ROUND’S 3 – SEBRING – 21st February 2010

PETE RUNS RINGS AROUND THEM

Wookie Pete wins Enduro’s for Renault 5s – Gixerben extends

championship lead with second – Gixer beats Raver in FTCC race –
Strong showing by Matthews – Tattoobloke finishes an Enduro
race – Penalties mar final results.

Wookie Pete took victory but it was slightly controversial

ENTRY & NEWS

Biggest news in the week was that the DTM Cars had been put forward to
run as the Enduro series next season. The DTM Enduro series was a
golden era for the Enduro Championship and a return to the German Cars
was warmly welcomed by the whole pit lane. On the car front and Nizmo
was now sponsored by the cigarette firm West on all 3 cars, whilst another
brand of tobacco made it on to the grid on a new car, as Tattoobloke had
got rid of his reluctant Scion and replaced it by a MART Engineering built
Nissan Sentra, sponsored by Silk Cut. Tattoo was over the moon with his
new mount finding the handling much more to his liking. With the Enduro
cars mothballed for a week all eyes turned to the Renault 5 Turbo’s, and
there stock set up and the stewards made it clear they would be watching
proceedings like a hawk. Silverstone saw two Touring Cars fall foul of the
stewards, both failing on the Horsepower stakes. Both teams showed it
was just a mistake and not a case of cheating, and the stewards agreed to
maintain the result from Silverstone as long as the two cars were altered
for this round.

FX TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP – SEBRING FULL CIRCUIT

Wookie Pete was hoping to extend his championship lead for this but he
starting near the back and nearest rival Major Raver was at the front on
pole. Raver made no mistakes off the line and led in to the first corner
followed by Tattoo and Maverick, whilst Pete was getting in to a paint
swapping session with Matthews, and Nizmo was hitting the back of Wise.
Tattoo was giving Raver a really hard time out front with Gixerben
charging through the field up to third a head of Matthews. Pete’s hopes of
joining them were dashed when Maverick left his breaking to late hitting
the back of the Volvo hard, and ruining Nizmo’s race behind who was
following them. Raver had built up a decent lead over the opening lap,
helped by Tattoo defending from Matthews and Gixer, but finally they it
through on lap two and Gixer set off after the VW. Matthews and Tattoo
continued their brilliant battle, allowing Pete and Maverick to close in.

Gixer just misses Raver when he has a big moment

Raver now lead by 3 seconds but Gixerben looked faster and started to
close down the Golf, it was just like last Sunday all over again. The Seat
had closed up by the time lap 5 was coming to an end, and got past as
Raver caught a kerb too much and had a massive tank slapper, Gixer
doing brilliantly to avoid hitting the Orange car, and getting in front.
Raver collected things still in second but was now 4 seconds behind the
Seat, but well clear of the rest of the pack. Raver now as the hunter was
faster than Gixer, and set about trying to catch the Enduro leader, and
although he did, and set a new lap record in the process, Gixer was
unflustered and kept a safe gap for his first Touring Car victory of the
season. Behind them Pete had driven brilliantly to come up to third after
his first lap problems, taking advantage of Matthews and Tatt’s battle,
Tattoo being dropped down harshly to 6th by the end. For Wise and Nizmo
it was a disaster, a day to forget already.

RESULT AFTER 10 LAPS

1. Gixerben (Seat Leon) 19minutes 08seconds

2. Major Raver (VW Golf) +2 seconds

3. Wookie Pete (Volvo C30) +7 seconds

4. Matthewsde (Ford Focus) +10seconds

5. Maverick (Vauxhall Astra) +16secs

6. Tattoobloke (Nissan Sentra) +17secs

7. Wiseoldduck (Honda Civic) DNF

8. Nizmo (Chevrolet Cobalt) DNF

Fastest Lap Major Raver 2:22:037 (New Lap Record)

Tattoobloke showed good touring car speed in a great battle with
Matthews

RENAULT 5 TURBO

QUALIFYING

The first qualifying session of the season was frantic and saw a number of
mistakes as people were under pressure to perform. Wookie Pete took
pole from Gixerben with Wiseoldduck a brilliant fourth. Little did we know
until after the race that things weren’t as they seemed.

1. Wookie Pete 1:25:434

2. Gixerben 1:26:137

3. Major Raver 1:26:206

4. Wiseoldduck 1:26:353

5. Matthewsde 1:26:493

6. Maverick 1:26:501

7. Nizmo 1:27:180

8. Tattoobloke 1:36:745

RACE – SEBRING SHORT CIRCUIT

As the cars lined up all eyes were on the front row and as the lights turned
green Wookie shot off in to the lead chased by Gixer and Raver but that
wasn’t to last as soon Matthews was up to third and Wise, Maverick and
Tattoo fancied getting past as well. Pete had a great first lap opening up
a second lead, but helped by the battles behind, Gixer following him but
he had problems looming as Matthews started gaining and at the end of
lap 9 the two touched, Matthews getting slight damage but pushing
Gixerben wide and thus getting through.
Matthews and Gixer fought hard for second.

Raver was the first to stop on lap 6, clearly struggling, then next up was
Nizmo and a couple of laps later Wise. Wise had been running really
strongly over the opening laps proving that his qualifying pace was no
fluke, but the pitstop seemed to change things as he found the cars
balance not the same as he left the pits and lap times not as brisk as they
had been earlier. He now found himself in a real battle with Nizmo for 7th,
the two being left behind by Raver, Nizmo soon past the Mallard Racing
car and Wise feeling helpless as the West car drew away in to the
distance. Out front and Pete was having everything his own way, pulling
away by tenths and helped by Gixerben and Matthews having a great
scrap for second. It has to be said that Gixer is spending a lot of time
battling with other cars this season and like all the races in season 2 was
doing a good job of keeping things clean. Maverick was still running
safely in 4th behind them, not quick enough to keep up but comfortable
from any attacks from Tattoobloke behind him. Tattoo seemed to enjoy
the Enduro meeting more than the first two rounds and was looking good
for a decent finish, his first of the season. He was the next to stop on lap
28 rejoining though behind Major who had been flying along, but well
clear of Nizmo, and then 2 laps later Maverick made it in and he too had
been overtaken by the early stopping MART Engineering car. Next in was
Matthews and followed quickly by Gixerben who had realised Pete wasn’t
in the mood to offer out any bonus points for leading. Matthews rejoined
in second, and Pete came in 4 from the end safe in the knowledge the
race was in the bag. For Matthews though things were far from clear, as
strange noises started to worry him, then Gixer shot past and pulled
away, followed by flumes of smoke trailing the blue car. Any hopes of
second were gone, but more of a worry for the speed Raver and Maverick
were homing in, 3 form home they were 12 seconds behind, 2 from home
it was 7 and starting the last lap the gap was under 4 seconds, a
grandstand finish indeed. Matthews drove a stormer of a lap and down
the back straight he looked to have enough, they entered the last corner
and Raver got a decent line and homed in as they crossed the line
Matthews held on with Raver right in his smoke and Maverick not far
behind either. For Pete the drama was nonexistent as he crossed the line
to win, and polished lights to flag victory, whilst Gixerben showed real
maturity in his second place, knowing he is consistently racking up the big
points and leaving him in a fantastic position in the championship.

Tattoobloke finally finished an Enduro Race

Tattoobloke came 6th, his first finish in the Enduro, just missing the
slightest bit of pace to join the third place battle at the end, but leaving
Sebring in the knowledge that his two cars have shown a massive upturn
in pace from last week, whilst Nizmo came in 7th, a lonely run but one
without drama for a change. For Wise it ended in tears 6 laps from the
end as he spun the car in to the wall causing terminal damage and his
retirement from the race. That though wasn’t the end of things as late in
to the night the stewards looked in to the race and started to dish out
penalties. Winner Wookie was allowed to keep his win, but was hit with a
loss of bonus points for qualifying and the race when it was found that his
qualifying laps hadn’t been clean, and he should of started from last on
the grid, this elevated Gixer to top qualifying and race fastest lap points.
Then Major Raver was hit with a one place drop after he was deemed to
cut a corner a little too much too often on his fastest laps, thus promoting
Maverick to 4th place. And the stewards were not finished there, believing
 Matthews to be running a setup on his car and he like Wookie Pete was
stripped of all his qualifying and fastest lap bonus points. This meant the
qualifying points went to Gixer (3), Major (2), Wise (1), the race fastest
laps went to Gixer (3), Maverick (2) and Tattoobloke (1).

RESULT AFTER 40 LAPS

1. Wookie Pete 58minutes 22seconds

2. Gixerben +15seconds

3. Matthewsde +27seconds

4. Maverick +29seconds

5. Major Raver +28seconds

6. Tattoobloke +39 seconds

7. Nizmo +57 seconds

8. Wiseoldduck DNF

Fastest Lap Gixerben 1:25:376 (New Lap Record)

ROUND UP & QUOTES

DRIVER OF THE DAY: GIXERBEN

BATTLE OF THE DAY: GIXERBEN & MATTHEWSDE

RACE OF THE MEETING: FTCC

MAJOR TALKING POINT: ENDURO QUALIFYING

Maverick gets in to the back of Wookie

Quotes

Major Raver “I need to cut out the errors in the Touring Cars”

Gixerben “Can't beleive I missed Raver's car, it was so close”

Matthews “Just lost power and the car started falling apart”

Maverick “Wasn't a great race, but I got good points”

Wookie Pete “Happy with third after the first lap”

Nizmo “Fed up with the bad luck every race”

Wiseoldduck “Car was brilliant before the stop, don't understand

what happend”

Tattoobloke “My new Nissan is miles better than Scion”

The Renault endure race maybe failed to have the action expected but the
Touring car series is proving to be a cracker with 3 different winners in the
first three rounds, and the top 3 separated by 2 points. Barcelona is next
and Gixerben should go well here and his clever driving is leaving him
odds on to take the Enduro Championship even this early in the season.