Hiatus Over

After a long hiatus, it is time to rejig, reset, and start again for the 2011 season.

One of the reasons for this is an abiding interest in campaign games and the fun of Formula De. One of the other abiding reasons is the large number of tracks still to be raced (there have been a goodly number of user-created tracks that are just excellent).

One of the problems the first campaign run faced was good intentions with bad implementation. The bookkeepig overhead was too great and some of the tracking was fairly ambigous. So the plan is to try to limit the bookkeeping to keep the focus on racing. This should make things move faster on the track as well.

Sunny Day At Watkins Glen

A hard run for the new drivers at historic Watkin's Glen, but the sun was out and that helped keep the bumping and crashing to a minimum. Engine damage wasn't uncommon and suspension damage ensued from some debris dropped by cars.

The final resuts saw Team Sidious illustrate who was the Master and who the Apprentice - Lord Torque took first place and Darth Moto took a handy 5th, giving the team 14 Constructors points, tying Team Campbell Towing. Verdigris Eco Racing also put on a good show, with Ethan Awl taking second and Sol Charger taking 8th, catching the last point scoring slot. Team Sherwood captured 3rd with veteran Roland Crash and 4th with Robin van de Hood, giving the team 9 points. Finishing out the scoring, Tombstone Racing scored 6th with Weil Spihn and Team Pi Racing taking 7th with Bartholemew Einstein.

Sadly, Comstock Racing completed the race with both of its drivers, but didn't score any points. Former World Champion Victor Eelap and Edward Rutherford both eliminated by spinouts.

Tombstone Racing Changes Colours!

Tombstone Racing has been searching for some time for a financially well-heeled sponsor to replace the tobbaco industry sponsor which saw the team clad in the mid-blue and white colours and lent the tame the theme for its name (dark humour, one might say).

The search is over! Tombstone Racing has proudly announced their rebranding. They'll keep the name for consistency, but the Dutch superbank ING has come forward to sponsor the Dutch racers. This means an abandonment of the mid-blue and white colours in favour of orange and white (popular with the Dutch drivers and eye-catching on the track).

The newly skinned team is planning to debut its colours at Watkins Glen in the US Grand Prix. Victor Eelap and Weil Spihn will both be racing in memoriam of the innocent people lost to the madman behind the wheel aiming for Queen Beatrix this week in Appledorn.

The team looks forward to a string of victories under the ING banner - after all, as the commercials say: "It's their money!"

One Lap On Montreal

Circuit Giles Villeneuve (bio of the man himself)

Montreal is a very technically complex track. It is very difficult to hit all of the corners perfectly and one often finds one wishes for the half-gear that isn't available. The best you can do is pick the gear that puts you with the best chance of ending where you want to be most of the time. This is normal doctrine in some ways, but the complexity of Montreal insures that some of the time you will miss it and pay in one fashion or another.

Montreal is known for being hard on tires and requiring frequent downshifts. It can also be hard on the cars as everyone jockeys for a small range of optimal positions to try to setup the next move. This track is far less forgiving than some and overly fragile cars or overly bad luck can end with a DNF. Pacing is critical - rushes for the front at the beginning may carry the day, but they are more likely to result in cars damaging taking one another out in tight dueling in corners.

You start along the front straight (lower left side of the track image right - travel is clockwise) racing for the sharp left-right 100 degree bend known as Senna and Virages Senna (after Ayrton Senna) which you will hit in 3rd or 4th gear from the start, possibly 5th or 6th in subsequent laps if your aim is true.

You'll likely come out of Virages Senna no faster than 3rd, hitting 4th along the straight into the combined Turn 3 and 4. Similarly 4th, or maybe 5th, will lead you to the combined Turn 5 and 6. But all of these are nasty technical corners, and if you come up short, you'll be down gears and if you come up long, your tires will be screaming and you'll probably end up down gears.

Then it is a hard push up into 5th gear, maybe 6th, then hard into combined Turn 7 and 8. Once through, accelerate up into 5th leading into the hairpin L'Epingle (rightmost side of the board). This will have you gearing down because you hit it and it is so sharp or because you missed it and are scrambling to control the damage!

Out of L'Epingle, it will be a steady run up to 5th gear along Droit Du Casino. If you hit the final Chicane before the front straight and the Pits just right, it'll be back on your way to Senna in 6th gear, breezing across the finish line and completing your lap of Circuit Giles Villenueve.

A Lap of Montreal With Nick Heidfeld (YouTube)

Watkins Glen and Montreal: Two-Fer!

Sunday promises to be an exciting race day with The US Grand Prix (Kingston chapter) run at Watkins Glen and the Canadian Grand Prix (Kingston chapter) run at Circuit Jiles Villeneuve in lovely Montreal in that strange land we call 'the other side of the River'!

Teams are lining up and the race grid promises to be a full one. Team Sidious has plans to take over the world to make a good showing and increase their influence with race fans! Verdigris Eco Racing has plans to get green-lit and to roll to an environmentally sound finish in the winners circle! Team ∏ Racing has done the math and they have proven their victory is a mathematical certainty! Rumours suggest Team Bugbear may try to crush through to a podium while Sherwood Racing may, or may not, appear (typical of forest dwelling bandits).

The double bill will make for a long day of racing, undoubtedly leading to the traditional consumption of beer. It's a good thing several of the teams are sponsored (unofficially) by breweries!

So warm up your engines, heat up your tires, and get ready to race to the checkered flag!