In order to build up the race this weekend, I'm going to start a new "monster" post to tie up all the storylines and going ons heading into Saturday's race- and it begins right now.
Can Niop make it two for two?
Niop won the very first DM1 race last Saturday. Will he show up on Saturday to defend his points lead?
Road Racin' Time
This weekend will mark the 2nd race ever in DM1, but more importantly it will be our first road course. Suzuka East is a pretty "tame" road course- it's basically an oval with esses on the back straight- but it will be interesting to see how our drivers will adapt to this new style of racing. It will also be interesting to see if we have any "road course ringers" who join specifically for this race.
Aceboy is ready to go
Ace led the very first lap in DM1 competition but was one spot away from the cigar. Ace enters Suzuka hungry and loaded for bear- while hoping to surprise Niop for the first championship.
Third place throwdown!
An amazing finish for third place had Stormtrooper spinning across the line as both RPH and Crazy were trying to pass each other. RPH might have the most momentum of anyone in GTP right now- coming off the heels of a huge win in Sprint Cup that established him as a championship contender.
Connection problems? (Mostly) Solved!
After the horrible start last Saturday, the room became much more stable because I turned off Fixed Host (Thanks again, Niop!). While there is still a mic issue or two to sort out (In specific, Vanilla), the room should be running much more smooth now.
Strategy time?
There are a number of ways you can win races. One is simply to drive hard. Another way is to drive smart. And some use a combination of the two to win races and championships. With the mandatory pit rule in effect, the 44 lap race at Suzuka will have plenty of different strategys coming in- not related to fuel, but to tires. When is the best time to pit to maximize tire wear? That is the question many will attempt to answer on Saturday...... and one will be correct.
An extended schedule?
There's a possiblity of DM1 to extending from 4 races to 8 races (And offically making this Season 1) if there is a good turnout for Saturday. The new races would probably be Laguna, Motegi, another RC, than ending the first season at Indy.
Finally...... What's in a Race Name?
The Elmo Langley 100km is named in honor of an often forgotten NASCAR legend named Elmo Langley. Elmo was born in Landover Maryland, just a couple of hours where I live. After a pretty good career (535 starts in Cup and a pair of wins), Elmo's biggest two claims to fame came after his career ended- he was the offical Winston Cup Pace Car driver for a number of years, and in 1991, in a special Legends race at Charlotte (Which featured such greats as Fred Lorenzen, Richard Childress, Tim Flock, and Junior Johnson among countless others), Elmo beat Cale Yarborough by 3 feet in the only lap Cale didn't led that day.
Elmo passed away when, before a NASCAR exhibition race at Suzuka, he experienced chest pains and was pronounced dead when his heart stopped beating while transporting him to a hospital.