In a blink of an eye More Female Racers Season 4 has already hit its halfway point. With the first three races done and dusted, championship standings are starting to take shape, but they are far from being decided. The third round in Imola might have been a turning point, with the title fights opening again in all four classes on track.
Round 1: Monza
The championship kicked off in Monza with its feared Turn 1. Despite its fame in terms of chaos, the first corner went by quite smoothly. Unfortunately for Aloo Gobi, it was not the same for the second chicane. The Griphax Engineering driver spun around following contact with Mia Swensen, who was later hit by a Drive Through penalty. Sara Dove and Andrea Capoccia would get the best out of this situation, claiming the first win of the season in the Pro class.
The first round was quite a successful one for the GTWR R8G Female Racing crews, as they monopolized the Silver class podium. Despite the gap being only 5 seconds from second-place finishers Esmeralda van der Naald and Stephane Greffet, the lead was never in doubt for Sophie Aeronwen and Matt Muirhead. Rounding up the all GTWR R8G top-3 were Laura Valenza and Andrea Benedetti.
In Pro-Am class it was smooth sailing for the Luna Nera duo, Eliza Indriani and Vojta Pavlicek, who managed to take the lead in the early stages of the race and kept it until the chequered flag. Behind them, a pretty balanced field took the battle for the podium down to the wire. In the end, Hakurei Racing Shrine and Turn1 crossed the finish line in second and third preceding Strix Racing #316. Finally, the Am class win was taken by Annalise Riot and Joshua Bouchard of the Team Riot – Spice Cake ahead of Team Cake – Angel Cake entry driven by Sarah Fair and Rhydian Lloyd-Davies.
Round 2: Spa-Francorchamps
Different track, same story. The four Monza winners repeated themselves in Spa-Francorchamps. Despite starting in second, GTWR R8G Female Racing took the lead from Griphax Engineering during the pit phase. A strong recovery drive by Aloo Gobi in the final stint was not enough to complete the comeback. The two entries finished separated by just 1.5 seconds.
Sophie Aeronwen and Matt Muirhead made it two out of two in Silver class. A scary moment in the final minute, when Aeronwen spun at the top of Raidillon, did not prevent the duo from getting another win. Turn1 #103 finished in second. An important result for Natalie Lee and Kirk Heath to clinch the second spot in the standings. Rounding up the podium was another GTWR R8G car, #66 driven by Alethea Boucq and Mark Lewis.
The Pro-Am class was once again dominated by Luna Nera. Similarly to what happened in Monza, Indriani and Pavlicek got to the chequered flag with a comfortable margin over Hedda Rangseter and Truls Solberg in the Turn1 #102 entry. Wild Things Racing – Sabine got the first podium of the season, coming home in third. Team Riot – Spice Cake took the win in Am class, ahead of the debuting Realish Racing #2.
Round 3: Imola
It has been a different story in Imola, where only one of the four teams winning both in Monza and Spa-Francorchamps could repeat itself. Griphax Engineering finally got its first success of the season, showcasing all of its potentials. Aloo Gobi and Harry Phillips brought home pole position, the fastest lap of the race and P1, preceding the championship-leading GTWR R8G Female Racing team. A crucial success, as they cut their gap to the lead down to 7 points.
Once again, no one could stop Sophie Aeronwen and Matt Muirhead from getting their third win of the season in Silver class. An impressive performance, with the duo managing to keep behind a couple of Pro teams as well. As in Monza, all top-3 positions were occupied by GTWR R8G cars. Alethea Boucq and Mark Lewis got their second podium in a row, improving the P3 they got in Spa. Esmeralda van der Naald and Stephane Greffet made their return to the front of the field, after a tough round 2.
Pro-Am class saw a massive shakeup. The dominating Luna Nera team had a troubled round, ending in P5. Hedda Rangseter and Truls Solberg got P1 for the Turn1 entry and inherited the lead of the championship. The two Wild Things Racing entries secured the remaining podium spots, with the Rossi #7 crew preceding Sabine #89. Am class was shaken up as well, as Realish Racing got their first win of the season ahead of Team Cake – Angel Cake.
Pro championship to go down to the wire between GTWR R8G and Griphax Engineering
As things stand out at the moment, it looks like the Pro class will see a two-way battle between GTWR R8G Female Racing and Griphax Engineering. Sara Dove and Andrea Capoccia currently have a 7 points margin over Aloo Gobi and Harry Phillips. Dove shared some words with us at The SimGrid, talking about the season so far and the upcoming rounds.
“Coming into the season I actually wasn’t expecting to be in such a close fight for the championship” Sara Dove told us. “Of course I always want to hope for the best and perform the best I can in every race and so far it’s been a blast for me! I’m really pleased with how it’s been playing out, and it’s absolutely given me a boost to my confidence, so that is a huge plus”.
Dove added that consistency has been the key to getting the edge over such a talented team as Griphax Engineering. “I’ve kept my head straight, haven’t wavered, have kept the car clean and pointing the right direction, and that sort of approach has been really good for me, and I hope will treat me well in the rest of the season”.
When asked what it will take to hold Gobi and Phillips off she explained that qualifying and opening minutes will be crucial. “Snatching pole position, and having a perfect first stint are going to be very important to the rest of the race, and the race result. Things are heating up now in the second half of the season, and I’m gonna fight the hardest I can”.
Second half of the season is upon us
Before getting into the second half of the season, let’s quickly take a look at how things stand out. In Silver class, the dominance shown so far by Aeronwen and Muirhead is reflected by the standings. A commanding 33 points gap to the closest cars behind says it all about their championship so far. Behind them, there are four teams separated by just one point. GTWR R8G entries #15 and #66 are tied at 42, with their sister car #87 at 41 alongside Turn1 #103.
Pro-Am saw a lead change in Imola. After getting the win, Turn1 #102 overtook Luna Nera in the standings. The two teams now have 63 and 62 points respectively. Team Riot Spice Cake stays on top in Am with 69 points, 9 more than Team Cake Angel Cake.
Time for talks and calculations is now over, as round 4 is around the corner. Teams will hit the track on Monday the 22nd of November at Silverstone, before heading over to Zolder on the 6th of December. The final round will be held on a track yet to be announced, as it will be decided by the public. This is scheduled for the 20th of December when we will have the final verdicts from the exciting Season 4 of More Female Racers.
