lesser life forms

A DNS and then a DNF, ain't a good way to start a racing season. But that is exactly what has happened. Round 1 in Bahrain, my connection was busted so I couldn't even start. Round 2 in Spa, after such a good practice and qualifying (where I beat my teammate), I got beached on a verge and suffered a subsequent engine failure. After such a good performance during the preseason, I am now on the backfoot. Could it be any worse? As a racing driver, part of my job means to look ahead. So, I try to remain positive, despite these last two weeks of disaster. From here, I can only go forward. It still sucks, though.

hey guys wonder joints

rFR Grand Prix - Season 13 Preview

Yes, I am back in the Minardi for another season of rFactor Racers League Grand Prix! I am still riding high from Season 12 where I finished a personal best 7th in the overall standings. I hope to build on this performance and score more points and finish even higher in the Championship. Maybe I can even get that elusive podium. I have been driving the same car for several seasons now and it's like an old friend to me. I feel very confident when I am out on track with it and I know very well which setup values to change to make it do what I want it to do. It is a distinct advantage against all these new drivers coming in.

I also had an excellent preseason, and in all 4 races I finished 6th or better (but no podium) against a varying grid. I have a lot of data on how I will perform with the two kinds of tire compounds available and with the fuel strategy. I also feel very warmed-up as essentially I did not take the summer break and instead kept working. So I have a very upbeat feeling for this coming season and I expect to fight in the midfield.

The Drivers

Arrows 2000

#10 - Jeffrey Backer
#29 - Dragan Tanasic

Caterham 2014
#77 - Markos Zervos
#88 - Julio Ronaldi

Ferrari 2016
#19 - Arek Kulak
#68 - Andreas Fischer

Force India 2015
#22 - Can Yildiz
#99 - George Simeonidis

Marussia 2014
#13 - Edijs Batars EDEX
#87 - Juris B.

McLaren 2015
#11 - Gustavo Montenegro
#27 - Antonio Hreljanovic

Mercedes 2016
#2 - Eduardo Méndez
#5 - I'Gor Grigorovich

Minardi 2000
#14 - Logan Johnson
#42 - Alaster Langsom

RedBull 2016
#23 - Nikolaus Steven
#41 - Vince Wertenbach

Renault 2006
#30 - Peter Mobsy
#69 - Gatis Stalsans

Renault 2016
#7 - Sven Dirks
#78 - Kimmo Savolainen

Williams 2015
#15 - Gabriel Marcos
#17 - Yuri Matias

Reserve Drivers (alphabetical order):
- Edilson Medeiros
- Fabio L
- Igor Milinkovic
- Kenneth Ragland
- Levent Orhan
- Matthias Mueller


We have a full grid to begin this season, 12 Teams, 24 Drivers, plus 6 Reserve Drivers and possibly even more new and returning Drivers waiting in the wings. I expect the first few races to be jam-packed, and scoring points will be tough even with rFR's generous points scoring system. I am not anticipating the usual thinning out of the grid as the season wears on, either. It seems the word has gone around that rFR League has some great racing that is being run by very professional admins and more and more new drivers are signing up to participate.

Antonio Hreljanovic is the reigning Drivers Champion, and he returns to Mclaren with longtime teammate Gustavo Montenegro (our superadmin who pretty much does everything to make the Season happen). They were second in the Team Championship and this season they will use the black 2015 livery. Last season's Team Champions, Arek Kulak and Andreas Fischer remain in the coveted red cars of Ferrari. It looks like it will be another epic battle between Antonio and Arek for the top spot. Peter Mobsy and Gatis Stalsans, who finished third in the Team Championship last season, also retain their pairing as they switch to Renault 2006 from Jordan. Mercedes have a very strong driver pair with Eduardo Mendez (aka Joe Mclaggen) and Igor Grigorovich, and can be expected to fight for race wins and the top position in the standings. Also watch out for the veteran team of Sven Dirks and Kimmo Savolainen running the Renault 2016 colors. Some newcomers including Vince Wertenbach and Dragan Tanasic have shown their speed in the preseason. I am teaming up with Logan Johnson in the Minardis, and our main competition looks like the Marussias of Edijs Batars and Juris B along with other midfielders like Gabriel Marcos, Can Yildiz, and Markos Zervos.

The Races

As usual with rFR, where the race tracks are determined by both drivers vote and admin choice, the season is another mix of old and new tracks. We will return to some consensus favorites, including Spa, Istanbul, and Austria. We will also have some old school tracks like Estoril, Magny Cours, and the season closer at Brno. But what I am really excited for is Round 3 in Laguna Seca. I have raced here before, but with GTs, so I am curious how an F1 car will handle the infamous corkscrew.

And that's it for our rFR GP Season 13 Preview.