FALL 2005 - EXODUS-TABLELAND SERIES RD3: AVOLON Pre Race WEATHER: Temperature: 19 Cs/66 Fs. Wind Factor: 9. Overall: Rain. Avolon is a large nation dominated by lush forest and rolling hills. The weather is temperate to subtropical. Titania is the capital of the fair nation and rests in a peaceful meadow amongst the rolling landscape and forest. It is the largest city in the nation and will play host to the first leg of the race. The Lake of the Sword (the 4 wheeler track) is full of steep embankments combined with several treacherous chasms and rivers that must be crossed. The Mound of the Sleeping King track features a number of aerial jumps and dangerous curves. Don't let the name fool you only the strong of heart dare take on this course. Stonehenge is where the race will conclude, some four hours after the very late start at 6 PM, seeing drivers fight an uphill battle, dodging bizarre monoliths placed seemingly randomly about the course. The first team, most likely a Liamist Racing Tech driver (the team is absolutely revelling in these conditions and it will be shocking if they don't win), across the line will take home the points in this final Exodus race. 2 Wheeler It doesn't happen very often that we even mention St Heliers Sykers, the team favourite for this season's wooden spoon, but today, they've proved the pundits wrong and gone out and grabbed themselves the early lead in the form of second driver Sam. Another poorly performing team has snatched second with only a slim gap separating them as James Pimpanzee goes for glory. Kurt Fluke of the soon-to-be-defunct Rhellis National Racing is fighting off a determined Delia Kovach for third and fourth respectively with RJH rounding out the top five. Could today's weather bring about a Day of Misrule as the cellar-dwellers come out into the proverbial sun? It was not all happy news for SHS, with Sam's teammate Spia's Wreno engine showing one of its nastier sides and giving up mid-leg. With nothing to run on, Spia was forced out. She was soon joined by Car 11's Ibn the Big (Ancient Speed Demons - their 11th career DNF). Ibn's tyre was punctured, bizarrely enough, by a shard of his own chassis' carbon. Investigations are again underway in the Ancient Burtorr garage as to why duct tape is so extensively used. Top five at the conclusion of the 2x leg: 1. Sam (St Heliers Sykers) 2. James Pimpanzee (Meadowbank Boy Racers) 3. Kurt Fluke (Rhellis National Racing) 4. Delia Kovach (Negamegendonites) 5. Roberto Juan Hosera (Team Muhji) 4 Wheeler Hosera wasn't the only succesful Krakatouan, with Martina Salvidor blitzing the second leg and taking a forty-five second lead over, surprise, surprise, Jos Oxford of Liamist Racing Tech. With today's weather conditions perfect for the defensive driver, it was a simple matter of when, not if, he would make a lunge for the lead. James Pimpanzee moved back under the pressure of the two Farrer-shod drivers into third with RJH moving up a step closer and trailling by half a minute. Franklin Roosevelt, on his home circuit, has sent the medium-sized crowd into hysterics as he charges up into fifth and potential high finish for the team. It seems a switch to VME for Snake's Coil Racing hasn't quite paid off for them, after reliability concerns about Wreno forced them to switch. Unfortunately, today was a bad day for that engine, spewing black smoke before finall collapsing as Baracuda just made it into the pit lane of the Lake of the Sword. Top five at the conclusion of the 4x leg: 1. Martina Salvidor (Team Muhji) 2. Jos Oxford (Liamist Racing Tech) 3. James Pimpanzee (Meadowbank Boy Racers) 4. Roberto Juan Hosera (Team Muhji) 5. Franklin Roosevelt (Knights of Avolon) 0 Wheeler As it was said before, it was only a question of when and the answer is now. Jos Oxford has stormed ahead, pushing his CNX engine as hard as possible to get that lead and what a lead it is. He reeled in Salvidor from forty-five or so seconds down to be in front by over two minutes. All achieved in just one leg. Hosera has tried to follow but became separated through the twists and bends of the Mound of the Sleeping King. Savlidor meanwhile slipped back to fourth, allowing James Pimpanzee to maintain his third position. Roosevelt has slipped out of the top five, to the consternation of the crowd, and off our radars, to be replaced by regionmate Nirvana McGee from the 8 Fold Path. Liamist Racing Tech grabbed the lead but also lost a competitor in Heinz Spedston. His aggression led him astray as he ploughed into an unusually aggressive Buddhist, Silent Monk, taking them both out of the race. As is often the case with these legs, blind corners prove quite a problem. Certain drivers don't see others, fly around the corner and slam into unfortunate rivals. Let this be a lesson to everyone: drive safely. Top five at the conclusion of the 0x leg: 1. Jos Oxford (Liamist Racing Tech) 2. Roberto Juan Hosera (Team Muhji) 3. James Pimpanzee (Meadowbank Boy Racers) 4. Martina Salvidor (Team Muhji) 5. Nirvana McGee (8 Fold Path) R Wheeler The relatively quiet day MIF-AA were having was broken as Slayer notched up the team's seventh DNF and failed to finish. Slayer had slayed his brakes until they were little more than carbon dust, with just metal braking against metal. The result: an out of control Marmaduke behind the wheel of a rally car flying over a canyon. That wasn't the problem so much as when Slayer tried to take the left turn immediately on landing and slammed into a monolith. Ralphmy, of Kingtown National Raceworks, after careening over several monoliths, also failed to finish when his accelerator became stuck down (apparently on some superglue placed there by an unnamed team) and took his vehicle into an intimate meeting with a wall. Ralphmy bailed before the crash and was ok. Jos Oxford pushed on and crunched his opposition, somewhat reminiscent of last season's Erroneous Errol Island GP, where Oxford won in pouring conditions with a massive lead. In fact, he was so quick, he has set the fastest grand prix since the introduction of the new system. With nearly five minutes in hand, Oxford finished above Martina Salvidor and RJH, giving Team Muhji the minor podiums (and, incidentally, twelfth place). Rhellis National Racing finished off their career with a flourish, taking fourth from nowhere on the Stonehenge circuit. And St Heliers Sykers are getting better and better, and given where they've come from, its not hard to imagine, improving one on last week's best ever finish, now in fifth. Top twenty at the conclusion of the Rx leg and the grand prix: 1. Jos Oxford (Liamist Racing Tech) - 60 pts 2. Martina Salvidor (Team Muhji) - 55 pts 3. Roberto Juan Hosera (Team Muhji) - 50 pts 4. Sleepy Justice (Rhellis National Racing) - 45 pts 5. Sam (St Heliers Sykers) - 40 pts 6. Shonna Carafella (Cascadian Geoduck Racing) - 35 pts 7. James Pimpanzee (Meadowbank Boy Racers) - 30 pts 8. Nirvana McGee (8 Fold Path) - 25 pts 9. Kik Marmington (Liamist Racing Tech) - 20 pts 10. Kurt Fluke (Rhellis National Racing) - 18 pts 11. Adalicia Carillo-Rodriguez (El Equipo de Dulces) - 15 pts 12. Josef Detlaff (Team Muhji) - 12 pts 13. Delia Kovach (Negamegendonites) - 10 pts 14. Hornet (Snakes Coil Racing) - 8 pts 15. Miss Piggy (Oodgtastic Racing) - 6 pts 16. Great Nathan (Island Racing Squad) - 5 pts 17. Milo Breidigan (Cascadian Geoduck Racing) - 4 pts 18. Flo Knellinger (Island Racing Squad) - 3 pts 19. Nestle (Keetorama) - 2 pts 20. Sublime Sophie (Rio Racing) - 1 pt Post Race On the back of the sad news of Rhellis' ceasing to exist finally filtering through to the MSA, Rhellis National Racing will no longer be competing FMR. They have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and investigations are underway to discover why it takes so long for ex-nations to be removed from competition. A "Quiet Nation" list has been set up, containing a list of all the reasonably inactive nations, already including Kingtown and Floreustae. A turbulent time looms for FMR as a few more teams are potentially weeded out. Anyway, let's see how today's race and Rhellis' disappearance affects the standings. In Tour Team standings and the Island Racing Squad has managed to keep its nose in front by a slim margin of only two points over Team Muhji in second and third running Naginii Racing Group. Overall and its little surprise Oodgtastic Racing still hold a lead, but diminished to double digits by old foes Team Muhji. Perennial champs Liamist Racing Tech hold third from IRS by sixty or so points and have today become the winningest team in FMR, despite the historical points deficit between them and Oodgtastic. Over in Tour Drivers and Pooder (Naginii Racing Group) is still going strong on 65, ahead of Flo Knellinger (Island Racing Squad) sitting on 63 and Jos Oxford (Liamist Racing Tech) in third on 61. Overall Drivers and the trifecta of Oodgtastic Racing drivers at the top has been smashed by Team Muhji drivers. Now five of the top six drivers have silver as a component of their livery, perhaps raising doubts over the axiom that red is the fastest colour. Next week we go to the birthplace of FMR in The Tableland for the Cobra Empire grand prix, as the Exodus-Tableland Series continues. SPLIT TIMES Car No 2x 4x 0x Rx 1 66.659 130.981 195.578 257.311 2 62.750 122.203 185.251 244.908 3 62.535 125.500 189.724 250.551 4 59.280 116.346 174.790 233.914 5 59.095 117.986 DNF 6 59.776 113.040 166.406 221.055 7 60.719 123.431 184.917 248.125 8 63.529 126.354 186.269 DNF 9 61.181 124.715 188.935 249.185 10 65.327 125.172 188.506 248.641 11 DNF 12 63.040 126.642 187.017 248.423 13 61.777 123.504 187.893 249.151 14 58.617 115.796 172.594 228.577 15 56.908 117.113 176.159 235.185 16 63.341 123.915 186.572 247.145 17 55.798 113.199 170.560 233.613 18 66.507 126.919 191.665 258.280 19 59.382 120.646 179.505 239.446 20 65.246 123.845 183.031 245.336 21 61.700 126.441 191.889 253.066 22 58.717 120.450 181.506 239.327 23 60.867 125.433 184.317 241.064 24 63.997 123.455 186.394 246.426 25 59.473 120.309 177.592 238.061 26 59.783 119.970 180.547 241.509 27 58.886 120.945 178.623 238.206 31 57.644 115.003 172.576 DNF 32 63.975 122.794 179.502 243.163 33 66.358 125.727 188.073 252.878 34 57.025 116.251 175.545 237.100 35 62.541 122.320 186.024 246.881 36 60.634 127.858 190.105 255.314 37 65.708 130.318 195.749 257.800 38 58.261 119.731 177.479 237.223 39 65.291 DNF 40 62.378 124.197 182.790 240.382 41 62.020 126.710 187.291 251.440 42 60.954 120.618 181.070 246.913 43 60.858 123.115 178.463 235.776 44 64.885 124.634 186.427 245.607 45 59.539 124.058 187.327 248.447 46 58.012 117.679 179.548 239.463 47 55.589 116.613 174.060 229.557 48 DNF 49 60.574 121.820 182.351 246.024 50 62.617 122.700 183.338 245.329 51 63.096 123.730 183.218 247.593 52 62.344 120.713 184.612 247.815 53 60.978 119.181 178.642 237.949 54 61.821 122.260 186.748 247.469 55 61.336 125.231 191.812 253.794 56 62.158 128.583 194.260 252.698 57 62.755 123.398 189.142 252.666 58 62.914 121.343 181.126 241.607 59 DNF 60 61.416 122.820 184.507 248.822 61 59.916 124.221 188.575 251.384 62 64.354 124.378 190.080 253.821 63 59.819 122.057 181.717 243.863 64 60.804 125.278 190.585 252.232 65 57.467 115.625 171.749 233.728 66 62.882 128.878 DNF 67 62.072 127.933 191.096 256.771 68 62.667 127.216 188.023 248.133 69 59.563 118.795 182.255 243.427 70 64.500 130.204 189.864 251.258 71 63.119 127.928 193.399 254.358 72 63.645 127.657 188.286 251.341 73 57.401 113.679 168.588 226.728 74 61.153 117.165 178.957 236.635 75 57.461 112.258 170.936 225.670 76 62.395 119.410 179.167 238.112 77 62.017 121.622 185.031 245.758 78 59.479 115.247 175.858 231.419