1997 F1RGP2C Season - Duel in the Desert RACE Up

[the Masked Lapwing]

Ha ha! Right on the Williams' pace again! You know what that means!

We have to listen to your complaining again when you crash.

[Salamander]

Ha ha! Right on the Williams' pace again! You know what that means!

We have to listen to your complaining again when you crash.

What was that? I can't hear you, you're too far back in the midfield!

[tristan1117]

Review:
Tom Douglas and Pieter Kickert battled for the lead for the entire race. Douglas came out ahead as both drivers have established themselves as Daniel Moreno's main championship rivals.

Positives:
Tom Douglas: For once, everything went smoothly for Douglas and Ferrari who brilliantly outmaneuvered Kickert and Williams. Both drivers ran nearly identical two-stop strategies but Douglas was able to come out on top. Douglas led off the line but Kickert was able to take the lead after Douglas spun at the last chicane. James Davies inherited the lead after the two leaders pitted (Douglas came out ahead) by virtue of his one-stop strategy. Unfortunately, Davies' transmission died just before his pit stop, handing Douglas the lead. Kickert pitted on Lap 48 and put in a dynamite out lap to take the lead after Douglas' stop on Lap 50. However, Douglas caught and re-passed Kickert on Lap 57 to take the lead. Douglas held on to take his first victory since the 1996 Brazilian GP. With Moreno's failure to finish, Douglas has now established him self as a strong championship contender.

Pieter Kickert: Another second place… Not bad.

Andrew Spokes: Spokes' up-and-down season has gone true to form with his third podium of the season. That being said, Benetton is getting slaughtered by Williams, Ferrari and McLaren in the points this year. Zimmer and Spokes have been consistently behind the Jordans in qualifying and they are not anywhere near Williams and Ferrari.

Pablo da Silva: Last year, Pablo da Silva was on the verge of being sacked by Sauber before Kickert was hired away by Williams. Two points finishes and a podium later, da Silva has essentially assured that he will be returning to Sauber for next year. Capital drive from da Silva today.

Kazuhiko Takagi: Takagi drove quite well. James Allen punted off Takagi and Zimmer at the start of the race which meant that Takagi was dropped to the back of the field when he rejoined. Takagi made a stunning comeback, flying past everyone in the field. Takagi dropped von Gottorp and McAllister in the dying stages of the race (McAllister on the last lap) to take a well-deserved fifth place.

Leonhard von Gottorp: Oh Leonhard, don't fire yourself for not scoring. I think taking the Golden Papaya is good enough. Do yourself a favor and don't let Anton "DNQ" Kaliniczenko take that Jordan seat.

Siergiej Rozvadoskij: Pretty good drive, for once.

Negatives:
Daniel Moreno: Moreno was well off the pace all weekend. He was out-qualified by James Davies and he didn't do that well in the race before the tyre went down and he retired, much to the dismay of the home crowd. Moreno needs more consistent performances if he wants to retain the title.

James Davies: Davies' championship hopes hinged on his risky one-stop strategy during the race. Once Moreno went out, Davies had to stay in the race to make whatever ground he could. However, it quickly became clear that Davies wasn't going to win while he was leading the middle of the race. Then his transmission died. Typical McLaren. Therefore, Reject of the Race goes to McLaren's transmissions.

James Allen: Aside from causing the mess at the start which sent Zimmer and Takagi to the back, Allen was slower than Fleet and his teammate during the race.

Jorg Scrattenheim

Bernhard Pech: Pech spun out early on and was knocked out of the race.

Leaders:
Tom Douglas: 1-11
Pieter Kickert: 12-17
James Davies: 18-32
Tom Douglas: 33-49
Pieter Kickert: 50-56
Tom Douglas: 57-



Penalties:
Jorg Scrattenheim: +1 for blocking Tom Douglas
James Allen: +1 for causing start crash and being a James Allen

Drivers' Championship
=1 Daniel Moreno - 30
=1 Tom Douglas - 30
3. James Davies - 21
4. Pieter Kickert - 20
=5 Andrew Spokes - 14
=5 Kazuhiko Takagi - 14
7. Rory McAllister - 11
8. Masta Valsattis - 10
=9 Damon Cannon - 8
=9 Pablo da Silva - 8
11. John Zimmer - 5
12. Bernhard Pech - 4
13. Niko Nurminen - 2
=14 Stephano Baroncelli - 1
=14 James Allen - 1
=14 Jorg Scrattenheim - 1

Constructors' Championship
1. Williams-Renault - 50
2. Ferrari - 44
3. McLaren-Mercedes - 32
4. Benetton-Renault - 19
5. Sauber-Petronas - 12
6. Ligier Mugen-Honda - 10
7. Jordan-Peugeot - 8
8. DAMS-Peugeot - 3
9. Arrows-Yamaha - 2

Penalty Standings
1. Samael Meerwick - 4
=2 Poppy Whitechapel - 3
=2 Leonhard von Gottorp - 3
=2 Jorg Scrattenheim - 3
=5 Lawrence Tucker - 2
=5 John Zimmer - 2
=5 Pieter Kickert - 2
=5 Bernhard Pech - 2
=5 Gio van Dycke - 2
=5 Martin McFry - 2
=11 Siergiej Rozvadoskij - 1
=11 Anton Kaliniczenko - 1
=11 Niko Nurminen - 1
=11 Miko Fakkinen - 1
=11 James Allen - 1

[TomWazzleshaw]

NIGEL! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BATHPLUGGERY! *Muttering from Oatley* WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE PROBLEM! RORY DOESN'T NEED TO CONTINUALLY PUT UP THE SHITE TRANSMISSIONS YOU KEEP CHURNING OUT AND NOW JIMMY BOY'S GETTING IT AS WELL? *More muttering from Oatly* GET TO WORK YOU BLOODY FOOL!

*Regains composure* Christ, Adrian can't come soon enough. Rory did a good job with score a point and we're continuing negotiations to keep him for next year. However, if he truly wants to leave, we won't stop him. We took the gamble with Jimmy to put him on the one-stopper and he did the best he could we it but, ultimately, we made the wrong call.

[Salamander]

BATHPLUG BATHPLUG BATHPLUG BATHPLUG BATHPLUG BATHPLUG BATHPLUG! Goddammit! I don't believe this shite! I was at least on for a podium there, too, and bathplugging Moreno was out!

.... well, at least we didn't fall further behind. But we need to capitalise when Moreno bathplugs up, and that's exactly what we didn't do today. And now we've got Tom Douglas to worry about as well, and it looks like Ferrari are actually getting their shite together...

[Aerospeed]

We are lucky. Very lucky that nobody took advantage of that.

Yes! A fourth place finish shows why I should be ables to drive for Mac-La-arr-in. Or maybe Benetton. Sauber is good, but I wants to achieve more..

[Salamander]

We are lucky. Very lucky that nobody took advantage of that.

Douglas is now tied with you for the lead, numbnuts. In the unlikely event that I don't beat you, he probably will.

Yes! A fourth place finish shows why I should be ables to drive for Mac-La-arr-in. Or maybe Benetton. Sauber is good, but I wants to achieve more..

No. Way. I am not having you as my teammate again. 1994 was bad enough.

[Nessafox]

Yes, Ligier's only points his year will come from that one lucky victory...

[Shizuka]

Niko has come hom in 10th, but James had an oil leak towards the end - it is now clear that we're in the midfield on merit, and reliability also seems to improve over the season.

[Barbazza]

From a DNQ to a podium. That sums up the season pretty well!

[tristan1117]

Round 8: Canada

Code: Select all

1. Tom Douglas (Ferrari) - 1:39.064
2. James Davies (McLaren) - 1:39.346
3. Pieter Kickert (Williams) - 1:39.429
4. Daniel Moreno (Williams) - 1:39.461
5. Damon Cannon (Jordan) - 1:39.618
6. Andrew Spokes (Benetton) - 1:39.792
7. Pablo da Silva (Sauber) - 1:39.794
8. Rory McAllister (McLaren) - 1:40.025
9. Kazuhiko Takagi (Ferrari) - 1:40.032
10. Leonhard von Gottorp (Jordan) - 1:40.224
11. John Zimmer (Benetton) - 1:40.263
12. Masta Valsattis (Ligier) - 1:40.420
13. James Allen (DAMS) - 1:40.788

Code: Select all

14. Ben Fleet (Stewart) - 1:40.861
15. Bernhard Pech (Sauber) - 1:40.908
16. Jorg Scrattenheim (Arrows) - 1:40.948
17. Stephano Baroncelli (Arrows) - 1:41.069
18. Jan van der Maeyede (Stewart) - 1:41.106
19. Reiko Megumi (Ligier) - 1:41.145
20. Niko Nurminen (DAMS) - 1:41.184
21. Gio van Dycke (Minardi) - 1:41.713
22. Martin McFry (Gauthier) - 1:41.859
23. Miko Fakkinen (Minardi) - 1:41.912
24. Siergiej Rozvadoskij (Volga) - 1:42.503
25. Poppy Whitechapel (Lola) - 1:42.658
26. Anton Kaliniczenko (Volga) - 1:42.788
DNQ Robert Anderson (Gauthier) - 1:42.791
DNQ Massimiliano Patrese (Lola) - 1:42.868

Douglas takes pole but it was James Davies who was the big winner of qualifying on Saturday. He set the fastest lap on Friday before he was beaten by Douglas on the last run of the Saturday session. Unlucky for Davies, but he will start on the front row of the grid. Moreno was out-qualified by Kickert again and Pablo da Silva had another excellent qualifying. Niko Nurminen, Bernhard Pech and Kazuhiko Takagi all win the DBTMOTQ Award.

[Nuppiz]

I was a bit too aggressive in the last chicane and just slightly nudged the wall. Shame, because the rest of the laps seemed to go very smoothly.

[Salamander]

What a goddamn surprise, the Williams losers blew their car advantage again. And Zimmer continues to be shite.

ANDERSSOOOOOOONNNNNN!!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FAILING TO QUALIFY!?!?

[FMecha]

ANDERSSOOOOOOONNNNNN!!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FAILING TO QUALIFY!?!?

I was having a BS because the muppets that is Volgas is going faster than me.

Why you block me at track, Robert?

(This is my 2000th post! )

[Salamander]

ANDERSSOOOOOOONNNNNN!!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FAILING TO QUALIFY!?!?

I was having a BS because the muppets that is Volgas is going faster than me.

I DON'T CARE! ZEY'RE BATHPLUGGING VOLGAS! ZE CAR IS NOT ZAT BAD! Now, either call BAT and tell zem to give me more money when you DNQ, or leave and never come back!

[tristan1117]

Oh, and here are the highlights from the first three rounds of the series.

[FMecha]

ANDERSSOOOOOOONNNNNN!!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FAILING TO QUALIFY!?!?

I was having a BS because the muppets that is Volgas is going faster than me.

I DON'T CARE! ZEY'RE BATHPLUGGING VOLGAS! ZE CAR IS NOT ZAT BAD! Now, either call BAT and tell zem to give me more money when you DNQ, or leave and never come back!

As long as you stop whinging, BAT has granted my increase thanks to my first start in this year. They agreed to raise my payment to £200k (previously only £30k) and DNQ penalties has been increased to 50% of the aforementioned £200k.

[Salamander]

ANDERSSOOOOOOONNNNNN!!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FAILING TO QUALIFY!?!?

I was having a BS because the muppets that is Volgas is going faster than me.

I DON'T CARE! ZEY'RE BATHPLUGGING VOLGAS! ZE CAR IS NOT ZAT BAD! Now, either call BAT and tell zem to give me more money when you DNQ, or leave and never come back!

As long as you stop whinging, BAT has granted my increase thanks to my first start in this year. They agreed to raise my payment to £200k (previously only £30k) and DNQ penalties has been increased to 50% of the aforementioned £200k.

Excellent. That will be all, Anderson.

[dr-baker]

ANDERSSOOOOOOONNNNNN!!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FAILING TO QUALIFY!?!?

I was having a BS because the muppets that is Volgas is going faster than me.

You were having a Biology Session? Might explain it, I suppose...

Anyway, I reckon it would be realistic for me to beat those DAMS cars tomorrow in the race...

[tristan1117]

I will be combining the midseason review with the United States race review. Here goes nothing.

The Top Seven Storylines from the First Eight Races

1. The Drivers' Championship is turning into a two-horse race again.
The top two finishers of the United States GP, Tom Douglas and Daniel Moreno, have established themselves as the primary title contenders for the 1997 title. Moreno hopes to become the series' first double champion while Douglas aspires to be the fourth different champion in four years. Douglas dominated the race with an effective one-stop strategy, leaving Moreno to be the "best of the rest". Moreno and Williams need to work harder if they want a second championship. The emergence of two main rivals for the Drivers' Championship is nothing new; in 1994 we had Christopherson/Zimmer, in 1995 we had Zimmer/Moreno, in 1996 we had Moreno/Mann and this year it's probably going to be Douglas/Moreno if Davies and Kickert keep falling behind.

2. McLaren have supplanted Ferrari as the typical "shot yourselves in the foot" team.
Where would McLaren be if they didn't keep screwing everything up? Sure, they have two race victories, but where would they be if they had taken advantage of all their opportunities? On a race-by-race basis:

Australia: McAllister wins, Davies retires from the lead and breaks up a certain 1-2 finish. (6 lost points)
Brazil: Davies and McAllister spin off at the same points in the track and drop to the back of the field while in the points. Both drivers eventually retire with mechanical problems. (6 lost points)
Argentina: Davies wins, McAllister goes out early with a transmission problem. (1 lost point)
San Marino: Davies spins off and gives an easy win to Masta Valsattis. McAllister retires from third with transmission problems. (8 lost points)
Monaco: Davies finishes fourth, McAllister suffers a water leak. (0 lost points)
Spain: Davies finishes fourth, but McAliister retires from sixth just before he was going to pass von Gottorp for sixth. (2 points lost)
Canada: McAllister finishes sixth but Davies loses fourth after a mechanical problem. (2 net points lost)
USA: Davies finishes in sixth after starting on the front row. He crashed and broke his front wing during the race which dropped him to the back. He might've challenged for third. McAllister finishes in eighth after a brake problem forced him into the pits early on. (4 points lost)

In total, McLaren has lost 29 points due to their own stupidity. If they had gotten all those points back, they would be leading the Constructors'. As it stands, Davies is now 18 points off the lead and McAllister has only scored one point since his opening victory. I know that converting every points scoring opportunity is hard, but if they had been more efficient by half, they could be right there with Ferrari and Williams.

3. Kazuhiko Takagi, Pablo da Silva and Reiko Megumi are now established, consistent drivers.
If you had made this statement two years ago, you would have been laughed out of the room. In 1995, Takagi was an unreliable hothead at Benetton who kept getting in his teammate's way, Pablo da Silva was given a two-race ban at the end of the season for ruining the championship battle and Reiko Megumi was by far the most accident-prone driver on the entire grid. Two years later?Takagi has transformed into the most consistent points-scorer on the field, Pablo da Silva is surprising everyone at Sauber and Reiko Megumi hasn't gotten into any accidents and probably would have scored a point or two by now (see Japan '96). Of the three, Megumi is the least polished, but they all are driving significantly better than their previous history might suggest. At Elkhart Lake, Pablo da Silva got up to second place at the start before dropping back to fourth. Unfortunately, his Petronas engine blew up midway through the race. Takagi finished in fourth (shocker) and Megumi didn't have much of a race thanks to the unreliable mess that is the Ligier JS45.

4. Benetton has taken a complete nosedive.
What is up with Benetton these days? Perhaps they are making up for the regression that I expected from last year. Zimmer has been awful in qualifying and the races. Spokes has been wildly inconsistent. Both drivers have DNQ'd once. This weekend, Spokes qualified well but proceeded to spin out after making a wild lunge at Pablo da Silva' Sauber on Lap 5. His front wing shattered but rather than slowing down and avoiding oncoming traffic, Spokes frantically defended his position. The inevitable occurred and he was punted off the road at Turn 8 by Bernhard Pech and retired. This act of idiocy earned Spokes Reject of the Race. John Zimmer was totally anonymous and finished in the Golden Papaya slot after he let a twenty second lead to James Davies disappear in about 15 laps.

5. DAMS vs. Stewart: Clash of the Occasionally Competitive Midfielders
DAMS and Stewart seem to be even on pace. Their drivers are about the same. The only difference is that DAMS has a clear edge in reliability which was given them a three-point do far. Ben Fleet's good work has been wasted by car failure (Fleet retired once again) and van der Maeyede has been unable to get the car to work for him in qualifying. James Allen has been surprisingly good and is the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Rory McAllister spent about fifteen laps trying to pass Allen's DAMS but he could not get by the rookie. Allen also set the seventh fastest lap of the race in the process!

6. Jordan and Minardi have both failed to move up the grid.
Statistically, 1996 was Jordan's best season yet. Cannon and von Gottorp combined for three podiums and Jordan ended the year tied on points with McLaren. This year, the team hoped to break into the top echelon of the sport and challenge for wins and podiums. That has not happened. Although Jordan has done quite well in the last three seasons, it must be said that they are in the same position as they were in 1994. Jordan is better than Sauber, Ligier, DAMS, Stewart and even Benetton now but they have been unable to capitalize on their advantage and they are nowhere near the front of the grid. Road America brought no change to the status quo. Cannon and von Gottorp both occupied fourth and fifth, respectively, well ahead of the rest of the midfield. Then Cannon retired with a mechanical problem, costing Jordan more points and Takagi eventually got past von Gottorp.

Minardi, through some incredible luck, finished ahead of Arrows, Tyrrell, DAMS and Volga last season. This year, the team wanted to make a move to the midfield and challenge for points on a regular basis. Instead, DAMS has made the leap up to the midfield while Minardi continues to languish at the back with Gauthier, Lola and Volga. It's a tremendous disappointment for van Dycke and Fakkinen who continue to mildly effective.

7. The Bottom Three Teams are Slow
'Nuff said really.

Other Notes from the race:
No matter what I said in the review, James Davies' comeback drive was quite spectacular.

Rory McAllister, you don't have the right to barge Lolas and Volgas off the circuit while battling for position.

Martin McFry, parking your car halfway across the curb is not safe! How many times must we go over this?

Max von Hegel has indicated that both of his drivers' seats are in jeopardy if they don't start picking up the pace.

To further discourage bad behavior, race bans will now be dished out when a driver reaches 10 penalty points, not 12.


Penalties:
+3 to Andrew Spokes for unsafe reentry and dangerous driving
+2 to Rory McAllister for dangerous driving (forcing off Whitehcapel and Rozvadoskij
+1 to Martin McFry for parking his car in a dangerous place

Leaders:
Tom Douglas: 1-23
Pieter Kickert: 24
Tom Douglas: 25-30
Daniel Moreno: 30-33
Tom Douglas: 34-55

Drivers' Championship
1. Tom Douglas - 40
2. Daniel Moreno - 36
3. Pieter Kickert - 24
4. James Davies - 22
5. Kazuhiko Takagi - 17
6. Andrew Spokes - 14
7. Rory McAllister - 11
8. Masta Valsattis - 10
=9 Damon Cannon - 8
=9 Pablo da Silva - 8
11. John Zimmer - 5
12. Bernhard Pech - 4
=13 Niko Nurminen - 2
=13 Leonhard von Gottorp - 2
=15 Stephano Baroncelli - 1
=15 James Allen - 1
=15 Jorg Scrattenheim - 1

Constructors' Championship
1. Williams-Renault - 60
2. Ferrari - 57
3. McLaren-Mercedes - 33
4. Benetton-Renault - 19
5. Sauber-Petronas - 12
6. Ligier Mugen-Honda - 10
7. Jordan-Peugeot - 10
8. DAMS-Peugeot - 3
9. Arrows-Yamaha - 2

Penalty Standings
1. Samael Meerwick - 4
=2 Poppy Whitechapel - 3
=2 Leonhard von Gottorp - 3
=2 Jorg Scrattenheim - 3
=2 Andrew Spokes - 3
=2 Martin McFry - 3
=7 Lawrence Tucker - 2
=7 John Zimmer - 2
=7 Pieter Kickert - 2
=7 Bernhard Pech - 2
=7 Gio van Dycke - 2
=7 Rory McAllister - 2
=13 Siergiej Rozvadoskij - 1
=13 Anton Kaliniczenko - 1
=13 Niko Nurminen - 1
=13 Miko Fakkinen - 1
=13 James Allen - 1

[RonDenisDeletraz]

It is sort of funny how the the driver that I wanted to be terrible is doing better than the driver that I actually wanted to do well.

[Aerospeed]

We need to score more points if we are to win the World Championship. Hopefully Ferrari will catch the same jitters as McLaren. But that's probably wishful thinking there!

JAMES ALLEN INJURED IN AFTER RACE PARTY, WILL MISS NEXT RACE
Reports are confirming that DAMS driver James Allen has been involved in a scuffle in the post-race party of the USA GP. Allen, who was apparently quite drunk after the race, got into a fight with a "female representative from Williams" and was apparently rampaging on how badly Daniel Moreno was. We think. Whatever the case, the "female representative" apparently clobbered Allen in the head, giving him a concussion. No word yet on his replacement.

[Shizuka]

9th place, and then injuring himself... typical
This is when I would let Anderson drive, but since he's at Gauthier, it's not going to happen... so therefore, von Hegel will be driving for DAMS as a substitution.

[TomWazzleshaw]

*Throws errant wheel at Nigel Oatley in rage*

[pasta_maldonado]

JAMES ALLEN INJURED IN AFTER RACE PARTY, WILL MISS NEXT RACE
Reports are confirming that DAMS driver James Allen has been involved in a scuffle in the post-race party of the USA GP. Allen, who was apparently quite drunk after the race, got into a fight with a "female representative from Williams" and was apparently rampaging on how badly Daniel Moreno was. We think. Whatever the case, the "female representative" apparently clobbered Allen in the head, giving him a concussion. No word yet on his replacement.

[/quote]

Err...nice little cover shtory you've got there Jamesh, but Williams hash no female represhentatives. Ve haven't even had a woman apply for ein job, let alone be in der job!

[Salamander]

Goddammit! ... I don't even know what happened there, I was running along nicely, next thing I know I'm missing my front wing.

[Phoenix]

You just don't block me if you're several seconds off the pace, if I want to shoulder those backmarker excrements off the road I do. And sort your shite together, guys, I'm tired of driving a car that breaks down on a consistent basis.

[Nuppiz]

Whoever put the wheels on my car before the start should be ashamed, as one of them got loose after just a few hundred meters!

[Shizuka]

Whoever put the wheels on my car before the start should be ashamed, as one of them got loose after just a few hundred meters!

Seriously, whoever did that will be fired. You could have scored a 10th at least.

[Aerospeed]

JAMES ALLEN INJURED IN AFTER RACE PARTY, WILL MISS NEXT RACE
Reports are confirming that DAMS driver James Allen has been involved in a scuffle in the post-race party of the USA GP. Allen, who was apparently quite drunk after the race, got into a fight with a "female representative from Williams" and was apparently rampaging on how badly Daniel Moreno was. We think. Whatever the case, the "female representative" apparently clobbered Allen in the head, giving him a concussion. No word yet on his replacement.

Err...nice little cover shtory you've got there Jamesh, but Williams hash no female represhentatives. Ve haven't even had a woman apply for ein job, let alone be in der job!

Give him a break, he was quite drunk at the party, I think it was someone from Stewart...

Leave me out of this.

[pasta_maldonado]

JAMES ALLEN INJURED IN AFTER RACE PARTY, WILL MISS NEXT RACE
Reports are confirming that DAMS driver James Allen has been involved in a scuffle in the post-race party of the USA GP. Allen, who was apparently quite drunk after the race, got into a fight with a "female representative from Williams" and was apparently rampaging on how badly Daniel Moreno was. We think. Whatever the case, the "female representative" apparently clobbered Allen in the head, giving him a concussion. No word yet on his replacement.

Err...nice little cover shtory you've got there Jamesh, but Williams hash no female represhentatives. Ve haven't even had a woman apply for ein job, let alone be in der job!

Give him a break, he was quite drunk at the party, I think it was someone from Stewart...

Leave me out of this.

So der rumours are true? You know, der onesh that shay you dressh up as einen woman?

[Aerospeed]

So der rumours are true? You know, der onesh that shay you dressh up as einen woman?

I was referring to the team as a whole, you twit. We have many female representatives in our team. And I don't go around as a transy. You twit.

[Barbazza]

What can I say? The lack of pace in this car is making me desperate. Last year seems like a long time ago...

[FMecha]

At this point, we are very confident - but not that much confident - that Douglas will win this seaso WDC. And Ferrari will win the WCC too. Keep it up, Douglas and Takagi!

Finishing fourth today is not a shocker really. I have finished 4th many times early this year, actually.

[Londoner]

For f***s sake, what is wrong with this year's car?! We should be scoring massive points with Benetton on the decline, instead of breaking down every 10 laps or so.

Hey Damon, want to swap your Jordan for my Lola?

[tristan1117]

Round 9: France
Dijon, All dry

Code: Select all

1. Tom Douglas (Ferrari) - 1:00.506
2. Daniel Moreno (Williams) - 1:00.755
3. Pieter Kickert (Williams) - 1:00.755
4. John Zimmer (Benetton) - 1:00.968
5. Leonhard von Gottorp (Jordan) - 1:01.093
6. Rory McAllister (McLaren) - 1:01.255
7. Andrew Spokes (Benetton) - 1:01.256
8. Damon Cannon (Jordan) - 1:01.260
9. James Davies (McLaren) - 1:01.386
10. Kazuhiko Takagi (Ferrari) - 1:01.540
11. Masta Valsattis (Ligier) - 1:01.592
12. Pablo da Silva (Sauber) - 1:01.636
13. Jorg Scrattenheim (Arrows) - 1:01.883

Code: Select all

14. Bernhard Pech (Sauber) - 1:01.974
15. Niko Nurminen (DAMS) - 1:02.049
16. Stephano Baroncelli (Arrows) - 1:02.127
17. Reiko Megumi (Ligier) - 1:02.168
18. Ben Fleet (Stewart) - 1:02.226
19. Max von Hegel (DAMS) - 1:02.253
20. Gio van Dycke (Minardi) - 1:02.425
21. Miko Fakkinen (Minardi) - 1:02.427
22. Jan van der Maeyede (Stewart) - 1:02.462
23. Martin McFry (Gauthier) - 1:02.500
24. Siergiej Rozvadoskij (Volga) - 1:02.838
25. Anton Kaliniczenko (Volga) - 1:02.998
26. Robert Anderson (Gauthier) - 1:03.088
DNQ Poppy Whitechapel (Lola) - 1:03.210
DNQ Massimiliano Patrese (Lola) - 1:03.338

Tom Douglas takes his third consecutive pole in Dijon. Daniel Moreno will share the front row with him. Pieter Kickert posted the exact same time as his teammate but will start third because it was after Moreno's lap. Benetton actually showed up for this race. James Davies did not qualify well and will start ninth tomorrow. Max von Hegel was not very good for DAMS but he's been out of the sport for two years, so it is acceptable. He still outqualified Jan van der Maeyede who is arguably the sport's worst qualifier. The only other challenger to this illustrious spot, Siergiej Rozvadoskij, put in his best qualifying effort of the season at the end of Q2 on Saturday, which knocked out both Lolas from tomorrow's race.

[Aerospeed]

WHITECHAPEL TO STEWART???
Reports are swirling about that Jan van der Maeyede's job may be in danger since current Lola driver Poppy Whitechapel has been reported to be replacing van der Maeyede soon. Reports say that Stewart GP owner Eddie Stewart has been talking about replacing van der Maeyede since "she is more British than him, brings the same amount of cash, and has more talent." This quote was reportedly heard around the Stewart paddock. Stewart was unavailable for comments.

[tristan1117]

Review:
In a dramatic race that features nine lead changes, Daniel Moreno came out on top after his teammate retired from the lead with six laps to go.

Positives:
Daniel Moreno: Over the years, Moreno has been one of the unluckiest drivers in the field. Then, his luck magically changed at the 1996 Belgian Grand Prix and he won last year's championship. He hasn't really stopped since. In France, Moreno got the benefit of three lucky breaks that leaves him with a commanding six-point lead in the Drivers' Championship.

Lucky Break 1: Tom Douglas retired with a transmission failure.
Lucky Break 2: James Davies retired with (shock) a transmission problem.
Lucky Break 3: Pieter Kickert retired with six laps to go with an engine failure.

All these breaks (bar Davies' DNF) directly led to a big win for Moreno. The dejected Kickert lost what was sure to be his first career victory. Say what you want about him (Moreno); at least he gets lucky whenever he really needs it.

John Zimmer: What a comeback from Zimmer! It was an excellent drive from the 1995 champion and it turns out to be his first points since Argentina. Of course, Benetton couldn't escape France without bathplugging something up as Andrew Spokes lost a potential fourth place after his Benetton pulled off with one lap to go after an apparent suspension failure. He was running in third.

Masta Valsattis: Somehow, someway, Masta Valsattis ended up on the podium at Dijon, impressing the legions of French fans who showed up to see the Ligier team. Driver of the year so far?

Jordan: Solid performance.

Pablo da Silva: Ditto

DAMS: Solid.

Negatives:
Pieter Kickert, James Davies and Tom Douglas: , ,

Rory McAllister and McLaren: McAllister has every right to be completely disenchanted with McLaren. He suffered yet another transmission problem during the race while in fourth place. To make matters worse, he was rammed off the circuit by his own teammate while he was going slowly (breaking Davies' front wing in the process)! The incident was partly Siergiej Rozvadoskij's fault but the accident further strained the Davies/McAllister partnership. Luckily for Davies, he was able to limp back to the pits as the accident occurred directly in front of the pit entrance. Unfortunately, he suffered a transmission failure later on in the race.

Stewart: Do you really think Poppy Whitechapel wants to go to another team that can't finish a single race after the Tyrrel debacle? At least the Lola gets to the end one out of five times.

Siergiej Rozvadoskij: For causing an avoidable incident by not moving over for James Davies (although that was half Davies' fault) and blocking Damon Cannon, Rozvadoskij was given two penalty points. However, he avoided Reject of the Race thanks to Minardi.

Minardi: At last year's French GP, Miko Fakkinen earned a split of Reject of the Race for taking out his teammate. This year, Gio van Dycke earns Reject of the Race for taking out his own teammate. Fakkinen slowed down after trying to pass Max von Hegel on Lap 5 and was promptly smacked by his teammate. Was it revenge for last year's collision? Perhaps.

Leaders:
Pieter Kickert: 1
Tom Douglas: 2-12
Daniel Moreno: 13-20
Pieter Kickert: 21-30
Daniel Moreno: 31-43
John Zimmer: 44-49
Pieter Kickert: 50-53
Daniel Moreno: 54-61
Pieter Kickert: 62-73
Daniel Moreno: 74-

Penalties:
Siergiej Rozvadoskij: +2 for blocking Damon Cannon and James Davies

Leaders:
Tom Douglas: 1-23
Pieter Kickert: 24
Tom Douglas: 25-30
Daniel Moreno: 30-33
Tom Douglas: 34-55

Drivers' Championship
1. Daniel Moreno - 46
2. Tom Douglas - 40
3. Pieter Kickert - 24
4. James Davies - 22
5. Kazuhiko Takagi - 17
=6 Andrew Spokes - 14
=6 Masta Valsattis - 14
=8 Rory McAllister - 11
=8 John Zimmer - 11
10. Damon Cannon - 10
11. Pablo da Silva - 9
=12 Bernhard Pech - 4
=12 Leonhard von Gottorp - 4
14. Niko Nurminen - 2
=15 Stephano Baroncelli - 1
=15 James Allen - 1
=15 Jorg Scrattenheim - 1

Constructors' Championship
1. Williams-Renault - 70
2. Ferrari - 57
3. McLaren-Mercedes - 33
4. Benetton-Renault - 25
=5 Jordan-Peugeot - 14
=5 Ligier Mugen-Honda - 14
7. Sauber-Petronas - 13
8. DAMS-Peugeot - 3
9. Arrows-Yamaha - 2

Penalty Standings
1. Samael Meerwick - 4
=2 Poppy Whitechapel - 3
=2 Leonhard von Gottorp - 3
=2 Jorg Scrattenheim - 3
=2 Andrew Spokes - 3
=2 Siergiej Rozvadoskij - 3
=2 Martin McFry - 3
=8 Lawrence Tucker - 2
=8 John Zimmer - 2
=8 Pieter Kickert - 2
=8 Bernhard Pech - 2
=8 Gio van Dycke - 2
=8 Rory McAllister - 2
=14 Anton Kaliniczenko - 1
=14 Niko Nurminen - 1
=14 Miko Fakkinen - 1
=14 James Allen - 1

[the Masked Lapwing]

How the hell did that happen?

*loud swearing*
*pause*
Hey Herrmann, I'm out of Jagermeister!

[Salamander]

...... THE HELL WAS THAT!? Sorry about taking you off like that Rory, but you really need to learn to get the hell out of my way when your car is broken down. And what the shite was that Russian maniac doing? Agh! Next race!