ARWS '18 - Vote for ROTY!!

[pi314159]

Keeping to finish in 7th place is a bit frustrating. Nick did a really good job today, more wasn't possible with the car we have. It's a bit annoying that we are unable to challenge for points on pace and have to hope for retirements, but we can only keep developing the car to change that.

I was rather surprised when I got the message on Wednesday that I'd be back in the car for Long Beach because Plaza was ill. I came to this race very unprepared, and I can only apologize to the team for my performance in pre-qualifying.

[SuperAguri]

Let's look at the positives, we set some decent times in PQ to get us out of PQ for the next race; we qualified ahead of both Rosenforths and Venturis, who lets face it are our biggest rivals as they have the same engine, yes I know Simpson have the Yamaha engine too but they have had some ups and downs too; we had good straight line speed; both cars finished and we got so much TV coverage this race. On the negatives, the car struggled to get around corners; there was a pile up at the first corner which cost us a lot of time; both cars had to pit, one early and one late for fixable issues, which cost us a lap. We need to look long and hard at our chassis as it is costing us a lot of time but an upgrade or two will be made.

We struggled all weekend trying to get a balanced car, the engine felt down on power all weekend and I was not surprised when the engine blew up on both cars. We dropped into the PQ battle but I am confident that both me and Jean [Vincent Albertini] will get the car out of PQ again. Onwards and upwards as they say.

I am not 'appy. 5 races in and all I 'ave is a 13th place. Three races and we could not do PQ properly, next race we qualify but I got punted off the road before the 1st corner and this race we are just making the numbers. I want improvements to the shitbox of a car or I will look elsewhere for a drive, I am a race winner!

[Nuppiz]

Of course it isn't nice to be handed the golden pineapple, but with qualifying not being great for me I think this is the best result achievable today. The guys at the front were simply faster than me so I really didn't have a chance of scoring points with this little attrition. At least this result will help my team in the WCC.

Despite rubbing the wall once, Marko did a solid job today and I don't think we could've reached a much better result in terms of positions even if everything went perfectly for us. We are simply lacking pace, and while we have an upgrade package in the works we're probably not going to be able to fit it on the cars until the series returns to Europe.

As for Martin, unfortunately his car didn't agree with the coastal climate. Let's hope things will be different in Arizona.

[Miguel98]

"Reatherson too green", says ARWS pundit Diego Pereira
When going into the California Grand Prix, at Long Beach, the biggest news was obviously Mark Dagnall (again, banned) beeing replaced by Quentin Reatherson, the british driver who last year finished 5th in F2, with two race wins, and in 2016 finished 6th in IFRC (now named AR3.5), with two wins. This year, Reatherson found a drive with the PORE team, besides experienced german David Neuberg, having qualified for 2 races so far this year, with a best result of 19th at Bathurst (the other beeing a retirement). His team-mate, meanwhile, only qualified at Adelaide, retiring from that race, and failed to qualify at Bathurst. So, Quentin season so far had been impressive, which clearly showed why Sammy Jones wanted him to replace Mark Dagnall. Problem is, Reatherson's debut for Jones was anything but a glory story for him and the team. Diego Pereira, ARWS commentator together with Thomas De Bock, explains why he thinks Reatherson's performance at Long Beach was a bad one.
"Out-qualifying DAT on your debut for the team was a bit impressive, seeing that DAT is usually very quick over a lap (despite having lost some of the speed he showed in junior categories), and running ahead of him at the start of the race was even more impressive, and I started to wonder if Quentin would actually score points for Jones on his debut. And, for a while, it seemed that way. But then, the "good" Quentin disappeared, and for the rest of the race, it seemed that a stooge like Benoit Voeckler (although not even Benoit would drive that badly) had taken over his car. Coming into the final corner, he ran wide and hit the wall, losing his front wing, dropping to second last, only ahead of Nicolas Steele. He recovered to the back of the backmarkers after a while, but then, once again, ran wide at the final corner and lost his front wing again. Dropped to last place, and then his misery ended when his gearbox failed. DAT didn't do that much better, but at least he didn't crash, and if it wasn't for a engine failure, could've finished 7th at least, and maybe 6th if he was close enough to De Bock.
But anyway, I think Quentin is too green for a big team, and it showed today. Despite having 3 years of experience in junior categories, and running for PORE, Reatherson cracked under pressure (earning a ROTR award is bad when your driving for Jones), and this performance might make Sammy Jones questioning his choices, specially considering Terry Hawkin put up a fantastic drive to win his second race of the season, and Quentin spend the afternoon crashing and fighting backmarkers except for the first 6 laps. If I was Sammy Jones, I would start looking for other drivers for his team, specially considering Mark Dagnall is not getting any younger."

[Normal32]

Venturi despont at lack of sucess
Venturi has been dissapointed with recent results, although it hopes to improve in the future.

To read more of this article, you need AUTOSPORT+++

[AndreaModa]

Jones labels race "an irrelevance"

After a double DNF and some less than stellar performances, Sammy Jones branded the Long Beach race of the 2018 ARWS season as "an irrelevance".

"Look, I'm pissed at Dagnall being banned again, so as far as I was concerned, a few points here would have been fine. Fact is we couldn't even manage that so the whole weekend has been pretty pointless. We go to the next race hoping for better, simple as that."

[Ataxia]

We're delighted to get our second win here, and for Terry to drive such an...easy race was great to see. He made the two-stop work perfectly when three might've looked at some point to be the quicker option. Fredo was great too, he turned a disappointing qualifying around into points and must be commended.

[SeedStriker]

RejectSport wrote
KL Shultz: Finding Consistancy is Key

Union Saver Developments owner, Karl Lichter Shultz, has hinted a more personal issue inside his ARWS team after the last two races the Austrian team has run. "After the race at Monza, the plan was to repeat that same feat in both qualifies and race. Unfortunately, we've been baffled with something of a curse that won't allow at least one car to start the race". With Naoki Shinjo and Jari Kekkonen tied with 1 qualify, 1 DNQ after Monza, USD is seeing this more as a mind issue of their drivers.
"It's like one of them isn't allowed to start for any reason, be mechanical, traffic in qualify or gremlins in the car. Even if we're a rookie team, we must perform accordingly. Naoki (Shinjo) and Jari (Kekkonen) had already proven that they can not just run steadily, but charge the field. Finding that consistancy is the key, and once we sorted that, our day will come eventually."

[Ataxia]

Fusion will splash out on another test.

Laguna Seca - 22nd-27th May

Day 1 - Fredo Mestolio / Terry Hawkin (Handling)
Day 2 - Fredo Mestolio / Terry Hawkin (Handling)
Day 3 - Nathanael Cameron / Nino Barlini (Driver Development)
Day 4 - Terry Hawkin / Nathanael Cameron (Driver Development)
Day 5 - Roger Ibe / Pierre St. Laurent (Driver Development)
Day 6 - TK Wolf / Thomas Wren (Driver Development)

[kevinbotz]

Roger Ibe and Pierre St. Laurent would both like to express their interest in testing for Fusion at the aforementioned Laguna Seca session.

[Peteroli34]

Formula 5000 front runner Thomas Wren would be intrested in testing for Fusion at Laguna Seca

[TomWazzleshaw]

MRT development driver T.K. Wolf is interested in testing for Fusion

[Ataxia]

Sure, we'll put both in.

[tommykl]

Alexandre Dorval is heavily interested in taking part, with Tony Gillet's blessing.

[Miguel98]

De Bock excited to race at Indianapolis once again, claims Rocha

With only two weeks left before the start of the 102nd running of the famous Indianapolis 500, Thomas De Bock is an excited man, returning to the race where he finished 3rd back in 2012, when the race was the season finale of the F1RWRS season. After running the Refresher test last week, before coming to California to race this weekend's ARWS race, the belgian driver ran very competitive laptimes, and showed excitement to be back on the famous race, running now for the colours of his country, for the Lotto Racing team.

IWS have granted a special agreement for Thomas De Bock to start from 33rd on the grid for the race, in case he passes pre-qualifying, since he won't be able to do qualifying for the race.

[Aerond]

All achievements added in the respective race posts.

[SeedStriker]

USD will go to Laguna Seca alongside Fusion, but for only one day of testing

Laguna Seca - 22 May

Drivers: Naoki Shinjo - John D. Sullivan (Driver Development)

[Aerond]

2018 United States Grand Prix -- Phoenix -- 20th May 2018

VENUE: Phoenix Street Circuit
Length: 3,721 m
Laps: 86

Weather:
Pre-Qualifying: Dry
Qualifying: Dry
Race: Dry

PRE-QUALIFYING

1.Naoki Shinjo (USD) -- 1.17.254
2.Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- 1.17.732 (+0.478)
3.Jean-Vincent Albertini (Venturi) -- 1.17.804 (+0.550)
4.Marco Bizzarri (Revolution) -- 1.17.965 (+0.711)
5.Andrej Kremnicky (Revolution) -- 1.18.002 (+0.748)
6.Shinobu Katayama (Venturi) -- 1.18.081 (+0.827)
7.John Bean (Mecha) -- 1.18.209 (+0.955)
8.Gregor Pascal (Rosenforth) -- 1.18.215 (+0.961)
9.Daniel Martins (Aeroracing) -- 1.18.325 (+1.071)
10.Shane Walsh (Gillet) -- 1.18.371 (+1.117)
11.Carter Simpson (Rosenforth) -- 1.18.442 (+1.188)
12.Jari Kekkonen (USD) -- 1.18.570 (+1.316)
13.Aurelien Moll (Gillet) -- 1.18.613 (+1.359)
14.Akira Yamamura (Tassie) -- 1.18.647 (+1.393)
15.Hansuke Shioya (RLR) -- 1.18.689 (+1.435)
16.Ashley Watkinson (Aeroracing) -- 1.18.883 (+1.629)
17.Tomo Kazama (Tassie) -- 1.18.929 (+1.675)
18.Quentin Reatherson (PORE) -- 1.19.084 (+1.830)
19.Miko Fäkkinen (RLR) -- 1.19.330 (+2.076)
20.David Neuberg (PORE) -- 1.19.405 (+2.151)

** USD will skip Pre-Qualifying from Round 7

QUALIFYING

1.Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 1.15.761
2.Alberto Cara (MRT) -- 1.16.013 (+0.252)
3.Alexey Buyvolov (Simpson) -- 1.16.402 (+0.641)
4.Phillippe Nicolas (MRT) -- 1.16.762 (+1.001)
5.Danny van Rijkens (Gauthier) -- 1.16.933 (+1.172)
6.Mark Dagnall (Jones) -- 1.17.054 (+1.293)
7.Diego Alvarez Torrente (Jones) -- 1.17.168 (+1.407)
8.Nick Nurmester (Kjellerup) -- 1.17.209 (+1.448)
9.Fredo Mestolio (Fusion) -- 1.17.240 (+1.479)
10.Shinobu Katayama (Venturi) -- 1.17.296 (+1.535)
11.Naoki Shinjo (USD) -- 1.17.329 (+1.568)
12.Wouter Lamberigts (Blokkmonsta) -- 1.17.377 (+1.616)
13.Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen (Gauthier) -- 1.17.405 (+1.644)
14.Jean-Luc Schiller (Simpson) -- 1.17.412 (+1.651)
15.Dan Greenlaw (Voeckler) -- 1.17.566 (+1.805)
16.Martin McFry (NRE) -- 1.17.604 (+1.843)
17.Marko Jantscher (NRE) -- 1.17.605 (+1.844)
18.Rosco Vantini (Kamaha) -- 1.17.679 (+1.918)
19.Jean-Vincent Albertini (Venturi) -- 1.17.687 (+1.926)
20.Thomas de Bock (Voeckler) -- 1.17.688 (+1.927)
21.Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- 1.17.689 (+1.928)
22.Alessandro Lucarelli (Kjellerup) -- 1.17.719 (+1.958)
23.Andrej Kremnicky (Revolution) -- 1.17.759 (+1.998)
24.Daniel Melville (Kamaha) -- 1.17.850 (+2.089)
25.John Bean (Mecha) -- 1.18.093 (+2.332)
26.Nicolas Steele (Blokkmonsta) -- 1.18.491 (+2.730)
DNQ.Marco Bizzarri (Revolution) -- 1.18.607 (+2.846)
DNQ.Jari Kekkonen (USD) -- 1.18.612 (+2.851)

** Blokkmonsta drops to Pre-Q from Round 7

RACE

1.Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 1h56m 12.369
2.Mark Dagnall (Jones) -- +40.996
3.Alberto Cara (MRT) -- +1 Lap
4.Fredo Mestolio (Fusion) -- +1 Lap
5.Diego Alvarez Torrente (Jones) -- +1 Lap
6.Thomas de Bock (Voeckler) -- +1 Lap
7.Dan Greenlaw (Voeckler) -- +1 Lap
8.Jean-Luc Schiller (Simpson) -- +2 Laps
9.Danny van Rijkens (Gauthier) -- +2 Laps
10.Nick Nurmester (Kjellerup) -- +2 Laps
11.Shinobu Katayama (Venturi) -- +2 Laps
12.Naoki Shinjo (USD) -- +2 Laps
13.Daniel Melville (Kamaha) -- +2 Laps
14.Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- +3 Laps
15.Andrej Kremnicky (Revolution) -- +3 Laps
16.Nicolas Steele (Blokkmonsta) -- +3 Laps
17.Martin McFry (NRE) -- +3 Laps
18.John Bean (Mecha) -- +4 Laps
19.Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen (Gauthier) -- +8 laps (*)
DNF.Marko Jantscher (NRE) -- Suspension
DNF.Alessandro Lucarelli (Kjellerup) -- Loose Wheel
DNF.Wouter Lamberigts (Blokkmonsta) -- Transmission
DNF.Jean-Vincent Albertini (Venturi) -- Electrical
DNF.Rosco Vantini (Kamaha) -- Transmission
DNF.Phillippe Nicolas (MRT) -- Water leak
DNF.Alexey Buyvolov (Simpson) -- Transmission

DOTR: Terry Hawkin: Absolutely dominant performance to score a brilliant win
ROTR: Alessandro Lucarelli: MIserable afternoon with Lost FW in first lap and retirement due a Loose Wheel.
Fastest Lap: Mark Dagnall (Jones) -- 1.18.206

ACHIEVEMENTS

Prison Break: USD
Cameo: Simpson

[Ataxia]

Absolutely delighted with Terry, he seems to love America! Two wins in a row, and he did it with such a big gap to the next guy; it's so good to see him do this for us! We're disappointed with Fredo today, we told him we needed him to start matching Terry. He was on course for a podium today, but when Terry came to lap him he made it more difficult than he needed to, and that let Cara through on the penultimate lap. 4th is okay, but to be a lap behind your team-mate is not good.

Oh man, great to be back in the points! Thanks guys! #Phoenix #USA

[CaptainGetz12]

Welp, we're back in prequalifying. The car is certainly not the best machine on the grid, but it does show that it can keep its head above water pretty well.

I just hope the races where we avoid pre-q altogether count towards our achievements. The plan sounds like something made up by a bunch of 12 year olds, but it seemed to have worked out so far.

Barely made it to the main race, sorry guys about putting the team back on the chopping block for Canada.

The car still doesn't seem to do that well come race day, we just seem to sink down the field. The car is not the most reliable either, but right now keeping out of Pre-Q should stay our top priority. A bunch of established teams have been treading water, but I don't think that will be the case for much longer...

[Aerond]

There's a new rule coming in with inmediate effect: From now on, there's a limit on the ammount of upgrades you can buy each race. Limit's at:

0,5 points downforce
1 point handling
1000 rel

this limit is achievable either through testing or buying the upgrade straight;
if you test for downforce and get 0,4 improvement, that means you can only buy 0,1 downforce points until next race. Engine upgrades do not count towards this limit. You can still upgrade in all three different areas at once.

[SuperAguri]

Kamaha to do weeks testing at Suzuka

After a tough race at Phoenix, where Melville finished 13th and Vantini had a transmission failure, Barii Mori told us that Kamaha will be doing a weeks worth of testing at Suzuka to help improve the chassis, he said "10 teams have yet to score points and with the top teams taking most of the points even the midfield teams have to snatch a point or two, so we have to raise our game otherwise we will end up like Gillet. All the drivers plus myself will be at the test. Mainly looking at downforce but we might look at reliability and driver skill.", Kamaha did a lot of testing last year but experts stated that they would have been better buying off the shelf improvements for the little improvements they got with the expense of testing.

Katayama pleased but wants Venturi to test more

Shinobu Katayama was pleased to drag the Venturi into 10th in qualifying only for the cars issues to show themselves up as she got lapped twice and ended up in 11th, she said "We have a good if aging chassis and Venturi do need to spend more money on downforce and handling. Either buying it outright or via testing. If we dont then we may suffer greatly next year. However I look forward to the up coming test.". Venutri have not returned our phone calls so far for a comment.

[FMecha]

Breaking PQ was a surprise, but our final quali/race pace needs to be pushed. Therefore Plaza and Bean will do the following tests in Sentul:

26-27 May: Qualifying Pace (both drivers)
28-29 May: Race Pace (both drivers)

[Aerond]

Breaking PQ was a surprise, but our final quali/race pace needs to be pushed. Therefore Plaza and Bean will do the following tests in Sentul:

26-27 May: Qualifying Pace (both drivers)
28-29 May: Race Pace (both drivers)

You can't program a test before next race; If you want to program a test it has to do at least one race in advance; so you'll have to change it after Toronto. Same for Kamaha.

[FMecha]

Breaking PQ was a surprise, but our final quali/race pace needs to be pushed. Therefore Plaza and Bean will do the following tests in Sentul:

26-27 May: Qualifying Pace (both drivers)
28-29 May: Race Pace (both drivers)

You can't program a test before next race; If you want to program a test it has to do at least one race in advance; so you'll have to change it after Toronto. Same for Kamaha.

In that case, we'll go for 9-10 June (Q-Pace) and 11-12 June (R-Pace).

[SuperAguri]

You can't program a test before next race; If you want to program a test it has to do at least one race in advance; so you'll have to change it after Toronto. Same for Kamaha.

Er, there is *NOTHING* in the rules to say that we must book tests one race in advance. Unless you want to point out where this might be... I helped you write some of these rules too :p

To quote...

7.2 Private Tests

7.2.1 As of 2015, teams can now organise their own private tests.
7.2.2 Up to thirteen (13) teams or twenty six (26) drivers can participate in these tests.
7.2.3 Teams can run up to two (2) drivers each day during a private test.
7.2.4 Both drivers present at a test may be pay drivers, although they will not earn the team any credits.
7.2.5 No driver may test for two teams during the same test session.
7.2.6 A test will last for a single day between 8am and dusk.
7.2.7 The cost of running a private test is as follows:
a) Running a test in the team's home country: 10 credits
b) Running a test immediately after a Grand Prix at the same venue: 10 credits
c) Running a test anywhere else: 20 credits
7.2.8 Teams cannot run private tests on a temporary circuit.
7.2.9 Teams cannot run private tests at a venue that is hosting a F1RWRS race within the same calender year until after that race has been run.
7.2.10 Teams without a suitable venue in their home country can nominate tracks from nearby countries as their home track, at the discretion of the F1RWRS Commission.
7.2.11 Teams must choose one area of the chassis to develop in either Downforce, Handling, Reliability or Chassis stiffness (to increase Max BHP), or they may choose to increase their drivers ability. Depending on how race simulations went and the drivers experience, the car/drivers may or may not improve.
7.2.12 Teams may only test before the season starts at selected dates given by the comission. (For 2017 it will be 13th-14th January, 20th-21st January and 3rd-4th February.)
7.2.13 Teams must leave 3 days between a test and a Grand Prix weekend, held over 4 days between Thursday and Sunday, if the test is to be held on a different circuit. However, teams can test on race circuit from the day after a Grand Prix if the circuit is permanent.

[Aerond]

You can't program a test before next race; If you want to program a test it has to do at least one race in advance; so you'll have to change it after Toronto. Same for Kamaha.

Er, there is *NOTHING* in the rules to say that we must book tests one race in advance. Unless you want to point out where this might be... I helped you write some of these rules too :p

To quote...

7.2 Private Tests

7.2.1 As of 2015, teams can now organise their own private tests.
7.2.2 Up to thirteen (13) teams or twenty six (26) drivers can participate in these tests.
7.2.3 Teams can run up to two (2) drivers each day during a private test.
7.2.4 Both drivers present at a test may be pay drivers, although they will not earn the team any credits.
7.2.5 No driver may test for two teams during the same test session.
7.2.6 A test will last for a single day between 8am and dusk.
7.2.7 The cost of running a private test is as follows:
a) Running a test in the team's home country: 10 credits
b) Running a test immediately after a Grand Prix at the same venue: 10 credits
c) Running a test anywhere else: 20 credits
7.2.8 Teams cannot run private tests on a temporary circuit.
7.2.9 Teams cannot run private tests at a venue that is hosting a F1RWRS race within the same calender year until after that race has been run.
7.2.10 Teams without a suitable venue in their home country can nominate tracks from nearby countries as their home track, at the discretion of the F1RWRS Commission.
7.2.11 Teams must choose one area of the chassis to develop in either Downforce, Handling, Reliability or Chassis stiffness (to increase Max BHP), or they may choose to increase their drivers ability. Depending on how race simulations went and the drivers experience, the car/drivers may or may not improve.
7.2.12 Teams may only test before the season starts at selected dates given by the comission. (For 2017 it will be 13th-14th January, 20th-21st January and 3rd-4th February.)
7.2.13 Teams must leave 3 days between a test and a Grand Prix weekend, held over 4 days between Thursday and Sunday, if the test is to be held on a different circuit. However, teams can test on race circuit from the day after a Grand Prix if the circuit is permanent.

http://gprejects.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7534&start=240#p351022

[SeedStriker]

Naoki Shinjo wrote
Satisfied with the race pace we got from start to finish. I've still yet to learn many things about the car and most of the tracks, but battling upper midfield is the right path for when attrition strike. Got more confident with the car balance and now, without having to struggle with pre-qualify, we can concentrate more in the race setup

Jari Kekkonen wrote
What can I say? Aside the fact that Shinjo is massively improving, I can't get the car to run as I did in the first races. I'm worried since this is my second consecutive DNQ, and I was brought into the team for my driving experience.

[Ataxia]

Astro target ARWS seats for development duo

Astro Racing Group chief and Fusion principal Jacques Couteau has announced that he will look to support Nate Cameron and Nino Barlini in negotiations to help the drivers step up to ARWS next season.

The current Nebula AR3.5 pairing appear to be the next drivers on Astro's Racing Stars program to move up to the premier AutoReject series, and Couteau will aid both in their search for seats next season.

"Nate and Nino, we cannot develop them any more at this level" said Couteau. "The only way for them to get any better is for them to move up to the next step, which is ARWS!"

"Nate spent some years with Prospec, then came to us, so he has a wide view of the world of racing. Then Nino has been with us, he has been with Voeckler as well. I think these two are ready for ARWS, and their tests with us recently have shown that."

"Our engineers are delighted with their progress, and hopefully we can find them somewhere to learn the ropes, like Marko [Jantscher] is doing this year. It is too early to bring either driver to the Fusion team, but we're hoping they can prove me wrong here!"

Rumours abound that @DATorrente will move to F1 next year #AMuS

@tgruener dunno where you heard this!

[tommykl]

Tony Gillet extremely disappointed in his team

The Belgian team owner, who expected to regularly qualify for races this season and occasionally threaten for points, is quite understandably in a rather bad mood following the first few races of this season.

While the team's pace is certainly faster than it was last year, Aurelien Moll and Shane Walsh have yet to even prequalify for any race weekend. Tony Gillet was quoted as being "very disappointed in the team as a whole."

To read more, don't forget to sign up to Auto Hebdo Plus!

Right, so after the Canadian Grand Prix, I'd like to test at Silverstone with a focus on qualifying pace for both drivers. The three-day test will be held from June 10th to June 12th.

[AndreaModa]

Jones will join Gillet at the Silverstone test (if that's okay). Both race drivers focusing on reliability for all three days. Ta.

[SuperAguri]

Kamaha to move test date
After a recent rule change, Kamaha who were meant to test this week have move their test date to after the Canadian GP, Barii Mori said "We were disappointed in this rule change but with the threat of a fine if we did test, we decided to move the test to after the Canadian GP, we have shipped testing equipment to Suzuka and thankfully the storage fees were much less then the possible fine we could have got.". Kamaha have still yet to decide what Day 7 testing will be.

Shinobu Katayama stars in prime time Anime series
It was announced by Japanese TV station Animax that a 12 part Anime series based on Shinobu Katayama and the Venturi team will start airing in the Autumn, a spokesman said "Japan has always loved motorsport and there have been a good showing in the ARWS series with Katayama, Kazama, Shinjo, Yamamura, Shioya and even Mori and Shizuka. However Katayama has inspired many Japanese girls to take up motorsports and we think it is only fitting she should star in her own anime series.", when asked what the story plot will be, we were met with silence, they added "All will be shown soon in a preview.". We look forward to seeing the series and will report back when we hear anything else.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Nicolas Disappointed with Phoenix Failure

MRT star Phillippe Nicolas was disappointed after the AutoReject World Series United States Grand Prix after a mechanical failure put him out early in the race. The water leak saw him relinquish the lead in the ARWS Championship to British rookie Terry Hawkin after another dominant display in the rival Fusion car.

"To be out so early in the afternoon is a shame for myself and the team", lamented Nicolas after the race. "We didn't have the car to compete against Terry today as they were simply on another level. Even so, we need every point we can get for the title race this year."

Teammate Alberto Cara managed to salvage third place after struggling with car balance issues all weekend, leaving the team with much work to do before the next round of the championship in Canada.

ARWS WRAP: The end is nigh for Van Rijkens?

Six races have been run and won in the record books for the 2018 AutoReject World Series, and those six might be all that Gauthier's lead driver Danny van Rijkens will be in for the season. The South African driver has struggle massively to recapture the form he showed in the second half of 2017, which took him to his first two career poles and his debut podium at the season finale in Macau. Coupled with the performances his rookie teammate Basitaan van Nieuwenhuijzen has put in so far, including a podium on debut in Adelaide, and it's believed Danny is on very shaky ground.

While no official word on van Rijkens' future have been announced to date, sources close to the team has told AutoFiction that he could be a notable absentee when the paddock travels north of the border to Canada. Should van Rijkens be dropped by the team, it's been rumoured that highly talented German David Neuberg would be willing to jump into the seat at a moment's notice, ditching the ever-faltering Kingfisher Racing operation.

ARWS Wrap: Where to for Blokkmonsta?

The 2018 season has not been kind to several of the new teams entering the category, and Blokkmonsta have been one of the most high-profile disappointments thus far. With a driver lineup of qualifying ace Wouter Lamberigts and veteran journeyman Nicolas Steele, the team was expected to be battling for points right from the start of the season.

However, the team has been handicapped with a down on power Holden engine coupled with a chassis beset by chronic reliability issues have left them stranded on 0 points and falling back into pre-qualifying for Canada. With noises that major sponsor Karcher might not be on the cars when the series returns to Europe, the pressure is on the team to turn their fortunes around and salvage something from the season.

ARWS WRAP: From Worse to Worst - The Gillet Trainwreck Rolls on

The fall of Gillet reached a new nadir in Phoenix when fellow stragglers Mecha Grand Prix qualified for the first time this season, leaving the Belgian squad one of two yet to start a race. Despite a car that is arguably better than the shockingly bad ENB117, the team has been unable to make an progress with the all-new GV12 engine being pointed as a major source of the team's woes.

The frustration is starting to show within the team, with team owner Tony Gillet publicly airing his angst over the lack of progress, and rumours abound of their fate beyond this season as the prospect of withdrawing becomes evermore enticing. With the form guide now falling into a more noticable routine, it remains to be seen whether Gillet will be able to move up the field over the balance of the season.

ARWS WRAP: China to become a Night Race?

With the ever-growing importance of TV Revenue and renewed competition from the FIA-sanctioned Formula One Championship, the paddock was abuzz with word that the season-ending Chinese Grand Prix could be a night race for 2018. With an announcement expected to come from the ARWS Commission when the series returns to Europe, the race at Macau is expected to have an 8pm start, making it more palatable for audiences in Europe. If the decision was to be made, it'd make the race the first ever night race in the AWRS series, which so far have stuck to mid-late afternoon starts.

[CaptainGetz12]

ARWS Wrap: Where to for Blokkmonsta?

The 2018 season has not been kind to several of the new teams entering the category, and Blokkmonsta have been one of the most high-profile disappointments thus far. With a driver lineup of qualifying ace Wouter Lamberigts and veteran journeyman Nicolas Steele, the team was expected to be battling for points right from the start of the season.

However, the team has been handicapped with a down on power Holden engine coupled with a chassis beset by chronic reliability issues have left them stranded on 0 points and falling back into pre-qualifying for Canada. With noises that major sponsor Karcher might not be on the cars when the series returns to Europe, the pressure is on the team to turn their fortunes around and salvage something from the season.

Schnass: Blokkmonsta is doing just fine

Blokkmonsta team owner Andrea Schnass responded to choice words from the website Autofiction which suspected that the team's debut year in ARWS is a disappointment. The team boss reiterated the fact that he did not have very high expectations for 2018. "Our goal for this year is to regularly qualify for races and since we made it to five of the first six races I believe we're on the right track. Seeing how all of these veteran teams failed to consistently escape Pre-Q.

"We have a strong pair of qualifiers even though the car is not the most reliable machine. I admit that we may have grabbed a point by this point in the series, but right now points are not our top priority. One needs to crawl before they walk and all that proverb schlock." When asked about sponsorship Karcher possiby leaving the team Schnass replied, "We told our sponsors from the start not to expect any major heroics right out of the gate. Karcher does not have to be our ARWS sponsor since they are tied to [Michael] Rohnstock, but we thank them for showing their support in open-wheel racing."

[CaptainGetz12]

With ARWS returning to Europe in a couple races, Blokkmonsta will schedule a 5-day test at the Hockenheimring Grand Prix Circuit after the Round of Canada :

Course: Hockenheim GP Circuit
Dates: June 7-10

Day 1-3: Downforce
Nicolas Steele

Day 4-5: Reliability
Nicolas Steele, Wouter Lamberigts

[Aerond]

You may start posting your pairing of drivers for the YDT now! Remember, max 2 drivers per team

[Ataxia]

Fusion will be using Nathanael Cameron and Nino Barlini for the YDT.

Jari Lappalainen and Jorge Alvarez Torrente are available for drives, should anyone wish to give them a run.

[Normal32]

Fusion will be using Nathanael Cameron and Nino Barlini for the YDT.

Jari Lappalainen and Jorge Alvarez Torrente are available for drives, should anyone wish to give them a run.

I will run Victoria Desai and Jorge Alvarez Torrente if possible for the YDT

[Ataxia]

Astro Racing Group are proud to bring you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Due to a budget surplus, we would like to offer one lucky team the chance to be our officially recognised ARWS feeder team for 2019.

Your team would receive a downpayment of 250 credits now, and in turn will be obliged to run Nathanael Cameron and Nino Barlini in your cars next season. If you terminate the employment of either driver at any point, you will be required to pay back the money we give you.

If we have more than one offer, the team selected will be at Astro's discretion.

[DemocalypseNow]

Voeckler's representatives at the YDT will be Mineiro and Kyösti Pykälistö.

For anyone that is looking for a talented youngster to give a chance to, Marjolein Postma (NED), currently 2nd in AR 2.0, is available for a run out.