Under the afternoon's sun of Fern Bay, 24 Retro Drivers presented themselves at the Retro Circuit,
for 90 minutes of vintage, multiclass racing action in one of the most spectacular places in the Live For Speed world.

The drivers, split in 4 classes, took the start of the race in Classic Le Mans style, for what was probably the most tense and dramatic round of the season so far!

Between the blind kinks, elevation changes and jumps of Fern Bay Retro, another chapter of the Retro Cup 25 history was written.

If you missed this race, you can relive the entire event on SBTV!










We thought Blackwood Outskirts was the most interesting Prototype 1 round yet, but Fern Bay raised the bar even further, with a big contender joining the field to challenge the imperious Thehemuli at the top.

It was S1DUS Gàbor who, after having won races in Group 5 and LMP2, presented himself at the gates of Fern Bay with a Red Bull sponsored LMP1 Ferrenzi car.

The Retro Paddock was in shock, as the S1DUS superstar stamped his autorhity on the timesheets right from the qualifying session, achieving Pole Position by one and a half second faster than the championship leader Thehemuli!

But the finnish ace of Zafiralis bounced back right from the beginning of the race, taking back the lead in the first lap.
RG^Rony, one of Blackwood's protagonists, tried to surprise both Thehemuli and Gàbor at the start, making the most of the speed of his green McLarry, but the two Ferrenzis overtook him back in no time and disappeared into the distance!

A duel for the ages started at the front, with Thehemuli triying to hold back Gàbor with all his skills, attacking every kerb and every jump.

But it was only a matter of time before the S1dus ace made his move, overtaking the championship leader on the main straight and starting to hammer down record lap times.

Behind it was full-on drama for ZFRL LG-Mies, who found himself involved in a monumental start crash, as the Group 5 of YES Lagooga crashed into the back of RG^Lorenzo's LMP2, causing a chain reacion that sent Mies up in the air.

The finnish driver managed to get back on track, but his race was deemed to be a painful one, with lots of troubles on track and in pit-lane, so frustrating that Mies preffered to retire the car.

Meanwhile RG^Rony was struggling with his McLarry in Fern Bay, and was soon attacked and passed by the LMP2 of RG^Lorenzo who was recovering from his early crash.

There was another McLarry on track, and it was [MRC]Texas, the Season 1 Protoype runner-up and race winner, who unfortunately didn't find great confidence in today's combo, and retired early from the race.

At the front, Gàbor extended his lead lap after lap, despite a few mistakes there and there, but Thehemuli too damaged his car, and went for a long repair-work in the Pit-lane.

The championship leader decided that a P2 was enough for him, after three consecutive wins, so Gàbor took the chequered flag, for another incredible victory in Retro Cup!

Winning in Group 5, winning in LMP2, winning in LMP1....but wich class will Gàbor choose to go for a title?









A big news shook the Prototype 2 paddock in the morning before the race.
Rayman, the Born To Race driver and championship protagonist, left his historic team to join Race Green ahead of Fern Bay.

The fresh new signed Race Green driver, racing a Retro 7UP Wessex, did well in qualifying already, scoring a P3 behind /SRP/ HachiRoku and poleman Mazdarati.

The race start was dramatic in LMP2: HachiRoku managed to get the switchback on Mazdarati at the get go, taking the lead, while behind it was a close group of [SQUID] SIMOX, RG^Rayman and RG^Lorenzo all tight together with other Group 5 and Prototype 1 cars.

And the drama hit at Turn 1, with the Group 5 of YES Lagooga hitting the back of RG^Lorenzo, the championship's runner-up, sending him spinning into the side of LG^Mies Prototype and into the Tyre Barriers.

The other LMP2 cars managed to survive the drama, and continued fighting close, with Simox, Rayman and Mazdarati exchanging positions multiple times, while HachiRoku tried to get a early breakaway.

And it looked like it was working: HachiRoku showed great pace at the front, keeping the lead on Mazdarati till Lap 15, when the LMP2 ace managed to cut the gap to just 1,5 seconds.

/SRP/HachiRoku felt the pressure of Mazdarati, and as soon as he appeared in his mirrors he made a fatal mistake spinning while trying to overtake the road class of S.Martin at the Fern Bay loop.

He was also unlucky to get stuck between the kerb and the tyre bales: in that moment, he could have chosen to spectate and rejoin the track after a 60 seconds wait, but he decided to leave the race alltogether instead.

Mazdarati took the lead and started doing what he does best: putting fast laps together and extending the gap over the opposition: Rayman and SIMOX.

The two runner-ups, however, stumbled along the way into Fern Bay Retro's traps, and were forced pitting for damage at different times during the race.

RG^LORENZO, who was involved in the start crash, kept his cool made it back till the top positions, overtaking both Rayman and SIMOX during their pit-stops, and taking the Race's P2.

It was another imperious victory for Mazdarati, third in the season, ahead of LORENZO and [SQUID]Simox, with RG^Rayman completing the running order of LMP2's, in P4!

Not finishing were HachiRoku and [SyN] hako_s, who struggled in this combo and retired later in the race for a disconnection.










Group 5 saw 8 drivers setting laps in qualifying, but only 3 felt confident enough to take the start of the race.
YES Lagooga took pole position in front of [MRC]Cride, the Blackwood's winner, and [SyN]HIWATT in P3.

Lagooga had the best start, placing himself right behind the LMP2 pack entering Corner 1, but misjudged the distance from the cars in front, slamming into the back of the Prototype 2 of RG^Lorenzo, resulting in a multi-car pileup.

[MRC]Cride saw all the drama in front and avoided the crash, trying to breakaway from the chaos behind. [SyN]HIWATT couldn't do anything to avoid the spinning car of LG Mies, sending him into a rollover, but after the incident he still managed to keep going, in provisional P2.

Meanwhile Lagooga recovered from his race start drama, and started to set fastest laps, getting some free air from traffic and catching HIWATT in a few laps time.

Next on the list was [MRC]Cride, who was setting the pace in front.
Lagooga eventually caught Cride by Lap 17, making a bold move into the Fern Bay chicane. Cride had none of it and responded to the attack, as the two drivers started a spectacular wheel to wheel battle all the way up the hill section.

Lagooga managed to jump in front provisionally, but right after the overtake he made more mistakes, losing the position again and rage-quitting from the event after a further spin.

On the other hand, [MRC]Cride showed all the composure needed to succeed in endurance, keeping his cool under attack and bringing the car home in P1, second win of the season for Cride who now becomes a big championship contender.

P2 on the line for [SyN]HIWATT, who's racing consistently this season, collecting podiums, and now jumping ahead of everyone in the driver's standings.

The Group 5 championship battle is getting tight, with HIWATT, Gàbor and Cride now close on points.

ROAD CLASS

Once again, Road Class was the most crowded class of the day, with 10 drivers taking the start of the race!

And yet again, Road Class produced another nail-biter of a race, from the get go to the chequered flag.

Things were CLOSE since qualifying, with the two big rivals, YES Trespasser and [MRC]suforr, setting the exact same time in qualifying.
A good indication of things to come.

The race started with a BANG, quite literally: suforr had a better start than Trespasser, and overtook him before the jump, but here comes Round 1 winner GUM||Donald in his Porsche, taking the lead before the braking into Turn 1!

But drama soon erupted, as the Road Class group reached the scene of the Lagooga-Mies-Lorenzo incident.
Unfortunately for some, this ended in tears, as SGR Madjester had to slide and brake trying to avoiding the rejoining car of Lagooga: RG^M@Ci3k was right behind him, and couldn't avoid the contact[/u], rolling over his roof multiple times but, luckily, landing on his wheels to get going again.

On Lap 3, Trespasser attacked suforr in the big braking zone before the hill section, getting provisional P1 ahead of the Master Race Car driver!
But Trespasser made a crucial mistake in the next big braking zone, before the bridge straight, jumping over the inside kerb and slamming into the bales.

[MRC]suforr thanked and took the lead again, while right behind S.Martin was overtaking GUM||Donlad before the bridge section, jumping into P3.

Championship leader B2R Stiefla, on his Porsche Jaegermeister, didn't show the pace he showed in the opening rounds, and was in a land of his own in P4 for most of the race: same for SGR Madjester, who's yet to be seen at the front after a very promising start of the season.

Madjester fought hard against O.A for a good portion of the race, with multiple changes of position.
But the racing gods had similar plans for both of them, as they both rolled over at the Fern Bay Chicane at different times, during the race.





RG^M@CI3k bravely fought his way back to a good 6th position after his unfortunate T1 rollover: the Porsche Whisperer kept it clean and steady for all the race, but he will need more performance in the next three round to dream a new Road Class title.

But in front, the battle was heating up!

Glued together by an invisible force, [MRC]Suforr and Yes Trespasser continued to battle and eventually made contact at the Fern Bay chicane: it was an ambitious move by Trespasser around the outside, with very little space for both cars, as Suforr clipped the inside as the two touched!

Trespasser nearly rolled over, and sustained sever suspension damage, while Suforr was realively fine.
The race seemed won by Suforr, with Trespasser spending lots of time in the pits to repair damage, but the Master Race Car driver oversped in Pitlane, receiving a Drive Through Penalty.

S.Martin thanked them both and jumped in front, dreaming is second Retro Cup victory and a possible lead in the standings.

But his dream collapsed in the closing 10 laps of the race, when both Suforr and Trespasser became big in his mirrors, and overtook him into the hill section.
S.Martin's dream nearly became a nightmare in the final lap of the race, when he flipped his Porsche Cammera into the Fern Bay Chicane: luckily for him, he landed on his wheels, and managed to continue despite losing P3 to GUM||Donald!

At the front, the battle for the win went right down to the wire, as Trespasser overtook Suforr with 4 laps to go, but the Master Race Car driver didn't give up until the very end, trying a desperate comeback going into the last corner.

But Trespasser kept it cool, and crossed the line in P1 for his second victory of the season, and now the championship battle becomes epic, with multiple drivers in full contention.

















From the tropics of Fern Bay we fly off to the other side of the world, with the return of Kyoto Ring in the Retro Cup calendar!

With its banked sections and long corners, this track will be a punishing one on the front tyres, requiring the drivers to work on their set-ups to mantain a good pace all race.

The track have been shortened from the previous itineration, allowing for less field spread and a closer race in all classes.

It should be another classic in Kyoto, see you on Monday November 10th for the Fourth Round of the Season, LIVE ON SBTV!