In between official racing seasons, I like to introduce new racing games to our group. After announcing I planned to host a bicycle racing game, the group expressed a high level of skepticism. The hardened group of wargamers I play with barely tolerate our once a month excursions into racing games. But, bicycle racing…yikes!
On game night, I setup Flamme Rouge including its Peleton expansion; got odd stares from other folks at the game shop. Are those bicycles? Is that a French game? Are you serious?
We had had seven players. Two players had to share a team. By the end of the first stage all skepticism seemed to melt away. We finished a second stage and then everyone insisted we run a third. Everyone had fun and seemed impressed with the game.
The game mechanics are very simple to learn and provide a good balance of luck and strategy. Flamme Rouge may not be a bicycle racing sim like Racer One, but it is thematically spot on and very fun to play.
Miki Hakkinen plunged through pack to seize the lead on the first lap, but quickly burned through his wear and skill points. Miki eventually crashed out of the race crushing any hope of winning the championship. Phil Hill, Damon Hill, and John Watson fought for the lead.
Team Lotus put up a brilliant fight, but Phil Hill passed the start finish line first on the second and then on the final lap to win the race and secure 1st place in the championship. Lotus’ Watson finished 2nd in the championship ahead of Mclaren driver James Hunt. Ferrari driver Villeneuve finished 4th only 2 points behind Hunt.
McLaren won the manufacturer’s trophy followed by Lotus and Ferrari.
Race results:
1st Den (P. Hill)* 60/40/40/160/5
2nd Terry (D. Hill) 80/40/40/160/4
3rd Terry (J. Watson) 60/40/40/140/6
4th Steve (J. Villeneuve) 60/40/20/160/6
6th Steve (C. Regazonni) 60/40/20/160/6
7th Ray R. (J. Stewart) 60/60/40/160/4
8th Ray (K. Raikkonen) 60/40/40/160/4
9th Ray R. (AJ Foyt) 80/40/40/160/4
CRS Ray G. (M. Hakkinen)* 80/40/40/160/4
Six players showed for the two stage Rallyman game on 5 September 2018. Miki Hakkinen finished the first stage in 2 minutes and 47 seconds nearly a minute ahead of the nearest driver.
Rallyman Stage 1
During the second stage, several drivers lost control. Villeneuve finished with the best time, 2 minutes and 28 seconds, but not fast enough to win the overall rally. Hakkinen won the rally with a total time of 6 minutes and 22 seconds, 26 seconds ahead of Villeneuve.
Rallyman Stage 2
1st Ray G. (M. Hakkinen) 6:22
2nd Steve (J. Villeneuve) 6:48
3rd John H. (D. Gurney)* 7:04
4th Jerry (L. Hamilton) 7:06
5th Den (P. Hill) 7:39
DNF Bill (B. Marshman)
Full house as Monza, but only 2 of 3 Laps Completed.
We had planned on racing on Steve’s Monza track, but he called saying he was stuck in traffic. We delayed the start, but then he called again saying he would be really late and to start without him. We setup the old Monza circuit and were about to begin racing when Steve showed up. Instead of starting at 1800 we started after 1900. Monza is usually a quick race so we thought we had enough time to complete the scheduled 3 lap race–we were wrong.
A record 7 teams showed up for the race and 14 cars lined up on the starting grid. Dan Gurney held the pole position sharing the front row with A.J. Foyt and Watson. Gurney pushed his car to the limit, even hitting 200mph, and lead the first lap. A battle was happening behind him with multiple position changes. Hakkinen and P. Hill dueled for second. P. Hill held position behind Gurney going down the front, but slowed to conserve wear through the Curva Grande and was passed by Hakkinen.
During the second lap, Gurney continued to push and maintained his lead
Speed Circuit, Monza 2018 Finish!
while burning though all his wear and skill points. The pack was gaining on him. He cleared the last corner and entered the front straight with Hakkinen
right behind him followed by team McLaren and Ferrari. Both McLaren cars had a full laps worth of wear remaining. Then we ran out of time and had to end the race at the conclusion of lap 2. Gurney took the checkered flag in team Eagle’s first race of the season–congratulations John!
Here are the final results:
1st John H. (D. Gurney)* 80/60/20/180/4
2nd Ray G. (M. Hakkinen)** 80/60/40/160/4 (started 6th)
3rd Den (P. Hill) 60/40/20/160/6 (started 5th)
4th Den (J. Hunt) 60/40/20/160/6 (started 12th)
5th Steve (J. Villeneuve) 60/40/20/160/6 (started 9th)
6th Steve (C. Regazonni) 60/40/20/160/6 (started 14th)
7th Terry (J. Watson) 60/40/40/160/5 (started 3rd)
8th Bill (J. Hurtibise) 40/60/40/180/4 (started 4th)
9th Terry (D. Hill) 80/40/40/160/4 (started 11th)
10th Bill (B. Marshman) 60/60/40/160/4 (started 10th)
11th John H. (J. Fangio) 40/40/40/160/5 (started 13)
12th Ray (K. Raikkonen) 60/40/40/140/5 (started 8th)
13th Ray R. (AJ Foyt) 60/40/20/180/5 (started 2nd)
14th Ray R. (J. Stewart) 80/20/20/160/6 (started 9th)
On September 5th we plan to run a racing using the Rallyman game.
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.
