Women's GT World Championship 2014 - Season over!

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 12 Mar 2014, 20:47

Turbogirl wrote:
go_Rubens wrote:
Jean-Phillipe Henri wrote:DAMNIT!!! Damn, damn, damn, that just wrung all my brain fluid out! Agnes, get me some of my Stella Artois before I go on a rage! NOW!!! Hell, I'm already on a f***ing rage! *Gets his drink* Well, this is smooth, man! And cool. Agnes, have one for yourself. Because we've won the WCC!!!

We had a meeting. Pippa is still safe, as we'd never sack her through our own choice But that was the most inept racing move Jean saw since the final days of Life GP. Or at least, that was his opinion. Turn Pippa down to MOD though for the next race.

Pippa Mann wrote:I should of let Simona have it. I should have run the race without taking too many risks. Now the bloody championship is wide open again. We keep up our form of the past, then we'll be good. But hell, I'm pissed at myself. *Goes to explain herself to the boss.*

Cyndie Allemann wrote:The race was quite easy except for the chaos. I couldn't see what happened very well until I saw that white and blue striped car spin. And then I realized I had to do my best to salvage the best result I could for the team. We've won the WCC, so we're happy for that, but evidently not for the first time this year at the team, we are in torn emotions.

Oh, I loved that series. Was always a good read. Too bad, Nuppiz decided to let it die. Alright, Pippa Mann is turned down to MOD.

I'd like R-1 to be good as well. Especially for me, I'm entering a team into it

But Life GP was and will be the best PMMF series ever just for the sheer rejectfulness of it.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 12 Mar 2014, 20:52

go_Rubens wrote:
Turbogirl wrote:Oh, I loved that series. Was always a good read. Too bad, Nuppiz decided to let it die. Alright, Pippa Mann is turned down to MOD.

I'd like R-1 to be good as well. Especially for me, I'm entering a team into it But Life GP was and will be the best PMMF series ever just for the sheer rejectfulness of it.

We'll see. Rejects-1 features other prominent reject cars as well, so it might make for a whole new experience. I'll definitely read it from time to time, when I find some spare time to do so. Good luck with your team there, btw!

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 12 Mar 2014, 20:58

Turbogirl wrote:
go_Rubens wrote:
Turbogirl wrote:Oh, I loved that series. Was always a good read. Too bad, Nuppiz decided to let it die. Alright, Pippa Mann is turned down to MOD.

I'd like R-1 to be good as well. Especially for me, I'm entering a team into it But Life GP was and will be the best PMMF series ever just for the sheer rejectfulness of it.

We'll see. Rejects-1 features other prominent reject cars as well, so it might make for a whole new experience. I'll definitely read it from time to time, when I find some spare time to do so. Good luck with your team there, btw!

Well, we've already lived up to rejectful by signing a title sponsor that didn't come into its existence (well, it was existent, the name of the company wasn't) until 1998 :lol:

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 12 Mar 2014, 21:06

go_Rubens wrote:Well, we've already lived up to rejectful by signing a title sponsor that didn't come into its existence (well, it was existent, the name of the company wasn't) until 1998

See? That's one of the many reasons I've decided not to include a sponsorship system (or money in general) into my series. I've already spent about two years of research on drivers, teams, cars and other stuff to run this series. Researching sponsors, the amount of money they could / would bring to a team, and in what year they showed up would have taken me another two years at minimum! :lol:

Well that and the fact, that sponsorship systems are never fair to the smaller teams...

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 12 Mar 2014, 21:11

Turbogirl wrote:
go_Rubens wrote:Well, we've already lived up to rejectful by signing a title sponsor that didn't come into its existence (well, it was existent, the name of the company wasn't) until 1998

See? That's one of the many reasons I've decided not to include a sponsorship system (or money in general) into my series. I've already spent about two years of research on drivers, teams, cars and other stuff to run this series. Researching sponsors, the amount of money they could / would bring to a team, and in what year they showed up would have taken me another two years at minimum!

Well, the team was originally Vivendi Équipe Bernard Leclercq. Belgian team with French title sponsor. But Vivendi was actually Compagnie Générale des Eaux before 1998, and since I couldn't find a logo, I just decided to go with Buoygues. You know, that may just be the Virtual Toppest Lel of the Year :lol:

This series shouldn't have a sponsorship system if it is all factory teams. If we let privateers into the series, then sponsors might be a good idea. But it'd be a waste of time right now.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 12 Mar 2014, 21:19

go_Rubens wrote:
Turbogirl wrote:
go_Rubens wrote:Well, we've already lived up to rejectful by signing a title sponsor that didn't come into its existence (well, it was existent, the name of the company wasn't) until 1998

See? That's one of the many reasons I've decided not to include a sponsorship system (or money in general) into my series. I've already spent about two years of research on drivers, teams, cars and other stuff to run this series. Researching sponsors, the amount of money they could / would bring to a team, and in what year they showed up would have taken me another two years at minimum!

Well, the team was originally Vivendi Équipe Bernard Leclercq. Belgian team with French title sponsor. But Vivendi was actually Compagnie Générale des Eaux before 1998, and since I couldn't find a logo, I just decided to go with Buoygues. You know, that may just be the Virtual Toppest Lel of the Year

This series shouldn't have a sponsorship system if it is all factory teams. If we let privateers into the series, then sponsors might be a good idea. But it'd be a waste of time right now.

I'm thinking about privateer entries for the Junior Cup, cause I can imagine not every single player from the World Championship wants to run his own driver development program as well. So we might have teams like Audi Team Abt or BMW Team Vitaphone - names like that. But the World Championship shall be reserved for genuine factory teams only. It's been a long time, since that has been made. Not even the FIA GT1 Championship walked that road, because they feared the costs would explode at some point (rightfully so). Same thing killed off the ITC back in the days. So, no sponsorship system and team budgets for the Women's GT World Championship. It's better this way.

mike robers · Post by **mike robers** » 12 Mar 2014, 21:36

Sarah Fisher wrote-
I don't blame anybody for that. That's just racing. They probably wanted a closer championship, that's all. I still have respect for both Pippa and Simona. We'll get em' next time.

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 13 Mar 2014, 02:48

Hey Turbogirl is there a waiting list for this series?

If there is, I would like to be put on it. Thanks

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 13 Mar 2014, 11:49

V8fan12 wrote:Hey Turbogirl is there a waiting list for this series?

If there is, I would like to be put on it. Thanks

Sure, be my guest!

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 13 Mar 2014, 20:01

Turbogirl wrote:
V8fan12 wrote:Hey Turbogirl is there a waiting list for this series?

If there is, I would like to be put on it. Thanks

Sure, be my guest!

Thanks.

Big props to you for running such a great series btw

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 13 Mar 2014, 21:13

V8fan12 wrote:
Turbogirl wrote:
V8fan12 wrote:Hey Turbogirl is there a waiting list for this series?

If there is, I would like to be put on it. Thanks

Sure, be my guest!

Thanks. Big props to you for running such a great series btw

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate that.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 13 Mar 2014, 22:04

V8fan12 wrote:
Turbogirl wrote:
V8fan12 wrote:Hey Turbogirl is there a waiting list for this series?

If there is, I would like to be put on it. Thanks

Sure, be my guest!

Thanks. Big props to you for running such a great series btw

There are new teams for next season, so you have a few choices to choose from. But you should participate. It's a great series to be a part of. In fact, I probably take this one more seriously than the rest of the series I'm in (until ACO LMC and Rejects-1 start up). But besides that, it's quite fun! Enjoy when you start up operations!

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 14 Mar 2014, 12:52

19th Round of the Women's GT World Championship

Hungaroring, Hungary

55 laps / 4,381 km (2,72 mi)

Qualifying

Weather: Warm, sunny with intermittent rain showers

Welcome to the penultimate round of the Women's GT World Championship 2014. And what a start into the weekend that was! If Pippa Mann should ever consider writing a book about motorsports, it will definitely feature a chapter called "Things that can go wrong in a single day". She knew, she would be handicapped already with the penalty she got from the collision at the start of the last round, but what ultimately killed off her chances to score a decent result in Hungary was the changeable weather during qualifying.
It was mostly warm and sunny, but a lot of rain showers went down on Saturday afternoon. This did not only affect Pippa Mann's performance, though. Danica Patrick was also miles away from where she could have been under normal circumstances. Ashley Freiberg had one of the most frustrating qualifyings in her entire career and ended up in 26th position. Vanina Ickx befell the same fate, and both Mercedes-Benz were so far behind, they would need binoculars to see the front end of the grid.
And then there were those, who profited from the damp conditions. Both Chevrolets in the top five, Chelsea Angelo on row 5, right next to Ramona Karlsson in the Honda. After two very good showings right after she had signed for Honda, Karlsson had begun to struggle with her HSV-010 GT. But on slow, wet circuits like the Hungaroring, where skill mattered more than rpm and topspeeds, the Swedish rallye ace was able to show her full potential with ease.
The weather forecast predicted a dry race on Sunday, so high hopes, it could become a rather exciting race in the wet with heavy attrition were crushed immediately. If you can't pass other cars on this track in a single seater car, chances are, you can't do it in a GT car either. So, the only changes in the field on the race day are going to be triggered by attrition or maybe the pitstops. If this shouldn't be the case, we're in for one of the more boring races in this entire season.

Code: Select all

01    Rahel Frey                 (Nissan)               1:41.815
02    Simona de Silvestro        (Jaguar)               1:41.818
03    Cyndie Allemann            (Ferrari)              1:41.929
04    Emma Kimiläinen            (Chevrolet)            1:42.034
05    Johanna Long               (Chevrolet)            1:42.055
06    Shea Holbrook              (Toyota)               1:42.148
07    Leanne Tander              (Audi)                 1:42.183
08    Natacha Gachnang           (Lotus)                1:42.242
09    Chelsea Angelo             (BMW)                  1:42.588
10    Ramona Karlsson            (Honda)                1:42.602

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11    Katherine Legge            (Lotus)                1:42.751
12    Danica Patrick             (Jaguar)               1:42.770
13    Renee Gracie               (BMW)                  1:42.951
14    Pippa Mann                 (Ferrari)              1:42.453 *
15    Fiona Leggate              (Nissan)               1:43.081
16    Alice Powell               (Aston Martin)         1:43.145
17    Beitske Visser             (Maserati)             1:43.306
18    Ana Beatriz                (Porsche)              1:43.542
19    Melanie Troxel             (Mercedes-Benz)        1:43.589
20    Susie Wolff                (Aston Martin)         1:43.614

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21    Erica Enders               (Mercedes-Benz)        1:43.618
22    Jutta Kleinschmidt         (Honda)                1:43.841
23    Zoe Wenham                 (Porsche)              1:43.846
24    Vanina Ickx                (Audi)                 1:43.937
25    Amber Cope                 (Ford)                 1:44.033
26    Ashley Freiberg            (Toyota)               1:44.623
27    Angela Cope                (Ford)                 1:44.816
28    Shirley van der Lof        (Maserati)             1:45.124
29    Keiko Ihara                (Lamborghini)          1:45.286
30    Sabine Schmitz             (Lamborghini)          1:45.688

105 % = 1:48.905

* Pippa Mann was dropped back 5 grid positions due to her penalty from the Round 18.

Race

Weather: Warm, dry, sunny

Teams and drivers had arrived in Hungary on Wednesday before the race. Pippa Mann had been seemingly nervous due to her Championship chances being endangered by her rivals once again. And she also felt sorry for Shea Holbrook and Ashley Freiberg, since their race had been ruined because of the unnecessary collision on the fortnight.
Cyndie Allemann, always the helpful type of gal, arranged a dinner for herself, Pippa and both Toyota drivers on Thursday evening, so they could talk about the incident and maybe get Pippa into a much better mood. Although Pippa (as an apology) was buying, Shea and Ashley still had their own personal "revenge" planned for her. When Pippa was using the bathroom, they poured some Black Mamba Hot Sauce into her meal and had a really good laugh when poor Pippa struggled with her "very spicy" dinner afterwards.
Natacha Gachnang, who had turned 27 at the beginning of the week, got surprised by her team with a small birthday cake and lemonade instead of champagne. "If we get drunk before the set-ups are done, we might win in the end and we don't want that", Technical Director Marianne Hinson said jokingly.
A small group of reporters also attended to this private party and asked Gachnang about all the rumors about her future teammates, to which the Swiss Miss answered: "After reading, how many people are supposed to drive for Lotus next season, I'm afraid we will need to run at least five cars simultaneously."
She explained further, that she was sad to see Katherine (Legge) leave at the end of 2014, since they had developed a very good relationship as teammates over the course of the last couple of races. "Kathy has learned a lot at Ferrari NART. Knowledge we desperately needed to become more competitive. But, from the looks of things, BMW is next in line to profit from that knowledge."
One of the fringe events on Sunday morning was a race with F1 single seaters from the early to mid-nineties, driven by former female racecar drivers like Giovanna Amati, Lyn St.James, Michelle Mouton, Desire Wilson and Liane Engeman, besides many others. Giovanna Amati was confronted with her old BT60B again and had mixed feelings when she saw that "rusty old crowbar" for the first time in years. The event was won by Desire Wilson in a Benetton B193 to great applause from the spectators.
Oh, you want to know something about the main event? The Women's GT World Championship race? Well, what do you expect? It's a race on the Hungaroring, so not much to report there, sadly. The only changes in the field happened right at the start or during the obligatory pitstops around lap 27. Attrition was nonexistent, for the first time this season.
Simona de Silvestro shot in the lead right on the first corner, leaving Rahel Frey and Cyndie Allemann to fight for second place. Danica Patrick had quite the tremendous start and took ninth place from Pippa Mann, who was forced to be content with tenth. She tried to pass Danica during the pitstops, but the Jaguar crew worked slightly faster and Danica stayed in front of Mann for the second half of the race, too.
The pitstops helped Leanne Tander to get past Shea Holbrook, though. Katherine Legge and Ramona Karlsson were fortunate to profit from a rather amateurish stop from BMW Team Australia and "overtook" Chelsea Angelo in the process, while she was still stationary in the pits.
The winner's trophy was presented to Simona de Silvestro by a certain former F1 driver from Hungary, who's name shall not be mentioned here, with the words: "I'm happy it's you".
Pippa Mann was still leading the Driver's Standings, but Rahel Frey was close enough to grab the title in Monza, if her Nissan could be on par with the much faster Ferrari. Simona de Silvestro on the other hand had to win, with Pippa Mann only finishing fifth or worse. Then they would have the same amount of Championship points, but Simona would be granted the Championship title because she had scored more race wins than Pippa. Still, nothing decided yet...

Code: Select all

01    Simona de Silvestro        (Jaguar)               55 Laps
02    Rahel Frey                 (Nissan)               +    3.181
03    Cyndie Allemann            (Ferrari)              +    5.215
04    Emma Kimiläinen            (Chevrolet)            +    8.679
05    Johanna Long               (Chevrolet)            +   10.825
06    Leanne Tander              (Audi)                 +   12.926
07    Shea Holbrook              (Toyota)               +   15.120
08    Natacha Gachnang           (Lotus)                +   18.632
09    Danica Patrick             (Jaguar)               +   19.804
10    Pippa Mann                 (Ferrari)              +   21.928

Code: Select all

11    Katherine Legge            (Lotus)                +   23.094
12    Ramona Karlsson            (Honda)                +   24.650
13    Chelsea Angelo             (BMW)                  +   25.751
14    Renee Gracie               (BMW)                  +   26.959
15    Fiona Leggate              (Nissan)               +   29.124
16    Alice Powell               (Aston Martin)         +   31.439
17    Beitske Visser             (Maserati)             +   32.752
18    Ana Beatriz                (Porsche)              +   34.927
19    Melanie Troxel             (Mercedes-Benz)        +   36.090
20    Erica Enders               (Mercedes-Benz)        +   37.209

Code: Select all

21    Susie Wolff                (Aston Martin)         +   42.124
22    Vanina Ickx                (Audi)                 +   43.247
23    Jutta Kleinschmidt         (Honda)                +   48.665
24    Ashley Freiberg            (Toyota)               +   50.581
25    Zoe Wenham                 (Porsche)              +   55.742
26    Amber Cope                 (Ford)                 +   59.933
27    Angela Cope                (Ford)                 + 1:03.048
28    Shirley van der Lof        (Maserati)             + 1:06.799
29    Keiko Ihara                (Lamborghini)          + 1:12.967
30    Sabine Schmitz             (Lamborghini)          + 1:15.111

Driver's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Pippa Mann                 (Ferrari)              519 points
02    Rahel Frey                 (Nissan)               517 points
03    Simona de Silvestro        (Jaguar)               493 points
04    Danica Patrick             (Jaguar)               409 points
05    Katherine Legge            (Ferrari / Lotus)      321 points
06    Cyndie Allemann            (Ferrari)              295 points
07    Leanne Tander              (Audi)                 291 points
08    Erica Enders               (Mercedes-Benz)        276 points
09    Vanina Ickx                (Audi)                 275 points
10    Melanie Troxel             (Mercedes-Benz)        253 points
11    Emma Kimiläinen            (Chevrolet)            166 points

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12    Johanna Long               (Chevrolet)            156 points
13    Miranda Throckmorton       (Chevrolet)            131 points
14    Ana Beatriz                (Porsche)              127 points
15    Natacha Gachnang           (Lotus)                124 points
16    Fiona Leggate              (Nissan)               121 points
17    Shea Holbrook              (Toyota)               105 points
18    Renee Gracie               (BMW)                   87 points
19    Chelsea Angelo             (BMW)                   86 points
20    Beitske Visser             (Maserati)              82 points
21    Shirley van der Lof        (Maserati)              57 points
22    Zoe Wenham                 (Porsche)               54 points

Code: Select all

23    Maryeve Dufault            (Toyota)                47 points
24    Susie Wolff                (Aston Martin)          37 points
25    Angela Cope                (Ford)                  35 points
26    Amber Cope                 (Ford)                  34 points
27    Ashley Freiberg            (Toyota)                30 points
28    Ramona Karlsson            (Honda)                 23 points
29    Corentine Quiniou          (Toyota)                16 points
30    Jutta Kleinschmidt         (Honda)                 10 points
31    Alice Powell               (Aston Martin)           7 points
32    Sabine Schmitz             (Lamborghini)            2 points
33    Keiko Ihara                (Lamborghini)            1 point

Constructor's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Ferrari             1077 points
02    Jaguar               902 points
03    Nissan               638 points
04    Audi                 566 points
05    Mercedes-Benz        529 points
06    Chevrolet            453 points
07    Toyota               198 points
08    Lotus                182 points

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09    Porsche              181 points
10    BMW                  173 points
11    Maserati             139 points
12    Ford                  69 points
13    Aston Martin          44 points
14    Honda                 33 points
15    Lamborghini            3 points

Reject of the Race: The Hungaroring for giving us the most boring race EVER! But it has a contract for 2015 too, so it has one more chance to redeem itself.

Next: Round 20 - Italy up on Monday the 17th (CET)!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 14 Mar 2014, 13:08

Natacha Gachnang less than 10 pints from 13th, and 11th possibly in striking distance by the end of the season if she's lucky? (EDIT: Or maybe not, with only one round left... :oops:

) And Lotus now in the top-8, with 7th very likely? Given the first half of the season, that is impressive. Plus Legge would have lost several places in the championship without Lotus!

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 14 Mar 2014, 20:15

Pippa Mann wrote:The championship is certainly not over, but it certainly feels like it. But we can certainly gain an advantage by being at Monza for the final round. We're ready to take the fight.

Cyndie Allemann wrote:I am glad to have helped out Ferrari NART in helping them win the WCC, and very glad to be a part of the team. Now, the next bit is to assist Pippa to the title, which is now very tight. So, if we gain that objective of the double, we are happy, no matter what the crappy winter weather provides us

Jean-Phillipe Henri wrote:F**k it. This is stupid.

Yeah, mixed emotions still exist.

But they won't if Pippa wins.

mike robers · Post by **mike robers** » 14 Mar 2014, 20:39

Sarah Fisher wrote-
Can't wait for next season.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 14 Mar 2014, 20:46

For Monza, Cyndie is going to #2 driver status, while Pippa will have #1 driver status.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 14 Mar 2014, 21:48

go_Rubens wrote:For Monza, Cyndie is going to #2 driver status, while Pippa will have #1 driver status.

Somehow I had the feeling, you would do that.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 14 Mar 2014, 23:51

Turbogirl wrote:
go_Rubens wrote:For Monza, Cyndie is going to #2 driver status, while Pippa will have #1 driver status.

Somehow I had the feeling, you would do that.

Jean-Phillipe Henri wrote:Piero Ferrari told me to!

Yeah, it was in the best interests of both Piero and Jean-Phillipe to run it this way. Cyndie doesn't mind, everyone will start fresh next year, and that's if she stays, but she is strongly encouraged to stay. We won't run the Ferrari team here like Jean Todt ran the F1 team, and to a certain extent Domenicali. We also withdraw our bids for a new technical director, our only bid now is for everything to stay the same.

AustralianStig · Post by **AustralianStig** » 15 Mar 2014, 08:16

What the heck, let's put Tander and Ickx on AGG for one last burst.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 15 Mar 2014, 12:11

AustralianStig wrote:What the heck, let's put Tander and Ickx on AGG for one last burst.

Done.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 15 Mar 2014, 12:16

Man, neither Angelo or Gracie are making this easy for us.

Anyway, BMW Team Australia will put both drivers on AGG for the final hitout at Monza. Because why not?

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 15 Mar 2014, 12:22

Wizzie wrote:Man, neither Angelo or Gracie are making this easy for us.

Anyway, BMW Team Australia will put both drivers on AGG for the final hitout at Monza. Because why not?

Yup, that's the problem, when both are almost on par with each other (experience and all), but on the other hand both are doing pretty well right now, compared to how their season started (after Adelaide, of course). No matter who you'll pick in the end, either of them deserves it, IMO.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 17 Mar 2014, 12:37

20th Round of the Women's GT World Championship

Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy

50 laps / 5,793 km (3,6 mi)

Qualifying

Weather: Warm, dry, sunny

The final round of the inaugural season of the Women's GT World Championship is upon us and the weekend began with sunshine and a dry track, a beautiful weather for autumn, actually. The Italian and American press followed the event with great interest, especially since Ferrari NART was still leading the Driver's and Constructor's Championship. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo had arrived on Saturday for the qualifying to "see his cars wipe the floor with its rivals".
Well, it wasn't quite so easy, neither for Pippa Mann nor for Cyndie Allemann. Simona de Silvestro recorded fastest lap time early on and it took almost fifteen minutes, until Cyndie was able to crack that time and grab pole-position herself. Despite the fact, that Simona had her ups and downs this season, she was still a force to be reckoned with. We might even get to witness a much closer fight for the Championship next season.
Pippa Mann went out on her final attempt six minutes before the end of the qualifying session. Until then, she inherited fourth behind a very fast Leanne Tander in the Audi R8 LMS Ultra. It would be the last time Pippa drove her trusted Ferrari 458 GT in the Women's GT World Championship (next season she will be driving the 550 Maranello GT1), and she wanted to make this last appearance as memorable as possible. At least, this is what you got, when you read the newspapers the following day...
When Pippa crossed the line, she recorded fastest lap time and gained pole-position to the cheering applause of the tifosi on the grandstands. Simona de Silvestro was beaten for now, but still dangerous. Rahel Frey, second in the Driver's Championship, did her best to enter the top ten, but was let down by her Nissan GT-R, which was simply not fast enough. On twisty (and wet) circuits, the Japanese GT car showed its true potential, but Monza had always rewarded the fast ones, and the Nissan was clearly not one of them.
13th position for Frey and 14th for her teammate Fiona Leggate was nothing to be happy about. It would be very hard for Simona de Silvestro to grab the Championship title in the end, but for Frey it was rather impossible. So, only Pippa Mann and Simona de Silvestro had any chance to win the title in the end, and Pippa had an advantage of 26 points over Simona. All Pippa needed to do was finish in front of Simona, and the Championship would be secured.

Code: Select all

01    Pippa Mann                 (Ferrari)              1:49.288
02    Cyndie Allemann            (Ferrari)              1:49.293
03    Simona de Silvestro        (Jaguar)               1:49.306
04    Leanne Tander              (Audi)                 1:49.347
05    Ashley Freiberg            (Toyota)               1:49.365
06    Natacha Gachnang           (Lotus)                1:49.422
07    Shea Holbrook              (Toyota)               1:49.528
08    Erica Enders               (Mercedes-Benz)        1:49.650
09    Ana Beatriz                (Porsche)              1:49.974
10    Vanina Ickx                (Audi)                 1:50.069

Code: Select all

11    Danica Patrick             (Jaguar)               1:50.273
12    Katherine Legge            (Lotus)                1:50.493
13    Rahel Frey                 (Nissan)               1:50.611
14    Fiona Leggate              (Nissan)               1:50.675
15    Melanie Troxel             (Mercedes-Benz)        1:50.717
16    Emma Kimiläinen            (Chevrolet)            1:50.764
17    Zoe Wenham                 (Porsche)              1:50.902
18    Johanna Long               (Chevrolet)            1:50.957
19    Susie Wolff                (Aston Martin)         1:51.025
20    Ramona Karlsson            (Honda)                1:51.166

Code: Select all

21    Chelsea Angelo             (BMW)                  1:51.203
22    Shirley van der Lof        (Maserati)             1:51.304
23    Amber Cope                 (Ford)                 1:51.313
24    Renee Gracie               (BMW)                  1:51.325
25    Jutta Kleinschmidt         (Honda)                1:51.329
26    Beitske Visser             (Maserati)             1:51.404
27    Alice Powell               (Aston Martin)         1:51.436
28    Sabine Schmitz             (Lamborghini)          1:51.521
29    Angela Cope                (Ford)                 1:51.749
30    Keiko Ihara                (Lamborghini)          1:52.019

105 % = 1:56.752

Race

Weather: Warm, dry, sunny

During the first hours of the race day, an enormous crowd of spectators arrived at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza to witness the long anticipated final battle between Ferrari and Jaguar, the undisputed two best teams of the inaugural season. And it promised to be an intense battle. Should Pippa Mann win at Monza or even stay in front of Simona de Silvestro, she would have the Championship in her pocket.
But right at the start, Simona gave chase for the lead. She had to leave Pippa Mann in the dust before the infamous Rettifilo. Suddenly Cyndie Allemann changed her line to get on the inside of the corner, blocking Simona in the process. Simona backed down and was now directly in front of Leanne Tander, when Ashley Freiberg in her Toyota appeared next to them, breaking very very late for Rettifilo. Too late, in fact.
Leanne Tander hit the brakes in time, allowing Natacha Gachnang to sneak past her, but Simona was now sandwiched between Cyndie Allemann and Ashley Freiberg, who's car began to slide and bump into the Jaguar. Both dropped back several positions, but could travel on without any damage.
Pippa Mann left Rettifilo as the leading lady, to great applause of the tifosi. Cyndie Allemann had shut the door in time, otherwise Natacha Gachnang, who profited the most from the confusion in the first corner, would have gained second place already. The order was now: Mann, Allemann, Gachnang, Tander, Ickx. Simona de Silvestro had dropped back to 12th place. Her chances to win this race had evaporated.
The early defeat of Simona de Silvestro left some disappointment with the spectators, because the Swiss Miss had not only proven to be a strong opponent, but the way she had been defeated was simply unsatisfying. Instead of battling wheel to wheel with the Ferrari duo until the last minute, Simona was taken out by a collision with a Toyota, a car that doesn't even play a role in this year's Championship. Ashley Freiberg was sentenced to a 10 second stop and go penalty, which dropped her back even further.
Of course, Simona did everything she could to make up more ground, but while she had some intense battles with Chelsea Angelo (BMW) or Rahel Frey (Nissan), it took her several laps to pass either one of them. On lap 25, Simona had reached 8th place, only to lose it again due to her pitstop. Afterwards she climbed up the ranks once again, but couldn't get higher than seventh, where she got into close combat with Vanina Ickx in the Audi. This wheel to wheel action was pure eyecandy, but didn't help Simona's case in any way, because she couldn't get past the equally strong Audi.
Both Nissans drove at a fast and steady pace, but they posed no threat to the Jaguars or the Ferraris. For the first time after a rather long hiatus, Frey and Leggate would finish a race in the top ten together. With this they secured third place in the Constructor's Cup for Nissan and also Rahel Frey's second place in the Driver's Championship. She seemed to be happy with this result after the race and even hugged Pippa Mann to congratulate her on winning the World Championship. Considering the fact, that the Nissan never posed a real threat on-track to Ferrari or Jaguar throughout the entire season, this final result is more than the team could have hoped for, indeed.
It was remarkable, how well Natacha Gachnang managed to defend her lucky third place. She may not even had come this far without the start collision, but she was determined to secure her first podium this season, no matter what. She lost third place to Leanne Tander shortly before the pitstops came due, but regained it thanks to a slower stop from the Audi crew.
After the demise of her serious opponents, Pippa Mann could cruise home unthreatened. Cyndie Allemann followed the teamorder and shadowed Pippa during the rest of the race. It is uncertain, if she could have beaten Pippa on even terms, if she had tried to. Pippa was clearly the most commanding driver in the Monza race, no matter what the teamorder had been. But maybe next season we'll get to see a much better Speedy Cyndie, if Ferrari should decide to renew her contract, that is.
Rumors of an unbeatable dream team Pippa Mann / Simona de Silvestro were already floating around in several newspapers and online forums, but so far nothing had been confirmed yet. Especially Team Jaguar was astonishingly quiet about next year's driver contracts. The only thing we know for certain: Ferrari NART did not get in contact with de Silvestro yet. And considering Allemann's results in the Championship so far, they might not even need to.
Pippa Mann and Cyndie Allemann took another double victory for Ferrari NART, followed by Natacha Gachnang in third and Leanne Tander in fourth. Simona de Silvestro shook hands with Pippa Mann and congratulated her "rival" on winning the title right before the presentation ceremony. Pippa was almost as emotional as Danica Patrick on the Twin Ring Motegi back in 2008.
A whole new season lies ahead of us, with five new teams joining the club and hopefully a continuation of the exciting close fight for the title between Ferrari and Jaguar. Until next time! Thank you all for tuning in.

Code: Select all

01    Pippa Mann                 (Ferrari)              50 laps
02    Cyndie Allemann            (Ferrari)              +  6.350
03    Natacha Gachnang           (Lotus)                +  7.963
04    Leanne Tander              (Audi)                 +  9.578
05    Danica Patrick             (Jaguar)               + 13.376
06    Vanina Ickx                (Audi)                 + 15.607
07    Simona de Silvestro        (Jaguar)               + 16.889
08    Rahel Frey                 (Nissan)               + 18.954
09    Fiona Leggate              (Nissan)               + 19.435
10    Zoe Wenham                 (Porsche)              + 20.300

Code: Select all

11    Chelsea Angelo             (BMW)                  + 21.038
12    Erica Enders               (Mercedes-Benz)        + 21.456
13    Ashley Freiberg            (Toyota)               + 21.699
14    Amber Cope                 (Ford)                 + 22.493
15    Katherine Legge            (Lotus)                + 25.005
16    Renee Gracie               (BMW)                  + 27.924
17    Susie Wolff                (Aston Martin)         + 28.700
18    Emma Kimiläinen            (Chevrolet)            + 29.544
19    Beitske Visser             (Maserati)             + 32.126
20    Ramona Karlsson            (Honda)                + 33.048

Code: Select all

21    Keiko Ihara                (Lamborghini)          + 37.798
22    Sabine Schmitz             (Lamborghini)          + 40.289
23    Jutta Kleinschmidt         (Honda)                + 43.365
DNF   Angela Cope                (Ford)                 44 Laps      Tyre Damage
DNF   Melanie Troxel             (Mercedes-Benz)        43 Laps      Drive Shaft
DNF   Alice Powell               (Aston Martin)         34 Laps      Accident
DNF   Johanna Long               (Chevrolet)            31 Laps      Suspension
DNF   Shea Holbrook              (Toyota)               30 Laps      Accident
DNF   Shirley van der Lof        (Maserati)             19 Laps      Accident
DNF   Ana Beatriz                (Porsche)              12 Laps      Gearbox

Driver's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Pippa Mann                 (Ferrari)              569 points
02    Rahel Frey                 (Nissan)               532 points
03    Simona de Silvestro        (Jaguar)               511 points
04    Danica Patrick             (Jaguar)               435 points
05    Cyndie Allemann            (Ferrari)              335 points
06    Katherine Legge            (Ferrari / Lotus)      321 points
07    Leanne Tander              (Audi)                 321 points
08    Vanina Ickx                (Audi)                 297 points
09    Erica Enders               (Mercedes-Benz)        281 points
10    Melanie Troxel             (Mercedes-Benz)        253 points
11    Emma Kimiläinen            (Chevrolet)            166 points

Code: Select all

12    Natacha Gachnang           (Lotus)                159 points
13    Johanna Long               (Chevrolet)            156 points
14    Fiona Leggate              (Nissan)               133 points
15    Miranda Throckmorton       (Chevrolet)            131 points
16    Ana Beatriz                (Porsche)              127 points
17    Shea Holbrook              (Toyota)               105 points
18    Chelsea Angelo             (BMW)                   93 points
19    Renee Gracie               (BMW)                   87 points
20    Beitske Visser             (Maserati)              82 points
21    Zoe Wenham                 (Porsche)               63 points
22    Shirley van der Lof        (Maserati)              57 points

Code: Select all

23    Maryeve Dufault            (Toyota)                47 points
24    Susie Wolff                (Aston Martin)          37 points
25    Amber Cope                 (Ford)                  35 points
26    Angela Cope                (Ford)                  35 points
27    Ashley Freiberg            (Toyota)                33 points
28    Ramona Karlsson            (Honda)                 23 points
29    Corentine Quiniou          (Toyota)                16 points
30    Jutta Kleinschmidt         (Honda)                 10 points
31    Alice Powell               (Aston Martin)           7 points
32    Sabine Schmitz             (Lamborghini)            2 points
33    Keiko Ihara                (Lamborghini)            1 point

Constructor's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Ferrari             1167 points
02    Jaguar               946 points
03    Nissan               665 points
04    Audi                 618 points
05    Mercedes-Benz        534 points
06    Chevrolet            453 points
07    Lotus                217 points
08    Toyota               201 points

Code: Select all

09    Porsche              190 points
10    BMW                  180 points
11    Maserati             139 points
12    Ford                  70 points
13    Aston Martin          44 points
14    Honda                 33 points
15    Lamborghini            3 points

Penalties: Car #25 Ashley Freiberg, 10 seconds stop and go penalty for causing a collision

Reject of the Race: Ashley Freiberg. Wanting to get a decent result or even a podium is okay and all, but not when you're affecting the outcome of the World Championship.

Reject of the Year: I'm not sure if we have to nominate one, but if you like this idea, please post your votes now. Since I can't think of any driver or team to deserve such an "honor", I'm pretty curious about your suggestions.

Next: Rules discussion begins on Tuesday the 18th (CET)! We can't start immediately, because I want to make some suggestions too and need to sort out a few things first. And besides: Some of you might probably want to take their time celebrating (or mourning)...

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 17 Mar 2014, 12:43

Could I please go on the waiting list as well, Tubogirl? Even though it's unlikely I'll get a team for a while :lol:

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 17 Mar 2014, 12:49

pasta_maldonado wrote:Could I please go on the waiting list as well, Tubogirl? Even though it's unlikely I'll get a team for a while

Not really. Next season we'll have five new teams joining the Championship (Lister, Saleen, Bugatti, Dodge and McLaren). You're second on the waiting list so far, and I'm not even sure if everyone will come back for a second season, so chances of you getting a team are pretty high right now.

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 17 Mar 2014, 14:32

Turbogirl, can I go on the waiting list too please?

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 17 Mar 2014, 16:11

takagi_for_the_win wrote:Turbogirl, can I go on the waiting list too please?

Of course you can. Welcome aboard!

mike robers · Post by **mike robers** » 17 Mar 2014, 17:08

Sarah Fisher wrote-
Ferrari and Jaguar better watch their backs because when we race our McLarens next season, we will dominate! We have two young talents in Shea and Ashley who are ready to show the world what they can do and a expert in Adrian who can get the best out of our cars! Watch out world!

Hey, I have a couple of tracks for your consideration for next year-Monaco and Long Beach. What do you think?

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 17 Mar 2014, 18:00

mike robers wrote:
Sarah Fisher wrote-
Ferrari and Jaguar better watch their backs because when we race our McLarens next season, we will dominate! We have two young talents in Shea and Ashley who are ready to show the world what they can do and a expert in Adrian who can get the best out of our cars! Watch out world!

Hey, I have a couple of tracks for your consideration for next year-Monaco and Long Beach. What do you think?

I thought of Long Beach myself, actually. Of course, Sebring is more famous for its GT races and I like classic race tracks. But maybe some other players prefer Long Beach as well.

Monaco on the other hand is a clear No. GT1 cars have never raced there in modern days, so besides the hypothetical lap times from GT5 or other racing games, there is no realistic data for a GT1 race in Monaco coming forth. The other problem is, that the circuit is too slow and narrow for 600+ bhp powered GT1 cars. F1 is already too fast for Monaco since the 80s/90s, I think such a race would be as boring and uninteresting as the procession we had on the Hungaroring earlier this season...

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 17 Mar 2014, 22:36

Wow! What an improvement Lotus have had from the first half of the season to the second half, ending in that podium! Don't think there is anything else Lotus could do to encourage her to stay on for next year. But how did Legge end up in 15th in the race? If she had been close to Gachnang in the race, she could have held onto 5th in the championship, potentially...

Normal32 · Post by **Normal32** » 18 Mar 2014, 00:50

I would like to enter this series.

AustralianStig · Post by **AustralianStig** » 18 Mar 2014, 00:52

Steffi Schmidt wrote:Yes! Fourth place in the championship is a great result considering our tumultuous year. I can confirm that we will be offering extensions to both of our drivers' contracts, and we also look forward to participating in the Junior Cup. Finally, I would like to announce that the winner of the Junior Cup, regardless of affiliation, will be offered a test day with our senior Audi team. We can't wait for the next season to start, but we will be working hard in the off-season to have a team ready to challenge for race wins on a regular basis.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 18 Mar 2014, 01:11

www.ferrarinart.com wrote:Ferrari NART Snatch the Championship Double at Monza

Ferrari NART already claimed the World Constructor's Championship for the Women's GT World Championship at the Round of the Czech Republic at the Masayrk Circuit in Brno. But at the final round at Monza, Pippa Mann lead a commanding 1-2 finish over teammate Cyndie Allemann which sealed the championship for her, nonetheless at the home race for Ferrari and the Tifosi. The team managed to make the best of the innagural season to claim the Double, but the others didn't go down without a fight.

"Wow, this was fantastic!" Pippa Mann exclaimed in a media scrum. "The team gave me a fantastic car and faith in my abilities to get us this far, and all the hard work paid off for us the whole season. What a fantastic way to end at Monza nevertheless!

"Cyndie (Allemann) has done a fantastic job to assist me towards the title and also to raise her stock amongst the championship drivers. She only competed in 9 races, but she managed to finish 5th in the Driver's Championship, and we are very thankful that she was as consistent as she was, with all top 4 finishes. She certainly gets my vote for driver of the year."

Cyndie Allemann was excited as ever, especially after today when she found out she could get hungover in the celebrations as well.

"I've had a fantastic time with Ferrari NART, and they provided me the machinery and support to let me make my stand," Allemann told reporters. "I was very happy to be a part of this fantastic team and am very happy to have assisted them to the championships. I'm also very happy in myself, since I actually beat Katherine (Legge) in the standings when I only did 9 races, while she did 11 races at Ferrari NART, and 9 at Lotus.

"Sure, Lotus weren't the best team, but to beat her as a former employee when I was simply a replacement is something I'm extremely proud of achieving, and since next year we are bringing out the old 550 Maranellos, I'm glad that Pippa and I will be even from the start of the season as we are working from a completely different car. So, season 2015 roll on!"

Jean-Phillipe Henri was too busy getting hung over as the 2 cars crossed the line first and second today, but he had a few words to say. Definately so.

"Today will forever be a great day in my career as an owner," Henri said. "Being a Ferrari team principal requires a lot of skill and I'm glad to have made the best decisions I could have made in bringing the team towards success.

"As for drivers, I know Pippa has an offer or 2 from other teams for her services, but if she leaves, we understand completely. But we really, really don't want to let her go! I am proud to say that Cyndie will very likely have a seat in one of our cars next season for Ferrari NART, as for only running 9 races as a newer comer compared to the rest, she had all top 4 finishes and a few poles, which came in handy for us this year. She is both capable and a great team player, and consistent. May we see her do well in the future for us."

Ferrari NART as a result of winning the championship, all staff have been invited to the Maranello factory, seeing as that we're 'Murican, of course! And we hope you as fans have enjoyed the season of racing, and hope you'll watch next season as it's all GT1 rules now, and preparing to be a great season ahead with new teams in Lister, Bugatti, Saleen, Dodge, and McLaren. Be sure to watch for them and us for next year!

We nominate Scuderia Lamborghini as Reject of the Year because of their lack of performance, as well as almost no check ins leaving them behind in the championship, despite having drivers that deserve much better. Plus, that Ferrari vs Lamborghini thing we couldn't resist

Also, since we are just impatient little bastards

, we'd like to see a provisional calendar so we and other teams know what to expect. Or is that something irrelevant now, in which we completely understand

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 18 Mar 2014, 01:27

Normal32 wrote:I would like to enter this series.

Then I'll put you on the waiting list.

go_Rubens wrote:Also, since we are just impatient little bastards , we'd like to see a provisional calendar so we and other teams know what to expect. Or is that something irrelevant now, in which we completely understand

No, not at all. I was going to present you the provisional calendar tomorrow for the rules discussion anyway, so everyone can make changes if necessary.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 18 Mar 2014, 13:13

New Rules for Season 2 (2015)

Alright, let's start with the promised rules discussion, go_Rubens has asked for earlier this season. Because I know, my game system isn't even close to perfect, I've already thought about some possible rule changes during this season myself. Feel free to discuss them!

1.) Contracts
Contracts for drivers, race engineers, Technical Directors will be determined by RNG / D20, if one or more teams should want to hire the same person (already introduced).

2.) More testing possibilities for all teams
World Championship teams will get a lot more test sessions during the season. All these tests are inofficial, but must be held on official test tracks. Down below I've already posted the provisional calendar for next season, in which you can see how many inofficial tests can be held (which circuits will host the sessions in the end, will be decided once the official race calendar is finished).
All these circuits will be easily accessible from wherever the World Championship is at a certain point, meaning: If the actual race is in Brazil, a test track will be available in Brazil, Mexico or Argentina, either before or after the actual race. Sometimes the tests can be held on the track which hosted the race itself.
This also means, the pre-season tests aren't mandatory anymore, although they will still be held, but the mid-season tests will be called off completely. None of the inofficial test sessions is mandatory either.
The rule "one race to get accustomed to" (for drivers, race engineers and Technical Directors) is not applied, when the team holds an inofficial test session before the next race.

3.) Eligible cars
The only eligible cars for the World Championship are GT1 cars from now on, all GT3 based models will be featured in the Women's GT Junior Cup. Because some manufacturers like BMW, Audi and others never built GT1 cars, I will either "make up" possible GT1 models for them or introduce the one model from that factory which comes close to a GT1 car (the Audi R8 LMS Ultra, for example). Still, all teams will be treated as factory teams, just like now. In total we will have 20 teams next season.

Code: Select all

Aston Martin DBR9                      600 bhp, V12
Audi R8 LMS Ultra                      570 bhp, V10
BMW M8 (E31) GT1                       600 bhp, V12
Bugatti EB110 SS Le Mans               600 bhp, V12 Turbo
Chevrolet Corvette C6-R GT1            600 bhp, V8
Dodge Viper GTS-R                      620 bhp, V10
Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello              600 bhp, V12
Ford GT1 (Matech)                      600 bhp, V8
Honda NSX GT1                          600 bhp, V6 Turbo
Jaguar XJ220 GT1                       600 bhp, V8 Supercharger

Code: Select all

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670 R-SV      670 bhp, V12
Lister Storm GT                        610 bhp, V12
Lotus Elise GT1                        580 bhp, V8 Twin Turbo
Maserati MC12 GT1                      623 bhp, V12
McLaren F1 GTR                         600 bhp, V12
Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR                  600 bhp, V12
Nissan Nismo GT-R GT1                  600 bhp, V8
Porsche 996 Turbo GT1                  600 bhp, B6 Twin Turbo
Saleen S7R                             600 bhp, V8
Toyota Supra HV-R                      480 bhp, V8

4.) Goodbye, BoP!
Because of 3.), the BoP will not be needed anymore, since I've pre-selected all eligible cars to be on par with each other, like they were or would be in real life, too. That still means, every player can win with every car, if he/she plays his/her cards right during the season.

5.) Upgrade system
The World Championship will feature an upgrade system, which I had originally intended for my Formula Female Series, but I decided to put that one on halt in favour of the Junior Cup. The upgrade system will allow teams to upgrade their cars during the season, so that players don't have to fire people left and right to get better results anymore, although they still can.
Because there is no money involved in this series, drivers gain "upgrade points" (UP) for finishing races under certain conditions. These points can be spent on different upgrades (small, medium, large) and can also be transferred from one season to the next.
If you like this idea, I could pitch you the whole concept in detail. But for now, I just want you to discuss the possibility alone (maybe most of you don't want an upgrade system at all).

6.) Fuel suppliers
I will introduce 10 fuel suppliers with their special mixtures to this series. They will work just like the tyres: Some fuel makes your engine faster, some doesn't. I'm not a real expert in chemistry, but it has something to do with the octane amount, I think.
If this idea is too far-fetched, I can always skip it. But they had such special fuel in the late 80s / early 90s in F1, so I think it's somewhat realistic...?

Race Calendar for Season 2 (2015)

This calendar is provisional. Below it you will find other circuits, I have data for and could easily incorporate. Because this is not F1, theoretically one country can host more than one race, but the maximum rounds per season will remain at 20!

Please note: I can't stand Abu Dhabi as a race track, but it's perfect for a warm and sunny test session right before the first race in Adelaide, that's why I allowed it to appear in the calendar at all.

Pre-Season Test Session - Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina Circuit)

Round 01 - Australia (Adelaide Street Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 02 - Malaysia (Sepang International Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 03 - Japan (Suzuka International Race Course)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 04 - Canada (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 05 - USA (Watkins Glen International)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 06 - Mexico (Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 07 - Brazil (Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 08 - Argentina (Potrero de los Funes, San Luis)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 09 - South Africa (Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 10 - Portugal (Autodromo Internacional do Algarve)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 11 - Spain (Circuito de Jerez)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 12 - France (Circuit Paul Ricard)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 13 - Great Britain (Silverstone Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 14 - Sweden (Scandinavian Raceway)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 15 - Netherlands (Circuit Park Zandvoort)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 16 - Belgium (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 17 - Germany (Nürburgring Grand Prix Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 18 - Austria (Red-Bull-Ring)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 19 - Hungary (Hungaroring)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 20 - Italy (Autodromo Nazionale Monza)

Other possible circuits (in order of countries):

Abu Dhabi
Yas Marina Circuit

Australia
Albert Park (Melbourne), Queensland, Sydney Motorsport Park, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Mount Panorama (Bathurst), Surfers Paradise, Oran Park

Belgium
Circuit Zolder

Brazil
Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Rio de Janeiro)

Canada
Mosport Park

China
Zhuhai, Goldenport Park Circuit (Beijing), Ordos International Circuit

Czech Republic
Masaryk Circuit

France
Circuit Paul Armagnac (Nogaro), Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Circuit de Pau Ville, Dijon-Prenois, Circuit d'Albi

Germany
Hockenheimring (old layout), Oschersleben, Sachsenring, Lausitzring, Norisring

Great Britain
Donington Park, Brands Hatch Circuit, Oulton Park, Rockingham, Snetterton, Knockhill, Thruxton Circuit, Croft Circuit, Mondello Park International Racing Circuit, Castle Combe

Italy
Adria International Raceway, Mugello, Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola), Misano, Autodromo di Vallelunga, Autodromo di Pergusa

Japan
Fuji Speedway, Sportsland Sugo, Autopolis, Okayama International Circuit (Aida), Twin Ring Motegi

Portugal
Autodromo do Estoril, Circuito da Boavista

Slovakia
Automotodrom Slovakia Ring

Spain
Circuito de Navarra, Circuito del Jarama, Circuit Ricardo Tormo (Valencia), Circuit de Catalunya, Circuit de Albacete, Autodromo Nacional de Sitges-Terramar

Turkey
Istanbul Park Circuit

United States
Long Beach, Sebring International Raceway, Homestead Miami, Laguna Seca Raceway

:!:

Important note: I have collected reliable data for all these circuits above. If you want to suggest one, that's not listed here, please make sure to tell me, where exactly I can find actual data for your suggested circuits. I need to know: Accurate lap times for GT1, GT2 or GT3, what GT serieses do race on this circuit regularly, did they race there recently (data from 10 or 20 years ago is useless for a realistic performance calculation, unless the exact same cars were used back then), and what cars were used (Aston Martin DBR9, Ferrari 458 GT3, etc.). No data from video games, please, because we can't be sure how accurate they really are!

That's it from me. Feel free to discuss anything that springs into your mind. I'm interested in your suggestions and opinions.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 18 Mar 2014, 19:47

We look forward to seeing if we fixed the CLK's "light mode".

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 18 Mar 2014, 21:47

Daniel Melrose wrote:Wait, what's all this talk about using that Z4 GT1 car? I was categorically told by BMW earlier in the year we'd be running the revived 8 Series M8 GT1 this year...

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 18 Mar 2014, 22:29

Wizzie wrote:
Daniel Melrose wrote:Wait, what's all this talk about using that Z4 GT1 car? I was categorically told by BMW earlier in the year we'd be running the revived 8 Series M8 GT1 this year...

You mean that M8 Prototype that never was? The engine finally went into the McLaren F1 GTR, if I remember correctly. Nice idea, Wizzie! Yes, that'll be the perfect fit!

Edit: Turns out, I was wrong about the engine going into the McLaren. The original engine of the M8 prototype (S70/1) was too long and heavy for the McLaren, so they built another version of it, called S70/3. Oh well, doesn't matter. The S70/3 was even more powerful than the standard S70/1 (600 bhp to 558 bhp), so the revived M8 GT1 will also get the S70/3 to even the odds a little bit more.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 18 Mar 2014, 23:01

Well, we at Ferrari NART are in complete agreement with these new rule changes for the 2015 sesson. we really don't have much to add on to these changes, and we very much like more testing.

However, we'd like to see a different calendar. A little different, let's say. Well, we'd keep all the countries, but can Hungary for Slovakia. Our calendar would look something like this, but we don't wish any claims of arrogance in our favor unlike the muppetry Red Bull managed to pull off at the Australian GP. We fully respect any decision the WDA makes.

Round 1 - Australia (Mount Panorama)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 2 - Malaysia (Sepang International Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 3 - Japan (Suzuka International Race Course)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 4 - Canada (Circuit Cilles Villeneuve)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 5 - USA (Watkins Glen International)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 6 - Mexico (Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 7 - Brazil (Autodromo José Carlos Pace)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 8 - Argentina (Portrero de los Funes, San Luis)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 9 - South Africa (Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 10 - Portugal (Autodromo do Estoril)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 11 - Spain (Autodromo Nacional de Sitges-Terramar)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 12 - France (Paul Ricard High Technology Test Track)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 13 - Great Britain (Silverstone Circuit)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 14 - Sweden (Scandanavian Raceway)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 15 - Netherlands (Circuit Park Zandvoort)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 16 - Belgium (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 17 - Germany (Hockenheim (old layout))
(Inofficial test session)
Round 18 - Austria (Red Bull Ring)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 19 - Slovakia (Automotodrom Slovakia Ring)
(Inofficial test session)
Round 20 - Italy - (Autodromo Nazionale Monza)

We think this a better alternative. First of all, we'll explain ourselves. Australia goes to Mount Panorama, because it's a successful and proven GT track. Adelaide already has my concerns for ground clearance, as the kerbs are kinda high, and especially at the first chicane, since that's really meant for the V8 Supercars and other higher clearance cars. Mount Panorama is the heart of Australian motorsport, and possibly an area where we can capitalize as it's not too far from cities like Penrith and Sydney.

We thought Estoril would be a good idea as the track can provide great races, plus it is in an area with a greater background, thanks to 13 or so F1 races there. It's more likely to capture the fans in our view, and even though we compete to win, we want to see a great fan turnout.

Sitges-Terramar returns in our calendar because there was nothing wrong with it in the first place, and Jérez is a good place to test, but racing wise it was never the greatest place for overtaking. Look at F1. 'Nuff said.

We changed the German round to the old Hockenheim layout, because even though Monza is a temple of speed, you can't get much better than here thanks to there being setup compromises, which always provide for great racing, anywhere.

Hungary was ditched because there is absolutely no need for it. It has a motor racing history, some parts with a good reputation, but other parts providing for absolutely boring races. Boring is not what the fans want, is it? Our boss was close to falling asleep on the pit wall. And when more than half of the race review was completely not related to action on track, that's quite rejectful, especially when lack of racing was mainly to blame. Slovakia could prove to be an interesting experiment; the track is a good layout and has past experience with GT1 races. Plus, it has a great layout with potential for great entertainment for the fans, and the drivers should find the corners quite enjoyable as well.