PoR Week 23 Highlights: A Long Week for the Guys at the Shop

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A Long Week for the Guys at the Shop

Week 23 of the 2010 Rallyesim Championships saw five PoR drivers leave the garage with shiny rally cars. Unfortunately they didn't come back that way, but it was a good week nonetheless.



Aaron and Jerry were in the southeastern Netherlands for the Paradigit ELE Rally, based in Helmond. Aaron prepares meticulously for every rally, sometimes down to the detail of actually knowing in advance which car he will drive. Having prepared for the rally in a Porsche 911, he was a little befuddled when he arrived to find his real ride - a 1.4L Skoda Fabia with a whopping 115 HP.

Undaunted, he set off to thrash the little beast from the East. Unfortunately, pushing too hard to keep up momentum led to a retirement on the 4th of the 12 stages of Leg 1. This put him at the bottom of the standings in the N1 class, but he pressed on through Leg 2 to finish the rally. Fortunately, there was a huge amount of attrition in this rally, with only 81 of the 217 starters making it to the finish. So, despite the difficulties he broke the century mark and led the team in points for the second week in a row.

Jerry wasn't as fortunate in his Ford Focus WRC. After finishing Leg 1 in 42nd place overall, he didn't make it through SS13 and retired from the event.



Just 50 km away in Bocholt, Belgium, Steven was competing in the RACB Sezoens Rally. This event featured mixed gravel and tarmac surfaces on every stage, making tire choice and setup a real challenge. Unfortunately, Steven couldn't find the right combination and fought his Ford Fiesta ST for most of the event. Incidents that resulted in rolls on SS6 and SS12 didn't help his times or his relationship with the service crew. He ended up 9th in the N3 class and a disappointing 7th amongst competitors for the Fiesta ST Cup. Despite the finish, he was able to retain 3rd place in the Cup competition for the year.



Last but not least, Bryan and Bret hit the stages in the Rallye Ain-Jura, based near Lyon, France. This was Bret's PoR debut, and he knew it would be a tough one. He heeded his manager's advice and set his sights on getting to the finish in his Super 1600 Citroen Saxo. Despite rolling into service with a battered car on a couple of occasions, he ran a steady rally, getting more comfortable in the later stages. He came home 7th in the competitive A6K class and pocketed 92 points for the team. Well done Bret!



Unfortunately, Bryan's rally didn't turn out as well, as he joined the ranks of the 242 crews that didn't make it to the end of this one.

It was a tough week for the stable's rally cars, as even the ones that made it to the finish were mangled. However, PoR drivers collected 358 points and continued our string of slow but steady improvement. We remain solidly in 27th place of the 46 stables competing in the Rallyesim championships.



Next week, Nations Cup action resumes. This is the third and final first round rally, hosted by the Dutch. We'll need a strong performance (and maybe an "own goal" by the Dutch) to advance to the next round, so wish us luck.