Women's GT Junior Cup 2014/2015 - Season over!

[Onxy Wrecked]

Went as expected really. Shocked the Nissans are so good here but at least the Chevys didn't look too terrible out there. Just a bit underpowered.

[V8fan12]

Good job by Chittenden to place 6th. Shame about the blown engine for McLeod. She was doing so well.

[mike robers]

Shame both women crashed. We shoulda won.

[AustralianStig]

It's great to have both cars in the top 10 and one on the podium for my first race as team principal. Elena will get there, she showed good pace in the tests and I have no doubts she'll soon be challenging for top 5s then podiums. Alessandra has simply been a revelation - I'll need to watch my back in the Audi senior team or she'll be putting me out of a drive!

[go_Rubens]

Today was a good day. Great, in fact. We were in contention for a podium all race long, which is certainly a sign of good things to come. We're happy. Veronica was struggling a bit more than we wanted, but considering she missed a day to get used to the team, as before now we only did 2 days of testing, she wanted to treat this as more of a test session. There are still 11 races ahead or so. We're confident in ourselves, being the World Championship winning team. Well, kind of!

I struggled more than I liked, thanks to the narrow streets and being used to open wheelers. It is a pleasure driving for Ferrari, and being the current World Championship winning constructor, we are confident thaf we can still take this thing on. But Leah Pruett is pretty damn fast. Not quite sure what we can do to close that existent gap!

It was a good acid test for the team and the drivers today. Mikaela was certainly on the pace. Veronica struggled a little bit, which didn't surprise us with her relative inexperience. But we'll work together to close the gap to Mercedes. But for now, time for some ice cream and vodka.

[Turbogirl]

2nd Round of the Women's GT Junior Cup

Circuit de Catalunya, Spain

60 laps / 4,655 km (2,89 mi)


Qualifying

Weather: Warm, overcast, dry at first, then heavy rain

In the days before this round, there was already bad weather reported for the region of Catalunya, so all teams and drivers knew what was coming their way. The weather on Saturday was good at first, although dark clouds were looming in the area nearby.
The fastest lap times were obviously recorded before the rain soaked the circuit around the 30 minute mark. The light rain increased progressively and gave a first taste of the weather conditions, the drivers would have to face on Sunday. The unwanted rain showers prohibited all ladies from going any faster, although some made desperate attempts to push their cars even further to the limit in the wet.
Leah Pruett took her second consecutive pole-position, more than three tenths of a second faster than Tiffany Chittenden in second place. Local heroine Carmen Jorda still had problems with her Maserati and wasn't able to show her full potential, albeit knowing the Catalunya circuit like the back of her hand. Both BMWs found themselves at the back of the grid and were not at all happy with such a poor result.
Internet forums predicted a battle between Mercedes-Benz and Dodge, Leah Pruett against Tiffany Chittenden. They had no idea, what the Spanish weather had in store for them...

Code: Select all

01    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        1:46.445
02    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                1:46.776
03    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        1:46.809
04    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              1:46.813
05    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                 1:47.018
06    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              1:47.294
07    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              1:47.938
08    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                1:47.973
09    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              1:48.047
10    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 1:48.246

Code: Select all

11    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                1:48.359
12    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              1:48.504
13    Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             1:48.836
14    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            1:48.955
15    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               1:48.992
16    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               1:49.092
17    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               1:49.222
18    Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              1:49.248
19    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               1:49.324
20    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               1:49.482

Code: Select all

21    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               1:49.488
22    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               1:49.500
23    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             1:49.512
24    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               1:49.700
25    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                1:49.831
26    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            1:50.059
27    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  1:50.084
28    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  1:50.484

105 % = 1:53.767


Race

Weather: Warm, heavy rain, overcast

On Sunday morning the sky was covered with dark rain clouds. It began to drizzle around lunch time. This changed into a real thunderstorm two hours before the start. When the 28 drivers faced the starter, heavy rain was still pouring down on the circuit, and everyone started on wets.
Leah Pruett took the immediate lead, closely followed by teammate Hillary Will in second, with the rest of the field not too far behind. In Turn 1, Shannon McIntosh tried to squeeze her McLaren through a gap way too small to do so, and collided with her teammate Collete Davis. Leilani Münter, who had tried her luck on the outside of that corner, got hit by the sliding McLarens and ended up in the sandtrap alongside them.
Tiffany Chittenden could not keep up with the faster and better handling Mercedes SLS, and she slowly fell behind. The Dodge came under increasing threat by Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Neri at once. Ahlin-Kottulinsky grabbed third place from Chittenden on lap 6 after an intense battle.
On lap 15, the spectators could witness two beautiful pirouettes by Myers and Mikami in two different corners of the circuit. Myers sank her Audi in a sandtrap in Turn 10, while Mikami even spun twice, first in Turn 13 and finally in Turn 1 after crossing the finish line, where she left her Bugatti in the gravel and walked back to the pits.
The strong wind blew even more rainclouds across the dark sky, when Alessandra Neri took fourth from Chittenden on lap 18. At that time, Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky in third had huge trouble with aquaplaning and fell behind. Neri was able to close the gap to the Ferrari in only half a lap and attacked Ahlin-Kottulinsky for the first time in Turn 4.
The Mercedes-Benz duo was leading the field with a large gap to the third-placed Ahlin-Kottulinsky, when Hillary Will also encountered aquaplaning on lap 25 and spun round twice. This incident not only allowed her teammate to pull away, but also allowed Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Neri to close in on Will in the process. On lap 26, Ahlin-Kottulinsky attacked the Mercedes down the finish line, but Will shut the door, only to open a gap for Neri to dive into. The Audi driver passed both Will and Ahlin-Kottulinsky in one clean swipe and grabbed second place. It took Ahlin-Kottulinsky two more laps to finally get past the Mercedes SLS herself.
Although she led this race from start to finish, Leah Pruett was definitely not the most dominant driver this weekend. No, this honor goes to young Veronica Valverde, who found the extremely wet conditions very much to her liking. Again overshadowed by her teammate in qualifying, Valverde drove with impressive regularity and gained positions whenever other drivers dropped out or got into trouble with aquaplaning.
Her personal highlight was clearly the wheel to wheel battle with Hillary Will during lap 45. Valverde had been trying to pass Will many times before, but Will had used the entire width of the track to keep her rival at bay. But on lap 47 the Mercedes SLS went into a skid, so that Valverde moved into fourth position. Will tried to stay close to the Ferrari for a while, but Valverde eventually drew away.
Halfway into the 50th lap, while battling for tenth position, Alison MacLeod was forced to retire, when her gearbox gave in. This led to a double DNF for the Dodge SRT Racing Team, which was especially tragic, since both drivers had been fighting ambitiously for positions until their untimely demise.
Leah Pruett took her second victory this season, with Alessandra Neri and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky in second and third position yet again.

Code: Select all

01    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        60 Laps
02    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                 +  5.888
03    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              +  6.376
04    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              +  7.811
05    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        +  9.075
06    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               + 11.194
07    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                + 11.899
08    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               + 14.472
09    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  + 19.293
10    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               + 20.055

Code: Select all

11    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              + 22.252
12    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            + 23.017
13    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               + 24.434
14    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  + 24.869
15    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               + 25.295
DNF   Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                50 Laps      Gearbox
DNF   Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               45 Laps      Accident
DNF   Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               42 Laps      Oil Leak
DNF   Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             40 Laps      Accident
DNF   Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             38 Laps      Camshaft

Code: Select all

DNF   Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                34 Laps      Accident
DNF   Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               30 Laps      Accident
DNF   Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            22 Laps      Accident
DNF   Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              15 Laps      Spun
DNF   Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 15 Laps      Spun
DNF   Collete Davis               (McLaren)               0 Laps      Collision
DNF   Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)               0 Laps      Collision
DNF   Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                 0 Laps      Collision

Driver's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Leah Pruett                (Mercedes-Benz)        100 Points
02    Alessandra Neri            (Audi)                  80 Points
03    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky  (Ferrari)               70 Points
04    Hillary Will               (Mercedes-Benz)         56 Points
05    Veronica Valverde          (Ferrari)               37 Points
06    Hiromi Kajikuma            (Jaguar)                34 Points
07    Leilani Münter             (Lotus)                 26 Points
08    Alexandra Asmasoebrata     (Bugatti)               25 Points
09    Tiffany Chittenden         (Dodge)                 22 Points
10    Natalia Kowalska           (Lotus)                 18 Points

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11    Vicky Piria                (Nissan)                15 Points
12    Gwendolyn Hertzberger      (Morgan)                15 Points
13    Molly Taylor               (BMW)                   12 Points
14    Elena Myers                (Audi)                   9 Points
15    Mishael Abbott             (Morgan)                 9 Points
16    Sarah McCune               (Nissan)                 8 Points
17    Emilee Tominovich          (Chevrolet)              5 Points
18    Courtney Force             (Jaguar)                 3 Points
19    Kazumi Mikami              (Bugatti)                1 Point
20    Elena Lana                 (BMW)                    1 Point

Constructor's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Mercedes-Benz        156 Points
02    Ferrari              107 Points
03    Audi                  89 Points
04    Lotus                 44 Points
05    Jaguar                37 Points
06    Bugatti               26 Points
07    Morgan                24 Points
08    Nissan                23 Points
09    Dodge                 22 Points
10    BMW                   13 Points
11    Chevrolet              5 Points

Penalties: Car #0 (Shannon McIntosh) drop of 5 grid position at the driver's next event for causing a collision.

Reject of the Race: Shannon McIntosh. Turning such a promising qualifying result into a double DNF for the team is never a good way to start a race.


Next: Round 03 - France up on Sunday the 6th (CET)!

[dr-baker]

Very unfortunate DNF for Munter, but another solid points finish for Lotus's only finisher.

[Wallio]

Excellent run today. Its going to make the decision of who to run in the big leagues in the future, that much more difficult.......

[KL-racer]

Well, Kajikuma continues to surprise me. She just missed out on a top 5 finish. It was a shame that Courtney Force didn't finish this race. At least Jaguar as a team is now in the top 5 of the teams standings.

[mike robers]

Please set both drivers settings to mod.

[FMecha]

Mrs Myers, you're an idiot.

[Turbogirl]

Please set both drivers settings to mod.

Done.

Mrs Myers, you're an idiot.

I think, you misunderstood something. There was no collision between those two. They retired on the same lap, but in opposite corners of the circuit.

[FMecha]

Please set both drivers settings to mod.

Done.

Mrs Myers, you're an idiot.

I think, you misunderstood something. There was no collision between those two. They retired on the same lap, but in opposite corners of the circuit.

Oops. Although yeah to be honest Asuka Kuwashima always drinks sake EVERYTIME after the race ends

[V8fan12]

Well, what a shame with both cars not finishing. And more problems for Alison's car. The gearbox this time. You can be sure that we will be looking into this.

There's not much to say. I was fighting for 10th, when "poof" my gearbox fails. There wasn't much I could do about it.

I had a great qualifying but the conditions out there were just horrible. Everyone was aquaplaning all over the place. I just couldn't keep it on the circuit.

[go_Rubens]

Consistency is the key!

Today was a great day. I mean, really great! I was able to do something that not many others could do, which was drive on the road, and with gaining 5 places as a result, I'm very happy with what we've done today.

The drivers are doing well so far. My arse hasn't been fired yet. I'm in good shape!

[Onxy Wrecked]

Got some points, but it seems like all that really happened was Emilee not crashing while many others did. Starting 26th is probably nothing to write home about though.

[Turbogirl]

3rd Round of the Women's GT Junior Cup

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France

61 laps / 4,411 km (2,74 mi)


Qualifying

Weather: Cold, dry, overcast

The qualifying on Saturday was a dry one, but early in the session a lone Mercedes-Benz SLS was already chasing around the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Hillary Will was in dismay about the fact, that she was overshadowed twice by her own teammate, who had less race experience than herself. She was eager to turn the tides and win this round.
Then she was confronted with reality. Leah Pruett took pole-position once again, but also the likes of Alessandra Neri and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky were faster than the second Mercedes SLS on a regular basis. It was obvious, that Hillary Will was not content with P4.
Both Toyota drivers found the demanding Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours very much to their liking and (for the first time since the dawn of this season) were able to battle for positions with the much stronger Nissans and Maseratis.

Code: Select all

01    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        1:38.549
02    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              1:38.753
03    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                 1:38.758
04    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        1:38.785
05    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                1:38.816
06    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              1:39.099
07    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 1:39.400
08    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                1:39.413
09    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              1:39.492
10    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              1:39.736

Code: Select all

11    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                1:39.827
12    Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              1:40.242
13    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            1:40.575
14    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               1:40.612
15    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              1:39.592 *
16    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               1:40.656
17    Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             1:40.670
18    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               1:40.726
19    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               1:40.742
20    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             1:40.766

Code: Select all

21    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               1:40.776
22    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               1:40.858
23    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               1:40.976
24    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               1:41.011
25    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                1:41.509
26    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  1:41.749
27    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  1:41.849
28    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            1:41.864

105 % = 1:45.476

* Shannon McIntosh was dropped 5 grid positions due to her penalty from Spain.


Race

Weather: Cold, sunny, dry at first, later rain

The Sunday race on the Circuit Magny-Cours took place in unsettled weather. Leah Pruett made the best start once again and took the lead, closely followed by Alessandra Neri in second and Hillary Will in third. Ahlin-Kottulinsky came fourth after she had fallen back on the run to the Grande Courbe.
On the same lap Hillary Will grabbed second from Neri, so now both Mercedes-Benz were leading the field round Magny-Cours. This opening lap had developed into a promising race for Mercedes-Benz, since Neri and Ahlin-Kottulinsky weren't able to keep up with them at all. Pruett and Will had already established a gap of almost half a second between them and Alessandra Neri in third, when the field crossed the finish line for the second time.
In the meantime, Shannon McIntosh made up for her poor showing in Spain and the penalty she had received afterwards and had already climbed up into tenth position, right behind her teammate Davis.
Tiffany Chittenden passed Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for fourth on lap 14. Next on her list was Alessandra Neri, whom she overtook on lap 17.
After lap 20, despite the light rain that had set in, the lap times almost remained as fast as on the dry circuit. This rainshower wasn't heavy enough for anyone to go on Intermediates or even wets. The rain increased around lap 30. Still, it wasn't enough to justify a tyre change, but it slowed the field down visibly, as the surface changed from just being moist and shiny to being outright wet.
Chittenden was able to close in on the leading Mercedes duo and attacked Hillary Will for second, but to no avail. Then came the yellow flags on lap 32. Marika Diana became the first victim of the rain, as she slid into the sandtrap at Adelaide Hairpin and got stuck there. This in turn prohibited Tiffany Chittenden from attacking Hillary Will in this corner, although it would have been the perfect opportunity and might most certainly have led to Chittenden grabbing second position. Ramona Kiss' accident on lap 34 prohibited Chittenden to attack Will again, but on lap 36, she was able to outsmart the Mercedes driver at Chateaux d'Eau and finally took second place.
On lap 40, Elena Myers had a close encounter of the third kind with Lotus driver Natalia Kowalska, both fighting for seventh position. Kowalska tried her luck in the Adelaide Hairpin, but misjudged the wet track at this point and crashed into the Audi R8 of Myers. Kowalska retired in the nearby sandtrap and walked back to the pits, obviously frustrated about her second retirement in the third race of this season.
Myers reported a strange handling issue to the Audi crew right after the collision. Her left front suspension was severely damaged, and Myers headed back to the pits at a snail's pace, where she retired. This incident was declared a race accident afterwards, and Natalia Kowalska got out of France unpenalized.
On lap 45 the rain lessened and the track began to dry. After ten more laps the circuit was completely dry in most corners, with Adelaide Hairpin and Grande Courbe being the sole exceptions. It was here, that the leading Leah Pruett hit a stain of water and spun round several times, before ending up in the gravel. Chittenden lifted to avoid a collision with the spinning Mercedes, which in turn allowed Hillary Will to pass her again for the lead.
Chittenden immediately chased after Will and attacked her several times, but the Mercedes driver defended her position well. Will was not able to pull away from the faster Viper though, and Chittenden was determined to use the Mercedes' slipstream to her advantage for a final attack.
On the final lap, Will and Chittenden continued their exciting wheel to wheel battle, and the Complexe du Lycee was to bring the decision. Will jumped inside to shut the door on Chittenden, losing momentum by trying to slow her opponent down. The Dodge stayed on the outer line, both cars suddenly side by side, and Chittenden used the slightly better traction of the Viper to win by a whisker. This might be one of the closest battles to the chequered flag of all times and also a very nice photofinish, especially with Neri and Ahlin-Kottulinsky close behind.
After the French round, Audi driver Alessandra Neri headed the Driver's Standings by 15 points over Pruett and Ahlin-Kottulinsky. But Mercedes-Benz still dominated the Constructor's Standings by 41 points over Ferrari and 72 points over Audi.

Code: Select all

01    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                61 Laps
02    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        +  0.060
03    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                 +  0.301
04    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              +  0.793
05    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                +  5.657
06    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              +  6.344
07    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              +  8.777
08    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              +  9.009
09    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               +  9.428
10    Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              + 10.289

Code: Select all

11    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               + 10.594
12    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               + 11.462
13    Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             + 11.927
14    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               + 12.999
15    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             + 13.971
16    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                + 16.713
17    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  + 17.666
18    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               + 18.375
19    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            + 18.810
20    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  + 19.255

Code: Select all

21    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               + 22.003
22    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        59 Laps      Accident
23    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              56 Laps      Hydraulics
DNF   Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               43 Laps      Accident
DNF   Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 41 Laps      Suspension
DNF   Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                40 Laps      Collision
DNF   Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               34 Laps      Accident
DNF   Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            32 Laps      Accident

Driver's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Alessandra Neri            (Audi)                 115 Points
02    Leah Pruett                (Mercedes-Benz)        100 Points
03    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky  (Ferrari)              100 Points
04    Hillary Will               (Mercedes-Benz)         96 Points
05    Tiffany Chittenden         (Dodge)                 72 Points
06    Veronica Valverde          (Ferrari)               55 Points
07    Leilani Münter             (Lotus)                 52 Points
08    Alexandra Asmasoebrata     (Bugatti)               40 Points
09    Hiromi Kajikuma            (Jaguar)                35 Points
10    Shannon McIntosh           (McLaren)               22 Points
11    Gwendolyn Hertzberger      (Morgan)                22 Points

Code: Select all

12    Natalia Kowalska           (Lotus)                 18 Points
13    Vicky Piria                (Nissan)                15 Points
14    Courtney Force             (Jaguar)                15 Points
15    Sarah McCune               (Nissan)                13 Points
16    Molly Taylor               (BMW)                   12 Points
17    Kazumi Mikami              (Bugatti)               10 Points
18    Elena Myers                (Audi)                   9 Points
19    Mishael Abbott             (Morgan)                 9 Points
20    Emilee Tominovich          (Chevrolet)              5 Points
21    Gaby Dela Merced           (Maserati)               3 Points
22    Elena Lana                 (BMW)                    1 Point

Constructor's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Mercedes-Benz        196 Points
02    Ferrari              155 Points
03    Audi                 124 Points
04    Dodge                 72 Points
05    Lotus                 70 Points
06    Jaguar                50 Points

Code: Select all

07    Bugatti               50 Points
08    Morgan                31 Points
09    Nissan                28 Points
10    McLaren               22 Points
11    BMW                   13 Points
12    Chevrolet              5 Points
13    Maserati               3 Points

Reject of the Race: The rain. Somehow one might get the feeling, holding a winter series in Europe during the European winter wasn't such a clever idea after all. Maybe we should move next year's Junior Cup to locations outside Europe, where it's still warm and summerly...


Next: Round 04 - Great Britain up on Wednesday the 9th (CET)!

[V8fan12]

YES YES YES! Finally a win and both cars finishing! A great day for Dodge!

Wow, I'm so stoked with the win. I can't thank the team enough. Props to Hillary for a great battle there at the end. It was close!

So happy for Tiffany with the win. I qualified down the back but made up 10 positions by the end so I'm happy. Plus there were no mechanical failures!

[Nessafox]

Hey, points!

[mike robers]

Well,at least Shannon scored points.

[V8fan12]

Hey Turbogirl, how many drivers will we be able to test at the mid-season tests?

[Turbogirl]

Hey Turbogirl, how many drivers will we be able to test at the mid-season tests?

The Silverstone tests are again held on two days (Saturday and Sunday), and since each team has two cars and two established drivers, two sessions each day (morning and afternoon), each team can run at least 4 drivers a day.

So, if you want to go to an extreme, you could run your 2 established drivers plus 6 more, making a total of 8 drivers. That is, if you don't want to test race engineers or Technical Directors.

[Wallio]

We are quite pleased with the race. However, we do hope our drivers are not beginning to feud. There is no number 1, and there are (as you can see) no team orders. While the drivers title would of course be nice, our main concern is the WCC.

[Turbogirl]

4th Round of the Women's GT Junior Cup

Brands Hatch Circuit, Great Britain

78 Laps / 3,908 km (2,43 mi)


Qualifying

Weather: Cold, dry, overcast

Hardly anybody could have been more displeased with this qualifying than Leah Pruett, who struggled with her Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 the whole time, unable to fight on even ground against her increasing number of rivals for the Championship title. After three consecutive pole-positions, Pruett had to be content with P4, which she clearly wasn't.
Hardly anybody could have been more pleased with this qualifying than Alessandra Neri, who managed to grab her first pole-position this season. Well, actually Vanina Ickx and Steffi Schmidt might have been even more pleased, considering the fact, that Neri and her teammate Elena Myers just managed a double pole-position for Team Audi. Neri felt motivated, because for the first time this season the Audi R8 LMS was clearly superior to the Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 and every other car on the grid.
It was a little bit surprising, that the British weather wasn't as bad as expected. At least not on Saturday. After rainy races in Spain and France, the infamous British weather was unwilling to show itself on the day of qualifying, giving most drivers a false sense of security. This was about to change very soon...

Code: Select all

01    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                 1:24.846
02    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 1:25.044
03    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              1:25.199
04    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        1:25.531
05    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                1:25.562
06    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        1:25.595
07    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              1:25.810
08    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                1:25.901
09    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              1:26.066
10    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              1:26.075

Code: Select all

11    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                1:26.187
12    Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              1:26.268
13    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            1:26.415
14    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               1:26.552
15    Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              1:26.582
16    Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               1:26.608
17    Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             1:26.622
18    Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               1:27.064
19    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               1:27.370
20    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               1:27.428

Code: Select all

21    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             1:27.456
22    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               1:27.544
23    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               1:27.644
24    Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               1:27.732
25    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  1:28.064
26    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                1:28.334
27    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  1:28.374
28    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            1:28.489

105 % = 1:31.088


Race

Weather: Cold, dry, heavy rain

On Saturday evening, it started to rain cats and dogs, forcing all teams to setup the cars for wet conditions overnight. Sunday morning arrived with dark clouds and relentless rain. So again, the entire grid started on wets right away.
Elena Myers lost second place to Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky right at Paddock Hill Bend. Leah Pruett had a mediocre start and found herself in seventh position, even passed by her own teammate. Considering the underwhelming handling of her SLS GT3 on Brands Hatch Circuit in general and on a flooded Brands Hatch Circuit in particular, one may assume, Leah Pruett was already praying for the rain to stop anytime soon.
But instead, the rain got heavier and took even more drivers out of the race. Amber Anderson aside, because her Toyota succumbed to a defunct fuel pump, each and every driver became a victim of aquaplaning. At the halfway point of the race, organizers thought about cutting the race short and only awarding half points, but then they agreed to additional, longer safety car phases, which made safety car driver Ellen Lohr the unofficial winner of the title "most laps led" for this round. Rumors have it, that Alessandra Neri gave her winner's trophy to Lohr after the race because of this.
Susie Wolff, co-commenting the race for the BBC, was very happy to be able to stay in the warm and dry commentator's booth and not being out on the track racing under these truely abysmal circumstances. It was unnecessary of her to point out, that holding a winter series during the European winter was a dumb idea in the first place, because in the meantime, the WDA had realized this fact as well.
Leah Pruett drove one of the hardest, if not THE hardest race of her entire career. Unlike in the previous rounds, her SLS GT3 suffered from bad handling on Brands Hatch Circuit and Pruett had even more trouble taking fifth place from Tiffany Chittenden in the end. The undisputed advantages of the Mercedes-Benz had vaporized on the British tarmac.
Alessandra Neri's first victory for Audi was already assured on lap 69, when Hillary Will wrecked her Mercedes-Benz at Hawthorn Bend, after a failed attempt to keep the faster Leah Pruett at bay. This in turn triggered another safety car phase, which didn't stop Mishael Abbott from having her own little crash. She hit a stain of water on lap 75 and lost control of her Morgan at Clearways. Ellen Lohr was ordered to stay out and lead the remaining field home.
So the surviving drivers were flagged off behind the safety car after 78 laps, with Neri as the winner, closely followed by the Ferrari duo in second and third.
Mercedes-Benz had lost their lead in the Constructor's Championship to Ferrari, heading the standings by 8 points over Mercedes and 26 points over Audi. Leah Pruett found herself in third place of the Driver's Standings after this round, with Alessandra Neri in first place leading Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky in second by 25 points already.

Code: Select all

01    Alessandra Neri             (Audi)                 78 Laps
02    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              +  1.340
03    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              +  2.176
04    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 +  4.723
05    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        +  6.868
06    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                +  8.587
07    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                + 10.651
08    Vicky Piria                 (Nissan)               + 12.011
09    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              + 14.587
10    Carmen Jorda                (Maserati)             + 16.729

Code: Select all

11    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  + 17.650
12    Marika Diana                (Chevrolet)            + 19.954
13    Courtney Force              (Jaguar)               + 21.978
14    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                + 23.166
15    Emilee Tominovich           (Chevrolet)            + 25.058
16    Mishael Abbott              (Morgan)               75 Laps      Accident
DNF   Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        69 Laps      Accident
DNF   Sarah McCune                (Nissan)               62 Laps      Accident
DNF   Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                56 Laps      Accident
DNF   Gaby Dela Merced            (Maserati)             48 Laps      Accident

Code: Select all

DNF   Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              40 Laps      Accident
DNF   Alexandra Asmasoebrata      (Bugatti)              37 Laps      Accident
DNF   Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               32 Laps      Fuel Pump
DNF   Kazumi Mikami               (Bugatti)              25 Laps      Accident
DNF   Hiromi Kajikuma             (Jaguar)               21 Laps      Accident
DNF   Gwendolyn Hertzberger       (Morgan)               16 Laps      Accident
DNF   Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               10 Laps      Accident
DNF   Molly Taylor                (BMW)                   4 Laps      Accident

Driver's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Alessandra Neri            (Audi)                 165 Points
02    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky  (Ferrari)              140 Points
03    Leah Pruett                (Mercedes-Benz)        126 Points
04    Hillary Will               (Mercedes-Benz)         96 Points
05    Tiffany Chittenden         (Dodge)                 94 Points
06    Veronica Valverde          (Ferrari)               90 Points
07    Leilani Münter             (Lotus)                 70 Points
08    Alexandra Asmasoebrata     (Bugatti)               40 Points
09    Elena Myers                (Audi)                  39 Points
10    Hiromi Kajikuma            (Jaguar)                35 Points

Code: Select all

11    Vicky Piria                (Nissan)                30 Points
12    Shannon McIntosh           (McLaren)               22 Points
13    Gwendolyn Hertzberger      (Morgan)                22 Points
14    Natalia Kowalska           (Lotus)                 18 Points
15    Courtney Force             (Jaguar)                18 Points
16    Sarah McCune               (Nissan)                13 Points
17    Molly Taylor               (BMW)                   12 Points
18    Collete Davis              (McLaren)               12 Points
19    Kazumi Mikami              (Bugatti)               10 Points
20    Mishael Abbott             (Morgan)                 9 Points

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21    Carmen Jorda               (Maserati)               9 Points
22    Elena Lana                 (BMW)                    8 Points
23    Emilee Tominovich          (Chevrolet)              5 Points
24    Marika Diana               (Chevrolet)              5 Points
25    Gaby Dela Merced           (Maserati)               3 Points
26    Alison MacLeod             (Dodge)                  1 Point

Constructor's Championship

Code: Select all

01    Ferrari              230 Points
02    Mercedes-Benz        222 Points
03    Audi                 204 Points
04    Dodge                 95 Points
05    Lotus                 88 Points
06    Jaguar                53 Points
07    Bugatti               50 Points

Code: Select all

08    Nissan                43 Points
09    McLaren               34 Points
10    Morgan                31 Points
11    BMW                   20 Points
12    Maserati              12 Points
13    Chevrolet             10 Points

Reject of the Race: Hillary Will. Riccetti made it abundantly clear, that he wants no feud among his drivers but to win the Constructor's title instead. There was absolutely no need for Will to pull a Massa first and even to utterly smash all hopes of a decent points finish for both cars right after that.

Next: Silverstone tests up on Saturday the 12th (CET)!

Just as a reminder: These tests are not mandatory! If you don't want to participate, you don't have to.

Please post all your testing plans until Friday the 11th, 3 pm (CET). You can test race engineers, Technical Directors and drivers, as long as their names appear on one of the lists in my opening post.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Well, this is a thing

Michael Bartels has figured out the Z3 is having massive problems building tyre temperature over a race stint, so we'd like to test some new suspension parts to try and fix that. Other than that, we have absolutely no idea how to sort this mess out

[AustralianStig]

What a brilliant result for Audi! Despite fact that it wasn't much of a race in the end, we thoroughly deserved every point that we picked up and Alessandra has her first win of the year. Hopefully it'll be the first of many! I have no doubt that Elena will continue to improve - I didn't expect to see her making inroads this early but clearly she is coming of age in this format of racing.

Alessandra Neri will sit out of the Silverstone tests, with Elena Myers continuing to get as many miles under her belt and Audi also invites Hayley Swanson to test for the junior team.

[Turbogirl]

Well, this is a thing

Michael Bartels has figured out the Z3 is having massive problems building tyre temperature over a race stint, so we'd like to test some new suspension parts to try and fix that. Other than that, we have absolutely no idea how to sort this mess out

Since the regulations clearly forbid technical changes on the cars (and there is no game mechanic I could use to show this new suspension at work), here is a free tip: Make Michael Bartels your Technical Director (he's only your Team Principal at the moment) and the situation will change for the better once he inherits both roles and has full control over everything.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Well, this is a thing

Michael Bartels has figured out the Z3 is having massive problems building tyre temperature over a race stint, so we'd like to test some new suspension parts to try and fix that. Other than that, we have absolutely no idea how to sort this mess out

Since the regulations clearly forbid technical changes on the cars (and there is no game mechanic I could use to show this new suspension at work), here is a free tip: Make Michael Bartels your Technical Director (he's only your Team Principal at the moment) and the situation will change for the better once he inherits both roles and has full control over everything.

Sounds like a plan. We'll do just that then

[V8fan12]

Both our cars finishing in the points on a very wet day. Not too bad!

I'm very pleased with 6th place considering the conditions.

Yay! In the points!

Dodge SRT Racing Team
Testing plans for Silverstone

DAY 1 – Morning
#16 Tiffany CHITTENDEN (Rosella MANFRINATO, engineer)
#17 Alison MACLEOD (Simon CAYZER, engineer)

DAY 1 – Afternoon
#16 Tiffany CHITTENDEN (Rosella MANFRINATO, engineer)
#17 Christina NIELSEN (Simon CAYZER, engineer)

DAY 2 – Morning
#16 Vibe SMED (Karl JENNINGS, engineer)
#17 Christina NIELSEN (Bradley JOYCE, engineer)

DAY 2 – Afternoon
#16 Vibe SMED (Karl JENNINGS, engineer)
#17 Alison MACLEOD (Bradley JOYCE, engineer)

Andre DE CORTANZE will continue to be the Technical Director for the tests.

[mike robers]

We will have both our drivers participating in the test.

[Hermann95]

We would like to test with both drivers and we would like to test 2 new randomly decided race engineers.
We would also like to put both drivers on MOD as they are constantly crashing out...

[Wallio]

This past race was frustrating no doubt. The SLS wasn't well suited to Brands as it was, but to have our driver's hurt themselves and the team was a bit much, especially as it is unnecessary. I have met with both ladies and mechanics after the race, and explained to them that we are a team here. There's no number 1 or number 2. I thought I explained this before, but I guess not well enough. Now I know how my old man used to feel with me. The meeting went well, and both ladies understand I think. Its only natural they are competitive. Both are winners, they hate to lose, and they know we have competitive machinery, so they don't want to blow it. We want them to race of course, but that unfortunately has led to overdriving. Especially when one driver feels she's underperforming. I assured both Hillary and Leah that both myself, and Frau Schultz, are quite pleased with both of them. Neither driver's seat is under threat at all. We want to focus on the WCC and hopefully take that. Obviously, we would love to win the driver's title as well, but the team must come first. We need to pass Audi again. I think they understand, and I'm looking forward to the test.

As for the test we will use our normal drivers, but on Day 2 would like them set to AGG please. Thank you.

[dr-baker]

Lotus would like to enter the tests, with Kowalska on MOD day one and AGG on day 2 please. Also Munter on MOD both days.

[Turbogirl]

I'm currently easing my way into wiki editing and page creation, therefore I've started with an article on the Women Drivers Association:

http://formularejects.com/wiki/Women_Drivers_Association

It's already linked to the Women's GT Junior Cup page, although it's still a work in progress (as you can clearly see). Gimme some time on it. Hopefully, one day I'll be able to really help out on the wiki, but for now I'm only learning to do stuff over there.

Also, I'm starting to flesh out this universe a little more. Mostly in details you probably won't even notice the first time you see them. I just want to make this whole thing feel more alive than it already does, even if some of you might argue that it's unnecessary busywork.


P.S.: I'm already collecting all your testing plans offline, and I'll post the finalized version right after the deadline is due on friday.

[go_Rubens]

Since we still think Marguerite Laffite is worth something, we will run her on both days. In fact, we have a weird testing plan I think.

Day 1 - Morning
#9 - Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky
#10 - Marguerite Laffite

Day 1 - Afternoon
#9 - Marguerite Laffite
#10 - Veronica Valverde

Day 2 - Morning
#9 - Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky
#10 - Ashley Force-Hood

Day 2 - Afternoon
#9 - Ashley Force-Hood
#10 - Veronica Valverde

This should be good. This is all we plan to do.

[Turbogirl]

Official Silverstone Testing Plans

We have reached the deadline for your testing plans!

The following teams will not participate in the Silverstone tests:

Kellogg's All-Bran EuroBran Racing with Morgan (pasta_maldonado)
Scuderia Maserati (This)
Haas Automation Racing Chevrolet (Onyx Wrecked)
Vodafone Nissan Racing (East Londoner)
Techcraft and DAMS powered by Bugatti (FMecha)
Lamb Jaguar Racing (KL-racer)

And here are the final testing plans:


Saturday (15th November 2014)

McLaren Automotive (mike robers)
#0 Shannon McIntosh (MOD)
#2 Collete Davis (MOD)

BMW Vitaphone Racing (Wizzie)
Michael Bartels as new Technical Director
#3 Elena Lana (MOD)
#4 Molly Taylor (MOD)

Audi Motorsports (Australian Stig)
#5 Hayley Swanson (MOD)
#6 Elena Myers (MOD)

Programma Giovane Pilota della Ferrari (go_Rubens)
#9 Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (MOD), Saturday morning
#10 Marguerite Laffite (MOD), Saturday morning
#9 Marguerite Laffite (MOD), Saturday afternoon
#10 Veronica Valverde (MOD), Saturday afternoon

Dodge SRT Racing Team (V8fan12)
#16 Tiffany Chittenden (MOD) with engineer Rosella Manfrinato, Saturday morning
#17 Alison MacLeod (MOD) with engineer Simon Cayzer, Saturday morning
#16 Tiffany Chittenden (MOD) with engineer Rosella Manfrinato, Saturday afternoon
#17 Christina Nielsen (MOD) with engineer Simon Cayzer, Saturday afternoon

Toyota Racing by Loyer (Hermann95)
#18 Ramona Kiss (MOD) with engineer Mehdi Ahmadi
#19 Amber Anderson (MOD) with engineer Francesco Nenci

Lotus Juniors (dr-baker)
#24 Leilani Münter (MOD)
#25 Natalia Kowalska (MOD)

Riccetti Competition Mercedes-Benz Iron Ladies (Wallio)
#28 Hillary Will (MOD)
#29 Leah Pruett (MOD)


Sunday (16th November 2014)

McLaren Automotive (mike robers)
#0 Shannon McIntosh (MOD)
#2 Collete Davis (MOD)

BMW Vitaphone Racing (Wizzie)
Michael Bartels as new Technical Director
#3 Elena Lana (MOD)
#4 Molly Taylor (MOD)

Audi Motorsports (Australian Stig)
#5 Hayley Swanson (MOD)
#6 Elena Myers (MOD)

Programma Giovane Pilota della Ferrari (go_Rubens)
#9 Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (MOD), Sunday morning
#10 Ashley Force (MOD), Sunday morning
#9 Ashley Force (MOD), Sunday afternoon
#10 Veronica Valverde (MOD), Sunday afternoon

Dodge SRT Racing Team (V8fan12)
#16 Vibe Smed (MOD) with engineer Karl Jennings, Sunday morning
#17 Christina Nielsen (MOD) with engineer Bradley Joyce, Sunday morning
#16 Vibe Smed (MOD) with engineer Karl Jennings, Sunday afternoon
#17 Alison MacLeod (MOD) with engineer Bradley Joyce, Sunday afternoon

Toyota Racing by Loyer (Hermann95)
#18 Ramona Kiss (MOD) with engineer Olaf Bulgrin (assigned by RNG)
#19 Amber Anderson (MOD) with engineer Gill Jones (assigned by RNG)

Lotus Juniors (dr-baker)
#24 Leilani Münter (MOD)
#25 Natalia Kowalska (AGG)

Riccetti Competition Mercedes-Benz Iron Ladies (Wallio)
#28 Hillary Will (AGG)
#29 Leah Pruett (AGG)

Please double-check for any possible mistake.

The Silverstone tests will be up tomorrow, Saturday the 12th (CET).

[Turbogirl]

1st Mid-season Test Session

15th and 16th November 2014

Great Britain, Silverstone Circuit

5,901 km / 3,67 mi


Test Day 1

Saturday, 15th November 2014

Weather: Cold, dry, overcast

Mercedes-Benz dominated the test session from beginning to end, but that was no real surprise anyway, given their performance during the first third of this season. Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky was almost four tenths of a second behind Leah Pruett, who was beaten fair and square for the first time by her own teammate.
The biggest surprise was Marguerite Laffite's lap time recorded in the car of Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky, which was exactly two tenths of a second slower than the lap time recorded by Ahlin-Kottulinsky in the same car on the same day. It almost seems as if Ferrari is currently running the superior driver (Ahlin-Kottulinsky) in the inferior car.
But the biggest improvement was definitely made by BMW Vitaphone Racing, where Michael Bartels had replaced David Pitchforth as the Technical Director. Both drivers recorded lap times, that were almost on par with the current frontrunners of this season. The rather inexperienced Elena Lana was even faster than her teammate, Australian rallye driver Molly Taylor, which in itself is pretty impressive.

Code: Select all

01    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        2:02.521
02    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        2:02.557
03    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              2:02.925      Car #9
04    Tiffany Chittenden          (Dodge)                2:02.988      Engineer Rosella Manfrinato
05    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              2:03.071      Car #10
06    Marguerite Laffite          (Ferrari)              2:03.073      Car #10
07    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                2:03.104
08    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  2:03.136
09    Marguerite Laffite          (Ferrari)              2:03.195      Car #9
10    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              2:03.216

Code: Select all

11    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  2:03.239
12    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              2:03.272
13    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 2:03.284
14    Hayley Swanson              (Audi)                 2:03.292
15    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                2:03.409
16    Christina Nielsen           (Dodge)                2:03.513      Engineer Simon Cayzer
17    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                2:03.593      Engineer Simon Cayzer
18    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               2:03.777      Engineer Mehdi Ahmadi
19    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               2:03.783      Engineer Francesco Nenci

105 % = 2:12.647


Day 2

Sunday, 16th November 2014

Weather: Cold, dry, overcast

The weather conditions remained stable the entire weekend, so unlike the pre-season tests in Catalunya, the lap times in Silverstone only varied a little from the first day to the second.
Both Mercedes-Benz ladies headed the timesheets once again, this time driving even more aggressive, besting their previous times by two tenths of a second.
Team Toyota had changed race engineers for the day, and while Ramona Kiss was still to be found at the rear end of the grid, Amber Anderson and her new engineer Gill Jones had obviously found a promising setup, which aided Anderson to 15th in the final standings.
ADAC GT-Masters driver Christina Nielsen from Denmark was still the best Dodge lady behind Tiffany Chittenden, beating Vibe Smed by nine hundredth of a second and Alison MacLeod by a tenth of a second.

Code: Select all

01    Hillary Will                (Mercedes-Benz)        2:02.321
02    Leah Pruett                 (Mercedes-Benz)        2:02.357
03    Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky   (Ferrari)              2:02.922      Car #9
04    Veronica Valverde           (Ferrari)              2:03.067      Car #10
05    Ashley Force                (Ferrari)              2:03.078      Car #10
06    Leilani Münter              (Lotus)                2:03.099
07    Elena Lana                  (BMW)                  2:03.129
08    Molly Taylor                (BMW)                  2:03.131
09    Natalia Kowalska            (Lotus)                2:03.190
10    Ashley Force                (Ferrari)              2:03.198      Car #9

Code: Select all

11    Collete Davis               (McLaren)              2:03.209
12    Shannon McIntosh            (McLaren)              2:03.265
13    Elena Myers                 (Audi)                 2:03.270
14    Hayley Swanson              (Audi)                 2:03.279
15    Amber Anderson              (Toyota)               2:03.366      Engineer Gill Jones
16    Christina Nielsen           (Dodge)                2:03.506      Engineer Bradley Joyce
17    Vibe Smed                   (Dodge)                2:03.597      Engineer Karl Jennings
18    Alison MacLeod              (Dodge)                2:03.606      Engineer Bradley Joyce
19    Ramona Kiss                 (Toyota)               2:03.683      Engineer Olaf Bulgrin

105 % = 2:12.437


Changes to your team

If you want to keep the line-up you've already established, you don't have to post at all.

If you wish to change your current driver / race engineer line-up, please post the changes until Monday the 14th, 3 p.m. (CET).

If more than one team should want to hire a certain driver / race engineer, I will run a RNG (D20) on Monday, right after the deadline is due.


Next: Round 05 - Netherlands up on Tuesday the 15th (CET)!

[AustralianStig]

Disappointing set of times for Audi, but we'd rather underperform during testing.

We are keeping the same line-up as we have for the other races, so Alessandra is back in the car and Swanson is back doing her normal job of looking beautiful

[pasta_maldonado]

Has missing the test impacted Morgan in any way? Were the tests an upgrade opportunity, or just a chance to test new drivers?

[Turbogirl]

Has missing the test impacted Morgan in any way? Were the tests an upgrade opportunity, or just a chance to test new drivers?

Because there is no upgrade system in the Junior Cup (unlike next year's Women's GT World Championship), you could only test new drivers, new race engineers and / or new Technical Directors. But some players also use these tests to run their current line-up just to see how much they gain or lose compared to other teams which do test certain things. Or they simply test the exact difference between their drivers going DEF, MOD or AGG, because testing this in a race can easily backfire.

If there was an impact on Morgan, is easy to determine. Just take one of your team's immediate rivals (if they participated in the tests) and compare their lap times to the other teams that made serious tests.

Generally, there is no real reason to participate in any of the tests, if you have nothing to test at all. But it's always possible, that your rivals plan to make changes, which could easily give them an advantage over you. So if you fear, these changes could make them stronger in any way, just send your current line-up to the tests for comparison.

On the other hand, not participating in the tests can also give you a tactical advantage, because your rivals never truely know how much ground they made up, when you don't deliver lap times for comparisons.

Edit: Also, if you feel safe enough with the line-up you already have, you can always test various personnel, just to see, if you might have missed out on a good driver or a capable race engineer.