FALL 2005 - TOUR DE ILE DE FRANCE RD2: MEADOWBANK Pre Race It’s not the first time that we’ve visited Meadbowbank. No, last year’s race saw some spectacular driving and crashes. Today’s race will include last year’s Remuera Raceway, as well as forays into Wellesley City and scenic trips across Karaka Park and Mt Mobank. At nine this morning, racers were ready to go as the lights went green in only the second grand prix of the new season. Today will be cloudy and will see an average of around 23 °Cs (73 Fs), favouring the Dickson-shod teams, with almost gale force, factor-9 winds knocking the lighter nanofibre and aluminium teams off course and providing an advantage to the only iron team, Liamist Racing Tech. On the 2 wheeler leg, racers were to head out in the Central Business District of Wellesley City, heading around the open air plaza that borders the Wellesley Lake. Racers will head down the starting straight at the north of the plaza, take a gentle right thirty degree turn, down another straight heading away from the plaza and then take a much sharper hairpin, bringing them back in toward the plaza. Another tight hairpin around the Meadowbank Stock Exchange and racers will run parallel to the border of the plaza. One final right turn and the racers will head straight to complete the lakeside half of the lap on the symmetrical course. After completing approximately 3.7 km long course over thirty-five laps, racers will peel off to the outskirts of the City and hit the track flying on the Remuera Raceway. This track has seven successive hairpins and many long straights that will require racers to stay alert. After passing over the crossing over parts of the track some thirty-five times, racers will peel off once more and head for the 0 wheelers. This leg will see them head 500km across the massive Karaka Park out to Mt Mobank, where the R wheelers will hit the dirt tracks of this course and head for the finish. 2 Wheeler Just like last week, the Rhellisean racers dominated the 2 wheeler leg with barely a hair separating Sleepy Justice and Kurt Fluke. This can be traced to their powerful Modeni engines giving them a very clear edge early on. It will be a game of wait and see to see if they can maintain this pace and carry it through the legs. Sam of the St Heliers Sykers occupies third, using his Wreno engine to its fullest and showing some of the rare power that Wreno produces occasionally. Fourth was Quigiy with his Dickson tyres heating up quickly and providing some good grip in cooler temps today. Tenth overall last week and now fifth, Miss Piggy is doing Oodgtastic Racing, and The Exodus, proud. We are yet to see the Liamists who are expected to dominate in the heavy winds with their heavy chassis providing some stability against it but they are almost certain to appear at the front once we leave the protected city and head onto the open track. Top ten at the conclusion of the 2x leg: 1. Sleepy Justice (Rhellis National Racing) 2. Kurt Fluke (Rhellis National Racing) 3. Sam (St Heliers Sykers) 4. Quigiy (Kingtown National Raceworks) 5. Miss Piggy (Oodgtastic Racing) 6. Jane Card (Swiss Mix) 7. Pete (Salaxia International) 8. Barracuda (Snakes Coil Racing) 9. Hans (Kingtown National Raceworks) 10. Renaldo Meihoffer (Island Racing Squad) 4 Wheeler What a surprise: Jos Oxford of Liamist Racing Tech takes a commanding lead with over a minute between him and Rhellis National Racing drivers, Kurt Fluke and Sleepy Justice. Oxford is using his iron chassis to its max advantage, planting his foot on the accelerator and only braking for the briefest moments while coming through the hairpin complex. The straights between turns eight and nine are proving the most trouble for nanofibre chassis racers, heading directly into the strong winds, which is exactly how Oxford passed the aluminium Rhelliseans. He accelerated onto Fluke’s gearbox, waited to come out of turn eight and slammed his foot down, taking both drivers in one fell swoop and powering off down the straight. The Rhelliseans had to work together like cyclists and streamline themselves, taking turns in breaking the wind to stay in front of a quickly gaining Quigiy of Kingtown National Raceworks in fourth and the Kinghts of Avolon’s Oberon in fifth. The Oxford chasing pack were a minute off the pace with half a minute spanning across their collective times, separated by a forty second gap back to the next peloton. Top ten at the conclusion of the 4x leg: 1. Jos Oxford (Liamist Racing Tech) 2. Kurt Fluke (Rhellis National Racing) 3. Sleepy Justice (Rhellis National Racing) 4. Quigiy (Kingtown National Raceworks) 5. Oberon (Knights of Avolon) 6. Sam (St Heliers Sykers) 7. Princess Shrivine (MIF-Ardent Antagonists) 8. Jack Roe (Via Bestiae Road Warriors) 9. Heinz Spedston (Liamist Racing Tech) 10. Arthur (Knights of Avolon) 0 Wheeler Control was finally fully taken as the Liamist Racing Tech drivers pulled into a one-two-three formation. The LRT drivers were spread over four minutes of Karaka Park airspace, blowing up the leaves and folding the grass against the wind and harnessing the powerful CNX engine that specialises in powerful 0 wheeler engines. With the three Liamist Marmadukes in front, most of the scrambling was for the minor positions in the top ten. St Heliers’ Sam’s Wreno engines continued their good run and pushed him into fourth with a twelve second lead over Avolon’s Arthur. But it was not all good fun. Unlike Sam, Viper’s Wreno engine had been ailing for a while and finally collapsed under the strain over Karaka Park. The crash was somewhat spectacular at 350 km/h, the uneven thrust behind the racer causing it to spin off several times. Jane Card, Swiss Mix, also faced problems, breaking down in a small dip in the Park. Great Nathan of the Island Racing Squad flew into the same area, not heeding the yellow markers, and slammed into the hidden and prostrate Card, taking them both out of the race. It’s hard to drive just one car that’s meant to be two and so there were three DNFs in the one leg. Top ten at the conclusion of the 0x leg: 1. Jos Oxford (Liamist Racing Tech) 2. Heinz Spedston (Liamist Racing Tech) 3. Kik Marmington (Liamist Racing Tech) 4. Sam (St Heliers Sykers) 5. Arthur (Knights of Avolon) 6. Princess Shrivine (MIF-Ardent Antagonists) 7. Quigiy (Kingtown National Raceworks) 8. Hans (Kingtown National Raceworks) 9. Adalicia Carillo-Rodriguez (El Equipo de Dulces) 10. Reece Jr (Leaf Special Forces Racing) R Wheeler Rally time and time to hit the dirt paths of Mt Mobank. For Jos Oxford, it was time to secure his win. Unfortunately, after two relatively slow legs, Jos eventually lost out, having spun out on the dirt tracks and covering his windscreen in mud. He came in second to his junior and better team-mate, Kik Marmington. It was the first ever one-two podium finish for a team in FMR. Into third followed and three minutes later, Princess Shirvine of the MIF-Ardent Antagonists, crunching a slow, moving, possible mechanical failure waiting to happen, Heinz Spedston, who ended up sixth. Arthur of the Knights of Avolon scored his teams first points, finishing fourth. Top ten at the conclusion of the Rx leg and the grand prix: 1. Kik Marmington (Liamist Racing Tech) – 30 points 2. Jos Oxford (Liamist Racing Tech) – 25 points 3. Princess Shrivine (MIF-Ardent Antagonists) – 20 points 4. Arthur (Knights of Avolon) – 15 points 5. Flo Knellinger (Island Racing Squad) – 10 points 6. Heinz Spedston (Liamist Racing Tech) – 7 points 7. Adalicia Carillo-Rodriguez (El Equipo de Dulces) – 5 points 8. Quigiy (Kingtown National Raceworks) – 3 points 9. Jack Roe (Via Bestiae Road Warriors) – 2 points 10. Jeffery Berkes (El Equipo de Dulces) – 1 point Post Race So, it’s time to head off to Kingtown for their first grand prix. Before we leave Meadowbank, we’ll check the Championships. Drivers and the two winners, Kik Marmington and Aleja Zaragoza, are tied in first with thirty points each, only separated by total time with Marmington gaining an advantage there. The two second place finishers occupy third and fourth and so on, down to twentieth place. With the two heavy wind races, the top team is Liamist Racing Tech with 65 points and a healthy lead on Oodgtastic Racing on 41. El Equipo de Dulces is third with 36. The top four teams all have heavy chassis, reflecting the windiness of the grands prix. Hopefully light winds will greet us in Kingtown, giving the nanofibre and carbon teams a shot. See you there. SPLIT TIMES 1 66.723 129.708 195.019 261.271 2 59.225 119.582 182.374 243.668 3 65.088 126.637 188.229 252.421 4 59.658 117.637 170.228 226.354 5 57.701 115.397 172.353 232.290 6 57.452 112.275 168.364 227.312 7 59.433 121.155 181.246 241.413 8 58.512 118.448 179.701 239.604 9 57.510 114.787 173.543 230.276 10 61.318 120.377 182.429 238.737 11 58.684 117.383 179.971 236.632 12 60.598 122.017 179.519 235.797 13 60.210 120.624 184.107 243.347 14 55.873 113.925 177.413 242.118 15 55.936 113.556 178.568 237.740 16 65.000 125.843 187.128 252.816 17 62.040 127.349 188.879 251.500 18 65.941 126.598 192.184 251.672 19 60.772 124.053 186.747 249.796 20 58.475 116.278 175.711 236.296 21 63.870 124.027 186.046 250.221 22 58.082 120.703 183.059 239.526 23 63.644 125.848 183.952 241.220 24 58.206 120.431 182.280 240.785 25 57.666 117.860 DNF 26 57.387 116.363 177.599 235.041 27 59.863 119.499 175.511 231.934 28 61.925 120.768 181.550 240.995 29 61.092 122.492 184.594 244.508 30 57.949 118.733 182.429 243.609 31 59.391 120.263 178.952 240.760 32 56.811 114.038 173.734 233.709 33 57.370 118.650 174.278 236.680 34 60.204 124.242 184.206 245.330 35 62.413 127.055 187.960 248.085 36 62.203 121.496 181.370 242.419 37 64.913 127.773 DNF 38 62.041 121.264 183.712 247.945 39 57.326 116.209 175.690 236.848 40 64.953 128.746 193.220 256.583 41 58.940 122.824 183.492 246.006 42 61.853 125.979 183.576 248.790 43 59.665 117.358 174.693 233.535 44 63.716 120.942 179.495 241.101 45 63.418 120.425 176.586 233.839 46 61.418 120.975 178.739 239.336 47 56.525 114.759 173.407 235.131 48 61.664 124.654 185.497 243.346 49 59.247 122.517 181.156 238.388 50 62.423 121.563 182.387 244.761 51 59.426 117.424 175.034 237.234 52 62.865 124.411 185.496 242.871 53 56.838 119.746 181.361 243.411 54 63.462 125.330 185.450 249.297 55 60.054 122.640 185.348 243.424 56 57.996 115.487 178.767 233.851 57 63.433 123.349 182.068 240.333 58 58.647 114.574 177.045 236.825 59 57.590 115.997 173.538 231.671 60 63.625 121.349 179.669 237.997 61 57.703 120.071 181.958 245.750 62 60.316 121.766 182.258 244.416 63 56.847 116.974 DNF 64 59.839 120.710 183.878 246.141 65 60.524 122.310 185.130 247.884 66 60.769 123.907 183.944 244.912 67 63.692 126.864 190.519 252.135 68 62.613 127.799 187.292 250.205 69 59.297 118.961 185.171 249.161 70 56.906 119.521 180.711 244.699 71 62.574 124.154 187.575 248.689 72 58.258 117.718 182.553 243.603 73 61.483 121.701 181.893 241.291 74 60.563 119.768 180.701 241.814 75 59.076 122.156 185.602 248.030