Forzday Race Review - CotA - 1/28/2016

 The long season of the FRL came to its conclusion last night on the hair pin turns of Circuit of the America’s. The two classes ran with the highest number of participants this season with 10 different drivers making appearances on the track. One of those drivers was making his return to the FRL after a long hiatus, Tony Tyree and the #47 Geekly Retrospect team made their return to the track. Allen Ruff, a new driver to the FRL made his debut as well.

 In B-Class Vintage Imports, it was attack of the Beetles as most of the field drove one. Steppat Racing suffered a miscue early on as someone in the garage hit the “turn on everything” button and Andrew’s #1 Beetle went into safety mode, limiting his performance. Still, with the throttle mashed and flipping the sticks, he brought home a fifth place finish. Mikey Collins challenged Ethan Maestri early, but fell back in later stages finishing behind Ethan in second place. Things stayed pretty clean through turn one in the first heat, but as drivers settled into racing, things got more dicey in the second and third heats. Andrew benefited most from the chaos, jumping to early leads in these later two heats, and largely checking out for the rest of the race, running an average of 4 seconds faster than the rest of the field.

 A completed MBR may have returned to the track, but there was no love lost between brothers Paul and Ethan Maestri. Paul, making up for lost time on the track, misjudged a corner, turning his teammate in turn 13. He compounded the error further by trying to bump Ethan back into a straightline. The attempt resulted in the #3 Beetle careening out of the corner. Things snowballed from there as Ethan raced hard to make up lost ground and got into Chris Rader, who was having a solid night, and turned him into the front straight outside wall. Chris would have trouble recovering and would finish P6. Ethan fought back to P4  and Paul capped off a great class run in P3.

The conclusion of the season means the end of A-Class Mono racing, which is a real shame. Some of the best racing in FRL history has been in these cars, and they would not disappoint here at CotA either. In the first heat, rivals Andrew Steappat and Ethan Maestri ran three nail biting laps as Andrew worked on an opening for the lead but Ethan held tenaciously to P1. Andrew got held up a bit in the second heat, trying to get to P2 around a hard running Mikey Collins. In the end, it would allow Ethan a comfortable 1 second victory over Steppat. However, disaster struck the #3 Mono yet again as electrical problems at the outset of Heat 3 sidelined Ethan’s BAC and he would have to settle for P7, leaving Andrew to battle Mikey and take P1 and the FRL Season 4 Championship overall.

 As we take a look at series points, as mentioned, Andrew Steppat is our FRL S4 Champ with 273 points.  Ethan Maestri brings home his 3^rd P2 podium spot in points with 245. Rookie Bryan Dean wrapped up his Rookie Championship back at Brands Hatch and finishes on the podium overall in P3 for the series with 179 points. Rookie Chris Rader had a strong season with 121 points in P4 overall. And another rookie, Mikey Collins, made his presence felt through the latter half of the season and rounds out the top 5 with 120 points – almost stealing Chris Rader’s position. A large mix of veterans and newcomers finish out the rest of the point field. This was the largest number of drivers to participate in the FRL in any season, with13 different drivers participating. Congratulations to Andrew Steppat again. We hope all that raced enjoyed themselves. We look forward now to the start of the inaugural season of the Forzday Endurance Championship this weekend. Stay tuned for word on Season 5 of the FRL in the coming months.

Results:

B-Class
Driver	Position (Avg.)	Best Time	Points
Andrew Steppat	2.33	2:22.637	20
Ethan Maestri	2.66	2:27.539	16
Mikey Collins	2.66	2:27.711	13
Paul Maestri	2.66	2:28.953	10
Chris Rader	5.00	2:32.022	8
Carter Merkling	5.66	2:37.147	6
Allen Ruff	7.00	2:38.077	4
Tony Tyree	8.00	2:46.676	2
A-Class
Andrew Steppat	1.66	2:18.599	20
Mikey Collins	2.66	2:20.605	16
Ethan Maestri	3.00	2:18.599	13
Paul Maestri	3.66	2:19.808	10
Taylor Carpenter	4.66	2:22.534	8
Allen Ruff	5.33	2:26.164	6
Tony Tyree	6.66	2:31.929	4

Series Points:	B-Class	A-Class	Total
Andrew Steppat	133	140	273
Ethan Maestri	122	123	245
Bryan Dean	98	81	179
Chris Rader	60	61	121
Mikey Collins	57	63	120
Carter Merkling	32	26	58
Paul Maestri	20	18	38
Ross Carpenter	18	12	30
Taylor Carpenter	0	16	16
Ross Merkling	8	8	16
Allen Ruff	4	6	10
Tony Tyree	2	4	6
Tim Adkins	6	0	6

MBR Leaves Audi, Takes Up SRT Mantle

#3 MBR Viper Driven by Ethan Maestri

#7 MBR Viper Driven by Paul Maestri

Joplin, MO - 1/28/2016 - In an eleventh hour decision, Maestri Brothers Racing announced today a manufacturer switch. In a statement released by the team this morning, driver Ethan Maestri expounded on the change. "Our relationship with Audi Sport was good, but we couldn't shake the feeling that there were still some key components missing in our development and we just weren't making any further progress. Our Audi's were fast, but we needed more than that. Paul began talking with the SRT guys and recommended a test session. As we began to compare the data from both cars it became pretty clear we needed to change cars. We might not be the fastest cars on the track, but the stability and handling that we've gained with Viper is going to allow us to be a presence from Green flag to Checker."

The season begins Jan. 31st at Circuit of the America's.  

MBR Completes Team Going Into Inaugural Season

Hamilton, GA - 1/27/2016 - Word came late last night that Maestri Brothers Racing will in fact be fielding a second car for the upcoming FEC Season. MBR's East shop released pictures of their #7 Audi R8 LMS driven by veteran FRL driver Paul Maestri.

 When asked about such a late entry, Paul stated: "Well, it has been a struggle getting this car ready to race. To be honest, I'm not totally confident in the equipment. I've made no efforts to hide the fact that I would rather be driving on a different platform entirely. But, this is what the FRL & FEC uses and I still want to make an effort to be a part of it. We've got our West shop feeding tunes to us and our paint shop is cranking out a great looking design. So, we'll head to Austin and hopefully have a good showing Sunday. After that, we'll take it one race at a time."

 The total of registered cars for the FEC now stands at 7 as we head into the final days before the Circuit of the America's 100 on Sunday Jan. 31st.

GR Racing & Bentley To Team For FEC Season

Bentonville, AR - 1/27/2016 - In a press statement this morning, Geekly Retrospect Racing made this announcement: 

 "GR Racing after much deliberation has decided to team with Bentley Motorsports. We were in negotiations with other manufacturers Corvette and Aston Martin being the other top contenders, but it came down to something as simple as luxury. Our Team driver Tony Tyree felt the car just handled his driving style the best."

In a further statement on GR's return to racing,  

"We look forward to this inaugural season of FEC GT-R Championship, after having to miss the last FLR season due to sponsorship problems that lead to equipment trouble." 

Prize List Announced for Inaugural Season FEC

Time and effort in any race team should be met with rewards. To that end, a very special prize list is being rolled out for the FEC series. Prizes will be awarded as indicated below.

First Place Prize: 1-Year Subscription to RACER Magazine

Second Place Prize: Bburago 1/24 Bentley Continental GT3

Third Place Prize: Bburago 1/24 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #45

There will be a participation prize awarded to remaining drivers that appear in all 8 scheduled races, to be announced later.

Steppat Racing To Field Corvette C7R

Lincoln, NB - 1/26/2016 - Steppat Racing is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Corvette Racing to use the Corvette C7.R in the upcoming FEC. 

 Team Owner and Driver, Andrew Steppat, had this to say: "We here at Steppat Racing are very excited to be working at full force on the development of the C7.R. We have enjoyed success in the FRL, but we realize the many new and different challenges that will be faced in the upcoming endurance racing. We fully expect it to be a dogfight right until the end but look forward to the challenge. We would like to thank Corvette Racing and our main sponser, Rockstar Energy Drinks, for the continued support."

 It's "Speed Week" before the kick-off of the inaugural FEC season of endurance racing at Circuit of the America's. Qualifying for the Circuit of the America's 100 begins at 8 PM Central time on 1/28/16. Then the FRL's Season 4 concludes with it's 8th event at CotA. The CotA 100 will run Sunday, Jan. 31st at 9 PM Central. 

Team Fat Sack Partners With Aston Martin

Springdale, AR - 1/21/2016 - Fat Sack Racing and driver Bryan Dean announced this morning their partnership with Aston Martin for the 2016 FEC Series. Bryan, who has been making waves in the FRL series as a rookie, looks forward to the challenge of Endurance racing in the FEC this season.

 "I'm happy to be driving the Aston Martin DBR9 this year. This car exudes a 'baller' attitude, and that is exactly what I'm going to do this season, drive this car 'like a boss' straight to the checkered flag, and collect my fat stacks."

 FSR's #808 Aston Martin DBR9, joins the growing list of registered drivers/teams for the upcoming race at CotA on Jan. 31st and the 2016 FEC Season.

Allen Ruff Set To Begin Rookie Season With Aston Martin

Springdale, AR- 1/21/2016 - Word comes this moring from Allen Ruff that his team has partnered with Aston Martin Racing for the FEC Series this season. Ruff's registration represents the first rookie entry for this series.

 When asked about his manufacturer selection, Ruff states. "We are just getting started with racing at this level, I felt the need for a car that had the right balance and speed to allow me to get into the game. The Aston DBR9 is the perfect race car to meet those needs. Perhaps I won't win the first race of the season, but I am confident that I can be in contention as the season goes on."

 With Ruff's announcement, the number of officially registered race teams is now three.
Ethan Maestri - #3 Audi R8 LMS
Chris Rader - McLaren GT 12C GT3 (2014)
Allen Ruff - Aston Martin DBR9

Rader Garage Splits With Ferrari, McLaren On Tap

 Fayetteville, AR – 1/20/2016 – In what could only be described as a media circus, complete with fire-eaters and a midget riding a Clydesdale, FRL driver Chris Radar announced that his race team would be parting ways with Ferrari and switching to McLaren for the FEC Championship series. This announcement comes only two days after the team initially announced a partnership with Ferrari.

 Explaining the reason for the switch, Chris stated that there had been a fundamental disagreement with Ferrari. “They wouldn’t agree to hire scantily clad Italian fashion models to hang around our garage at all FEC events. I say, what’s the point of racing a high priced Italian supercar if hot models aren’t around to make you look even better? I’m Chris Rader and I like to party.”

 The team has already begun race development on their 2014 12C GT3. When asked about the switch to McLaren, Chris stated. “I’m disappointed about the Italian supermodels, sure. But I’m glad to be teamed up with the guys from GB. Although, truth be told, I think we’re going to have to get a dentist office to sponsor us or something. Am I right? Up high!”

 The FEC series starts in less than two weeks with the Circuit of the America’s 100, Jan. 31st.

FEC Points Scoring

Points system for the Forzday Endurance Championship

For position:

This position/points system matches the World Endurance Championship points setup.

Additionally, we will score points based on lap times as well. 10 points to the top lap time, 9 to the next, 8 after that, and so forth.

Chris Rader To Drive Ferrari In FEC 2016 Series

Fayetteville, AR 1/18/2016 - In a brief statement released today. Driver Chris Rader announced an official entry for the 2016 FEC series. His garage has selected the 2014 #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 for this season.

 While admitting that they still had a lot of work to do to get into full race form, it is suspected that teaming up with Ferrari will result in good things for Chris in the 2016 FEC season.

 We are still a week and a half away from the conclusion of the FRL season at CotA and qualifying for the Circuit of the America's 100 on Thursday, 1/28/2016.

Forzday Endurance Championship - GT-R Class

Beginning January 31st, the FEC will kick-off its inaugural season at Circuit of the America's. This is a different type of racing than what we've been used to in the FRL. In this series, distance will play a key roll. The first race will run a distance of just over 100 miles (29 laps)! Others will be a timed event of 45 minutes to 1 hour. Familiarity with your car, patience and consistency will all be paramount in these races. Details on rules and schedule for those looking to participate can be found below.

The cars eligible to run in this series are:

***Note: the most recent car pack from Turn 10 includes the Nissan GTR. This car is eligible as well. Any additional cars will not be considered until after the conclusion of this season.

Rules as follows:

- All cars must not exceed a point index of R-865
- Community tune/setups will not be accepted, all tuning must be developed by the driver/team "in house".
- All drivers/teams must register their race car before the first race of the series (Jan. 31st) Once your car is registered, you must race that car in each event that you participate in until the conclusion of the season.*
- A 2-lap qualifying run will take place on the Thursday night prior to the Sunday event. Fastest lap will take pole position. If you are unable to make the qualifying session, your vehicle will be placed on the grid at the back of the field (multiple non-qualifiers will be set by order of entry into the lobby before race start).

* Exceptions will be considered for individuals wishing to participate (but that currently do not have Forza 6) after the season begins

Shedule:
Jan. 31st - Circuit of the America's 100
Feb. 21st - 45 Minutes of Prague
Mar. 13th - 24 Laps of Sebring (Full Circuit)*
April 3rd. - 45 Minutes of Spa (Full Circuit)*

April 24th - 30 Laps of Laguna Seca

May 15th - 1 Hour of Le Man (Le Sarthe)

May 29th - Road Atlanta 24 (Full)
June 19th - 45 Minutes of Hockenheim (Full Circuit)

*Chance for rain exists for these events. Track conditions will be determined (by dice roll) on the morning of the event. A bulletin will be posted on the FRL web page informing participants of track condition for the event.

Forzday Race Review - Watkins Glen - 1/14/16

 The quiet, rolling hills and serene, pastoral way of life around Watkins Glen was briefly shattered last night as the FRL stopped in for its 7^th of the 8 events in this season.

 In Vintage B, the wide track and fast pacing set up three heats that would have few serious altercations. Andrew Steppat set the pace early and dominated all three heats in his Holden Torana. Behind him, Ethan Maestri and Mikey Collins would battle each other for second position. Ethan would get the upper hand in all three heats though. This left Chris Rader and Ross Carpenter to swap the 4-5 positions between them, Chris gained the advantage in his Alfa TZ here, scoring two 4^th place finishes, averaging 4.33 on the night for this class.

                                                                        Ethan Maestri gets into the back of Taylor Carpenter in Heat 2

 In the A-Class Mono’s, a new driver would debut for the first time in the FRL. Taylor Carpenter, brother of newcomer Ross Carpenter, was able to make an entry into the series. Somewhat of a legend in past racing circles, he would find his legs a bit shakey getting out of the gate in the BAC. With the addition of one more to the field, Turn 1 in the first heat got a bit dicey and several drivers got spread around the track in an early altercation. Things didn’t sort out until well into the 2^nd lap, with Ross, Taylor, Mikey and Andrew all spinning or getting spun in the opening lap. Ethan Maestri weaved through to the lead and won the first heat.

                                                                              Turn 1 carnage as several drivers get together exiting the turn

 But things didn’t go well for Ethan in the second or third heats. In the second heat, he was moving up the grid, having just passed Mikey Collins for second place when the batteries in his controller died. This brought his chances at another heat win, and ultimately, a chance for the championship to an end. In the third heat, while battling Mikey for second position, he dove too aggressively into Turn 8 on the last lap, spinning Mikey out. Chris Rader, with very consistent driving throughout the night, was able to capitalize on the mistake and post his first 2^nd place finish on the podium. Mikey and Chris would tie with an average of 3.00 in this class, but Mikey’s lap time of 2:00.230 would slot him ahead of Chris for the points.

                                                                                Chris Rader posts his first 2nd place finish in the final heat

 With one final race in the series to go, Andrew heads to Circuit of the Americas with a comfortable points lead and a probable 4^th FRL Championship in the bag. Rookie points leader Bryan Dean was unable to race this event, but still has a comfortable points lead over the rest of the rookie field. Taylor Carpenter, makes his debut in the series and moves up the points leaderboard, passing Tim Adkins, and now occupies a top ten position in points. His brother Ross had a good showing for the night and moves up the board to 7^th position overall.

Results

B-Class
Driver	Position (Avg.)	Best Time	Points
Andrew Steppat	1.00	2:02.950	20
Ethan Maestri	2.00	2:04.418	16
Mikey Collins	3.00	2:07.001	13
Chris Rader	4.33	2:08.077	10
Ross Carpenter	4.66	2:08.089	8

A-Class
Andrew Steppat	1.33	1:57.569	20
Mikey Collins	3.00	2:00.230	16
Chris Rader	3.00	2:02.289	13
Ethan Maestri	4.00	1:59.055	10
Taylor Carpenter	4.33	2:05.510	8
Ross Carpenter	5.33	2:01.859	6

After 7 of 8 events:

Series Points:	B-Class	A-Class	Total
Andrew Steppat	113	120	233
Ethan Maestri	106	110	216
Bryan Dean	98	81	179
Chris Rader	52	61	113
Mikey Collins	44	47	91
Carter Merkling	26	26	52
Ross Carpenter	18	12	30
Paul Maestri	10	8	18
Ross Merkling	8	8	16
Taylor Carpenter	0	8	8
Tim Adkins	6	0	6

MBR Officially Announces FEC Entry & Sponsorship

Joplin, MO 1/14/2016 -  Maestri Brothers Racing announced today their entry for the upcoming Forzday Endurance Championship series beginning January 31st. MBR-West Shops is fielding the sole car from the MBR race team for the FEC and has chosen the Audi R8 LMS as their car for the series. The entry announcement serves as their official registration and locks in their manufacturer choice for the duration of the FEC season.

 A statement from driver Ethan Maestri reads: "We at MBR-West are happy to have partnered with Audi Motorsport for this exciting new chapter in Forzday racing. We also welcome our new sponsor, PHP Specialists, to the team as well. As the premier independent Audi/Volkswagon/BMW service and performance shop in the four-states region, their backing of our garage is a big win for our team."

  MBR further stated that the decision to field only one car for the upcoming series was not an easy one to make, but arises more out of necessity than choice. This further confirms the troubles that the MBR-East garage has been having in getting their equipment on the track.

Registration for all participating teams/drivers will remain open until Jan. 31st. All teams wishing to participate must declare a car before the race at Circuit of the Americas, even if they are unable to make the Jan. 31st event.

Forzday Race Review - Brands Hatch 12/31/15

 For race number six in the FRL series we journeyed to Brands Hatch for a duel with one of the narrowest tracks on this season’s circuit.

 B-Class action started off with wild starts through the first three turns. Several drivers would suffer early setbacks in these opening turns. In Heat 1, newcomer Ross Carpenter made his debut in his Toyota Trueno and got an early induction into FRL racing by sliding off Turn 1 and into the gravel. Then, Mikey Collins and Bryan Dean got together in Turn 3 and Bryan spun hard. Bryan would have to race hard, but was still able to post a top 3 finish in the heat. In Heat 2, Mikey, Ethan and Bryan were all racing for 2^nd position when Ethan and Mikey got together in the final turn and both ended up way out in the sand. Ethan would claw his way back to 3rd while Mikey fell back to 5^th. Andrew Steppat ruled the evening in B-Class, posting 1^st place finishes in all three heats. Bryan secured 2^nd in the class with Ethan in 3^rd. Ross Carpenter showed he had the chops to make waves in the FRL by placing 4^th overall in the class. Mikey and Chris Rader rounded out the field in 5^th and 6^th respectively.

 In the A-Class event, Andrew Steppat once again set the pace overall, but had some early challenges in Heat 1 negotiating traffic to get to second place. Once he closed the gap on race leader Ethan Maestri, a duel for position unfolded in the final two laps that ended with Andrew crossing the line just 0.183 seconds ahead of Ethan. Bryan Dean suffered some setup issues and turned his Mono several times in this heat, resulting in a finish behind Mikey Collins, in 4^th place. Ross Carpenter also had difficulty with the transition from B to A-Class and finished behind Chris Rader in all three heats.

 In all for the night, Andrew Steppat claimed both class victories and secured the points lead once again. Ethan was able to hold serve, despite a dismal performance in his B-Class VW, and netted 29 points overall. Bryan, while doing well in the B-Class, fell short in the BAC netting 29 points also, maintaining the gap between 2^nd and 3^rd at 11 points. Chris Rader, while losing 4 points to Mikey Collins, finds himself virtually unchallenged in fourth place overall. Mikey passes rookie Carter Merkling for the 5^th position and is now 28 points behind Chris. Ross Carpenter makes his debut race here at Brands Hatch and immediately moves up the board, ahead of Tim Adkins, and ties race veteran Ross Merkling for 8^th position with 16 points.

 We head across the pond and into the home stretch for the season as event number seven will be at Watkins Glen on January 14^th.

Results:

B-Class
Driver	Position (Avg.)	Best Time	Points
Andrew Steppat	1.00	1:35.217	20
Bryan Dean	2.33	1:37.924	16
Ethan Maestri	2.66	1:38.548	13
Ross Carpenter	4.33	1:42.501	10
Mikey Collins	5.33	1:42.745	8
Chris Rader	5.33	1:44.291	6
A-Class
Andrew Steppat	1.33	1:32.203	20
Ethan Maestri	1.66	1:33.658	16
Bryan Dean	3.33	1:35.524	13
Mikey Collins	3.66	1:36.009	10
Chris Rader	5.00	1:37.842	8
Ross Carpenter	6.00	1:39.336	6

Points after 6 of 8 events:

Series Points:	B-Class	A-Class	Total
Andrew Steppat	93	100	193
Ethan Maestri	90	100	190
Bryan Dean	98	81	179
Chris Rader	42	48	90
Mikey Collins	31	31	62
Carter Merkling	26	26	52
Paul Maestri	10	8	18
Ross Merkling	8	8	16
Ross Carpenter	10	6	16
Tim Adkins	6	-	6