, and I was leading by the time. Didn't want to know how that felt for the guys that were fighting with those tyres. All for naught anyways though," a visibly depressed Wexler said after race and penalty.

Making significant hay out of a bad situation were Harry Chapman, who made a 2-stopper with two soft tyres, and Vidal, who also changed to soft late. They overtook a number of drivers and ended up third and sixth, but it was a disappointing race for Vidal.

Lotus Woes:
"I messed that up big time," Iker Vidal put to protocol after the race. "If you screw up the start here, you automatically fall a good way back. The Curva Grande is flat out off the start, so no braking, and therefore I just fell down, and down and down and had to go for a recovery drive from there on." Things were worse for his teammate.

"I just had an incident all by myself. Trying to conserve the tyres to get the 1-stopper done without running on horribly worn tyres, I droped the ball, braked too late, jumped over the kerb, and there was the wall. A shame," said Jeremy Woodford, who was running for a points finish, the first of his career. Rick De Graaf of Espirit described his race ending incident with roughly the same words...

After Nine Races:
This result is a big blow to Dieter Wexler and the Rossini team as Wexler falls eight points behind, and the Steinmann Motorsport lead in the constructors is up to 33 points.

A big further down, Windsor seems to be save in fourth in the Constructors, and Lotus snuck past Van Dort for fifth by one point... good job by them. Down in the relegation zone... Vélan needs a mighty effort.

Race Result:

Standings:

[Griever20]

If you think we could've gotten more out of this race... you are probably right. Vidal messed up the start, which is a pretty big problem here. Jeremy got a great start and was the best of the 1-stoppers... up until he put his car into the wall... embarrassingly enough, and that hurt his... relationship building with his new race engineer... he could've netted himself something around 8-10th...

For Vidal, the only thing we could've done better would've been to stop a lap earlier to maximize the time on the soft tyre at the end... I fell asleep at the switch there a little bit and we lost time behind Lipponen...

We at least collected the complete $600k bonus pool from our race sponsor... we only lost $200k with that race... financially, we are sound...

Development Report:
We will finish the last pre-Whitehouse special gearbox before the next GP in 10 days, and then start building the real thing. But, bad news, the 2017 Mk I is not exactly a dream to develop further, so we may be spending a lot of cash for a marginal improvement...

[Griever20]

Lotus Racing:
Engine: 2nd
Gearbox: 8th
Brakes: 4th(+1)
Front Wing: 4th
Suspension: 9th(-1)
Rear Wing: 10th
Overall: 6th

So, performance work is finished on our big new engine, and we are back working on the brakes, that is all Iker's car so far. The brakes are back into fourth in performance, so that worked out, and we added a bit of reliability into the gearbox as well. The new gearbox? Thursday after the race.

Sponsors:

Fixed Payment Sponsors:
Hyper Tech(14/14 races) $500k upfront, $500k per race
Cortés Tyre Co(13/15) $500k upfront, $400k per race
Jogo Games(8/12) $250k upfront, $400k per race

Race Bonus Sponsors:
Northern Harbour(4/6) $1.25M upfront, $880k bonus pool for 2nd or above
Special Effect – The gamers' charity(2/4) $1M upfront, $600k bonus pool for 7th or above
El Banco(1/7) $3M upfront, $1M bonus pool for 3rd or above

El Banco is a Spanish bank and kinda got hot for us when Vidal finished second in the British GP. The chances of us bringing them to the race are slim, but the $3M upfront keep us firmly around $30M on the bank... maybe we CAN build the final factory upgrade this offseason?

The Track:
The track where carnage happened last year. Spa-Francorchamp. Starting in light rain, the high speed track saw various drivers make horrible tyre mistakes(hindsight is a wonderful thing) and then saw a safety car for a Saarinen crash, and a red flag to end the race a lap earlier as a number of drivers had completely worn tyres and were close to a major accident.

The Belgium GP in the Ardennes forest... Engine, low speed corners, acceleration, a long lap... but, no rain in the forecast. Sunny Saturday... overcast race with no real rain... that can change quickly here and we know it.

Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
Multiple reports have surfaced after the Italian GP that the Ferrari engines of the Scuderia Rossini and Lotus Racing are the two best engines on the grid, contrary of what was thought to be the case in Milan. How much of that was the illegal traction control system for Rossini?

Speaking of engines, the Swiss-based Vélan Racing team brought their own evolution of a Ferrari engine to Belgium, putting them middle of the pack in that area... they need every bit of horse power out of it.

On the other hand, the Steinmann squad added some bits and pieces to their rear wing, but, via Paddy Lock, their technical director, the wing was sheduled to be ready for Italy, but was delayed...

The Panther Race Team fitted a minor gearbox upgrade to their car for the next race, but it is quite clear that they can not match the development pace of Steinmann & Rossini... and Lotus, as a matter of fact.

[Griever20]

Belgium GP: Free Practice and Qualifying Report
motorsport-live.com

August 19th, 2017

And Saturday action here in Belgium was once again highly anticipated. Who will be on pole, can Wexler capture the next pole, can Chapman return to the front row? The long lap here in Spa-Francorchamp has to be pitch perfect for a pole time, and all runners know that...

It is a rather cold day here in the Ardennes Forest as we drive around at 14°C, and that has some advantages and disadvantages, via former F1 driver David Coulthard. "On the one hand, that makes it easier to keep the engine cool, on the other hand, tyre and brake temperatures can become a problem, and managing that, especially in a warm up lap for qualifying, will be crucial."

Things of course were muddy in free practice... or we could be in for a surprise. Harry Chapman put his Steinmann first with a late charge, 1:36.518, with Wexler second, 1:36.633. The shocker? Using the medium compound, the hardest available today, Ellie Marsh in Iker Vidal's Lotus was third with a 1:36.748, +0.230 from the soft runner Chapman...

Temperatures were up to 18°C for qualifying, and the sun came out... but all eyes were on the 20 cars on track. Iker Vidal was the first to leave the pits, followed by Woodford and Chapman... first intermediate... 27.286 Vidal... 27.277 Chapman... this is close...

Second intermediate... Vidal -0.089 ahead of Chapman... AND HE BEATS THE STEINMANN by -0.269 on start finish! Now, Wexler... +0.004 in sector one... +0.084 in sector two... Vidal was mighty in three... AND HE STAYS ON PROVISIONAL POLE as Wexler drives a 1:34.072 for P2!

While everyone was trying to wrap their head around the fact that Vidal was the only runner in the 33's... and they went out again with Vidal seemingly having the last word...

Wexler the first... first intermediate... -0.046 PINK... MARGATE -0.052 PINK... Chapman slower... OHHH Wexler got wide in the 11, sector two to hell... Margate +0.346 in two... this is looking good for Lotus...

Vidal PINK IN SECTOR ONE! -0.078 faster than his own time... and here come his challengers... AND THEY DO NOT IMPROVE! VIDAL HAS A POLE POSITION... AND SMASHES IS BEST TIME WITH A 1:33.691, another 0.175 faster!

Team Radio of the Day:
"P1, P1. Amazing. Absolutely stunning" "YES YES YES, GOOD JOB, THANK YOU! YES! You build me a monster of a car!"
Iker Vidal, Lotus Racing, after notching his FIRST pole position!

--

We are playing with the big boys. Kudos to our development and factory staff, they did an amazing job to give Vidal a blindingly quick car. We got pole by 0.381? I would've never expected this to happen in our second season. Never ever...

Oh, Woodford into P11 without the weight stripping on his car being as sophisticated... well done, he is slowly closing in on points...

19°C and sunny for the race start... Vidal will get another chance from the front row on supersoft... and we will give Jeremy the medium compound for a potential 1-stopper. A safety car in this long high speed circuit can kill any strategy, and I'm still aware of the chance of a sudden downpour.

[Griever20]

Belgium GP: Race Ticker
motorsport-live.com

August 20th, 2017

Surprise, surprise. It is Sunday here in Spa-Francorchamp, and there is a surprise pole setter in town in Iker Vidal, and two hungry chasers in Dieter Wexler and Harry Chapman behind him. "Not sure if the Lotus can bring that pace in the race," via Niki Lauda, expert for German TV. "Also, he missed the lights the last time he was in the first row so..."

To be fair, the Lotus looked quick last race in Italy in qualifying and not so fast in the race... so he may have a point there. If that is not the case... the battle between Wexler and Chapman is the one to watch...

Lap 1:
The cars are lining up with the black and golden Lotus on pole, and the top five on the supersoft tyre. Lipponen(P6), Holtz(P8) and Surikov(P9) on soft, and Woodford the first of the medium runner...

Here we go...

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

AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!

WEXLER WITH A GREAT START, HE GOES INTO THE FIRST CORNER SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE LOTUS... BUT IS ON THE OUTSIDE AND HAS TO YIELD!

But he does not go far as Wexler gets him at the exit of Eau Rouge, the corne where things went wrong for Rafael Rodrigues! The second Rossini driver missed the exit and ran wide... and has fallen way back, but luckily missed the other cars!

1. Wexler 2. Vidal +1.7 3. Chapman +2.0
Woodford P8 +7.1

Lap 2:
And as expected, Vidal yields to Chapman after Kemmel Straight.

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.7 3. Vidal +4.6
Woodford P9 +12.0

Lap 3:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.7 3. Vidal +4.8
Woodford P9 +14.9

Lap 4:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.5 3. Vidal +5.2
Woodford P9 +17.0

Lap 5:
"Ok, you are matching the pace of the leaders and pulling a small gap to Margate behind us. Keep it up," via Vidal's team radio.

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.3 3. Vidal +5.0
Woodford P9 +19.6

Lap 5:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.3 3. Vidal +5.0
Woodford P9 +19.6

Lap 6:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.7 3. Vidal +5.6
Woodford P9 +21.8

Lap 7:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.8 3. Vidal +5.4
Woodford P9 +23.6

Lap 8:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.8 3. Vidal +5.3
Woodford P9 +25.0

Lap 9:
"Box, Box, Box, fresh boots for you mate," Vidal in for fresh super softs...

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +2.0 3. Margate +9.2
Vidal P8 +25.7
Woodford P9 +26.2

Lap 10:
And the leaders come in and out... ahead of Vidal.

1. Margate 2. Holtz +3.0 3. Gonzalez +7.3
Vidal P7 +15.4
Woodford P9 +19.1

Lap 10:
1. Holtz 2. Wexler +10.0 3. Chapman +10.8
Vidal P4 +11.6
Woodford P9 +18.8

Lap 11:
Lotus blew the strategy as Vidal(supersoft) is stuck behind Chapman(medium)

1. Holtz 2. Wexler +9.8 3. Chapman +10.5
Vidal P4 +11.5
Woodford P6 +17.4

Lap 12:
1. Holtz 2. Wexler +7.6 3. Chapman +9.4
Vidal P4 +10.8
Woodford P6 +18.6

Lap 13:
1. Holtz 2. Wexler +5.3 3. Chapman +7.2
Vidal P4 +8.9
Woodford P6 +19.1

Lap 14:
1. Holtz 2. Wexler +3.3 3. Chapman +5.5
Vidal P4 +6.2
Woodford P6 +17.7

Lap 15:
Holtz pits and falls back due to rear wing repairs...

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +4.5 3. Vidal +4.7
Woodford P5 +18.9

Lap 16:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +4.2 3. Vidal +5.0
Woodford P15 +41.1 PIT

Lap 17:
And things got worse! Holtz collides with Lucía Flores and not only damages her front wing, but gets a drive through.

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +7.3 3. Vidal +7.8
Woodford P12 +44.8

Lap 18:
Vidal in and out in P5 .

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +7.5 3. Margate +21.3
Vidal P5 +31.2
Woodford P11 +46.7

Lap 19:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +8.2 3. Margate +21.1
Vidal P5 +29.6
Woodford P11 +47.8

Lap 20:
1.38.583, fastest lap for Vidal.

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +7.9 3. Margate +20.7
Vidal P5 +27.7
Woodford P9 +49.9

Lap 21:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +7.0 3. Margate +21.5
Vidal P5 +28.3
Woodford P9 +50.4

Lap 22:
And he is past Saarinen for fourth.

1. Wexler 2. Chapman +6.8 3. Margate +20.4
Vidal P4 +27.9
Woodford P9 +50.8

Lap 23:
1. Wexler 2. Chapman +5.5 3. Margate +21.1
Vidal P4 +26.3
Woodford P9 +51.2

Lap 24:
Wexler's tyres are gone and he pits again... enters in third.

1. Chapman 2. Margate +15.4 3. Wexler +18.5
Vidal P4 +21.1
Woodford P9 +51.9

Lap 25:
1. Chapman 2. Margate +15.1 3. Wexler +15.2
Vidal P4 +20.5
Woodford P9 +47.5

Lap 26:
Wexler past Margate for P2, but he lost today as Chapman somehow made a 1-stopper work.

1. Chapman 2. Wexler +11.9 3. Margate +16.1
Vidal P4 +19.3
Woodford P9 +47.5

Final Lap:
And Harry Chapman does it again. Wexler went with soft and had to pit twice, losing the win to, and Margate did the same thing, jumping Iker Vidal to get into third place. Mighty blow for Rossini and Wexler as the Steinmann driver now leads the WMC by 15 points!

1. Chapman 2. Wexler +10.4 3. Margate +15.2
Vidal P4 +19.0
Woodford P9 +48.2

[Griever20]

Belgium GP: Race Notebook
motorsport-live.com

August 20th, 2017

The pendulum is stuck on the side of the Silver Arrows as Chapman got the best of Dieter Wexler and the Rossini team by driving 10 laps on the soft tyre, and 17 on the medium compound to just make the chequered flag on his second hand tyres.

Both Wexler and Vidal were flying late in the race with Wexler putting in a 1:36.990 as the fastest lap by a country mile, but it was not enough to gain more places.

#2's Struggling
Winston Margate and Iker Vidal scored valuable points for their teams, and that was mostly because the number two drivers of Steinmann and Rossini failed to deliever today.

For Nina Holtz, she led the race a long time after starting the race on the soft compound, but after what was clocked a 15 second repair on her rear wing, she went on to cause an accident with Lucía Flores, collecting her in the Bruxelles Hairpin and collecting another pit stop to repair the front wing, and a drive through penalty to put her P16 in the end.

Rafael Rodrigues wildly blamed Aki Lipponen for his bad race. "He forced me onto the dirt and ultimately wide in Eau Rouge, so I had to put in a recovery drive from the back end of the field..." He finished sixth.

Off the Mark:
Appearing in his 26th race, Jeremy Woodford finally got the monkey of his back. A ninth place finish with a conservative 1-stop strategy from medium to soft saw the Brit collect his first career World Motorsport Championship points, and they were well earned.

"He is such a nice and positive lad, and kinda was forced into the paydriver and #2 driver role by that, and so he never had equal material to Vidal. Nice to see him score points, and the partnership with his new race engineer also seems to work," said Flavio Briatore, former Renault team boss.

After Ten Races:
The perception is that Rossini has the fastest car on the grid, but they just can not make it work in the race, getting outplayed by Steinmann on a number of occations, or they hurt themselves by getting penalized for illegal parts or by completely blowing the strategy.

Speaking of blowing something, the Van Dort Racing team saw its team principal hit the timing stand in anger when Iker Vidal passed Saarinen on track which now puts Lotus five points ahead in the Constructors.

Race Result:

Standings:

[Griever20]

That was a good race, but a bit of a bummer. We were right behind Chapman on track before the first pit stop, but our calculation was rubbish. We had Vidal to exit the pits in front of Woodford, instead, he exited behind, and we had to wave him through first... and that cost is invaluable seconds in the battle with Chapman.

Second mistake.... and that is really on me... Vidal had only five sets of super soft. 1 for free practice, two for qualifying... trying a 2 stopper with three sets of super softs... I messed that up. We will have to change the allocation of tyres going forward.

Now Jeremy... he is exactly where Iker was at the start of the season, which, given that we have to be conservative on his car with the weight stripping, is a compliment.

Development Report:
The first of the two new gearboxes should be ready in four days and for the US Grand Prix, and we will be able to put in some more factory work in the next 17 days to make it a beauty... hopefully.

[Griever20]

Lotus Racing:
Engine: 2nd
Gearbox: 7th(+1)
Brakes: 5th(-1)
Front Wing: 4th
Suspension: 9th
Rear Wing: 10th
Overall: 6th

So, we actually managed to get both gearboxes done and dusted, albeit Jeremy's is not yet fully upgraded to maximum performance. It is a small step in the overall rankings, but a big step in relative performance, and both are up to 100% reliability, so weight stripping is a thing again.

As for that, Alex and Jeremy are working good together... but it won't be before 2017 that we can really nurse the car home and therefore get every bit of performance out of the car...

We will go with the rear wing next, no special development pattern going forward... rear wing, suspension, and then we look into one or two parts for 2018... but since every part build for our 2017 car counts for 2018...

Sponsors:

Fixed Payment Sponsors:
Cortés Tyre Co(14/15) $500k upfront, $400k per race
Jogo Games(9/12) $250k upfront, $400k per race
Broadlake Clothing(1/15) $1M upfront, $650k per race

That is the big fish. We actually stole those guys from the Steinmann commercial department, and I love it. They are one of the biggest brands in Canada and they love to be on the rear wing of our car!

Race Bonus Sponsors:
Northern Harbour(5/6) $1.25M upfront, $880k bonus pool for 2nd or above
Special Effect – The gamers' charity(3/4) $1M upfront, $600k bonus pool for 7th or above
El Banco(2/7) $3M upfront, $1M bonus pool for 3rd or above

The Track:
The Phoenix Motor Speedway will be the theater for the next act of the 2017 WMC drama, and for us, 2016 was a real drama as we ran into a ton of blue flags on the banking and fell behind a long way.

Adding the fact that medium and high speed corners are the story here, don't expect miracles...

Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
This is no rumor, but a cold, hard fact. For 2018, the fastest lap of the race will account for two points. This marks the first rule change in the history of the WMC.

Another change on top... of the Drivers' union as Jeremy Woodford was appointed as the Union's leader. That means he will be a much more prominent figure in interviews and arguments with the race stewarts and the GMA.

"We got to defend fourth place," said Windsor team principal Claire Williams earlier last week, and they followed suit by assembling a new braking system and a new rear wing and flew both to the United States last minute. They think both parts are top four in the WMC.

The Steinmann crew is a bit off sync with upgrades as they have developed a thrilling, but a bit useless(for Phoenix) new front wing for their car. Give them credit, according to WMCRanks.com, they now have the best front & rear wing, suspension, brakes and gearbox... but somehow trail in the engine department.

Getting their upgrades to the right time... are the Van Dort guys as they made a decent step forward in suspension and rear wing performance, and they need it to as they want to capture fifth in the Constructors.

[Griever20]

US GP: Free Practice and Qualifying Report
motorsport-live.com

September 9th, 2017

It has been three long weeks since we last met, and since the European portion of the WMC's schedule ended with a thrilling race in Belgium. And that means that it is time for the US Grand Prix here in Phoenix, where last year, Nina Holtz displayed lots of speed and won in front of Ana Oliveira.

The Championship battle is heating up between Wexler and Chapman, but the Rossini driver needs a result this weekend to keep in touch with the reigning World Champion, and the same thing applies to his team... and then, there is the threat of Lotus Racing mixing things up in the race like they did ever so often this season.

And that became a point of discussion right away when Ellie Marsh, test driver by Lotus, was first in free practice with a 1:02.212 in front of Harry Chapman(1:02.235) and Dieter Wexler(1:02.331)... how fast will this car be with Iker Vidal in? Dan Martinson however dampened expectations, saying that "Ellie was told to use the highest motor mode and to push as we want to challenge her."

Proof or disproof was in the pudding in qualifying as Vidal and Woodford were the first two out there... and that became a thing as Vidal was almost three seconds faster than Marsh in free practice... 59.533! Right behind him was Chapman... and SLOWER! +0.142!

What is Wexler going to do... first intermediate... PINK... -0.040! Sector two... looks fast... IS FAST! -0.410.... now onto the banking and towards start-finish... 58.981! That is 0.552 faster than Vidal! HOLY! Wexler, then Vidal, then Chapman and Lipponen with a surprising fourth.

And out they went for another go! Chapman the first of the frontrunners... slow in sector one... slow in sector two... no improvement. Same story for Wexler... VIDAL +0.011 in sector one compared to Wexler's top lap... but he lost a ton of time in sector two... and qualifying ended a bit anticlimatic as nobody was able to improve.

Wexler, then Vidal and Chapman, Lipponen to round out row two, and Holtz and Rodrigues in row three.

Team Radio of the Day:
"P3 now, Wexler 58.981" "What did his car have for breakfast..."
Harry Chapman, Steinmann Motorsport, during his in lap.

--

This is going to be a 36 lap race that should be over rather quickly, and right now I am not really sure which way to go with Iker. Starting on the super soft, which is basically mandatory given that we worked hard for that front row start, the options I see is super soft-> medium -> supersoft, or super soft -> soft -> soft, with the later one already being marginal on tyre life...

As for Woodford, we will once again attempt a 1-stopper with a VERY conservative driving style for him, but the danger of him running into blue flags... not sure if this is a great race for him...

[Griever20]

US GP: Race Ticker
motorsport-live.com

September 10th, 2017

It is Sunday, which means we are racing here in Phoenix, Arizona for the second time in the WMC. Dieter Wexler has put in a stunning lap in qualifying yesterday, but needs to get the start done as the way to the first real corner is long on the banking, and a bad start means you can fall back a long way.

That could once again be an issue for Iker Vidal whose starts out of the first corner have been... lackluster to be honest, and Harry Chapman will certainly look to get past both to get track position, hoping to avoid a to see a Rossini driving away from the pack.

The braking zone towards the first corner and into the infield section will be crucial and could see some contact if somebody gets things wrong...

Lap 1:
And the cars come around, trying to warm up brakes and tyres, however when they reach their grid slot after the long run on the banking, both could be rather cold, making the run into the first corner interesting...

The top nine are all on the super soft compound, then Gonzalez, Oliveira and Schmidt and then the first medium runners...

The Espirit of Navarro finally has found his grid slot and we are ready...

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

AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!

VIDAL FAST OFF THE START AND INTO THE LEAD... Lipponen... SLIPSTREAM... OVERTAKE... AND OVERTAKE...AND OVERTAKE, THE WINDSOR LEADS THE RACE... OH AND WEXLER MAKE A MISTAKE...

THAT IS DANGEROUS! He nearly hit the wall with that speed but is down into the last place! Saarinen with a monster start into third... on used super soft tyres... and Holtz catches him before the start finish line.Chapman only sixth as he had to take avoiding action when Wexler nearly hit the wall.

1. Lipponen 2. Vidal +0.8 3. Holtz +1.8
Woodford P20 +8.6

Lap 2:
1. Lipponen 2. Vidal +1.5 3. Holtz +1.8
Woodford P20 +13.7

Lap 3:
1. Lipponen 2. Vidal +2.0 3. Holtz +3.6
Woodford P20 +18.6

Lap 4:
Rodrigues held up Chapman long enough, but the Brit is up to P5... with Wexler down in P14...

1. Lipponen 2. Vidal +3.3 3. Holtz +3.6
Woodford P20 +23.2

Lap 5:
1. Lipponen 2. Vidal +4.1 3. Holtz +4.8
Woodford P20 +26.6

Lap 6:
1. Lipponen 2. Vidal +4.7 3. Holtz +5.1
Woodford P20 +29.7

Lap 7:
Lipponen pits as his tyres look a biit more used than those of Vidal and Holtz...

1. Vidal 2. Holtz +1.0 3. Chapman +8.0
Woodford P18 +32.5

Lap 8:
In comes the rest...

1. Surikov 2. Rodrigues +4.9 3. Gonzalez +5.7
Vidal P15 +22.1
Woodford P16 +23.2

Lap 9:
Lipponen stayed way ahead on the medium tyre, Vidal on the medium 9 seconds behind, then Holtz on super soft P11, Chapman on medium P18.

1. Gonzalez 2. Oliveira +0.7 3. Lipponen +6.2
Vidal P10 +15.7
Woodford P13 +18.4

Lap 10:
1. Gonzalez 2. Oliveira +0.6 3. Lipponen +4.9
Vidal P11 +17.7
Woodford P13 +19.7

Lap 11:
1. Gonzalez 2. Lipponen +2.8 3. Schmidt +7.0
Vidal P12 +18.9
Woodford P14 +21.0

Lap 12:
1. Lipponen 2. Blanc +12.2 3. De Graaf +13.2
Vidal P10 +21.4
Woodford P11 +22.3

Lap 13:
Oh my, Flores and Surikov collide as Surikov waves over on the way to the banking and Flores hits his back at approximately 240kph. Virtual safety car... which is a dream for Maria Gonzalez and Wolfgang Schmidt who just entered the pits... they gained HUGE here.

1. Lipponen 2. Blanc +18.7 3. De Graaf +23.7
Vidal P10 +35.2
Woodford P11 +38.2

Lap 14:
1. Lipponen 2. Blanc +20.5 3. Holtz +23.4
Vidal P12 +36.6
Woodford P15 +41.3
We lost big in the VSC towards the leaders, thosewere in the infield instead of on the banking... and Vidal is losing out in traffic.

Lap 15:
1. Lipponen 2. Blanc +22.0 3. Holtz +22.6
Vidal P10 +38.4
Woodford P14 +43.8

Lap 16:
1. Lipponen 2. Holtz +22.5 3. Gonzalez +26.7
Vidal P7 +38.8
Woodford P11 +46.6

Lap 17:
Lipponen can only lose now, he has +25.7 lead and should be able to stay out for 5 more laps...

1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +25.7 3. Rodrigues +35.6
Vidal P6 +38.6
Woodford P11 +46.3

Lap 18:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +24.3 3. Chapman +37.9
Vidal P5 +37.9
Woodford P10 +45.6

Lap 19:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +23.8 3. Chapman +36.0
Vidal P4 +37.8
Woodford P11 +47.2

Lap 20:
And there is another crash! Sharp gets it wrong on the banking, but thankfully lands on the inside and on the grass... and looks fine, but is out of the race.

1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +24.8 3. Chapman +36.6
Vidal P4 +37.8
Woodford P17 +73.6 PIT

Lap 21:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +25.6 3. Chapman +37.1
Vidal P4 +38.1
Woodford P17 +74.5

Lap 22:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +26.0 3. Chapman +37.1
Vidal P4 +38.1
Woodford P17 +75.6

Lap 23:
"BOX, BOX, BOX," for Vidal, he found some pace late in the stint and pulled away from the pack...

1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +26.0 3. Chapman +36.5
Vidal P14 +65.7
Woodford P17 +76.0

Lap 24:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +26.8 3. Chapman +36.8
Vidal P14 +65.8
Woodford P17 +75.9

Lap 25:
Lipponen pits... and behind Gonzalez... but on a fresh tyre...

1. Gonzalez 2. Lipponen +2.3 3. Chapman +9.5
Vidal P12 +65.7
Woodford P16 +75.8

Lap 26:
Lipponen is back in the lead as he is waay faster...

1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +2.3 3. Chapman +8.4
Vidal P12 +36.2
Woodford P14 +47.9

Lap 27:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +4.6 3. Schmidt +20.8
Vidal P6 +36.6
Woodford P13 +50.4

Lap 28:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +5.5 3. Schmidt +22.8
Vidal P6 +38.3
Woodford P11 +53.3

Lap 29:
1. Lipponen 2. Schmidt +24.4 3. Blanc +33.3
Vidal P5 +37.5
Woodford P12 +56.1

Lap 30:
1. Lipponen 2. Schmidt +26.1 3. Blanc +33.9
Vidal P5 +36.9
Woodford P14 +60.6
Schmidt and Blanc may have to pit again, but Chapman will overtake Vidal soon... 1.2 seconds per lap faster

Lap 31:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +34.6 3. Vidal +37.0
Woodford P15 +66.4

Lap 32:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +35.0 3. Vidal +38.5
Woodford P15 +70.3

Lap 33:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +34.2 3. Vidal +37.3
Woodford P16 +72.4
Chapman used his powder... and is now steady 1.4 seconds behind.

Lap 34:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +33.7 3. Vidal +36.1
Woodford P15 +72.7

Lap 35:
1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +33.3 3. Vidal +35.1
Woodford P15 +73.2

Final Lap:
And the Finn crosses the chequered flag for a flawless, yet surprising victory here in Phoenix, turning a great start into a good first stint into a big lead. Iker Vidal defended third place like a lion and juust got his nose over start-finish in front of Chapman, and Rossini driver Dieter Wexler finished a disappointing ninth.

1. Lipponen 2. Gonzalez +32.1 3. Vidal +35.1
Woodford P15 +74.5

[Griever20]

US GP: Race Notebook
motorsport-live.com

September 10th, 2017

An unexpected winner here in the desert as Aki Lipponen put himself fourth in the WDC with 25 points, and gets his team 29 points behind Panther for fourth in the Constructors. The Finn was visibly happy when he sprayed champagne all over the podium and into the face of their aerodynamic director, and he truly deserved this win.

"A good start, a little bit of luck after the first pit stop phase as all of his direct competitors got caught up in traffic, and a flawless strategy," said former Formula One World Champion Niki Lauda after the race.

Dangerous Moments:
This result was nearly overshadowed by three incidents that could've been catastrophic though.

Dieter Wexler described his moment this way: "So, I got away bad and then saw Lipponen besides me suddenly. I react and weave a bit to the outside... and then my rear broke out... and I am flying towards the concrete wall. Luckily, I got it under control and could continue, but that was a rather stressful one," he said.

Former driver and BBC expert David Coulthard put to protocol that "if he hits the wall and rebounds into the pack, we are in for a massive crash." Wexler's day continued that way as his tyres went away in the final lap and he lost two places on the rundown to the chequered flag.

Zoe Sharp's incident was eagerly similar, but at least, nobody was around her that time. "I tried to change the brake balance. We had a problem with the rear suspension for two laps now, and were trying different settings when the car started to move uncontrollable. Luckily, I got it onto the grass."

The final one happened between the Russian driver Nikolai Surikov and Lucía Flores in the last corner of the infield section. "Thought, she was further behind and not in my slipstream. Guess I pulled over in front of her when she tried to overtake. Very sorry for that," the Panther pilot said. That one brought out the...

Controversial VSC:
Virtual Safety car. That one really made a difference here as the drivers on the banking lost a ton of time by slowing down to VSC speed, while the drivers in the infield section and in the pits gained massively.

"Gonzalez and Schmidt got basically a free pit stop," said Lotus boss Dan Martinson, whose driver finished third. "All the drivers on the bankings drove with like 100 kph instead of 300 and lost so much time."

That also helped Lipponen as he gained 10 seconds to Chapman.

After Eleven Races:
This chaotic one let to Chapman gaining 10 more points of cushion, meaning he now has a whole race win in the pocket, and with Holtz 65 points behind, it is a straight up fight between those two.

On the Constructor's side, the battle between Lotus Racing and Van Dort Racing continues with Van Dort narrowing the gap to two points again with a great drive by Maria Gonzalez.

Race Result:

Standings:

[Griever20]

For Iker, that one went rather well. Now, you are probably asking yourselves what the heck I have smoked to say this when we started P2. The thing is, with our great engine, the second best on the grid, we have a natural advantage in qualifying as we drive it with the highest engine mode for the whole lap.

We can not do that in the race as refueling is banned, so the pace we have in qualifying, we can not reproduce in the race and that is why Iker genuinely loses a bit of pace compared to the Steinmann in particular.

Jeremy... we did drive the 1-stopper... but it simply cost him too much time to conserve the tyres... that idea is scrapped for 2018 for now, I can tell you that much.


Development Report:
We are making rapid progress on the rear wing side, but with the next race two weeks away, the first of the two rear wing we plan to build may not be ready in time for the Canadian GP, which would be a shame as we could really use it there.

Apart from that, it is all about factory work for Jeremy's car between the races...

[Griever20]

Lotus Racing:
Engine: 3rd(-1)
Gearbox: 7th
Brakes: 5th
Front Wing: 5th(-1)
Suspension: 9th
Rear Wing: 10th
Overall: 6th

This may be the first break this season where we did nothing to Iker's car, but invested into Jeremy's. The new rear wing is indeed not ready as this one is a complex project... that hopefully adds performance. As you may have realized, we are nearing the end of the season and have not planned one part for 2018, and we may end up not doing it... because we want two close to equal cars.

That may cost Iker a point or two, but we also have to look forward to the end of 2018... contract time, and I personally want to resign both drivers to a.) keep the drivers and engineers around and b.), keep the crucial pay driver around to have money available for our factory.

Sponsors:

Fixed Payment Sponsors:
Cortés Tyre Co(15/15) $500k upfront, $400k per race
Jogo Games(10/12) $250k upfront, $400k per race
Broadlake Clothing(2/15) $1M upfront, $650k per race

Race Bonus Sponsors:
Northern Harbour(6/6) $1.25M upfront, $880k bonus pool for 2nd or above
Special Effect – The gamers' charity(4/4) $1M upfront, $600k bonus pool for 7th or above
El Banco(3/7) $3M upfront, $1M bonus pool for 3rd or above

Two race sponsors running out... interesting situation...

The Track:
The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve will be once again home of the Canadian GP, and it will be a struggle for our car. Medium speed corners, high speed corners... stuff we are not good at right now... some straights are fine, but that is it.

The race last season was a bit of a mess as our chassis was not good enough for a 1-stop race with our weaker car... we may want to try that out again with Mr. Woodford... we need points to get some cushion over the Van Dort cars... and there is a high chance of rain.

Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
Interestingly enough, with five race to go, Dieter Wexler of the Scuderia Rossini is focusing on his... second career as he is not only designing his own clothing line, fitting to his amazing beard... he had a modelling tryout earlier this week... Not sure if he should rather concentrate on his race craft...

"We said we will strike back, and we will," said Steinmann team principal Wolfgang Roth as they brought a new engine to Vancouver that is rumored to be at least as good if not better as the Lotus-Ferrari monster...

While being in no man's land, the Panther Race Team wants to close the gap to the two top teams, and legendary designer Rachel Adams used some of her magic to bring a new braking system to Canada... and experts think it is a big step forward... and a leap over Steinmann and Rossini into first...

Bringing a couple of pieces, a gearbox and a front wing, to Canada, was the Japanese based Kitano-Honda. "It is a mighty effort to bring pieces over from our factory in Japan, but we knew that when we joined the WMC." They made small gains, but no major evolution.

Another aero package upgrade made it's way to Canada as the Windsor Racing team brought a whole new aero package over. "We wanted to improve both sides of the car, and therefore we brought both a front and a rear wing that work together nicely," said Pat Russell, technical director. "Not a big leap, but we need to make sure we stay fourth."

[dsvitak]

I have been on these boards for a very long time. Thank you for this dynasty, and thanks to Marcus and his team for allowing you to post on this forum board.

I love this game, have all the expansions, and I play it frequently. This is quite a treat for me to read this...which I did, cover to cover, last night and this morning. This took quite a long time!

KUTGW! (Keep Up The Good Work!)

[Griever20]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

I have been on these boards for a very long time. Thank you for this dynasty, and thanks to Marcus and his team for allowing you to post on this forum board.

I love this game, have all the expansions, and I play it frequently. This is quite a treat for me to read this...which I did, cover to cover, last night and this morning. This took quite a long time!

KUTGW! (Keep Up The Good Work!)

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, it has been fun to write and to play, though I may start enforcing some house rules for the 2018 season in order to not make this boring