---S29 TRACKS REVIEW: SERGE GIRARD---
Be careful what you wish for.
My mother always said that. «I wish I did not have to go to school» I’d say. «Be careful what you wish for Serge. You could get hit by a truck, wake up in the hospital, be totally paralyzed and never go to school anymore» she’d answered. «I wish I were rich» I’d say. «Be careful what you wish for Serge. You could get burn all over your body, receive millions in damages, and spend your life in misery» she’d say.
Well, I should have paid more attention. The other day I said: «I wish I could write an article for the first edition of the GPRO newspaper. » And now I am task with writing a piece on the first 9 tracks of season 29 and how they will favor different managers in the Elite category.
Now, how the hell do I do that? I’ve never been in Elite. I have not raced all of these tracks. I don’t know anything about the top contender’s driver’s skills. How am I to know what to expect for the first half of the season?
I feel like such an imposter. If only I was one of the top participants to Elite Betting Game or Max’ Top 10. You know, someone like Garry Winship, Alexandru Gujuman or Daniel Francisco, the winners of the last 3 seasons of Max’ Top 10. Or like Rimantas Sagatas, Marcin Kucza and Nico Zou, the last 3 winners of the Elite Betting Game. Now there are experts! On the other hand, even the best of them was wrong 2 out of 3 times. So maybe I can still hope to meet the challenge.
I was sitting on the sofa last night, hanging my head in despair, when my lovely wife sat down next to me. She is the most extraordinary person I know and the only reason I am not impersonating her in GPRO is that it would be wrong. She gently taps me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear: «Do they want to be informed or entertained? »
It was like a revelation! I could hear bells and trumpets; I could see stars and fireworks. Of course! No one is really expecting to learn the great mysteries of GPRO by reading this newspaper. No one expect me to hold the great secret of the future. And even if I did, it would be written FOBY all over. What people want is to read something that will keep them in the GPRO mood, something that will relieve them from the boredom until next race.
So in that context, here is a look at the first half of the season.
First three races
The Buenos Aires circuit, or as it is fondly known in Argentina, the Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez, has hosted some 20 real life Grand Prix, a statistic that contradicts the GPRO official number of 13. This version of the the track as used in GPRO correspond to its modern evolution as used between 1995 and 1998. The former version of the Autódromo was about 1.7 km longer and had a long loop going around the lake nearby. By GPRO standards, it is somewhat slow, with a registered average speed of 185.31 km/h. The in/out of the pit is average, as is the number of curbs. Overtaking is very hard, making good qualification and pit strategy key to winning. Whatever happens during this race, one thing is certain: the brand new car parts will have considerably aged by the finish line.
From Argentina to Brasilia, competitors will go from hard to harder. Even if this second race offers more opportunities for overtaking, the Brazilian track is amongst the most demanding from the stand point of power and handling. Endurance will be the key word, both for the drivers and the machines. Expect a tough race and don’t be surprised to see the first smoking cars or even a few abandons.
After Brasilia, competitors leave South America for the United States. And waiting to welcome them is Indianapolis. Now, don’t make any mistake. We are talking about the controversial oval, noooo! We are talking about its F1 version. You don’t remember it? Considering that the last time GPRO held a Grand Prix there was 7 seasons ago, that should come as no surprised. But don’t worry: our Elite warriors have most likely raced on it and have stashed away the data. Indianapolis is rather equally demanding in power, handling and acceleration. It is easy to overtake on this track, so look out for a lot of change in the pole position. Despite its high fuel consumption, its medium tire wear rating and its enormous 25.5 seconds in and out of the pits, one of most time consuming pit stop of the season, will probably lead many a manager to choose a one or two pit stop strategy.
All in all, the first three races should favored managers with highly evolved cars and experienced drivers. Wear should not be a big factor for the first two races. Expect last year top 5 to be in the midst of events.
My mother always said that. «I wish I did not have to go to school» I’d say. «Be careful what you wish for Serge. You could get hit by a truck, wake up in the hospital, be totally paralyzed and never go to school anymore» she’d answered. «I wish I were rich» I’d say. «Be careful what you wish for Serge. You could get burn all over your body, receive millions in damages, and spend your life in misery» she’d say.
Well, I should have paid more attention. The other day I said: «I wish I could write an article for the first edition of the GPRO newspaper. » And now I am task with writing a piece on the first 9 tracks of season 29 and how they will favor different managers in the Elite category.
Now, how the hell do I do that? I’ve never been in Elite. I have not raced all of these tracks. I don’t know anything about the top contender’s driver’s skills. How am I to know what to expect for the first half of the season?
I feel like such an imposter. If only I was one of the top participants to Elite Betting Game or Max’ Top 10. You know, someone like Garry Winship, Alexandru Gujuman or Daniel Francisco, the winners of the last 3 seasons of Max’ Top 10. Or like Rimantas Sagatas, Marcin Kucza and Nico Zou, the last 3 winners of the Elite Betting Game. Now there are experts! On the other hand, even the best of them was wrong 2 out of 3 times. So maybe I can still hope to meet the challenge.
I was sitting on the sofa last night, hanging my head in despair, when my lovely wife sat down next to me. She is the most extraordinary person I know and the only reason I am not impersonating her in GPRO is that it would be wrong. She gently taps me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear: «Do they want to be informed or entertained? »
It was like a revelation! I could hear bells and trumpets; I could see stars and fireworks. Of course! No one is really expecting to learn the great mysteries of GPRO by reading this newspaper. No one expect me to hold the great secret of the future. And even if I did, it would be written FOBY all over. What people want is to read something that will keep them in the GPRO mood, something that will relieve them from the boredom until next race.
So in that context, here is a look at the first half of the season.
First three races
The Buenos Aires circuit, or as it is fondly known in Argentina, the Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez, has hosted some 20 real life Grand Prix, a statistic that contradicts the GPRO official number of 13. This version of the the track as used in GPRO correspond to its modern evolution as used between 1995 and 1998. The former version of the Autódromo was about 1.7 km longer and had a long loop going around the lake nearby. By GPRO standards, it is somewhat slow, with a registered average speed of 185.31 km/h. The in/out of the pit is average, as is the number of curbs. Overtaking is very hard, making good qualification and pit strategy key to winning. Whatever happens during this race, one thing is certain: the brand new car parts will have considerably aged by the finish line.
From Argentina to Brasilia, competitors will go from hard to harder. Even if this second race offers more opportunities for overtaking, the Brazilian track is amongst the most demanding from the stand point of power and handling. Endurance will be the key word, both for the drivers and the machines. Expect a tough race and don’t be surprised to see the first smoking cars or even a few abandons.
After Brasilia, competitors leave South America for the United States. And waiting to welcome them is Indianapolis. Now, don’t make any mistake. We are talking about the controversial oval, noooo! We are talking about its F1 version. You don’t remember it? Considering that the last time GPRO held a Grand Prix there was 7 seasons ago, that should come as no surprised. But don’t worry: our Elite warriors have most likely raced on it and have stashed away the data. Indianapolis is rather equally demanding in power, handling and acceleration. It is easy to overtake on this track, so look out for a lot of change in the pole position. Despite its high fuel consumption, its medium tire wear rating and its enormous 25.5 seconds in and out of the pits, one of most time consuming pit stop of the season, will probably lead many a manager to choose a one or two pit stop strategy.
All in all, the first three races should favored managers with highly evolved cars and experienced drivers. Wear should not be a big factor for the first two races. Expect last year top 5 to be in the midst of events.
The Next Three Races
Montreal. Ah! Montreal! One of the most fun Grand Prix of the Formula 1 Tour. Whereas most of the other tracks have been built miles and miles away from the cites, the Gilles Villeneuve circuit on the Notre-Dame Island sits only minutes from downtown Montreal. Here you can bash into the Grand Prix Festivities, while eating a nice meal at the Bistro Chex Alexandre or having a beer on Crescent Street, where you can see the most beautiful women this side of the Atlantic. Of course, this is only true outside of the web (I am not saying in real life, since life on the F1 tour is anything but real). GPRO and Montreal have had a long lasting lover relationship and Montreal will be hosting this season its 16th GPRO race. The GPRO version is kind of middle of the road, so to speak, in terms of length, number of laps and power rating. Its mere 7 bars of handling put it among the least technical tracks you can find on GPRO, while it rating of 13 of acceleration puts it within the upper tier. With its average overtake rating; expect to see the most aggressive drivers to crowd to podium.
Time now for the GPRO community to leave the Americas and head home to Europe. And the first stop will be Valencia, Spain. Not as well-known as Barcelona within the F1 circles, Valencia is rich of its glorious past as the center of the Kingdom of Valencia. Facing the Mediterranean Sea, Valencia offers breath taking views and a unique mix of historic and ultra-modern architecture. If you are lucky enough to visit Valencia, you might even see the Santo Caliz, believed by many to be the actual Holy Grail. And just as the Holy Grail Quest, the Valencia Street Circuit is both beautiful and difficult. Though the circuit is rated as one of the highest, acceleration wise, don’t expect a repetition of the Montreal overtaking fest. Overtaking at Valencia is officially listed as hard, but if you consider that on the real circuit «there have only been 4 recorded overtakes since (...) 2008, with none of them in 2009», you might want to think very hard indeed. In such a context, good qualification and good pit management will go a long way to insure good result at the finish line.
Leaving the Iberian Peninsula, the GPRO community will then hop to the most famous of all peninsulas: Italy. But here again we will go past the classic tracks such as Monza and Mugello and instead we will stop at the utopia that is Fiorano. In real life, this circuit is privately own by a sympathetic little car company: Ferrari. Ferrari uses this track as testing ground for both its F1 and road cars. Situated just outside the outskirt of the Fiorano Modenese, itself siting somewhere between Bologna and Modena, the Fiorano track is quite outside the touristic circuit! The GPRO version shows surprisingly low ratings, be it for power, handling and acceleration. The latter two are especially troubling, considering how twisted this track is. It is a tough place for cars: tire wear is hard, fuel consumption is very hard and grip is...whatever.
With races 4 to 6, the season is in full speed. By then, machines are starting to need heavy repairs. This will put a lot of strain on each manager’s finances. Within last season top 10 managers, it may be particularly difficult for guys like Aleksej Sutkin, Evaldas Ruseckas and Nico Zou. Each has comparatively little starting money and only one sponsor. They could quickly run out of mulla and be forced to ease down, leaving the other contenders a fair distance from them.
Montreal. Ah! Montreal! One of the most fun Grand Prix of the Formula 1 Tour. Whereas most of the other tracks have been built miles and miles away from the cites, the Gilles Villeneuve circuit on the Notre-Dame Island sits only minutes from downtown Montreal. Here you can bash into the Grand Prix Festivities, while eating a nice meal at the Bistro Chex Alexandre or having a beer on Crescent Street, where you can see the most beautiful women this side of the Atlantic. Of course, this is only true outside of the web (I am not saying in real life, since life on the F1 tour is anything but real). GPRO and Montreal have had a long lasting lover relationship and Montreal will be hosting this season its 16th GPRO race. The GPRO version is kind of middle of the road, so to speak, in terms of length, number of laps and power rating. Its mere 7 bars of handling put it among the least technical tracks you can find on GPRO, while it rating of 13 of acceleration puts it within the upper tier. With its average overtake rating; expect to see the most aggressive drivers to crowd to podium.
Time now for the GPRO community to leave the Americas and head home to Europe. And the first stop will be Valencia, Spain. Not as well-known as Barcelona within the F1 circles, Valencia is rich of its glorious past as the center of the Kingdom of Valencia. Facing the Mediterranean Sea, Valencia offers breath taking views and a unique mix of historic and ultra-modern architecture. If you are lucky enough to visit Valencia, you might even see the Santo Caliz, believed by many to be the actual Holy Grail. And just as the Holy Grail Quest, the Valencia Street Circuit is both beautiful and difficult. Though the circuit is rated as one of the highest, acceleration wise, don’t expect a repetition of the Montreal overtaking fest. Overtaking at Valencia is officially listed as hard, but if you consider that on the real circuit «there have only been 4 recorded overtakes since (...) 2008, with none of them in 2009», you might want to think very hard indeed. In such a context, good qualification and good pit management will go a long way to insure good result at the finish line.
Leaving the Iberian Peninsula, the GPRO community will then hop to the most famous of all peninsulas: Italy. But here again we will go past the classic tracks such as Monza and Mugello and instead we will stop at the utopia that is Fiorano. In real life, this circuit is privately own by a sympathetic little car company: Ferrari. Ferrari uses this track as testing ground for both its F1 and road cars. Situated just outside the outskirt of the Fiorano Modenese, itself siting somewhere between Bologna and Modena, the Fiorano track is quite outside the touristic circuit! The GPRO version shows surprisingly low ratings, be it for power, handling and acceleration. The latter two are especially troubling, considering how twisted this track is. It is a tough place for cars: tire wear is hard, fuel consumption is very hard and grip is...whatever.
With races 4 to 6, the season is in full speed. By then, machines are starting to need heavy repairs. This will put a lot of strain on each manager’s finances. Within last season top 10 managers, it may be particularly difficult for guys like Aleksej Sutkin, Evaldas Ruseckas and Nico Zou. Each has comparatively little starting money and only one sponsor. They could quickly run out of mulla and be forced to ease down, leaving the other contenders a fair distance from them.
The Last Three Races
Unless you crave to see the Meylandt Castle, which bears resemblance with Moulinsart, the residence of Captain Haddock, Tintin’s friend, you are unlikely to end up near the small town of Heusden-Zolder for anything else than car racing. Zolder, during its short period of grandeur, has been the host of 10 F1 Grand Prix together with other racing sport events such as the UCI Road World Championship and the Motocross des nations. The death of famous Gilles Villeneuve in 1982 marked the beginning of the end for the circuit. Nevertheless, GPRO has been a loyal visitor at Zolder, having already held 8 Grand Prix on the track. With an average speed of 223.26 km/h, Zolder is among the fastest track in the game. The track difficulties spread evenly between power, handling and acceleration. As it is hard to overtake on the Zolder circuit and with low fuel consumption and medium tire wear, it is not uncommon to see managers favor the one pit stop strategy.
Goodbye Belgium, hello La France. Don’t you smell it? Its salty taste is there in the very air you breathe. It is the Sea. What sea? THE Sea, the Mediterranean Sea! And this breeze! That is no breeze, my friend. This is the Mistral playing with mind, trying to lure you off the shore where it can crush you or make you go mad. And this? Can you hear it? It is Marseille; it is the accent du midi. Yes, yes, this is Le Castellet, mon-pa-te-leing-à-moi! And this, this is the most beautiful racing track you will ever see in your life! Unfortunately, GPRO does not feature the people, the sounds and the tastes that make the southern part of France so «picturesque», but its version of the Paul Ricard Circuit is still exciting. With its average speed of 224.11 km/h, its long Mistral Straight for top speed and its wide alley where it is easy to overtake, expect a lot of action both in front and at the end of the peloton.
We are now turning to the second half of the season. Time to expand our horizon. Let us leave behind, if only for a short moment, Europe and its modernity for the mysteries of the East. Let us enter this land and meet this people who stand with one foot in Europe and one foot in the Middle East. As you guessed, I am talking about Turkey. The Istanbul track if you prefer, the Turkish Grand Prix, in one of the newest and trickiest circuit of the F1 tour. Incorporating many of other tracks’ best features, Istanbul is renowned for its hilly topography and for its corner 8, one of the most difficult in F1 according to many drivers. One should always be weary of crashes and spin off when racing there. Istanbul is one of the longest races of the season and it ranks in the upper tier in both power and acceleration rating. And if the previous two tracks were among the fastest, this one is even faster.
At the stage of the season, raw talent won’t be enough. Experience will be key to success. Now may be thinking about driver’s experience and of course you are right. But let us not neglect managers’ experience. And when it comes to manager’s experience, there is plenty to be found the last season Elite top 10. Just consider that Justinas Smyšliajevas, Leandro Sereno, Aleksej Sutkin and Evaldas Ruseckas have all been racing in each and every GPRO season since the official kick off in August 2006. And what about Toygun Senler who has been in Elite for the last 17 season, a feat that is dwarfed by Leandro Sereno’s 27 Elite season streak (counting this season)!
How will this wonderful guys fare during the first half of season 29? It is hard to tell even for the most experienced GPRO observers. What is certain, though, is that there will be plenty of excitement. Most will wish they could spend all their time racing and watching. But as my mother would say: be careful what you wish for...
Unless you crave to see the Meylandt Castle, which bears resemblance with Moulinsart, the residence of Captain Haddock, Tintin’s friend, you are unlikely to end up near the small town of Heusden-Zolder for anything else than car racing. Zolder, during its short period of grandeur, has been the host of 10 F1 Grand Prix together with other racing sport events such as the UCI Road World Championship and the Motocross des nations. The death of famous Gilles Villeneuve in 1982 marked the beginning of the end for the circuit. Nevertheless, GPRO has been a loyal visitor at Zolder, having already held 8 Grand Prix on the track. With an average speed of 223.26 km/h, Zolder is among the fastest track in the game. The track difficulties spread evenly between power, handling and acceleration. As it is hard to overtake on the Zolder circuit and with low fuel consumption and medium tire wear, it is not uncommon to see managers favor the one pit stop strategy.
Goodbye Belgium, hello La France. Don’t you smell it? Its salty taste is there in the very air you breathe. It is the Sea. What sea? THE Sea, the Mediterranean Sea! And this breeze! That is no breeze, my friend. This is the Mistral playing with mind, trying to lure you off the shore where it can crush you or make you go mad. And this? Can you hear it? It is Marseille; it is the accent du midi. Yes, yes, this is Le Castellet, mon-pa-te-leing-à-moi! And this, this is the most beautiful racing track you will ever see in your life! Unfortunately, GPRO does not feature the people, the sounds and the tastes that make the southern part of France so «picturesque», but its version of the Paul Ricard Circuit is still exciting. With its average speed of 224.11 km/h, its long Mistral Straight for top speed and its wide alley where it is easy to overtake, expect a lot of action both in front and at the end of the peloton.
We are now turning to the second half of the season. Time to expand our horizon. Let us leave behind, if only for a short moment, Europe and its modernity for the mysteries of the East. Let us enter this land and meet this people who stand with one foot in Europe and one foot in the Middle East. As you guessed, I am talking about Turkey. The Istanbul track if you prefer, the Turkish Grand Prix, in one of the newest and trickiest circuit of the F1 tour. Incorporating many of other tracks’ best features, Istanbul is renowned for its hilly topography and for its corner 8, one of the most difficult in F1 according to many drivers. One should always be weary of crashes and spin off when racing there. Istanbul is one of the longest races of the season and it ranks in the upper tier in both power and acceleration rating. And if the previous two tracks were among the fastest, this one is even faster.
At the stage of the season, raw talent won’t be enough. Experience will be key to success. Now may be thinking about driver’s experience and of course you are right. But let us not neglect managers’ experience. And when it comes to manager’s experience, there is plenty to be found the last season Elite top 10. Just consider that Justinas Smyšliajevas, Leandro Sereno, Aleksej Sutkin and Evaldas Ruseckas have all been racing in each and every GPRO season since the official kick off in August 2006. And what about Toygun Senler who has been in Elite for the last 17 season, a feat that is dwarfed by Leandro Sereno’s 27 Elite season streak (counting this season)!
How will this wonderful guys fare during the first half of season 29? It is hard to tell even for the most experienced GPRO observers. What is certain, though, is that there will be plenty of excitement. Most will wish they could spend all their time racing and watching. But as my mother would say: be careful what you wish for...
