Part one will be delay until qualifications come in.

Penske_ALMS will be doing the qualifications for this race

I'll drive the Aston Martin DBR9.

Race Prologue

With 17 different manufactures and 45 drivers, the Sugo 200 is setting up to be a monster of a race. The famous former Yamaha Test track is one of the most popular circuits in all of Japan and home to Superbike racing, JGTC, Super GT and other series.
With teams ranging in size from the 6 car Porsche 911 GT3 to a solo Maserati MC12, there will be many battles all over the track. Pagani will debut theri Zonda R. Ferrari, Aston Martin and Chevrolet are the favorites entering the race. But 15 other manufactures are looking play spoiler.
Coming off his Indy 500 win, Indyfan2 is looking to capitalize on the momentum that win has generated for him by closing the points gap to Breaker. Unroolie_Julie with her surprising 5th place finish is also looking to capitalize. Penske_ALMS once again came close to getting that first win. He leads laps but can’t pull the finish together. Formulaefan and Speeddemon787 are proving their consistency over the last few races. Antirover will be trying to rebound on a disapointing 15th place finish 1 lap down. The new rookie, rockstar4199, will be looking to turn heads in his solo Maserati MC12. There are also a few rookies making their ITTAWSC2 debut.

*Can Porsche use it’s numbers to it’s advantage?
*Will and underdog emerge?
*What strategy can lesser powered cars use?
*Will this be a race of attrition?
*How will the points be shaken up if at all?

Practice

Practice was relatively uneventful with the F430 of Formulaefan leading the way with a lap of 1:20.003. There was an off by the Panoz of Silly Walks at the S curve but was able to fire it up and go on his way. The G-TR of Uzi4u blew a motor about half way through practice. The surprise of the day was rockstar4199 in his solo Maserati MC12 who posted the 2nd fastest time and Wotan in his Saleen S7.

Top 5 practice times:

Formulaefan - 1:20.003 - Ferrari
rockstar4199 - 1:20.109 - Maserati
LittleAlguy - 1:20.258 - Aston Martin
DigIt - 1:20.888 - Chevrolet
Wotan - 1:20.971 - Saleen




Qualifications

Qualifying would consist of 2 45 minute sessions with the first session setting 45-25 and the second 24-11. A final super pole will determine the top 10.

First Session

The morning of qualifying was marked by an unusually cold start. Temperatures were in the upper 40’s with highs only expected in the mid 60’s. Much colder than the temperatures they had practiced in. The cars rolled out onto the track eager to prove their worth. Times began coming in the 1:21-1:22 range. Then only about 5 minutes into the session, the G-TR of Uzi4u blew up in spectacular fashion bellowing smoke out of every crevasse. Obviously the issue from practice was not fixed. He would have to start shotgun on the field. The session was red flagged to allow clean up of the oil and other debris left over from Uzi4u’s car. After the track was sufficiently cleaned, the cars started lapping. About half way through, the Ascari of PainterDude came to a halt at the entrance to pit road with what would be determined to be a blown motor. Cars are starting to hit the 1:21’s, 1:20’s now. About 5 minutes left now and most of the cars that are safely in the top 24 are sitting in the paddock preparing for the next session. Cars that are on the bubble are making hot-laps. Then a potentially major development to the points has happened. The Lamborghini of Breaker is sitting in a crumpled mess in the sand off the S curve with the Lexus of Mach5m a short distance from him with considerable amount od damage to his front end. Reviewing the replay shows Breaker slow on his cool down lap and Mach5m running at full speed trying to make a hot lap to get himself in the next session. There just wasn’t enough room for both of them in the S turn.

Second Session

With the first half of the field set, it was onto the second half. It took about 10 minutes for the first cars to start filtering out onto the track. A few cars had some uneventful offs but were able to keep going. The pace was about the same as the first session until about 10 minutes to go when rockstar4199 set the first 1:19 lap of the day. Then Formulaefan, Speeddemon787, LittleAlguy, Penske_ALMS and Indyfan2 answered with their own 1:19. With 5 minutes to go, the battle turned to the top 10 position. 7th-14th was separated by less than a third of a second with 2 minutes to go, DigIt has 10th, but just as he got it Antirover nabbed it from him. With 30 seconds to go, Antirover is looking good to go to be in the top 10 but new comer illahsram in a Honda NSX runs a lap good runs a 6th place lap bumping Antirover into 11th and LittleAlguy onto 10th. Despite the numbers Porsche has, none of the 911's are able to make it into the top 10.

Super Pole

The last 10 drivers will run one flying lap to determine the pole. Speeddemon heads out first and sets the standard with a 1:20.100. Armco, illahsram and Bolts follow him. Formulaefan then heads out and lays down a blistering 1:19.712. Penske_ALMS, Indyfan2 and LittleAlguy also run 1:19’s but aren’t able to knock her off the pole. The darkhorse of rockstar4199 in his solo Maserati, was fast in practice and been in the top 5 in the previous 2 sessions, but can he perform under fire? He does and more! He lays down the best lap of the week. Wotan in the Saleen hopes to emulate what rockstar4199 just did to Formulaefan. It’s a fast one, but only fast enough for second. And that is the completion of qualifying with rookie rockstar4199 grabbing his first pole. But can he replicate his success during the race?

Full Qualifications for the Sugo 200

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Fast Facts

11 Turns
2.323 miles in Length
85 Laps
197 miles / 317 kilometers
1:20-1:26 race laps
17 Teams
45 Competitors
NO co-drivers, 1 driver per car


--Row 1--
1| 12 || rockstar4199 {Maserati MC12} Redbull / Mac / Google [1:19.602]
2| 45 || Wotan {Saleen S7-R} Dunlop Tires [1:19.677]

--Row 2--
3| 69 || Formulaefan {Ferrari F430} X-Box 360 [1:19.712]
4| 77 || Penske_ALMS {Pagani Zonda R} Mobil-1 [1:19.798]

--Row 3--
5| 33 || Indyfan2 {Ferrari F430} X-Box 360 [1:19.827]
6| 55 || LittleAlguy {Aston Martin DBR9} BP [1:19.971]

--Row 4--
7| 01 || Speeddemon787 {Aston Martin DBR9} BP [1:20.100]
8| 11 || Armco {Nissan G-TR} Nissan Motorsports [1:20.342]

--Row 5--
9| 90 || illahsram {Honda NSX} Toshiba [1:20.601]
10| 13 || Bolts {Dodge Viper GTS-R} Mopar [1:20.999]

--Row 6--
11| 88 || Antirover {Cadillac CTS-V} U.S. National Guard [1:21.103]
12| 23 || F1freak91 {Pagani Zonda R} Mobil-1 [1:21.245]

--Row 7--
13| 17 || DigIt {Chevrolet Corvette C6.R} E-85 Ethanol [1:21.377]
14| 48 || Gurney {Ascari KZ1R} Valvoline [1:21.402]

--Row 8--
15| 37 || Risdo {McLaren F1 GTR} Dunlop Tires [1:21.666]
16| 66 || Penske14 {Pagani Zonda R} Mobil-1[1:21.826]

--Row 9--
17| 03 || mmi16 {Lexus SC430} M&M;’s [1:21.951]
18| 71 || redteam {Panoz Esperante GT-LM} Georgia Pacific [1:22.001]

--Row 10--
19| 90 || VNAF Ace {BMW M5} Intell [1:22.194]
20| 1 || Markm55543 {Porsche 911 GTR3} Sobe Energy Drink [1:22.334]

--Row 11--
21| 5 || Prototype {Saleen S7-R} Hankook Tires [1:22.389]
22| 27 || Brad 385 HP SS {BMW M5} Intell [1:22.493]

--Row 12--
23| 61 || Gag Halfrunt {Porsche 911 GTR3} Sobe Energy Drink [1:22.501]
24| 50 || Top.2 Percent {Porsche 911 GTR3} Sobe Energy Drink [1:22.566]

--Row 13--
25| 99 || Pickle {Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT} Gieco [1:22.609]
26| 41 || Speedy {Cheverolet Corvette C6.R} E-85 Ethanol [1:22.691]

--Row 14--
27| 32 || Loki65 {Ascari KZ1R} Valvoline [1:22.771]
28| 82 || Lochtaer {Dodge Viper GTS-R} Mopar [1:22.816]

--Row 15--
29| 2 || Unroolie_Julie {McLaren F1 GTR} Dunlop Tires [1:22.930]
30| 08 || Silly Walks {Panoz Esperante GT-LM} Georgia Pacific [1:22.932]

--Row 16--
31| 96 || HugeWally {Nissan G-TR} Nissan Motorsports [1:23.159]
32| 49 || struns {Honda NSX} Toshiba [1:23.288]

--Row 17--
33| 73 || Bentrod {Lexus SC430} M&M;’s [1:23.353]
34| 17 || McLola {Dodge Viper GTS-R} Mopar [1:23.444]

--Row 18--
35| 58 || John21 {Porsche 911 GTR3} Sobe Energy Drink [1:23.507]
36| 47 || Speedeng {Aston Martin DBR9} BP [1:23.589]

--Row 19--
37| 7 || Headfirst4halos {Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT} Gieco [1:23.661]
38| 6 || Chkrd_Flag {Cadillac CTS-V} U.S. National Guard [1:23.725]

--Row 20--
39| 90 || Third Element {Porsche 911 GTR3} Sobe Energy Drink [1:23.801]
40| 22 || RacingLegend {Panoz Esperate GT-LM} Georgia Pacific [1:23.899]

--Row 21--
41| 36 || Jacngille {Porsche 911 GTR3} Sobe Energy Drink [N/A] ***
42| 67 || Mach5m {Lexus SC430} M&M;’s [N/A]***

--Row 22--
43| 20 || Breaker {Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT} Gieco [1:20.123] **
44| 24 || PainterDude {Ascari KZ16} Valvoline [N/A] *

--Row 23--
45| 87 || Uzi4u {Nissan G-TR} Nissan Motorsports [N/A] *

*Blown Motors
** Replaced car, sent to back.
***Accident

Fell free to point out any mistakes

Ouch. Hopefully I can drag my fat butt through the field.

ITTAWSC2-Round 12: Sugo International Circuit. Part 1

It’s a bright sunny day in Sugo, Japan but the day started with ITTAWSC officials were in discussion about the qualifying incident between Breaker and Mach5m in which both drivers wrecked hard. ITTAWSC officials decided not to penalize Breaker but warned the drivers in the meeting that the next incident in which a driver slowed down and impede another driver’s hot lap will be penalize ten positions. The prerace ceremonies were unique with all the grid girls standing infront of the race cars holding up signs or umbrellas and tradition Japanese rituals and customs on the front stretch. Penske_ALMS was having a good time with a grid girl that the Japanese media took pictures for their hot story. Onto the race where forty-five cars were rolling out of the pits for their warm up lap as the safety car pace them at fifty-five miles per hour. Breaker and Mach5m will start at the end of pit lane as the field coming out of turn 11 getting ready for the start as the safety car pulled into the pits. Rockstar4199 and Wotan were pacing for the start as the red light turned to green as the cars were funneling into turn one. Speeddemon787 jumped to four places for third as Formulaefan and Penske_ALMS were banging door to door.

Uh oh, trouble in the back as six cars got together at turn seven. Gag Halfrunt punting Brad 385 HP SS’ BMW around causing a chain reaction crash by Loki65, Lochtaer, struns and Bentrod piled into the wreck. Brad 385 HP SS and Loki65 were not moving as Lochtaer’s Viper went back to the pits with front and rear damage. The safety car went out to pick up leader Wotan as Struns and Bentrod also pitted with minor damage to their race cars as ITTAWSC officials penalized Gag Halfrunt for avoidable contact in which he had to wait 30 seconds in the penalty box. The full course caution lasted for six laps and Breaker decides to pit early for fuel and tires to get possible track position as Wotan got the green and left Rockstar4199 in the dust as Speeddemon787 passed the rookie into turn one and LittleAlGuy follow suit into third place putting down Formulaefan down to fourth. Lap 12, Indyfan2 had to pit early due to a flat right rear tire and came back out infront of the leaders. Indyfans2’s Ferrari was six car lengths ahead but Gag Halfrunt who was penalized for that punting incident was infront of the Ferrari F430. The leaders were stacking up behind Gag Halfrunt and Indyfan2 fighting for a non-position. Wotan was screaming on the radio for the officials to use the move over flag on the slower cars. The officials waved the blue flags on both Gag Halfrunt and Indyfan2 and Speeddemon787 took the lead for the first time but LittleAlGuy couldn’t as he passed both the slower cars. Lap 25 was enough for Gag when he punted Indyfan2’s Ferrari into the barrier at turn 4 and Wotan and LittleAlGuy had nowhere to go and piled into the stationary F430. Formulaefan and everyone else behind avoided the carnage and were on their way. Indyfan2 was furious and was waiting for Gag Halfrunt’s Porsche to came by the wreck.

Indyfan2 threw his helmet at Gag’s Porsche and the result was a damaged mirror as his opportunity to take the points lead from Breaker vanished as the Ferrari F430 was beyond repair. Uh Oh, Penske_ALMS’ Zonda had two right side tires down due to the debris at turn 11 and pitted but lost a whole bunch of positions down behind Breaker in 33rd place. ITTAWSC officials weren’t happy with Gag Halfrunt and gave him a two lap penalty for not obeying the blue flag and another avoidable accident. The second full course caution lasted for seven laps for clean up and five cars out of the race as Indyfan2 was screaming mad at Gag Halfrunt on camera calling him a driver driving with his head cut off and a whole bunch of curse words that the pit reporter had to apologized to the viewers. Lap 35, the green was back out and the leaders began pitting on lap 38 with Speeddemon787 and Formulaefan coming in for fuel and tires. Armco, Bolts and F1Freak91 pitted. When the pitroad cycle ended, Breaker was in the lead for the first time on lap 45 after pitting early in the race ahead of the charging Formulaefan and Speeddemon787.

Race Standings after lap 45:

1. Breaker
2. Formulaefan 1.9 sec.
3. Speeddemon787 2.6 sec
4. Armco 3.7 sec
5. Bolts 4.7 sec
6. Illahsram 6.1 sec
7. Antirover 7.9 sec
8. Digit 9.3 sec
9. Gurney 10.8 sec
10. Risdo 12 sec.

Out of the Race:

Loki65-crash
Brad 385 HP SS-crash
Lochtaer-crash
LittleAlGuy-crash
Indyfan2-crash

Will Breaker take advantage of Indyfan2’s demise?
Will Formulaefan trying to beat Breaker to keep her teammate in contention for the championship?
Will Speeddemon787 hold the wildcard?
An incident at turn 8 causes another big pile up.

Penske_ALMS: Good for nothing tires.

CC: Relax, it was just some debris.

Penske_ALMS: Arrgh. Where are we?

CC: 23rd. But your faster than the guys around you.

Penske_ALMS: Yeah, just running my race now--- Woah, big wreck!
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[out_of_character]I won't be able to do any more comments for some time. I'll be on a 13 week "vacation" in Paris Island SC for the Marines. I'm actually writing this at the hotel I'm staying at before I go to MEPS to ship off. This will be my last post for a little while. I'll be back in September though. C'yall.[/out_of_character]

^ take care Penske_ALMS. Stay safe.