MoR137 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) Thursday 28th July 2011 see's the F1s return to Belle Vue, this time for the the second World Championship semi final. The first semi final took place at Skegness last week and was an excellent race; the line up for this semi final looks just as good, so this has the potential to be fantastic. So here is our preview (thanks to Johno for the words this time around!); let us know what you think and let's get some predictions in too!--- ROW 1 ---TomD#1 Tom has once again had a very dominant season. With an average of nearly 40 and 6 final victories to his name, Tom has lived up to the tag of World Champion. He has a good Belle Vue record and starting from pole position, Tom will start the race as favourite. Tom will look to put last year’s disastrous Semi Final behind him and take the chequered flag like many would expect. Expect him to finish in the top 3. Dode#151 The 2011 European Champion has had a simply sensational season. Having started the year from blue he quickly jumped to superstar and maintained that grade until just recently. Only two weeks ago he took the European Championship to ensure he is the most improved driver of the year. Dode has not got a great record in Semi Finals, but with his recent improvement, a top 3 is a definite possibility. Expect him to qualify. --- ROW 2 ---Corny#391 Corny has had a mixed season. Having made superstar for the first time in his rfactor career, many people expected Corny to kick on even further. Since gaining the flashing lights though, everything has gone wrong and he now finds himself back at red. His shale form is very good and he goes well around Belle Vue, winning the Champions of Champions race at this venue in 2009. Expect Corny to finish in the top 3. Johno#3 Johno has had an interesting season - the 2009 Long Track Champion sites comfortably in 5th place in the National points but has struggled to bring home race wins this season. Regardless, his form is consistent, his driving fair, and those two things could be the perfect recipe for a strong semi final finish. As fast as anybody on his day, Johno's competitors should not underestimate him. Expect a top 5 finish, but he is perfectly capable of a podium finish.--- ROW 3 ---Tosh#8 I think it is fair to say that Tosh is another driver who has had a mixed season. Computer problems have meant that Tosh has missed many recent meetings but I would expect him to attend his Semi Final. Shale form has been better than tarmac form this year and if he gets a sniff of victory, then he has the ability to take it. I think Tosh could be an outsider for the podium. Expect a top 5 finish. LeeK#39 LeeK is a driver that has the talent to do anything. He can go out and win races but at the same time he can go out and destroy his own or others. Just 10 months ago, LeeK very nearly won the World Championship and he would dearly love another crack at the title. His shale form is better than his tarmac form so therefore he probably would prefer the Belle Vue Semi Final. Much will depend on the start for LeeK from this tricky starting position. Expect LeeK to qualify. --- ROW 4 ---Matty#300 Matty acts like chalk and cheese. On shale he looks like he is capable of holding his own against the star name drivers but put him on the hard stuff and he falls to pieces. His semi final however is on the shale, and this is a man who if given a break could well finish in a good position. This is Matty’s forth Semi Final and he has yet to make the World Final through the semi final. Could this be his year? James#560 Dodge joined UK Dirt during the UK Open Championship Double Header and pushed champion MoR all the way. Since then, Dodge has found better form on the tarmac. That said he has shown at times some very good race craft and this will be needed in the early laps of this Semi Final. Looking at the drivers around him, I would expect it to be tricky for Dodge to qualify, but I can assure you he will be trying hard.--- ROW 5 ---LiamB#90 Another driver to recently join the UK Dirt ranks is Liam. Since joining, he has shown that he is at home on either tarmac or shale. With an average in the mid 20’s, Liam has already shown that he has the ability to race with the big boys and pick up very good results. If he is to get near the front of the grid, he will need a good start, but he has the talent to make it through to the big race in September. Expect him to qualify. SpikeJNR#172 Spike JNR has had a consistent season thus far, maintaining his yellow roof for the duration of the current season. He has generally picked up his better results on the tarmac and regularly shows a dislike for the loose stuff. In order to qualify, he will need a few pile ups along the way and then he needs to make sure he stays out of trouble. Having seen his Dad qualify for the big race, JNR would dearly love to do the same.--- ROW 6 ---Fasttrack#527 Fasttrack has qualified for this year’s World Championship Semi Final courtesy of two fine rounds at the end of last season. It is such a shame that he has had to miss the season due to work has he was one of the most improved drivers of 2010 and many expected him to kick on. In order to qualify, he must make sure he is not too race rusty otherwise with the drivers around him, he may well struggle to qualify. Drumbstick#41 Drumbstick raced just two World Championship Qualifying Rounds but with an average in the mid 20’s he made sure he booked himself a place on the Semi Final grid. Many people may not know that when rfactor first came out Drumb was the man to beat, but has time has moved on, the league has moved on and Drumbstick has raced very little. Despite this, he still displays superb race craft and pace and it is this that will see him qualify. --- ROW 7 ---Big Al#515 It is always great to see this veteran of UK Dirt on any Semi Final grid. Big Al has found it hard going from yellow this year but picked up some excellent results from white. Slowly but surely he takes small steps forward and this year has been no different. By his own admission, he will find it hard to qualify, but that will not stop the 2001 World Championship runner up from trying!Grasser#233 Yet another UK Dirt veteran can be found on row 7 and this one is definitely someone to be watched. Every year in one of the semi finals, someone comes from well down on the grid to achieve an excellent result and this year it could well be Grasser. Shale form is simply sensational and that is starting from superstar. I have a feeling that we will see a big race from this guy with a podium finish perhaps waiting for him at the end of 20 laps. --- ROW 8 ---PickworthNZ#185 Since joining UK Dirt, Pickworth has gone about his business very quietly. Having returned just a few short weeks ago, Pickworth has shown that he is comfortable at blue, picking up some good results along the way. Shale is not his preferred surface though and I would expect that he will find it hard going around the Belle Vue shale. Matthew#413 Matthew is an extremely talented driver. Pace is never an issue with this guy but sometimes he finds himself in trouble in races, regularly being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Should he decide to race his Semi Final, he will need to get some good breaks from this far down on the grid in order to qualify. If he does get the breaks though and finds some open track, he could pick up a very good qualifying spot. --- ROW 9 ---Jakie#33 Jakie joined the league at the end of last season and decided that he would give the league a good shot at the start of this season. Unfortunately Jakie found the going tough, regularly finding himself on the end of incidents. He may have dropped down the grades but he does have some good pace and is not afraid to use the bumper. Qualification will be hard from here, but should he race he will give it his best effort. Dave#488 If I was a betting man, I would bet that Dave will not be taking up his position on the Semi Final grid. Being predominantly a tarmac driver, Dave is unlikely to consider racing on the loose stuff. Should he surprise everyone and race, he will find the going hard around Belle Vue. That said, he is always a welcome addition to any track and it would be great to see him race in his Semi Final. --- ROW 10 ---Fordy#588 Fordy is a driver who has not yet paid his server fee for this year. He actually qualified for the Semi Final thanks to scoring points at Arena Essex last year. Whilst it is unlikely that he will take up his place on the grid, Fordy does have the potential to get himself near to the qualifying positions. Blymn#130 Blymn is another driver that joined UK Dirt this year. He is a very keen driver when time allows him to race and he has started to make steps forward and pick up the odd point or too. Blymn is chuffed to bits to be on the Semi Final grid and although he would have preferred to be on the tarmac, he will be giving it his best shot on the shale. Having sat here and wrote the preview for each driver, I can’t believe what a difficult Semi Final this has the potential to be. There are not only many top drivers up the front of the grid, but an awful lot of great drivers towards the back of the grid too. I think that this will be a race that will be very hard to predict. With a gun held to my head, I would pick the following 10 drivers to qualify (in grid order): 1, 151, 391, 3, 8, 39, 90, 41, 233 and 413. I would also go for TomD winning the Semi Final. That said, I would not fancy being on Tom’s shoes when he leads such a talented field around the track on the rolling lap! Good luck to everyone in the race! CURRENT SEMI FINAL BOOKINGS (Those in bold are booked in. Those in italics are provisional. Those in red are not racing.) ROW IN - OUT 1 : 1 - 151 2 : 391 - 3 3 : 8 - 39 4 : 300 - 560 5 : 90 - 172 6 : 527 - 41 7 : 515 - 233 8 : 185 - 413 9 : 33 - 488 10 : 588 - 130 Edited July 28, 2011 by fasttrack
ciderman22 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) Good luck Big Al Dont forget what that front bumper is there for :5: Good write up MoR Edited July 25, 2011 by ciderman22
wardy515 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 Can i Just Point Out That There Is 11 Red Graders in this semi shud be a brill fair race
Johno3 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 I have added a booking list to the bottom of the thread. Cheers Johno
Mav Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 Having looked at the grids prior to racing Skeg Semi, I wanted Belle Vue as it was Shale, but having seen the talent that is in that Semi, I knew I wouldn't make it through, so was mighty relieved to have been allocated Skegness Semi!!! I think, just like the real European, its going to be hard to say what the top 3 will be. Who will play fair, who will play dirty, who is going for a place, who is going "**** or bust" ??? Will Tom want Dode out of it, or will Dode want Tom out of it?? Tom has proven you can win the WF from the back after failing in the Semi. Post and wire fence makes all the difference, Skeggy armco you can bounce off, but a good hit can get you wrapped around a post and vital time will be lost trying to get out and back into the placings!!! My prediction would be (If Tom and Dode are not happy to follow each other for a one two finish) - Tosh #8, Leek #39, Matty #300 as Top 3. Tom and Dode will qualify but lower down the grid. With only 16 cars taking part (in my estimation), Big Al #515 will be joining me on the 10th row of the grid for the World Final and if he does we can race for a "Gold Star" on our aerofoil Johno who doesn't have much luck in big races, still won't have any even with me not being in it, but will qualify. Grasser, Matthew and Drum are most likely to get through from the back, with the remaining drivers battling it out with them to take those positions of them. So thats - 8, 39, 300, 233, 151, 41, 3, 1, 413, 515 But if its a boring roundy roundy race - 1, 151, 3, 39, 8, 300, 90, 41, 233, 413 (Sorry Big Al!!) Good Luck to all ps Another great write up to add to the Skegness Semi - Top stuff guys.
Matty300 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 quality preview, well done to all concerned, the hi res pics are absolutely fantastic.
wee dode Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 great write up lads! and just got to see what happens mav lol, luck comes into it a fair bit.
Corny 391 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Posted July 25, 2011 Good to know you have so much faith in me Mav
Mav Posted July 26, 2011 Report Posted July 26, 2011 Good to know you have so much faith in me Mav I had heard on the grape vine that you wouldn't be racing Hope you are, but the way things have gone for you lately the result wouldn't be in your favour. Maybe its best I didn't say anything about you cos I am a jinx anyway!!! Good Luck if you do race Corny
big al 515 Posted July 26, 2011 Report Posted July 26, 2011 Cheers for the good wishes and/or confidence lads Great to hear from you Cider Excllent write up and pictures too, let's hope we can do the race justice, I agree there are about 14 top class drivers in the race, which doesn't give chumps like me much hope unless a few end in the fence
Johno3 Posted July 28, 2011 Report Posted July 28, 2011 Bookings for the Semi Final up to date. With a few more expected to book in - it is looking like one of the best semi finals in a long time! Cheers Johno
Liam90 Posted July 28, 2011 Report Posted July 28, 2011 Great wright up Johno lookin forward to it haha will be hard race but hopefuly fair. see if your prediction is right with me in 7th would be very nice. Thanks LiamB
Liam90 Posted July 28, 2011 Report Posted July 28, 2011 sorry me predictions aswell lol. 1, 151, 3, 39, 8, 300, 41, 233, 413, 90
Jedd165 Posted July 28, 2011 Report Posted July 28, 2011 Plz can i get a late booking i cant seem to find any booking threads!! Jedd#165 white plz
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