F1RMGP 2015: the Women's European Cup v2.0

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 19 Dec 2012, 22:03

Elio Di Rupo, CEO of Scuderia Minardivas wrote:After a long-a delibiration we hava-a decided our-a driver line-up-a. It-a will be Vanina Ickx and-a Simona De Silvestro!

Nope, way too late

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 19 Dec 2012, 22:21

eurobrun wrote:
Elio Di Rupo, CEO of Scuderia Minardivas wrote:After a long-a delibiration we hava-a decided our-a driver line-up-a. It-a will be Vanina Ickx and-a Simona De Silvestro!

Nope, way too late

That's the joke.

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 19 Dec 2012, 23:02

Autosport wrote:Super Reppu! evicted from Zandvoort
Days after all the other teams went home, Super Reppu! were still celebrating their first 4th place and first points of the season, however the Zandvoort circuit owners had enough and called the police to forcablely evict them from the circuit. However Super Reppu! have gone back to the UK to get ready for the next race.

In Ukyou Katayamas first race, he managed to turn the team around so rather then being several laps down they were in a good position where both drivers could have scored points, however only Keiko Ihara did but their 4th place was enough to take them from being bottom of the championship with zero points to 8th. Michele "I can't believe she's not Japanese" Bumgarner was so close but her race ended when her tyre blew up. Both drivers are looking forward to the next race where they hope they can keep the momentum going. Ukyou Katayama was unavailable for comment as he still was complete off his face but made comments about his old team mate Mika Salo and chickens.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 21 Dec 2012, 17:51

Loving this low-budget success and leading the team's championship, despite using Andrea Moda tactics...

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 21 Dec 2012, 21:25

Super Reppu confirmed for Andrea Moda F1.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 23 Dec 2012, 03:18

Round 6: Anderstorp, Sweden
Friday, 24 July 2015

QUALIFYING

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1 –    6  N. Lindgren       Restov                1'19.213
2 –    7  A. Powell         West Cliff            1'19.933
3 –    16 S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             1'20.453
4 –    2  M. Mouton         Alitaliana            1'20.762
5 –    1  V. Ickx           Alitaliana            1'21.085
6 –    5  D. Patrick        Restov                1'21.134
7 –    87 K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          1'21.327
8 –    15 An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          1'21.566
9 –    54 R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      1'22.470
10 –   98 C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       1'22.634
11 –   4  S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          1'22.638
12 –   40 D. Galica         SonicSport            1'22.683
13 –   24 G. Amati          Minardivas            1'22.762

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14 –   39 S. Wolff          SonicSport            1'22.925
15 –   10 E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            1'23.043
16 –   97 P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       1'23.110
17 –   23 L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            1'23.197
18 –   91 S. Reid           Team Australia        1'23.283
19 –   3  J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          1'23.666
20 –   90 L. Tander         Team Australia        1'24.112
21 –   14 Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          1'24.180
22 –   88 M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          1'24.355
23 –   77 K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   1'24.426
24 –   55 V. Piria          Filles sur Roues      1'24.749
25 –   8  P. Cow            West Cliff            1'25.224
26 –   17 J. Mihara         Shell JLD             1'25.829

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DID NOT QUALIFY
---------------
DNQ –  78 K. Mikami         Foster's Good Women   1'27.021
DNQ –  11 K. Andrews        Rosenforth            1'28.688

Höste göste böste hoobedispedoo bork bork bork, and all that jazz, we're in Sweden for the first time since 1970-something, and with all the Nordic interest in both championships (especially now that Viking Racing have unleashed their car on this championship), is anyone surprised? What might come as a surprise, though, is who's on pole; where it might have previously been thought that this entire season was a two-horse race between Alice Powell and Michèle Mouton, Nettan Lindgren found herself bursting with national pride and pulled out a superb performance to swipe the Thursday prize from under both their noses. Not that young Alice was too bothered, though, joining the Swede (in her Japanese Super Aguri) on the front row. Sabine Schmitz bounced back from a poor showing at Zandvoort to take third, with Michèle Mouton alongside; Vanina Ickx, who has yet to win a race yet this year in sharp contrast to last season, took fifth with Danica Patrick for company. Proving that the race round the sand dunes was no fluke, Keiko Ihara maintained her fine run of form, showing the Super Reppu! Dome in seventh; Angels Cope again demolished her sister in qualifying, and joined Ihara on row four. Row five consisted of two cars generally considered backmarkers; Rahel Frey, in the Filles sur Roues run Stefan, and Cyndie Allemann, fresh from her stinging exit from Foster's Good Women, now demoted to a David Price run by Psycho Soldiers. How did she manage to get that car up to tenth? We may never know. I mean, look who she's beaten – Simona de Silvestro, Divina Galica, Giovanna Amati, Susie Wolff – and that's just the rest of the top half (and a bit). You could almost say row eight was something of a surprise as well – Emma Kimiläinen, in an ever-ailing Minardi that Rosenforth are stuck with, and alongside her, Pippa Mann in the other Psycho Soldiers-run David Price. There are some wonders being worked with that car.

To the stragglers, then, which in this race means anyone beaten by both David Prices. We start with Lella Lombardi, still enjoying a racing afterlife with Scuderia Minardivas whatever the result, with Samantha Reid for once getting the better of her team-mate... but how much does that matter when they're both this far back? Jutta Kleinschmidt was back to her bad old ways again in 19th, with Leanne Tander falling horribly from grace in 20th after a superb race in the Netherlands. Maybe the northern latitude's got to her. Amber Cope looked horribly embarrassed that her twin sister has again taken the spoils at Cope-ersucar, Michèle Bumgarner took her eye off the ball for a bit and ended up in 22nd, which she can't afford knowing that Super Reppu! will axe her for a Japanese driver at the drop of a hat, while row twelve saw a fuming Katherine Legge complaining of something dramatically wrong with her car... face it, the SAC is a huge step up from the David Price she was driving before, but it all seems to be going horribly wrong at Foster's Good Women. Maybe this is the price to be paid for being sponsored by Aussie pisswater. Nerves were certainly jangling down the wrong end of the grid, especially when Pippa Cow posted a time that was good enough to get her on the grid – despite the team handicapping her to ridiculous levels, she made it to the race for the second time. Vicky Piria was the unlucky victim last time, and rallied round to beat Cow's time by half a second. Junko Mihara, though... didn't. But in the end, she did not have to worry. The Plus One group might want to consider renaming themselves to Minus One at this rate... that's the predicament they found themselves in, as Kazumi Mikami pootled round pathetically slowly to miss the cut by over a second. She beat Karen Andrews by a mile, but that carries about as much kudos as winning more votes in an election than the Standing At The Back Smiling Stupidly And Looking Stupid Party.

RACE

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1 –    7  A. Powell         West Cliff            80   1h 54'17.611
2 –    1  V. Ickx           Alitaliana            80   1h 55'25.110
3 –    15 An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          79   + 1 lap                                                     
4 –    2  M. Mouton         Alitaliana            79   + 1 lap                                                     
5 –    5  D. Patrick        Restov                79   + 1 lap                                                     
6 –    97 P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       78   + 2 laps                                                    
7 –    40 D. Galica         SonicSport            78   + 2 laps                                                    
8 –    4  S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          78   + 2 laps                                                    
9 –    24 G. Amati          Minardivas            78   + 2 laps                                                    
10 –   23 L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            78   + 2 laps                                                    
11 –   10 E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            77   + 3 laps                                                    
12 –   90 L. Tander         Team Australia        77   + 3 laps                                                    
13 –   88 M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          77   + 3 laps

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14 –   14 Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          76   + 4 laps                                                    
15 –   3  J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          76   + 4 laps                                                    
16 –   77 K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   76   + 4 laps                                                    
17 –   55 V. Piria          Filles sur Roues      74   + 6 laps (DNF, throttle)                                                   
18 –   17 J. Mihara         Shell JLD             73   + 7 laps                                                    
19 –   91 S. Reid           Team Australia        71   crash                                                       
20 –   39 S. Wolff          SonicSport            65   transmission                                                
21 –   87 K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          33   transmission                                                
22 –   98 C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       32   transmission                                                
23 –   6  N. Lindgren       Restov                28   suspension                                                  
24 –   54 R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      27   crash                                                       
25 –   8  P. Cow            West Cliff            16   throttle                                                    
26 –   16 S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             12   engine

There seems to be no stopping Alice Powell right now. Some folks have all the luck, and today was no exception.

The race wasn't handed to her on a silver plate by any means, but it seemed that way at times. Nettan Lindgren had a horrible start, dropping her to third, and allowing the usual suspects through to the lead. Vanina Ickx compunded the Swede's misfortune with a very cheeky move at Hansen on the second lap. Alice nipped in front, the French rally queen made an uncharacteristic mistake that dropped her to fourth... but no panic, right? As the race unfolded, behind the leaders, Keiko Ihara, Rahel Frey and Cyndie Allemann were all doing a fine job staying near the sharp end of the grid. But what happened next would alter the course of the race...

...for some reason, as the lead drivers started to lap the backmarkers, said slowcoaches decided to make nuisances of themselves. Michèle Mouton tangled with Amber Cope, and they both mad an excursion into the gravel which lost a lot of time. On the next lap, Alice Powell was clouted heavily by... Amber Cope, who was limping round the track at half speed; Alice lost her entire 10-second lead over Nettan Lindgren. Vanina Ickx found Divina Galica too tough a proposition, Rahel Frey spun off and retired all on her own, Katherine Legge and Junko Mihara – who were at least fighting for position at the back – became a bit too friendly and made a graceful synchronised spin to the tune of the Blue Danube Waltz, and somehow, through the carnage, stepped Cyndie Allemann – who was running fourth, in a David Price. That then became third when Nettan Lindgren's suspension broke, and she retired from the lead, handing it to... Alice Powell, who'd been lucky to get away with a small incident.

Cyndie Allemann's moment of glory was short-lived, as she found herself involved in a three-way crash-and-bash-fest with Susie Wolff and Simona de Silvestro, which bumped the latter two down the field; Allemann retired with driveshaft failure soon afterwards, followed a lap later by Keiko Ihara with a box full of neutrals. Ihara had been running third and a scream of frustration in Japanese is even more terrifying than your worst nightmares could possibly imagine. So who profited from all this mess? Of all the people it could have been... Angela Cope! Her sister sparked off the first bout of chaos, and she managed to pick her way through it excellently in the carrot-orange Spyker. Up the front, Alice Powell was so dominant she managed to lap Vanina Ickx, who was running second... she still had to pit, and did, then dropped into a lazy spin at Startkurva on the cold tyres. Even so, it took her an unusually long time to recover... and sghe still had a 27-second lead afterwards. That grew to over a minute by the end of the race, and had she cut out the earlier trouble and the spin, she'd have lapped the entire field. Her record this year reads four wins, two seconds, and the championship is fast becoming a foregone conclusion. So amazing is her record that even now that Scuderia Alitaliana have finally recorded a double points finish – Ickx in 2nd and Mouton 4th, despite a very lengthy trip to the pits after the altercation with Amber Cope – that West Cliff are still in the lead for the Bertha Benz Cup.

Alice wasn't the happiest driver on the podium, though. That honour must go to Angela Cope, who kept her head when a lot around her were losing theirs, and she will not care one bit to have been lapped within the last ten laps – that's par for the course for a Spyker. The notoriously unreliable Dutch car actually held together as well as Angela's head did, she bagged a hatful of points, a trophy, instant unrejectification, and finally something for the Spyker mechanics to shout about. There'll be a party there tonight, despite the continuing race weekend which also includes the Grand Reversal. That Michèle Mouton managed fourth after all her troubles – she was 11th at one stage but used the power of the Viking MJØLNER-03 to its maximum extent to claw her way back up the field – was something of a victory, but her deficit to the championship leader has increased just the same. Danica Patrick was fifth, eventually, also a lap down, and the last to be – because, leading the two-lappers, what's this... Pippa Mann? Sixth in a David Price? Surely you joke? Actually, we don't – Pip was one of the few drivers to get through the entire race completely trouble-free, amazing when you consider the clunker she's driving. So it's another highly unexpected eight points for Psycho Soldiers, and no doubt Ai will get very smug about that. Divina Galica and Simona de Silvestro were seventh and eighth, and would have been higher had it not been for their earlier tangles; Giovanna Amati and Lella Lombardi rounded out the points, they managed to stay out of trouble... but were slow. Emma Kimiläinen did everything she could with the slowly dying Minardi at her disposal, but all that her efforts were rewarded with was the Golden Papaya, and the first to be three down, Leanne Tander and Michele Bumgarner, not really at the races either of them, kept her company. Into the real rejectdom, Amber Cope was four laps down and had sparked all the craziness up front in the first place – but she escapes Reject Of The Race, as do Jutta Kleinschmidt and Katherine Legge, who were both also four laps down. The award can only go to Junko Mihara for being so slow that, despite being on the same lap as Legge when they clashed earlier on, she finished seven laps adrift without being involved in any more indicents. Is she for real? She was dropped last season, even if it was Super Reppu! wielding the axe. In fact, she was even a lap behind Vicky Piria – not the fastest driver out there, in a crap car, and who didn't make the finish line, being sidelined with throttle gremlins.

As for the other retirements – Sabine Schmitz was the first to go, her engine giving up the ghost after only 12 laps; Pippa Cow followed on lap 17, with an unresponsive throttle. Some would say it's impossible to tell with the standard of her driving, but it was definitely a car failure this time. Frey, Lindgren, Allemann, Ihara, we've covered, but not Susie Wolff, whose retirement with transmission trouble after 65 laps was what promoted Pippa Mann into the unrejectification positions (which, actually, she doesn't need, but her team does). And finally, Samantha Reid was on for her first points - running eighth, she thought she'd take a closer look at the local scenery... bad move, there, Sam, because gravel traps are rather ugly up close!

So, how do we sum that one up? Madness. I'm half expecting Suggs and co to show up and play an impromptu gig in the evening before the Main Series race...

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
for the Maria Teresa de Filippis Cup

* indicates a driver who has switched teams – only the latest team is shown

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1 –    7  A. Powell         West Cliff            136
2 –    1  V. Ickx           Alitaliana            66
3 –    2  M. Mouton         Alitaliana            62
4 –    40 D. Galica         SonicSport            49
5 =    5  D. Patrick        Restov                48
5 =    6  N. Lindgren       Restov                48
7 =    4  S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          42
7 =    39 S. Wolff          SonicSport            42
9 –    16 S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             27
10 –   15 An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          25
11 –   24 G. Amati          Minardivas            16
12 –   87 K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          12
13 –   23 L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            9

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14 –   97 P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       8
15 –   90 L. Tander         Team Australia        5
16 –   10 E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            4 
17 =   54 R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      2
17 =  *77 K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   2
19 =   3  J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          1
19 =   14 Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          1
19 =  *98 C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       1

TEAMS' CHAMPIONSHIP
for the Bertha Benz Cup

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1 –    West Cliff Racing / SPAM                   136
2 –    Scuderia Alitaliana / Viking               128
3 –    Restov Racing / Super Aguri                96
4 –    SonicSport / ATS Rial                      91
5 –    Autodynamics Simtek Grand Prix / Simtek    43
6 –    Shell JLD Motorsport / F1RM                27
7 –    Cope-ersucar / Spyker                      26

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8 –    Scuderia Minardivas / Forti                25
9 –    Super Reppu! / Dome                        12
10 –   Psycho Soldiers / David Price              10
11 –   Team Australia / Monteverdi                5
12 –   Rosenforth Engineering / Minardi           4
13 –   Filles sur Roues / Stefan                  2
14 –   Foster's Good Women with Plus One / SAC    1

There'll be a look at the Qualifying Cup standings at the half-way point... later. No prizes for guessing who's likely to be leading it.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 23 Dec 2012, 06:06

Ai the Witch wrote:All I can say to Pippa's performance is...

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 23 Dec 2012, 10:47

Luke Knight wrote: Oh, for God's sake....... *facepalm*

Herrmann Mann wrote: SCHEISSE! SCHEISSE! SCHEISSE!!

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 23 Dec 2012, 11:14

Gerald Pereria wrote:YYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!If you don't mind,Mr Mann & Sir Knight,we might pinch some of your Fosters and your Jagermeister to PAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTYYYY!

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 23 Dec 2012, 11:19

Gerald Pereria wrote:YYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!If you don't mind,Mr Mann & Sir Knight,we might pinch some of your Fosters and your Jagermeister to PAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTYYYY!

Herrmann Mann wrote: Might as vell hold ein partai. Partai, Luke?

Luke Knight wrote: Party? Yeah, I'm in for that, could do with gettin' a bird or something to take my mind off 'a this crap

Herrmann Mann wrote:PARTAI!

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 23 Dec 2012, 11:26

Nettan Lindgren wrote:Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... I haff the race under control and denn ze car breaks. Zat makes me mad

For some reason, Nettan appears to speak in a comedy German accent when shes messed off

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 23 Dec 2012, 16:41

Alasdair Lindsay wrote:GGGGGAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH I HATE ALICE POWELL SO MUCH SHE SHOULD GO DIE IN A FIRE!!!!!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 23 Dec 2012, 17:49

Alice Powell wrote:About the half-way point of the season, and I am dominating the championship with another win? And my points total alone is enough to put my team at the top of the teams' championship?

Fictional Pippa Mann, boss of West Cliff Racing, subsidary of Foxdale Auto Racing Team wrote:Foxdale/West Cliff is actually doing well and dominating despite running effectively a one-car team? I know the F3RWRS team isn't doing badly, but they're not this good...

Post by **Nuppiz** » 23 Dec 2012, 18:41

Pff, I guess the team is now so infused with sherry that reliability sucks as a result... :lol:

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 29 Dec 2012, 19:03

Own up, you lot, who's Matt121 on the wiki, and why didn't Matt121 read the championship rules?

Making a wiki table for the first three rounds of the championship is all very well, but in F1RMGP and its spin-offs, places are decided by number of DNQs first, then best finishing position - as it always has been since the start of the 2011 season. Hence, after three races, Vicky Piria (one DNQ, two retirements) is ahead of Pippa Cow (two DNQs, one 13th place finish).

Of course, the table is now hideously out of date, which is why I never make one on the wiki until the season is done and dusted.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 30 Dec 2012, 08:59

dinizintheoven wrote:Own up, you lot, who's Matt121 on the wiki, and why didn't Matt121 read the championship rules?

Making a wiki table for the first three rounds of the championship is all very well, but in F1RMGP and its spin-offs, places are decided by number of DNQs first, then best finishing position - as it always has been since the start of the 2011 season. Hence, after three races, Vicky Piria (one DNQ, two retirements) is ahead of Pippa Cow (two DNQs, one 13th place finish).

Of course, the table is now hideously out of date, which is why I never make one on the wiki until the season is done and dusted.

I was going to do something about it a few weeks ago (mostly because Lappy had an absolute blue during the last week of school about how much of a mess the F3RWRS page was in) but I decided against it. I'll see to it that this is all cleared up.

HawkAussie · Post by **HawkAussie** » 31 Dec 2012, 01:09

Stupid me, and you just relaised

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 08 Jan 2013, 00:33

And so... the mid-season break is over... we return to action!

Round 7: Hockenheim, Germany
Friday, 21 August 2015

QUALIFYING

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1 –    87 K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          1'53.731
2 –    7  A. Powell         West Cliff            1'54.011
3 –    2  M. Mouton         Alitaliana            1'54.174
4 –    16 S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             1'54.894
5 –    1  V. Ickx           Alitaliana            1'55.136
6 –    88 M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          1'56.311
7 –    54 R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      1'56.894
8 –    6  N. Lindgren       Restov                1'56.944
9 –    14 Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          1'56.975
10 –   5  D. Patrick        Restov                1'57.395
11 –   39 S. Wolff          SonicSport            1'57.730
12 –   40 D. Galica         SonicSport            1'57.899
13 –   23 L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            1'57.982

Code: Select all

14 –   17 J. Mihara         Shell JLD             1'58.266
15 –   78 K. Mikami         Foster's Good Women   1'58.392
16 –   4  S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          1'58.436
17 –   77 K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   1'58.576
18 –   3  J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          1'58.608
19 –   55 V. Piria          Filles sur Roues      1'58.772
20 –   91 S. Reid           Team Australia        1'58.979
21 –   24 G. Amati          Minardivas            1'59.108
22 –   98 C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       1'59.109
23 –   8  P. Cow            West Cliff            1'59.278
24 –   15 An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          1'59.316
25 –   90 L. Tander         Team Australia        1'59.532
26 –   10 E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            2'00.031

Code: Select all

DID NOT QUALIFY
---------------
DNQ –  97 P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       2'00.404
DNQ –  11 K. Andrews        Rosenforth            2'04.998

Keiko Ihara has been on something of a roll lately, but did anyone expect that? The Dome Do14 is far from the best car on the grid, but what she has just done there almost defies belief. On the number one power circuit on the calendar, there she is in pole position – ahead of Alice Powell in the diesel SPAM, which has not exactly a slouch of an engine, and Michèle Mouton, who sits in the most powerful car on the grid by some margin. The diesel-plus-Viking combination is repeated in fourth and fifth, German home favourite Sabine Schmitz in the rather more Australian JLD-run F1RM ahead of second Alitaliana runner Vanina Ickx. Making a brilliant day for Super Reppu!, Michele Bumgarner hauled the second Dome up to sixth – but, of course, race day is where the points are awarded. Rahel Frey recorded a time three second off pole but was, amazingly, still good enough for seventh; Nettan Lindgren and Danica Patrick, in their Restov-run Super Aguris, were 8th and 10th, sandwiching one of the Cope twins... unusually, it was Amber, getting the upper hand for once this year. Rounding off the top half of the grid were the two SonicSport ATS Rials, the home-grown engine not quite getting the support of the home driver, followed by Lella Lombardi, last of the 1'57s.

Junko Mihara, in 14th, might consider this a good result, but her time was already four and a half seconds off pole. Two teams shared the next two rows – Foster's Good Women and Autodynamics, the Foster's car being higher placed in each instance. So Kazumi Mikami beat Simona de Silvestro to 15th, while Katherine Legge beat Jutta Kleinschmidt – the only German driver really not firing on all cylinders – to 17th. 19Th, and getting perilously close to the two-minute mark, Vicky Piria couldn't replicate what her team-mate had done earlier; in contrast, Samantha Reid, in 20th, was the faster of the two Team Australia cars. Giovanna Amati's season is rapidly falling to bits, as it did last year – she could only manage 21st, while Cyndie Allemann might be paying a heavy price for not doing the job with Foster's Good Women – driving for Psycho Soldiers now, she made 22nd place. 23rd, and qualifying for only her third race of the year, Pippa Cow summoned everything in her power – not very much, admittedly – to send one unfortunate driver packing for the weekend. It's wasn't the strangely off-colour Angela Cope, in the orange Spyker to match her face (and her sister's) – or at least what it'd usually be, it wasn't Leanne Tander who had a horrifying wait to see if her time was good (or not bad) enough, and it wasn't Emma Kimiläinen who came as close to the fright of her life as she ever has in the ever-ailing Rosenforth Minardi which is now definitely on its last legs. No, the unlucky driver was Pippa Mann – I suppose it was inevitable, really, the torturously awful David Price DPR-1 finally had a nosebleed from the elevated positions it'd been running in – not least after the result at Anderstorp, almost predicting the chaos that would follow in the Main Series Race.

Wait... do I really have to mention who was last... again? No? Good.

RACE

Code: Select all

1 –    87 K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          45   1h 31'08.808
2 –    1  V. Ickx           Alitaliana            45   1h 32'03.216
3 –    2  M. Mouton         Alitaliana            44   + 1 lap (DNF, supercharger)                                           
4 –    88 M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          44   + 1 lap                                                 
5 –    14 Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          44   + 1 lap                                                 
6 –    16 S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             44   + 1 lap                                                 
7 –    5  D. Patrick        Restov                44   + 1 lap                                                 
8 –    54 R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      44   + 1 lap                                                 
9 –    6  N. Lindgren       Restov                44   + 1 lap                                                 
10 –   77 K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   44   + 1 lap                                                 
11 –   4  S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          44   + 1 lap                                                 
12 –   17 J. Mihara         Shell JLD             44   + 1 lap                                                 
13 –   3  J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          44   + 1 lap

Code: Select all

14 –   78 K. Mikami         Foster's Good Women   44   + 1 lap                                                 
15 –   8  P. Cow            West Cliff            44   + 1 lap                                                 
16 –   91 S. Reid           Team Australia        44   + 1 lap                                                 
17 –   55 V. Piria          Filles sur Roues      44   + 1 lap                                                 
18 –   7  A. Powell         West Cliff            43   + 2 laps (DNF, overheating)                                           
19 –   40 D. Galica         SonicSport            43   + 2 laps                                                
20 –   39 S. Wolff          SonicSport            43   + 2 laps                                                
21 –   23 L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            43   + 2 laps                                                
22 –   90 L. Tander         Team Australia        43   + 2 laps                                                
23 –   10 E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            43   + 2 laps                                                
24 –   98 C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       43   + 2 laps                                                
25 –   24 G. Amati          Minardivas            18   loose wheel                                             
26 –   15 An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          15   transmission

Far away to the east, a nation was watching. The Japanese were used to success in the Main Series, via Yuji Ide, Hideki Noda and Shinji Nakano. Now, they had an unlikely new hero – a 42-year-old former grid girl turned racing driver.

But Keiko Ihara didn't have it all her own way. For most of the race, at least, she'd been on course for third, via a combination of a slightly fluffed start that saw guess who streak off into the lead, followed by a bizarre two-stop strategy when most of the others – including her main rivals – went for one, coupled with a setup that was low on downforce even by the standards of this track. Such was the way the Dome slid through the air that on the straights, she was quite clearly the fastest for most of the race, just having to hang on in the chicanes and round the stadium section where there was usually traffic. As expected, the other protagonists up the front were Alice Powell, who some team bosses are scared is turning the championship into a walkover, plus the two golden chariots sported by Scuderia Alitaliana. The worst thing that happened to Alice was an incautious move to lap Cyndie Allemann that cost her half a front wing, but as luck would have it (it always does) she was already in the stadium section and lost very little time in the pits. Cyndie had already had her own nose chopped off on the opening lap, as had Vicky Piria a lap later, and those two scrapped it out for last place for most of the race.

The race was infuriatingly processional – the most interesting battle, between Nettan Lindgren and Sabine Schmitz, was cut short after only five laps as the German had an unprovoked spin that put her back to 24th, just in front of the two who needed new noses. It seemed nothing was going to change that – in fact, there were only two retirements throughout the race... until the final stages. Alice Powell's outrageous good fortune finally ran out with two laps to go, as she pulled into the pits with steam blasting from her radiators; the engine was on the verge of catastrophic failure. That put Keiko Ihara in second, and she was all ready to scoop the trophy... when Michèle Mouton, of all people, also fell by the wayside. Screams of "MERDE! MERDE! MERDE!" were all that could be heard over the team radio. Screams of delight were all that could be heard from Keiko Ihara, as she crossed the line – first. Super Reppu!, the last team to score a point this year, had suddenly found a winning formula. Vanina Ickx obligingly trundled in almost a minute later, having kept her head resolutely down and sailed to her fourth second place of the season – but she'll still need to step up her game from cruise-and-collect to stop the charging English rose who'd unexpectedly wilted at the last gasp. Mouton, on the other hand, stopped screaming "MERDE!" when news filtered through to her that despite being a lap down, with a problem eventually identified as supercharger failure, she'd still gone further than any of the other once-lapped runners and so was classfied third. Did Not Finish But Here's Your Trophy Anyway, as it might say in the score book.

Fourth, proving Super Reppu!'s tactical masterstroke was exactly that, was Michele Bumgarner – one of the few drivers to score a DNQ last year for being too slow to be allowed to race, sudden;y she'd blown all her potential critics into the weeds with a drive to instant unrejectification, and 37 points in total were scored by the team. Fifth, and a result that counted towards her release from the reject shackles, was Amber Cope – in the shadow of her twin sister she may have been for most of this season, but today was her chance to shine and she took it. Sixth for Sabine Schmitz doesn't look like a great result on home turf, but considering she'd had to drive through the entire field to get there from 24th, it was the drive of a champion. Someone give her a better car next year (although I said that about Alice Powell and look what's happened so far...) Danica Patrick and Nettan Lindgren ended up seventh and ninth, a measly return for Restov Racing on a day when the other Japanese cars took them to the cleaners, they'll hardly be happy – but between them, put the ferret varnish away, Sophie Fabron... because Rahel Frey's just scored the first points for Filles sur Roues since the opening round of the championship. And finishing off the points, Ai The Witch must be really regretting giving Katherine Legge the elbow; give her a better car and she will score, although the SAC8 has not really aged well.

Through those who didn't score we go. The Golden Papaya went to Simona de Silvestro, just pipped by Legge by a few seconds; behind her was Junko Mihara, one of the few drivers not to have scored this year, in a car that... actually, it belonged to Jean-Denis Délétraz last year and he didn't work wonders in it either. Jutta Kleinschmidt spooned the opportunity to shine on home turf, coming in 13th, with Kazumi Mikami and... shock, horror... Pippa Cow just behind. So there's a certain ignominy in finishing behind 15th – Samantha Reid and Vicky Piria at least managed to stay on the same lap as the misfiring West Cliff driver, though Piria had been kneecapped by that early wing change. Alice Powell was eventually classified 18th, two laps down, ahead of Divina Galica and Susie Wolff in the two SonicSport ATS Rials – cars that were on home turf and really failed to shine in a massive way. However, they've escaped Reject Of The Race, as have Lella Lombardi and Leanne Tander, who were just plain slow, and Emma Kimiläinen, whose machinery is starting to fall to bits around her. Dead last was Cyndie Allemann, who made absolutely no inroads into the pack after that front wing change – and, of course, her team-mate didn't even manage to qualify for the race, so it's Psycho Soldiers who get the wooden spoon for the weekend, though SonicSport really did run them close.

It's been a tough time this year for the Dome squadron. Alex Yoong has beeing failing with alarming regularity, Marco Apicella's had to sit out two races (including this one), and last year's chassis that Super Reppu! have been using this year for this series has already cost Mika Salo his job as team princpial. All at once, though, it's come together for the Japanese team, courtesy of one of their own drivers, and helped by a ringer from the Philippines. And just a little bit of good fortune.

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
for the Maria Teresa de Filippis Cup

Five races to go, 125 points can be won...

~ indicates a driver who has switched teams – only the latest team is shown
* indicates a driver still in contention for the championship

Code: Select all

1 –    7  * A. Powell         West Cliff            136
2 –    1  * V. Ickx           Alitaliana            84
3 –    2  * M. Mouton         Alitaliana            77
4 –    5  * D. Patrick        Restov                54
5 –    6  * N. Lindgren       Restov                50
6 –    40 * D. Galica         SonicSport            49
7 =    4  * S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          42
7 =    39 * S. Wolff          SonicSport            42
9 –    87 * K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          37
10 –   16 * S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             35
11 –   15 * An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          25
12 –   24 * G. Amati          Minardivas            16
13 –   88 * M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          12

Code: Select all

14 –   14   Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          11
15 –   23   L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            9
16 –   97   P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       8
17 –   54   R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      6
18 –   90   L. Tander         Team Australia        5
19 –   10   E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            4 
20 –  ~77   K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   3
21 =   3    J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          1
21 =  ~98   C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       1

TEAMS' CHAMPIONSHIP
for the Bertha Benz Cup

Five races to go, 215 points can be won...

* indicates a team still in contention for the championship

Code: Select all

1 –  * Scuderia Alitaliana / Viking               161
2 –  * West Cliff Racing / SPAM                   136
3 –  * Restov Racing / Super Aguri                104
4 –  * SonicSport / ATS Rial                      91
5 –  * Super Reppu! / Dome                        49
6 –  * Autodynamics Simtek Grand Prix / Simtek    43
7 –  * Cope-ersucar / Spyker                      36

Code: Select all

8 –  * Shell JLD Motorsport / F1RM                35
9 –  * Scuderia Minardivas / Forti                25
10 – * Psycho Soldiers / David Price              10
11 – * Filles sur Roues / Stefan                  6
12 – * Team Australia / Monteverdi                5
13 – * Rosenforth Engineering / Minardi           4
14 – * Foster's Good Women with Plus One / SAC    2

tristan1117 · Post by **tristan1117** » 08 Jan 2013, 00:39

Anonymous race for SonicSport once again. I don't think we can chase down Restov, but we seem to have fourth place under wraps for now (knock on wood).

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 08 Jan 2013, 00:50

It's about time Alitaliana took the team's championship lead. We should be crushing it. And it's time for Ickx to step up her game and show the form that won her the title last season, otherwise Powell is going to walk this thing Dagnall-style.

Post by **Nuppiz** » 08 Jan 2013, 10:13

Sophie Fabron wrote:Magnifique! Le points!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 08 Jan 2013, 15:38

Stramala [kostas22] wrote:It's about time Alitaliana took the team's championship lead. We should be crushing it. And it's time for Ickx to step up her game and show the form that won her the title last season, otherwise Powell is going to walk this thing Dagnall-style.

At least Alice still has the lead of the drivers' championship, but that one DNF has probably cost West Cliff the teams' championship. Unless Pippa Cow continues to improve at a rapid rate.

If only Alice lasted one lap longer...

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 08 Jan 2013, 16:29

Stramala [kostas22] wrote:It's about time Alitaliana took the team's championship lead. We should be crushing it. And it's time for Ickx to step up her game and show the form that won her the title last season, otherwise Powell is going to walk this thing Dagnall-style.

Mark Dagnall, presumably?

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 08 Jan 2013, 17:34

Ukyou Katayama wrote:...

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 08 Jan 2013, 17:58

Ai the Witch wrote:*get electrocuted by a backfiring spell"

I AND OUR DRIVERS HAVE A HEADACHE!!!

SuperAguri: So Salo has got fired from Reppu?

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 08 Jan 2013, 18:10

Ai the Witch wrote:*get electrocuted by a backfiring spell"

I AND OUR DRIVERS HAVE A HEADACHE!!!

Herrmann Mann wrote: Oh, please be quiet, you Japanese hag. You're about as evil as the Powerpuff Girls.....

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 08 Jan 2013, 21:06

FMecha wrote:
Ai the Witch wrote:*get electrocuted by a backfiring spell"

I AND OUR DRIVERS HAVE A HEADACHE!!!

SuperAguri: So Salo has got fired from Reppu?

Salo got fired a few races ago and his former team mate Ukyou Katayama took his place. He made an immediate impact.

The team are stunned and will not be giving interviews until they work out what they did that made them win. :shock:

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 10 Jan 2013, 03:52

Rumour has it the Pierre Depault is currently making an incredibly angry phone call to F1RM as even Schmitz can't seem to get anything out of it. An even more annoyed Melrose meanwhile is trying to get on the phone to Depault. As to why however, considering he usually doesn't give two shites about how JLD uses MRT's money in any category that isn't the F3RWRS, is anyone's guess

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 18 Jan 2013, 01:32

Round 8: Österreichring, Austria
Friday, 4 September 2015

QUALIFYING

Code: Select all

1 –    2  M. Mouton         Alitaliana            1'32.818
2 –    1  V. Ickx           Alitaliana            1'32.865
3 –    7  A. Powell         West Cliff            1'33.153
4 –    39 S. Wolff          SonicSport            1'34.518
5 –    16 S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             1'34.599
6 –    5  D. Patrick        Restov                1'34.757
7 –    54 R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      1'35.002
8 –    23 L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            1'35.101
9 –    6  N. Lindgren       Restov                1'35.130
10 –   15 An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          1'35.139
11 –   14 Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          1'35.222
12 –   40 D. Galica         SonicSport            1'35.337
13 –   88 M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          1'35.338

Code: Select all

14 –   4  S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          1'35.417
15 –   98 C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       1'35.546
16 –   3  J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          1'36.075
17 –   10 E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            1'36.161
18 –   87 K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          1'36.454
19 –   77 K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   1'36.616
20 –   90 L. Tander         Team Australia        1'36.713
21 –   55 V. Piria          Filles sur Roues      1'36.825
22 –   78 K. Mikami         Foster's Good Women   1'37.324
23 –   24 G. Amati          Minardivas            1'37.985
24 –   97 P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       1'38.267
25 –   91 S. Reid           Team Australia        1'39.059
26 –   17 J. Mihara         Shell JLD             1'39.721

Code: Select all

DID NOT QUALIFY
---------------
DNQ –  11 K. Andrews        Rosenforth            1'40.291
DNQ –  8  P. Cow            West Cliff            1'40.503

The Österreichring. Scene of the downhill start, and a circuit that rewards power. So you'd have to say that's reflected at the head of the grid, the golden Vikings used by Scuderia Alitaliana to not as much effect as we'd all expected so far this year have finally locked out the front row of the grid, with Michèle Mouton in pole. Not that they'll have any respite from the threat of Alice Powell behind them – it wouldn't be like her to let the original championship favourites go scampering off into the distance, and she is the only one to keep them in check. The gap to Susie Wolff, starting fourth, is more of a chasm at 1.4 seconds. But either way, the Scot will take that as a "best of the rest" performance for an excellent shot at huge points. Sabine Schmitz and Danica Patrick were the only other drivers to clear the 1'35 hurdle, though it wasn't for the lack of trying from Rahel Frey, who only missed out by two thousandths of a second. Still, that's another excellent performance in one of the championship's least-valued cars. Next, Lelle Lombardi, Nettan Lindgren and Angela Cope all found themselves locked within a tenth of each other, followed by the other Cope who actually looked like a twin this race. 12th and 13th were Divina Galica and Michele Bumgarner, separated by a mere thousandth of a second, but both made it into the top half of the grid.

Into the second half and the last two drivers to clear 1'36, Simona de Silvestro and Cyndie Allemann, the latter in a car that had no right to be so high up... but can she finally turn a decent qualifying into a result? There's probably no such chance for Jutta Kleinschmidt, in 16th and pretty much mired in that sort of position all year; Emma Kimiläinen deserves better than the underpowered Minardi she's stuck with, but such is life. What's happened to Keiko Ihara, though? Winner at the last race in Germany, I can only think it's taken such a toll on her car that she's tumbled all this way down the field... either that or the height gave her a nosebleed. The usual suspects are bringing up the rear – Katherine Legge managed only 19th, probably cursing her decision to accept the swap from a team with an awful car but decent management to one with a fine chassis, a rotten engine, and little presence looking after the team. Leanne Tander's patriotism may also have been misguided, Team Australia landing her with an ever-ailing Monteverdi... but at least both those two were better off than their team-mates. Into the twenties, Vicky Piria battled with Kazumi Mikami for honours on row eleven, followed by Giovanna Amati and a relieved Pippa Mann – recovering after a slide to a DNQ in Germany, though she couldn't make it any higher than 24th. Finally, on the back row, Samantha Reid and Junko Mihara had an even more nervous wait than usual, as it looked for a while like one of the notorious ex-Prostine twins might scrape onto the grid. But both posted times that would eventually secure 26th by half a second, and yet again the terrible twosome sat out the race.

RACE

Code: Select all

1 –    16 S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             53   1h 28'42.540
2 –    23 L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            53   1h 28'56.391
3 –    5  D. Patrick        Restov                53   1h 29'00.011
4 –    15 An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          53   1h 29'20.102
5 –    14 Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          53   1h 29'38.571
6 –    88 M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          53   1h 30'00.321
7 –    98 C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       52   + 1 lap                                                     
8 –    77 K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   52   + 1 lap                                                     
9 –    90 L. Tander         Team Australia        52   + 1 lap                                                     
10 –   78 K. Mikami         Foster's Good Women   52   + 1 lap                                                     
11 –   24 G. Amati          Minardivas            51   + 2 laps                                                    
12 –   91 S. Reid           Team Australia        51   + 2 laps                                                    
13 –   10 E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            47   brakes

Code: Select all

14 –   55 V. Piria          Filles sur Roues      45   crash                                                       
15 –   40 D. Galica         SonicSport            43   engine                                                      
16 –   1  V. Ickx           Alitaliana            42   transmission                                                
17 –   3  J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          40   spin                                                        
18 –   7  A. Powell         West Cliff            38   crash                                                       
19 –   54 R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      37   loose wheel                                                 
20 –   2  M. Mouton         Alitaliana            32   transmission                                                
21 –   6  N. Lindgren       Restov                20   transmission                                                
22 –   39 S. Wolff          SonicSport            17   engine                                                      
23 –   4  S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          17   fuel system                                                 
24 –   87 K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          15   engine                                                      
25 –   17 J. Mihara         Shell JLD             13   suspension                                                  
26 –   97 P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       6    engine

The suspicion was always there that this flat-out thrash round the Styrian mountains might take its toll on the year-old WEC cars, and it did. Over half the field retired, only two of which were self-induced, and three were all the championship contenders. I would suspect that those involved with Scuderia Alitalia will be fuming at not being able to cash in on a day when Alice Powell didn't make it to the finish line (for the second successive race), but the message to them would be... service your gearboxes!

Not that Sabine Schmitz will care. It's the kind of scenery she's made a living pounding round in a BMW 5-series, albeit on a much longer circuit, occasionally swapping it for a van in an attempt to make a sub-ten-minute lap of her favourite track. This time, it was keeping her head together, plus some outrageous good fortune that stripped away those who had already run away ahead of her, that saw her through to a win which Craig Cod will immediately crow about as if the slightly weedy first iteration of the PURE engine is further vindicated (Chris Dagnall, driving the F1RM last year, had to use every ounce of his skill to wrench two wins out of it). Slso not caring about the fate of those who dropped from the front will be Lella Lombardi, who was having a field day in the Forti anyway, finally bringing Scuderia Minardivas that little bit closer to the magic they were weaving with Vanina Ickx and an old Minardi last year. Better still, as hard light holograms can actually taste real food and drink, it's worth her while drinking the champagne on the podium... plus, instant unrejectification is always a bonus. Danica Patrick had to settle for third – Restov's formerly title-challenging Super Aguris are looking a little bit second hand now, but give Danica a decent car and she will get everything possible out of it. Behind her, what's this... it's an all-American sister act! As expected, Angela Cope brought her Spyker home in front of her sister by 18 seconds, but it was probably a better day for Angela – she is also unrejectified, and has done it the hard way as well, via two fifth places – in successive races, at that. Sixth, and bringing home a small amount of bacon on a day when Super Reppu! were coming down from the massive high of Hockenheim, Michele Bumgarner was probably a bit too steady in heading for what was originally tenth... until the chaos unfolded at the front. Those who shouldn't have scored, but did, were those who were lapped (and would have been down by two, had either Alice Powell or Michèle Mouton made the finish). Cyndie Allemann and Katherine Legge, driving each other's cars from the beginning of the season, somehow conspired to finish almost together... but with Allemann in front. The hideously slow David Price she has to drive has been well maintained by Psycho Soldiers, though, whereas the SAC used by Foster's Good Women... hasn't, so much. Ninth was Leanne Tander, taking a third points finish of the year which otherwise seemed so unlikely, and tenth – needing the boost of a points finish, however flukily it came, was Kazumi Mikami – that should bury the memory of her previous DNQ for a while. Only two others finished – Giovanna Amati and Samatha Reid, both two laps down and a country mile away from any joy on the scoreboard.

So what of those who the circuit claimed as victims? It all started on lap 7 with Pippa Mann – as her new-ish team-mate cruised and collected some much-needed points for the team, her car developed an oil leak, which soon threw her off the track, over a fiercely high kerb which turned the car over before it landed in the gravel trap. The bodywork of the car was utterly devastated, but Pippa was fine, if a little shaken. Junko Mihara was next – trailing round at the back, she also hit a nasty kerb hard, misjudging it completely, and smashed her suspension. Keiko Ihara's car gave way after only 15 laps, exhausted by the stress of the win at Hockenheim, while two laps later, Simona de Silvestro and Susie Wolff fell prey to a fuel pickup problem and a catastrophic engine blowout respectively – the smoke trail from Wolff's engine stretched all the way down the back straight. Nettan Lindgren soon lost all her gears, sidelined after 20 laps, and then – just when all seemed calm – gearbox trouble took out Michèle Mouton, running in second place after finally conceding a titanic battle with Alice Powell. The West Cliff garage celebrated... a little prematurely, because Vanina Ickx was dropping away at half a second a lap. It was going to be another easy win... wasn't it?

And then... fate intervened. Foully shoddy pitwork from the Filles sur Roues team saw the poodle-headed Fille sur only three Roues as she exited Texaco. Who had she just been lapped by? Alice Powell, who didn't see the loose wheel bouncing malevolently down the straight. Powell braked for the Jochen Rindt Kurve, the wheel obviously didn't, and hurled itself square at her rear wing, smashing it clean off... cue an all-new novel called Alice Through The Gravel Trap, and an eventual look on her face that said "what just happened there?" Scuderia Alitaliana allowed themselves a grimace of schadenfreude. This was exactly what they needed. And then, just as Jutta Kleinschmidt helpfully removed herself from Vanina Ickx's path by obligingly spinning off the circuit – completely unprovoked – and this earning her Reject Of The Race for throwing away what were some very much needed points, there was a familiar and worrying graunch from Ickx's gearbox. That's right, it had seized again, and all she could do was coast to a halt. One minute both title contenders were up, the next, they were right back down again – but the gap in the Drivers' Championship remains at just over two wins... and there are only four races left. Even then, the carnage wasn't done; Divina Galica, who had been running fourth with all the retirements around her, succumbed to engine failure, Vicky Piria drove into a tyre wall but escaped Reject Of The Race as she wasn't on for points, and finally, Emma Kimiläinen had the scariest moment of her life when the brakes on her creaking Minardi gave up at the Hella-Licht chicane.

Everyone was unscathed after the gruelling race... except the championship, which now looks like it's unlikely to go to the wire. Not that it did last year...

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
for the Maria Teresa de Filippis Cup

Four races to go, 100 points can be won...

~ indicates a driver who has switched teams – only the latest team is shown
* indicates a driver still in contention for the championship

Code: Select all

1 –    7  * A. Powell         West Cliff            136
2 –    1  * V. Ickx           Alitaliana            84
3 –    2  * M. Mouton         Alitaliana            77
4 –    5  * D. Patrick        Restov                69
5 –    16 * S. Schmitz        Shell JLD             60
6 –    6  * N. Lindgren       Restov                50
7 –    40 * D. Galica         SonicSport            49
8 =    4  * S. de Silvestro   Autodynamics          42
8 =    39 * S. Wolff          SonicSport            42
10 =   15 * An. Cope          Cope-ersucar          37
10 =   87 * K. Ihara          Super Reppu!          37
12 –   23   L. Lombardi (H)   Minardivas            27
13 –   14   Am. Cope          Cope-ersucar          21

Code: Select all

14 –   88   M. Bumgarner      Super Reppu!          20
15 –   24   G. Amati          Minardivas            16
16 –   97   P. Mann           Psycho Soldiers       8
17 =  ~77   K. Legge          Foster's Good Women   7
17 =   90   L. Tander         Team Australia        7
17 =  ~98   C. Allemann       Psycho Soldiers       7
20 –   54   R. Frey           Filles sur Roues      6
21 –   10   E. Kimiläinen     Rosenforth            4 
22 =   3    J. Kleinschmidt   Autodynamics          1
22 =   78   K. Mikami         Foster's Good Women   1

TEAMS' CHAMPIONSHIP
for the Bertha Benz Cup

Four races to go, 172 points can be won...

* indicates a team still in contention for the championship

Code: Select all

1 –  * Scuderia Alitaliana / Viking               161
2 –  * West Cliff Racing / SPAM                   136
3 –  * Restov Racing / Super Aguri                119
4 –  * SonicSport / ATS Rial                      91
5 –  * Shell JLD Motorsport / F1RM                60
6 –  * Cope-ersucar / Spyker                      58
7 –  * Super Reppu! / Dome                        57

Code: Select all

8 =  * Autodynamics Simtek Grand Prix / Simtek    43
8 =  * Scuderia Minardivas / Forti                43
10 – * Psycho Soldiers / David Price              16
11 = * Team Australia / Monteverdi                7
11 = * Foster's Good Women with Plus One / SAC    7
13 – * Filles sur Roues / Stefan                  6
14 – * Rosenforth Engineering / Minardi           4

THE CLAUSURA

With four races to go, the seedings for the Clausura are now known. This kicks off at the next race in Hungary!

Susie Wolff takes eighth seed due to scoring two fourth places to only one for Simona de Silvestro; Keiko Ihara beats Angela Cope for tenth from her win in Germany.

So the tournament looks like this:

(1) Powell v (16) Mann
(2) Ickx v (15) Amati
(3) Mouton v (14) Bumgarner
(4) Patrick v (13) Amber Cope
(5) Schmitz v (12) Lombardi
(6) Lindgren v (11) Angela Cope
(7) Galica v (10) Ihara
(8) Wolff v (9) de Silvestro

POETRY CORNER

(with apologies to Spike Milligan)

Pip Pip Pippety Pip
Slid on some oil
Slippety Slip
Mounted the kerb
Trippety Trip
Turned the car over
Flippety Flip
Tore the sidepods
Rippety Rip
The gravel trap's got her
Grippety Grip
Still leaks the oil
Drippety Drip
Poor little Pippa
Pippety Pip.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 18 Jan 2013, 01:38

Alasdair Lindsay wrote:I want whoever was in charge of transmission systems at Viking fired IMMEDIATELY! Idiot norsemen must have decided shaping the components with an axe instead of CAM machines was a better idea. Morons...

the Masked Lapwing · Post by **the Masked Lapwing** » 18 Jan 2013, 01:49

John Zimmer wrote:Hey, why did you even bother buying this Italian piece of turd? Look at it, it's falling to pieces!

Jimmy Rosenforth wrote:No it's not, it's perfectly fine. *taps rear wing, which falls off* See? Safety feature.

Zimmer wrote:Look at this brake disc, it's made up entirely of rust now! The one that broke simply disintegrated!

Rosenforth wrote:Fine, if you're so worried, go take bits off that spare car I got.

Zimmer wrote:What, that one that keeps getting towed because it rolls out onto the track every race? I don't the brakes are much better on that to be honest. Although we could use it to patch up the hole in the floor of this one.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 18 Jan 2013, 01:53

Ørjan Andreasen wrote:Nobody in my technical team is getting fired. Those orders only come from our team principals. You want a car you can do whatever you like with, why not pick one from a defunct team like Toleman or EuroBrun? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Main Series race to prepare for...

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 18 Jan 2013, 02:06

Daniel Melrose, on the phone to Pierre Depault wrote:About bloody time you f***ing clowns actually did something useful with MY F***ING MONEY!

Pierre Depault wrote:Sorry for taking so long boss, but it's not our fault that the car has been below par th...

Daniel Melrose wrote:Below par? BELOW PAR!? YOU GOT THIS CAR FROM ALMIGHTY HIMSELF YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL! AND WHO ON EARTH IS THAT IN THE SECOND CAR?

Pierre Depault wrote:Erm, Junko Mihara, b...

Daniel Melrose wrote:Junko who? Exactly. Now go out there and spend my money on something more useful. Like a teammate to Sabine who isn't ABSOLUTE SHITE!

Pierre Depault wrote:Yes, sir.

Daniel Melrose wrote:One more thing. Next year, you'll be working with those guys at PDVSA instead of Shell. You better make them feel welcome or it'll be the last thing you ever did for the MRT Group. Understood?

Pierre Depault wrote:Yes bo... *Melrose hangs up* God, why do I even work for this assclown sometimes?

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 18 Jan 2013, 02:31

Ørjan Andreasen wrote:Nobody in my technical team is getting fired. Those orders only come from our team principals. You want a car you can do whatever you like with, why not pick one from a defunct team like Toleman or EuroBrun? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Main Series race to prepare for...

Alasdair Lindsay wrote:Can't wait for next season, when Alitaliana will actually be able to use a decent car, our own SAAC15 chassis, instead of this pile of garbage. We're getting our arses kicked by a freaking teenager right now because of your team's ineptitiude at supplying reliable parts.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 18 Jan 2013, 02:53

Jutta, you're fired. Is it possible to but Ana Beatriz in the car (With stats slightly lowered to not breach the credit cap)

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 18 Jan 2013, 05:26

Ai the Witch wrote:FGCR shall sank! Glory for the Psycho Soldiers!! The David Price car may be a garbage in main series, but we can beat them!

Dany Bahar, out of nowhere, wrote:YOU'RE SMALL TIME, WITCH!! CATERHAM TEAM MALAYSIA FOR 2016!! *tries to hit Ai with a baseball bat*

Post by **Nuppiz** » 18 Jan 2013, 07:57

Sophie Fabron wrote:Merde, who was that idiot who checked Frey's wheels before sending her on her way? Who? WHO?

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 18 Jan 2013, 08:13

Keiko Ihara wrote:Waiiiiiiiii! I won, I won, I won. We did not expect that to happen. Waiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Oh I retired this race? Waiiiiiiiiii but I won a race. WaiiiiiiI!

Michele Bumgarner wrote:Konichiwa! Well points in first few races is good. Gambate!

Ukyou Katayama wrote:We have been working hard to turn the team around, points in every race is a good thing. Mika Salo is just a distant memory.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 18 Jan 2013, 11:14

Alasdair Lindsay wrote:Can't wait for next season, when Alitaliana will actually be able to use a decent car, our own SAAC15 chassis, instead of this pile of garbage. We're getting our arses kicked by a freaking teenager right now because of your team's ineptitiude at supplying reliable parts.

Ørjan Andreasen wrote:Yeah, right, the car that thrashed the field last year...

A member of the Il Barone Rampante technical team wrote:Er... boss, what's an SAAC15? That car's a few years away yet...

Sir Bernard Shekelslike wrote:Remember those rules next year about the end of normally aspirated engines? It applies to the WEC as well. As I said many, many times. You ruled your own cars out of the running for next year, freakshow...

Odin wrote:...and don't you go thinking anyone will be getting their hands on our cars next year, either! Poke my other eye out if it isn't true!

Hugin wrote:Caaaw.

Munin wrote:Squawrk.

Sir Bernard Shekelslike wrote:Better start brown-nosing Rami Räikkönen, I'd suggest...

Rami Räikkönen wrote:Who said anything about my glorious black and green machines racing in the WEC next year?

Sir Bernard Shekelslike wrote:It certainly wasn't your brother.

Rami Räikkönen wrote:Perkele.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 18 Jan 2013, 16:38

Wow, looking forward to the Closura. Alice Powell (my driver) against the name sake of one of my fictional drivers (who, when I read the race reports here, I think is one of my drivers :oops:

)...

And damn that retirement. The championship would be almost a foregone conclusion for certain without that...