After receiving feedback about limitations with the traditional points system (it does not scale very well beyond a six car race), I developed a new system based loosely on the current F1 points system. But, like the old Speed Circuit system, points change based on the number of cars entered into a race. Here it is:
Time is flying. We have already completed 7 of the 10 races we planned for the 2018 Speed Circuit/Legends series and I have yet to publish a race report. A season update follows:
#1 January – Speed Circuit – Kyalami: Eight cars entered the race and six finished. Regazonni started on pole, picked up bonus points for leading a lap, but then suffered suspension failure and could not finish the race. Raikkonen started in 2nd position, but pushed his car too hard and suffered a transmission failure. Niki Lauda and Phil Hill worked their way up from the back of the pack. Lauda lead the second lap, but Hill passed him on the last lap to win the race. Watson finished a steady 3rd.
#2 February – Speed Circuit – Monaco 1970s: This was the debut of Steve’s historically accurate and very challenging Monaco layout. Team Honda started on the first row and dominated the race. Hakkinen lead the race from start to finish. Phil Hill worked his way from 7th to finish 2nd and Raikkonen finished third. Really tough to pass on this circuit and wear management was key.
#3 March – Moto GP – Catelunga: This was a fun race with lots of position changes. For example, Hunt started 5th, moved to 1st, and finished 6th. After the dust settled, Phil Hill won followed by Watson and Regazonni.
#4 April – Speed Circuit – Interlagos: Regazonni started 6th, but broke through the pack to lead the initial lap. Hunt fell from pole position and stayed behind Regezonni. Lauda suffered a season ending crash. Meanwhile, Phil Hill weaved his way from 8th to third. Regazonni ran out of wear and was passed by first by Hunt and then Hill finishing the race in 3rd place. Team McLaren started on pole and 8th place and ended with the first team 1st and 2nd place finish of the season.
#5 May – Thunder Alley – Indy: 18 drivers participated in the race and 3 did not finish. Watson won with Marshman second and Biden third. Everyone had a fun time playing Thunder Alley.
#6 June – Speed Circuit – Silverstone: The field was crowded with 14 participants. Mika Hakkinen dominated from start to finish. Hunt made a strong run against him during the last lap, but could not catch him. Hakkinen finished 1st followed by Hunt and Watson. All 14 drivers finished the race.
Crowed Start at Silverstone 2018Silverstone 2018, Hakkinen Never Looks Back.
#7 July – Race Formula 90 – Hungoring: Race Formula 90 is the most complex racing game scheduled for the season and it took a long time for folks to grasp the rules and formulate good strategies. The “robot” team members seemed to do better than most of the primary drivers. We ran out of time and had to end the race before completing the full number of turns. Villeneuve finished first followed by Rick Mears and Phil Hill.
After Speed Circuit Season 7, between October and December 2017, we held several non-Speed Circuit sessions including Triplanetary, Rallyman, and Moto Grand Prix. Holidays limited the size of the group, but everyone who participated seemed to enjoy racing space ships, rally cars, or motorcycles. Each game has a different game mechanic and each fit the flavor of the type of racing it emulated.
We had so much fun that we decided to integrate a variety of racing games into the 2018 Tabletop Racing Club’s Season 8. Instead of selecting drivers and teams from a specific historic Formula 1 season, players will choose from a list of legendary teams and drivers from 1950 until today. Speed Circuit will remain the primary game, but every other month we plan to rotate in a different racing game.
Here is a list of games we may use in addition to Speed Circuit:
The season’s finale at Mexico include several lead changes and daring competitive racing through out the field.
Team BMW’s top driver Hahne started strong and lead the first lap, but then faded. Owen driver Surtees completed the second lap ahead of the pack, but lost the lead to Matra’s Gavin. Ferrari driver Amon finished in third place.
Matra driver Beltoise earned the 2017 Championship trophy finishing with 69 points. Beltoise team mate Gavin took second with 43 points. BMW’s Hahne finished third with 32 points and was closely followed by Lotus driver Andretti (30 points).
Team Matra received the constructors trophy and was followed by Lotus and Owen.
Race results follow:
1st Den (J. Gavin) 60/40/40/160/5
2nd Terry (J. Surtees) 60/40/40/160/5*
3rd Steve (C. Amon) 60/40/20/160/6
4th Den (J. Beltoise) 40/60/40/160/5
5th Terry (G. Eaton) 60/40/40/160/5
6th Steve (Rodriguez) 60/40/20/160/6
7th Ray (H. Hahne) 80/40/40/160/5
8th John (B. McLaren) 80/40/60/140/5
9th Ray (J. Biden) 60/40/40/160/4
DNF John (D. Bell) 40/40/40/160/5
Team Matra dominated The Glen. Matra’s Gavin started on pole and lead the race from start to finish. His teammate, Beltoise, finished second followed by Lotus driver Andretti.
Gavin’s first win of the season catapulted him to second place in the drivers’ championship. Andretti and Hahne are tied for 3rd place, only 4 points behind Gavin. Click here for season standings.
A summary of the race results follow:
1st Den (J. Gavin) 60/40/20/160/6
2nd Den (J. Beltoise) 60/40/40/160/5
3rd Steve (M. Andretti) 60/40/20/160/6
4th Terry (G. Eaton) 60/40/40/160/5
5th Steve (J. Rindt) 60/40/20/160/6
6th Terry (J. Surtees) 60/40/40/160/5
The final race of the season is scheduled for 11 Oct 2017 at the Mexico city circuit.
For the first time in the Tabletop Racing Club’s history, 12 Drivers started on the grid at Monza!
Bruce McLaren held pole position ahead of this year’s crowded field. He lead through two intensive laps. Once again Beltoise challenged McLaren on the final lap. This time, Beltiose achieved victory in a photo finish. Rindt finished close behind in third place.
Two rookie drivers participated in the race. Eric took charge of the Bonnier racing team and his drivers finished in fifth and sixth place. Unfortunately, Joshua was not able to finish the race and his drivers were forced to retire.
Race results follow:
1st Den (J. Beltoise) 60/40/20/160/6
2nd John (B. McLaren) 80/40/40/160/5**
3rd Steve (J. Rindt) 60/40/20/160/6
4th Den (J. Gavin) 60/40/20/160/6
5th Eric H. (J. Bonnier) 40/40/40/180/5
6th Eric H. (Tresham) 40/40/60/180/4
7th Terry (J. Surtees) 80/60/40/160/4
8th Terry (G. Eaton) 80/40/40/160/4
9th Steve (M. Andretti) 60/40/20/160/6
DNF John (D. Bell) 60/60/60/200/5*
DNF Joshua (DeKlerk) 60/40/20/180/5
DNF Jashua (Hague) 60/40/40/160/5
With his win at Monza, Beltoise reached 60 points and secured the Championship. With only two races to go, second and third places are still hotly contested. Follow this link for the season’s standings.
Note: The race was held on the original 3M version of the track. Due to the glossy vinyl service, the race photos were not usable.
Hahne, Andretti, and Rindt bolted off the starting line taking an incredible early lead. During the first two laps, BMW and Lotus battled. Hahne crossed the finish line ahead of Rindt and Andretti on both laps, but started the last lap with one wear point.
The Race After Turn One
During the early stages of the race, the Matra drivers worked as a team and drove conservatively saving their tires. Near the end of the second lap Beltoise began to make his run against the leaders. He began the last lap with relatively fresh tires.
On the last lap, because of their deteriorating tires, Hahne, Andretti and Rindt slowed and were unable to exceed corner speed limits. Meanwhile Beltoise exceeded most corners by at least 40mph (spending one wear and rolling on the chance table) and exceeded his top speed on the straights. As a result he caught and passed the leaders on the back stretch, getting ahead of Hahne before the last corner. Beltoise won the race followed by Hahne. Andretti and Gavin raced side by side. Andretti made it through the last corner first, but left the inside lane open. As a result of Andretti mistake, Gavin crossed the finish line ahead of him securing 3rd place.
Race Results:
1st Den (J. Beltoise) 80/40/40/140/6
2nd Ray G. (H. Hauhne) 80/40/40/140/6**
3rd Den (J. Gavin) 40/40/40/140/6
4th Steve (M. Andretti) 80/40/20/140/6
5th Steve (J. Rindt) 80/40/20/160/6
6th Ray G. (J. Biden) 60/40/40/140/5
The win puts Beltoise in a commanding lead in the driver’s championship followed by Hahne and Andretti. Matra holds onto the lead in the constructors championship while BMW threaten to take second place from Lotus.
Hubert Hahne started on pole and lead the first lap. Lotus driver Mario Andretti charged head on lap-2, but Hahne overtook him on the final lap. Andretti found himself in a battle for second place with Matra driver Beltiose. Hahne took the checkered flag at Silverstone for the second year in a row. Beltiose passed Andretti on the final turn and secured the number two position on the podium.
The post race car inspection revealed that Jochem Rindt’s Lotus was in violation of formula rules and he was disqualified.
Racing at Indy is like playing a chess game while moving at 220 miles per hour. Fuel strategy played a key role in this years race. Three drivers (Gavin, Copper, and Mchaven) started the race with two fuel while the rest started with three. Gavin pulled ahead of the pack and picked up a bonus point for lap 1, but pitted before crossing the start/finish line during lap 2. The pack raced by the three cars that pitted at the end of lap-2 and continued a positional battle. During the race, Surtees, Bell and Beltoise gained bonus points for leading laps.
At the end of lap-3, seven cars pitted. Gavin, Copper, and Mchaven pushed to pass the pitted cars but could not catch them in time. Their “start the race low on fuel” strategy did not payoff.
Six of the Seven cars that pitted on lap-3 took on two fuel except Beltoise who took one. Beltoise lead going down the back strait on lap-4 with McLaren on his heels. McLaren spun going into the fourth corner. Beltoise spent his remaining fuel, but was able to finish lap-5 and garner the win.
As a result of the win, Beltoise gained a considerable lead in the drivers championship. McLaren and Andretti are tied for second while Gavin and Surtees are tied for third. Hahne is fourth just a point behind the third place drivers.
Matra extended its lead in the constructors championship. Lotus was not represented at Indy, but was able to remain in second. McLaren passed Owen for third place.
Team manager John guided McLaren to its first win of the season. Matra driver Gavin started on pole, but started slow and quickly fell back. Lotus driver Jochem Rindt shot to the front and lead the first lap. Bruce McLaren charged forward during lap 2 and held the lead. McLaren and Matra Driver J. Beltoise finished side-by-side with McLaren securing the win. Rindt finished 3rd in his first race since recovering from injuries.
Race results:
1st John (B. McLaren) 60/40/40/160/6
2nd Den (J. Beltoise) 80/40/40/160/5
3rd Steve (J. Rindt) 80/40/20/160/5
4th Den (J. Gavin) 40/60/40/160/4
5th Steve (M. Andretti) 80/40/20/160/5
6th John (D. Bell) 40/40/40/140/6
Team manager John guided McLaren to its first win of the season. Matra driver Gavin started on pole, but started slow and quickly fell back. Lotus driver Jochem Rindt shot to the front and lead the first lap. Bruce McLaren charged forward during lap 2 and held the lead. McLaren and Matra Driver J. Beltoise finished side-by-side with McLaren securing the win. Rindt finished 3rd in his first race since recovering from injuries.