NSSCRA 5 RP Thread

[Whittoria]

WORLD STOCKCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 5

The NationStates Stock Car Racing Association presents the fifth World Stock Car Championship Series, the world's premiere stock car competition!

The second season with the revised eleven race schedule looks to be the most exciting yet, although following up NSSCRA 4 will be difficult. Lien Murakami of Hodori edged out Whittoria Engineering's Zach Whitt by a mere nine points to win her second consecutive world championship; she'll look to make that three in a row this season.

But not if Zach Whitt, Jason Rand, Jeff Ross, Greg Woodard, or Ashley Clarke have anything to say about it. Superspeedways and road courses are becoming more prominent on the schedule, a heap of new teams are looking to make a name for themselves, manufacturers looking to get their name out and prove their craftsmanship on the track; this looks to be one of the most exciting season of World Championship Stockcar racing yet.

Signup Thread
Discussion Thread

SCHEDULE

1: Arthur 400, Aberdeen Motor Speedway (1.5 mile track, 267 laps), Havl
2: HorusLand 400, Road America (4.048 mile track, 99 laps), HorusLand
3: Youtabonia 200, YT's Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533 mile track, 400 laps), Youtabonia
4: Compolis 500, Camwood National Speedway (1.5 mile track; 330 laps), Camwood
5: Marxist Equine 800k, Hoovana Community Speedway (2.5 mile track, 200 laps), Yellow Apple
6: Drake's Dash, CC's New Hampshire International Speedway (1 mile track, 300 laps), Coffee Cakes
7: Phoenix Performance Systems 500 pres. by Liberty Tires, Bakaro International Speedway (1.5 mile track, 335 laps), Sucrati
8: The Roger Milliken 500, Greenville Spartanburg International Speedway (2.0 mile track, 250 laps), Whittoria
9: ENSADRINK 966, Yemigama Ring (2.5 mile track, 240 laps), Hodori
10: The Challenge at the Rocks, Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course (120 laps), Vilita
11: Hopkins 500, Concord Heights Raceway (0.4 miles, 500 laps), Cassadaigua

[Havl]

---

Arthur Motorsports to Two Cars? - In a press release issued Monday, Arthur Motorsports president Harris Reed announced that Arthur's factory NSSCRA team will trim down to a two-car operation this season. The team fielded four cars last year for Austin Praffright, Chip Tression, Jack Arroway, and last year's Rookie of the Year, Hank Calhoun. But following a less-than-stellar debut season, Reed hopes to refocus with a smaller factory effort. "Maybe we put too much on our plate last year," said Reed, "but we'll be lean, mean, and ready this season."


Arthur Motorsports will field two cars in NSSCRA this season.

First International Bank will again sponsor Praffright (#15) and Tression (#51). Praffright impressed last year by consistently outperforming his more-experienced teammate, two-time HWDC champion Tression. Of the four drivers competing for Arthur last season, Praffright was second only to Calhoun in the final standings. The younger brother of SuperFormula frontrunner Nara Praffright hopes to challenge for wins this season. And after a trying debut, veteran racer Tression will be looking to dismiss the critics who thought Calhoun should have been offered a spot on the factory team.

Calhoun (#19) and Arroway (#91) will return this year with a new team sponsored by Western Tobacco. Led by former crewchief Jim Atkinson, Western Motorsports will race the new Forza H-Class chassis. "Forza is untested [in NSSCRA], but they've given us a lot of preseason testing opportunities," said Atkinson. Starting this season, tobacco sponsorship is banned in Havl. The cars will sport the classic paint scheme without the words "Western." However, the team will still use Western branding in advertising and non-race events.


Calhoun and Arroway's will compete for Western Motorsports this season.

Once again, Havl will host the first race of the season as the NSSCRA heads to Aberdeen Motor Speedway. Last year's race saw record low temperatures well below freezing, but the forecast calls for a race day high of 61 degrees. Despite an impressive winning streak in HWDC competition, Arthur failed to crack the top ten in last year's race. Hank Calhoun led all Havl drivers with a 17th-place finish. "We learned a lot at last year's race," said Calhoun, "and I think that'll help with the new team's development." The action begins at the Arthur 400 at Aberdeen Motor Speedway with flag-to-flag coverage on HTVM.

[Sucrati]

The Republic of Sucrati releases their best back out into the NSSCRA, the team will switch things up by using an all new chassis dubbed the Interceptor

"I hope they are ready for us this year." A Confident Woodard told reporters, "We have a brand new chassis that is built very well. I have been focused on road courses while Michael [Dougly] has been focusing on getting his consistency up." He laughed. "We would like to welcome a new driver to our roster, Sarah Xavier!" Dougly gave Woodard a very dirty look but didn't say anything.

Sarah, who had recently applied for the team's developmental slot, stood up and accepted questions. She would be driving the 97 this year... and possibly in the years to come. Of course, she has some catching up to do. As a rookie, her skills won't be as fine tuned and she'll most likely be a midfielder for the season. Woodard will return to the 41 and Doughly the 89 as in years past.

[Cassadaigua]

Getting ready to fire up the engines once again,
by Kirsten Woods


I am very excited about the start of the NSSCRA season pretty soon. It is the best chance for me to show my Cassadagan pride and of course, if it were not for NSSCRA, my life would have been dramatically different. It is here where I met the love of my life, Chip. As opposing drivers on the circuit, we realized we had so much in common, but probably really never imagined how much more in common that we would have that didn’t even involve stock car racing. Chip has put his racing helmet away now, but I still see him every now and them watching races and his trophies still proudly display at home. I’ve teased him about returning to NSSCRA, but the truth is he is too busy now with the day-to-day operations of Belgium FC soccer to continue. That’s not to say that I am not as we do this together, but there’s room for one of us to take a little time off while the other remains back home in The Babbage Islands. Could we both race? Not at all. We both realize what racing has done for our lives, but in some ways, racing has taken a backseat to the running of a soccer club. Back at home, too, there is a lot of preparing for the upcoming World Cup, which has just gotten underway in The Babbage Islands. I would love to be in Paris for the World Cup final, as surely Chip will, but it's possible that I might not be able to make it. But I'm not the Cassadagan you want to see in Paris though, am I?

Some people might not feel that I belong in the pink and black race cars of Team Cassadaigua any longer. I don’t live there anymore, and I don’t compete in that racing series any longer on a full-time basis. It’s as if I am using a past-champion’s provisional to get back in these series: if not my provisional, then that of my husband’s. Though for every person who feels like that, I get two or three who tell me to keep on racing. They still look up to me, and still want to se me out there, and long as that happens then I want to be back in the race car, and having a chance to do something for my country. Last season was tough, and I was lower in the standings then I would have liked. Still, I had some good results and they showed me that I can still compete at the highest level. I haven’t been to the race shop as much as Ashley (Clarke), Danielle (Pearson), or Rachel (Curwin), but they assure me we got some good cars for the upcoming season. I can’t wait to be back out there again!

[Flagler]

TEAM Previews

So For the first time in the 125 year history of Flagler, A team will be sent out to International competition. Oddly enough it's 3 teams of Stock car racers that will travel he world and do battle. Team affiliated with both the Flagler-Peugoeut corp and the FGMC company are entered.

FGMC Motors

- The Team to beet in Flagerian Stock Car racing, FGMC brings over its two leading drivers The ever popular Todd Fields, who is one of the most dominant drivers int he series today, and his teammate Kevin Darte. If Fields has something to prove then Darte has even more. Darte has long been considered an underachiever. Though many people say this is unjust considering how superhuman his dad was and that he does have a championship to show for it, while his detractors say that championship is only due to the other contenders having inconsistent DNF plagued seasons that year.

Flaglerian-Peugeot

-Marc Blaise is a driver many wish didn't go international, he's beena real bresh of fresha ir to the sport and has gained many fans quite rapidly. Not only can he be a charecter off he track, he can be one on it too, he always seems to have a quick wit and always is fun to listen on the radio.

FlagRail Motorsports

-22 years ago Brady Thompson was a 23 year old kid, who just happened to be a successfull racer, now at the age of 45,he can prove that to the world. It should be interesting to see how he does, despite not running a full season in racing for about 5 years.

[Vaugania]

JR- "This is Jim Reilly with Vaugania Sports Today. In today's news, Vauganian racing giant Olympia Racing is diving into the world of international stock car competition. With them they are taking the ever-popular Kristian Lidstrom. After tearing up the Vauganian circuit, Lidstrom will be directing his attention towards the tough competition of the NSSCRA. A press conference was held earlier today with Lidstrom, crew cheif Ken Mayfield, and team owner Mark Illitch in attendance."

PRESS CONFERENCE
DORSA, GOLD ISLES, VAUGANIA
1:00 P.M.

"Bill Alexander, Dorsa Sun. Mr. Illitch, what made you decide to step up to international competition?"

"The executives and I had decided that after years of running in just Vaugania, it was time for a change of scenery and a fresh set of challenges. This was by no means a simple decision and we thought over it for an extensive amount of time."

"Does this mean that Olympia Racing is moving entirely to international racing?"

"Of course not. Only Mr. Lidstrom here is going international. The rest of our cars are still running in Vaugania and probably will be for quite a while."

"Adam Markle, Fjeld Tribune. Mr. Mayfield, how was the news of international competition received by the team back at the garage?"

"The boys are excited. Really excited. They were acting like they had already won. But in all seriousness, they know this means they need to step up their game if they want to compete with the big boys at the next level. All of them realize that. Not a single one of them has slacked of lately and I have definitely seen some improvement and I'm not worried about them at all this season."

"Tim Berger, Yzerberg Times. Mr. Lidstrom, I think the biggest question here is, are you ready to take it to the next level?"

"I would like to think so. Things will definitely be a lot tougher in the NSSCRA, but I think I'm ready. I'm feeling really good about our decision and I am looking to make a big impact."

"What kind of impact are we talking here? Like championship impact?"

"That is one of our goals for down the road. Some of the guys are used to the stiff competition, so this year we'll be looking to adjust and give these guys a run for their money."

[New Matawan]

New Matawan Public Radio
June 30, 2012
Nickeys and Yuma to compete in NSSCRA 5

Mayberry Motorsports was the pride and joy of Mayberry, NM. Before the New Matawanian Stock Car Series closed down in 1999, due to government restrictions on gasoline, of course. The race team closed its doors exactly 10 years ago, on June 30, 2002.

This year, though, Mayberry Motorsports will make a comeback. But not in the NMSCS; this year, young guns Michael Nickeys and Fernando Yuma will compete on the international circuit; the NationStates Stock Car Racing Association.

Team owner Richard Getty, now nearing 76 years old, will reopen the team's doors in July. "I can't believe we're going back into business," says the former stock car legend. "It's been a rough decade for auto racing in New Matawan, and I'm excited to prove our worth on an international stage."

Michael Nickeys, a 25-year-old hotshot out of Freneau City, will drive Mayberry's legendary #4. "Mickey Nick" has already scooped up 31 wins and won two champions in independent stock car series. Nickeys had this to say about going overseas: "I'm stoked. It's one thing to dominate in your home town, but to strut your stuff and win overseas would really make my career. Those foreign guys had better watch their backs."

Teammate Fernando Yuma, though, isn't so confident. "We're not going to win immediately," declares the 1998 NMSCS Rookie of the Year, in his distinctive drawl. "No one does. You've got to take these races in stride, learn about the other guys, yadda yadda yadda."

The main focus for the Mayberry team will be peaking their performance. They will be using Arendall Ligers for the season, since their traditional Hewell 194s are not recognized internationally. This change could wreak havoc with the team, especially Yuma, who has never driven anything other than a Hewell in his life. The talent pool will be a lot bigger in the NSSCRA, so Nickeys and Yuma will have to drive their hearts out to stay competitive. But we at NMPR think that they're up to the challenge.

Nickeys and Yuma will take to the track in Havl in July.

[Whittoria]

Session: Practice

P	 #	 DRIVER			TIME
1	 48	 D Pearson	 	170.627 mph
2	 17	 R Curwin	 	170.299 mph
3	 15	 A Praffright	 	170.213 mph
4	 91	 J Arroway	 	169.967 mph
5	 24	 A Clarke	 	169.817 mph
6	 2	 L Murakami	 	169.614 mph
7	 89	 M Dougly	 	169.577 mph
8	 44	 A Whitt	 	169.322 mph
9	 19	 H Calhoun	 	169.311 mph
10	 84	 K Darte -R-	 	169.311 mph
11	 41	 G Woodard	 	169.057 mph
12	 56	 Z Whitt	 	168.983 mph
13	 14	 L Suzgar	 	168.972 mph
14	 95	 J Ross	 		168.935 mph
15	 88	 B Sawyer	 	168.935 mph
16	 12	 A Lidvine -R-	 	168.845 mph
17	 93	 K Lidstrom -R-	 	168.845 mph
18	 62	 S de Aurelonts -R	168.835 mph
19	 4	 M Nickeys -R-	 	168.729 mph
20	 7	 J Klianiota	 	168.597 mph
21	 77	 i Toralmintii	 	168.513 mph
22	 94	 S Michaels	 	168.513 mph
23	 80	 T Fields -R-	 	168.408 mph
24	 21	 M Blaise -R-	 	168.366 mph
25	 98	 C Robertson	 	168.219 mph
26	 1	 G Arndham -R-	 	168.209 mph
27	 97	 S Xavier -R-	 	168.188 mph
28	 69	 M Blatte -R-	 	168.183 mph
29	 07	 D Classing -R-	 	168.167 mph
30	 81	 C McClendon -R-	167.999 mph
31	 99	 J Rand		 	167.968 mph
32	 13	 F Streak	 	167.905 mph
33	 85	 J Kelsey	 	167.864 mph
34	 11	 T Dashoni -R-	 	167.858 mph
35	 33	 R Jango -R-	 	167.785 mph
36	 96	 M Rossini -R-	 	167.759 mph
37	 40	 F Yuma -R-	 	167.572 mph
38	 70	 K Howara -R-	 	167.515 mph
39	 8	 A Beltingway -R-	167.198 mph
40	 3	 T Grant -R-	 	167.152 mph
41	 36	 A Asudai -R-	 	166.940 mph
42	 6	 A Geratu -R-	 	166.780 mph

Weather: Clear, 43 °F, West 1 mph

Session: Qualifying

P	 #	 DRIVER			TIME
1	 15	 A Praffright		172.905 mph
2	 91	 J Arroway		172.557 mph
3	 7	 J Klianiota		172.359 mph
4	 48	 D Pearson		172.331 mph
5	 24	 A Clarke		171.849 mph
6	 17	 R Curwin		171.827 mph
7	 19	 H Calhoun		171.712 mph
8	 94	 S Michaels		171.647 mph
9	 41	 G Woodard		171.559 mph
10	 95	 J Ross		 	171.271 mph
11	 98	 C Robertson		171.087 mph
12	 70	 K Howara -R-	 	170.892 mph
13	 56	 Z Whitt	 	170.865 mph
14	 2	 L Murakami	 	170.622 mph
15	 85	 J Kelsey	 	170.455 mph
16	 88	 B Sawyer	 	170.455 mph
17	 84	 K Darte -R-	 	170.444 mph
18	 4	 M Nickeys -R-	 	170.412 mph
19	 14	 L Suzgar	 	170.138 mph
20	 21	 M Blaise -R-	 	170.100 mph
21	 11	 T Dashoni -R-	 	170.074 mph
22	 13	 F Streak	 	170.036 mph
23	 69	 M Blatte -R-	 	169.924 mph
24	 62	 S de Aurelonts -R	169.918 mph
25	 07	 D Classing -R-	 	169.860 mph
26	 93	 K Lidstrom -R-	 	169.801 mph
27	 89	 M Dougly	 	169.769 mph
28	 80	 T Fields -R-	 	169.753 mph
29	 12	 A Lidvine -R-	 	169.646 mph
30	 3	 T Grant -R-	 	169.588 mph
31	 97	 S Xavier -R-	 	169.534 mph
32	 40	 F Yuma -R-	 	169.486 mph
33	 1	 G Arndham -R-	 	169.481 mph
34	 99	 J Rand	 		169.407 mph
35	 36	 A Asudai -R-	 	169.391 mph
36	 96	 M Rossini -R-	 	169.385 mph
37	 77	 i Toralmintii	 	169.375 mph
38	 8	 A Beltingway -R-	169.004 mph
39	 44	 A Whitt	 	168.782 mph
40	 6	 A Geratu -R-	 	168.382 mph
41	 81	 C McClendon -R-	168.193 mph
42	 33	 R Jango -R-	 	167.478 mph

Weather: Clear, 43 °F, Northwest 5 mph

Session: Happy Hour

P	 #	 DRIVER		 	TIME
1	 15	 A Praffright	 	170.095 mph
2	 17	 R Curwin	 	169.892 mph
3	 91	 J Arroway	 	169.444 mph
4	 48	 D Pearson	 	169.439 mph
5	 24	 A Clarke	 	169.375 mph
6	 14	 L Suzgar	 	169.369 mph
7	 7	 J Klianiota	 	169.120 mph
8	 19	 H Calhoun	 	168.988 mph
9	 77	 i Toralmintii	 	168.940 mph
10	 56	 Z Whitt	 	168.887 mph
11	 89	 M Dougly	 	168.829 mph
12	 44	 A Whitt	 	168.798 mph
13	 98	 C Robertson	 	168.682 mph
14	 2	 L Murakami	 	168.671 mph
15	 41	 G Woodard	 	168.645 mph
16	 13	 F Streak	 	168.518 mph
17	 62	 S de Aurelonts -R-	168.513 mph
18	 88	 B Sawyer	 	168.371 mph
19	 94	 S Michaels	 	168.314 mph
20	 84	 K Darte -R-	 	168.282 mph
21	 11	 T Dashoni -R-	 	168.261 mph
22	 80	 T Fields -R-	 	168.104 mph
23	 95	 J Ross		 	168.099 mph
24	 97	 S Xavier -R-	 	168.046 mph
25	 99	 J Rand		 	168.031 mph
26	 69	 M Blatte -R-	 	167.963 mph
27	 93	 K Lidstrom -R-	 	167.932 mph
28	 1	 G Arndham -R-	 	167.905 mph
29	 36	 A Asudai -R-	 	167.879 mph
30	 4	 M Nickeys -R-	 	167.848 mph
31	 70	 K Howara -R-	 	167.838 mph
32	 07	 D Classing -R-	 	167.801 mph
33	 40	 F Yuma -R-	 	167.624 mph
34	 85	 J Kelsey	 	167.504 mph
35	 33	 R Jango -R-	 	167.499 mph
36	 81	 C McClendon -R- 	167.484 mph
37	 21	 M Blaise -R-	 	167.297 mph
38	 12	 A Lidvine -R-	 	167.271 mph
39	 3	 T Grant -R-	 	166.816 mph
40	 6	 A Geratu -R-	 	166.749 mph
41	 96	 M Rossini -R-	 	166.672 mph
42	 8	 A Beltingway -R-	166.554 mph

Weather: Clear, 49 °F, West 8 mph

RP Bonus will still be taken up until 8:00 PM tomorrow.

[Vilita]

Vilita & Turori Return for NSSCRA 5, Challenge Back On

After an air of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Vilita & Turori Motorsports team, they have indeed returned for NSSCRA 5, albeit with a reduced roster after a 3-vehicle limit imposed by the sanctioning body.

Vilitan driver Eastern Raciini was already due to be replaced in the #23 ride by driver R.L. Cruisin, but those ideas were altered when the sanctioning body announced that only 3 entries per team would be allowed. Having already planned to introduce Cruisin to NSSCRA action, the Vilita & Turori Motorsports crew will continue supporting Cruisin in the sportsman division throughout the season.

In addition the the return of Vilita & Turori Motorsports on the track, the track itself will be returning as the Challenge at the Rocks has been announced as the 10th event on the 11 race NSSCRA 5 schedule. After a poor showing at the Challenge during NSSCRA 4, Turorian driven iBen Toralmintii is certainly looking to claim victory this time around in the home event for the team.


Turori's young Juracai Klianiota, returning for a second season in the NSSCRA, was fast out of the box during the season opening event in Havl.

Klianiota will start the race in the third position after qualifying, presumably, within a tenth of a second or less of pole winner Praffright, driving at his home track.

Contrarily, Toralmintii, the other Turorian entry, will be bringing up the rear after a notably poor Qualifying effort.

Fortunately, all three Vilita & Turori drivers, including the lone Vilitan-flagged vehicle driven by Lake Suzgar, looked strong in happy hour practice, each posting times within the top 10 in the field.



Lake Suzgar along side the Homelands our entry during NSSCRA 4, will be the only Vilitan flagged driver in the NSSCRA season 5.

[Bongo Johnson]

BongoBeat.net - Sports for the 21st Century

Rick Jango ready to take on the world in his NSSCRA debut

"This first race, you know, it's tough. I'm running tracks I've never ran before in a car that's almost new for this series. I'm sure it'll take a little while to warm up but once I do, I'll be burning rubber out there with the best of them". Jango looks at me with a huge glint of hopefulness in his eyes as we chat over a cup of coffee. After a qualifying session in which Jango finished last of 42 drivers, hope is indeed what will keep this introduction into motor racing for the Incorporated States alive. He stands alone amidst a group of NSSCRA rookies.

In a way, Jango inspires us all. Growing up along the poorer riverbanks in the Tocanto region, him and his family needed to savor every bit of indulgence they could. His prowess in his first junior karting championship won him progressively higher paying sponsors. Four weeks ago, he got the call that he had been chosen as the Incorporated State's stock car racer. The call that had chosen him as the standout for an entire region. An entire country. Friends and family cheer him on through the one TV situated in the corner of a cafe on the corner of his old neighborhood, the only link to his upcoming season. The Incorporated States cheer him on as well.

-Z. Murbag

[Havl]

---

Praffright Takes Pole - It will be an all-Havl front row when Austin Praffright (#15) and his former teammate Jack Arroway (#91) will lead the field in the second annual Arthur 400 tomorrow afternoon. The hometown heroes led the field in Saturday's qualifying after a strong showing in the all-new Forza H Class. The field was much faster than last year's times, and the top sixteen drivers topped the existing qualifying record of 170.444 mph set last year by Ashley Clarke (#24) of Cassadaigua. Clarke starts fifth in tomorrow's race.

Praffright dedicated his first career NSSCRA pole to his Arthur Motorsports teammate Chip Tression who suffered a minor heart attack early last week. Tression had been expected to compete this season in the #51, but he has not yet been cleared to race. "Obviously, Chip is in our hearts and on our minds," said Praffright after his qualifying run. "We all look up to him, and he's been a big influence on me and all the other drivers, and more than anything we just hope he gets well soon." Praffright, Arroway, and Hank Calhoun (#19) sported "Get Well Soon Chip" badges on their racecars in support of Tression.


Havl drivers will support Tression with "Get Well Soon" badges.

Arthur hasn't announced a replacement for Tression, and the team will complete as a one-car operation at Aberdeen. "Chip's a class act," said Arthur team principal Harris Reed. "He's a class act, and the team's not the same without him. We'll keep the car ready for him in the interim." Tression's wife, Helen, will be in attendance at tomorrow's race. "[Chip] will be watching at home," she said. "He wants me here to support the team. He said if he can't be here, he can be here in spirit with me." Tression was believed to be in good health before he suffered a heart attack after practice on Monday. The driver was airlifted to the hospital after he collapsed in the team motorhome.


Praffright earned his first career pole position.

The trio of Havl drivers had been expected to perform well at Aberdeen, but the new Forza chassis was a concern for Western Automotive. "We haven't put on as many miles as we would have liked," said Western crew chief Jim Atkinson. "But we know it's a good car, and we're lucky we get to start on familiar territory." Arroway secured a position on outside pole for tomorrow's 400-mile race, and he hopes to better last year's 38th place finish. Last year's winner, Alex Whitt (#44), will start from 39th position.

Praffright, Arroway, and Calhoun will each start from the top ten tomorrow, and each hopes to bring home the trophy in front of a capacity Aberdeen crowd. "It's a great feeling racing at home," said Praffright. "Even from inside the car, you can tell that the fans are rooting for you, pushing you faster." Over 142,000 fans are expected to turn out for the season opener, aided by warmer-than-usual weather. Last season's race saw a record low temperature that almost forced cancellation of the event. The action begins tomorrow with flag-to-flag coverage of the Arthur 400 at Aberdeen Motor Speedway on HTVM.

[Sicoutimont]

AUTOSPORT.NET-SIMON DE AURELONTS INTERVIEW

This interview was recorded before this weekend's event, and we wish Simon all the best as he starts in 24th position.

Autosport: Why did you make the decision to jump to the pro league of racing?
Simon: Well, I felt that I had accomplished enough on the Sicoutian circuit, and I wanted to see if I could make that jump to the next level.

A: Why did you decide on long-time crew chief Carl de Pottai as your crew chief?
S: Well, I've known Carl for about 7 years now, from when I won my first Sicoutian race, and I knew he was a great guy to have behind the pit box. When the call came and I needed a guy, I knew he was the one.

A: Final question now, How are you preparing for this weekend's event at Havl's Aberdeen International Raceway?
S: I've been testing the car around tracks in Sicoutimont over the past few weeks, and I've been getting sponsors for my car. Most importantly for me, though, is I need to realize that I'm not first ranked overall like I was here for every race, no, I' m against bigger and stronger drivers and I need to adapt to that.

A: Thanks for taking this time Simon, and good luck this weekend!
S: My pleasure.

Stay tuned for more coverage of Simon's race at Aberdeen this weekend!

[Horusland]

HorusLand's first NSSCRA Tournament Has Begun!

After much training and hard work, both our racers, Altaan Asudai and Marco Rossini are finally going international. They will be competing against forty other racers in the NSSCRA tournament. Though NSSCRA is an event that mostly uses oval race tracks, with which both our racers aren't used to.

The fifth edition of NSSCRA has started with the Arthur 400. Located on Aberdeen Motor Speedway, this oval track is 2.41 kilometers long.Asudai and Rossini never got a place higher than 29th in the three races that took place at the Arthur 400. In the qualifying, Altaan took 35th place, and Marco took 36th, with average times of about 272 km/h each.

Rossini isn't surprised by his results in the event:
''It's our first time in an oval race. We've been racing in normal tracks all our lives, and now, suddenly, we're racing in these oval ones. I think we just need to get used to them.''

HorusLand's racers still have chances to get higher places, because there are road courses this year. The HorusLand 400 will take place at Road America, and the race in Vilita. HorusLand's people have faith in our racers, and cannot wait to watch the next race, the HorusLand 400, which will take place in our homeland. Stay tuned for more coverage of the NSSCRA event!

Rossini and Asudai at the first race of the season!

Marco Rossini and Altaan Asudai have barely improved since the qualification. Marco got 27th place, while Asudai got 36th. But, there still is hope for HorusLand's competitors.

[Whittoria]

WHITTORIA ENGINEERING PREPARES FOR TITLE RUN

Alex Whitt takes the checkered flag at Sucrati in NSSCRA 4

Unlike its predecessor, the fifth World Stockcar Championship Series did not feature pre-season testing, and it showed; both Whitt brothers managed fast times in the first practice session, but the majority of their laps were below the pace. Zach Whitt managed to carry what little speed he had into qualifying, setting the thirteenth fastest time of the day. Brother Alex was not so fortunate, as the reigning Arthur 400 winner qualified a dismal thirty-ninth, over four miles an hour off pole winner Austin Praffright. Happy Hour saw improvement by both teams, with the tenth and twelfth fastest times showing some improvement over the first session, with a lot of mock fuel runs and tire scuffing taking up the session. It's evident what part of the weekend Whittoria Engineering is focused on.

The Funkmaster fights through the pack at the Nurburgring in Coffee Cakes

"We came here with a good car and managed to work out a good setup," said Zach Whitt, runner-up in last season's championship. "The 56 we brought this weekend is a lot like the 44 Alex won with last season, and I think it showed in all three sessions. We're on opposite ends of the spectrum in qualifying, but I think we'll have an advantage starting near the front. It'd be nice to make it two in a row for Whittoria Engineering here in Havl."

"We were farther off from where we needed to be in terms of the car than the 56 team," said Alex Whitt. "Eventually we decided to focus on our race setup. I'm not too worried about it, we've never been that great in qualifying anyways. How we finish on race day is what really matters, and I think we've got a good enough car to finish well."

"We may try a few things on pit road to get up towards the front," said T.J. Justice, crew chief for the 44, "taking two tires instead of four or short pitting or trying to stretch on fuel mileage. We'll just have to play it by ear. But don't be surprised to see us up front at some point."


Whittoria Engineering will certainly have their hands full as a plethora of second year drivers with a year's experience join the veterans of the field, as well as a huge crop of new drivers. Weeding through the back markers and fighting with the leaders will make this season more difficult than any other.

Both drivers were asked about some off-track happenings involving NSSCRA teams. Both are usually mum on anything other than Whittoria Engineering, choosing to focus on getting themselves right, but this time around both had plenty to talk about.

Upon learning of Chip Tression's heart attack, Zach Whitt told us, "It's sad that he won't be competing this season; he struggled a bit last year but I think he could have had a good season this time around. But it's good that he's still among us, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family right now."

"We wish him a speedy recovery," added Alex Whitt

When rival(?) team Patriot Racing was brought up, The Mayor beat us to the punch:

"Also, did you see that press conference Patriot Racing had? Dougly didn't look all that excited about their new rookie."

"Hm," agreed the Funkmaster, shaking his head.

Missing from Whittoria Engineering this time around is Ron Llave, who drove the #21 car last season; he said he loved racing but it was taking him away from doing what he loved most: drinking.

Llave could have competed in the proposed World Sportsman Series, for drivers who did not make the entry into the World Championship, but there is question whether there would be enough competitors to warrant such competition. Right now NSSCRA officials are leaning towards no, but it's not something out of the question, particularly if there's enough interest from smaller teams who missed the deadline. If it were to happen, the schedule would be a mere 5 races long with no race going over 250 miles. A final decision will be made sometime within the next week.

There are also rumors beginning to circulate around the garage of an expanded schedule in NSSCRA 6, featuring 15 race dates and limits on the number of different types of tracks, but as of right now they are just rumors. NSSCRA officials did confirm that they had been approached regarding title sponsorship for the series, but declined to say who.

Best of luck to Whittoria Engineering as they race for the World Championship!

[New Matawan]

July 9, 2012
Nickeys qualifies 18th; Yuma in back of pack.

Today, the results are in for the starting lineup for tomorrow's race at Aberdeen International Raceway. Young hotshot Michael Nickeys, driving the legendary #4, will start 18th, while Fernando Yuma (#40) will start 32nd.

"I ain't surprised about Mickey", says team owner Richard Getty. "I knew he could compete on the international circuit, and he's only going to get better as the season goes along. This is just the beginning."

Nickeys very nearly topped last year's record, set by Ashley Clarke's #24.

There seem to be ghosts within Yuma's team, though, as poor teamwork relegated Yuma to a 32nd-place starting position.

We talked to Yuma after happy hour. "I like Kirkpatrik (crew chief for the #40 team) as a friend and all, but man was he bad today. I can't believe our team made so many mistakes during the race. I hope we're able to do better when it counts."

[Whittoria]

RP Cutoff for the Arthur 400. Good luck everyone!

[Whittoria]

Full Results

[Sucrati]

Average Start to 5th Season of the NSSCRA. All three drivers finish off the pace.

Well, like last year, the race at Havl didn't start off as planned. Bad timing with pit stops among other factors placed all three drivers off the pace. Woodard headed straight for his hauler, while Dougly and Xavier spoke to their team owner and crew chiefs.

"Look our team dropped the freaking ball today." And irritated PR Rep told reporters, we expected to come out strong. I guess the other teams using Lycoia were disappointed in the performance of their cars as well. We have to get better than this if we want to come out on top."

No one in the paddock would take any more interviews as they had to pack up and move to the next venue.

[Havl]

---

Pandamonium! Arroway Leads Havl 1-2-3 - It was a wild scene when Jack Arroway's #91 Shrubs Light car took the checkered flag in today's Arthur 400 for his maiden NSSCRA victory. Arroway and his compatriots Austin Praffright and Hank Calhoun claimed the top three spots in front of a rabid Aberdeen crowd that witnessed the Havl drivers dominate all weekend. It started with Praffright's pole lap that set a track record in qualifying and continued in an Arthur 400 that saw the trio lead all but 24 of the 267 laps.

"It's an incredible, incredible feeling," said Arroway in victory lane. "I have to thank the #91 Shrubs Light team that gave me an unbeatable car, and the fastest pitcrew on the planet." The win today marks the first time that a Havl-born driver has won in the top flight of stock car racing, and it also marks Forza's first victory as a marque. Arroway's teammate Calhoun led early and seemed to have the car to beat. But a late race restart allowed Praffright to take the lead for 18 laps. Coming into the last green-flag pitstop, it looked to be any driver's race, including Ashley Clarke (#24) and teammates Lake Suzgar (#14) and iBen Toralmintii (#77). Praffright led into the pits, but Arroway's Western Motorsports crew got him out first. Arroway held off a late charge from Praffright to take a dramatic win.


Arroway took the lead for good following his final pitstop.

"I think with a few more laps, we could have taken the win," said Praffright. "But Jack raced clean and hard, and he deserves the win." Jim Atkinson, owner of Western Motorsports, credited Arroway for the quick thinking that earned the team a win in its first race. "[Arroway] wanted to gamble on right-side tires," said Atkinson. "We got him in and out, and he held on." The #91 team debuted new sponsorship from Havl-based brewer Shrubs Light. The deal was expected to be a one-off partnership for the Arthur 400, but Atkinson hinted that the scheme may return for the HorusLand 400 next week. "It's good luck," said Atkinson. "That's not that last time you'll see that car."

The victory brings validation for Arroway, who was dropped by Arthur Motorsports at the end of last season. "There's no hard feelings," Arroway said during Friday practice. "It was the best decision for both parties." Arroway and Calhoun brought their Western Tobacco sponsorship to a new team that agreed to field the Forza H Class this season. "It's a great opportunity," said Calhoun. "Arthur's resources were never going to match Forza's." Arthur Motorsports' team principal Harris Reed seemed peeved that a Forza took victory in a race sponsored by Arthur. "Yeah, it's a bit of a sting," said Reed. "But maybe [Praffright's 2nd place finish] will earn us some attention from headquarters."


An ecstatic Arroway celebrates his first NSSCRA victory.

A capacity crowd flocked to Aberdeen to see the action. With Praffright staring from pole and Arroway and Calhoun lined up in the top ten, this year's Arthur 400 provided Havl's best chance yet for a hometown victory. When the trio of Havl drivers stormed to the front following the final restart, the crowd was nearly deafening. "I could hear it from [inside] the car," said Calhoun. After Arroway pulled into victory lane, fans flooded the track, causing an infield traffic jam the likes of which has never been seen in domestic races at the circuit. "We're proud that Aberdeen International Speedway can host such an important event," said Bill Yaunch, president of AIS. "We couldn't have ever expected a result like this, but we'll try for the same thing next year."

Arroway leads the drivers' championship following today's race, and Western Motorsports leads the team championship by 13 points. Last year's winner Alex Whitt earned the Meet the Challenge honors by gaining 31 places to finish in the top ten. Next week, Arroway, Praffright, and Calhoun will try to maintain momentum when the series visits the first road course of the season. The action begins next week with flag-to-flag coverage of the HorusLand 400 on HTVM.

[New Matawan]

July 10, 2012
Arthur 400 Analysis

Well, last night's race at Havl surely was an exciting one. A 1-2-3 finish for the home team is a sure way to get the Havl crowd excited. But how did our guys do?

Yuma suffered through poor pitting, and fell back three laps. However, he was able to battle back to a 25th place finish. He only had one thing to say about the race: "I hate my pit crew."

Nickeys was even less lucky. On lap 203, he harshly scraped the wall. Unfortunately, no caution flag was brought out, so he had to go directly to the garage, losing five laps. He ultimately finished 33rd. Nickeys could not be reached for comment.

The current points leader is Jack Arroway, followed by fellow Havl representatives Praffright and Calhoun.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

DE PLACA
Now printed in Japanese and Maori!

MOTORSPORTS
Pidgey ridin'

Written by Guilherme Coimbra

Yesterday we had the first event of the NSSCRA 5, as the two racers from NSI made their debut, Alissa Lidvine and Kendo Howara. Alissa, most known from winning that racing event between Dragonites at New Bark last summer, seemed to don't adjust herself well to the engines of a car as she obtained the thirty-first position. Meanwhile, Howara, had less trouble as he obtained the fifteenth position. At all, it wasn't that great, as the Komoda/ITV team didn't go that far but at least Howara is in the third position for ROTY. Next week, HorusLand is on the way with Road America. Less laps, bigger circuit. Remembering that this season, NSI isn't hosting any race since of the legislation for the cars on the tournament was just approved, solely because of such recently, after the start of the season.

[Sicoutimont]

SICOUTIAN SPORTS NOW- SIMON DE AURELONTS

You may remember that last weekend, sicoutiansportsnow.scm held an interview with Simon de Aurelonts before he raced against world talent in Havl. We told you that Simon qualified 24th for the race, not so great. However, the race is all that matters, and Simon showed that. Midway through the race, Simon stayed away from the pits for as long as he could to gain Track Position. This strategy greatly worked out, and Simon worked his way up to second. At one point, Simon actually held the lead, before a flat tire broke his chances. Simon was 2 laps down, but fought back to 9th place, finishing the race 1 lap down. Simon and the NSSCRA drivers, like winner Jack Arroway take to the track next weekend at the HorusLand 400 in HorusLand.

[Vaugania]

Dismal Start To Racing Season

Kristian Lidstrom brought Vaugania to the international racing scene last weekend at the Arthur 400. However, he landed a dismal 23rd place finish. We managed to get a post-race interview with him once he got off the track.

"What is your take on the race?"

"I'm not too happy about it. The first practice felt pretty good. Then for some reason, I got into a funk in qualifying and landed in 26th. Then that carried over into Happy Hour. Which actually wasn't too happy for me. At least we can say we moved up during the race."

"Thanks a lot."

"No problem."

[Youtabonia]

Cinigrad National News Channel(CNNC)
Interviewer:"Well People tonight we have WSCS 5 drivers Bailey Sawyer and Craig McClendon here for a live interview soo......Welcome Bailey and Craig!"(People clap as Bailey and Craig come out.)
Interviewer:"Well all i can say is i'm glad that the Sawyer Inc team is here.Now,I have a question first for Craig.What did you think about your first race?"
Craig:Well you want to know how it went"He says as he pulls out a picture."This is how it went!http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy94/Mayor_of_the_Roost/?action=view&current=FirstCaution3.pngIt sucked very badly."
Bailey:"What my bestfriend here means is he is mad,Because he thought he would win his first race like i did."
Interviewer:"Well we dont have much time,So what do you think about the first race?"
Bailey:"Well neither of us did good but we can improve and win if we try hard enough."
Interviewer:"Well thats all the time for now see you next time!"(Show goes off.)

[Whittoria]

Tale of Opposites in Havl

When the checkered flag fell on the Arthur 400, countrymen Jack Arroway, Austin Praffright, and Hank Calhoun crossed the finish line 1-2-3, sending the home crowd into a frenzy as the Arthur Motorsports and Western Motorsports dominated the day on the mile and a half oval.

Coming in just inside the top ten was Whittoria Engineering's number 44 car, driven by Alex Whitt. Following a dismal qualifying run ,Whitt had made his way into the top ten forty laps into the 400 miler.

"We had a strong race car "said Whitt post race. "We knew qualifying would be bad but we all had a good feeling about race day, and you know, it's all about where you finish, not where you start, and I think we can continue our momentum into the next few weeks, hopefully the rest of the season."

Crew Chief T.J. Justice added, "We had this car right. There wasn't any doubt it wasn't. We weren't at first, our new chassis was pretty far off from last year's. But we all knew we would be up at the front, I told you all so!"

Whitt ran as high as second last week, but didn't have enough to take the lead

Brother Zach, however, failed to finish after an incident during the first round of green flag pit stops. A car trying to make it to pit road slid back up onto the racing surface and into Whitt, turning him into rookie Craig McClendon and up into the wall. The crash was violent, but the Funkmaster climbed out under his own power, albeit gingerly.

The Funkmaster finished out of the points after this incident

"We were running in the top five, top ten pretty consistently up until that point. It sucks the car is wrecked, but you can't blame a rookie that much. He oughta do better next time, though."

Whitt admitted to being sore after the incident, but was cleared by the infield medical center. Both Whitts will try again next week in HorusLand.