F2RWRS - 2016 Season: Japan Qualifying Up

[Aerospeed]

I'm really happy that I got on the podium this weekend, it was a good race. The setups still haven't been fixed but the car felt stable during the race. It goes to show that staying on the track can give you results. I'm hoping we can get similar results in the future.

[AndreaModa]

Pre-qualifying? Well it's nothing that we haven't had to contend with before, but I was under the impression this series rewarded driver talent rather than mechanical prowess. We have been unfairly penalised due to an engine failure that Johannes was at no fault for.

Still, at least we're not as bad as Alitalia.

[DemocalypseNow]

Pre-qualifying? Well it's nothing that we haven't had to contend with before, but I was under the impression this series rewarded driver talent rather than mechanical prowess. We have been unfairly penalised due to an engine failure that Johannes was at no fault for.

Still, at least we're not as bad as Alitalia.

Indeed, you're not as bad as Alitalia. You're worse. Our team has four young drivers, two out at satellite teams. While the primary team has had its problems, van Nieuwenhuijzen and Badu have been the two fastest drivers this year. At least we have some success to speak of. And how many races have your stooges won this season?

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 Luxottica F2RWRS Italian Grand Prix

Pre-Qualifying

After the monsoon that plagued the F1RWRS pre-qualifying, the six teams facing pre-qualifying had the daunting prospect of a wet track with more rain on the way. Initially, it was Simpson's newest recruit Alberto Cara setting the pace when the track started drying out. And dry out it did, as it got exponentially faster as the session went along, to the point where during the teams' second runs, the track had gotten up to five seconds a lap faster. This second set of runs led to one of the most controversial incidents of the season so far, as Martyn Rietacher badly held up Cara, ruining the Tropican's hotlap, and seemingly throwing Simpson out of Pre-Qualifying. While the stewards were busy trying to determine whether to exclude Rietacher and Plus One from pre-qualifying, Simpson managed to turn around the Cara car in record time, got him out for a final lap and secure a berth in the main game when he promptly went to the top of the timesheets. Behind him, Rietacher ended up in second place, but it wasn't enough to allow Plus-One to make it into Pre-Qualifying with Eric Swerts nowhere yet again. With Andrej Kremnicky getting caught out by the changing conditions, it was down to Red Bull WRT to make their second race of the year with two solid performances from their drivers.

1. A. Cara (Simpson-BMW): 1:31.660
2. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +1.153
3. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +1.345
4. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +1.408
5. S. Prost (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +1.581
6. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +1.920
7. J. Antonio Soares (Beirao-BMW): +2.119
8. C. Johnson (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +2.154
9. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): +2.322
10. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +2.646
11. E. Swerts (Plus One-Maserati): +2.726
12. C. Brooks (Beirao-BMW): +3.977

Qualifying

Compared to pre-qualifying, qualifying was a rather dry and sedate affair, as Alberto Cara went straight to pole position on his return, but not before scoring himself a points penalty for blocking Judd McAllister on the latter's final hot lap. McAllister's teammate Diego Alvarez Torrente ended up on the front row alongside Cara, with the two RonDens of Wouter Lamberigts and Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen on the second row behind them. Meanwhile, as a testament to just how close the F2RWRS has become this year, the gap between Gianluigi Pazzini in 6th and McAllister in 13th was under a tenth of a second, covering drivers from six different teams and three different engine manufacturers.

1. A. Cara (Simpson-BMW): 1:28.566
2. D. Alvarez Torrente (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.063
3. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): +0.337
4. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +0.417
5. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): +0.446
6. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +0.499
7. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.516
8. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +0.523
9. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.533
10. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.533
11. S. Prost (Red Bull-Holden): +0.539
12. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +0.560
13. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.564
14. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +0.611
15. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +0.653
16. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +0.763
17. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): +0.832
18. C. Johnson (Red Bull-Holden): +0.848
19. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.860
20. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +0.902
21. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +0.910
22. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +1.228

[Aerospeed]

Honestly, Marchesi has to stop qualifying in last place every race.

[AndreaModa]

Boy am I glad I switched Hawkin to IFRC!

[DemocalypseNow]

[Salamander]

Aerospeed, please check your e-mail.

[The Lukas]

for me this season is tragic, first continuing problems with the car, and now I do not qualify for the race, I really would like to ask what could be worse?, I would love to make this season is over because it's a fate, I hope that our team return to the game but I'm beginning to doubt it.]

[DemocalypseNow]

for me this season is tragic, first continuing problems with the car, and now I do not qualify for the race, I really would like to ask what could be worse?, I would love to make this season is over because it's a fate, I hope that our team return to the game but I'm beginning to doubt it.]

Andrej, I agree, the team is in a rut, but beginning to doubt we will escape this rut will make the problem worse. This is a world class team with what I thought were world class drivers. Dan Greenlaw did well enough in the session but you failed to make the grade. We need you as well as Dan to give 100% or we will be stuck here. You are both on the back foot to Badu and van Nieuwenhuijzen who have won this season. BvN especially is looking like a top pick for promotion next season with his consistent form, you need to step it up to have a shot at the big time next year.

[pasta_maldonado]

Swerts fired from Plus One, DAT steps in

4 races into the new F2RWRS season, Plus One's debut campaign hasnt gone as well as Luke Knight - or indeed the new minority owners- would have liked. Eric Swerts, who moved up from F3RWRS to join the team, has been off the pace compared to team mate Martyn Rietacher in Pre-Q, and this has finally earned him the sack.

"Eric has dissappointed us, for sure" said Knight "We hoped this would be a good oppurtunity for both parties, and we're sad to be going seperate ways, but Eric left us no choice"

To replace Swerts, Plus One have secured the services of the sizzling Spaniard Diego Alvarez Torrente, who is set to move to from Dofasco Racing to the British squad. "Diego is an excellent driver, the chemistry between him and Martyn is what we are looking for to propel the team forwards." said Knight

Torrente and Dofasco Racing were unavailable for comment

[Ataxia]

Positive Diego added to Plus One squad

Despite having helped Lukoil Dofasco Racing clear pre-qualifying, Astro Racing Star Diego Alvarez Torrente has left the Polish team to join Plus One Racing Engineering's F2RWRS outfit. Although it seems a backwards move on the face of it, the British team have a very talented driver in Martyn Rietacher; the German has produced some good results so far in 2016. However, it's become apparent that Eric Swerts has held Rietacher back somewhat in qualifying, something Plus One have not failed to notice.

Therefore, the signing of Diego makes sense; he possesses excellent natural speed which helped Dofasco massively in pre-qualifying. In addition, a Torrente-Rietacher partnership would boast a lot of strength if the team do get out of PQ. Here's Diego's reaction:

"It's all happened so quickly! The thing is, there was a lot of pressure at Dofasco. From one angle, I was trying to make sure we didn't slip back into pre-qualifying, but the higher-ups were trying to simultaneously get me to replace Tojo in F1RWRS. I needed an environment that was less precarious, and Plus One have that. Although I'm back in pre-qualifying, Martyn and myself know what needs to be done to get out and stay out. I'm pleased to be here."

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 Luxottica Italian Grand Prix
Race

Positives

Alberto Cara - On a day where the one-stop strategy was clearly the one to be on, the returning Alberto Cara put on a clinic with the inferior two-stopper to take home what turned out to be a comfortable victory on his return. Having got away to a clean start from pole position, he was only seriously challenged by Mitchell Macklin's one-stopper, but once the Fusion driver retired from a puncture, it was all smooth sailing for the Tropican to take the win.

Yuka Katayama/Alessandro Marchesi - The pair of them started on the one-stop strategy, and both of them made it work for them through ruthless consistency, as they found themselves running fourth and fifth late in the race battling Jason Hamilton, Diego Alvarez Torrente, Marko Jantscher, Sebastien Prost and Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen for the final podium positions. Once Hamilton and Torrente took each other out of contention however, it left the path clear for Katayama to take second, and Marchesi to defend 3rd from the rampaging Nieuwenhuijzen. In the end, Marchesi held on to his second podium of the year by just 0.07 of a second.

Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen - On face value, fourth place may be a slightly underwhelming result for the Flying Dutchman. However, an electrical problem early on put him into the pits, and in last position on what was now an improvised two-stopper. From there, he put in what was unquestionably the drive of his career to scythe his way through the field almost unnoticed to be well in the points by race end. In fact, given an extra lap and he would have taken third from Marchesi as well.

Red Bull WRT - With rumours floating around that the team might be sold in the near future, their two drivers Sebastien Prost and Cave Johnson knew they had to score solid results to secure their future in the team. To that end, the team's strategist split the cars on strategy, with Prost on the two stopper and Johnson stopping once. It turned into a very good decision on their part, as they found themselves running 5th and 6th in the closing stages of the race. However, Johnson's engine started chewing itself to bits on the final lap, but the American managed to drag his dying car across the line in 8th place, with Prost holding on for 5th.

Judd McAllister - After his embarrassing showing at Brands Hatch, the pressure was on the youngest member of the McAllister racing dynasty to perform, and perform he did. On the one-stop strategy, he was not out of points contention all race, and with others falling by the wayside, the young Spaniard was duly rewarded with his first career points in 6th place.

Negatives

Melrose Racing Team - If there ever was one that got away from Melrose's mob, this one was it. Running second and fourth behind Cara before the Tropican's second stop, Gianluigi Pazzini and Jason Hamilton found themselves in the prime position to score an easy double podium, and even a possible victory should Cara slip up. However, Pazzini and Torrente came together at the Ascari chicane a few laps before the latter's final stop, putting the Italian to the back of the field from which he'd never recover, leaving Hamilton to fend off second from the chasing pack. The Australian valiantly fought on before a collision took him out of points contention, before a transmission failure put him out of the race altogether.

Jordan Davies - Having already been handicapped by being on the inferior two-stopper, the Brit found the early going in the midfield difficult as he jostled for track position to make the strategy work. He then had the misfortune of being turned into a punching bag for the two Gillet drivers, who had been struggling massively for race pace all weekend, and from there he never recovered on a day when he clearly showed that he had the pace to score points.

Fusion Motorsports - Mitchell Macklin finally woke up for the first time since 2014, and looked like the man to take the challenge to Cara on his superior one-stop strategy. However, a puncture put paid to his efforts and ended his afternoon early. Teammate Martin van der Maeyede meanwhile was already out by that point, having become another victim of the Gillet drivers at the Parabolica, putting an early shower to what had been an anonymous weekend up to that point.

Diego Alvarez Torrente - Yes, he may have had the pace to score a podium today, as the point for fastest lap proved, but it was a very messy performance from the second Dofasco driver. While his own two-stop strategy may have netted him a podium when everything had played out, his inability to pass people without barging into them single-handedly removed him from points contention. While all of them were deemed racing incidents, the damage had already been done as he had to pit for a new front wing after the final collision, relegating him to 12th place.

Gillet ENB - For whatever reason, both Gillets were struggling badly for pace all weekend, and the struggle continued into the race. After a poor qualifying, Jean-Vincent Albertini got put on a two-stop strategy, which wrecked his afternoon before it really began. Albertini responded by driving like a rockape all race, taking out Maeyede early on in an overambitious move at the Parabolica, before punting Davies amongst other people off the road on his way to a pointless 15th place finish. Pascal meanwhile did almost nothing of note on his way to an anonymous tenth place, all but guaranteeing the Reject of the Race award for the entire Gillet squad.

1. A. Cara (Simpson-BMW): 53m 53.143
2. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +11.328
3. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +17.213
4. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +17.283
5. S. Prost (Red Bull-Holden): +20.441
6. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +25.385
7. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +25.524
8. C. Johnson (Red Bull-Holden): +27.408
9. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +30.751
10. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +32.994
11. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +36.896
12. D. Alvarez Torrente (Dofasco-Chrysler): +37.697
13. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +42.460
14. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): +48.088
15. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +48.158
16. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +50.179
17. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +3 LAPS*
DNF. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): Transmission
DNF. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): Puncture
DNF. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): Suspension
DNF. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): Suspension
DNF. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): Collision

Pole: A. Cara (Simpson-BMW): 1:28.566
Fastest Lap: D. Alvarez Torrente (Dofasco-Chrysler): 1:29.322
Reject of the Race: Gillet ENB - Stuggle Street had no mercy on the team
Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race: Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen - Pulled off incredible comeback drive to nearly score a podium
Leaders: A. Cara: 1-11, 22-35 (Total: 25)
D. Alvarez Torrente: 12-13 (Total: 2)
M. Macklin: 14-21 (Total: 8)

Standings can be found here

Stewards Report
Car #30 (Martyn Rietacher) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #10 (Alberto Cara) in pre-qualifying
Car #10 (Alberto Cara) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking car #27 (Judd McAllister) in qualifying
Car #28 (Sebastien Prost) has received a 20 point penalty for overtaking under yellow flags

[TomWazzleshaw]

Before I forget, Dofasco have until the 9th of November to enter a replacement for Torrente. Otherwise, I'll nominate one, and it won't be pretty.

[The Lukas]

Sobczyk:Torrente wrongfully terminated the contract, Sobczyk intends to file a lawsuit, Swerts and Valsattis replace Torrente?
after the Spaniard Diego Alvarez Torrente, terminated a contract with Dofasco Racing, and went on to Plus One Racing, owner of Dofasco Racing Grzegosz Sobczyk said that in his contract terminated Torrente not in accordance with the law, and intends to file a lawsuit against the driver and his managers

"I must admit that I did not know about it, until not long ago I learned from Diego and his managers, solved a contract with us, but there is one problem solved this agreement is not in accordance with the law and without my knowledge, if nothing changes in the I'll have on file a lawsuit, the other way is not a solution, "admits Sobczyk

Sobczyk also admitted that the most likely successor Torrente to Dofasco Racing will most likely Eric Swerts or Matthias Valsattis

[/quote]

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 F2RWRS Red Bull Austrian Grand Prix

Pre-Qualifying

There was no weather to interrupt proceedings in Pre-Qualifying. There were no last-gasp flyers. There would be no controversial blocking, leading to teams being threatened with disqualification. Didn't stop the frantic shuffling of the timesheets though, as drivers and teams were finding tenths and hundredths of a second for the entire 15 minute session. Of those, Plus One and Alitalia did the best job within the timeframe, with last-minute fliers from Diego Alvarez Torrente and Dan Greenlaw putting both teams into the race by just a few tenths of a second, despite Alberto Cara topping the timesheets for the second weekend running.

1. A. Cara (Simpson-BMW): 1:14.998
2. D. Alvarez Torrente (Plus One-Maserati): +0.017
3. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.149
4. S. Prost (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.425
5. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +0.464
6. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +0.510
7. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.572
8. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): +0.591
9. C. Johnson (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +0.598
10. J. Antonio Soares (Beirao-BMW): +0.622
11. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +0.972
12. C. Brooks (Beirao-BMW): +1.400

Qualifying

Compared to the beautiful conditions the teams had for pre-qualifying, the Austrian alps managed to dish up some awful weather for Friday qualifying, and with it predicted to hang around for the following day as well, the paddock is bracing themselves for an enormous repair bill. Plus One and Alitalia in particular were ruing the conditions, as Martyn Rietacher flew off the road at the penultimate corner on his first lap while on track for a top 6 grid spot, with Dan Greenlaw coming unstuck at exactly the same spot a few minutes later on what would have been the pole lap. The mistake at a critical moment left pole to be claimed by the second Plus One car of Diego Alvarez Torrente, who set his pole time early on, and then spent the rest of the session sitting in the garage while others set about chasing down his early benchmark. While both qualifying specialist Wouter Lamberigts and Mitchell Macklin came close to toppling the Spaniard, neither were able to do so. Behind the top 4, Jordan Davies put in his best performance all year to go 5th on the grid, while it became abundantly clear that Eric Swerts was just no replacement for Torrente as he'll line up 20th on race day tomorrow.

1. D. Alvarez Torrente (Plus One-Maserati): 1:30.990
2. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): +0.023
3. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): +0.093
4. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.203
5. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +0.354
6. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.437
7. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.727
8. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +0.867
9. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +0.896
10. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.913
11. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.920
12. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +0.986
13. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +1.022
14. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +1.042
15. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +1.047
16. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): +1.047
17. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +1.112
18. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +1.149
19. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +1.262
20. E. Swerts (Dofasco-Chrysler): +1.421
21. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +1.432
22. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +2.336

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 F2RWRS Red Bull Austrian Grand Prix
Race

Positives

Fusion Motorsport - The 2014 champion Mitchell Macklin decided to wake up and do something useful in the Fusion-Holden. Just how useful became all too clear on the first lap, as he stormed to the front in the appalling conditions that were presented to the teams early on, and simply streaked away from the field from there. By lap 10, he had a 12 second lead on his pursuers, and once it turned out they could barely match his pace despite the Australian being on a one-stop strategy, it was as far as the race was concerned, as the win put the Fusion squad one massive stride closer to avoid falling back into pre-qualifying. Martin van der Maeyede meanwhile had a demon opening segment of the race, and was keeping in time with the battle for the minor podium places early on. The Dutchman was on for a top 5 finish at one point until the suspension on his car decided that collapsing on itself was a good idea.

Diego Alvarez Torrente/Marko Jantscher/Jordan Davies - Second through to fourth are clumped together in this review for the simple reason they all had roughly similar races. Torrente got mugged by both Lamberigts and Macklin off the line, but unlike the Fusion driver who was able to steamroll the Ronden immediately, Torrente, Jantscher, Davies, Marcel Ageymang-Badu Dan Greenlaw spent the first few laps stuck behind the Belgian roadblock. Once Greenlaw threw it off the road for the first time that afternoon and took out Badu in the process, and they cleared Lamberigts, the trio found themselves with roughly the same pace, the same strategy and fighting over the same piece of track. In fact, the trio stayed together until well into the final stint and continually swapped positions until they settled on a final order of Torrente-Jantscher-Davies

Carter Simpson - The former championship leader had it all to do in the race after qualifying a lowly 17th on the grid. However, Ol' Garry showed his strategic nous once again to put Simpson on a one-stop strategy in the pouring rain in order to vault him up the field, and Simpson responded in turn by putting in a near-faultless performance to score four valuable points in 5th place as others fell off the road.

Dofasco Lukoil Racing - They may have lost their star driver Diego Alvarez Torrente to the Plus One Group, but it didn't stop their two drivers Judd McAllister and Eric Swerts putting in two solid performances in the race. After a so-so qualifying, McAllister barely put a foot wrong all day in the tricky conditions, and by all rights would have finished 6th barring a Michelin tyre failure which put him out of the race. Eric Swerts meanwhile had a few hiccups of his own, but largely kept his nose out of the madness that plagued the midfield, and scored a point for 8th place for his troubles in his first race for the Dofasco squad.

Negatives

Scuderia Alitalia - Despite the start of 2016 being even more unpredictable than 2015, but there still have been some certainties in the F2RWRS. Beirao not making it past pre-qualifying, Lamberigts still being a mobile chicane, and the two Alitalia drivers still going around the track like absolute rockapes. Dan Greenlaw had a rather embarrassing collision with fellow Alitalia stablemate Marcel Ageymang-Badu early on in proceedings, before following it up with bouts of brilliance and sheer madness on his way to an unfulfilling sixth place. Andrej Kremnicky meanwhile was back to his usual self, as race-winning pace was mixed with more unforced errors, as he eventually threw away a 7th place, and put his future career on even more thin ice.

Melrose Racing Team - The fact that neither Gianluigi Pazzini or Jason Hamilton looked like achieving much this afternoon sent alarm bells throughout the MRT garage. What really scared Pierre Depault and co though was the fact they were the only team to score a double DNF on a day where the field generally stayed fairly reliable by F2RWRS standards. Hamilton was busy trolling around on the fringes of the top 10 before a puncture ended his day, while Pazzini may have snared home a lucky point had the suspension not collapsed on his car.

Gillet ENB - The Gillet car was an evil-handling pig at Italy, and it seemed it was doing exactly the same thing at the A1 Ring. Both their drivers spent more time off the track than on it for the second weekend running, before they went for broke and put Gregor Pascal on intermediates late in the race in order to steal a point for fastest lap. They failed to achieve that, as all Pascal achieved was punting teammate Jean-Vincent Albertini off the road with a few laps to go, dumping a lap in the process on the way to the team having another big zero on the points score against their name.

Aeroracing Engineering - After being punted off early on by Greenlaw, Badu failed to make an impression for the rest of the afternoon, as several other costly errors relegated him to a lowly 11th place finish. Jack Christopherson Jr meanwhile earned himself a 30 point penalty in what was a very busy day for the stewards, as he became one of the many victims of the river at the penultimate corner. He spent several laps spinning around on the ultra-slippery grass trying to get back on track, before finding himself parked broadside to traffic a few laps latter, resulting in a highly dangerous situation, and a penalty for 'illegally blocking other competitors'.

Martyn Riectacher - His off in qualifying was an omen for things to come down in the world of Riectacher, as he was another one who simply couldn't keep it on the track if his life depended on it. After a so-so start, the incidents started early for the German, as he flew off the road at turn 4 in quick order. It became a favourite spot for him, as he went off there on further occasions throughout the race, as well as having offs on other corners around the track. By the end of the race, he was a lap down in 10th place, which would have given him ROTR on any other given weekend if it weren't for the antics of other competitors.

Alessando Marchesi - As far as boneheaded moves go however, Alessandro Marchesi took the cake as a result of a collision with then championship leader Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen. The out-of-control Flying Dutchman ended up sliding off and collected a flag marshal at low speed, who was busy waving yellow flags for the beached Rietacher. The marshal was taken to hospital with suspected leg injuries, with Nieuwenhuijzen retiring a few corners later after being pitched into the wall at the penultimate corner. The Italian got a huge penalty as a result from it, and responded with aggressive over-driving as he took his frustrations out on the rest of the midfield. After a collision with Jean-Vincent Albertini earned him another penalty, and once the extent of the marshal's injuries became clear, the stewards decided to disqualify the Italian, which resulted in him being given a two race ban. From there, Reject of the Race was never in doubt for him.

1. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): 1h 10m 59.455
2. D. Alvarez Torrente (Plus One-Maserati): +32.097
3. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): +35.906
4. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +41.544
5. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +1:03.622
6. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +1:15.308
7. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +1:20.020
8. E. Swerts (Dofasco-Chrysler): +1 LAP
9. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +1 LAP
10. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +1 LAP
11. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +1 LAP
12. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +1 LAP
13. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +1 LAP
14. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): +1 LAP
15. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +2 LAPS
16. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +3 LAPS
DNF. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): Suspension
DNF. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): Puncture
DNF. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): Puncture
DNF. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): Suspension
DNF. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): Accident
DSQ. A. Marchesi (Aston Martin): +1 LAP

Pole: D. Alvarez Torrente (Plus One-Masterati): 1:30.990
Fastest Lap: A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): 1:22.444
Reject of the Race: Alessandro Marchesi - The banhammer hit him hard
Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race: Dofasco - Turned around admirably from the turmoil post-Monza
Leaders: M. Macklin: 1-47 (Total: 47)

Standings can be found here

Stewards Report
Car #3 (Andrej Kremnicky) has received a 20 point penalty for overtaking under yellow flags
Car #4 (Dan Greenlaw) has received a 20 point penalty for overtaking under yellow flags
Car #6 (Gregor Pascal) has received a 20 point penalty for overtaking under yellow flags
Car #15 (Daniel Melville) has received a 20 point penalty for overtaking under yellow flags
Car #24 (Jack Christopherson Jr) has received a 30 point penalty for illegally blocking other cars
Car #2 (Alessandro Marchesi) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #5 (Jean-Vincent Albertini)
Car #6 (Gregor Pascal) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #5 (Jean-Vincent Albertini)
Car #2 (Alessandro Marchesi) has received a 75 point penalty for causing an accidental collision with car #8 (Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen) resulting in injury
Car #2 (Alessandro Marchesi) has received a 150 point penalty and has been excluded from the race results due to the severity of various on-track incidents

Alessandro Marchesi has been given a two race ban, as he has gone above the 200 point threshold. Therefore, Aston Martin need to find a replacement for the Turkish and US races.

[Ataxia]

Quite possibly the best race we could have ever hoped for! Mitchell did an excellent race to win, and Diego really impressed first time out for Plus One to get pole and a second place! It's amazing to see him lead the championship now, and it's also wonderful to see Marko up there at his home grand prix. Incroyable!

[TomWazzleshaw]

I should be able to squeeze Turkey in this weekend, but for that to happen, I need replacements for Beirao and Aston Martin by Friday morning. Should either team manager not have replacements announced however, I'll resort to my usual party trick of shoving people in the cars. Which may or may not end well, depending on my mood when I get around to sorting out the performance files

[DanielPT]

I should be able to squeeze Turkey in this weekend, but for that to happen, I need replacements for Beirao and Aston Martin by Friday morning. Should either team manager not have replacements announced however, I'll resort to my usual party trick of shoving people in the cars. Which may or may not end well, depending on my mood when I get around to sorting out the performance files

Apparently no one is interested in the Beirao seat. So be it, you may chose someone for it.

[Aerospeed]

Is Marie Simon available for deputizing? I think she's a test driver at the F1RWRS. She would do in a pinch.

[DanielPT]

Is Marie Simon available for deputizing? I think she's a test driver at the F1RWRS. She would do in a pinch.

If that is possible then I would like that.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Is Marie Simon available for deputizing? I think she's a test driver at the F1RWRS. She would do in a pinch.

As far as I know, Simon should be fine to do the next two events. I'll let you two figure out who she'll be driving for. Oh and for your reference, Turkey will be the first race that Nash will be declared fit to race in.

[DanielPT]

I decided to let Simon drive for Aston Martin. Beirao will take the joker of your choosing, Wizzie.

[TomWazzleshaw]

I decided to let Simon drive for Aston Martin. Beirao will take the joker of your choosing, Wizzie.

Fair enough. I've decided that since you saved me a lot of grief, I'd be kind to you and put Justin Case in the car for two races, as he doesn't have any clashes for the next two weekends, as far as I know. That should give you until Germany to find a more permanent solution if you so desire

EDIT: Yeap, I missed something. Case can only drive in Turkey, as he's got IFRC duties in Italy at the same time as Long Beach

[DanielPT]

I decided to let Simon drive for Aston Martin. Beirao will take the joker of your choosing, Wizzie.

Fair enough. I've decided that since you saved me a lot of grief, I'd be kind to you and put Justin Case in the car for two races, as he doesn't have any clashes for the next two weekends, as far as I know. That should give you until Germany to find a more permanent solution if you so desire

EDIT: Yeap, I missed something. Case can only drive in Turkey, as he's got IFRC duties in Italy at the same time as Long Beach

Right. I will try and draft someone else for the job after Turkey.

[Nessafox]

I decided to let Simon drive for Aston Martin. Beirao will take the joker of your choosing, Wizzie.

Fair enough. I've decided that since you saved me a lot of grief, I'd be kind to you and put Justin Case in the car for two races, as he doesn't have any clashes for the next two weekends, as far as I know. That should give you until Germany to find a more permanent solution if you so desire

EDIT: Yeap, I missed something. Case can only drive in Turkey, as he's got IFRC duties in Italy at the same time as Long Beach

Right. I will try and draft someone else for the job after Turkey.

Oh, no problem F2RWRS has priority over IFCR for Case, because F2RWRS is probably the highest rated series he's allowed to compete in.

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 Petrol Ofisi F2RWRS Turkish Grand Prix

Pre-Qualifying

Today was the day the boys from Banbury came out to play, as Johannes Rueckert put in a scintillating first lap to go straight to the top of the timesheets. While Alberto Cara eventually knocked that time off from the top of the tree by session's end, it was still enough to get Jones through into the main game for the first time since Great Britain. Meanwhile, the two Alitalia drivers of Dan Greenlaw and Andrej Kremnicky put in two solid, workmanlike efforts to secure a berth for the team, at the expense of Plus One after Diego Alvarez Torrente put in a well below par effort.

1. A. Cara (Simpson-BMW): 1:35.166
2. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +0.484
3. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.548
4. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.616
5. M. Rietacher (Plus One-Maserati): +0.735
6. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): +0.780
7. D. Alvarez Torrente (Plus One-Maserati): +0.927
8. C. Johnson (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +1.067
9. S. Prost (Red Bull WRT-Holden): +1.069
10. J. Case (Beirao-BMW): +1.113
11. J. Antonio Soares (Beirao-BMW): +1.165
12. L. Pellerin (Simpson-BMW): +1.626

Qualifying

Few could have predicted that the first five minutes of the session would have been so chaotic, as one of the Dofascos managed to fly off the road at the high-speed turn 11, trapping many people by the resulting yellow flag. Jordan Davies and Gregor Pascal had no such worries however, as they immediately went to 1st and 2nd in the timesheet in the confusion. Normal service resumed somewhat by session's end however, as Wouter Lamberigts went fastest to score his 4th pole position in six races, but Davies' time was still enough for 2nd on the grid, while Pascal will start 4th behind the Alitalia of Dan Greenlaw. Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen ended up with a time fast enough for 5th place with Marko Jantscher joining him on the third row. After making it through pre-qualifying, Jones Racing came crashing back down with an almighty thud, as they line up in 20th and 21st for Sunday's race. Interestingly, had they repeated their pre-qualifying times in qualifying, they would have lined up 5th and 10th respectively. There was only one other incident of note, as Martin van der Maeyede earned a trip to the stewards' office for blocking Eric Swerts during the dying stages of the session.

1. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): 1:35.351
2. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +0.129
3. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.148
4. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): +0.260
5. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +0.305
6. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): +0.373
7. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +0.454
8. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +0.479
9. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): +0.545
10. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.636
11. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): +0.750
12. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): +0.823
13. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): +0.868
14. M. Simon (Aston Martin): +0.921
15. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +0.928
16. E. Swerts (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.933
17. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +0.971
18. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +0.973
19. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): +1.097
20. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +1.101
21. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): +1.130
22. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +1.373

[MinardiFan95]

After yet another failure to pre qualify for the team while Cara sets a time good enough for pole position, Luc Pellerin has been sacked from Simpson Motorsport with immediate effect. A replacement driver will be announced soon.

[Aerospeed]

Hey, look! The 2nd Aston doesn't qualify last!

[DemocalypseNow]

A promising qualifying for Dan Greenlaw. Hopefully he can turn this into a solid result and get his season back on track.

[Nessafox]

I predict a 14th place for Lamberigts, 2 laps down!

And after looking at the team Justin Case got himself in, he prefers the IFCR, where he at least has the chance to actually qualify. So you can search a new driver for the next race (the driver he's replacing in the IFCR is available! but slow)

[DemocalypseNow]

After yet another failure to pre qualify for the team while Cara sets a time good enough for pole position, Luc Pellerin has been sacked from Simpson Motorsport with immediate effect. A replacement driver will be announced soon.

Benoit Voeckler offers his services

[FMecha]

Hiroto Tojo is also available for hire.

[TomWazzleshaw]

2016 Petrol Ofisi F2RWRS Turkish Grand Prix

Race

Positives

Gregor Pascal - Heading into today, the Swiss driver was under massive pressure to perform with Gillet facing the real risk of pre-qualifying. Gregor responded by keeping his head on a day where many other top runners lost there, and found himself in a head-to-head battle for the win with Gianluigi Pazzini. While the Italian hounded him in the closing stages, Pascal held on for his second career win in what was one of the closest races in F2RWRS history.

Gianluigi Pazzini - He may have choked by blowing a late opportunity to get past Pascal, but it was the only blip on the radar of what was otherwise a fine drive for the young Italian. With both he and teammate Jason Hamilton under increasing pressure to keep their jobs with the ever-unpredictable Mad Uncle, Pazzini responded with one of the defining drives of his career. He managed to leapfrog both early leader Dan Greenlaw and Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen in the first round of pitstops, and set about eating away at the gap to Pascal, to the point he was right on his tail with 8 laps to go, where he ended up punting both Pascal and himself of the track in a failed overtaking manouver. He closed up the gap again by the end, but simply couldn't find a way past Pascal, but second place was still enough to get MRT out of the jaws of pre-qualifying for a second cycle running

Dofasco - Diego Alvarez Torrente must be wondering where the hell he went wrong in life, because the minute he joins Plus One, Dofasco become the form team on the grid. After nearly scoring double points in Austria, their two cars kept out of trouble yet again, and were incredibly unlucky not to walk away with a huge haul of points. Judd McAllister was on track for a points finish in the closing stages, before Yuka Katayama lost her head and punted both of them off the road, while Eric Swerts was on his way to winning his first ever race on a one-stop strategy before the suspension on his car collapsed on his car.

Carter Simpson - The young Australian has always had the pace to hack in it the F2RWRS, but this year, he has managed to find a new level of consistency which has put him in the lead of the championship. In fact, if it wasn't for his retirement at Monza, Simpson would be a race win ahead of everyone right now. As it was, Simpson was another who made the one-stop strategy work, and was on track for third place with a few laps to go, before Dan Greenlaw did a 'bump 'n' run' on him, demoting him to 4th, but it was still enough to retake the lead in the championship.

Negatives

Aston Martin - Jordan Davies thought he was in for a good run with his front row start. Instead, he got trolled hard by Wouter Lamberigts on the first lap, and spent the rest of the race doing little more than be a nuisance at the back of the field, earning himself a penalty later on the in the race when he had a second collision with Wouter Lamberigts, along with a collision with Frenchman Gilles Massinion. Marie Simon meanwhile may have walked away with 6th place and the point for fastest lap on her return. But she wasn't making any friends within the team however, as she punted teammate Davies off early on in a rather embarrassing incident.

Johannes Rueckert - The German may have had his first start since Great Britain, but he made absolutely nothing of it, as he fell off the road on several occasions early in the race, before doing absolutely nothing of note for the rest of the afternoon on a day where teammate Massinion was on track for some major points before luck went against his way.

RonDen Racing Engineering - Any good will Wouter Lamberigts had after qualifying was absolutely destroyed come race day, as a viscous chop on Jordan Davies effectively ruining both of their afternoons, before the Belgian went on to achieve nothing else of note before a suspension failure ended his afternoon. Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen meanwhile scored valuable points in 5th place, but he managed to earn the ire of the stewards by punting Carter Simpson off-mid race. In the chaos of Marcel Ageymang-Badu having his enormous shunt with Andrej Kremnicky a few seconds later, the Flying Dutchman found himself back behind Simpson, where he proceeded to punt him off again on a second time the very next lap, earning him a second penalty from the hideously over-worked stewards.

Jason Hamilton - While Gigi Pazzini was too busy flying the flag for MRT, Hamilton wasn't on track to achieve much of note, despite being on a one-stop strategy. He then proceeded to put a block that was far too late on Dan Greenlaw during the first pitstop phase, effectively ending Greenlaw's challenge for victory then and there, and earning the Australian a penalty as he fights to keep his job at the former champion squad.

The Entire Astro Racing Group - After their fantastic showing in Austria, the Astro Group came crashing back down to earth with a shuddering thud in Turkey. Not that Diego Alvarez Torrente knew anything about it mind you, as he was so asleep in Pre-Qualifying that he single-handedly eliminated Plus One on the spot. The hits just kept on coming on race day as Marko Jantscher had an off during the first pitstop phase, before falling off the road on multiple occasions after that, including a spin at turn 8 which arguably cost Pazzini the race, as the Austrian ended up a pathetic 16th and last on the road. The two Fusion guys didn't have it any better, as Martin van der Maeyede made a good start, but then started to bleed positions on his way to a pointless 11th place finish. Mitchell Macklin on the other hand was on track for points, until he too lost his head and punted Massinion out of the way, removing both out of points contention, and securing the entire organisation a Reject of the Race award.

1. G. Pascal (Gillet-BMW): 1h 02m 44.498
2. G. Pazzini (MRT-BMW): +0.700
3. D. Greenlaw (Alitalia-Abarth): +12.597
4. C. Simpson (Young Lions-Holden): +18.094
5. B. van Nieuwenhuijzen (RonDen-Zastava): +27.581
6. M. Simon (Aston Martin): +33.992
7. D. Melville (Young Lions-Holden): +35.584
8. Y. Katayama (Falik Arrows-BMW): +43.109
9. M. Macklin (Fusion-Holden): +43.593
10. J. McAllister (Dofasco-Chrysler): +55.526
11. M. van der Maeyede (Fusion-Holden): +1:02.879
12. G. Massinion (Jones-Ford): +1:05.088
13. J. Rueckert (Jones-Ford): +1:05.351
14. A. Kremnicky (Alitalia-Abarth): +1:09.326
15. J. Davies (Aston Martin): +1:18.689
16. M. Jantscher (Falik Arrows-BMW): +1:27.055
DNF. E. Swerts (Dofasco-Chrysler): Suspension
DNF. W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): Suspension
DNF. J-V. Albertini (Gillet-BMW): Loose Wheel
DNF. J. Hamilton (MRT-BMW): Water Leak
DNF. M. Agyemang-Badu (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): Collision
DNF. J. Christopherson Jr (Aeroracing-Alfa Romeo): Transmission

Pole: W. Lamberigts (RonDen-Zastava): 1:35.351
Fastest Lap: M. Simon (Aston Martin): 1:35.423
Reject of the Race: Astro Racing Group - Weekend from hell for the organisation
Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race: Gregor Pascal/Gianluigi Pazzini - Saved their respective teams embarrassment with 1-2 finish
Leaders: D. Greenlaw: 1-11 (Total: 11)
G. Pascal: 12-15, 19-23, 27-38 (Total: 21)
C. Simpson: 16-18 (Total: 3)
G. Pazzini: 24-26 (Total: 3)

Standings can be found here

Stewards Report
Car #32 (Martin van der Maeyede) has received a 20 point penalty for blocking Car #26 (Eric Swerts) in qualifying
Car #0 (Jordan Davies) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #7 (Wouter Lamberigts)
Car #0 (Jordan Davies) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #11 (Gilles Massinion)
Car #2 (Marie Simon) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #0 (Jordan Davies)
Car #3 (Andrej Kremnicky) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #27 (Judd McAllister)
Car #4 (Dan Greenlaw) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #14 (Carter Simpson)
Car #7 (Wouter Lamberigts) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #0 (Jordan Davies)
Car #8 (Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #14 (Carter Simpson)
Car #8 (Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #14 (Carter Simpson)
Car #12 (Johannes Rueckert) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #32 (Martin van der Maeyede)
Car #16 (Yuka Katayama) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #27 (Judd McAllister)
Car #18 (Jason Hamilton) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #3 (Dan Greenlaw)
Car #33 (Mitchell Macklin) has received a 45 point penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Car #11 (Gilles Massinion)

[TomWazzleshaw]

With that out of the way, Simpson and Plus One both escape pre-qualifying for the next three races, while Dofasco and Aeroracing drop back down in their place.

[Aerospeed]

Is Marchesi back in next race? That was dumb driving from both drivers.

[Onxy Wrecked]

Turkey on Thanksgiving? Sounds great...

[Ataxia]

Anyone and anything affiliated with Astro Racing Group ended up like headless chickens in Turkey. Really poor race.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Is Marchesi back in next race? That was dumb driving from both drivers.

No, Marchesi will not be back for the next race, but he will be back for the race after that.