Yet another F1 series you can join...

[This]

Good, you guys qualified, now finish or retire while trying to finish!

[SuperAguri]

Monaco GP - Round 4/16 - Race

The cars line up, the red light comes, on they wait for the green light and it's go go go! McReynolds has made a terrible start and is taken by Mitchell, by oh my word, Roos has clattered into the wall and lost a wheel, Gawron and Vitkin had made great starts and made at least 4 places each. The field bunches up and Von Gottrop smashes into the back of Zetticci. Katayama goes too fast and crashes into the run off area wall. The race has been red flagged. Roos is running back to the pits to jump into the spare car.

The race will be restarted with the original grid order.

[The game crashed after 3 laps, Roos had retired due to transmission failure and Von Gottrop had clattered into Zetticci at the start, so was 50 seconds behind the leader after his enforced pit. Katayama smashed into the final corner and lost a wing. The game juddered to a halt after Mitchell, McReynolds and White were in a 3 way battle for the lead.]

[JeremyMcClean]

The epicness was just too much for your computer to handle I suppose...

[FMecha]

WMRA is totally hopeless. How much credit they have?

[SuperAguri]

Just an update, for some reason Monaco crashes GP2 every so oftern at a random place and normally due to a stack overflow on INT 08.

So I have got into the habit of saving the game every few laps, or if there is a retirement or a important position change.

Just to wet your taste buds, I am on Lap 62 of 78. There are only 14 cars left on the track and the result will be very interesting. If this was a real race I would be jumping up and down for joy. Monaco is indeed the track of F1. Needless to say every Lap (except maybe 2 or 3) has been documented.

Results should be up tonight (about 10 hours from now...) as it has taken me that many days to get to Lap 62...

[Wizzie]

Just an update, for some reason Monaco crashes GP2 every so oftern at a random place and normally due to a stack overflow on INT 08.

So I have got into the habit of saving the game every few laps, or if there is a retirement or a important position change.

Good call. I do it all the time with GP4 just in case the game decides to crap itself like it wants to do on occasion. Usually I make a second savefile for each race just as it's beginning so you can start again if the savefile corrupts itself without having to do qualifying again.

[SuperAguri]

Monaco GP - Round 4/16 - Race

The race will restart soon, the first race was red flagged and stopped after Roos caused an almighty pile up that saw Von Gottrop clatter into Zetticci, Katayama run wide and Blackwell smack a wall on the inside. So Roos, Von Gottorp, Zetticci, Katayama and Blackwell are all in their spare cars.

This is the forth race of the season and it has been a fantastic start with 3 different drivers winning races and 7 drivers in total on the podium, if that is anything to go by then we are in for a treat of a race. Zetticci and Morton are two drivers who have never started a race, Zetticci not qualifying twice and not prequalifying twice, and Morton in the difficult Welsh MRA car not pre qualifying four times they were called up by Benetton and Extra to replace the suspended drivers of Nicolo and Patrese who made some dangerous errors. Can these drivers step up and be noticed?

Well the race is about to start, the cars line up from the formation lap and the man at the back waves his flag. The red light is on, and we wait, wait, wait and it is go, go, go!

McReynolds makes a perfect start this time and jumps into the lead. Roos makes a less perfect start but keeps Mitchell wide into Sainte Devote and keeps second. White is behind Roos on the racing line and bumps Mitchell down to 4th. Morton makes a fantastic start and manages to climb to 7th at the end of Sainte Devote. Davies makes a poor start as does Melrose.

Zetticci bumps Mils, who clatters into Davies and makes him go wide at Sainte Devote, Mils trying to regain control clatters hard into Blackwell who frankly was on a hiding to nothing as he was going to fast and was braking out of control, his great start is wasted. The clash slams Blackwell into the wall and he loses his tyre which bounces across the track, thankfully missing everyone. Blackwell is the first retirement of the race.

Gawron makes a great start again and is up to 20th as they come to massenet. Groves manages to make a few places too.

Fleet challenges Morton at Mirabeau and they are side by side at Loews and Fleet looks like he will gain a place at Portiere which he does.

Gawron messes up the Nouvelle chicane although does not lose any places but holds up everyone behind her and loses some time.

Lap 2

There are gaps starting to show in the order. McReynolds is driving like his life depended on it and has a 1.3 second lead.

The order is..

McReynolds (-)
Roos +1.31 (-)
White +1.86 (+1)
Mitchell +3.22 (-1)
Nash +3.76 (-)
Kickert +4.24 (-)
Fleet +6.15 (-)
Morton +6.67 (+3)
Unser Jr +7.14 (-1)
Jones +7.60 (+3)
Melrose +8.20 (-2)
Davies +8.51 (-2)
Mils +9.83 (-1)
Mallon +10.49 (+1)
Von Gottrop +10.73 (+1)
Zetticci +11.0 (-2)
Briggs +11.9 (+1)
Groves +12.4 (+2)
Waladi +13.2 (+1)
Gawron +14.8 (+5)
Vitkin +15.1 (-)
Wilson +15.9 (+2)
Mori +16.4 (-1)
Katayama +16.9 (-1)
Macklin +17.5 (+1)
Blackwell Ret (-9)

Oh wow, Fleets front left tyre explodes and forces him to steer into the wall at Mirabeau, Mallon steers hard to the right to avoid him Unser Jr can react quick enough and loses his front wing. That will be a pit stop for him. The cars behind Unser Jr are backed up and slow down. Melrose takes advantage and passes Jones. Wilson steers into Mori, Mori barges past and gains a place.

Von Gottrop makes good use of Mils not passing Unser Jr cleanly and jumps up to 11th at Nouvelle.

Unser Jr pits in from 15th place and drops to 24th and last after his 9.8 stop for a new front wing.

Lap 3

The order is

McReynolds
Roos +0.68
White +1.59
Mitchell +4.09
Nash +4.54
Kickert +5.08
Morton +8.63
Melrose +13.34
Jones +14.35
Davies +15.69
Von Gottrop +17.03
Mils +17.79
Zetticci +18.94
Mallon +21.54
Briggs +21.75
Groves +22.6
Waladi +23.1
Gawron +23.7
Vitkin +24.2
Mori +24.9
Wilson +25.5
Katayama +26.1
Macklin +26.8
Unser Jr +57.2

Lap 4

McReynolds is clearly driving slower, he is only 0.45 seconds in font of Roos and is only 3.46 seconds ahead of Mitchell. Roos has a sniff at Mirabeau but thinks better of it.

Mitchell comes out of Anthony Noghes and his engine sounds rough, Nash and Kickert overtake quickly.

Lap 5

Morton is right behind at the end of the pit straight. Mitchell smacks into the corner of Sainte Devote and bounces across the circuit. Melrose brakes to avoid an accident but he is going to lose a number of places. Jones has to brake too and Davies sneaks past. After everyone manages to pass the order is.

The order is

McReynolds, Roos and White all within a second or so.

There is a 6 second gap to

Nash and Kickert.

Morton is 8 seconds behind them with Davies and Jones, 5 seconds behind him and Von Gottrop and Mils a second or so behind them.

Mallon is 3 seconds behind with small gaps behind him with Melrose, Briggs, Groves and Waladi rounding up to the top 15.

Where is Zetticci? Went in a bit too fast at Nouvelle and span, dropping to 2nd last in front of Unser Jr who is in last.

Lap 6

Roos crawls to a halt at the end of the pit straight with a failed transmission, he sound like he had a bagfull of neutrals. He will be disappointed, especially with the red flag life line he had. Although that is four races, four retirements, will he ever get some luck?

Mallon has an elecrtical issue and is not able to shift, he is losing positions and drops from 10th at Mirabeau to 14th as he enters the pits. They take only 9.7 seconds to find the fault and fix it.

Lap 8

So McReynolds is still in the lead but only just ahead of White. Lets round up the order as they stand.

McReynolds
White 0.48
Nash 6.50
Kickert 8.89
Morton 16.76
Davies 20.49
Jones 22.62
Von Gottrop 23.17

Are the top eight in points paying positions, I bet Hungarian Life are watching behind blankets unsure if the bogie monster will come out and blow the engine up.

Oh my goodness White dives in the inside of Mirabeau and is side by side with McReynolds, but he can't accelerate as fast and has to give the position back. However that is sure to give McReynolds a wake up call or is it part of his stratergy?

Mils 24.61
Melrose 29.25
Briggs 30.73
Groves 31.77
Waladi 33.75
Gawron 38.37
Vitkin 38.76
Mori 39.6
Winson 39.9
Katayama 40.6
Zetticci 41.3
Macklin 42.7
Unser Jr 46.7
Mallon 1:01.0

Lap 9

Zetticci takes Katayama easily at the end of the tunnel to move up a place to 18th.

Lap 10

Zetticci takes Winson this lap to move to 17th. Unser Jr is all over the back of Macklin and takes him for 20th at the end of the tunnel too.

The main battle is between White and McReynolds and White is looking for a way past.

Zetticci takes Mori at the end of the pit straight for 16th and is closing up on Vitkin fast.

Lap 11

No surprise that he uses the fast Benetton car to breeze past Vitkin at the end of the tunnel, nearly takes Gawron too but has to back off.

Lap 12

Zetticci tries to take Gawron down the tunnel but Gawron keeps on the racing line and forces Zetticci wide, he nearly spins but catches the car, the positions remain unchanged.

Unser Jr takes Katayama though and moves up a palce to 19th and is behind his deadbeat team mate.

Zetticci takes Gawron at the end of the pit straight to move into 14th. He is still 22 seconds behind the 8th placed Von Gottrop.

Lap 13

There is a snake of cars from Gawron, Vitkin, Mori, Winson, Unser Jr and Katayama. Vitkin will pass Gawron sooner then later and Unser Jr will hope to pass all of them in a few laps.

The Bogie monster has come out and scared the mechanics in the Hungerian Life garage as the engine in Davies car will expire soon but he is trying to keep it going to get back to the pits.

Lap 14

In the tunnel, Jones and Von Gottrop pass Davies, although Jones touches Davies and that could have been nasty, however Davies was wobbling so it is likely nothing will happen with a stewards enquiry. Davies retires at the end of Piscine he is hitting the wheel, you know he is angry. We hear it was the engine that let go.

Lap 15

White tries another move on McReynolds but has to give up again as he can not accelerate fast enough out of the corners.

Mallon is all over the back of team mate Macklin, surely only time before he is passed? Unser Jr is trying to pass team mate Winson but as both cars accelerate just as well he can not pass.

Lap 16

Order is

McReynolds
White 0.61
Nash 6.46
Kickert 10.97
Morton 20.62
Jones 28.71
Von Gottrop 29.42
Mils 32.99

Unser Jr tries again to overtake Winson in the tunnel and he can sniff the fumes but can not get past. Surely the team management will be shouting at Winson to get his arse out of the way? Mallon on the other hand does pass Macklin to get out of last and quickly makes his way to the back of the 6 car snake where Vitkin can not pass Gawron and Unser Jr can not get pass Winson.

Melrose 35.53
Briggs 39.08
Groves 42.14
Waladi 46.13
Zetticci 51.00
Gawron 1:01.19
Vitkin 1:01.66
Mori 1:02.4
Winson 1:02.8
Unser Jr 1:03.1
Katayama 1:04.4
Mallon 1:04.8
Macklin 1:08.1

Lap 17

Unser Jr is trying hard to pass his team mate, will he get frustrated and punt him off?

Lap 18

Mallon is sizing up Katayama for a pass, but can not make it stick at Mirabeau.

Unser Jr tries again at Tabac but misjudges it and smacks into a wall and retires on the spot with a missing wheel.

Lap 19

White tries again at Mirabeau but again has to give up as he can't get enough road. Our man in the pits is suggesting that White does have less fuel then McReynolds and wants to try to pass to get an advantage. He also says that Nash will also pit before Kickert, however he can not say if it is a 1 or 2 stop stratergy or just different fuel loads.

Lap 21

McReynolds and White come to complete their laps and Macklin is just down the road, he will be lapped soon. A poor pass could let White through.

Lap 22

Macklin is lapped by McReynolds and White easily.

Zetticci makes an attempt on Waladi on the pit straight but has to lift. He will try to pass. Mallon is still behind Katayama and can't find a way past.

Lap 23

Nash is the first to blink and comes into the pits from 3rd. Morton pits as well. Nash takes 10.0 seconds and comes back out in 4th. Morton takes 9.0 seconds and comes out in 10th behind Briggs.

Mori pits from 16th.

Waladi goes off at quite high speed at Mirabeau and destroys the entire front of the car. We hope he is okay as he is taking a while to get out of the car. We hear from the pits that his transmission failed.

Mori takes 7.9 seconds and comes out in 19th and lapped.

Lap 24

Morton takes Briggs easily in the tunnel.

McReynolds and White are fast approaching Mallon and Katayama.

The order is

McReynolds
White 0.54
Kickert 13.83
Nash 28.13
Jones 35.70
Von Gottrop 36.43
Mils 40.44
Melrose 43.55

McReynolds passes Mallon in the tunnel but White can not pass. Can a gap be opened up?

McReynolds passes Katayama at Rascasse, White comes into the pits soon after.

Lap 25

White takes a mere 8.8 seconds in the pits and it is going to be close between him and Nash, he comes out and is in front but Nash is closing. White makes the corner first and is in 3rd. Can Nash try to pass in the next few corners?

Lap 26

Von Gottrop comes into the pits from 6th, takes 8.3 seconds and comes out in 12th behind Zetticci.

Morton is catching Melrose, he wants a position.

Lap 27

White is pulling out a gap from himself and Nash, he has the speed and might take McReynolds at the next pit stop as he suffers from traffic.

Katayama pits from 16th, takes 9.7 seconds and drops to 19th and last.

McReynolds finally passes Winson at Mirabeau, Mallon is already behind Winson. There is a 4 second gap between McReynolds and 15th placed man Vitkin. White does look like he made the right pit call.

Morton tries to overtake Melrose at the end of the pit straight but fails as Melrose holds his line.

Lap 28

Morton makes a move at the tunnel and this time he makes it stick and goes up to 7th. Fantastic!

White is on a charge and sets the fastest lap of 1:21.95 compared with the last lap set by leader McReynolds of 1:26.83

McReynolds is behind the Vitkin and Gawron squabble but can not get past, he is losing buckets of time. However at Rascasse he barges past Vitkin.

Lap 29

The top 8 are

McReynolds chasing down 13th placed Gawron to lap her
Kickert 9.74 behind, chasing 16th place Mallon
White 11.52 behind, catching Kickert quickly
Nash 15.64 behind, trying to pass 17th placed Macklin
Jones 31.85 behind with a clear track ahead of him
Mils 36.90 behind
Morton 38.75 behind and catching Mils
Melrose 42.20 behind and losing time

White, Nash and Morton have all picked for what looks like a 2 stopper. Will it work?

Von Gottrop passes Zetticci for 11th and is hunting down Groves.

Briggs 46.02
Groves 51.51
Von Gottrop 51.68
Zetticci 52.97
Gawron -1L
Vitkin -1L
Winson -1L

Make the top 15.

White catches and oh my goodness makes a fantastic move on Kickert to pass him to regain 2nd. Gawron is finally lapped by McReynolds and he will be cursing himself for taking so long.

Lap 30

Kickert comes into the pits from 3rd, he probably does not have enough of a lead to keep 3rd but should keep 4th. He takes 9.1 seconds and comes out in 5th behind Jones but over 4 seconds ahead of Mils.

White posts time of 1:22.72 which is nearly 4.5 seconds faster then McReynolds time of 1:27.12. White is only 7.12 second behind McReynolds as White comes to the traffic.

At the back Macklin passes Mori for 16th at Mirabeau.

Lap 31

White passes Mallon who kindly gets out of the way.

Morton is behind Mils and attacking him, but has not found a way past.

Von Gottrop passes Groves in the Tunnel for 10th.

The order is

McReynolds
White 7.38
Nash 11.67
Jones 31.82
Kickert 32.23
Mils 36.86
Morton 37.30
Melrose 42.52
Briggs 46.19
Von Gottrop 51.57
Groves 53.79
Zetticci 54.02
Gawron -1L
Vitkin -1L
Winson -1L
Mallon -1L
Mackin -1L
Mori -1L
Katayama -1L

Katayama has a look at passing Mori at Massenet, but come Mirabeau and she sweeps past into 18th. It is not a good day for Hungarian with Mori in stone dead last.

White and Nash are picking off the back markers easily.

Lap 32

Vitkin comes into the pits from 14th. However we are told it is not for a tyre change and refuel, he has a problem with the throttle, but it takes 8.7 seconds to fix and he is on his way although he in now in stone dead last. He will be unhappy.

White passes team mate Gawron on the pit straight.

Oh my word, Nash spins at Sainte Devote, thankfully he does not damage the car but he has lost time.

Katayama and Mori pass Macklin to gain a place.

Lap 33

Zetticci passes Groves at the end of the tunnel to move up to 11th.

Winson pits from 15th, takes 8.0 seconds and comes out dead last.

Von Gottrop catches team mate Briggs and attempts a pass at Mirabeau but fails.

Lap 34

However he makes it stick in the tunnel to climb to 9th.

Mallon pits from 14th, takes 8.6 seconds and comes out in 18th.

Zetticci pits from 11th and takes 10.2 seconds and comes out in 12th ahead of McReynolds and White so is still on the same lap.

White is catching McReynolds and Kickert is all over Jones.

Vitkin makes a mistake at Rascasse and Katayama and Mori both pass.

Mallon and Winson are very close to Macklin, fighting over 17th, 18th and 19th positions.

Lap 35

The order is

McReynolds
White 0.94
Nash 20.67
Jones 36.16
Kickert 36.50
Mils 42.71
Morton 43.12
Melrose 46.07
Von Gottrop 47.35
Briggs 51.03

Mallon attempts a pass on Macklin at Massenet but fails however Winson steams in at Mirabeau and passes Mallon for 18th.

Winson attempts a pass in the tunnel but Macklin holds his line.

McReynolds has come into the pits and White zooms past. He takes 9.8 seconds and comes out in 3rd behind John Nash, but it looks like a one stopper so White will have to race hard to stay first after his second stop.

Vitkin retakes the place lost to Mori at Mirabeau.

Lap 36

Winson passes Macklin on the pit straight.

Mils comes into the pits from 6th and takes 9.8 seconds and comes out in 10th

Melrose comes into the pits from 8th, takes the same 9.8 seconds and comes out in 11th.

Lap 37

The order is

White
Nash 20.38
McReynolds 25.04
Jones 39.28
Kickert 39.67
Morton 46.05
Von Gottrop 50.78
Briggs 54.33
Groves 1.03.95
Mils 1:09.29
Melrose 1:13.08
Zetticci 1:15.84
Gawron -1L
Katayama -1L
Vitkin -1L
Mori -1L
Winson -1L
Mallon -1L
Macklin -1L

Vitkin has a go at Katayama at Mirabeau but can not get any advantage and drops back a little.

Vitkin passes in the tunnel to go back to 14th.

Lap 38

Macklin loses it as Massenet and takes an age to spin around and becomes the first person to be lapped twice.

Lap 39

Halfway through the race and White is leading and dominating. He increases his lead over Nash and McReynolds to 22.04 seconds and 25.73 seconds. He will need to race hard to make sure he can come out in front of McReynolds on his 2nd stop.

Jones comes into the pits from 4th for his one stopper takes 9.5 seconds and comes out just in 8th.

Mils breezes past Groves on the pit straight to take 9th.

Lap 40

Nash is not going as quick and is now 22.98 seconds behind White but McReynolds is keeping pace and is now 25.50 seconds behind.

Vitkin comes up to Gawron and wants to take 13th, he tries to go in deep on the pit straight by Gawron has better acceleration and stays ahead.

Lap 41

Zetticci overtakes Melrose at Mirabeau, doing a deep bravecut in the inside.

Winson is racing like he has a decent car and overtakes Mori for 16th in the tunnel.

Nash is losing time and is now 23.75 seconds behind, White is catching up slowly and is now 25.22 seconds behind.

Gawron comes into the pits from 13th and takes 9.5 seconds for her one stopper, she comes out in 17th place.

Barii Mori pulls up at the end of Anthony Noghes and retires, we hear he has a sudden water leak.

Briggs comes into the pits from 7th and takes 9.3 seconds but loses about 2 seconds having to wait for Groves to come into his pit box in front of her. She exits in 11th place.

Groves comes into the pits from 11th, takes 9.2 seconds and comes out in 12th place. Both Briggs and Groves have now been lapped.

Lap 42

Nash is struggling and is being caught by McReynolds, however if McReynolds can not get past quickly then White will benefit.

The order is

White
Nash 24.88
McReynolds 25.39
Kickert
Morton
Von Gottorp
Jones
Mils

Vitkin comes into the pits from 13th, takes 10 seconds and comes back out in 16th place.

My goodness, White brakes for Nouvelle but he spins and his back right rear hits the wall and I think his suspension is broken. He trundles off the track and yes he is out. He will be heartbroken, although did he make a mistake or did his suspension just break? We shall be asking JLD after the race.

Nash goes into the lead.

Lap 43

Mils spins at Massnet and drops from 8th to 10th. He will be angry in his helmet.

Macklin comes into the pits from last and he will come out in last. He takes 9.2 seconds for his stop.

Nash is being challenged by McReynolds at Mirabeau but slams the door shut causing McReynolds to drop back a bit.

Lap 44

Running order is

Nash
McReynolds 0.23
Kickert 20.56
Morton 33.04
Von Gottrop 35.21
Jones 43.59
Mils 48.06
Zetticci 48.69
Melrose 54.57
Briggs 1:04.12
Groves 1:16.63
Katayama 1L (+37.5)
Wilson 1L (+2.5)
Mallon 1L (+4.1)
Vitkin 1L (+5.4)
Gawron 1L (+5.3)
Macklin 2L (+1:04.7)

Kickert runs wide in Loews and touches the way, thankfully there is no damage to the car.

Lap 46

Zetticci is all over the back of Mils and makes an attempt at Mirabeau but just does not have the speed.

Nash comes into the pits from the lead for his 2nd stop. He takes 8.6 seconds and comes out in 3rd. Kickert will have to stop again soon so he will at least get 2nd back.

Jones, Mils and Melrose are all on a 1 stopper and should gain when the people in front of them do their 2nd stops.

Briggs, Groves, Vitkin, Gawron and Macklin are also on one stoppers but it is unlikely any of them will get into the points.

Lap 47

Woah, Morton spins at Anthony Noghes and give Von Gottrop a heart stopping moment, thankfully he manages to stop and get past. Gawron, Mils and Zetticci come up to Morton, Mils takes advantage of the cautious Gawron to sneak through, Zetticci has to brake hard and loses a lot of time to Mils and still needs to lap Gawron. Morton has to wait until others pass him including 8th place man Melrose before he can spin striaght and continue. Still the race is not over until the fat lady sings.

Zetticci passes Gawron at Mirabeau, Melrose passes here in the tunnel.

Lap 48

Kickert is in the pits from 2nd, he takes 9.7 seconds which is an age. Von Gottrop goes past, although he has to stop, and Jones just manages to pass at Sainte Devote. Jones could get 3rd yet as he does not have to stop we do not think.

Oh my word, Nash is slowing, Nash is slowing, he must have a problem as he stops at the end of Mirabeau and yes he climbs out and kicks the car. My word this is turning into a heart stopping race.

Von Gottrop is in 2nd place, I bet he was not expecting to be so high up.

Katayama gets it really wrong at anthony Noghes and spins, Winson has to brake and Mallon goes past into 12th, Winson recovers to stay in 13th. Katyama recovers to 16th.

Lap 49

Von Gottrop pits from 2nd, he takes 9.8 seconds and comes out in 9th baout 4.9 seconds behind his team mate.

Mallon spins at Sainte Devote, and has to wait before he can spin but is tapped by Morton, thankfully neither are damaged. He falls to 16th.

Macklin is still in 17th place and 2 laps down. Another 9 retirements and he might even get a point.

Lap 50

The top 10 is

McReynolds
Jones
Kickert
Mils
Zetticci
Melrose
Morton
Briggs
Von Gottrop

Lap 51

Wilson comes into the pits from 11th, takes 9.6 seconds and comes out in 13th ahead of Katayama.

The current order is

McReynolds
Jones 48.26
Kickert 48.83
Mils 53.45
Zetticci 54.23 (*)
Melrose 1:00.03
Morton 1:06.99 (*)
Briggs 1:07.32
Von Gottrop 1:08.01
Groves 1:16.63
Wilson 1L
Vitkin 1L
Gawron 1L
Katayama 1L (*)
Mallon 1L
Macklin 2L

Zetticci, Morton, Katayama and Mallon still have to pit.

Groves makes a meal of Sainte Devote and smashes his suspension to bits loosing a wheel, he will not be popular when he gets back to the pits, which is a very very short walk away.

Oh my word, McReynolds gets it very very wrong at the Nouvelle chicane and smash his wing, he is going to lose bucket loads of time. He comes into the pits still in the lead but he will drop a lot of places.

Mallon also pits from 15th, he takes 8.7 seconds and comes out unsurprisingly in 15th.

Lap 52

McReynolds takes 9.2 seconds in the pits and comes out in 4th behind Mils and just in front of Zetticci who will have to pit soon anyway.

The order for the top 8 is

Jones
Kickert
Mils
McReynolds
Zetticci
Melrose
Morton
Briggs

Lap 53

Both Zetticci and Morton pit from 5th and 7th and they take 8.5 and 8.8 seconds in the pits and come out in 8th and 9th.

Oh my word can this race get any more exciting? Jones spins slightly at Rascasse and Kickert and Mils pass. Jones is in 3rd.

Katayama comes into the pits, takes 8.3 seconds and comes out in 14th behind Mallon.

Zetticci gets it wrong at Rascasse and Morton passes for 8th and a precious point.

Lap 54

The order is

Kickert
Mils 3.26
Jones 3.84
McReynolds 4.39
Melrose 9.76
Briggs 9.90
Von Gottrop 12.50
Morton 24.11
Zetticci 27.13
Vitkin 1L
Gawron 1L
Winson 1L
Mallon 1L
Katayama 1L
Macklin 2L

Lap 55

Kickert extends his lead to 4.93 seconds, and there is a great battle for 2nd between Mils, Jones and McReynolds all seperated by 1 second. There is even a battle for 5th between Melrose and Briggs.

Lap 57

Kickert is going 2 seconds faster then Mils, and is nearly 9 seconds in front. Mils is probably holding up Jones and McReynolds but he doesn't care, I am sure he wants and needs those 8 points for 2nd place.

Gawron is being a mobil chicane as she is going slow through the corners but has the grunt to accelerate out of them so passing her is hard. Von Gottorp becomes the latest driver to wave their fist at her.

Lap 58

There is a battle for 11th between Gawron, Winson and Mallon, although Gawron is not going to let them past easily.

There are 20 laps to go and Kickert looks like he should win this, the European pit crew are looking nervously at the screens. Foxdale are delighted as the points would lift them out of prequalifying at the moment.

Mallon loses time as Morton laps him in the tunnel, he laps Winson in the Piscine.

Lap 59

The order is

Kickert
Mils 11.96
Jones 12.41
McReynolds 12.90
Melrose 19.67
Briggs 19.97
Von Gottorp 20.74
Morton 26.53
Zetticci 27.738
Vitkin 1:23.12
Gawron 1L
Winson 1L
Mallon 1L
Katayama 1L
Macklin 2L

Lap 60

Kickert finds 2 seconds to increase the lead to 13.87 seconds, with the battle for 2nd still close between Mils, Jones and McReynolds. He is also coming up to lap 10 placed man Vitkin.

Briggs has a sniff of taking Melrose at the end of the pit straight, but Melrose keeps his line and Briggs has to lift. Von Gottorp is only just behind Briggs so there is an exciting 5th placed battle taking place.

Zetticci goes past Gawron to lap her at Piscine, Winson tries the same but has to pull back but does not have the angle to clear the 3rd corner and smacks it to it lightly, Mallon and Katayama sweep past.

Ooooooooohhhhh, Kickert has smoke coming from his car in the tunnel. He slows down and trundles into the escape road. He is not getting out of the car, is he hurt? No I see him punch the steering wheel, he is just angry.

Mils sweeps past and the Aurora garage is on it's feet and pumping their arms in the air, but they should know not to count chickens before they are hatched.

Lap 61

Smoke pours out of Zetticcis engine as he exits the pits, my word two retirements soon after each other, he getd out of the car at the end of the sliproad and looks at the car in disgust.

Points are up for grabs and there will be hard racing from the back markers as they could all grab a point if things go their way.

McReynolds is going slower, has he been told to slow down? He is now 1.63 seconds behind Mils.

Jones has a look at Mils in the tunnel but Mils drives as wide a car as he can, he does not want to lose this win.

Lap 62

16 laps remain and anything could happen and it normaly does.

Mils, Jones, McReynolds, Melrose, Briggs, Von Gottorp, Morton, Vitkin are the top 8 cars and there is a battle for 9th between Gawron, Mallon, Katayama and Winson with Macklin so far behind that he is not going to score points unless there are 6 more retirements.

Lap 63

Seems McReynolds might have just made a small error as he is back to being less then a second behind Mils. Melrose, Briggs, Von Gottorp and Morton are with 1.5 second of each other. Vitkin is on his own some one minute behind Morton and 37 seconds ahead of Gawron. Who is battling Mallon, Katayama and Winson for 9th.

Lap 64

There is under 10 seconds covering 1st in Mils to 7th in Vitkin. Any mistakes could see a podium turn into minor points.

Winson slides at Massenet, he taps the barrier and keeps the car pointing forward so he has lost a few seconds. His tyres must be shot, however a pitstop is unlikely to change anything.

Lap 65

Winson with a faster car catches the pack up, Gawron is holding Mallon, Katayama and Winson up but her acceleration out of corners is keeping her in front and in a pointless 9th.

Lap 66

Mils is starting to lap about one tenth faster then Jones and McReynolds and is starting to get a slight lead. Will Aurora tell him to slow down and keep calm?

Lap 67

No but Benetton and Fighting Mongooses must be telling Jones and McReynolds to put their foot down as they find a tenth to match Mils.

Katayama brakes super late to pass Mallon for 10th at the end of the tunnel.

Lap 68

The gap from the first three to the next four has increased by about a second. The next for are sepearted by only 1.5 seconds.

Lap 70

The order has not changed, passing is very hard at Monaco so it is likely this will be the order when we get to the chequered flag.

Although I opened my mouth a bit to early there as McReynolds over steers at Portiere and spins, he has enough of a lead to spin around but he is now just a few seconds ahead of Melrose.

Lap 72

McReynolds is lapping 1 second faster then Mils or Jones and he should be bad on their arses come the end of the race. Mils is driving an intelligent race and he should win this.

Lap 73

Von Gottorp does a do or die move at the end of the tunnel and passes team mate Briggs for 5th. Bet Foxdale had their hearts in their mouths as that could have gone really wrong.

Oh goodness will the retirements ever end? Winson gets it wrong at Beau Rivage of all places and smacks into a wall to retire with a missing rear right wheel.

Lap 74

Jones has a look at Mils at Mirabeau but can't make it stick and falls back a little.

McReynolds is now only 2 seconds behind Jones and should be on his arse come the next two laps.

Lap 75

Well not even that as McReynolds is on the arse of Jones at the start of the tunnel. However catching is one thing and there is no way he is going to pass Jones.

Lap 77

The penultimate lap and the order is

Mils
Jones 0.65
McReynolds 1.17
Melrose 11.76
Von Gottorp 12.40
Briggs 12.93
Morton 13.44
Vitkin 1:17.48
Gawron 1L
Katayama 1L
Mallon 1L
Macklin 2L

Lap 78

Oh my word, Von Gottrop loses it at Rascasse and has got a puncture, he manages to drag the car into the pits and the wheel is changed, he loses 5th but he still will get points for 7th.

McReynolds has a attempt to dive in on the inside at Mirabeau but Jones has it covered.

A few corners to go and the Aurora team are on the pitwall waiting for their man. He makes it to the line safely, the team are on the pit wall pumping the air. We can not wait until we can speak to the principal of Aurora.

The podium, Mils jumps on the podium and celebrates like any first win should. Jones looks happy, a 2nd was a great result for Benetton given their poor pace and qualification. McReynolds looks like a man that lost his wallet but found it again but it is under a load of dog dirt.

Full Race Result

Code: Select all

1st  - Carlitos Mils        - Aurora               - 1:52:13.888
2nd  - Hywel Jones          - Benetton Formula     - +0.631
3rd  - Ryan McReynolds      - Fighting Mongooses   - +1.046
4th  - Daniel Melrose       - Stavros GP           - +12.179
5th  - Florence Briggs      - Foxdale Auto Racing  - +14.691
6th  - Josh Morton          - EXTRAS               - +17.277
7th  - Leonhard Von Gottorp - Foxdale Auto Racing  - +38.843
8th  - Dimitry Vitkin       - Team Phoenix         - +1:19.860


Code: Select all

9th  - Joanna Gawron        - JLD Motorsports      - 1 Lap
10th - Shinobu Katayama     - Zimsport             - 1 Lap
11th - Donald Mallon        - Donkervoort          - 1 Lap
12th - Mitchell Macklin     - Donkervoort          - 2 Laps
13th - Mitchell Winson      - Sunshine Motorsports - 7 Laps (Driver Error)


Code: Select all

DNF  - Dante Zetticci       - Benetton Formula     - Engine
DNF  - Pieter Kickert       - European ERT         - Transmission
DNF  - Sebastian Groves     - Team Phoenix         - Driver Error
DNF  - John Nash            - European ERT         - Transmission
DNF  - Richard White        - JLD Motorsports      - Suspension
DNF  - Barii Mori           - Hungarian Life       - Water Leak
DNF  - Carlo Waladi         - Chicago F1 Racing    - Transmission
DNF  - Dan Unser Jr         - Sunshine Motorsports - Driver Error
DNF  - Rhys Davies          - Hungarian Life       - Engine
DNF  - Theodore Roos        - Fighting Mongooses   - Transmission


Code: Select all

DNF  - Greg Mitchell        - Aurora               - Engine
DNF  - Ben Fleet            - Chicago F1 Racing    - Puncture
DNF  - Tyrone Blackwell     - Stavros GP           - Driver Error


Fastest Lap - Theodore Roos - 1:22.154
Slowest Lap - Barii Mori - 1:25.673 (Ignoring Blackwell and Fleets times or lack of one)

As a note Donald Mallon who was 11th (or second last of the finishers) set the 6th fastest time of the session with a 1:22.855, Zetticci who retired near the end was 4th fastest with a 1:22.522, the drivers in the other places were White, McReynolds and Nash...

Drivers Championship

Code: Select all

1st   - Hywel Jones          - 25
2nd   - Dan Unser Jr         - 21
3rd=  - Ryan McReynolds      - 16
      - Carlitos Mils        - 16
5th   - Richard White        - 15
6th   - Stephane Nicolo      - 9
7th=  - Greg Mitchell        - 8
      - John Nash            - 8
9th=  - Daniel Melrose       - 7
      - Pieter Kickert       - 7


Code: Select all

11th  - Sebastian Groves     - 6
12th  - Florence Briggs      - 4
13th= - Douglas Mann         - 3
      - Leonhard Von Gottorp - 3
      - Josh Morton          - 3
16th= - Ben Fleet            - 2
      - Dimitry Vitkin       - 2
18th  - Ludovic Lavezzi      - 1


Teams Championship

Code: Select all

1st   - Benetton Formula     - 34
2nd   - Aurora               - 24
3rd   - Sunshine Motorsports - 21
4th   - JLD Motorsports      - 18
5th   - Fighting Mongooses   - 16
6th   - European ERT         - 15
7th   - Team Phoenix         - 8
8th=  - Stavros GP           - 7
      - Foxdale Auto Racing  - 7
10th  - EXTRAS               - 4
11th  - Chicago F1 Racing    - 2


Jones lead after some great podiums and being the only driver to score in every race is now topping the drivers championship. Although surely a win is on the cards this season? Unser Jr will be disappointed not to score and drops a place. McReynolds show be disappointed as he should have been snapping at the heels of Jones and Unser Jr. Mils's win storms him up the table and he could be a dark horse, or he could be a dead one depending on his season.

Benetton extend their lead at the top of the teams championship, with Aurora doing well to increase their position too. Although it will be a tight championship. Foxdales bag of points should mean they will skip prequalifying in 5 races time unless Chicago or another team can raise their game before then.

ROTR : Ryan McReynolds, this was a hard one as there was not a lot to choose from, but McReynolds should have lapped everyone and won easily but made some awful mistakes in the race to lose the win.

IDOTR : Florance Briggs, most races she look well out of her depth but her she showed she could play with the big boys.

DBTMOTR : Ludovic Lavezzi, there is no other choice, a DNQ whilst your team mate who has never sat in the car before or raced this season get points shows that you are the weakest link.

[SuperAguri]

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!

Could all team principals please enter a third driver, again I will need

Name
Nationality
Age
Experience
If they are a pay driver or not

These will be used as reserve drivers for new team and to replace dead beat drivers maybe, as well as help fund the team. More details soon.

Any team principals that do not post a driver or have not posted any comments since the season started will presumed to be AWOL and I shall take over these teams and manage them using random choices on computer.

Thanks

[Wizzie]

YES! More points, I absolutely love Monte Carlo and I love this car as it's simply a joy to drive. I have to thank the team for giving me the opportunity after winning the F3000 championship last year.

It was indeed a suspension failure that put Richie out of the race. We have also decided to sign the following driver for our reserve driver:

Name: Alexander Valreys
Nationality: British
Age: 25
Experience: One season in Minardi
NOT a Paydriver

[eurobrun]

Is anyone interested in hiring me as a third driver

[This]

Dimitry was not intended to be a good, reliable driver, but yeah, why not...
Waladi is absolutely hopeless.
Donkervoort is starting to get unhappy with the lack of technical feedback of their drivers, but realises that it is no mean feat to finish a race in monaco with both cars.


My third one:
Name: Berthold Brunswick (is anyone actually still named Berthold these days?)
Nationality: Canadian
Age: 20
Experience: Rolex Sports Car Series
If they are a pay driver or not: yes

[SuperAguri]

As stated more details later but the third driver won't technically be signed for the team you have and they will be randomly offered to the other teams (if they want (and more importantly can afford) to replace a driver)) much in the same way the original drivers were.

If anyone wants to give me feedback on how this championship is going, things they like and dislike then please let me know. Personally I do think it is going well, 4 different winning drivers in 4 races, and the randomness and ability to upgrade is more unique, especially with drivers.

F1 bitesized news

Mugen say the have upgraded the MF-351HD engine with some new parts, they won't say what the changes are but Fighting Mongooses will get some Benefits for the Spanis Grand Prix in Jarma.

Ford have also announced a higher spec engine upgrade too, they have stated the engine will still be less powerful then the HBA engine but will have more grunt and reliabiltiy. The Spec II engine will be of great benefit to Russian Bears and Welsh MRA in their attempts to prequalify.

After Josh Mortons points for EXTRAS, the sponsors have given MRA an extra 90 credits and have told Welsh MRA to prequalify for at least the British Grand Prix at Birmingham or they will pull all funding.

Holden have given Zimsport 90 credits too and have told them to score points before Australia or they will be hitch hiking their way back from the Japanese GP.

[JeremyMcClean]

My mind still can't figure out that Hywel Jones is leading the championship despite being a pay-driver AND not having won yet :S

Also, from the team:

"Please can we have more sponsorship money????? We're leading both championships now, so if you give us money, we can keep it up!"

[tristan1117]

Stavros To Fire Blackwell as Soon as His Contract Runs Out

Although Stavros GP has been displeased with driver Tyrone Blackwell, they will be unable to fire him until his contract runs out after the sixth race of the season. If they void Blackwell's contract, they will be forced to pay Tyrone around 5 million dollars. They also congratulated Melrose on his fourth place and they intend to spend some credits on updates but they have forgotten what the prices are.

[the Masked Lapwing]

Provided the accounts on page 1 are right, then ZimSport will spend 90 credits on improving the chassis, and 15 will go to Katayama to improve her performance.

Should me leave with a truly epic sum of 5

As for a third driver, I'll do that later.

[Shizuka]

Name: Olivier Miura
Nationality: Filipino
Age: 25
Experience: British F3 second, F3000 sixth, then first
If they are a pay driver or not: Yes, sponsored by the government of Phillipines, Toyota and TOM'S

Also, congratulations to Mils for winning our first Grand Prix, keeping it on the road and having some good defense!

[East Londoner]

I can't believe that! It was going so swimmingly, and then the rear suspension just gave way. There was nothing I could do. The only consolation is that most of the top runners screwed up as well, so I didn't lose too much ground in the standings.

That was just a mental race, and a picture perfect example of keeping out of trouble and cleaning up. I enjoy this 5th place!

Ludovic well, there's just no other way of comparing his performance, other than appallingly bad. To be completely outpaced by our loan driver Josh, and to not qualify, is an embarrasment we would not expect of an EXTRAS driver. He will have to perform better if he wants to be in the car for much longer. A fantastic drive from Josh brought us home a 6th place and three more points to the total. Don't be too surprised if Josh were to return to EXTRAS later this season...

As required by the governing body, we have hired a third driver.

Name: Alan O'Malley
Nationality: Irish
Age: 23
Experience: One season in F3000, plus being a test driver for Team Lotus in the latter half of 1993
Pay Driver: No

[SuperAguri]

Here are the current credits, the number in brackets is your original budget.

Auora - 92 (800)
Benetton - 0 (1500)
Chicago - 0 (750)
Clio Racing - 67.5 (500)
Donkervoort - 0 (800)
European - 0 (500)
EXTRAS - 0 (was 101) (750)
Fighting Mongooses - 0 (1000)
Foxdale - 0 (was 130) (900)
Hungarian life - 40 (400)
JLD - 40 (1200)
Russian Bears - 460 (was 535) (500)
Stavros - 90.5 (1300)
Sunshine - 45 (1100)
Team Pheonix - 0 (800)
Welsh MRA - 90 (600)
West Midland - 66 (600)
Zimsport - 95 (was 200) (600)

Here is how you can spend credits to improve your car, viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4539&p=117530#p117530

Although remember you can keep credits for the 1995 season (I know there will be one...).

[dr-baker]

Foxdale were very happy to see both drivers score multiple points today, even if tinted by disappointment of the puncture near the end of the race, costing Leonard a couple of points.

If anyone wants to give me feedback on how this championship is going, things they like and dislike then please let me know. Personally I do think it is going well, 4 different winning drivers in 4 races, and the randomness and ability to upgrade is more unique, especially with drivers.

I think it is going well. Only comment is I wish I could have my own drivers at my own team instead of being "randomly" allocated...

And as for my third driver...

Name: Ephran One Jnr., more commonly known as Eff One
Nationality: British
Age: noboby really knows, but assumed to be similar in age to Michael Schumacher
Experience: some Mini Miglias and Mini Se7ens, plus FRenault UK
If they are a pay driver or not: Yes, from F1 News magazine for whom he writes a column, plus Campaign for Adult Literacy and the Department of Social Services.

This character is directly lifted from my favourite F1 magazine of the 1990's, F1 News, whose slogan was, "Puts the fun into Formula One." You will have a fair idea of what this columnist/character was like by reading the 'interview' of him below that featured on their pages towards the end of 1994. (This has previously featured in the F1RWRS thread, but nobody has taken up his services yet...)

Eff One - The Man Behind The Mask

In response to your many requests we have decided that it is time to unmask our own 'Eff One.


Personal Life

Full Name: Ephran One Jnr.

Birthdate: 31st October (Hallowe'en)

Star Sign: Cliff Richard

Birthplace: I don't really know. I was too young and my mother swears she wasn't there at the time.

Height: I find it safer not to stand still long enough to be measured.

Weight: According to 'Police 5', I am medium build.

Colour of eyes: Red

Are you Left or Right handed? Actually, I am amphibious.

Nickname: Ever since I was at school I have been known as 'Oy You', but since working in F1, people seem to call me Dash It - as in 'Have you seen what Dash It has written this week?'

Family: Mrs. Eff, well, that's what I call her, plus the two little Effers.


Early Life

Did you enjoy school?
I think that's a bit of a personal question. I admit I enjoyed matron a few times, but so did most of 4C.

What were your best subjects?
I was particularly good at country dancing and I won the school prize for Best Milk Monitor.

What was your first job?
I was trained as a coronation programme seller and then I got a job as Marcel Marceau's script writer, but I'm still waiting for a proper job.

Who or what was your first love?
Oh, that's got to be me.

What was your first car?
A Reliant Robin Turbo. Unfortunately, one of the front wheel's was missing.

When did you first become interested in motor racing?
What's motor racing?


Home Life

Where is your present home?
A telephone box between the pits and the Gent's at Silverstone. It's a bit cramped, but Mrs Eff doesn't like me using the family home. She says it ruins her credibility with the neighbours.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, an earthworm called Horace.

What do you do to relax?
I used to be a train spotter, but the station master threw me out for shouting, "Look, there's another one!"

Most treasured possession?
My birth certificate. It makes it possible to prove everyone wrong.

Everday road car?
I drive a Ferrari F40 - Don't look at me like that, the Morris Marina body is just to fool people.

Do you have any phobias?
Not any more. I used to have, but my wife forgot to water them and they died.


Likes and dislikes

What makes you laugh?
My column. It must have universal appeal, because all the women I've ever met say it makes them laugh too.

What makes you really angry?
Gossips and people who spread malicious romour.

What is your favourite music?
Good quality pop, like the Bay City Rollers or Brotherhood of Man, but I also enjoy classical music - I think it's a lot better than it sounds.

Is there any type of music you hate?
I hate 'happy ending' film music. It's so depressing.

What food do you like most?
Cocktail cherries, because you always get a drink with them.

Is there any food you dislike?
Any that I have to pay for.

What is your favourite film?
Polaroid is my favourite film. At least you don't have to give it to the chemist to lose.

Who is your favourite actor/actress?
I've always admired Judith Chalmers.

What is your favourite colour?
I have no colour preference, as long as she's attractive and has a good figure.


Professional Life

Who has been the biggest influence on career?
My probation officer.

Who do you think is the greatest ever racing driver?
American driver, Pete Arun. He was before my time, but I saw him in a film called "Grand Prix" and I think he was brilliant. Have you ever noticed how much he resembled James Gardner, the actor?

Which is your favourite race track?
Wherever the next race is, at least it gets me out of that telephone box.

Which track do you least like?
That's easy. I've always hated the Northern Line.

What do you think is the single most important advance in motor racing safety?
Carpeting circuit bars has dramatically reduced accident injuries.

What was your worst racing moment?
Biting into a Brands Hatch beefburger.

Which race do you remember with most satisfaction?
I am not prepared to answer that as Mrs Eff might be reading this.

Do you have any raceday superstitions or lucky mascots?
On racedays, I always get into the car from the same side - the driver's side - before driving to the circuit.

Who are your personal sponsors?
Campaign for Adult Literacy and the Department of Social Services.

Who do you tip for future F1 stardom?
Personally, I'd love to see Mr and Mrs Michael Andretti return. They would soon be Eff One stars again.

His picture was interesting. He very much resembles Top Gear's The Stig, but with a white balaclava and tinted, red skiing goggles in place of the tinted, white racing helmet...

[dr-baker]

And Foxdale would like to spend the rest of their remaining credits (130) on engine improvements please.

[East Londoner]

EXTRAS would like to spend their remaining credits on chassis improvements.

[FMecha]

Can I spent my credits on chassis and engine?

[The Lukas]

Russian Bears will spend 15% of their budget on Engine upgrades

[DanielPT]

European ERT's Angela Merkel is too much heartbroken to speak and induces yet more lunacy on her drivers by increasing their regime. Team heard her saying "we are almost there!"


Name: Jens Weidmann
Nationality: German
Age: 26
Experience: Backmarker at F3000 and British F3. A few races in CART and he did a Paris-Dakar race just for the heck of it.
If they are a pay driver or not: He is only there because of the money...

[Phoenix]

My third driver:
-Name: César Vialpando.
-Nationality: Mexican.
-Age: 25.
-Experience: everything prior to this series, plus some illegal street races, so he should be excellent at street circuits.
-Pay driver? No.

And I'd like my sponsors to finally pay me, please. I need to improve the car. If they don't pay up, I'd understand they're breaching their contract and terminate all relationships between us.

[tristan1117]

Third Driver:
Name: David Lee
Nationality: Korean
Age: 25
Experience: Sports car midfielder, DTM reject and NASCAR race-winner.
Pay driver: No

[SuperAguri]

Third Driver:
Name: Takeru Mazui
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 22
Experience: Honda Single seaters (a few wins), Japanese F3 (a second place), Japanese F3000 (two fifths).
Pay driver: Yes, has very rich parents who own a large conglomerate.

[SuperAguri]

JeremyMcClean: Well, Jones is one of two drivers that has managed to finish every race, and the only one to do so in the points. Your sponsors paid the fine that you got for Nicolo being a donkey, that is why your 0 is red, they feel that the car is fine as it is and to ask them again after 4 races.

tristan1117 : Once I work out how driver transfers will work you can sack any underperforming driver, there will be compensation you need to pay them but you will not have to pay them their full contract. Although you might want to keep some money to hire one of the third drivers or get a driver swap.

the Masked Lapwing : I updated the totals now, so you have 200 credits to make Zimsport a better car. I have not done the changes you requested as you may want to look at your options before spending the money.

dr-baker : Next year you shall be able to hire at least one of your choosen drivers, although note the word hire as you will still need to be able to afford the driver, plus a driver like Ben Fleet might be offered a better deal at his current team. Although Douglas Mann is likely to have his value drop like a stone.

Phoenix : Your Sponsors give you the money upfront at the start of the year, so you can't get rid of them, although they may give you extra money and give you a deadline to do something, failure to do this means a hole in your finances with bad consequences. I use a random number generator depending on some factors (expectations, current position, driver talent) to work out if they will give you any more money, if they don't well then it is tough.

[JeremyMcClean]

Third Driver
Name: Sebastian Groves
Nationality: French/Australian (pick one)
Age: 23 the last time I checked
Experience: Placed second in the 1991 F3000 Championship. Could have won but didn't want to "be jinxed by winning the F3000." Obviously superstitious. Nearly drove for the team last year but a contract snafu led to a no deal. Currently drives for Phoenix Racing.
Pay driver: Has a few sponsors, considering his potential, but doesn't consider himself a pay-driver. In his words: "Payne Dryver? Who is this Dryver you are talking about?"

[BlindCaveSalamander]

If anyone wants to give me feedback on how this championship is going, things they like and dislike then please let me know. Personally I do think it is going well, 4 different winning drivers in 4 races, and the randomness and ability to upgrade is more unique, especially with drivers.

I'm quite enjoying this so far, actually, I think the randomness is interesting, and it feel like 1994-95 seemed like now. If there was one suggestion I could make, I would ask that if random upgrades can happen, that each team can 'influence' the upgrades that are going to happen - by which I mean, for instance, I could say my team is pressuring Jordan to make more reliable parts, which increases the chance they will roll out an upgraded chassis. Just a thought, anyway.

Name: Jack Carrington-Douglas
Nationality: British
Age: 24
Experience: Has been a regular in F3000 for 3 seasons now, having shown some promise on rare occasions but is generally not considered F1 material. However, he has enough of his father's money to make most teams rethink that opinion.
If they are a pay driver or not: Yes

[Phoenix]

Third Driver
Name: Sebastian Groves
Nationality: French/Australian (pick one)
Age: 23 the last time I checked
Experience: Placed second in the 1991 F3000 Championship. Could have won but didn't want to "be jinxed by winning the F3000." Obviously superstitious. Nearly drove for the team last year but a contract snafu led to a no deal. Currently drives for Phoenix Racing.
Pay driver: Has a few sponsors, considering his potential, but doesn't consider himself a pay-driver. In his words: "Payne Dryver? Who is this Dryver you are talking about?"

Since he's driving for my team, how do you expect him to be a third driver anywhere?

And what are exactly the expectations my sponsors have on my team exactly? If I don't receive money to develop the car I won't be able to keep up scoring (minor) points, plus I'll be forced to cut the salary of Dimitry Vitkin, which is the least performing of my two drivers, and this is something I absolutely don't want to do.

[JeremyMcClean]

Third Driver
Name: Sebastian Groves
Nationality: French/Australian (pick one)
Age: 23 the last time I checked
Experience: Placed second in the 1991 F3000 Championship. Could have won but didn't want to "be jinxed by winning the F3000." Obviously superstitious. Nearly drove for the team last year but a contract snafu led to a no deal. Currently drives for Phoenix Racing.
Pay driver: Has a few sponsors, considering his potential, but doesn't consider himself a pay-driver. In his words: "Payne Dryver? Who is this Dryver you are talking about?"

Since he's driving for my team, how do you expect him to be a third driver anywhere?

And what are exactly the expectations my sponsors have on my team exactly? If I don't receive money to develop the car I won't be able to keep up scoring (minor) points, plus I'll be forced to cut the salary of Dimitry Vitkin, which is the least performing of my two drivers, and this is something I absolutely don't want to do.

Don't worry, he's a pay-driver, he just doesn't like using the term
And you do have a point, so I'll make someone else up:

Third Driver
Name: Jack Jackson
Nationality: British
Age: 22
Experience: No excellent driving experience (he drove for three races in F3000), but does have a complete helicopter license and flies it very well
Pay Driver: Yes!

[the Masked Lapwing]

the Masked Lapwing : I updated the totals now, so you have 200 credits to make Zimsport a better car. I have not done the changes you requested as you may want to look at your options before spending the money.

Well, if I remember correctly you said after the test sessions that the car was allergic to corners, so that seems like a logical thing to do. And I'll improve Katayama because she's really the only chance we have of qualifying at the moment. I'll still spend the same amount, I'll leep the rest for when I'm really desperate.

[QuickYoda41]

Name: Brian Kroldrup
Nationality: Danish
Age: 22
Experience: winner of two Formula 3 series, already won a race in F3000
If they are a pay driver or not: he has some money, but more talent

[the Masked Lapwing]

Name: Jimmy Rosenforth
Nationality: British
Age: 24
Experience: Perennial runner-up - never won a championship, but has a bucketload of second places in F3, FFord and F3000.
Paydriver: Nope.

[SuperAguri]

Not dead, iust been busy with work. Will be running another race this weekend.

[wmetcalf68]

Name: Robby Parker. Nationality: Canadian Age: 25 Experience: Winner in F3 and GP2, a few top 3's in NASCAR. Also won some CART races. Paydriver: No

[FMecha]

WHAT IS SuperAguri DOING? Did he go away with Shinobu and Yuka?
I might offload Team Wales to VIC/Parma Corse.

[JeremyMcClean]

WHAT IS SuperAguri DOING? [/color]

I haven't seem SuperAguri post in a while, but according to his profile his last login was yesterday. So SuperAguri mustn't be too far.

[East Londoner]

I imagine he's probably gone back to work, which means he won't have the time needed to run this for now. It's the same reason why the narrative story I launched on Saturday has gone precisely nowhere, despite me proclaiming I'd have something up to read that night

I'll try again come Thursday, the only day I get to go home early from sixth form...