9/27/12 Racers Island - Drift Car Series - Round 5 @ Garage track

The Racers Island drift series continued at the Garage track, a narrow track with plenty of wide and sharp turns. Ten drivers showed up and were ready to test their skills on this difficult circuit. Brave Ashbourne is leading the overall season standings in front of Yuriko Nishi by 20 points, but not all is played yet and there is plenty of time for the drivers to catch up! For today's qualification, Ashbourne managed to grab the pole in front of Yuriko Nishi who trailed him by 0,094 second.

Mathieson and Braham

Here are the results of the qualification:

Pole Position. Brave Ashbourne  17.649
P 2. Yuriko Nishi,  17.744, -0.094
P 3. Doll Kabuki,  17.821, -0.171
P 4. Shaft Laval,  17.892, -0.243
P 5. Eddie Mathieson,  17.903, -0.254
P 6. Biggs Braham,  17.955, -0.306
P 7. ZeuStorm Resident,  17.998, -0.348
P 8. domilyon Resident,  18.275, -0.626
P 9. Nella Boccara,  18.412, -0.763
P 10. 01010100 Resident,  18.454, -0.805

Starting grid of the B race

As there were ten racers, the decision has been taken to do two races, with the top 4 racers automatically qualified for the main race. The 25 laps B-race started with few changes, but that didn't last long as Braham took the lead on the second lap in front of Mathieson, while Zeustorm, Domilyon, Boccara and 01010100 fought together for the third position. These two groups battled each on their own for several laps, and the first development came on lap 8 as Boccara was able to detach herself from the group and take a bid for third place. Meanwhile, Braham stayed closely in front of Mathieson for the lead of the race. The order wouldn't stay for long, as Boccara, after a costly mistake, gave up third position to Zeustorm who had previously managed to let Domilyon and 01010100 fight each other behind him. The last position change of the race came on lap 17, where 01010100 shook off Domilyon for good to secure fifth place. Despite pushed hard, Mathieson didn't manage to catch up to Braham for the first place, but it was good enough for these two to move up to the main event of the day!

Close battle for the B race

Results of the B race

1st. Biggs Braham, 25 laps. Total Time : 454.778
2nd. Eddie Mathieson, -1.280 seconds.
3rd. ZeuStorm Resident, -12.969 seconds.
4th. Nella Boccara, -1 laps.
5th. 01010100 Resident, -1 laps.
6th. domilyon Resident, -1 laps.

Main event starting grid

The 30 laps main event was ready to take place, and even before all drivers crossed the start line to officially start their first lap, action happened! Indeed, Ashbourne suffered from a brain cramp and forgot to start at the same time than everyone, which made him lose the lead to the benefit of Nishi who finished the first lap leading the race, in front of Ashbourne who managed to come back to second place in front of the other four drivers, Mathieson, Braham, Kabuki and Laval, who battled with each other for the third place. Mathieson made a bid to keep the third place to himself as he managed to shake off the three other opponents behind him on the second lap. Ashbourne, despite missing the start, definitely didn't seem to have any problem on the track once he got started as on the fourth lap, he passed Nishi for the lead. On the 7th lap, Braham became another element that broke from the battle from the back and reduced the gap between himself and Mathieson for the third position. Unfortunately, his attempt to reach Mathieson caused him to do a few mistakes and brought him back into the battle for fourth place with Kabuki and Laval. Meanwhile, Ashbourne continued to expand his lead in front of Nishi.

Close racing in the A race

Close to the halfway point, on lap 14, Braham managed to get away again from Kabuki and Laval. He remained however far behind Mathieson, who himself got engaged in a battle with Nishi for the second place. The battle would rage on for several laps and Mathieson became victorious on lap 18th. At the same time, Kabuki managed to fortify her position on the 5th place, only to lose it two laps later due to a few costly mistakes. Nishi found herself to have trouble keeping up the pace at the end of the race and effectively lost third position to Braham on the 24th lap. Her problems wouldn't stop here, however, as a few other crashes on lap 26th brought her down to fifth place, which was previously regained by Kabuki over Laval. A close battle would ensue between Kabuki and Nishi until the end of the race, however the positions remained unchanged. Ashbourne crossed the finish line for his third victory in five races this season.

Ashbourne, Mathieson and Braham on the podium

Results of the main race:

1st. Brave Ashbourne, 30 laps. Total Time : 536.649
2nd. Eddie Mathieson, -7.626 seconds.
3rd. Biggs Braham, -11.437 seconds.
4th. Doll Kabuki, -12.929 seconds.
5th. Yuriko Nishi, -13.463 seconds.
6th. Shaft Laval, -15.820 seconds.

Kabuki and Laval

It may sound cliché, however this race is another example of why races are not set after the first turn. Nishi, despite leading the race early on, fell down to fifth place by the end of the race. Braham, who was battling at the back of the pack, managed to move up to third place over the course of the race. While having multiple people fall behind in a race is uncommon, it is nevertheless possible and as such a driver should never lose hope. Those steady laps made behind the racers in front could end up paying dividends if a major crash happens to one of them, or even better if they crash together! On this note, racers and readers, stay positive and never give up in your endeavours!

Eagle Clawtooth interview - exclusive for Compete With Me!

Eagle's impressive race trophy collection

Patrons of Rubbing Is Racing - aka R.I.R. - should know Eagle Clawtooth very well. If he's on the track, usually that means that whatever position he's on - it will be defended till the very end. You might overtake his position, but it won't be too easy, that's for sure.

And, now, it's my big pleasure to inform you that Eagle Clawtooth - winner of numerous Grand Prix, and what's more interesting, winner of the summer Build Your Own Car series at R.I.R., also the owner of his own racing venue - came over to my small office at 2RAW to share a bit of his racing experience with Compete With Me! readers. How it all began? What helped him to get to the top? Let's find out!

Eagle Clawtooth

This Summer, he won his very first series at R.I.R., the Build Your Own one, and this turned out to be the most significant achievement in his Second Life racing career. Despite his rich experience, this win didn't come to him with ease - due to the fact that many racers can be very tough opponents when it come to racing, it took him a lot of determination along with hours of practice on the tracks. Everything was counting - planning the strategy to use, practicing for feeling easy on the track, and, certainly, being able to change plans mid race. But even when you got the lead - there's no time to relax. "No one wants to be last or go a lap down so the whole field itself is the toughest", Eagle says. "As the leader, you wear a target, and a good racer will do what it takes to get pass the target."
Eagle himself loses the lead at times. However, this never was a reason to give up the fight, or even quit the battlefield right away. "No matter where I am, I remain focused on what's ahead". And that's not the only secret for making it to the top - "Being considerate and clean helps the other racers return the same". 

Eagle Clawtooth's racing career, in fact, dates from his real life, consisting mostly of dirt races, also offroad races and motocross - as his favorite, he named high bank dirt tracks. Retired from the real life racing just a couple years ago, he joined Second Life racing world, which became a good fix for him. "Being a RL race also fuels the drive to compete here", he admits. 

Eagle Clawtooth's RL race car

And how much does the real life racing experience help him in second life? "I understand the principles and fundamentals as well as the physics involved in racing which helps a lot" - and then he adds: "Oh, and I know how to curse quietly... haha makes me a dangerous opponent". 

Not being a really emotional person and understanding his own faults, he, nevertheless, won't let it go if people around him were the reason of his unsuccess. "If I am the cause of my own misfortune, then I say nothing, same thing if it involves someone else's actions. If I get verbal in either predicament, it's of no help or benefit." But, certainly, emotions are not the best helpers at the race. "If you let yourself get distracted, then your focus is jeopardized."

His Second Life racing experience originates not in a way we see him racing today. "I tore a freebie car apart and built a prim race truck and a race track and ran races against myself on a freebie budget :)". Something close to the serious racing in Second Life began for him with SMC (Silver MotorSports Complex, which is gone from the grid up to date): "Then I discovered a place called SMC and saved enough to get a car there and I was off on my racing career". Certainly, no one becomes the best right at the start of the career, especially with the competition that was around the racing world back then - and Eagle wasn't an exception. His first win was possible more thanks to the circumstances: "In fact, the first race I won there was 6 months after I started, and it was because I was the only racer that showed up that race". However, even the fact that he got a lot of opponents - way more experienced than him in racing - wasn't able to prevent him from keeping on racing. Competition happened to be the thing that drives him, competing with others - his nature.

Eagle Clawtooth at a race event
(RIR Nationwide Series, 8/11/12)

Second Life racing progresses, apparently, was in help as well. Maybe it's not as easy to win as it was back then (if you knew certain secrets), but, as Eagle remarks, today's SL racing world is getting more and more adapted. "Back in the day, all you had to do is jump in get up against a wall and haul butt. Now, if you do that, it's not possible, as the cars can get damaged or make you slow down." Physics today are not only more realistic, but more customizable as well! "The cars now are more realistic driving and looking, and some quite adjustable to one's driving, meaning now you can set the cars up to suit your driving ability and style."
For sure, this doesn't matter that people can just grab a car and go fast being guaranteed to win the race. "It can still be easy for the beginners to have fun with, but, to be a front runner, it will always require time and understanding settings and conditions as well as a decent amount of ability." 

Eagle's cars from old racing associations
(Some do not exist on the grid any longer) 

And today we have him, one of the top racers - although he does not rest on his laurels, he does his best to help others have fun (not without having fun himself, of course!). "If you help someone learn and they beat you, that means you did your job really well :)", he says. Indeed, who but him knows what the real competition is - with both results, beating someone or being beaten himself! 

And that's followed by his advice to all the beginner racers. "Don't be afraid to ask for help and watch what the fast ones are doing. Learn the lines and limits, stay clean, and if you're racing with people, remember - what goes around comes around, so be considerate. And that's the key to in SL racing..."

I, myself, would like to thank Eagle Clawtooth for his time that he generously shared with us, and wish him a lot of success in both RL and SL - and not only in racing, for certain! 

TXT Fall Series 2012 - Round 2 - the points

Despite the fact the race wasn't too crowdy, it really affected the total positions of the series. Great racing it was, everyone, and hope to see you next week! Next race, it will be Track 10 - come practice anytime!

Points for the round 2:

50 points - Grosmanteau DeCuir
45 points - Brave Ashbourne
40 points - Sharon Densmith
36 points - PhiloSophical Vervain
32 points - Mmmm Whybrow


Total points for the series:

100 points - Grosmanteau DeCuir
90 points - Brave Ashbourne
68 points - Mmmm Whybrow
64 points - PhiloSophical Vervain 

40 points - Sharon Densmith40 points - tudy Araw
32 points - Ronin Zane
25 points - Paidos McMinnar

9/20/12 Racers Island - Drift Car Series - Round 4 @ Tokyo track

Today's drift race at Racers Island was at the Tokyo track, a very nice looking city track with a nice mix of wide and sharp turns. Ten racers showed up for this race that showed very nice battles during practice. Yuriko Nishi managed to earn the pole position for the second time this season with a 0.228 lead over Doll Kabuki. As there were ten racers, the decision was taken to do two races. Here is the lineup of the 25 laps B race:

Start of the B race

P 5. Eddie Mathieson, 21.101, -0.406

P 6. Biggs Braham, 21.362, -0.667

P 7. Nella Boccara, 21.558, -0.863

P 8. ZeuStorm Resident, 21.689, -0.994

P 9. domilyon Resident, 21.778, -1.083

P 10. 01010100 Resident, 21.804, -1.109

The start proved to be close and fast as Mathieson and Braham maintained their position at the first lap. 01010100, a new racer, managed to make a very good start and moved up to fourth place. Racers battled hard and Boccara managed to take second place from Braham on the second lap, only to lose it on the fourth lap after a crash which moved her down to third place. Following them were Domilyon, Zeustorm and 01010100 in this order, the latter moving down to 6^th place after a few incidents. From that point on, the drivers kept themselves at a safe distance for several laps. On lap 12^th, ZeuStorm caught up with a struggling Domilyon and managed to pass him after a mistimed turn by Domilyon. The drivers remains in that position until the end of the race, albeit a late push by Braham on lap 21, who came within one second of Mathieson, was not enough to shake Mathieson's concentration who kept his pace until the end of the race.

Here are the results of the B race:

Final Results

[18:40] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 1st. Eddie Mathieson, 25 laps. Total Time : 540.809

[18:40] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 2nd. Biggs Braham, -1.667 seconds.

[18:40] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 3rd. Nella Boccara, -18.984 seconds.

[18:40] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 4th. ZeuStorm Resident, -20.764 seconds.

[18:40] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 5th. domilyon Resident, -1 laps.

[18:40] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 6th. 01010100 Resident, -2 laps.

[18:40] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: Fastest race lap, Eddie Mathieson, 20.847

Kabuki and Nishi side-by-side

Here is the line-up of the 30 laps A race:

Pole Position. Yuriko Nishi 20.695

P 2. Doll Kabuki, 20.923, -0.228

P 3. Shaft Laval, 20.958, -0.263

P 4. Brave Ashbourne, 21.006, -0.311

P 5. Eddie Mathieson

P 6. Biggs Braham

Close A race battle after the start

The start of the main event, made of many excellent drivers, proved to be rather surprising and exciting. Indeed, the first surprise came literally at the start where Laval was frozen on the grid, unsuspecting that the race would be started as quickly. That mistake moved him down to last place with a significant gap between him and everyone else. In front of him, drivers passed each other across each turn, with Kabuki taking over the lead on the first lap in front of Ashbourne. The five cars passed the gate within 1.4 seconds of each other, promising many more battles.

Ashbourne trying to shake off Kabuki

Starting lap 3, three groups could be seen in the race: Kabuki, Ashbourne and Braham were battling for the lead while Nishi and Mathieson battled for the fourth place. Laval, alone in his group due to his failed start, picked up the rear. Things wouldn't stay as they were as Ashbourne managed to take the lead for the race, closely trailed by Kabuki, while Braham became chased by Nishi who distanced herself from Mathieson. Braham couldn't resist Nishi's attack and had to yield third position to her on lap 8. Their battle ended on lap 12 with Nishi distancing Braham. Ashbourne, who was still leading the race, could continue to admire Kabuki's driving in his rear mirror. Mathieson and Laval, respectively 5^th and 6^th, were far from the leaders and also far from each other.

Close yet not enough

The positions remained stable until lap 16, where Braham, after chaining a few fast laps, came back on Nishi to try to regain third place. The battle lasted for three laps and ended after Braham crashed into a wall. The positions from third to 6^th seemed at this point set. The last battle opposed Ashbourne and Kabuki, who were still going at it with a small and unforgiving gap staying around one second. This battle went on until lap 27, where Kabuki mistimed a turn, which made her lose two seconds. This gave all the room Ashbourne needed to become the first repeat winner of the season.

Here is the results of the A race:

Final Results

[18:55] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 1st. Brave Ashbourne, 30 laps. Total Time : 636.378

[18:55] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 2nd. Doll Kabuki, -3.046 seconds.

[18:55] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 3rd. Yuriko Nishi, -5.647 seconds.

[18:55] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 4th. Biggs Braham, -8.825 seconds.

[18:55] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 5th. Eddie Mathieson, -13.849 seconds.

[18:55] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: 6th. Shaft Laval, -1 laps.

[18:55] Racers Island New Tokyo Drift gate shouts: Fastest race lap, Yuriko Nishi, 20.668

Victory for Ashbourne!

This race showed us that it is important to follow a rule seen at every racing sim: Click the gate to queue up when you are ready to race. Indeed, the moment a racer queue up, he should be ready to start the race and have all his focus and attention to the upcoming start. Losing a lot of time at the start of a race due to a small but costly mistake is a painful way to be recalled this rule. On this, reader and racers, see you at the next race and practice hard!

9/16/12 Racers Island - Stock Car Series - Round 4 @ Sunset Short Oval

Racers Island Raceway blog

Racers Island in-world (+TPer to all tracks)

Grid positions, final results and racers' personal stats are available here: Racers Island Stock Car Results blog


One of the new tracks at Racers Island, Sunset Short Oval, received the racers on Sunday for the 4th round of the Stock Car series. This is the inner track of the two Sunset tracks and, obviously, a shorter one - the whole oval takes 8 seconds to finish. Cars were battling, jumping on the walls, riding on 2 wheels (in the article, when you read "accident", that's usually what is meant by it) - therefore, we got lucky to witness some tough competition even for Race C!

The qualifying round brought some surprises again - at first, Mystic Upshaw (Audion) led it, then, all by surprise, it had been overtaken by Jahbith Laville - yes, that new racer who's joined Racers Island only recently! It was expected to see him stay at the pole position, but Miku Hatsune (Doll Kabuki) was qualifying last and overtook it.
Here's something else I'd love to mention - and that's another new racer, the name is Aldo Raine (Anti Ghost). I was lucky to have a couple of words with him after the race - turned out he knows about racing in SL for 2 years, but started racing himself only 6 months ago. Before, he raced only at Borderline Raceway, started with bikes, now he has decided to try himself here, at Racers Island. Congratulations with a new start and good luck, Aldo!
So, the positions were set, and it's time to move to the first event of that evening.


The grid for it was formed by:
P 9. Shaft Laval,  7.934, -0.204
P 10. Nella Boccara,  8.000, -0.270
P 11. Aldo Raine (Anti Ghost),  8.156, -0.426
P 12. miller Tomcat,  8.276, -0.546

OK, I got to admit. My bets were on Shaft Laval and Miller Tomcat at first. But it took only a few laps after the start to prove me that Boccara is intended to battle, and battle real hard. She kept up very nicely with the leader of the race, Laval, trading positions with him from time to time. Tomcat remained 3rd, Aldo Raine dropped down to the last position.

Troubles for Boccara began at lap 18, when she crashed against the wall along with Tomcat - and the battle for the 2nd position almost started, but Tomcat dropped behind after a couple of unsuccessful laps. On the 33rd lap Boccara had lost a second in an accident - the size of the gap she had with Tomcat - and that gave him a chance to battle her for the 2nd position. But the battle didn't last long - by the 40th lap, he already had a 0.9 seconds gap, that was enough for Boccara to avoid any competition with him.
And so, Shaft Laval and Nella Boccara continued competing in the next race.

The grid for this one, the B race was consisted by:
P 5. Kert (Upshaw34),  7.861, -0.131
P 6. David Wetherby,  7.863, -0.133
P 7. Eddie Mathieson,  7.894, -0.164
P 8. iasos,  7.908, -0.178
Race C P 1. Shaft Laval,  7.934, -0.204
Race C P 2. Nella Boccara,  8.000, -0.270
Kert took the advantage of being ahead of everyone on the grid and sprinted away at the very start, while others were still sharing positions in battles occurring here and there. Soon, even Kert himself got involved into one - with Nella Boccara and Iasos - for defending the lead, and unfortunately, he hasn't dealt successfully with this task. Iasos overtook the lead, but Boccara didn't remain 2nd - in a few laps, due to her challengers, she dropped to the 4th position. So, there was a battle for the 2nd position between two other racers, who were Shaft Laval and David Wetherby.
The battle was very very tight and was lasting until the lap 16 when a huge accident happened that involved all the racers from the 2nd to the 6th position. As a result, it got all mixed up at first, but positions almost didn't change when they've spread out again - Kert Upshaw had managed to keep the 2nd position, and Shaft Laval dropped behind the whole pack. Soon enough, though, Kert got challenged by Wetherby for his position - and lost that fight. From that moment on, he wasn't able to catch up with Wetherby, without losing the 3rd position though - the gap between him and Boccara (4th) was wide enough (1 second approximately).

By the 30th lap, the Top 3 had been set up. But right behind them, there was a fight for the 4th position - between Boccara and Laval. On the 37th lap, Mathieson had joined them - but 3 laps after, Iasos, who had a huge lead, made traffic for them, and that brought some difficulties for Mathieson's ability to keep up with  Laval and Boccara. Nevertheless, it affected Iasos as well - Wetherby, who remained 2nd, kept on closing up. From the lap 53, the gap between him and Iasos wasn't wider than 1.5 seconds - and was decreasing lap by lap.
David Wetherby at last had overpassed Iasos on the 61st lap, when Iasos got into an accident and instantly built a 0.8 gap between him and (now leading) Wetherby. But the race wasn't over yet! Lap 66, in return, became unsuccessful for Wetherby, and Iasos caught back up with him. Then the final battle for the lead began - and ended 3 laps after, when Iasos had been slowed down by lapped Laval. That was a chance for Kert to overtake the 2nd position, and he even got closer to Iasos - but there was not enough time for him.
In this manner, David Wetherby and Iasos were the ones who got an opportunity to battle in the main, A race.

And here are the ones who made it to the main event:
Pole Position. Miku Hatsune (Doll Kabuki)  7.730
P 2. Jahbith Laville,  7.757, -0.027
P 3. Mystic Upshaw (Audion),  7.775, -0.045
P 4. Yuriko Nishi,  7.835, -0.105
Race B P 1. David Wetherby,  7.863, -0.133
Race B P 2. iasos,  7.908, -0.178
Miku Hatsune had a headstart over everyone, so she avoided the battle that was going on behind her and involved 4 drivers - Iasos seemed to have troubles again, since he stopped in the middle of the track after the first lap and 4 laps after had dropped out of the race. The rest had a short battle for the 2nd place which was won by Yuriko Nishi. Shortly after, Jahbith Laville joined Upshaw and Wetherby in a battle for the 3rd position - and won it; then Upshaw dropped behind after an accident, while Wetherby kept up with Laville. On the 10th lap, Laville and Wetherby traded positions.
Laville, however, caught back up with Wetherby by the lap 20 - and, if Mystic Upshaw hadn't pulled between them, there would be a battle. But it only slowed Wetherby down and didn't affect Laville at all.
Speaking of battles... Let's get back to the Top 2, where Miku Hatsune and Yuriko Nishi have settled down.  At first, the gap was significant, but, lap by lap, Nishi was decreasing it - and, by the Lap 26, the gap got under 1 second. But she still would remained 2nd for a long time, if Hatsune didn't got herself into a big accident with a 2 seconds loss - and thus, Nishi got an ultimate lead that she kept till the very end of the race.
In fact, the positions had been distributed by the 40th lap -the gaps were 3 and more seconds. And that seemed to be like this till the end of the race... but Jahbith Laville, who was going 3rd at the moment apparently wasn't going to make it so.
That's why he, even despite a 3 seconds gap with Hatsune (2nd position),  kept on decreasing it - and it paid off on the lap 83, when Hatsune lost 2 seconds with a wall again. The gap between them was less that a second at that moment - and no wonder that he has passed her by. Wild traffic promptly filled up the space between them, making it impossible for Hatsune to get the 2nd position back - and that remained so till the end of the race.

Losing the position doesn't necessarily mean that you've lost it for the rest of the race. Yes, it is like this very often, but still, there are examples of those who might be not the best drivers on the grid, but they simply don't get crazy and don't try to jump over their heads - they simply keep up with the driver ahead of them waiting for the right moment to pick. Certainly that might not happen, but how you can be totally sure it won't? Makes sense? In my opinion, it does.
Also, it's my huge pleasure to congratulate Jahbith Laville with his first podium of the season - he made a very good job, and looks like he has a promising future in racing in Second Life! Way to go, Jahbith :)
Compete hard, racers and readers - and see you on the grid!

9/15/12 TXT Fall Series 2012 - Round 1

Here we go again!!!
Yes, the new season has blasted off just yesterday, at 2RAW Extreme. Back to the Track 9, one of the favorite tracks by racers who visit 2RAW. Always great to see people coming back for a new challenge - and, I should say, this race had some impressive challenges performed when it was suspected the least!

Along with those who raced the summer series, we had some new faces as well! Also, 2RAW team is allowed to race in this series as well - I'm not sure you'll see me racing, to be honest, but others will make a great competition for racers, I believe! Well, from what I've seen yesterday...

During the qualifying round, some racers got a bit of lag, so the grid was formed, in my opinion, not really objectively - some got more lag, some less. But still, it all depends on the main event!

Tudy Araw got the pole position being the only one who got under 53 seconds during the qualifying round. However, her start wasn't as perfect - and Grosmanteau DeCuir, along with Brave Ashbourne, got the lead. Who could have suspected that after a very short while and a few crashes M Whybrow would join the battle? But it happened! The battle for the lead was extremely intensive before her... but with Whybrow, it became simply furious! On the 2nd lap Whybrow got a bit behind her opponents, and, after a short battle with PhiloSophical Vervain (unsuccessful for her, unluckily), dropped onto the 6th position.

What was going on behind them? PhiloSophical Vervain remained 3rd, but only for the first 3 laps - because of Ronin Zane and then Tudy Araw, who caught up with him and overpassed him pretty soon. On the 7th lap, the battle between Araw and Zane began and was finished 2 laps after - Araw got the 3rd position when Zane crashed himself with a roughly 4 seconds loss.

Meanwhile at the Top 2... Brave Ashbourne overtook the lead on the 6th lap and kept it until somewhere around 9th lap, when he got stuck in the corner and, after that, began hitting more walls - that put him far behind Grosmanteau DeCuir (6 seconds, pretty crusial for a road course), so their places were apportioned. Same was with the 3rd place, which was occupied by Tudy Araw - mostly because those who might demand the 3rd position aswell were busy fighting each other, and that were M Whybrow and Ronin Zane. Whybrow was showing an impressive competitive spirit there - no matter who she was fighting with, that always was very, very intensive! Their battle was continuing till the very end of the race - and Whybrow was the one who finished 4th.

As we can see, you never know who to expect the competition from. It might be a well-known pro racer - and it might be someone you never have seen at the track. Maybe it's just me, since I've met the racing world only recently... but still!
So, racers and readers, have fun - but never hesitate to compete hard!

The grid:
Pole Position. tudy Araw  52.887
P 2. Grosmanteau DeCuir,  53.435, -0.548
P 3. Brave Ashbourne,  54.148, -1.260
P 4. el Sebas (Paidos McMinnar),  54.827, -1.939
P 5. Ronin Zane,  54.892, -2.004
P 6. M (Mmmm Whybrow),  54.903, -2.015
P 7. PhiloSophical Vervain,  55.534, -2.646


Final Results:
1st. Grosmanteau DeCuir, 15 laps. Total Time : 805.910
2nd. Brave Ashbourne, -6.394 seconds.
3rd. tudy Araw, -22.047 seconds.
4th. Mmmm Whybrow, -31.564 seconds.
5th. Ronin Zane, -32.344 seconds.
6th. PhiloSophical Vervain, -37.453 seconds.
7th. el Sebas (Paidos McMinnar), -48.621 seconds.

Fastest race lap: Brave Ashbourne, 52.515

TXT Fall Series 2012 - Round 1 - the points

Thanks for coming, racers and spectators, the beginning of the series wouldn't be this great without you! And congratulations Top 3 with your very first win of the series!

Next race - on next Saturday, at the track 15. Come practice anytime. Hope to see you there!

Points for the round 1:

50 points - Grosmanteau DeCuir
45 points - Brave Ashbourne
40 points - tudy Araw
36 points - Mmmm Whybrow
32 points - Ronin Zane
28 points - PhiloSophical Vervain
25 points - Paidos McMinnar

Total points for the series:

50 points - Grosmanteau DeCuir
45 points - Brave Ashbourne
40 points - tudy Araw
36 points - Mmmm Whybrow
32 points - Ronin Zane
28 points - PhiloSophical Vervain
25 points - Paidos McMinnar

9/14/12 R.I.R. Challenge Cars @ California Speedway

The more I watch non-pro racing, the more I'm amazed with the rage these guys and girls (no girls in the current case, sadly, but anyway) defend their positions with. Battles here and there, someone just conquered a higher position, another crashed into the wall after turning unsuccessfully and now is 2 positions down from where he has been... And, certainly, none of them makes the win easy for opponents.

Competition began at the qualifying round. JP Paneer qualified 1st and got a time under 17 seconds (where 17.2 counts as a good lap), so others were trying to beat it, without any success though. Kev Kiranov got the closest time - he was only 0.202 seconds slower on his fastest lap.

And let's move to the main event that has demonstrated, yet again, that it doesn't matter which position you got on the grid - it all depends on how good you are in handling the traffic. Everything mixes up at the 1st turn, anyway... Badguy Boozehound, the owner of the venue and the race director of this race, even had to make a restart of the race, when some racers got flipped too much in the pile. Second time was more successful, and competition began.

And we got three battles right after the start! JP Paneer got a lead, but Kev Kiranov stayed behind and close to him. Right behind them, Sweet was defending 3rd position from Clifford Market, but that was slowing them both down. And a bit more behind then, Garth Moonites - against the whole pack in the battle for the 5th position.

The battle between Paneer and Kiranov never got any serious, because Kiranov got behind pretty quick - too many accidents occurred. Sweet kept on going 3rd with no traffic around him - Market got challenged for the 4th position with Moonites, that he lost and dropped onto the 5th position. (I can't carry on without a remark about Moonites - yes, his qualifying session wasn't any good, but he turned out to be skilled enough to avoid any serious accidents with other drivers, and that helped him in moving up.)

Clifford Market, however, wasn't as successful with traffic as Garth Moonites was, and pretty soon Moonites got another opponent - Aangel Cortes caught up with him thanks to Moonites' 1 second loss on the 16th lap. Next lap brought another surprise - Kev Kiranov got close to them (giving up his 2nd position to Sweet at the same time), but the battle ended on the next lap. Kiranov left Moonites and Cortes on their positions by expanding his lead after getting ahead of them. 1 lap after... he was already challenging Sweet for the 2nd position. The challenge was tough. Very tough. As soon as they ended up in the wall together, Moonites got past them and, therefore, became 2nd and began getting farther and farther away from Sweet and Kiranov.

Sweet, after a short while, got into an accident and dropped to the 6th position. Kiranov remained 3rd, but the opponent never sleeps - and it was Soubi Corith along with MidnightRambler Frostbite, who both, bit by bit, were getting closer to Kiranov. The battle began on the 31st lap, where Kiranov's mistake cost him 2 seconds.

At first, Frostbite got the lead, while Corith, Kiranov and joined Clifford Market were going three-wide. On the 36th lap, Market dropped behind them, and Frostbite, whose laps weren't as fast as Corith's and Kiranov's were, had to battle them again; that was, probably, the most intensive one for the whole race. None of them was going to give up their position, so they simply traded them till the end of the race.
Closer to the end, Kiranov turned out to be leading (even though Frostbite didn't let him have a big lead over him); Corith stayed a bit away from them. Frostbite overtook the 3rd position on the 45th lap, Kiranov got it back on the 48th lap...
Now guess who finished 3rd after all?
It was Soubi Corith! Last lap, like it happens, became crucial. Frostbite and Kiranov, in the rage of battle, simply crashed each other upon the wall, and that allowed Corith to overpass them.

Battling hard might be very intensive. Well, it always is very intensive and might get you very nervous. So it's important not to lose your head when you're in a battle or if there's a risk to get involved into one - maybe you'll take advantage of the situation!
See you on the grid, racers and readers - and compete hard!

The grid:

Pole Position. JP Paneer  16.845

P 2. Kev Kiranov,  17.047, -0.202

P 3. MidnightRambler Frostbite,  17.177, -0.332

P 4. 丂øυbι Cøяιtђ (Soubi Corith),  17.179, -0.334

P 5. BanningBairde,  17.266, -0.421

P 6. Garth Moonites,  17.290, -0.445

P 7. ⓢ ⓦ ⓔ ⓔ ⓣ (SweetTooth Firehawk),  17.555, -0.710

P 8. Aangel Cortes,  17.830, -0.985

P 9. Clifford Market,  18.268, -1.423

Final Results:
1st. JP Paneer, 50 laps. Total Time : 876.003
2nd. Garth Moonites, -1 laps.
3rd. 丂øυbι Cøяιtђ (Soubi Corith), -1 laps.
4th. Kev Kiranov, -1 laps.
5th. MidnightRambler Frostbite, -1 laps.
6th. Clifford Market, -1 laps.
7th. Aangel Cortes, -2 laps.
8th. ⓢ ⓦ ⓔ ⓔ ⓣ (SweetTooth Firehawk), -2 laps.
9th. BanningBairde, -3 laps.

Fastest race lap: Kev Kiranov, 16.667