WEATHER REPORT: Tomorrow, the FMR circus heads toward the most hospitable nation of Naginii. After the insane deadliness of last week's SP GP, Veelastone is a relatively calm, easy track. Despite the ease of the circuit, driving will be fierce as this season's championship starts to shape up. The weather is predicted to cause havoc amongst drivers, echoing the weather of the first Liamopolis GP. Its expected to be gusty tomorrow, favouring streamlining, overcast while maintaining a cool 20 Cs (68 Fs). PERFECT SETUP: SAT with an aggressive driver WORST SETUP: DBC with a defensive driver Eight of the twenty-three current teams carry the perfect setup, with varying driver personalities. No team has been unfortunate enough to be with a DBC setup, however, the DAC setup is extremely popular and likely to be relatively useless when compared to the strength of the streamlined small race car-like vehicles. Good luck to all drivers and teams. RACE REPORT 1: Gusty conditions over the eight laps of the longest circuit on the seasonal calendar so far has yielded somewhat less thrills, spills and almost kills than last week's SP GP. Some inclement weather has come up off the Bruce Bay and the resultant wind has separated the field into three classes: the slow, the quick and the quicker. The pace became too much for Armen Garner, on debut for the newest FMR team, Symira National. In a relatively unusual way, his car became possessed by some evil spirits, possibly unleashed by his opponents in some sort of satanical voodoo ritual. Garner was safely out of the car before the engine mysteriously combusted for no reason that science can explain. Given the strength of some Ille de France voodooism, the Royal Marmaduke is probably lucky to be alive at all. His teammate, however, is in extremely hot form, moving from the back of the grid to elevnth in approximately sixty kilometres. In less supernatural news, Prince Liam II is currently outraged by his teams' continually woeful performances. Out of the forty packets of points available so far this season, his drivers have only managed to grab three of them and this grand prix looks unlikely to yield anymore with the best placed Liamopolisean driver, Kik Marmington, in twenty-sixth place. Also in the cellars is the Burtech Racing Team. With cars that aren't really cut out for these kinds of conditions, both drivers are languishing behind Kik Marmington. If results go against them, the BRT could lose touch with the top of the tables and throw the championships wide open. Looking at some of the quicker cars and three of the four hometown drivers are firmly entrenched in the top ten. Naginii Racing Group's Fluffy and Pooder and Naginii FMR's Marley are sixth, ninth and second respectively. They all look to building on last week's succesful drives and could be looking at making a mid-season charge for the top. But Naginiian fans shouldn't get too excited just yet (although fans lining Veelastone certainly are). If one looks back to the Meadowbank GP, three Wilkdonian drivers featured in the top ten at the end of the first sector and by the end only one driver was left, leaving the top ten open for Rhellisean drivers. With particularly weak vehicles, the Naginii Racing Group drivers should be exercising extreme caution and showing the field what they've got skillswise. Silent Jim, a driver we expected to see more of as a rising talent but has choked on most major occassions for shininess, is, at the moment, in front. He is tailed closely by the aforementioned Marley with Slayer, teammate of Liamopolis GP winner Arch Rival, in third. Fourth is currently occupied by Nestle, a quiet achiever so far this season, of Keet-o-rama and Ardent Antagonist, Princess Shirvine is fifth. At the moment the top five are only separated by a handful of seconds and a single mistake could cost any of them a chance at points today. Top ten at the quarter way mark (8 laps) of the Naginii GP: 1. Silent Jim (Sport Francais de Moteur) 2. Marley (Naginii FMR) 3. Slayer (Midnight Shadow) 4. Neslte (Keet-o-rama) 5. Princess Shirvine (Ardent Antagonists) 6. Fluffy (Naginii Racing Group) 7. Black Jack (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) 8. Royal Flush (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) 9. Pooder (Naginii Racing Group) 10. Cecile (Screech of Surique) By car number, positions 11 through 45: 50, 5, 19, 29, 26, 20, 47, 12, 32, 8, 42, 6, 11, 40, 25, 4, 17, 33, 9, 43, 44, 2, 48, 22, 36, 35, 16, 7, 21, 14, 1, 3, 10, 18 and last 15. OUT: 49 [voodoo curse] RACE REPORT 2: For the first time since the first quarter of the Meadowbank GP two weeks ago, no new drivers have failed to finish, meaning that all drivers, except for Armen Garner, have made it to the halfway mark of the Naginiian race. Silent Jim of Sport Francais de Moteur still holds the lead, by an increased margin, after Marley ploughed into the Marmalitter after misjudging the 8-9 chicane. She managed to keep the engine running and was able to continue on the race but due to the competitiveness of the environment, Marley can now be found in fourteenth. While this was bad for the homecrowd's morale, a determined Fluffy counteracted this by moving up two places into fourth after some solid driving and pouncing on opportunities. Pooder is still in the mix but has fallen back to tenth after succumbing to pressure from other drivers. In second, however, is Royal Flush, the Royal driving for Meadowbank Casino House Ltd. She managed to make up six places in eight laps after some determined and skillful driving. Nestle, who has only been in the top ten in Liamopolis, is sustaining her top ten flight by grabbing the remaining podium position. Of course, it remains to be seen whether these drivers will be able to hold form. Despite drivers changing all around her and moving up and down the order, Princess Shirvine has remarkably maintained her fifth place and is looking to add more points to her streak from the last two races. Vehicle eleven occupies sixth spot - Fish Goti, one half of the top team in FMR at the moment, Tastee Badger Treets Racing. After coming away from SP with no points, the TBTR team is looking to exend its lead over championship rivals Burtech Racing Team who, while they have improved in the last eight laps, Ahmed Dakis and Brother Ulrik are trapped in the middle of the field. The Wilkdonian Rancher Guild driver Bob occupies seventh and in eigth, providing much to cheer about for the blue and green clad, spaced out SP hippies lining Veelastone, the second most noticeable group after the Naginiian fans decked out in yellow and orange, is Joy Schickt from the Marmadukes of Hazard. FMR tends to be a cruel sport (just look at Armen Garner) where fortunes change rapidly. But if a driver is talented enough, see Nordla Anasad's performance in Meadowbank, they can hold their placing. Are any of these drivers that talented? Stick around to find out. Top ten at the halfway mark (16 laps) of the Naginii GP: 1. Silent Jim (Sport Francais de Moteur) 2. Royal Flush (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) 3. Neslte (Keet-o-rama) 4. Fluffy (Naginii Racing Group) 5. Princess Shirvine (Ardent Antagonists) 6. Fish Goti (Tastee Badger Treets Racing) 7. Bob (Wilkdonian Ranchers Guild) 8. Joy Schickt (Marmadukes of Hazard) 9. Black Jack (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) 10. Pooder (Naginii Racing Group) By car number, positions 11 through 45: 26, 47, 29, 31, 34, 19, 33, 30, 36, 43, 3, 50, 8, 6, 18, 40, 12, 32, 21, 17, 35, 22, 7, 1, 48, 42, 9, 4, 2, 25, 44, 15, 10, 14 and last 16. OUT: 49 [voodoo curse] RACE REPORT 3: The unbroken run of non-breaking vehicles was finished when Antoinette of the Flying Mosmaniacs failed to finish for the second time in as many races. It could well be that the computer virus that plagued the on-board computers in SP has carried over to Naginii. While at the back of the field, Antoinette's teammate, Antoine, is still running well but it only takes an instant for the virus to strike and render the car undriveable. Luckily, Veelastone has no major dangers on it and so even if the car does fail, the driver should be relatively safe. That is unless its travelling at 250 km/h and slams into a wall but we all hope that doesn't happen. In last place is Johnson 2 of the Mentally Insane George's Racing Team from Keetoria. Today it seems that they are unlikely to get their first points of the season. They are one of two teams that have not scored points yet this season and the only one that is not on debut in today's grand prix. Johnson 1 is fairing better but unlikely to make up the ground necessary to bring him into the points. Steadily moving up the field this race has been Nestle and she's finally reached the epitome of the field. Silent Jim and Royal Flush were tussling and both slipped a bit from the intense pressure they placed on each other and Nestle just cruised through to take the lead. Neslte now has a fair lead on the next two who are still fairly tight. The Naginiian drivers are still strong. The Naginii Racing Group's drivers Fluffy and Pooder are fourth and eighth and Marley from Naginii FMR is ninth. The yellow and orange fans are going nuts at the prospect of three drivers finishing in the top ten. Princess Shirvine is still fifth, hanging onto the tails of the first four who haven't changed anything but their order. Bob from the WRG is still sixth with Black Jack, Royal Flush's teammate, in seventh. Finally, tenth place is occupied by Fish Goti from TBTR. Without any challenge from the BRT and if the vehicles finish as are, the Sport Francais de Moteur will move into first place, one point ahead of the TBTR with BRT in third. Top ten at the three-quarter way mark (24 laps) of the Naginii GP: 1. Nestle (Keet-o-rama) 2. Silent Jim (Sport Francais de Moteur) 3. Royal Flush (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) 4. Fluffy (Naginii Racing Group) 5. Princess Shirvine (Ardent Antagonists) 6. Bob (Wilkdonian Ranchers Guild) 7. Black Jack (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) 8. Pooder (Naginii Racing Group) 9. Marley (Naginii FMR) 10. Fish Goti (Tastee Badger Treets Racing) By car number, positions 11 through 44: 19, 30, 33, 47, 34, 18, 29, 36, 43, 32, 20, 6, 12, 50, 4, 2, 22, 3, 42, 9, 1, 48, 40, 7, 15, 10, 21, 8, 14, 25, 35, 17, 16 and last 44. OUT: 49 [voodoo curse], 26 [computer virus] RACE REPORT 4: The final eight laps saw some exciting action. A third and final driver failed to make the finishing line in this oft cruel sport. For a second week running, after the death trap that was the SP GP, James Pimpanzee, who after the first two races was touted to be a challenger this year, failed to finish. Understeer had been hampering his entire race and on the approach to turn eleven, Pimpanzee was unable to get his car turning fast enough. What resulted was his car skidding off the track and into a building in St Veelastone. Luckily all buildings near the track not in use by the FMR had half a metre of plate diamond erected in front of them, so as to protect the buidling from debris and the like. Pimpanzee crashed right into the diamond barrier. His car's monocoque was strong enough not to shatter on impact and so Pimpanzee survived, unhurt but his Meadowbank Boy Racer small race car-like vehicle is now only half its original length and presumably undriveable. In last place remained Johnson 2, convincingly winning the wooden spoon over Burtech Racing Team driver, Ahmed Dakis and Rio Racing driver, Drivey McDriver. Johnson 2's countrymarmaduke at the front showed how patience can pay off. Neslte from Keet-o-rama crossed the line after the 32 laps in first place, taking out the chequered flag. Nestle was steady but by no means slow, driving one of the fastest grands prix we've seen all season, and climbed her way up through the field. Just as consistent but just not uick enough was Princess Shirvine from the Ardent Antagonists. After staying in fifth at each of the sector ends, Shirvine harnessed the power of her LandVac engine and pushed her vehicle across the line, ahead of the race favourites. Third was Fluffy from the Naginii Racing Group. Fluffy won the five race pre-season competition with a win and a third and so far in the same amount of time has managed to gain a second and a third, gaining first place of the drivers championship. Fluffy is obviously pleased with his results, even he finished in the back half of the field most of the time, and looks to continue his domination of the sport. Twelth, seventh, sixth and now fourth were Bob's positions at the sectors, continuing this race's tradition of steadily increasing places. Fifth was Fluffy's teammate, Pooder, ending a strong showing for the team and country on their home circuit. The yellow and orange homecrowd are clearly thrilled with today's results. Top ten at the conclusion (32 laps) of the Naginii GP: 1. Nestle (Keet-o-rama) - 30 points 2. Princess Shirvine (Ardent Antagonists) - 20 points 3. Fluffy (Naginii Racing Group) - 15 points 4. Bob (Wilkdonian Ranchers Guild) - 12 points 5. Pooder (Naginii Racing Group) - 9 points 6. Silent Jim (Sport Francais de Moteur) - 7 points 7. Cecile (Screech of Surique) - 5 points 8. Black Jack (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) - 3 points 9. Arch Rival (Midnight Shadow) - 2 points 10. Royal Flush (Meadowbank Casino House Ltd) - 1 point By car number, positions 11 through 43: 29, 31, 32, 20, 22, 50, 11, 19, 47, 34, 4, 18, 12, 43, 15, 3, 1, 48, 36, 42, 6, 8, 7, 21, 2, 9, 40, 25, 14, 16, 35, 17 and last 44. OUT: 49 [voodoo curse], 26 [computer virus], 10 [terminal delengthening of vehicle] This brings to an end the first half of the FMR season in Ille de France. Next week, the drivers, teams and all of us here at FMRTV are taking a well deserved break from the hectic schedule. The weekend starting November 7, the FMR circus will head out to Mosmania, just to the north of Paris. The four of the first five races have been on tracks and the second half will see a reverse, with four of the five final races being on the streets of host nations. With that in mind, now is an appropriate time to look at the standings. First the drivers and Fluffy of the Naginii Racing Group has taken a clear lead, amazingly without winning a GP, on 35 points. Second place is held by Arch Rival (Midnight Shadow) on 32, who's two points from today puts her one a half points ahead of Brother Ulrik of the Burtech Racing Team on 30.5. The next three drivers are race winners all on 30 points including, Bolock, Nestle and Nordla Anasad. In the constructors, the Ardent Antagonists have swept to first on the back of three points scoring grands prix in a row for Princess Shirvine and last week's win for Bolock at SP. Second is the Naginii Racing Group who are four points behind with their top driver Fluffy aided by Pooder. And third is occupied by the Tastee Badger Treets Racing team who have led for the last two weeks but neither of their driver's were capable of bringing home any points today and so have had to relinquish it. At the middle of last week's GP, with the BRT boys in first and second, it seemed that maybe Ille de France FMR maybe come under Burtechian domination, however, while still scoring major points last week but no points this week, the BRT have faded somewhat into the background, demonstrating how quickly this sport can change. So if you haven't had any major point scores yet, don't lose hope, because your fortune could all turn around.