I was the only non-KT in an A1GP ROC
In the ChampCar ROC I did, I was one of only two non-KTs in the whole field. I finished fourth overall, and my team finished 2-3-4.
Sharky's "Bring It Yoshi" I Am Running Out Of Creative Titles So Fuji Doesn't Have One Race Wrapup
Podium Rundown:
1st: Charkaoui (Super Aguri)
2nd: Hutchison (Ferrari)
3rd: Horton (McLaren)
Race Statistics:
Fastest Lap: Rees (BMW Sauber); 1min 25.901
Retirements:Skywalker (Red Bull, lap 1), collision
Taylor (Renault, lap 1), collision
Hayha (Williams, lap 1), collision
Butler (Honda, lap 25), collision
AlMomen (Toyota, lap 34), collision
Kawasie (Spyker, lap 61), tyres
Leaders:Charkaoui (led 58 laps)
Horton (led 8 laps)
Nikolakopoulos (Toyota, led 1 lap)
Fastest Scheduled Pitstop: Trendell (McLaren, 6.54 sec)
Slowest Scheduled Pitstop: Graham (Renault, 11.01 sec)
Most Pitstops: Haswell (Toro Rosso, 4)
Race Report:
Race Duration: 67 laps
Weather: BONE DRY!
Lap 1:
Rees, in 20th, makes a terrible start, but still makes up two places. Keep reading to find out why...
Horton, on pole, loses places to Charkaoui, Nikolakopoulos, Machiels and Smith.
Skywalker tangles with Dubois (Honda) over 15th place. Skywalker hangs up his lightsaber, the Canadian keeps on truckin'. After he pits to have his left-side bargeboard replaced.
Graham and Hayha (Williams) come together in a battle for 13th. Hayha has damage to his car, Graham is A-OK.
Hayha and Taylor find common ground in their fight for 12th. Which is a fondness for tea parties while wearing pink frilly dresses. They frolick off to a nearby paddock.
DAMAGE:
Skywalker, Taylor
Hayha
Lap 2:
Dubois pits to have his bargeboard repaired.
Lap 13:
Machiels (Red Bull, 3rd) loses two places for no reason.
Lap 16:
Davidson (Super Aguri) takes Trendell and Smith easily.
Lap 18:
Dunstan spins coming out of Netz; he drops five places to eighth.
Lap 25:
Graham pits from second place; his crew absent-mindedly leave the refuelling nozzle in his car for much too long, resulting in a 42-lap fuel load.
Butler goes psycho and tries to punt Dunstan (Ferrari) off the circut. Unfortunately for Butler, Dunstan happens to be brandishing an evil ankh of retribution
* (which is banned in 49 US states, Sweden, Australia, Burma, Spain and Swaziland) and feels the full force of his Honda bounce off the Ferrari and into a tyre wall.
DAMAGE:
Butler
*Only $9.95, available at all good flea markets. No refunds.
Lap 27:
Sixth-placed Nikolakopoulos damages a wheel on the kerbing at Dunlop. Talk about brittle rims.
Lap 30:
Horton pits from first. Pops out in second.
Lap 33:
Kawasie (Spyker) and Nikolakopoulos collide. Kawasie is fine, Nikolakopoulos is lapping slower.
DAMAGE:
Nikolakopoulos
Lap 34:
Dunstan and AlMomen dispute who should finish eleventh. Dunstan gets away with lost time, AlMomen is forced to park it.
DAMAGE:
AlMomen
Lap 38:
Chang (Williams) falls victim to Panasonic Corner, however he must taste awful as he comes out the corner with only a slightly damaged car. Unfortunately for Chang, the damage is enough to slow him down.
DAMAGE:
Chang
Lap 61:
Machiels suffers the wrath of Netz, and is circulating slower.
One of Kawasie's tyres goes pop.
Kawasie himself goes pop.
DAMAGE:
Kawasie
Lap 67:
Charkaoui picks up his third win.
Horton seals the drivers' title.
Crunching The Numbers:
Best Performing Teams Overall: Super Aguri (1st and 7th), McLaren (3rd and 8th)
Worst Performing Teams Overall: Toyota (14th and 18th), Toro Rosso (15th and 16th)
Fastest Team (is an average of both driver's fastest lap): Super Aguri (1min 26.043)
Best Overtakers: Super Aguri (15 passes)
Biggest Movers - Team (average of both drivers' qual change): BMW Sauber (up 8)
Biggest Movers - Drivers: Rees (up 16), Davidson (up 7), Mason (Toro Rosso, up 7)