#a green flag while there’s still marshals or track??

[strugglingyetvibing]

the fia is really a joke today, huh?

[rb9]

okay i have spent A LOT of time trying to figure out how to word this best and it’s a long one so im sorry but there lots to say

here is my two cents on the lando penalty situation :) (bc if i’m gonna do anything, i will stick my nose into every situation ever)

do i think it was a weird situation that fucked over A LOT of people? yes i do

do i think lando deserved the penalty? yes i do. here’s why

the penalty for not slowing under double yellows during a race is a 10 second stop/go penalty. there is precedent of this. you cannot argue it. (we don’t see it very often in a race, more often in quali which results in a grid drop.) however, do i think there should there have been double yellows? no.

it’s very important to note here that penalties come from the stewards while sc, vsc etc come from the race director so there’s 2 players in this game.

when the mirror flew off albon’s car, the race director should have brought out the vsc, the gap between max and kevin would have then been big enough and safe enough for a marshal to go out on track, retrieve the mirror and go back. then the track goes green and everyone keeps racing. a couple of laps and problem solved.

but they didn’t. they left that sector under double waved yellows, presumably because they wanted a marshal to do all of the above in the gap between max and kevin, without slowing them down under vsc, but it ended up not being safe enough.

lando did not lift in that sector. therefore the penalty from the stewards was clear cut; correct and deserved. i don’t think the argument that ‘there’s no way he could have seen the light panel when he’s driving 200mph’ is valid AT ALL, because it is quite literally part of his job. i believe the reason it took so long for the penalty to be given was because they were checking everyone to see if they did not lift and no one else got a penalty, meaning everyone else followed the rules.

what i also want to say tho, is this situation was an absolute shitshow from the race director and it fucked over a lot of people. vb ran over the mirror and 2 drivers got punctures because of it. after carlos got his, he drove the full track, came in to pit, had a wildly slow stop, and STILL the safety car for the debris didn’t come out until he had left the pits.

it is sucky for lando and it seems extremely harsh because of the situation however those are the rules. i dont agree that it should have been double yellows but it was so the drivers have to abide by that. if a race is red flagged and you dont think it should be so you keep driving, you will get a penalty.

if u read all this i appreciate u bc lordy it’s a lot and im sorry

[f1]

Verstappen heads Red Bull one-two as Hamilton crash ends final practice | 2023 Monaco Grand Prix third practice

Max Verstappen led Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez in final practice for the Monaco Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton crashed his Mercedes in the final minutes. The world champion was just under a tenth of a second quicker than Perez with Lance Stroll third for Aston Martin. Hamilton crashed into the barriers at Mirabeau in the final minutes, striking the barrier with his W14’s front-left wheel. With just a single hour of practice before the most crucial qualifying session of the season, the third and final practice session was teams’ final chase to tune their cars. Despite that, there was not a particular rush of cars out onto the circuit – save for the Aston Martin drivers of Stroll and Fernando Alonso heading out to scrub sets of medium tyres. Eventually the Red Bull of Perez and the Alpine pair of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly took to the track on soft tyres, with Perez completing the first timed lap of the day – a 1’15.641. Ocon briefly came to a halt in the middle of the tunnel, complaining of a loss of power on his car. He managed to get the car going again and recover to the pits without any need to stop the session. More cars began to trickle out onto the circuit, including the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr on soft tyres. Sainz was the quicker of the pair on their first flying laps, with Stroll and Valtteri Bottas splitting the two Ferraris. Perez improved to go under the 1’15 mark for the first time, before Lando Norris moved to the top of the times with a 1’14.905. Perez shaved six tenths off his personal best time to retake the top spot, but that was easily beaten by Verstappen who posted a 1’13.794 on his first flying lap of the day to go instantly to the top of the times. That was until Alonso replaced him with a lap almost a tenth of a second quicker than the Red Bull driver, but still comfortably slower than the ultimate pace from Friday. The two Red Bulls retook the top two positions with Verstappen lowering his time to a 1’13.583 – just four-thousandths of a second quicker than his team mate. Sainz moved to third with team mate Leclerc improving to fourth, despite the hometown driver complaining of having “no control” over his car. Around half an hour into the session, teams began to bring their cars back into the garages to prepare for their qualifying simulation runs towards the end of the hour. Eventually the track became busy once more with around 15 minutes remaining. Despite heading out on fresh soft tyres, most of those at the top of the times struggled to find any time improvement. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Further flying laps were ruined when Kevin Magnussen went off into the run off at Sainte Devote, bringing out the yellow flags. Despite recovering out of the run off, Magnussen eventually stopped his Haas on track on the approach to Portier, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car as the marshals removed his stricken car. The green flags flew once the car was cleared, but with only five minutes remaining Hamilton locked up on the way into Mirabeau while passing Alexander Albon’s Williams, and crashed into the outside barrier. The session was red-flagged with Hamilton’s Mercedes stranded on the circuit and with only a handful of minutes remaining, the session was not resumed. That ensured Verstappen would end practice fastest for the second consecutive session with team mate Perez less than a tenth behind. Stroll was third for Aston Martin ahead of Sainz, Norris and Gasly. Leclerc was seventh in the second Ferrari with Hamilton eighth despite crashing. Ocon and Bottas completed the top ten. 2023 Monaco Grand Prix third practice result Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2023 Monaco Grand Prix Browse all 2023 Monaco Grand Prix articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[myimaginarywonderland]

They just green flagged while Marshals were still on track, are they absolutely mental?

[pcttrailsidereader]

Oregon Again Welcomes PCT Thru-hikers

Janet Eastman, who lives in the Ashland area, periodically writes a piece about the PCT. Again this year she has documented the annual migration of PCT hikers through Oregon. This is an excerpt of her story that appeared in the August 21st issue of The Oregonian.

To me, the key comment included in this article is that of the PCTA's Scott Wilkinson who observed that, "uninterrupted end-to-end hikes may continue to be more difficult.” Although there will still be plenty who attempt the uninterrupted thru-hike, more and more hikers may be forced to consider section hiking the PCT.

By Janet Eastman

Ashland’s stars of summer arrive slowly, on sturdy legs hefting carefully stuffed backpacks, and introducing themselves by their trail names like Butters and Giggles.

By the time northbound Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers cross into Oregon, they have forged 1,720 miles from the bottom of California, through deserts, over mountains and out of unexpected situations, despite years of planning.

The majority of hikers who depart from the trail’s southern terminus, near Campo, California, and move through steep, snowy, soggy, windy and hot conditions at about 25 miles a day, show up in Ashland in August.

This year, many of these hikers were stopped in their tracks by the 55,500-acre McKinney fire in California’s northern Siskiyou County.

On July 30, around 60 hikers in the Red Buttes Wilderness were taken to safety by Oregon’s Jackson County sheriff search and rescue team and bus drivers with the Rogue Valley Transportation District while others gathered 100 miles south in tiny Etna, where they camped in the Johnson-Joss Park and pondered their future.

Their goal of entering the green tunnel of Oregon on foot was over.

Many were shuttled 66 miles on I-5 from Etna to Ashland in buses or by police driving vans, or in the back of cars driven by volunteers.

The endurance hikers, who are miserly with their few days off the trail — called “zero days” — were greeted by smoke and ash, red flag fire risk conditions and lightning, and frantic innkeepers at booked hostels and budget motels.

Thru-hikers Craig Marshall of upstate New York (trail name Butters) and Nadine Osterloh (trail name Giggles) of Bonn, Germany, said they had a mix of emotions.

They were grateful to be safe at the shelter, but they felt guilty taking one of the beds.

And like other long-distance hikers on a schedule to weave through the West Coast when the weather is in their favor were eager to get going.

“We are used to hiking and walking, and now we’re on hold,” said Osterloh.

Where to go?

On Aug. 2, the pack was ready to move again. But in which direction?

Dave (“Floppy”) Kim of Philadelphia started at Campo, steps north of the Mexican border, on May 4 and about 13 weeks later he was in Ashland, which is between exits 11 and 19 off of I-5. Here, he heard options from other thru-hikers.

Return to the trail, either near Callahan’s Mountain Lodge at exit 6 or head east on Oregon Highway 66 for 20 miles to the Pacific Crest-Green Springs Mountain Connector Trail, or about 35 miles northeast to Fish Lake in the Cascade Range to connect to OR-140 north to Crater Lake.

A trail north of Crater Lake is closed for roughly 60 miles due to the Windigo Pass and Tolo Mountain fires, and there was another closure near Mount Jefferson, which burned in the 2020 Lionshead fire.

The closures mean “this season’s thru-hikers will definitely get mixed up and even more spread out along the trail,” said Scott Wilkinson of the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

“Given climate change-driven drought, wildfires and other extreme weather events over the past few years, this could be characterized as the new normal and not unusual,” he added.

Trail closures are also caused by flooding and erosion, and used for habitat protection of endangered species, Wilkinson said.

Uninterrupted end-to-end hikes “may continue to be more difficult,” Wilkinson said, but “the PCT is still a spectacular wild and scenic experience” for day outings, weekend trips and multi-day section trips.

Some thru-hikers in Ashland are throwing up their hands over the road blocks, and heading north on the Oregon Coast Trail. Or they are taking a Greyhound bus to Portland to cross the Columbia River on the Bridge of the Gods and continue on the PCT to the Canadian border.

“This will affect us,” said Candy Boerwinkle of the Ashland Commons hostel on Tuesday. For days, she said her phone was ringing off the hook, with calls from stranded hikers.

Her hostel is typically booked all of July and August, and she didn’t know how she could accommodate everyone.

Then she started receiving cancellations from hikers who decided to skip Oregon.

“There are 27 people checking out today, and only four are checking in,” she said.

The iconic Callahan’s Lodge, in the shadow of Mount Ashland and a short walk from the Pacific Crest Trail, is forwarding some thru-hikers’ mailed care packages to their new destination, said employee Forrest Eldred.

“We’re sending the care packages to towns near Crater Lake or to Bend, or returning them to the sender,” said Eldred on Tuesday. “Some hikers hope to circle back here.”

Callahan’s is still offering lodging, all-you-can eat pancake and egg breakfasts and spaghetti dinners, as well as $16-a-night camping; $25 for backpackers who want to shower and use the laundry.

“Floppy” Kim hopes to come back, to hike the 170-mile gap from Shasta to Ashland.

On Tuesday afternoon, he and Johannes (“Coach”) Popp of Frankfurt, Germany, returned to hiking at the Pacific Crest-Green Springs Mountain Connector Trail, elevation 4,940 feet.

“This hike is 90% mental and 10% physical,” said Kim, who averages 22 miles a day and has worn out two pairs of boots.

More than boots needed

Hiking 2,663 miles on narrow dirt trails from California to Canada takes more than stamina. Success relies on strategizing and adapting when reality dashes best laid plans, said Lauren (“Grandpa”) Schuster, 24, of Atlanta.

She made it from Campo to Etna before forest infernos instantly upended her goal to complete the entire Pacific Crest Trail on foot.

On Sunday, Schuster rode into Ashland and confessed she has been “obsessed” with the PCT even before she read Portland author Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling memoir, “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.”

Schuster’s months-long trek was made possible by another dashed dream. She was unable to travel in the Peace Corps after she graduated from college in 2020 because of COVID-19. Hiking the PCT became her Plan B.

Two zero days in Ashland had Schuster and a dozen of her closest trail friends pacing around the city and their Airbnb rental, and considering their rerouting options.

Their decision: to reach Crater Lake in four days, then hitch past the Windigo Pass and Tolo Mountain fires closure and keep going north.

“It’s up in the air” how the group will eventually reach Washington state, Schuster said. Then she paused and added the traditional PCT mantra: “The trail provides.”

On Tuesday morning, she and Steve (“Funfact”) Jacobs of Salt Lake City, waited for the rest of their trail family, who started on this journey as strangers on April 5.

Jacobs will celebrate his 35th birthday on the trail Thursday and the tradition for this group is to receive a pastry with a candle, a golden paper crown and a Happy Birthday card drawn by Schuster.

The trail is about give and take, said Jacobs, who contributes “fun facts” to conversation such as mayonnaise can’t emulsify in a lightning storm.

PCT hikers’ star appeal

By the time northbound PCT hikers reach Oregon, they have faced daunting challenges and have succeeded, said John Kerr, who is one of the leaders of day hikes organized by the all-volunteer Ashland Hiking Group.

“PCT hikers know by now they will complete the journey of a lifetime,” he continued. “They are full of smiles despite what lies ahead of them, another 900 miles. And they are universally friendly, even when we break their stride as they step aside.”

PCT thru-hikers are mostly in their 20s and 30s.

“What I love most is seeing people, especially the young, who have gained the confidence in themselves to succeed in whatever else they may dream of doing,” said Kerr, who lives outside of Ashland. “They have no fear of what lies ahead. Last week we met a hiker who had done the journey wearing a prosthesis. Now that was inspiring.”

To Ashland residents, thru-hikers represent hard-earned athleticism, a deep appreciation of nature and the value of taking time off.

People often give thru-hikers a place to stay and rides to the trailhead, and even offer to pick up the tab for a meal or beer.

“They treat us like we’re heroes,” said “Coach” Popp. “But we’re just hikers.”

[race-week]

F1 Explained: Yellow Flags vs VSC vs Safety Car

In preparation for Baku where we are extremely likely to see at least one of these over the course of the weekend I thought I’d just run through what each of these terms mean, who they benefit and who they are a detriment to.

Yellow Flags

Single stationary yellow flag means overtaking prohibited due to danger near the track.

Single waved yellow flag means overtaking prohibited due to danger on the track.

Double waved yellow flag means overtaking prohibited due to blocked track.

At both flags, a speed reduction is required as well.

If a single waved yellow flag occurs in qualifying the driver passing the incident has to lift off the accelerator (it will show on the telemetry data)

If a double waved yellow occurs the qualifying lap has to be abandoned.

If the driver doesn’t follow the correct procedure to the flags then they will get penalised.

Virtual Safety Car (VSC)

VSCs or Virtual Safety Cars are still a relatively new concept, they were introduced for the 2015 season.

With the virtual safety car the FIA will dictate what the minimum lap time is for that circuit and the drivers will have to stay above it, they will have the time delta on their dash making sure that they are slower than the minimum time for all the subsectors. This minimum speed is usually 35-40% slower than a normal race lap)

VSC is used for minor incidents, where no car is on track, it will normally be used when double waved yellow flags are needed on any section of track when competitors or officials may be in danger, but the circumstances are not bad enough as to warrant use of the safety car itself. Typically a VSC allows marshall’s onto the track to pick up debris.

During a VSC no car may be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person at any time whilst the VSC procedure is in use. This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane.

The VSC does not bunch the pack up unlike the full safety car but despite its intention of neutralising the race, there is obviously still a benefit of pitting under the VSC however it is always risky trying to do this as a VSC period is often considerably shorter than a full safety car period. As such there isn’t explicit winners and losers from a VSC unless a team times it perfectly.

Safety Car

The Safety Car is put out on track when an incident blocks the track or leaves a lot of debris. The drivers will stay behind the SC until the marshals have cleared up. Usually if there is any machinery out on track (to recover a car) this will bring out a safety car.

As the cars bunch up behind the safety car, it closes up any gaps that have been built and gives a better chance for an overtake once the lights go green. There is also a massive benefit for the driver if they pit under a safety car as the driver loses less time and then will have fresh tyres for the restart. In this case usually the leader is disadvantaged by the safety car, but it is also dependant on where the cars are on track when the safety car comes out. This is because the safety car comes from the pits and then has to catch the front running car and on a particularly long track like Spa or Baku it could take a while for this to happen and allows the rest of the grid to dive into the pits and get a free stop.

[haddonfieldproject]

<<PREVIOUS⏺<<CONTENTS>>

1.2.3 HALLOWEEN NIGHT/NOVEMBER 1st 2:10 AM

Haddonfield, Illinois

As the Tate family continued eastward through Missouri in the rain, Officer J.T. Swain pulled his police cruiser into the parking lot of the Warren County Sherrif's Office. Swain jerked the hood of his rain slicker up, took a long and shaking breath, and braced himself for the deluge from above as he gripped his door handle. He quickly exited, shutting the door with his hip, and sprinted toward the doors, kicking up large splashes as he sloshed through the puddles in the parking lot---a parking lot that had been empty a few hours before when Samantha Nguyen had entered it.

It was now full.

His fellow officer, and friend, Greg Mullenix, met him at the front entrance, and held the door open for him as he stepped inside. “Where the hell have you been man?”

Swain threw his hood back, “I had to escort the Tramer's from the police station to the park.”

Mullenix winced as he opened the glass door on the inside annex.

“It was horrible,” Swain continued, “that boy's mom kept crying and crying, and I had to hold an umbrella over her while they ID'd their son.”

Mullenix put a hand on his friend's back. “I'm sorry man.

“What did I miss?” Swain asked as they headed through the lobby, passed the plastic chairs, and to the right of the front counter with it's frosted glass window...still shut. They could hear Officer Williams and another voice, a female voice, talking away from behind the glass. The phone still rang incessantly.

“It's a shit show.” Mullenix replied, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and tapping it to the little white square beside the large metal door that read: AUTHORIZED PERSONELL ONLY. His little plastic keycard inside reacted to the pad and a light at the top of the square went from red to green. He jerked the door open.

A cacophany of voices hit them immediately. The first door on the left gave way to a large conference room. The overlapping conversations were emanating from there. Six or seven Officers sat about the large mahogany table and about the same number stood in various places around the room. As Officer Mullenix and Officer Swain entered the doorway, they were bumped from behind by two other men. Deputy Sheriff Ben Meeker had exited his office from across the hall and pushed through the crowd. He was holding a manilla file folder in his hand. Another man, with a receding hairline and smart black and white business attire, followed him.

“Feds?” J.T. Mouthed to Mullenix as they moved to get out of the way of the two men.

Greg shrugged.

“Alright everyone!” Meeker rose his voice to a level that could be heard over the other conversation. “Everyone shut up!”

The conversations ceased.

“So as you know, Sheriff Brackett is of course in the hospital with his daughter so all operations has been handed over to me.”

He looked around the room, took a deep breath and then said, “Look---I know tonight has been,” he stopped for a moment, looking down at the desk, trying to fight the urge to get emotional. “Well,” he continued, “let's just say it, tonight's been really shitty. I know and you know we're stretched to the breaking point right now as it is, but US Marshals have something else we need to pay attention to, so this is Deputy McGrath out of the Springfield outfit, I need you to give him your full attention.”

The room was dead quiet, save for a solitary cough from the back corner of the room. Meeker switched places with the man who had come in with him. He cleared his throat and when he spoke, a sharp New England accent came through,

“Hello,” he said, pausing for a moment, thinking about what to say. “Deputy Meeker here has been telling me about the clusterfuck of a night you guys have had,” he looked around the room at the tired faces of the officers, “and I want you to know that the last thing I want to do is add to the little shitstorm you guys got going on in this little town tonight, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to.”

Meeker handed the file folder to the officer next to him, a fat, snow white young looking kid with pink cheeks and frosty blonde curls all over his head. The kid's name was Kip Kinnerly, but all the other guys called him “Doughboy.”

“Kip, look at this and then pass it.”

“Yes sir.” Doughboy replied curtly as he took the folder.

Meeker raised his voice. “I want everyone to take a good look at this!”

The man in the suit cleared his throat again. “As he told you, I am Deputy Mark McGrath from US Marshals, and as most of you have no doubt already heard, we have been hunting two extremely dangerous persons and we believe they may have just arrived in your back yard, that is, in the general area of Warren County.”

“Are you fucking serious?” An Officer who stood in the corner of the room spat. “Are you talking about those two shits from Mississippi?”

“Let's watch the language Spaulding.” Meeker snapped.

“It's alright Sherrif Meeker,” McGrath smiled. “Two little shits are exactly what they are. Their names are Lloyd and Lee Chumway of Biloxi Mississippi. And we are requesting---hell we are begging—for your assistance so we can nab these sonsabitches and at least give y'all a silver lining to this terrible night.”

“Oh fuck.” Officer Malcom Donald breathed as he looked into the file folder. “I thought I'd seen enough of this kind of shit tonight.”

The photograph of the Chumway brothers had reached Mullenix and Swain. They had already seen their faces on the television the days before. Hell, all of America had.

“Someone snap pics of that with their cellphone and text it out to everyone. I want everyone to have those two faces burned in their brains.” Meeker said.

“I got you boss.” Swain replied. He passed the picture back to Mullenix and began to dig in his pocket for his cellphone. “Here, hold this.”

“Who is this chick?” Spaulding asked, taking another pic from Doughboy and handing it to Officer Emrah Lagenbruner next to him who had just squeezed himself into the circle that was forming around the conference room. .

“Whoa,” The young African American officer said upon seeing the picture, “Gonna be a closed casket for sure.”

McGrath pointed to the photograph in his hand.

“Her name was Marina Madden, Lee Chumway's brother...he's the younger of the two. On Thursday afternoon, around 13:30 Central Time, these two upstanding citizens apparently brutally raped this woman, and then pummeled her with a bedside lamp.”

Mullenix took the picture from Lagenbrunner. The aforementioned Marina Madden was sprawled out on burgundy carpet, near the foot of a bed-frame, her lifeless eyes gazing upward at a ceiling that was out of view of the camera. Blood was congealed on the side of her head, a broken bedside lamp lay beside her, a dark spot in the carpet spread out from beside her head. The darkened puddle was flecked with bits of brain matter.

Mullenix passed the picture to Swain.

“Who's this?” Spaulding asked, holding up another picture before passing it to Lagenbruner. “Whoa, hello sexy!” Lagenbruner quipped again upon seeing the picture and passing it to Mullenix. It was a circa 1977 Olan Mills portrait of a woman, wearing a bright floral print dress, cat-eye tinted glasses and a large brown bee-hive hairdo in front of a tacky painted background with a sunset, trees, and ducks. Two young boys in white suits and red ties sat on her knee.

McGrath answered, “That is the mother of these two fine citizens. Melba Jean Chumway. Aparently they grew bored of Miss Madden and decided to drive over to their mommy's house. They beat her to death with a hammer.”

Lagenbruner whistled as he saw the next photo. “Good night,” he breathed as he passed it to his left.

Mullenix's stomach tightened as he saw it. Even though she was face down on a linoleum floor, you could tell it was the same woman. Her dress was different, but an equally as offensive floral print. Her bee-hive was gray now, and a different, more modern pair of glasses lay broken beside her. The side of her head was split open, and old darkened blood was pooled on the tile beside her. Large shoe tracks were printed in blood all around her as well. A blood soaked hammer lay just beyond her elbow.

For not the first time tonight, Mullenix was feeling nauseated. As the wave of sickness washed over him and through him, he closed his eyes, gulped and opened them again to receive another photo. The time, a pretty but a little chunky woman in a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt and camouflage pants was sitting atop a tractor. A field of snowy white cotton gleamed in the background. An older gentleman stood beside the tractor with a cigarette handing out of his mouth and a battered confederate battle-flag hat laying crooked on his head. He wore a simple blue shirt with the words TRUMP in bold white letters, along with the tag-line in red below it: Make America Great Again.

“I'm guessing this one is their engagement photo?” Swain tried to quip as he took the picture from Mullenix. It came out hollow as his voice cracked.

McGrath guestered to him. “They then left for Lloyd's apartment where Lloyd's unfortunate girlfriend Kelly Willis-Ross was living. They nearly decapitated her with a kitchen knife.”

Another grizzly crime photo was passed over. Poor Miss Willis-Ross lay in a bathtub, soaked red. Her head lay disjointed on her shoulders, her chin impossibly almost touching her right breast. Swain felt another surge in his stomach. He tried to focus on something in the picture so that he would appear to be looking at the slide, but not really looking at the carnage itself. His eyes fixed on a blue bottle which sat on the side of the tub next to the unfortunate carcass of Lloyd's now ex-girlfriend. HERBAL ESSENCES CONDITIONER. BLUE RASPBERRY.

“Jesus Christ,” Mullenix breathed.

Swain shot him a glance. His friend and partner's face was caught in a grimace.

“I know,” Swain whispered, “good luck sleeping tonight.”

“I don't think I'm ever going to sleep again,” Mullenix mumbled.

McGrath continued, as more horrific scenes of gore was paraded down the line.

“They then drove to their place of employment: a Papagayos Mexican Restaurant. These two star employees were on the clock for only 53 minutes before they murdered their boss and everyone in the store with kitchen knives. They have been on the run every since.”

“How do we know they're coming here?��� Meeker asked, taking a seat on the edge of the conference table.

McGrath answered, “On Thursday night around 20:00, 911 operators at a Southern Star Gas Station near Oxford Mississippi were alerted to a robbery and homicide, and closed circuit cameras in the store captured the Chumway brothers. Two of the men they beat to death inside the store were concealed carry operators who were overwhelmed before they were able to withdraw their weapons. The Chumways stole the weapons and are now considered armed and dangerous....well...more dangerous.”

A few more cops trickled into the conference room from outside, looking pale and cold, shaking off the rain. McGrath paused as they took their place around the room, then continued, “Early Friday morning, around 02:30 we got a bead on to what direction they were heading in when 911 dispatch got word of a robbery at a Dixie Donuts outside Memphis Tennessee. Again surveillance at the location confirmed that the Chumway brothers were perpetrators of the crime. They were tracked to a strip club in the area and then to a motel, but apparently just missed the grasp of Memphis police. Their pursuit was also put off by trick or treating traffic, something I heard you guys had trouble with as well as you were tracking your own psychopath through the town.”

A few of the cops nodded and murmuring in agreement. Agent McGrath paused , rubbing his chin, his eyes clouded over, as if he were lost in his thoughts. After a moment he said, “We have every reason to assume they continued north, and would be entering this vicinity very soon if they continued at their assumed rate of speed. Unfortunately we have no idea what they could be driving now, they keep switching vehicles, but we just need you boys to keep an eye out.”

There was another cough and a few moments of heavy silence. Then Doughboy snapped to attention, his blue eyes wet, and barked: “Sir yes sir.”

The others officers followed suit, but all were less exuberant and most were merely mumbling. Deputy-Sheriff Meeker sat up from the edge of the table and approached Agent McGrath, and placing a hand on the shorter man's shoulder. McGrath gave a half smile, shooting a glance to Meeker and then back to the assembled officers. “Well okay then, we know what to look for, and we'll do our best to nab these sonsabitches.” Meeker extended his hand and McGrath took it.

Officer Mullenix yawned. Officer Ted Mitchum came in to the room with a large WANTED poster of the Chumway brothers. He lifted a stapler and stapled it to the wall next to the whiteboard at the far end of the conference room. Mullenix fixated on their face.

They look so normal, he thought, like just two simple men....two...really normal simple men.

NEXT>>

[to-dare-is-to-do]

GREEN FLAG?? while marshalls are STILL ON THE TRACK?!?!

[junker-town]

5 winners from the final week of the NFL season

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

In the final week of the regular season, Jaire Alexander’s meaningful penalties and rushing god Ryan Fitzpatrick: both great.

The 2019 NFL regular season is officially over. This means the march to Super Bowl 54 has officially begun. It also means, mercifully, there will be no more Bengals, Jets, or Washington games to muddy our national broadcasts.

In honor of their selfless decision to leave January to the good teams, the NFL’s contenders spent much of Week 17 playing like losers. The Patriots, needing a win to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs, collapsed in upon themselves against the Dolphins. The Chiefs, in place to leapfrog New England, traded the lead with the Chargers before finally putting away their division rival and securing the conference’s second seed.

The Packers, firmly in the race for the NFC’s top seed, got roasted early by a David Blough receiving touchdown — especially notable because Blough isn’t a receiver (and is, barely, a quarterback). They needed a furious comeback and a game-winning field goal from Mason Crosby as time expired just to escape with a win. The 49ers and Seahawks went down to the wire, and a literal inch of field, to complete the NFC postseason picture.

In the middle of that chaos, the Titans and Eagles claimed the league’s final playoff spots in what turned out to be comfortable wins. And while they may have gained the most from Sunday’s action, they weren’t necessarily Week 17’s biggest winners. Instead, those honors go to ...

It wasn’t: the Browns, who finished 2019 with their worst loss yet

Cleveland didn’t have much to play for in Week 17. The playoffs, once a shining beacon of hope in the preseason, were officially out of reach. All that was left for the Browns was pride and a potential resume-building point in favor of embattled first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens.

This was not nearly enough to carry the team to victory over the previously one-win Bengals. Cleveland squandered an early 7-0 lead and gave up 162 rushing yards to Joe Mixon en route to a 33-23 loss.

Baker Mayfield, who ended 2018 as one of the league’s hottest quarterbacks, finished his season with 21 interceptions and would have led the NFL in picks if not for the continued existence of Jameis Winston. Kitchens lasted exactly 16 games as a head coach before getting fired.

Conversely, Andy Dalton went from getting benched on his birthday to staking the Bengals’ claim as Ohio state champions in what will likely be his final appearance in tiger stripes. An often toothless pass rush got to Mayfield for six sacks. Mixon also deserves credit, not just for a career-best performance, but for innovating this “accidentally assault a ref” postgame celebration.

@Joe_MainMixon bowling down the ref for the W @EvilAndyDalton @CincyProblems pic.twitter.com/X6Uz67nJxS

— chase. (@ChaseLaub1) December 29, 2019

and now, on to ...

Week 17’s actual winners

5. The Bears, who might as well give this rugby thing a shot

Chicago and Minnesota — the latter locked into the NFC’s sixth seed and thus starting a handful of backups — put together a stirring throwback to 1920 with their meaningless Week 17 showdown. The first 30 minutes of play saw the Bears take a 11-6 lead into halftime despite neither team scoring a touchdown.

The Bears broke that streak in the third quarter, but they kept up the “dawn of football” cosplay in the process. David Montgomery scored his team’s only touchdown in a play that wouldn’t have been out of place in the New Zealand All Blacks’ highlight reel.

smh pic.twitter.com/L5TvTzKPp8

— Arif Hasan, nondenominational holiday supporter ⛄ (@ArifHasanNFL) December 29, 2019

Chicago held off a Kirk Cousins-less Vikings team 21-19 to even its record at 8-8 on the season. Mitchell Trubisky, in a performance endemic of his disappointing third year as a pro, needed 37 passes to throw for 207 yards without finding the end zone once.

4. Jaire Alexander, whose mistakes somehow sparked a Packers comeback

Danny Amendola has always been one of the league’s more underrated pot-stirrers. The journeyman wideout is a chippy presence on the field. A first-quarter touchdown throw to quarterback David Blough only increased his volume.

Amendola’s flexing was nearing all-time non-Patriot highs in Week 17 ... until Alexander sent him to Suplex City.

yes, it was a penalty. but i still admire the form on the Jaire Alexander belly-to-back suplex pic.twitter.com/xp5QCG7lkk

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 29, 2019

That suplex drew a flag and gifted the Lions seven yards, but Alexander earned every one of those yards with his perfect form. While Detroit would go on to score a touchdown at the end of the drive, Amendola wouldn’t have another catch for the rest of the game. The next time he’d have his name called on the broadcast would be after getting flagged for a late hit on another Packers defensive back he’d been jawing with — this time, safety Kevin King.

This, somehow, wasn’t the only penalty on Alexander that seemed to have a net benefit for the Packers. Alexander was shadowing Chris Lacy in man coverage without any safety help when he tripped while tracking down a Blough deep ball. Rather than let Lacy get away for what would have certainly been a breakaway touchdown, the second-year corner grabbed the Lions wideout and intentionally drew a pass interference penalty.

Jaire Alexander with the "welp, i'm screwed" PI here. saved a touchdown, too pic.twitter.com/CvqcS0HD6l

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 29, 2019

Detroit’s drive would stall out soon after, ending with a 56-yard Matt Prater field goal instead of a touchdown.

Those points were crucial for Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers, on a day when he struggled to connect with his wideouts downfield, found his rhythm in time to lead the Packers back from a 17-3 deficit with 19 minutes to play. Mason Crosby’s 33-yard field goal as time expired sealed a 23-20 win for the visitors and a first-round bye in the postseason.

More importantly, it made Green Bay 2-0 against the Lions in 2019 when the Packers led, technically, for zero seconds of game time.

3. Shaquil Barrett, officially better than Warren Sapp (in one specific way)

The Buccaneers ended 2019 in the most Jameis Winston way possible: on a pick-six. Bruce Arians summed up the finale in the most Bruce Arians way possible.

#GoBucs coach Bruce Arians on Jameis Winston throwing a pick six to end the game and the season with a loss in OT. “It smells as bad as it could possible smell and it’ll smell that way for a long time.''

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) December 29, 2019

In the midst of that lesser Lynyrd Skynyrd song were other reasons for optimism. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin emerged as the league’s top wideout tandem, and Breshad Perriman balled out once injuries took each of them off the field. Young cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting took the first steps necessary to repair one of the league’s worst secondaries.

But no Buccaneer had a better year than Barrett, who came to Florida on a one-year, $4 million contract and gave Tampa Bay roughly $20 million of value as a pass rusher. The former Broncos rotational piece — he had just 15 starts in 61 games in Denver — went from afterthought to Defensive Player of the Year candidate as the keystone of Arians’ defense.

He had so many sacks in his first four games (nine) it prompted SB Nation’s own Stephen White to write about how absurd he was three different times in the first month of the season. On Sunday, he passed Sapp as the Buccaneers’ all-time single-season sack leader by bringing down Matt Ryan in the second quarter.

Your NEW franchise leader! That's 1️⃣7️⃣.5️⃣ sacks on the season for @MOOCHIE048. pic.twitter.com/80ofRPvJon

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 29, 2019

That wasn’t enough for Barrett. He’d add two more sacks to bring his season total to 19.5. That’s 5.5 more than he’d had in five total seasons as a Bronco. It’s also enough to tie for 13th-most in a single season in league history, joining names like Bruce Smith, Robert Mathis, and Mark Gastineau among players with at least 19 sacks in a season.

Barrett may have come to Tampa on a prove-it deal. Keeping him there is going to cost the club significantly more.

2. Christian McCaffrey, the NFL’s third-ever 1,000/1,000 man

Unlike the Buccaneers, there haven’t been many moral victories for the Panthers this fall. Cam Newton played in just two games, and while Kyle Allen was able to rally Carolina to a 4-2 start, that lack of talent manifested in a 5-11 season that led to longtime coach Ron Rivera getting fired.

There was one bright shining star in the Panthers’ dim constellation, however. McCaffrey claimed his place as one of the league’s best dual-threat tailbacks by rushing for 1,387 yards and hauling in 1,005 receiving yards from Carolina’s depressing lazy Susan of underwhelming QBs. This 17-yard reception — buried in the latter half of a 42-10 loss to the Saints — launched him into the eight-digit stratosphere.

This is the play where CMC makes HISTORY ⤵️@CMC_22 | #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/06EwirDDUI

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 29, 2019

Only two other players in NFL history have matched that feat: Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk. The former was an All-Pro on a team that won three Super Bowls. The latter won 2000’s MVP award and is now a Hall of Famer.

Pretty good company to keep!

Carolina stands on the precipice of a rebuild. Team owner David Tepper will have to hire a new coach and make a choice when it comes to retaining former MVP Cam Newton or letting him go. Other expensive veterans like Dontari Poe and Greg Olsen could be on the chopping block as well.

McCaffrey will be the sun around which the rest of the Panthers’ solar system rotates, though.

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick, officially the Dolphins’ 2019 rushing leader

The Patriots’ problem isn’t that they missed out on a first-round bye because they lost as a 17-point favorite Sunday afternoon. Their problem is that they lost to a team whose top runner was a 37-year-old quarterback.

Trades, injuries, arrests, and general ineptitude left Miami’s year-end rushing stats look like this:

Holy crap.

That ground game FitzMagic was on full display Sunday. His scramble on first-and-goal in the third quarter pushed the Dolphins out to a 17-10 lead.

Grit, determination, and a great beard #MIAvsNE #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/bXhlWW2QLZ

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 29, 2019

His ability to keep plays alive — he was only sacked twice against a defense that came into Week 17 ranked fifth in the NFL in sack rate (8.4 percent) — gave the Dolphins just enough latitude to hold off the Patriots’ comeback efforts and drive a final nail into the AFC East champion’s bye week hopes. New England will play in the Wild Card Round for the first time since 2009, and it’s at least partially thanks to a Miami team whose top running threat was an aging dropback passer.

[racingtoaredlight]

The degenerate’s guide to college football TV watch ‘em ups, 2019 season, week 6

Not sure if anybody has reminded you lately but there is only one OCTOBER!!! And we’re in it. October is breast cancer awareness month and one of only four annual truck months. The first football weekend of October features three top 25 matchups, which isn’t terrible, but two of them are B1G conference games. And they each feature a team from the state of Michigan who probably won’t be in the top 25 come tomorrow.

So now that I have you all pumped up for it, let’s get to the games! As per usual, the schedule is copied and pasted from FBSchedules and gambling info, where it’s provided, is from Vegas Insider. NOW ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!????!???? IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER!!!!

Saturday, October 5

Matchup                                                          Time (ET)               TV/Mobile

TCU at Iowa State                                           12:00pm                   ESPN2

TCU is tough to figure out. So is Iowa State for that matter. But I think Gary Patterson got back on track last week and the Cyclones -3.5 looks bad to me so... load up the Cyclones, I guess.

14 Iowa at 19 Michigan                                   12:00pm                     FOX

The line is moving towards Iowa but it’s still Michigan -4. I think the sharps are on Iowa here but I don’t trust it. This looks like a horrible game for purposes of watching.

Kent State at 8 Wisconsin                               12:00pm                 ESPNU

Wisconsin’s defense might be great but the Badgers still kept it close against Northwestern last week. That’s a big red flag for me but not so big that I think Kent State +35 is smart money. I hope Chryst runs it up like crazy.

Maryland at Rutgers                                         12:00pm                   BTN

It’s been a long couple of weeks since Maryland’s offense looked good. But I bet Rutgers can get them back in the swing of things. Terps and the over.

6 Oklahoma at Kansas                                      12:00pm                  ABC

The line has moved towards Kansas and I’ve got nothing. I love Les Miles and those plucky Jayhawks but come the fuck on. Oklahoma’s gunning for 80. Also, I love KU football for all the failure so I’m in the bag for either 95-0 Oklahoma or KU pulling one of the more monumental regular season upsets in memory.

21 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech                    12:00pm                   FS1

TIRED: Bet the over. WIRED: Chuba Hubbard hits the over by himself.

Purdue at 12 Penn State                                    12:00pm                 ESPN

Rondale Moore won’t play but he’s not out for the year. Supposedly. He should be, though, right? No reason to chance it with one of the best players in the country on a garbage program like Purdue. Penn State is favored by 28 and, as much as I hate to say this, they’re wildly undervalued even though that’s up 11.5 from where the line opened. This is going to be an all out splatterfest.

Tulane at Army                                                    12:00pm              CBSSN

This game is a metaphor. The environment vs. the troops. The environment is favored.

USF at UConn                                                      12:00pm      CBSSports.com

As godawful as USF has been this year they’re still favored by 11 on the road in a conference game. UConn should consider dropping football.

Utah State at 5 LSU                                             12:00pm              SECN

Jordan Love goes to Death Valley to face a bunch of future first round picks in the LSU secondary. That’s fun for scouting but LSU should destroy USU. 

Boston College at Louisville                               12:30pm              RSN

No idea what to say here.

Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan                3:00pm              ESPN+

We’re about to run through a bunch of MAC games.

Virginia Tech at Miami (FL)                                   3:30pm              ESPN

But before we get to all that MAC first we have to deal with this MAC-level disaster. Miami has pretty much sucked so far this year but maybe they fixed everything in the week off. More likely, Justin Fuente will get off the hotseat for a week after winning on the road against a Miami team dressed up as pumpkins.

Western Michigan at Toledo                                 3:30pm             ESPN+

O/u 74, 1.5-point line. These teams are interchangeable. Not just Toledo and Western Michigan - the entire MAC is a jumble of teams that are exactly the same and Buffalo. Buffalo sucks way differently than the rest of the MAC.

Ohio at Buffalo                                                        3:30pm           ESPN+

Buffalo sucks differently than the rest of the MAC but they still suck.

Marshall at Middle Tennessee                                3:30pm        Facebook

I want to love this game but it looks fucking horrible.

Arkansas State at Georgia State                            3:30pm         ESPN+

ESPN+ is definitely a government conspiracy. Real deep state channels over here. The other Arkansas is favored on the road in a matchup of two middling offenses and two of the worst defenses in the country. I’m tempted to say hit that over of 69.5 with the Red Wolves winning. I don’t know about that line, though.

11 Texas at West Virginia                                         3:30pm           ABC

I am not enjoying Heisman hype for Texas’ QB but I don’t think WFV is the team to bring him back down to earth.

Illinois at Minnesota                                                  3:30pm          BTN

Minnesota may be the worst 4-0 team in the country but if they are you can put money on them being the worst 5-0 team in the country, too. I think Tanner Morgan is pretty good as far as B1G passers go and the “worst...” unbeaten team thing could very easily extend to the worst 8-0 team in the country.

Bowling Green at 9 Notre Dame                              3:30pm          NBC

I very strongly disliked Notre Dame for a long time before they bought their coach’s way out of a murder trial but the line for this game is laugh out loud shit and I’m fully on board with it. Domers by 46 with an o/u of 63 is a thing of beauty even if it glorifies pure evil.

Baylor at Kansas State                                             3:30pm        ESPN2

Kansas State’s mimicry of a good team might be breaking down after getting run over by Chuba Hubbard & Co. last week but a win by Baylor could get the Bears into the top 25. I need the ghost of Taco Bill (yes, I’m aware) to rouse the Wildcats for a stomping of Baylor.

Ball State at NIU                                                        3:30pm         ESPN3

Do whatever you want with this.

7 Auburn at 10 Florida                                              3:30pm          CBS

Fantastic uniform matchup featuring some almost great Florida throwbacks to Steve Spurrier’s Heisman season. I wish the stripes on the shoulders went all the way around. Otherwise they’re perfect.

Air Force at Navy                                                      3:30pm           CBSSN

I haven’t gotten a handle on Air Force this year but this is not a good Navy team. Maybe the Paul Johnson offense has finally run its course in Annapolis? Usually you can count on a senior QB to make the option hum for the Middies but they aren’t looking like anything special through three games in 2019. Here’s hoping they can find their rhythm as home dogs.

Memphis at ULM                                                       3:45pm            ESPNU

Kenny Gainwell came very close to making the RTARLsman list this week but he needs some bigger highlights to get back on there. ULM running back Josh Johnson’s production has gotten worse every week this year. Memphis is a pretty big road favorite and they should be bowl eligible by the time they dip back into conference games.

Troy at Missouri                                                        4:00pm             SECN

Kelly Bryant has been OK so far as Missouri’s QB. Which is fine, that’s what Kelly Bryant is: an OK QB. But if he can get more confidence in Derek Dooley’s system he could get a real shot at an NFL roster next year. Games like this one are the best way to build confidence.

North Carolina at Georgia Tech                               4:00pm            ACCN

UNC has looked well-coached but talent-deficient so far this year while Georgia Tech has looked untalented and undisciplined. Here in the ACC that means this game is a tossup.

Northwestern at Nebraska                                        4:00pm             FOX

I’d like to think Nebraska can never climb out of their 15 years-long rut but maybe Scott Frost is the real deal. If he is then this game should be a walkover for the Huskers. Look for a close game that hinges on some comically bad execution.

Arizona at Colorado                                                   4:30pm        Pac-12N

Khalil Tate and Laviska Shenault are still cool. That brings a tear to my eye.

WKU at Old Dominion                                               6:00pm         ESPN+

This is the kind of football we live for in these posts. All gambling, no sentimentality, weird uniforms, and a matchup that would look great in the March Madness First Four. But it’s part of the Disney plot to overthrow Ukraine.

3 Georgia at Tennessee                                             7:00pm         ESPN

By what right do I hate Tennessee? And yet, my desire to see them keep falling to deeper and deeper depths is boundless. I don’t particularly like Georgia but I want them to win by 60+. They can do it but are they cool enough to do it? I doubt it. Look at their coach’s haircut. He must use a woodchipper like a Flowbee to get that look. Maybe he found a barber in the countryside of 12th century France.

Rice at UAB                                                                 7:00pm        ESPN+

UAB is dead to me. Favored by only 10 at home against Rice? That’s disgusting.

UMass at FIU                                                               7:00pm         ESPN3

Butch Davis is having quite the struggle trying to put FIU together as a program. Things are in a very bad place for FL Int’l (pronounced “Flinn-tull”) even though the school is in a very nice place.

25 Michigan State at 4 Ohio State                             7:30pm           ABC

I know Mark D’Antonio has gotten some crazy results in his time as Michigan State’s head coach but this looks bleak. Brian Lewerke truly sucks and Chase Young is getting Myles Garrett comparisons. 20-points is a huge number for a game like this but I’ll be pretty surprised if the Buckeyes of An Ohio State University don’t beat the spread.

Tulsa at 24 SMU                                                         7:30pm          ESPNU

SMU with that little number next to it is a sight to behold. So last week I guessed that it had been since 1986 that the Mustangs were ranked and that was correct. How smart I must be. I’m really curious how they deal with that success. It seems silly but that ranking is a really big deal for the Ponyfuckers. Here’s hoping they sprint right past 13-points and pull away from Tulsa for a decisive win.

Vanderbilt at Mississippi                                           7:30pm           SECN

AJ Brown and DK Metcalf already look like stars in the NFL. Remember the offense they were in last year that struggled getting them the ball and had them run a combined four total routes? Haha. Fuck both of these teams, though. Nobody cares what happens here.

UTSA at UTEP                                                             8:00pm          ESPN+

El Paso versus San Antonio, aka “The Bigger Even Boringer El Paso.” Everything is bigger in Texas. Even Texas.

Liberty at New Mexico State                                      8:00pm        FloSports

Put some prop money on Antonio Gandy-Golden and ignore everything else in this game. Maybe even ignore Gandy-Golden.

Pitt at Duke                                                                   8:00pm         ACCN

Goddamn does this game suck. Go Panthers.

California at 13 Oregon                                               8:00pm         FOX

The Berkeley Bears don’t have much of an offense but their defense is good enough to keep things within 20 here. I’d put money on Justin Herbert throwing his first pick of the year, Cal to cover, and Oregon to win.

Oregon State at UCLA                                                9:00pm        Pac-12N

Chip Kelly’s revival as a football genius lasted exactly one half. Here the Bruins and Beavers matchup in the Rose Bowl to sully the reputation of that great stadium.

San Diego State at Colorado State                           10:00pm       ESPN2

MWC, baby! Fun stuff for me even if CSU is a trash heap. SDSU is no great shakes this year but at least the setting and the uniforms clash are cool.

16 Boise State at UNLV                                              10:30pm        CBSSN

Boise by 100. Book it.

15 Washington at Stanford                                        10:30pm         ESPN

Stanford was one of the biggest disappointments of the season’s first month. This is the perfect spot for David Shaw and his team of sleepmakers to bore Washington to death and, at least, keep it closer than 15. 

[alexballracing]

MSVR Elise Trophy 2019 - Round 6: Donington Park GP - The Finale

We arrived at lunchtime on Friday at Donington Park for the final round of the championship. The two afternoon test sessions were booked as we hadn't driven the GP loop since 2015.

The first session went without a hitch - other than a brief red flag delay - and the car felt great. It was back to how it used to drive, rather than the disappointingly odd handling from Brands Hatch. The lap times were half decent, and we should have been in the ballpark - I set a 1:47.4 during the session and we always go a bit faster on race day.

We made some adjustments to the setup before the second session, and again, the car felt good. The settings were not necessarily faster, but they had done what we expected - it's great when a car reacts to changes like it's supposed to.

With just 5 minutes remaining in the session as I drove down the Craner Curves, I smelt a sweet smell that I'd experienced before. I glanced down at the dash, and noticed the temp was at 86, then 89, then 93, 96.. and sure enough, smoke started pouring out of the engine bay. The dreaded head gasket failure. I pulled the car over to a safe place, and was later towed back to the garages.

We pulled the car apart, and removed the head and not only found the usual blown gasket, but also a cylinder full of coolant and a cracked liner. I thought this was the end of the weekend before it even started, so we packed up our tools, left the car in pieces and went to the hotel feeling glum. Whilst we'd already sealed the championship, this is not the way I wanted to end the year.

Over dinner I sent a text to Dan (BSCS) explaining the issue, and as he was driving down in the morning to run Mike Rayner's car, he offered to bring a liner. I said it wasn't worth it but bring it anyway, and went to bed.

I woke up at 7-ish, and the sun was out. For some reason, I had woken up in a good mood, and decided that despite the unlikelihood of getting the car working, it was worth a try. I checked my phone, and there was a text from Dan saying that the liner was in his car, along with the extra sealants and tools I'd need and he was already at the track getting set up.

It was on. Nicky and I decided that we'd take our time putting the car back together, and if we could make it out for a race that would be a bonus. Rushing a job like this just means you'll DNF, which is pointless.

We got to the track at around 8, and set to work. We dropped the sump, pulled out the piston and rod, removed the liner, and then Dan fit a replacement liner and popped the piston back in while I went to the drivers briefing (lucky really, as it's a job I've managed to cock up several times before). All our competitors left for Qualifying at the point, and I got a strange hit of adrenaline as I knew I should be out on track.

Nicky and I then cleaned the bits we'd removed, put the head back on with a new gasket and bolts, filled the engine with fluids and re-assembled the car before turning the engine over withoput plugs to see if it spun nicely. It did!

We then popped the plugs in and tried to fire it up. Amazingly, it fired first time and other than some blue smoke for a few seconds (because we used engine oil instead of assembly lube), it sounded like it had never been apart.

We were on!

In an odd bit of luck, there was a lack of marshalls at Donington, and because of this the organisers had decided to use the shorter National circuit. This meant that we didn't need to actually qualify the car since we had raced on the track earlier this year, and we could just start the race from the back. Also, the excellent scruitineering team managed to check my gear and the car during the rebuild, which saved us a load of time.

We finished the car and got it ready for the first race with about 15 minutes to spare.

11:10am. Qualifying.

(We didn't make qualifying as the car was still in bits.)

14:10pm. Race 1.

As we missed qualifying, I was starting right at the back. I didn't care - racing was why we'd come to the track and I was over the moon that we were able to be on the grid at all. It was sunny, the track looked great, and we were going to race some Lotuses. Awesome.

Both races were rolling starts, and this meant I was able to get a jump on the back row when the lights went out. I passed two cars, but then had to back off as there was some side to side contact in front which I didn't want to be part of.

I then pressed on, and after 2 laps was in 5th overall behind Simon Walsh. I passed Simon after a lap, and was then 3rd in class behind John Atherton and John Lamaster. Jason Mcinulty was leading in his Cup R.

A couple of laps later a yellow flag came out down at the old hairpin, and it bunched the four of us up a bit. I focused on getting a good run out of the yellow zone into the green, and managed to pass both Johns after some good fighting over the next few laps.

Unfortunately, during the fight with John, I managed to touch his car with mine coming out of Mcleans, and obviously apologised afterwards. I simply didn't realise he was still on my outside after I'd gone up the inside - a stupid error which I don't normally make. It bent my rear toe link and made the car "interesting" to drive for the remainder of the race.

I finished the race first in class, 2nd overall. John LaMaster finished second 3 seconds back with Atherton behind him in 3rd.

A hard fought win from the back of the grid with an engine that had been in pieces only hours before. That's club racing.

After the race I gave the car a once over. Other than a bent toe link end, it was spot on. Fluids were good, everything remained tight.

17:10pm. Race 2.

Again, I was starting at the back, but this time I was very close to John and Jason as it was the reverse top ten race and there had been a couple of drop-outs in race 1 meaning a smaller grid for race 2.

The lights went out and we all set off. I tried to follow Jason into turn 1, but he did the most amazing move on the whole pack, and simply drove around the outside of everybody and came out of the first corner in 2nd. Ballsy! I was in about 6th, with John LaMaster a spot or two behind.

The race went on and LaMaster and I managed to get in front of everybody except Jason, and then we continued to lap quickly and just seconds apart until the end. I finished first in class with John second, and Jason won FI/overall.

Two wins. If you'd told me that would be the result on Friday night, I would never have gone to the hotel!

With that we celebrated the championship on the podium, and in all honesty, feel like that single day earnt us the championship.

It's always hard work preparing a car for, and during, a full season of racing, but when things go wrong it gets really stressful. I need to say a HUGE thank you to Nicky, Dan and everyone else that helped or offered support. The paddock really made us feel like it was worth fixing, and I had so many nice comments when we'd managed it - it was a great experience (that I wouldn't wish on anybody!).

The year has been fantastic, the car was brilliant, and Nicky really stepped up and took charge of the setup side of things which allowed me to focus on the driving. The paddock has been great fun, with everyone in a good mood all year, and I'm very happy that MSVR have decided to not only save the series from dying this year, but to continue it and take it to bigger and better things in 2020. These cars are fantastic to drive, are faster than they look, and the series offers excellent fair, close racing.

Also big thanks to Kraftwerk Tools UK, and Applecado - I couldn't go racing without their help.

I'm tired now, but crikey. 2019 MSVR Elise Trophy Champions. What a year!

[f1]

Leclerc quickest as rain cuts final Singapore practice session to half an hour | 2022 Singapore Grand Prix third practice

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was quickest in a wet final practice session that featured only half an hour of track running. Leclerc’s best time of a 1’57.782 on intermediate tyres on a drying track was just over half a second quicker than Max Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz Jnr third fastest in the second Ferrari. Heavy rain fell during the W Series qualifying session which preceded third practice session for Formula 1. It persisted following that disrupted session, leaving the track soaked as the final practice hour approached. With the circuit still extremely wet, race director Eduardo Freitas chose to begin the session but keep the pit entry closed, preventing any drivers from taking to the track. This allowed the session to finish without a delay which would have forced the start of qualifying to be pushed back. It was a long wait as the rain ceased and the marshals around the Marina Bay course brushed away as much standing water as they could. After almost half the session had elapsed, Freitas confirmed the pit lane would be opened at the half-hour mark. The green light at the end of the pit lane signalled that the track was open, but none of the 10 teams were keen to send their cars out onto the still wet track. Eventually AlphaTauri opted to send out Pierre Gasly, who was soon followed by team mate Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo. Lando Norris set the early benchmark time on the wet tyres with a 2’09.642, but was soon called in by his team to switch to intermediate tyres. Max Verstappen chose to head out on the intermediates and immediately proved it was the correct tyre for the conditions by posting a 2’06.872. Williams’s Nicholas Latifi briefly triggered the yellow flags by having to brake to a stop at turn 13 to avoid hitting the barriers, but he was able to reverse out and continue. Mick Schumacher was brought into the pits to change tyres but was told to stop the car immediately after being released from the Haas pit box as mechanics feared his right-rear wheel had not been fastened correctly. The stewards will investigate the incident after the session. As the track continued to dry, lap times began to drop. Leclerc went fastest, dropping under the two minute mark. In the final minutes, Leclerc lowered his own best time to a 1’57.782, while Verstappen moved into second with a lap just over half a second slower. The damp track continued to catch drivers out. Gasly took to the escape road at turn 18 after missing his braking point, briefly bringing out the yellow flags. George Russell made a similar error into turn seven and had to make a 180 degree spin turn to escape from the run off. Leclerc’s best time was not beaten, leaving him quickest as the chequered flag flew and half a second faster than Verstappen in second. Sainz ended the session third, a second behind his team mate, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll. Esteban Ocon, Sebastian Vettel, Russell and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top 10. 2022 Singapore Grand Prix third practice result 2022 Singapore Grand Prix combined practice times Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2022 Singapore Grand Prix Browse all 2022 Singapore Grand Prix articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net

[thecollegefootballguy]

The Real 2020 Season: Week 5

Hello everyone, welcome to Week 5 of The Real 2020 Season! We’re imagining how things would have gone in the 2020 football season if COVID hadn’t ruined everything.

Check out the previous weeks here if you’d like a bit of context: Week 0, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4

-

The Rankings

Week 5 AP Poll

1. Alabama 4-0 (1-0) 2. Clemson 4-0 (3-0) 3. Oklahoma 3-0 (0-0) 4. Oregon 4-0 (1-0) 5. Florida 4-0 (2-0) 6. Texas 3-0 (0-0) 7. Notre Dame 4-0 8. Auburn 4-0 (1-0) 9. Texas A&M 4-0 (1-0) 10. Ohio State 3-1 (1-0) 11. Oklahoma State 3-0 (0-0) 12. Georgia 3-1 (0-1) 13. Washington 3-0 (0-0) 14. LSU 3-1 (1-0) 15. Iowa 4-0 (1-0) 16. UCF 4-0 (1-0) 17. Missouri 4-0 (2-0) 18. Indiana 4-0 (1-0) 19. Cincinnati 4-0 (0-0) 20. Penn State 3-1 (1-0) 21. Stanford 4-0 (3-0) 22. Miami FL 4-0 (0-0) 23. Liberty 4-0 24. California 4-0 (1-0) 25. West Virginia 4-0 (1-0)

-

The Narrative

We’ve now entered October so let’s have a bit of a recap of the month of September to catch everybody up. The conference races were expected to play out similar to the past several years. Clemson destined to win the ACC, Ohio State should clinch the Big Ten, Oklahoma the Big 12. Alabama and Georgia spearhead a raft of talented SEC programs aiming to win another title, including the defending champion LSU Tigers. The PAC-12 is relying on Oregon to lift up a flagging league, with fingers crossed that USC eventually rights itself.

The first two weeks of the year included several Playoff-altering results. Week 1 featured #3 Alabama’s decisive victory over #17 USC, preemptively shattering the Trojans’ national contention hopes. Washington easily defeated #14 Michigan in Seattle, the first good news coming out of the PAC-12 in years in non-conference play. The Big Ten had a disaster of a Saturday in Week 2. #7 Penn State was upset at Virginia Tech while #3 Ohio State lost at #9 Oregon. When combined with Michigan’s collapse (0-2 with a home loss to Ball State) and #12 Wisconsin’s Week 1 defeat to Indiana, it was a completely staggering blow, all but snuffing out of the entire league’s Playoff hopes. At the same time, #13 Texas went to Baton Rouge and beat #6 LSU to knock the defending champs out of the race early.

Week 3 saw #2 Alabama convincingly beat #3 Georgia. The Bulldogs seemed the most credible threat to unseat the Tide in 2021, the SEC might not have a team who can beat the Tide despite having so many good squads.

The new Playoff picture sees frontrunners #1 Alabama, #2 Clemson, #3 Oklahoma, and #4 Oregon imagined favorites to win their conferences. #6 Texas will challenge the Sooners for supremacy in the Big 12, and are finally looking like they might be a credible threat. The SEC has several claimants looking to upset the Tide (#5 Florida, #8 Auburn, #9 Texas A&M, #12 Georgia, #14 LSU), but after their win over the Bulldogs it’s going to take a special team to defeat them. The PAC-12 looks like it’s going to run through the Ducks, but their biggest threat will come from rival #13 Washington this week. Oregon did manage to beat #10 Ohio State in Autzen but there are doubts if they have what it takes to manage a 13-0 or 12-1 season and truly contend for the Playoff. #7 Notre Dame obviously still has the ability to force the issue with an undefeated season and a game with Clemson come November.

The Big Ten should still run through the Buckeyes, but things are much less certain now that every expected Playoff contender has already lost *at least* once. If Ohio State can turn things around with a 12-1 run they could still argue for a spot at the table.

All conferences have begun league play, so the games are now going to really start impacting the standings.

-

The Games

When conference play begins it really does feel like the games take on a bit more consequence. It’s almost like the real regular season just began, and all non-conference mistakes can still be amended. Will anybody claw their way back with a strong conference showing? Let’s find out.

Unfortunately there is only one ranked vs ranked game this week. Sure, that’s still better than last week but it’s not ideal. We turn our attention to the pivotal battle in the Pacific Northwest between rivals #4 Oregon and #13 Washington. The winner will most likely claim the PAC-12 North and the conference title with it.

Winning teams are highlighted in bold.

Charlotte at Florida Atlantic Rice at Marshall Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee Old Dominion at Connecticut Southern Miss at North Texas UTSA at UAB Akron at Buffalo #23 Liberty at Bowling Green Kent State at Northern Illinois Army at Miami OH Ohio at Toledo Western Michigan at Ball State Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan Navy at Air Force San Jose State at Boise State Fresno State at Colorado State Massachusetts at New Mexico Utah State at BYU Nevada at Hawaii UNLV at San Diego State #24 California at Washington State #13 Washington at #4 Oregon Oregon State at Arizona State Arizona at UCLA USC at Utah South Carolina at #5 Florida Vanderbilt at #12 Georgia Kentucky at #8 Auburn #17 Missouri at Tennessee #1 Alabama at Ole Miss Charleston Southern at Arkansas Nicholls at #14 LSU #9 Texas A&M at Mississippi State Arkansas State at Coastal Carolina Georgia Southern at Louisiana-Monroe East Carolina at Georgia State Troy at South Alabama Texas State at New Mexico State #7 Notre Dame vs Wisconsin (Green Bay, WI) South Florida at #19 Cincinnati Memphis at SMU Tulsa at #16 UCF #2 Clemson at Boston College Florida State at NC State Louisville at Syracuse Wake Forest at Duke Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech Pittsburgh at #22 Miami FL North Carolina at Virginia Baylor at #3 Oklahoma Iowa State at Kansas #6 Texas at Kansas State #11 Oklahoma State at TCU #25 West Virginia at Texas Tech Minnesota at Maryland #20 Penn State at Michigan Michigan State at #15 Iowa Illinois at Rutgers Nebraska at Northwestern

The Playoff race continues on with very little upsetting it. #1 Alabama won a track meet with Ole Miss. #2 Clemson dispatched Boston College and #3 Oklahoma took care of business against Baylor without the fuss of the previous season. The game of the week saw #4 Oregon put away rival #13 Washington, giving the Ducks the lead in the PAC-12 North race and the inside track to the championship and potentially the Playoff. Rounding out the top 5, #5 Florida defeated South Carolina to keep pace with the field.

There were several other games that influenced races in P5 conferences. The Big 12 saw two of its undefeated teams fall as #11 Oklahoma State lost to TCU and #25 West Virginia was upset by Texas Tech. The Big 12 race increasingly seems like it’s falling into the Oklahoma-Texas orbit. #24 Cal lost to fellow undefeated Washington State, who will now nip at Oregon’s heels with Stanford and Washington. Tennessee finally saw their fortunes turn around as they beat #17 Missouri. The SEC East looks like it will once again be decided by Florida and Georgia. #7 Notre Dame beat Wisconsin at Lambeau Field to continue their unbeaten campaign. The ACC Coastal appears to be contested by Miami and Virginia Tech, time will tell who will come out on top.

The Group of 5 races are taking unexpected twists and turns. The biggest shock has to be Tulsa’s road upset of #16 UCF. The Knights have been the best G5 program in the past 4 years, but this supremacy appears to be severely threatened. #19 Cincinnati is now the only undefeated team left in the AAC. If the Bearcats can’t go the distance that opens the door to other leagues. Neither the Mountain West, MAC, or C-USA have an undefeated challenger, but the Sun Belt has three in Coastal Carolina, Troy, and Louisiana. Could they finally represent their conference in a New Year’s Bowl?

-

The Standings

With conference play just beginning we’re still a few weeks away from real clarity, but things are starting to take shape.

-

The Big Picture

The Playoff field remains unchanged as Oregon retains their hold on the PAC-12 North Division with their win over Washington. We’ll see the Ducks face off against Alabama and Oklahoma assuming the favorites win the rest of their games. Clemson travels to Notre Dame later in the season, that game will likely decide the final member in the foursome if Oregon can go undefeated.

The G5 race sees Cincinnati break out as the frontrunner, but they have a hard road to follow going unbeaten in the AAC. If the Bearcats can’t win out to claim the spot as the top G5 team in the country, the Sun Belt is waiting to take over.

-

The New Rankings

Week 6 AP Poll

1. Alabama 5-0 (2-0) 2. Clemson 5-0 (4-0) 3. Oklahoma 4-0 (1-0) 4. Oregon 5-0 (2-0) 5. Florida 5-0 (3-0) 6. Texas 4-0 (1-0) 7. Notre Dame 5-0 8. Auburn 5-0 (2-0) 9. Texas A&M 5-0 (2-0) 10. Ohio State 3-1 (1-0) 11. Georgia 4-1 (1-1) 12. Iowa 5-0 (2-0) 13. LSU 4-1 (1-0) 14. Indiana 4-0 (1-0) 15. Cincinnati 5-0 (1-0) 16. Miami FL 5-0 (1-0) 17. Washington 3-1 (0-1) 18. Penn State 4-1 (2-0) 19. Stanford 4-0 (3-0) 20. Washington State 5-0 (2-0) 21. Liberty 5-0 22. Iowa State 4-1 (2-0) 23. Virginia Tech 4-1 (1-0) 24. Louisville 4-1 (2-1) 25. Oklahoma State 3-1 (0-1)

The top of the polls remained largely unchanged but there was still plenty of movement among the top 25. Several teams fell out of the polls. The total departed includes UCF, Missouri, Cal, and West Virginia. Joining in their place are Washington State, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, and Louisville. Oklahoma State nearly fell out all the way from #11 as well but the Cowboys just held on.

-

Week 5 is in the books! Tune in later to find out how the rest of the season plays out!

[eddiejpoplar]

2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona Weekend – From A to Zanardi

BMW of North America first came to the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1975 with two BMW 3.0 CSL racing cars that were the foundation of the company’s very first marketing program in North America. 57 years later, BMW NA continues to race entering two BMW M8 GTE machines in the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a very special event for BMW as this is where our American racing program began, way back in 1975” said Victor Leleu, Manager for BMW Motorsport, North America. “This year we are proud to wave the green flag for the first race of IMSA’s 50th season and for the debut race of the Michelin Pilot Challenge. We congratulate IMSA on providing 50 years of unforgettable wheel-to-wheel action. In addition to all of the examples of the Ultimate Driving Machine on display and on-track, we are extremely excited to have Alex Zanardi joining us. Daytona continues to be a gathering place for BMW fans and enthusiast from around the world and we can think of no better venue to show them our passion not only for the sport but our heart and soul that we pour into each and every BMW vehicle we make.”

Auberlen The 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona will see BMW NA Ambassador Bill Auberlen start his 411th race in a BMW. Joining one of the top BMW Customer Racing teams, Turner Motorsport, full season the veteran will race in the GTD class in search of the three victories that will make him the winningest sports car driver in IMSA history.

BimmerWorld Racing BimmerWorld makes a return to IMSA racing after a very successful 2018 season. The Dublin, VA-based team finished third in last year’s GS class and won the Street Tuner (ST) championship. For this weekend’s BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona, the opening round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge series, the No. 82 BMW M4 GT4 will be co-driven by team owner James Clay and Devin Jones. The second BimmerWorld entry, the No. 80 BMW M4 GT4, will be co-driven by 20 year old drivers Aurora Strauss and Kaz Grala. Straus finished second in the Pirelli World Challenge’s GTS SprintX-Am class last year while Grala won the NASCAR Camping World Truck series race at Daytona in 2017. Jones scored a class victory at Daytona last year while James Clay will be starting his 10th Daytona race this weekend.

Classic BMW In three short years, the Plano, TX-based team has grown to be one of the largest and most successful BMW customer racing effort in the world. Winners of the 2018 BMW Sports Trophy Team title, Classic BMW returns to IMSA in 2019 with the #26 BMW M4 GT4. At Daytona, Team Manager Toby Grahovec and regular Jayson Clunie, who shared a podium finish at Sebring last year, will split driving duties with newcomer Kyle Reid. Competing in the 2018 MINI Challenge, Kyle took 18 podiums in 20 races, of which 15 wins, earning him the Sunoco 240 Challenge victory and subsequent seat in the #26 BMW M4 GT4 for the BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona. The team will aim for the podium, following its 4th place finish in last year’s race.

Drivers BMW Team RLL will be contesting this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona with an international lineup of drivers. The No. 24 BMW M8 GTE will be co-driven by Alessandro Zanardi (IT), John Edwards (USA), Jesse Krohn (FIN) and Chaz Mostert (AUS) while the No. 25 M8 GTE will be piloted by Connor de Phillippi (USA), Augusto Farfus (BRA), Philipp Eng (AUT) and Colton Herta (USA).

Endurance Challenge The January 26th BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona will provide the opening act for the 57th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend as privateer and professional racers From all over the world begin another season of sports car racing in North America. The four-hour race is the opening round of the 2019 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. For an eighth consecutive year as title sponsor, BMW of North America, LLC will support the race with the Grand Marshal, starter and pace car.

FAST FAST, the 19th BMW Art Car. Designed by renowned American artist John Baldessari, this M6 GTLM competed in the 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Finishing in 8th place, it was co-driven by Bill Auberlen (USA), Alexander Sims (GBR), Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Bruno Spengler (CAN). After its first and only race, the car was retired and now is part of BMW’s Art Car Collection.

Green The green flag for the 2019 BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona waves at 12:15 p.m. Friday, January 25. The race will be broadcast on NBCSN Feb. 6 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The 57th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona Race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starts at 2:35 p.m.

Horsepower The engine of the BMW M8 GTE consists of 2,300 parts and generates between 450 and 500 horsepower, depending on the requirements of the respective sporting authorities.

In-car cameras Both of the BMW M8 GTE racing cars will carry in-car cameras in the Rolex 24. Michelin has provided the cameras in the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE while the BMW NA cameras will provide a driver’s point of view from the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE. Both in-car cameras will be streamed live at IMSA.com

Jones Devin Jones won the ST Championship in 2018 with BimmerWorld Racing. With nine podium finishes under his belt during the last season Jones will join team owner James Clay behind the wheel of the No. 82 BMW M4 GT4 in Daytona this weekend.

Kangaroo Australian driving ace, Chaz Mostert makes his second start behind the wheel of the BMW M8 GTE. His first race at Petit Le Mans last year ended with a podium finish. As the BMW Team RLL quickly learned, the only impression Chaz is really able to do well is that of a Kangaroo.

Lighting Lights will be very important during the 13 hours of darkness at this year’s 24 hours At Daytona. The headlights in the BMW M8 GTE were developed from scratch specifically for the endurance racing environment. They not only look cool but are also state of the art in both design and manufacturing. The cooling elements for the headlights are 3D printed in-house at BMW’s Additive Manufacturing Campus in Oberschleissheim, just north of Munich.

M The most powerful letter in the world.

New BMW models for 2019 include M850i xDrive Convertible, X7 SAV, Z4 Roadster and the M5 Competition, all on display in the infield at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

Organization It takes four transporters, 56 crew, 8 drivers, 10 golf carts, 2 physical therapists, 8 motor homes and 24 lbs. of beef jerky to run two BMW M8 GTE race cars for 24 hours at Daytona this weekend.

Performance Center Comprising two locations, Performance Center East in Greer, SC and Performance Center West in Thermal, CA, the BMW Performance Driving School offers a variety of driving classes that highlight the performance, responsiveness, and safety features in each BMW vehicle. BMW Performance Center instructors will be at DIS providing VIP hot lap rides on Friday and Saturday.

Qualifying There are two qualifying sessions in Daytona. One takes place at The Roar Before the 24 to allocate pit and garage spots. The second, more familiar qualifying, takes place on Thursday to determine the starting positions for the race.

Rahal Bobby Rahal leads BMW Team RLL into its second decade as BMW NA’s motorsport partner. The team works tirelessly before, during and after each race to prepare the two BMW M8 GTE race cars for competition.

Stephen Cameron Stephen Cameron, Henry Schmitt and San Francisco BMW, that is a lot of S’s but for 30 years, Cameron Racing has been competing and supporting customer racing programs for fellow enthusiasts. Cameron and Schmitt will take the green flag at this weekend’s BMW Endurance Challenge race behind the wheel of the No. 88 BMW M4 GT4. BMW of San Francisco, an official BMW Motorsports Parts center continues their support of the veteran Cameron Racing team for the 2019 season.

Technology Transfer BMW still believes that racing improves the breed which is why the M8 GTE race car was launched more than a year prior to the street version. Racing is one of the best tests of strength and reliability and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship provides the perfect setting for testing of 3D printed parts for example.

Ultimate Driving Machine The Ultimate Driving Machine has been BMW’s claim since 1975 and continues to be proven on the roads and racetracks throughout North America to this day.

Victory The BMW M8 GTE scored two victories in its 2018 inaugural season and at this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, BMW Team RLL is looking to add to the brand’s win tally at the classic endurance race. An overall win was scored in 1976 by the BMW 3.0 CSL and by a BMW Powered Daytona Prototype in 2011 and 2013. Class wins were scored in both 1997 and 1998 by the BMW M3 GT2.

Will Turner Will Turner’s Turner Motorsport team has been racing for over 20 years with BMW making them the second longest running BMW team. Turner Motorsport plans a full season program in GTD plus a return to GS with the M4 GT4 for the first time in yellow and blue.

X BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. BMW’s lineup of Sports Activity Vehicles accounted for 63 percent of BMW brand sales in December 2018. Plant Spartanburg exports 70% of the vehicles that are built here making BMW the largest exporter of vehicles by value form the U.S.A.

Years 50 Years of IMSA, 50 years of BMW Car Club of America, 44 years of BMW of North America, 25 years of BMW Plant Spartanburg, 11 years of BMW Team RLL and 2 years of M8 GTE racing.

Zanardi Alessandro Zanardi makes his return to racing in America this weekend at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Zanardi was the 1997 and 1998 IndyCar CART Series champion and has been racing with BMW since 2003. A Paralympic multi-time gold-medalist and world record setter, Alex will take on the new challenge of endurance racing with BMW Team RLL behind the wheel of the No. 2 from Performance Junk Blogger 6 http://bit.ly/2ReCspH via IFTTT

[auburnfamilynews]

We are officially less than a month from early signing day, so here are some storylines to track over the next few weeks.

Early signing day is less than a month away which means it’s reached crunch time for the majority of the recruits in the 2019 class. With the regular season coming to an end this weekend, teams will one again be able to hit the road and visit with prospects in person. There will be a flurry of official visits leading up to December 19th and as always, plenty of drama. Here’s a look at the biggest storylines to track over the coming weeks for the Tigers.

Will Auburn hang onto to Owen Pappoe?

Coaching change rumors can be the death knell to a solid recruiting class. As much as we all like the sentiment of “pick the coach not the school” in reality that rarely happens. If you don’t like the man in charge of the program, it can be difficult to love the school. On the other hand, if you love the head coach then you might all of a sudden find yourself much more attracted to a program.

I say all this because it explains why 5* LB Owen Pappoe has gone from one of Auburn’s most solid commitment to a possible toss up between the Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers. Everything changed after that lost to the Vols back in early October. Not only was Pappoe in attendance with his close friend and Tennessee commit 5* OT Wanya Morris but immediately following that loss is when the cries for Gus’s job became much louder and more realistic. That hasn’t gone unnoticed by Auburn’s top rated prospect.

Jeremy Pruitt and the Volunteer staff have used that controversy to make a strong push. Helped out by Pappoe’s teammate and close friend Morris, the Vols have hosted Pappoe twice in recent weeks in Knoxville. The biggest red flag coming when Pappoe elected to not attend Auburn’s dramatic come from behind win over Texas A&M but instead watched the Vols stumble their way to a 14-3 victory over Charlotte.

Now, with recent support from both Allen Greene and Steven Leath, it seems extremely unlikely a coaching change will happen for Auburn after this season. That also guarantees that Travis Williams will be back as well next year. For pretty much his whole recruitment, the word from all of Auburn’s insiders have been that as long as T-WILL is at Auburn, Pappoe will sign with the Tigers. That still appears to be the belief on the Plains though I am nowhere near as confident as I once was in that statement. But if there’s any coach Auburn fans should trust on the recruiting trail it’s Travis Williams. The Tennessee threat is very real but as of today, I still think he signs with Auburn though that confidence has greatly diminished.

Can the Tigers land Kelly Bryant?

Most of the time a senior quarterback leaving because he was beat out by a true freshman would not be someone highly sought after by top programs. However, this is a very unique case. Bryant led Clemson to an ACC title last season and an undefeated record through the first three weeks of the 2018 campaign. But it was pretty clear that phenom freshman Trevor Lawrence was very much living up to the hype and Dabo made the tough decision to switch to Lawrence before Clemson’s showdown with Syracuse.

Thanks to the graduate transfer rule and the new redshirt rule, Bryant could still preserve his senior year of eligibility because he had only played in 3 games and had graduated. He’s now one of the prized “free agents” of this recruiting class. Auburn is one of many teams that have thrown their hat in the ring.

Arkansas was considered the initial favorite but things have muddied some since then. Bryant has taken official visits so far to Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi State and North Carolina. All four are legitimate threats to land the talented dual threat QB. He was expected to use his final official visit on a trip to Miami and then take a mid week unofficial visit to the Plains. But plans have apparently changed.

News: Source tells me that former Clemson QB Kelly Bryant has scrapped his official visit to Miami this weekend and will instead use his last official visit to go to Auburn next week.@CaneSport @JLeeAURivals

— Woody Wommack (@RivalsWoody) November 20, 2018

This is pretty huge news for the Tigers. It seems pretty obvious that Jarrett Stidham won’t be back next season and it appears the staff might not be comfortable turning this offense over to Malik Willis. While I am the lead conductor of the Bo Nix hype train, I have to imagine that turning this offense over to a true freshman on what could be a do or die year for Malzahn does not seem appealing. Bryant is a talented QB who is a very good fit for what Gus likes to do. Auburn will get a chance to make the last major pitch to Bryant and then he’s expected to make his decision on December 4th. Do not be surprised if the Tigers trot out another transfer QB to start the season in 2019.

What Top 100 talent might Auburn land in December?

The Tigers currently have four commitments ranked in the 247 Composite Top 100. Auburn is hoping to add a few more before in a few weeks. 5* WR Jadon Haselwood, 5* OT Wanya Morris, 5* LB Nakobe Dean, 5* C Clay Webb, 4* CB Tyrique Stevenson, 4* OT Amari Kight, 4* OG William Putnam and 4* LB Trezman Marshall are all top Auburn targets that are expected to sign early. The Tigers would LOVE for a few of those names to sign with Auburn when that time comes.

As of today, I think the only name on that list Auburn probably leads for is Putnam. Haselwood appears to be trending elsewhere, Morris firm with Tennessee, Dean a Bama/UGA battle, Webb a Bama/UGA/CLEM battle, Stevenson an UGA lean, Kight a pretty solid Bama commit and Auburn trailing Tennessee as the threat to flip Marshall from UGA. Putnam, on the other hand, might be trending Auburn but the Tigers will have to fight off a strong push from Clemson. The Tampa native took an official visit there this past weekend and is now expected to have a decision in the coming weeks. Given Auburn’s struggles in the interior, you could make the argument that he’s Auburn’s most important target on the board right now. He’s supposedly close with a number of Auburn commits, most notably 3* TE Luke Deal. As of today, I think he will end up a Tiger.

As for Marshall, he seems far from solid with Georgia. He took an OV to Tennessee this past weekend and admitted he’s having a hard time with his decision. The Vols appear to have made a surge but the Tigers will more than likely get his last official visit. He’s extremely close with both Owen Pappoe and Travis Williams. Can T-WILL steal another elite LB target from the Dawgs?

One final name on that list to maybe keep an eye on might actually be Amari Kight. The longtime Alabama commit chose the Tide over the Tigers earlier this spring and for the most part appears to be extremely solid. But Alabama is trending for 5* OT Evan Neal which would give them 3 Top 100 OTs in the class. Maybe that doesn’t matter to Kight but if Auburn can get him on campus again for an official visit and can sell him on the huge need right now on the Plains, maybe they pull off the surprise. I suspect though he will stick with the Tide.

Any Surprise Flips?

Auburn has already landed four commitments from recruits formerly committed to a different school in 4* DL Jaren Handy (LSU), 4* DB Cam’Ron Kelly (Virginia Tech), 3* DL Jamond Gordon (Ole Miss) and 3* OT Justin Osborne (TCU). They are pushing hard to add a few more names to this list.

4* DL Charles Moore (Mississippi State), 4* DE Curtis Fann (Florida State), 4* LB Kalen Deloach (Florida State), 3* DT LeDarrius Cox (Tennessee) and 3* OG Kingsley Eguakun (Miami) are all realistic flip options for the Tigers. Per AuburnUndercover’s Keith Niebuhr, Moore is expected to take an official visit to the Plains December 7th. He’s very close with Auburn commit Jaren Handy and was on campus a bunch earlier this year. This won’t be an easy pull but Auburn continues to make it interesting.

Fann and Deloach both chose the Noles over the Tigers this past summer but they may be reconsidering. Deloach has already taken an official visit to Auburn earlier this fall and admitted he was giving Auburn some serious consideration. Fann is expected to OV in December. I would not be surprised if either ended up on the Plains.

Finally, there is Cox and Eguakun. It feels like all year it’s been said that Cox was going to flip to Auburn but that’s yet to happen. Could it be because Auburn has made a strong push for Moore and Fann? Maybe. More than likely it could just be that Cox wanted to finish his high school season before focusing once again on recruiting. I expect he will be on an official visit to the Plains in December. Eguakun, on the other hand, seems to still be wrestling with his decision. Earlier this week 3* OG Kamaar Bell told Rivals Auburn was his leader. Would the Tigers take all three of Putnam, Bell and Eguakun if given the chance? I don’t know but that would be a nice problem to have.

Who Signs Early?

Finally, who exactly signs early will be interesting to see, especially among Auburn’s commitments. Last year, all but Coynis Miller, Matthew Hill and Richard Jibunor ended their recruitments in December. Jibunor only went that late because he didn’t understand the signing process while Miller and Hill both wanted to use some official visits in January. The Tigers kept all 3 in the class.

This time around, it looks like there will be three more commitments that will wait until February to sign. George Pickens, Jaren Handy and Jamond Gordon all appear poised to wait until the original National Signing Day to officially sign their letters of intent. I think Auburn will have to fight hard to keep all three on board during that time period but feel pretty good about them all ending up with the Tigers. It might actually be Gordon of that group that’s the least solid.

Despite the struggles on the field, Auburn is still poised to land an outstanding class in 2019. If they can close on a few of these top targets late then it could still end up as one of Gus Malzahn’s highest ranked classes ever.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2018/11/20/18101167/auburn-football-recruiting-top-early-signing-day-storylines

[itsworn]

2018 Trans-Am Racing at the Monterey Historic

We all have them: the automotive bucket lists that we’ve compiled in our heads over the years. As teenagers growing up on the East Coast, we would sit around drinking beer and talk about how one day we’d roll in the Hot Rod Power Tour, break records at Speed Week, and then rumble down Woodward Avenue in Detroit as part of the Dream Cruise. These were the events our adolescent psyches lived for; excursions that we’d mentally plan out but that would most likely never come to fruition. We would talk about what we’d drive there, how we’d scoff at the law by doing burnouts and donuts and then ultimately, be discovered by a news crew or magazine publisher and then become instantly famous due to our radiating coolness. That is were our minds were at in those days, and it was the weekend b.s. sessions like that which got us through the winter months when two-feet of snow lined the streets.

But that was then, and now I live on the West coast, in Northern, CA, a mere 118-miles away from one of the greatest automotive events the world has to offer. I speak of course about Monterey Car Week, that yearly orgy of automotive gluttony and excess that takes place mid-August in and around the Monterey Bay Peninsula. During this week the streets are literally filled with billions of dollars worth of automobiles, auction houses, and individuals whose wristwatches are worth more than most new cars. It’s a true spectacle, and if it’s not on your automotive bucket list, then add it immediately, because it’s something you’ll not want to miss.

One of the highlights of car week comes in the form of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (a mouthful, I know) that is held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This event plays home to all manner of racecars stretching over the last 100 years. There are vendors, celebrity drivers, thousands of like-minded enthusiasts, and automobiles that have been borrowed from some of the finest collections.

The various grids are made up of everything from pre-war Bugatti and Alfa’s, to early Formula One cars and the Trans-Am Series hot-rods of the 1960s and early 70’s. We’re talking about vehicles with dollar values in the high six-figures (and beyond) that are piloted by drivers who don’t hold back. Ever see a 1952 Allard go head-to-head with a ’54 Porsche? You will here. How about a 1984 Nissan 300ZX Turbo roll in the same field as a 1973 BMW CSL? It’s crazy I know, but this is where it happens. We’re talking about an automotive Disney Land that your imagination would be hard pressed to topple if given the opportunity.

Races aside, one of the best aspects of the Motorsports Reunion is the unbridled access that everyone in attendance has to the vehicles, personnel, and the drivers. There are no security guards in black suits or velvet ropes keeping folks out. Instead the paddock is filled with EZ-Up tents that house tools and the crews who work feverishly to make sure that the cars are ready for the next race. There’s also an understanding that everyone in attendance respects: look but don’t touch, ask questions and be polite and above all else, enjoy. For the teams participating, this is serious, and it costs big dollars. Therefore, keep your distance when work is underway, and more importantly, understand that being here is a privilege, despite what that $110.00 ticket says.

As a standalone track, Laguna Seca is pretty damn good. We’re talking about a 2.2-mile road course with 11-turns, a ¼-mile+ long straight and of course, the legendary corkscrew that, when taken properly, makes you feel like your falling off the Earth. From a technical perspective it’s somewhat of a point-and-shoot affair, but that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. I’ve driven everything from a Porsche GT3 RS to a Dodge Caravan through these bends, and each and every time, I’m reminded that I’m rolling on hallowed ground.

Wandering around the pits is enough to send your brain into sensory overload, especially when your childhood heroes are sitting in front of you. Vehicles like the 1971 championship-winning AMC Javelin driven by Mark Donohue, or the ‘70 Boss Mustang that was wheeled by Parnelli Jones (1970 Trans-Am Championship Winner). There was also Sam Posey’s Sublime Green 1970 Dodge Challenger (complete with Keith Black small block), along with some lesser-known cars like Rusty Jowett’s red 1968 Camaro Z/28, the ’68 Ford Mustang Coupe of Dean Gregson and another one of my favorites, the 1964 Pontiac Tempest (known as the Gray Ghost) that debuted at Lime Rock in 1971.

As a muscle car guy, the Trans-Am Championship Series of racing that took place between 1966-1972 was my favorite series of all time. We’re talking about racecars that looked almost identical to their showroom brethren and that would rip a hole in the atmosphere every time they cranked to life. It was the golden age of motor racing in the United State,s and it was one of the few times in history when racing was still relatable to the common enthusiast. Camaro’s, Mustang’s, Javelin’s, Tempest’s and Challenger’s would all mix it up and grind fenders, while at the same time, igniting the imaginations of every kid who had their faces pressed against a showroom window.

These are racecars that ran carburetors and manual transmissions and employed drivers whose nether regions were so massive that they overcame the need for self-preservation. Drivers aside, this was also when the engineers and pit crews from back in the day cheated so tastefully that it would drive the tech inspectors insane. As a case-in-point, consider Sam Posey’s ’70 Dodge Challenger that had been acid dipped to reduce weight. The roof material was so thin, when a tech-marshal rested his elbow on it,  it actually dimpled it was so thin!

Want to cheat like the professionals? Well then, that’s how you do it.

Throughout the day, we watched everything from the pre-war cars on their pizza-cutter sized tires to the wild-looking IMSA rigs that dominated the 1970’s and 80’s. And while they were a sight to behold, it was the 8-cylinder symphonies of the Trans-Am cars that had me glued to the fence. One after the other, they roared passed while I camped out at the corner of Turn 4. The red, white & blue Donohue Javelin, Posey’s Challenger, the Grey Ghost Tempest – for me, and without getting overly dramatic, it was a dream.

Lap after lap, they swapped positions while four-wheel sliding through the bends. Some of these cars were more than 50-years old, and the drivers were pushing them like they had every modern safety feature incorporated into them (*see nether regions). Between the sonic booms emanating from the open exhausts, the fans and the announcements being made over the P.A. system, if you closed your eyes you may have actually thought you’d gone back in time. The race lasted around 25-minutes with the tri-colored AMC Javelin driven by one William Ockerlund taking the checkered flag. The yellow and black ’69 Z/28 Camaro wheeled by Chad Raynal took second, with third place going to the Grey Ghost 1964 Pontiac Tempest with John Hildebrand behind the wheel.

The cool down lap was filled with drivers, hands out of their windows, waving to the crowd like victorious gladiators. The cars, now a bit dirtier and with a few more paint chips, seemed to be relieved that the race was over, yet in their heyday they would’ve covered 90-laps or more. We followed other fans down from the grandstands and through the paddock to watch the cars pulled back into their stalls. As we walked, I heard those around us comment on how awesome it was to be here, and it was great to know people felt the same way I did. We had all traveled long distances to witness a mere 25-minutes of awesomeness, and I highly doubt if there was one among us who left disappointed.

We muddled around the paddock for another hour or so before heading home and once there I headed straight for the Internet to find original Trans-Am Series footage. As I watched, I wondered what it must’ve been like to experience these cars in their prime with the cheating, balls-out driving, and competition. I suppose in some respects it’s not much different than today, sans the advanced technology and safety regulations we’re all privy to. Then, I began to think about the track days we do out here in our own cars. Head to any HPDE event for instance and you’ll see Mustangs, Porsches, Camaros, Challengers, and all manner of Corvette and Miata ripping around with the drivers involved in mental battles with the clock and those around them. Is it real racing? No, at least not in the literal sense anyway. Yet for those of us who still yearn to see semi-modified street cars run flat out on the track, it’s about as good as it gets.

The vintage races that are run at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion are spectacular. There are events from Thursday on, with races held on both Saturday and Sunday at the track. Then there’s car week in general, which brings together automotive enthusiasts from around the globe. From a people-watching perspective, it’s downright hilarious, as Botox and overpriced shirts seem to be the norm. If you’re into auctions there’s Mecum, RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Company, Bonhams and more. As for the high-class meet-ups, you can always hit up the McCall’s Motorwerks Revival, the Quail Lodge at weeks end, or the Concours d’Elegance on the lawn at Pebble Beach on Sunday. If these are your types of jams, though, just be prepared to spend upwards of $375.00 for each ticket (we know, it’s nuts).

Automotive enthusiasts will gravitate to anything with an engine, be it a barstool or a HEMI ‘Cuda. We love them because it’s how we’re wired and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that. Car week is everything we love about the automobile in excess, and the Trans-Am Series races are just icing on what we view as the world’s greatest cake. Are these events expensive and time consuming when you factor in hotels and food? Sure they are, but believe me when I tell you that with all the stress that everyday life can bring, knowing that gatherings like this still exist make me feel pretty damn good about being in this hobby.

The post 2018 Trans-Am Racing at the Monterey Historic appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/2018-trans-racing-monterey-historic/ via IFTTT