Race Recap: 2022/2023 UF1 Series – Race 4 – Monaco GP

Post Race Analysis
Race 4 of the 2022/2023 UF1 Series was held at Revelation Raceway in Montclair, CA. It is, by far, one of the more challenging tracks for 2 reasons – unpredictable weather and a very rough, bumpy surface! Both of these factors would affect the performance of the Formula 1 cars, making this event one of the more exiting races on the calendar.

On the track, the F1 class had a great turn out with 17 drivers.

F2 was a bit shy with only 6 – some of the top gunners in the class were MIA. This would allow those that showed up a chance to gain some valuable points and help them creep up the leaderboards.

Finally, LMP saw an uptick in entries with a grand total of 8.

In all 3 classes we saw a couple new drivers made an appearance, mixing it up with the regulars and denying them some very valuable points!

Ok, let’s get to the qualifying, the racing and our final thoughts!

Formula 1
Qualifying
The decision was made to start qualifying a little later than normal to allow the track to gain some temperature. As the clouds moved in and out in front of the sun, the track would quickly heat up and cool off, playing havoc with drivers as they tried to anticipate which tires to choose.

In the end, it came down to some excellent driving and quite a bit of luck – McLaren ULTRA’s Mike Rydwell would have a lick of both and take the top honors in F1 Qualifying. He was followed closely by Aaron Lane and Brian Ruvalcaba, both drivers showing massive pace in the opening minutes. Phillip Enriquez would slot into P4 with Steven Jackson in 5th. All 5 drivers were very close – about 1 second separating them going into the mains!

Here’s how it panned out for all 17 F1 drivers.

Mains
Mike Rydwell would pull of an amazing upset at the end of mains finishing P1 with 297 points. In Race 1 he finished 4th, only to go on and put the smack down in the final two races with a 9 second win in R2 and almost a full lap in R3. His clean driving and expert read of track conditions gave him the ultimate advantage and keeps him in the running for the overall Championship win. He sits 5th at the moment, only 20 points behind first. His throw outs have already been determined so he really has to keep things tight for the remaining races in the Series.

Bringing home 2nd for the day was solo Redbull teammate Brian Ruvalcaba. Brian scored 296 points with a pair of P2s and a P3 finish, showing this kind of consistency so far throughout the Series. This was an important day for Brian, not only conquering a tough track but also bumping him to 2nd in the Driver’s Championship – only 6 points out of first. Looking at his record so far, he’s only had TWO ‘bad’ races – all the rest are at least Top 5 finishes. He’s certainly sitting in the driver’s seat when it comes to his throw outs – he just needs to finish out the Series strong for a good shot at the overall win.

Championship leader Aaron Lane took a W in Race 1 but kept slipping backwards in Races 2 and 3. With a 3rd and 4th respectively, Lane would finish 3rd overall on the day with 295 points. His F6 Franken-mobile is an amazing ride that seems to work well in any situation but might be a little more tire dependent than the rest of the field as he was constantly checking track temps. His streak of continued Top 3 finishes was dashed by that horrendous P4 in Race 3 (/sarcasm). Lane sits comfortably on top of the Championship leaderboards by 6 points.

Independent Steven Jackson would travel, once again, from Las Vegas to play with F1 cars – and this time his trip paid off. Jackson would rip off a pair of 5ths and 2nd to finish 4th overall on the day! A much needed boost in morale, Steven looked good all day with a couple ‘issues’ in R1 and 2 that would prove costly – we think he could have even pulled off a P4 or P3 had it not been for those mistakes. Either way, Jackson tied 5th place finisher Enriquez for 4th but, thanks to his higher finish in Race 3, he took 4th overall. Jackson sits 6th overall in the Driver’s Championship.

Right behind Jackson was Independent Phillip Enriquez. Enriquez has come alive the last couple of races, stealing points from the top runners and adding them to his tally. He’s been sitting back, driving hard and pulling off some impressive runs – his P3, P4 and P5 finishes earned him 291 points for the day, bumping himself to 3rd in the Driver’s Championship! He’s certainly not out of contention, sitting only 9 points out of first. I’ve been telling you this kid is coming – and now he’s here. Even though a Top 3 finish in the overall would be great, I fully expect him to push for that P1 position!

Carlos ‘Dwarte’ was in it for himself this weekend, not having to be a fill in team driver for anyone. With that pressure off, Duarte was able to relax a bit and post a 6th, another 6th and a 7th place result. This was enough to give him 284 points and a solid 6th place overall. This is even more extraordinary when you add in the fact that he did some ‘wing product testing’ – in one race he finished with 1/2 of his front wing missing, in another the entire REAR wing missing. It was, however, nice seeing his Mercedes colors out there again. Carlos jumps 3 spots in the Championship to 7th overall.

Putting in a great run and finishing 7th for the day was Alex M. Alex accrued 282 points with a P8, a P7 and a P6, making this one of the Independent driver’s best finishes this year! As I mentioned at previous races, that move from the pink to the green livery seems to have been the forward-moving ticket Alex needed. He’s also cracked the Top 10 in the Championship – sitting P10 – only 10 points out of 9th! Good job bud – keep pushing!

Right behind Alex is B-Spec Honda driver Brian Marion. The top Rookie driver nabbed a hard-earned 273 points on the day. Although he did post a pair of 2nds and a 1st in the 2nd run group, he did all he could do as far as time to finish 8th overall. Still a fantastic result considering the competition, especially for a Rookie. The first year is typically a learning Season and I expect Marion to push hard in the next couple races. Marion jumps up to 9th in the Championship.

An ouch moment for Championship contender Thad Garner, finishing 9th overall on the day with 272 points. Garner posted a 7th, an 8th and a 10th (with a severly crippled car) – not the normal showing for the Factory Team driver. While he won’t put the blame on it, the guy did just have some really gnarly surgery done on his left arm last week that could have been a factor in his finishing position – his worst runs to date. Even though he drops to 4th in the Championship, he’s still very much in the game. Good luck healing bud and I’m looking forward to seeing how that bionic arm works out.

Craig Hammon finishes out our Top 10 with a triple P9 finish and 270 points. This was a good, consistent finish overall for the Independent driver, keeping him in the game another week. Like a couple of other drivers, his throw outs are already decided (missed race resulting in 3 zeros), however with 3 races left, he could pull off some great finishes and potentially get himself into the Top 10 in the Championship. He sits 16th at the moment.

Team Alfa driver Ken Gerberding had a rough outing, finishing 11th with 268 points. His first run with only 24 laps was a day killer, however it did get better from there on out. Struggling a bit with traction, his final 50-lap run was the best he could muster. The Gerb tied his teammate for this overall spot but his better final race gave him the position. I know Ken’s not the type to go down easily – dood is home right now, car completely apart and everything is getting prepped for the next race. Ken sits 13th in the Championship at the moment.

Mark ‘911’ Goldwater, the other half of Team Alfa, also finished with 268 points – how odd is that! He’s also 1 point behind Gerb in the championship – double oddity! However, we’ve got a great story about Goldwater from the race. During one of his mains (might have been R2), there was a frustrating moment in which Mark slammed his fist onto the driver’s stand railing. That set off his Life Alert wrist band watch thingy (or whatever it is) and immediately notified 911 that ‘he had fallen’. While he was on the stand, concentrating, driving and trying to look poised, he had the watch to his mouth trying to explain he was ok. But then his wife called. And then his son called. I wish I had known about it – that picture of him all twisted on the stand with two hands on the transmitter and his wrist to his face would have been awesome. It’s good to know he’s got a stellar support system should anything happen.

Following the Team Alfa pair was Independent driver Doug Rebal. The ‘Reval’ finished off the day in 13th with 265 points. It was one of his more consistent showings so far this year, gaining him enough points to move up one position in the Championship to 15th. Doug is in a close race for the final spot in the Top 10 – he’s only 33 points away from that coveted position. Keep at it Doug – that Top 10 is in your sights!

Brian Santos, the other B-Spec Honda driver, struggled a bit all day on the tricky surface. Santos gathered 264 points on his way to a P14 overall. Like his teammate Marion, this is a year for testing, for learning and for gathering as much track data as possible. Never worry about the points and, by all means, don’t get discouraged. The top runners have been doing this a long time. It’s an accomplishment to have made it into the A run group!

We were lucky to have a former UF1 driver back out today, Matt Siu. Matt has been around a while and knows the UF1 Series quite well. Having a ton of knowledge is a good thing, however he did have a bit of a rough day, though, only gathering enough points to place him 15th overall. A bit more time on the car and I’m certain he’ll be back up with the front runners. Glad to see you back out Matt. Hopefully we’ll see you again at future races!

Finishing 16th on the day was McLaren ULTRA driver Raj Monteiro. Raj was one of the drivers that got stung hard by the tricky conditions, with Races 2 and 3 ending early (37 laps in R2, 33 in R3). We did see one of his crashes, clipping one of the ‘legendary’ Revelation boards, bouncing off, then basically crab-walking off the track. Not a pretty sight and definitely not a good way to end the day. These 2 races are his worst to date so not to worry – you’re still in it bud. Shake it off, get back on that Exotek horse and score some points. Raj sits 8th overall in the Championship.

Winding up the F1 mains in 17th place was Independent driver Joe Hawkins III. Hawkins had a rough day as well, only posting 9 laps in Race 1 which, for the day, killed his score. But, as with typical Joe, he’s always got a smile on his face and carries a big laugh. One of the guys we cherish in the Series simply because he’s always having a good time. Always. Joe sits 18th in the Series right now in his Rookie year.

Fast Lap Award
The beauty of the Fast Lap Award is that is shows the potential of both the driver and the car – what the pair is capable of when everything is just right. At this race, we once again bow down to Phillip Enriquez for his stellar 15.894 lap time, the only driver to dip into the sub-15.9 second realm. He had multiple sub-16 second laps, but this one was an absolute showmanship of perfection, hitting it on lap 7 in Race 2. Kid just keeps getting faster and faster.

Following Enriquez for the 2nd fastest lap was Mike Rydwell with a 15.913. That’s not a slouch lap either, hitting it on lap 12 of Race 1 (probably the toughest main due to the colder temps).

Finally, Steven Jackson dropped a stellar 15.923 on lap 44 of R3, the race he would go on to finish 2nd in. Looking at some of his other laps in this race, this one was exceptionally great!

Good to see everyone getting faster and faster at each event. It just means the competition is getting more and more fierce. I may be, however, the only one that likes that…

Formula 2
Qualifying
With some of the leaderboard-leading drivers gone at this race, it removed some of the competition as well as some of the pressure from the field. Ed Bohon would secure the top spot in qualifying with a nice 57.312 Top 3 consecutive over Championship leader Gabriel Gonzales. Chris Condon, new to the F2 field at this race, would bring home 3rd for a nice 2nd row start.

Here’s the full standings of the Formula 2 qualifying:

Mains
Taking full advantage of the light F2 class was Gabriel Gonzales, raking in the maximum 300 points for the day. This was a huge win for him and not only secures the top step on the day’s podium, it also pushes him to the top spot in the F2 Driver’s Championship! He now sits in P1 by 11 points! Out of the last 6 races, he has 5 P1 finishes – that’s some serious motivation to keep the flame burning in his quest for the overall Championship win!

Finishing 2nd was Glen Kratz. Kratz secured a P4 and a pair of P2s on his way to 296 points. It was certainly a good day for him as well, moving up the Championship leaderboards to 4th overall, a mere 20 points out of 2nd. A couple more good runs (and some bad luck with ANY of the Top 4) and Glenn could make a Top 3 finish! Keep it up Glenn!

Right behind Kratz, by one measly point, was Chris Condon. Chris finished with a 2nd and two 3rds for a grand total of 295 points. Chris finished just outside the Top 10 in the Spec Truck class in our Euro Truck Series, so I knew he might be a force to deal with in F2. Hopefully you had a great time and will see you at future races!

TQ Ed Bohon got roughed up a bit, only completing Race 1 with a nice 3rd place result. Major damage would only allow him 30 laps in R2 and a DNF in R3 pretty much sealed his 4th place deal. Had he had a operational car all 3 races, I’m sure he would have put himself on the podium. He’s had a good run so far in the Series – he’ll be back. He’s currently P6 in the F2 Championship.

Good ol’ Jerermy Dee gathered 289 points with a two 5ths and a 4th place finish. He probably would have put more laps in (38 in R1, 25 in R2 and 39 in R3) but an ailing ride (something with the front end) would reduce the performance of his F2 car. The front wing was dragging constantly and, in multiple occassions, it had to be picked up and ‘flexed’ into place. We’re sure he’ll get that all fixed up for the next race and ready to put in some good times.

Finally, a very rough day for Steven Strohm. Steven had a pair of 6th place finishes and a 5th. I know Stevens got that car hooked up, but unreliability and tricky track conditions all added up to low finish. The good news, though, is that with the low turnout, he still got good points! Even with his rocky day, Strohm still sits 5th overall in the Championship!

Constructor’s Championship
Just when you think racing couldn’t get any wackier, the Monaco GP hits and all kinds of wackiness happens. BYM, who was in the lead of the Constructor’s Championship by ALOT, were a no-show at this race. From what we heard, there were going to be there to further their points lead but, well, yah. This dropped them down to 5th overall.

That opened the door to the only team, now, that hasn’t had a teammate miss a race – Team Alfa. They move themselves to the top step of the leaderboard with 2134 points. However, lurking behind by only 94 points is Factory Team!

Looking at the history, FT has scored more points in every race where both of their drivers showed up – 43 points in Race 2, 52 points in Race 3 and 31 points in Race 4. Mathmatically, they COULD pass Team Alfa by Race 6 – if everything goes right. However, this is the UF1 and anything can happen.

Looks like the Constructor’s Championship might come down to the last race!

Spec LMP
The Spec LMP class is seeing a tad bit of growth – we had 8 cars attend this race. I think the added on-track time might be advantageous to drivers in the F1 and F2 classes as long, of course, everything goes to plan. Any issues and you’re now spending valuable time on the LMP instead of your F1 (or F2) car.

Qualifying
Phillip Enriquez was once again the hero in the Spec LMP class. He powered his way past newcomer Mark Brown for the TQ with Ed Bohon slotting into 3rd. Steven Strohm would qualify 4th and 2nd newcomer, Aaron Melendez, starting 5th.

Here are the qualifying results for the Spec LMP class!

Mains
Phillip Enriquez is in a league of his own in the Spec LMP class. He’s won the last 6 races in a row (counting the Monaco GP) and is easily on his way to the Championship win if no one steps up to challenge. His car is on rails and his driving is on point – must be the Ferrari livery. He finished 3 points ahead of newcomer Mark Brown who put down some respectible times on his first outing. Mark reeled in triple 2nd place finishes on his way to 297 points. Right behind him, with 293 points, was Ed Bohon. Ed sits 2nd in the Championship and probably could have used those extra 2nd place points to keep Enriquez close. As it sits now, Bohon is 11 points behind Phillip.

Rounding out the field was Steven Strohm in 4th with 292 points, Aaron Melendez in 5th (288 points), Glen Kratz with 284 points and Jerermy Dee with 282 points.

Steven Jackson would have a rough go and, unfortunately, only rake in 280 points for an 8th place finish for the day.

Final Thoughts
The UF1 never disappoints, whether you are driving in it or watching from the sidelines. There’s always drama (the good kind) and anything can happen to ANY driver no matter how much prep you do – only the lucky survive.

Right now, no one is walking away with anything – F1, F2, Constructors – heck, not even Spec LMP … yet. That makes each race an absolute must attend – only those that can adjust and take advantage are the ones that are going to come out on top.

And we are definitely seeing that this Season. What started out in one direction has certainly turned full circle. I can’t wait to see how it ends.

A huge thanks to everyone participating in the UF1. I really do appreciate it.

Thanks to the following sponsors for this year’s UF1 Series:
• 1up Racing
• CompetitionX
• Exotek Racing
• Hitec
• ProTek RC
• PROTOform
• Reedy
• Tamiya
• TrackStar RC

Photo Gallery: Gallery 72 – Round 4 – UF1 2022/2023 Series