After several years of racing madness and record crowds around the Lerance Raceway, there was an urgent need to expand and improve the facilities. Several car companies stepped in to help refurbish the track and its amenities. Some major changes included the construction of many new spectator stands around the track, camp grounds were carved out of the landscape, a new Ferris wheel was constructed near the pit lane, and the access roads were widened for smoother traffic flow.
One of the major issues with the old track was that it used part of the regional highway as its long back straight, which necessitated the lockdown of the highway during race weekends. It wouldn’t have been such a big problem as it is a divided highway, if not for the crowds taking over the other side as well to watch the race. In a major reconstruction the highway is now completely separated from the back straight, and there are legal spectator areas inside the track along the straight. This should help tremendously to keep traffic flowing around the track.
The track itself was also resurfaced and improved. Several turns, including the 270 degree “rotunda corner”, were completely rebuilt with banking, in an effort to make racing smoother and even more exciting. Top banking angles are up to 7.5 degrees! These changes combined should make cars go around the track several seconds faster compared to a flat surface.
Racing regulations were also revisited. The new “R1 Class” is the domain of pure and dedicated racing cars. The stiff entry time limit ensures that only the best participate and that racing will be tight. Cost caps limit these cars to make racing more affordable. The imposed limitations only made the engineers think harder and be more creative. Thus, despite the imposed limits, these are still among the fastest and most sophisticated cars ever built!
The new “R2 Class” is open to street legal cars that make up to 250 HP. With even stiffer cost caps, even amateur and enthusiast racers can participate, although factory teams are of course still very welcome. These cars are naturally slower than their R1 cousins, but they are no less impressive to watch and should still provide much entertainment for the masses. Especially as the “common folk” can actually imagine themselves driving one of these cars off a dealership lot one day.
After initial scrutineering (see here), nine cars remain to race in both classes. Let’s see how they stack up on paper.
R1 Class
Left to right (now with correct cars in the photo): Wolfe Racing Razor GT Prototype @karhgath, Mocabey Monaco @SheikhMansour, Benetsch GBM-ISSV @Texaslav, Mons 356-Esque Rev.3 @cake_ape, Kamaka EXP-GT R1 Spec @LS_Swapped_Rx-7, Vizzuri Drago QV Corsa @Aruna, Zephorus Racing Design Silver Thunder '64 @Riley, Knightwick k40 Roadster sebring @mart1n2005, Rhania Ralcon-R @happyfireballman
With modern technologies more precise pace and statistics modelling can be conducted on these cars (see below for stats panel). These statistics are very useful for bookies while setting up their odds on race weekends.
Looking at overall pace, the spread between cars is pretty narrow - as predicted and hoped. On pure pace, the Wolfe seems the fastest, closely followed by the Mocabey and Benetsch. The Mons is a fraction behind the top three, as is the Kamaka and Vizzuri, although the top six cars are well within striking distance of each other. The last three cars are the Zephorus, Knightwick, and finally the Rhania, each about another two seconds slower than the one in front.
With such a close field, race wins will indeed come down to reliability and the driver’s ability to get the most out of the car. Looking at it though this lense, it looks like the Wolfe has it all sorted with very good reliability, drivability, and comfort. To top it off, it doesn’t even need to make a pit stop for fuel! The Mocabey trails the Wolfe in all stats, but it is not predicted to need any pit stops. The Benetsch has good drivability, but comfort is a little lacking, so drivers might struggle especially toward the end of races to get the most out of the car. This car will need a pit stop during the race. The Mons has pretty poor drivability in comparison, and comfort is also just average, so the driver will have to work quite hard to extract all from the car; reliability is good, however, so race finishes should be a regular occurrence. This car will not need pits stops, giving it a decent hope to catch up while the Benetsch is in for its fuel stop.
The Kamaka has stellar reliability, so it should finish races quite regularly. However, it is similar to the Mons in that it is not the easiest to drive and not as comfortable. It might need one fuel stop, or none, depending on how hard the driver pushes the car on that day. The Vizzuri brings up the tail end of the top contenders, as it also has decent reliability. It is hard to drive, but quite comfortable, so while the driver has to work hard, at least they won’t fatigue as quickly. With zero pitstops predicted, this car should still be a strong contender for an outside win.
The last three cars on the list are predicted to struggle with reliability, with the Zephorus relatively the most likely to finish a race, with diminishing odds for the Knightwick and Rhania. All three cars are quite uncomfortable to sit in. Where the Zephorus shines is its stellar drivability - if it can run without issues, it should be able to pace evenly. The Knightwick is also quite easy to drive, but the Rhania is quite a handful for the driver. Lastly, both the Zephorus and Knightwick will need a pit stop for fuel, if they make it that far of course. The Rhania will need to make a pit stop - if it indeed makes it that far.
Theoretical pace and statistics of the R1 class cars.
R2 Class
Left to right: Swanson 255 RC (FL) @Ludvig, Torshalla Griffin II @Maverick74, Mara Irena 4.0 R2 Touring Car @AndiD, Primus Astrona 4200RS @Happyhungryhippo, Martinet Vespae R2 @Ch_Flash, Liberty Falcon Racer @FidleDo, Kessel 250 KO @GassTiresandOil, Vaughn Endura @Knugcab, P&A Sportsman Mk.III Flat 6 Race Spec @lotto77
The R2 Class was also put to the test to obtain theoretical pace and statistics. First, with smaller engines and a shorter race, none of the cars will need a fuel stop. The fastest of the bunch is the cute bowling shoe Swanson, followed within striking distance by the Torshalla, Mara, Primus, Marinet, and Liberty. Outside a realistic striking distance runs the Kessel, and much larger muscle cars Vaughn and at a considerable distance, the P&A.
Looking at the secondary stats, it start looking even better for the Swanson. It has stellar reliability, top of the pack drivability, and very good comfort. Based on the statistics alone, it looks like it will be very hard to beat the Swanson. However, any mistake will be capitalized on by the moderately reliable Torshalla and Primus and superbly reliable Mara, which should still be within striking distance for a win. Each car has its strength and weakness: the Torshalla has great comfort reducing driver fatigue, the Mara has bomb-proof reliability and should still be running when every other car has blown a gasket, and the Primus has good drivability, although overall predicted to be the weakest of the “top 4 bunch”.
While on pure pace the Martinet and Liberty also look good and close enough to punce, their reliability is predicted to be problematic. Both of them have OK drivability, but poor comfort, so they will struggle to keep up a bit. But if they do on a good day, and they don’t brake down, then they could still be a threat for an outside podium or even a very lucky win.
Looking toward the bottom three cars, on pace alone they really have to hope for retirements of the faster cars to hope for a podium finish. They do have decent reliability, especially the Kessel, which should keep it in contention in most races. The Kessel also has good comfort, so it should come alive more toward the latter part of the race. The Vaughn has overall good stats, so it should find that it can extract good pace from the car. The P&A doesn’t have the best reliability, but it is not terrible. Where this car shines is with its comfort. The driver will have no problem with pushing through to the end of the race (if the car makes it that far, that is).
Theoretical pace and statistics of the R2 class cars.
With the above information in hand, eager Letarans wanting to test their fortunes will be able to make “informed decisions” regarding their bets come race weekend. What do you think, how will these races pan out?
