[PC, Complete] San Andreas Touring Car Championship

I don't know that the old version wasn't going to favour the Surano either; this new version as Saber noted has some bends and on testing yesterday we had a few soin outs and crashes resulting from the new sections.

I think we saw myself, Chilli and Fiyah put in 1m 30s laps. Chilli I believe got it down to 1m 28.9s. If the Surano is consistently sub 1m 29s then we could have an issue.

Sure

I imagine that Cluck'in Bell will be an orgy of mid-drive boosts through that middle sector.

That's an accurate description of my first few laps around there in the Banshee.

Nevermind, I will probably not party on that 2nd gear at all.

"Hello and welcome to Inside Racing, Cloud Sports' insight into all things motor racing. I'm your host, Allan James.

The newly minted Crowex San Andreas Touring Car Championship kicked off with a bang last Friday, and I think really to nobody's surprise the Benefactor Factory Team surged to a strong lead in both Constructors and Drivers standings.

Following Benefactor's performance is the Nutsaki team, who also use the Benefactor power unit and chassis. Following up in third are the Pfister team, who struggled with a disappointing race at Blaine County south after first lap incidents demoted both of its drivers out of the points.

We caught up with drivers from the top three teams to get their perspective.

<camera cuts to the correspondent on the deck of a megayacht moored off Vepucci Beach. Models laze about the deck. In their midst, in a Benefactor cap and t-shirt, sits German driver ovivoJR)

Ovivo, firstly congratulations on your win at Montreal and your second place at Blaine County South. So, two races in, two one-two finishes for the Benefactor team. You must be feeling pretty confident with this start to the season?


Yes we had a start that everybody wishes for. The team did a great job by providing us with such a competitive car, so we thank them for that. But now we have to keep working on our performance because we know that Pfister is having a upgrade down their pipeline for the next two races. So we have to keep pushing.

Your teammate, fab.ICEMAN, leads the championship with you in second on equal points. Does Benefactor let you race one another, or can we be expected to see team orders issued to have you hold stations at the end of a race?


fab.ICEMAN did a great job at the last event. He was on the pace the whole time and is leading the championship at the moment. This really pushes me to drive the car to its limit. Benefactor always had the mentality to let drivers race each other as long as it stays fair. But as soon as there is an incident we will have to get this sorted internally.

Do you think the upcoming tracks will favour the Surano? Specifically, do you think the Cluck'in Bell circuit might give other teams an advantage?

I think our car had the right package to be competitive at all tracks. Cluck´in Bell will be difficult with the bumps on the racing line but we will have a special suspension upgrade just for that race. That should help us to balance out the car and set some quick laptimes.

You're both a Grotti F1 driver and touring car driver. What's it like to race such incredible machines for two very well established teams, LSC and Benefactor?

I am very proud to race for those teams. The history that those 2 have in Motorsports is legendary. To be a part of it just is amazing. The driving between F1 and Touring cars is very different. The Turismo has so much downforce and the acceleration is just incredible. On the other hand the touring cars have such a good driveablility and the engine provides very smooth power. Two very different driving styles, which keep me challenged to give my best.

We've heard rumours that Grotti want to establish their own factory team with you as their #1 driver. Is there any truth in this? Are you interested in driving for the famous red sitting horse?

At the moment I have my contract at the LS Customs F1 Team. We are leading the Championship and that is all I am focused on right now. Also there are a few upcoming talents with arkenLoL and fab.ICEMAN. Behind the scenes I heard they have a proposal from LS Customs so I have to pick up my driving before I can think about joining the process of building up a Grotti factory team.

That's not a denial!

It's not a confirmation either...

<camera shows a montage of on track action, including a Nutsaki Benefactor performing an on track overtake>
<Camera then shows the Nustaki racing garage. Mechanics stand around looking at telemetry screens with Supersteppa. Occasionally a wheel gun fires as tyres are removed from the car.>

I'm here at Nutsaki Racing HQ, where the mood is electric following a podium finish at Blaine County South. Joining me is HiBerg. HiBerg, Nutsaki Racing is currently sitting in second place in the constructors championship, behind the Benefactor factory team. Are you happy with the team's start to the season? 

Absolutely! Even though 2nd place isn't 1st it's god damn close and a very fortunate spot for us to be in after the first round. We'll definitely be competing for the constructors championship in round two. But we'll see how things turns out – as you know everything can happen in motorsport.

Your teammate, Superstepa, put in an excellent performance in Blaine County to finish on the podium - does this motivate you to push harder to beat him?



Hah! well, he's a great driver and he just proved that yet again on Blaine County South. We got a good chemistry going when we're on the track and the communication between us worked out perfectly in the first race. We're both pushing our performance as much as possible on racing day but we always try to let the faster driver stay in front.

Benefactor-engined cars seem to have an edge on the competition - do you think it was the right decision for Nutsaki to partner with Benefactor?



Listen I know that people like to talk and some think that we got an edge by driving the Surano. But ultimately it all comes down to the driver and his crew no matter what logo or name is on your wagon. Personally I pushed our sponsors to partner up with the Benefactor guys as I find the Surano fits my driving style. Not because of some delusive "edge"!

How confident are you in the team's ability to carry momentum forward into the next races?



My confident was definitely put to the test after my injury a few days ago[fracture in the wrist] but the doctor assured that I'd be ready for round 2 so my hope is still high. I feel like we, the Nutsaki team have had one of the biggest successes in term of pushing our chosen car to the limit, so if superstepa and myself manages to stay out of any incidents I think we'll have a good shot.

How much will your injury affect your ability to compete?



Honestly I'm not sure what to expect. I've never had an injury that left me able to compete so quickly after the incident. The doctor told me that my wrist should be fine till round two but that I may experience minor spikes of pain – so the challenge for me will be keeping my focus on the race and not letting my wrist getting in my way so to speak.

Best of luck then!

Thank you.

<camera then cuts to the podium from Grotti F1 Montreal and Chilli standing on it. It follows with shots of both Pfister Comets being spun on the first lap>

<The camera then cuts to the Pfister Racing Team factory. Chilli is talking to the engineers around the opened engine compartment of his Comet. Endersai is talking to Allan James.>

Third place in the constructors championship after two races - is the team happy with this?

No. No we really felt like we should be in second right now. Obviously Chilli had a phenomenal race in Montreal and we were in sixth pushing for fifth when we had contact with one of the Banshees and the best we could recover to was 8th. Then in Blaine... I'm taken out first turn, Chili also has a first lap incident and we decide to pit. Wing makes contact with the fuel pump, and we're destroyed and have to pit again. So, on lap 2, being 20 seconds down, you start to think... this is not going well. 

It seems that the Benefactor team see you as their main threat

Uh, yeah, obviously those guys are massively quick and I think it's going to be a real challenge to beat them. But I think the sense everywhere is that our results are the result of bad luck, you know, things beyond our control rather than bad driving or you know, silly mistakes. We're pushing hard though, and I think Chilli and I both would like to be able to give the Benefactor guys a taste of defeat. 

How prepared are you for the next round, on August 21st?

I wouldn't say we are prepared, because that would imply there's nothing more to be learned, so I would say - we've got a good momentum and are posting lightning quick lap times around both tracks in the Simulator. The car is obviously quick sensitive to drive, and so really what we're doing is working out the limits of the car on those tracks, testing various setups and running varied strategies to maximise performance on the day. If we have a bad day on track, it won't be because we're unprepared. 


How do you get along with your team mate?

Really well. It's very much a mentoring relationship. He's bloody quick, as everyone knows! And he has a pretty good way of balancing the car and explaining his setup. We're running very different strategies for the next two races because we know that we're on the back foot and need to get maximum points on the day. I've learned a hell of a lot from him and I think he's got what it takes to take a Driver's championship crown. 

Thank you

No worries.