2016 F1RDS Season - END OF SEASON & Post-season testing

Post by **Nuppiz** » 11 Sep 2013, 14:57

Niko Nurminen wrote:2nd and 8th? This race could be excellent for our team!

Daniela Anger wrote:YES! This is what I'm capable of when the car is working perfectly!

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 11 Sep 2013, 15:08

Aimee Gauthier wrote:This race has the potential to be very good for us, obviously 7th is not the best qualifying position we could achieve, but the drivers closest to me in the championship are well down, so assuming I have another solid race I should be leading the championship afterwards. However, I still need to focus on getting a great start and making up positions through the race, as Vosu is still rather close, and I would not be surprised if she won.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 11 Sep 2013, 15:10

12th and 21st... wow...

Post by **Ataxia** » 12 Sep 2013, 18:46

Grand Prix Of The UK - Donington - Race 1

For the first time in the RDS, Alitalia picked up a win in the main series. Having started on pole, Mineiro simply walked away from the rest of the field and put together a comprehensive victory over the rest of the field. Anu Vosu had to settle for second with no chance to challenge for the win, whilst Matt Grove kept the Estonian driver honest on his return to the podium. Daniela Anger was a driver who was incredibly tenacious at the beginning; the Plus One driver seemed to be on course for a podium but took the best out of her tyres early on fighting Vosu for 2nd. This meant that she was easy pickings for the train of Grove, Suomanen and Fuamatu, and towards the end Lappalainen found a way past too. Suomanen's race was very commendable indeed; having begun from 9th the Finn took the initiative to push his way through the field early on. Aimée Gauthier had a quiet race to 8th, as Simon Mestach seized 9th from Grunewald on lap 17. The hapless Grunewald was pushing to catch Gauthier, and managed to spin his car at the chicane before the Melbourne hairpin. This allowed Manuel Riva to grab the last point, despite the Mexican having been unfairly forced off the road by Behrman Reith on lap 1.

Penalty News

Car #0 (B. Reith) forced Car #27 (M. Riva) off of the road at Turn 9. Mr. Reith will receive a warning for his conduct.

A new penalty system has been implemented. Any driver to reach three warnings will be banned for one race. Five warnings will result in a further two race ban, seven warnings will result in three more races of exclusion, and ten will result in the driver being thrown out of the championship. This should see a reduction in the lenient outlook the RDS currently has.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 12 Sep 2013, 19:48

Corrado Provera wrote:Finally! We have won a race in the proper F1RDS championship, and it has been a long time coming. Mineiro finally showed his true talent, we knew he had that raw pace, we had seen it for a long time from his karting days in Minas Gerais, and finally he has delivered. Hopefully he can keep this level up now. But Barlini...he needs to get his act together! Comprehensively beaten by his rookie team-mate today. At this rate, I may have to draft in Marcus Gronholm to replace him, it's really not the performance expected of a 2nd year driver.

Post by **Ataxia** » 12 Sep 2013, 22:57

Grand Prix of the UK - Race 2 - Qualifying: Results Here

(Yeah, because I'm rather busy this weekend I've decided to get this up now. So, uh, yeaaaah...and apologies for the less than conventional grid screens. I forgot to screenshot.)

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 13 Sep 2013, 06:12

Aimée Gauthier wrote:It was another good run again for us in qualifying but not as great as I was hoping. We did not have a good race last time out - we're only tied with Frankham for the lead, and now Botha is starting ahead, I will have to just do better to beat him. This track is difficult for overtaking but it is not impossible. With a good setup I am certain I can fight my way through the pack and produce another strong race result to take my rightful place as championship leader.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 13 Sep 2013, 06:19

Wow, we're totally lost here.

the Masked Lapwing · Post by **the Masked Lapwing** » 13 Sep 2013, 07:22

John Zimmer wrote:17th and 22nd? HOW F***ING HARD CAN IT BE!?

Jimmy Rosenforth wrote:Calm down John, it's not all hopeless.

Psst, hey, guys, it might be a good idea if you upped the performances somewhat. John here is likely to start swinging soon...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 13 Sep 2013, 10:44

Corrado Provera wrote:Well, it seems Nino has answered the battle cry of the team! Hopefully he can covert this pole as his team-mate did yesterday. Mineiro slipped a bit further back than I hoped, but from his position he can still fight for points at least. It is starting to look less and less likely I'll need to draft in Marcus Gronholm now, the two drivers are starting to get settled in now.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 13 Sep 2013, 22:15

Looks like this track kind of suits the car, if even Terenzio 'a-very slow-a!' Nicchi can qualify in the top 10. Now guys, don't crash into anything!

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 14 Sep 2013, 09:46

This wrote:Looks like this track kind of suits the car, if even Terenzio 'a-very slow-a!' Nicchi can qualify in the top 10. Now guys, don't crash into anything!

Alessandro Linari wrote:Well, I mean, what do you expect from a goddamn terrone? They are all useless! He should quit and go back to farming.

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 14 Sep 2013, 10:04

Terenzio Nicchi wrote:Meh, even though I do look like the next Benoit Voeckler so far I still have my family's team if I still feel like driving.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 14 Sep 2013, 10:41

Terenzio Nicchi wrote:Meh, even though I do look like the next Benoit Voeckler so far I still have my family's team if I still feel like driving.

Alessandro Linari wrote:Well, at least you are an honest terrone. Admitting you will use nepotism to keep your career going. That's probably what it'll take at this point.

Post by **Ataxia** » 14 Sep 2013, 14:38

2016 F1RDS Grand Prix of the UK - Race 2

Scuderia Alitalia proved dominant in Donington as Nino Barlini streaked to his first RDS win, leading the Italian team to win both races at the Leicestershire-based circuit. Mineiro capped off an excellent race by nabbing the fastest lap for the second time in a row. Naas Botha had a lightning start to beat Barrett and Vosu off the line; Vosu didn't time the lights well and ended up in 8th at the first lap's end. However, the Estonian rallied and she produced some gutsy overtaking moves to reclaim some lost positions. Castaneda and Nicchi opened their accounts for 2016, driving clean races to pick up a good share of the points. Despite a decent qualifying session, a notable omission from the points was Aimée Gauthier, who seemed a little off-colour in driving terms as she was easily dispatched by the likes of Feldhoffer and Silva in their respective pursuits of points.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 14 Sep 2013, 15:56

The entire Alitalia garage, after a miraculous performance wrote:

the Masked Lapwing · Post by **the Masked Lapwing** » 18 Sep 2013, 06:56

John Zimmer wrote:Let me make this perfectly clear. If you two muppets don't score twice in the next three races, I'll turf BOTH your asses out on the street. How does that sound? And don't come crying that you've both scored this year, you both won races in the WC and have only managed to score twice between you when it matters.

Traditional ZimSport/Rosenforth driver management in action :lol:

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 18 Sep 2013, 07:37

Goddamnit, aaaah

Post by **Ataxia** » 28 Sep 2013, 12:46

2016 F1RDS Qualifying - Italian GP - Monza

A topsy-turvy qualifying session saw the Octan of Chuck Barrett take pole ahead of his teammate Terenzio Nicchi. The duo annexed the front row ahead of Manuel Riva and Aimée Gauthier, who must be sniffing out the potential for a win tomorrow. After being vilified by his team principal after the last race at Donington, Iakopo Fuamatu visibly raised his game to grab 6th, as Phil Nichols was also a surprise in 11th. Anu Vosu and the Red Bulls of Silva and Scrattenheim were low on pace; a trait that is usually out of character for these three drivers. It appears that the low-downforce nature of the Monza circuit threw a curveball into setup proceedings, and Octan got it right on the day.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 28 Sep 2013, 15:14

Midfield result, we shall see how the race goes.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 28 Sep 2013, 17:47

Corrado Provera wrote:5th and 8th are certainly reasonable qualification positions. We obviously hope for Mineiro to do very well and get some crucial points for the championship, but at the same time it would be incredible for Barlini to win on home soil at the team's home race! Both drivers are proving to be exceptionally capable and can challenge for good results this weekend. It seems to for once I have no reason to suggest I may need to draft in Marcus Gronholm, both drivers are going a good job now they've settled in to the team.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 28 Sep 2013, 20:32

4th place for Gauthier, that's a good position for the race, especially considering that her main rivals Vosu, Frankham and Botha start from 10th, 14th and 21st.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 29 Sep 2013, 01:32

Bathplugging hopeless

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 29 Sep 2013, 15:55

Talking about consistency :roll:

Now guys, don't screw this chance!

Post by **Ataxia** » 30 Sep 2013, 16:39

2016 F1RDS Grand Prix of Italy - Race

Having annexed the front row, Octan swept to their first podium finishes of the year as Terenzio Nicchi took an unexpected win home for the Danish team.

POSITIVES

+++ Octan Young Drivers - Having raced under the Donkervoort banner last season, the team experienced little in the way of success. This season looked to be similar, but their gamble on a low-downforce setup worked wonders for Octan at Monza as Barrett and Nicchi streaked away at the start. Come the third lap of the race, Nicchi seemed to be faster than his team-mate, and managed to have a run at the American after Curva Grande. The Vatican driver never looked back, as Barrett had to be content with finishing 2nd.

++ Matt Grove - Although the Crusaders team worked well at Monza on the whole, a special mention has to go to Grove for his stunning performance. Having started 7th, he doggedly chased down the field to work his way onto the podium ahead of his team-mate Manuel Riva. The Australian managed a fastest lap too, showing that he had the pace all the way through.

+ Iakopo Fuamatu - After an angry press conference from team boss John Zimmer, Fuamatu answered the call to arms with a rather handy weekend to bring his confidence back up following a Winter Cup that failed to deliver. The Samoan's not out of the woods yet, however.

NEGATIVES

- Definitely Maybe Racing - This is the first race of the season that DMR have failed to score in, and despite the fact that Castaneda eventually finished 12th it's a real turn in fortunes for the Manchester-based team, and it's a turn that won't please them.

-- Mustafa Kurniawan - The Indonesian driver had a great start to the race, and was in 6th by lap 5. However, a completely unforced error put Kurniawan into a spin at the first Lesmo, dropping him well down the field. Although Botha scored, Mecha would have hoped for more.

--- Anu Vosu - Her points-scoring run came to an abrupt halt in Italy, as the Estonian made a hash of her qualifying efforts to begin the race 21st. Although many figures around the sport expected Vosu to make light work of the backmarkers, instead she sauntered around the back of the field and finished well behind her hapless team-mate. Not a weekend a championship challenger needs.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 30 Sep 2013, 16:51

A slightly disappointing race. Gauthier gained some points on her main championship rivals, but I had hoped for more than a 7th place. And for Suomanen it was a weekend to forget.

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 30 Sep 2013, 19:50

The Nicchis, after seeing their son finish first and their team 3rd and 4th wrote:VICTOOOOOOOORIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Post by **Nuppiz** » 30 Sep 2013, 19:57

Niko Nurminen, moments after the race wrote:

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 30 Sep 2013, 22:20

Well, with a driver like Nicchi, you never know what happens next

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 01 Oct 2013, 08:36

9th place is above my expectations... but another retirement, really? :oops:

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 01 Oct 2013, 20:11

Dark77 wrote:
The Nicchis, after seeing their son finish first and their team 3rd and 4th wrote:VICTOOOOOOOORIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Alessandro Linari wrote:Goddamn terrone, they don't even know how to say vittoria right...

Post by **Ataxia** » 26 Oct 2013, 11:29

2016 F1RDS Qualifying - Red Bull Ring

Tipped by many at the start of the year to be in the championship hunt, it's not really got going for Simon Mestach. That is until today, where he pulled out a tremendous lap to take pole ahead of his Echoften team-mate Feldhoffer. Nino Barlini kept his impressive form for Alitalia, as both Rosenforths rounded out the top 5. Usual backmarker Dennis Tauranac pulled out a good lap to take 8th on the grid, as both NREs and DMRs failed to impress again.

Post by **tommykl** » 26 Oct 2013, 11:32

Simon Mestach wrote:Comment j'ai fait?

Post by **Londoner** » 26 Oct 2013, 17:33

Liam McGuigan, after DMR locked out the last row of the grid wrote:

Sound of broken glass and things falling emanate from the DMR garage

Liam McGuigan, 2 hours later when AJ and Jari make their excuses wrote:

Sandy Grey wrote:Very nice indeed, the team has been really on it this weekend, and it's left us in a prime postion to take home a bucketload of points on race day.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 27 Oct 2013, 00:53

We scored a 1-2 previous race, might as well give up doing an effort for the rest of the season, right?

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 27 Oct 2013, 05:02

Volker was rapid today,But Miguel needs to improve or his 2017 F3RWRS seat is in jeopardy

Post by **Ataxia** » 27 Oct 2013, 12:33

2016 F1RDS Grand Prix of Austria - Red Bull Ring - Race

Having taken his first pole position of the year, Simon Mestach won at Austria to kickstart his season's title ambitions.

POSITIVES

+++ Simon Mestach: It's not all gone the Belgian's way this year. Struggling to find a good setup in qualifying, Mestach has often floundered in the lower reaches of the field. However, he seems to have finally overcome this with a fine win in Austria. Having taken a commanding pole, he led the whole race and his first victory of the year never looked in jeopardy.

++ Scuderia Alitalia: Alitalia look the genuine article this year, as they had the speed to allow Barlini to hold onto third position and score some vital points. His team-mate Mineiro also had an impressive race, as the Brazilian soared from 9th on the grid to take 5th with some canny driving on the opening laps to pass Gauthier and Tauranac.

+ Dennis Tauranac: Having replaced the hapless Graham Rudd at the start of the season, Tauranac had to become acclimatised to the F1RDS-spec machinery and thus was a fixture at the lower end of the field. However, an impressive qualifying session saw the Kiwi begin the race in 8th. Although he didn't stay there, he held on for a well-deserved 9th.

NEGATIVES

+ Behrman Reith: Having had such a good 2015, all is not going well for the series' youngest entrant. Reith looked like taking his first points of the year with 11th in qualifying, but just slipped back during the race and still remains on a tally of zero this year.

++ Mecha, NRE and DMR: Three teams that should be doing a lot better. Lappalainen was proactive, but the other five drivers looked pretty lethargic out there.

+++ Octan Young Drivers: "Hero to zero" is one of the more common clichés in motorsport, but I think Octan's performance in Austria was a prime example of it. Nicchi and Barrett impressed so much at Monza, and to go from 1st and 2nd to 23rd and 25th is probably worthy of some criticism. The Danish team are going to have to sort themselves out; perhaps the Monza win was a slight fluke, but they're better than backmarkers.

RESULTS

Post by **Ataxia** » 03 Nov 2013, 12:12

As discussed in chat, Ecurie Prenois need a new driver as Suomanen appears to be moving up to F3RWRS full time. Any takers?

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 03 Nov 2013, 12:20

Ataxia wrote:As discussed in chat, Ecurie Prenois need a new driver as Suomanen appears to be moving up to F3RWRS full time. Any takers?

Diego Pereira, brother of RTCC driver Luis, is interested in the seat.

EDIT: should be worth pointing out he's 17

Post by **Londoner** » 06 Nov 2013, 14:58

Liam McGuigan wrote:OH come on now! Seriously boys, get your arse in gear and stop trundling around at the back.

Sandy Grey wrote:Now that was sweet. A bit more effort and some more testing miles, then that first win might just be coming my way...

RDS Update wrote:Butler linked with RDS return
Former Kingfisher Racing driver Thomas Butler, who raced for the team in the inaugural season of the F1RDS, has been rumoured to be returning to the series less than a year since moving up to the F3RWRS. Butler, 17, has struggled for results in his time driving for Kingfisher's F3RWRS team, and it is understood that after the Pau SuperPrix event, both team and driver parted ways through mutual consent. It is believed that Butler himself was the catalyst for the team's decision, feeling he was out of his depth in the series, and to help the team progress this season, the decision was taken to leave Kingfisher Gauthier and go for another season in the RDS.

It is also understood that Nurminen Racing Engineering may be on the lookout for a new driver, having become dissatisfied with Florian Grunewald's performances so far this season. It is rumoured that the team have met Butler and may well be drawing up a contract which could see Butler in the car as early as the next race.