Race Recap: UF1 Series 2012 – Race 7 – Caltalunya

Post Race Analysis
Could it have been any hotter? 120 in the sun…are you kidding me? We still managed to get 24 racers out of there before 2pm.

Congratulations Dave Berger on his first UF1 win. We’re all so focused on the series points we sometimes forget the daily winners. Dave is always at the top but this is his first win. He also gained 3 points on Tony and pulled away 7 points from Charles. Tony drove fast but cautious trying to stay out of trouble knowing that all he needs to win the Championship is one point. We go into the Korean Grand Prix with Tony holding a 12 point lead. Not to put any pressure on Tony, but how many of us have not finished a race because a pinion fell off, or a wheel falls off, or a motor wire pops off, or a spur gear strips, or the countless other things that can go wrong. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another. I do not want it to happen to Tony by any means because the dude deserves this Championship, but just the “idea” that it could happen on the very last day of the series, in the very last race of the series, with only 13 laps to go…are you kidding me? That gets me hard…LOL I know, I’m seriously sadistic sometimes.

So Charles did not have a great day and it all came down to nerves that caused him to make stupid mistakes. It cost him any chance of 2nd place. He needed to gain points on Berger today and lead going into the Korean GP, but it wasn’t meant to be. He does maintain a large enough lead on 4th place that he just needs to cruz in Korea and maintain 3rd place overall.

Mark G and Mike Kennedy are tied at 748. The odds have to go to our current UF1 Champion Mike to pull away from Mark at Korea. Both these guys had a great day and Mike almost gained a couple extra points but got caught at the buzzer. Kennedy dominated last Winter Series which was all run at TQ. Kennedy is my prediction for 4th place overall.

5th and 6th place is going to be between Mark G and Bill “Beefcake” Martinez. Beefcake? There is a story here that I am not aware of. Neither of these guys have had any major problems over the season so these points truly reflect there position. If the scale has to tip one way or another my prediction will be Mark 5th and Bill 6th for two reasons; Mark has a 1 point advantage going in and Marks first race at West Coast did cost him to lose about 7 laps from his normal pace.

Also in 6th spot is Cuda who is still fighting back from a hard hit he took at the Circuit of the Americas. Cuda tied for 4th place today with Fred Medel collecting 138 points. Cuda could bump up a spot in Korea if Bill has a bad day, but is pretty safe from dropping to 7th with a 15 point gap.

7th place sits Doug who probably should have qualified higher because of his one fast lap but just didn’t have a 2nd fast lap to back it up. He dominated the C Main. Controversial pitting during the C Main that resulted in longer pit stops arguably cost Doug 2 points, finishing 2.63 seconds and .67 seconds. But “that’s racing”. I love that quote.

8th place sits Quincy who had a great day and gained 4 points on Doug, collecting 45, 45 and 44 points in each race. Quincy goes into the final race virtually guaranteed a top 10 overall finish.

And look who sits in 9th spot; Fred Medel, the highest ranking driver who missed a race. Just for shits and giggles I calculated that Fred would have probably received 97 points at the Shanghai International Circuit which would have given him 773 points and placed him in 4th place just 9 points behind Charles going into the Korean GP. Getting into the top 10 after missing a race is amazing. But the whole point Dave and Fred entering this season was Team “Constructors” Championship and in that field they sit on top with a 14 point lead on Team Lotus. I’m predicting the gap between Lotus and Repsol staying where it is; Dave will push 100% and gain; Tony will run 95% and give up a few points; Kennedy will push 100% on a track he loves and gain; and Fred will also push 100% but on a not so familiar track and maybe give up a couple points. Anyways, my prediction.

Albert survived the heat but was without his teammate Jeff who “had” to go to his kids first soccer game. 🙂 Albert is the wild card for getting in the top 10; if anything major happens in the top 10 then Albert might just bump up.

Another season is coming to an end, and the UF1 Series is still alive after finishing it’s 3rd year. That’s very cool you guys are still coming out to the races…

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