Germany Race Results:Weather: Clear and Dry
Fastest Lap: Car 20 (GP Lister - Aya/Rei) : 0:48.840
There are no penalties to report YET. Until I get to look at the full race, results are considered unofficial.
The Good*The driver swap worked wonders for the 03 crew, so when the Union Saver crew swapped roles for the 25 car, their result one bettered that of the Factory Lamborghini from their run at Laguna Seca, and here at The Norisring as well. While they were quiet for the first two thirds in the race, remaining on the lead lap and within striking distance of the 28 and 03 cars, their late second and final pit stop got them the lead but not without a fight on their hands. They kept their cool with the constant pressure from behind and made it two in a row for the factory Corvette squad. After a weak first half of the year, they turn it around in a big way, earning them the
Drive of the Race.
*Nestra Aya has been prominently the weakest of all of the factory drivers when it comes to qualifying. But this Saturday proved to be a turn-around for the Pan-Asia side the Factory Lister team. While their American counter parts had the better of them on Friday and Saturday, Aya and Rei finished better than their team boss and got their best finish of the year to boot.
*The independent runners were quiet today. They were constantly busy with attempting to not get in the way of the factory cars and their pace at the front. Pit strategy won the day for the Aurico squad, who had a Indy 1-2 on the cards for a while. This finish does them a lot of good with both of their driver pairs on the outskirts of the top 5 in the Independent's championship.
The Bad*The factory teams once again showed their strength at The Norisring. While seven of them finished in the top 10, the other three suffered with mechanical woes. Both Zondas blew up as per the norm as Rosenforth continue to struggle with the complex Pagani, but the other victim could prove to be major in the championship once we go to Asia. Ricardo Llosa was circulating comfortably in the top 10 among the scrum with the top independent cars when the suspension in his Factory Corvette lets go leaving him stranded on track. If he and Jordan McKenna were to lose the championship by a few points, this would be a race they would point to saying how it could have been oh so different.
*If the Independent cars weren't just circulating around, they were being lapped or tripped up by other cars. The Onyx Saleen, The Puyo-Puyo Lister, and the Kun Ferrari were all part of a early crash at the Scholler S, and there were plenty of cars that were spun around by others at the last corner. It was a game of space and awareness, and people not having either of those became a factor for the front runners during the race.
The Ugly*The chase was on in the final laps. KL Schultz and Gio Roda couldn't be separated after the last round of pit stops. One wrong move through lapped cars and the victory would go to the IBR 28 crew as they attempt to do as much damage as possible with their main rivals in the 26 Union Saver retiring early in the race. It's the last lap, three chances left to make the pass happen. Then, the unthinkable. A huge plume of smoke and flames come out of the front of the Factory Ferrari 550. Gio Roda's engine lets go with half a lap to go and a win in his grasp. All that ground they were suppose to make up on Llosa and McKenna, quite literally, goes up in smoke.
*If you're going to complain about being blocked by slower cars in qualfying, you better back that up in the race. The 02 RTS Crew did, finishing a well earned 8th place after starting P20. The other person who was vocal after qualifying, Saeed Al Faisal, wasn't. He and Davidson trundled around at the back of the field the whole day, only really gaining positions when others dropped out. If you complain about Monkeyman on Saturday and drive like one on Sunday, that will earn you the
Reject Of The Race.
