News

Note that the virtual spectators (think Sims) go to races that turn out to be what they want to see.   Our Grid Sims, or Grims, for example, turn out in larger numbers for races that have close finishes.  They have really really good intuition.  Also, being grim, they like contact.  The management and marshal do not, but the grims do, so races with more contact draw more grims.

2009C saw one of the most incredible championship battles seen in its history, Both GMWC and GTCC drivers titles ended tied on points, number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place results. The primary GMWC title was finally decided in a unique 2 driver sprint race to decide the champion. No sprint showdown was completed for GTCC so fault rating is the deciding factor.

GWMC would like to congratulate the drivers and teams taking away the silverware for 2009C and everyone who contributed to an exciting season.

In summary the trophies were awarded as follows:

GMWC Drivers Championship

Champion - AJ Weber
2nd Place - Celso Jorge
3rd Place - Matt Lew

GMWC Teams Championship

Champions - Antares
2nd Place - Rusyn
3rd Place - A-Tek

GTCC Championship

Overall Champion - Matt Lewis
Class A Champion - Matt Lewis
Class B Champion - Moe Faster
Class C Champion - Alex Du Plessis

The 2010A season kicks off this Saturday with round one of the GTCC featuring Skoda class cars at the small but frantic Knockhill circuit in Scotland. We hope you are there to make 2010A just as succesful as this season.

The default GMWC GP car is built under license from MRDC and is very similar to the MRDC-10A. In fact, it is completely setup compatible and will have identical behavior. The only difference is that since these league cars are also available for school usage, GMWC has decided to trade away some pit tech in favor of nanotech suspension.

2010A is another spec engine season for the league, so all the variety is in the chassis.  And there is a lot of variety.  Every option has been exercised across the league, so this little tech summary will be with respect to parts.

Aerodynamics

Clearly, the flexible front wing was the favored option, but for the first time a team has optimized around the simpler fixed front wing.  SUPEROO's plan for the GSR4a may be to qualify up front and walk away from the field so they do not have to pass anyone, at least for position.  Or maybe this is an accounting decision because they cannot afford to keep replacing those expensive flexible front wings.

The diffusors are nearly evenly split between narrow and medium, with no takers on the wide variant.

Suspension

The base gp suspension layout is dominant, likely due to it not increasing the cost of the car.  However, one team, RAC, has opted to retain their tried and true kpi suspension.

An new feature for suspensions this season is construction material, with every available material being used across the league.  Antares is  using the expensive nanotech, and Rusyn and Litchfield are using the brittle carbon fiber, MRDC is using the bendy polymer, and everyone else is using basic steel.

Pit Technology

The research into pit technology has made faster pit stop possible, but apparently that technology was deemed too expensive by all teams.  The most tech used is level 3, the maximum used last season, by SUPEROO, MRDC, Litchfield, and Rusyn.  Level 2 is being used by SDL, Antares, and M-Sport.  RAC has simply drafted some unemployed ex-A1GP pit crew to implement level 1.

Third Spring

Last season only one team used the third spring, but apparently other teams took notice, because this season there is a pretty even split between teams using a third spring and not.

In Car Adjustability 

Once again, only one team chose this (brake bias): Rusyn.

Center of Mass

This is all over the place, with all sorts of mixes of centers and ranges.  The most fore mass reachable by any car is 0.52 (aft) by RAC.  The most aft is 0.58 by SDL.

Advanced Materials (CG height)

The most aggressive cars with materials are M-Sport and SUPEROO, both reaching a CG height of 220mm.  The lowest tech entries are Rusyn and MRDC with 232mm each.

Track Width

While most teams stood pat with the default track of the last couple of seasons, two teams, M-Sport and RAC, jumped on the opportunity to try to recapture an aspect of their dominant chassis models of old formula seasons.  Time will tell if these narrow tracks will work as well on the current short wheelbases as they did on those old long wheelbases.  One team is venturing where no team has gone before -- wider tracks.  Litchfield has gone with a rear track at the maximum allowed, 1800mm.

Brakes

A variety of brakes are in use, with the most notable observation being the general increase in the use of nanotech brakes.  Is this a sign of inconsistent carbon brakes in 2009C, or are teams pushing the aerodynamic edge trying to get brake ducts a couple of clicks lower?

2009C

The final round of the GWMC draws to a close this weekend and we see a repeat at the top with AJ Weber and Celso Jorge battling for the title. At this point last season the question was, can Celso take his first title or will AJ add to his extensive tally? And so we arrive at the final round of 2009 with the same question on everyone’s lips however this time Celso has the upper hand and AJ will certainly need to claim the win and fastest lap to defend the title… pressure is certainly on.

Matt Lewis and Anthony Cochrane will be fighting for 3rd place, both of whom were never in title contention having not contested all the cups. Also in distance of that 3rd place with a very credible performance this year is Ian Cumming ,who is set for his highest points finished for the RAC team.

In the Team title race, Antares once again look set to clinch the crown but a valiant effort from Rusyn has kept them on their toes. Based on current performance, A-tek look set to knock M-sport out of the top three.

2010A

And so on to 2010 and what looks like one of the most interesting off season shake ups for a while. Much like F1 the Grid Motorsport see’s new teams, departures and a refuel ban.

Of what little there is confirmed from the silly season will be that new boys MRDC will join the grid led by ex SDL driver Andy Jones, with an interesting concept to team management. Litchfield Dynamics have a bolstered squad with their first expansion from a one car team.

SDL’s fall from grace though looks set to continue from the once great team as its owner struggles to find time and funding for the SDL project. With Andy Jones already moving on to form his own team, will others follow? Certainly the Seattle factory will be hanging onto faith for the possible return of star driver “C” at some stage during the 2010 campaign. Another team owner struggling to make the grid is Chris Jones; however his team drivers have done a good job to keep the RAC banner flying. 

Of the current top four, Antares, Rusyn, M-Sport and A-Tek no changes have been revealed and stability is expected to continue. Rumours of a merger between M-sport and A-tek have surfaced however they remain just rumours.

GTCC

The GTCC series draws to a close in Cleveland in two weeks, but the news is all about the revamped series which will commence before the end of the year. 

Aimed at increasing popularity and the fun factor the series will reduce to two car classes, B and C. GTCC promoters are confident this will retain the attraction of a multi class series but retain strong competition across the classes even with low field numbers. whilst retaining an element of arrive and drive accessibility. So in summary GTCC will feature 

• Unchanged class B cars with possible additional types to compliment the Panoz and Porsche (reports of Chevrolet and Spyker truck sightings have emerged from resident nearby GWMC HQ)
• Class C car consolidated to Skoda only with 200bhp engine spec
• Unchanged GTCC raceand points format

GMWC Off season

So after the hangovers subside after the end of season Party, what’s on the agenda?

Well with the core GP series taking a month long sabbatical, there’s plenty to keep the competitive juices flowing. 2009C GTCC finals will be held in Cleveland followed the week after by a showcase for the revamped mid week racing series. In December we have a welcome return of the highly entertaining and competitive Skoda series which as a bonus now contributes to the points for the 2010A GTCC series.

So plenty of change and some exciting times, we wish the title contenders well for the final GMWC round and look forward to seeing as many drivers on track for the off season action.

After a well-earned offseason the Grid Motorsports World Cup is again ready to resume its showcase of the world's best drivers in the world's best cars, on many of the world's best circuits.  The start of the 2009C season is just days away, and most of the drivers and teams are already in the exotic and balmy environs of Shanghai, China, where re-engineered cars and a blank scoreboard breed renewed hope and optimism throughout the grid.

Most of the faces are familiar, as are the uniforms, with the offseason seeing very little turnover in the series' roster, for perhaps the first time in its history.  A-Tek is the lone exception, though even that is merely academic.  The brash young outfit registered itself last season but the rules postponed their official entrance into the competition until the start of the new season.  There are, however, quite a few independent drivers now unofficially lurking in the shadows, and we could see the 2009C team competition swing in favor of whichever garage can manage to woo a few new hot shoes into its confines.

If the drivers are familiar to the fans, then the fans will be equally familiar to the drivers, as the series sticks to a schedule of traditional, and popular, circuits.  We'll visit only a single new venue this time around, when we travel to the sunny side of North America and the unique track at Thermalito, CA.

AJ Weber will be trying to defend his record-setting 7th Drivers Championship, which he won by the narrowest margin in league history, and the venerable reputation of Antares Racing will be on the line as they defend their record-setting 4th Team Championship.

So strap in, fuel up, bolt on a fresh set of rubber, and put those shiny new cars to the test in another glorious run for the cup!

Squeezed between regular GP seasons, the GMWC drivers let their hair down for some last minute tin top panel bashing in an informal British touring car style mini series.

Visiting the UK classic touring car circuits of Donington, Brands Hatch, as well as the newest British circuit at Rockingham, the mini series had a strong turnout and provided some of the closest racing seen in GMWC touring classes.

The Touring class C Skoda’s proved the ideal car of choice with high praise received from the drivers.

Stuart Barge and Matt Lewis led the charge over the 3 rounds with some superb individual performances from Loyer, Weber, Thorne and Longworth. Series points were recorded over the 12 races which can be found in the forums shortly but for most, the points were secondary to the racing action which was first class throughout the field.  Hopefully the mini series will see a welcome return in the future.

Thanks to all that took part.

Four cups down, one to go.  And the 2009B GMWC Drivers Championship is legitimately undecided.  Even moreso, the 2nd and 3rd place drivers are in a dead tie, both of them within striking distance of the leader, AJ Weber, should fortune elect to abandon him.  So the stage is set for perhaps a deciding moment at Nürburg this weekend, and it wouldn't be the first time.

The venue has not been visited by the series since its early incarnation as the NegativeSum Racing League.  In fact this weekend will at the very least be remarkable for erasing one of the few remaining track records of the series' first champion, David Hostetler, who handily won the inaugural championship in 2007A.  He executed a clean sweep at the Ring's short circuit, taking pole, fastest lap, most laps led, track record, and winning the race.

Nürburg could be deemed the turning point of that season, as it marked Hostetler's second win of what would be a four event sweep putting the championship firmly out of reach of the rest of the field.  Going into Nürburg, Weber was ahead of Hostetler by 9 points.  But Hostetler's win in Germany would match Weber's win total (2) and unseat him from the top of the standings for the first time all season.  Weber not only failed to finish the race, due to a mistake in T2 of the last lap, but he would manage to score only a single point in the season's remaining two events, allowing even 2nd place to slip away from him in the final standings.  As the dust settled that day, the result must have been particularly bitter for Weber, as he had qualified 2nd and in fact led 9 of the race's 25 laps.

So as this season's leader finally returns to Germany's signature motorsports venue, his memories of it will not be fond.  This might explain why, according to Rusyn sources, the reigning champion has exhibited noticeably less than his usuall dedication to preparation this week.  Sure the series' new schedule format perhaps allows him that luxury, knowing that Paul Ricard will offer a second chance to secure the championship.  But it might instead offer merely a second dose of disappointment.  His lead in the standings is only 7 points this time, and he faces perhaps greater competition than in that wild west season of 2007A.  Celso Jorge is dangerous on any track, in any car, and Matthew Lewis has the distinction of being the only other driver besides Hostetler, ever, to beat Weber to the season Trophy.

But if the competition is stronger, then certainly the champ is as well.  Many regard his collapse in the 2007A season as having delivered a necessary lesson to the supremely talented driver that talent alone doesn't win championships.  The strategic mistakes made that season have been rarely witnessed again from the 6-time champion, and if his competition is hanging its hopes on such mistakes, their hopes are slim indeed.

But this is racing, and if we knew what would happen between the green lights and the checkered flag, well, we wouldn't need to bother.

After 12 years in Formula 1, where the FIA takes care about every little hump, this is a race track for real men. It’s more a fight than a pleasure, but I love the challenge of Le Mans!

- Alex Wurz, 2009 Le Mans 24 hours winner

Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting

- Steve McQueen, Le Mans 1971

Enduro Season finale 

Drivers and teams of the GMWC Enduro series arrived in La Sarthe region of France today for the completion of the first ever Enduro championship

Competitors will take on the circuit La Sarthe in its 1979 configuration with the classic Mulsanne straight uninterrupted by chicanes. With high speeds, technical sweepers and the challenge of running on public roads await the drivers and teams as the plan their round the clock race to the season end.

Whilst drivers are yet to declare the class of car they will drive, Championships are at stake. In class A, Matt Lewis has the advantage but in missing Bahrain cannot relax and must shoot for the win to be assured of the title. Class B has been one of the most competitive groups with AJ Weber and Dennis Loyer leading the charge. Tom Castellani has performed well in this class but has yet to bring the car home and will be eager to score well at one of his favourite tracks.

Finally class C has been one of the most un-predictable. Chris Jones, Alex Dorsett and Moe Faster have a win each but it’s the consistency of the Moe that gives him the edge to the Class C title.

All is to play for but Le Mans is unique, from the setting sun over the Dunlop Bridge, Glowing brakes in the night at Mulsanne and at dawn driving through forest and lingering smell of breakfast from the Arnage corner campsites.  Le Mans is a classic and this race looks to be no exception.

A lot has happened since the last news update with many changes and results; however the one constant is the names at the top of the championship standings with AJ Weber and Antares leading the drivers and team championship standings respectively.

In the past few rounds different winners have reaped the rewards. The Turbo powered cars however seem to have really got to grips with their engine designs with the standard engine cars now really struggling to keep the pace up the front for extended runs. Advantage to Antares, Rusyn and SDL who have enjoyed the feature wins in rounds all bar Suzuka. M-sport and A-tek drivers will be looking forward to the standard engine formula for the 2009C season.

SDL drivers have enjoyed a welcome revival of late, Dennis Loyer returning from occasional absence to dominate the Silverstone round and Stuart Barge enjoying his first Enduro victory in Bahrain.

Spa

Non turbo cars actually held the surprise fastest times in the run up to the Spa round and enjoyed competitive qualifying times but it was once again those turbo cars that had the long run pace.

Anthony Cochrane managed one sprint win but Celso Jorge and AJ Weber shared the rest.

Matt Lewis gained second on the feature grid behind Celso Jorge. On lap one Matt got the better run out of La source and was set to make of move at the end of the straight into Les Coombes but was caught out when Celso braked unexpectedly at the 300 meter board. With 200 to run to the usual brake point Matt had no where to go. AJ Weber sneaked through the resulting carnage to lead at the end of lap one.

Celso and Matt recovered but it was Celso with a much higher top speed hunting down and eventually passing AJ on lap 6. Celso would go on to hold this place to the end. Further back, Matt would get the jump on AJ during the pit stops and emerge with a healthy 11 second gap. Second was not certain however as a short fill left Matt fuel saving for the last two laps. Back marker traffic would prevent AJ closing the final 2 seconds on the last lap.

GP's take a break now as Le Mans beckons the Enduro finale but AJ Weber will head into the final cup with one hand on the championship trophy leaving Matt Lewis and Celso Jorge in with a chance but effectively scrapping over second.

Laguna Seca was all about one man with Celso Jorge completing a brilliant clean sweep of race wins.

Proving practice makes perfect, Celso racked up more laps than any other driver in advance of the race and these translated into race pace that the rest of the field struggled to respond too, the turbo/gyro package of the Antares car proving too strong.

Leading the chase during the sprints were the works M-sport car of Matt Lewis and Anthony Cochrane in the newly entered A-Tek  team running a customer M-sport car.

Heading into the feature race however, the MP009 cars seemed to have made a huge leap in performance and were contesting for the pole, but Celso pulled it off leaving the top three covered by less than 160ths of a second.

From the start Anthony Cochrane unexpectedly hounded Celso hard with the Antares car possibly running a one stop strategy. Inevitably they were both soon off with Celso loosing a wing and Anthony dropping down to 6^th leaving Matt Lewis and an impressive Carl Dixon up front. Matt was unable to take the advantage however nursing an overheating car due to a bad radiator setting selection.

After the final pit stops all four contenders were once again together but the order had changed. Anthony looked set to challenge for the win but suffered an untimely technical problem allowing that man Celso back through into a lead that would not be challenged after a calm and measured recovery from the earlier incident. Matt Lewis completed the podium in second after solving the overheating issue with an impressive drive from Carl Dixon taking 3rd in his first race for A-Tek

Leaving this USA round, Local driver AJ Weber leads the championship thanks to his Shanghai and Estoril wins despite a chassis struggling for speed. With season budget remaining, new parts are due on the car very soon so the championship race is very much hotting up.... stay tuned

Under the stars and fireworks, it was the underdogs that were celebrating class wins in the first round of the GWMC Enduro championship.

From the outset the practice pace setters controlled the race and looked set for the wins but their plans began to unravel heading in to the final stages of the race.

The successful event proved popular once again with the track characteristics proving challenging for drivers and heavy on tyre wear. Although some inevitable start issues, multi class contact issues and fatigue crept in, all participating drivers drove a good and measured race and although maybe not mentioned below, deserve congratulations none the less. After all in endurance racing, getting to the end is a result alone.

Class A

Practice pace and pole was taken by Matt Lewis with comfortable margins and for the most part had the edge on race pace. Mike Redman however surprised the class A pack with a consistent performance and was always running a steady but strong speed.

As night fell it would be the leader and not the chaser that made errors as an increase in wing setting left the M-sport car off the pace, getting bottled up behind lapped Class A and B cars. The M-sport team reduced the wing on the next stop but the damage had been done and both Lewis and Redman were now on the lead lap, swapping the place at the pit stops. The defining moment however came when Matt, caught out by a slowing Panoz, lost control and got caught on the kerbing loosing half a lap. This error was then compounded by over filling the car on the final stop.

Matt emerged 20 seconds behind Mike but despite a faster pace, made numerous errors and off track excursions leaving Mike to take a great win with calm and controlled driving.

Class B

A strong class B field was hotly contested with leading GP series drivers from Rusyn, Antares and M-sport. Much like class A, it was the M-Sport liveried Panoz of Tom Castellani that held the pace edge but in this class too it would not prove to be success for M-sport.

Throughout the race AJ Weber and Tom traded the lead by result of differing strategies and going into the final stops it looked like they would emerge very close for a sprint to the end. Unfortunately a technical problem putting Tom out of the running soon after.

AJ went on to claim the win having survived a few attacks from frustrated class A drivers along the way.

Class C

No matter where you went or looked, there always seemed to be a Skoda in front, at least to the Panoz and Proton drivers. The most popular class saw the entire RAC team take to the track in Class C. Chris Jones, Scott Farm and Alex Dorsett were the class of the field but an early exit from Bathurst Class C enduro winner Alex made it a two horse race.

Chris raced hard with Scott Farm all distance long in some of the best action on the circuit. Inseparable to the end it was Chris that would take to the win after a fuel strategy error left him dry with one lap to run.

Get the comfy seat cushions out and make sure the beer is within reach, Enduro’s are back with a bang!

Following a hugely successful and popular Bathurst endurance race last season, the GMWC special events now takes the guise of a new four race endurance series, kicking off at Orchard Lake road course this weekend culminating in the daddy of them all, Le Mans.

Drivers will face the challenge of multi class racing, day/night transitions and managing long distance strategies, all of which are required skills to be successful in endurance racing.

Practice times are now on the board but remain inconclusive, one hot lap will not win a 2 hour race. The Panoz class looks to be hugely popular and competitive this time but no doubt the Proton and Skoda’s will see no less intensive competition.

The heat was on for round two of the GMWC series this week and the action on the track was as hot as the local climate. Whilst many teams and drivers were glad to move on from the demanding Shanghai track which thoroughly tested driver skill, the Bahrain Sakhir circuit posed a whole new challenge to complete the opening cup of the season.

Whilst remaining a challenge to the drivers, Sakhir presented a nightmare for the teams and setup engineers with many struggling to find a fast but consistent setup. The early pace in testing saw Shanghai feature winner and points leader AJ Weber topping the times.

Come raceday though, the headline grabber was the appearance of the much feared pace of the Antares car which saw them enjoy significant advantage in the many straights with Celso Jorge and Mike Redman showing strong.

Sprint Races

Complete chaos ensued at the start of the first race with the tight turn one catching lots of drivers out, the safety car also added to the melee with more drivers getting caught up in incidents with damaged cars. More than half the grid pitted for repairs leaving pole sitter Matt Lewis at the head of the field and the eventual win. Mike Redmond scored a great result for Antares starting and finishing second with Brandon Longworth escaping the chaos to rise to the final podium place.  Anthony Cochrane was the big winner of the opening chaos rising 17 places to take 4th.

By the second race a theme was emerging, M-sport had a fast qualifying car but Antares had faster sprint race pace. Another pole for Matt Lewis came to nothing though after contact from Chris Jones into the first corner sent them both to the back of the pack. AJ Weber chased hard but Antares notched the first win of the year with Celso taking the flag. Mike Redmond with another solid performance in 4rd and Zach Litchfiled with a strong result came home in the points in 5th

The final sprint saw a Matt Lewis, Celso Jorge, AJ Weber result.

The main event

So the scene was set and the cards were on the table, or so it seemed. Between races the Antares team had been thinking hard and Celso Jorge snatched pole with a stunning lap in the dying seconds having narrowly avoided a spinning Matt Lewis on the back straight. The M-Sport team owner having wasted that final lap could not respond. Anthony Cochrane also showed his hand with 3rd followed Mike Redmond and AJ Weber.

The feature race start whilst less incident strewn was no less dramatic.  Matt Lewis had a poor lap dropping to 6th with Mike Redmond endured a torrid start dropping to 17th.  By lap 3 Matt had clawed two places back but the leading pack of Celso, Anthony and AJ had a gap going. Celso and Anthony exchanged places briefly on lap 4 and they would continue to battle throughout the race.

AJ Weber showed good pace struggling with a difficult car but a 3 stop strategy ultimately dropped him away as the race progressed. In the midfield and rear of the grid action was frenzied and changed by the lap. The large grids now enjoyed by the league providing some entertaining racing.

Up front Anthony had the upper hand after the pit stops and led the most laps but a longer middle stint did not work out for him and going into the last stint the race was far from won. Matt Lewis has made a steady recovery through the race to sit in 3rd but unable to close a 5 second gap to the Celso / Anthony battle. However the race was about to be decided in a true case of it isn't over till the fat lady sings. 

Entering lap 19 Celso has once again diced with Anthony but this time had the lead onto the final two straights where his cars power had the upper hand. Ahead in the final turn however a sister Antares car was recovering from an off and Celso, possibly distracted ran wide. As Celso rejoined Anthony found himself faced with a back marker and two recovering Antares cars, the combining traffic and backing off had closed the top three in one corner. As Celso and Anthony regained there speed from the unexpected incident in a drag race down the finish straight, Matt Lewis was foot to the floor behind enjoying a healthy slipstream from team mate Michael Gore and then latching onto the back of Anthony for a further tow effect to slingshot into first place. All 3 cars closed in on turn one with hardly a gap and contact between all 3 seemed inevitable but it was Anthony chasing Matt up the hill out of the turn. An attempt was made into the hairpin with the RAC car diving up the inside of the M-sport car but over cooking it. 

A spin from Anthony later that lap left Matt with a comfortable margin that he would maintain for the victory. Celso and Anthony had unfinished business however continuing to trade places until a blocking move too many saw Celso unable to avoid the back of Anthonys car, tapping him into a spin. Celso continued to take second with a return to the podium for the new RAC rookie. AJ driving well to wring performance out of his car took 4th.

So the first two races down and some of the most exciting races the league has seen, the new Formula certainly seems to be doing the goods thanks to its developers.  The GP league now takes a break whilst the drivers head for the Enduro series but the GP cars return at Estoril soon where the battle will be as strong as ever.

The Shanghai grid rumbled to a record turnout as the new look GMWC 2009B season got underway this weekend. With an even playing field drivers got to grips with the new formula and finally questions are starting to be answered about how the teams and drivers would fare with the new specifications. Rusyn, M-sport and RAC all scored a win during the event with the higher powered cars of SDL, Superoo and reigning team champions Antares off the pace.

However no one team could claim to be truly dominant. Pre season speculation of the league entering a turbo era remains in question however as the Rusyn and M-sport standard engine cars notched up the most victories with the RAC turbo powered car picking up the last sprint win. Where the turbo cars will gain the upper hand on other circuits will remain to be seen as the season progresses however they are sure to come back strong very soon.

The 2009B season opener also welcomed many new rookies to the league and the results saw a highly competitive mid field over the various races. At the sharp end, former champions AJ Weber and Matt Lewis picked up where they left off and rookie Anthony Cochrane impressed up front which saw some exciting 3 way battles. Snapping on their heels were Chris Jones, Tom Castellani and Antares lead driver Celso Jorge.

Results for the event as follows:

Sprint 1

1st Matt Lewis, M-Sport
2nd Celso Jorge, Antares
3rd Chris Jones, RAC

Sprint 2

1st Matt Lewis, M-Sport
2nd Tom Castellani, M-Sport
3rd Chris Jones, RAC

Sprint 3

1st Anthony Cochrane, RAC
2nd Matt Lewis, M-Sport
3rd AJ Weber, Rusyn

Feature

1st AJ Weber, Rusyn
2nd Matt Lewis, M-sport
3rd Anthony Cochrane, RAC

Fastest Qaul lap - AJ Weber 1:43:127
Fastest Race lap - Anthony Cochrane 1:44.118

The GMWC circus now heads to the sandy terrain of Bahrain and the Sakhir GP circuit.

As of 9:00 PST, Matthew Lewis (M-Sport) sits atop the Shanghai practice timesheets with a healthy margin over Anthony (RAC) in second and AJ Weber (Rusyn) in third; all three into the 1:43 bracket.

Strangely, nobody is in the 1:44 bracket at all, with Celso (Antares) leading the rest of the field in the 1:45 bracket.  Top 10 practice times:

1. Matthew Lewis (M-Sport) 1:43.552
2. anthony (RAC) 1:43.751
3. AJ Weber (Rusyn) 1:43.872
4. Celso Jorge (Antares) 1:45.508
5. Mike Redman (Antares) 1:45.527
6. Tom Castellani (M-Sport) 1:46.276
7. Stephan Moons (Rusyn) 1:46.554
8. Chris Jones (RAC) 1:46.941
9. Tom Giangreco (Rusyn) 1:46.986
10. Scott Farm (Rusyn) 1:48.228

2009A Observations

The story that was 2009A saw a few stars rising to the top of the league. Some youngbloods, a few old timers. Even amongst the teams there was a rising and falling. Scuderia DeLoyer, a formidable team to be sure, fell a few places down the team ladder while M-Sport Racing, the new kid on the block, rose to claim a coveted spot among the top three.  Antares once again proved they were the king of the hill and claimed the title as number one team in GMWC.  If the race for the championship was the main plot, one of the subplots in this drama was a technical one. 

In 2009A, more teams/drivers opted to go with the helotek driveline than at any other point in GMWC history.  Does this prove the strength of the driveline? Only time will tell as the story of 2009B is written over the course of the season. Each race will have it's own unique story to tell. Those stories will comprise the great mosaic that is GMWC.  Future generations will tell the stories of what we've done around community fires all the while dancing like a bunch of crazed peyote induced natives praying to the gods for a great day of sport.  This is the reason we race.  It's the reason 2009B will prove to be one of the greatest of all time.  So spike your fuel, attach some illegal movable wing, tip your glasses, pass the peace pipe. We're in for the season of a lifetime.

2009B Season Preview

The big story of the 2009B season is the new grid-gp formula.  Teams were restricted to a budget of 8 points, with certain areas of development and focus costing differing amounts of points.  Teams could spend all 8 points up front, or reserve some points for a single update after the second cup.  Most teams spent the full 8 points, with one team opting to defer all spending until the update, and a couple others reserving some lesser amount of budget.

Most teams also went with turbo engines, and the few non-turbo teams are rumored to be developing their own turbo packages for the update.  Has the GMWC entered a turbo-era?

The new season also brings a new look.  Part of the new formula is wider and shorter cars.  This has driven the development of lots of new shapes, although a couple teams have instead chosen to adapt their tried and true aerodynamic approach.  All of the newly developed shapes also sport new liveries.

After a non-points showcase event at Jacarepagua, the season starts at a new venue for the league: Shanghai.  Shanghai is a large Tilke designed track and should be a big challenge for the teams to come to terms with in their new cars.

Teams

	Antares Sim Racing The Antares design effort was one of the more thorough and collaborative projects among the teams and has resulted in a balanced approach.
2009A Score	105
2009B Budget Spent	8
Drivers	Celso, MikeR, Doug, Bill, Sammy, Abe(?)
Engine	custom turbo, 483-531 kW
Chassis	level 2 aero, gp suspension, carbon brakes, mclaren88 carshape

	Rusyn Performance Dynamics Rusyn is one of only three teams to hold back any budget for the mid season update, opting to deploy minimal upgrades at the start of the season.  One thing to watch with Rusyn is if they can scrape together enough points to stay in the championship running early on.
2009A Score	87
2009B Budget Spent	2
Drivers	Tom, Stephan, AJ, Moe, Jeremi, Scott
Engine	custom standard, 485 kW
Chassis	basic aero, gp suspension, carbon brakes, ferrari88 carshape

	M-Sport Racing M-Sport has by far the most advanced chassis, choosing to develop the aerodynamics more than any other team.   Their advanced materials and nanotech brakes only help to improve the chassis beyond the norm.  Can their standard based engine keep up with the turbo invasion over a whole season?
2009A Score	77
2009B Budget Spent	8
Drivers	MattL, Brian, TomC, Alex
Engine	custom standard, 511 kW
Chassis	level 3 aero, kpi suspension, nanotech brakes, gmwc99 carshape

	SUPEROO The unfortunate news for Superoo is the loss of one of their drivers, Scott, which adds to the challenge of moving up among the teams.   With the respect to the car, Superoo has chosen a well balanced approach much like Antares.
2009A Score	57
2009B Budget Spent	8
Drivers	Josh, Todd
Engine	custom turbo, 470-517 kW
Chassis	level 1 aero, kpi suspension, carbon brakes, ferrari91 carshape

	Scuderia DeLoyer SDL is one of the three teams reserving some development for the mid season update, although a mere 1 point.  As with Antares and SUPEROO, SDL is chosing a balanced development plan in their bid to recapture past glory.  SDL's biggest hurdle is the temporary absence of their star driver, C, who is on an extended all-paid vacation in a secure environment.
2009A Score	55
2009B Budget Spent	7
Drivers	Dennis, C, Stuart
Engine	custom turbo, 474-521 kW
Chassis	level 2 aero, gp suspension, carbon brakes, gmwc99 carshape

	RAC Racing RAC has one of the more interesting cars since focused heavily on their engine drivability without sacrificing too much in their chassis except for one key component: brakes.  Among the highly developed cars, RAC is the only team to remain on steel brakes, and this could prove to be a thing to watch over the season.
2009A Score	49
2009B Budget Spent	8
Drivers	Chris, Brandon, Carl, Tim
Engine	custom turbo, 451-496 kW
Chassis	level 1 aero, kpi suspension, steel brakes, minardi91 carshape

	De La Rosa There is not much to say about DLR yet, as they have taken the bold path of reserving all upgrade deployment for the mid season update, so their campaign starts on a basic car.  They could be a very interesting car to watch after the update as they will have better information on tradeoffs than any other team had.
2009A Score	5
2009B Budget Spent	0
Drivers	Gregg, MikeS
Engine	standard engine, 459 kW
Chassis	basic aero, gp suspension, steel brakes, benetton88 carshape

The GMWC is unveiling a new way to enjoy casually-competitive simulation motorsports: The Hot Lap Ranking (HLR) Competition.

The HLR is a 'perpetual' competition, much like the Rolling Rankings, but it has several distinct differences.   First, as the name implies, it's focus is hot lapping, rather than racing or racecraft.  Second, it is completely independent from the league's events and the results of those events.  That latter point is perhaps the most critical, and is in fact the motivation for the HLR's existence.

As a league, we strive to provide opportunities for league members to indulge their affection for motorsports on both a competitive and social level, and for league members to be able to participate as fully as possible despite the demands of their normal lives.  While the forum and the practice server are always available to fill that social role, the league's existing set of competitive opportunities were such that they left some of our league members 'out in the cold', so to speak, merely because those members aren't able to regularly participate in the events.

So we created the HLR as a complement to our current competitions, and crafted it such that it fills a niche that has heretofore been neglected.

Specifically, the HLR is an individual driver competition where each driver has at all times a single score.  That score is simply the cumulative time for the fastest laps achieved by that driver on each of a fixed list of tracks.  The list is short, currently 4 tracks, and so the HLR score for a driver would consist of the sum of just 4 lap times - the fastest lap achieved by the driver on each of the 4 tracks.  The faster you are, the lower your cumulative time will be, and the higher your HLR score will be.

Keep reading for the full details of the HLR...

The GMWC 2007D season is concluded (a summary of the standings is included below, in the extended portion of this post).

This was the league's 4th official season, and the first under the Grid Motorsports banner.  As expected, the improved funding and marketing afforded by the league's new governing body vaulted the series into unprecedented international prestige.  New drivers have swelled the league's rank and file, as brash up-and-comers and wily veterans alike saw an opportunity to hone their talents and pursue motorsports excellence on a world-wide stage.

Driver Championship

AJ won his third Driver Championship, though it was his narrowest victory in terms of points.  This was due in large part to the new schedule format introduced this season which helped insulate drivers from event absences and also forced drivers to succeed consistently across the full variety of venues on the schedule if they wished to contend for the cup.  AJ was the very portrait of that consistency, winning the last 6 (of 10) races and missing the podium only twice all season.  He put his signature on the season by taking pole position in 8 of the 10 races.  AJ showed once again that he is undaunted by the influx of brash new talent to the league's roster.

In a remarkable rebound from a disappointing 2007C, Doug put together an impressive string of performances to take the silver spot on the DC podium.  This is the second straight season to see the #2 DC driver winless for the season (Tom, 2007C).  But despite not winning a single feature race, Doug clung to his chances for the cup longer than any other driver, only being eliminated from contention for the DC win in the season's final region.  This being his career best DC finish, we're left to wonder which Doug will show up in 2008A, the podium contender, or the human pinball, or both!

The bronze DC finish went to last season's rookie phenom, Abe, who picked up where he left off last season and significantly upped the ante!  Abe parlayed his 2007C success into a position as founder and engineering lead on Team Antares, giving him both the means and the opportunity to challenge the league's elite performers with a vehicle custom tailored to his style.  And indeed he looked poised to not only challenge, but to execute a coup d’état, as he notched 3 wins in the first 4 events of the season.  But a mix of absences and difficulty taming his new 4-wheeled thoroughbred would see Abe on the podium only once in the last 6 events of the season.

Just outside the DC podium, in 4th place, was Celso, whose finish is even more impressive considering that he didn't even get to participate in the North American region.  But his early season success coupled with a strong return to the grid in Europe put him right in the thick of things at the end.  In fact, his assault on the field after his return in January catapulted him all the way to the #2 spot in the rolling rankings.

Matt found himself in 5th place, which doubtlessly is disappointing given his pre-season aspirations and the promise of a schedule format that would better accommodate the travel restrictions associated with the terms of his parole from a 2006 misdemeanor conviction for public nudity.  To his credit, he did manage to stay out of the negative limelight this season, but the problem was that he didn't find himself in the positive limelight much either.  He showcased his usual mastery of the streets of Monaco, but his hopes for DC glory were scuttled by chronic absences.  We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was merely prioritizing his responsibilities as president of Team Ridgefield over personal season accolades as a driver.

Tom and Bill were neck and neck in DC points, with Tom edging out for a 6th place finish based on gross points earnings.   Tom  was unable to recapture his 2007C form (#2 DC) but represented himself and his team well all season long.  Bill seems to be either a marked man or have some kind of voodoo curse on his head, as he again seemed to suffer from an inordinate amount of accidental clobberings at the hands of his fellow gridmates.

The remainder of the DC points ladder was populated by a mix of rookies, both young and old, and league stalwarts seeking their niche in an increasingly impressive field.  Particularly noteworthy was Todd, who was the only driver out of the top two who scored points in every region of the season, and Mike, who earned points in 3 of the 4 events in which he participated.

Team Championship

2007D was the inaugural season for the revamped Team Championship, which now showcases teams formed according to their own philosophies, each competing not only on the track but for the hearts and minds of the drivers as well, since the rosters are built solely through driver-initiated affiliation.  Three strong league personalities staked out their territories in the pre-season, forming teams Antares, Ridgefield, and Rusyn.  Their methods differed, and the factory vehicles seemed to capture the nature of each team founder's personal style.  But it didn't take long to prove that they were all three the competitive equal of each other.

Team Antares rode a strong roster and consistent attendance to a decisive victory in the TC, in addition to putting two drivers on the DC podium (Doug, Abe).  Team Ridgefield benefited from a very accommodating vehicle design and the league's largest roster to earn a clear 2nd place finish.  Team Rusyn scored very well in 3rd, but it lost the recruiting game early in the season and suffered the consequences.

Team Ridgefield sowed the seeds of future success with the acquisition of multiple rookies during the course of the season, setting the stage for a strong 2008A.  But Antares now has a reputation to trumpet, and Rusyn can't help but benefit from the continued proven success of its founder and lead engineer (AJ).  And there'll be at least one new flag waving as well, as the newly-formed Team CPS assumes a customer relationship with Team Ridgefield, with former Ridgefield standout Tom at the helm.

Summary

The 2007D season was another chapter in the GMWC success story.  As we move swiftly into the next season, we want to thank all the drivers for participating, contributing, sharing, and joining in our dream of establishing the best sim-racing environment we can imagine.  We also want to welcome all of the new drivers that have arrived over the course of the season and encourage all of the drivers, both old and new, to continue to nurture the kind of community that lets us not only pursue sim-racing excellence but to thoroughly enjoy the pursuit itself.

- Grid Motorsports Administration

There are just a few weeks remaining in the schedule for the current season, and since we don't have any appreciable off-season that means that there are just a few weeks before the start of the next season!  All of the preparation for the upcoming season is being conducted now: tweaking league policies; finalizing the 2008A track list; teams testing new vehicle specifications; new teams potentially forming; drivers considering changing team affiliation; attempts to pilfer giant piles of technical documents from competitors and xeroxing them at Kinko's, etc..!

But that doesn't mean the 2007D season is all tied up with a bow just yet.  The DC (Drivers Championship) is technically still up for grabs, though it will take a very strange set of circumstances to keep the trophy out of AJ's hands (again).  But the remaining two podium spots in the championship are within reach of three drivers (Doug, Abe, Matt).  Team Antares has essentially locked up the TC (Team Championship), though I think Team Ridgefield still has a mathematical chance to eek out the victory.  All of that will be decided by the lone score yet to be entered into the DC/TC standings from the European Region (NHS and Zandvoort).

Note that the league survey has been closed.  We want to thank everybody who took the time to provide feedback.  If you didn't respond to this survey (either because you're lazy, forgetful, or brand new) don't worry - we intend to conduct the survey regularly (probably each season).  Expect another news post soon that summarizes our interpretations of the survey results and how they'll influence the 2008A Regulations.

We've had a lot of new users registered on the website, and we'd like to encourage anyone who's lurking quietly, perhaps curious about joining the league, to go ahead and jump right in.  This is the perfect time.  We've got a couple of weeks to get custom cars defined for new (and existing) drivers, and can get new drivers fully acclimated in time for the start of a brand new season.

Drivers - a massive survey has been posted that requires your dutiful attention.  You'll need to create a login for the website before you can fill out the survey, so please register a user profile for yourself if you haven't already done so (click 'join' in the box at the upper right).  Once you're able to login, bust out your opinion bat and have at the survey.  We wouldn't ask if we didn't want to know!