F1
RC Race
Sonic Boom Racetrack, 15 Nov 2008
We were excited to race
at the new Sonic Boom outdoor racing track. Fresh air and 12 racers
raced from day till night! Night racing was a new experience, just like
the Singapore GP.
10:00am
- Pits were already full of F1 racers.
Qualifying
was a 30 minute fastest lap affair. Serious looking Oldskul, JP, Ges
and Alec. Top 3 qualifiers separated by only 0.5 sec. JP TQ
Section
1 - AMB timing
Section
2 - Infield, twisty, nice battles
Section
3 - Fast sweeping transitions
Section
4 - The long straight, a drag race
Thanks
to the 12 racers who had fun. Nice weather, nice day to spend an easy
afternoon.
Qualifying - A different
track surface and an unfamiliar layout proved no hindrance to JP Reyes
as he demonstrated the same form that saw him take pole in the last
race. Initially setting less than stellar times in the 24-26s range, a
quick pit at Lap 13 proved crucial. On fresh tires and batteries and
with some minor setup changes, Reyes posted a time of 23.388s on his
19th lap. Gambling on the consistency of rubber tires and the traction
potential of the new surface, Joel Mangilit posted the second fastest
lap of 23.696 on his 21st lap. Similar to Reyes, Mangilit also took
some time to get to grips with the new track with some laps in the
25-26s range. The third spot was secured by Raj Sajwani on his 15th lap
with a time of 23.951. In what would prove to be a pivotal decision,
Sajwani ran the fewest laps of the top 3 qualifiers in a bid to
preserve his motor and tires for the finals. Surprise qualifiers of the
day were veteran Allan Colico in 4th who also gambled on rubber tires
and newcomer Kerwin Lim who posted the 5th fastest time in qualifying.
Final 2’s -
reverse grid handicapped TQ JP Reyes with a starting position behind
Joel Mangilit and Raj Sajwani. In order to salvage the results of Final
1, Reyes had to get past the car of Sajwani and then force Mangilit
into an error. Reyes was able to overtake Sajwani after the latter had
a slight bobble in lap 5. However, Sajwani’s decision to pace
himself in qualifying and Final 1 proved pivotal as he was able keep
Reyes’ car in sight until an error by Reyes on lap 16 gave
him an opening to reclaim 2nd. With a fresher motor and better tire
grip, Sajwani had the faster car and held off Reyes’
challenge until the checkered flag. This all played into
Mangilit’s favor as he could concentrate on just running a
tidy race ahead of the 2 protagonists. After a promising 4th place
finish in Final 1, Allan Colico had to retire in lap 13 due to battery
failure compromising his fight for a podium spot.
Officials and drivers
agreed on the revision as it was clear that additional lighting was
needed around some key areas of the track. Visibility was further
hampered by insects congregating around the spotlight of the
driver’s stand prompting Jason dela Cruz to comment on the
exotic delicacy before him. The less than ideal conditions were evident
in the lap times as even the top 3 racer’s pace was curtailed
in the interest of safety. A clean start from JP Reyes, Joel Mangilit
and Raj Sajwani kicked off the final race but by lap 2 an error from
Reyes once again allowed Mangilit into the lead and Sajwani to close in
right behind the rear wing of Reyes. Sajwani stayed close until an
error from Reyes in lap 3 gave him enough room to claim position 2
behind Mangilit. Points-wise Mangilit was already in a commanding
position. The fight was between Reyes and Sajwani for 2nd overall.
Reyes had to finish behind Sajwani to keep his podium spot and Sajwani
had to beat Mangilit in order to overhaul Reyes’ points
tally. Neither driver would have an easy time as lighting conditions,
slower cars and racing incidents particularly in the darker sections of
the track conspired to challenge them over the entire 15 minute race.
By the checkered flag the order was Mangilit, Sajwani and Reyes with
only 2 retirements in the form of dela Cruz and Anton Ramos. The
resulting points tally placed Joel Mangilit 1st Overall followed by JP
Reyes in 2nd and just a point behind Reyes, Raj Sajwani in 3rd.
Congratulations to the winners.
Thanks
to the racers who had fun, Neil for race report and Mike Ramos for the
photos.
Race
results :)
F1 racing is lots of fun,
see you racing with us soon!
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