Notes From the Field - Team BMW at Road Atlanta

 It was another beautiful weekend for racing, and yet another frustrating day for Team BMW.  The conditions at the track were marvelous Sunday, and the hopes in the pit were high, expecting a solid finish for the BMW team.  But alas, it seems the pattern of hard hits and extra pit stops continue to plague the #18 Z4 driven by Travis Billingsley.  The race started with the usual tussle from flag drop to first corner, but things sorted out pretty quick.  

 The BMW quickly settled into a nice battle for 2nd position early in the race, and lasted quite a lot of laps.  The duel with the #2 Porsche of MBR was the best Travis has been involved in yet.  Laps rolled by with hard charges, position changes, and white knuckles as the battle raged on.  Eventually, the BMW was able to start pulling away from the Porsche and start trying to secure the position.  Several laps went by with the gap between 2nd and 3rd place widening slightly.  But then... 

 Travis began encountering lap traffic.  And while a couple of laps went by with no incident, an odd braking maneuver by the Aston Martin that he was trying to lap resulted in the BMW tangling with the back of the Aston.  As par for such incidents it seems, there was, as later evidenced, detrimental damage to the front left brakes and suspension on the #18 car.  Travis had initially radioed to the pits that he was going to stay out and maintain a little bit of ground, but at the end of the back straight, the brakes would just not stop the car and it ended up in the sand.  At that point it was obvious that trying to keep the car out till the next scheduled pit would lose far too much time.  

 So, after getting things sorted during the rather long, unscheduled pit stop, Travis rolled the BMW back out to see if there were any points to be salvaged.  The last 3rd of the race was mostly uneventful.  There were a few laps that Travis was able to revisit the battle with Ethan Maestri, but this was for naught as the last pit that would be required for Team BMW to have the tires and fuel to finish would put anything better than P4 out of reach for the #18.  

Ultimately, P4 is not a bad finish among such a talented field of drivers, but expectations and hopes were high this morning that a different German manufacturer would be occupying one of the steps on the podium. 

ASR Dominates At Road Atlanta 125

 The anticipation ahead of the running of the Road Atlanta 125 was palpable Sunday night. After a day of incredible racing around the world, the drivers of the FRL began to assemble for a race that would certainly clarify who would be in contention for a championship points position, and who would not.

 With seven drivers setting off at the start, Turn 1 was not anticipated to be much of a trouble spot, however, with the MBR Porsche’s getting their signature fast start, the field bunched heading into the turn and things got dicey. Ethan Maestri and Bryan Dean touched and this upset the #81 DBR9, which caused further trouble for Andrew Steppat’s C7.R and Paul Maestri in the #86 911. Bryan ended up with the worst damage and had to bring it in early for repairs, setting him back for the rest of the race.

 At the front, Ethan worked hard to set a strong pace but simply could not offset the power of the #001 Corvette or the #18 Z4. He would be passed by both by the time lap 10 rolled around. Once past the #2 car, Andrew set sail in what would become a nearly 1 minute lead over second place by the time the last lap concluded.

 Although Travis was able to execute a clean pass at the end of the backstretch, Ethan doggedly held to his bumper for several laps. When Travis got the BMW a little wide in Turn 5, Ethan charged in to take P2 once more. After another lap to reset, Travis was able to power down the backstretch again and re-take the position. During this pitched battle for P2, Paul Maestri was beginning to creep into the picture, looming in the rear view mirrors of both the P2 competitors. After Travis was able to make his P2 pass stick and put some distance on the #2 car, he would settle into a nice rhythm, laying down the second fastest lap of the race behind the ASR car. However, lap traffic would prove to be the rookie’s undoing. While maneuvering to stay clear of Bryan’s Aston Martin, Travis would tag the tire wall in Turn 3 hard, effectively ending his fight for a podium spot.

 Contention for second looked as though it was going to be a close one for the MBR drivers of Paul and Ethan Maestri. But the battle was averted when Ethan dropped a tire off into the grass, upsetting his 911 and allowing his brother to squeeze by to take P2. Ethan would close in on Paul in the closing laps, but time ran out on Ethan’s chance at P2, and his hopes of a championship receded further into the shadows as well.

 There was clean racing all over the track, even at the back of the field. Chris Dilbeck in the Rocket Boys Racing #9 Porsche proved to be a true “Gentlemen Driver”, yielding the track to race leaders and still finishing in 6^th position. Tony Tyree in the #47 Aperature Labs Bentley would struggle with setup on this track and finished in P7, several seconds off the pace. Bryan Dean had a car with the pace to run at the front, but the early lap troubles, and other struggles, kept him back in P5. Once again, Travis Billingsley makes his presence at the front apparent, but is unable to string together a solid run from flag-to-flag. He finishes the 125 in P4.

 In the points race, Andrew’s domination here results in a 13 point swing, lifting him 12 points over Ethan heading into the final event at Hockenheim. Bryan fades a bit in P3 and is now just 21 points ahead of Paul Maestri. Paul’s solid P2 spot and third fastest lap time netted him a season best 26 points, lifting him to 128 points, 10 ahead of Travis Billingsley. 

Results

Position:	Driver:	Points:	Lap Time:	Lap Points:	Total:
1	Andrew Steppat	25	1:19.193	10	35
2	Paul Maestri	18	1:20.326	8	26
3	Ethan Maestri	15	1:20.397	7	22
4	Travis Billigsley	12	1:19.652	9	21
5	Bryan Dean	10	1:21.175	6	16
6	Chris Dilbeck	8	1:22.576	5	13
7	Tony Tyree	6	1:24.148	4	10

Position:	Driver:	Points:
1	Andrew Steppat	208
2	Ethan Maestri	196
3	Bryan Dean	149
4	Paul Maestri	128
5	Travis Billingsley	118
6	Tony Tyree	61
7	Allen Ruff	49
8	Chris Rader	34
9	Daniel Fleischman	30
10	Andy Capshaw	23
11	Mikey Collins	23
12	Chris Dilbeck	17
13	Carter Merkling	11
14	Drew Dilbeck	10
15	Matthew Smith	3

Manufacturer Points:	Points:
Porsche	264
Aston Martin	232
Chevrolet	231
BMW	105
Dodge	88
Bentley	61
McLaren	34
Ferrari	30
Nissan	11
Audi	3

Number Change for the MBR's Ethan Maestri

 May 27th, 2016 Joplin, MO - In a short statement, Ethan Maestri announced that his number plate in all future FRL races was officially being changed from #3 to #2. "I took the number three because it matched the end of my gamer tag, it just kinda stuck. No, I'm not, nor have I ever been, a Dale Earnhardt fan. This change seems like a fit for me, it's a number that's available, and will work nicely with future sponsorship in the team."

The change will be implemented with the race this weekend at Road Atlanta.

Travis Billingsley Wins First Running of the FRL Indy 200

 Ten cars started the first segment of the FRL's Indy 200 on Thursday night, May the 26th. The action was plentiful as early lap jitters collected several drivers in the early going. As things settled down, many drivers struggled to find a solid line, while a few found their groove and pushed to the front. Travis Billingsley and Andrew Steppat would dominate the front two positions for most of the night. However, spin in the late stages of the first segment race opened the door for Ethan Maestri to snag the second spot from Andrew.

 The second segment didn't have the huge tangle in Turn's 1 & 2 that characterized the the first segment. But a lot of rubbing and bumping took place still. Ethan Maestri took advantage of Travis caution in lap traffic and went for the lead, only to barrel into the back of a slower lap car and would pound the outside wall hard, giving Travis the lead. However, Paul would charge forward and take the lead quickly from Travis. Leading for a couple of laps until tangling with Carter Merkling and slapping the outside wall of Turn 1 as well.

 The rest of the race featured a furious battle between Andrew Steppat and Travis for the lead. Andrew finally made his move and was cautiously trying to maintain his lead as his tires wore heavily, late in the race. Ethan's Chevrolet, on much fresher tires and dtermined to get his lap back, moved to the outside of Steppat into Turn 3. Andrew was unable to hold his Honda on the low side and the two cars crashed together in the chute between 3 and 4. Travis inherited the lead, and a lap later, victory.

 We'll have more on the race, and drivers thoughts on the next episode of Forzday This Week. For now congratulations to Travis on his win. On now to the 7th race in the FEC Series with the Road Atlanta 125.

Forzday This Week Episode 1.3

Our third episode of Forzday This Week is available for playback over on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/ethan-maestri/forzday-this-week-episode-13

Speed Week...and A Half

 We are heading into the busiest time of the racing season as FRL drivers get set for the final two races of the FEC and take on the "Yard of Bricks" at Indy.

 First up is a special FRL One-Off Challenge, our first running of the Indy 200! Our first distance race on this historic track will take place on May 26, 2016 at 9 pm. We'll be running 80 laps at this event for a total of 200 miles! It sounds like a long race, but with speeds in excess of 225 mph and 40 second lap times, it'll go by in a flash!

 The FRL is pleased to announce that there will be a trophy awarded to the winner of this prestigious event.

 Further details on the event and specific rules can be found here: http://forzdayraceseries.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-indianapolis-200-one-off-challenge.html

 The final event of the month for the FEC will be the Road Atlanta 125 on May 29th. This 49 lap event will be the longest endurance event that we have run yet. Big implications for the series will be played out on the rolling hills of Braselton. Will Andrew dominate the field again? Will Travis Bilingsley or Bryan Dean grab their first FEC victory here? What will the series points battle look like after this showdown? These are all question we are keen to answer with the race here.

 So, buckle up, its going to be a busy week and a half of action.

1 Hour Le Mans Recap - 5/15/16

 The one thing about racing is that you can never really know how things will turn out in a race until after it is finished. That fact was highlighted in big bold letters at the running of the 1 Hour of Le Mans last night. The weather would not cooperate and the race was run in the rain. Already a complex track to navigate in the dry, the wet conditions would create an added level of frustration and annoyance for the drivers.

                                            A clean start to the 1 Hour of Le Mans

 Allen Ruff served as marshal for the start of the race and it was a clean start to get the field of 10 cars rolling off the grid. The MBR Porsche's of Paul and Ethan Maestri would make the most of their rear-engine advantage here and shot out to P1 & 2 at the outset. Even rookie Drew Dilbeck would make a splash in the opening corners, getting his 911 up toward the front of the field as well.

Diving into the chicane on Mulsanne proved to be more hairy than usual in the wet conditions

 The clean start would only last as far as the Dunlop chicane though as wet tires struggled to keep their machines on track and out of each other. Drivers Daniel Fleischmann and Tony Tyree bumped and tiptoed around then out of the chicane. Paul Maestri over-sped into the Esses and ended up out in the grass loosing several positions. Into the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight, Bryan Dean was working hard to make ground on the leaders, but hit a puddle and looped his car in the middle of the apex, costing him precious time and track position. Then, coming out of Mulsanne Turn, Drew Dilbeck hit a puddle and worked desperately to keep the Porsche from swapping ends at 100+ mph. In the end the car looped up onto the track and right into the path of Matthew Smith in his Audi R8. Allen Ruff swerved to avoid the carnage and would end up in the railing as well.

                     The incident on lap 1 after Mulsanne involved the most cars and held up many others

                                               
 While Ethan Maestri and Andrew Steppat were battling for position at the front, Travis Billingsley was quietly gaining ground. On lap 2, coming out of the Porsche curves, Ethan would slide out onto the bumpers and got speed checked. Travis' Z4 had a great run coming out of the same corner and was unable to avoid the slower 911. The resulting hit did little damage to the Porsche, but Travis had to take the BMW into the pit early for a third straight race.

 The #1 & #3 cars would swap P1 for several laps, until lap 4 when Andrew was able to pass and keep the position. After mid-race pits, it looked as if Steppat Racing was poised to march on to its 5th FEC victory, but equipment malfunction bit the C7.R and Andrew retired early from the race. Ethan Maestri would inherit P1, and though loosing ground to Travis in the late stages of the event, was able to bring the MBR Porsche home for the win.

A great battle for P1

 Travis Billingsley, although snake bit a third time, was once more able to recover well enough and brought the #18 Team BMW across the line in P2, his second podium finish in his rookie season. Bryan Dean struggled with the puddles throughout the race, getting turned around and working to avoid other cars accidents as well. Despite his frustration at track conditions he was able to get the Aston Martin across the line in P3, no small feat for such a difficult race.

 It ended up being an unusually good weekend for the MBR garage. Both Ethan and Paul felt their cars were really going to show their weaknesses here. But with Paul bringing his #86 Canon/Elf machine across in P4, the team maximizes their points in the manufacturer battle and splits the strangle-hold of Aston Martin and Chevrolet at the top of the order.

 For Tony Tyree, this race was a return to form as he was able to shake off some of the early season problems that have plagued Geekly Retrospect Racing and was able to net a Top 5, which also secured him in the sixth position in points over Allen Ruff. For Allen, a P6 finish should perhaps feel like a win. Despite several off's and being involved in a few altercations with other drivers, he was still able to bring his DNR Aston Martin home in descent position.

 Drew Dilbeck makes his driving debut in the FRL here at Le Mans. I can think of no more difficult track or conditions to make a rookie start in. Despite that, the young man was able to pilot around several trouble spots at times to bring his MBR-aligned 911 in P7. Daniel Fleischmann made an incredible debut at Laguna Seca, and it was expected that he could do well here also. But the rain would prove to be a factor early, and indeed throughout the race for him. In the closing segments of the race, his #43 Ferrari would run out of fuel and he would have to settle for P8. However, with the fifth best time on the track, shows the spark of a great driver still.

 Matthew Smith also makes his debut drive in the FRL here. No podium finish for this rookie, but that isn't saying anything about the potential for this driver, not with these conditions and this track. He had to settle for P9. Finally, what can we say about Andrew Steppat? He had the dominant car for sure, both in the wet and dry. He put the Corvette up front early and battled hard to control the position. By all rights, the victory would have gone to him. So it almost seems unfair to record him in P10, but that's the way the run ended for the FRL champ. It happens sometimes.

 We look forward to Road Atlanta now, the next stop in the FEC on May 29th.

Results: 

Position:	Driver:	Points:	Lap Time:	Lap Points:	Total:
1	Ethan Maestri	25	4:13.214	9	34
2	Travis Billingsley	18	4:11.181	10	28
3	Bryan Dean	15	4:14.729	8	23
4	Paul Maestri	12	4:17.721	6	18
5	Tony Tyree	10	4:21.840	3	13
6	Allen Ruff	8	4:24.338	2	10
7	Drew Dilbeck	6	4:19.571	4	10
8	Daniel Fleischmann	4	4:18.124	5	9
9	Matthew Smith	2	4:27.476	1	3
10	Andrew Steppat	1	4:16.076	7	8

Points:

Position:	Driver:	Points:
1	Ethan Maestri	174
2	Andrew Steppat	173
3	Bryan Dean	133
4	Paul Maestri	102
5	Travis Billingsley	97
6	Tony Tyree	51
7	Allen Ruff	49
8	Chris Rader	34
9	Daniel Fleischman	30
10	Andy Capshaw	23
11	Mikey Collins	23
12	Carter Merkling	11
13	Drew Dilbeck	10
14	Chris Dilbeck	9
15	Matthew Smith	3

Manufacturer Points:	Points:
Aston Martin	222
Porsche	203
Chevrolet	196
Dodge	88
BMW	84
Bentley	51
McLaren	34
Ferrari	30
Nissan	11
Audi	3

Forzday This Week Podcast - Episode 1.2

The latest episode of Forzday This Week is up over on Soundcloud. This episode recaps Laguna Seca and looks ahead to Le Mans and other FRL events.


https://soundcloud.com/ethan-maestri/forzday1-2

Toyobaru Challenge - July 21st

 The FRL will present the Toyobaru Challenge at the Virginia International Raceway's South circuit on July 21st. This sprawling track nestled in the hills of VA will provide a perfect setting for these street-fighting sport coupes. 

 Eligible cars for this challenge will be the Toyota GT86 & Subaru BRZ only. Class P.I. will be set at B-600. Unrestricted upgrades (up to performance index limit) will be allowed. In-house developed tuning only.

 

                                  Pick your car and get tuning. July is just around the corner!