F2RWRS - 2016 Season: Japan Qualifying Up

[Salamander]

How in the world does Marchesi plonk himself in dead last???

Because he can't qualify for shite. But don't worry, you have Jordan Davies!

RejectSport: Jordan Davies, it looked like the conditions out there were tricky today Do you think this'll have a huge impact on your race strategy?
Jordan Davies: Um, I dunno, I trust the team more to sort that out for me, I just mostly drive the car fast! But I think I have a good chance in the race, I'm starting pretty high up, and a lot of the really fast drivers in races had problems and are behind me, so if I can get a good start I should be able to do very well!
RS: Will Lamberigts and van der Maeyede have a huge impact on the race tomorrow, Jordan? Or will they drop back?
JD: It depends on how well we can pass around here, if everyone's got a good setup for doing that. Wouter's really quick in qualifying but he usually does fall back in the races; I dunno about Martin, I know he's good in races, but I don't know if his car is good enough for him to qualify that well and also stay up front in the race. So it should be pretty obvious after the first few laps how the race is going to go for them.
RS: As for Aston's chances, do you think you've got the pace to beat Alitalia?
JD: Tomorrow, yeah, I think we can beat them if we do everything exactly right. Over the season it's a bit harder to guess, but we're all gonna try our best, and if we can keep this up, I'm sure we'll have a chance.
RS: Thank you, Jordan.
JD: You're welcome!

[DemocalypseNow]

Thanks to Wizzie's GP2 crashing, the race has been run in two parts. The second part is tomorrow, either before or after F1RWRS. The first part however has already been run, and is now available to watch online.

[Ataxia]

Wizzie, would you be able to throw me the .tgas of the F2RWRS cars? I'm putting together a spotters' guide, and thought some side-shots of the cars might be a nice touch. I need:

- Simpson
- Young Lions
- Falik Arrows
- Licor Beirao
- Red Bull

If I could get my grubby mitts on them, it'd be most appreciated!

[TomWazzleshaw]

Wizzie, would you be able to throw me the .tgas of the F2RWRS cars? I'm putting together a spotters' guide, and thought some side-shots of the cars might be a nice touch. I need:

- Simpson
- Young Lions
- Falik Arrows
- Licor Beirao
- Red Bull

If I could get my grubby mitts on them, it'd be most appreciated!

I'll get those sorted out for you in the next few days. For now though, it's time for a race review:

2016 F2RWRS Qantas Australian Grand Prix

Positives

Marcel Agyemang-Badu - the reigning RoLFS champion started his F2RWRS career in perfect fashion by comfortably winning his first F2RWRS race around the streets of Adelaide. While Andrej Kremnicky may have been the one bolting from the field early on, Badu was able to keep reasonably close to him, which put him in the prime position to capitalise when a Transmission failure pitched the Slovakian into the turn 4 wall. From there, it was a matter of just bringing it home as he took the 10 points and an early lead in the drivers' championship.

GRM Young Lions - Apart from the farcical performance in pre-qualifying at Indianapolis, the Young Lions team were the in-form squad at the end of last season, and their good form continued into one of their home grounds. In the city which is home of Holden's Elisabeth plant, Daniel Melville put in a solid drive to finish 2nd for the general's men, while Carter Simpson made up for a disappointing qualifying session to finish 4th on a one-stop strategy in the sister car. As the only team to score a double points finish, this meant that the Young Lions left Adelaide in the lead of the constructors' championship.

Martin van der Maeyede - Many have questioned whether the Dutchman has what it takes to be a force in the F2RWRS, but his drive today did a lot to silence the doubters. Starting off the front row, he made light work of polesitter Wouter Lamberigts early on and led the early segment of the race with authority. While he was unable to hold on to the likes of Kremnicky, Badu and Melville, he kept his nose clean and took home a well-deserved debut podium when Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen retired late in the race.

Johannes Rueckert - The German was absolutely fuming after being blocked badly in qualifying, and responded by mowing down most of the midfield in the first sting. And by the time the second stops came around, Rueckert had found himself solidly in the points, a position he would never relinquish as he opened Jones' account with a 5th place.

Luc Pellerin - After disappointing performances in pre-season testing and in qualifying, few were expecting much of him come race day, and for the most part he was anonymous at best. However, he was the last of the two-stoppers to pit for their final stop, which put him right behind a massive battle pack involving Gregor Pascal, both Aston Martins, Mitchell Macklin, Gianluigi Pazzini and Jack Christopherson Jr. Using fresh tyres and his racing ability, he managed to mow almost all of them down in the space of 10 laps to score his first F2RWRS point in 8th place.

Negatives

Scuderia Alitalia - Andrej Kremnicky was a man on a mission in the early laps as he made his way through the field and into the lead by lap 10. From there, he simply drove away from the field at a second a lap, before the Alitalia car did what it did best and broke the transmission, sending the Slovakian straight into the turn 4 barrier and out of the race. Dan Greenlaw meanwhile had at least three separate off-track moments on his way to a pointless 14th place finish.

Mitchell Macklin - The former F2RWRS champion made his return in Adelaide, but without all the fireworks that won him the title in 2014. After slowly clawing his way back into the points, he lost control of the car at the final corner, careered into the back of Jean-Vincent Albertini and earned himself a penalty for causing an avoidable collision in the process. From there, he tried to claw his way back up, but in the end finished in a pointless 9th place on his return.

Gillet ENB - It was mostly bad luck that put Gillet in the negatives segment, as their pace was fundamentally decent. Albertini got punted off by Macklin early on, but made his way back into the points before his engine blew up, while Gregor Pascal spent the entire race being turned into a punching bag, as many midfield runners decided to take their frustrations out on the unfortunate Swiss driver.

Josh Carlisle - While teammate Yuka Katayama managed to score points, the Brit was simply awful as he spent the entire race trolling around the back of the field, before a suspension failure brought about a merciful early end to his day.

Jordan Davies - He may have been hampered by an early unscheduled stop for a puncture, but it didn't explain his passivity before the stop, and his insipid driving after it. Davies, who was one of the favourites for the title heading into the season, was simply nowhere all race and was miles off the pace on his way to 12th place on a weekend where he needed to capitalise on Alitalia's problems.

F1 Rejects TV - Compared to the on-track action, the broadcast of the race was an absolute shambles, as race start was delayed by almost half an hour while the host broadcast truck at the track tried to rectify several satellite uplink issues that were plaguing them. And then, the broadcast truck suffered a total power failure just after Kremnicky's retirement, forcing the back portion of the race to be broadcast on TV hours after the race had finished, and earning F1R TV the first Reject of the Race award of the season.

1. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): 1h 12m 41.497
2. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +26.458
3. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): +38.709
4. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +45.342
5. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +45.966
6. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +54.403
7. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +1:04.475
8. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +1:04.899
9. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): +1:12.207
10. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +1:12.723
11. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +1:13.194
12. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +1:13.723
13. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +1:14.165
14. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +1:18.518
15. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): +1 LAP
16. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +2 LAPS*
DNF. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): Transmission
DNF. J. Carlisle (Falik Arrows-BMW): Suspension
DNF. J. Case (Simpson-BMW): Suspension
DNF. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): Engine
DNF. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): Oil Leak
DNF. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): Water Leak

Pole: W. Lamberigts (Ronden-Zastava): 1:25.666
Fastest Lap: A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): 1:20.338
Reject of the Race: F1 Rejects TV - Farcical broadcast overshadows otherwise bearable race.
Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race: Luc Pellerin - Woke up in the final 10 laps to snare final point
Leaders: W. Lamberigts: 1 (Total: 1)
M. van der Maeyede: 2-9 (Total: 8)
A. Kremnicky: 10-40 (Total: 31)
M. Agyemang-Badu: 41-53 (Total: 13)

Standings can be found here

Stewards Report
Car #16 (Yuka Katayama) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #12 (Johannes Rueckert) in qualifying
Car #33 (Mitchell Macklin) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with car #5 (Jean-Vincent Albertini)

[Aerospeed]

It's not the race we were expecting, to be honest - thankfully we got away with scoring two points today. Jordan has been quite sorry for being slow after his pitstop, and we are working hard to get our pace back on track.

A tough race all around, but thankfully we scored two points today. The setup was all wrong for qualifying. We had a good strategy to bring up to the top in the race, as we went all out. It didn't work as expected, but we managed to salvage something out of this race.

[Nessafox]

Wait what, both cars ending up lapped?

[TomWazzleshaw]

Wait what, both cars ending up lapped?

Nieuwenhuijzen blew up with two laps to go while on track for 3rd. Lamberigts was just plain crap though

[SuperAguri]

That was a race of two sides, one side we have Yuka who made up lots of places and scored some good points and on the other side we have Josh who was slow most of the race and then put himself out. He has a couple of races to improve or he will be asking "Do you want fries with that" sooner then he thinks.

[DemocalypseNow]

Tom Douglas arrested for race-fixing

Not even two weekends into the season, F2RWRS has already been hit by a new scandal; the series commissioner has been arrrested on suspicion of race fixing.

Douglas is said to have used his position to manipulate stewards into demanding performance-killing alterations to the Aeroracing cars, as a 'revenge' attack on MRT's behalf, with Douglas close to said organisation.

Douglas will spend the next 6 hours under police custody and face questioning over the allegations.

...later that day...

Tom Douglas released without charge

Tom Douglas, who had earlier been taken into police custody over alleged fraud and race fixing charges, has been released without charge, following hours of questioning by NSW Police.

Despite allegations of race fixing negatively affecting Aeroracing, the cars have eventually demonstrated they are on a par performance-wise with the cars around them during practise.

Douglas was unavailable to comment.

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 F2RWRS Pacific Grand Prix

Pre-Qualifying

There was much controversy surrounding the Aeroracing team heading into pre-qualifying, as it seemed that the car of Jack Christopherson Jr was miles off the pace of everyone else. By the end of practice however, it was discovered that there was a faulty timing transponder aboard the car, which was soon replaced before it could cause any more issues. It wasn't a moment too soon for the Aeroracing team, as this pre-qualifying session was the closest session in RWRS history with the top 10 cars were covered by 0.23 of a second, and all 12 cars by just over four tenths. Marko Jantscher set the fastest time, but it wasn't enough to see Beirao into the next session, as Joao Antiono-Soares in the second car was only in P11, allowing Aeroracing to take one of the pre-Q berths. Red Bull WRT meanwhile had something to smile about, as both Sebastian Prost and Cave Johnson pulled their weight to put the team into the main game for the first time in their F2RWRS tenure.

1. M. Jantscher (Beirao-BMW): 56.503
2. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.006
3. S. Prost (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.081
4. C. Johnson (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.131
5. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): +0.163
6. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.180
7. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): +0.201
8. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +0.202
9. D. Alvarez-Torrente (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.210
10. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.236
11. J. Antonio Soares (Beirao-BMW): +0.298
12. E. Swerts (Plus One-Maserati): +0.410

Qualifying

Like Adelaide, the teams were greeted with the sight of a wet track, necessitating the use of intermediates. However, unlike Adelaide, the track stayed wet throughout, which gave the field a fairly even playing field for qualifying. After a troubled first run, Wouter Lamberigts managed to secure pole position on his second flying lap, before moving the benchmark even further out on his third and final run just to try and prove a point. Which backfired spectacularly, as he became one of five drivers to be pinged for blocking during the final minutes of qualifying due to the awkward pit exit. Frenchman Gilles Massinion had no such issues on his way to a front-row start, ahead of last year's runner up Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen. Daniel Melville, Luc Pellerin and Jason Hamilton all earned themselves penalties for blocking in the last few minutes as well, while Canadian super-sub Justin Case earned himself a penalty for punting Alessandro Marchesi off the road at turn 2. Finally, a word for Gregor Pascal who went fastest in the first sector on his final run, before spinning off at turn four, thus ruining his lap and resigning himself to starting from 19th on the grid.

1. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): 1:02.138
2. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): +0.448
3. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +0.489
4. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.494
5. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +0.499
6. J. Case (Simpson-BMW): +0.508
7. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +0.585
8. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +0.685
9. S. Prost (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.728
10. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.762
11. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.764
12. J. Carlisle (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.768
13. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.798
14. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +0.803
15. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +0.805
16. C. Johnson (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.814
17. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.846
18. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +0.924
19. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +0.997
20. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +1.123
21. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +1.154
22. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +1.642

[Ataxia]

Seems that getting out of pre-qualifying on all fronts over the course of the season is going to be way too hard. Didn't care too much if the team didn't get out, but I thought Dofasco would have walked out.

And to be honest, I didn't even think Licor Beirao would be anywhere near it when I let Jantscher sign...at this rate, another year in F2 for both is on the cards.

[Aerospeed]

Jeez, Marchesi is turning out to be a terrible qualifier...

[TomWazzleshaw]

The F2RWRS race is about to go live on the chatroom, complete with the world's worst video stream!

[DemocalypseNow]

[SuperAguri]

Exclusive - Marko Jantscher heading to Falik Arrows.
Prince Falik has hinted strongly that he has signed Marko Jantscher for the Falik Arrows F2RWRS team for the rest of the season. Josh Carlisle woefully underperformed in the first race and took out a driver as the race is currently being run. Prince Falik said "Yes I have apporached Marko Jamtscher, I know he is frustrated by the DNPQs due to his team mate. Josh [Carlisle] had a warning and he is going to be fired at the end of the race.". Marko Jamtscher nor Beirao have commented, it is know that Jantscher has a performance clause both ways and he would invoke it.

[Ataxia]

When I first put pen to paper on the Beirao contract, I hoped we wouldn't be mired in pre-qualifying. As it happens, the team dropped back and thus it seems to be a pit we've fallen into. I've done my absolute best to try and spring us from within the depths, but unfortunately I've got a team-mate that's holding me back. On two occasions this season, I've done a representative time in the car and made it possible to get in the race, and Joao Antonio hasn't done anything to help me out. I've taken advice of other people in the paddock, and they've all said that a move would be best for me.

Falik Arrows have come in with an offer that appeals to me, so hopefully the paperwork can be wrapped up as quickly as possible.

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 F2RWRS Tooheys Pacific Grand Prix

Race

Positives

Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen - By all right, the flying Dutchman should have scored a podium in Adelaide, but made up for it here with an emphatic victory here in Penrith. After a 50-50 collision with teammate Wouter Lamberigts off the start which put the Belgian out of the race, he seemed content with staying behind the fast-starting Gilles Massinion, before a gusty move on lap 21 got him into the lead of the race. Nieuwenhuijzen had to then hold off a mid-race challenge from hometown hero Carter Simpson until the second phase of pitstops, where he came out a fair way ahead of the competition. From there, the win was merely a formality for the Dutchman.

Carter Simpson - After finishing fourth in Adelaide, the hometown hero was in the form of his life during the second stint of the race. After clearing many of the cars behind leader Nieuwenhuijzen, the Penrith local set about absolutely demolishing the timesheets, setting six fastest laps of the race in the process on his way to a new track record. He managed to close the gap to Nieuwenhuijzen, but being the first to make his second pitstop ruined any chance of a victory. Even so, he held on magnificently from Jean-Vincent Albertini for the final 20 or so laps to take home second place and the championship lead, much to the delight of the crowd.

Gilles Massinion - If there was anyone who should have felt hard done by at the end of this weekend, it would be Gilles Massinion. The Frenchman absolutely nailed the start to lead the first segment of the race, all while soaking up the pressure from Nieuwenhuijzen behind. Eventually, he did fall back behind the Dutchman and Simpson, but he was still on for a great result until a Jones suspension failure put him out of the race during the first pitstop phase.

Justin Case - Simpson's Supersub barely put a foot wrong all race after a mixed bag in qualifying today, as the Canadian ran amongst the point scorers all weekend. More clever strategy from the Simpson pits got him ahead of Jordan Davies into 4th place, which was where he would stay for the rest of the race.

Sebastien Prost - For whatever reason, the one stop strategy was not the one to be on today, despite being a track where passing is notoriously difficult. Even so, Prost and the Red Bull WRT crew ran the gauntlet, and ran him on the one-stop strategy, which vaulted him into the points once all the pitstops had been completed. From there, he had to fight an ill-handling car, fading tyres and a whole host of drivers behind him to keep his sixth place. Which he dead with grit and determination aplomb, despite having up to five cars behind him in the "Prost Express" by the end of the race.

Negatives

Josh Carlisle - Before a few weeks ago, one would always consider the young Brit a fairly competent wheelman, but the two Australian races have done much to destroy his reputation in the paddock. After a fairly decent qualifying showing, he blotted his copybook at the start, by punting both Andrej Kremnicky and Marcel Agyemang-Badu off the track at the first corner, putting the latter out of the race. From there, he did nothing more than be a nuisance to drivers behind him, before a BMW engine failure put a merciful end to his race, and potentially his F2RWRS career as rumours are circling around that the Falik Arrows team are about to sign Austrian Marko Jantscher in the second seat.

Scuderia Alitalia - Last year, it was MRT that had to endure an unimaginably awful start to the season, and this year this fate has come knocking on the door of Alitalia in a big way. Andrej Kremnicky got involved in a startline accident which, for once, wasn't his fault, before he and Luc Pellerin got together in another collision a few laps later. From there, the Slovakian couldn't do any better than a gritty drive to 8th place in the middle of the Prost express. Meanwhile, Dan Greenlaw was running third early on, before he and MRT's Gianluigi Pazzini had a coming together, demoting the Italian to 7th and Greenlaw out of the points altogether. From there, the American's one-stop strategy proceeded to backfire spectacularly, as he could do no better than struggle home in 12th place.

Jason Hamilton/Luc Pellerin - While their respective teammates Gianluigi Pazzini and Justin Case were fighting for points-paying positions, neither of these two showed up on the radar at all for the entire weekend, except when Pellerin decided to be a nuisance with the leaders. After both had awful qualifying showings, neither of them did anything of note in the race, and ended up as the final two cars still running in 13th and 14th. With MRT running the risk of falling into pre-qualifying and the fire being placed under Pellerin's seat, both need to perform if they want a drive next season.

Daniel Melville - For the most part, Melville was right on the pace with Simpson for most of the weekend, except for qualifying. From his lowly gridspot, he made a good start and was battling with Cave Johnson at the start of lap 2. And then, the other Penrith local pulled off one of the biggest boneheaded moves all year by turning straight into the side of Johnson when the Red Bull WRT driver clearly had the corner at turn 1. The resulting contact between Johnson's right rear and Melville's left front put both into the wall and out of the race, earning Melville his second penalty of the weekend for his troubles. With Simpson in the sister HRT scoring a podium, it was merely a formality to give Melville the second Reject of the Race Award of the season.

1. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): 1h 15m 10.409
2. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +11.045
3. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +12.164
4. J. Case (Simpson-BMW): +19.502
5. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +27.408
6. S. Prost (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +42.820
7. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +43.171
8. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +43.500
9. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +44.522
10. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +44.908
11. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +45.592
12. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +51.562
13. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +55.330
14. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +1 LAP
15. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +6 LAPS*
DNF. J. Carlisle (Falik Arrows-BMW): Engine
DNF. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): Suspension
DNF. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): Engine
DNF. C. Johnson (Red Bull WRT-Holden): Collision
DNF. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): Collision
DNF. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): Collision
DNF. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): Collision

Pole: W. Lamberigts (Ronden-Zastava): 1:02.138
Fastest Lap: C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): 57.293
Reject of the Race: Daniel Melville - Messy performance puts him dangerously close to race ban
Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race: Gilles Massinion - If Massinion could do that, imagine what they could have done with Hawkin
Leaders: G. Massinion: 1-20, 26 (Total: 21)
B. van Nieuwenhuijzen: 21-25, 37-52, 55-77 (Total: 44)
J. Davies: 27-28 (Total: 2)
J-V. Albertini: 29, 53-54 (Total: 3)
S. Prost: 30-36 (Total: 7)

Standings can be found here

Stewards Report
Car #7 (Wouter Lamberigts) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #5 (Jean-Vincent Albertini) in qualifying
Car #9 (Luc Pellerin) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #0 (Jordan Davies) in qualifying
Car #15 (Daniel Melville) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #19 (Gianluigi Pazzini) in qualifying
Car #18 (Jason Hamilton) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #4 (Dan Greenlaw) in qualifying
Car #10 (Justin Case) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with car #2 (Alessandro Marchesi) in qualifying
Car #15 (Daniel Melville) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an aviodable collision with car #29 (Cave Johnson)

[Aerospeed]

It's another mixed reaction for us, we have one driver in the points and another nowhere close. Jordan ran a good race today, he is certainly showing some great potential.

The car wasn't really all that well today, we didn't have very good setups for the race, so obviously we had some problems. The car felt strangely stiff and loose simultaneously, depending on which corner you were on. It was an absolute mess.

[SuperAguri]

Exclusive - Josh Carlisle sacked by team radio.
After retiring after his engine had blown, Josh Carlisle was told by Prince Falik to "Return to the team motorhome, get your things, our driver will take you to the airport. Do not bother to come back. You are fired. You drive like a amatuer in Formula Ford and not F2RWRS and I have had enough, yes, yes, yes.", it is reported that Josh was angry and upset and threatened to hit Prince Falik but was escorted to the motorhome, where he exited with a suitcase and was still wearing his Falik Arrows racesuit before being driven to the airport.

The highly talent and rated, Marko Jantscher has been offered a contract in which he will earn money with points and overall championship position. It is likely that Marko will be racing for Falik Arrows in the next race.

[DemocalypseNow]

Linari slams "coward" Falik over Carlisle dismissal

IBR team boss Alessandro Linari has launched a scathing attack against rival team boss Prince Falik, branding him a "coward" after firing former driver Josh Carlisle over team radio.

"Falik has no cajones at all, he's the biggest coward in RWRS," Linari said. "He's too afraid to fire someone man to man, so he does it over the team radio instead, and then having his minions do the rest of the dirty work for him. No wonder his drivers are ususally slow and erratic, they'll never have the confidence to drive well in such a bad team atmosphere as that."

Despite the criticism, Linari admitted he had no interest in hiring Carlisle himself.

"We are not interested in Josh Carlisle's services at this time," he stated. "We are already happy with the drivers at our disposal. I firmly believe that the Alitalia Juniores Squadra members in F2RWRS are the strongest drivers in the series. Some have suffered bad luck until this point, but I belive that overall they are the best young talents in RWRS at this moment."

Greenlaw to Aeroracing, Christopherson Jr to Alitalia

With Aeroracing still stuck in pre-qualifying until the end of Round 3, Il Barone Rampante has orchestrated a switch of drivers for the next round of the season to ensure their Juniores Squadra member Marcel Agyemang-Badu escapes the Friday morning session.

Dan Greenlaw, the better of the two qualifiers at Scuderia Alitalia, has been sent to Aeroracing to ensure the Spanish team is fastest on aggregate during pre-qualifying, as previous driver Jack Christopherson Jr has struggled badly in the sessions so far this season, barely scraping the Top 10 and thus putting their place in the races in jeopardy.

Christopherson Jr will move the other way to Alitalia to fill the void made by Greenlaw, and despite his poor form in qualifying sessions, has demonstrated solid pace in race trim. With Alitalia only having scored 2 points so far this year, both by Andrej Kremnicky, they are in serious danger of dropping into the Pre-Qualifying zone, and therefore it is hoped Christopherson Jr's smoother driving style will help bring the car home in one piece to score the required points to escape the drop-zone.

[AndreaModa]

Carlisle brands Falik a "fraud" and lines up move to IFRC

Josh Carlisle, the jobless former Falik Arrows driver in the F2RWRS has branded his former boss a "lowlife scumbag fraud" after Carlisle was fired from the team over his car radio during the last round in Adelaide. Carlisle has been part of the Falik Arrows set up since late 2014 when he subbed for the final two rounds in their F3RWRS team after Yuka Katayama was promoted. He was since promoted himself to F2RWRS for 2015 after Falik's F3RWRS team was closed, and had an unremarkable year with four points finishes, of which two 5th places were his best result.

Carlisle believes Prince Falik has not only gone against the contract agreed at the beginning of the year to drive for the team in 2016, but also an older deal when the driver was being fought over between Falik and British outfit Jones Racing. As part of the settlement, Falik Arrows demanded first refusal to run Carlisle in F2RWRS in 2016, and this is where Carlisle feels the Prince has failed to live up to his word.

"It's a real mess to be honest with you, I had a contract to drive with Falik, and it's just been torn up as if such legally binding documents have no relevance in the civilised world. Well they might not in Nigeria where a handful of banknotes will get you whatever you want, but I've been brought up to honour agreements, and to have this thrown at me, especially in the middle of the race, is very sad indeed. Falik has gone back on his word, and in my eyes is no more of a man than the lowlife scumbags that cheat little old ladies out of their life savings. He's cheated me out of my F2RWRS drive and I will never forgive him for that."

Carlisle looks set to follow compatriot Terry Hawkin in making the switch from F2RWRS to IFRC as options in F2 appear to be limited. When quizzed on the situation surrounding Carlisle, former employer Sammy Jones told Autosport that he had no plans to offer the Brit a drive at the present time.

[Ataxia]

Jantscher to sign Falik Arrows deal

Highly-rated Austrian racer Marko Jantscher has announced that he will join Falik Arrows for the rest of 2016. The current Licor Beirao driver has been saddled in pre-qualifying, and despite having impressed in pre-season with quick times has largely been held back by his team-mate Joao Antonio Soares.

"I know it must come as a disappointment to the Beirao team, but I had to make this move for myself." said Jantscher. "I've been stifled in pre-qualifying, and hopefully joining Falik Arrows will mean that I can actually show what I can do. Yuka is very quick, and I want to do my best to show I can match her on pace. The contract for now is for the rest of 2016, but if it goes well maybe Prince Falik might want me beyond that."

It is unknown who Licor Beirao will sign to replace Jantscher, although current Porto Wine F3RWRS drivers Samora Mondlane and Carlinho have been touted as potential replacements. However, it isn't out of the question that Josh Carlisle will end up turning it into a swap deal by taking the vacant Beirao seat.

[Phoenix]

Aeroracing and Alitalia are going to make a driver swap: Dan Greenlaw will race for Aeroracing until the team has escaped Prequalifying, while Jack Cristopherson Jr. will be transferred to Alitalia, again until Aeroracing is out of PQ. The reason: Cristopherson Jr. sucks over one lap and Aeroracing can't afford to be knocked out already on Friday when the car is so competitive. Since Alitalia doesn't have to PQ, Cristopherson Jr. there isn't an issue.

[TomWazzleshaw]

With that, DanielPT needs to confirm a replacement at Beirao by midday CET on Friday, otherwise I'll put someone in the car for him and it shan't be pretty.

[DanielPT]

With that, DanielPT needs to confirm a replacement at Beirao by midday CET on Friday, otherwise I'll put someone in the car for him and it shan't be pretty.

If Carlisle wants the seat, I am okay with it.

[AndreaModa]

With that, DanielPT needs to confirm a replacement at Beirao by midday CET on Friday, otherwise I'll put someone in the car for him and it shan't be pretty.

If Carlisle wants the seat, I am okay with it.

He's holding out for a seat in the IFRC with The Crusaders to replace Nicchi at the moment. If that proves unsuccessful and no other openings are available in the IFRC, he'll take the drive with Beirao.

[DanielPT]

With that, DanielPT needs to confirm a replacement at Beirao by midday CET on Friday, otherwise I'll put someone in the car for him and it shan't be pretty.

If Carlisle wants the seat, I am okay with it.

He's holding out for a seat in the IFRC with The Crusaders to replace Nicchi at the moment. If that proves unsuccessful and no other openings are available in the IFRC, he'll take the drive with Beirao.

Very well, I will keep it open. I would only need Carlisle to inform me of his decision as soon as possible. If he declines, I will still need some time to fill the seat in a non-Wizzie way!

[AndreaModa]

With Carlisle getting the seat in the IFRC, you're free to offer the Beirao seat up to anyone Daniel. Sorry!

[DanielPT]

With Carlisle getting the seat in the IFRC, you're free to offer the Beirao seat up to anyone Daniel. Sorry!

No problem!

Anyway, there is now a seat open, in Pre-Qualifying I know, for anyone who is willing to see their driver to participate in the series!

[Salamander]

Calvin Brooks is available. He brings money. He will, however, be unavailable for rounds 6, 7, and 11; unless Pasta lets him out of his IFRC commitments.

[DanielPT]

Calvin Brooks is available. He brings money. He will, however, be unavailable for rounds 6, 7, and 11; unless Pasta lets him out of his IFRC commitments.

Erm... I will take him on then. But it will have to be a contract on a race by race basis.

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 Sainsbury's F2RWRS British Grand Prix

Pre-Qualifying

Before the weekend, many were predicting that there would be some huge surprises this weekend as the F2RWRS rolled into Brands Hatch for a 100 lap race around the Indy layout. The white-hot pressure to get out of pre-qualifying claimed a huge scalp in the form of Aeroracing, as Dan Greenlaw simply choked under pressure on a day where the first four teams were covered by less than a tenth of a second. Diego Alvarez Torrente had no such issues, as he topped the session to get Dofasco into the race for the first time this season. Behind him were Mitchell Macklin and Marcel Ageymang-Badu, but with both their teammates befalling issues, it was down to Martyn Rietacher in 4th to haul Plus One into the second pre-qualifying berth as teammate Eric Swerts kept up his end of the bargain for once.

1. D. Alvarez-Torrente (Dofasco-Chrysler): 40.726
2. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): +0.053
3. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.073
4. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +0.088
5. S. Prost (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.282
6. E. Swerts (Plus One-Maserati): +0.339
7. C. Johnson (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.364
8. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.413
9. D. Greenlaw (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.431
10. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): +0.442
11. J. Antonio Soares (Beirao-BMW): +0.604
12. C. Brooks (Beirao-BMW): +1.199

Qualifying

For the third race running, qualifying was held in wet conditions, again necessitating the use of intermediate tyres. Coupled with the second-shortest lap on the calender, and suddenly track position was vital to a good grid position, as Jordan Davies found out to his disadvantage as he just missed out on setting a final lap when the checkered flag fell. Wouter Lambergits has no such problems however, as he put in a final flying lap on a drying track to take pole by three hundredths of a second over Diego Alvarez Torrente. Marko Jantscher and Johannes Rueckert were both two major winners of the drying track to end up on the second row, while the likes of Gregor Pascal, Gianluigi Pazzini and the two GRM cars found themselves stranded well down the order for the 100 lap race on Saturday. The stewards meanwhile had to be called for on three separate occasions, with Justin Case, Alessandro Marchesi and Jean-Vincent Albertini all earning penalties for blocking during the final minutes of qualifying.

1. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): 43.632
2. D. Alvarez Torrente (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.030
3. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.334
4. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +0.485
5. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +0.508
6. J. Christopherson Jr (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.525
7. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +0.560
8. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +0.570
9. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.590
10. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +0.617
11. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.651
12. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): +0.664
13. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +0.962
14. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +1.059
15. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +1.120
16. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +1.226
17. E. Swerts (Plus One-Maserati): +1.234
18. J. Case (Simpson-BMW): +1.470
19. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +1.516
20. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +1.523
21. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +1.675
22. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +2.062

[DemocalypseNow]

What the hell is this? The F2RWRS Commission have really buggered up this time. At the start of the season I was under the impression we'd run the Grand Prix layout like the F1RWRS guys, but then they decide we've got to use the Indy layout? These cars aren't suited for such a tiny track. It's fine for dodgems but that's about it. It's a disgrace we've been dragged to yet another unsuitable track like this, especially after the Indy fiasco last year. Mr Douglas needs to have his head surgically removed from his rectum, where it appears to be permanently lodged.

[DanielPT]

Ahhh, the privilege of being über reject in 2 of the three main FxRWRS series!

[pasta_maldonado]

I'm just f---ing happy to see Swerts put a bloody good lap in for once, he'd been leaving it all down to Martyn and we wasn't getting anywhere. He's good to put that kinda lap in week in week out otherwise he'll find himself up the proverbial creek....

And as for the whole Indy/GP layout debacle, I'm livid. Furious. The Indy layout is an abomination that should be forbidden from ever being used as a racing circuit. There's 5 corners for God's sake, how is that ANY sort of challenge to the drivers? I could do a semi decent job around this piss poor mockery of the great Brands circuit. Fully agree with Alasdair here, the F2RWRS comission is descending into levels of stupidity not seen since Miley Cyrus' career went down the pan. Outrageous.

Wizzie, what the hell? The Indy circuit? GP or nothing.

[Nessafox]

Another pole-position. Now if he could just manage to not got overtaken by... the whole field Thankfully, i got a second driver that can actually win races.

[Aerospeed]

Well, I let the team know that their qualifying performance was not up to standards. Alessandro is still having problems with his qualifying pace. He seems to go off on the track every time he floors it in his car. Jordan was slow because the car was slow. We put blame on our chassis maker, Lola.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Having brought GP4 back from its cardiac arrest, it's finally time to do the race review for the British GP

2016 Sainsbury's F2RWRS British Grand Prix

Race

Positives

Marko Jantscher - It was one of those days where merely making it to the finish would be enough to score a decent result, and Marko Jantscher did just that in his first race for Falik Arrows. While Diego Alvarez Torrente skipped away to an early lead, Jantscher made light work of the drivers ahead to go into an early second place as the rain started to fall. Once Torrente fell off the road however, it was the Austrian who was in prime position to capitalise, until Torrente got back ahead of him with an earlier stop onto intermediate tyres. From there, the two battled on for the lead, and were the first two to pit for slicks just after one third race distance, a move which put them a full lap ahead of the field. Jantscher got the jump on Torrente again in the meanwhile, and from there controlled the race to score his debut victory in his first drive for Falik Arrows, saving the Nigerian Prince from the prospect of pre-qualifying

Diego Alvarez Torrente - The Spaniard knew this could be the one opportunity he had to haul Dofasco out of pre-qualifying, and he made the most of it. While teammate Judd McAllsiter was being an absolute tool at the back of the field, Torrente went straight into the lead early, and then spent the first forty-odd laps of the race battling with Marko Jantscher. However, with a setup more suited to wet conditions, Torrente couldn't hold on to the Austrian and had to settle for 2nd place, which was still a fine result, and enough to get Dofasco out of pre-qualifying as the race behind the front two unfolded.

Johannes Rueckert - By all rights, third place should have gone to Johannes Rueckert. A veteran journeyman of the sport, the German was the only driver who could hold on to the leading two cars, and actually was in a position to potentially win the race, as he was on a different strategy to the leaders and with decent track position. However, it was not to be as he suffered a spectacular engine failure, putting him out of the race, and sending Jones all the way into pre-qualifying for the next three races.

Alessandro Marchesi/Jean-Vincent Albertini - Apart from the early laps where nobody had any real idea what was going on, these two were attached by a piece of string all afternoon. After the early shower helped to eliminate a significant proportion of the field, Marchesi and Albertini found themselves in a battle for fourth place, which became third when Rueckert's engine blew up. From there, it was a real ding-dong battle between the two, as Marchesi had the faster car, but was more erratic in his attempts to pass Albertini. A late-race error from the Monegasque driver sealed the deal, giving Marchesi and Aston Martin their first podium of the season.

Negatives

GRM Young Lions - The Holden junior team entered the European season on a massive wave of form, having secured the lead of both championships after the first two races. However, they came crashing back down to earth with a thud at Brands Hatch after an abysmal qualifying session. The race didn't get any better for them however, as Carter Simpson fell off the road in the slippery conditions early on, before sliding back onto the track and into Luc Pellerin in a rather scary incident which took both of them out of the race. Daniel Melville in the second car didn't achieve much either, as he took himself and the second Jones car of Gilles Massinion out early on.

Jordan Davies - While Alessandro Marchesi was making the most of the chaos, Jordan Davies was absolutely nowhere for the short time he was in the race. After a so-so start, the Brit made little impression on the drivers around him, before an embarrassing accident put an early end to his miserable afternoon.

Lancia - For once, Alessandro Linari didn't have any reason to complain about his drivers, as both Andrej Kremnicky and Jack Christopherson Jr were amongst the cleanest drivers out there. However, he does have reason to be furious at engine suppliers Lancia, as double engine failures for both cars ruined any chance either car had of scoring a big result, and sent the reigning Teams' champions crashing all the way into the depths of Pre-Qualifying for the next three races and without any guarantee of getting out due to the competitiveness of the field.

Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen - The flying Dutchman should be a long way out in front with the championship right now if it wasn't for the transmission failure at Adelaide. Here at Brands, the Ronden driver was again on for a solid result, as he was running with Marchesi and Albertini in the battle for third, but an amateurish error got him beached in the Paddock Hill gravel trap, sending Alitalia boss Alessandro Linari's already high blood pressure up even further.

Gianluigi Pazzini/Judd McAllister - As far as messy performances go however, Gigi Pazzini and McAllister Jr took the cake though, as both spent almost the entire race finding new and interesting ways of falling off the road. McAllister was the first to go off on lap 2, which set the tone for his entire afternoon as he kept flying off the road while teammate Torrente was up front battling for victory. Gigi meanwhile lost several laps early on with a mistake of his own, and from thereon in was simply trying far too hard to make up for lost time, which inevitably led to more errors and even more time lost. In the end, the pair of them finished 8th (Pazzini) and 9th (McAllister), and a mammoth 5 and 6 laps down respectively. On a day where many people put their hands up for ROTR, these two stood out as they took home a joint-award for their collective incompetence

1. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): 1h 14m 42.939
2. D. Alvarez Torrente (Dofasco-Chrysler): +31.171
3. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +1 LAP
4. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +1 LAP
5. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +3 LAPS
6. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +3 LAPS
7. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): +4 LAPS
8. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +5 LAPS
9. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +6 LAPS
DNF. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): Engine
DNF. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): Engine
DNF. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): Accident
DNF. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): Collision
DNF. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): Water Leak
DNF. J. Davies (Aston Martin): Accident
DNF. J. Case (Simpson-BMW): Collision
DNF. J. Christopherson Jr (Alitalia-Abarth): Engine
DNF. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): Collision
DNF. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): Collision
DNF. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): Collision
DNF. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): Collision
DNF. E. Swerts (Plus One-Maserati): Collision

Pole: W. Lamberigts (Ronden-Zastava): 43.632
Fastest Lap: J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): 41.725
Reject of the Race: Gianluigi Pazzini/Judd McAllister - It takes a special kind of incompetence to achieve what they did
Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race: Marko Jantscher - Brings career back from the dead with emphatic win
Leaders: D. Alvarez Torrente: 1, 3-8, 15-36 (Total: 29)
J. Rueckert: 2, 40-43 (Total: 5)
M. Jantscher: 9-14, 37-39, 44-100 (Total: 66)

Standings can be found here

Stewards Report
Car #2 (Alessandro Marchesi) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #19 (Gianluigi Pazzini) in qualifying
Car #5 (Jean-Vincent Albertini) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #6 (Gregor Pascal) in qualifying
Car #10 (Justin Case) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #9 (Luc Pellerin) in qualifying

[Ataxia]

Zis is a great day for Astro Racing Stars! Marko and Diego have done excellently; I think getting Marko across to Falik's team was a good move, and it has been, how you say...vindicated!

Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race: Marko Jantscher - Brings career back from the dead with emphatic win

It was getting that bad, huh?

[DemocalypseNow]