American Nolan Scott from the CoRe racing team was the man of form last weekend as he opened his account in the iTCC Touring Car Championship. Having qualified through with the fastest time from the Reserve Shootout, Scott then repeated his pace in qualifying for Race 1 with a time of 1:37.xx that was simply too hot for the rest of the field to handle.
Following Scott onto the front of the grid was his Head-to-Head rival from the previous day, Rudy van Buren from the Netherlands. Van Buren struggled to find clear track space in qualifying, but eventually was able to put in 1:38.xx to complete the front row.
Race 1
Round 1 would end up being the story of these two drivers as they battled for position and points in the three races. From the grid in Race 1, Van Buren got the better start and pulled up the inside of Scott as they entered Turn one. Scott was left out on the outside of the turn but was able to get the car in shape and get a good drive out of turn one to prevent any more racers overtaking him. But Van Buren was already clear and pulling away, and would maintain his lead to the chequered flag to take the win in Race 1.
1 57 R.v.Buren
2 16 N.Scott
3 69 H.Marques
Race 2
Race 2 will live long in the memory of those in the iTCC for the restart on the last lap after a Safety Car period. Van Buren was lead car coming on to the back straight, and so it was his choice when to accelerate away when the green flag was waved. As Van Buren tried to keep his turbo spinning whilst on the brakes, his speed became erratic and led to lots of sudden braking in the midfield. Due to the bunching of the field, crashes ensued and some cars were damaged. Whilst there was jostling in the midfield on the run down to Turn One, up at the front, Rudy Van Buren ran in just a little too hot to the apex of Turn One, allowing Nolan Scott the tiny gap he needed to 'go low' in the turn and take the lead. Nolan would keep the lead to the flag and take the win.
1 16 N.Scott
2 57 R.v.Buren
3 69 H.Marques
Race 3
And so to Race 3. The iTCC rules, in keeping with real-life touring cars, specify that the top 6,7,8,9, or 10 finishing positions from Race 2 will start Race 3 in reverse order. The actual number is drawn by lottery. If the number is 6, then the 6th place man from Race 2 will start in pole, the 5th place man in 2nd, the 4th place man in 3rd and so on. So, with the number drawn for this round being 8, this meant that the fourth row back would be filled by Scott and Van Buren. Dennis Lind from Denmark, as 8th position in Race 2, would be starting in pole for Race 3.
A great fight ensued in Race 3, of particular mention in this race was the Van Buren/Lind battle from Turn One to the entry onto the back straight. Going into Turn One, Van Buren hooked his car perfectly into the corner and got maximum drive out of the turn, pulling up alongside Lind on the run down to the bridge. Van Buren edged ahead and opted to take the inside line on the left-hander after the bridge. Lind had not given up however and executed a nearly flawless outbraking manoeuvre on Van Buren around the outside, giving him the advantage into the following right-hander. However, as they got on the power out of the turn, both cars touched briefly, slowing both drivers and allowing other cars to pass. This allowed eventual winner Scott to capitalize on Van Buren's misfortune and to build a lead in the Driver's Championship.
1 16 N.Scott
2 33 B.Keough
3 47 D.Lind
A great meeting was had, characterized by close battles up and down the field. Some questions arising from the restart in Race 2 will lead to rule changes which will more closely define what is expected of racers, but all in all, the iTCC has started it's inaugral 2009 season in good style, continuing to offer exciting racing to racer and viewer alike. Keep tuned to the ITCC thread on the LFS forum. New sign-ups are being taken here. Catch the races on Mogulus and ICON TV
Next up, the iTCC paddock moves to Fern Bay, running the reversed Gold configuration of the track. With a tight, twisty track, minimial run off areas, and unforgiving barriers, action is guaranteed! Don't miss it.
See you at Fern Bay!
Following Scott onto the front of the grid was his Head-to-Head rival from the previous day, Rudy van Buren from the Netherlands. Van Buren struggled to find clear track space in qualifying, but eventually was able to put in 1:38.xx to complete the front row.
Race 1
Round 1 would end up being the story of these two drivers as they battled for position and points in the three races. From the grid in Race 1, Van Buren got the better start and pulled up the inside of Scott as they entered Turn one. Scott was left out on the outside of the turn but was able to get the car in shape and get a good drive out of turn one to prevent any more racers overtaking him. But Van Buren was already clear and pulling away, and would maintain his lead to the chequered flag to take the win in Race 1.
1 57 R.v.Buren
2 16 N.Scott
3 69 H.Marques
Race 2
Race 2 will live long in the memory of those in the iTCC for the restart on the last lap after a Safety Car period. Van Buren was lead car coming on to the back straight, and so it was his choice when to accelerate away when the green flag was waved. As Van Buren tried to keep his turbo spinning whilst on the brakes, his speed became erratic and led to lots of sudden braking in the midfield. Due to the bunching of the field, crashes ensued and some cars were damaged. Whilst there was jostling in the midfield on the run down to Turn One, up at the front, Rudy Van Buren ran in just a little too hot to the apex of Turn One, allowing Nolan Scott the tiny gap he needed to 'go low' in the turn and take the lead. Nolan would keep the lead to the flag and take the win.
1 16 N.Scott
2 57 R.v.Buren
3 69 H.Marques
Race 3
And so to Race 3. The iTCC rules, in keeping with real-life touring cars, specify that the top 6,7,8,9, or 10 finishing positions from Race 2 will start Race 3 in reverse order. The actual number is drawn by lottery. If the number is 6, then the 6th place man from Race 2 will start in pole, the 5th place man in 2nd, the 4th place man in 3rd and so on. So, with the number drawn for this round being 8, this meant that the fourth row back would be filled by Scott and Van Buren. Dennis Lind from Denmark, as 8th position in Race 2, would be starting in pole for Race 3.
A great fight ensued in Race 3, of particular mention in this race was the Van Buren/Lind battle from Turn One to the entry onto the back straight. Going into Turn One, Van Buren hooked his car perfectly into the corner and got maximum drive out of the turn, pulling up alongside Lind on the run down to the bridge. Van Buren edged ahead and opted to take the inside line on the left-hander after the bridge. Lind had not given up however and executed a nearly flawless outbraking manoeuvre on Van Buren around the outside, giving him the advantage into the following right-hander. However, as they got on the power out of the turn, both cars touched briefly, slowing both drivers and allowing other cars to pass. This allowed eventual winner Scott to capitalize on Van Buren's misfortune and to build a lead in the Driver's Championship.
1 16 N.Scott
2 33 B.Keough
3 47 D.Lind
A great meeting was had, characterized by close battles up and down the field. Some questions arising from the restart in Race 2 will lead to rule changes which will more closely define what is expected of racers, but all in all, the iTCC has started it's inaugral 2009 season in good style, continuing to offer exciting racing to racer and viewer alike. Keep tuned to the ITCC thread on the LFS forum. New sign-ups are being taken here. Catch the races on Mogulus and ICON TV
Next up, the iTCC paddock moves to Fern Bay, running the reversed Gold configuration of the track. With a tight, twisty track, minimial run off areas, and unforgiving barriers, action is guaranteed! Don't miss it.
See you at Fern Bay!