RD GP Championship 2016

[Alexis Clapano]

Still sitting at a friend's house bcoz internet is toooo shiiity to use. Sorry for the no show.

 

[Decenten]

Aye I didnt get any penalties

 

[Aidan Keranen]

2KF1 Race Recap found here
trust, the driver recaps are amazing...
@Jimlaad43 @kedy89

 

[Decenten]

My race and qually. No edit might make it into highlights later on this week

 

[Chris]

Sorry about the delay on the race recap article gents. I've not had much time this week as I'm house sitting for someone so I'll try and get it up and published this weekend.

 

[Tony]

Sorry about the delay on the race recap article gents. I've not had much time this week as I'm house sitting for someone so I'll try and get it up and published this weekend.

slack

 

[Tony]

High probability both jack and I are gonna miss this one. Will confirm
You do realise you are racing this on the easter long weekend

 

[Jeremy Talbot]

High probability I will be too any chance of a calendar change?

 

[Chris]

High probability both jack and I are gonna miss this one. Will confirm
You do realise you are racing this on the easter long weekend

High probability I will be too any chance of a calendar change?

Yep I am aware of it. Just an unfortunate clash as F1's Importance > Easter's importance
I can make a calendar change if the majority of people are okay if this is pushed back, or rescheduled to be the final round.

 

[Jimlaad43]

I'd prefer it stayed when it is

 

[Jeremy Talbot]

Yep I am aware of it. Just an unfortunate clash as F1's Importance > Easter's importance
I can make a calendar change if the majority of people are okay if this is pushed back, or rescheduled to be the final round.

I honestly wasn't expecting for it to be changed so don't worry about me. If I miss out then it's really my rotten luck.

 

[Jack]

It's starting to get busy for the Easter weekend unfortunately
I would love to be able to compete at Spa
So I'm keen to postpone.

Don't want the Minister of Family Affairs to turn into the Minister Of War

 

[Chris]

On the first days of the European Spring, the RaceDepartment Grand Prix circus took to the tarmac on a chilly day at Circuit Park Zandvoort for Round Two of the Grand Prix Championship.

Qualifying
Two-time reigning champion and current championship leader, Sun Levi, left Silverstone with the perfect start to the season by taking pole, leading every lap of the race, setting the fastest lap and going on to win the race.

Zandvoort however provides an entirely different set of challenges, with no room for error, very bumpy track surface and an incredibly thin track width, getting a clean, traffic-free lap in qualifying would be crucial to having a good day. After all, much like Monaco, at Zandvoort track position is king.

The 20 minute qualifying session proved yet again that Sun Levi is in a class of one, however the gap is closing...​

As qualifying came to a close at the immensely bumpy Netherlands circuit, it looked as if we were in for more of the same as Matheus Machado and Tobias Rohner - both driving for the sister team of Talking Door Racing Red - occupied second and third places respectively behind the Talking Door Racing Green car of Sun Levi who sat on Pole position after setting a blisteringly quick 1:32.9, seven tenths of a second quicker than second place. Given the weather and track conditions, this would prove to be a world record lap.

Josh Noack was the biggest surprise in qualifying as he qualified 4th after a somewhat lackluster performance in Silverstone, with a 1:33.6. Tony Binelli would continue his strong form in qualifying by taking 5th, Stephen Sekhon would line up 6th with Edward Rockett, Jeremy Talbot, Chris Stacey and Charles Baccio rounding out the top 10 respectively.

Race
As the lights went out all cars pulled away cleanly, remarkably making it through the tight and twisty turns in the first sector without incident. The #773 car of Josh Noack was able to jump Tobias Rohner off the line putting him up into 3rd place.

With the incredibly demanding track characteristics, it would not be long before incidents began to occur. Fred Locklear unfortunately ran too wide on the exit of turn 8, losing control and spinning back onto the track right past oncoming cars. Being incredibly lucky not to have contact with anyone, Locklear would resume in last place having thankfully kept it out of the barriers, but with an extra few kilograms of gravel onboard.

The number 72 car of Stephen Sekhon was running in sixth place to start lap two, however he lost the rear end slightly on the exit of the tricky Turn 2, severely reducing his speed. With the number 7 car of Chris Stacey following closely behind, he would have no time to react and the pair made nose-to-gearbox contact, putting Sekhon into a spin and into the barriers.

Alex Townsend had a great start gaining six positions in the first two laps, however it would all come undone at the start of lap three as Evan Spall missed his braking point badly into turn one, leaving him with no where to go and careering into the side of Townsend as he was midway through the corner. Spall would later retire from the race with a badly damaged car.

Josh Noack passes Matheus Machado for second place and his best performance of the season so far. ​

Josh Noack of Pro Force Racing began to reel in the second placed Machado, with a substantially better run out of the penultimate corner, Noack was able to make a swift and clean overtake to claim second spot on the podium. From there he gradually pulled away from Machado, however he did not have the pace to match the out-front Levi.

Seven laps in and Jeremy Talbot would lose a whopping 11 positions after making contact with the barrier on the exit of Turn 8, rendering his front wing next to useless. After completing an extra lap to confirm that it was in fact broken, he pitted for repair and in the process bleeding time and positions.

As the race neared the halfway mark, several battle-packs began to form as faster drivers began to get held up by those in front with track position, and with overtaking here at Zandvoort being nigh on impossible, the chances of clearing a slightly slower car were few and far between.

Chris Stacey and Tony Binelli were locked in a tight battle with Stacey showing slightly quicker pace than his countryman, however Stacey would carry too much speed into the turn 11/12 chicane, tapping Binelli from behind and sending him into the barriers. Stacey would lose position to Edward Rockett, however Binelli would rejoin next to Stephen Sekhon. Unaware of his position, Binelli would unintentionally run him out of road going into the second last corner, handing two places to Tom Newman-Morris and David Armstrong.

Battle packs began to form as race progressed and the field strung out.​

With the level of concentration required taking it's toll, Ashley Cowan would be the next victim as he was too early on the accelerator coming out of turn 12, losing the rear end, slamming into the barriers and losing five places in the process.

Out front and Sun Levi had amassed an eight second gap to Noack in second. With an obvious pace advantage, Levi could afford to wind things back a little in order to minimise risk, and still win the race.

With the colder conditions, tyre graining became an issue for some drivers as they gradually lost more and more grip, arguably none more so than Stacey of Trident as he commenced on a near-race long battle with 2KF1's Edward Rockett for fifth place. Eventually making a pass on lap 19, Stacey's tyres were on their last legs and he was unable to pull away from Rockett. With just two laps remaining, Rockett achieved a superior run out of the final corner and tried to make a pass around the outside of turn one, however Stacey broke late while defending the inside and locked up as his tyres were well and truly destroyed by that point. This left no room for Rockett on the outside and the pair made contact with Stacey being spun around. Tobi Kederer, team mate of Rockett, was able to capitalise and take both places after keeping his powder dry and observing the battle from just behind for much of the race.

Edward Rockett made his Dallara F312 as wide as could be to try and hold off the chasing pack​

From laps 10 to 21, the number 50 car of Michael Stead was locked in a tight battle for ninth place with his team mate Tom Newman-Morris and Tridents' David Armstrong. However it would all come unstuck for Stead as turn 8 would yet again claim another victim, dropping him down two places. Armstrong and Newman-Morris would continue to fight hard and caught up to Charles Baccio who didn't quite have the pace, however track position allowed him to remain ahead provided he made no mistakes. This allowed Dan Cosofret to join the fun and eventually pass Armstrong after he [Armstrong] made a bold move up the inside of Newman-Morris into turn one making contact and slowing Armstrong down to allow Cosofret through.

Armstrong however would pass both of them for ninth position two laps later after Cosofret and Newman-Morris made contact trying to go side-by-side through turn one.

Sun Levi brought the car home in another dominant display of sheer speed and consistency by claiming his second win by nearly 20 seconds to Josh Noack in second, and Matheus Machado in third.

Taking his second win in as many races, Sun Levi came home nearly 20 seconds ahead of second place. ​

Final Result
As the chequered flag fell on arguably the toughest race of the season, a strong day for Talking Door Racing ensures that they remain at the top of both tables as we head to the legendary Spa Francorchamps for Round 3.

Podium Interviews
Sun Levi - 1st Place
Q. Congratulations on taking yet another win Sun! You took the chequered flag by nearly 20 seconds back to second place; a substantial gap. Were you in cruise control - so to speak - just to make sure that you didn't risk having an accident?

A. "Thank you! Once again I'm very happy with my performance, overall it was a great race weekend for both me & my team. As always the plan from the start was to just go flat out, 2nd, 3rd & 4th were fighting for position so that helped me built a gap and pull away, once the gap was 10+ seconds I knew I had it, so it was pointless to be on the limit."

Q. You've now taken two wins in as many races and have a strong hold on the championship, however given the pace shown by Josh Noack today, does this give you any concerns going into future rounds?

A. "There's always concerns that there'll be potential threats from behind. Even with my pace advantage I know if I make any mistakes someone is going to be there to capitalize on it. But obviously pace advantage gives you a boost in confidence. It was nice to see a new face on the podium, it was well deserved, it was a great drive by him! I think his performance is concerning to other drivers more than me!"

Josh Noack - 2nd Place
Q. Congratulations on finishing second today Josh! You showed some serious turns of pace during both qualifying and the race in comparison to Silverstone, do you think Zandvoort is a circuit that suits your driving style? Or was it something else?

A. "It was a definite sign of improvement from Silverstone where I only managed to get a top 15 in qualifying and had some bad luck with damage on the first lap crash. It was nice to drive on a good setup and I spent a bit more time practicing on this track and it certainly paid off."

Matheus Machado - 3rd Place
Q. Well done on a hard fought third place Matheus, given the difficulty and unforgiving nature of the track, was today just a case of trying to safely bag as many points for the team as possible by bringing the car home? Or was re-overtaking Josh ever a possibility?

A. "After a very intense (much more than intense) qualifying session and watching TDR taking the first three spots in the grid in a highly competitive field, we went into the race very confident as we knew we had the best pace around. Josh Noack came as a surprise, being able to pull out some consistently fast laps. I decided to wait for a mistake from his part to take 2nd place as my teammate Tobias Röhner was at about my pace with a 25 second lead to 5th place.

Unfortunately for us Josh performance was impeccable and I had no answer for his pace without taking so much risks in a deadly track like Zandvoort. I wouldn't say I just safely drove the car home, as I was pushing very hard, whilst not taking risks.

I want to congratulate Sun Levi for his brilliant driving once again and especially Josh Noack, who came out of nowhere to spice-up our somewhat peaceful battle for the first three spots! Looking forward to Spa, a track I personally like as do some of my teammates."


Championship Standings
So after two rounds a familiar face stands atop the championship with a 30 point lead over Tobias Rohner in the sister team of Talking Door Racing Red. There's still three rounds remaining and whilst anything could happen, Levi has well and truly got one hand on the championship trophy already. With second place in today's race, Noack jumps up to sixth place, and despite an horrific day at the office, Stephen Sekhon remains fifth after his strong performance in Silverstone. Aidan Keranen of 2KF1 Racing rounds out the points-getters after coming home 15th for his first point of the season.

A look at the teams tables and the two Talking Door Racing teams are just 15 points apart, despite Sun Levi accounting for 100 of the 115 points for TDR Green. Consistent performances from 2KF1 Racing have put them up into third place, while the number one team of A.P.I.A. Racing are left wondering what could have been had Binelli not been spun around early on in the race.

​

As round two concludes itself to the history books, the championship sets it's sights on the awesome Spa-Francorchamps circuit for Round 3. Will Sun Levi make it three from three? Or will the Ardennes Forest spring a surprise?

 

[Chris]

Stop number three on the calendar is the famous Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Widely considered as one of the greatest tracks in the world, Spa provides ultra high speed straights and corners knifing its way through the beautiful backdrop of the Ardennes Forest.

General Information
Date: Saturday 26th March 2016
Server Name: RACEDEPARTMENT.COM RDGPC
Start time: 20:00 AEDT (09:00 GMT)
Skin Pack: DOWNLOAD
Virtual Time of Day: 14:00
Starting Track Grip: 96%
Conditions: TBD
Racing Laps: 18 | Standing Start

Technical Notes
Track Length: 7.004 km
Top speed: 230 km/h
Turns: 19 in total (9 right, 10 left)

Track Map & Red Zone:
The red zone for Round 3 applies from the start line to the exit of Turn 4 (Raidillon) during the first lap of the race. Incidents that occur in this zone will be automatically looked at and scrutinized more heavily, and may be punished more severely. The objective of the red zone is to promote a clean start to the race so that everyone can get through the first lap unscathed. Erratic changes of direction, contact and crashes will be penalized more harshly if found guilty.

Track Limits
Article 6.1 of the 2016 RaceDepartment League Regulations states that all drivers must maintain at least two wheels within the white lines of the track at all times when under normal control of their car. Whilst article 6.1 applies to the entire race track, the stewards will pay particularly strong attention to the following areas of the track. The cutting penalties outlined in the Stewards Notice Board thread will be applied to drivers who take liberties with these areas too often.

Turn 4 (Raidillon)

Turn 9 (Liège)

Turn 14 (Stavelot)

Pit Lane Exit
Drivers must not exceed the white line on the exit of the pit lane which guides you safely back to the racing line, at any point during Qualifying or the Race. Doing so could lead to a dangerous encounter with opponents, and may spoil their hotlap or race. If caught doing so, you will be given an automatic 10 second time penalty added to your race time. Drivers are allowed to cross it during the practice session, provided it does not impede anyone or cause an incident. If it does impede or cause an incident, then the affected driver is free to submit an incident report.

TeamSpeak
You are required to be present on TeamSpeak during all rounds of the league. Upon joining the RaceDepartment TeamSpeak server, you must set up your teams' Sub-Channel within the RDGPC channel, using your team name.

 

[Chris]

Looking forward to this after a bogey track for me. I've had very little time since Monday so only been able to log a few laps so far, but I feel much more comfortable with the high speed corners here and the car setup feels very nice in the handful of laps I've done. Feeling very confident that I can go for P2 [assuming of course Sun is as dominant as ever] and get my championship back on track after two abysmal rounds .

 

[TobiasR]

Very nice write up once more I'm happy with 4th, though a podium would've certainly been nice. Looks like I'm fighting Matheus for 2nd in the championship with Stephen's bad luck. But who knows who else will have a say in that...

 

[Aidan Keranen]

ayyy got a mention boys

 

[Scrambles]

Brilliant stuff Chris

 

[Cristian Haba]

Amazing write up as always man.

 

[Matheus Machado]

Very nice write up once more I'm happy with 4th, though a podium would've certainly been nice. Looks like I'm fighting Matheus for 2nd in the championship with Stephen's bad luck. But who knows who else will have a say in that...