09.02.2016
Bruno Eliazord. VRC PRO Reporter & Pro Class Racer.
WELCOME here in Boss Speed (reverse mode), for the first round of the 1:8 nitro sportscars spec championship season 2016, where many things happened !
The track is located in Tokyo, and has already organized big events in real life, like the 2014 JMRCA All Japan Championship 1/10th GP Open Class. The layout is small, technical, and you need to be very precise in your driving if you want to be fast.
No time to loose, let's talk about the qualifications, where 99 racers came from all over the world, representing not less than 18 nations. The Spec class is famous on VRC PRO, because it's a good way to make the first steps in this driving simulator. Drivers had 7 minutes to show their skills, with a pit stop, knowing that the entry of the pit lane was tricky, because of the two tires made for slowing down the speed of the cars. A bad pit stop, and you loose everything.
In club class, on 19 drivers, Carl Huxford from Unired Kingdom took the first spot with 24 laps /7.03.922. Johann Jury from Austria took the 2nd spot with 24 laps/7.04.220, and Vachiraporn Gaewsai from Thaïland took the 3rd spot with 23 laps/7.07.110. The others drivers who won their place for the Club A Main were : Scott Dickson, Sylvain Daurat, Richard Van Osh, Jodie Grein, Joseph Haln, Gary Climie, Jean Michel Ginet.
In sport class, on 35 drivers, Jacques Blanchin from France, took the 1st spot with 25 laps/7.02.196. Rudolf Aignier from Thaïland 2nd with 25 laps/7.08.870, and 3rd Francisco Manuel from Portugal with 25 laps/7.14.464. The seven other drivers of the Sport A Main were : Yuriy Meshkov, Mike stack, Jonathan Csernak, Erwin Fieselberger, Hans Guenther Heitsch, Romain Lacroix, Philip Lee.
In pro class, 45 aliens drivers with inhuman skills took part of the qualifications, and the fight for the pôle has been so close ! Only 5 seconds between the first place and the 5th ! That's what racing on VRC PRO is about !Jeffrey « Superman » Rietveld from Netherlands has been the fastest with 27 laps/7.00.370, followed by the surprising Hiromu « Hiro Nakamura » Fujii from Japan with 27 laps/7.01.296, and Simon « Iron Man » Wood from United Kingdom with 27 laps/7.02.958. Seven other Avengers won the right to join the adventure in Pro A Main : Graham Raistrick, Joshua Bermann, Miquel Hereijgers, Jukka-Pekka Huhtala, Jose Angel Vera, Nuno Correia, Benjamin Lehmann.
Main finals : GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES !
Pro A Main :
As soon as the race starts, things go crazy. Hiromu « Hiro Nakamura » Fujii, the man who has no time to loose, makes a wonderful start and pass immediately Jeffrey « Superman » Rietveld, who has lost temporarily his super power, even making a mistake at the 3rd corner. Jeffrey has also been passed by Simon Wood. But unfortunately, Simon in the second lap, also makes a mistake, and Joshua bermann takes the opportunity to get the 3rd spot behind Jeffrey still second. They are closely followed by Graham Raistrick, willing to pass Simon, Miquel Hereijgers, Jukka-Pekka Huhtala, Nuno Correia, and Jose Angel Vera. (Benjamin did not start).
Alway in this second lap, Jeffrey makes a second mistake, perhaps because of the pressure of Joshua « Captain America » Bermann who eats him faster than a Big Mac at Mac Donald. In the same time, Simon « Iron Man » Wood, comes back in the battlefield like a rocket, and takes the 3rd place to Jeffrey. Their fight is so hard and tight, that Jeffrey needs several laps to take back the 3rd place, but Simon don't give up, and stays just behind him in 4th. In front of Jeffrey, at the second spot, Joshua Bermann drives like a robot, and makes no mistake. Unfortunately, Jeffrey « Superman » has too much power, and the wheels on fire, he gains the second spot at the 10th lap.
In front of the race, Hiromu drives like a World Champion, and strechs the gap with the others. I've told you, this guy has no time to loose !
In the middle, Graham Raistrick, Miquel Hereijgers and Nuno Correia are seperates by few seconds.
In the back of the race, Jose Angel Vera makes a mistake and falls down at the last spot. Jukka-Pekka is 8, but still all is possible for all these alien's skill level racers !
Just before the first pit stop, Hiromu is 1st, Jeffrey 2nd, Simon 3rd, Joshua, 4th, Graham 5th, Miquel 6th, Nuno Correia 7th, Jose Angel 8th, and Jukka-Pekka 9th.
The first drivers to pit are Hiromu, Jeffrey, Simon, Nuno, Miquel at the 19th lap. They have the same strategy.
One lap later it's the turn of Graham, Joshua, Jose Angel and Jukka-Pekka to pit, but Joshua hit the tires at the entry of the pit lane. What happened « Captain America » ??? Well , I've told you, the pit lane was tricky, and many drivers had the same problem, and lost time and places. Fortunately for Joshua, he has been able to keep his 4th place just before Graham.
At the 33th lap, after a worldchampionship level battle between Hiromu and Jeffrey, Hiromu just brushes against the curb, and Jeffrey asks not more to take him the first spot. What a race !
And his troubles are not finished. Unfortunately for him, he seems to have lost his focus, and at the 37th lap, he makes 2 big mistakes, and has to wait a mashall to put his car back on the track. Graham « Charles from X-Men » Raistrick, always clever and patient, takes the chance he has been waiting for, and Simon Wood do the same. Two positions lost for Hiromu, and his bad luck continues, one lap later with another little mistake.
At mid race, the ranking is : 1/Jeffrey Rietveld. 2/Graham Raistrick.3/Simon Wood.4/Hiromu Fujii.5/Nuno Correia.6/Miquel Hereijgers.7/Joshua Bermann.8/Jukka Pekka Huhtala.9/Jose Angel Vera.
The last ten minutes promise to be full of suspens as things seems to be uncertain. The race can change at any moment, and will Hiromu gets his paypack after his wonderfull first part of the race ruined by too many mistakes ? Let's see that.
At the 41 lap, Miquel hits the curb just in front of the podium, and his car makes a flip, fortunatelay for him, without any consequence. He is still in 7th position, which is not good enouh for him, regarding his level.
At the 42nd lap, it's the turn of Jeffrey to make a mistake (again !), but Graham in 2nd spot is too far to take advantage of that. Even Worst, Hiromu, the man who has no time to loose, recovers his pace, and after several laps behind Graham, he pass him at the 48th lap, and leaves him behind definitly. Now the question is : will he be able to close the gap with Jeffrey, the leader of this race ?
At the 48th lap, Miquel Hereijgers, him again, makes a mistake. This race was not for him. Next time for sure.
At the 55th laps, only 3 drivers remain in the same lap than the leader. Joshua Bermann, Nuno Correia, Jukka-Pekka Huhtala, and Jose Angel Vera, already know they have no chance left to win this race.
In the lead Hiromu is 5 secondes behind Jeffrey, Graham 1,4 seconde behind Hiromu, Simon 0,4 second behind Graham. So the win is still possible for all these drivers, considering the fact it remains 5 minutes 30 secondes left in this race, which means 21, 22 laps.
At the 60th lap, Graham, slightly touch a curb, than Simon can reach him, cause the gap was already small.
At the 61st lap, Simon stops in the pit lane, for the last time, and Graham does the same one lap later. But Graham is too long in the pit, so when he goes out of the pit lane, Simon just pass him. I told you, the pit lane is tricky, and several racers lost time because of that. The race ain't over till it's over !
After that, the ranking won't change anymore, and Jeffrey « Superman » Rietveld, the driver who comes from another planet, wons this race with only five seconds on Hiromu.
Hiromu Fujii, has been indisputably the man of this race, because he challenged Jeffrey from the qualifications to the middle of the main final. What would happened, if he had not made few mistakes? Could he be the Superman's krytonite ? Hope we will see that at the next race.
See you at the upcomming 2nd round of the 1:8 nitro Sportscars spec championship at Fort Myers !
A Main Final Pro Class :
1/Jeffrey Rietveld / 77 / 20:01.734
2/Hiromu Fujii / 77 / 20:06.948
3/Simon Wood / 77 / 20:10.090
4/Graham Raistrick / 77 / 20:12.068
5/Joshua Berman / 76 / 20:05.668
6/Miquel Hereijgers / 76 / 20:14.094
7/Nuno Correia / 76 / 20:14.478
8/Jukka-Pekka Huhtala / 75 / 20:10.924
9/Jose angel Vera / 75 / 20:12.818
10/Benjamin Lehmann / DNS
A Main Final Sport Class :
1/Jacques Blanchin / 73 / 20:00.616
2/Rudolf Aigner / 70 / 20:09.966
3/Francisco Manuel / 69 / 20:00.918
4/Yuriy Meshkov / 69 / 20:01.578
5/Hans Guenther Heitsch / 68 / 20:00.996
6/Erwin Fiselberger / 68 / 20:04.520
7/Romain LACROIX / 68/ 20:08.412
8/Jonathan Csernak / 67 / 20:01.628
9/Mike Strack / 67 / 20:06.736
10/Philip Lee / 24 / 07:06.544 / DNS
A Main Final Club Class :
1/Johann Jury / 69 / 20:14.900
2Carl Huxford / 66 / 20:15.978
3/Vachiraporn Gaewsai / 65 / 20:13.316
4/Richard Van osch / 64 / 20:01.188
5/Scott Dickson / 63 / 20:38.580
6/Jodie Grein / 61 / 20:07.102
7/Gary Climie / 60 / 20:01.224
8/Jean-Michel Ginet / 59 / 20:20.894
9/Sylvain DAURAT / 17 / 05:56.676
10/Joseph Hahn / 22 / 07:16.940 / DNS
