Steppat Back On Top At "Green Hell"

  The turbidity of the series is becoming far less opaque with just 2 races left, but with an event like the Nurburgring, some things are bound to get stirred up. 

 The racing at the start of the six lap, 100 mile event on the "Green Hell" started off with a bang, several in fact, in the opening corners of the first lap. Seth Jensen got his McLaren off the line well and screamed into an early lead, only to get banged into by a dive-bombing Paul Maestri in the #7 Porsche 911. His overshoot into the chicane at Turn 1 muddied the water plenty, but Preston Liberatore in the #054 Ferrari lead the group out of the chicane and hurtled on to Turn #3. Here, Seth got a bumper into the #054 F50 and jettisoned the hard-charging rookie into the grass. Seth's comeuppance came moments later as he overcooked the approach into Dunlop-Kehre, swinging wide into the grass and allowing the field to pass. As the group of 8 cars snaked onto the opening segment of the Nurburgring, Ethan Maestri pulled alongside Travis Billingsley, but the two ran out of room quickly and both smacked the retaining wall. Ethan got the worse end of the exchange, being inexplicably stuck to the wall. He was able to throw the car in reverse and extract himself, but many seconds behind the pack.

 For Nicholas Hargrove, a strong start to his race would soon come to an end as he would drift into the grass at high speed and loop his #5 F50, losing touch with the main group of racers. But the biggest butcher's bill would not be paid by Hargrove this night. Tony Tyree would share the check with Travis as he drifted his Porsche into the grass and into a tire wall that would utterly maul his 911 and place it directly in the path of the #18 Ferrari driven by Travis. Travis would be able to maintain some semblance of speed for the remaining 14 miles or so before getting into the pits. For Tony, his night was effectively ended as he had to limp the #47 car all the way around the "Green Hell" at barely more than the pace of a retirement home walker. 

 For Paul Maestri, the race went reasonably well. Despite blowing his line in Turn 1 at the race start, he held the lead during the opening lap for some time. Late in lap one he would lose the lead to Andrew's #001 McLaren. During lap 2 he would drop a spot to Preston Liberatore. Lap 3 would find him battling teammate Ethan Maestri for P3. Ethan would make the pass and Paul would eventually find the finish line in P5 behind a fortunate Travis Billingsley in P4.

 With a podium finish, Ethan was able to close the points gap slightly, but still leaves a tall order to fill if he wants to take 2nd in the series from Travis. The real question is: will rookie Preston Liberatore be able to push past series veterans Tony Tyree and Paul Maestri to take a Top 5 place in the standings. We will find out at the series finale at Catalunya, on December 13th!

Brands Hatch Result and Series Points Standings

 Event Result:

Preston Liberatore - 50

Andrew Steppat - 45

Ethan Maestri - 40

Travis Billingsley - 35

Paul Maestri - 30

Tony Tyree - 28

Seth Jensen - 26

Blake Wilde - 24

Series Points:

Andrew Steppat - 330

Travis Billingsley - 256

Ethan Maestri - 238

Paul Maestri - 202

Tony Tyree - 198

Seth Jensen - 182

Preston Liberatore - 157

Ghabe Stouffer - 112

Blake Wilde - 96

Bryan Dean - 84

Riley Liberatore - 42

Brandon Adkins - 26

Nicholas Hargrove - 24

Drew Dilbeck - 19

Rookie Does A Rain Dance To Victory

 The FRL arrived at Brands Hatch to inclement weather for a two heat event on the Indy circuit. The reverse grid, initially set based on series points standings, meant that rookie Preston Liberatore took a quick lead in the first race as the rest of the 8 car field churned behind him. Ethan Maestri, Paul Maestri and Travis Billingsley all took turns at moving up through the field, but would each suffer setbacks that would force them to start the process all over again. Ethan had quickly advanced to P3 but locked up behind Seth Jensen, swinging wide into the grass at Hawthorn Hill, moving him back to P7. Paul Maestri and Travis Billingsley would both find the grass between Sheene Curve and Stirlings. For Travis, two off track excursions would drop him far afield, which would have consequences in the series points standings. In the final laps of the race, Ethan Maestri was able to secure P3 for his Porsche 911 as Seth Jensen fought valiantly to maintain a Top 3 spot, only to fall victim to the rain slicked Sheene Curve. Andrew Steppat kept his McLaren pointed true and advanced all the way to Preston's Ferrari bumper, but could not pass for the win. The Rookie scored his first victory on the night.

 Round two would see the field navigate the course a bit more nimbly. Fewer critical off's ultimately meant less passing. However, a Turn 1 tangle between Ethan Maestri and Andrew Steppat meant that it was Preston's race to lose. Until the closing laps that is, once Andrew caught back up to the rookie and began applying pressure to the F50. However, Preston was able to prevail over both the pressure and the weather to score two straight wins on the evening. Travis Billingsley recovered in the second round well enough to score P3, but with a P6 scored in the first heat, his placement on the podium would take a hit, ending up in 4th overall. 

 Preston Liberatore took the top podium spot and 50 series points to add to his series run. Andrew Steppat did exactly what he could  to maintain his lead in the points with a second place finish. Ethan Maestri was able to take the final podium step and cut into Travis' margin slightly. The series head's to the "Green Hell" of the Nurburgring in Germany. 

 

Billingsley Makes Most Of An Off-Night

  The FRL crosses the English Channel to setup shop at Silverstone for Season 10's Silverstone GP event. Returning to the driver lineup for the first time in well over a year, Nicholas Hargrove piloted an F50 from the front of the field. By Turn 6 the complexion of the reverse grid field had changed completely, though not entirely familiar. Ethan Maestri and Andrew Steppat, starting from the rear, had moved up to mid-pack and started to close on the front runners. Seth Jensen, Preston Liberatore and Paul Maestri comprised the top three and were in a fierce battle for position. By the time the #3, #001 and #18 cars arrived to join the fray, a full on scrum was unfolding. Ethan would be shuffled out first as a bump in Maggotts left him wide of the track and without momentum. He would rejoin briefly to race Seth Jensen's McLaren before a connection failure sidelined him for the event. 

 As Travis gingerly picked his way to the front, Paul, Andrew and Preston would exchange positions for several laps. After the initial scrum, several examples of excellent close racing could be observed among these top four cars. As the laps stretched out, tire wear would become the determining factor for the final race order. The Ferrari's balance and smoothness on Silverstone's harsh pavement had the effect of allowing Travis Billingsley and Preston Liberatore to advance through the grid and not have to worry as much over grip. Andrew Steppat would catch and pass Travis for P1, but the McLaren's weight and power at the wheels would succumb to the tracks "cheese grater" effect, forcing Andrew to pit in time. Preston Liberatore would also pass for P1, but Travis would return the favor a few laps later. Paul Maestri in the sole 911 left on track would put up a valiant fight for a top three position but in the end had to settle for P4. Seth Jensen, Tony Tyree and Nicholas Hargrove would settle back in the rear of the field, racing the clock and themselves as much as anyone else. 

 In the closing laps, the battle between Preston and Travis became pitched as the two exchanged positions right to the end. Preston was able to pull alongside Travis at one point on lap 18. But he could not make the pass and Travis was able to maintain P1 to the checkered flag. With the win and Ethan's unfortunate P8 result, Travis maintains second in the series championship points battle and even closes a bit on the series leader, Andrew Steppat. Tony Tyree looses ground on Paul Maestri, as they continue to swap the fourth and fifth positions amongst themselves. The series heads to Brands Hatch for a rain event at the Indy GP course on November 8th.

Silverstone GP Results - Series Points Standings

 Result of October 18th Silverstone GP. Congratulations to Travis Billingsley on a solid drive. Preston Liberatore made it a close race at the end and crosses the line just behind Travis to take the second step. Andrew Steppat misses out on the chance to sweep the series and finishes on the third step of the podium. On behalf of the FRL, we welcome back Nicholas Hargrove who finished P7 and demonstrated the kind of racing class we always appreciated prior to his hiatus. The series heads to Brands Hatch for a rain event on November 8th.

 Event Result

Travis Billingsley - 50

Preston Liberatore - 40

Andrew Steppat - 35

Paul Maestri - 30

Seth Jensen - 28

Tony Tyree - 26

Nicholas Hargrove - 24

Ethan Maestri - 22

Here are the series points standings after 6 of 9 events.

Series Points

Andrew Steppat - 285

Travis Billingsley - 221

Ethan Maestri - 198

Paul Maestri - 172

Tony Tyree - 170

Seth Jensen - 156

Ghabe Stouffer - 112

Preston Liberatore - 107

Bryan Dean - 84

Blake Wilde - 72

Riley Liberatore - 42

Brandon Adkins - 26

Nicholas Hargrove - 24

Drew Dilbeck - 19

Season 10 Standings At Mid-Point

  Now that the 24 Laps of Le Mans is completed and the series has reached its mid-point, now is a good time to take a closer look at the points standings so far. After 5 events, here are the standings:

Andrew Steppat - 250

Ethan Maestri - 176

Travis Billingsley - 171

Tony Tyree - 144

Paul Maestri - 142

Seth Jensen - 128

Ghabe Stouffer - 112

Bryan Dean - 84

Blake Wilde - 72

Preston Liberatore - 67

Riley Liberatore - 42

Brandon Adkins - 26

Drew Dilbeck - 19

 First off, lets acknowledge the travesty that has beset Ghabe "Zero" Stouffer. His connectivity issues have cost him podium positions in 2 of the last 3 events. Had that not been the case, we would be discussing a far more interesting scenario playing out in the top four positions on the board. Travis would likely still hold onto second, with Ethan struggling to break the top three. Only by virtue of Ghabe not showing for the Le Mans event would we have seen a definitive change at the top of the order. As it stands, Ethan has been able to make up ground after two poor results at the start of the season, setting up a fierce battle for second in the championship between him and Travis Billingsley.

 Now, take a look at the battle taking place for P4 & 5 in the points. Paul and Tony have now swapped places twice for these spots, and all indications are that this battle may not be decided until December. Also, with four new drivers coming onto the scene, we have an interesting competition for Rookie of the Year developing as well. Early on, Blake Wilde appeared to have the upper hand over Seth Jensen, but several missed events have dropped Blake down the order, while Seth has certainly been demonstrating progress in the cockpit, and garnering crucial points by showing consistently in all the events run so far. This will be important later in the season as Preston Liberatore, whose first race was only 3 events back, already has podiums to his credit and 67 points scored. Is there enough time and positions for Preston to catch Seth in the points standings? Will Blake make a return to form and challenge for top Rookie spot? 

 Stay tuned and be sure to show up for the next event at Silverstone on October 18th to see how these stories play out!

   

24 Laps of Le Mans

  With the running of the 24 Laps of Le Mans, the FRL arrives just past the mid-point of this tenth season of racing. A group of six drivers took the green flag to start the race. Though two of those drivers would not make the finish. Paul Maestri in the #7 Panasonic Porsche 911 would retire early due to driver illness. Travis Billingsley in the #18 Weather Tech Ferrari F50 would suffer a power issue and would retire on lap 13. 

 Tony Tyree would stick out the entire event, but his uniquely powered Porsche 911 would bring up the rear of the field. Seth Jensen, one of several rookies participating this season, showed much promise by leading the first lap of the race before settling back into third position. Ethan Maestri, in a Porsche, could not take the fight to the McLaren's on the long straights. Andrew Steppat cruised to a wide margin over the field and collected his fifth straight victory of the season, winning the 24 Laps of Le Mans. The series takes a short break before resuming at Silverstone on October 18th.

Race Result (Points)

1. Andrew Steppat (50)

2. Ethan Maestri (40)

3. Seth Jensen (35)

4. Tony Tyree (30)

5. Travis Billingsley (28)

6. Paul Maestri (26)