Hermanos Rodriguez - Mexico

Season 4 seems like such a distant memory for most drivers, but for the American driver who's ultra calm demeanor and attitude won the Championship that season, Season 6 was a chance to relive the glory once again as Larry Sheey and his beaten down Alfa Romeo captured another MRC GPC79 Championship in glorius fashion as he won his 4th GP this season at the Mexican GP.

More on Larry's season soon !

Congratulations Larry, your an inspiration to all who battled along side you this season !

St.Jovite - Canada

After two consecutive victories for the current championship leader Larry Sheehy (Mid Ohio | Rattlesnake Point ), it looked as though he would be unstoppable as his momentum seemed unmatched in the Alfa Romeo colors. Winning just ahead of Robert Harrison at Rattlesnake in a last lap scrums that Harrison likely wishes he could re-drive, Sheehy has made it quite clear that his first championship in Season 4 was no fluke. Last nights Canadian Grand Prix at the historic St.Jovite circuit in Mt.Tremblant promised another fist clincher as Kimmo Kononen of team Renault edged out Sheehy for pole position by over 4/100's of a second. But could he hold Sheehy off for 40 laps ?

Harrison, now driving for team Tyrrell after what was nothing more than a shocking turn of events between the Tyrrell and Lotus camps, landed 3rd on the grid and was also poised as a prospective competitor for first place here in Quebec. Not far behind Harrison, the triumphant return of Pablo Flores for team McLaren had fans on the edge of their seats as he pulled along side Harrison as the grid lined up for what was shaping up to be a simply fantastic Grand Prix !

The anticipation on the grid was unbelievable, and when the lights went from green,green,green, to red, it had every F1 fan following the MRC GPC79 championship on their feet, stretching their necks in awe. Kononen had gotten off the line with some slight hesitation in his Renault, and Sheehy was already poised to attack, but he decided to wait out the flamboyant Finn and follow his lead and pace for lap 1. This decision however did not sit well with Pablo Flores who attacked Robert Harrison immediately into the bumpy turn 1 rise that had taken a bite out of many cars in practice sessions the day before. " I do not waste time when I'm racing motor cars, I like to attack as soon as possible " said Flores who's eyes still had that crazed sparkle about them, " I like to race cars the same way I shoot billiards, fast and to the pocket as quickly as I can ".

As Flores attacked in turn 1 however, his car would come into contact with Harrison's, and force the American sensation to the outside kerbing, as both drivers were now side by side. As they streaked down the hill towards the esses, Harrison would hold onto the position only to be tapped slightly on the right rear tire by Flores, who was obviously over anxious by this point and Harrison would now have to recover the car and let Flores through. Unfortunately for the Tyrrell driver, he would lose a position because of this, and Ascari had made his way through cleanly.

As the rest of the field made their way through the opening turns, no other incidents were forced and the grand prix had begun quite cleanly aside from the small turn of events for Harrison who was now in pursuit of his previous position of 3rd place. He would reclaim the spot a lap later by getting by Ascari's Alfa, as well as Flores' McLaren which took to the tire barrier in turn 1.

" The car felt fantastic, and I could increase the gap at will " said Kononen after the race. He looked to be in complete control throughout the race as Sheehy put everything he had in the Alfa Romeo in an attempt to catch the Renault. Finally with only a handful of laps left, Sheehy had cut away at the lead so it was down to 3 seconds, but it would not be enough as Kononen confidently brought the car home and never relinquished the lead. Behind the 2 front runners, Flores's race had ended after only 13 laps, as the damage caused by 2 runs into the tire walls had taken their tole on the McLaren's suspension and he would retire the car. Ascari and Joseph Mudrak who started his Tyrrell in 11th place were now in a battle for 3rd place, as Harrison would also retire for unknown reasons on lap 25.

" I couldn't hold the guy back, he simply out drove me tonight " Ascari would later say, " when I opened a nice 9 second gap on that guy, he cut it down lap after lap until he was right behind me and simply forced me to give it up ! "

Mudrak would jump out of his car and into the arms of his robust Russian mistress after the race was over. she could be heard screaming with joy " Я хочу иметь вашего младенца !! Я хочу иметь вашего младенца !! ". At the time, nobody could understand what she was saying, but it didn't matter, Mudrak had to make his way to the podium for the second time this season since his 3rd place at Toban, which for stat keepers, he also stole from Ascari on the last lap !

For Kimmo Kononen, the race had gone better than planned and his first trophy finish at MRC GPC79 definitely did not go unnoticed by the other drivers who now prepare for a special race at the famed Lemans circuit in France.

" This race was not easy people " Kononen would blare out at the post race driver interviews as camera's would flash feverishly, " I feel very fortunate to win against such a fantastic driver like Sheehy, and I would like to offer him a special coupon for my new Kononen's Kookout and Bar restaurant, located in Sydney Australia. "

Top 3 at St.Jovite :

• Kimmo Kononen
• Larry Sheehy
• Joseph Mudrak

Next MRC GP79 event : Lemans - Feb 12/09

Mid Ohio - United States

This season has yet to point a finger in any general direction as far as a possible champion is concerned. But having said that, there was still some finger pointing going on at Mid Ohio last night as the teams set out for round 6 of the championship. Boni Piket, the Brazilian league leader going into the American Grand Prix did not get the practice time he usually likes to have before a race, and with a venue like Mid Ohio, that can come back to haunt you. Unfortunately for the savvy Brabham BT49 pilot who has been seen on the cover of almost every magazine in Brazil, how much practice he put in would not be an issue as team Brabham BT48's drivers Daniel Gomez and Augusto Demarchi quickly ended his race in turn 2 of lap 1. The high pitched wail of the passing cars muffled what was being said as Boni Piket exited his cockpit from the turn 2 sand bunker, but track officials quickly jumped the tire wall to prevent any further altercations between the 3 drivers, who were forced out of the race immediately with damage. At this time, it remains uncertain what will come of this, but we can tell you that it quickly changed Piket's position in the standings.

While this was taking place, Maxi Mica and his brightly painted green Lotus were leading the Grand Prix ahead of Alfa Romeo's Larry Sheehy, and Mica's teammate on Lotus, Robert Harrison in 3rd. A struggling Gabriel Legnini who went off in the formation lap in his Tyrrell, causing his front wing to become dislodge, chased Harrison's Lotus, followed by Cesare Ascari in 5th place. " There had been issues in qualifying with the Tyrrell " said Legnini after the race, " We signed a new endorsement deal with Pez, and I had all these damned Pez dispensers taped around the cockpit, and Donald Duck somehow fell off and got jammed under the bloody brake pedal ".

As quickly as the race had begun to shape up, team Lotus found themselves in trouble on lap 2 as Maxi Mica went wide in turn 2, grabbed some grass and spun back onto the track in front of oncoming teammate Robert Harrison. This left Mica's car quite damaged, and he was subsequently forced to the back of the field. Harrison would recover, but lose precious time to the top 3 cars. The superstar Argentine, Gabriel Legnini was now in 2nd place, with Ascari trailing closely in 3rd and Renault's Adnan Dizdarevic in 4th for Renault.

" I couldn't be sure if Legnini's car was damaged or not, but on lap 4, down the front straight, what looked to be something like a Pez dispenser flew out of his cockpit and smacked me right in the head ! " Ascari would add, " At 170 mph, seeing Goofy fly at you is not something that helps you concentrate ! ".

Ascari, who was slightly off the pace of his teammate Sheehy had somehow found himself in 3rd place very early in the race and was now pressuring Legnini throughout the circuit. And as the race would unfold, Harrison of team Lotus would join the action as the 3 drivers would begin one of the greatest duels for a podium since Lime Rock Park and the memorable battle between Piket, Legnini, and Johnson. Out front, Larry Sheehy would remain a solo act for the entire race, slowly putting more and more time between himself and the rest of the field.

As the American fans enjoyed the competitive spectacle out front, Ha Maha of team Brabham BT49, who had begun the race from the pits as a result of his penalty at Toban last week, was now slowly making his way through the field in glorious fashion and would finish the race in 7th place, just ahead of Ferrari's fearless driver Bo Bruce who has recently opened 4 new discotheques in the USA called " Bo Disco Bo ".

Ascari would finally find a way to get by Legnini, but the position would go back to Legnini moments later. Harrison would also try his hand at attacking the injured Tyrrell, following him for countless laps, trying to find a corner that would allow him the chance, but to no avail. With only a handful of laps remaining in the 50 lap event, and Legnini holding on for a marvelous podium with his lame Tyrrell, Harrison would again get by Ascari and attack the Tyrrell, however, on the last lap he would spin within sight of the finish line and Ascari would slither his way past to take the final podium position.

After the race Harrison would tell reporters, " I'm not the kind of guy who likes interviews or for that matter, media in general. But on occasion I find myself in the position to make a statement regarding something that happened in a race. This however, is not one of those occasions ".

With 2 members of the Alfa Romeo team on the podium, in such a diverse and competitive field, Sheehy and Ascari were ecstatic to say the least. As they both hoisted their champagne bottles in celebration, Ascari also grabbed Gabriel Legnini and laughingly shoved what looked to be a Goofy Pez dispenser down Legnini's race suit.

Top 3 Finishers at Mid Ohio

• Larry Sheehy - Alfa Romeo
• Gabriel Legnini - Tyrrell
• Cesare Ascari - Alfa Romeo

Next race takes place on January 29th at Rattlesnake Point in Canada.

MRC GPC79 got a chance to sit down with last seasons champion Daniel Gomez some time ago. The interview took place at an Arby's Restaurant, only 2 blocks from The Indianapolis Speedway, where he was testing a new suspension out for team Brabham.

Q1 : Tell us about yourself....name, where you live, what you enjoy doing outside of sim racing.

Well, first of all, I'd want to say that is a GREAT honor to be the first on this interview series, thank you!.

My complete name is Daniel Eduardo Gomez and I'm 33 years old. I live at Buenos Aires, capital city of Argentina, land of some good drivers (maybe you all remember some guy called Juam Manuel...)

Outside of sim-racing I've enjoy playing music, I'm a bass player and now I'm a bit retired, but in the 90's I was pretty active riding the rock & roll life with my funk-rock band, he he. I like all kind of rock music, from the oldies to the newest waves, but as a Gen-x I'm specially fond of Grunge and Alternative 90's Rock&Metal Music.

Of course, I also like real motor sport, and I try to attend races when time permits. I was at every Argentine F1 GP from 1995 until 1998, but in the last one I'd worked at a marshall post (Ascari bend) as a track cleaner (the ghost buster guy with the air machine backpack, he he), that was an incredible experience and got to know face to face some names like Schumacher and Villeneuve. (I've sneaked into the pit lane despite my blue "Course" jacket didn't allowed me).

Q2 : How did your sim racing career start and what's your favorite all time sim ?

Well, it's hard to tell, but I think the first spark was a coin-machine game called "Winning Run", it was a F1 3d simulation game with a full cockpit having a wheel, pedals and a gear-stick..., It was 1988, I was 12 years old and I was amazed.
Then came the GP series, GP1 - GP2, GPL, Nascar...

But only in 2000, I've bought my first wheel, a Genius speedwheel FF, and I've started to compete in some form, It was offline competition with GP3, but was then that I knew what I wanted to do, and never stopped since.

I've never raced GPL at a league, my career spans from GP3 offline, then online with F1C (PTC mod), Nascar 2003, GTP and now rFactor.

Is difficult to decide on favorite sims.

rFactor was the scenery of the biggest and most important part of my simracing career, and I agree with its philosophy. On the other hand, NR2003 GTP Mod was used for 2005 WOSEC endurance championship, one of the biggest simracing experiences I had, and surviving 2005 24hs of Le Mans was really a hallmark at my career.

On the tech side, I don't know, some say IRacing is the best now, who knows..., but I think RBR is the one I've got more impressed with when I saw it, that sim is really an achievement.

Q3 : If you could pick one driver that provided the most challenge to race against, who'd that be and explain why ?

I think Larry is the best of all us at MRC, but I've never had the chance to really fight him on track, at S4 I was way behind his pace and at S5 his A2 didn't really allowed him to fight for the top, despite his performances were out of this world with that dog of a car.

I believe my best battles at MRC were against CA. I will always remember S5 Oulton Park, that was a hell of a fight, clean and on the edge, and maybe the best overtake of my career to recover P1 and win a race.

I also had a great dice with Sheehan at S5 Jacarepagua, that was something else.

And my friend Flores also gave me tremendous fights, but as Larry, he's on another level, so I'm not always in position to challenge him.

Q4 : Most memorable race here at MRC GPC79

S5 Oulton Park, I've really enjoyed that one, my dice with CA, and trying to hold Jonathan from his late charge, I've desperately tried to look for the "team orders" button at my wheel, but it wasn't one!, he he.

Another one I have fond memories of is the last race of S3 at GP Nurburgring, when I helped teammate CA and Tyrrell to win the championship, that one felt really good.

The saddest one maybe is the 1st ever race of MRC, S1 Argentina...., I was clearly 30 seconds at the front for my 1st ever win at home track, when my RS01 turbo exploded, really sad day. I still have a printed screenshot of the Renault on fire, pinned at the wall behind the PC.

Q5 : What do you use to race, wheel/pedals, anything else ?

Since 2003, I have a red Momo Force wheel, the slick leather one. It's great and is still on shape despite having 1000's of simracing hours and more than 10 "Momo fixes". Having to open my wheel for the fix it's like a ritual. :D
Momo pedals are not the best out there, and I think I suffer a bit from that, that's why my brake balance is so leaned to the back.

My racing seat it's a Peugeot 405 one that I've found at a scrap auto parts store, and I've mounted it to a wooden base..., it's simple but all the regulations are operational like in a real car, and it works for me.

Q6 : Are you a socks or shoes racer, what's your racing attire look like ?

Socks definitely. Momo pedals are too soft and I have to sense the smallest input.

Q7 : Favorite meal before a race ?

Well, nothing too heavy in order not to sleep at the wheel, he he. But I love to cook pasta & home made pizzas (kneaded and that). I've also love "asados", but doing BBQ before a race it's overly complicated...
It's not uncommon to find me cooking some quick meal before qualy and eat it at warm up....

Q8 : What do you drink while racing ?

He he..., I always have a bottle of water close...., you can end completely sweated after an intense race...
But I've admit that once I did a pole position under the effect of a couple of beer glasses...., James Hunt mode on.

Q8 : If you could change something about MRC GPC79 what would that be ?

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the system we have now, but I think that we still have to further tune the car assignment process.., after all nobody is perfect and it's a try&error procedure.., I'm confident we'll enhance it season by season.

Q9 : You won the Season 5 Championship at MRC GPC79, did you tell anyone outside of sim racing about that ?

Sure...!!!, my girlfriend lives with me and she's always aware of my races and support me. Also mom calls me before races to wish me luck. Dad built a race car some years ago, and I sometimes discuss with him about setup options before a race. He has a book called "Race cars suspensions" that proved instrumental for me to understand car concepts a few years ago, as my real racing experience is close to 0. It took years, but now almost everyone around me understand this as a hobby I perform, and they were very happy with my S5 championship.

Q10 : Last question. Your one of the more level headed drivers here at MRC GPC79, I don't think you've really ever lost your cool on or off the track. Was there a particular time in sim racing that you have lost your head over an incident on or off the track ?

I become angry at me more often than with anyone else. I always try to look at the own error first, but I remember once at the 2005 24Hs of Le Mans. Race was from Saturday 12pm to Sunday 12pm, Comet, the only argentine team was formed by Damian Baldi, Danilo Petricca, Pablo Flores and me. I had my 1 stint earlier in the afternoon, and then a second one planned for 1:00 am, so I had time to go to see Pearl Jam in between..., I've hurried to get home asap after the show, and, even being a bit tired, I was handed the car by Pablo, and I had to drive it until 3am to give the car to Damian..., but then Damian had a power shortage after just 1 lap in the car, he called at my cell phone and I've jumped in the car again because I was the only one awaken at that time...., the thing is that it was 6 o' clock and I was still driving around Le Mans completely exhausted..., Pablo had to appear at 4:30am, but he fell asleep...., at every main straight I've shouted to the radio "Pablo, Pablo...., are you there?", getting angrier at every lap..., he showed up at 6:30 or 7, don't remember, by saying "hello, how's everything..."..., and I've immediately shouted "WHERE THE F*** WERE YOU!!!" and a collection of selected argentine insults... (all this at 200mph, mind you). Afterwards I've deeply apologized and the achievement of surviving such race made us forget everything...., and now we're great friends and remember that race very fondly.

Thanks so much for sharing with us Daniel !

CA

Toban Raceway - USA

Deep interest surrounds the MRC paddocks concerning the latest addition to team Lotus which now leads the constructor championship over team Alfa Romeo by 21 points. Colin Chapman, known for his inventive strategies and risk, has employed the help of season 2 champion Robert "Gunny" Harrison. Gunny first appeared at the German GP held at Nurburgring after a 2 season hiatus, and brought home a stunning victory for the team. Last night his presence was again felt on the grid at Toban Raceway as he secured pole position ahead of his teammate Boni Piket, and never relinquished that lead for 43 laps, earning his second win this season.

In only 2 races, Sheehy of team Alfa Romeo continues to push the car to the limits, but after only 2 races, Harrison is only 4 points back of season's 4 champion, and 5 points ahead of two time champion Cesare Ascari, both of who have competed in all 4 races.

" It's not about the fact Harrison got picked up by team Lotus " stated Sheehy after a long 43 lap race at Toban, " it's about not being able to catch the guy ! ".

Finishing 39 seconds back of Harrison, his concern is well founded. But as Ascari would later comment, the last 2 races were not favorable for the Alfa Romeo which really relies on circuits that will let it stretch it's legs. " Nurburgring and Toban are not really a good venue for our cars " said Ascari, " Not to mention the lack of Canadian beer at both tracks ! ".

At the top of the leader board, Boni Piket remains a consistent threat to this seasons championship, and with a well earned 2nd place last night, he's gaining confidence in every race. Falling out of the German GP at Nurburgring after 3 laps with suspension damage however did not help his cause, but as he stated before the Toban GP " That track in Germany is tough on an old nagging injury i received while I was vacationing in Paris last year, when I attempted to climb the Eiffel Tower after too many glasses of whine. I only made it 10 feet up and attempted to light a cigarette, unfortunately, I was using both of my hands to light it ! ".

Team Tyrrell were ecstatic at the end of last nights race as two of their drivers came home in the top 5. Jospeph Mudrak, the brilliant portage from the USA that is said to have actually coined the phrase " Where's the beef ? " started the race at a dismal 8th place. Before the halfway mark, he would find himself ahead of Ascari for 4th, and later force a glorious fight for 3rd with Sheehy, taking the last podium spot before the end of the race. His teammate Gabriel Legnini also raced from behind, starting in 13th, only to pass Ascari on the last lap to take 5th place overall. " It was a life defining moment for me " stated Legnini, " My car just seemed to really come together in the last moments of that race, and when Ascari threw some beer caps at me, I was enraged to the point of no return ! ".

Unfortunately the race was not without incident, as some serious confusion on the grid caused more than 1 driver some problems. The start had caught Brabham's Ha Maha of Argentina completely by surprise and as his car remained motionless when the lights went green, 3 drivers were caught up behind him with minor damage to their front wings. The leagues marshals would not comment on the incident, or whether a penalty was forthcoming, but Ha Maha's team manager did have this to say, " Ha Maha is from Brazil and likes to swim with his pet cats Jigsy, and Sweetypie, he also likes long walks to the market where he runs a tattoo shop. "

Top 3 drivers in the USGP :

• Robert Harrison
• Boni Piket
• Joseph Mudrak

Next scheduled race takes place on Jan 22/09, at the Mid Ohio Sports Park.

Mugello - Italy

With weather conditions very favorable, and the track conditions better still, round one of the highly anticipated Season 6 MRC GPC79 Championship got off to a spectacular start on thursday night. Larry Sheehy now racing for Alfa Romeo wasted no time in his hunt for a second championship by grabbing pole position with his rookie teammate Kevin Johnson of Argentina slotted in second place and Gabriel Legnini taking the third slot on the grid also from Argentina.

With 29 drivers signed on for the prestigious championship, there was some speculation as to why only 20 drivers showed up for this opening Grand Prix, as Bo Bruce was interviewed prior to the race..

" Ya, it's strange, I was looking forward to seeing the entire field tonight, and getting a good idea on the competition, but now we'll just focus on the task at hand, getting these Ferrari's around the track as fast as possible. "

As the teams headed out on their formation lap, the electricity in the air was undeniable as Scuderia Ferrari banners waved by the loyal tifosi could be spotted everywhere from the main grandstands. And while the italian public address system named off the drivers and grid positions, one could not escape the intense feeling of euphoria, the 14 race MRC GPC79 Championship was about to begin !

Kevin Johnson, the young rookie superstar who was a 2007 gold medallist in the Bermuda Men's Field Hockey Championships, signed a 1 year contract with Alfa Romeo, and now, at this moment, he was somehow leading the Italian Grand Prix after a brilliant start to get by Sheehy into T1. Legnini and his polished Tyrrell were sticking closely behind in 3rd position as the rest of field searched in ernest for grip and a chance to make up position early in the race. Augusto Demarchi brought fans to their feet with a brave maneuver in an attempt to get by Ha Maha, but the result was nothing he or Dom Leste could've wanted. Demarchi's white Brabham was flung hard into the tire wall, and came to a violent stop on it's lid, back on the track in front of oncoming traffic. The Argentine was heard to be screaming in fear, but today he would escape any further carnage, and simply have to watch the race from the sidelines.

Dale Ballweg of team Renault : " For season 6, I've adopted a completely different philosophy to my starting procedure. I now whisper softly under my breath, hey ho - let's go, 3 times before the start, and it's really been helping ! "

Starting in 4th place in his turbo charged Renault, Dale Ballweg had a terrible start and lost a handful of positions early on. But the man who once rode the Coney Island Fairy for 3 days straight setting a World Record back in 1982 was not someone who gave up so easily. He would climb back and finish this race in 5th place, and the French paddock were very pleased by the end of the run.

On lap 11, Johnson who was bravely holding off teammate Larry Sheehy in second place, could only curse as Sheehy took over 1st place and led the rest of the grand prix, securing a valuable 15 points for himself in the opening race. Johnson would settle for 2nd place, and Alfa Romeo celebrated immediately, turning off the monitors, and communication system as their other driver Cesare Ascari back in 7th place tried in vain to communicate a potential power problem with the car.

Mid way through the race, Legnini who sat comfortably in 3rd, suddenly found himself fighting off another sensational rookie in Valentin Guzman for team Tyrrell. Guzman had caught the cocky Argentine and his Tyrrell and passed him on lap 17, only to give the position back 3 laps later. Legnini, never at a lost for words or polite gestures waved his arms frantically as he made his way past the Tyrrell rookie.

Gabriel " Pai " Legnini of team Tyrrell : " I don't care who the (censored) you are man ! You better be ready to fight when you mess with the Pai out here baby ! "

Guzman would lose 2 more positions late in the race, one of which to Boni Piket of team Lotus who clambered his way from 6th place to 4th, a brilliant start for the friendly Argentine who only drinks vanilla milkshakes with goats milk from his pet goat " Markus " before each race.

Top 3 : Sheehy/Johnson/Legnini

Fastest Lap : Dale Ballweg-Renault RS12

Next Race : The Mexican Grand Prix @ Hermanos Rodriguez