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Post by Pascal Mikula on Feb 22, 2022 16:33:16 GMT 1
Dear race fans,
this little thread shall bring you highlights from our events here at CMH.
Per race event, we'll post up to six screenshots with captions, in case you missed the action yourself.
You can discuss the event, the broadcast, the driving, drivers, etc. here, or in the race thread that'll be linked in each post respectively.
Enjoy the show and, hopefully, see you on track soon! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Feb 22, 2022 16:44:58 GMT 1
2022 CMH Masters Trophy - Round 1 - 1978 DRM Norisring Geldrennen  | The 2022 CMH Season is underway! Pascal Mikula (31) leads away Division 1 while returning sim-racing veteran Martin Bayer (72) leads Division 2. | And here we go! The green flag flies and immediately, the four Porsche 935s of Division 1 make use of their 600+ horsepower engines. |
  | Early trouble for Filippo Marazzi (4)! At the end of the second lap, he spins coming out of the Dutzenteichkurve and is very lucky that none of the other drivers hit him. | Disaster for Ricardo Mendes (50)! His BMW engine blows up on the start-finish straight. Besides him, four other drivers suffered an engine failure during this race - hardly surprising given these cars are brand new out of the factory! |
  | Massive crash on lap 47! Luka Zadel (5) loses control while chasing Mikula (31) and hits the wall. The car is thrown back on the track and Christian Dauger (29) has nowhere to go! Zadel is hospitalized but Dauger is able to carry on. Behind the crash, Joe Gillett (52) is very lucky to not be collected. | After 62 cruelling laps, the top-3 finishers overall stand in formation - Pascal Mikula (31) wins overall and in Division 1, while Joe Gillett (52) wins in Division 2. Martin Bayer (72) finishes third overall, second in Division 2. Great comeback for him, that's for sure! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Mar 3, 2022 10:10:40 GMT 1
1971 SCCA Trans-Am Championship - Round 1 - Lime Rock 200  | Here's your grid for the first race of the 1971 Trans-Am Championship. On Pole, believe it or not: Szymon Wit (76) leading Anderson Bernardino (93)- Respect! | The green flag flies and immediately, Wit (76) and Bernardino (93) take off, leading Ricardo Mendes (23) and Pascal Mikula (36) - the first laps of this race sure had some excitement in them! |
  | After only five of the scheduled (shortened) 70 laps, the two leaders had already built a gap of over ten seconds - while the rest of the field was still fighting close, hard, but clean. Mendes (23) in the Ford Mustang leads Mikula (36) in the old Chevy Camaro and Steve Velocity (11), also in a Ford Mustang. Mendes (23) had a sub-par start, dropping some positions during the first few laps, but as he got past the pack, he was then able to start chasing the leaders - and chase them he did! | Trouble for Matthew Oboyski (8) as he loses his brakes on the approach to the first turn and almost takes Pascal Mikula (36) with him! Unfortunately, Oboyski along with half the field was forced to retire - most of them due to engine failures. However, Mikula (36) had a sub-par race as well, being forced to stop at the pits twice for repairs himself, as he had to battle with the Camaro's surprising lack of reliability. |
  | Stunning scenes as the Ford Mustang of Ricardo Mendes (23) goes airborne as he chases Anderson Bernardino (93) early in the race! Mendes (23) would be the only driver during the whole race to avoid having to stop in the pit lane for fuel or tires. Sadly, Bernardino (93) would be one of the cars forced out of the race with engine trouble. | At the finish, it is Ricardo Mendes (23) taking a dominant, no, crushing victory over Christian Dauger (10) and Luka Zadel (16) - Dauger managed to take his three-year-old Camaro to second place, however Mendes finished the race two whole laps ahead of him! In the background, Mikula (36) is attempting to cross the finish line in fourth place, his engine having blown on the final lap. |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Mar 13, 2022 22:19:27 GMT 1
1971 SCCA Trans-Am Championship - Round 2 - Bryar 150  | Szymon Wit (76) takes the second Trans-Am Pole Position at Loudon, almost half a second ahead of Ricardo Mendes (23)! The Pole showed great pace throughout practice and with former Formula 5000 champion Pascal Mikula (36) in position 3, this race was destined to be exciting! | Unfortunately for Wit (76), technical problems forced him into some unfortunate errors. Seen here is the aftermath of a half-spin out of the final corner, which sees Mikula (36) and Mendes (23) overtake. Szymon Wit (76) would end up finishing down the order, having had to pit for repairs along the way. |
  | Matthew Sibanyoni (15), who wasn't present at Lime Rock Park, had an exciting battle with both his own car, and with Szymon Wit (76) in the closing stages of the race - doors were banged, wheels were rubbed, and both drivers ended their race fourth and fifth respectively. | Disaster again for Anderson Bernardino (93)! Now a regular front runner, he will surely have to have a very stern chat with his engine builder, because this is the second race in a row where his Pontiac V8 engine failed him. And this wasn't even at half distance! |
  | More trouble for the other Pontiac Firebird in the race - Matthew Oboyski (8) loses a cylinder and blows up his engine only one corner away from the finish! He would be scored in seventh place, missing out on a crucial point. The guys over at General Motors in Detroit will surely have to bring something new to the next race at Mid-Ohio. | After 50 exciting and breath-taking laps, the top-three finishers of the Bryar 150 are Pascal Mikula (36) taking his first Trans-Am victory in front of Lime Rock Champion Mendes (23) and silent assassin Christian Dauger (10), who takes his second podium position in a row! It was a rare sight to see those three separated by one second in total, but the close racing was still fair and clean. On to Mid-Ohio! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Mar 18, 2022 20:01:55 GMT 1
1973 B.A.R.C. "Wella For Men" Formula Ford National Championship - Round 1 - Croft  | The 1973 Formula Ford National Championship starts off here at Croft Circuit near Darlington in England. Local driver David Sabre (83) won Pole Position for the Final after winning his qualifying heat ahead of Pascal Mikula (3) and Joe Gillett (57). | For the first ten laps, the fight for the lead and the win, alongside the two bonus points for the fastest lap was between Mikula (3), Sabre (83) and Owen Potter (28) - the two Brits sandwiching the German while trading fastest laps! |
  | Croft Circuit has some tricky corners, the most tricky of them being Spa Corner at the end of Railway Straight - it caught out four drivers, three of which hit the barriers on the outside - here Szymon Wit (32) has crashed and Joe Gillett (57) was lucky to not be collected. | And around goes Owen Potter (28)! His Hawke DL11 proved just a little bit too loose and he lost valuable track position from the two cars ahead of him. Unfortunately, he'd have a big crash at Spa Corner and would not be one of the finishers of the race. |
  | More trouble, this time for Pascal Mikula (3) - he clips the grass in the last part of the circuit and spins around 360 degrees, losing sight of Sabre (83), who's had a flawless qualifying, qualifier heat and final heat, something he wouldn't go unrewarded for. | 20 laps and loads of excitement later, it's home-town hero David Sabre (83) who grabs the victory over Pascal Mikula (3)! A careful exit out of the chicane almost cost him his maiden CMH win, however he held off Mikula by 0.057 seconds in the end! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Apr 3, 2022 11:39:43 GMT 1
1971 SCCA Trans-Am Championship - Round 3 - Lexington 180
  | And off we go! Ricardo Mendes (23) takes his first Pole Position of the season as Ford comes to Mid-Ohio with their strength in numbers - Half of the grid entered with a Ford Mustang! Debutant George Oster (33), hailing from Argentina, grabbed the second place on the grid ahead of Penske's Pascal Mikula (36). | It wasn't to be a long race for Mikula (36) though. For the first time, the age of his Chevrolet Camaro caught up with him. He had lacked pace during the race as an injury sustained during practice had returned, and now a rocker arm gave out, putting an end to the German's race after only twenty of the planned seventy-five laps.
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  | The curse of General Motors' Pontiac engines continues! One-off entrant Halil Sahin (92) from Turkey is the first of the Pontiac drivers to suffer an engine failure - a cracked radiator led to overheating and only after a couple dozen laps, the Turkish driver is forced to park his car. | More disaster and horrible luck for Anderson Bernardino (93)! His car explodes on the long back-straight and he's scrambling to find a place to escape the vehicle! Anderson is taken to the track care center for burns to his hands, but he's sure to be back for the next race.
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  | Another engine fire - this time for the Ford Mustang of Steve Velocity (11) - fortunately, he immediately gets off track and gets out of his stricken car. Ford Motor Company can be proud that they brought that many cars to the track - for example Kilian Gutierrez (45), who's seen here passing his burning team mate. | All the reliability drama aside - time for pit stops! Every driver had to pit at least once for tires and fuel, and here we see George Oster (33) going through Turn 1 as Matthew Oboyski (8) and Kilian Gutierrez (45) are receiving pit stop service from their respective crews. Oboyski (8), in fact, would also suffer an engine failure, but his Pontiac engine out-lasted all the others. |
  | Seventy-five laps and almost two-and-a-half hours later, Ricardo Mendes (23) crosses the finish line to record a historic victory! He completely dominated the event, lapping everyone in the race at least one time. An absolute masterclass from Mendes, who extends his points lead in the Trans-Am standings! | More than a minute after the winner, the rest of the podium comes across the finish line - second place going to Luka Zadel (16) and third place going to France's Christian Dauger (10) - Dauger having caught up over ten seconds in the final three laps. One more lap and the podium might have looked different. Either way, on to Edmonton for the Klondyke 300! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Apr 3, 2022 12:42:03 GMT 1
1973 B.A.R.C. "Wella For Men" Formula Ford National Championship - Round 2 - Oulton Park  | The tiny fun-packed Formula Ford cars are go at Oulton Park! On Pole Position, Pascal Mikula (2) ahead of Owen Potter (28) and Cezariusz Czlapinski (53)! Behind are Joe Gillett (57), Luciano Cuevas (340) and others. | Disaster on lap one! Joe Gillett (57) loses control through a quick corner on the approach to the hairpin and catches three of his fellow drivers out - including David Sabre (83)! - Out of all those involved, Sabre is the only one able to continue, albeit with a bent steering arm.
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  | Early on, Owen Potter (28) showed his intentions when he passed Mikula (2) for the lead. It was a lead Potter was not going to lose for the rest of the race. | Potter (28) would actually get a good lead because his main rival spins out early on! Pascal Mikula (2) goes around and Cuevas (340) and Sabre (83) pass him. Quite a bit task to fullfil for the German.
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  | After thirteen laps, out of the four cars to reach the finish line, it is Owen Potter (28) who grabs his first Final win of the championship! In the final laps Pascal Mikula (2) almost caught up with him, but he ended up in the wall after getting too ambitious. That means Potter wins by more than ten seconds... | ...over the man who was involved in the mass collision on lap 1! David Sabre (83) grabs the second finishing position, grabbing and extending the points lead after his stunning performance at Croft! Third place on debut goes to Argentina's Luciano Cuevas (340). |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Apr 13, 2022 12:02:50 GMT 1
1971 SCCA Trans-Am Championship - Round 4 - Klondyke 300km
  | The Pace Car goes into the pits and the green flag waves! The Klondyke 300km is go! Ricardo Mendes (23) leads the field, ahead of returning Szymon Wit (76) and one-off entrant Joe Gillett (45). Completing the field were Christian Dauger (10), Pascal Mikula (36), Matt Sibanyoni (15), Anderson Bernardino (93), Matt Oboyski (8) and George Oster (33). | Unfortunately, the first retirement of the race would be Argentina's George Oster (33). He spun before the start before retiring after only two laps in a plume of smoke. It turned out to be a cracked half-shaft, which caught alight in the pits after all. Oster was unhurt but whether or not he'd return at Donnybrooke isn't certain.
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  | Ford Motor Company had no plans to not dominate the fourth race of the 1971 SCCA Trans-Am championship, either. After completely decimating the field at Mid-Ohio, two dominant Mustangs showed up at Edmonton - here can be seen Joe Gillett (45) leading Ricardo Mendes (23) by half a second - with third-placed Szymon Wit (76) already eight seconds behind...and it was only lap 5! | Being latest of the late-brakers can be a blessing, but for both Matts, Sibanyoni (16) and Oboyski (8), this turned from so good to so bad so quickly. Heavy contact on lap 6 brought an early end to Sibanyoni's (16) race, as his Ford Mustang would go no further - Matt Oboyski (8) would suffer a punctured tire, pit for repairs, but fall out with yet another Pontiac engine failure only two laps later.
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  | The aftermath of the Oboyski-Sibanyoni crash. Just a mere hundred meters before the pit entry, the 302 cubic-inch Ford engine in the #16 car blows up. Matthew Oboyski (8) would get to the pits but retire two laps later with his engine giving up, and he was called to the CMH SCCA hauler straight away - a back-of-the-grid penalty for his next race was given out for causing the accident. | Long straight into tight turn - name a more iconic pair. Unfortunately for quite a few drivers, this combination spelt trouble during the race - one of them being Pascal Mikula (36). On lap 30, he ran wide over the embankment and into the wall. Strangely enough, this was enough to give the last rites to his Chevrolet Camaro, which would go no further. Yet another DNF for the German, and rumors go around that he may appear in a different car at Donnybrooke... |
  | There wasn't much drama during the race other than a few offs and the accident between the two Matts, but here we have one interesting sight! That is Christian Dauger (10) leading the Klondyke 300km ahead of Joe Gillett (45) with only 10 laps to go! The Frenchman, known for being able to take old machinery to heights they don't belong looked to be in for a marvellous victory! | Unfortunately for Dauger (10), the car following him was one of the amazing Ford Mustangs, driven by Joe Gillett (45) - after 55 laps, he crossed the finish line first, but Dauger, in the old Camaro, crossed the line only five seconds behind, securing a well-deserved second place! |
  | Third place goes to Ricardo Mendes (23), who, after leading the first half of the race, fell back massively after issues during a pit stop. He fought very well with Szymon Wit (76) for the final podium position, but came out ahead. Wit (76) would finish fourth and grab three very important points for his team at Dodge. | And, undoubtedly very excited and delighted, Anderson Bernardino (93) records his first finish of the season, in fifth place! After early troubles with engine failures in the first three races, the consistent Brazilian finally gets to see the checkered flag - a great success for his team and, hopefully, a sign of great things to come! Next stop: Brainerd Intl Raceway! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Apr 15, 2022 10:47:34 GMT 1
1973 B.A.R.C. "Wella For Men" Formula Ford National Championship - Round 3 - Brands Hatch Club  | The third meeting of the BARC "Wella For Men" Formula Ford Championship leads our drivers to Brands Hatch Circuit - a great circuit for great cars! Joe Gillett (57) grabbed pole position through a great win in his qualifier heat ahead of David Sabre (83) and Matt Sibanyoni (2). | And we're off! Joe Gillett (57) had a good start, keeping his lead of the race. It's a sight he, with great pleasure, quickly got used to - Gillett was on his way to show a dominant performance. Behind, Sibanyoni (2) overtaking Sabre (83) with Heat 1 polesitter Mikula (3) behind.
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  | Battles were fought all throughout the field, including between the two STP-sponsored Lola cars of Pascal Mikula (3) and Matthew Sibanyoni (2) - here are the cars 3 and 2 doing the ol' 2-3. | Paddock Hill Bend is a tricky corner - it always has been. David Sabre (83) has been up there with the leaders in the first few laps - until he spun out of Paddock Hill! He'll have to make up ground, but the winner from Croft had the speed in him.
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  | A great comeback in the making for David Sabre (83) after his spin at Paddock Hill Bend. Here he is on his way to overtake Luciano Cuevas (340) and Agatino Bivona (92), who are involved in their own battle for position! | And they go around together! Cuevas (340) and Bivona (92) touch coming into Paddock Hill Bend and both go around! Tragically for the Italian, this accident, although not leaving any real visual damage, caused his retirement from the event. |
  | Who said he ain't got the speed? David Sabre (83), after having spun earlier in the race, is here fighting Sibanyoni (2) and Mikula (3) for second place - so close yet so far away from the leader Joe Gillett (57). | However... Paddock Hill Bend strikes again! Matthew Sibanyoni (2) spins in sympathy with David Sabre (83) - fortunately for both, these spins didn't cost much time. |
  | Despite everything happening, here is our winner - and what a dominance it was! Joe Gillett (57) crosses the finish line after 28 laps, more than 20 seconds ahead of second-placed Pascal Mikula (3) and third-placed David Sabre (83)! | Unfortunately for Matthew Sibanyoni (2), he had a small off at Clearways Bend, losing his nosecone. Fortunately, these cars don't really need aerodynamic devices, and thus he was able to stay ahead of Luciano Cuevas (340) to take fourth place ahead of the Argentinean. |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on May 15, 2022 9:51:34 GMT 1
2022 CMH Masters Trophy - Round 2 - 1978 South African Grand Prix  | The second round of CMH's Masters Trohpy series takes us to the continent of Africa for the 1978 South African Grand Prix in this hot climate coupled with high elevation. 16 mostly-Ford DFV engines took the start, with the Renault, Ferrari and the #2 Brabham of our Macedonian pole sitter Magyar Janosh being the exceptions. | Lap 1 saw not too much drama, except for a horrible start for Ricardo Mendes (12), who lost control and hit the pit wall - causing a traffic jam for the entire right-hand side of the grid. Besides the sub-optimal start for both Ferraris, local driver Matthew Sibanyoni (6) spun off, rejoining the race in last place.
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  | Most surprising at the start of the Grand Prix was the amazing getaway of Italian Agatino Bivona (8), who grabbed the lead at the beginning of lap 2! Unfortunately for him, his McLaren gearbox gave up and sent him into a spin and out of the race. | Horrible luck would befall the other McLaren of Matthew Oboyski (7) as well, as he suffered a sudden brake failure approaching the first turn just a few laps later. German Martin Bayer (16) managed to just avoid the out-of-control McLaren, but both Teddy Mayer-built cars are out!
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  | Horrible luck as well for the French Renault team! Their revolutionary turbocharged car, driven by Pascal Mikula (15) would not only prove slow, but also unreliable. Here he's seen being overtaken by Owen Potter (25) and Luka Zadel (5), both in fast and reliable Lotus cars. Mikula (15) would be out of the race after an engine failure. | Potter (25) proved to be a valuable last-minute entry for the private team by Hector Rebaque, as he proved fast throughout the race - Martin Bayer (16) in the Shadow didn't expect this overtake by Potter, that's for sure! At the end of the race, Bayer would just hold off Potter by five seconds, with the two drivers finishing fourth and fifth respectively. |
  | The newly-founded Frank Williams Racing Team had been doing well in the race, with Irish driver Aaron Curtis (27) sitting in third place for most of the race. However, a driving error led to contact with one of the Armco barriers and the loss of his rear wing - unfortunately that meant the end of his race. | 78 laps and 1.5 hours later, it's Italian Lorenzo Turri (35) taking the win for the Arrows Racing Team - after having lapped the entire field, no less! That head-turning performance surely caught some attention. The message sent out by Turri was to not underestimate, and this message surely got received by everyone on the grid. |
  | Having completed 77 laps at the finish without any notable mistakes, Macedonian Magyar Janosh (2) crosses the finish line in second place. | Third place goes to Colin Chapman's Lotus team and Slovenian Luka Zadel (5), who managed to also fend off the fast-approaching cars of Bayer and Potter. |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on May 15, 2022 16:18:18 GMT 1
1971 SCCA Trans-Am Championship - Round 5 - Brainerd 210  | For the fifth meeting of the SCCA Trans-American Sedan Championship, the drivers meet up at Donnybrooke Raceway for 45 laps of action. On pole... a new car! Pascal Mikula (42) switched from the Roger Penske outfit to Dan Gurney and his All-American Racers - fielding a brand-new Plymouth Barracuda. | But that doesn't mean there's no Penske car on the grid! Well..technically, so, but starting from the pit lane was successful debutant Magyar Janosh (36) in the Penske Chevrolet. He missed the start, but his skill behind the wheel meant he managed to catch up with the field soon enough.
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  | For the first fifteen laps, the battle at the front was not too unusual - Mikula (42) and Ricardo Mendes (23) fighting for the lead. Joe Gillett (45) had a sub-optimal start but soon found himself in third place, fighting for the top spots. | Great success was seen by the Pontiac team and Matthew Oboyski (8), who got himself an upgraded engine package from Detroit and found himself fighting Szymon Wit (76) and Christian Dauger (10) for fourth place!
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  | Trans-Am racing means banging fenders and rubbing doors - as Szymon Wit (76) and Matthew Sibanyoni (16) found out. A small misunderstanding during braking and Wit (76) finds out just how well his Dodge Challenger handles in a Rally-Cross environment. | Despite only being 45 laps long, the race saw some pit stops. The first driver to head to the pits was, fittingly, the pit-lane starter, Magyar Janosh (36). Reportedly, his Camaro engine troubled him, which would manifest itself as he'd be forced to retire with a blown motor. Besides him, Matthew Oboyski (8) and Pascal Mikula (42) got serviced during the race. |
  | Speaking of Mikula (42), it wasn't too easy for the pitting drivers to actually get into the pit lane. A fast approach with a quick but tricky left-right section meant that on first approach, the Plymouth driver missed the pit entry, losing valuable time and, more importantly, second place to Joe Gillett (45). One lap later, the German would finally get into the pit lane, grabbing some extra fuel to make it to the end. | The only real on-track incident happened 24 laps into the race, with both Matts being involved - again. Having had a great start, Oboyski (8) had engine trouble exiting the pit lane, and while Sibanyoni (15) was fighting with Szymon Wit (76), the Pole avoided the American late, with the South African not having time to react - queue a big collision and the end of the race of both the Pontiac and Ford drivers. |
  | After 45 laps, only four seconds separated Ricardo Mendes (23) and Joe Gillett (45) at the line! Mendes, having had a comfortable lead since Mikula (42) pitted and Gillett (45) had a bad start, was able to slow up and drive carefully to another win, and extended his Trans-Am lead even more! Mendes now leads the standings by 14 points over Christian Dauger (10), who, while not having won a race, scored consistent finishes thoughout. | Third place went to Pascal Mikula (42) after issues brought his charge to the front to a halt, even after his pit stop. The All-American Racers Plymouth was first entered here, a brand-new car based on the Barracuda model, and thus teething troubles were to be expected. Both Dan Gurney as well as Mikula were happy with the result, though. Expectations would only go up for the next race at Road America, though! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on May 15, 2022 19:04:27 GMT 1
1973 B.A.R.C. "Wella For Men" Formula Ford National Championship - Round 4 - Thruxton  | Just a few weeks after Brands Hatch Club, the Formula Ford circus meets up at Thruxton, for an amazing event. On Pole Position? The Pole Cezariusz Czlapinski (53)! David Sabre (83) starts second, with Pascal Mikula (3) and Magyar Janosh (61) behind. | Whoops! Owen Potter (28) slightly mis-judged the length of his Hawke car, hitting Joe Gillett (57) slightly. While Gillett didn't take any damage from the nudge, Potter lost his nose cone, causing a balance issue which would later prove to bite him hard.
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  | Lap 1 was a close fight between Pascal Mikula (3), Magyar Janosh (61), Chris Hood (4) and David Sabre (83), however lap 2 would see one of the participants fly off into the Thruxton grass - fortunately there were no barriers nearby! | Once gotten back on track, Mikula (3) fought hard to get back to the front. While in the lead, Magyar Janosh (61) slowly built his lead to a comfortable amount, with Chris Hood (4) just behind. Halfway into the Final, Mikula and Hood are fighting for second place hard but fair.
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  | Watch out! Joe Gillett (57) has to employ his skill to his best abilities to avoid Owen Potter (28), who suffered a high-speed loss of control at Church Corner! That would be the end of Potter's race. | Another tasty on-track battle was to be between Sibanyoni (2) and Czlapinski (53) - unfortunately, Czlapinski spun towards the end of the race, awarding Sibanyoni the position. |
  | After 15 laps, Magyar Janosh (61) wins the Final heat at Thruxton! Having led 14 laps, he didn't look back, taking the win by just under 10 seconds. | Those magical 10 seconds behind Janosh (61) was Pascal Mikula (3), who, after his early spin, fought back to second place, but couldn't close the gap to the leader. |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on May 19, 2022 10:10:43 GMT 1
1977 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft - Round 1 - Bergischer Löwe Zolder  | The back view of the pace car as five Division 1 Porsches take to the start of the 1977 DRM Championship! On pole position sits Pascal Mikula (58) ahead of Chris Hood (52). | Unfortunately for the Romanian, Hood's (52) race would only last one lap. A spin resulted in him hitting a barrier, which caused damage to his car which his crew judged to be too heavy to continue.
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  | Only a few laps into the race and the second retirement proves to be Owen Potter (60) and his Porsche 934/5. He suffered a collapsed suspension which led to only three cars being in the race by lap 5. | There was a battle for the lead between two Porsches in the early stages on the race, with Mikula (58) ending up ahead, although the two drivers would swap the lead multiple times per lap for multiple laps.
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  | Watch out! Coming out of Terlamenbocht, the #66 car spins in front of Mikula (58)! Disaster is avoided but one car hits the wall, losing his front splitter. That put Mikula in a comfortable lead and Ricardo Mendes (53), who had a quiet race in third place so far, in position to fight for second! | Having a loose wheel is a valid reason to head into the pits, but the Kannacher GT pit crew sure didn't expect race leader Pascal Mikula (58) to head into the pits with...a loose steering wheel! Just a few seconds later, the wheel is tightened again and Mikula is back on track - albeit in third place, behind Mendes (53). |
  | Lap 13 would prove highly unlucky for the #66 Porsche 935. He loses control out of the first turn and slams heavily into the Armco barrier. He's out of the race but also has to be brought to the in-field hospital. He would sustain a minor injury to his wrist but would otherwise be uninjured. He was cleared to start the Division 2 race the next day. | Unfortunately, that meant that there were only two cars still racing, and second-placed Ricardo Mendes (53) was sat in the pits after a spin on his own. With the situation being as it is, the clerk of the course threw the red flag after 16 laps, stopping the race. Pascal Mikula (58) was declared the winner. |
  | Race 2 at Zolder is underway! Eleven Division 2 cars take off, with Giovanni Centorame (6) in the lead ahead of Portuguese João Graça (15). | Lap 1 claims its first victim with the #10 Ford Escort Cosworth hitting the wall entering the chicane.
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  | This race was to be dominated by the two turbocharged BMW 2002s of Centorame (6) and Martin Bayer (7) alongside the Jägermeister 320 of João Graça (15). The trio would be bumper-to-bumper for the entire distance of 24 laps! | Another interesting on-track battle was between Filippo Marazzi (11) and Christian Dauger (13). After Dauger failed to start the Division 1 race, he found himself fighting his BMW Motorsport teammate for sixth place early on.
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  | Martin Bayer (7) reportedly suffered from the flu during the weekend, but that sure didn't deter him from trying to grab second place from his Italian team mate! Makes one wonder how he'll do when he's in full health.. | Terlamenbocht claims another victim! This time, it's Anderson Bernardino (18), who rolls over and hits the Armco upside down! Fortunately, thanks to some brave fans, he got back on his wheels and went on to finish the race! |
  | Chris Hood (20) would also crash out of both races, with this high-speed slide in the Division 2 race totalling his BMW 320. Despite having hit the barrier with the driver's side, he walked away uninjured. | Fourth place was battled for hard but fair between Ricardo Mendes (12) and Matthew Sibanyoni (1) - until Sibanyoni's Ford Escort developed a misfire, allowing Mendes to pass. Sibanyoni would fall behind Christian Dauger (13) and finish this race in sixth place. |
  | Only two laps before the finish, this daring move from Centorame (6) finally gave him the lead of the race! João Graça (15) had a five-second lead at some point, but Centorame has the advantage of a turbocharged engine. Extra power meant he grabbed the lead of the race, not looking back until the end of the race. | And not look back he did! Giovanni Centorame (6) wins the Division 2 race for the Bergischer Löwe Zolder, 2 seconds ahead of João Graça (15)! Martin Bayer (7), driving an incredible race despite being ill, finished third, 15 seconds behind the winner. How dominant were the leading three? Well, Ricardo Mendes (12) finished almost a minute behind! |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on May 19, 2022 11:24:24 GMT 1
2022 CMH Masters Trophy - Round 3 - 2003 Indy Japan 300  | For the third round of the Masters Trophy and the first round of the CMH Triple Crown, the IndyCars were brought back for the 2003 Indy Japan 300! The front row consisted of Juan Guerrero (10) and Pascal Mikula (3). Row 2 had Agatino Bivona (6) and Petteri Poskiparta (31). | Two Penskes vs. one Chip Ganassi car - and it looks like CGR would win out! Juan Guerrero (10) has complete control over the race for the first dozen laps, as both Mikula (3) and Bivona (6) try - and fail - to grab the lead for more than a single lap at a time!
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  | Lap 16 would bring out the first caution of the race, as German Koroev (2) loses control coming out of turn four. He hit the pit wall hard, but managed to get going again. In total, the race would be interrupted by cautions five times. No multi-car accidents occured either, meaning that every caution only took two or three laps to clear. | Of course, having cars go around the track much slower than usual means the time loss during pit stops is much lower - a fact everybody looked to take advantage of. Most cautions did actually come at very convenient points in the race, meaning drivers like Pascal Mikula (3) did not do a single green-flag pit stop!
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  | What a move! Guerrero (10) and Mikula (3) are seen here overtaking Matthew Sibanyoni (52) around the outside of Turn Two. On-board shot from Christian Dauger (18) - this move sure gave off serious Häkkinen-Schumacher vibes! | Turn One is the fastest part of the circuit, as cars reach up to 210 mph on the straight - so the caution came out quite quick when Laura Levett (54) lost control approaching the turn. Her ability to keep the car off the wall avoided worse, and Levett was able to continue and finish the race. |
  | Lap 132 and the final caution of the race comes out - Matthew Sibanyoni (52) spins coming out of turn four, right in front of the leaders! Both Juan Guerrero (10) and Pascal Mikula (3) are able to avoid the spinning Dallara, but unfortunately the South African had to retire from the race. | Five laps later, the final restart of the race has Pascal Mikula (3) following Juan Guerrero (10) with Martin Bayer (11) a very competitive third. The three leaders were the only cars on the lead lap, with Bayer having led 40 laps around the mid-point of the race. |
  | Six laps before the finish of the race, here's the fight for the lead between the dominant cars of Juan Guerrero (10) and Pascal Mikula (3) - Lap 194 would prove to be the final lap the Colombian would lead. From lap 195 onwards, the German would be commanding the field. | And here comes the checkered flag! Pascal Mikula (3) wins the Indy Japan 300 in front of Juan Guerrero (10) and Martin Bayer (11)! Fourth-placed Poskiparta (31) was six whole laps behind the leaders! Mikula (3) would also get the bonus points towards the Triple Crown for leading the most laps. |
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Post by Pascal Mikula on Jun 8, 2022 9:33:45 GMT 1
1971 SCCA Trans-Am Championship - Round 6 - Road America 200  | We're at the halfway point of the Trans-Am championship and Road America hosts the sixth race of the season - the front row is shared between Ricardo Mendes (23) and Pascal Mikula (42). Szymon Wit (76) served a three-place grid drop for impeding another driver during qualifying. | However, onto the long back-stretch, it's the Penske Chevrolet of Magyar Janosh (36) in front! Having missed his braking point slightly, he touched the rear of Mendes (23) and spun him out - fortunately, the Portuguese driver could keep out of the gravel and resume the race.
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  | The gravel traps would prove to be just that - traps, as Janosh (36) and returning George Oster (33) go off and hit the wall, allowing Pascal Mikula (42) and Szymon Wit (76) to assume the leader positions. | Mikula (42) and Wit (76) were evenly matched during the first ten laps, often fighting side-by-side through even the circuits most twisty parts. Despite having rubbed doors a few times, the battle was judged fair and exciting by both drivers!
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  | There were no actual collisions between cars during the Road America 200, but it almost happened in a big way when Mikula (42) lost control after the Motorola bridge, sliding sideways in front of the entire field. The skills shown by the other drivers helped avoid a major accident! | It really wasn't a great race for the German in the Plymouth Barracuda. Mikula (42) fell back to sixth place after his initial spin and went on to try and get back up. However, while chasing debutant Liam Dolan (45), he went wide at The Kink, spinning in front of Szymon Wit (76) - again. |
  | One place nobody would want to end up on this circuit is the gravel traps - pictured here is Matthew Oboyski (8) sliding off into the gravel at turn 1. He'd be unable to get out and thus be one of four drivers who went off into the gravel - three of which would have to retire from the race due to being stuck in the gravel traps. | The 38-lap Road America 200 race saw pit stops by every driver who made it past lap 5, most drivers only taking more fuel to make it to the end. Here, Anderson Bernardino (93) is awaiting service after an excursion into the gravel trap at the final corner. Unlike Oboyski (8), Wit (76) and Liam Dolan (45), he got back on track. |
  | After 38 laps and loads of excitement, it's Argentina's George Oster (33) winning the Road America 200! What a way to celebrate his return after missing the Donnybrooke round! He looks to be back in full swing for the second Canadian round at Sainte-Jovite! | Almost a minute behind Oster, Ricardo Mendes (23) crosses the finish line in second place after his pit stop went wrong and cost him a chance to win. Mendes, however, extends his championship lead over Christian Dauger (10) to a staggering 20 points! |
  | Third place, three laps behind the winners, it's the German Pascal Mikula (42) crossing the line, returning to the podium after he looked certain to be in contention for victory. | Fourth place goes to Brazilian driver Anderson Bernardino (93), who grabs valuable points after a string of bad finishes and engine failures. He looks confident to continue scoring in the future! |
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