Women's GT Junior Cup 2014/2015 - Season over!

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 08 May 2014, 11:23

dr-baker wrote:All correct for Lotus! (Although you did forget to put in the car numbers for Lotus for the Wednesday morning!

True... how did I miss that?

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 09 May 2014, 14:38

2nd Mid-season Test Session

14th and 15th January 2015

Austria, Red-Bull-Ring

4,318 km / 2,68 mi

Test Day 1

Tuesday, 14th January 2015

Weather: Cold, dry, overcast

Surprisingly, only half of the teams competing in the 2014 / 2015 Women's GT Junior Cup decided to prolong their stay in Austria by a couple more days in order to test for the final run on this season's Championship title.
The tests were again dominated by the Mercedes-Benz duo, with no one to hold a candle to them really, simply because their main rivals in the Championship, Audi and Ferrari, had decided to skip the Austria test sessions altogether. The Dodge SRT Racing Team did their best to stay as close as possible to the Mercedes train and succeeded by recording lap times only two tenths of a second off the pace.
Chevrolet drew up the rear in the morning session, but was a clear midfield contender in the afternoon, after having replaced their current race engineers with Andrea Landi and Mike Krack.
The sky on Tuesday was overcast, but it remained dry during both test sessions.

Code: Select all

01    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.801      Engineer Ossi Oikarinen
02    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.805      Engineer Ossi Oikarinen
03    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.841      Engineer Martin Marx
04    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.847      Engineer Martin Marx
05    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                1:34.060      Engineer Rosella Manfrinato
06    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                1:34.260      Engineer Rosella Manfrinato
07    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                1:34.369
08    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              1:34.439
09    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               1:34.509      Engineer Richard Connell
10    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              1:34.544

Code: Select all

11    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               1:34.557      Engineer Marco Schüpbach
12    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            1:34.600      Engineer Andrea Landi
13    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               1:34.637      Engineer Peter Gibbons
14    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               1:34.641      Engineer Phil Charles
15    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            1:34.644      Engineer Mike Krack
16    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                1:34.649      Engineer Bradley Joyce
17    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                1:34.672
18    Cora Schumacher             (Lotus)                1:34.679
19    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            1:34.747      Engineer Antonio Cuquerella
20    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            1:34.753      Engineer Dieter Gass
21    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                1:34.858      Engineer Bradley Joyce

105 % = 1:40.491

Test Day 2

Wednesday, 15th January 2015

Weather: Cold, dry, sunny

It was still winterly cold on the second day of the Austria tests, but the sun was shining once more, just like it had done during the Austria race.
Hillary Will was again fastest overall, feeling even more confident after her maiden win a couple of days prior. Leah Pruett did her best to crack the lap times recorded by her teammate, but only managed to stay very close, without ever beating Hillary Will.
Jenni Krohn from Finland might have been the biggest discovery on Wednesday, not only beating established Dodge driver Tiffany Chittenden, but also Jodie Hemming and Kristin Bumbera, who were also testing for the team, in the process. Jenni Krohn, the rising star of tomorrow?
Again, Chevrolet was dead last in the morning session, but after a change of race engineers, they found themselves easily in the Top 15, for whatever that's worth. Since their main rival in the Constructor's Standings, Herbert Loyer's Toyota Team, had decided to skip this test session, Gene Haas and his Chevrolet crew won't be able to determine, how much ground they might have made up.

Code: Select all

01    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.601      Engineer Ossi Oikarinen
02    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.606      Engineer Ossi Oikarinen
03    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.637      Engineer Martin Marx
04    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        1:33.643      Engineer Martin Marx
05    Jenni Krohn                 (Dodge)                1:34.219      Engineer Rosella Manfrinato
06    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              1:34.233
07    Jodie Hemming               (Dodge)                1:34.259      Engineer Rosella Manfrinato
08    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              1:34.333
09    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                1:34.368
10    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               1:34.427      Engineer Mark Hutcheson

Code: Select all

11    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                1:34.455      Engineer Simon Rennie
12    Kristin Bumbera             (Dodge)                1:34.474      Engineer Simon Rennie
13    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            1:34.509      Engineer Remi Decorzent
14    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            1:34.552      Engineer Olaf Bulgrin
15    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               1:34.649      Engineer Dave Greenwood
16    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               1:34.657      Engineer Peter Gibbons
17    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               1:34.676      Engineer Phil Charles
18    Sara Williams               (Lotus)                1:34.707
19    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                1:34.711
20    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            1:34.782      Engineer Antonio Cuquerella
21    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            1:34.800      Engineer Dieter Gass

105 % = 1:40.281

Autosport wrote:
WDA elects new president

This week saw the election of the new president of the Women Drivers Association (WDA). Frenchwoman Michele Mouton, who was in charge of the organisation since 2007, could not be re-elected after having been president for eight years straight (two terms of office). But Mouton was confident, that whoever would be elected in her place, "is the perfect fit. We carefully pre-select our candidates, and she will be acquainted with her new job during 2015, while I'm still here to guide her."

The election was over in the late hours of the same day, with British businesswoman and former F3 driver Deryn Pryce (35 years) winning by five votes over Ksenia Marek (40 years) from Poland. Pryce has been Mouton's long-standing assistant since 2008 and became vice-president of the WDA in 2012. She will begin her work as new WDA president in January of 2016 after this year of probation under Michele Mouton's tutelage.

"I'm looking forward to this new challenge", Pryce told Autosport. "Especially since the WDA already has plans for the future in the drawer of the president's desk, waiting to be put into motion. First and foremost the Formula Female World Championship, which is in its planning stages since 2014, hopefully to be realized in 2017 or 2018."

Changes to your team

If you want to keep the line-up you've already established, you don't have to post at all.

If you wish to change your current driver / race/chief engineer line-up, please post the changes until Monday the 12th, 3 p.m. (CET).

If more than one team should want to hire a certain driver / race/chief engineer, I will run a RNG (D20) on Monday, right after the deadline is due.

Next: Round 09 - Czech Republic up on Wednesday the 14th (CET)!

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 09 May 2014, 20:26

Gene Haas Chevrolet wants to hire Remi Decorzant and Olaf Bulgrin as engineers as the time gains have been over two tenths of a second a lap. That would have been enough to save Emilee from DNQing in Germany as she missed the field by about three hundredths of a second. We will also reduce the pace from AGG to MOD.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 09 May 2014, 21:50

Interesting to note that both Schumacher and Williams set very similar times to Kowalska... That being the case, she can hold onto her seat for now, even though she ought to have outpaced both of them easily. But you cannot choose between Schumi and Williams so I won't.

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 09 May 2014, 23:57

The Dodge SRT Racing Team would like to announce that Jenni Krohn will be replacing Alison MacLeod in the #17 immediately due to her great test result.

Oh, and please put both drivers on AGG.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 10 May 2014, 12:16

dr-baker wrote:Interesting to note that both Schumacher and Williams set very similar times to Kowalska... That being the case, she can hold onto her seat for now, even though she ought to have outpaced both of them easily. But you cannot choose between Schumi and Williams so I won't.

Speaking of lap times: Do you want to keep Kowalska on DEF for the upcoming races or set her to MOD?

V8fan12 wrote:The Dodge SRT Racing Team would like to announce that Jenni Krohn will be replacing Alison MacLeod in the #17 immediately due to her great test result.

Oh, and please put both drivers on AGG.

I will, but are you sure about Alison? I'm not trying to influence your decision in any way, but you might have overlooked a small detail. A little hint: It has something to do with the race engineers you tested. And it explains, why Alison was underperforming this whole time except for Tuesday afternoon.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 10 May 2014, 20:21

Turbogirl wrote:
dr-baker wrote:Interesting to note that both Schumacher and Williams set very similar times to Kowalska... That being the case, she can hold onto her seat for now, even though she ought to have outpaced both of them easily. But you cannot choose between Schumi and Williams so I won't.

Speaking of lap times: Do you want to keep Kowalska on DEF for the upcoming races or set her to MOD?

Thanks for asking. I'll have her on MOD please. Might possibly help her get to the end of a race!

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 11 May 2014, 02:06

Turbogirl wrote:
V8fan12 wrote:The Dodge SRT Racing Team would like to announce that Jenni Krohn will be replacing Alison MacLeod in the #17 immediately due to her great test result.

Oh, and please put both drivers on AGG.

I will, but are you sure about Alison? I'm not trying to influence your decision in any way, but you might have overlooked a small detail. A little hint: It has something to do with the race engineers you tested. And it explains, why Alison was underperforming this whole time except for Tuesday afternoon.

Yeah I have noticed that the engineer for 17 is kinda rubbish. I dunno what I can do though...the other engineers I've tested aren't much better...

Unless of course I swap the engineers, but wouldn't that make Chittenden slower?

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 11 May 2014, 10:57

V8fan12 wrote:Yeah I have noticed that the engineer for 17 is kinda rubbish. I dunno what I can do though...the other engineers I've tested aren't much better...

Unless of course I swap the engineers, but wouldn't that make Chittenden slower?

That would be the case, yes. But since I've introduced the chief engineer rule not long ago, you can fire Joyce and make Manfrinato your chief engineer, responsible for both cars at the same time. That way Chittenden and MacLeod/Krohn (whomever you prefer) are setup-wise on par with each other.

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 11 May 2014, 20:28

Turbogirl wrote:
V8fan12 wrote:Yeah I have noticed that the engineer for 17 is kinda rubbish. I dunno what I can do though...the other engineers I've tested aren't much better...

Unless of course I swap the engineers, but wouldn't that make Chittenden slower?

That would be the case, yes. But since I've introduced the chief engineer rule not long ago, you can fire Joyce and make Manfrinato your chief engineer, responsible for both cars at the same time. That way Chittenden and MacLeod/Krohn (whomever you prefer) are setup-wise on par with each other.

Ah I see! Let's go with that idea. So keep MacLeod and make Manfrinato chief engineer please

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 11 May 2014, 20:46

V8fan12 wrote:Ah I see! Let's go with that idea. So keep MacLeod and make Manfrinato chief engineer please

Roger that. Do you still want both ladies on AGG then?

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 11 May 2014, 20:48

Turbogirl wrote:
V8fan12 wrote:Ah I see! Let's go with that idea. So keep MacLeod and make Manfrinato chief engineer please

Roger that. Do you still want both ladies on AGG then?

Yes please.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 12 May 2014, 09:23

With a bit of thought, could I get rid of Kowalska's race engineer, and have Munter's engineer work on both cars please? Thank you!

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 12 May 2014, 16:27

The deadline is due and everything you wanted to be changed until the next round has been changed and registered.

Next: Round 9 - Czech Republic up on Wednesday the 14th (CET)!

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 14 May 2014, 16:35

9th Round of the Women's GT Junior Cup

Sunday, 25th January 2015

Automotodrom Brno, Czech Republic

52 Laps / 5,403 km (3.36 mi)

Qualifying

Weather: Cold, dry, overcast

It's time to go racing again! The last third of the inaugural season of the Women's GT Junior Cup has just begun, and with it the final run on the Championship title. The qualifying result indicates, that teams like Toyota, Chevrolet and Nissan have made a huge leap forward, almost closing the once existing gap to the midfield entirely.
And although most experts had expected a Mercedes-Benz 1-2 in qualifying, it was Audi driver Alessandra Neri, who managed to grab the pole-position once again, besting Leah Pruett's recorded lap time by more than two tenths of a second.
Dodge SRT Racing had also made visible progress, with Chittenden in fourth and a not-yet-fired Alison MacLeod in fifth, almost recording the same lap time as her teammate. The only team that completely stood in the rain, was Ferrari. The Automotodrom Brno seemed not to suit the cars from Maranello, and for the first time this season they found themselves outclassed. Veronica Valverde outqualified the usually stronger Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, who wasn't all too happy with her mediocre 12th place. Most remarkably is the fact, that a Ferrari was beaten by a BMW, which in itself is an unusual sight this season...
Then followed a rather mixed-up midfield, consisting of Ramona Kiss in the Toyota, beating her far more experienced teammate Amber Anderson by almost a second, and Marika Diana in the Chevrolet Corvette, leaving both Bugattis, both Jaguars and both Maseratis (as well as her own teammate) in the dust.

Code: Select all

01    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                 2:00.167
02    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        2:00.392
03    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        2:00.456
04    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                2:00.723
05    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                2:00.724
06    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 2:00.726
07    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              2:00.955
08    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              2:01.064
09    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                2:01.190
10    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              2:01.355

Code: Select all

11    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  2:01.522
12    Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              2:01.718
13    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               2:02.021
14    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               2:02.081
15    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  2:02.228
16    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               2:02.315
17    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               2:02.342
18    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                2:02.502
19    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            2:02.850
20    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              2:03.057

Code: Select all

21    Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              2:03.077
22    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               2:03.338
23    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               2:03.349
24    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            2:03.446
25    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               2:03.549
26    Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             2:03.593
27    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               2:03.649
28    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             2:03.843

105 % = 2:10.175

Race

Weather: Cold, dry, sunny

The 9th Round of the Women's GT Junior Cup had everything, except maybe rain, but no one really missed it that much. The spectators, who paid to witness some on-track action, got to see one of the most thrilling races this season. Its only real rival for this title might be Brands Hatch. Whoever had placed a bet on this result, might be a millionaire by now. But let's start at the beginning...
Alessandra Neri and Leah Pruett were standing side by side on the front row, Neri on the inside, Pruett on the outside. First corner turns right, so Leah Pruett, who had managed a pretty good start, tried her best to jump inside the first corner and cut off the Audi in the process. Unfortunately, she missed her breaking point, collided with Neri and triggered a chain reaction, which took out five other frontrunners in one clean swipe.
Tiffany Chittenden was hit by Hillary Will, who tried to avoid a collision with her spinning teammate, pushing the Dodge into Elena Myers' Audi, while McIntosh and Valverde drove blindly into the erupting cloud of smoke and never made it back out. The only driver, who was able to escape this chaos almost unhurt, was Alison MacLeod, who took the lead.
The safety car was sent out, while the seven wrecks - most of them managed to roll out in the nearby sandtrap - were salvaged by the marshalls. Leah Pruett was apologetic as soon as the ladies walked back to the pits, where Leah immediately got penalized for this rather unnecessary collision.
In the meantime, Alison MacLeod was talking to her pit crew on the radio, informing them about a small handling problem probably due to being bumped by Myers during the start collision. The Dodge mechanics managed to calm down MacLeod, since the only drivers who could have posed a real threat to her, Leilani Münter in the Lotus and Collete Davis in the McLaren, had fallen behind in the confusion. So for now, Alison MacLeod led her first Junior cup race ever.
But three other ladies had also used the start collision to their full advantage: Gwendolyn Hertzberger, who drove a brilliant race for Morgan, finishing second (more on that below), Vicky Piria in the Nissan and Marika Diana, who came from 19th on the grid to finish fourth. Talk about IIDOTR!
And Diana gave us all some of the most impressive passing maneuvres of the entire race. Throughout the 32nd lap she raced wheel to wheel with Leilani Münter and by the time they passed the finish line, Diana had egded by and was half a car's length ahead, as they approached Turn 1, closing the door on Münter firmly.
On lap 44, Diana even did battle with Vicky Piria for third. She dashed past the Nissan, only to be relegated to fourth place by Piria on the following lap. This duel would continue to the chequered flag, with Vicky Piria defending a hard-earned third position against the very fast Chevrolet.
Although Münter and Davis seemed to be out of the competition for this round, Alison MacLeod could not cruise to an easy victory, because Gwendolyn Hertzberger soon turned out to have one of the best days in her entire racing career (as well as having hit the setup jackpot, it seemed). While MacLeod tried her best to adapt her driving style to the poor handling of her Viper, Hertzberger actually managed to sneak up on her.
Time and again both ladies changed the lead until lap 47. On that lap, Hertzberger lost her patience and tried to force her way past the slightly faster Dodge, but made a mistake in Turn 14 and had to back down in order to avoid a collision, which in turn gave MacLeod the opportunity to pull away again.
In the last corner on the last lap of the race, Hertzberger launched her final attack, but to everyone's surprise, MacLeod remained cool as ice, shut the door in time and swept to a joyous victory - the second for Dodge this season. Granted, this was a rather odd race, to say the least, but MacLeod managed to do, what none other in the Top 6 could: avoid the mass collision at the start, take the lead and win. Maybe we all judged her too soon...
And again: All of this without a single drop of rain. Not much change in the fight for this season's drivers' championship though, but Dodge did come very close to Ferrari in the constructors' standings, as well as Morgan conquering seventh and Chevrolet opening a gap of 14 points to their immediate rival Toyota, now in range to attack Maserati for 12th.

Code: Select all

01    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                52 Laps
02    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               +  0.671
03    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               +  6.506
04    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            +  6.599
05    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                +  6.969
06    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               +  7.216
07    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              +  7.798
08    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  + 10.173
09    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               + 11.427
10    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              + 11.953

Code: Select all

11    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               + 12.551
12    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               + 13.193
13    Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              + 13.811
14    Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              + 14.515
15    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                + 15.591
16    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            + 17.969
17    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             + 20.285
DNF   Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  37 Laps    Engine
DNF   Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               30 Laps    Accident
DNF   Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             25 Laps    Accident

Code: Select all

DNF   Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               11 Laps    Handling
DNF   Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                  0 Laps    Collision
DNF   Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)         0 Laps    Collision
DNF   Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)         0 Laps    Collision
DNF   Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                 0 Laps    Collision
DNF   Elena Myers                 (Audi)                  0 Laps    Collision
DNF   Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)               0 Laps    Collision
DNF   Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)               0 Laps    Collision

Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all

01    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                305 Points
02    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)       291 Points
03    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)       256 Points
04    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)               191 Points
05    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)               179 Points
06    Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)             173 Points
07    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)             120 Points
08    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 96 Points
09    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               83 Points
10    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  80 Points

Code: Select all

11    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  68 Points
12    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              67 Points
13    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               66 Points
14    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                52 Points
15    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              48 Points
16    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              45 Points
17    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               45 Points
18    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               42 Points
19    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               38 Points
20    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            35 Points

Code: Select all

21    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               35 Points
22    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                30 Points
23    Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             28 Points
24    Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              26 Points
25    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             26 Points
26    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               18 Points
27    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)                8 Points
28    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)             5 Points

Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all

01    Mercedes-Benz        547 Points
02    Audi                 401 Points
03    Ferrari              293 Points
04    Dodge                243 Points
05    Lotus                209 Points
06    BMW                  148 Points
07    Morgan               128 Points

Code: Select all

08    Nissan               108 Points
09    McLaren               93 Points
10    Bugatti               93 Points
11    Jaguar                73 Points
12    Maserati              54 Points
13    Chevrolet             40 Points
14    Toyota                26 Points

Penalties: Car #29 (Leah Pruett) drop of 5 grid positions at the driver's next event for causing a collision.

Next: Round 10 - Slovakia up on Saturday the 17th (CET)!

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 14 May 2014, 21:03

Well that was unexpected! Great job by Alison, keeping her cool to win the race! Shame about the start chaos as Tiffany qualified well. Seems promoting Manfrinato to Chief Engineer paid off!

Craig Harris wrote:Yes! Yes! Yes! The second win for the Dodge SRT Racing Team. So happy for Alison getting her first victory. Hopefully we can back it up in the next few rounds and challenge Ferrari for third in the constructors championship.

Alison MacLeod wrote:Wow! So stoked with the win! It's great for the team, I knew they were starting to lose confidence in me and it's just so amazing to be able to repay them for all their hard work.

Tiffany Chittenden wrote:I got taken out at the start in all the chaos. It wasn't really any one driver's fault so I can't blame anyone. Congrats to Alison with her first win and hopefully you'll see me up on the podium next round!

AustralianStig · Post by **AustralianStig** » 14 May 2014, 23:08

Vanina Ickx wrote:That was stupid. Ms Pruett has no place making a move like that on lap 1, and we call for the harshest possible sanction. This is typical Mercedes-Benz, causing a huge accident on the first lap to ensure their team championship went unchallenged.

And after finding out the penalty was a 5 place grid penalty at the next event:

Vanina Ickx wrote:This is ridiculous! Drivers have just been given permission to drive like maniacs on lap one, knowing they'll barely be punished. Someone could have been seriously injured today; this needs to be fixed. If Ms Pruett wants to win a race, let's make it through the first corner first, ok?

OOC: Both drivers are on AGG, not as a tactical thing, but simply because the team is so riled they're out for blood at the next event!

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 14 May 2014, 23:16

Shame for Leah, especially since its unnecessary. If she'll just keep it on track, we''ll win. It's an honest mistake, though, especially for a drag racer. Races are won and lost in the NHRA in the first 60ft.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 15 May 2014, 00:00

Car #10 Radio wrote:Veronica Valverde: What the f*** was that?
Alan Permane: A pileup, apparently.
VV: A damn shame! God...
AP: So much for that. Car is wrecked. Looks like we're done.
VV: Whatever.

Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky wrote:Finished lower than we started despite that pileup? What the hell went wrong?!

Marc Henri, at first sight wrote:It's at a time like this when you have to wonder that the hell is wrong. Or, in this case, what the hell happened? Smoke, flying stuff, and it takes out seven cars right off the bat. That'll probably be most of the retirements, and it's all because someone was being an idiot on the track. How reminiscent of Andrea de Cesaris.

Marc Henri, after the penalty was applied wrote:WHAT??!! You have got to be kidding me! Only five grid places?! FIVE???!!! That was one of the most idiotic maneuvers I have ever witnessed before my own eyes! I am fed up with this s***!

Vanina Ickx is right, having been a racing driver herself. She knows what she's talking about. It could have been much worse than it was. Having someone take out seven cars right at the word go is simply inexcusable. I don't care if it was a braking error. Drivers should know how to use brakes. Valverde was rudely taken out, MacLeod was nearly caught up in the bull paddies, she being the eventual winner, and even Kottulinsky's race was compromised. We cannot take this as an answer. That is not how a title challenging driver drives. A five place grid penalty is simply not good enough. I, Marc Henri, and Ferrari, wish to protest the penalty. Now someone get me some Irish whiskey! NOW!!!

Veronica Valverde wrote:Por favor, incluso para sus estándares que está recibiendo por delante de ti mismo. Me las arreglé para calmarse. Sólo frío tipo, ¿de acuerdo?

Marc Henri wrote:Eh bien, c'est ce qu'elle a dit.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 15 May 2014, 12:04

Official WDA Statement wrote:
Concerning the start collision

After the incident on the Automotodrom Brno on Sunday, the 25th of January 2015, two teams, namely Audi and Ferrari, have protested against the penalty for driver Leah Pruett, who caused a mass collision right after the start, demanding the sanctions to be harsher. Currently the penalty for Ms. Pruett, sentenced by the WDA, is a drop of 5 grid positions at Ms. Pruett's next event, namely the 10th Round at the Slovakiaring.

The WDA wishes to announce the reasons for this penalty:

1.) It was the first incident of this kind for Ms. Pruett in 9 rounds,

2.) Ms. Pruett was apologetic right away and never left any doubt, it was any other driver's fault than her own

3.) She not only hindered other teams from scoring valuable Championship points, but also took out herself and her own teammate, thereby not creating an unfair advantage for herself or her team.

4.) Further investigations could not definitely prove, that this incident was only due to a driver error from Ms. Pruett and not also due to a technical failure from the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

The WDA fully agrees with teams' concerns about safety matters. Drivers, marshalls and even spectators could have gotten injured in this unnecessary incident. But we do not share Ms. Ickx' fears, a light penalty could lead to other drivers driving more recklessly. The WDA firmly believes, all the previous races of the Junior Cup have proven, that all participating drivers are well aware of their responsibilities towards themselves and others.

Nevertheless, the WDA accepts the protest and is willing to increase Ms. Pruett's penalty to a total drop of 10 grid positions at the driver's next event, if the protesting teams are able to sign a petition with at least 60% of all teams involved in the incident, namely Audi, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Dodge SRT, voting for harsher sanctions.

Despite the magnitude of the incident itself, a one-race-ban for Ms. Pruett or a disqualification in one way or another is out of the question for reasons stated above.

Since we already have two votes pro harsher sanctions (Audi and Ferrari) and one vote contra (Mercedes-Benz), McLaren and Dodge SRT are yet to voice their opinion. They can either vote for harsher sanctions, against them or stay neutral on the matter.

Michele Mouton
President of the Women Drivers Association

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 15 May 2014, 12:15

Herrmann Mann wrote:Pah! Der Women's Driver Association is as weak as the Swiss Army! Ein light gust of vind could blow the WDA over, it's pathetic, really. Who cares what those clowns at Ferrari want? Make a decision, stick to it, if people vant to be crybabies about it then that's up to them...acting like a deprived child, Herr Henri, vill not command you respect. Fool.

It vas ein good race from Hertzberger today, der accident helped us, ja, but she did not give up and a win vas ein possibility. There vill be a party at der Morgan motorhome tonight, all are welcome, bring Jaegermeister, ja ja ja. Except der fool, Henri.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 15 May 2014, 13:55

Auto Motor und Sport wrote:
Women Drivers Association causing uproar after mass collision at Brno

In the aftermath of the start collision at the Automotodrom Brno, Audi and Ferrari had protested the light sanctions against Mercedes-Benz driver Leah Pruett, currently second in the drivers' standings. The Women Drivers Association announced today, they will be giving in to the protesting teams, causing an uproar in the media and the team association of the Women's GT Junior Cup itself.

While Morgan team boss Herrmann Mann attacked the WDA and protesting team Ferrari openly, calling this whole incident "pathetic", FIA president Jean Todt welcomed the revised decision, stating: "It's for the safety of all involved in this sport. Causing such a mass collision calls for drastic measures in order to set a warning example for younger drivers."

"Plus, Ferrari is always right. We're the very foundation on which the motorsport you all know and love is built on", Luca di Montezemolo added unasked. "We always had a special connection to the governing body of the sport. If Ferrari doesn't win, what good is a racing series then?"

The strangest thing about this whole debate might be the official statement from the WDA, in which Michele Mouton herself clearly states the reasons for the light sanctions against Leah Pruett, only to willingly agree to the protest mere two paragraphs later. A heel-turn most politicians would be proud of.

This even caused some bitter comments within the WDA itself: "Michele and I disagreed on that topic since it was brought up", vice-president Deryn Pryce stated. "The penalty was good the way it was. Ms. Pruett honestly apologized right away and she's definitely not the type of driver to let such an incident happen twice. It would have been better, if we just declared it a mere racing accident, just like in the old days. Of course, that would have caused even more uproar."

Monisha Kaltenborn said: "While I appreciate the inclusion of the Team Principals in this matter, this somehow makes us look as if we're too easy to influence. A little more sovereignty would have been the key."

Austrian F1 legend Niki Lauda also openly announced his distaste for the decision to harshen the penalty: "Audi and Ferrari clearly tried to get an advantage over Mercedes-Benz here. The safety argument is an old one, and while they're absolutely right, they shouldn't have been the ones to bring it forth in this case."

So, did the Women Drivers Association truely show signs of weakness here? Experts see it differently: "Mouton clearly demanded a petition with 60% of the votes pro harsher sanctions, while the remaining teams to cast their vote, McLaren and Dodge SRT, can still decide to stay neutral on the matter. Should they, the protest has failed, because Audi and Ferrari need a third team to back them up, otherwise they'll never reach 60%", former FIA president Max Mosley explained.

Other sources think, the WDA's sudden heel-turn was due to one simple fact: They feared, their original decision could have given viewers the false impression, the WDA tried to artificially keep the fight for the Championship alive. It's obvious, that with mere three rounds to go, the only two drivers with a realistic chance of winning the drivers' championship are Alessandra Neri (Audi) and Leah Pruett (Mercedes-Benz). Taking Pruett out of this equation could kill off all interests in the Junior Cup altogether. This seems to be a common thinking with motorsport authorities.

Nothing is decided yet, so we'll keep an eye on this...

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 15 May 2014, 15:30

Mark J. Riccetti, Jr. during an emergency press conference wrote:
I simply cannot believe the WDA would cave so easily to pressure. It is ridiculous. It's cowardly even. To simply cave over a protest, from a team who cannot bet us on the track, so they resort to this? Insane. We will be protesting Audi and Ferrari at every race to come, since obviously it gets results. The Europeans can't stand the fact that a bunch of Americans are winning, and in their jingoism have resorted to cheating to win. I don't care if the WDA fines me, I'm pissed off and after our team meeting last night, so is everyone else on the team. Hillary and Leah, the engineers, mechanics, everyone right down to Mongo who sweeps the shop floors, is redoubling their efforts. We are going to beat Audi on track, and then do doughnuts with Old Glory hanging out the window just to spite them. Leah especially is furious, as her driving (by far the class of the field) is being questioned. She has orders now that we are very fond of here in America "Checkers or Wreckers". Expect a burn from the stern. And to Audi and Ferrari, here's another saying we have over here: "You've got one coming". BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Leah Pruett is now set to AGG. Its on like bathplugging Donkey Kong now.

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 15 May 2014, 19:22

This incident has benefitted Chevrolet greatly as Marika was able to probably send her bottom of the top ten car into the top five as a result of the pileup. Chevrolet wouldn't have had half as many points if the incident didn't happen. If anything, we might have half a chance to finish as high as 9th in the Constructor's points after this improvement. But merely not being dead last is good enough come to think of it.

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 15 May 2014, 21:07

Dodge SRT Racing Team wrote:The Dodge SRT Racing Team will also be protesting the WDA's decision on the matter of #29 Leah Pruett's collision with #6 Alessandra Neri which caused the cars of both Pruett and Neri along with #28 Hillary Will, #16 Tiffany Chittenden, #5 Elena Myers, #0 Shannon McIntosh, and #10 Veronica Valverde to retire from the race. Dodge believes that despite the fact that our driver #17 Alison MacLeod managed to avoid the collision without any serious damage and go on to win, #29 Leah Pruett has severely impacted the Junior Cup standings with this unnecessary collision and by also forcing our main driver #16 Tiffany Chittenden (who was 4th in the standings coming into the event) to retire, has impacted our own championship points situation. Tiffany's car has been seriously damaged in the incident, and will cost a lot to repair. The collision could have also caused serious injury to both drivers and spectators, we are just lucky that it didn't occur on this occasion.

We are also not happy with the attitude of Audi Motorsports and their team boss Mark J. Ricetti Jr. after this event. The comments made by Mr. Ricetti are not acceptable and should not be tolerated in this series. Claiming that Audi and Ferrari are "cheating" (by protesting the WDA's decision) because "they can't stand the fact that a bunch of Americans are winning" is totally untrue. It was your driver who took out seven cars at the first corner, not theirs. Threats to wreck the cars of Audi and Ferrari in the next round are also totally uncalled for. This is not a demolition derby series, Mr. Ricetti. It is a professional women's racing series that has clear rules to protect drivers and spectators.

Regards,
Dodge SRT Racing Team
Craig Harris, Team Owner/Manager
Andre de Cortanze, Technical Director
Rosella Manfrinato, Chief Engineer
Tiffany Chittenden and Alison MacLeod, Drivers

mike robers · Post by **mike robers** » 15 May 2014, 21:44

We don't really care either way. Whatever they decide,we're happy with.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 15 May 2014, 23:21

Marc Henri wrote:Herr Mann is quite a laugh right now. He doesn't understand what position we are in. We are in the top 3, and Audi, Dodge, and us are in the top 4 vying for the title, when all of a sudden this shite comes about. You say we're clowns? Look at Morgan. Look at Ferrari. Both of these teams and companies do not have clowns at the helm. Plus, if I'm a deprived child, what does that make the rest of the teams who protested? Give it some time to let things happen before you make an argument that ultimately becomes nullified and makes all of us laugh our asses off.

Oh, Mr. Mark Riccetti Jr. Haha. You are even more of a laugh. You say this situation is ridiculous, well your attitude is ridiculous. Your stance that the Europeans can't stand Americans winning is arguably the most pathetic argument I've ever had a part of. That type of bitching where you lambast an entire continent full of people and making a stereotype about all Europeans being sick of Americans winning is the most f***ing stupid thing I've heard a team owner say, and we at Ferrari are very much displeased of your unprofessionalism. Hell, Mercedes-Benz is European, so you are also insulting the people who built your winning cars. HAHA!!!! The fact that we're cheating? Well, Dodge is protesting. They're 'MURICAN. Your threats to ruin our races at Audi and Ferrari are the ripe signs of a total ignoramuse, and a completely butthurt idiot who sounds like more of a deprived child than Herr Mann made me look like. As a result, you have made comments totally unacceptable, which Dodge have made this clear. These comments make you sound like you have anger management issues, and you do. We are not cheating by protesting.

Finally, you defend Leah, with no offense intended towards her, but not only did she take out our one driver in Veronica Valverde, she took out 5 others with herself, including her own teammate, Hillary Will. You don't let teammates do that, do you? Apparently you do, yet unacceptable things like that get by in your camp thanks to your stubborn defense in her favor. Sure, I see why you are defending her. But seriously, you don't let someone destroy her own race and 6 other driver's races in one foul swoop like that. The fact your defending her like she's your daughter when she has done wrong and with a lack of discipline does not please me, nor my team staff. Leah admits she's done wrong, but in a mature way, and she never publically lambasted our team or Audi in the pathetic ways you have done so. We are thankful she has been mature, unlike you, who has been an uncivilized brute since this shite started. Thank you for listening to this message. But we feel you have a lot to learn about how you should speak your English and how to react to news like this appropriately, and react to teams who may be unhappy unlike a barbarian.

AustralianStig · Post by **AustralianStig** » 15 May 2014, 23:36

Audi have declared a total media silence until the next round, advising their driving at Slovakia will do the talking.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 15 May 2014, 23:45

We will follow Audi's footsteps of media silence, as Mr. Riccetti's argument is simply too laughable and cruel to bother counterarguing. We would like Dodge to do likewise.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 16 May 2014, 00:20

Mark J. Riccetti, Jr. wrote:It seems we have struck a nerve with the jingoists. And as for dodge being American, that's laughable. They are owned by FIAT you know. So they have no choice but to vote the same as Ferrari do. They are mere puppets. No matter, we will defeat you anyways, unless of course you protest the following races, since that's you're only recourse. Sad. But I suppose if I were getting beat by a bunch of "straight liners" I'd panic too and do horribly unsporting things as well.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 16 May 2014, 02:09

That's it. Both drivers on AGG so we can hopefully kick some ass.

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 16 May 2014, 04:16

Why not go full AGG in hopes of blasting into the lead? We have nothing to lose being next to last in the Constructor's Standings.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 16 May 2014, 12:09

Set both Bugatti drivers to AGG too.

Hermann95 · Post by **Hermann95** » 16 May 2014, 12:23

Looks like the next race could be very very interesting :lol:

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 16 May 2014, 16:14

Hermann95 wrote:Looks like the next race could be very very interesting

Indeed, with a pair of hard chargers from the rear (Chevy) and a bunch of drivers with rage in the front. 19th to 4th on MOD is nothing to scoff at given that Marika would have been in the 9th to 12th area without the pileup. If she's on AGG she might be able to start around 10th... If that works as planned, she might get a win. Of course, it's gonna be an interesting race given what some of the backmarkers did last race given the improvements at Chevy in particular.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 17 May 2014, 12:21

Important (in-game and off-game) announcements

Auto Motor und Sport wrote:
WDA hands over running of the Women's GT Junior Cup to Deryn Pryce

Following the protest of three teams against the light penalty for Mercedes-Benz driver Leah Pruett after the mass collision on the Automotodrom Brno, a war has broken out between the leading teams of the Women's GT Junior Cup, with threats and insults being thrown around by the hour.

The Women Drivers Association, heavily involved in this feud by accepting the protest in the first place and being harshly criticized for it by a lot of teams and famous motorsport figures alike, has taken action and put vice-president Deryn Pryce in charge of running the Junior Cup for the remainder of the season.

Pryce is well-known for her no-nonsense attitude and her sometimes rude management ways. The WDA has announced, that after the protesting teams have successfully gathered 60% of the votes of all teams involved in the mass collision (Audi, Ferrari and Dodge pro, Mercedes-Benz contra and McLaren neutral), Leah Pruett will be dropped back 10 grid positions at her next event, which is assumed to be the 10th Round at Slovakia.

In an official press conference, Deryn Pryce also added: "I advise all teams involved in this ridiculous feud to come to their senses and not turn their drivers into mere pawns in a vendetta no one is going to win. I suggest we all calm down as good as possible and give the spectators in Slovakia what they paid to see: A fair and thrilling race.

To make myself abundantly clear: If any driver should cause a collision on purpose or because she has orders to do so from her team, said driver as well as the entire team behind her will be disqualified from the Championship immediately. I don't care, if this leads to teams leaving the Junior Cup altogether, because I have no need for teams or drivers who play unfair or even put the lives of others in danger for a reason that isn't even worth it."

OOC: Due to what went down during the past couple of days, I wasn't able to work on the next round, so I'd like to re-schedule it to next week (Monday to Wednesday), if that's okay with everyone.

Also, I was wondering, if someone has the feeling, I'm going too fast through all these races. I did this right from the beginning to demonstrate, that my series will not be haphazardly run. But if anybody should have the opinion, it might be better to slow down a bit in order to make my series easier to follow up on (for whatever reasons), I'd be happy to be told so.

mike robers · Post by **mike robers** » 18 May 2014, 00:36

Nah, keep doing what you're doing! I don't mind!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 19 May 2014, 15:45

It's your series Turbogirl. If it were canon and running in "canon present-day," it would help if all present-day canon series ran at a similar pace. But yours is not canon, so it's fine. There may be some time over the summer when people go away on holidays, but that can be dealt with easily enough, I reckon.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 19 May 2014, 15:59

I actually quite like the fast pace. It keeps the series in the front of your mind. If you can keep it up without affecting your life/schoolwork/job etc. By all means keep going.

Turbogirl · Post by **Turbogirl** » 19 May 2014, 16:54

mike robers wrote:Nah, keep doing what you're doing! I don't mind!

Wallio wrote:I actually quite like the fast pace. It keeps the series in the front of your mind. If you can keep it up without affecting your life/schoolwork/job etc. By all means keep going.

Then I will. I think for now I have the whole job/race hosting thing pretty well under control.

dr-baker wrote:It's your series Turbogirl. If it were canon and running in "canon present-day," it would help if all present-day canon series ran at a similar pace. But yours is not canon, so it's fine. There may be some time over the summer when people go away on holidays, but that can be dealt with easily enough, I reckon.

I was already wondering about that. Is it common for all canon series to run at a similiar pace and would I have to slow down with Formula Female once it's running full-time in order for everyone to keep up with me? Or can I go at my own pace, regardless of all the other series? I can imagine, my pace might be a lot faster than the average series hoster...