The iGP Racing Experience (T.i.R.E)

The iGP Racing Experience (T.i.R.E.) Pro Tier Season 02 preview

Mon-Wed 8:30pm AEST (10:30 GMT) 2 cars per team 75% race

The iGP Racing Experience (T.i.R.E.) Pro Tier Season 02 preview

With pre-season testing underway and the new season about to start on Wednesday night we take a quick look at the teams, drivers & managers lining up for T.i.R.E. season 02 pro tier.  
 
 

Team: Polar Motorsports                              Manager: Hudson PM                                 Rating:5915
Chp:2    Races:76              Wins:41                Podiums:119      PP:39     FL:45      RTE:0     Pts:2644
Driver:  Rudi Graca                                         Driver: Alexander Muller

Polar Motorsports won both the team & drivers titles in season 01. R Graca won 8 races including 5 of the last 6. While A Muller finished 3rd and just missed out on 2nd in the championship by only 5 points. Polar Motorsports are a very dominate team with a total of 13 out of 17 victories and 32 of a possible 34 podiums last season they will surely be looking to carry that strength forward and continue their current good form . Starting this season as clear favorites they must be looking for back to back titles. # Polar to remain ice cool and stay on top on of the world!


 

Team: Orange Lizards                                  Manager: Graham Sinclair                       Rating:5617
Chp:1    Races:35              Wins:5                  Podiums:17        PP:6       FL:8        RTE:1     Pts:694
Driver:  Jeronimo Torres                                  Driver: Alex Williams
 
Orange Lizards was a huge surprise last season after taking the rookie title in their first season they were only expected to run mid pack after moving to the pro tier however they consistently ran right behind the top 2 teams and finished a very solid 3rd in the team championship. A Williams was the only full time driver to finish on the podium outside of the top 2 teams last season. A late season form slump seen Orange Lizards struggle tremendously in the last 6 races but they say there not concerned and are looking forward to some new competition this season. # Orange for another bronzed-orange medal performance this season!  
 



Team: Star Racing                                      Manager: Star Racing                                 Rating:5550
Chp:2    Races:69              Wins:23             Podiums:66        PP:25     FL:21      RTE:1     Pts:1815
Driver:  Fabian Hofmann                                Driver: Nuno Wilson

A season of what could have and should have been was the tail for Star Racing last season. Red hot favorites at the start of the season it quickly turned into damage limitation and then into a full blown team rebuild mid-season. But expert management seen one of the greatest turn a rounds ever witnessed. Some say it may have had to do with the fact Star Racing picked up N Wilson from MC Racing who had by far the best car on the grid at the time and were looking almost unstoppable. But whatever it was it worked and Star Racing finished off the season in the form that they should have started the season with. # As always watch for “The Hoff “and let’s hope the Hot Hoff is not Off!
 



Team: Arrows                                             Manager: Brett Wilson              Rating:5446
Chp:0    Races:34              Wins:6                Podiums:14        PP:5       FL:4        RTE:2     Pts:494
Driver:  Adam Wiszkowski                            Driver: Cathal Quinn
       
It was a case of déjà vu for Arrows again as they had an incredibly strong finish to the season after being nowhere for the first 12 rounds. It was a carbon copy of their rookie season however they were unable to claim any victories this time around. But it certainly was not from a lack of trying as A Wiszkowski seemed almost possessed at times with needing to lead the GP. A few minor strategy changes will see Arrows not only on the podium this season but taking victories as well. # They are a shot at being the dark horse this season!    
 


  
Team: Telos IV                                          Manager: Todd Richter              Rating:5905
Chp:2    Races:42              Wins:19             Podiums:46        PP:18     FL:22      RTE:0     Pts:1159
Driver:  Marco Graceffa                                Driver: Tom Schafer

Telos IV took the rookie title last season in very convincing fashion winning the first race by +1 lap then the 2nd by +2 laps and eventually 14 of the first 15 races. Now in their 4th season they move up to the Pro tier for the first time and are still a bit of an unknown for most other teams in pro. Lap times from the last few races put them mid pack but with such a dominate car last season it’s hard not to think some of that would have carried over to this season chassis. # Look for Telos IV for maybe a 4th in this season number 4 for Telos IV!


 

Team: Black Dog Racing                            Manager: Derrin Drew               Rating:5452
Chp:0    Races:61              Wins:0                Podiums:4           PP:3       FL:1        RTE:1     Pts:406
Driver:  Samuel Jones                                   Driver: Liam Kelly

Black Dog Racing was 3rd in the rookie championship last season and has one of the most stable teams on the grid. Long term driver S Jones has been with the team for every race it has ever done and L Kelly has been there for 41 of the 61 race starts. While this stability has been great for team harmony it has yet to produce that elusive race win they so badly want. It will be very tough for them this season but you can never count out a underdog. # Remember its not the size of the dog in the fight but the ……!
   

Team: Prawnstouche Racing                    Manager: Brenden Carney      Rating:5550
Chp:0    Races:32              Wins:1               Podiums:4           PP:0       FL:3        RTE:0     Pts:332
Driver:  Mark Nguyen                                   Driver: Marek Juranowski

A memorable win for T White on the streets of Monaco in their first rookie season remains the only victory for Prawnstouche. A 2nd victory is well over due and with new driver M Juranowski brought in for the final 3 races last season to help guide the development for this season they are first looking to close the gap to those teams ahead and are realistic about their chances of a victory this season. # lets hope the tires are the only thing that go off at Prawnstouche this season!
 


  
Team: HUNGRYinc                                     Manager: Paul Lonergan          Rating:5481
Chp:1    Races:32              Wins:11             Podiums:23        PP:3       FL:9        RTE:0     Pts:669
Driver:  Ludis Krumins                                Driver: Achraf Guessous

Hungryinc came across midseason and showed a lot of potential however not having their team manager at the track every race cost them dearly. If the few races they did last season was spent on developing this year’s car they should certainly be fighting for podiums if not it could be a tough season for them. Winning the rookie title in their first season must seem like a long time ago but the team does know how to win and must find that winning touch if they are going to get back to the top. # We might be left wanting more from Hungryinc this season I feel.


 
So there we have it, the 8 teams, drivers & managers to challenge for the T.i.R.E.  Pro tier title this season. However not returning this season are MC Racing & Umbrella but we thank them for their support and company at each and every race last season and wish them all the best.

So who will come out on top? Who will end up on the bottom? And who will be stuck in the middle like a piece of meat in a salami sandwich? Come join us (in or out of the sandwich) for RD 01 Wednesday 8:30pm AEST (10:30GMT)  ….. BYO Salami      

Welcome to Melbourne, Australia for round 1 Prawnstouche Racing, your model PR-3 car is looking great! how is it to drive Mark?

First of all thanks its great to be back in Melbourne after the off season testing the PR-3 is a great car we worked out a lot of bugs we had in development last year.  It feels fantastic and no matter what Marek and I threw at it, it handled it perfectly!

That's great to hear, the weather is looking great at the moment but its looks like rain for the race itself, is that going to change how you work your weekend?

Well yes it will, it's going to make Quali difficult to make sure we have a good setup for the race as well.  Fortunately we have done extensive testing for this years model on the simulator so I feel we should be fine!

How do you feel the team is going to go this year?

That is a tough question I feel as though we should be in with a chance but that was based on the competition last season, now that we are in the Pro tier this is a all new competition, and we only really know where we are development wise.  I have a feeling a few of the other teams are playing possum and are not showing their hand until those five red lights go out here in Melbourne.

Thank you for your time Mark

Samuel Jones of Black Dog Racing
"The BDR-03 is a quantum leap over that POS they made me drive last year......this year with some good equipment underneath me I want to raise some eyebrows and   if I cant win...well like my neighbours black dog I will take a dump on their lawn. Now get that microphone out of my face before I make it a permanent fixture of your body.....where the hell is the motorhome parked now!!!??? Come on Jennifer lets go see if that tight a** team manager has stocked the beer fridge yet...."

 Liam Kelly of Black Dog Racing
"I like to go fast.......fast is good, dear god I hope this car is fast...I would LOVE to actually overtake someone.....except for my teammate......my team mate scares me, I dont like to overtake him because I am pretty sure he carries a gun in the cockpit with him." 

lol - :D

                                                        Star Racing Review - Round One, Melbourne Australia



Scott Stephens (Team Manager, Star Racing) - No reason to be disappointed

Wednesday at Albert Park started fantastically for both Star Racing drivers,  as Hofmann recorded a pole position and Wilson backing up the team with a 2nd grid spot. But despite making a great start, the SR drivers slipped backwards in the race. However, as he explains, a podium finish in the opening race of the season is far from a disaster…

Q: Have you been suprised with the pace of the cars over a single lap?
SS: I think generally everything was a bit of a surprise this weekend for everyone, as all of us did not know where we stood because the winter tests were not too enlightening. So this qualifying did put a smile on our face.

Q: After a 1-2 by Polar Motorsports, do you think this is the first sign that PM will be a strong challenger for the championship?
SS: It was only the first race and there are still 18 to go so it is a bit premature to call anybody a favorite for the title. polar had good speed over a stint and have always had good strategy. Both drivers have been with the team for a couple of seasons now, so they have good continuity again for this season.

Q: Did you expect Polar to be so competitive?
SS: As I said before, everybody has been a bit of surprise to everyone, as nobody knew what to expect. The qualifying was fantastic but in the race we had a bit of a problem with the wear of the tyres - and obviously Rudi (Graca) & Alexander (Muller) did the best job looking after the tyres out of everyone managing to stop only twice. A two-stop strategy was never on the table for us after practice.

Q: You had an excellent start - why didn’t it work out better?
SS: Yes, it was a real good start and our goal was to go for as many laps as possible. Obviously the degradation was a bit more intense for us than for others. But to start from pole position and end on the podium - all in all, that was a successful round an a good points haul for the drivers and the teams championship.

Q: How will things unfold next weekend in Malaysia?
SS: What we have seen today was a first glimpse, but we are far from getting an idea of the pecking order. Malaysia is a completely different track and from what we have seen today, everything depends on how well people handle the tyres. But (in Malaysia) we will see completely different conditions and will use different tyres so there are too many differences to Melbourne. We have seen over the past few years that what we have seen in Melbourne has hardly ever become a trend for the next couple of races.

Fabian Hofmann Q&A: It’s a fantastic start to the season

Time and again, Star have proved they can bounce back and on Wednesday in Melbourne the Aussie team unknotted the disappointments of TiRE season one by starting the season two in the best way possible. Driver Fabian Hofmann, who secured a dominant pole position, discusses his performance, the race and looks ahead to the remainder of the TiREseason…

Q: Fabs, the SRA-5 performed amazingly today. How proud are you about what you and the team has delivered?
FH: Massively proud. My team never gives up - they keep on pushing and pushing. We have had a tough start into the TiRE League, so to be back right where we are today is fantastic.

Q: Were you surprised the team claimed the entire front row?
FH: To be honest, yeah i was. I thought that the Polar, Orange and even Arrows would be ahead, especially after last season and the results even to the last couple of rounds. I really did not know what to expect but I made sure that I delivered the best performance I could. My first fast lap was amazing, but you just never know. So I had to go out again, but the track wasn’t the same any more. My first fast lap of the season did it - for the team and for me!

Q: What surprised you more - claiming the front row or that Polar were behind?
FH: That Polar were behind. Last season, they dominated qually and races and not many others were able to compete with them. On some occasions today we thought that they were only ‘sandbagging’ and it is good, for now, to know that they weren’t. On the other hand I knew that we would be quick. But how quick we would be I had no idea. This was the test and we passed it with bravery!

Q: TheSRA-5 is said to be the best-looking car on the grid and now it seems to be one of the fastest too…
FH: Yeah, fastest and most beautiful car - that’s it.

Questions from the Floor

Q: Fabs, only third today but the crowd are obviously very appreciative of what you did. But what happened to the Star Racing pace we were expecting?
FH: Well, I think first of all we can be happy with today. Obviously we wanted more. Clearly when you start from pole you want to win. I think we could see after a very good start, and a good first two or three laps, that the tyres were falling apart and we couldn’t go as long as other people. So congratulations to Polar and especially to RG, I think they did the best job today. I think we were third-quickest today and very happy to get third place.

Q: Do you think it was just the conditions, the rain, the track temperatures or are you seriously worried about the pace of Polar?
FH: No, I’m not worried. I have to admit sometimes that other people are faster. I think we can be very happy today. We had a great qualifying session this morning and this afternoon unfortunately didn’t quite work the way we would have liked but it’s a long season, a long way ahead of us, so good points to start. Surely we wanted a little bit more but there’s no reason to be disappointed.

Q: Did it surprise you that starting from pole the pace wasn’t there to go on and win the race?
FH: Well I think the pace was there. The naked pace. Qualifying was pretty good for us. I think we had quite a good run, and then also the first two laps of the race were pretty good and also the first two laps on each set of tyres felt pretty good - but yeah, obviously after that we couldn’t keep it up and surely the times set in the front, from Muller but Graca especially, were quite impressive considering the amount of laps on the tyres. So, we couldn’t do that and that’s why, I think we lost out a little bit today. But, as I said, it’s a very tough, very long grand prix and very nice to be on the podium at the end. We have quite a good record here so I’m happy that we had another podium finish today.

Q & A with Nuno Wilson

Star will enter the 2013 season with the same two drivers that drove for the team in parts of last season - 11-time Grand Prix winner Fabian Hofmann and former GP2 champion Nuno Wilson. After taking the covers off the new SRA-5 at Stars's factory in Perth, Australia on Monday, Wilson looked ahead to the upcoming season...

Q: What are your thoughts heading into your second season with Star Racing Team?
NW: I’m feeling pretty good. Last year was my return to Formula 1 and it went pretty well. This year will be my second with Star Racing and my seventh season overall in iGP so I’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect. I’m sure it will be an exciting season and I’m sure there’ll be lots to talk about. For me, I will continue to do the best I can, let’s see how good our car is, and how good the cars of the opposition are too.

Q: Is the continuity of going into your second season with the team beneficial to you?
NW: It helps. It’s not a massive thing which will suddenly mean you start winning all the races, but it’s nice to be at the same team as you understand how they work, and they understand how you work. We quickly developed a pretty good way of working together last year and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue this season.

Q: Do you think the team has what it takes to win a championship?
NW: Yes, I think they do. It’s clear from working with them that they are racers, and you can see in their history that they’ve won championships. Nothing I saw last year made me think that another championship was impossible in the future. Of course, there is some pretty tough competition out there and everyone wants to win. The team have beaten everyone before and there’s nothing to say they can’t do it again.

Q: How you feeling today after a hard faught race crossing the line in 5th
NW: I'm happy with our result today and it's much better than we expected for the first race of the season. The car felt really good out there, I had a strong first stint and was able to make the wets last longer than most of the others. We'd planned for two stops but converted to a three-stop strategy during the race. I don't quite know where we lost the ground to the cars ahead so we'll have a look at the race again now and figure it out. The important thing is that we have a car that we can really work with and the team have done a fantastic job to get us to this position. Thanks to everyone here and back at base for their support over my first race weekend with Star. Now we'll look forward to Malaysia next round and hopefully build on this positive start with an improved performance.

Samuel Jackson of Black Dog Racing on his Australia GP results
"I dont get paid enough to drive in the rain.....bloody Melbourne weather. If those Prawn Touchers get in my way again I am going to turn them into prawn cocktails!, now get the hell out of my way, Jennifer is back at the hotel covering herself in peanut butter."

Liam Kelly of Black Dog Racing
"Well that was embarrasing.....home GP and and the team manager gets drunk, rampages all night at the drivers ball and then sleeps through the GP. That last pitstop I had to get out of the car and change my own tyres, the mechanics were so hungover they were all out the back throwing up in Polar Motorsports kit bags. The only postitive was that I didnt beat my team mate so I can get back to the hotel without fear of recieving a wedgie"

lol @ Derrin

The iGP Race Experience (T.i.R.E.)     
RD 01 – Dick Smith Australian iGP
 
Pre-Race:
With the season break finally over we head to Melbourne as the season kicked off in what was a home GP for all teams. A little rain seen the Umbrellas out (miss you Jim) but that could not dampened the excitement of a new season. However with the new season also comes new controversy and talks of a protest were at fever pitch levels as FP1 got underway. Sources confirm there were 2 separate teams testing in the week prior to the Melbourne GP but they cannot confirm if they were legitimate pre-season tests or illegal tire tests. A hearing date is expected to be set in the coming weeks.  


Qualifying:
The rain continued to fall as qualifying got underway and for the first time ever in the T.i.R.E. series we had 18 cars on track and it made for a very exciting session. Most teams went for the full wet but some of the newer teams took a gamble on the inters. Star Racing took no time in showing their hand and put in an early time that held for most of the session only to set slightly quicker times on the very last run. F Hoff & N Wilson locked out the front row and sent a clear signal to all the other teams that they are hear this season to win. Polar Motorsports locked out row 2 with A Muller & R Graca. A Williams was 5th for Orange Lizards with Telos IV’s T Schafer the best of the new teams in 6th. J Torres was a respectable 7th for Orange just ahead of both Arrow drivers A Wiz & C Quinn who would have been looking for a little bit more. Last season’s rookie winner M Graceffa rounded out the top 10 for Telos IV. Black Dog locked out the 6th row with S Jones & L Kelly. Prawns was the first team to run on the inters and lined up 13th & 14th with M Juraz & M Nguyen some 11 sec off the pace. Hungry also on inters could only managed 15th L Krums & 16th A Guess.   



Race Results:
Picking up from where they left of last season Polar Motorsports finished 1-2 with R Graca & A Muller. While they finished some 19 sec ahead of Star Racings F Hofman in 3rd it could have been a much different result as Hoff lead early on and had very good pace in what was the longest first stint of any driver. However a refueling issue that plagued several teams last season returned and resulted in a last lap pit stop by both Star Racing drivers. F Hoff had just moved into 2nd and was 2sec behind the race leader at the time of the forced stop but clearly had the pace to take victory.

A Williams held onto 4th for Orange Lizards after a tremendous last lap battle with Star Racings N Wilson after he was forced to pit with that refueling issue on the penultimate lap. Both drivers had the KERS working to maximum capacity as they began the last lap and left nothing on the table as they crossed the line just .2 sec apart. Arrows A Wiz was able to move up 2 places from his starting position to equal his previous best finish in 6th. He was pushed hard but never really troubled by J Torres for Orange Lizards in 7th. Arrows other driver C Quinn drove well to hold onto 8th just ahead of both Telos IV drivers with T Schafer in 9th less than 1sec behind Quinn and needed just one more lap to pass and M Graceffa 10th. It was Graceffa who won the race here last season in rookies by +1 lap but he could not repeat his effort this year in the pro tier.   

After starting on the Inters and coming in at the end of the first lap for full wets Prawn’s M Juraz  11th & M Nuguyen 12th were always going to have a long race without a safety car as they were already some 30+ sec of the lead at the end of the 2nd lap. Black Dog also suffered a refueling issue and was forced to pit with only 2 laps to go and dropped down to finish with S Jones 13th & L Kelly 14th. Hungry not only started on the inters but also refit them on the first stop running all the way to lap 22 in the hope the rain would ease but it never did and as they were over 10sec a lap of the pace it was amazing they only finished 3 laps down with L Krumins 15th & A Guess 16th.   

Post Race:
With Rain the entire race it was full wets as the tire of choice and a 2 stopper proved to be the best strategy,  it would have been nice to see if Star Racing could have made a 1 stopper work as they seem to have the pace. Polar looked as if they were caught off guard with the pace of Star in the last stint as they should have had it covered easily mid race when the multi 12 order came through for driver not to race each other.

Orange don’t seem to have the same advantage as they did last season over the mid field with Arrow starting much better than they previously have, both of them could be a threat to the top 2 teams on their day. We have yet to see the best of the new teams as they are still finding their feet in the higher tier. We are in need of some dry running before we see the true pace of any of the teams and even if we get some dry track time next round many believe it will be China before we know where everyone stands.

Polar Motorsports were kind enough to donate their kit bags post-race to the local Alcoholics Anonymous branch as a special gift that they said would really mean alot to them.       

BREAKING NEWS FROM PRAWNSTOUCHE RACING


Team owner Brenden has released a statment

After much deliberation we have decided to release Mark Nguyen from his contract here at Prawnstouche Racing.  After a promising begining with our team we just were not getting the results that we ultimately want for the team which has to be our priority, we have a truly amazing car this season and need to take full advantage of this.  Due to this I would like to announce our new signing Toma Popov who's talent can not be denied.  However I would like to put the entire team on notice if results do not start happening I will release everyone from their contracts and start again if need be.  I would like to thank Mark for his time with our team and wish him luck for the future...

Team Arrows Protest Star Racing

The Stewards at Australia GP Confirmed that they have recieved an official protest from The Arrows team concerning an alleged illegal Star Racing multiple racing session.

The Statement explained that the Star Racing team allegiable had completed in 2 races outside of their league using a 2013 S3 car on various tracks. However preseason racing is not pemtted according to Article 22.4H of the T.i.R.E. sporting regulations.

Team Arrows Manager Brett Wilson said he had only learnt of this hours before the race, he added " We need to deal with it through the proper channels so thats what we'll look at doing."

Star Racing locked out the front row at the Australia GP, it has been reported that star racing conducted approx over 300km Both drivers where wearing plain white helmets.

Team Arrows Post Race comments - Australia GP

Team manager Brett Wilson 
"Very excited being in the points considering our car is not the greatest this season specially in the wet, The team did a fantastic job today seeing both drivers scoring points and A.W equaling his best result so far."

Q. F1 Australia Magazine
Moving to Malaysia next round, where do you expect the team to finish ?
BW - "Well as i mentioned in the points... I'd like to see us on the podium but we seem to have taken a different turn with the design of the car this season which has set us back, Hopefully we can be more competitive from mid season onwards"  

Drivers where unavailable for comments as they offered to assist with modivational speeches in the A.A meetings held at trackside after the race... Rumor has it Liam Kelly was spotted there as well giving support to his team mechanics.

In other news Fans swamped Ebay this week to get a chance to bid for the *used item - Polarsports Kit bags as is....currently is selling for 30,000 AU, it was one of the weeks highest selling auctions that did not have photos attached 

RaceGate Rage, Star Racing Innocent

In what is believed to be the most controversial move undertaken by a team against another team in the TiRE series history, Team Arrows have undeniable set the season an the field of teams into a frenzy. Star Racing received protest papers from FLaTTiRE (the sanctioning body for the TiRE series) during the week outlining the expression of interest to the 2 races run in the TiRE Series off-season.

The part believed to be in question was that of Article 22.4H: Pre-season racing is not permitted.

How ever, under the Leagues section  Article 2.2B: Teams can leave/join a league at anytime provided the season has NOT started. If the season has started, nobody is allowed to leave. If the tiers in a league are not full, people can join at anytime but again, they can't leave until the season is over.

Seems that Star Racing has found a loophole in the series. Due to the League not technically started (no race had taken place) Star Racing's is innocent of any wrong doing.

Media Conference held by Star Racing

Scott Stephens: Star Racing has acted in accordance to the rules and regs and in the best interest of the sport. We were at no point trying to gain a competitive edge with the car, nor the setup. Any information gained is that of strategy,  that we and every other team already has access too from previous races/seasons gone. That is not against the regulations.

We are not displeased with Arrows and the decision to protest, as long as its a fair an just protest. We found a loophole that no others found and we went for it, knowing that we would be in the clear. If FLaTTiRE see that the rules book needs to be changed then that's up to them. Until the rule is changed, i see no problem in doing what we did again in the future.

Questions from the floor

Motorsport News Weekly:
Q: Do you feel the protest was one of anger and disappointment from Arrows?
SS: Look, if teams cant or dont have the people to read the rules and extract the best out of them for their team, that's not our fault. That's theirs. I am a little displeased with the way they have conducted themselves though. The TiRE series is a very professional, friendly run series. This type of accusation is not going to gain them any friends in the paddock, that's for sure. We have seen an uproar from the teams up and down pit lane twith in the series today, so it will be interesting how things go tonight during the live broadcast chat.

Motorsport News Weekly:
Q: If no information was gained from the races, what was its purpose to leave an then return?
SS: Great question. Star wasn't sure if it was going to continue in the TiRE series. So they found a suitable series that accommodated both the drivers an myself. Towards the end of last season, i was not around for a few races due to other commitments. My team and its drivers suffered a lot and what could have been better results were not able to happen. To be successful in the series, you need to be there, to be track side and have good control of your drivers at all times. I cant do that if im at other engagements. Two races in the other series, we heard whispers of TiRE making some race night changes, this ended up being beneficial to us and others with-in the league. So we made the return to the series.

ActionAuto:
Q: Star Racing has had a competitive start to the season, do you contribute that to the races held in the other series?
SS: You have got to be kidding right!!! As i said before, we gained no new information at all. Nothing that all the other teams in the TiRE series already have. We are one round into the series and i dont think there is one person on the grid that expected it to be raining, let a lone rain all race. We had never seen a full wet race, so it was new to everyone. I am happy with the start to the season, but i put it down to the hard work we did from the mid-season last series. Star went through and had a massive restructure, new drivers came on board an we just put our heads down and did our thing. We had a great result in round one, lets just see how the field goes in round two tonight.

SS: Thank you all for your time, i look forward to the media conference tonight after the race

Pre Race Malaysia comments from Team Arrows

Q. Racegate rage is heating up Star Racing is apparently dissapointed by your protesting............can you elaborate.
A. Team manager Brett Wilson " Look you media guys get it wrong all the time and want to create a big deal about this... All we are doing is seeking clarification on the rules as we were under the impression we could not race before start of the season..Thats all it is no love lost, i feel its a fair call as if that can be done then good on them for doing so if not then we know for end of season, its an open shut case really. I repeat in plain engrish for you media ppl WE are seeking clarification.. the rules are very long and conveluded and can be miss leading in interpretation...."

Q. Are there any other teams that have done this.
A. BW - "We were told that Polar Motor racing has also done the samething hence why we are jsut seeking clarification, Jesus you guys can be morons sometimes.... Stop trying to turn everything into a scandal... No more comments."

After the brief Q&A Brett Wilson was reportedly heading over to Star Racing garage for a so called "meeting", The meeting invovled alchol consumption according to driver Samuel Jackson.

Pre-Race Interview Polar Motorsports

Hudson PM answered questions as he entered the iGP paddock club.

Q: Arrows has implemented you in the RaceGate Saga any comments?
Hudson: Racegate what’s that? Are we replacing our garage doors in pit lane with gates?

Q: No there are some teams that have done private tests prior to the start of the season are you one of them?
Hudson: I did a lot of pre-season testing in fact there was salmon, prawns, scallops I tested them all.

Q: Whats your interpretation of Article 22.4H & 2.2B in the rulebook?
Hudson: Not sure Bernie sent me the rule book in a PDF format this year but I could not open the link so I asked him to resend it but he never did. I am sure someone on the team has read it.

Q: Are you looking for back to back victories to kick off the season?
Hudson: What sort of question is that…seriously? I’m not looking for bloody cupcakes am I!  

Q: With MC Racing gone this season are you going to have an easier shot at the title.
Hudson: I wish, Star Racing are very close to finding the sweet spot in their setup and when they do it will be tough to hold them back. Arrows are not that far off the pace and will be coming on stronger every race. 

Post Race Malaysia comments from Team Arrows

Q: Great result today is this setting a trend for the rest of the season?
Brett Wilson: "Thanks yes it was a great race we were rather suprised as we have not faired well around Malaysia this has to be right up there with one of our best results, The driver did a great job today, We had them on 2 different strategies today and as this had been our first Dry race ever at this track we unfortunatley did not have the optium setup either but we collected alot of data which will be very useful next time round here. (lets hope its dry)" *crowd laughs*

Q: Brett everybody is asking, have you done yourself any favours around the paddock with regards to Racegate and polar motorsports ?
Brett Wilson: "It appears we were mistaken with regards to polarmotors it was actually there sister team Orange Lizard, its very confusing I get them wrong all the time as they have the same team manager my apologises. And i dont feel we have damaged our reputation, ONCE AGAIN we are just seeking clarification on the rules at this point in time And when you are spending millions of dollars per race i think that its in our right to ask these questions."

Q&A from Driver C Quinn

Q: Congratulations C Quinn on your race that was a fantastic result Give us your view on the race.
C Quinn : "Thank you, yes it was quite a demanding race specially with where we started and the heat and tyre degredation. First 4 laps i was heild up alot and we are still unsure as to why i qualifed so far down the order but it costed me presious seconds, Had i have been somewhere in the top 10 I believe i would have been able to challenge for poduim but it wasnt the case today. In saying that we also had quite a few issues with the cars handling so it was more about damage control today and we still came away with a 5th which has been my best result so far this season."

Q: Looking forward to the next race in China what can we expect from you and the team ?
C Quinn : Upgrades upgrades upgrades *smiles* I feel the car will be better to drive with the upgrades we will be bringing. We can see alot of teams are way further ahead then us in regards to the cars design so sandbaging in pre-season was definaltey there as we suspected, which is good for us as we are managing to still be rather competitive so who knows how fast we will be once we have caught up. lets wait and see. Thank you for your time.

Post race Malaysia
Samuel Jones of Black Dog Racing
"I have already warned you about the microphone.......get the hell away from me you blood sucking parasite!!...Jennifer where the hell are you!!!!????"

Liam Kelly of Black Dog Racing
"*sigh* Seems the team manager was to busy swapping texts with his new best friend Shane Warne to put the correct setup OR race strategy on the car. Speaking of text messages I got one from Samuels girlfriend Jennifer asking if I had Alexander Mullers number....very strange."

Jessica Walker - Technical Director  for Black Dog Racing
"OMG! I mean, I only just now realised that my pit monitors were tuned to the wrong station....I was watching V8 supercars thinking it was our race, OMG I know right? I was like OMG lolz!!!! At least it explains why everytime the drivers took their helmets off they looked nothing like Jamie and Craig...Samuel and Liam are a real come down after that.....I thought F1 was full of totally hot guys, I'm like WTF?"

ROFL - Brilliant!!

The iGP Race Experience (T.i.R.E.)     
RD 02 – Petronas Towers Malaysian iGP Pro Tier
 
Pre-Race:

RageGate talked again filled the paddock and teams and drivers seemed very tight lipped on  their option of what is testing or racing pre-season. A vote is expected to be put before the official sanction body FLaTTiRE either after this race or by the next round in China.
While it was news of a Mark Nguyen departure form Prawnstouche that went virtually unnoticed as teams were busy in practice trying to make up for the loss of dry track time at Australia, with some teams even testing new parts already.


Qualifying:

Teams faced a tough decision heading into qualifying. After practice it was clear the hard compound was the preferred race tire but the Soft option was a good .8 sec quicker over a single lap. If teams went with the option tire they would need to run a 3 stop strategy while those electing to start on the hard compound could make it on a 2 stopper.  

As such the top 7 were all on softs lead by a Polar Motorsports 1-2 separated by only .005 Telos IV had a fantastic result with M Graceffa in 3rd followed by Orange Lizards in 4-5 and Hungry 6-7.  The previous pole sitter F Hoff was the first driver on hards with his Star Racing teammate N Wilson in 10th. Arrows had A Wiz in 9th and C Quinn down in 14th. T Popov was 12th in his first race and outshone Prawnstouche teammate M Jurz in 15th.  Black Dog missed their setup and after being 11-12 on the grid last round they were down on the last row in 17-18th even on the soft compound.       

Race Results:

Race start seen a hot and sunny 31deg air and a blistering 52deg track temp. Those teams starting on softs looked as if they might be pitting as early as lap 5 or 6. It was however M Graceffa for Telos IV who was the first to pit on lap 7 while all the other drivers on softs who were at one point over 2 sec a lap quicker than those on hard compound but could only make it one more lap and pitted at the end of lap 8. This left Arrows A Wiz and C Quinn out in front on the hard prime tire looking very comfortable indeed. Surprisingly however A Wiz pitted on lap 11 just 3 laps after those on the option and was running a 3 stopper on the primes (H-H-H-H), he unfortunately came out in some very heavy traffic down in 14th. He did make it back to the lead on lap 14 but would eventually finish down in 7th.  While Teammate C Quinn came home in 5th running a standard 2 stopper on the primes (H-H-H). Star Racing never showed the pace they did last round and ran a slightly different strategy of H-H-S and were happy just to pick up some points with F Hoff in 6th & N Wilson in 8th.

Telos IV split their drivers with M Graceffa finishing 9th after starting 3rd running S-H-H-H and T Schafer finishing 10th H-H-H after starting 11th just 10 sec back. Proving the team’s simulations correct that H-H-H was the preferred strategy to run given that traffic would be a major issues for those running S-H-H-H starting outside of the top 6.  Hungry fell victim to that traffic with both drivers dropping form 6&7 on the grid to finish 11th & 12th running S-H-H-H. M Jurz for Prawnstouche started 15th ran H-H-H and finished 15th. Black Dog’s struggles from qually continued and they seemed to elect to run an extended test session and were the only team to run a 4 stopper with S-H-S-S-S to finish 2 laps down.

But it was the raw pace of Polar Motorsports in the opening stint that seen them pull enough of a gap (and with a bit of luck as well) to find some clean air after their first pit stop. From there they were able to make the most of their S-H-H-H strategy to bring home a solid 1-2 with A Muller completing the Grand Slam this weekend over R Graca who was never lower then 4th at any point in the race. Orange Lizards had a much harder time and really had to fight to make the S-H-H-H work for them but pulled off a well-deserved 3rd for A Williams and 4th for J Torres who was out of the points in 11th at one stage.               
       
Post Race:

It’s a 1-2 and a 2-1 at the top for Polar Motorsports with both drivers tied on 43 points. Arrow and Star Racing have 3 drivers tied for 6th on 14 points while Telos IV has had a 9-10 & 10-9 and there are 3 teams yet to score a point this season. We have seen some great chat in the paddock each race thus far and some managers have even missed pit stops due the banter taking place. China is fast approaching and there will certainly be more news on the RaceGate protests in the coming days. So be sure to join us next round for more of the same in the The iGP Race Experience (T.i.R.E.) Pro Tier.

Team HUNGRYinc declined to comment on their recent remarks regarding wheelchair access.
Their Team Manager however said there were many positives to take from the last race... 
"We've had the guys doing charity work on a wheelchair porno film last week"
"I think the hard work has paid off and our qualifying showed good potential, but just like a good wheelchair lover we just have to keep on pushing".
This week we're trying out some one handed laps. We'll keep the intense training going and see if we can 'come first' by seasons end.