FRL Recap - The 2018 Bathurst Challenge

 Things can get a little crowded at the top of Mount Panorama

 There are a handful of circuits in the world that are intimidating to think about racing. Many of those tracks don't seem so daunting once you spend some time learning them. But there are those few that even when you know what to expect, still make you cringe and may even throw you off your line. Mount Panorama is one of the circuits that fit in both categories. The FRL arrived in Bathurst Australia for the second time in its history to run this famed track.

 Qualifying on the pole was Andrew Steppat with Travis Billingsley and Ethan Maestri in P2 and P3 respectively. The scramble into turn one would erase the starting grid positions though. Paul Maestri got a massive jump on the leaders off the grid and slid deep into Turn 1, punting Andrew's Nissan across the track and into the sand. Paul's #33 Mercedes would swing through the inside line and would set up for an early lead. Close behind were the Ford Falcon's driven by Travis and Ethan. Travis would swing a little wide heading up the mountain, opening the door for the #3 Red Bull Falcon to pass. A lap later, his teammate in the #33 would yield the lead, putting Ethan on point. Travis would sneak passed Paul as well, on Ethan's bumper, taking over P2. Just two laps later, he would pass Ethan in Turn 2 and take over the lead himself.

           And just like that, the entire field was, for but a moment, able to know what it is like to be ahead of the #001

 Further back, Andrew made short work of climbing from P8 to P4. He would pause momentarily behind Paul and Ethan before setting sail for the front, reeling in Travis' #18 Falcon with about 7 laps to go in the 15 lap event. Brandon Adkins and Nicholas Hargrove spent the majority of their race in pursuit of one another. Early on, Nicholas had P5 all to himself in his Pepsi Max Ford. However, his racecar got crossed in the essess just past the top of the mountain. This allowed Brandon to close the distance. Brandon would get close, then fall back. The yo-yo nature of their race would progress until the late stages, when another bobble by Nicholas opened the door for Brandon to collect the P5 spot.

 For Matthew Smith and Tony Tyree, they would have a fun night of racing with friends, even if they didn't exactly cover themselves in glory. The tire barriers would prove to be their undoing in several places along the circuit.

 In the final stages of the race, Travis would bobble and allow an opportunity for Andrew to pass, which was all the FRL multi-champion needed to make the pass for the lead and put an exclamation point on a masterful handling of  Mt. Panorama. Travis would tag the wall hard in the late going, and made the distance from P2 to P3 much closer than it would have been had Travis' Ford been healthy. He would maintain P2 with Ethan Maestri only a handful of seconds behind him in P3. Paul Maestri brings the classic liveried Jagermiester Mercedes in at P4, and Brandon Adkins crosses the line in the Top 5.

 The growing pains continue with Forza Motorsport 7. But these One-Off events allow the series to continue to hone it's craft. We look forward with eager anticipation to the next event, to be announced soon.

Long views and fast racing