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.
#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.
Next race is Speed Circuit – Monza!